#Rachel Ng

[thedalatribune]

© Paolo Dala

Important Food Adventure Notes

Pad Thai from a Bangkok street vendor or raw milk cheese from a bistro in France taste delicious in the moment. But for many travelers, the local dishes that make trips meaningful sometimes give them food poisoning - and the wrong sort of vacation memories.

By some metrics, gastrointestinal infections related to food or water affect 30 to 70 percent of all travelers during or immediately after their trips, according to a 2015 study in BMJ Clinical Evidence. Each year, one in six Americans and nearly one in 10 people worldwide suffer from such illnesses caused by bacteria (E. coli, salmonella, listeria), viruses (norovirus, hepatitis A), or parasites (giardiasis, roundworms, tapeworms).

Lower-income countries have a reputation for putting travelers at a higher risk for food poisoning, but people are just as likely to be sickened from an improperly handled meal in Italy or Australia - or from some sushi at their local supermarket.

There are 31 major known pathogens that cause foodborne illnesses, including norovirus, salmonella, E. coli, clostridium perfringens, and campylobacter. Depending on the bacteria, parasite, or virus, symptoms could include a few hours to a week of diarrhea and vomiting, plus stomach cramps, fever, or body aches. The most likely culprits? Raw or undercooked chicken, turkey, or meat; raw milk; raw fruits and vegetables; shellfish; and food stored in unsafe temperatures (e.g. an open-air buffet) or prepared in an unsanitary way.

Or the water might be making you sick. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC), more than 180 countries (including popular destinations the Maldives, Mexico, and the Bahamas), have tap water that is unsafe to drink. This means that brushing your teeth with local tap water or even washing your hands before preparing lunch could lead to illness.

“Giardia parasite is pretty common with contaminated water,” says Cindy Chung, a doctor at Kaiser San Rafael Pediatrics in California. “When a kid comes into my office with sudden diarrhea, I ask, ‘Have you been camping? Did you go to the beach? Have you traveled...”

Find out if the tap water is safe to drink in your destination with the CDC’s Traveler’s Health tool. Many hotels in places with unsafe water have their own filtration systems or provide bottled water. But nasties may come from that iced water at a street market or berries at a roadside food stand. When in doubt, avoid ice, and drink bottled water.

Concerned about single-use plastics? Bring a heavy-duty filtered water bottle (such as Grayl) and fill it with boiled water (if the hotel has a kettle) or water treated with purification tablets (Globaline, Potable-Aqua).

Sometimes, food poisoning happens because travelers have never encountered common bacteria and viruses at their destination. “Locals build up some level of tolerance because their immune systems have been exposed multiple times,” says Bolaris.

That doesn’t mean you have to forgo street food in Southeast Asia or taco stands in Mexico City. Bolaris’ rule? If you can’t clean it or peel it, don’t eat it. Chung advises travelers to watch how vendors prep food. “Are they using utensils, gloves, or bare hands?” When in doubt, stick to piping hot dishes - grilled meats or fried fritters - and shun raw seafood and lukewarm stews.

Rachel Ng How to Deal with Food Poisoning while Traveling - and How to Avoid it Altogether

[rwrbmovie]

primevideo It’s just like being there

[yourartmatters-itswhatgotmehere]

ah all that RWRB joy / RWRB important links in this LONG post♥

edit above of the fans recording THE moment from: https://twitter.com/galitzinerry/status/1789088497879638130 & https://twitter.com/theartim/status/1789082602751873308

BTW for everyone interested: Red, White & Royal Blue: Collector's Edition Henry PoV bonus chapter by Casey Mcquiston : https://www.tumblr.com/yourartmatters-itswhatgotmehere/752528941905018880?source=share

+CMQ spotify (characters' playlists!!) https://open.spotify.com/user/p873j0jdmqn5hye7cakdnub7e/playlists

-12 mins cast & crew interview here:

-nearly 30mins Q & A from the screening in GREAT quality:

-ily matthew for saying this:

-my Alex:

-my FIRSTPRINCE:

-FIRSTPRINCE EDITS LINKS (many) :

-Arthur Fox & Henry Fox:

-important RWRB post (lots of links there)

-RWRB deleted scenes:

-RWRB-coming out :

-another IMPORTANT RWRB post:

.

my RWRB (1) ig highlight: https://www.instagram.com/stories/highlights/18198132073262637/

my RWRB (2) ig highlight: https://www.instagram.com/stories/highlights/18037791823861597/

[punkeropercyjackson]

Pjo fans never go hard enough with their black headcanons-you can't be making JUST Percy afrolatino and calling it a day.Thalia's always felt like a black alt girl and she'd be a Sista Grrrl and albino Jason is in the same league as orange hair gold eyes Hazel as albinism dosen't turn you platinum blonde,it gives you no color at all and it's better design if he's a lightskin dirty blonde with brown eyes to match his Thalia's visual opposite motif.Nico's black soft sunshine boy swag deserves to be aknowledged and all Demeter kids should be black(/blasian Billie)because nobody does earthy better than black folks and afro-indian Grover is canon in a way due to both live actions and nigerian yoruba Rachel is the best explanation for her poofy hair and her last name being 'Dare'

And back to Percy,with full offense to old Pjoheads,you write him like a culture vulture and lightskin/mixed Percy's not real because he looks exactly like Poseidon so he HAS to be monoracial and the only 'Dark Percy' that's not racist is darkskin Percy with super strong features.He's not a sk*ter boy or a Hot Topic goer or a fan of poser punk bands like Fob/P!atd/etc,he's afropunk and a diy master and listens to rap,hip hop and nu metal and is deeply tied to his dominican heritage since Sally raised him in it as a second gen inmigrant and he also does petty crime on the regular,uses his Poseidon powers to help his activism be even better(such as enviormentalism),had a variety of black hairstyles throught all the books,was never crushing on Luke or the gods because no self-respecting black man would and him,Nico and Hazel are his platonic soulmates by choice in every universe and Sally adopted them so they're La Familia Jackson and run a family beach cafe and he's also a team parent to break the cycle of abuse.The closest thing to a yt person thing about Percy is he's an Mcr fan but even then that's just a millenial punk thing.And can't forget:He is audhd and reflects black autistic experiences specifically

[knerrvana]

[confessions-doa]

Confession #152: It'd be kinda neat if we got Alma as a playable character. Maybe she could play a bit like Rachel but with some demonic powers thrown in there.

[thequeereview]

TIFF 2023: LGBTQ+ highlights at 48th​ ​Toronto​ ​International​ ​Film​ ​Festival​

The 48th Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) opens on Thursday, September 7th with the international premiere of Oscar-winning director Hayao Miyazaki’s animated epic The Boy and the Heron (Kimitachi wa Do Ikiruka) and comes to a close on Sunday, September 17th with the world premiere of Thom Zimny’s Sylvester Stallone documentary Sly, exploring the close to five-decade career of one of…

[persephonethewanderer]

give us gothic literature recs!!!!

here you go anon!

FICTION:

wuthering heights, emily brontë

jane eyre, charlotte brontë

the bloody chamber, angela carter

mathilda, mary shelley

we have always lived in the castle, shirley jackson

the yellow wallpaper, charlotte perkins gilman

rebecca, daphne du maurier

carmilla, sheridan le fanu

dracula, bram stoker

frankenstein, mary shelley

the mill on the floss, george eliot

the orphan's tale, catherynne m. valente

the haunting of hill house, shirley jackson

my cousin rachel, daphne du maurier

the double, fyodor dostoyevsky

the grey woman, elizabeth gaskell

beloved, toni morrison

the fall of the house of usher, edgar allan poe

wise blood, flannery o'connor

white is for witching, helen oyeyemi

wide sargasso sea, jean rhys

our wives under the sea, julia armfield

valerie and her week of wonders, vítězslav nezval

salome, oscar wilde

deathless, catherynne m. valente

piranesi, susanne clarke

picnic at hanging rock, joan lindsay

NON FICTION:

decadent daughters and monstrous mothers: angela carter and european gothic, rebecca munford

the contested castle: gothic novels and the subversion of domestic ideology, kate ferguson ellis

gothic incest: gender, sexuality and transgression, jenny diplacidi

our vampires, ourselves, nina auerbach

the madwoman in the attic, sandra gilbert and susan gubar

a new companion to the gothic, david punter

daughters of the house: modes of the gothic in victorian fiction, alison milbank

women and the gothic, avril horner and sue zlosnik

fairy tale & gothic horror, laura hubner

female gothic histories, diana wallace

women and domestic space in contemporary gothic narratives, andrew hock soon ng

gothic and gender, donna heiland

perils of the night: a feminist study of 19th century gothic, eugenia c. delamotte

the female gothic: new directions, diana wallace and andrew smith

[mayarisan]

Genshin men as filo love songs <33

──── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ────

Your love story with them as the songs

Featuring: Kaeya, Diluc, Albedo, Zhongli, Xiao, Childe, Kazuha, Thoma, Itto, Ayato, Tighnari, Cyno, Alhaitham, Kaveh

Kaeya:

Now playing: Uhaw (Tayong Lahat)- Dilaw

- Let me guess, you thought it was gonna be Beer by Itchyworms at first didn't you?

- As much that fits our favorite drunkards style, I wanted something different

- At first, he was questioning the feelings he had for you because, why specifically you? Why do you make him feel these things? (Bakit uhaw sa'yong sayaw, bakit ikaw?)

- But now here we are, he's in love with you and will do anything for you he's smitten ('Di bibitaw sa'yong sayo palagi ikaw)

- The regulars at Angel's Share and even Diluc tease him about how he's always longing for you when he's drunk

────── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──────

Diluc:

Now playing: Unang Sayaw- NOBITA

- Similar to his brother, he thought no one would really try and pursue him but here he is

- He loves you so much he always thinks about you whenever he's out doing some work of his (be it terrorizing the fatui or just managing the winery his first thought is always you)

- Whenever he's staring at you when you're doing something, he has the most lovesick expression on, and when you stare back, he's as red as his face (Sa titig pa lang, ikaw na)

- If he has free time, he loves to dance with you, and he keeps falling for you whenever you guys do it (Isasayaw ka nang dahan-dahan hanggang 'di mo mamalayang ako na pala ang 'yong kailangan at gusto mong pakasalan)

- In conclusion, he's deeply in love your honor

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Albedo:

Now playing: Mabagal- Moira Dela Torre & Daniel Padilla

- It was that one cover that sounded like him that made me give him this song

- But hey it fits him well hello?

- Klee told him about how lovers dance together so he wanted to do it with you, even though he isn't the best, he wants to learn it with you

- Everytime you two get to dance, he loves holding you close to him, he just loves it (Hawak-kamay, pikit-mata sumasabay sa musika)

- Your little dances together is so calming and relaxing, both of you love embracing each other, he even sings to you the lyrics of the song while holding you close (Pag natapos na, ating kanta at wala nang musika kakantahan ka ng a cappella sa 'yong tainga)

────── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──────

Zhongli:

Now playing: Kahit Maputi na ang Buhok ko- Rey Valera

- He listens to old Filipino songs it's canon/j

- I picked this song purely because it fits his vibes

- He isn't the archon of eternity but he doesn't want his relationship with you to change but he's fine with marriage (Kung tayo'y matanda na sana'y hindi tayo magbago)

- Even though he's old, he knows how to show his love and affection towards you. He loves showering you with love and whenever Hu Tao sees you too, she jokingly gags (Ang aking pangako na ang pag-ibig ko'y laging sa'yo kahit maputi na ang buhok ko)

────── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──────

Xiao:

Now playing: When I met you- APO Hiking Society

- This FITS HIM SO WELL

- He likes old but gold bands thanks to Zhongli

- He never liked human interaction but everything changed when he met you (hehe song title)

- You helped him stop thinking his karmic debt will harm everyone, slowly but surely making him not allergic to human interaction (There I was an empty piece of a shell just minding my own world without knowing what love and life were all about, then you came)

- He's thankful for your persistence in helping him, but what is this fuzzy thing he's feeling? He keeps getting it whenever you talk to him, perhaps he has grown to care about you? (You gave me a meaning to my life yes, I've gone beyond existing and it all began when I met you)

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Childe:

Now playing: Mr. Kupido- Rachel Alejandro

- Ah yes, he knows he's handsome so he takes advantage of it (not in a bad way ofc)

- Thanks to his friendly comments, he always leaves you with a slight blush on your cheeks (Minsan siya ay nakausap ako ay parang nasa ulap)

- You don't even know how you ended up liking this idiot, he wasn't even your type but now you're dating him (Di naman siya sobrang guwapo ngunit siya ang type na type ko bakit ba ganito ang nadarama ng puso ko)

- Don't worry, this is definitely a he fell harder situation ;)

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Kazuha:

Now playing: Pasilyo- SunKissed Lola

- The way the song is written just screams Kazuha to me

- It just poetically flows well for me (If that makes sense)

- Even though he travels with Beidou at sea, he always manages to come back to you, why would he ever let go of his muse? (Hahagkan na't 'di ka bibitawan wala na 'kong mahihiling pa)

- He wants to grow old with you, praying to every single archon for it. He even imagines reciting poems to you even when you two are already grandparents, and your grandkids are even jokingly acting disgusted at you two (Araw-araw 'kong dala-dala paboritong panalangin ko'y makasama ka sa pagtanda)

────── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──────

Thoma:

Now playing: Panalangin- APO Hiking Society

- Everyone's favorite retainer

- I imagine he wants to have the love that old couples do, he wants to grow old with his beloved but his love for them stays sweet just like honey (well that's obvious)

- So when both of you started dating, he prayed and made a wish at the Narukami Shrine wishing the both of you to stay strong (Panalangin ko sa habang-buhay makapiling ka, makasama ka 'yan ang panalangin ko)

- He's clingy (not to a possessive extent no) he enjoys your company because he's often busy, he loves it whenever he has a day off so he can spend time with you (At hindi papayag ang pusong ito mawala ka sa 'king piling mahal ko, iyong dinggin)

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Itto:

Now playing: Akin Ka Na Lang- The Itchyworms

- He is the definition of stubborn (or in Tagalog, matigas ang ulo nya)

- He and the gang sing outside your house hoping to woo you (y'know the Harana tradition? Yup) singing about how he can be the best boyfriend you'll only have (Akin ka na lang iingatan ko ang puso mo akin ka na lang wala nang hihigit pa sa'yo)

- This harana thing will continue until you agree that he takes you out on a date you had to agree because your parents were getting annoyed by his antics. On said date, he promises to never and I mean NEVER leave you and will treat you like royalty ('Wag ka dapat sa'kin magduda hinding hindi kita pababayaan)

- He keeps his promises so now you're in a happy relationship with him yay!

────── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──────

Ayato:

Now playing: Mundo- IV of Spades

- Choosing a song for this guy was hard for some reason

- Anyways, you never really thought you'd have a relationship with the Yashiro Commissioner because of the status differences, but now you're happily married to him

- Although it's difficult to spend time with his schedule, but when he's finally free from his clan duties, he's with you, his home (Aking sinta, ikaw na ang tahanan at mundo)

- His words to you during these times are about how he'll always love you, you're his entire world, he'll always be by your side no matter what (Sa pagbalik, mananatili na sa piling mo)

────── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──────

Tighnari:

Now playing: Habang Buhay- Zack Tabudlo

- Fennec foxes mate for life, that's a well-known fact in this fandom because of him

- Collei keeps on teasing him about how he looks like whenever he sees you poor guy is just lovestruck

- Back to the mate-for-life thing, yes he's protective of you. There's a forest ranger slacking off who's weirdly looking at you? He is scolding them so bad they look like they're about to cry (Tingnan mo lang ang aking mga mata 'wag kang titingin na sa iba akin ka na, wala nang iba)

- Just one thing to remember, you're forever his and he's forever yours (Andito 'ko hanggang sa 'ting pagtanda mamahalin kita basta't 'pag nahulog nakahawak ako, 'wag ka lang bibitaw habang-buhay na ako'y iyo)

────── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──────

Cyno:

Now playing: Lintik- Brownman Revival

- Lintik is slang for lighting, and lighting = electro, what's Cyno's vision? ELECTRO. I'm sorry I just wanted to make a joke since this guy's a joker himself

- Anyways, when he got feelings for you it was like he got struck by lightning, sudden and shocking (Lintik na pag-ibig parang kidlat puso kong tahimik na naghihintay bigla mong ginulat)

- He fell first and fell HARD. He says the most corniest pickup lines known to mankind but they somehow make you laugh thanks to his serious face while delivering it. Tighnari side eyes him and apologizes for the things he's saying whenever he's with the two of you (Nananaginip ba ako ng gising? Nadali mo ang puso ko ng iyong kidlat)

────── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──────

Alhaitham:

Now playing: Yakap- Zack Tabudlo

- Now this is an interesting song choice considering he doesn't show his emotions and hates physical affection (this is more of a headcannon I have)

- But, whenever he sees you walking around, his heart is beating like crazy. He would try to rationalize his feelings towards you but it gets thrown out the window each time you two interact (Bakit ba ako nanghihina tuwing nababanggit ka? Ang puso'y nagwawala)

- When you get to know him more, you realize he actually likes physical touches but only from people he's comfortable enough with. Hold on he considers you as one of his closest friends? Kaveh immediately interrogates you about your relationship with him.

- When one of you finally confesses, everyone is shocked that the quiet, reserved scribe is dating someone. Let alone allow them to touch him in public too. A little secret Alhaitham has is that he actually likes, no loves it when you shower him with physical affection. He looks like he's pissed but deep inside he's enjoying every single hug or kiss from you. (Yakapin mo ako ng mahigpit wag ka nang bibitaw kahit saglit ikaw na lang mahal naghintay ng matagal)

────── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──────

Kaveh:

Now playing: Fallen- Lola Amour

- Oh this man is deeply in love with you. He loves everything about you. Your voice, hobbies, looks, everything, Alhaitham is getting very pissed at the number of times Kaveh has mentioned you in his hopeless romantic rant. (What if I told you that I've fallen and I like the way you say my name? My heart skips a beat when I hear you calling and I like that it won't go away)

- Kaveh wasn't honest with his feelings at first, thinking he might just be a burden to you, so he didn't confess at first. (But never mind, don't wanna give you any trouble never mind, never mind I'm OK with being by your side for as long as I can hide)

- But after a few threats of being kicked out by you-know-who, and advice from the mom friend, he finally decided it was better to confess for closure than hope for something that wasn't likely happening.

- Oh but when you accepted his feelings, he was over the moon. The relationship started off a bit rocky because of him thinking he wasn't enough, but you were there to assure him that you'll always be there to love him, no matter what happens to you two, you'll be with him, even if his problem is something trivial, you'll be there to help him with whatever he needs (I'll make your breakfast every morning and pick you up when you're a mess)

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a/n: I had this idea rotting in my mind for months now I only got to write it last week because of our exams (I feel like I poured my heart out for Kaveh's and Xiao's)

[sunshinelivesforever]

PJO + HOO + TOA Characters Mood Boards:

Percy Jackson & the Olympians

Percy Jackson, Annabeth Chase and Grover Underwood

Thalia Grace and Luke Castellan

Clarisse La Rue, Silena Beauregard and Charles Beckendorf

Nico di Angelo, Bianca di Angelo and Zoë Nightshade

Rachel Elizabeth Dare and Calypso

Travis Stoll, Connor Stoll, Katie Gardner and Miranda Gardiner

Castor and Pollux

Lee Fletcher and Michael Yew

Will Solace and Malcolm Pace

Ethan Nakamura and Chris Rodriguez

Heroes of Olympus

Jason Grace, Piper McLean and Leo Valdez

Gleeson Hedge, Butch Walker and Clovis

Drew Tanaka, Lacy and Mitchell

Nyssa Barrera, Jake Mason and Harley

Hazel Levesque, Frank Zhang and Reyna Avila Ramirez-Arellano

Dakota, Michael Kahale and Leila

Lou Ellen Blackstone and Cecil Markowitz

Trials of Apollo

Lester Papadopoulos and Meg McCaffrey

Kayla Knowles and Austin Lake

Paolo Montes, Chiara Benvenuti and Damien White

Billie Ng and Valentina Diaz

Alice Miyazawa and Julia Feingold

Ellis Wakefield and Sherman Yang

Holly Victor and Laurel Victor

Hemithea, Josephine, Georgina and Lavinia Asimov

Currently Undergoing Editing...

[rwrbmovie]

rwrbonprime i’ve been healed

[sapphicmcmean]

I see you like pjo rare pares so I’ve decided it’s time to give you all my favorites

Valentina x Lou Ellen

Bianca x Kayla

Bianca x Kayla x Piper (hear me out)

Pollux x Ethan

Clovis x Mitchell

Luke x Lee

Lee x Miranda

That is what I got!! Sorry I don’t see a lot of people who care about minor characters that much! If you have thoughts s h a r e

listen you have NOOO idea how much i adore the minor pjo chars ,,, they are literally justs oooo <3333333

omg valentina x lou ellen sounds so cute tbhh i can see it !!! i like hcing val and mitchell as full siblings so i think both of them could be close to lou before val and lou get together

I LOVE BIANCA SHIPS omg ive never even thought ab her and kayla (AND piper) ?? but thats sooo cuteee omg ,,, im not big on kayper just cause i havent thought ab it but but biakayper sounds adorable and lile theyd infuriate their brother(ly figures)

POLLUX AND ETHAN IS SOOO hii !! ur so right omg and ugh the incanon angst with any ethan ship and pollux losing both his crushlover and brother in the war ,,,

i adore clovis and mitchell seperately but the thought of them being together is cute !!i wonder how theyd become friends and more esp with clovis being asleep like more than half the time

THANKYOU FOR LUKE AND LEE !!! tbh i like luke x jake a lot but againnn the angst of them being in canon ,, esp with how early lee dies in the whole war (i think hes the first apollo kid to die??)

oooh lee and miranda is so cutee ,, i think they could get together in a no war au after both leaving camp and coming back just cause idk why but i dont have any ideas of them getting together during camp?

MYYYY biggest minor ships are the following

piper x lou ellen, piper x rachel, drew x annabeth, drew x katie, shel x rachel, bianca x billie ng (i love demeter girls sm), nico x mitchell (esp cupid kid mitchell au and postsolangelo), jason x frank (heavy on mortal academy aus), percy x leo, hazel x lavinia, drew x bianca (they were my first rarepair i love them smmm brew ftw), and so many more i cant remember off the top of my head rn <333

[kimhortons]

manila | first weekend of june

first things first, got to visit my lolo and lola with J. this is one of the moments that i've been waiting for—maintroduce ko si J sakanila. friday palang habang naka duty pa, bigla ko naisipan na dalawin sila kasi ambigat bigat na talaga ng pakiramdam ko nun sa work. feeling ko kailangan ko sila. so i decided na pag dating ng manila, sakanila muna kami dadaan. kay mommy pa sana kaso ang layo and hindi na kakayanin ng oras since overnight lang kami dun.

after sa cemetery, tumambay muna kami ni J sa dunkin donuts para mag kape at magpalamig kasi pareho na kaming tinotopak haha. then we went home around lunch na. pag uwi namin, may inihaw na liempo which i requested to my brother. hehe cute medyo magkasundo na talaga kami, nakakarequest na ako sakanya. mom must be so happy. hehe

so ayun, nagpahinga lang then around 3pm nag prepare na kami to meet my bestfriends; rachel, chi and her husband kasi manunuod kami ng single launch ni ate keiko sa brewing point. tumambay muna kami ni J sa fishermall while waiting for them, pag dating ni rachel dumeretcho na kami sa venue and ordered their pesto na okay naman lasang pesto haha, masarap naman though. medyo nalate sila chi kasi inabutan sila ng ulan sa daan.

the show was great, marami ring guest kasama si clara benin at janine teñoso. ang pretty niya pala in person. hihi. nakaka tuwa lang kasi after almost 10 years nalang ulit kami nag kita nila ate keix pero kilala niya parin kami. grabe. a lot of people might still don't know her pero she's great, barkada siya nila moira at tj kaya sobrang nakaka overwhelmed at nakaka proud na we're the first ones to see them grow as an artist. huhu nakaka touch lang.

kinabukasan naman we met with mitch para manuod ng basketball game nila cong at donny. hehe ito talaga yung agenda ng pag uwi namin, wala lang gusto ko lang sila makita ng personal lalo na para kay J kasi fan siya nila cong. kaya nung inaya ko siya, di na nagpapilit. nag go agad siya once in a bluemoon lang siya ganon kadali ayain e haha.

anyway,before the game pala. nag ikot ikot kami sa gateway kasi mag papasabuy sana yung boss ko ng sapatos, but since di naman siya nag push through, ako tuloy yung nabudol haha. 1500 lang 'tong cute na chuck taylor ko sa planet sports. hehe. after that kumain at tumambay kami sa nono's chikahan with mitch. tas dun narin kami nagpa grab ng lola nena's na pinang pasalubong namin sa work.

di na namin natapos yung game, hanggang half time lang kami kasi deretcho byahe narin kami pabalik ng bicol, nakaka asar lang kasi delayed ng 30 minutes umalis yung bus sana pala nag stay pa kami ng konti dun. buti na nga lang talaga at nauna maglaro yung mga pinunta namin dun kasi nag laro pa pala sila gerald after nila, inabot na ata ng 11pm yung game.

although bitin yung pag uwi ko, masaya naman kasi naka bonding ko ulit yung mga tunay kong kaibigan hehe. naka pahinga saglit sa struggle sa work. sana talaga may budget ako lagi pauwi ng manila para kahit wala akong friends na ituturing din akong totoong kaibigan dito, okay lang kasi kaya ko parin makasama at maka bonding lagi yung mga totoo saken. hehe. wala lang. okay na ako na nakasama ko sila kahit saglit.

andito na naman ako sa point na tinatamad at unmotivated na pumasok dahil pagod na makisama. hay. haha.

[elatedandexasperated]

So RWRB was a movie with some discourse...

In all honesty, the discourse has bugged me more than any issues with the film itself. I get a film adaptation not living up to personal expectations set by a book is... a response that people have, but the fact some people have been trying to convince people it's not worth watching bothers me.

Don't get me wrong, I've seen all of the love for it too and I know the antis for the film are definitely in the minority. No one can control how anyone relates or who is allowed to enjoy a piece of media, but the sheer hatred I've seen from some of the people on here for the film hurts a bit to see. The arguments seem to be no deeper than "x character was removed" , "there's these plot holes" and "it's too formulaic" that last one of which I feel was kind of the point: it's a formulaic romcom so that queer people can have a fairy tale romance story like the straight ones that get shoved down our throats from a young age by companies like Disney. McQuiston, an NB writer, has gone on record stating that a huge reason why they write is to feature queer identities and make stories that people like them would have liked to read and feel represented by when they were younger.

If this was a straight Hallmark romcom (which tbf, it basically is in terms of story structure, and I low-key love it because of that) it wouldn't have made so much as a blip on most people's radars. But because it features queer characters the threshold for scrutiny seems to have been dropped to the floor (insert "Get Low" joke here). I can get having criticisms of the film, I have a few myself, but the attempt to convince people the film is bad and to disregard it as a whole because of them ignores the positive qualities, what the film means to people in the queer community, what its success can lead to in terms of representation for underrepresented people in the community (Ace, bi, NB, trans, etc.), and an understanding of intricacies that go into adaptation.

At the end of the day, this film was competently made (and in my opinion, well made) by a gay director with an inclusive team and a deep care for both the source material and an understanding of what the film would mean for millions of viewers. It featured experiences and themes that are common to many people in the community with several very poignant messages that actually have huge metatextual implications with the film (The "forced conformity of the closet" quote sticks out in particular to me: the number of op-eds speculating Nick and Taylor's sexualities and how they've been mum about them makes me think a lot of people missed that one; also looking at you, people that forced Kit Connor out of the closet 😒)

The film is a celebration of love featuring characters that people like me and others in the community can relate to. Is it formulaic? Yes. Did they remove some characters to try and create a tighter narrative focused on the main romantic pair? Yes. Is it overly cheesy and so unrealistically sweet that it will give me diabetes? Delightfully so.

So ending on a positive note, I just want to run down some things I've loved about it:

- An mlm story with an actual happy ending that features adult main leads! (Credit to youth stories, they're important, but as an adult it's hard to relate to teenage characters sometimes)

- The charisma both TZP and NG just radiate throughout the movie

- Sarah Shahi eating the absolute SHIT out of every scene she's in (Touch her and die)

- Same for Rachel Hilson

- Uma Thurman and Stephen Fry (enough said)

- The acting overall was fantastic

- The care and work put into intimate scenes and inclusion of an intimacy coordinator

- On a personal level, I loved seeing parallels between Alex and Henry's relationship and the relationship I have with my husband. For the first time in my 30 years I actually see a little of myself in an uplifting and happy piece of media and not portrayed as a dramatic tragedy, villain, or inconsequential background character.

Tl;Dr if you didn't like the movie, that's your opinion. I'm not here to try and convince you otherwise. But please stop trying to convince people it shouldn't be watched. Regardless of your opinion, this film means a lot to a lot of people, including the author of the original book! Just let us enjoy this imperfect, but tasty cheese with our w(h)ine ❤️

[rebeccadumaurier]

2023 Books in Review

a tiered ranking of all the books i read in 2023! originally i was going to write up my commentary on each one but then i was like hahaha.....no, so below the cut is just a list of the titles/authors in each tier instead.

changed my brain chemistry

The Idiot, Elif Batuman

Land of Milk and Honey, C Pam Zhang

The Borrowed, Chan Ho-kei (trans. Jeremy Tiang)

My Cousin Rachel, Daphne du Maurier

Vagabonds, Hao Jingfang (trans. Ken Liu)

The Membranes, Chi Ta-wei (trans. Ari Larissa Heinrich)

Under the Pendulum Sun, Jeannette Ng

Severance, Ling Ma

He Who Drowned the World, Shelley Parker-Chan

Vita Nostra, Marina & Sergey Dyachenko (trans. Julia Meitov Hersey)

Network Effect, Martha Wells

top-tier stuff

Our Share of Night, Mariana Enriquez (trans. Megan McDowell)

Brainwyrms, Alison Rumfitt

The Door, Magda Szabo (trans. Len Rix)

The Lover, Marguerite Duras (trans. Barbara Bray)

Fun Home, Alison Bechdel

Strange Beasts of China, Yan Ge (trans. Jeremy Tiang)

The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet, Becky Chambers

Pachinko, Min Jin Lee

Lesser Known Monsters of the 21st Century, Kim Fu

Tell Me I’m Worthless, Alison Rumfitt

Bliss Montage, Ling Ma

How to Read Now, Elaine Castillo

Annihilation, Jeff VanderMeer

The Fifth Season, N. K. Jemisin

If Beale Street Could Talk, James Baldwin

My Brilliant Friend and The Story of a New Name, Elena Ferrante

The Jasmine Throne, Tasha Suri

good, well-written

Carmilla, Sheridan Le Fanu

Life Ceremony, Sayaka Murata (trans. Ginny Tapley Takemori)

Yellowface, R. F. Kuang

A Memory Called Empire, Arkady Martine

Assassin of Reality, Marina & Sergey Dyachenko (trans. Julia Meitov Hersey)

Witch King, Martha Wells

Tokyo Ueno Station, Miri Yu (trans. Morgan Giles)

Parable of the Sower, Octavia Butler

Peaces, Helen Oyeyemi

Gingerbread, Helen Oyeyemi

Project Hail Mary, Andy Weir

The Pachinko Parlor, Elisa Shua Dusapin (trans. Aneesa Abbas Higgins)

All Systems Red, Artificial Condition, Rogue Protocol, Exit Strategy, Fugitive Telemetry, and System Collapse (Murderbot #1-4, #6-7), Martha Wells

Revenant Gun, Yoon Ha Lee

The Dry Heart, Natalia Ginzburg (trans. Frances Frenaye)

Gods of Want, K-Ming Chang

Paradais, Fernanda Melchor (trans. Sophie Hughes)

The Mushroom at the End of the World, Anna Tsing

Your Emergency Contact Has Experienced An Emergency, Chen Chen

The Hurting Kind, Ada Limon

Murder on the Orient Express, Agatha Christie

An Unauthorised Fan Treatise, Lauren James

Upstream, Mary Oliver

The Art of Death, Edwidge Danticat

Meander, Spiral, Explode, Jane Alison

alphabet, Inger Christensen (trans. Susanna Nied)

Between the World and Me, Ta-Nehisi Coates

flawed, but enjoyable

The Wicker King, K. Ancrum

Exit West, Mohsin Hamid

Detransition, Baby, Torrey Peters

Flux, Jinwoo Chong

Bang Bang Bodhisattva, Aubrey Wood

The Murder of Mr. Wickham, Claudia Gray

Natural Beauty, Ling Ling Huang

The Monster Baru Cormorant, Seth Dickinson

Certain Dark Things, Silvia Moreno-Garcia

The Likeness, Tana French

The Cabinet, Un-su Kim (trans. Sean Lin Halbert)

The Kingdom of Surfaces, Sally Wen Mao

The World Keeps Ending, and the World Goes On, Franny Choi

good, well-written, but not my cup of tea

The Good House, Tananarive Due

The Transmigration of Bodies, Yuri Herrera (trans. Lisa Dillman)

Roadside Picnic, Arkady & Boris Strugatsky (trans. Olena Bormashenko)

The School for Good Mothers, Jessamine Chan

At Night All Blood Is Black, David Diop (trans. Anna Moschovakis)

Family Lexicon, Natalia Ginzburg (trans. Jenny McPhee)

The Empress of Salt and Fortune, Nghi Vo

The Kingdom of This World, Alejo Carpentier (trans. Harriet de Onís)

Against Silence, Frank Bidart

flawed, less enjoyable

Tenth of December, George Saunders

Counterweight, Djuna (trans. Anton Hur)

Authority, Jeff VanderMeer

Comfort Me with Apples, Catherynne M. Valente

Babel, R. F. Kuang

The Genesis of Misery, Neon Yang

Carrie Soto Is Back, Taylor Jenkins Reid

not ranking

These are nonfiction and they aren’t literature-related, so it just felt weird trying to rank them.

Visual Thinking, Temple Grandin

On Web Typography, Jason Santa Maria

The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up, Marie Kondo (trans. Cathy Hirano)

[distant-wcrlds]

Spook's First Promo!

All my muses are kind of lacking in people to interact with right now, so if any of my blogs pique your interest, as a writing partner or even a lurker, please send me a message or fill out my interest tracker!

Some brief character descriptions, in order of appearance:

Aceen & Damus Tall (@slayemal-na-nerate)- twin Zabrak brothers who grew apart as they got older, eventually becoming entirely estranged as one was recruited by the Republic Army as a medic and the other turned to smuggling and bounty hunting

Inquisitor Lavellan (@laimdalen-itellam)- an amnesiac elf with a big heart who SHOULD NOT have been placed in charge of an apocalypse-prevention militia but managed to do a half-decent job for the sake of his found family

Garrett Hawke (@gayrett-hawke)- a disaster gay whose barely-controlled, but incredibly strong, magic and highly exaggerated appearance of self-confidence caused him to stumble his way into unwanted fame and infamy, an equally disastrous group of friends, and enough trauma to last him several lifetimes (icon is by @melonadraws)

Leia Angelica Morales (@sweltering-in-central-city)- a geeky tomboy with social anxiety who was finally fulfilling her childhood dreams of becoming a superhero until time travel rewrote her past and left her to manage her terrifyingly destructive powers on her own, a job she failed at miserably (icon made with @ummmmandy's picrew)

Taura Caterina Andreas (@lovely-little-bull)- the Minotaur's grandchild, raised by him to fear the gods and their children, who must come to terms with being the child of an Olympian herself, all the while wondering if her new family will kill her like they did her beloved "Pappoúlis" once they realize she's a monster just like him

Rachel "Raven" Roth (@empath-from-azarath)- a take on the Titan that pays more attention to her upbringing and empathic abilities, both of which were formative in creating the deadpan dork of a goth you all know and love

Asafké Baru (@not-a-twilek)- a force-sensitive orphaned mechanic who disguises herself as a human while trying to earn enough credits to finally escape the desert wasteland of Tatooine, where she crash-landed after escaping the men who enslaved her as a child (icon made with @ummmmandy's picrew)

Bruce Wayne (@guardian-of-gotham)- your favorite autistic batdad who fights crime while dressed like a flying rodent as an unhealthy coping mechanism, now with familiar flavors of kindness and self-sacrifice to cleanse your soul after dealing with any unwanted depictions of him as an edgy, brutal opportunist who doesn't love his kids (I'm looking at you, Tom K*ng)

Aya (@not-so-artificial)- a lovable semi-organic computer program made of pure green lantern energy, who is normally very sweet but is also very bad at understanding and dealing with emotions to the extent that she tried to eliminate all life and emotions from the universe after experiencing heartbreak (she got better, though)

Rules in my pinned post. Bios in the pinned post for each sideblog. This was supposed to be posted yesterday, but my head hurt too much to deal with tagging it. I promise it's not an April Fool's joke, though.

(Also, please ignore how simple Aya's blog is right now. I only put her out this early because I needed the 9th icon to make the image format look better.)