#I don’t know modern celebrities too well ngl

[sixty-silver-wishes]

suggest the cast members you would choose for The cabinet of dr. Caligari (not the 2005 version)

oh, god. I don’t know. I’m bad at this sort of thing. danny devito as caligari and then uh. the rest

I’ve seen people say timothee chalamet as cesare but tbh I don’t like that casting lol?? idk it just doesn’t work. I think I would cast someone who’s not well known in movies at all for him, and I wouldn’t want a recognizable face. preferably someone with dance experience, or even contortionism; I always envisioned him as super flexible and bendy, and I think it would be really cool to see an adaptation showcase more of how he moves. funnily enough, they cast doug jones in the 2005 version, who is a contortionist, but they never did anything with that.

you know what? just get danny devito and a bunch of little-known but skilled theatre actors. that’s the only way I could see this working

[luigitimecritique]

I love names of art.

No, seriously. I don't think this part of art gets enough recognition, but it really should. Just think of it, one short phrase is the literal DEFINITION of your piece of art. The words culminate into a meaning, but you make that meaning your own. It is what people call this [thing] that you've created, or depending on who you are, created a gateway to. A good name can entice people to consume media they might not have been too interested in before, and a bad name can do the opposite. Honestly I just wanna ramble a little about some of the best names for media I've seen, that I particularly love (and some that I just find funny, bad, or notable in any other ways).

[SPOILERS FOR LIKE EVERYTHING IN MENTION IN HERE LOL]

La La LandI don't think I've actually talked about this yet on this blog, but La La Land is my favourite movie of all time, for reasons that I WILL discuss for reasons at length some other day.  But let's discuss the title. "La La Land." Firstly, let's get the obvious thing that everyone knows about this one first. Yes, the movie takes place in LA, so it's literally LA land. It's incredibly cute, I love it. But other than that, just remember, what is a "La La Land"? A place that you imagine, often as some form of utopia, when in reality, it's nothing but. A place of harshness, masked by a surface level beauty. Sound familiar? This is the exact world of Hollywood (I wonder where that is?), the world of celebrity culture, and stepping into the world of commercialized art. Whether it be acting or music, both Mia and Sebastian have been hit by nothing short of whiplash. Both enter this field, imagining this amazing, beautiful world where they can express their creativity, their selves, and their loves. Inspired by past movies, inspired by past musicians, they practically waltz into this beautiful "La La Land", before figuring out. Whoopsie daisy. Both struggle hard, neither can find suitable long-term careers for years. Then, they meet each other. As their dreams, and their love clash, they find themselves questioning, what is their paradise? Ironically, although they could not have each other, they both led each other towards their dreams. In the end, they were able to achieve a perfect La La Land, just without the other. The epilogue scene, obviously, showing this off beautifully. The epilogue IS just the paradise that both dream of, where everything goes perfect, where they love each other, where there are no blemishes, it is a true La La Land, not in the sense of the realistic view of the world, no, rather the view of this elusive paradise, this world that says "yes, you've made it. Good job". But in the end, as the final notes to their song play, the two remain in a real world, that ultimately separates them apart, a true La La Land.

A Silent Voice

This is good, and I don't think I need to say why it's good. The Japanese name is Koe No Kotachi (The Shape of Voice), and I'm ngl, I think I like the english name for this better. Obviously "A Silent Voice" fits in very well with the themes of the movie (Nishmiya LITERALLY having a "silent voice"). The movie literally explains the title at the end man idek what to say it's great ok moving on.

Fullmetal Alchemist 

I love this name with a passion. Combining this very modern, almost violent word, “fullmetal”, with this very mystique and sorta magical word “alchemist” pretty perfectly tells you quite a bit about the story as a whole. One of the major themes of fullmetal alchemist is the intersection between the mystical and the scientific. Beyond that, the name refers to Ed in a pretty ironic fashion, but that’s obvious and not really worth noting. Not much else to say, I’m not smart enough to dissect Fullmetal Alchemist.

The Legend of Zelda

Oh my goodness gracious this is perfect. I don’t know how long I can gush about four words but everything about this just fits. Let’s start from the end, the name “Zelda.” To be fair, I’m not fully sure if this is just because I’ve associated the name Zelda with the game Zelda practically my whole life, but the name just sounds mystical. The name apparently takes its roots from old high german, and it just… inexplicably sounds like the perfect name to me. Calling it “The Legend of Zelda” just adds to this amazing sense of mystery and adventure that this game did bring (kinda, I know it was flawed as fuck but ykw it was 1986). Just hearing those words tells us of what this game will be: an epic adventure, likely involving swords and magic, to beat up some big bad and live out a literal legend. This is HONESTLY a perfect name for this series. In four words, “The Legend of Zelda” tells so much more than other games could tell with their entire 50 hour stories. 

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time/Majora’s Mask/Wind Waker/Minish Cap/Skyward Sword/etc.

I have a bit of a problem with these names that just use a gameplay (and/or story) element and slap it onto the Zelda series name. This doesn’t really tell me anything other than the fact that this item will be in the game. The only one of these that is kinda ok is the “Wind Waker” because I guess to an extent Link does a bunch of sailing which is like wind haha! Otherwise, these are names that are only remembered so fondly because they’re Zelda games. Just think of a game, without a series tied to it, called “Ocarina of TIme.” It tells you almost nothing about the game. 

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild

Last Zelda title I swear. Like how the game captured the original magic of the fantastical open world, this title tells us everything we would need to know about this game. The fantastic sense of adventure and sheer freedom that this game brings is honestly amazingly conveyed with this title, breath being a large symbol of freedom, and, well, nature. The entirety of this game is essentially about Link's, or rather, your, journey through the wild. The majority of the game is you taking in the breath of the wild. It still feels like a legend, an adventure, but it helps sell the idea that this is your legend. I honestly struggle to put it into words but there is so much to just take in in this title god I love it.

The Guilty Gear Games

These are fucking stupid and honestly I love them but they're not objectively that good. Guilty Gear itself is a decently catchy name. The alliteration fucks. Otherwise, what does this say? Guilty Gear could frankly be the name of any genre of game. Beat 'em up, visual novel, MOBA (hey this one's true), shooters, hell it could be a fucking rpg for all I know. If it stopped there, it might be fine. But it didn't. The first game isn't that bad, the subtitle in Japan is "The Missing Link", which is ok honestly. Next one is called Guilty Gear X. The Roman Numeral for 10. But ok, that's forgivable, X is probably the cool letter that people use to signify being cool or whatever (re: Mr. Musk). The next game was then called Guilty Gear X2. I do not understand this in the slightest. If Guilty Gear X was, say, a reboot of the franchise, changing fundamental, core ideas and themes of the original, I can understand that you're considering Guilty Gear X as almost it's own thing, as a do-over from the OG Guilty Gear. But it's almost the same. They are both fast, anime fighting games. They both have the exact same characters (with some additions ofc), and the same team and the same everything so why is it even considered a reboot. But ok, let's just call it an reboot from here, I get it, maybe the director just wanted a fresh start, because to be fair, I believe the game didn't sell too well (not sure about this, but it did receive some criticism based on some gameplay and balancing issues). Ok but I'm not moving on yet. Guilty Gear X2 received numerous updates and their names get stupider by the title. First one, is actually ok. Guilty Gear X2 #Reload. I like what they did with the #, and it is pretty indicative of what the game is. Next one is called Guilty Gear XX Slash because it was called Guilty Gear XX in Japan because consistency’s a bitch anyways. Slash is,,, an ok subtitle. I don’t like it as much as #Reload. It’s just slapping on one of the names of Guilty Gear’s attacks. It doesn’t tell me anything about like. The fact that it’s a re-release but other than that, it’s whatever. The next three games end up being named variations of Guilty Gear XX Accent Core, the final being called Guilty Gear XX Accent Core +R. I haven’t the slightest clue how ANY of those come together to form like. Meaning. I do like how long the last name is. But that’s the last Guilty Gear XX game.

The next game is called fucking Guilty Gear 2: Overture WHAT. The fourth game in a series is called the 2nd. It’s like Double Dragon or something. Whatever (Funnily enough, Double Dragon and Guilty Gear are owned by the same company). It, to be fair, is a vastly different game to its predecessors. Nothing like the original Guilty Gear so it’s not exactly a sequel but. Sure. We can exclude it from the “X” series. Next game is an actual fighting game again called Guilty Gear Xrd -SIGN-. I don’t know what the sign is either. I actually always liked the subtitle Xrd though, it’s a neat way to say that it’s the third game in a series. Even though it’s the fifth. It’s also a bit stupid. Like if you hear “Xrd” (pronounced Ex-zerd), how are you going to spell that. It, of course, got an update that ended up booting the -SIGN- from the title and replacing it with “Revelator”. I actually think the name of “Guilty Gear Xrd Revelator” is neat, but my gripe with it is solely in that, again, this does not tell you in the slightest that the game is a re-release. The final update to this game would be Guilty Gear Xrd Rev 2 which is a little better and also a lot worse. It sounds more like a sequel to a series of games called “Guilty Gear Xrd Rev.” Though I guess if you were even a bit in the know, you could tell that this was a re-release so props. But the fact that this game has two whole “clever word plays that are just the short form of the word” makes it just a bit stupid. Rev being the short form for revelator and the whole Xrd shtick means that, if this was your first time hearing of this game, it means almost nothing to you. And again, the phrase “Guilty Gear” doesn’t say jackshit either. Compare this to, say, “Street Fighter 3: Third Strike.” If you haven’t heard of this series before, the “Street Fighter” part tells you that this is a game where you fight people, probably in some urban environment. The “3”, tells you that this is a bit of a series, and “Third Strike” is a clever tag that reiterates the “fighting” aspect and the fact that this is the third game in the series (see this is actually a lie, but shhh). It’s why I believe the latest Guilty Gear name, while not solving many of the problems, is much better than the ones in the past. Guilty Gear Strive, doesn’t say much about the game, but it certainly does not confuse someone. It’s a decently generic name for a game (although I can’t put my finger on why, I will say that I feel the name has a bit of style to it), and it manages to sneak in a tiny bit of wordplay. Since Strive is the fourth game in the X series of games, it fits that IV is within “Strive.” If I recall correctly, this was featured in a trailer, but I can’t find that trailer at the moment unfortunately. All in all, I think the fact that it’s simply called, “Guilty Gear Strive” was a significant, not necessarily the most significant, but still a significant reason for Strive’s success. “Guilty Gear Strive” has so much more widespread appeal than “Guilty Gear XX Accent Core +R.”

I’m not even sure what I just wrote.

All in all, I believe that names of media, for better or for worse, are really interesting to explore. I’ll talk about more names at a later date, but for now, I’m finishing off with that… weird Guilty Gear rant. I sincerely doubt anyone is going to read to the end of this. Rather, this is just an immortalization of my stupid fucking thoughts. Amen.

[maybege]

Hi, May! I’m glad you’re doing a bit better!

I’m pretty good but also a little stressed out because there’s way too many assignment that I have due during June 😅 and of course, since I’m apparently overly ambitious in February when it comes to choosing classes, I will now be spending Monday to Saturday at uni (either for classes or work) 🙃

So I guess here’s a little ‚warning‘: I’ll probably be sending you a couple updates how it’s going 😂

But it’s not all bad! Next week, my friend and I are hanging out to celebrate ten years of friendship (plus watch bridgerton) and then on Saturday I’ll be at the theatre to see „pride and prejudice, sort of“ which I’m very excited!! There’s also finally gonna be the project workshop for work, so while it’s definitely a lot, it’s also a lot of very exciting stuff ☺️

Also, on another note, I am fully caught up with the new paz story! I sadly don’t have time to go through it BUT I just wanted to let you know that I really really enjoyed it!!! (Also I’m so glad that I know you’d never let that man die, cause I was feeling a LOT of emotions for sure)

Lastly, since I know you’ve seen it, what do you think about the ttpd set? 👀☺️

Hello hello!!!

Monday - Saturday? That sounds like a rough couple of weeks for you, I’m sorry 🥺 Though more frequent checkins certainly sounds fun so no worries about that! I just hope you get to enjoy at least some of the nice weather and free time (eventually)

Ohhhh that sounds so fun!! Def let me know what you think of the new Bridgerton season! Also that old sounds awesome??? Is it like a modern adaptation or more of a „silly“ vibe like P&P&Zombies? And 10 years of friendship is a huge milestone!!

Heheh thank you, I’m glad you enjoyed it 😌 In this house, Paz will always be safe, I’m still not over that canon event so I couldn’t write it myself again either 😂

OH I LOVE IT! They’re not my favourite songs from the album ngl (Florida has my heart and I would kill for a choreo version of MBOBHFT) but it’s done so well and to get that to see that live for the first time will forever have a very special place in my heart 🥹🥹🥹 What about you? And do you have any surprise songs you’re hoping for in Gelsenkirchen?

[retvenkos]

Congratulations! Can i please have a 🔥 for Enola Holmes , the Maze runner and Percy Jackson/ Heroes of Olympus ship? Im a girl (17 years old) , bisexual , ENFP and a Gryffindor .I absolutely adore baking/cooking, skateboarding , photography and all kinds of art ( painting, theatre , music etc.).Im also into astrology and love reading about conspiracy theories and urban legends.🍪

I’m an extrovert with a pretty loud laugh , I love going to parties and telling jokes.Im also really protective of my friends and a loyal person ( the mom friend). I always stand by what i believe is right and defend anyone who needs it. Some of the things i dislike are coca cola , chihuahuas and close minded people. Hope thats enough , thank you in advance!🍪

Enola Holmes:

I ship you with Enola Holmes!

first of all, enfp’s are very independent, so you definitely need someone who will give you room to do your own thing while also being supportive and if that isn’t enola, then what is?

she 100% believes in autonomy while also being fairly practical - something that is needed if the two of you are going to be together.

i feel like you have so many interests and are pulled in so many directions, you need someone who can keep up with you as well as catch your eye - and enola holmes has so much going on at all times, it will always be a romp, hanging out with her.

furthermore, enola has probably dabbled in the majority of your interests, so she will either do them with you, try them out, or just watch you (because let’s be real here - enola on a skateboard in a modern au? a disaster waiting to happen). 

i believe wholeheartedly that enola loves your conspiracy theories and urban legends, and who knows? maybe the two of you will set out to prove some of them. sherlock will say the two of you are wasting your time because he doesn’t believe in stuff like that, and while enola may not believe in all of them, she would still listen to you ramble.

enola loves the fire in you - the way you stand up for what you believe in and your utter enthusiasm for life. she’s constantly surrounded by her brothers who are pretty jaded, and she often needs someone to remind her that the future is up to her - that this world can be whatever she makes of it.

enola definitely appreciates your art - she’s probably terrible at it herself, seeing as she doesn’t have much patience - but she loves to look at yours and listen to you ramble about it

and while you both lack a some practicality when it comes to daily struggles like upkeep or what have you, you both work on it together, and it’s something the both of you will remind the other in passing

enola has taken to writing on sticky notes to remember to do things, and you give each other arbitrary rewards for having done those basic tasks.

or, maybe you will do some baking if enola consistently does the dishes and she will buy you film for your camera if you manage to get all the laundry done for the week.

you both are very passionate people, so i imagine there’s always a bit of chaos, but you are both very extroverted, fun-loving people, so it’s never obnoxious (to the two of you, anyway)

i imagine the two of you end up doing a lot of active things - like going on walks or going to strip malls and window shopping. you just like to do things that keep you in forward motion or do things that seem new and exciting.

TMR:

I ship you with Minho!

first of all, both of you are energetic, passionate people. both of you are constantly doing something, searching for a way out of the maze or a way to live just a bit better. the two of you would never give up on finding a way out, and no doubt that means the two of you end up convincing others not to give up, too.

and you both are willing to stand up for what you know is right, or for those people you believe in! you probably both end up advocating for the same person on occasion, and maybe that’s what first makes you both notice the other.

and at the little parties that the gladers have, you and minho are always in the thick of things, laughing and making jokes. it’s a way that the two of you are able to destress and pretend like things are normal.

on a few nights when you can’t sleep, you go out to look at the sky and think about what all of this means - the maze, the grievers, and everything else. you’re mind can go into overdrive, considering all of the different possibilities, but it feels good to have answers, even if they are fabricated.

one night, minho can’t sleep either, and he finds you. the two of you talk late into the night, about everything and everything, and the two of you swap conspiracies and talk about the few memories you have and what they could mean. mostly, both of you just remember fear.

and when you get emotional and your mind starts to race, minho is able to bring you back from the edge. he has a steadiness to him that isn’t found in many other places, and it’s comforting.

and in a modern au, minho would love to skateboard. he’s still a runner, mostly, but he’d go to skateparks with you and you would both be terrible at patching up scrapes and bruises, but you’d both have lots of fun

minho also probably has the best taste in music - he’s especially fond of the kind of music that just embodies teen angst - so the two of you would swap music all the time

ngl, minho probably dislikes chihuahua’s too... yappy dogs aren’t his style.

getting minho into the arts would be a laugh - he’d probably be most keen to photography - but he’d listen to you while you ramble about your art. he wouldn’t understand it, but he’d love that you love it.

i feel like your relationship would be high energy all the time, but you’d get deep talks in between your shenanigans - minho probably isn’t into opening up, so it’s a process.

PJO/HOO:

I ship you with Percy Jackson!

admittedly, i don’t remember much about pjo, so this might be a little rough.

i think percy needs someone with energy - someone who can keep up with him and his killer quests and manage to have fun of them

and we all know that percy is a skater boi so....

when percy learns that you bake and cook! he’s going to make some good food with you, teaching you the art that is blue food. it’s very sweet and the two of you are definitely messy bakers, but it’s more about the experience than the actual food, right?

i also feel like percy would appreciate your painting and photography! i feel like percy has these really emo moments™ that will hit him out of nowhere, and he’d probably experience a lot of those when looking at art. he just has time to look within himself, y’know?

he’d get all the feels from your work and would assure you that even though he’s crying, it’s really good! 

and something i think is important to your relationship is that you can get percy to relax. this man deserves a break, so the fact that you are able to get him to take some quiet, calm moments means everything. furthermore, you’re so observant! you can tell when the weight of the world is resting on his shoulders, and you are able to swoop in and give him a well deserved break.

you’re just like “let. percy. REST.” or that meme where it’s like *person a gets a papercut* person b: gods, hasn’t he been through enough?

and both of you are so loyal, i can just see your relationship working really well. percy deserves a protective significant other, and i 100% believe you could fill those shoes.

also, the fact that camp half-blood is probably the biggest conspiracy theory the world could ever fathom makes your interest in conspiracies all the more funny - you and percy both are trying to constantly prove theories because if chb exists, imagine how many others are real! and annabeth is sobbing because she just wants one (1) day without your shenanigans. 

also, ummm, percy is a slytherin and a slytherin x gryffindor relationship has so much potential for teasing and prank wars don’t @ me

take part in my 2.5k celebration

[taeguboi]

BTS as... Rockers

Ngl, I panicked a little when I checked on the masterlist because an older post about BTS as rock band members was labelled as this title and I’d already written this one for like 3 members already. There’s various genres I mention, some of which are also metal and pop but I thought a simple general title would be best here.

Anyways, my second post coming back recently. Hope you enjoy.

RM

Mainly a classics man

Loves to analyse lyrics

and loves writing his own lyrics based on his current favourites

It’s like a form of literature to him

Loves to chill out to prog and psychedelic rock

Accidentally had the same music tastes as that weird geography teacher in school

Probably has a pet named after a member of a power / symphonic metal band

sorry I’m a bit of a Nightwish nerd and now I can just imagine him calling for his dog “Floor!” and everyone getting confused because they think he’s just shouting at the ground

this is the kind of genre he likes the most other than classic rock; that’s where the most literature references are. It’s poetry about poetry

Has a journal of art and lyrics quotes for when he’s super into a song

Could be mistaken for a geek in school 

because to a juvenile ear, his taste in music might be challenging to listen to

like no one else had the patience aged 12 to listen to a 9 minute song or an instrumental track

and then even at 15/16, how many people your age would listen to Dark Side Of The Moon?

Guess he would say music is all about sitting back and listening and taking it in

Would love to be a songwriter for the right kind of singer

unfortunately though, he’s a bit of a loner

likes his own company too much

it’s probably the solitude that motivates him to write 

too many more friends than he already has would be too much of a distraction

It’s not a sad situation though

music is what Namjoon loves the most

and “nothing else matters”

Oh yes, let’s have a bit of Metallica in there too

It’s not until he finishes school that he becomes more in touch with what people in the current world of rock and metal like

discovered “Rollin’” by Limp Bizkit like WAY too many years after it came out

“Have you heard this ace song man?”

“yep... in 2004 dude”

“oh”

But he’s no ashamed or anything, no

He’s proud to be a fan of the bands he likes

even if they aren’t to everyone’s tastes

“Well, sorry if this isn’t some 3 minute long four chord song repeating the same 5 words”

If they don’t appreciate it, their loss

Jin

The old ones are the best ones

Think 50s rock n’ roll; Little Richard, Elvis, and so on

mixed with guilty pleasures of songs about ‘my baby girl’

Loves themed music nights

Whilst of course his favourites are the 50s themed ones

he also loves showing up to 60s nights to flaunt the flower power

or 80s nights in a fun wig as some member of a hair metal band

all the styles are very fun

but on a daily basis, he’s basically dresses like a teddy boy

tight trousers with white socks peaking out

jacket - sometimes a suit jacket, sometimes denim

as you can imagine, when a lot of this stuff comes back in fashion...

“Well, I did it first...”

you know, in this era he means he did it first

Loves a good finger clicker song

Once considered doing a tribute act around pubs and clubs

but he couldn’t decide who he wanted to be

Probably should take a role in some live production of Grease

he’s seen it enough times

and he can sing

He reckons he could never do theatre for long though

his fantasies are with playing instruments to perform

talented keyboard player

starting to get the hang of guitar too

but he does get carried away whilst trying to learn guitar

because he wants to add on all the cool moves NOW

He’s got some bangers he created on the keyboard though

he didn’t really intend to create original songs

it just happened one day after a break up

and he listened to Heartbreak Hotel

too many times

he just sat at his keyboard

and made something that really felt special

and then the day after that, he made a more upbeat song

and the week after that, he has 4 full songs in total

Open mic nights become something he enjoys 

a bit of a local celebrity

“Would you play my grandma’s 80th party? Pleeeease?”

and aww bless him, he plays all the throwback songs at care homes

all free of charge

slips in some of his original music too

“Ooh, I’m afraid I don’t remember that one dear, must be my brain”

“Oh, no no no” explains Jin “I made it myself”

Old dears just love him basically

but so do the girls his age

Whilst some think the whole 50s get up is a bit lame

some go wild for it

because he dons all his outfits so well

and his songs feel so true to the era they were inspired by

you gain a love for the 50s just from watching Jin

Talented boy, keeping the 50s alive

Suga

A lot say Yoongi has an acquired taste

an electronic element to rock or metal always makes it more interesting to him

loves industrial music - NIN for days

Linkin Park made most of his jams

cried for half a day at the news of Chester no longer being with us

Likes a bit of new wave, synthpop, all that

emo songs just help you through the bad times okay

Can equally enjoy a dub festival as much as a rock concert

some people think his taste is actually naff

but then they realise he also listens to the likes Foo Fighters or Sum 41

Plays like the same 30 songs on repeat

but his collection has so much more

He has some rock and blues for the road trip

he’s got your 70s singalongs for the party

Was briefly a DJ at a rock bar

got fired for not playing enough popular songs in his set

“wtf I thought this was a bar where people could appreciate this” huffs Yoongi

“yes but people want to sing to ‘down with the sickness’ or something, not ‘down in the park’!”

“stuff you then, I’ll take Gary somewhere else with me”

guilty pleasure: Kate Bush

A somewhat gothic sense of style

but not overwhelmingly gothic

He likes bandannas and black clothes

not always in black clothes though

sometimes the merch he wants just isn’t available in black

but no worries

as long as he can happily flaunt the music that makes him who he is

J-Hope

Can listen to any rock genre

give him something and he probably already loves it

So yeah, the band members are pretty cool and all that

but what Hoseok has more interest in the backstage roles

he’d love to manage a rock band

be a tour manager

guitar tech

Much knowledge is stored in that brain of his

and he wants to put it to good use

He starts out as a promoter and organiser for the rock bar in town

which he eventually lives above 

His events are ace

he can pick out fresh talent that everyone on that scene can enjoy

His showcase nights are the place to be

everyone can agree, he’s got amazing taste

no one can disagree with him

He’s a one man show and still managed to pull it off

he’s the promoter, the sound guy, the tech on all the instruments

way more professional than most other local music events

He takes pride in his work

did I mention he’s so good, it becomes a full time job?

As time goes by, he listens to less and less older music

but that’s okay

he’s happy with the time it takes to listen to all the up and coming bands

in the moment is where you should live

and he can still appreciate a band’s influences should they initiate conversation

“man, this dude really knows his stuff”

“will you manage our next tour?”

“can you do sound at our next gig? our guy’s rubbish”

and that one is like right in front of their current sound guy

The future is bright for Hoseok

his love for rock music could really earn him a solid living

Jimin

Some say he’s a bit of a poser in his leather jacket

but he really does love his rock music

Sometimes a bit behind on modern rock bands or releases

Low key wishes he was born in the 50s / 60s 

just so he could live in his favourite eras

his heart really lies with the classics

60s, 70s, 80s.

90s at a push

not the later 90s where grunge bands did pop

ew

actually any movie made in that time makes him cringe

like he’s all up for good clean fun

but christ it’s like they were trying to go back to the 50s or something

not everything is ‘swell’ you know

Don’t get him wrong though

he does also like some 50s music

He may or may not have spent that one time acting like Elvis in the mirror

it really hyped him up before a night out though

it may or may not have become a thing before going out in the evenings to boost his confidence

His all time favourite bands have to be The Rolling Stones and AC/DC

and no, he couldn’t pick between the two, ever

Doesn’t really have a desire to be in a band

but sort of accidentally picks up the bass to help out a mate in a band

and sort of accidentally becomes a permanent member

It’s just a cover band

but it’s so much fun

Sometimes, you can have a really bad day

and then listening to 23 people singing “I Love Rock n Roll”

kind of lifts your mood

“Play Wonderwall!”

gets a bit annoying to him

kind of wants to hit that one guy around the head with his bass

but he holds back

Because being aggressive wouldn’t be very rock of him

and whilst he does like punk music

he’s definitely not a punk

Screw all that political rubbish

music should be to enjoy yourself with

stop worrying about the world for one minute and

let’s sing about whiskey and cigarettes and just living life

“What do you MEAN you don’t know any Def Leppard songs?”

“For crying out loud!”

He tries to understand that not everyone will listen what the music he likes

“but... like seriously, how can you not though?”

V

Probably likes all the underrated bands

Loves vinyl

definitely collects vinyls

Likes to shop at vintage stores to fulfil his obscure taste

People are like “you paid £60 just for that?”

but to Tae, it’s worth every penny

He likes the classics too

he can sing along in a rock bar to all the well known tunes

old or modern

and there may be loads in his vinyl collection barely anyone recognises

but there’s some more familiar faces too

there’s The Beatles, Guns n’ Roses, Foo Fighters, anything like that

it’s just only like 20% of his huge collection

Whilst his style is inspired by those he idolises...

he can never copy them

that would be an insult to them and his originality

Plays guitar and writes songs

never anything soppy though

actually fairly hesitant to pick up an acoustic guitar

always plays electric

and the songs he makes are about having a good time, life experiences

but not about love

He can listen to a couple of cheesy tracks

he just won’t make any

“Who the heck is John Otway, Tae?”

“Oh, you know, Wild Willy Barrat”

“Willy who?”

“Cor baby, that’s really free!”

“....”

“Headbutts! da da da da da... Headbuttttsssss”

I feel like rocker V loves anything that feels slightly random

probably make his own secret songs that sound silly to others

Probably has a band that never gigs

it’s him singing and playing guitar

and a bassist and drummer that aren’t really sure why they’re here

but they kind of like the unique stuff he does

and the band is almost purposely bad

“It’s the imperfections that really give a song character”

Jungkook

Modern rock and metal

low key emo

Tears Don’t Fall by BFMV on repeat aged 14, his first break up

Lives for festivals

like when he goes to work, that is what he is earning money for

well, that and bills and food

has a jar for each festival he wants to go to this year

Also loves a bit of melodic punk

like when that one Australian band are finally coming to his country

he HAS to go

help me I’m really sad because this is me and The Decline were supposed to be coming to the UK and then this pandemic happened and now I might never see them criii

Has a playlist for every aspect of life

every feeling, every colour, every occasion

songs that remind him of a time, ones where he can visualise a colour...

many people don’t get it

“how many playlists?”

“how can a song be a colour?”

it just is

like come on, listen to this Red Jumpsuit Apparatus song 

and tell him this doesn’t remind you of gold

Could be a journalist

knows everything and anything about his favourite bands

AVENGED SEVENFOLD

because it’s the perfect mixture of everything he loves about music

vests because M.Shadows

So badly wants to be in a band

tries every instrument you could find in a typical rock band

loves the drums

gets stuck on guitar though in his first band

well, he was just desperate to go gigging

he left after a year and a bit though

got boring

forms his own band instead around him being on the drums

Lives for this band

it’s like a rock band but with political lyrics

and they can perform at most events

they just fit any bill

gigs are booked almost every weekend

road trip with the lads

they travel like 50 miles just to be paid in beer only

Dreams of big time collaborations

that will probably never happen and he knows that

but it’s nice to dream, right?

puts on his own gigs a few years down the line

of course his own band are always on the bill

everyone thinks his gigs are a hoot

He even manages to book some lesser known punk bands 

but they are a massive deal to him

“God, I love live music!”

“Do you always wear a black shirt guk?”

“Hey, I’m a drummer! It’s hard work; a lot of sweat involved... I’m sure no one wants to see my wet pits whilst trying to enjoy the show”

and then that person wishes they never asked...

but he’s right

he knows that a good band is all about the hard graft and work

and he is always so thankful for the great rock bands that influence him

[princesscatherinemiddleton]

My thoughts and feelings on the Great British Divorce, as written on January 18th (and updated on February 19th)

I wrote a very long and detailed essay on my feelings when the Sussexes stood down and it was super cathartic. I’ve not reread it since (although I have added one final paragraph) but I am going to make you all read it...

Prince Harry announces he is dating Meghan Markle

I had Meghan Markle down with Ellie Goulding, Mollie from The Saturdays, Caroline Flack, and Jenna Coleman as famous women Harry has “dated” that would never come to anything. Then, on a completely normal day when I was at work, Harry released his statement. It was completely unprecedented. Everyone in the staffroom was talking about it, saying things like “I didn’t even know he was dating/Diana would want to see him happy/Who is she?”. And I knew they would be for keeps. This one would become Mrs Harry.

Engagement announcement

Do you want to know what my initial reaction was when the engagement was announced? Fear and worry. I was so so scared that Harry’s fiancé would be put through the same awful treatment Kate had gone through. I was also worried that Meghan would be pitted against Kate and vice versa – I hadn’t spent all those years watching people drag Kate against Diana/Sophie/Camilla/[insert female royal here] to live it again with Harry’s fiancé. But, despite my fears and the initial sinking feeling of dread, I was still excited. Apart from George’s first day at school, Harry and Meghan’s engagement announcement remains the only event with no Kate appearance that has a tag on my blog. I fell in love with the brilliant, charismatic, intelligent woman in the engagement interview. I was excited for the future.

Pre-wedding engagements

My main memory of how I felt at the time was disappointment at Meghan’s outfits. Where had my stylish young professional gone? Why was she wearing these wide-legged trousers that dragged on the floor with long coats? But I genuinely thought they both did really well. Meghan came across as personable and warm and intelligent. They were clearly in sync. They were a modern young couple and the perfect counterpart to the stability of the Cambridges.

Wedding

I was at uni when the wedding happened. I took the day off work and travelled home for one day to surprise my mum and watch the wedding with her. My auntie called me minutes before Meghan appeared to talk to me because she was watching it and she “knew” I was on my own in Bournemouth. When Meghan appeared, I literally crawled in front of the TV and sat inches from the screen so I could see her emerge in her dress in all its glory (I was disappointed, ngl). I cried during her wedding. I’d spent the morning spotting celebrities and Kate was there and the bridal party was fantastic. Meghan’s tiara shone like the jewel she was. Charles, Camilla, and Doria were literally angelic. After the wedding I went to my auntie’s house to watch the FA Cup final (as a family, we always do that and have a BBQ) and I spent all my time on my phone waiting for photos of their evening outfits. I cried again when I saw Meghan’s Stella dress. It’s one of my favourite wedding outfits of all time. I’m a super fussy bitch and I had plenty of complaints with the wedding and I have aired them before but it was a truly happy and wonderful day and I was happy and content.

Post-wedding engagements

I know I’m literally only talking about Meghan but I don’t pay attention to Harry so I barely know if he’s there or not. I think Meghan hit the ground running. She did some brilliant engagements during the time post-wedding and pre-Archie. Her patronage choices were inspired and the work she did with her patronages is some of my favourite Meghan work. Obviously, she also created the Together Cookbook, which doesn’t need going into. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, Meghan would have been the Anne of this generation of royals, quietly getting the numbers and doing fantastic work. Meghan was connecting with people no one else could in a way no one had since Harry himself. She quite literally made the role her own.

Faux Pas

Meghan had teething problems but, most of the time, I put them down to cultural differences. Things like talking about abortion in Ireland – any British person knows not to do that. More importantly, it was a political statement, which is, essentially, “against the rules”. I think Meghan would have grown out of these, as she was making far less of them already, in the same way Kate, Camilla, Sophie, and Diana grew out of them. I also think the general public opinion wasn’t as positive as social media has people believe. I was talking to Cece about this but the Africa documentary went down badly. If it wasn’t for Andy’s well-timed interview, I think it would have been a much bigger deal but, as it was, it was swept under the carpet. Don’t get me wrong, I think Meghan made some incredible points in the documentary that deserved being aired BUT I never heard anyone in the real world say anything positive about those decisions. I think, during their time together, both Harry and Meghan made mistakes that warranted criticism and I don’t think they ever received that criticism because…

Press treatment of Meghan

Has every royal woman received incredibly negative headlines? Yes. Has Kate and her family been treated awfully by the press? Yes. Do I find it funny when people make comments like “look, Meghan touched her baby bump and people hate her and they loved it when Kate did it” when I had to sit through people talking about what trailer trash Kate was for touching her bump in her first two pregnancies? Yes. Was Meghan compared to Kate in the same way Kate was compared to Sophie and Sarah compared to Diana? Yes. Was Meghan’s coverage actually that different from the coverage Kate got? No. Did Meghan receive worse coverage than any other British royal? Yes. Without a doubt.

I’ve stayed away from talking about race too much. I am a white woman. I look like a “stereotypically” Jewish woman as my family is Jewish. A large proportion of my family is either from the Republic of Ireland or the Irish travelling community. I’ve seen my family be subject to abuse because of their ethnicity. My mum has scars because her house was set on fire as a child because her dad was Irish. Despite that, I have no idea what it is like to experience racism. I’ve had the most closeted white woman life when it comes to matters of race. None of the things I described was racism in the way Meghan experienced it and none of it means I am in a position where I can join in on this conversation. I have spent years learning about racism and every day I find myself coming across something that I hadn’t considered, like the idea that Meghan is a good mum for going back to work so quickly is a form of positive discrimination and we should tackle that. I genuinely don’t know how much I should get involved in these conversations but I also don’t want to add to emotional labour by continuously directing these conversations towards people of colour.

Coming from my position of privilege, Meghan received some truly awful and horrific treatment at the hands of the press and the public. She was humiliated, her family history and private life was raked over, she was blamed for war because she ate an avocado one time? I can only assume Harry is really good in bed because there is no way I would have stayed with him if I had to go through what Meghan went through. Announcing they were suing the press was still the dumbest thing I’ve ever seen though.

BRF & Meghan

The BRF could have – and should have – done more to protect Meghan from the press. However, I think it was naïve to ever assume they would. I could talk until I’m blue in the face about how it would have helped Meghan’s confidence (and the BRF’s PR) to make a statement like “The Queen and the royal family are greatly distressed at the treatment of the Duchess of Sussex…”. I could talk about how the BRF uses symbolism rather than statements and I watched you all talk about how the Queen loves Meghan because she went on the royal train and had a solo engagement with the Queen so don’t pretend for one minute that you all don’t know that. I could talk about William releasing a statement (which everyone glosses over but go off, I guess). I could talk about how, if the Queen did not release a statement, Kate couldn’t very well have gone off and released one on her own (also, how come it’s always The Queen, Charles, Will, and Kate, where is Camilla?). But there’s no point. They should have done more. It was a massive oversight not to consider how being a woman of colour would affect Meghan’s treatment after becoming a member of the firm and they had a duty to help protect her. But no one should ever have thought it would have happened. The BRF look after number 1 and that, right now, is the Queen. That’s how it has always been. They treated Meghan the same way they treat everyone who isn’t in the direct line (also Andrew but that’s Andrew). As Katie says, anything else would have blown up in Meghan’s face. If I was in charge of the BRF’s PR, I would not have advised them to say anything.

Archie

Archie is a precious angel and I refuse to hear otherwise.

Archie’s birth was poorly handled by Sara but I don’t care. It was cute. Archie’s christening was foolishly handled by the Sussexes. I also don’t massively care. It’s miniscule in comparison to the bigger fish at play. Despite that, the only people who would have cared who Archie’s godparents were, are on this site. By refusing to allow the small bit of access the public get to christenings, it annoyed people who barely even know who Archie is. And we’re still talking about it today. I said to a friend recently that most British people only care about royals when it comes to weddings, babies, and money. With a wedding in Windsor, not London, and on a Saturday (meaning no bank holiday), coupled with a messy birth announcement, no “Lindo Wing” appearance, and the godparent faux pas, they missed golden opportunities to help the public fall in love with them and their family. There’s a reason the Cambridge kids are always seen after a PR disaster.

Sussex Statement

My opinion on the statement? Massively poorly handled. I think the BRF knew the Sussexes wanted out but did not know the statement would be released. This doesn’t contradict anything anyone has said. Harry and Meghan are right to leave. Mentally, and also for their family. They will flourish outside of the confines of the BRF. I also think Harry messed up by releasing the statement when he did. By forcing the hand, the public was calling for them to lose their funding before a decision had to be made (and lo and behold, they lost their funding), rather than being able to release a full statement confirming how much money they would keep. TLDR; good idea, hope it all works out, awfully handled.

Sussex/BRF Resolution

I think it was the best possible solution. I’m a little shocked they are completely stepping down but, as time goes on, I’m not surprised. I think the Sussexes clearly expected to be more half in/half out because their website had a whole section dedicated to royal work and supporting the Queen and taxpayer funding. The website used their titles. There are still things to work out (Duchy funding? How will they repay the taxpayers? Will they go to Trooping? Will they answer letters? SussexRoyal) but I think it’s a good middle ground.

Overall thoughts

The Sussexes are right to leave. The way they left was messy af and I blame Harry for that. I don’t think Meghan was innocent in how they left but I blame Harry for being so trigger happy. They made some bad PR moves in the last few months: announcing they were suing the press (do it quietly or they’ll just come after you more), the documentary, the statement. I think the press will be after them even more now and I think it’s interesting looking at how many times we’ve seen Meghan papped in Canada this year compared to the times we saw her papped in the UK since 2017. I also think, long term, they will lose their star power and become Reese Witherspoon levels of famous. Everyone knows who she is, most people like her, she does some good philanthropic work, she gets freebies, that’s pretty much it. Meghan and Harry’s appeal (and this goes for every single royal) is in the fact they are royal. Without the connection to the BRF, they’re just rich people preaching.

I’m also very sad. I thought Meghan would come back, post maternity leave, with a new project and put everyone else to shame. I thought she would take on new patronages, do a solo overseas visit, and generally flourish as a young working mum. We will see far less of her than we thought we would. I doubt we’ll see little Archie much at all. As for Harry, I can officially say that the most amusing and upsetting thing to come out of this has been seeing good, kind, left-wing people brown nose a rich, privileged, racist, quite frankly dangerous white man because he married a good woman. I think he will struggle more out of the royal bubble than in it because he’s lost the little structure he had.

Harry was always going to leave the royal family. Meghan might have been a catalyst, but she is not the cause. There is nothing the BRF could have done – no statement – that would have stopped him. He did a whole interview about how much he hates being a royal and then said the public need royals. In his new life as a whatever he is now, my biggest worry is that he will spend more time talking publicly about issues like mental health, without understanding what he is saying. I hope I’m wrong and that he flourishes and becomes a force to be reckoned with. But, while I know Meghan will do brilliantly, I have no idea what he’ll do.

Meghan, Archie, I hope you flourish. I can’t wait to see what you do next. Harry. Sayonara, biatch.

A final update

I thought I should give my thoughts on this now – mid-February – after the dust has settled. I genuinely miss a lot of the people the Sussexes brought to the fandom. I miss planning outfits for Meg to wear to events, I miss predicting what Meghan’s next patronages might be. I miss seeing Meghan interacting with the public, because that was where she shone. We now know the Sussexes will formally split on March 31st, after a final set of engagements. I’m super looking forward to these engagements and judging the vibe from everyone there. We also know it’s likely they will have to rebrand (my bet is Sussex Foundation) and I’m assuming this rebrand will happen in April/May time, possibly around their anniversary. Honestly, I was expecting to see more of them. I was expecting more posts on their Instagram about private visits to charities. I was definitely not expecting them to jump straight to JP Morgan and start attending exclusive events. Rich people going to rich people, I guess. Despite that, Meghan and Harry could start a business selling rubber ducks and, quite frankly, it’s none of my business. If we never see them again, that’s their choice as private citizens and I have to respect that. I’m still fascinated to see how this will all turn out but they are now free to live their own lives and, because of that, I’m going to live and let live.

[fictional-worlds-are-exquisite]

well, if you don't have a trench coat then i guess i'm saved from dying if mortification! i mean, a bathrobe could possibly do because they're awesome, especially if it's a long one, but it's a completely different vibe, it just wouldnt work. it does make me think you might be dracula though (i don't know why but in my brain bathrobe = modern vampire). if you are, how would you feel about turning someone? asking for a friend, totally not because not having to sleep sounds awesome

I KNOW RIGHT??? it's like, do people.. do people really just see a random person and think "they're hot, i'd have sex with them"? ahdjksfwksks that's so wild. and i only figured out i'm ace like a year ago so i'm still not over this piece of information and tbh i don't think i'll ever be, like how??

and while realising i'm pan was way easier that was also pretty weird, because i knew that i liked girls but my country is like super conservative so i had no idea lgbtqia+ even existed for a really long time, as in that it was possible to like someone of the same sex, so i was just like yes, these feelings i'm having for this girl are friendship feelings, nothing romantic about them, most definitely platonic.

a frying pan? you chased a kid with a frying pan? i might be falling in love. that's awesome and a completely deserved punishment for him, because if you steal my boucy ball i will kick your ass no questions asked (let's pretend i am actually capable of kicking even a toddler's ass for a sec). also frying pans make good weapons, 12/10, they're my number one pick for when i hear a strange sound in my house while i'm home alone and both of my cats are in the same room as me. but i just gotta ask. why did you have a frying pan at school? i mean, don't get me wrong, it sounds super cool but why

and since timezones are weird and i have no idea how they work, but there's only 1 hour left till the 24th for me so i think this is appropriate:

Merry Christmas!! I hope you spend some quality time with your family, get nice presents, that the food is good and that you have fun celebrating! ❤️❤️❤️

congratulations! one possible death cause down. a...lot more to go. but progress is progress. it’s um...a fluffy grey dressing gown with a hood that has a little mouse face on it...if that fits with dracula vibes. turning someone depends on whether or not they’re willing to bend down or if they have a chair available so i can reach their neck. a safe chair. i MIGHT turn someone into a vampire risking their entire existence BUT i value my own safety smh. i will not accept them laying down i think that’s crossing into a kink sdkfjhskdhjf.

oh dude yeah. i got that piece of info a few years back and I’m still not over it. I don’t think I ever will be. sounds fake. i still suspect trickery. it just. my brain cannot comprehend that. it’s odd. my brain is like oh dude i wasn’t created with that setting?? idk man seems a little dodgy.

ah yikes, that’s not a great situation to be in. definitely lucky to be living in nz in that regard, it got brought up in health class in my first year of high school I think so I was aware. i knew i was queer and that that was a thing but i was still insanely oblivious somehow. i kind of had crushes beforehand but mostly stuff that confused me because I couldn’t tell if I just really liked them as a friend or more than that. then i started uni and met this one girl and my entire day was made whenever she sat next to me or talked to me and i was in the clouds like a dumbass and i zoned out of classes because she was. right there. and she was just. being in her presence was just, the absolute best feeling ever. i mean she absolutely was pretty and i loved her style but i really liked her as a person too. lit up everything for me. at that point i was like oh dude i think this is what we call romantic feelings sdfkhsdfkjhsdkfjh. it did take like 6 months before that realisation hit me tho ngl i did say i was oblivious.

yes.......i did do that. chased him around the school. frying pans are excellent weapons! they were my go-to weapon for years after that. also what else am I gonna grab in that situation? a KNIFE? i’d be more likely to stab MYSELF rather than an intruder. well. I went to my teacher and I said hey, Mr. X, can I have a frying pan? and if I remember correctly he DID ask why and i DID tell him but clearly he no longer cared about anything because he agreed. and went to the staffroom. and brought me back a cool red one. and I was like okay, thank you! and then started the chase. It was in slightly afterschool hours I think (?) or at least there wasn’t many people at school at that point, it was pretty empty for whatever reason, so I don’t think anyone ever really saw and therefore I don’t think he got in trouble but wow. that was wild. 

I think you’re roughly 11 hours behind me if I do some rough maths but I’m answering this at midnight as we cross onto the 25th aka Christmas day (i NEVER remember what date Christmas day is but I’m gonna nail it into my head eventually) so, excellent timing imo.

But thank you!!! That’s very sweet!!! I’m excited to see half the family today (the other half on boxing day) and enjoy a good chrissie lunch in the usual manner. it really doesn’t change much year to year but it’s all about seeing the family, doesn’t have to be anything super special. And right back at you, of course, if you recognise Christmas, and depending on what can be done under current circumstances. I imagine it’ll be quite different this year but I hope there’s something good that will still be present in the current situation, wishing you all the best. ❤️❤️

[youtiaoshutiao]

go go squid! eps 1-30 - thoughts

i’ve actually read the novel for this a few years ago as a teen and it was just alright in my estimation, it was cute overall and a fun read but i largely forgot about it in the past few years. checked out the drama out of curiosity as to how they’d adapt it. have watched up to ep 30 at this point and i’d say i’m rather ambivalent (though i’m still pretty engaged) so here’s some rambling about my thoughts about my watch so far.

Ngl, the first 7 eps were unbearable to watch imo. I have a super low tolerance for secondhand embarrassment when watching movies and dramas (which is why i can’t get behind some high school movies/dramas) and it was uttermost torture watching tongnian stalk her way (very incompetently too, i must add) to k&k’s resting quarters, even getting his identity wrong (despite being fully capable of baidu searching him given that she knew his full name + found out he was part of a famous team), intending to go to watch him the next day but not even thinking about buying tickets till she was actually at the event venue and then being all righteous about not buying tickets from scalpers... Worrying about causing a misunderstanding among gun’s trainees yet continually getting near him and hence causing a misunderstanding anyway... Though i knew that it was part of her character setup (high iq genius but nil experience in love?) but i couldn’t bear to watch all this unfold haha. Coupled with the very draggy endless flashback scenes and all the testosterone-pumped angst about solo (and now 30 eps in i’m very into Li Xian’s turn as han shangyan but my eyebrows were hurting watching him furrow his brow 24/7) i was almost prepared to quit but was told that everything would get better around ep 8.

And lo and behold... it did. As predicted, around ep 8/9 a switch flipped and i began to be more engaged and enjoy the drama more. I was trying to pinpoint what exactly changed my opinion and i think above all, it was the character of han shangyan that really captivated/held my interest. I started seeing gun not just as the typical 霸道总裁 trope that’s just meant to be confident and commanding and therefore hot but more as a very complex and well fleshed out human (more so than the novel i think, but i can’t really remember at this point as it’s been years, and anyway the novel is a pretty short book while this drama is considered quite long for a modern fluffy cdrama thus allowing more room for exploration).

I really appreciated seeing all the dualities to his character, e.g. his god-like status in his industry and being the idol of thousands and thousands of youth yet seeing how this celebrity status does not translate to being estimated highly by the people around him, and how it does feed into his ideas and perception of himself to a certain extent, though he is also adamant on doing what he deems right, not caring what people think. How he as a leader of k&k appears unflappable, in control, and is determined, eyes fixed on the prize; yet his softness and care for his boys and the elderly he employs and his past teammates shine through in quiet moments and little actions. He has lofty dreams and big goals and aspirations for the future of his team, yet he is also a man bogged down by tons of emotional baggage, stuck in ruts of nostalgia and guilt and unprocessed anger about the past and unable to let go of past enmities or relations. Even his small little quirks amuse/intrigue me, like his sucking on sweets whenever he’s bothered, like his weird obsession with that one Beyond song and playing it whenever he’s Brooding about his past (though it’s probably just the drama’s way of shilling Netease Music lol)

Reading Han Shangyan’s personality/character arc as such, I found myself very invested in what was happening to him/what he was doing/his interactions with the other characters in the story. Even the flashback scenes and SP team scenes that I found very droll initially and still do to a certain extent now held more of my interest as a gateway to understand HSY more. He’s definitely not a perfect character and is deeply flawed, but I appreciated that they portrayed him in such a manner as he definitely felt more real. (though when it came to how this comes into play with regards to his r/ship with Tong Nian, I had rather mixed feelings about it, which I’ll elaborate on further below)

Similarly, I also enjoyed the fleshing out of side characters like Mi Shaofei, Solo, Su Cheng, Xiao Ai etc. Mi Shaofei’s arc especially was very moving and wistful to me, seeing him have his dream of being a champion rekindled at the start of the drama and going back to be a competitive CTF athlete, yet having his age and his lack of practice cause him to not be in top form and doing badly, and eventually making the decision to retire. Seeing him express regret having quit together with Han Shangyan back in the day in a pique of anger and not having this arc resolve in a neat, fulfilling way - I really appreciated it and thought it illuminated quite a sobering reality that timing and circumstances may not always yield the best outcome, that actions from the past that you thought were the right thing to do may come back to haunt you, that you may regret your past actions, that you may have to close the door on certain things even if you really want it. And I really like Mi Shaofei’s personality as well, seeing how he has a good read on his friends’ temperaments and personalities and knows how to diffuse tense situations (especially when Han Shangyan is being prickly and abrasive), how he values the collective above himself, like being happy that SP team scores improved greatly even when the improvement came about due to his retirement. I’m glad that he now has a new path which he can work towards his original dream of being a champion, albeit in a different way that he had initially envisioned.

The main thing niggling at me/making me feel conflicted as I watch the drama is actually Tong Nian’s character/Tong Nian and HSY’s relationship. I don’t really know how to explain what exactly bothers me so much about this, but here’s a shoddy attempt:

In comparison to how well fleshed out Han Shang Yan’s character arc is, Tong Nian’s arc sadly feels very underwhelming in comparison, and I wish similar character development was afforded to her character. 30 episodes in, I literally know nothing about her inner thoughts, motivations, character etc that is not Gun-related gushing. And this is all the more a pity given that her character’s setup was so cool - being so smart and intelligent, being so advanced in a STEM field, also having such a successful online career out of her singing hobby - all these hint at such an interesting female lead, but ultimately feels like an empty shell of a person. There really is no scene where she exists independently, separate from Gun or Gun-related thoughts pervading her mind - e.g. even when she is pitching some cool project idea showcasing her computing skills to the police department, she’s hung up on Gun after breaking up with him; when she’s invigilating a class she’s still thinking about him; she’s coding some new game for him; she’s doing some debugging... but that’s because she’s devastated after he behaved in a shit way towards her; she’s at some tryouts to be the singer for the ctf theme song! she’s showcasing her singing! but somehow... the show still managed to make it all about how she’s heartbroken over him; she uploaded a new song! ... but it’s about how she’s in love with him...

The show tells me she has a life outside of her crush on Gun, but it doesn’t show it as such. Though I also understand that this is due to the drama being centered on esports and hence involving HSY more, and Tong Nian is an outsider to the esports scene and thus her own activities would not be featured as much. It is possible that should they have chosen to feature more about Tong Nian, it might have affected the cohesiveness and pacing and how tight the plot is. But but but... she is the female lead, after all?? I literally know more about Mi Shaofei than about Tong Nian, and he is a supporting character! And precisely because the show did such a good job of fleshing out HSY, whose job and aspiration and passion and friendship-related angst etc lend a lot of fodder to shape his character and that is totally unrelated to his romance with Tong Nian, Tong Nian’s character development seems really lacking in gravitas in comparison.

This sense of imbalance spills over to my perception of them as a couple. I definitely am not opposed to or feel squicked out by huge age gaps in principle, as long as there isn’t some power imbalance and no teenagers are involved. But something about the combination of Tong Nian being all about Han Shangyan (at least that’s how the drama portrayed it, even if it was unintentional) while Tong Nian is only one part of Han Shangyan’s life + Tong Nian’s almost worshipful sentiments towards Han Shangyan + the show’s tendency to highlight how much sleep or time she sacrifices to do stuff for him, on top of the huge age gap made me slightly uncomfortable...?

I think I felt it especially during the plot arc of the second break up. The events of this arc were standard asian drama angst fare - interference from well meaning but biased parent leading to melodramatic wallowing in angst and mean behaviour attempting to drive the other party away... If purely viewing this arc from the lens of character exploration, I think the (rather ridiculous) events in that arc like HSY promising Tong Nian’s mother to not bother Tong Nian anymore and all his subsequent shitty behaviour towards Tong Nian shed some light on HSY’s inner self abasement and 自卑感 and was fascinating in that regard. But then seeing how Tong Nian who definitely puts him on a pedestal just internalised all of that horrible behaviour and accepted it and even kept on excusing his actions or asking him if she had done something wrong or if he was mad at her about the cat (though i also was mad that she just got a pet as a gift without asking beforehand lolol) or if he wanted her to do anything... that was SO painful to watch. (Until he implied that he cheated on her, thankfully she drew a line at that!!) I felt like it was bordering on cold violence to some extent? Not that any part of the second break up was Tong Nian’s fault, but just the way the show portrayed Gun’s way of pushing Tong Nian away and Tong Nian’s subsequent response made it harder to just dismiss the entire saga as just pure asian drama typical noble idiocy angst and left a really bad taste in my mouth. And above all what made me quite exasperated was how in the end, HSY didn’t even apologise to Tong Nian about it, and even attempted (and was successful) to get back into her good graces by listing all the reasons why he should be pitied and hence activating Tong Nian’s ‘Han Shangyan is so pitiful and I love him and want to give him everything’ mode, and being so smug about it??

(I feel like I come off as being rather inconsistent here lolol, earlier gushing about how much I love HSY’s character and now ranting about him. I think I just feel very confused about what to feel when watching the drama, and partially I think it’s because the entire romantic plot and all the events of the drama... require some suspension of belief and are not really very cohesive or well plotted, in the sense that it doesn’t seem to flow organically together with the characters’ emotions and responses? i.e. the character’s emotions/motivations/thoughts don’t correspond to their subsequent actions and the other characters’ subsequent responses to said action doesn’t seem proportional at times. So at certain plot points like how HSY got back together with Tong Nian so easily I’m not sure if I’m supposed to feel outraged or just take it in my stride?? I’m not sure if I’m making sense)

Oh, another thing that bothered me was this weird machoism (?? not sure how to explain it) that I sensed at some parts. An example off the top of my mind would be the entire sequence of HSY and Mi Shaofei going out together after Mi Shaofei announced his retirement, with Tong Nian and Yaya trailing at their heels. Once again, from a character development angle, I enjoyed the dialogues between MSF and HSY, between MSF and Yaya. But seeing MSF and HSY pass their coats to Yaya and Tong Nian then embarking on some bromantic tension-filled run together, while Yaya and Tong Nian are left hovering around waiting for them to return and holding their coats; or seeing MSF and HSY give each other Meaningful Looks and then downing a whole bowl of alcohol in some testosterone-fuelled display of Manly Sorrow and Solidarity as Tong Nian and Yaya watch from the sides, worried... Then having Tong Nian and Yaya each attempting to comfort their respective men... idk, i think coupled with the fact that the show is centred around esports, and most of the esports characters are male, and a larger proportion the main female characters we see are not directly involved and are more on the sidelines, it just gives off the sense of like, the men in this drama having their struggles, their aspirations, their sorrows be forefront and central in the plot, while the women are just there to fawn over them and support from the sidelines and tend to the guys’ emotional needs and baby them when they are being grown children. I’m definitely not explaining this well enough and I’m not sure if my impression is valid or I’m just being a hater or being subconsciously misogynistic and projecting or something lol. I’d love to hear what anyone thinks heh.

Thankfully, that part of the plot is over and now the romance part of the drama seems to be settled and the drama I’m assuming is gearing up towards winning the championships. This is promising haha because personally feel like the esports plotline is more captivating than the romance. I sense that now that Tong Nian/Gun are a properly established relationship and both are fully on board the dynamic might change a bit so I shall see how I feel about their relationship in the last quarter of the drama!

With regards to the cast, there was all round quite solid acting imo. I thought Li Xian seemed to be overdoing it with the frowning and grouchiness initially but I think it was alright after a few eps. His microexpressions and meaning-loaded gazes and quirked-lip-smiles are pretty affecting. I watched some interviews of him and he seems really different from Gun in real life so that’s quite impressive. Plus I love his slight slouchiness when portraying Gun in the more personal scenes where the facade of gruff boss!han shangyan disappears lolol. For all my problems with the way Tong Nian’s character was portrayed, Yang Zi does a great job in her role too. I think her crying scenes have always been on point and it was no different here. Special shoutout to the actors for Mi Shaofei, Solo and Xiao Ai, who portrayed their roles really well I think!

Lastly on a random note, I’m quite amused by how the soundtrack copiously borrows from the Suddenly This Summer soundtrack, but I’m not complaining because the OST is pretty evocative and whimsical and makes me hugely nostalgic for STS :)

[theeeveetamer]

I'm pretty sure my computer would burn and die if I tried to play the Sims 4 but tell me anyway which packs are the best to buy!

Sims 4 is actually easier to run than Sims 3! Especially if you only have a few packs and no mods installed! They designed it for longevity, and it initially came out in 2014. There’s even a laptop mode designed specifically for people with lower end systems.

And, fun fact, you can try it for free! Origin allows a free trial for the Sims 4, so if you’re worried it won’t run or you’re worried you won’t like it you can always download the trial and test it out! That’s actually how I got into the game.

Though I will note before getting started: Some of the newer packs require a 64 bit operating system or a Metal-supported Mac system. Anything released after October 2019 cannot be played on a 32 bit/non-metal system.

Though at the moment that basically just excludes you from the University pack.

Also note! Different people like different stuff out of their Sims game, so if it sounds interesting don’t worry if I don’t rate it highly. I tend to play with a more realistic slant, and for items I tend to like more modern aesthetics when it comes to clothes and items. With that in mind, let’s get to the list! I’ve divided them up by pack type (Expansion, Game, or Stuff).

Expansion Packs:

1) Seasons: Must Have

I will always, always, always shill for the seasons EP of any Sims game. Frankly, I am of the opinion that it should just be base game, but whatever. It adds dynamic weather and, well, seasons which are two things that will affect your game no matter how you choose to play.

Sims 4 is rather unique from previous sim games in that it adds a calendar system and holidays. Not only can you celebrate holidays, you can actually create your own and freely edit or move them around! I’m not kidding, you can get pretty wacky. Like, worshiping garden gnomes and punching each other in the face wacky. Or you can be a loser like me, make every single Three Houses character, and make them all have a lovely Christmas together because they deserve it :x

2) City Living: Good to Have

This one is down to personal taste. I love the city aesthetic, and the apartments are pretty fun to play around with. City Living also adds some interesting festival activities and four unique city districts. Another boon, if this is something you’re interested in, is cultural diversity! Sims 4 has been making a concentrated effort to include more diversity in their games, and a lot of outfits and objects in this pack reflect that!

All of the festivals and events will still occur regardless of if you live in the city or not, so you don’t have to miss out on all of the features even if you don’t choose to use the apartments 100% of the time. Though the bulk of the new game-play really is in the city neighborhood.

3) Discover University: Good to Have (Note: This is one of those 64 bit packs)

I admittedly haven’t played around with this one extensively since it just came out, but I think it’s great fun! I put Sim Sylvain, Sim Felix, Sim Dimitri, and Sim Dedue through college and it was a struggle (in the best of ways). Dorm life, subsisting exclusively on Ramen, and staying up until 2 am working on that term paper that’s due tomorrow... What’s not to love? I’m always a big fan of University packs because, again, I like to play pretty realistically. With mods I managed to get them into a collective $80,000 of college debt and can you tell that I’m an American yet? 

Plus, this one added the teaching, law, and engineering professions to the game and I will never not enjoy making Dimitri a psychology professor for the irony.

University isn’t really necessary to your sims’ lives, but it certainly does help them out along the way. You can choose to ignore it if you want to, but I don’t really see myself doing that when I play, which means this pack will get a lot of use from me personally.

4) Cats and Dogs: Good to Have

If you’re really into the whole rustic aesthetic then this is definitely the pack for you. The town they added is very cute and one of my more well used towns (currently the residence of all of my Blue Lions Sims). If you want your Felix sim to have 6 cats then this is also the pack for you, because you can’t have pets otherwise.

You can also create your own veterinary clinic, which is a feature I’ve barely touched but I’m sure someone will get a kick out of! It’s similar to running a business or owning a restaurant from some similar packs.

God, and you can do some crazy fuckin things to these pets. You can basically cross breed to your heart’s content, so you can get some weird ass combinations. There’s also a paint tool, so you can have dogs with rainbow fur and cats with green paws. Oh and you can have pet foxes and raccoons, but they basically function as dogs and cats respectively.

All in all a fun pack, even if I don’t use all of its content 100% of the time.

5) Get to Work: It’s Alright

Here’s where I start getting a little lukewarm. Get to Work added three active careers (Doctor, Scientist, and Detective) as well as the ability to own and run your own retail store. And these features are fun! ... If you use them.

With the way the Sims 4 is built, having a Sim in an active career and a Sim family with more than one or two sims can be difficult to manage. You can only load one lot at a time, so if you follow your sim to work then you can’t play your sims at home and vice versa, you have to load through every time you switch. There are no “home businesses” either, so your sim either has to live “off lot” and travel (aka you have to sit through a loading screen) tp the retail store every time you do business, or you build a living space on the retail lot and try to wrangle the game into working. This means you have to manually bring your sims “home” to the store every day, and it causes some issues.

Personally, I don’t like being minorly inconvenienced, so after the novelty wore off I barely touched these features again. Most of the CAS and Build/Buy items are career or retail focused too, so I can’t say it has any must have items. I’m putting it at #5 though because I know many people love these features and happily play around the limitations.

6) Get Famous: It’s Alright

I’ll admit, I had a lot of fun with this pack when it first came out! It adds a lot of really cool stuff, like the reputation system, fame, and what is essentially a YouTuber career. There’s also another one of those active careers (actor/actress) if that’s your thing.

Fame also works in a very interesting way in this pack, too. There are “perks” and “quirks”, so your sim can have their own celebrity brand and hordes of followers, but have extremely volatile emotions or a fear of being touched. Kind of an interesting reward/drawback system that hasn’t been present in previous sim games.

Personally though, this pack doesn’t have much longevity to me. Just like Get to Work it was fun for a little while, but I don’t particularly like playing “famous” sims so many of the pack’s features go unused. The town, Del Sol Valley, is pretty underwhelming with only a handful of lots, and kind of a sunny desert-y aesthetic. Which doesn’t pair well if you like the rain and snow from Seasons like I do.

7) Island Living: It’s Alright

This pack is great if you love island-aesthetic items and clothes, tropical islands, and/or mermaids. Personally? I love all three of those things. I’ve been using quite a few of the outfits and objects and roleplaying them as “Duscur themed” for my Dimidue family. I mean, we have no idea what Duscur actually looked like, but the items are distinct enough from most of the typical items in the game that it kind of works?

Anyways, the reason this is so low is because there’s just not much to do in this pack. Mermaids and swimming and that’s basically it. There’s only one new career (conservationist) and three part time careers (diving, fishing, and life-guarding, which I kind of thought were going to be full time careers when I bought the damn thing...)

I’ll talk about this later, but the mermaids are by far the least interesting altered life state/occult in the game. Vampires (and I believe witches) have skill trees of powers and drawbacks, similar to those celebrity perks and quirks I talked about before. Mermaids have nothing like that, so they get boring to play with rather quickly. Watching their tail flop out while they’re in the bath is kinda fun though NGL.

The town is really cool though. I love basically all the pre-built lots and I love the items, but again if you like snow this probably isn’t a world you’re going to be using much. That, and to use many of the new features (like boats and ocean swimming and building houses out over the water) you must be in this world.

8) Get Together: Skippable

I honestly don’t think I’ve ever seriously used any of the features from this pack aside from the town. The build/buy is a lot of Tudor style stuff, which I don’t tend to use, and a lot of the clothing is weirdly ugly clubbing clothes.

The clubs are really the big feature of this pack. Similarly to the holidays from Seasons, you can create clubs of sims that will get together and do activities. Basically any action in the game can have a club associated with it (from cleaning to “woohoo”) and you can have club perks that make your club more powerful, and sometimes infamous!

My main issue: If you aren’t actively using this feature it doesn’t really do anything. It just kind of exists as an extra sim panel in the bottom right corner of your screen. And I didn’t use it. Like, at all. That said, I know a lot of people find it very fun! I’m just not sure it’s worth spending $20-$40 of your money on.

Game Packs

I’ll just say right off the bat, I’m not going to talk about Realm of Magic. It adds wizards and wacky magical hijinks, but I bought it at the same time as University and I haven’t gotten around to playing it much yet. I will say, they added a ton of really cool objects and outfits! Especially the rugs. God, the rugs are to die for.

1) Parenthood: Must Have

Two words: Teen Angst. This pack fleshes out a lot of the younger life states. It adds teaching moments, punishments, “character value” traits such as polite or irresponsible, curfews, volunteering, sibling rivalries, mood swings, phases, etc. You want your kid to come home dressed like a bear randomly one day? This is for you.

I admit, I find a lot of the younger life stages in this game boring to play without this pack. I don’t think I could ever go back to vanilla sims after having used it, I find it that essential to my play style. Keep in mind though, this pack will only give you good mileage if you play families with sims of all ages.

2) Dine Out: Good to Have

You can own and operate a restaurant, which functions similarly to the retail stores and vet clinics I mentioned before. However, if you don’t want to own one then you can still plop them down in your town and your sims can travel there for dinners and such.

It’s really good for role playing dates and family nights out and such, but if that’s not your thing and you don’t care about owning one then this is not the pack for you.

3) Vampires: Fun, if You’re Into It

I actually played around with Vampires a lot when the pack first came out, which was honestly just a result of my life circumstance at the time (I was taking a literature course about vampires so I had vamps on the brain).

The vampire skills and vampire banes are pretty fun to mess with, and you can create a lot of pretty unique bloodsuckers. I had a Leo and Takumi sim, and the former was extremely weak to the sun and the latter could walk around in it no problem. Made for some fun role playing.

My two criticisms:

Vampires live forever, which means you’ll eventually get bored of playing the same sims.

Vampires don’t really sleep. They only sleep to recover their vampiric energy, which is only expended through the use of powers. It does not deteriorate naturally, so your vampire could be awake 24/7 for several sim days. Thing is, that just leaves you with too much time to do stuff. They’ll max their skills pretty quickly and then what do you do? Nothing.

Oh, and if you’re in to gothic-style stuff this is a must have for you.

4 & 5) Jungle Adventure and Outdoor Retreat: They’re Alright

I’m putting these in the same slot because they basically serve the same function: Vacations. One involves diving into ruins and hacking your way through jungles, the other is camping, but they’re both basically sim-vacations.

This is another one of those pack types where either you use it or you don’t, and if you don’t it doesn’t really do anything for you. Most of the game packs are like that, actually. Personally, I don’t take my sims on sim vacations very often so I mostly keep these packs around for the items.

Though I will say Outdoor Retreat added a ton of plaid so if that’s your aesthetic then go for it.

6) Spa Day: Skippable

This one basically just allows you to place and build “spa lots” in the world. It added the wellness skill, which ties into the meditation and yoga activities. There’s also saunas and massage tables, but I have rarely if ever placed them in a home lot for personal use.

Another use it or don’t kind of thing. I don’t even have a spa lot placed on my current world, so that just goes to show you how much I use this pack.

Some of the items are cool. Unless you really like those I’d say pass.

7) Strangerville: Honestly It Just Doesn’t Make That Much Sense As a Sims Pack?

Strangerville basically added a story and quest line to the game. I hear it’s pretty fun, but I don’t really play Sims for stories and quests, I play it as a sandbox game. So although I have the pack I’ve never actually played the “story” of it. It’s really not the best Game Pack to get as an entry to the series since it’s such a departure from the typical sims experience.

The town is alright, but again another desert so forget it if you like rain and snow. Unless you really really want the military career or you like the outfits and objects then I wouldn’t personally recommend. Especially for newer players to the series.

Stuff Packs

Honestly there are waaaaaay too many of these for me to rank and I wouldn’t really describe any of them as “must haves”, so instead I’m just going to put down my five favorites. But it’s really up to you to look at the items and decide if it’s worth your $10. Each pack adds a new “game-play” feature, though they’re very small and can be lived without pretty easily.

1) Laundry Day Stuff

This entire pack was actually voted on and “created” by Sims players so that’s a huge plus! More rustic-style items, and the game-play feature here is, obviously, laundry. Since I like playing more realistically, adding another chore was actually worth the money for me lmao. Plus all of the clothes are cute and comfy looking!

The Sims Team also has an amazing sense of humor and named an entire set of the items “Wicker Whims” after the WickedWhims sex mod for the game. Which, honestly? When a dev interacts with players like that it’s always really endearing to me.

2) Movie Hangout Stuff

The aesthetic of this pack is Boho-chic for some reason, so if you like that this pack delivers! The new game-play feature is popcorn and watching movies which can be fun for roleplaying families.

3) Kids Room Stuff

Another one that’s only useful if you play families, but it did add a cute little trading card game for kids. They can collect cards and battle them, similar to Pokemon. Unfortunately, adults can’t play, but I’m sure there’s a mod out there for that somewhere. A lot of the items look really good too, and I use them all semi-frequently. Kids tend to get the short end of the stick when new packs come out, so getting a bunch of hair, outfits, and items for them fills a good niche.

4) Perfect Patio Stuff

Lots of outdoorsy type items, as the name implies. Wicker chairs and outdoor counter tops and the like. This bad boy also brought the return of hot tubs (which probably has the cutest woohoo animation in the game, just saying).

5) Moschino Stuff

The items have a mostly modern, sleek aesthetic, and it adds the freelance photographer career to the game (which is currently what Sim Sylvain is employed as). I basically recommend it on those merits, because the clothes it added are godawful ugly and I’m otherwise not a huge fan of brand-sponsored packs. They’re nothing really new for The Sims, but luxury brands with hideous overpriced clothes aren’t really my thing.

Some Other General Advice for Starting Out

I covered some of this stuff further up but I’ll repeat in case people just skimmed this really long post.

I will warn everyone stay away from “My First Pet Stuff”! You are basically required to own Cats and Dogs to make use of a good chunk of its items, so you might just be wasting your money.

You can get a trial of the game for free if you just want to test it out to see if you’ll like it or if your computer will run it.

Never buy a pack at full price. I’m not kidding when I say they have sales for this game every couple of months. Even if there isn’t a sale there is a bundle option, which is significantly cheaper than buying individual packs! Discover University was $40 at full price. I purchased a bundle with Discover University, Realm of Magic, and Moschino Stuff for $50. Had I bought them separately it would have ran me $70.

In fact sometimes they give the base game out for free! I know they did a promotion like this this past summer. Sims really makes their money from Expansion Packs, so one of their marketing strategies is to give the base game out for free to entice you to play. Even if it’s not free, it’s always steeply discounted during sales. I believe you can get it for $6 right now. I have 1000+ hours in this game, so six dollars is pretty cheap for that much entertainment.

You can see every single item and outfit in a pack before you buy it. So if you’re not sure if it’s for you, just look! The items are listed right there on the Origin store page.

Mods are amazing. Custom content is amazing. If anyone is curious I can create a list of the mods I use/Custom Content I use for my various Fire Emblem sims.

[sleepingrenjun]

all of the autumn asks? 👉👈

lantern - how did you meet your best friend? what were your first impressions of eachother?

we met at school like 6 years ago or something but we’ve only been friends since December 2017 & best friends since last summer! she apparently thought I was intimidating & I thought she was a lil pretentious buT HEY BFF IF YA SEE THIS I LOVE U SO ITS OKAY 😂

frost - if you could give some advice to your younger self, what would you say?

answered here!

maple - is there a hobby/skill that you’ve always wanted to try but never did?

ngl I’ve been pretty keen on snowboarding for a while but I’ve never tried it! maybe I will this winter 🤷🏼‍♀️

harvest - what fictional character do you most identify with? why?

probably aelin galathynius from the ‘throne of glass’ book series! she’s feminine but also feisty and fierce, she’s strong & good at masking her emotions but is actually quite soft at times & I see a lot of that in myself! (I’ve answered this in more depth before here!)

fireside - if you had your dream wardrobe, what would it look like?

aghhhh I could literally spend all day answering this - I LOVE fashion! but to put it simply, I’d have a huge range of colours & I’d have loads of streetstyle, grunge & cosy clothing! not to mention I’d probably add to my already large doc marten collection & I’d have a section just for elaborate ballgowns cause why tf not 😂

cider - a food that you disliked as a child but now enjoy?

CURRY! I used to hate it and refuse to eat it but now I eat it like every week and whenever I go out for food w my dad we go to an Indian!!

amber - share an unpopular opinion that you may have.

answered here!

fog - how well do you think you’d do in a zombie apocalypse scenario?

I actually think I’d do pretty well! I’m quite good at keeping calm when other people are freaking out about something & I can be pretty sneaky when I need to be, idk I think I’d survive for a while but who knows 🤷🏼‍♀️

jack-o-lantern - if you could look like any celebrity, who would you choose?

I’d probably choose halsey or kendall jenner tbh they’re just absolutely gorgeous

spice - have you ever encountered a house that you believe to be haunted?

no I don’t think so! I don’t really believe in ghosts... (bet I just jinxed myself by saying that!!)

orchard - share one thing that you’d like to happen this autumn.

hmmmm ig I’d quite like to meet a new guy and yano see where it goes (ideally a musician cause I’m a sucker for musicians) but knowing me that ain’t gonna happen sooo

crow - which school subject do you wish you had an aptitude for?

mmm ngl I think I was pretty good at all the subjects I’d wanna be good at cause that’s where my interests lie... sciences weren’t my strongest point but I don’t care for them so I can’t really answer this 🤷🏼‍♀️

bonfire - describe your dream house.

I have 2! firstly, a light, airy rooftop apartment in Paris with a balcony overlooking the city & enough room for me and my best friend to live! but also, I dream of having a modern house in the Norwegian fjords right by the water, it’d have huge windows & lots of timber cladding & interesting spaces to explore & it’d have the most incredible views imaginable!

cinnamon - if you had to live in a time period different than the present, which would you choose and where?

okay I know it’s not that long ago but the 70s & 80s & probably in the uk! the music scene was amazing back then & roller skating & discos n all that fun shit they did during that period!!

cobweb - (if you’ve graduated) do you miss high school?

I graduated like 18 months ago & nah not at all, I miss my friends and a couple of teachers but that’s it!!

cranberry - what’s one physical feature that you get complimented on?

my hair! idk why but people like it apparently

maize - share the weirdest encounter you’ve had with a stranger on the street.

a couple of weeks ago I was out on a shoot in town (I study fashion photography) and this random guy came up and posed behind the girl I was photographing - he put his hand on her shoulder n started saying some weird shit, was proper creepy

quilt - how do you take your tea (or coffee?)

I just have a tiny drop of milk in my tea & if I have coffee then I either have a mocha (iced or hot) or just a plain latte!

pumpkin - do you think that humans are inherantly good or bad?

I believe that some are inherently good and some are inherently bad... not one or the other!

moonlit - are you a neat or messy person? Is your room / house orderly?

my room is pretty clean and orderly tbh but my mind is insanely messy!! (Idk if that makes sense but it does to me)

flannel - have you ever gone on a bad date?

yuppp my first date with my ex was pretty awful - the restaurant we went to fucked up our food order & then he forgot to take ID to the cinema and they wouldn’t let us in so it was an absolute disaster

cocoa - if you could have any type of hair, what colour and cut would you have?

I’d probably keep my natural colour or have it icy blonde!! I’d keep it around collarbone length (like it is now) and I’d have it messy-wavy instead of straight! (might have a fringe too if I was feeling daring)

ghost - is there someone that you miss having in your life?

yeah there are a couple of people I miss having in my life a lot

[midnineties]

tag game: 100 truths

>> was tagged by @mrs-tambourine-girl, @gilmour-may, 

1) Real Name: Jenny

2) Nicknames: none

3) Zodiac Sign: scorpio sun, aries moon, leo rising

4) Male or Female: female

5) Nursery: good

6) Primary School: ok

7) Secondary School: fuck off

8) Hair color: very dark brown

9) Long or Short: long

10) Loud or Quiet: depends on how well i know you. quiet and then obnoxiously loud if i want to

11) Sweats or Jeans: jeans

12) Phone or Camera: phone

13) Health Freak: hahahahahahahahahahh

14) Drink or Smoke: drink -  yes. smoke - depends on what it is. and i can be a bit of a party smoker ngl

15) Do You Have A Crush On Someone: nah

16) Political orientation: socialist babey !!

17) Piercings: technically my ears but they’ve closed up

18) Tattoos: one on my wrist (YES i know... how very girly of me, don’t judge i was 18)

Have you ever been in:

19) Airplane: yes

20) Car *Accident*: nope

21) Fist Fight: ehhh, i mean we were both like 13? so idk if that counts. 

Firsts:

22) First piercing: ears

23) First Best Friend: we met when we were 5 and we’re still friends to this day! we even have matching urls on here hah

24) First Instrument played: guitar

25) First award: genuinely can’t remember

26) First Crush: a boy in my kindergarden. funny story about that - i had such a big crush on him that when i learned he didn’t drink milk, he’s lactose intolerant but i didn’t know that at the time i just thought he didn’t like it, i stopped drinking it too and haven’t had any since. i don’t like milk now lmaoooo

27) First Language: norwegian

28) First Big Vacation: greece? or maybe gran canaria? not sure

Lasts:

29) Last Person you talked to: the cashier at the grocery store

30) Last Person You Texted: my uncle of all people 

31) Last Person You Watched: mom

32) Last Movie You Watched: Stick It 

34) Last Song You listened to: Streets Of Misery // New Beatnicks

35) Last Thing You Bought: A fridge

36) Last Person You Hugged: can’t remember

Favorites

38) Drinks: alcoholic - beer, cider, mojito. other - orange juice, lemonade, iced tea, powerade (asfjks yea it’s an addiction honestly..) & good ol’ water

39) Clothing: black jeans, my van halen t-shirt, also my rolling thunder revue t-shirt - i have a lot of good shirts yall 

40) Book: ingen dager uten regn and of mice and men

41) Color: earth tones

42) Flower: sunflowers

43) Music: a little bit of everything but not modern chart-pop, modern country or really heavy black metal

44) Movie: into the wild

46) Subjects: english, history, drama/theatre

In the last year

47) [ ] Kissed in the rain

48) [ ] Celebrated Halloween.

49) [ ] Had Your Heart Broken

50) [ ] Went Over the Minutes on Your Cell Phone

51) [x] Someone Questioned Your Sexual Orientation.

52) [ ] Used a Weapon

53) [ ] Breathed fire

54) [ ] Had an Abortion

55) [x] Done something you’ve Regretted  

56) [ ] Broke a Promise

57) [x] Kept a Secret

58) [x] Pretended To Be Happy

59.) [] Met Someone Who Changed Your Life

60.) [] Pretended To Be Sick

61) [x] Left The Country

62) [×] Tried something you normally wouldn’t like, and liked it.

63) [x] Cried Over The Silliest Thing

64) [ ] Ran a Mile

65) [ ] Went To the Beach

66) [x] Stayed Single

Currently

67) Eating: naught

68) Drinking: water

69) Getting Ready To: i should shower probably

70) Listening To: maybellene // chuck berry

71) Plans For Tomorrow/Today: work

72) Waiting for: nothing now...

Your future

73) Want Kids: no

74) Want To Get Married: ew no

75) Careers in mind: ugh idk man,, something in entertainment? i’d really like to work in radio actually

What’s better on a guy or girl

76) Lips or Eyes: eyes

77) Shorter or Taller: taller!

78) Romantic or Spontaneous: both

79) Nice Stomach or Nice Arms: a r m s !!!

80) Sensitive or Loud: both

81) Hook-up Or Relationship: relationship

82) Troublemaker or Hesitant: troublemaker

Have you ever

83) Lost Glasses/Contacts: nope

84) Ran Away From Home: not yet

85) Held A Weapon, For Self Defence: if you count that one month where i was super paranoid and kept a pocket knife on me at all times?

86) Killed Somebody: sigh, not yet

87) Broken Someone’s Heart: hopefully not

88) Been Arrested: nah

Do you believe in

90) Yourself: no

91) Miracles: no

92) Love at First Sight: no

93) Heaven: fuck no hahah

94) Santa Claus: no

95) Easter Bunny: no  

96) Magic: unsure

97) Is There One Person You Wanna Be With, Right Now: yes, bob dylan

98) Are You Seriously Happy With Where You Are, In Life: oh god no i wanna mcfucken die my dude

99) Are You Happy With The Person You’re With: thanks for rubbing it in that im single... bitch

[wine-anon]

Modern!Crutchie Flower Shop AU - Headcannons

Author’s Note: another little headcannons list no one asked for

Requested: no, I just have a lot of feelings and no impulse control

Warnings: swearing and Crutchie, man’s so cute you’ll probably die (I have ascended to the astral plains)

- I think Crutchie owning a flower shop would be the cutest thing in the world

- Just a little shop on the streets of Manhattan, and he makes people so happy because he’s adorable

- Anyone that enters his shop ends up coming back again because of this little ray of sunshine

- Jack and Katherine get him to do the bouquets for their wedding and they’re perfectly tailored to their colour and style

- Don’t imagine Jack and Crutchie choosing the perfect colours together and Crutchie teaching Jack what the flowers mean

- Crutchie’s favourite flowers are Delphiniums because they are representative of celebrating some one’s accomplishments or to recognise someone’s success (which Crutchie believes represents his proudness in himself, for running a successful small business with a bung leg, I'm proud of him too)

- When he first meets you it’s because you had abruptly entered the shop, slamming money on the counter

- “How do you passive-aggressively say ‘fuck you’ in flowers?” (had to do it, this trope is adorable)

- Crutchie was enamoured with you since then, he found you geraniums, foxglove, yellow carnations, orange lilies and meadowsweet, a combination that essentially means ‘fuck you’

- He blushed and stuttered whilst you were there and told Jack everything, he literally didn’t shut up about you for like a week until you came back into the shop

- When you did come back Crutchie managed to pull himself together enough to talk to you about the ‘fuck you’ flowers and how they were for your roommate, who hadn’t cleaned up the apartment whilst you were out of town (she didn't know what they meant which was great)

- This time you asked Crutchie to put together the most beautiful bouquet he could think of, really it was just so you could listen to him tell you what each flower meant

- He put white Irises (purity and kindness), Queen Anne’s lace (grace and comfort), lilac Lisianthus (romantic desire), pink Gerbera Daisies (cheerfulness), lilac Hydrangeas (earnestness and heartfelt desire), pink Asters (patience and love, good luck and protection), and purple Amaryllis (pride and success after a struggle). 

- He was 100% trying to subconsciously ask you out because he was afraid to ask you

- You caught on pretty quickly and asked him out to lunch at the diner down the street

- He blushed and agreed (flustered Crutchie gives me life ngl)

- The date went really well and you gave him your phone number, he almost died when you kissed his cheek and left him out the front of his little flower shop

- He definitely didn't call Jack to help him with a bouquet for your next date almost immediately

- Crutchie just needs love and I would trade my life for him, what the fuck, I love Crutchie

[uponthepages]

                     ＴＡＳＨ ＨＥＡＲＴＳ ＴＯＬＳＴＯＹ

                                                             by

                                                Kathryn Ormsbee

                       ＮＯ ＳＰＯＩＬＥＲ  ＲＥＶＩＥＷ

ⓡⓐⓣⓘⓝⓖ: ★★★★½/5 [4.8/5] first, I want to mention the two reasons why I picked up this book. - internet famous movie nerds - asexual main character (ngl, this one definitely the main reason why. I was not at all disappointed. So, Tash Hearts Tolstoy is about an ace girl who's in her last year of high school (i think?) and her friends who have a online web series of a modern day Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy. One day, their online series becomes incredibly popular because of a shout out from a web series celebrity on Twitter. Tash gets caught up in the rising fandom and fame of their series, Unhappy Families, that causes a friction between her family, friends, internet and all. This portrayal of internet fame and how they needed a break from it all really showed how it's not as easy as people think. Along with the negative comments, these things really got to her. It gives you that side of an internet personality that you never seen or often reject. Oddly enough, her stress within this book is so relatable to a senior in high school. She wants to pursue her dream but it feels impossible to her because her dream college is too expensive and she has average test scores and grades. This builds her character immensely because all you really get to know about her is her love for movies, her dream, and her relationships and sexuality. (RANDOM NOTE: She's also Buddhist? It's talked about so much throughout the book (I am too) and I loved that we got to see a religious character that wasn't Christian or Catholic, even though those are rare to see in books too. Speaking of that, I found this incredibly significant to the book. I haven't read a book with an ace main character because, well, they're rare. I feel like this was executed so well. Her constant anxiety about whether or not a boy will ever like her and that people wouldn't completely understand. I loved the support of her friends and how they googled it immediately after she had told them about it. I loved the scene between her and a boy who likes her who is openly sexual. In fact, I think it was one of the best parts of the book. She was such an accurate portrayal of what an ace feels, thinks, and deals with because of their sexuality. A quick mention, the family dynamic in this book was also fantastic. Her sister is going through a rough time and causes Tash to stress. Then, her parents throw new information on her that does as well and this advances the family relationship so much more and I was LIVING. Not to mention, her family is Czech and it went into detail about the history (love). For some reason, I couldn't give this book a straight 5 stars but I guess you could round it up to that. I don't think it's something I'll come back to but it was impactful. I finally found something I could see myself in when it comes to her anxiety.  I found myself reading her dialogue and realizing I've said the same exact things once. There's so many things in this book that make it unique like the asexuality, the Czech background, the Buddhism mentions, the family dynamic of not only her family, but a friend's family with someone with cancer, the internet fame reality, etc. I'd totally recommend this book to people. I loved it.

find this review on Goodreads.

find this book on book depository | amazon | barnes&noble

Have you guys read this book? How did you like it?

[rinrinp42]

@writingfish here’s the list!  Under a read more, because it ended up being 7 pages in word.  I included a summary or synopsis of each work where I could, and my own impressions of each 

Quick search for modern uses of Indian Mythology (I tried for both entertainment and more non-fiction usage:

The Krishna Key by Ashwin Sanghi

“Five thousand years ago, there came to earth a magical being called Krishna, who brought about innumerable miracles for the good of mankind. Humanity despaired of its fate if the Blue God were to die but was reassured that he would return in a fresh avatar when needed in the eventual Dark Age-the Kaliyug. In modern times, a poor little rich boy grows up believing that he is that final avatar. Only, he is a serial killer. In this heartstopping tale, the arrival of a murderer who executes his gruesome and brilliantly thoughtout schemes in the name of God is the first clue to a sinister conspiracy to expose an ancient secret-Krishna's priceless legacy to mankind. Historian Ravi Mohan Saini must breathlessly dash from the submerged remains of Dwarka and the mysterious lingam of Somnath to the icy heights of Mount Kailash, in a quest to discover the cryptic location of Krishna's most prized possession. From the sandwashed ruins of Kalibangan to a Vrindavan temple destroyed by Aurangzeb, Saini must also delve into antiquity to prevent a gross miscarriage of justice. Ashwin Sanghi brings you yet another exhaustively researched whopper of a plot, while providing an incredible alternative interpretation of the Vedic Age that will be relished by conspiracy buffs and thrilleraddicts alike.” (Sanghi, n.d.)

This sounds really interesting, and I’m really tempted to see if there’s an audiobook to listen to.  I like that it’s apparently well researched, if only because I like that type of research.

The Mahabharata Secret by Christopher C. Doyle

“244 B.C. Asoka the Great discovers an ancient and terrible secret – a secret buried deep in the Mahabharata; a secret that could destroy the world; a secret hidden away for over 2300 years… Present Day A retired nuclear scientist is murdered. He leaves only e-mails with clues for his nephew. He and his friends follow a trail through ciphers and 2000 year old ruins. Pursued by powerful dark forces, caught between the secrets of the past and the intrigues of the present, can they unravel the mystery before an unspeakable horror is unleashed on the world…?” (Doyle, n.d.)

Apparently this is part of a series (or kinda looks like it on the site? Idk).  I’m honestly not that interested in it, it seems….trite. And something feels off about the description, but I don’t know enough about the mythology he’s trying to depict to say what.

The Shiva Trilogy by Amish Tripathi

“Ever thought what would have happened had Shiv, Sati, and other related mythological characters were humans, and had their own story weaved around? The answer to your curiosity lies in these three books.” (Srivastava, n.d.)

Ngl, the concept is super interesting to me, but the titles are so “airport paperback” that they make me laugh (tho some of my favorite books have been airport paperbacks, so who am I to judge?)

Ajaya Trilogy by Anand Neelakantan

“Mahabharata written from the point of view of the Kauravas. This in itself makes it a very intriguing concept. Though only the first two parts have been released, we just cannot wait for the final part.” (Srivastava, n.d.)

I am always down for things written from different viewpoints, especially considering the whole “history is written by the victors” thing

Asura:The Tale of the Vanquished by Anand Neelakantan

“The epic tale of victory and defeat. The story of the Ramayana had been told innumerable times. The enthralling story of Rama, the incarnation of God, who slew Ravana, the evil demon of darkness, is known to every Indian. And in the pages of history, as always, it is the version told by the victors, that lives on. The voice of the vanquished remains lost in silence. But what if Ravana and his people had a different story to tell? The story of the Ravanayana had never been told. Asura is the epic tale of the vanquished Asura people, a story that has been cherished by the oppressed outcastes of India for 3000 years. Until now, no Asura has dared to tell the tale. But perhaps the time has come for the dead and the defeated to speak. For thousands of years, I have been vilified and my death is celebrated year after year in every corner of India. Why? Was it because I challenged the Gods for the sake of my daughter? Was it because I freed a race from the yoke of caste-based Deva rule? You have heard the victor's tale, the Ramayana. Now hear the Ravanayana, for I am Ravana, the Asura, and my story is the tale of the vanquished. I am a non-entity invisible, powerless and negligible. No epics will ever be written about me. I have suffered both Ravana and Rama, the hero and the villain or the villain and the hero. When the stories of great men are told, my voice maybe too feeble to be heard. Yet, spare me a moment and hear my story, for I am Bhadra, the Asura, and my life is the tale of the loser. The ancient Asura empire lay shattered into many warring petty kingdoms reeling under the heel of the Devas. In desperation, the Asuras look up to a young savior, Ravana. Believing that a better world awaits them under Ravana, common men like Bhadra decide to follow the young leader. With a will of iron and a fiery ambition to succeed, Ravana leads his people from victory to victory and carves out a vast empire from the Devas. But even when Ravana succeeds spectacularly, the poor Asuras find that nothing much has changed for them. It is when that Ravana, by one action, changes the history of the world.” (Neelakantan, n.d.)

Same as above, this sounds super interesting.  (I did edit the summary a bit because on Amazon it was showing up with extra symbols and spaces, like a “ ? ”)

Jaya By Devdutt Pattanaik

 “High above the sky stands Swarga, paradise, abode of the gods. Still above is Vaikuntha, heaven, abode of God. The doorkeepers of Vaikuntha are the twins, Jaya and Vijaya, both whose names mean victory . One keeps you in Swarga; the other raises you into Vaikuntha. In Vaikuntha there is bliss forever, in Swarga there is pleasure for only as long as you deserve. What is the difference between Jaya and Vijaya? Solve this puzzle and you will solve the mystery of the Mahabharata. In this enthralling retelling of India s greatest epic, the Mahabharata, originally known as Jaya, Devdutt Pattanaik seamlessly weaves into a single narrative plots from the Sanskrit classic as well as its many folk and regional variants, including the Pandavani of Chattisgarh, Gondhal of Maharashtra, Terukkuttu of Tamil Nadu, and Yakshagana of Karnataka. Richly illustrated with over 250 line drawings by the author, the 108 chapters abound with little-known details such as the names of the hundred Kauravas, the worship of Draupadi as a goddess in Tamil Nadu, the stories of Astika, Madhavi, Jaimini, Aravan and Barbareek, the Mahabharata version of the Shakuntalam and the Ramayana, and the dating of the war based on astronomical data. With clarity and simplicity, the tales in this elegant volume reveal the eternal relevance of the Mahabharata, the complex and disturbing meditation on the human condition that has shaped Indian thought for over 3000 years.” (Pattanaik, n.d.)

Um, yes??????????? This is exactly what we were talking about wanting, and it’s illustrated!!!!! I may have to buy this… (oh! I can justify it as a birthday present!)

The Palace of Illusions by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni

“Taking us back to a time that is half history, half myth and wholly magical, bestselling author Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni gives voice to Panchaali, the fire-born heroine of the Mahabharata, as she weaves a vibrant retelling of an ancient epic saga. Married to five royal husbands who have been cheated out of their father's kingdom, Panchaali aids their quest to reclaim their birthright, remaining at their side through years of exile and a terrible civil war. But she cannot deny her complicated friendship with the enigmatic Krishna—or her secret attraction to the mysterious man who is her husbands' most dangerous enemy—as she is caught up in the ever-manipulating hands of fate.” (Divakaruni, n.d.)

Another that is from the perspective of someone that is not the traditional main character. It definitely sounds interesting

The Aryavarta Chronicles by Krishna Udayasankar

“This too is a different take on Mahabharata. Much like The Shiva Trilogy, this too takes the real characters and weaves them around a similar, yet quite different plot.” (Srivastava, n.d.)

 Seems interesting, plus the cover provided in the article for the second book is a bunch of boats at sea and is making me think of your posts on The Sunless Sea

The Rozabal Line by Shawn Haigins (or Higgings according to the article) (actually it’s by Ashwin Sanghi using a pseudonym)

“On a lazy day in London, a cardboard box is found on a shelf of the SOAS library where a copy of Mahabharata should have been. When the mystified librarian opens it, she screams before she falls unconscious to the floor. An elite group calling itself the Lashkar-e-Talatashar, the army of thirteen, has scattered around the globe. The fate of its members curiously resembles that of Christ and his Apostles in the first century AD. Their leader is not even a blip on the radar of intelligence agencies, yet their agenda is Armageddon. Somewhere in the labyrinthine recesses of the Vatican, a beautiful assassin swears she will eliminate all who do not believe in her twisted credo. She loves to kill-again and again. A Hindu Astrologer spots an approaching conjunction of the stars and nods to himself in grim agreement. It will happen on the very date he had seen as the end of the world. And it's not far off. In Tibet, a group of Buddhist monks search for a reincarnation, much in the way their ancestors searched Judea for the son of God. In strife-torn Kashmir, a tomb called Rozabal holds the key to a riddle that arises in Jerusalem and gets answered at Vaishno Devi. An American priest, Father Vincent Sinclair, has disturbing visions of himself and of people familiar to him, except that they seem located in other worlds, other ages. Induced into past -life regression, he goes to India to piece together the violent images burnt onto his mind. Shadowing his every move is the Crux Decussata Permuta, a clandestine society which would rather wipe out creation than allow an ancient secret to be disclosed. In The Rozabal Line, a thriller swirling between continents and centuries, Ashwin Sanghi traces a pattern that curls backward to the violent birth of religion itself.” (Sanghi S. H., n.d.)

Tbh, I was put off by the cover in the article ( (Srivastava, n.d.) ), and even after reading the summary I’m more “meh” than anything else.  The mystery aspect of it is pretty interesting though.

The Chanakya’s Chant by Ashwin Sanghi

“The year is 340 Bc. A hunted, haunted Brahmin youth vows revenge for the gruesome murder of his beloved father. Cold, calculating, cruel and armed with a complete absence of accepted morals, he becomes the most powerful political strategist in Bharat and succeeds in uniting a ragged country against the invasion of the army of that demigod Alexander the Great. Pitting the weak edges of both forces against each other, he pulls off a wicked and astonishing victory and succeeds in installing Chandragupta on the throne of the mighty Mauryan empire. History knows him as the brilliant strategist Chanakya. Satisfied-and a little bored-by his success as a kingmaker through the simple summoning of his gifted mind, he recedes into the shadows to write his Arthashastra, the 'science of wealth'. But history, which exults in repeating itself, revives Chanakya two and a half millennia later, in the avatar of Gangasagar Mishra, a Brahmin teacher in smalltown India who becomes puppeteer to a host of ambitious individuals-including a certain slumchild who grows up into a beautiful and powerful woman. Modern India happens to be just as riven as ancient Bharat by class hatred, corruption and divisive politics and this landscape is Gangasagar's feasting ground. Can this wily pandit-who preys on greed, venality and sexual deviance-bring about another miracle of a united India? Will Chanakya's chant work again? Ashwin Sanghi, the bestselling author of The Rozabal Line, brings you yet another historical spinechiller.” (Sanghi A. , Chanakya's Chant, n.d.)

Political intrigue isn’t really my jam, but it sounds interesting.  And a different story than some of the others which is a plus I guess.

Arjuna by Anuja Chandramouli

“Arjuna is the immortal tale of one of India’s greatest heroes. These pages retell in riveting detail the story of the Pandava Warrior-Prince who has captured the imagination of millions across centuries. This is the intense and human story of his loves, friendship, ambitions, weaknesses and follies, as well as his untimely death and revival, his stint as a eunuch, and the innermost reaches of his thoughts. Told in a refreshingly modern and humourous style and set against the staggering backdrop of the Mahabharata. Arjuna’s story appeals equally to the average, discerning reader and the scholar. It spans the epic journey from before his birth, when omens foretold his greatness, across the fabled, wondrous landscape that was his life.” (Chandramouli, n.d.)

o   Pretty straight forward, I like how the summary is very “no muss, no fuss”, and it seems like another that is exactly what we were looking for.

The Treasure of Kafur by Aroon Raman

“Transporting you to the year 1580 ad, during the reign of the mughal emperor akbar in hindustan, the treasure of kafur recounts the mesmerizing story of the lost treasure that was capable of destroying akbar's empire. After twenty years of battles, when akbar the great was at the epitome of his unshakeable power, insurgencies were starting to be planned by his many enemies. One such rebellion, asaf baig, the emperor of khandesh, had discovered the location of an old woman called ambu who knew where the lost fortune of malik kafur lay. If he could get his hands on this treasure, he would undoubtedly be able to crush akbar's kingdom. While baig abducts ambu to pry the whereabouts of the riches from her, her 20-year old grandson dattatreya escapes to get help from akbar to stop baig. Aroon raman presents a fantastic account of the adventures datta is subjected to, in a world of royalty and grandiose that he is very unfamiliar with. His desperate need to save his grandmother takes him through both good experiences and bad and he makes some outlandish alliances. This book is thrilling and action packed and it will keep you in suspense till the very end when you will finally know if datta succeeded in saving the empire. Akbar's mightiness is extraordinarily communicated in the treasure of kafur and this book is nothing short of an engrossing read. It is available in paperback and was published on the 1st december, 2013, by pan macmillan. Key features:this book is the second from bestselling author aroon raman. It has a rich insight into the history of india during the mughal reign.” (Raman, n.d.)

This seems to be more of a historical fiction, than based on mythology, but sounds intringing.

The Taj Conspiracy by Manreet Sodhi Someshwar

“This is a first in the Mehrunisa series by the author, and follows the plot of how she accidentally stumbles upon a conspiracy to destroy the Taj Mahal from radicalists who claim that it was a Hindu temple instead. (Srivastava, n.d.)

Okay, so this sounds so much like James Patterson’s Woman’s Murder Club series, I am already a little in love with it.  But it also kinda sounds like it isn’t quite Hindu-positive, so there’s that. (I’m not a fan of demonizing a religion in general)

18 Days

“Inspired by the epic mythology of Mahabharata, which is the story of the final battle of three generations of undefeated warriors with the biggest armies battling it out to decide the fate of future. 18 Days is re-imagining the great myth that concludes the age of the gods and the beginning of the age of man. Written by the acclaimed writer of *na na na na na* Batman, Grant Morrison accompanied with the works of the talented artist, Mukesh Singh, the novel is nothing less of sheer brilliance. “ (Wishberry, n.d.)

Mahabharata is pretty popular.  Not sure on this one because according to Morrison’s Wikipedia page "Like the Beatles took Indian music and tried to make psychedelic sounds... I'm trying to convert Indian storytelling to a western style for people raised on movies, comics, and video games.” Which doesn’t really sound like something I’d enjoy, and kinda like he doesn’t quite understand the mythology of what he’s writing (also, that quote just makes no sense, wtf dude?)

Sita: Daughter of the Earth

“Adaptation of the Ramayana, the ancient Indian epic – it is a tale of love, honour, sacrifice, hope and justice by Saraswati Nagpal and Manikandan. Princess Sita of Videha gets married to Rama, the prince of Ayodhya, where her life takes a new turn and is ordered to live the difficult life of a forest dweller. Sita gets abducted by the wicked demon-king Ravana, and us hidden away in Lanka. The story focuses on one woman’s shining strength in an unforgiving world. “ (Wishberry, n.d.)

This looks amazing, um, yes please!

Ravanayan

“Created by Vijayendra Mohanty and Vivek Goel, Ravanayan is an independent chronicle of the life and adventures of Ravana, the demonic-king of the epic Ramayana. The story has been re-imagined from the dark side, with Ravana as the protagonist. “ (Wishberry, n.d.)

Holy shit this looks awesome

In Defence of the Realm

“Set in an ancient age, when Mesopotamia was rising under the rule of the Akkadians, Prince Meluha, the young crown prince of Dholavira, one of the 5 great cities of the Indus Valley Civilisation was handed the responsibility of protecting his realm by Sargon, the ambitious ruler of the Mesopotamian city of Akkad.” (Wishberry, n.d.)

The cover art is pretty, but also, the dude on the front looks pretty white.  Like, I’m not sure if I’m just misinterpreting it, but he looks really Western European to me (also, how he’s holding a bow is bugging me because it doesn’t look right to me based on my archery classes, but I’m no expert)

I am Kalki

“The tenth incarnation of Vishnu is Kalki. Created by Shashank Avvaru and Rishi Bhardwaj, the scriptures have described Kalki’s arrival as a blazing light descended from heaven. But, the novel takes a turn and portrays Kalki as a slender, youthful boy in his mid-teens, living in the city like an average teenager during the day; and hunting enemies of humanity (modern day demons) in the night.” (Wishberry, n.d.)

Oh, I like the art for this one, and it looks like there’s a whole imprint for various titles like this one – Vimanika Comics

Ramayan 3392 A.D.

“Deepak Chopra and Shekhar Kapur created a post-apocalyptic world where the last of humanity struggles to fight the evil hordes of Nark, a dark continent led by the monstrous Ravan; where princes Rama and Lakshman are mankind's last beacons of hope.” (Wishberry, n.d.)

This sounds refreshingly different, and looks really cool – though it has plenty of the traditional over-muscled men as seen in American comics.  Still looks cool.

Adi Parva: Churning of the Ocean

“Amruta Patil has re-told the story of various Indian mythologies by combining classic scripts of Adi Parva, Vishnu Purana and Mahabharata. The main narrative of the graphic novel follows the Pandav-Kaurav war succession with breath-taking graphics. The writer and painter will be releasing Sauptik: Blood And Flowers, the second part of her Parva duology, on 12 October.” (Wishberry, n.d.)

Very different style, and it looks pretty and pretty cool.

There are also all together 221 books listed as “Popular Indian Mythology Books” on goodreads (https://www.goodreads.com/shelf/show/indian-mythology)

and a tangently related article that talks about the basic premises of Indian Mythology in modern medias and potentials as to why is http://www.thehindu.com/features/magazine/swati-daftuar-on-ancient-mythology-in-modern-avatars/article7540669.ece

Sources!

Chandramouli, A. (n.d.). ARJUNA Saga of a Pandava Warrior-Prince. Retrieved from Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/ARJUNA-Pandava-Warrior-Prince-Anuja-Chandramouli-ebook/dp/B00BPWNNFQ

Divakaruni, C. B. (n.d.). The Palace of Illusions: A Novel. Retrieved from Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Palace-Illusions-Chitra-Banerjee-Divakaruni/dp/1400096200

Doyle, C. C. (n.d.). The Mahabharata Secret. Retrieved from Christopher C Doyle: http://christophercdoyle.com/books/the-mahabharata-secret/

Neelakantan, A. (n.d.). Asura: Tale of the Vanquished. Retrieved from Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/ASURA-Vanquished-Mr-Anand-Neelakantan/dp/938157605X

Pattanaik, D. (n.d.). Jaya: An Illustrated Retelling of the Mahabharata. Retrieved from Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Jaya-Illustrated-Mahabharata-Devdutt-Pattanaik/dp/014310425X

Raman, A. (n.d.). The Treasure of Kafur. Retrieved from Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Treasure-Kafur-Aroon-Raman/dp/9382616128

Sanghi, A. (n.d.). Chanakya's Chant. Retrieved from Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Chanakyas-Chant-Ashwin-Sanghi/dp/9381626812

Sanghi, A. (n.d.). The Krishna Key. Retrieved from Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Krishna-Key-Ashwin-Sanghi/dp/9381626685

Sanghi, S. H. (n.d.). The Rozabal Line. Retrieved from https://www.amazon.com/Rozabal-Line-Shawn-Haigins/dp/1430327545

Srivastava, K. (n.d.). 13 Books You Must Read If You Want To Know About Indian Mythology But Don't Know Where To Start. Retrieved from Filter Copy: http://www.filtercopy.com/posts/13-books-you-must-read-if-you-want-to-know-about-indian-mythology-but-don-t-know-where-to-start

Wishberry, T. (n.d.). 7 Incredible Graphic Novels Inspired by Indian Mythology. Retrieved from Wishberry: https://www.wishberry.in/blog/incredible-graphic-novels-inspired-by-indian-mythology/#/article

[anonymoustalks]

i think with the media and disinformation any democracy is a bit shaky now

(6-18-20) You both like politics.

You: hi

Stranger: hello

Stranger: should we tear down statues of racists

You: mhm

You: I can understand why people do it

You: I think it should normally be done through voting and due process

You: but angry people might tear them down anyways

Stranger: true its fine for communists to do it right

You: hm?

Stranger: tear down stalin statues and stuff

Stranger: people celebrate that

You: well yeah people celebrate stuff they care about

Stranger: i think its interesting, i am mildly against it

You: because?

Stranger: its history and i want it to be preserved

Stranger: cant just pretend none of it happened

You: what do you think about legislatures voting to remove statues?

Stranger: its just projecting modern morals onto the past where they didnt exist

Stranger: thats fine but id vote against it personally

You: sure

You: I think communities should have the right to determine their public decorations lol

You: the democracy thing I guess

Stranger: true but you could apply that to any political issue

You: yup, I do apply that to any issue

Stranger: i dunno i might be against democracy too

You: haha

Stranger: at least the flawed form it is here

You: how is it flawed in your view?

Stranger: id rather none than some its too frustrating

Stranger: in britain at least, fixed two party system and mp constituencies make alot of votes wasted

You: yup

You: so if you could invent any systems what would it be?

Stranger: i know its typical to go scandiavian but those systems seem at least a bit better

Stranger: at least abolish the first past the post system

You: mhm

You: I think there are ups and downs with any system

You: coalition governments are freaky when they can't even form a government

Stranger: i think with the media and disinformation any democracy is a bit shaky now

You: yeah media and disformation

Stranger: its pretty annoying

Stranger: my impossible ideal is archano communes ngl

You: archano...?

Stranger: stateless communism

You: oh

You: it seems like a fairly popular view here on omegle ^^

Stranger: yeah id rather live in a self sufficient classless local community

You: at least something similar

Stranger: i probably get that view from living in a small country village and being able to spend almost all my money locally

You: mhm what country?

Stranger: britain like i said earlier

You: ohh okay

You: I'm from the us

Stranger: whats your ideal system

You: mhm, I think I would like to a modernization of democracy I guess

You: utilize technology so there are some more opportunities for direct democracy

You: I think my objective is to elevate engagement/faith in the political system

Stranger: i always think its funny to think about when the middle class was first allowed to vote in the uk after 1832 and the chartists started handing out pamphlets and the mps said it was an attack on democracy

Stranger: imagine if they saw the level of manipulation today

You: lol

Stranger: pretty sure robert peel also said the average person isnt capable of making decisions for himself but i think most people couldnt read then

You: yup I think this is a fairly common argument against direct democracy

Stranger: not to say the ability to read makes todays average person capable of understanding complex geopolitical and economic decisions

You: ahh okay

You: yeah the last person I spoke to said that they believed nobody under age 30 should have the right to vote

You: because young ppl are too dumb lol

Stranger: i think thats pretty stupid have they seen any middle aged persons facebook

You: lol

You: I think "dumbness" depends on your point of view to some extent

Stranger: after the brain finishes developing its a level playing field in terms of smartness right

Stranger: until they get old and decline

Stranger: so if anything old people shouldnt be able to vote

You: mhm that person said that too

You: he thought that only age 30-65 should have the right to vote

Stranger: sounds like your 20s would be an extremely frustrating decade

You: lol yeah

You: there would be more activists on the streets I think

You: it would reinforce the perception that voting does nothing

Stranger: i voted communist at our last election cus fuck it right

You: mhm that's cool ^^

Stranger: like i said even if there were enough collective votes for one communist mp they would be so spread out it would be like 0.1% for each individual communist mp across the country and those people would get no representation

Stranger: its so fucked up

You: yeah...

Stranger: i think last election the green party had like 10% of the vote but like 0.5% of the mps

Stranger: literally 1 mp

You: yeah that sounds frustrating

Stranger: people here are obsessed with sticking with the antiquated system because they are deluded into thinking we were super progressive centuries ago

You: yeah systems could use some changes

You: we are not the same as centuries ago lol

Stranger: im fine with tradition but not when it impacts every aspect of society

Stranger: yeah i dont get the american obsession with the founding fathers like they were saints or something

You: I think it's related to nationalism

Stranger: i get you have to have a foundation to stick to or its chaos but still they were a bunch of old dudes in the 1700s

You: yup

You: I mean they wrote some pretty interesting stuff

You: because times change

You: and I think modern people who write interesting stuff should be considered too lol

Stranger: yeah they can at least consider modern developments

You: yup

Stranger: e.g the pamphlet to social media development

Stranger: not insignificant

You: mhm

Stranger: im just ranting at you anyway which is fun for me but

You: but?

Stranger: probably not for you

You: oh it's fine for me ^^

You: I'm pretty chill

Stranger: yeah seem to be

Stranger: what state are you from

You: I like listening to people

You: one of the northeast ones~

Stranger: very vague, like new england

You: yup

Stranger: thats cool makes me think of a big fisherman with a red face and a beanie on

You: it's small enough geographically that it could kind of be a state lol

You: lol fisherman

You: I wonder what we should do about media in the future

You: alternative news and alternative facts and things

Stranger: yeah it seems especially bad in america tbh like how different the slant on fox and .. cbs? cnn?

Stranger: something like that

You: mhm fox is very very different

You: although I'm more worried about internet news

You: I spoke to someone who said they don't trust any of the mainstream media

Stranger: we dont have any massive differences in tv reporting by station here though

You: and they get all of their news from a youtuber they trust

Stranger: yeah thats stupid too, especially bots designed to create divisions

Stranger: trying to alienate people

You: I feel like distrust of the mainstream media is much more common these days

You: of course there is media bias

You: but there's a lot of outright rejection of facts

Stranger: im pretty sure there are bots made to seem left and right wing but especially obnoxious to alienate both sides

You: mhm

Stranger: and yeah especially with everyone just reading headlines now

You: idk, I feel like there are changes to education that should be made to address this

You: but I feel like it would be seen as politicized

Stranger: thats true, what do you think about the educated left wing slant, is it brainwashing or are left wing people smarter lol

Stranger: smarter as in more educated i guess

Stranger: more informed?

You: mhm... idk if that's always the case

You: I think more educated people tend to be cities

You: and cities have different interests than rural areas

You: so when you have two party systems, interests end up united under umbrellas

Stranger: yeah its so complex

Stranger: anyway i need to pee

Stranger: it was nice talking

You: kay!

Stranger has disconnected.