#like 2018? i went to this huge convention

[lemoneychicken]

when i get my replacement bendy hat its gonna cause a ripple effect through the universe and fix everything i think

[botanyshitposts]

ok INCREDIBLY old content originally meant for this blog but in 2018 when i was just a wee lad with a little spinner propeller hat and big rainbow lollipop i went to a carnivorous plant convention in california and met a bunch of people who breed/collect/study these guys. one person was this collector who was slowly working on leaving the hobby or at least no longer growing plants, and he had a bunch of carnivorous plant related files he was charging like 50 cents for or something, and so i came into possession of these, which are examples of the kind of paperwork you have to have done to legally ship/trade endangered species of both plants and animals. functionally very boring paperwork, but something i found like, incredibly fascinating. i blacked out the personal id of the person and then immediately forgot to ever upload them, lmao.

these plants were bred and raised in a greenhouse and sold abroad, not taken from the wild, but because the species are endangered and often protected in their native countries (most of these are nepenthes, asian pitcher plants, a huge family spread throughout oceania and southeast asia), there's a lot more documentation that needs to be done regardless of their origin, both on the end of the seller and on the end of the buyer.

the rabbit hole on carnivorous plant trade is deep and kind of wild. there's plenty of common, non-threatened, greenhouse-grown pitcher plants on the market that people buy all the time, even non-collectors, but there's a whole debate to be had on if it's morally okay to be collecting the more endangered/rare of these plants in the first place. the big argument for breeding is that breeding them in captivity means there's more supply that's not poached from the wild, meaning poachers have less of an incentive to take the risk of taking adult plants from their habitats; from what i've heard, sometimes countries will issue permits for breeders to collect some wild seeds just to create a non-wild breeding pool to drive down the price. predictably, however, you also get people who are very much willing to pay a lot of money to get as rare of a plant as possible.

anyone familiar with the allure valuable plants have had over people throughout history can imagine the rest, but here's an article about a guy who started buying poached plants to enrich his private nepenthes collection, who then got busted by a fish and wildlife service agent embedded in his carvirorous plant circle. the plants this guy was buying were being sold to him without any CITES paperwork or declarations like the ones above; it was literally just a guy in indonesia taking rare plants from the woods around where he lived, selling them over facebook marketplace and ebay, and mailing them overseas as an undeclared 'gift' to get around customs. frighteningly small steps to take on all sides, to be honest.

(also, fun fact: another example of carnivorous plants that get poached are wild venus fly traps, which are only native to north and south carolina in the US. from what i understand it's a mix of people who genuinely did not know it's a native species and people who really are just going out into the woods and digging up plants to sell online. sometimes poaching is closer to home than you'd think!)

anyway. wild and interesting times in the land of plants recovered from a hard drive lmao

[justinspoliticalcorner]

David Smith at The Guardian:

It will be a study in contrasts around age, gender, race, temperament and policy. It will also be the first time in US presidential history that a former courtroom prosecutor will take the debate stage alongside a convicted criminal with the White House at stake. Vice-President Kamala Harris, the Democratic nominee, has served as a trial lawyer, district attorney and state attorney general in California. Former US president Donald Trump, her Republican rival, has been convicted of 34 counts of falsifying business records to cover up a sex scandal.

The pair will go head to head in Philadelphia on Tuesday night in their first – and perhaps only – debate, just 75 days after Joe Biden’s dire performance against Trump triggered a political earthquake that ultimately forced him from the race for the White House. Few expect such a transformative result this time. But Trump has his last best chance to end Harris’s extended “honeymoon” while the Democrat is aiming to prosecute her opponent’s glaring liabilities before tens of millions of voters watching on live television. “It’s the first time Donald Trump is actually going to be cross-examined in front of the American people,” said Tara Setmayer, a former Republican communications director on Capitol Hill. “Kamala Harris’s career and experience as a prosecutor, attorney general and a senator is something that Trump should not underestimate in this debate.”

This will be Trump’s seventh appearance in a national general election debate, making him the most experienced debater in US presidential history. Against Biden in June he repeated familiar falsehoods that mostly went unchallenged. Harris is expected to be a more formidable opponent and could put Trump on the defensive over facts, policy and his conduct following the 2020 election. The 59-year-old has not been shy about embracing her career in law enforcement so far in the campaign. A video at the recent Democratic national convention in Chicago declared: “That’s our choice. A prosecutor or a felon.” In a speech accepting the party’s nomination, Harris told cheering delegates: “Every day, in the courtroom, I stood proudly before a judge and I said five words: Kamala Harris, for the people.” She has also been touting her record taking on predators and fraudsters, telling crowds across the country: “I know Donald Trump’s type!” Harris brought that experience to bear in her memorable 2018 cross-examination of Brett Kavanaugh during Senate confirmation hearings after Trump, then president, nominated him as a justice on the supreme court.

But she is unlikely to go after Trump directly over his convictions – or three other criminal cases still looming over him. When, at a rally in New Hampshire this week, an audience member shouted, “Lock him up!” Harris replied: “Well, you know what? The courts are going to handle that, and we will handle November. How about that?” In May Trump became the first former US president to be convicted of felony crimes when a New York jury found him guilty of all 34 charges in a scheme to illegally influence the 2016 election through a hush-money payment to an adult film performer. On Friday the judge, Justice Juan Merchan, delayed Trump’s sentencing until 26 November – after the election date of 5 November. For any other candidate on a debate stage, the convictions would be a huge liability. But Trump has repeatedly rallied his base by falsely claiming that the case, and others relating to election interference and mishandling classified information, are bogus and politically motivated. Should the topic arise on Tuesday, he is likely to cast himself as a martyr and also remind viewers that he was nearly assassinated in July. The 90-minute duel, held at Philadelphia’s National Constitutional Center, will be moderated by the ABC News anchors David Muir and Linsey Davis. In accordance with rules negotiated by both campaigns, there will be no live audience and candidates’ microphones will be muted when it is not their turn to speak.

The same rules seemed to work in Trump’s favour when he took on Biden in Atlanta in June. Aaron Kall, director of debate at the University of Michigan, said: “Trump adjusted well to no audience and the cutting of the microphones in Atlanta. Biden clearly didn’t. “He had never debated when there’s no audience; same thing with Harris. Not getting any feedback and not knowing how things are going, you have to trust your judgment and who’s got better media instincts than a reality television host?” The muting of the microphones may not only save Trump from himself – he interrupted Biden 71 times during their first presidential debate in 2020 – but prevent Harris offering sharp rejoinders such as “I’m speaking”, a line she delivered against Mike Pence in the vice-presidential debate four years ago. Harris and Trump have never met before in person and, in the city of Rocky Balboa, are likely to take on the roles of boxer and fighter respectively. Trump, 78, is not known for his discipline, preparation or fidelity to the truth. His debate performances, like his governing style, are typically based on gut instinct rather than considered analysis.

The first (and possibly only) debate between Kamala Harris (D) and Donald Trump (R) will take place on Tuesday with ABC as the host outlet that will air on numerous cable, streaming, and broadcast outlets.

Tuesday night is the prosecutor v. felon debate, and it’ll be an epic one in which hopefully Harris wins.

Will Harris emerge as the victor in her path to become the first woman to become President? Or will Trump win the debate to set him on a path to a return to 1600? Stay tuned.

[mari-writes]

My thoughts on Haikyuu!! The Dumpster Battle

⚠️ Warning: Spoilers for the film (and portions of the manga) ahead!

Two days ago, I went to see Haikyuu: The Dumpster Battle. I've been a fan of this series since 2015, and I started the manga within a month of the anime. So going to this film was a huge deal for me. (The only other time I've experienced a HQ screening was at the 2018 Crunchyroll convention!) It was awesome being at the theater with fellow fans wearing jerseys of our favorite teams, all excited to see our boys on the big screen. 🥰❤️

I absolutely LOVED how the film began, showing us Kenma and Hinata's first meeting but in a different way than in season 1, with the cat and crow staring each other down, and Kuroo overhearing their conversation from nearby. It really set the mood, especially with the incredible score (honestly the soundtrack is one of my favorite aspects of the movie).

However, I was upset that they left out the backstory of Nekomata and Ukai Sr. These flashbacks are so important to give the rivalry context and depth. The fact that these two characters met in middle school, and then had this battle decades later as elders, was so impactful. Not showing the history of their relationship affected the film's emotional impact. In my opinion, THIS was the biggest flaw in the script.

While we're on the negatives: I do think the film relied a lot on prior knowledge of the story. Which is to be expected, it's basically the 5th season of a show, but I don't think even casual fans would be able to keep up with how many characters and plot points quickly came and went. I recall being perplexed at certain things they chose to keep in, some of which were fun, but not necessary and just muddled the viewing experience.

Also: the subtitles. I've always had a beef with how Crunchyroll does subs. Not the translators themselves (I LOVE YOU GUYS YOU'RE AMAZING) but how they place the text. It was hard to distinguish between the primary and secondary dialogue. They were often stacked onto each other, with the barest hint of italics to differentiate. Honestly, while some background dialogue was great, I would've rather gone without to avoid confusion.

There were some other weakness, like the pacing and important character moments they cut. Obviously, as a MASSIVE fan, I would want everything to be adapted fully and perfectly. But that was never going to happen with a 1.5 hour film. 🤷‍♀️ The screenwriters did a really impressive job considering what they were tasked with accomplishing. Major kudos to them!

Now, on to the things I loved about the movie:

The animation. Gods, the animation was fantastic, such a breath of fresh air after season 4. I could tell how much care the artists put into this project. Some scenes literally had me speechless, sitting there frozen with my mouth hanging open. The final rally was animated ENTIRELY in Kenma's POV. The music faded out; you could here his heavy breathing and the team calling to each other. It made you feel like you were on the court. I've never seen anything like it before.

I mentioned the score earlier, but special shout out to the musicians, composers, and everyone involved in the soundtrack. 👏 I literally had goosebumps multiple times. And having a track by SPYAIR playing during the end credits gave me so much fuzzy nostalgia!

The voice acting was amazing. Kenma's actor, Yuki Kaji, absolutely hit it out of the park. He's always been one of my faves from the cast, but he went above and beyond in this film. But everyone did, really. It was so important for me to see the Japanese version FIRST to hear this wonderful cast who I've been following for the past 9 years.

Kuroo Testsuro. Good lord, did I come out of the theater having fallen completely in love with Kuroo. 😍❤️ His character is just SO GOOD, full of passion and love for his friends and the sport itself. I think the movie really highlighted this. (And it made me so emotional, knowing where he ended up in the future!)

BOKUTO AND AKAASHI. Thank you, movie team for letting them have their cute little moments. Especially the one with Yachi. I love these two so much. I'm very scared that their biggest arc, aka the Mujinazaka match, won't be animated. But I'm so grateful we got them in this film.

The after credits scene. REMEMBER TO STAY AFTER THE FIRST CREDITS YOU GUYS! They included the hilarious exchange between Kuroo and Daishou after the match, which was a really fun way to end things. 😆 Mika's little "You ready?" to her silly snake boyfriend was perfect. It made me giggle.

Okay, those are my initial thoughts! If I see the film again I might update this. For now, let me just say I really enjoyed it overall and it was such a special experience seeing these beloved characters on the silver screen. I still mourn the loss of a 5th season, and I'm nervous about what will be cut from the final movie... but that's future Mari's problem... 😅

Thanks for reading! 💕

[fighting-naturalist]

VENTRESS TIME!

Please say hi to my newest version Asajj Ventress! She debuted at FanExpo Canada and I am delighted with how she turned out!

A little backstory:

This is my second version of Ventress. The last I made in 2018 and updated in 2019. At that point, I was a much less experience sewist and was still learning the best way to apply a bald cap (which is challenging even for professional makeup artists!). As much as I am incredibly proud of Asajj 1.0, including the fact that my sewing was SOLID, I am simply far more knowledgable now.

This is my first original design of her. My first version was a recreation of a Clone Wars look. More and more I prefer doing my own designs. In addition to teaching me nearly every sewing technique I know, doing historical work fired my true passion to not only create but to design.

This costume and makeup took 7 hours to get into. A large part of that was that one of my airbrushes got an APOCALYPTIC clog that set me back by about an hour, but still. I painted my thighs and knees, my upper arms, and part of my face, and then I applied and painted a bald cap, after which I could do the "beauty" makeup and then get into the costume. Oh, and then because it was alcohol body paint, it took an hour to get OFF. This is a huge reduction from the three I spent removing Aayla.

I LOVE being Ventress. There is no confidence boost like becoming this bald baddie. It's so easy to fall into character, even in the way I walk. Getting through a packed convention crowd is much simpler when I do my Ventress Walk - shoulders forward, neck arched, heavy steps, and a serious case of RBF.

This is one of my first costumes to look pretty much exactly how I wanted it to. To me, Asajj should always look like a wild animal in a trap: half-starved, angry, scared, and an inch away from biting people. I certainly felt that way in this costume.

As is my Signature (lol) this costume involved a corset. For me, this is both that once I started seeing my corseted silhouette I couldn't stop, as well as a way of quieting my anxiety. Being tightly cinched into a corset always soothes my anxiety - not to mention it does wonders for my back. The day these photos were taken I could not bend over uncorseted due to my back seizing and shrieking at me but the moment that corset went on I didn't feel a single twinge. And when I took it off after the con, my back had actually mostly recovered.

[1863-project]

Heya! Hope you're okay with some train rambles?

I've been researching trains/subways systems from around the world, then I remembered that my home city, Montréal, has one! So I went in and checked around for info, and consider me surprised! Apparently it's the second most expansive system, only behind NY! And there's already constructions ongoing to expand the Blue Line to add another 5 stations on top of the 68 there are right now, not to mention all the buses and trains to the suburbs (all are handled by a single company, so everything is on time and even the bus lines are so good)

I remember clearly when they phased out the MR-63 trains to the newer MR-73 around 1977, though visually they were pretty similar, and ran together on the same lines. It's pretty cool that the MR-63 were the original trains since opening of the system in 1966! And didn't fully retire until 2018! Not to mention the new MPM-10 aka "Azur" (name was decided by the people through polls) which are amazingly well-made by Bombardier, who made all the STM's trains as well as some iconic monorails!

So when Azur launched and they were still phasing out the MR-63, there were moments that, on one station in particular, Lionel-Groulx, which have all 4 connecting lines in an open station pattern, you could see all 3 models running at the same time together!

And all stations were built to have very different styles and looks! Some have stained glass walls, some are colorful, some lean more into brutalism with pops of colors, etc. They're very beautiful, and many have ties to the very locations they were built on! The stations themselves are a huge part of the underground city too, as it only exists due to them!

And one thing I really like about the Métro is that they all run on primary rubber tires and only have conventional steel wheels as backup or during track changes! They have little concrete rollways next to the tracks and the third rail. It's pretty neat!

And soon with the new Tramway they're building (which I see the constructions often enough, it's getting built so fast!), there's going to be even more trains!

TL;DR: I took my city's subway for granted, and turns out there's so many cool facts I didn't know!

Aaaah, this is so much wonderful information - thank you for sharing it with me! I'm so glad you're finding a real love for your local public transportation - once you really get to know your system inside and out, you can get yourself and other people pretty much anywhere and really explore down there, and it's so fun, especially if you find out stations were abandoned, etc. This sounds like a newer system, so you might not have as much abandoned stuff to look for as I do, but you never know!

I believe the Metro in Paris also uses a rubber wheel system. Rubber wheels actually allow for faster acceleration, which is more efficient for a public transit system in a large city since you're able to move more people faster that way. It gives you an advantage when going uphill, too!

I wonder if you've got a local transit museum that preserves some of those older cars, too. Here in NYC, we have the New York Transit Museum, which maintains some of our older rolling stock and even brings it out for rides (I'm taking some 1930s cars out to Coney Island for a jaunt in early July and I'm stoked!). Hopefully they're preserving examples of the older cars for your subway, too!

I am actually seriously delighted when other people tell me about their local trains - it makes me so happy and I love that I get to share this genuine passion of mine with other people and hear about trains from all over the world! It's a nice unifying feeling - we all have to get places, and we all have really cool ways of getting to them.

[athenawasamerf]

Feminism in Egypt, Part 2

FGM

FGM has a long, bloody history with African and Arab women. Some people say it originated in Ancient Egypt; others lean more towards it being a Bedouin Arab tradition. I’m not here to discuss the origin story of one of the most horrific human rights infarctions on earth. I’m here to talk about the current feminist struggle against it.

FGM was outlawed in Egypt in June of 2008, and a 2014 survey showed that a whopping 92% of married women and girls between 15 and 49 years old have been subjected to FGM (I will talk more about the inclusion of 15 year olds in official surveys of married women in a post about child brides), and that 72% of these crimes were carried out by doctors. In 2008, a DHS survey of women and girls in the same age range showed that 63% of them were in support of FGM as a practice. Of those 63%, 60% cited husband preference for ‘cleaned’ girls, and 39% cited religious reasons. All of these are easily googleable facts, but these things always sound so clinical when they’re presented like this. Cold, sterile, detached. So, let’s get a little deeper into it, shall we?

Girls in Egypt are mutilated anywhere between birth and marriage, but mostly before the age of 15. These are children. Every single year, we have cases of babies, toddlers, children, young women dying from botched mutilations and infections, especially after the 2016 criminalisation of FGM practitioners. Parents will take their daughters to backwater clinics, or have ‘doula’s who have no medical experience of any kind visit them at home, and cut into the flesh of their young daughters with non-sterile equipment, often without anaesthesia.

I’ve heard and read first-hand accounts of girls who got topical anaesthesia that wore out halfway through. I’ve heard and read first-hand accounts of girls who were dragged, kicking and screaming, and held down by family and neighbours forcefully as their bodies were torn into. Of girls who bled for days, of girls who had to have their legs bound to each other for weeks, of girls who couldn’t stop screaming in pain every time they went to the bathroom, to complete apathy and even disgust and anger from their families, of girls who were snarled at for making noise while their bodies were being torn away on their own beds, of girls who still have constant pain over a decade later, of girls who hate themselves and hate their vulvas, and hate their lives. Of girls who are suicidal, of girls who are terrified of marriage, who have trust issues, who can’t handle the thought of anyone touching them there again, after the first time being so traumatic and painful and horrifying. All of this is done while the family, and even friends and neighbours, celebrate in joy. It’s even tradition in some rural areas to take all the female children of the family to get ‘fixed’ together, dressed in pretty dresses and fancy shoes.

I’ve also heard of women who are asexual due to trauma, whose husbands rape them continuously, who are abused for refusing sex, whose families disown them for being such a disgrace, whose husbands divorce them and leave them for dead, whose husbands marry multiple women besides them, and they are left to fend for themselves, unable to get a divorce and move on, and completely abandoned by the people they trusted the most. They’re told the angels will curse them all night for refusing sex, but what about their trauma? What about their feelings? What about them, as people? Nobody cares.

So, how did we get here? There are 3 main reasons.

The ’’religious’’ folk will cite a (weak) hadith as their proof that FGM is a good, healthy practice. It goes that the prophet saw a woman going to get her daughter cut, and he told her to ‘not cut severely, as that is better for the woman and more preferable to the husband’. Apart from any implications of misogyny in this hadith, it has been disputed multiple times, along with a couple others in support of FGM. You can read more about that here.

Regardless of the truth of FGM having Islamic support, the reality of the matter is that a huge amount of actual, real life Muslim people cite these hadiths as their reasoning to mutilate their daughters, and everyone sees that as completely justified. The truth of the matter is this: Someone put these hadiths into the public conscience knowing full well they will be used to abuse, maim, hurt, kill women for centuries. Whether that someone was prophet Muhammed himself or later scholars, no one can actually ever know.

The second, more indirectly religious and directly misogynistic reason, is to ensure ‘purity’. You see, as I’ve talked about before and as many of you already know, women in Islam and in MENA in general are seen and treated as property. The family’s honour lies between a woman’s thighs. A young girl who speaks to boys her age in the most innocent context possible can be subjected to house arrest, beatings, forced stopping of her education, even death, for daring to put the family’s honour in jeopardy. A girl who has a boyfriend, well...

In a society that places so much value not only on women’s virginity, but also on their complete removal and separation from the male sex at any cost, it’s not very surprising that tips and tricks like using FGM to ‘cull a woman’s sexual desire’ spread like wildfire. Girls are mutilated to make sure they don’t become wh**es. This is said frankly, openly, it’s common knowledge. If you refuse to hurt your child in this way, you will be met with disdain and disgust, and even wails of despair, with shock, with animosity. “Do you want her to become like a prostitute and ruin your family name? Do you want her to walk around uncontrolled? Don’t you know what shame she will bring on you?” These statements are directed at girls as young as... in the womb, if you show your dissent early enough.

And the final reason is the least of them to hide under religious pretences, and the most misogynistic: Because this is how men prefer their wives to be.

You might think when I say preference here, I mean it in the way I mean, “Oh, I personally prefer brunette hair,” but you would be sorely mistaken. By prefer here, I mean demand. I mean a man could force his grown wife, through physical force or through abuse, to mutilate her body for his satisfaction. I mean that men will sneer at un-mutilated women. I mean that men will beat their wives on their wedding night to within an inch of her life for ‘cheating’ them if the wives are not mutilated. I mean men will suspect their wives of adultery and murder them, which carries a reduced sentence of ‘time served during investigation’, just for the simple act of having intact genitals. I mean men will divorce their wives on their wedding night for being unharmed, for being whole. I mean men will act so entitled to women’s bodies that they will always have the assumption that the ‘product’ they are ‘buying’ is cut to taste, and they will become violent and aggressive and murderous if they find out this is not the case.

I personally don’t know whether or not I’ve been mutilated. With such high numbers in Egypt, the likely answer is yes, but I genuinely have no clue. I am not allowed to ask about these things, or I’ll be seen as a loose wh**re. My parents would beat me up and they still wouldn’t allow me the dignity of knowing whether my own body has been altered against my will. I don’t know if I’ll ever find out.

The feminists fighting constantly for tighter regulations, for harsher punishments, for longer sentences; these women are seen as the spawn of the devil. Accusations of loose morals are thrown their way day in and day out. Death threats and rape threats (’that’s what you want anyway isn’t it?’) are hurled at them from every direction. They are silenced. They are ridiculed. But they are prevailing. This year, the Egyptian president has decided to alter the FGM laws to cover loopholes, and possibly to increase enforcement. He has also altered the charge set to doctors who perform FGM which results in death from manslaughter to first or second degree murder.

The problem, however, remains in lack of reporting. Ever since the criminalisation of performing FGM in 2008, and the setting of punishments in 2016 as a minimum of three months’ jail time, to a maximum of 2 years, or a minimum of 1000EGP to a maximum of 5000EGP fines (63.71 to 318.53 USD), and until 2018, and possibly until today, not a single mutilator had been convicted.

Imagine being fined as little as 60 dollars for the permanent mutilation of a little girl’s body. And even that is not happening.

People refuse to report the monsters who do perform this, despite a 2012 gynaecology convention condemning the practice, and calling it an inhumane act, and stating quite forcefully that it is not a medical procedure, and that it is an infringement on the human rights of women and girls, which medicine and medical ethics do not condone. And yet, the public opinion remains the same: this is their business, it is not our place to intervene. It is not our place to get this fine young man thrown in jail, or fined, for performing a ‘cleaning’ procedure, and besides, wouldn’t you rather they had a medical professional perform it, rather than an uneducated woman, or a barber, or a butcher? It is not our place to report this family and tear them apart -  what did they ever do to us that we may hurt them like this?

No one ever asks what little girls have ever done for us to fail them like this.

[remythologise]

Hello! I found your blog via you amazingly summarizing all that's going on with the spn drama. Due to my schedules, rl stuff, some of the arcs that didn't vibe with me, my availability to find a place to watch...the rollercoaster I was used to with this fandom was more me binging it in a weekend to going months to over a year without watching it. I still haven't watched the last season(but with a fandom this big it's pretty impossible not be spoiled so I more or less know what happened) BUT oh great one I ask of thee for more information if you have it...other than being busy and whatnot, I'm not really one to keep up with the actors as well. So could you also maybe do a summary of all the stans? I'im seeing terms I haven't seen before. Who is Kelios(sp?)? Hellions?? probably messed it up but like...I guess what are the name of each legion? Who do they have alliance towards? What was their desires? Que paso?!?!?!?

Hi there! 'Some of the arcs that didn't vibe with me' me emotionally quitting Supernatural in Season 7 after they killed Castiel 😂 Anyway I totally get it, I went through the same culture shock mid-last year when I got back into SPN and tried to find where fandom was at! There's really a LOT of lore and content after 15 years though so I'll just do the broad brushstrokes based on my impressions and personal stereotypes PLEASE remember this is oversimplifying groups and individuals to tendencies and I'm very biased! Also important that there are sub-factions within sub-factions - again, I'm simplifying here!

I've also linked to the 'Super-wiki' in terms of some definitions because the Super-wiki has pages for them where the Fandom-wiki does not. Great introduction actually - only in the Supernatural fandom. There are two Supernatural wikis. One, through curation and twitter activity, supports BiBro/Wincest factions and does not support Destiel users. One is more neutral or Destiel-friendly (I don't know that the Fandom wiki has a personality/social media presence per se). You cannot make this up. There is a factional war... within use of fandom wikis.

Destiel faction

People who primarily ship Dean/Cas, love Castiel and (often, although not always) Jack, and the 'found family' of Supernatural as well as the brothers, and like the post s3 seasons too. Hated 15.19 and 15.20 for killing Dean and ignoring the other characters/narrative arc of the show. Nicknamed 'Destihellers' by the Wincest faction as a derogatory term, 'reclaimed' and shortened as 'Hellers', a nickname they use affectionately to describe each other. See more info on nicknames here.

Sometimes also ship ‘Cockles’ (the ship between Misha Collins and Jensen Ackles) although generally speaking they're more respectful of the wives of the actors than J2 shippers, who are notoriously responsible for... a vast series of insane-fan misdemeanours. Historically most were also good at keeping RPF to themselves and not harassing celebrities with it directly, although recently, particularly with younger twitter fans, that has not been the case.

Sub-factions:

The ‘Desticule’ or ‘Destiel tumblr’ - general grouping of Destiel-shipping tumblr users around 20-30 years old, usually LGBT+, most who came back to the show post-15.18 after leaving it for various reasons including getting sick of the queerbaiting. Funniest bitches alive etc. and responsible for the best text posts you’ve ever seen. Can also start stupid discourse and in-group drama when they’re bored.

'POLOL' - People of Lots of Letters, a discord group (of tumblr and twitter users) that ran on the assumption Andrew Dabb was playing a hugely intricate game of 3D chess to do with gnostic symbolism among other things, and would make Destiel canon. Have since had their own factional sub-wars and fallen apart a bit. Some of their meta was and is good and interesting! Some of it was wildly off the mark. Now generally insist that Dabb/the writers were all pushing for Destiel canon and the network is entirely to blame.

Twitter fans (TikTok edition) - younger fans around 18 and younger who (FOR REASONS BEYOND ME) started watching the show around 2018-2020. Definition of 'stans'. Tend to be very loud and aggressive on twitter when Events Happen, which like. I do get, because they've grown up in a completely different media environment and this kind of Dinosaur Politicking around LGBT+ issues is beyond them. Fancam central. Anyway stream #CASTIEL for clear skin!

Twitter fans (AO3 edition) - older fans around 30+ who kept going with the show but either don't have a large tumblr presence or just prefer twitter. A lot of fic writers, GISH-ers, and BNFs in this group. Some of them are very cool and reasonable in their opinions, some of them act like the younger stans. Some of them too accepting of what happened wrt 15.19-20 in my opinion, because, in contrast to the younger twitter stans, they grew up expecting Destiel to NEVER be canon or respected. 'Can't believe we got this far' etc.

Multiship faction

Multishippers or shippers of things not as large as the two main behemoths . Sub-factions based on shipping, e.g. Megstiel and Sastiel. I don't think these groups are very large though, and seem to have very little influence in the Discourse.

Wincest faction

LARGE overlap with the 'BiBro' faction and their opinions, which I'll get to. Ship Sam and Dean romantically. Often pretend to be BiBros on places like twitter and reddit in order for outside groups to take their opinions more seriously. 'Wincesties' etc. are derogatory nicknames given by the Destiel faction.

Sub-factions:

Multiship fans - ship Sam and Dean but respect Castiel/the 'found family'. Politically overlap with the faction of multishippers, I think. I don't have a lot of insight on this group of people honestly, but I know they exist.

Bronlies - the typical BiBro and 'Wincest' shippers most people think of, twitter user 'Kelios' is one of the would-be ringleaders of this faction - typically tend to be older white midwestern women. Historically have been pretty nasty on twitter (leading to Robert Berens, writer who made Destiel canon, occasionally subtweeting Kelios). Also tend to ship 'J2' - and take it very seriously as a legitimate thing that is really real. This is called 'tinhatting'.

BiBro faction

People who think the show should JUST be about the brothers, love Supernatural s1-3 and everything after it should have been just like Supernatural s1-3. Hate Castiel, Jack, and the 'found family'. Largely loved 15.20. Go to literally any comments section on any Supernatural article and You Will Find Them complaining about how the show should just be about the Brothers. Tend to be older, straighter, and more conservative/Republican (and male) fans. (I am aware that the definition of 'BiBro' used to refer to people who just liked the brothers but there's no definitional difference now in the discourse.) The Wincest and BiBro faction are generally much more wealthy than the Destiel faction (they being younger and more diverse/queer/left-leaning in general) and would be the biggest revenue generators at conventions etc.

Sub-factions:

Reddit bros - literally anyone who visits r/supernatural. Well, that's not fair - there are people who post reasonable opinions on there, but it's pretty rare and they get downvoted a lot. Like to talk about 'toxic Destiel fans' 'ruining the show' and how Dean is a straight man who is straight and could never possibly be gay. Might even think the confession was platonic despite all evidence to the contrary. I'm Not Homophobic I Have Gay Friends, But No Gays on MY Show!

Old Guard - group of older fans who overlap strongly with the Wincest faction, but might not necessarily ship Wincest.

GA faction

'General Audience' - These are the group of audience members that aren't 'online' so to speak; most watch the show on TV as a Casual Viewing Experience (are therefore also sometimes referred to as 'casuals'. Mostly their opinions tend towards BiBros, but they have a vast range of baffling views thanks to being Not Online and usually Not caring about Supernatural that much or thinking that deeply about it.

Sub-factions:

People who simply watch Supernatural on TV and then don't think about it very much after that.

I said they weren't 'online' but that's not entirely true; I'd probably classify people on Supernatural Facebook Groups as GA, along with friends of friends who post statuses about how 15.20 was a neat finale that wrapped up the series.

Conclusion

Supernatural is famously the show that appeals to both Republicans and Democrats, literally All Orientations, so there's a WIDE range of factions. However, most warring online boils down to Destiel vs. Wincest/BiBro - the war that started in Season 4 and has simply never ended. In terms of the 'actors' and their stans, in general, Wincest/BiBro fans love Jared, like Jensen, and dislike Misha. Destiel fans love Misha, like Jensen, and dislike Jared. Of course as with everything, there are variations and this is just a generalisation. But that's the summary of it, from my perspective!

This didn't even get into Sam girls, Dean girls and Cas girls. God. Anyway.

Hope that answered your question, anon!

[randomrainman]

why the american campaign in afghanistan was destined for failure, and other strange stuff.

Our campaign in Afghanistan which began on October 7, 2001, dubbed “Operation Enduring Freedom” for some peculiar and uniquely American reason, was doomed from the very beginning, and most of the blame for the failure is ours.

Pictured: A group of Afghans rest near Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan. (Photo: me)

So why did this happen in the first place?

Detailing the entirety of Afghanistan’s tumultuous 19th- and 20th-century history here would an arduous (and, ultimately, pointless) task, but, put succinctly, the USA and Afghanistan’s eastern neighbour, Pakistan, were instrumental in the initial development of the Taliban as a viable militant organisation and major player in Afghanistan.

Pictured: a Soviet soldier takes cover near Herat, Afghanistan. (Photo: AP/Jacques Langevin)

The Soviet Union embroiled itself in a bitter conflict in Afghanistan from 24 December 1979 until 15 February 1989. Through Pakistani intelligence services, the CIA, in its anti-commie fervour, armed and funded anti-Soviet resistance groups, collectively known as mujahideen (which is Swedish for “turboprop plane”, or maybe just Arabic for “those engaged in jihad”).  Spirited resistance and brilliant guerrilla-style tactics by the mujahideen, which included future prominent Taliban figures such as Haibatullah Akhundzada and Mohammad Omar, led to the eventual departure of Soviet forces from Afghanistan in what has been termed (perhaps ironically, considering our current situation) “Russia’s Vietnam”.  At least 562,000 Afghans perished in the Soviet-Afghan War, and millions more either fled the country or were internally displaced.  This conflict also likely directly contributed to the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991.

Pictured: Former Representative Charlie Wilson (D-TX) with a group of mujahideen. Wilson championed a veritable Cyclone of bullshit. (Photo: Wikipedia/unknown author)

As a civil war further ravaged Afghanistan, the Taliban, founded in 1994 by Islamic cleric (mullah) Mohammad Omar, emerged as the preeminent force amongst the mujahideen.  Backed by Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence, the Deobandi Islamist group quickly made territorial gains and captured Kabul in 1996, brutally murdering former President Najibullah to punctuate their conquest.

Under the newly established Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, the Taliban regime went right to work in establishing stringent shari’a law over the territories they subdued, barring women from education and work, suppressing ethnic and religious minorities, and outlawing music and TV (which, with the exception of the last thing, should sound familiar to anyone familiar with our own history).

A certain Usama bin Laden (UBL), who founded the terrorist organisation al-Qa’ida (literally “the base”) in 1988 during the Soviet-Afghan War, funnelled resources, to include arms and foreign fighters, into the mujahideen resistance effort in Afghanistan through his Maktab al-Khidamat.  Though the organisation provided little in terms of overall impact on the war, it boasted a backing of both Pakistan’s ISI and Saudi Arabia’s General Intelligence Presidency, and was later absorbed into al-Qa’ida.

Having had his Saudi citizenship stripped and amid mounting pressure from Saudi Arabia, the US, and Sudan, bin Laden opted to return to Afghanistan in 1996, where he would forge an alliance with Mullah Omar.  Omar’s Taliban regime provided a suitable, ahem, base of operations for bin Laden’s burgeoning global terrorism aspirations, and Pakistan provided continued funding and manpower for the Taliban and its al-Qa’ida allies up until 2001.

Pictured: Ahmad Shah Massoud and a group of mujahideen in the Panjshir Valley, 1984. (Photo: Jean-Luc Bremont/AP)

Ahmad Shah Massoud, a guerrilla commander who famously repelled Soviet occupying forces from the Panjshir Valley, became a leading figure in anti-Taliban efforts.  Massoud, along with Abdul Rashid Dostum, a polarising yet powerful ethnic Uzbek warlord, formed the United Front (commonly referred to as the Northern Alliance).  Instead of the Pashtun-centric approach utilised by the Taliban, Massoud sought to incorporate Afghanistan’s numerous ethnicities under the United Front’s umbrella.

Despite the Northern Alliance’s clear opposition to the Taliban and ostensibly having prior knowledge that radical elements were at play, the United States provided zero backing to the resistance efforts.�� Massoud himself addressed the European Parliament and warned of an imminent attack, and also expressed the need for US aid in combatting Taliban belligerents.

Two days prior to the September 11 attacks, the highly revered Massoud prepared to give an interview to a pair of Arab TV journalists, and it would be the last thing he did, as the “journalists” detonated a suicide bomb fashioned out of a TV camera, which was apparently stolen in France.  The "Lion of Panjshir” was buried in his home village of Bazarak, Panjshir Valley, with hundreds of thousands of people in attendance.

Pictured: The World Trade Center’s Twin Towers erupt in flames after airliners hijacked by al-Qaeda operatives crash into the buildings. According to conspiracy nutjobs, these planes and their passengers never existed, and instead flew into a wormhole and into a parallel universe. (Photo: Silva/Reuters)

Following 9/11, then-President George W. Bush threatened the Taliban regime and demanded that they deliver al-Qa’ida leaders in Afghanistan to American authorities, an undertaking they promptly decided to never do.  Naturally, Bush came to shove, and a joint resolution that somehow declared war on the very concept of terror was issued.

The United States also finally decided to team up with the Northern Alliance at the onset of OEF in October 2001.  Fortunately, it paid off; the Taliban regime rapidly disintegrated after being bombed into the Bronze Age.  Despite having effectively vanquished the Taliban, the US failure to capture or kill UBL at Tora Bora likely protracted the conflict into the behemoth bumblefuck we currently recognise.

We did manage to finally kill UBL on May 2, 2011, but stayed in Afghanistan for another 10 years, because stuff.  In 2018, then-President Trump ordered a drawdown of approximately 7,000 troops, and in February 2020, US envoy to Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad and Taliban vice emir Abdul Ghani Baradar signed a peace agreement.  In July of this year, we abandoned Bagram Airfield, our biggest base, virtually overnight, and did not bother informing the Afghans, which I’m sure made them extremely happy.

Pictured: The mountains near Bagram, Parwan province, Afghanistan.  (Photo: me)

The Taliban resurgence into power was equally swift and met surprisingly little resistance: on August 15, 2021, the Taliban took Kabul and cemented its authority.  This version of the militant group the NATO coalition and pro-Western Afghan forces soundly defeated in 2001 made promises to uphold women’s rights and to maintain an inclusive government, though the killing of at least three at a protest in Jalalabad, amongst other things, probably does little to reassure critics that their takeover is a positive turn of events.  That said, far-right and neo-Nazi elements are, in fact, celebrating the Taliban’s seizure of power for some depraved Nazi-exclusive reason.  It must also be noted that, on multiple levels, the evangelical brand of Christianity possesses significant overlap with the Deobandi Islamist stylings of the Taliban credo.

Pictured: President Joseph Biden discusses Afghanistan at the White House, Aug. 16, 2021 (Photo: AP/Vucci)

As of late, we have frequently underestimated the capabilities of enemy combatants, and the conclusion of our campaign in Afghanistan is no different: President Biden hugely miscalculated the Taliban’s competence in retaking the nation, citing the Afghan National Defence and Security Forces’ (ANDSF) strength in numbers and superiority in armaments and materiel.  Following the takeover, he even went on to blame the ANDSF’s lack of resolve as a reason for the US-backed regime’s collapse.  While technically true, it also fails to take into account Afghanistan’s nature itself.  In reality, Afghanistan, in contrast to a central federal government such as that of the United States, is very splintered, factional, corruption-ridden, and largely fiercely independent and self-governing, especially amongst Pashtun tribes.  It’s as if Piru and Crip sets spread out over an entire country ... and over several centuries.

Pictured: “NAYBAHOOOOD!” ... now take away the colours, replace every clothing article with shalwar kameez, and turn it up to a cosmic scale, and you have Afghanistan. (Photo: unitedgangs.com)

An additional blunder was approaching the campaign as one would a conventional conflict, something which clearly does not apply to a place as plagued by lawlessness as Afghanistan.  There are largely no clear enemies (or friends, for that matter), and trying to distinguish friend from foe is akin to stabbing a warbling mass of sentient Silly Putty or the weird black goo from Prometheus.  The United States will almost always win in terms of sheer might and overall warfighting acumen, as we are skilled in both conventional and asymmetric warfare, but what can you do when you have no idea who the enemy is?  When the enemy is willing to “wait it out” indefinitely?  Sure, we could literally blow everyone up, but, last I heard, wholesale genocide is a generally frowned-upon activity.

Calling Afghanistan even a Pyrrhic victory seems like an overstatement when you examine the initial mission, our successes, and the final result.  Sure, we got UBL, which was supposedly the entire point of the invasion, but if so, why did we choose to remain for another ten years, wasting a metric asston of resources in the process?  To build a nation?  To soothe our collective ego?

Pictured: Workers construct a road in Afghanistan (Photo: AP/Rahmat Gul)

If one is to build a nation, it requires a decent understanding of and a rapport with the people groups with whom you are dealing.  It is not enough to simply install people who share your particular leanings and instruct them to do what you would do.  It is certainly inadequate to provide arms, training, and funding to people and expect them to do your bidding when shit hits the fan.  This sort of thinking also indirectly implies that we possess some kind of moral authority over the nations we invade.  While our post-war influence has proved positive in some places (Japan, South Korea, Germany, etc.), it does not mean that we should be building nations in every place in which we set foot, especially in a place so volatile and tribalistic as Afghanistan.

I have communicated with a few individuals who insist that President Biden’s withdrawal was too hasty, or that we should just remain in Afghanistan for the foreseeable future.  As much as I am typically revolted by former President Trump and his frequently incoherent word salads, he was right about this particular matter: “The only way they last is if we’re there. What are we going to say? We’ll stay for another 21 years, then we’ll stay for another 50. The whole thing is ridiculous."  Yes ... yes, it is ridiculous to prop up an institution that will collapse instantaneously in our absence.

I am no fan of former Senator Ron Paul, and especially Alex Jones and InfoWars, but Paul is almost completely correct in making this statement.  Ultimately, a militaristic approach to dominance does not pave the way for longevity.  While it is virtually impossible (and infeasible) to return to a 1930s-era isolationist policy, repeated and extended global conflicts only serve to deplete American resources, even if war profiteers have much to gain from it.

Pictured: barbed wire fencing at Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan. (Photo: me)

Ultimately, rather than rushing pell-mell into unknown and dangerous situations, it is important, especially in this time period, to examine why things went wrong to avoid embroiling ourselves in additional catastrophic and unwinnable debacles such as our Afghanistan conflict.  This is a time for self-reflection, rather than outrage.

|the kid|

[psycholojosh]

Attending My First Psych Conference After Graduation

To some extent, I really wish this blog post would have had a more exciting narration of content. The pandemic really brought a lot of systems into different directions, and conferences and conventions are no exceptions. Since last year, conferences have done online (no surprise there) but they're usually organized by foreign organizations and associations. It's quite difficult to get access to these conferences as a Filipino (or somebody living in this country) since money and time seem to be an issue. Nonetheless, some conferences - like the Happy Family Conference in the US that I attended last year - had more accessible means such as making registration free and allowing attendees to stream learning sessions (which act more like interviews or lectures) at their own time for a couple of days.

Last September 2021, the Psychological Association of the Philippines - the PAP, for short - hosted the first virtual convention, the PAP Convention 2021, after a hiatus from last year. The PAP Convention is very popular annual conference in the psychology scene in the country, mainly because the organization is the nationally accredited professional association for people in my field. To all you young readers out there studying psychology - or if you're just really into psychology, conferences and conventions are quire a huge thing in our personal and professional growth. We learn a lot about what's going on through our field through paper presentations, symposiums, forums, and lectures from various experts in the different branches of psychology.

Conference magic

Now, attending the PAP Convention 2021 was "technically" my "first" convention as a psychology graduate and a registered psychometrician. I say "technically" and "first" loosely, because I had prior experience to organizing conferences or being part of their operating teams as a volunteer. In 2017 and 2018, I was the publicity head and overall ad hoc committee head respectively of the Insight Psychology Conference. This was organized by my college org, which sadly did not push through in the recent years. Knowing the ebbs and flows of a conference wasn't something new to me. But to experience it as a full-blown participant? This year was the first. It's a bittersweet thought because, on one end, I'm happy to be participating again in a conference. But on the other, I was sad that it had to happen this way- virtual, online, and remote from everyone else.

The magic about conferences isn't only about the learning you get. There's actually a lot of connections, networking, and even friendships that potentially develop and go beyond the days of the event. Conferences also become a social gathering of sorts, since some - if not, most - of the time, you all want to relax and enjoy the time you got there. And this usually includes socializing and being able to know the who's who of your own profession. Plus, as a young adult myself and someone who hasn't had his own personal vacation sans my family, I wanted some time to travel and get away from my usual day to day.

Conferences don't usually happen in the venues we have here in Metro Manila or its periphery, but they can. Although for the past years, the PAP Convention typically selects places in the Philippines that have a balance of academic reputation and a touristy appeal. The last PAP Convention was held in Ateneo de Davao in Davao City, Davao del Sur. And the temptation of a participant to ditch the conference for a fun vacation is tempting. Some often extend their stays beyond the conference to go for the sights and the attractions. Trust me, I would have done so if this year had the same case.

The first day... and the birthing pains it went with

I registered early this year when the announcement was made around May. As per usual, I signed up, emailed the org, paid the registration fee, and got a confirmation email for the link to the virtual conference. It turns out, the PAP Convention is going to have its own microsite online where a participant like me gets to log in and view all the "rooms" and "session halls" from the comfort of one's home. I was just a click away to being "there". (But was I really?)

Fast forward to September 30th. All of the participants were asked to log into the website on or before 8:30am. I didn't have enough sleep the previous night so I woke up at around 7:30am, fixed myself breakfast and took a quick shower before attempting to log in. It was worrisome because since the night before, our internet connection at home got cut off without any notice or advisory from the internet service provider. So I had to rely on my mobile network data until the issue was fixed.

As I clicked the link in the confirmation email-- boom! "Your connection timed out," my browser said. I tried again a couple times, but the same thing happened. I frantically checked on my mobile data, and it said it was perfectly fine. Maybe my browser? Still fine. I scrolled through the PAP's Facebook page to check on advisories or announcements and the only thing I found was a reminder that tech support lines were made available to us earlier that morning - but no advisory about the issue. And to my surprise, it wasn't only me who was experiencing this. Hundreds upon hundreds of people are. My friends and colleagues suddenly were texting and messaging each other checking in on who's able to log in or not.

Not long after the start of registration, some other participants who successfully got in reported that only 200 were "present" in the virtual plenary. "What!? Nagsimula na sila nang hindi inaasikaso tayo?," I said to my friend, Tin, who was also experiencing the same issue. No one could get to the hotlines for a while (which is understandable, since a lot may have been calling them for help). But starting that moment - topped by the many failed attempts to connect to their website and painful hours waiting for advice from the organizing team - I and a lot of other people were feeling stressed and angry for the lack of foresight. We did not receive confirmation, but a lot of us supposed that the microsite's server couldn't support the influx of online traffic from the participants, and that they could not hold everyone for long. What's surprising is that somebody who got in the plenary embedded the video link and sent it to the people to be passed around. The issue there was that anyone - regardless if they registered - could access it. And it wasn't okay.

To cut the long story short: It took me a couple of hours to get through their tech support and vent my grievances. I missed almost half a day due to their shortcomings and lack of foresight. What frustrated me most was the lack of transparency when no one was issuing public advisories regarding the ongoings of their troubleshooting. Nonetheless, come the afternoon, they pulled through with an email with all the Zoom links of the afternoon sessions. Needless to say, I was still upset and relieved that something happened.

The afternoon sessions were great. I got to attend the Clinical Psychology Division Assembly, where members of the organization who are grouped under this division report on what activities transpired over the year. From what I remember, they essentially had a lot of partnerships with organizations and companies since the pandemic began. Pretty much, there were some advances to forwarding clinical psychology as a practice in the Philippines, but it's not quite significant enough to exact a large ripple of change. Still, there's a lot of work to be done.

After the assembly, I joined in with the special interest group I belong to, the LGBTQ+ Psychology Special Interest Group (or LGBTQ+ SIG, for short). I joined this group last year, during the pandemic, through the assistance of my former LGBTQ+ Psychology professor in college, Eric. Although Eric informally introduced me to the group via Facebook, I haven't gotten a chance to speak with anybody, at least through calls or video conferencing, who belongs to the group. And I'm happy to find out how animated, passionate, funny, and kind these people are when I got there. I learned a bit more about the group's activities and what's in store for us until the next year. One noteworthy mention was about the special issue of the Philippine Journal of Psychology that centers LGBTQ+ psychology studies. I pretty much have a couple of unpublished and un-reviewed papers lying around, and I saw this as a good opportunity to get published.

I had to leave early from that meeting since I had class by 5:30pm. I just opted to ask my questions and introduce myself formally then bid my thanks and farewell. Needless to say, the assembly and the SIG meeting met my expectations and turned what could have been a stressful day around.

The second and third days: Symposiums and forums

The second and third days of the conference went smoother than the first. And I was quite satisfied how responsive the tech support was these days since they emailed us early on for the Zoom links for the entire day. Nakabawi din. But, I still couldn't get over the fact that I lost about 8 hours the previous day, so I charged it to their feedback forms after the event.

Anyway, the second and third days had learning sessions, symposiums and forums that occur simultaneously for a certain time slot of the day. Prior to the event, I downloaded the PDF file of the souvenir program, so I had an idea where I wanted to go. For day 2, my first stop was a paper symposium on understanding self-harming behaviors - which is highly relevant in my profession. Then, I proceeded to go to a research presentation about machismo and gay seafarers. And later in the afternoon, I spent it on the mental health topics.

I couldn't say much about the third day, however, since I had to head out to see my boyfriend on an agreed date. But, he encouraged me to still be "present" by just passively letting my phone connected to the conference as I was with him. (I know, he's that supportive!) He eventually ended up joining me on one of the last research sessions that talked about the concept of tagasalo among LGBTQ+ individuals. For those who are not aware, the tagasalo is a concept referring to people in the family who take over the role of being the primary person responsible for the family or household -- sinasalo ang mga problema at respondibilidad. On a side note, I was really happy that my boyfriend got to see this side of our field and that he was somehow interested in what was being discussed. He would shoot questions at me here and there, and I would happily answer. I didn't finish the third day, and decided to spent the rest of the day with him. And that was that.

My reflections and thoughts

Overall, I know that the event started really rough and had major issues when it came to logistics, but it isn't without its benefits too. On one hand, I would say that I pity the staff and volunteers more than I did the organizers because of the hundreds of irate or frustrated persons (myself included). The troubleshooting was sloppy initially, and the communication was unclear. On the other hand, the second and third days had the biggest improvements. And I was sincerely satisfied when I got to meet my SIG and my division, and when I listened to the studies presented on mental health or queer psychology.

Like I said, the magic of conferences are the twofold of knowledge and camaraderie. While the online version of it can only guarantee one of them, there's no doubt that the sense of togetherness as a field and as a community is there. I just hope to experience it firsthand and in vivo as the years go by.

I actually look forward to going to other conferences and psychology seminars and events very soon. I just hope I get to experience more and hopefully become a presenter or speaker in one of them eventually. Until then, let's keep learning where the learning is good.

[ohnobjyx]

Asks without a question (I)

I love when you people chime in and tell what you think, but since there isn’t really a question in these, I don’t have an answer per se for you, so I’m leaving an reply for you here!

(Including a lot of links because I know there are many new fans out there!)

Disclaimer: bjyx? what is that? Is it edible?

Oh yes, anon. I think we are all here because we believe that they have something. The show you mention was TTXS, where dd is a cohost since 2016 (the clip is here, and the whole episode here). Please, let’s all notice he said this in January 2018, before he was filming CQL, but after he had met gg. Was he thinking of someone or just a passing thought?

(Imo, it was just an opinion, or something from past experiences that may include the first meeting with gg or not, I don’t think he’d go as far as think how would he behave in the case they got to work together. The comment seemed very offhanded to me).

And I love that part from WZC’s interviews (he’s a very funny man XD). From his interview (where he said the childish part) I love the part where he says that he left the “big bros love you” chat the first day, and, ofc, the part about the mosquito bite.

If you watch the whole interview, there was a part where my eyes went 😳, because in this video TN explained kedaole as “talking about an idol’s good visuals”?? (another TN here: kedaole or 磕到了 is a expression used by bxg and other cp fans when they’ve caught a sweet moment between the cp. For example, if I were to say “why don’t you wear kneepads?”, most of you will be like “kedaole!”).

His eyes and his expression doesn’t make sense unless he gives the phrase the same meaning as we do.

Wow, I really left the ask box unattended for too long 😖

I think the kadian anon was talking about that day was this one:

However, I was going through a phase where I was starting to doubt the kadian, in the sense that it’s “impossible” that all kadian is related to gg. Kadian is afterall one of the most overinterpreted candy that’s out there, because the possibilities are endless.

The week before we had been pouring over this kadian and this one, because we thought that it was too much of a coincidence that he was late to the posting of the promotional post the exact time that made the timestamp mean something related to bjyx.

Dd was also “late” for the promo of the first episode, and posted at 20:04 (the episodes air at 20:00), which made some people think that he missed 20:03 by a few seconds.

BUT. The thing is that some people say he can’t schedule the posts, so he must post as soon as he has the post ready. I searched a little, to see if dd’s tardiness was phenomenon limited to him exclusively, and found that all of the other team’s captains were also late most of the times. One of them even posted at 20:03 one of the days.

So now I think that the kadian must only be significant if it can form a phrase in itself (like 12:03) or if it’s so late that it can’t possibly be an accident (thinking about the 13:10 and the jet-ski heart). This leaves out 20:32 for me, because the “sentence” seems too forced and there’s no gg related content neither in the post nor in the episode. However, kadian is a very personal thing, and others might find this significant even if I don’t.

It was also the day this dance happened, I still remember that we were all freaking out here in tumblr, because dd is so bold and uncaring of conventions. I definitely didn’t expect it, so colour me absolutely impressed.

(And I don’t think gg minds either... for one, work is work, and if I were to have such a video of my partner, I’d absolutely treasure it 😉).

Yes, yes and yes, anon 😂 The cracked pot convo (there was a part 2!) happened the same day of the apology in the hallway (tumblr doesn’t let me find it, so here’s the raw version) and the clingy part. Might I add that the reversed pants conversation happened the same day too, in another interview? 

Besides of the whole day being “suspicious” this day held a lot of pointers for bxg. Let’s just focus on the part where dd apologizes to gg for example (I must have written a post about this, but since I can’t find it, I’ll summarize it quickly here):

Dd, during their earlier interview, had said “are you crazy?” to gg, which in Chinese is an insult. He apologized on the spot (notice his hand on gg’s arm!) and apologized again later, in the hallway.

When he apologized, he called gg “da lao”, which means “boss”. This later caused the birth of another candy during one of their fan meetings. However, what’s more remarkable is how naturally gg reacts to this name, and how he simply leans towards dd. So, it doesn’t take much to guess that dd must call gg like that a lot in private, for it to be taken so naturally.

Dd had indeed been worried about angering gg, which is the only reason why I think he’d bring up the issue later (if not, why would anyone say to someone “I was in the wrong before”?). He gave it importance, and apologized, because gg had reacted to it earlier pointing to the cameras. However, I don’t think gg really minded the “insult” but was rather worried of how it created a bad image for dd (which is why he says “it wasn’t so bad, at least you didn’t say that...”. He was worried that dd would say something worse).

So, in this barely 15 seconds interaction we got some huge clues: “da lao” is something they use often, and the reason why it’s used as an inner joke later, dd really cares about what gg thinks and gg worries about dd’s image.

I’ll finish it here to avoid repeting myself, but really, each of the moments of this day deserves a careful examination, because there are a lot of pearls hidden in the mud.

(I don’t remember what day was it, but gg and dd seemed very unguarded to me. “She’s not so clingy, you are”. OMG, gg)

Well, what can I say. He didn’t say anything about a boyfriend though (not like he can, but just saying that omissions are important).

Anon, “likely” falls short for me. Look through my blog. Almost 600 posts in less than 4 months. Taking out the photos, you still have 300-400 posts dedicated to them. I assure you, at this point, if it’s proved that we are wrong, I’m going to be very very surprised.

[sawadeekannyeong]

Thailand: Southeast Asia’s unexpected epicentre of K-pop

How Thailand contributes to South Korea, and how South Korea gives back in return

i. Intro

Video: Clip from Thai entertainment show hosted by Moddam Kachapa. (Source: YouTube)

On September 11, 2021, Thai MC Moddam Kachapa talked about the solo debut success of Blackpink’s Lisa.

“This is what we call world class, truly world class, it’s finally happened to our country.”

Lisa (real name Lalisa Manoban), a K-pop idol who was born and raised in Thailand, got her start under YG Entertainment in 2016, as a member of girl group Blackpink. The group itself has achieved worldwide success, even being credited by South Korean president Moon Jae-In for spreading K-pop content across the globe. Lisa is the only member of the group who is not Korean, and the third to break out into solo endeavours.

Her debut single album Lalisa was considered a huge success. With 736,000 copies sold in South Korea within the first week, it broke the all-time record for most sales in a single week for any release by a female musician — leaving her more than worthy of a celebration.

But in acknowledging Lisa’s success, Kachapa discredited the success of other Thai K-pop idols in the industry: namely, 2PM’s Nichkhun and GOT7’s BamBam.

“We’ve never seen a (Thai) superstar go this far - back then we had Nichkhun, but he wasn’t successful to this degree. We also have BamBam, but he too didn’t manage to get this far.”

Photo: Screenshots of netizens’ tweets regarding Kachapa’s statements. (Source: Twitter)

His statements struck a chord with long-time fans of both artists, who felt there was no need to bring them down in order to praise Lisa. Many even acknowledged that the three are friends, and did not see one another as competition.

Photo: BamBam, Nichkhun and Lisa with one another. (Source: various)

This incident proves one thing – Thai fans of K-pop are proud of all the success their own citizens have achieved, and actively acknowledge that debuting in the K-pop industry is an achievement to laud over. It reflects the level of respect Thai netizens have for K-pop, revealing just how popular K-pop is in Thailand.

ii. The import of Thai idols

A survey conducted with 500 Thai citizens in 2019 revealed that 45.6 percent of respondents considered K-pop to be very popular in the nation, with an additional 27.2 percent considering it to be quite popular. The Korean Wave, specifically the rise of K-pop, has been present in Thailand for more than decade now.

The import of talents like Nichkhun, BamBam and Lisa are both a result of this rise, and also help to maintain this popularity. The respect they are treated with in their home country is nearly unparalleled.

Nichkhun (2PM)

In 2005, when he was just 17, Nichkhun was scouted by JYPE Entertainment representatives while at the Los Angeles Korean Music Festival with some friends. He admitted to having no knowledge of Korean culture, and did not understand why he was scouted. 

“I didn’t know any singers, I didn’t know what JYP was and when I was scouted, I was really skeptical about it because I don’t really speak Korean, I didn’t know anybody there.”

The Los Angeles Korean Music Festival (now known as the Korea Times Music Festival) was launched in 2003 to give Korean-Americans living in Southern California a taste of “home”. The festival grew increasingly popular among non-Koreans, due to the widespread recognition of Korean culture in the United States, and in 2013, 95 per cent of tickets were purchased by non-Koreans.

Video: 2PM performing at the 2014 Los Angeles Korean Music Festival. (Source: YouTube)

The booming presence of the Korean community in Southern California and the rise of Hallyu in the United States were both factors that contributed to Nichkhun’s recruitment into JYPE. His debut as a member of 2PM in 2008 cemented his status as the world’s first K-pop idol from Thailand.

He is incredibly popular in his home country, earning the nickname “Thai Prince” for his good looks, wealth and talent. He also acknowledges that as a foreign K-pop idol, he helps to globalise K-pop, and spread awareness of it beyond just South Korea.

I think I’m the international bridge that connects the group to places outside Korea. If the group were only Korean members, the reach would be very Korean. But because I’m there, I make the group a little more international.

BamBam (GOT7)

BamBam (born Kunpimook Bhuwakul), is a member of GOT7, formerly under JYP Entertainment. Growing up in Thailand, his interest in Korean culture was primarily because his mother was a huge fan of singer Rain. The two of them even attended some Rain concerts together in Thailand, a testament to the singer’s popularity in the region.

BamBam actively took part in K-pop competitions growing up in Thailand, like a Rain cover dance competition, and the Thailand LG Entertainer Competition (which 2PM’s Nichkhun and Blackpink’s Lisa were coincidentally both present at).

Photo: BamBam, Nichkhun and Lisa at the Thailand LG Entertainer Competition. (Source: YouTube)

At 13, BamBam passed the JYP World Tour Audition in Thailand and subsequently moved to South Korea to become a JYPE trainee. Debuting with GOT7 in 2014, his popularity in Thailand soared and BamBam went on to receive the nickname “Thai Prince”, just like his predecessor Nichkhun.

He endorses many brands in Thailand, including mobile network operator AIS, Yamaha, and Vivo.

“Someone had called me “nation’s treasure” before. I felt really good when I heard it. I want Thai people to be proud of me. I am proud of being Thai. I always say it wherever I go. We’re K-pop idols or whatever, we’re still Thai.”

Lisa (Blackpink)

Lisa’s story of how she debuted is similar to that of BamBam’s. In 2010, she attended an open audition held by YG Entertainment in Thailand, and was the only winner out of approximately 3000 contestants. Moving to South Korea at the mere age of 13, she proceeded to become YG’s first non-Korean trainee.

Since Blackpink’s debut in 2016, the group has achieved constant success. Lisa’s fame is nearly unparalleled – she is the most followed K-pop idol on Instagram, boasting 61.9 million followers (as of October 2021).

The star, who like Nichkhun and BamBam is highly respected in Thailand, made sure to boast her Thai roots in her debut single.

"I wanted my album to give a Thai feel as its gem, and YG's producer, Teddy, arranged the lead track in the way I expected. I also sported Thai outfits in its music video and made traditional Thai dance movements.”

The ever growing globalisation of K-pop, like Korean music festivals and idol auditions held in other countries, contribute to the growing pool of non-Korean K-pop idols. K-pop is becoming increasingly accessible, not just for fans, but for those aspiring to join the industry.

Other Thai idols have sprouted in the K-pop industry since, like NCT’s Ten, CLC’s Sorn and G-Idle’s Minnie. All of them contribute to growing cultural relations between Thailand and South Korea, as South Korean President Moon Jae-In said himself.

“ In particular, the peoples of our two countries are curious about each other and share a mutual affection. A number of talented young Thais are making a name for themselves on the world stage as members of K-pop acts, including Nichkhun of 2PM and Lisa of Blackpink.”

iii. Getting what you give

Where K-pop has benefitted from Thailand, Thailand has benefitted from K-pop.

All of the “Big 3” labels – JYP, YG and SM – have expanded their businesses to Thailand: JYP launched JYPE Thailand in 2010, its official Southeast Asian branch. The following year, SM launched a joint venture called SM True with Thailand’s The Visions Group. And just this year, YGMM was launched as a joint venture between YG and Thailand’s GMM Grammy.

Korean music festivals and conventions are also commonplace in Thailand. In 2011, to celebrate its 50th anniversary, South Korea’s Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation (MBC) held the MBC Korean Music Wave in Bangkok. It featured the biggest groups of the time, like TVXQ, Miss A, Girls’ Generation and SG Wannabe, and was hosted by 2PM’s Nichkhun, alongside Yuri and Tiffany from Girls’ Generation. MBC Korean Music Wave returned to Thailand two more times, and its last iteration received a turnout of 20,000 fans.

Photo: Tiffany, Nichkhun, and Yuri at MBC Korean Music Wave in Bangkok 2011. (Source: Soompi)

More recently, in 2018 and 2019, Thailand became the only Southeast Asian country to host KCON. The convention, held to celebrate all forms of Korean culture, originally began in 2012, in the United States, and has since expanded to eight countries. Thailand’s KCON was hosted both times by 2PM’s Nichkhun, and saw performances from artists like Stray Kids, Iz*One and GOT7.

Photo: GOT7 at KCON 2018, including BamBam (3rd from right). (Source: Tofupop Radio)

Now, the COVID-19 pandemic might have halted K-pop concerts and conventions in Thailand for the time being, but the craze shows no signs of stopping. The K-pop phenomenon has trickled its way down to Thailand’s grassroots, benefitting blue collar workers like tuktuk drivers and roadside hawkers.

Photo: Thailand’s popular tuktuks are now adorned with K-pop idol advertisements. (Source: Reuters)

The drivers of Thailand’s distinctive tuktuks have been hit financially by the pandemic, with most of their income normally coming from excited tourists. According to Reuters, avid K-pop fans have been turning to these tuktuks as a way to advertise their favourite idols. As part of a larger anti-government protest, teenagers stopped paying for their K-pop idols to be advertised on public transport, and instead mobilised tuktuks to celebrate birthdays and album launches.

Samran and many others now drive their empty tuk tuks around Bangkok with a banner of a different K-pop sensation each month, stopping for young Thai fans to take pictures and use their service, often with tips.

Similarly, meatball vendors in Lisa’s hometown of Buriram in Thailand have seen a rise in sales of up to 1000 per cent since an unexpected shoutout from her. In an interview on popular Thai talkshow The Woody Show, Lisa mentioned missing the meatballs sold near the train station in her hometown.

Photo: Meatballs being sold in Lisa’s hometown in Thailand. (Source: Bangkok Post)

“People buy and eat them right there at Buriram train station. They’re really popular. The highlight is the sauce found only in Buriram.”

Business had struggled for these vendors as a result of the pandemic, with many people afraid of eating out. Some vendors even had to shut down stalls.

"Now some shops have about 2,000 orders a day. This is unprecedented and business is even better than pre-Covid 19," said Bordin Ruengsuksriwong, the provincial Tourism Industry Council president.

It is no doubt that when pandemic restrictions ease up, more Thais will find themselves flocking to South Korea to follow in the footsteps of Nichkhun, BamBam and Lisa, while K-pop groups will be marking Thailand down in their tour dates.  

[yourwannabekpopidol]

Project 15

Apprenticeship Program Name: Radio Campbuzz Project Name: RJ for Rangdhonu and script writer for shows Program Date: Fall 2017 – Fall 2018 Program Description: I joined this program when Kashfia Ma’am was the advisor for the program. She assigned me to a RJ position for a weekly show called, “Rangdhonu”. And I had to write the script for the show as well. What I had to do was be a host for the show and the show is about pop culture and entertainment. So we had to talk about any new update on Hollywood and Bollywood. Program Justification: What the show provided was to let the students know about any pop culture and to let them enjoy some entertainment before going back to class. There were other shows but this show made me realize how fun it is to be a RJ. Due to this show, I was even awarded the best RJ in Radio Campbuzz of Spring 2018. Program Name: Rangdhonu. Program Time: Every Wednesday from 12 pm to 1 pm.

Picture 1: This is me before the show of Rangdhonu at the station.

Picture 2: This is the poster that declared that Nabeela apu and I were the host of the show, Rangdhonu, on social media.

Picture 3: This was the award and the certificate of me winning the best RJ.

Script for the 5th Rangdhonu show: Written by: Wangkhem Thonglen

Link 1

Sonam Kapoor ties the knot! Celebrity marriages are always the talk of the town, especially when it is the much-awaited wedding of one of Bollywood's most beloved stars, Sonam Kapoor. In an event of grand celebrations, Sonam Kapoor has finally tied the knot last Tuesday, May 8, with her long-time boyfriend Anand Ahuja. For those who don't know, Anand Ahuja is a businessman who has founded his own fashion brand named Bhane. His Delhi-based business has made him quite successful despite his young age, and fans know him well for always being addressed fondly in Sonam's online posts. The couple is active on social media, and has never failed to win hearts through their messages of adoration and love. Radio Cambuzz wishes the couple a happy conjugal life!

SaRa May 12 marked the grand opening of SaRa's first showroom in Mirpur. The fashion house made a huge statement with endorsements from stars like Sara Zaker, Oyshee, Shahtaj, Pritom, Xefer, Azim, Doyel and many others. They were present during the opening, along with the owner S.M Khaled.

RABINDRA FESTIVALS AROUND THE COUNTRY The celebration of 157th birth anniversary of Tagore in Shilpakala Academy, Dhaka. Artistes performed in a programme by Jayita Rabindra Sangeet Shomillon Porishod in Mymensingh. Artistes did a cultural show in Rabindra Mela, Channel i premises, Dhaka. Artistes from Bangladesh and India performed in Rabindra Festival in Shelaidah Kuthibari, Kushtia. Also Sirajganj.

30 years of BAMBA - More than just bands After a break of almost four years, Bangladesh Musical Bands Association, better known as BAMBA, recently arranged a mega concert, 'BAMBA Live Chapter 1', in Dhaka. The turnout was huge, with the spacious hall room of the International Convention Centre, Bashundhara, filled to the brim with fans eager to get a glimpse of their favorite bands and listen to their all-time hits. 11 of the 27 bands under the umbrella of BAMBA, including Warfaze, Miles, Shunno, Aurthohin, Nemesis, Vikings, Feedback, Dalchhut, Maq O' Dhaka, Pentagon and Arbovirus performed at the concert. Star Showbiz recently invited BAMBA to participate at a roundtable discussion at The Daily Star Centre. Hamin Ahmed, President of BAMBA; Sheikh Monirul Alam Tipu, General Secretary; Fuad Naser Babu, Vice President; Maqsoodul Haque (Mac), Executive Committee Member; Mohammad Ali Shumon, Treasurer; and Doza Alan, CEO, SkyTracker Limited, took part in the roundtable discussion. It was facilitated by Star Showbiz Editor Rafi Hossain. The discussion focused on BAMBA's current activities and the way forward in the face of the challenges confronting our music industry.

Link 2

Zoe Saldana on the Hollywood Walk of Fame After smashing success as the alien warrior Gamora in the Guardians of the Galaxy films and more recently, Avengers: Infinity War, Zoe Saldana is on a path to eternal stardom, literally. She joins the likes of Marilyn Monroe, Charlie Chaplin and her co-actor Chris Pratt, by receiving her very own star in the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Zoe Saldana took to Instagram to express her gratitude, saying she is blessed and honored to be a part of the history of Hollywood. “May this open more doors for Latinx and all other under-represented community!” she further stated. Zoe Saldana has also appeared in James Cameron's 2009 film Avatar and the recent Star Trek trilogy. Being a constant presence in blockbuster sci-fi and fantasy films, Zoe Saldana is expected to become a top name in this specific genre quite soon. 2018 71st Cannes Film Festival From Tuesday May 8th til Saturday May 19th. Australian actress Cate Blanchett has been named as the President of the Jury. Asghar Farhadi's psychological thriller Everybody Knows, starring Javier Bardem, Penélope Cruz and Ricardo Darín, opened the festival and competes in the Main Competition section The Han Solo spinoff Solo: A Star Wars Story touched down Tuesday at the Cannes Film Festival, bringing its cast and a full-sized Chewbacca to the French Riviera extravaganza. Director Ron Howard, wearing a hat that read “A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away,” introduced his cast before the film’s international premiere at Cannes. Sonam Kapoor wows at the red carpet of Cannes Film Festival 2018. Bollywood superstar Aishwarya Rai Bachchan once again stole the show as she walked the prestigious red carpet at the Cannes Film Festival, this time in a stunning ultra-violet, blue and red gown that reflected the metamorphosis of a butterfly. History was made at this year's 71st  Cannes Film Festival on Saturday as 82 women, representing the limited number of women filmmakers selected over its more than seven-decade history, made a symbolic walk up the red carpet. The stars, filmmakers and other professionals ascended the steps of the Palais des Festivals at the Cannes Film Festival, protesting for the solidarity of the women in the industry who are struggling for a voice, equal pay, as well as a safer work place. The five female members of this year's Cannes jury-- Cate Blanchett, Kristen Stewart, Ava DuVernay, Lea Seydoux and Burundian singer Khadja Nin, along with Jane Fonda, Salma Hayek and Marion Cotillard were among the group of women.

Link 3 Mim Mantasha Superstar in the making Winning the country's biggest pageant is not an ordinary feat. Mim Mantasha has won not just a crown, but also the hearts of millions. Awaiting a new journey, the Lux Channel i Superstar 2018 winner shares her story with The Daily Star. A final year student of Fine Arts at Jahangirnagar University, Mim has always been a creative and curious soul. She was an avid follower of the contest for a long time. This year, she finally took the decision to compete. Taking part in the competition was certainly not a cakewalk. “We went through vigorous training sessions. We did yoga in the mornings,” explains Mim.  Before the task rounds, the contestants went through fifteen days of training for ramp walk, acting, dancing, and many other skills. The photo shoots, acting, and improvisation rounds were Mim's favourite tasks in the competition. “I was nervous but in a scene, I got to convince people through my acting that my child was lost. I enjoyed it,” Mim smiles, adding that the competition was an overall memorable experience. Although she is highly enthusiastic about working in the media, she wants to take more preparations before doing so. She is now Lux Bangladesh's brand ambassador and has also won the opportunity to work on television and feature film projects of Impress Telefilm. Before hitting the silver screen, Mim wants to explore the world of television. Being a painter at heart, Mim also wants to continue painting and have her own exhibition in the future. Further to this, she intends to work for children who need special care. “I am in a fortunate position and it is our duty to take care of those in need.” says Mim. With great intentions, we hope Mim Mantasha excels at every step of her future endevours.

Link 4

Avengers Infinity War Review The plot itself is pretty simple. There are six stones that possess mystic powers and he/she who possesses all the stones is by default the most powerful being in the universe. Our Marvel superheroes must forget their own conflicts and join forces against Thanos to restore the fate of the universe and its inhabitants. Of course, watch the movie to know how things pan out. Avengers: Infinity War is the movie of movies, and let me tell you why. Most, if not all, the characters of the MCU are present in this film and bring their own flavour into the mix. Thor is mourning the loss of his home and hammer, Stark feels he needs to take a break from saving the world, Captain America is still out to bring justice the right way, and Hulk has no control over himself. I don't know what formula the Russo brothers have applied in their direction but I watched in awe how all the characters blended to deliver multiple storylines within a movie. Yes, I have also compared this movie to a mega three-hour episode of your daily soap opera. Avengers: Infinity War is the comprehensive Marvel movie; it is the beginning of an end. It lifts you, it hits you, and leaves you with a cliffhanger extraordinaire. See it to believe it and it'll still be unbelievable. By next weekend, Infinity War will top $1.78 billion and could sit around $1.8 billion, ensuring Marvel's year-to-date tally exceeds $3.1 billion by next Sunday.

Deadpool 2 Marketing Right off the bat, you see how Deadpool has scratched out the 20th Century Fox logo and put “TBD,” which is a sly allusion to the ongoing Disney/Fox (and Comcast?) merger drama. The content of the letter is exactly what you might expect from the Merc with a Mouth. Pop culture references, silly puns, bad language, and Ryan Reynolds bashing. Then, at the bottom, instead of the #ThanosDemandsYourSilence, we get #WadeWilsonDemandsYourSisterSorryStupidAutoCorrectSilence. See, you guys, it’s funny! And not at all trying too hard. Kidding aside, the marketing for “Deadpool 2” has been pretty top notch, but perhaps not as great as the first film. Recently, the film premiered a music video for the soundtrack featuring Celine Dion singing an over-the-top ballad while a high-heel-wearing Deadpool does an interpretive dance around the diva. It’s ridiculous and fun. And also, the most recent trailer seems to have struck a chord with fans, who are coming down off their ‘Infinity War’ high.

Link 5

Top 10 Hollywood Box Office Weekend 1. Avengers: Infinity War - $62,078,047 (Total Grossing – $548,090,150) 2. Life of the Party - $17,886,075 (New) 3. Breaking In - $17,630,285 (New) 4. Overboard - $9,864,415 5. A Quiet Place - $6,455,396 (Total Grossing - $169,608,030) 6. I Feel Pretty - $3,805,437 7. Rampage - $3,462,442 (Total Grossing - $89,827,105) 8. Tully - $2,248,945 9. Black Panther -  $2,077,207 (Total Grossing - $696,331,818) 10. RBG - $1,188,186

Billboard’s top 10 Hits 1. This Is America – Childish Gambino (New) 2. Nice For What – Drake (Last Week: 1) 3. God’s Plan – Drake 4. Psycho – Post Malone Featuring Ty Dolla $ign (Last Week: 2) 5. Meant To Be – Bebe Rexha & Florida Georgia Line 6. The Middle – Zedd, Maren Morris & Grey 7. Look Alive – BlocBoy JB Featuring Drake 8. Never Be The Same – Camila Cabello 9. Perfect – Ed Sheeran (Last Week: 12) 10. No Tears Left To Cry – Ariana Grande Learning and reflections: This program made me realize the inner potential I had to be so extrovert and be a good host. I learned what to do or say after getting stuck during a live session. I have improved my speaking skills and the flow of a RJ host on how to talk and say because they have a different tone when it comes to a live session. I have taken all these skills from this program and I even got selected and did a short commercial video for Spice FM Radio. I also learned how to write a script for a radio show.

[mkkenvs3000]

Music in nature

For me, music is an integral part of my everyday life, and it is a part of almost everything I do. Music, technically, is defined as “the art of arranging sounds in time to produce a composition through the elements of melody, harmony, rhythm, and timbre” (Wikipedia, 2021). While it is a universal part of human society, it is also steeped in nature.  If we are using that definition, there are several entities found in nature that produce melody, harmony, rhythm, and timbre. A simple example is a song-bird, they produce a range of different sounds that can be interpreted as music. Many of these organisms use their amazing voices to attract mates, like the Chorus Frog here. 

https://youtu.be/UmW_hSc4M18 

While we are in nature though, the possibilities are endless as to how we can use music to enhance our outdoor experiences.  Music can be used to effectively set a mood for meditative purposes in nature and illustrative talks (Beck et al, 2018). It can also be used to transport us to other time periods, which helps to set the mood as a component of the history of the place (Beck et al, 2018). Using music like this in nature interpretation settings can be hugely beneficial because personally, I always remember places and things when they are associated with a song or music. That’s why I usually listen to music when i am studying, because it helps me remember things better. Do you ever hear a camp song that brings you back to when you were younger, gathered around a fire with family and friends, immersed in the beauty of nature? That’s how powerful music is in nature interpretation. 

However, nature is also present in music directly because there are many beloved songs about nature itself, or that use it’s sounds to create music. Songs and music that are particularly important are ones that talk about the conservation of the environment. One of the first songs that comes to mind is “The Earth Song” by Michael Jackson. Even though it doesn’t really use songs directly from the environment, hearing it for the first time when I was little, I immediately got the message and it resonated with me. However, there are several songs that use birds chirping, or the sounds of wind and water in the background to enhance the music. 

The song that takes me back to a natural landscape is “Black Skinhead” by Kanye West. While it may not be a conventional song about nature, the experiences I have associated with it definitely bring me back. Back in the environmental leadership program days, my classmates and I used to adventure all over Ontario together and volunteer for different organizations. On one occasion, we went to Pelee Island for a week to practice bird banding of different migratory species. In order to get around the island though, all 17 of us would be packed into the back of a mercedes truck without any seatbelts, or seats really. We would sit on the floor and play music, and the first song we would play everyday to get hyped up was Black Skinhead. Then, we would arrive at the beautiful Pelee Island Bird Observatory, hike to the facility, and get to work. 

(PERSONAL PHOTO// My ELP group together at Pelee Island, May 13th, 2016)

If you haven’t heard of the song before, I definitely encourage you to give it a listen and let me know if it hypes you up like it did to us! Do you have any unconventional songs that bring you back to a natural landscape? Let me know! 

- Meghan ✿

References: 

Beck, L., Cable, T. T., & Knudson, D.M. (2018). Interpreting cultural and natural heritage for a better world. Sagamore-Venture Publishing. 

Epic Nature Judy Lehmberg. (2016, June 25). Boreal chorus frogs calling their little hearts out. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UmW_hSc4M18

Wikipedia contributors. (2021, February 27). Music. Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Music

[transrightsjimin]

i want to make a list of very real and funny or interesting bts concert related events that i experienced, mainly focusing on the nice ppl ive met!! bc i have honestly focused too much on the bad shit due to poor venue organizers. the list would include stuff like

- meeting a couple of visitors (i mean def armys but also they went there for various acts) at night before the kcon paris convention building (2016, but i mean there was only one kcon paris) and meeting them again when walking towards the queue for the concert section, where they brought me over "because we became friends earlier today right? ;)" and they brought me to like a little beyond the 500th spot where ppl stopped numbering visitors in the line. when someone from behind us came near us to accuse us of cutting in line they were so protective nd didnt even allude to me not being part of their group despite me not knowing them well nor understanding their language and i just. i could just sit there it was wild.

- meeting @yeonjunicorn who was beside me at that spot, chilling by a tree. also i do still love when we linked arms w you and your dad and those girls when the hall opened nd we didnt want anyone to lose each other in the crowd like holy shit that was intense

- recognizing a guy from an anime convention maid cafe i used to work at (dont ask) nd telling him abt how hoseok drew my name in a lottery and said it and stuff nd how excited i was, nd he was just like. ok. IGZSAUFSFI LIKE DUDE i felt almost like i shared something that wasnt even that big of a deal judging by his reaction

- meeting a very flamboyant gay army in a group of lgbt army at night when queueing (amsterdam 2018). he asked me nd my friend who we thought his bias was. she said jimin nd he said no nd made me guess. he wore his blanket over one shoulder like it was a huge roman emperor robe and i said jin. correct

- two girls later on near us in the queue being similarly cringed out by ppl behind us singing really loudly nd poorly, not liking the cops that arrived, and buying us dinner despite not even knowing each other well. i regret to this day not talking to them more bc omg they were truly angels 🥺🥺 i should gain more confidence nd just ask ppl more abt adding them online or smth so i dont lose all these kind ppl ive met!!

- people behind us going so through it with queueing nd having not slept that they went there nd joked that the next bts era after love yourself and speak yourself would be called pee yourself 😭😭 nooo

- meeting a belgian army earlier that day nd talking w her bc @trespassers-will liked her bi flag and stuff.

- a year later in 2019 saint-denis day 1 i happened to walk into the belgian army again, not at all expecting it bc initially she'd only go to london, nd we chatted and it turned out we were both about to pick up our confiscated lgbt flags (mine trans, hers bi) at the same booth like HOW in the hell did that happen

- before the arena opened i went up to an army who dressed fully in Angelic Pretty stuff and i chatted w her bc i went to the AP store the day before and like lolita fashion etc and it turned out she didnt even go to the concert that day but the next but wanted to just go to the venue nd walk around. i was very confused at first bc shes white nd spoke french but she actually lived in a south asian country but stayed w someone in paris. also she said she wanted to get into the japanese fancafe so she could attend a japanese bts concert bc those had the best setlists nd amazing organization nd also jist fun insider content on the fc thats hard to find outside it. we had a fun time listening to the soundchecks echoing through to the outside of the stadium.

- meeting up the day after 2019 bts w a czech army ive known from tumblr for a few years (though she deleted her blog) nd saw once before, nd we would meet up at a mac donalds near a certain metro station in paris but there were like 3 of those near it so i kept walking wrong nd tried to rush and fell hard on the pavement and scraped my knee like a dumbass?? but anyway we had 1 hour to meet up before i had to travel to my train again and we had a rly fun time just talking, mainly about university systems and fascism, in particular japanese nationalists i guess bc shes read abt the weird theories those spread?? it sounds weird but it was fun to meet her

- unexpectly meeting two french armys in the metro, who were wearing buttons w my illustrations on it as i had given away a bunch the day before w a belgian army, nd the girls were so sweet nd were ok w me taking a pic of them w the buttons nd i was just so giddy

- once back in rotterdam at the train station i stopped by a drugstore to get some stuff and the cashier told me she liked my (bts) shirt and said she went to see bts earlier that week in london?? dggjfh

[jlf23tumble]

i’ve never read anything finn/poe so i would love even an out of date rec!! i trust your fic judgement haha

I feel like you sent me this ask, like, five billion years ago, multiple fic recs ago, I don’t even know if you still follow me at this point, god, I’m so sorry, but I had a massive delay because a) gross sickness (pneumonia AND the flu), b) holidays, c) most of my reading in this fandom was long before my bookmarks were of any use, and d) I didn’t keep up past 2016 because all my fave authors went to hockey RPF, like, the trajectory was literally Man from UNCLE —> Force Awakens —> hockey, lmao. And then to add sadness to all of that, two of my very fave authors deleted all their work, and I had downloaded their TMFU fic but not their finnpoe (stormpilot?? I’m never sure of the official name), so I was thisclose to weeping real tears of sadness. But never fear! My compulsion, uh, compels me, so I went into my tags, went through the authors I remember, skimmed a BUNCH OF STUFF, and pulled a few I hope you like. The “good” news about finnpoe (stormpilot???) is that a LOT of the fics are really short, but that means it’s extra tough to put them in length order like I normally do, so I put them under the cut in date order (my faves started in late 2015, drifted into 2016, there’s a gap, and then I have a few in 2017 and 2018). I haven’t seen the latest movie yet, so I might have more recs in a month or so, but the real Renaissance was after the Force Awakens…most of us were very meh after Last Jedi, seemingly. A few caveats, I don’t have ANY prefs on who tops/bottoms here, but the notes are sometimes hilarious because they make it seem like at that point in time, they were really bucking convention? I also LOVE both the finnpoe (stormpilot???) and napollya authors who pulled heavily from kink memes and prompts; you just don’t see that in One Direction fic, and more’s the pity. Enjoy!

everything led back to you, by Bupkis, 3k. Finn can’t sleep. Poe helps.

Supernova Tonight, by halotolerant, 9k. There’s probably a lot that Finn needs, now he’s conscious again, and probably half of it Poe is never going to be able to figure out, but at least he can tell him the stories.

the measure of things, by mortarsmayfall, 6k. His face is – not what Poe expects from a Stormtrooper. The polymer armor is a shock of lightning against his broad face, handsome with dark skin and soft black eyes that are wide not in fury, but panic. Beautiful, is what Poe’s exhausted brain supplies. Instead, all he manages to do is blink.

save an x-wing, ride an ex-stormtrooper, by visiblemarket, 1.7k.  He should take it slow, if not for his own sake then for Finn, who’s sworn up and down that he’s ready for this, who’s assured Poe that it’s far from his first time, who Poe’s careful not to patronize but still so desperate to protect.

Instructional Manual, by imaginary_golux, 5k. Everyone assumes Poe is great in bed, except he’s been holding out for true love. And Stormtroopers, of course, are not encouraged to have interpersonal relationships. There are instructional manuals for everything *else*, why not for this?

The Papers Want to Know Whose Shirts You Wear, by athriax, 2.4k. Poe’s dedicated himself to making sure Finn starts his days sticky and happy.

More of This, by ginevraknifehands, 9k. Poe’s voice is muffled by the slow line of kisses he’s dragging along Finn’s jaw. His thumbs press small circles into Finn’s back. Finn stares down at the worn blanket they’re lying on and tightens his grip on Poe’s hip. “I want to do more. With you.“

first comes the night, by coffeeinallcaps, 20k. He doesn’t get nightmares. He doesn’t dream about the mask, the cries of the villagers, waking up in the desert with a blinding headache and his mouth filled with blood and the man who’d saved him gone, most likely dead. Instead, he just can’t sleep.

you’ll be my resolution, by zeppelin, 8k. And so it went, until last night in the caves of Yavin 8 Finn was knocked unconscious, and no one thought anything of it until he woke up with— “Amnesia,” Poe clarifies bluntly. (or the one where Finn gets amnesia and he feels distinctly like he’s on the outside of a joke.)

Hold Me Down, by coffeeinallcaps, 5k.  He’s clenching down around Finn, head thrown back into the pillow, his chest rising and falling rapidly, and Finn realizes, with sudden clarity, He wants me to fucking wreck him. It’s a bewildering thought.

A Room with a View, by pyes, 13k. Poe awaits Finn’s arrival at a busy spaceport after a long, lonely year spent on opposite ends of the galaxy.

Love and the inevitable decay of these prisons of flesh we call our bodies, by Krytella, 2.8k. Written for the kink meme prompt: “Poe turns 40, has a miniature crisis about dating someone half his age, ends up in front of the mirror poking his doughy belly and identifying all the grey in his beard and above his ears.”

A-Wing, X-Wing, Y-Wait, B-Mine (Please), by ester_inc, 7k. Finn keeps finding himself in situations where – no, wait, let’s start over. Poe keeps ending up shirtless, nearly shirtless, or soaking wet, and somehow Finn is always there when it happens.

Simple Pleasures, by orphan_account, 6k. Poe Dameron is a man of many talents. He’s a highly skilled pilot, a dedicated fighter, a passionate lover, a decent musician, and, according to Jessika, a tolerable cook. Coming from Jess, it means a lot. He is not, however, a patient man.

A Thicket of New Veins, by gloss, 5.7k. “I’m okay.” Poe grabs Finn’s shoulder and tugs him closer. “Promise you won’t laugh?” “Yeah, of course, I won’t.” Finn nods and hope it looks reassuring. “You know, other than that one defection, I’m a pretty reliable person.”

(these are my faves of faves, but you can find PLENTY of gorgeous pwp in this pairing, sweeping huge stories, etc.)