#Best Cities To Living In Philippines

[ahmadbyat2022]

The commercial and trade hub of Mindanao is the thriving city of Davao City, located in the South. Due to its low crime rate, it is the safest city in the Philippines to live in. https://iss-relocations.com/moving-to-philippines/

[darrenwalleyconsultancy]

Poverty in the Philippines

Photo by Alvin Cabaltera Poverty in the Philippines, currently after the Covid pandemic, rose from 15% to 24%. In the UK and the western world, poverty is judged on how much of your income you have left after essential bills. People who are unemployed in the UK will get benefits, and parents do get child benefit. To be honest, I know people will tell me “it is all relative!” but, people in the…

[anexperimentallife]

Help a disabled, neurodivergent, interracial family get back to the US for medical treatment

After three bouts of COVID and other medical issues over the past six years here in the Philippines, my health has deteriorated to the point at which I'm worried I won't get to watch my little girl grow up unless I can get back to where I can use my Medicare and VA benefits for various surgeries and treatments.

Unfortunately, even with all y'all's help, @thesurestthing and I are still in debt from the two-year ordeal of fixing our daughter's stateless status, so we can't do this on our own. My little sister started a fundraiser for us, and there are a couple of other ways to help, as well. If you can't help, please reblog. Thank you! (The PayPal link takes the lowest fees, but whatever works for you is best!)

If you want more details, they're under the cut:

Six years ago, while still grieving the deaths of my adult sons and a painful breakup, I moved from the US to the Philippines with just what I could carry, in large part because it's actually possible to survive here on the pittance US disability pays. I had kind of given up on life and figured I would sort of drift off eventually. I wasn't going to kick my own bucket, mind you; I just wasn't going to try very hard to keep living. And I figured I'd just pass away someplace beautiful.

Soon after I got here, though, @thesurestthing (also American) started messaging me from the states, told me she was going to come to the Philippines and be my girlfriend (even though I told her no at first), and eventually joined me here. We had a baby under lockdown, and got married.

So now I had something to live for. (And most of y'all know the drama with the error on El's birth certificate that left her stateless and took almost two years and a lot of money to get fixed.)

But I have had health scare after health scare over the past few years, including three bouts of COVID (some of you remember the month I spent hooked up to an oxygen machine), two bouts of pneumonia, a persistent two-year foot infection that took surgery to clear up (and is going to require another surgery to keep cleared up), damage to my heart and scarring in my lungs from long covid, a literal hole in my throat that is growing bigger, a spine injury, joint injuries, osteo and rheumatoid arthritis, a traumatic brain injury that affects my memory and concentration, adhd, bipolar disorder, autism, and other issues.

(Not even getting into the dental stuff--Hope to be able to get that done before we go back, here where it's cheaper, because Medicare doesn't cover that.)

I'm terrified that I won't be alive to watch my little girl grow up unless I can get someplace where I can use my Medicare and VA health benefits.

An old friend of mine is a social worker and on the school board in a small Minnesota city with its own VA clinic, and has offered to help us get settled in there, but we still have to find a place to live (suitable for a couple that includes a physically disabled adult, and who have a toddler), some basic household goods, some cheap used transportation, and need to survive for a couple of months while Zoey looks for work.

Given our situation in general and the fact that right now my disability is our only income, we're probably looking at having to pay at least six months (or possibly an entire year) of rent up front in order to get anyplace to lease to us.

We can't stay with friends because every single stateside friend we have with a spare room also has a cat--and I have an anaphylactic allergic reaction to cats, meaning that I will literally die if I'm around a cat for too long. I've had to go to the ER because I slept in a room that had a blanket in the corner that a cat had momentarily lain on. The only way I can be around cats is if I'm on massive doses of immunosuppressive drugs, which, well... The whole issue here is that I keep getting deathly ill, so suppressing my immune system even more is a non-starter. Oh, and Fel D 1, the protein secreted in cat dander, saliva, and waste, can stay even on hard surface for up to two years, and even longer on porous surfaces.

Again, if we weren't still in so much debt from El's birth certificate debacle, we might be able to do this at least mostly on our own. But as things stand, we can't do it on our own. We need your help.

If you read all of this, thank you very much. And again, if you can't give, please reblog.

For more medical details, check my Rob Gets Medical tag. For more details about Eleanor's birth certificate saga, check my Baby El tag.

[ammomancer]

pn character name post...TWO! last name edition and also the random psychonauts around the motherlobe who i didn't feel like including in the first one

including ones that aren't real surnames but are real words/clearly plays on real words. if one is missing assume either it doesn't mean anything/I couldn't find a meaning or I didn't think it needed explaining (e.g. Sweetwind, Doom)

Aquato - clearly a play on "aqua"

Nein - "no" in German

Zanotto - from a diminuitive of Zane or Zani/Zanni, the Venetian form of Gianni, which is short for Giovanni, which is the Italian form of "John" (God is gracious, Hebrew). unrelated but "Zanni" is also where we get the English word "zany"

Oleander - a flowering shrub that is grown as an ornamental or landscape plant despite being poisonous

Cruller - a kind of twisty donut :)

Boole - possibly from a Middle English word for bull

Canola - genericized trademark of a brand of cooking oil. the "can" is short for "Canada"

Zilch - German surname of uncertain etymology, slang for 'nothing'

Athens - after the Greek city, which Athena was probably named after, not the other way around

Lutefisk - Norwegian word for a traditional Nordic fish dish. it's soaked in lye.

Bulgakov - son of Bulgak (Bulgak being a surname in its own right that means "restless" or "troublesome"). Mikhail is probably named after the Russian author Mikhail Bulgakov, best known for The Master and Margarita

Fir - as in a fir tree

Phage - short for bacteriophage; a Greek suffix meaning "eater"

Bubai - Mandarin word meaning "invincible"

Tripe - animal stomach lining prepared for food; figuratively used to mean nonsense or valueless ideas/writing

Fideleo - possibly from Latin "fidelis", faithful/loyal

Cooper - barrel maker (English)

Soleil - "sun" in French

Houndstooth - a fabric pattern (that Becky does not wear)

Rolls - likely alluding to fat rolls

Bonaparte - French-ified version of Buonaparte, an Italian surname meaning "good match" or "good solution"

Teglee - derived from famed black velvet painter Edgar Leeteg; "Leeteg" was originally "Lütig", which I can't find a straight answer on what that means

Inflagrante - from "in flagrante", a shortened version of "in flagrante delicto", a Latin term that literally translates to "while the crime is blazing" and basically means "in the act"; it can refer to being in the act of doing something bad but particularly when shortened also means. well. in the act of Doing A Sex

DeLucca - alternate spelling of Italian De Luca, "[child] of Luca"; Luca ultimately meaning "from Lucania"

Pokeylope - pokey (slow) + lope (to walk slowly). good turtle name

Loboto - clearly a play on "lobotomy"

Forsythe - man of peace (Scottish Gaelic)

Natividad - Spanish for "nativity", meaning birth but particularly referring to the births of Mary or Jesus. a common name in the Philippines in addition to Spanish-speaking countries

Martinez - son of Martin (Spanish). "Martin" is derived from "Mars", Roman god of war and root of the word "martial"

Joseph - "he [God] will add" (Hebrew)

Gette - variation of Goethe, derived from "Gott" (God in Middle High German as well as modern German)

Neriman (also spelled Nariman) - a name of Persian origin, possibly meaning "brave mind"

Potts - topographical name. if you lived near holes in the ground you might have gotten called Potts

Malik - "king" in Arabic and various other Semitic languages; as a surname, is most common in India and Pakistan

OKAY now for the miscellaneous motherlobe NPCs

Brianne - "hill" or "power" (Celtic)

Chet - short for Chester, "fortress" (Latin)

Colin - young dog (Scottish)

Crenshaw - possibly "twisted wood" (Old English)

Dustin - from Thorsteinn, "Thor's stone" (Old Norse)

Evan - from the Welsh form of John

Forrest - take a guess.

Frank - Frenchman, more or less

Hawkins - diminuitive of Hawk or of Hal (from Henry, "home ruler", Germanic)

Jared - descent (Hebrew)

Kim - diminuitive of various names

Kramer - shopkeeper, merchant (German)

Lance - land (German/Old Saxon)

Larry - short for Laurence, "from Laurentum" (Latin)

Lori - short for Laura (laurel) or Lorraine (kingdom of Lothar, a Frankish king)

Sherri - from "cherie", French for darling

Susan - lily (Hebrew)

Thad - short for Thaddeus, Greek name of unclear origin

Whitlatch - "white path" or "white stream" (Old English)

[fatehbaz]

Growing up at the turn of the 20th century, for many American children, also meant learning to view the world through the lens of “home geography.” [...] [T]hey inevitably responded to the transnational whims of an empire that had stretched its dominion across the globe [with US forays into Panama, Cuba, Hawai'i, the Philippines, and elsewhere]. [...] [T]hey recorded far more aggressive views of “home” in terms of what/where/whom it included and what/where/whom it excluded, both within and beyond the immediate borders of the United States. Thanks to “home geography” as an imperial pedagogic tool, white, well-to-do, literate American children not only lived in the safety of homes (housing their immediate families, but also, symbolically, the nation), but many of them also learned how to identify and imagine “homes” on the map of the world. [...] On the one hand [...] “home” became ever more closely associated with whiteness, literacy, hygiene, heteronormativity [...]. This turned school geography into a site where exclusionary, exceptionalist views of the world took root in childhood. [...] [C]hildren could also imagine what other homes and non-homes looked like, could fantasize about who lived in a home [...].

Consequently, the cognitive maps children developed, to which we have access through the scant archival records they left behind (i.e., geographical puzzles they designed and printed in juvenile periodicals), show great degrees of nativism and racism. As relatively marginal scraps in a multitude of records that I understand as scripts of empire, children’s cognitive maps further mixed nativism and the logic of colonization with playful, appropriative scalar confusion, and an intimate, often unquestioned sense of belonging to the global expanse of an empire [...].

---

Dissected maps - that is, maps mounted on cardboard or wood and then cut into smaller pieces that children were to put back together - are a generative example of the ways imperial pedagogy (and the violence it promoted [...]) found its place outside formal education, in children’s lives outside the classroom. [...] In return, playing with dissected maps was designed to keep children [...] informed about the world the United States was keen on entering and colonizing; it invited children to assume a unique, complex role. Children would [...] vacillate between seeing themselves as cartographers in charge of the chaos of the various pieces and as reinscriptive cartographers who strove to restore the whole map out of its pieces. [...] After all, [...] well before having been adopted as playthings in the United States, dissected maps had been designed to entertain and teach the children of King George III about the global spatial affairs of the British Empire. [...]

---

Given the frequency with which juvenile periodicals of the time printed child-made geographical puzzles, children’s involvement in composing scripts of empire confirms that what motivated them to design geographical puzzles involved more than mere showing off of the basics of geographic literacy. [...] And this is best registered in the letters children wrote to Harper’s Young People and St. Nicholas, but also to other juvenile periodicals of the time (such as the long-livedYouth’s Companion). In these letters, we encounter American children writing about the towns and cities they come from and about their travels or studies abroad. [...] [I]t was their assumption that “(un)charted,” non-American spaces (both inside and outside the national borders) sought legibility as potential homes, as well as entry and inclusion in the American household, and that, if they did not do so, they were bound to recede into ruin/“savagery,” meaning that it would become the colonizers’ responsibility/burden to “restore” them [...].

---

Sánchez-Eppler does something particularly generative for childhood studies: [...] “Raising Empires like Children” centers the study of US Empire on childhood as an inherently political project. She convincingly argues that empires learn from and owe to childhood in their attempts at survival and growth over generations. [...] [I]t is critical to study these records to find out how empires (what I characterize as “multigenerational power constellations”) survived by making accessible pedagogical scripts that children of the white and wealthy could learn from and appropriate as times changed. [...] [T]he study of childhood as a highly politicized [...] category of dependence in the 19th century opens doors to [...] engagements with the ways childhood as an allegedly innocent, ambivalent project of growing up corroborated, was shaped by, and gave shape to the empire as an inescapably violent, racialized project.

---

All text above are the words Mashid Mayar. As transcribed in an interview conducted and published by M. Buna. “Children’s Maps of the American Empire: A Conversation with Mashid Mayar.” LA Review of Books. 11 July 2022. At: lareviewofbooks dot org/article/childrens-maps-of-the-american-empire-a-conversation-with-mahshid-mayar/ [Bold emphasis and some paragraph breaks/contractions added by me. Presented here for commentary, teaching, criticism.]

[gunsatthaphan]

~ Monthly BL Breakdown: May 2023 ~  

💫 🏳️‍🌈 Happy Pride Month!!! 🏳️‍🌈 💫

Disclaimer: ALL shows can be streamed here or here, as well as on Youtube and other platforms. For more info on where to watch what, check out this post!

New breakdowns are coming at the end of every month - feel free to add stuff!  -> previous breakdowns

What came out this month? (green = seen/currently watching)

🌟 House of Stars - May 1st (Thailand) 

🌟 Love Mate - May 4th (South Korea)

🌟 ViAn The Series (TikTok series) - May 6th (Vietnam) 

🌟 My Partner (movie) - May 7th (Philippines/Hawaii) 

🌟 Star Struck - May 18th (South Korea) 

🌟 Stay - May 19th (Philippines) 

🌟 Ey Mi Amor - May 22nd (Vietnam) 

🌟 Tie the Not - May 24th (Philippines)

🌟 Sparks Camp (reality show) - May 24th (Philippines) 

🌟 Why You - May 25th (Cambodia) 

🌟 Be My Favorite - May 26th (Thailand) ✅

🌟 The Luminous Solution - May 27th (Thailand) 

🌟 Takumi-kun Series 6: Nagai Nagai Monogatari no Hajimari no Asa - May 27th (Japan) 

Monthly likes/dislikes

👎🏻 Our Skyy2 - it’s a shame because except for The Eclipse and NLMG none of the episodes have been good. The ABAAB episodes have been surprisingly entertaining and they were better than the show itself but overall it’s obvious that this whole production was rushed and most of them did not put the required thought + effort into creating these stories; especially the MSP episodes had me shaking my head for so many reasons. Maybe the concept of 16 episodes for 8 couples in the span of 3 months was putting too much on their plates but it’s frustrating because it had a promising start. Hopefully this season marks the end of this project altogether. 

New series & movie announcements

🎥 Every You, Every Me - Date TBA (Thailand) 

🎥 City Of Angels (novel adaption) - Date TBA (Thailand)

🎥 Our Story (3rd sequel of My Day) - Date TBA (Philippines)  

🎥 Stay by My Side - Date TBA (Taiwan) 

🎥 Pray in Love - Date TBA (Taiwan)

🎥 You Are Mine - Date TBA (Taiwan) 

🎥 Lovely Addict - Date TBA (Thailand) 

🎥 Chiang Mai Adventures - Date TBA (Thailand) 

🎥 Casanova Begins - Coming August 20th (Thailand)

🎥 Anti Reset - Date TBA (Taiwan)

🎥 Love in Translation - Coming August 5th (Thailand) 

🎥 Crazy Handsome Rich (starring LongFrank) - Date TBA (Thailand) 

🎥 7 Days Before Valentine - Date TBA (Thailand) 

🎥 7 Times 4 Days - Date TBA (Thailand) 

Other news from the BL world

❗️ GMMTV actors Phuwin T., Prom T. and Foei P. came under fire this month for problematic behavior - Phuwin was criticized for ableist slurs he said in a live 3 years ago, Prom made sexist and pedophile comments in a recent interview and Foei published an anti-LGBT post on Instagram. Moreover, Mark P., Mond T. and White N. were also criticized for defending Prom and his opinions. Phuwin, Prom and Mark have issued public apologies. 

❗️ Actors Yoon DoJin and DoWon were announced as the leads in the upcoming Korean BL Love Tractor. 

❗️ The 2016 Chinese LGBT drama Addicted Heroin will get a Thai adaption. Further info such as cast have not been announced. 

❗️ The upcoming Thai BLs Hidden Agenda (GMMTV), Naughty Babe (Domundi) and The Sign (IdolfactoryTH) have started filming. 

❗️ The upcoming GMMTV BL Cooking Crush is officially in production. A release date is still unknown. 

❗️ After the public defamation scandal around Build Jakapan and his ex girlfriend, latter came forward on social media and admitted that her accusations against Build were fake - he was therefore proven innocent.

❗️ A second season for the Korean LGBT dating reality show His Man was announced. The show is said to air in June. Further details are unknown. 

❗️ The following BL actors/productions won at this year’s KAZZ awards:

GeminiFourth: Hottest Artists Award 

My School President: Most Trending on Social Media 

To Sir With Love: Best Drama of the Year 

Tay Tawan: Man of the Year

Nanon Korapat: Popular Male Teenage Award 

Nunew Chawarin: Popular Male Artist Award 

Zee Pruk: Best Actor of the Year 

Upcoming series & movies for June

👉🏻 Let’s Eat Together - June 2nd (Japan)

👉🏻 Ever After - June 3rd (Philippines) 

👉🏻 Tin Tem Jai (Special Episodes) - June 3rd + June 4th (Thailand) 

👉🏻 Twins - June 6th (Thailand) 

👉🏻 Love Tractor  - June 7th (South Korea) 

👉🏻 Stupid Genius - June 9th (Vietnam) 

👉🏻 Tokyo In April - June 15th (Japan)

👉🏻 Dinosaur Love - June 25th (Thailand) 

👉🏻 His Man Season 2 (dating show) - June TBA (South Korea) 

👉🏻 The Star Season 2 - June TBA (Myanmar) 

[artsygirl0315]

I'm curious, we all know sector PHP is located in the Philippines, but where is it exactly located, like, in someones house [like sector V], in an open field, or somewhere else?

(I did mention that Sector PHP has a treehouse near the beach but it's more next to the province than the city.)

The treehouse is located in a small part of a provincial town in Philippines, All of the members live in town in little houses connecting each other. Mella is a bit different since her father is a businessman so the rest of the sector like hanging around in her place the best, she lives more near the secluded part in the city of the province.

The treehouse is close to the beaches in Hundred Islands, Pangasinan.

The sector like to go swimming a lot and even invite their families together for a little bonding experience, They sometimes like to bring other sectors here like Sector V so they can enjoy some Philippine culture.

So if we're talking location wise, It's in Pangasinan close to the villages. The treehouse itself is located in the secluded part of the village, like a small patch of forest so the sector has a little bit of privacy when collecting materials.

[eliasmendoza]

HPHL Character Sheet - Elias Mendoza

Oh hey hello! I would like to introduce my boy, Elias, to the world. I must point out that everything is still a work in progress, especially the plot but here we go.

Information under the cut!

I. THE BASICS

Name: Rafael Elias Anastacio Mendoza y Mangubat Nickname: Elias Gender: Male Birth Date: 31 May Myer Briggs Personality Type: ISTJ Species: Human Blood Status: Half-blood Sexuality: Gay Alignment: Neutral Good Ethnicity: Asian Nationality: Filipino Residence: Laguna, Philippines / Brighton, England

---

II. MAGIC

Wand: Elder, Phoenix Feather, 14 1/2 inches, Hard

 The truth is that only a highly unusual person will find their perfect match in elder, and on the rare occasion when such a pairing occurs, [Ollivanders] take it as certain that the witch or wizard in question is marked out for a special destiny.

Phoenix feathers are capable of the greatest range of magic, though they may take longer than either unicorn hair or dragon heartstring cores to reveal this. They show the most initiative, sometimes acting of their own accord, a quality that many witches and wizards dislike. Phoenix feather wands are always the pickiest when it comes to potential owners, for the creature from which they are taken is one of the most independent and detached in the world. These wands are the hardest to tame and to personalise, and their allegiance is usually hard won.

A wand of [hard] flexibility is very difficult to work with and its loyalty is not won easily. Hard wands are great for complex and advanced levels of magic, so beginning wizards and witches may find extra difficulty with this wand when it doesn’t perform well for simple magic. As such, this type of wand is best suited for wizards and witches who are gifted, stubborn, and never give up. Owners of this wand also have a tendency to view things in absolutes; black or white. Some people may find them intimidating or difficult to approach.

Animagus/Patronus: Philippine Eagle

Patronus Memory: Christmas in the village with his mother

Bogart: The deaths of his friends and family in the hands of the Spanish friars and militia

Ridikulus: Lavish and hearty parties with his friends and family

Miscellaneous Magical Abilities:

Legilimency and Occlumency Legilimency and occlumency have long been hereditary powers passed down each generation of the Mendoza family. Elias was able to harness his abilities to its full potential by the time he turned 12 years old.

Animagus (Philippine eagle) It becomes tradition in the family and the village that every successor to the title of Supremo becomes well-versed in every type of magic detailed by the predecessors of the title. One part of this tradition is to become an Animagus by the age of 10.|

Wandless magic Elias, like the rest of his family, learned to harness their magic without wands at an early age. However, at Hogwarts, he was required to use a wand, which he had initial difficulty with but managed to use.

Celestial divination Every Supremo aspirant has to be a master of the art of divination. Elias’ best application of the craft is in the field of celestial divination. Living in a mountain village grants him wider access to the nightsky compared to living in the city.

Amortentia (What Elias smells like vs. what Elias smells):

---

III. APPEARANCE

Faceclaim/Voiceclaim: Atom Araullo

Singing Voiceclaim: Josh Groban Singing Vocal Type: Tenor Height: 6'0 Weight: 175 lbs. Physique: Mesomorphic Eye Colour: Brown Hair Colour: Black Skin Tone: Tan Body Modifications: None Scarring: Scar on his right eye area from his escape with his mother from their village during the Revolution

---

IV. PERSONALITY

Intelligent - Elias is intellectually gifted with a natural need to satisfy his thirst for knowledge, which comes especially handy when it comes to wanting to explore various aspects of magic.

Charismatic - Elias's gentlemanly charm and aura somehow draws people to him (even the people he doesn't care for very much *ehem Leander Prewett ehem*) but

Gentle - Around people he’s closest with, Elias comfortably shows the kind and gentle person he is. He does the same thing with his patients whenever he volunteers at the Hospital Wing alongside his mother. The head matron of the Hospital Wing once told Ma. Aurora that Elias’ bedside manner was admirable for someone his age and that could be a great Healer one day if he chose to become one because of it.

Self-Reliant - In order to help his mother worry less about him at Hogwarts, Elias self-enforces a self-reliant attitude to make sure she worries less about him. He does, on rare occasions, show light frustration about his seeming inability to indulge. On the other hand, during troubling times, he tends to close off his problems from others so that he doesn't bother others with his problems. Elias tends to repress his emotions in order to put something else that he believes is more important first like his duties to learn and to help his mother when he can. It comes to a point that he forgets that being able to be in touch with how he feels is part of taking care of himself. At worst, his emotions bottle up until they blow up and he lashes out at others.

Hardworking - In relation to his self-reliance, Elias works hard whenever he has a goal he wants to achieve. He maintains his dilligence constantly and does all that he can to make sure his goals are met ethically.

Grateful - Because he was given refuge at Hogwarts with his mother, he makes it a point to excel in his education at school as a sort of debt of gratitude for the Board of Governors allowing him and his mother to reside at the school. This “debt of gratitude” ideology and can at times push Elias beyond his limits to a point that he forgets to take care of himself.

---

V. ALLEGIANCES Hogwarts House: Ravenclaw Affiliations/Organizations: Ang Konseho ng Mahika ng Nayon ni Maria (Tagalog, lit. “The Council of Magic of Maria’s Village”), previously

Professions:

Volunteer at the Hospital Wing (during Hogwarts years)

Curse-breaker for Gringotts

---

VI. HOGWARTS INFORMATION

Class Proficiency: Astronomy: ★★★★★★★★★★ Charms: ★★★★★★★★★★ DADA: ★★★★★★★★★★ Divination: ★★★★★★★★★★ Flying: ★★★★★★★★☆☆ Herbology: ★★★★★★★★★★ History of Magic: ★★★★★★★★★☆ Magical Theory: ★★★★★★★★★★ Potions: ★★★★★★★★★★ Transfiguration: ★★★★★★★★★★

Electives: Alchemy: ★★★★★★★★★★ Ancient Studies: ★★★★★★★★★★ Arithmancy: ★★★★★★★★☆☆ Care of Magical Creatures: ★★★★★★★★★★ Music: ★★★★★★★★★★

Best Subject: Defence Against the Dark Arts His adeptness at martial magic can be credited to his skill and learning from back home. He uses his knowledge from then to build on what he learns now to come out with more powerful offences and defences.

Favourite Subjects: DADA, Charms, Transfiguration, and Magical Theory

Favourite Teacher: Professor Eleazar Fig. Fig has been with Elias since the start of Elias' journey in Hogwarts. In a way, Fig became a sort of paternal figure to Elias, which the latter deeply appreciated.

Worst Subjects: Flying Elias isn't bad at flying on a broomstick, but it's not his best class either. He's just meh.

Least Favourite Subject: History of Magic As much as Elias understands the importance of history in any field, the way this class is taught throws this course right to the very bottom of his list.

Least Favourite Teacher: Professor Cuthbert Binns. Enough said.

---

VII. RELATIONSHIPS

Mother: Ma. Aurora Leonor Mendoza y Mangubat Ma. Aurora is the current Supremo and shaman (also known as babaylan in Tagalog) of the village coven who taught Elias everything he knew about magic. Ma. Aurora is extremely proficient in charms, transfiguration, divination, herbology, potions, alchemy, martial magic, and most especially, healing. Medical magic has been her greatest strength as a wielder of magic.

Ma. Aurora is a single mother. Her husband Victor Saturnino Mendoza y del Rosario, died in action when he succumbed to his wounds mere minutes after being severely injured by Spanish guards in a battle to free one of the nearby non-magical towns when Elias was only a toddler. (NOTE: ”Ma.” is short for “Maria”)

Love Interest: Sebastian Sallow

Best/Closest Canon Friends:

Sebastian Sallow

Anne Sallow

Ominis Gaunt

Amit Thakkar

Natsai Onai

Poppy Sweeting

Garreth Weasley

Imelda Reyes

Samantha Dale

Best/Closest OC Friend: Cassius Shade (made by my closest friend uwu)

OC Friends:

Daniel Gibson (@catohphm)

Maya Catapang (@sallowslytherin)

William Sherrot (@thisconfusedginger)

If you guys want to be friends with Elias, hit me up! I'd love that. Elias is a sweetheart who deserves friends. 🥹

Other Acquaintances:

Leander Prewett NOTE: Elias doesn't particularly care for Leander, to put it lightly; Leander has an unrequited crush on Elias.

Andrew Larson

Everett Clopton

Enemy: 

Ranrok

Victor Rookwood

Theophilus Harlow

Dormmates:

Cassius Shade

Amit Thakkar

Everett Clopton

Andrew Larson

Pets: Cesar, a stray kneazle he found on rainy day at Hogsmeade in Year 3.

---

VIII. PERSONAL TRIVIA

Elias developed a liking for hot chocolate in Britain as it reminded him of tsokolate tablea from back home in the Philippines. (More on it in the miscellaneous section).

Elias is a talented musician. He's especially gifted on the piano, guitar, and the bandurria (as in Marcin Patrzalek levels of gifted). Elias also has an incredible tenor singing voice. He trained in music as a child but still plays music once in a while to release stress. He'd never admit to it, but he uses these talents to make potential lovers swoon. *ehem Sebastian ehem*

Speaking of Sebastian and music, Elias once played music for Sebastian on his guitar. He played Frederick Chopin's Nocturne Op. 9, No. 2 on the guitar because Elias thinks this song describes the joy and love he feels for Sebastian. 🥹

---

IX. BACKGROUND/HISTORY (WORK IN PROGRESS!!!!)

WARNING: Canon revisionism and mentions of the Spanish colonial period in the Philippines are in effect. If you feel strongly against it, well, kindly submit a complaint to 1-800-I-DONT-CARE.

Pre-Hogwarts:

Childhood

Elias Mendoza was born and raised in the village of Ang Nayon ni Maria (Tagalog, lit. “Maria’s Village”) located in Mount Makiling in Laguna, Philippines. His mother, Ma. Aurora Leonor Mendoza y Mangubat, the current Supremo (Tagalog, lit. “Supreme”) of the coven of the village, was among the last magical users of their village and the keeper and teacher of the knowledge of the ancient magical arts of their ancestors. Ma. Aurora, his mother, acted as his teacher in the various disciplines of magic.

At an early age, Elias was capable of using magic and was able to develop his powers. Manifesting those powers and being the only child of the family meant he would one day take over for his mother and bear the responsibility in his village and his bloodline of being the next Supremo. At this time, he was taught various fields of magic that would be essential to his ascension to Supremo, such as transfiguration, potions and alchemy, divination, healing magic, caring for magical beasts, charms, and even the dark arts and how to defend against it.

Pre-Philippine Revolution

When Elias was 10 years old, the foundations of the Philippine Revolution were being put into place. This was putting everybody in danger, even the village his coven was part of. Because any sort of “witchcraft" and "magic” was persecuted by the Catholic clergy, Elias and Ma. Aurora became targets. (The erasure of these parts of the country's precolonial culture and beliefs were kindling to the motivations for the eventual Revolution in 1896.)

The village council heard that soldiers from opposing and oppressive Spanish forces against the Filipinos were planning to kill Elias and Ma. Aurora,. they decided it was best to have mother and son flee the country and seek refuge with allies abroad.

Before they left, Elias and Ma. Aurora packed some of their most valuable items and memorabilia from their house, including multiple volumes of manuscripts on Philippine magic, family trinkets and tokens, and many more. Elias also chose to save his father's glasses and use them as his own.

While they were escaping, Elias sustained an injury on the area of his right eye after he was shot at by a Spanish soldier. The soldier missed and shot a window by accident, but the glass from the window scratched Elias' face and left him with a permanent scar. His eye did not sustain any injuries.

Life in England

Elias and Ma. Aurora were taken in by their coven ally Marcelo Roman de la Iglesias y Alonzo. Marcelo is a newspaper illustrator, and Herbology author specializing in the magical properties of Philippine flora. Marcelo was also an Ilustrado, a member of the Filipino educated class during the Spanish colonial era, who was living in Brighton, England.

It took 3 years for Elias and his mom to adjust to life in England but they learned the British ways of life enough to get by from being able to use British currency to speaking basic English. To pass the time in refuge, he spent his time in Marcelo’s library, reading all the books he could find on herbology, ancient history, and everything about magic. He also helped out his mother with taking care of Marcelo’s greenhouse while Marcelo took good care of them.

Another Filipino and coven ally residing in Madrid, Fernando Realonda de Guzman, visited Elias, Ma. Aurora, and Marcelo to deliver the grave news that the village has been destroyed by the Spanish militia and that there were no survivors.

When Marcelo realized that he can no longer keep Elias and Ma. Aurora safe in his residence because rumors were afloat of the Mendozas’ survival and whereabouts in Brighton, he reached out to friends in the British Ministry of Magic and in the Hogwarts Board of Governors to help secure refuge for the mother-and-son duo at Hogwarts, believing that they will be safe at the castle while Marcelo began to pack up and move to Madrid with Fernando for the time being.

Hogwarts Years:

Year 3

When Elias turned 13, the Hogwarts Board of Governors granted refuge to Elias and Ma. Aurora, thanks to Marcelo’s connections to the school. In exchange for refuge, Elias must enroll at Hogwarts and complete his education all the way to Year 7 without failing his classes, while Ma. Aurora must use her abilities in healing as an assistant matron in the Hospital Wing.

Hogwarts sent Magical Theory Professor Eleazar Fig to help Elias adjust to western magic and even with the use of a wand. Elias only had a few weeks to learn before he, his mother, and Professor Fig departed for Hogwarts.

Elias was the last to be sorted in the Sorting Ceremony as he was the oldest and was sorted into Ravenclaw.

In the first few months of Hogwarts, he had a hard time adjusting to life at Hogwarts. Sure, he managed to even defeat a classmate (*ehem Sebastian Sallow ehem*) on his first day of class at Defense Against the Dark Arts but it was still difficult to manage using a wand. He also had a difficult time making friends as well since he entered his Hogwarts education very late. He even felt like none of the three years he spent adjusting to British life prepared him for what life at Hogwarts would be like. On the plus side of things, he was on amicable terms at first with his dormmates, which grew into a brotherhood he needed to keep going at Hogwarts.

Anne Sallow was actually one of Elias' first friends. She made the first move and pretty much integrated Elias into all of her friend activities with her twin brother Sebastian (whose ass Elias whipped in a duel quite earlier) and her other best friend, Ominis Gaunt. Initially, Ominis was rather guarded around Elias but warmed up to him when Elias was playing some rather beautiful Ave Maria in the music room one day. Elias and Ominis bonded over classical music and eventually became friends.

Year 4

The news of Anne Sallow's cursing broke Elias' heart. Anne was such a dear friend and a kind soul that he couldn't understand what sort of monster would want to harm Anne. Anne's absence from school left a hole in Elias' friend group that was noticed by everyone.

Elias realized that he was falling in love with the charming, intelligent, and charismatic Slytherin by the name of Sebastian Sallow. Sebastian was his best friend ever since Elias bested him within 10 seconds during their first duel at DADA on Elias' first day. Sebastian was one of the few people kind enough to reach out to Elias and be friends with him right off the bat. It was also Sebastian who made the most effort to get to know Elias and spend time with him as much as he could.

One fall afternoon from a trip to Hogsmeade, as they sat near the waterside and enjoyed some sweets, Sebastian and Elias had a conversation that led to an accidental revelation of love (from Sebastian). Elias was scared, knowing that he felt the same for Sebastian but didn't know if reciprocating was the best idea. For once, Elias chose to act with his heart and kissed Sebastian. Sebastian kissed the boy back as they held on to each other, not wanting to let each other go. After a while, they decided to give the idea of them a shot and become boyfriends.

Because Anne was still ill from her curse, Elias felt a bit of guilt for, as he would put it, indulging in a relationship with his friend's brother who was worrying over Anne on another level. Anne, however, had a feeling Elias and Sebastian would somehow end up together. Her being right was perhaps what made her crack a smile the day that her brother and her best friend visited her in Feldcroft.

Ma. Aurora knew of Elias’ relationship with Sebastian through her mother's intuition and the fact that Sebastian suspiciously started volunteering at the Hospital Wing after the two boys got together. He expected his mother to berate him for such a taboo, but was surprised that his mother did not care that Elias fell in love with a man. She knew that her relationship with her son mattered more over what society had to say about Elias and Sebastian, especially during a time when she knew she could lose her son at any time. She chose to be there for her son no matter what.

Year 5

At age 15, the world around him began to change as he started developing (quite rapidly) a different form of magic that had been rather latent: the use of an ancient magic that has never been seen for centuries. He learned that he had this ability on his journey back to Hogwarts after visiting London with Professor Fig to help secure his school supplies for his fifth year.

When Anne Sallow, Sebastian's twin sister, was teetering into a critical medical condition and was losing her life slowly but surely, Sebastian was at a tipping point and was close to using an ancient dark relic that may or may not have the ability to save Anne at the expense of Sebastian's humanity.

Ma. Aurora, Ominis, Amit Thakkar, and Natsai Onai, through the ancient manuscripts that the matron was able to save, found an ancient Filipino ritual that would allow a curse to be transferred back to its caster as long as the caster is living. Elias chose to participate in the ritual with his mother in order to save Anne Sallow, while Sebastian and Ominis waited outside the Hospital Wing anxiously. The ritual produced a specter of an dark and mangy street dog, ridden with ticks that carried the curse that haunted Anne. Ma. Aurora commanded the dog to find Victor Rookwood and infect him. The curse was successful, given how Victor Rookwood was constantly in pain upon his final confrontation with Elias outside Olivanders.

Solomon Sallow was obliviated, removing any memory he had of the battle at the catacombs, to protect Elias' and Sebastian's enrollment status at the school. Matilda Weasley was made aware of the situation but chose to shelf the incident, happy that Anne Sallow was saved but concerned over Elias and Sebastian's journey to achieve it. Professor Weasley granted mercy to the boys but warned them that she will not take future dalliances with dark magic as leniently next time.

Elias' final battle with Ranrok was watched by Sebastian (who was anxious the entire time and frustrated over not being able to do anything to help), Amit, Ominis (who relied on Amit's narration of events), the wheelchair-bound Natty, Poppy, and Garreth in the Map Chamber with the other professors. When the professors moved in to help battle the goblin armies, Herbology professor Mirabel Garlick and Deek the house-elf were tasked to watch over Elias' friends as they all watched the battle unfold on the floors of the Map Chamber. It seemed all hope was nearly lost when Elias sustained a critical hit from Ranrok's dragon, but Elias was able to strike back and win the battle for good.

To this day, nobody knows if Elias took the power of the repository for himself or if he let it lie where it lay.

Elias' victory over Ranrok in the final battle of the repository cost him his mentor, Professor Fig, who died peacefully in Elias' arms. The professors found them and were shocked and heartbroken to see their colleague and friend dead. Elias grieved, feeling as if his only father figure has been ripped away from him.

Eventually, Elias and Sebastian found time to process all the events that happened to them together and talk about their future. After everything they went through, they decided to stick together and keep going.

Post-Hogwarts:

Elias eventually graduated at the top of his class and found a job as a Curse-breaker for Gringotts. He and Sebastian eventually decide to move (with Ominis) to London to be closer to work. The trio, along with Ministry poacher hunters Natty and Poppy, astronomer Amit, chaser Imelda, and the rest of the gang, would get together once in a while to catch up and have fun like they were kids again.

Given how he and his mother no longer had the Village to return to, they decided it was best to have new lives in England. Ma. Aurora stayed at Hogwarts and continued her work as an assistant matron and eventually became the head matron of the Hospital Wing. She couldn't place a finger on it, but working as a healer seemed to give her more peace than when she was the head of the coven; and so, she chose the more peaceful path in her life. She eventually tutors Anne Sallow, who chooses to become a healer herself at Hogwarts after much work experience at St. Mungo's. Elias still kept in touch with his mother.

Elias eventually married Sebastian and they had three children: two boys (Eleazar Alfonso and Santiago Vittorio) and a girl (Leonora Anne), with the latter two being named after Eleazar Fig; Elias' father, Victor; Elias’s mother, Ma. Aurora Leonor; and, Anne Sallow, respectively. Eleazar and Leonora were sorted into Ravenclaw while the middle child Santiago was put in Slytherin.

After exciting careers that took them around the world, the two settled in Brighton. They settled in the home that was previously owned by Elias' old family friend, Marcelo de la Iglesias, after the latter chose to settle in Paris, France permanently.

When life calmed down for Elias and Sebastian as the kids grew up, It was during this time that Elias decided to turn all of what he learned of the ancient magic he learned from his former coven and from his time as a Keeper of ancient magic at Hogwarts into a book, supported by Sebastian and his intensive habit cross-referencing. The notes have been completed and a manuscript was finished, shelved away with hopes to turn them into a book.

---

X. ETYMOLOGICAL/REFERENTIAL TRIVIA

Elias’ village, Ang Nayon ni Maria (Maria’s Village), is hidden remotely away in Mount Makiling in the province of Laguna. The village acted as a place of refuge for many magical families. The name Maria is a reference to Maria Makiling, the mountain guardian and deity who protects the aforementioned mountain and its bounty.

Elias developed a liking for hot chocolate in Britain as it reminded him of tsokolate tablea from back home in the Philippines. Tablea are (literally) tablets of roasted, ground, and molded fermented pure (100%) cacao beans. Preparation for tsokolate tablea is different from European hot chocolate, in which the end result of tsokolate tablea is a thicker and richer beverage compared to the European version.

Elias’ “debt of gratitude” is a reference to a common Filipino trait called “utang na loob”, which literally translates to “a debt of one’s inner self”. In Filipino psychology, “utang na loob” is an “accomodative surface value” wherein one accommodates what the world wants. “Utang na loob” is rooted in the essence of obligation to repay a debt that is beyond an ordinary debt or the Western notion of owing a favor. In Elias’ case, he’s attempting to repay debt that is impossible to quantify (ie. his being granted refuge at Hogwarts).

The ancient Filipino ritual Ma. Aurora uses to heal Anne is inspired by the 2022 Filipino-Irish psychological thriller film, Nocebo, directed by Lorcan Finnegan and starring Eva Green and Chai Fonacier. The film revolves around a children's fashion designer being plagued with an unknown illness and turns to a Filipino nanny who uses traditional folk healing methods "to reveal a horrifying truth" to her illness.

---

WRITER’S NOTES:

Hi all! So, thank you for making it this far. I’m sure to edit a bunch of stuff along the way so yeah. Plus, I’m literally fucking with the timeline here because I… honestly could not care enough about it lol.

I also couldn't bear the thought of Anne Sallow dying without a cure. I don't have the heart to just let her die like that so I did research on possible ways to cure Anne in Philippine mythology.

Again, if anyone wants their HPHL be friends with Elias, just hit me up or reblog this post and let me know!

[januaryjamez]

There once lived a little Bajau girl named Amira in the wide and stunning archipelago of the Philippines. 

She learnt how to swim, fish, and forage for food while living with her people in a stilted hamlet close to the sea.

Because of her natural curiosity and sense of adventure, Amira frequently found herself straying from her hamlet to explore the local islands and reefs. 

During one of these excursions, she met Maria, a city girl who had traveled to the islands to study marine biology.

Maria's expertise in the ocean and enthusiasm for marine conservation captivated Amira. 

The two girls instantly grew close and spent numerous afternoons together exploring the beaches and coral reefs.

When they spent more time together, Amira started to experience a profound attraction to Maria that she had never experienced before. 

She didn't know what to make of her emotions, but she was certain that she wished to spend as much time as possible with Maria.

Yet, their romance was not meant to be. 

Amira's tribe was extremely traditional and held that a man and a woman should be the only ones who can fall in love. 

They prohibited Amira from meeting Maria after learning of her affections for her.

Amira, who was devastated by Maria, sought to go on with her life and forget about her. 

But despite her best efforts, she was unable to get rid of the image of Maria's gentle smile and endearing eyes.

Amira developed into a woman as the years went by. 

She carried on coexisting with her tribe, but she never lost sight of her feelings for Maria. 

She learned one day that Maria had come back to the islands to carry out her investigation.

Amira sneaked out of her hamlet and went to the island where Maria was residing because she couldn't resist the want to see Maria once more. 

All of her emotions flooded back when she last saw Maria, and she realized she had to be completely open with her. With a pulsating heart Amira kissed Maria and said to her"Maria, you are the ocean that fills my heart with waves of love and happiness."

Maria had the same impression, which surprised her. 

Amira had always been a part of her life, and she had been waiting for her to return.

Amira and Maria made the decision to be together in spite of the challenges and rejection of their families. 

Together, they carried out more sea exploration and tried to preserve the ocean that had originally brought them together.

[ahmadbyat2022]

Because of the city’s well-developed infrastructure, green open spaces, convenient traffic, and natural tourist attractions, it was originally an American naval base in the nation. https://iss-relocations.com/moving-to-philippines/

[darrenwalleyconsultancy]

Moving to the Philippines to retire Part 2

Photo by TheDigitalWay In my previous article, “Moving to the Philippines and Why”, I talked about Philippines Visas. I also discussed the Philippines’ cost of living. Finally, I covered buying property in the Philippines. In this article, I want to show my thoughts on the Filipino people. Their culture and other reasons I love the Philippines and the people. What is it like to be an ex-pat in…

[love-little-lotte]

Hamilton Manila 2023!

As a musical theatre girlie who lives far away from the capital city, it's a bit hard to catch artists and musicals when they tour in my country. It can also be quite expensive since I have to pay for my flight and book Airbnbs. But when Lin-Manuel Miranda announced that Hamilton would have its Asian premiere in the Philippines early this year, I promised myself I would not throw away my shot.

I first discovered this musical in the summer of 2016, probably a month before it garnered big awards — including Best Musical! — at the Tonys. Having only heard of Breathe from LMM's other show, In The Heights, back then, I was surprised to hear rap and hip-hop in a Broadway musical. Nevertheless, I was hooked! Every song was catchy, and the lyrics were smart and informative. Satisfied and Helpless became my favorite songs, with It's Quiet Uptown making me cry whenever I hear the four words: "Forgiveness, can you imagine?"

After watching The Phantom of the Opera back in March 2019, I was so excited to go back to Solaire and watch another musical. This time, I was able to enjoy my second theatre experience with my college friends. It seems very fitting that I get to share this moment with them. Back in college, we used to sing songs from Hamilton during breaks and enact the dance from The Schuyler Sisters. We even made a parody of the song Alexander Hamilton when making a presentation about Confucius for our Asian Civilization class!

While Solaire didn't have many different backdrops for photo ops for Hamilton like they did for POTO, my friends and I were still able to take cute pictures!

As a partnership with UnionBank, they also offer free holographic souvenir cards for the first 140 people (150 on the weekends, iirc), so coming to the theatre four hours earlier is definitely worth it! Here's my card with my friends:

My friends and I also enjoyed complimentary drinks from Solaire since it was our first time signing up for Solaire Rewards. Don't throw away your shot for free drinks!

Okay, now for the show itself! Although most of my friends were hoping to watch the show in the orchestra seats, we ended up on the balcony. After a while, I realized that Hamilton is certainly best viewed on the balcony since we're able to see the rotating stage more clearly, as well as the incredible choreography and lighting design.

Here's the main cast we saw on October 31:

Like most Filipinos, I was hoping to see Rachelle Ann Go as Eliza. "Pinoy Pride" is something of a cheesy inside joke in our country, but hell, I'm so happy to see Rachelle thriving in West End productions, from Les Misérables to Hamilton. Seeing her portray Eliza live was one for the books. She was playful and giddy in Helpless, but she completely broke everyone's heart during Burn. And not to mention, her voice! Her singing highlights include Burn and the last part of Who Lives, Who Dies, Who Tells Your Story. She also shared wonderful chemistry with Callan Purcell, who played Hamilton in this production.

I was so looking forward to seeing Jason Arrow as Hamilton, but I still liked Callan's performance, even if his interpretation was completely different from other Hamiltons I've seen in slime tutorials. I especially liked him the best in Act 1. His "mature" Hamilton may not be that convincing at times in Act 2, but his energy was so infectious as the "ambitious" young Hamilton in the first half.

Another surprise was Kirrah Amosa's Angelica. I've read some comments in the Pinoy Hamilton FB group about her "lacking" portrayal of Angelica, but you know what? I thought she was great! Yes, she's giving more of an "empathetic Eliza" energy instead of the "fierce Angelica" we usually see, but that's what made her performance of Satisfied even more impactful to me. As for the third Schuyler sister, Peggy/Maria Reynolds, Elandrah Eramiha has a honey-like voice, which she completely showed off during Say No To This.

As a Burr apologist, I'm torn with Winston Hillyer's portrayal of Burr. Eliza's my overall favorite character in the show, but for me, Burr is the most relatable and grounded. I wasn't completely disappointed with his performance, but I just didn't think his character was able to "grow" in the second half. He has a very wonderful, crystal-clear voice, though!

Darnell Abraham as George Washington was also a main highlight of the show! Maybe it's because of his rich baritone voice, but I loved his father-son relationship with Callan. His Washington was thoughtful and deeply caring. (And dare I say I like him more than Chris Jackson from the OBC?)

Brent Hill was hilarious as King George, but I can't help comparing his performance with Jonathan Groff's. They both have brilliant comedic timing, but Jonathan's a much more menacing King George, whereas Brent is sassier and maybe even crazier!

Meanwhile, Hamilton's comrades: Marcus John and Trey Curtis, who played Lafayette/Jefferson and Mulligan/Madison respectively, also had so much chemistry with each other and stole the show so many times! Marcus reminded me so much of Daveed Diggs' little quirks in the show, but he was still great in his own way. I've read somewhere that Trey is also a standby for Hamilton and that he's amazing. Sigh... What I'd do to watch the show again and catch him as Hamilton! Julian Kuo was also very sweet as Laurens/Philip Hamilton, which made his death scenes twice as heartbreaking as usual.

Overall, I'm very much satisfied with this Hamilton cast!

Of course, Hamilton will not be complete without merch! Just like last time, I bought a boat tote bag because, like other Gen-Z kids, I'm obsessed with tote bags. We just can't help it! I also bought a lapel pin, so I can pin it to my other tote bags. I initially wanted to buy the button pin set, but unfortunately, it was sold out. I'm still pretty happy with my purchases, though!

Four days later, I'm back at home, and I still have post-show blues. I just listen to the OBC recording and the mixtape to keep me company. Maybe I'll rewatch the Disney+ pro-shot again!

Watching Hamilton was a dream come true and an experience I'll never forget anytime soon. I can't wait to watch my next musical again!

[klaineccfanficlibrary]

Some fave multichapter with angst and fluff?

We recently listed some favorite longer fics here.

Check out Lynne's list of recommended fics here.

Some of my favorite longshots - often with more than one part as well. These weren't mentioned in previous list drawn up above as they are all before 2020. ~Jen

The Symphony Verse by Shandyalls

Blaine has spent most of his life feeling like the only thing people notice about him is that he stutters. He’s working hard to overcome his (mostly self created) roadblocks when he meets Kurt in an online class the summer after his freshman year of college.

~~~~~

Love Song by andiheardeverything

A hate crime leaves Blaine damaged and Kurt refuses to let it bring them down.

~~~~~

100 days by @borogroves

Kurt and Blaine have been best friends (and nothing more) since the age of six. Now 22-year-old college graduates, they take a roadtrip around the USA, visiting every state in 100 days. Fifty states. Two boys. One love story.

~~~~~

The Empty Nest series by @coffeegleek

Burt Hummel was an empty nester who discovered a teenager sleeping under his porch. Kurt was just trying to survive in a world that was against everything he was. This is their story.

~~~~~

Westerville Abbey by @hkvoyage

Blaine is the second son of the earl of Westerville, and is considered the spare heir. After his 18th birthday, he attends the London Season to fulfill his duty of finding a wife. He soon realizes he is more attracted to the new footman. Kurt, who has just arrived at Westerville Abbey to work alongside his father, becomes equally as smitten with the earl’s youngest son. Will Blaine and Kurt be able to overcome their class differences in 1910s England? Will their forbidden love survive WW1? A Downton Abbey inspired historical Klaine AU.

and Life in the Big Apple by @hkvoyage

Sequel to Westerville Abbey. Kurt and Blaine are reunited, but their happily ever after comes with a whole new set of challenges: relationship hiccups, jealousy, sabotage, war memories, and family troubles. Yet with love and perseverance, they can make it through. A Klaine historical AU set in the 1920s.

~~~~

Gilded Cage by @canarian

In the winter of 1895, Blaine Anderson, the son of a wealthy doctor, and Kurt Hummel, the son of a middle class mechanic, cross paths at a luxury hotel in the quiet seaside town of St. Augustine, Florida. With everyone and everything working to keep them apart, can they find a way to be together?

~~~~~

Sweet DREAMers by @perryavenue

Blaine Anderson is a business major at Baruch College of the City University of New York (CUNY). Blaine came to the United States from the Philippines on a tourist visa with his mom when he was three years old and since then, has lived in Woodside, Queens with his mom and cousin Marco. As a gay, undocumented student, he has the questionable good fortune to belong to two marginalized populations. One day, while at his part-time job at a book store, Blaine meets Kurt Hummel, a theatre major from Ohio attending New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts, and begins a tentative friendship. Before it has the chance to bloom into more, Blaine’s immigration status is revealed, creating issues for both of them.

[saber-kite]

I just saw Hamilton

WOW.

I've seen the movie and listened to the original cast recording to the point that I can sing along with most of the whole play, but seeing it live.

Wow.

This cast comes from different Hamilton shows across the world. Rachel Ann Go, who was the original West End Eliza Schuyler-Hamilton, reprised her role for this leg of the tour. I love how familiar the songs were but since each actor had their own take on the songs, it was still different. I love each one of them.

It was also cool to see the details and nuances that weren't visible or obvious in the recordings/movie. And in the recordings they didn't include some things that you'll only see in the play. That was gut-wrenching, especially when they mirrored each other. And the sound was so different too. Like, Cabinet Battle?!

And that line about the vice-president's job? Geezas.

I'm gonna shut up now. I know the play's been around for so long there really isn't any spoilers, but I know there's still ton of us who are waiting to watch it.

The Philippine stop marks the debut of Hamilton: The Musical in Asia. This cast comes from different Hamilton shows across the world.

The show will run until November 2023 at Solaire Theater in Pasay City, Philippines.

Edited to add this photo of my view from my seat in the balcony (KK9) and it's not bad. The the theater is small so no matter where you are you'll see the stage clearly. Of course center is always the best, as you can see there's some area on the right that's hidden to me. But otherwise it's quite good.

[kafkaoftherubble]

Ok so the idea for dear emperor is that in schools (elementary school, not higher education) kids are treated like crap and are taught nationalist propaganda. They're at an era where people are vaguely aware it's propaganda so everyone dislikes the royal family a little. Basically, the school system is just absolute trash because the royal family keeps trying to change it to turn kids into hardcore monarchists.

Ira never attended elementary school because he lived out on a farm. He attended a military school and later a college, but those were both in adulthood so he didn't get the horrible treatment and abuse of elementary school.

Because of this, Ira cannot understand Edith's desire to change the school system either. All he attended was college and he's best friends with Volker, so he doesn't understand how Volker's family could've created such a horrible school system when they seem to be such nice people.

Because Ira missed out on this universal experience of going to school, he's alienated from part of Edith's views and refuses to see it her way because he's too stubborn in his belief that Volker is perfect

Sorry for my tardiness!

Ah, so an elementary school that keeps having to revise the syllabi to prop up the national narratives du jour? And yet everyone knows that it's just propagandist rewrites. It's historical revisionism based entirely on which narrative helps the royal family (instead of new evidence and interpretations uncovered by continuous historical studies and findings; these are two kinds of historical revisionism)!

Very interesting! I can totally imagine that. In fact, I don't have to imagine. Such a thing is happening in (some states in) the U.S., India [1] [2] [3], Japan, and even my own country. China has its own whole thing. And the Philippines has its own thing, and... really, I kinda wonder which country isn't guilty of this, haha. (I suppose the more pressing issue is the severity of it.)

But this makes me wonder about the degree of freedom in Volker's country. How free are the people to criticize the government?

Have they been free before, but are now less free? My anecdotal impression is that losing a right you used to have often generates way more resentment and urgency to act than never possessing that right, to begin with. The latter is usually a lot more slow-burning than the first as social movements.

Are there other countries around Volker's Country by which information, knowledge, and ideas trade? And I do mean free trading of ideas/the freedom of ideas. While social movements can be homebrew for sure, seeds of ideas have to come somewhere, and across history, these ideas are often cosmopolitan in nature. They are not "grown out of one person or a few in a local and never escaping it to other areas." Instead, ideas are traded across regions, cities, and countries, and they altogether build something grander that can then also be spread to other parts of the world—before assimilating and adapting for local needs. I ask, because Brandi specifically touts democracy. Whence did it come? The best and most viable ideas are built by many instead of one, so I kinda wanna know how an idea like democracy comes to thrive in Volker's Country. (Is it via some books? Some manifestos from far-away land? Some salons within the country?)

There are probably other questions that can flesh out this particular aspect. Why I thought about it is this: the target of these nationalist ideas is children first and foremost, right?

When nationalist revisions happen in education, the ones who shout the loudest are the adults who know what's up. Because these adults can read the curricula, compare it to their own realities/experience/history, and realize it's crap. Kids, however, are statistically less predisposed to do so. They are young and less experienced about the world than an adult. They may also be sheltered from reality—not a fault, because children are supposed to be sheltered in some ways for their development anyway (ex: who the fuck thinks it's good to expose children to war or backbreaking labor?). Their own history is also just starting to grow, being young and all.

However, since you mentioned "everyone knows the education system is trying to make kids hardcore nationalists," I assume that "everyone" does indeed include the kids themselves.

And how would these kids know that their education is shit? The most plausible way I can imagine is "because most of the adults around them tell 'em about it." But for most adults to be able to talk about these things would imply a certain degree of freedom of speech. After all, if only a few kids knew that their education is crap—because their parents told them behind closed doors or because they saw some events with their own eyes—then it wouldn't be "everyone," innit?

Hence my question above!

So yea, just some asides I couldn't help but pursue for a bit hahaha. I hope it's useful for your worldbuilding or plot planning somewhat!

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Back to Ira and Edith!

Yes! I think the backstory you give makes a ton of causal sense!!!

Of course Edith would think of education reform! She was once its recipient, and therefore easily projects her lived experience under the system to the the kids of today. She knows the stakes of education because she's been through it. That awards her the necessary sensitivity—or at least, it gives her the potential to be sensitive.

I also like how Ira's personal relationship with Volker while studying influences much of his reluctance to "demonize" Volker.

There is a bit more stuff in your lore that can also add to why Ira doesn't want to see Volker as bad! You might have already known that while conceiving Ira's backstory (he's your baby after all! Hahahhaha), but just in case you missed it:

First, the military school. If I had to imagine a place where the most cynical anti-establishment people and the most diehard patriots will be spawned, I'd think a military school too. Patriotism directed either to the ideal of "the motherland" or to the ideal of "the ruler/royal family" is kinda required to be drilled into all soldiers because it will be important for their job.

Second, Ira's transformation from an illiterate kid to a literate soon-to-be governor. I can imagine how someone will see this transformation as a second wind worthy of gratitude. Imagine never knowing you could be good at art until someone gives you the chance, tutors you, supports you... and then finally awards you a position to do this secret talent you never knew existed in you. I imagine that is how Ira could feel, and it's only logical that he would then feel grateful and a sense of "I owe you." And why wouldn't it be directed to Volker?

Coupled that with Ira's own relationship with Volker's nephew: I assume, for now, that the young prince is a lot more noble and open-minded than his uncle despite also being a recipient of the current education system. Ira could then justify that there is no need for extreme/large-scale/sweeping education reform if the same system could produce someone like This Young Prince. "If the system is so bad, then why is This Young Prince coming out of it pretty good? Clearly, the problem is just Volker losing his touch with reality. The fault is a few individuals and not the system."

This will oppose Edith and Brandi's foundational stance, right? "The fault is in the system, beyond just a few individuals."

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Honestly, I really wanna know how are you gonna resolve this tension between Ira and Edith now! Will either one of them have to be sacrificed for the other person's cause? Will Edith have to remove Ira for her goal? Will Ira have to remove Edith for his goal? Will they cause a civil war? Will there be a compromise?

Such exciting scenarios!!!

What an exciting story you have there,  π!!! GAH

I gleefully await more Dear Emperor lore from you, brutha!!!

KEEP 'EM COMING!

[alcanlobo]

📍The Outlets at Lipa 🥅

The Outlets at Lipa is well situated near the LIMA Technology Center entrance along the national route in Lipa City. The city is easily reachable by a vast network of highways that extend all the way to Makati in Metro Manila and serves as the entry point to the Southern Tagalog Region. Furthermore, more than 500,000 of the 2.7 million residents of Batangueno live within 10 kilometres of The Outlets at Lipa.

Another aspect of the Batangas province's economy is its rapid economic expansion. And the people who live there are eager to enjoy life to the fullest and reap the benefits of their labour, which they will undoubtedly do at The Outlets at Lipa

We had a great time when my buddies and I went because of how lovely their outdoor mall was. There are numerous things to do, such as visiting one of the area's beautiful locations, which is a race car that many kids wish to drive in a toy race. When you ride here, it feels like you're in Baguio. Another area we visited was a soccer field, where you can watch people play soccer and even take photos.

Window shopping is the best option for you here because there are stores you won't typically find in Philippine malls. Since there are already outlets, you can visit Nike stores without travelling to Manila or Alabang. The outlets Lipa is one of my top suggested outdoor malls for you to visit because of the ideal atmosphere and the beautiful areas they constructed there, so for that reason it's worthwhile to go there.