#It belongs to Vietnam now

[ace-hell]

"italy ruled out that the don't recognize jerusalem as israel's capital"

Well first of all who tf are you even lmfao no one asked

Second of all, be careful italy, you saw what happened to gaza after they took hostage our people, and you got our menorah🫵🏻

I wouldn't get so cocky if i were you

[gorgeys]

FOR YOU ★ katniss everdeen

katniss everdeen x fem!reader

you see katniss for the first time after she wins the 74th annual hunger games

warnings: just some cheesy fluff bc i watched the hunger games for the first time

word count: 1145

note: this takes place after the first movie bc i’ve only watched that one and the ballad of songbirds and snakes 🫣

also this is kinda based on that one forrest gump scene where he’s at the vietnam war protest and jenny starts running to him through the reflecting pool to get to him 😭😭

hope you enjoy!!

the second she steps off the train, she’s already surrounded by the crowd.  some people are chanting her name, others are offering her the three-finger salute, and some are even crying.  she feels peeta squeeze her shoulder as he steps off behind her, and she can sense the smile on his face.

but she can barely feel his fingers on her skin or hear district 12 celebrating around her.  she’s so focused, her eyes frantically scanning the crowd.  there were so many people there to congratulate and thank her yet she only wanted to see one person.

it takes a few seconds before she hears a faint shout of her name.

“katniss!” the voice calls out.  “katniss!”

her ears instantly perk up and she instinctively moves toward the source of the sound.

“katniss!”

it’s clearer now and she’s sure she knows who it belongs to.  she can see people getting shoved in the back of the crowd as someone makes their way to the front.  she doesn’t even need to see who it is before tears rim her eyes.

she involuntarily releases a strained noise of sheer desperation before she speeds up, the crowd kindly parting for her.  the same can’t be said for you as you use every bit of your strength to push past citizens, some of them leaving you irritated glances.

luckily you make quick work and suddenly your unkempt hair catches katniss’ eye.  she notices your rough, seasoned hands fighting those around you to get to her and now she’s nearly running toward you.

she screams your name, letting you know that she’s seen you and reminding you of how intensely she’s missed you.  her voice is raw and distraught.  she reminds you of how painful it is for her to be without you.

only when you’ve made it all the way to the front do you stop and does katniss get a clear look at you.  you stumble out of the crowd, nearly falling, but you catch yourself.  bystanders stare, questioning the importance of your presence, but all you do is look up and meet katniss’ eyes.

she stops fifteen steps ahead of you.  only then does she remember why she had fought so hard to stay alive; why she had killed; why she had refused to give up even when the odds were against her.  because, when she looked into your eyes—your perfect, beautiful, joyful eyes that reflected all of her own emotions—she remembered that it was all for you.

she refused to let her life end in that artificial forest because her life hadn’t truly begun until she was able to be with you.  you were her reason, the single thing that kept her going, that motivated her, that she thought about on every dark, cold, soulless night.  

she dreamed endlessly about returning to district 12 just to be wrapped in your warm embrace, to feel your chaste kiss on her cheek, and to start a new life with you.  in fact, she dreamed about this very moment that she was living in.  she dreamed about everything from how you would look to the way you would look at her.  she dreamed about how it would feel and what she would do, but once she was in the moment, everything was more powerful than she could have ever imagined.  everything was far more perfect than in her dreams.

she watched your own tears swell as your eyes settled upon her.  your hands came to your face, covering your mouth as you fought your natural crying face into a smile.

seeing you cry always made her so weak and she felt her tears start flowing down her cheeks.  she felt her ugly cry begin but she couldn’t help it.  it felt so good to see you that it was almost painful.  you had woven your way into her heart and now the two of you were one.

a tiny part of her brain was scared of what you might think of her.  would you be afraid of her after seeing her kill so ruthlessly?  would you lose your feelings after watching her at her lowest moment?  or worst of all, would you be angry at her after witnessing her onscreen romance with peeta?

she had played into her role during the games—the girl on fire who was head over heels for the baker’s son—but the games were over now and there was no need to pretend anymore.  while peeta may have loved her, katniss’ feelings for him were never close to what she felt for you.  she just hoped that you had realized that too.

no matter what peeta would say to her or how many people were there to worship her, everything seemed insignificant when she was face to face with you.  and you felt exactly the same.  that empty hole in your chest that had appeared when katniss had volunteered all those weeks ago was suddenly full.  with her return to district 12, katniss everdeen has also returned your heart.

she finally started toward you, slowly at first, and then faster.  it didn’t matter who was watching, whether it was peeta or the capitol or the whole world, she had a primitive need to be with you.  and you would accept her with open arms.

she tightly hugged your shoulders, her grip so strong that you couldn’t have pulled away even if you wanted to.  she pulled your body into hers and kept your face close to hers so that your noses were nearly touching.

your hands found solace holding each side of her face.  she knew how powerful your hands were from all the times you had been hunting together so it meant even more when you were able to hold her so gently.  you always touched her like she was glass that would break in your hands if you weren’t careful.  she relished the feeling; no one had ever treated her so softly and made her feel so special, not peeta, not gale.

when you felt her warm skin beneath your fingers, everything felt all the more real.  she was really there.  she had really survived the deadliest of arenas and now she was here with you.  she was here for you.

you shared a single loving gaze, one that conveyed every emotion.  you shared your sorrow, your pain, your excitement, your joy, your newfound relaxation.  you shared your bare love with each other.

only then did she press her lips to yours in a feverish kiss. your lips fit perfectly as your tears merged into a single stream.  you disregarded air and molded yourselves into each other, willing the moment to live on forever.

a single thought entered katniss’ mind, one that would’ve sounded crazy to anyone but her:

she would’ve done it all over again if it meant coming home to you.

omg i’m so sorry that i haven’t been writing any requests i have 9 sitting in my inbox 😭

the next story will prob be camille from house of usher and then i’ll work on those requests starting with naomi from wolf of wall street

i’ll try to be better y’all 😔

[local-hellhound-steals-spaghetti]

Okay, so I'm gonna contribute to the discourse as someone who did research at both Khao Khaew and the now demolished Dusit Zoo, both part of the Zoological Parks Association Under Royal Patronage (ZPA). And as someone familiar with the workings of AZA zoos as a contrast.

I will concede that on one hand, standards and practices leave a lot to be desired. Unfortunately part of it is connected to the same social norms that have allowed JJ Market to continue the exotic pet trade, animal cafes and roadside zoos to proliferate, and people to own trendy dog breeds that clearly don't belong in Bangkok. And it's what leads to a lot of stereotypic and distressed behaviors passed off as cute (including but not limited to Moo Deng); this is before the toxic element of social media is added to the mix.

There's also economics. Yes, Thailand is technically an industrialized country, but in the same way that Indonesia and Vietnam are (contrast with Singapore, which is proportionately ahead of most Western countries). It's important to see what's between those gleaming skyscrapers. And that is a contributing factor to a lot of resource shortfalls for the zoos themselves; that's not getting into COVID and the ripple effect of closing Dusit Zoo without an alternative in place.

In that regard, the damning thing is that the standards of ZPA zoos are actually leaps and bounds ahead of not just the country but the region (minus Singapore; I would argue that it's actually unproductive to bring its zoo up as a comparison). Like look at Pata and the now defunct Tiger Temple; places that Westerners reveled in as late as the 00s. At least in ZPA case, they have also done essential conservation work; especially for clouded leopards, hornbills, and sun bears.

That doesn't make it any less WTF when I see a lot of clout-chasing vids that

Still part of me can't help but get defensive at the manner of fixation from a primarily western crowd. Both from those who use Western/Industrialized zoos as a way to contrast, as well as the PETA-types.

I do *not* think you yourself are being racist. If anything it's paternalistic to assume that a zoo in Thailand can't be held to higher standards. *However*, I have found a very patronizing mentality among many other western critics that does veer into racism frequently. You are already familiar with the way anti-zoo folks will take something out of context to fit their agenda; now force that through an othering lens.

At the same time, I will concede Thais are glossing over issues and practices when they rush to defend KKZ. Considering the context of how they are approached, I empathize with why they are defensive. But many do downplay and refuse to tackle the aforementioned social norm in how animal husbandry is viewed by wider populace.

TLDR: KKZ and the other ZPA branches have a ton of issues, a lot of those issues are socially systemic, and there should be pressure to reform. At the same time, it shouldn't get canceled, especially considering the important bts work it does and especially the immediate alternatives. And that pressure to reform should be accompanied by resources.

Hey there I really appreciate you sharing your research into the facilities! My intention of the posts has never been to "cancel" the zoo or to dictate their protocols. I don't believe in any sort of western dictation to other countries.

Honestly, I completely understand the defensiveness towards criticism of the handling of Moo Deng - she's an icon, she's brought in millions of dollars into the Thailand economy and the zoo's profits. Tourists are travelling all around the world to see her!

Although it has gotten to the point where their defensiveness is veering into delusion, with people insisting that pygmy hippos love it when you smack them and chase them around so it's fine actually... but I digress...

And I'm sure that the keeper thinks what he's doing is completely fine and not an issue. And if it generates clicks and views, that's good for the zoo, right? So why would they see any point in changing their practises?

I guess my hope is that maybe they might use those millions of dollars to improve conditions for the animals and the staff, provide resources for collaboration with zoos like Singapore Zoo and give keepers more resources to review and improve current pracises.

But they won't do that if their current poor animal husbandry practises are reinforced with clout and feverant defense of the keepers (it's actually kind of amazing how loyal people are to this one keeper!)

So now they have money and potentially more resources from this whole thing - but they're probably not going to use it to change practises that got them that money in the first place.

Anyway, I agree with your points and you've summed it up well!

[conkreetmonkey]

So Jack Marston was 4 in 1899. He was 19 in 1914. This has some truly crazy implications about the time periods Jack could reasonably live to see. Despite the low likelihood of it given his lifestyle, let's assume he lives to die of old age.

(it's a long one under the cut)

Jack Marston would be 25 in 1920, meaning he would be in the prime of his life during the roaring twenties. He would be 34 on Black Tuesday in 1929, and live through the Great Depression, coming out the other side at 46 years old.

He would live through both world wars, so if we're assuming he's somehow cleaned up his name and is no longer n outlaw, perhaps existing under another identity, he would be drafted into at least one world war, as he would live through both WWI and WWII. Let's assume he either dodges the draft or survives the battlefield; likely the former, as he'd still hate the federal government with a burning passion, and is no stranger to evading their grasp.

When WWII ended in 1945, Jack would have been about 50. He'd have seen both gunslingers and nukes in his lifetime. He'd have watched horses be replaced by cars, and airplanes become a mainstream technology.

Jack Marston would be 55-65 in the 1950s. He'd witness the development and popularization of plastic, TVs pop up in every home, and hyperconsumerism become the norm as wrinkles set in and his hair started falling out. At this point, especially for the time, he'd truly be getting old. Maybe he'd have kids, or even grandkids by thus point. Would he be happy, having experienced the best and worst of America? He was probably too old to serve in Vietnam; there's no way he wouldn't have some sort of disability by this point.

Jack Marston would be 75 in 1970. At this point, death of old age becomes exponentially more likely with every passing year, but let's be hyper-optimistic just to push this to its limits. Jack would witness hippies. Would he like or dislike them, these men who despise the government-mandated bloodshed he'd lived through, yet resisted through bright colours, bongoes and weed?

Old Man Marston, if still kicking, would be 85 in 1980. Probably going senile by this point, but if still mentally sharp and with nimble enough fingers, Jack could have played Donkey Kong at 86. He could have set foot in an arcade, assuming he can still walk.

Now, as egregiously unlikely as it is, let's assume Jack lives to 100. An obscenely old age, especially given all the things he's lived through. The stress, the bullets, the cigarette smoke and lead paint... let's assume his body remains functional despite it all, some defiant force deep in his soul refusing to let him die.

If he lived to 100, Jack would have died in 1995.

Think about how insane that would be. A man raised by the last remnants of the wild west, fading out as the internet begins. He'd have seen the moon landing, and eaten at McDonald's.

Six more years, and he would have witnessed 9/11.

Jack's great grandchildren, assuming he and every child afterwards reproduced at age 30, would have been about 10 in '95. They'd have been millennials. They'd be 35 during the beginning of the Covid lockdowns. They'd be alive today, and remember their great grandfather. Perhaps they inherited a few hats and antique guns. Perhaps they now live in sprawling urban environments like Saint Denis or Blackwater, watching electronic billboards and anti-homeless architecture go up, rent go up 20% per year, and a sandwich go from $5 to $15. Maybe they'd watch Jack's now-senile firstborn lose money that used to, long ago, belong to the Van Der Linde Gang, falling for a Nigerian prince or Google gift card scam.

Or maybe Jack Marston's kid(s) died to Covid. It's entirely possible, nay plausible given the timeline as it exists. Jack was one generation away from possibly living to read Homestuck or watch Space Jam in the old folks home.

What do you think Arthur, John and Jack would think if there was an afterlife, looking down upon what America had become in 12 short decades? Would they relate to John's great-great-grandchildren, to living in a time and place that doesn't want you? To the impossibility of making an honest living, of escaping America's newest model of the Orphan Crushing Machine? Would they see Dutch echoed in Trump, Cornwall in Bezos or Musk? An empire they watched grow up begin to slow down from age, never ceasing in its quest to ruin as many lives as possible?

How would they feel, watching Jack's 9 year old great-great-grandchild, still bearing the Marston name, do active shooter drills in her classroom as the air turned to poison and the summer to a kiln? As men like Dutch prod her along into a life of miserable servitude to a gang of thieves, elevated to untouchable American royalty with Pinkertons and the law as their knights?

Personally, I think they'd be quite upset.

[f1-birb]

don’t know if you’ve realised yet, but the replay top lando’s wearing is actually one of martin’s custom made ones, meaning lando must have literally stole it off him! look on replay’s post here: https://www.instagram.com/p/C0PNBRFMiQ9/?igsh=MW9oNXZyNzRlbmY1dQ== and then martin’s vegas post here: https://www.instagram.com/p/Cz4RDhONoNk/?igsh=anI0cW1hcG42Ymxv it’s 100% the same one!

lumping these all together because you can see why and I'm glad we're all on the same page about this

THIS being the shirt in question

NOW we see that it is, at first glance, Martin Garrix merchandise. a black tee, a Replay collab, a cool shirt for Martin playing Vegas - the back is even cooler, Martin wearing this at the Vegas GP

so one might assume these are a limited line or something, except, as these lovely anons point out, this was custom. made.

a one off. one for Martin none for anyone else. not available to purchase. belongs to one man only. UNTIL

first thing of note, the fit. very similar to how it hangs on Martin yes? second thing of note, Lando is known to be a man with a 'shared wardrobe' - we have motive, now let's look for opportunity shall we?

Nov 20 2023 - Martin's insta post for the Vegas GP, we see the back of the shirt and we see him wearing it when he's having a Moment ✨ with Lando before the race

Dec 8 2023 - Lando's insta post of the first leg (the first cold leg) of the Norrix World Tour, what shirt is Martin wearing? THAT one, thus we can conclude it was available to Lando's grubby little hands during their trip/s

Jan 4 2024 - Bali ~ Jan 8 2024 - Perth

Jan 17 2024 - Finland ~ Feb 3 2024 - Vietnam

the point of this? illustrating just how much opportunity Lando would've had to steal this shirt UNLESS

Martin gave it to him, which has a whole load of connotations that might just end me 🙃

[wanderlust-in-my-soul]

Hi, I'm new to BL.

Have watched kiseki, the Japanese drama with the unlucky student, and now Pit Babe. I'm bored with too innocent dramas and I prefer adult story lines with good chemistry. Do you have some favorites from recent years? Would love to look up some titles.

The hornier the better 😉

Uhhh, nice ask! For the answer I made up two categories: the ones with mature storylines and the horny ones. Of course, the two categories overlap in places, but the categorisation was helpful for me for a better horny classification 😅 There are incredibly good series for both groups. And I'm happy to talk about them.

Let's start with the mature ones. And just so you know, this is going to be a very long list 😅

The Mature-List

180 Degree Longitute Passes Through Us

This series had us under its peculiar spell in 2022. I would rate the horny scale at 1/10, the chemistry between the two mains is terrific and the tension cutting, but that's not what this theatrical masterpiece is about. It's about acceptance, grief, guilt and the fact that all of this can either destroy you or make you grow and emerge stronger. Highly recommended.

Ghost Host, Ghost House

The series starts off rather funny and strange and develops over time into a profound story about grief, letting go and healing. It's all somewhat broken up by a love story with incredibly good chemistry and very nice NC scenes. These two can kiss! And yet nothing is easy and grief takes time and only when you have been able to mourn you can heal.

Goodbye, Mother

Nau Van travels back to his home country of Vietnam with his partner. Instead of telling the family that they are a couple, they are caught in the middle of a family drama. The film is very emotional, the characters are well drawn and the story told is touching and well written. If you want to watch something different from the "standard" series, you've definitely come to the right place. Highly recommended, but watch out for triggers such as violence and homophobia.

Happy Ending Romance

I would go out on a limb and say that the gif may be a little misleading here. On a horny scale, the series would be in the lower range. But it's still quite progressive for Korea. The story is very intricate and you have to be careful not to miss anything. An aspiring writer, disappointed and deceived by the publishing world, hides behind his own walls and those built by his partner, a well-known and celebrated author. Until a young publisher sneaks into our writer's life and tries to lure him out of hiding so that the world can experience his genius. Maybe it's the fact that it's about publishing and writing or because I just think the publisher with his fuzzy head and sunshine smile is so cute, but I loved the series!

I Feel You Linger In The Air

Horny? At times, yes. Mature? Definitely. A tragic story set in a past in which homosexuality was frowned upon and the male descendant was expected to take over the business and live his life according to the ideas of the head of the family. And that's where our protagonist Jom, a heartbroken young man from the current century, is thrown in by an accident. He meets Yai, a young man with whom he shares a very special bond. The chemistry between these two is outstanding and the characters are so well written. Such a beautiful series!

Innocent

I must admit, I was a little bit confused when I first started this miniseries. I put it to the side and some time later I started it again. And it finally clicked. It's not an easy series and yet it can give you back your faith in love and trust. Yu Shi has some really bad trauma from his childhood, but chooses to stay witth Wu Zheng and the latter is patient enough for Yu Shi to trust him enough for Noah to accept him in his life.

La Pluie

This series divides opinion. Some find it consistently terrific and well-written and others may have problems with one or two characters. I belong to the latter group, which spoilt the series for me towards the end, but I would still list it here. Because tastes are different and absolutely subjective. You should form your own opinion here. The bottom line is that La Pluie is about soul mates and whether it's something you choose yourself or something that is predetermined. The NC scenes are delicate and appealing and the basic idea behind the series was actually very interesting. It's thought-provoking and packaged in nice pictures.

Life: Love on the line (Director's Cut)

Itou Akira and ishi Yuuki meet on their way to school while walking on the white line. They become friends and fall in love. What follows is a portrayal of their lives as they struggle through high school and college and eventually arrive in adult life. And as in every life, there are obstacles and problems and the older and bigger you get, the bigger the problems become. A film well worth seeing.

Long Time No See

What happens when a contract killer falls in love and the person he's dating isn't necessarily who he claims to be? An excellent film in any case, peppered with a nice story, good NC scenes, great chemistry between the actors, a sister as the best mood enhancer and also very well choreographed violence. In other words, everything you could wish for. And I can't and don't want to say any more, otherwise I could spoil important things and we don't want that.

Moonlight Chicken

EarthMix with a very aesthetic NC scene right in the first episode? Oh yes! But apart from the fact that the two of them really surprised me in this series, Moonlight Chicken simply blew me away with its storytelling, the depth of the individual stories, the well-drawn characters and the emotions that the individual stories evoked in me. The series tells stories about new beginnings, about letting go of the past, about trust, about acceptance, about grief and anger and about finding relationships where you didn't expect to at first and that love can't cure everything, but it can make life a little more bearable.

Old Fashion Cupcake

Old Fashion Cupcakes is a story about adults for adults. It's a comforting series that gives you courage and makes you realise that you're never too old to enjoy life. Besides, the two of them eat the most delicious things and I'm constantly hungry while watching. It is so good to see Nozue open up to Togawa and let the younger one lead him back into life.

Rec

I went into the film without any great expectations. And after the first few minutes, I actually thought that it was just a couple who like to film themselves having s'x. But at some point I was so captivated by the depth of the film. I was really touched at the end and understood why the two of them indulged themselves so excessively and filmed it. I can't put the film on the horny list because it would somehow be out of place there.

The Sign

A current series about two cops who realise that they are connected by past lives. Fate wanted them to fall in love and so they now have to overcome the hurdles that this love entails together. Because in earlier times, this love between Naga and Garuda was forbidden. Yes, there are a few mystical elements built in and they look pretty cool! The two mains have no problems with closeness and the NC scenes are some of the best out there.

Before we move on to the horny list, a few shout-outs for good series, which I didn't want to write about in detail:

Light

Plus and Minus

Manner of Death

Step by Step

Jack o'Frost

My Tooth Your Love

Papa & Daddy

Tokyo in April is...

My Personal Weatherman

The New Employee

To My Star (1+2)

Triage

Our Dating Sim

We are now leaving the mature series and moving on to the horny list (mostly with serious topics).

The Horny-List

Bed Friend

In addition to really good NC scenes, there is a lot of trauma shown. It's not quite my cup of tea, but many others find the series really good. I'll leave my personal opinion out of it and just say that this series is pretty high up on the horny list. However, you should pay attention to the trigger warnings and there are quite a few of them, especially when it comes to SA in every conceivable form.

Cutie Pie

I was pretty hyped about the show until the seventh episode or so. God was I obsessed. After that, the magic that Zee had on me left me a bit. The story really isn't the best, but I think most people didn't necessarily watch the show for the story. The two of them have really good chemistry and that kitchen scene still makes me weak in the knees sometimes. Definitely up there on the horny scale.

Dangerous Dr'gs Of S'x

There is no gif for this. Even if I found it here, I wouldn't insert it. Japan has two sides, either innocent and sweet or hardcore (well not really, but sometimes you can get this image). This one is hardcore. It's not necessarily horny and there's even a pretty heavy story behind it, but this film is riddled with s'x… Not necessarily consensual, at the beginning definitely not consensual. If you're over 18 and can take it, check it out. The film is not bad at all. It's just a bit different…

KinnPorsche

Praised by many, but viewed by me with a somewhat more critical eye, I would still recommend the series if you don't have a problem with dub-con or torture or violence in general. The mafia story is softened somewhat by the love scenes and the slapstick humour is not for everyone. It's a lot about daddy issues and whether you like the characters or not is something you have to decide for yourself.

Love In The Air

I have my issues with the show, but the more I watch and the more I try not to be quite so critical of toxic and destructive phatasies, the more these issues leave me unconcerned. Will I ever watch the series again? Nope. Can I understand why so many people love this show? Of course I do. That's why I don't want to withhold it from you here. LITA has a total of two stories to tell about two friends and their love life. The second story is definitely not an easy watch. There is trauma and SA and some stalking shit and it really can hit you. But for both parts, the NC scenes are, hands down, some of the best ever.

The End Of The World With You | Love At The End Of The World | Till The World Ends

We would have a Japanese doomsday scenario, a Filipino one and a Thai one. I'll summarise it under one point. All three are very explicit in their depiction of intimacy. All three are somewhat confusing story-wise. I had fun watching all three. In contrast to Love at the end of the world, The end of the world with you and Till the world ends are definitely still quite restrained.

Only Friends

The GmmTV actors have taken over and caused a huge mess. A group of friends want to open a hostel as a college project. Whilst in the series this somehow slips into the background at some point and really only served as a location for flings and water adventures, people get to know and love each other and some fall back on old friends to make new loves jealous. Somehow everyone was trying to hurt someone else at one point. I have found a new icon thanks to this series and have cheered for Boston and Boeing in their many endeavours. If I had to say one sentence about the show it would be that it's pure chaos, but damn Boston and Nick... hot.

Playboyy

Okay. I know the majority don't like this series, but I think it's terrific. I'm always amazed at how artistic the episodes are. How each couple has their own special setting, so you know who's about to appear. Yes, there is a lot of s'x, not necessarily horny s'x. It's often used for storytelling or as a catalyst for what happens next. And Prom and Nont are my little favourites. I find Prom only half as attractive without glasses, unless he swaps glasses for a blindfold… Still, on a horny scale it is up there.

Pornographer aka The Novelist

A student runs over a writer on his bike, breaking the writer's arm. As compensation (and because he can't pay damages), the student agrees to write down the writer's story he was working on. It is pornographic literature and while the writer dictates to the student, a kind of relationship develops between the two. This is not a romantic relationship in the classic sense, it's not about a cautious approach and getting to know each other, but about the psychology of lust and manipulation, about loneliness and the desire for more. It's pretty deep shit and I can only recommend it. But always with the warning that it's not going to be an easy watch.

Sweet Curse

Here's a short film for a change. I love short films! And Sweet Curse is one of them. Min-woo is jealous of one of his closest friends Ha-joon and wants to curse him. Too bad when the haunting spirit falls in love with the handsome and kind-hearted Ha-joon. When Korea has the freedom, they go all out. There are some short films that you wouldn't have expected from South Korea. And this here it's quite high up on the horny scale.

Wedding Plan

God, I love this series. No matter what anyone says, it was so good to watch these two fall in love and slowly let their walls down until the clothes followed. A very amusing series in which both mains know what they want and, above all, that they want each other, even if the planned wedding of one of them got in the way a little beforehand.

Why R U

The series may lack a bit of story, but if you want it horny, the Fighter x Tutor storyline is definitely for you. You have to hand it to Zee, the man can kiss. It's not the most adult series, set in college, but the topics are sometimes a bit heavier and the NC scenes are definitely worth watching.

I hope I haven't bored you and that there's something suitable for you in this small selection 😊 It was so fun making this list! Thank you again for this ask!

[qilingxiong]

九龍城寨之圍城 | Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In (2024)

I've rewatched this movie more than once, since seeing it in theatres back in August, and each time was just as good as the first if not better. Given that, I now have many thoughts so I'm subjecting y'all to listening to why you should watch it:

Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In (九龍城寨之圍城 or gau2 lung4 sing4 zaai6 zi1 wai4 sing4) is a martial arts action/crime film directed by Soi Cheang. It is an adaptation of the manhua City of Darkness by Andy Seto, and its source novel of the same name by Yuyi. The film's cast has established Hong Kong names folded in with newer-generation actors, starring Raymond Lam, Louis Koo, Sammo Hung, Richie Jen, Terrance Lau, Philip Ng, German Cheung, and Tony Wu (Aaron Kwok gets a cameo role, too).

At a broad glance, the movie follows several major triads in 1980s Hong Kong and their power struggle to control the Kowloon Walled City (a densely populated urban enclave, which for decades evaded direct governance by either the British colonial or Chinese powers in the area). We're introduced to the KWC and the triads' major players through the eyes of Chan Lok-Kwan (Raymond Lam), a man fleeing Vietnam and attempting to make a life for himself in HK. He winds up seeking refuge in the KWC, and comes to call both the city and the people he meets in it a home worth defending.

The narrative itself is not the most complex, but if you enjoy '80s Hong Kong films in these genres, it's solid fare and a harkening back to that decade. All the major themes like brotherhood (and brotherhood vs blood), vengeance, and struggle with conflicting loyalties are there, alongside an internal search for identity and belonging within Hong Kong. But the highlight in it is that the plot connects feast after feast of utterly stunning fight choreography, made all the more impressive by the fact that, according to Louis Koo, quite a few major cast members had never filmed this kind of action before. All their training was done just for TotW, and oh, does it pay off. I can't make good gifs, so you'll have to watch and see for yourself. It's not action for action's sake, either; listening to the head stunt choreographer discuss how different characters' fighting styles were crafted shows off how fight scenes aren't breaks in the story, they tell the story, and deepen our understanding of the characters.

The setting of the Kowloon Walled City truly makes the action in TotW stand out. It's a unique space to stage all these major fights, as the KWC's buildings at the time were packed together close enough to resemble a singular block from the outside. Once inside, it's a stacked, dark maze of uneven paths, stairs, and rickety roofs, with electrical and television cabling snaking over/around/through everything. Fight scenes in these streets feel thrillingly claustrophobic, with lots of acrobatics and near-dodges as characters navigate these tight alleys of the KWC. Each impact as a character goes flying into a wall, or is launched down a flight of stairs or onto a roof, is wonderfully visceral to watch.

All credit and hopefully awards are due to the production and set design teams for their work, in crafting this environment for the story and its fights. The visual/spatial representation of the KWC is the film's other glorious highlight, alongside the choreography. Whole streets of the KWC were recreated for this, filled with every mundane, period-accurate detail from the lives of ordinary people who would have lived there. It's impossible to catch all the intricacies put into making the KWC come to life again onscreen, just from watching the film. Shots like the credits sequence offer close-ups of harder-to-see details, and videos like a tour of the KWC set by Terrance Lau, acting as his character Shin, show off things from the drinks in the fridge at the corner store to the scribbled writing on the walls by the public taps. This film was designed with a drive to faithfully represent what the Kowloon Walled City had been like, how it looked when it was lived in, and they achieved it to an incredible degree.

That dedication extends to more than just the sets, though. The emotional core of TotW revolves around the KWC's inhabitants, and how they were the ones who made the city what it was, a home for about 35,000 people at a time. The film doesn't treat the KWC as just an eye-catching location to stage some fights; its characters might be fictional and overloaded with jianghu powers, but it goes out of its way to show how ordinary people might have lived, worked, and socialized within the historic city. It shows off why, despite its (not unwarranted) dark reputation, so many chose to live in a place that was once the densest urban center on the planet.

And this brings us to the acting, because the cast all do a very good job bringing their characters to life as the heart of the KWC. Louis Koo is fucking fantastic and arguably the scene stealer of the film as Cyclone, the triad leader in current charge of the KWC. He's grumpy, magnetic, and dangerous when he must be, but he also cares so very, very deeply about the inhabitants within his jurisdiction. Terrance Lau's Shin acts as his charismatic and capable right hand man, as well as protégé to Cyclone, befriending Chan Lok-Kwan and helping him become accustomed to life in the KWC. These two, along with the snarky Twelfth Master (Tony Wu) and the masked + imposing AV (German Cheung) become a quartet with great chemistry and friendship, the next generation to watch over and protect the Kowloon Walled City. Outside the KWC cast, antagonist figures like Sammo Hung, Philip Ng, and Richie Jen's characters are intimidating and compelling as threats to the city, and the lives people have etched out within its walls.

All of these things put together, and Twilight of the Warriors is a deeply fun, enjoyable, and rewatchable film (so good, in fact, that Hong Kong has submitted it as its nomination for the 2025 Oscars). The movie doesn't lose its emotional throughline in the promise of an action-packed ride it fully delivers on, and it uses its narrative, setting, and choreography to pay tribute to an earlier era of Hong Kong, as well as highlight + humanize a piece of the region's history that might not be quite as well known to some.

(The Kowloon Walled City was demolished and its inhabitants relocated in 1993. The area where it once stood is now a park, with some historic buildings preserved. If you're curious about people in the KWC before demolition, City Of Darkness: Life In Kowloon Walled City (1993) by Greg Girard and Ian Lambot is a collection of photographs and first-hand recountings from residents, recording their lives and stories. I'm in the midst of reading it right now.)

If anything I've said has piqued your interest whatsoever, I say to give Twilight of the Warriors a try, if you have a free two hours to spare. Something in it will be worth it for you. And if I've failed to convince you with any of this, or you need one more push, here's the trailer for the film:

And if I did manage to actually get anyone to seek out this movie, please tell me! I'd love to know your thoughts.

[blood-sucking-freaks]

Texas Chainsaw Massacre Facts

TCM is one of my favorite movies so here's some facts :)

-Bubba's real name is not known. Neither is Nubbins. But, at one point Drayton calls Bubba 'Junior', so we know he's either named after Grandpa Sawyer or their late/absentee father, though as neither are named, Bubba's name was never revealed.

-Gunnar Hansen wanted Bubba to be able to speak broken sentences, but the idea was shut down by Tobe Hooper

-Was originally supposed to be titles 'Head Cheese'. The title was later changed to 'Leatherface'. A week before filming was supposed to begin the title was finally changed to 'The Texas Chainsaw Massacre'.

-The dinner scene was shot in one day. It took 27 hours. It was so hot that the meat was rotting, so between the heat and the smell, cast and crew members were running out of the house every few minutes to throw up. It was filmed in one day because John Dugan, Grandpa Sawyer's actor, refused to sit through the 10 hour makeup process more than once, so all of the scenes with Grandpa had to be filmed at once.

-Most cast and crew, especially Gunnar, didn't like Paul Partain, Franklin's actor, as he stayed in character during the entire process of filming. When the two met again after filming and Gunnar realized that Paul was simply method acting they became close friends up until Paul's death.

-Gunnar was avoided by most people during filming. The cast of Bubba's victims avoided him because they didn't want to be around their killer. Gunnar wasn't allowed to take off his wool costume, so the heavy clothing and the Texan summer heat resulted in him being very smelly.

-Marilyn Burns was really cut during the scene where Grandpa drinks Sally's blood. After multiple takes of the scene, Gunnar got annoyed and secretly took the protective tape off the knife being used and actually cut her to get a more authentic reaction.

-The chainsaw was real and almost hurt several cast and crew members, Gunnar included.

-The armadillo in the beginning of the movie was taxidermized by Tobe Hooper.

-During the time of filming, the 'Sawyer house' was owned and lived in by a family, so the production was only allowed to rent the right section of the house.

-The house is now relocated and restored, and used as a restaurant called the Grand Central Cafe.

-The bones and meat were real, as it was cheaper to rent real human bones and use actual dead animals than to make fake ones.

-Makeup artist Dottie Pearl accidentally injected herself with formaldehyde during the preparations of the dead animals.

-Tobe Hooper got the initial idea for the movie while he was Christmas shopping in the hardware section of a crowded store, when he saw a chainsaw display while thinking of a way to get out of the crowd.

-Edwin Neal, Nubbin's actor, is a Vietnam veteran. When asked how hard filming the movie was, he said that he's rather go back to Vietnam than reshoot the movie. He also said that if he ever saw Tobe Hooper again he might kill him.

-The film was shot mostly in chronological order.

-The last shot filmed was Bubba cutting his leg. Gunnar wore a metal plate over his leg and a piece of meat and a blood bag was placed on top.

-Gunnar's costume had one dyed shirt, so it couldn't be washed during the entire time filming.

-The movie took four weeks of filming every day, though it was only supposed to take two weeks.

-The victim's van belonged to one of the sound recordists, Ted Nicolaou.

-Bubba's teeth were special prosthetics made by Gunnar's dentist.

-At 6'4, Gunnar got multiple slight head injuries due to doorways and other objects. The Leatherface mask limited his peripheral vision severely. Even at his height, he had to wear three inch heels (which makes Bubba canonically 6'7).

-By the last day's shoot, Marilyn Burns' costume was so drenched in blood that it was practically solid. While most of the blood is fake, a lot of it was real, as she got badly cut on branches and undergrowth during the scene where Bubba chases Sally to the gas station,

-During the last night of shooting, the cast got high on pot brownies brought by Dottie Pearl. The brownies had to be hidden when Tobe Hooper's mother visited the set.

-Nubbin's death scene was shot in reverse.

-The narrator for the intro was payed in weed.

-During the scene where Bubba and Nubbins bring Grandpa downstairs, Gunnar kept pushing the rocking chair forwards, sending John falling into Edwin, which left neither party very happy. Gunnar kept doing this until John leaned into his ear and whispered threats.

[momma2boys]

Many thanks to @calaisreno for the prompt that got me writing the story that's been rattling around in my head for a few weeks.

John Watson has been invalided home from Vietnam and is desperately trying to keep Watson's Tri-State Trucking, the family business, solvent. As he travels across New York, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey, he notices a slender stranger. Late one night, they meet.

Prompt for May 1: Open

Everything ached. Everything from his shoulder to his big toe. The ache in his shoulder was dull and heavy. John tried stretching his neck from side to side to loosen it; experience told him it would be useless to try rotating the joint itself. The ache traveled down his arm in buzzy pulses that pierced his elbow and froze his ring and middle fingers. Lifting his hand from the steering wheel, he shook it violently before rhythmically squeezing it into a fist and releasing it.

Harder to bear was the burning pain from buttock to toe. No matter how many times he shifted his weight from one cheek to the other, the pain was constant. Ten miles outside of Binghamton his thigh began to throb. Just a little farther, he thought. Get to a truck stop or rest area, someplace populated and he’d catch forty winks. The lost time would be better than driving his rig off a bridge in desperation.

On the far side of Binghamton he pulled into a truck stop, parking well away from the other semis. After a quick trot to the head, he swallowed two aspirins with a swig from his flask and settled down in his bunk. The aptly named coffin sleeper provided just enough room to pull off his boots and shimmy out of his jeans before pulling the blanket over himself, but he didn’t care. His rig was paid for—much as he admired the newer Peterbilts with their fancy cabs that were as well-appointed as a Newark studio apartment, the 1962 Mack belonged to Watson’s Tri-State Trucking one hundred percent and only needed the occasional bit of doctoring and prayer.

Two days on the road with minimal breaks—the client in Buffalo paid a bonus for early delivery—meant John was exhausted. Despite the pain, he was asleep in minutes. His dreams were painless, pleasant, in fact. He was two-stepping ‘round the dance floor at the Bluebonnet, feet sliding on the smooth wooden floor, slow-slow, quick-quick. He swayed in sync with the music and his hips moved easily. Slow-slow, quick-quick. His partner was vague, as happens in dreams, but he didn’t care. His body felt loose, moving to the music—some cover band playing classic hits--and his partner was gracefully leading him around the floor. The hips beneath his hands were slender and their gentle motion filled him with a tingling that was the opposite of pain. Together they moved in perfect harmony like a set of well-matched horses at the county fair. Slow-slow, quick-quick. A welcome warmth surged below his waist and he pulled his partner closer. John threaded fingers through his partner’s belt loops to tug their bodies closer, allowing him to feel a bulge there, matching and meeting his own. Slow-slow, quick-quick. As he dug his hips against theirs, his partner came into focus; not a woman, but the man from the truck stop. Dark curls, sharp cheekbones, pale skin, cupid bow lips. A little closer and he could kiss that plush mouth.

Suddenly, the twangy music was overpowered by the screeching whine of artillery.

“Incoming!” John yelled as he pulled the stranger off the dance floor.

Cover, they needed cover. John scanned the bar for a table, an alcove, anywhere that might provide shelter. This was a complete clusterfuck—his head ached from the constant whine of missiles and the acrid stink of explosives. The dance floor was littered with spent shells and disembodied limbs. John pulled on the stranger’s arm, sending them both skating through the slick of blood covering the smooth wooden boards. His eyes were watering now, his nose dripping from the smoke and the smell of burning flesh. This is it—this is how he’ll go home, another body bag, another nameless number on the evening news— He is shaking, huddled on the floor with a stranger in his arms because there is no escape, unless….Unless this were a dream, if he were dreaming, he could wake up. Wake up, he willed himself, wake up, dammit…wake the fuck up, asshole!

He shut his eyes and covered his head with his arms—he owed it to Harry, to Dad, to at least try to survive—

“You’re all right,” soothed a resonant voice.

“It’s not all right,” John heard himself say, “it will never be all right…”

Cold. He was cold despite being soaked in sweat.

“Yes, I know,” the voice answered, “but you are all right.”

There was a hand on his back, firm and steadying. Whoever was with him was close enough that he could smell the coffee and peanuts on his breath. John found himself matching his own breaths to those of this nameless, faceless companion. He didn’t realise how disordered his breathing had been until it slowed into an ordered rhythm. In, two, three, out, two, three. Slow, slow, slow.

“That’s it. Breathe. Good.” The strong hand traced circles on his back in time to their respirations.

John squeezed his eyes tightly shut before opening them. The world around him came into focus. It was night—he was in his truck—the 1962 Mack that his father had paid off before he died—tangled in his blanket. Kneeling on the driver’s seat was the stranger he’d seen in Gouldsboro and Norristown and Buffalo.

“What…how’d,” John croaked, he swallowed hard and tried again, “what are you, how did you get into my truck?”

“Hanger,” the man said, “left your window rolled down enough to work it through, which makes sense given the temperature and humidity this evening, but you might want to consider a different sleeping arrangement if you are opposed to uninvited guests. An inch and half of space is an open invitation, although I wouldn’t have taken you up on it if you hadn’t been screaming your head off. I rather thought you were being attacked, but now I reckon it was just a nightmare.”

[waitingandwishing]

(Cross posted on tumblr and AO3)

Prev - Next Chapter

“I understand now, she’s manipulative and… Annoying.” Y/N complained as they walked down the hallway. Five nodded.

“She’s onto us.”

“Must’ve been that file.” Y/N said, looking around. “We should’ve waited.”

“The apocalypse can’t wait, Y/N...” Five whispered, “We need to act now.”

“Fine, but I’m using those Vietnam grenades.” Y/N crossed her arms.

After that, she and Five reworked the plan to fit better and ended up spying on the tube room. They saw Dot head inside, container in hand. Five grabbed the girl's arm and jumped inside, hiding in the corner.

"Get this to Hazel and Cha-Cha immediately." Dot was saying as she handed Gloria the container. Gloria hesitated, confused. "Immediately." Dot repeated.

"Okay, yeah." Gloria said. Dot walked out and Gloria put her glasses on, reading the label on the container. "Who are they?"

Five jumped, leaving Y/N behind and landing behind Gloria. He hit her hard in the back of the head and she collapsed. "You know everyone loved Gloria right?" Y/N said as she stepped out of her hiding spot.

"Shut up and cover me." Five said as he grabbed the container off the floor. He sat in Gloria's chair and Y/N closed the door. She hid Gloria and stood in front of the desk.

"Protect Harold Jenkins." Five read out.

"Guess we're killing him." Y/N said without looking at Five. "What are we gonna do about Hazel and Cha-Cha?"

"We aren't going to do anything," Five said as he typed. "They're gonna do our work for us." He stood, two containers in hand and notes, he waved the notes in Y/N’s face as she snickered.

“Oh man, I’d love to see that happen.” She smiled. Five stared at her before putting the notes into the containers and slid them away as Y/N kept watch, peering out the crack in the door.

"You know that's not how we do things here." The duo looked up and saw The Handler smiling at them from across the room.

Five leaned on a tube casually and Y/N smiled. "Where's Gloria?"

"Off." Y/N shrugged. "Wasn't here when we arrived. Thought we'd save her the trouble and us the wait."

Behind her desk, Gloria groaned as she started to wake up. The Handlers smile faded and she dropped her hands to her side. "You're a great disappointment to me."

"That’s what my dad used to say to me." Y/N, coming up beside Five.

"You can't change what's to come." The Handler ignored Y/N. "I truly find it so odd you can't shed this fantasy. You're a first grade pragmatist. And you, Y/N... I mean you seemed like a great employee, a role model for all of us to attempt to copy. You both belong here with us."

"I don't belong anywhere thanks to you." Five said. Y/N shrugged.

“I don’t play by rules, Handler.” Y/N shrugged.

"You made me a killer." Five said angrily.

"You were always a killer." The Handler said calmly. "You both were." She bent down and unzipped the leg of her dress. She straightened with a pistol in her hand. "I just pointed you in a direction."

The Handler shot at them and Y/N stopped the bullet, turning it and aiming it toward The Handler before Five jumped the two of them.

The Handler shot three more times. At that point, the girl heard yelling outside and alarms started blaring. "Security breach in tube room." It was saying, over and over again.

Y/N and Five were crouched in a gap between tubes opposite each other. Five was hidden behind a trolley. As The Handler walked through the room, Five slid the trolly out at her. She caught it with her foot and shot at Five who jumped away.

Y/N stood and stopped the bullets from coming after her, aiming them towards The Handler as fast as she could. She ducked, though Y/N did manage to mess that perfect hair of hers. She spun and shot, Y/N jumped aside and out of nowhere Five grabbed her and jumped away.

"What's the rush kids?" The Handler asked calmly as she stood and looked around. "We're just getting started. Is this really how you want the last line of your reports to read?"

The duo jumped behind her. "When I'm done I'm just done I guess." Five said.

"You can't keep this up Five." The Handler said, pointing her gun at the two.

"Watch us." Y/N grinned.

"We all know that even he has a limit." The Handler went on. "You owe me." She pulled the trigger. Again and again. The gun clicked with empty amo. The Handler lowered it and checked.

"I do owe a debt." Five said. He jumped them both behind her and held up her Vietnam grenade. "But it's not for you."

Y/N pulled the pin out and Five rolled it across the ground. "Shit." The Handler said quietly as it stopped at her feet.

They dived out of the room and around the corner, Y/N covered her ears as the bomb blew and people screamed. Five grabbed the girl's arm and jumped into the briefcase room.

He grabbed one and Y/N reached into his pocket, pulling out the other grenade. She pulled the pin and dropped it, running out with Five.

"Hey," The man at the desk outside said as we ran. "What are you-?" He was cut off by the explosion.

Y/N and Five spun, he held up the briefcase as a shield and they both hid behind it. Then Five jumped them back to 2019.

Y/N fiddled with the hem of her shirt as Five was rambling on about something. He said something about Harold Jenkins and how they were going to kill him. Sounded easy enough. "Harold Jenkins was that one guy that Reginald was being rude to." Y/N chimed in before adding, “When we were younger.”

"How the hell do you know Harold Jenkins?" Diego asked.

"He was the one that I gave that… Um… Oh! He was the one I gave that pin to," Y/N said as she recalled the early memory.

"I remember that," Five said in a low voice. He said that he didn't like Y/N being so touchy with the fans and that there were creeps out there.

"The boy was Harold Jenkins," She explained. "He was being abused, and wanted an escape. Father turned him away."

"Of course he-”

"I think you were just upset about how he was touching Allison." Y/N interrupted Luther and grimaced.

"None of that matters now," Five harrumphed. "What matters is that he's responsible for the apocalypse. So we have to find him, and we have to do it now."

"How's he related?" Diego asked.

"How am I supposed to know that when this is all I'm going off of?"

"So his name is all you've got?"

They continued to bicker as Y/N tried to wrack through her brain for solutions. However, for some reason, Y/N kept on thinking about Vanya. She was still being shunned away from all of this and she felt… Really bad.

“Y/N, you helping?” Five called out to her. She looked up.

"Yeah, I'll bite. Let's find Harold Jenkins." Y/N smiled. Five nodded.

"Thank you, Y/N." Five said before turning, "Well at least we've got another competent person on our side."

"I hope that's a compliment." Y/N sighed.

As Y/N, Five, Diego, and Allison all stepped out of the car, Allison said, "We have no clue what Peabody is capable of."

"Yeah, he didn't seem like much of a threat earlier," Diego noted dismissively.

"Besides," Allison said, "Look at Five."

"Thanks," the short boy grumbled as Y/N muffled a laugh.

"Good point," Diego agreed. "So what's his deal with Vanya?"

"Let's ask him after we kill him," Five suggested.

"We can't just kill her boyfriend, you know how emotionally distressed she'd be? She'd hate us forever." Y/N frowned.

"You're too soft for your own good, Y/N." Diego said.

“She’s our sister, we should care for her well-being, Diego.” Y/N argued.

“Yeah, well right now we’re caring about the world's well-being.” Diego said.

Y/N gritted her teeth and sighed. “Well right now, I don’t care if the world ends as long as we’re all together.” She crossed her arms.

They all went around the back of the house, Allison on our tail as the guys continued their discussion. "Y'know," Y/N said quietly, "This is kind of like the old days. Breaking in, saving the day."

"Yeah, it really is." Allison smiled.

They opened the back door without a problem just as Y/N heard the loud crash of breaking glass. Allison approached Diego's sprawled figure on the floor, Five not far from what Y/N guessed was a spatial jump.

"Subtle," the tall woman jokes.

Five's hand wrapped around the doorknob. "Y'know the door's unlocked?"

Diego rolled his eyes as he got to his feet. "Yeah, well it worked, didn't it?" he groaned. "Spread out," he grouched, walking down a hallway. "Just yell if you're getting shot or something."

Y/N wandered up the stairs and began looking around, silently observing each room she went through. Eventually, she found a hatch to the attic in the hallway, and decided to give it a try. Carefully climbing up, the room Y/N found startled her. "Hey, guys? Might wanna check this out," She called out to the other three.

Allison looked around. "Our faces are all burnt off," she observed.

"All but Y/N," Diego remarked. "You sure it isn't you that Peabody wants?" he joked.

Y/N chuckled awkwardly, "God, I hope not." She said, catching Five's sudden sour mood as he grumbled about something.

"This guy's got issues," Diego added.

Y/N looked at all of the burnt figurines and scratched posters before finding a small miniature figurine of herself. With mussed hair and a mask on, the miniature version of her had her arms in front of her face and her hands had plastic yellow light surrounding them.

"This isn't about Vanya," Y/N realized. "He has problems with the Academy. Leonard and Harold are the same person."

Beside Y/N, Five let out a shaky sigh as he fell back, hitting the floor with a soft thump. "Five?" The three of them knelt down around him. "He's bleeding," Allison said.

Y/N gritted her teeth, "We need to go right now." She said, her head going back to mission-mode. “Start the car!”

_____________________________________________________

"Y/N? Y/N!" Diego waved his hand in front of her face. She felt herself breathe heavily as her mind raced faster than she could process.

"Y/N!" Luthur shook the girl. Y/N blinked and cleared her throat, looking up at Luther with a slight smile.

"Yeah?"

"You were zoning out." Diego said, "You never zone out when something like this is happening."

Y/N slowed her breathing, "Yeah, I'm just tired. Sorry." She sighed, "But, I think I should get some water alright?"

"Yeah, you should probably get some water." Allison said. Y/N nodded, exiting the room and going downstairs to get some water.

As she poured herself a drink, her thoughts whirled around like a storm. 'Do any of your SIBLINGS even care about you? Imagine if Five died, what would you ever do with yourself?’ A slight dizziness washed over Y/N, and she felt an inexplicable sense of dread. Her heart began to race, pounding so hard she could feel it in her throat.

Y/N took a deep breath, trying to steady myself, but it only made things worse. Her chest tightened, and she struggled to get enough air.

‘You’re a useless and self-centered brat who can’t handle conflict herself. You hide away until your emotions get the best of you and then you blow up, pushing everyone away from you just like you’re doing now!' Her hands started to tremble, and she could see them shaking uncontrollably. The room seemed to close in around her, and the walls felt like they were inching closer.

A wave of heat surged through Y/N’s body, followed by a chilling sweat that made her skin clammy.

Y/N tried to focus, to remind herself that it was just a panic attack and that it would pass. But her mind was a whirlwind of fear and confusion.

Her vision blurred, and she could feel the tears welling up in her eyes. She needed to get out, to escape this suffocating space, to leave, to go anywhere else but this house.

Anywhere else but by her family.

_____________________________________________________

"God… What're we going to do about this?" Diego asked, "I don't think this is a dehydration kind of problem."

"She's got to be stressed, I mean with everything that's happened I'm sure one of us would break down at some point." Allison said. Diego shook his head.

"But we both know Y/N, and we both know she never really cracks under pressure. The pressure usually just… Eases itself out." Diego sighed as he looked at his sister.

"Right, I mean, she called me about how she was started to crack again but…” Allison looked as she saw the small weathered hands of her sister and the slightly chipped mask on her face. Diego pursed his lips, looking back at Y/N with concern and worry.

_____________________________________________________

Y/N blinked, opening her eyes and sitting up from the bed. What happened? She sighed and figured she probably passed out. She frowned, getting out of the bed and going downstairs. She heard voices in the kitchen and went downstairs.

"See? There's your maiden, Five." Klaus said. Y/N didn't even want to know what was happening.

"I passed out?" Y/N asked. Klaus nodded. "Alright… So…”

“Dad killed himself.” Klaus said and Y/N widened her eyes at the sudden information before thinking.

“What…?” Y/N scrunched her face in confusion, "Y'know what? I don’t even want to know. I just wanna get the hell out of here and fix the apocalypse before it happens.” Y/N sighed before turning to Five, "Is that coffee?"

"Tastes like shit." Five said. Y/N nodded.

"Well, let's find that piece of shit who ends the world and then kill me and we'll all be happy." Y/N smiled. Five whipped his head to meet hers.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, I just thought that we'd also end up exterminating me when we kill Harold Jenkins. Was… That's not the plan?" Y/N frowned.

"That was never the plan!" Five sighed.

"Oh… Mummy and daddy are fighting again… I'll see myself out…" Klaus said and trotted up the stairs, away from the tension.

"Look, Five, it's alright, I'll just… Cease to exist. It'll be easy." Y/N smiled, "I'll just…" She mimicked a gun and pointed it to her head.

Five took her hand and placed it in his. Y/N liked it, it felt… Warm. "No. That's not going to be an option, alright? We. Are. Not. Killing. You." Five said angrily, "We'll… Find something else to do after Jenkins dies, alright?"

Y/N sighed, "Alright, but if I do end up killing everyone… Then… You have to kill me, alright?" Five hesitated before nodding.

"Fine, but it won't come to that." Five said.

“Don’t be so sure.” She said quietly.

Five sent Y/N with Allison, and then Allison and her were now hanging around the house that Vanya was currently living in. "Are you sure this is a good idea, Allison?" Y/N asked.

"Yes."

"Alright, be careful," Y/N said. She nodded and the two of them got out, Allison entering first.

Solemn violin music poured out of the cabin, and small objects like chairs and windchimes rocked back and forth in a strong wind that came from the same location.

"Vanya?" Allison called over the loud sounds. "Are you there?" She opened the door and stepped inside, while you loomed by the doorway. "Vanya, what's going on?"

Startled, Vanya lowered her bow, staring between the two of them. "What're you guys doing here?" she asked.

"We're here to visit you," Y/N said. "Are you okay?"

"Uh… Yeah."

"There's something… Strange going on," Allison noted. "What's causing it?"

Vanya seemed more sure of herself, as if she were a new person when she straightened up and said, "I am."

"What are you talking about?" the taller woman asked.

"I'm making this happen." She said, "With my abilities," Vanya added. "Turns out I've had them this whole time. Weird, huh?"

Y/N smiled, "That’s amazing, Vanya.” Y/N said excitedly. Vanya visibly relaxed with a smile before turning to Allison for reassurance.

Allison inhaled sharply, "That's incredible."

Vanya caught the hesitation in her tone. "But?"

"Can we talk about this in the car?"

"Why?"

"You won't wanna hear it."

Allison sighed, "Leonard Peabody? His real name is Harold Jenkins." Vanya stayed quiet. "I couldn't find anything about him in the library, remember? It's because he doesn't exist; Harold Jenkins does. He was imprisoned for twelve years. He murdered his father when he was thirteen."

"That's crazy."

"But it's true," Y/N said. Both of them turned to face her. "If you don't believe Allison, then at least believe me. I didn't see it before because he had aged so much, but I met Harold Jenkins over a decade ago. He and Leonard Peabody are the same person."

Vanya's shoulders sagged before Allison was in her face again. "We were in his house. He has pictures of all of us with our eyes gouged out!"

"Allison-"

"What?"

"We'll tell you everything when we get in the car, promise, but it isn't safe here!" She grabbed Vanya's arm and tried to pull her towards the door.

"Stop!" She pulled away from the taller girl and lowered herself onto a chair.

"Hey, don't grab her. Even if she's in danger…" Y/N placed her hand on Allison's arm, "If someone told me someone I loved killed someone and tried to grab me, I'd be hesitant as well."

Sighing, the woman knelt down in front of the violinist. "I can't imagine how hard it is for you to hear this… But we love you, and I just wanna be here for you, as your sister."

"There's no way," she mumbled. "I love him. This makes zero sense. And my powers, I just, I don't know what's even going on," she whimpered, covering her head. "I dunno what to do."

"… I might understand a little bit," Allison said. "When we were four, Dad said you were sick, and you had to be quarantined. We were so young. None of us knew to question him, not like we do now. But then he told me to do something that I didn't understand… Until now. He wanted me to make you think you were ordinary. He made me his accomplice."

Vanya blinked a few times. Y/N stared at Allison with a mix between shock and horror in her eyes. "So this is your fault?" Vanya hissed.

"I… I didn't realize- "

"You knew this whole time? That I was like you guys?" She shot up out of her chair angrily.

"No, no! I didn't really understand until today, until I saw you, and-and all of this!"

"Now everything makes sense," she spat. "This is why you never wanted me around!"

"What? No!"

"You couldn't risk me threatening your place in the group, your- your dominance."

"That is not true!"

"You couldn't handle that Dad might've found me special!"

"You are special, Vanya!"

"Stop saying that!"

"We can start over now!"

"You destroyed my life!"

"Oh, please, Vanya," she scoffed. "We can move on!"

"I'm moving on, but not with you. With Leonard."

"With Harold, you mean- "

"With Leonard! The only person who has ever loved me for me! Someone who's not Y/N!" The words went through Y/N's chest like a knife. The atmosphere in the room suddenly changed, and a presence filled it, one that seemed familiar. "Look me in the eye and tell me you aren't threatened now," she growled at Allison.

As a wind filled the room, Allison hesitantly said, "I don't want to argue with you- "

"Then go!" Vanya hollered. Something crashed.

"I'm only trying to help- "

"I don't want your help!"

"Vanya, I love you!"

"Stop saying that!"

"Allison." Y/N placed her hand on Allison's shoulder, "We should give Vanya some space. We should go."

"Vanya, are you okay?" Allison ignored the girl.

"Go!" The lights on the ceiling shattered, spraying glass everywhere.

"Please don't make me do this," Allison whimpered. "… I heard a rumor- "

Vanya's bow sliced through the air, and a line of red was suddenly across Allison's neck. The both of them lurched forward as blood leaked through the wound and she toppled to the ground. "Allison, no!" Vanya cried out. She mumbled the same word over and over, "No, no, no!"

Y/N breathed in and out, trying to calm herself as her eyes filled with tears. She cleared her throat and ripped her shirt, placing it over Allison's neck. She flicked her hand as the bleeding started to slow. "That should prevent any more blood loss," She mumbled.

"I didn't mean it," she sobbed, "I'm so sorry," she cried, her fists balling up the fabric of her shirt as she leaned into Y/N.

"Hey, hey, hey. It's gonna be okay, everything's going to be okay." Y/N comforted her. Vanya cried in her arms. "Everything's gonna be okay, Vanya. I got you."

"Vanya!" Leonard's shout turned both their heads as he opened the door.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" She wailed against Y/N’s shoulder.

"I forgive you, Vanya… Calm down, breathe in and breathe out…" Y/N whispered to her.

"You did what you had to," he said. "Vanya, we need to go!"

"I can't leave them here!" Vanya cried as she was pulled out of Y/N's arms, she fought against him, "No!"

Vanya's hands covered with blood, sobbing hysterically and sputtering out apologies as she was held by the very man the others were hunting down. "Vanya." Y/N said. "It's going to be alright." She got up and turned to Leanord. "If you hurt my sister, or my family. I will come after you and kill you. That is a promise… Do you understand?"

"Please Y/N, don't- don't send me away!"

"I'm not, I promise - I promise that I'm not" Y/N said shakily as her voice cracked. "The others are most likely on their way here. They'll see Allison and you and Harold and they'll think the worst."

Vanya wailed. "I just need to diffuse the situation. I need to explain what happened." Y/N said, "They trust me. And I need you to trust me too."

"Let me fix this. Let me at least try." She shook her head, sobs still pouring from her shaking lips.

"Hey, hey, hey." Y/N took her sister's hands, "I will protect you and I promise I will try to explain what happened." She held her hand out. "Sisters promise, alright?"

"R-right…" Vanya's voice was shaky as the two of them left.

Y/N's hands trembled as she looked at Allison's injured body and lifted her hand, cocking her head to the side as Allison’s body floated up, yellow light shifting around her body as Y/N walked out with her body.

_____________________________________________________

"Hey, uh, Y/N?" Five called out to the girl who was looking out the window. She turned around, her eyes still red from crying. And yet she still smiled.

"Hey, Five." Y/N's voice cracked as she wiped her eyes, "Probably should be moping in my room, shouldn't I?"

"No, not really." Five sat down next to Y/N.

"Can you just stay here with me?" Y/N asked, turning to Five. "I think I like your company…" Her voice was quiet, a mere whisper, but Five heard. And he stayed. He held her hand as she rested her head on Five’s shoulder.

"Thanks, Five." Y/N chuckled. Five frowned.

"What-"

“For being here with me… For all of us.” Y/N said quietly, “It must’ve been so hard coming back and going through all of that.”

Five looked at her in a way she’d never seen him look at her before. He suddenly cleared his throat loudly, "It’s nothing, I’m just… Glad it’s over.”

[landslided]

something that genuinely GENUINELY makes me crazy with cobra kai is that between the dog cage jesus escape and livestream kid death or other fucking insanity of that caliber (please feel free to quote some in the comments like; mall karate fight, snakes at the auto shop, miguel’s paralysis cured by the power of love and hair rock, etc etc), cobra kai makes (used to make at least) one of my very favorite message and story on parenthood and fatherhood especially;

we start with johnny whose biological father is unknown, whose father figures are sid: a man who emotionally abused him and never faked that he loved him or cared for him but kept financially supporting him out of a promise he made to his dead wife and kreese: a man who himself is fatherless, whose father figure was a sensei who taught him to use cruelty as an answer after the war in vietnam had already made kreese a violent man who finds the pain and "weakness" delectable.

miguel, who doesn’t have a father, meets this johnny, someone who has never known what a good father is (cough sensei cough) and yet is a father himself even if he might want to forget it. ans johnny isn’t perfect, far from it but he finds a path for himself, a path to mentorship and fatherhood with miguel by doing the opposite of what his father figures have done for him. and while he still can’t get it right with robby, he is now more ready to try.

and then daniel, whose father who was said to be a kind man, died when he was very young, leaving behind memories of grief and the feeling that daniel is alone and misunderstood everywhere he goes. daniel meets mr miyagi and finds in him a father that is kind and understanding, who makes him feel welcome and like he belongs in miyagi’s world.

but when we meet daniel? he cannot connect to his children. anthony is obsessed with screens, he’s selfish and dismissive of his family and sam is lost. sam is trying to find herself as far away from her father as she can and no amount of trying to apply mr miyagi’s knowledge helps him truly.

now, things fluctuate between them, they both win and lose battles in their fatherhood but they are trying.

the problem for daniel is that mr miyagi was everything to him to a degree where now the man is more myth than real and how can you emulate a legend?

for johnny, breaking the cycle that kreese has left him in is harder and harder every day but when he doesn’t have kreese with him, whispering words of comfort and acceptance (when we all know that the only way kreese will accept johnny fully is if johnny either stops being johnny or is dead) he manages.

but they both really shine when they start to share their experiences, when they start to understand that before fighters they are fathers. yes, daniel gives johnny balance but without johnny bringing him back to the real life too, daniel would not be balanced.

they are good father and good senseis when they finally understand that fatherhood doesn’t have to be alienating in the hopes of keeping the facade they have both crafted for themselves.

it’s important for me, in the wake of season 6, to remember that season 1 of cobra kai ended on johnny gaining a son only to lose another and by doing so, changing both miguel and robby by his actions (or inactions) and that daniel finds his voice, one that isn’t just an emulsion of mr miyagi, in the ruins of johnny’s victory (and emotional loss).

god… we could have had so much.

[kishavo]

plagued by memories tonight so I’m going to spit them up and hopefully that brings me relief.

I was an EMT for about 5 years and I think these things are tattooed on my bones. trigger warning under the cut for…upsetting healthcare-related experiences? and the f-slur

I remember bringing a wheelchair-bound elderly man up to his shoebox apartment in the inner city, 12 floors up a derelict building in a tiny, shaky elevator, and being hit with the stink of smoke as soon as I opened the door - cigarette butts stubbed out on every surface, ashtrays overflowing, carpet that started out as brown matted down to black. I offered to help him into bed but he refused. he took off his vietnam veteran baseball cap and picked up a stale pack of cigarettes and told me to go

I remember the man who had been attacked by his neighbors’ dogs, two Rottweilers. his legs were mangled; huge scoops of flesh just gone. he was kind. he asked me how my day was going.

I remember the dead woman in the ER who I was told to bag up and bring down to the morgue. she looked familiar. I remember putting a tag on her thumb but I don’t remember her name. I remember making small talk with the ER tech who was helping me on the elevator ride down to the basement. that sounds like the start of a joke, doesn’t it? a girl, a man, and a dead body get in an elevator. if you think of a punchline let me know

I remember the frequent-flyer patient with a chronic mystery skin infection that caused his legs to leak so much fluid that we had to wrap them in plastic bags or else the gurney would get flooded and it would soak into his pants and spill over the edge onto the floor of the ambulance. the first time I got his call I thought we’d been sent to a haunted house. it was an old victorian in downtown, made of rotting wood and peeling paint. The knob in the front door had been ripped out so I bent down and looked through. There was no answer when I knocked so I yelled ‘hello’ through the hole until eventually someone came down the stairs and silently let us in. Our patient’s apartment was one room, it was dark, it smelled, the bed was as dirty as the floor, beer cans and cigarettes everywhere. There was a tiny, square, box TV playing static. There were spoiled diapers kicked under his desk. He lived alone and apparently had no family. I and every EMT who had ever been sent there reported the situation to social services but nothing was ever done.

there was the woman coming down from a meth binge who kept asking me if I was going to eat her brains. we dropped her off at a psych facility and a few days later I was back with another patient. I saw her again, sober now. when she saw me she averted her eyes and retreated into her room

there was another woman in the middle of a severe psychotic episode who, within 5 minutes of meeting me, looked me dead in the eye and said, “You’re a fat fucking faggot and I want you to die.” She had pissed on all her personal belongings and the back of the ambulance stank so bad of stale human urine that I had to kick the fan on and spray air freshener into my face mask. She spent most of the call insulting and trying to spit on me and my partner. My partner snapped at her but I just ate it. Later, when we were outside cleaning the gurney and waiting for the next call, a stray cat slipped out from behind a nearby dumpster and curled around my boots. he booped my knuckles and mewled when I pet him and the night was good again

I remember being in and out of psych facilities so often and feeling like a fucking imposter because I was burning out, depressed out of my mind and regularly experiencing suicidal ideation. I wondered when I would call 911 and end up there myself. I wondered if it would be my coworkers who would pick me up. the thought of it scared me enough that I never made the call, even when I should have. I started getting high instead

I remember the middle-aged woman having a panic attack. that was at my on-location job, at my city’s arena, where all the concerts and games were held. it was a slow night and too many of us responded. this woman was hyperventilating, the bass from the concert was everywhere, and a crowd of strangers was closing in on her. I got there first, so by default it became my call, which always made me nervous. I sat her down, I kneeled in front of her, she grabbed my hands reflexively and I let her grip on. I coached her breathing. I waved my coworkers back to give her space. I convinced her that everyone there just wanted to help her and that there was nothing to be embarrassed about. it worked. I was soothing, and sure, and strong. it worked.

when it was over she held my shoulder and thanked me. patients don’t usually thank us. when it was over I went to the bathroom and cried. I handled it so well because I had been talking my mom down from her panic attacks for years.

I talked about that call in group therapy the week after. I thought I was going to be proud, that it would be a positive share, but I cried again.

when people ask about what it's like being an EMT, I don’t think they want to hear any of this, they only want the cool stories. they want to hear about the lights and the sirens and to thank you for your service but please, please, don’t. There’s a quote by Anaïs Nin: “I was always ashamed to take. So I gave. It was not a virtue. It was a disguise.”

[just-ray]

so id love to hear more about the connection between punk and nuclear disarmament!

IVE BEEN WAITING FOR THIS QUESTION FOR SO LONG.

All of this is subject to having mistakes. My only source is online websites.

SO it's starts with hippies, aka the "Nuclear Disarmament movement".

Hippies emerged during the 60s as reaction to the injustice of the Vietnam War. They were known for their approach of peace. These guys really did not like the concept of being angry, and instead wanted to protest in the form of simply living in peace, despite the societies they were born into that, and use that peace to show people that there was no reason they couldn't live like this too. They were extremely anti-war and lived remotely. They believed heavily in sexual liberation (cough cough aids spread like WILDFIRES in hippie communities), anti consumerism, and anti establishmentarianism.

Basically the hippies were the first group of people in modern society to actually take a step back, look at the society they were living in....and literally just choose to.....not participate.

They they genuinely quit society. Don't even ask me how one would do that today but you have to credit them.

Now the hippies were smart people, but they were also privileged people, so I want to present to you another scenario.

You're working class living in britain in the late 60s, early 70s, and you're directly affected by any war or unrest that impacts the country in which you live, and you see these people refusing to be angry and just deciding to quit society. You're of the opinion that society isn't just something you can quit, it's something you have to help improve. You see these people sticking flowers in the barrels of guns and catching stds, while you're stuck in a badly paying job in the middle of a smelly city with only your music, friends and some safety pins to count on. You don't believe in living in peace in the current society because there is absolutely nothing to feel peaceful about. You have the same hatred in your soul for establishmentarianism, big corporations, and war as the group that preceded you, but you don't feel peace, you feel angry.

This is the ideology that fuleled punk. The music simply came along with it. Punk emerged to rage against a system, and their music reflected that.

My favourite punk bands personally would be 999, the adverts, Ramones, and skindred (v good ragae punk with the last one)

Please keep in mind, I could be wrong, in fact I probably am, but this is just what I've seen and researched so far.

If you consider yourself to belong to a counterculture, keep in mind that there's also nothing wrong, in my oppinion at least, in being both hippie and punk, and taking both ideologies into account.

[imagoddamnonionmason]

OCS ask, does your OCs have anything important items to them that they treasure?

Oooh, I think I remember saying aaaages ago that Jodie definitely has something she keeps on her person all the time. I'll try and keep this neat and tidy!

Jodie

A drawing that toddler David Mason drew for her the first time she met him.

A photo of Frank taken of him in Vietnam, Sarah Mason gave her.

Photos of her family in general, she has some pinned on her dresser in her shared room with Frank.

Not necessarily something she treasures, but it is important to her; her puzzle book. She completed it but kept it, filling the pages to the brim with notes and thoughts - it helped her through her recovery after the brainwashing. You would look at all the scribbles and notes, some in English, some in Russian, some codes and nonsensical babbling; it's the visualisation of a mind on the brink of breaking. When she looks back on it, she's reminded of how far she's come.

Sarah

A huge photo album she has of hundreds of photos she'd collected over the years.

Her wedding ring.

A lock of David's baby hair in a locket, she used to wear it around her neck.

Ashley

Her dad's bandanna - I feel like he would give it to her later on in life.

After her mum passes later in her life, she would definitely ask Frank if she could have Jodie's wedding ring to wear on a chain around her neck. (Later when both would have passed, she would also add Frank's to that chain, too, keep 'em both with her).

A leather jacket Jodie bought her.

Keith

idk man, this guy is an enigma. Would he even treasure anything? I suppose this would depend on the AU. Canon Keith probably doesn't give two shits about sentimentality or treasuring inanimate objects - will they give him what he wants? No.

In the Boys AU I have with @walder-138 it's another photo, but it would be of him and Liberty's OC Annika. The image is probably catching her off guard and he's being a bit of an annoying jerk, but you can tell he took it with good intentions. For once, the man actually cares about someone more than himself.

OR actually, probably something that she made for him, if she ever did make anything for him. Like, maybe a shiftily made badge that says 'u suck' or something, but he'd treasure it.

Franca

I think I mentioned this in another post, but I can't find it; a Saint Christopher necklace her mum gave her. Her mum says it belonged to her great grandmother. Franca's relationships with her family are, for a lack of a better word, fucked; she remembers the last conversation with her mum was hushed and rushed, with her fumbling to push the necklace into her hand. All the while, her mum is looking over shoulder to check the dad isn't watching; it was also the last time she saw her mum. Saint Christopher is believed to watch over travellers; it's comforting for her to think that, even though her mum doesn't really speak with her anymore (due to the dad) that her mum still wanted her to be safe, hence being given that specific necklace. She treasures it for that reason.

Nanette

Similarly to Sarah, it's her wedding ring - even after Soap's death Nanette wears it. I don't think she'll ever take it off.

A jumper of Soap's, the smell of him is slowly fading, but for now it still feels like he's there when she wears it.

An old, fraying teddy of a cartoonish looking dog - it's got big black beady eyes, the cushioning isn't as fluffed as it used to be. It's a childhood teddy and she keeps it on her bed.

A baby book - it details all of Lilidh's first things; first word, first step, first tooth. You get it!

Stephanie

A room filled with artwork her late husband Zach did. The room is untouched and will remain so, everything in there is like gold to her and she will stab someone if they touch it.

Pictures of her mum.

Some rings that were passed down from her mum's side of the family - when not at work, she wears all of them. They really suit her!

Klaus

His pocket knife, it was a gift and has his name engraved on the handle.

A black woollen hat, says it's good luck.

A pair of cufflinks from his Grandad!

Esme

A woven bracelet that's hardly ever off her left wrist.

A broken keychain with a funky little frog on it, it was an image of a flat piece of plastic, but it's been snapped in half.

[pennyserenade]

i have worked at my job for roughly seven years now and ive gotten familiar with many of the people that come in frequently—not to the point of making anything but causal conversation, but familiar in a way that i now understand to be imperative to humanity as a whole. i know these people in a way many in their life may not ever see. i know their favorite order. i meet their friends, their wives, their husbands. i know the days they come. they tell me why they’re not coming again for a long time (weddings, jobs, new homes and surgeries).

for four months i served a man the same order, over and over, each saturday morning. he gave me a dollar tip and a kind smile. many days he was the first order. after he didn’t show for a few weeks, i asked if anyone had seen him and they told me he passed away. i think about him often. the other week a woman who comes in frequently with her husband, and orders chili and chicken, always with extra crackers, came in without him. she told me he’d just had a heart attack and didn’t know if he was going to be okay. he wore a bucket hat and never could hear me well, but was kind in a grandfatherly way. he tipped me in quarters and quips. he died, and i think abt her, and about him. i bought her meal and i hope she’s okay almost every day.

i serve two brothers now, who order kids meals and find someone they know every day they come in. people remember them in a way that only people in small towns can do: in the form of bonds, connections, figuring out who they belonged to and who they friended; a man with a beautiful sister, the husband of a babysitter. they remind me of the country bears, and one smiles apologetically at me when the other gets accidentally abrasive about trivial matters. i like them, despite the fact that they are the brand of man i typically do not like at all.

i’m partial to a group of vietnam veterans who order coffee and biscuits and gravy. i know their first names even though they don’t know mine. one likes tabasco, one won’t drink coffee, one takes his water with no straw and comes in before them all and hands me twenty dollars so the rest can’t pay first. i went to school with his grandchild, but now know him far better. he was sick with cancer because of what they made him do over in vietnam, when he was my age, but better now. but also worse. worse all the time. he sometimes doesn’t come in at all when before he always would. he looks like sam elliot and is my favorite

i hate the idea that becoming a regular at some place is at all embarrassing or cause for shame. i like that i will remember these individuals, that i will wonder back on them and always know pieces about them. it is good to take up space in this world. the world wants you too; it’s pleading you for it. you’re meant to be remembered, meant to be heard, meant to be cared about even by the person who gives you refills of coffee

[southeastasianists]

The divine blend of spices needed to make curry first reached Southeast Asia about 2,000 years ago, when the region began trading with the Indian subcontinent, according to an analysis of ancient spice residue.

The new project analyzed 12 different spice grinding tools unearthed at the ancient trading port of Oc Eo, in modern-day Vietnam, by washing them with water and chemicals. This produced hundreds of tiny fragments that the researchers painstakingly identified (to a reasonable degree of certitude) under a microscope. The results sounded like a shopping list for making curry: turmeric, ginger, fingerroot, sand ginger, galangal, clove, nutmeg and cinnamon.

“These spices are indispensable ingredients used in the making of curry in South Asia today,” the paper says.

Ancient Trading Spices

Where did all these spices comes from?

They could have come from the surrounding countryside. Farmers in Southeast Asia made many of these crops themselves, and if not, they could have imported the seeds and gotten started.

On the other hand, the turmeric could have easily come from India, where use of the spice dates back thousands of years. And the ginger and cloves may have come from India as well, or maybe China.

Cinnamon was widely traded at the time and may have come all the way from Israel.

The galangal, fingerroot and sand ginger are native to Southeast Asia and could easily have come from nearby soils. These more specialized spices are still used in the region’s curry paste.

Footed Grinding Slabs

As a testament to the spice trade’s popularity, the spice grinders made up the majority of the stone tools recovered from Oc Eo and another, nearby city called Angkor Borei. The original archaeological dig at Oc Eo found numerous footed grinding slabs, which look like little stone workbenches for grinding spices – which is what they likely were. Versions of these slabs are still sometimes used in the traditional preparation of curry.

The largest slab recovered measured 2.5 feet by 1 foot. Researchers found it buried not far from a piece of charcoal that dated to about A.D. 250, which hinted at when curry first made its way to the area.

Oc Eo

At that time, the city would have been not just importing and exporting goods but making them as well, according to the paper. Residents raised religious monuments and shaped metal tools, glass jewelry and pottery.

All the while, they would have worked to trade and process many different spices. Archaeologists working there even found an intact nut that dated to about A.D. 200, and it still “yielded a nutmeg aroma,” the paper says.

Now part of Vietnam, Oc Eo once belonged to the ancient kingdom of Funan, which maintained a base of power further up the Mekong River.

In Oc Eo, culture prospered between the first and eighth centuries, during the latter years of the Iron Age. As the site’s ancient canals filled with ships, Buddhism and Hinduism left their own marks on the sprawling complex, including a possible contribution to curry cooking. The need to dye the Buddhist monks’ robes yellow may have first prompted Oc Eo to import turmeric, the paper says.