#and ive had french classes for three years

[girlfriendsofthegalaxy]

tuesday again 9/24/2024

you might be wondering “is my dear friend tumblr user girlfriendsofthegalaxy still unemployed?” the answer is yes. take this cat off my hands please i don’t think he’s causing the unemployment but he certainly isn’t helping

listening

via Wendy @dying-suffering-french-stalkers, Huoy Meas' ប្រគល់ក្ដីស្នេហ៍មកខ្ញុំវិញ. figuring out what this incredibly zippy Cambodian rock song is named and what it's about was really difficult bc spotify is a bane upon this earth and won't let you fucking copy-paste and OCR was not working on the Khmer script. i ended up listening to the first couple seconds of each of her songs on apple music, and finally figured out this roughly translates to Give Me Back My Love and is about begging a fuckboy for closure.

via the spotify discover weekly, Night Club's Pretty Girls Do Ugly Things. all Night Club's songs sound the same so if you like one, great news! i had this song on for a full gregorian hour bc, i am only a tiny bit ashamed to say, i was storyboarding a The Man With No Name fancam to this. i think it would go pretty hard.

Smoke you like a cigarette Choke you like a lariat Fatalistic tourniquet Do you want more?

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reading

thank you mackintosh.

i did not Adore any of these comics from the library. i sort of enjoyed Night of the Ghoul, a one-volume TPB by Scott Snyder and Francesco Francavilla. i think ive blogged about this before but every once in a while i'll get a bee in my bonnet to read some horror comics even though i am a giant baby about horror movies.

Night of the Ghoul is about how you can't save your dad from PTSD but also about a lost horror film and also about the extremely dad behavior of tracking down every scrap of info about an auteur. there's also a monster.

the subtle art changes from present day to the remains of the film to the non-film flashbacks are well done, imo. the cover screams mignola but the inside pages are really fun pulp nonsense. i love a piece of genre writing that rolls around and delights in being a piece of genre writing.

im doing my level best not to get sucked into tiktok but i DO love watching this lady revive antique nail polish and look for dupes for shades from like the 20s. she found an almost exact dupe for a shade produced during wwii which is crazy insane to me!!!

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watching

The Asphalt Jungle (1950, dir. Huston), it's a very painterly heist noir. i even like Sterling Hayden in one of the more prominent roles, even though i think he generally has the appeal of undercooked dough.

much like Fritz Lang's M, it presents the criminal element of the city as its own class with its own reputation and reference systems. it got in some trouble with the censors for having a VERY clearly laid out heist plan and execution. it's also got the babiest Marilyn Monroe in one of her earliest roles

this was such a gloriously messy movie. everyone is such a fucking mess. this woman only known as Doll is heartbreakingly, head over heels in love with Sterling Hayden's character. she's a little flighty and bumbling and silly, but determined! they're constantly orbiting the gravitational weight of her desire for this man and desire for a real life with this man. and that's just one subplot! she has maybe five minutes total screentime! she should have gotten a supporting actress oscar!!! everyone acted their fucking hearts out and it was so much fun to watch!

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playing

monument valley is in the netflix games library this month (i don't actually know what their liscencing agreements would even look like, they and the studios they worked with were very tightlipped about that when they were rolling this out three years ago) but i assume it's going to be on the service for a while. i have never played this game, which makes me feel a little bit like a bad gamer. you can tell it's ten years old from some of the color and texture choices, but WOW did literally everyone take inspiration from this game.

this is the platonic ideal of a phone game. i get why everyone went insane about it and there was a brief boom of geometry-based puzzle mobile games. it is MUCH much harder now to get people to pay money to play a game that has a planned endpoint and planned number of levels, so netflix is a good home for it.

i was often frustrated but always delighted. the level below involves making something happening that made me genuinely gasp out loud in glee. well worth the annoyance of downloading the netflix app and scrolling through the poorly labeled and poorly sorted carousel of games.

great retrospective, a bit about how you need to have tiny teams go off and just kind of fuck around and bring weird stuff back, and a lot about how they actually designed the levels

The end result had a pixel-perfect axonometric aesthetic that not only went hard on its references to Dutch master artist and printmaker Maurits Cornelis Escher, but also dug deep into classic video game design, going right back to early arcade machines and 8-bit titles. Each of the ten levels is like a piece of fine furniture, built with invisible dovetail joints and inlaid with marquetry, stuffed with secret compartments and little design flourishes. Gray cites the world of theatre and stage design, as well as graphics, as important keystones in the way the levels were constructed. ‘Ken would always talk about flower arranging, and how you frame a silhouette of a level on the screen,’ he says.

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making

update on the Phantom Menace fabric: pinked the raw edges and threw it in the laundry again with a very large quantity of vinegar. 50% poly was too high for it to really do anything, which is interesting. it didn’t lessen the seam edge effects either, which is a little annoying bc the seams were so gigantic and that’s a good chunk of fabric to lose. i am going to buy a camp shirt pattern at some point when i have money again but for now it goes in The Box

also! thrifted a pack of o-rings for jars for a dollar and finally put my grains etc in my pretty jars. they’re going to live in the pantry but today they live out on the countertop

[scotianostra]

Ludovic Stewart, 2nd Duke of Lennox and 1st Duke of Richmond was born 29th September 1574.

I seldom post about, what I class as minor nobility, but while having a glance through the history of Ludovic I discovered a few things that were of interest, so here goes.

Ludovic was the son of Esmé Stewart, some of you might recall him as being a favourite of the young James VI until those suspicious of his catholic upbring, forced him out of Scotland.

One of the thing that intrigues me a wee bit is that the sources all give the surname as Stewart, not Stuart. And? I hear you say? Well Esmé's branch of the family lived most of their lives in France., this is where the spelling was changed from Stewart to Stuart in the case of Mary Queen of Scots, she went to France as Mary Stewart and returned as Marie Stuart, the French never had a W in their alphabet back then.

James VI was very fond of Ludovic's father, even immortalising him in a poem called "Ane Tragedie of the Phoenix", which compared him to an exotic bird of unique beauty killed by envy.

The Raid on Ruthven, in which the young king was held prisoner for the best part of a year, gave the Protestant lords of the Congregation the opportunity to expel Esmé, he died in France not long afterwards, James felt an obligation to look after Ludovic, he returned from France and was taken to meet James VI at Kinneil House who issued instructions for the education of Ludovic. The Lennox Stewarts would be a mainstay in the court of The Stuarts for the next two centuries.

From what I can pick up Ludovic wasn't the nicest of guys, three times married, his first wife died a year after the marriage, he abandoned his second wife,Jean Campbell, great-granddaughter of James IV and left her in poverty in Scotland while he moved to join the royal court in London. Lennox wrote in April 1605 to William Livingstone of Kilsyth, who managed some of his Scottish estates, that he wished to "rid me of her" and "be quit of her." In December 1610, after this marriage had ended and Jean had died, her brother Hugh Campbell of Loudon complained that the Duke had taken her fine things to England, leaving her "drowned in great debt" with only an old silver basin, three little cups, and their children. He married a third time, a wealthy English Duchess, who outlived him.

As a favourite of the King Ludovic was granted lands at Portlough in the Barony of Raphoe in County Donegal, he was also involved in the colonization of Maine in New England. Richmond Island and Cape Richmond, as well as Richmond, Maine (formerly Fort Richmond), are named after him.

He died in 1624, aged 49 and was interred in the Stewart/Stuart Tomb in Westminster Abbey, as seen in the photos.

[lynnbeth5172]

Blacked Last Night iv

"For the last time, mum..! don't wanna go." Vivi tapped her finger on her phone as she chewed a bit on her nail, she waited to hear her mother's voice from her phone again. She was looking around her room searching for a pair of pants as her mother called her about going to her aunt Clara's wedding, she didn't know if her aunt knew about her phobia but hopefully she had some sense of what she was going through. Granted she hasn’t seen her aunt since she was sixteen but she still hoped someone told her about her phobia.

"She wants to see you again, you know that your aunt hasn't seen you in three years." Her mother's voice sounded slightly more tired than she remembered, she could hear a can opening and felt a small smile play at her lips. Her father cracking open a can of beer was something she was used to, either beer or soda, he was never a wine person; always complaining about how strong it was. Vivi didn’t mind it personally but that was her opinion that she didn’t tell her father.

"Does she know about my agoraphobia?" Vivi ran a hand through her hair as she pulled on a pair of jeans, though some people would hardly be awake at 6:00. It was the only way she could get breakfast and not be bothered or bump into other students.

"She does, and I've tried telling her that but she says that she'll still be heartbroken if you don't attend." Her mother sounded sympathetic and a sinking feeling came to her stomach, she could possibly have a plus one but she had no mate…okay well she supposed that was a lie but Michael Gavey seemed like the person to not go to a wedding, also she didn’t want people to confuse them for dating.

“Mum…can I bring someone?” She tapped her foot and put a finger to her lip and tapped on it till she answered.

“Yes, though she says that she’ll have to meet the person first.” Then came the question that she expected;

“Who are you thinking of bringing?” Vivi pressed her lips together and tried not to stutter.

“A…friend.” She put on her shoes and popped a pill into her mouth, swallowing it and hanging up after she said she loved her mum.

Okay so…she supposed now she should probably ask Michael Gavey if he wants to come to a wedding.

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“Explain to me again…why the hell are you inviting me to a wedding? Barely know you.” Michael glanced at Vivi as they both spoke in quietly in their French class, they both sat a bit distantly from the other students in the class yet close enough to each other to talk.

“My aunt wants me to go and I don’t wanna go alone…also there’s the possibility that she probably won’t shut it about me being with someone since she did it last time…” That time she made eye contact with him and looked back down; she seemed almost more nervous than she was yesterday, but that could be due to her agoraphobia and not being comfortable in a class.

“Don’t you have a mate to bring?” He glanced at her and she blinked before shaking her head.

“Who’d want to be friends with someone who barely leaves her dorm?” She looked back at her paper and continued writing, a small sense of relatability bubbled in him, he’d always ask himself that. ‘Who’d be friends with the boy with glasses and who is brilliant at math?’ He used to think that it was Oliver who was that friend but well…clearly not. He felt almost embarrassed as he spoke:

“Suppose you’re a Norman no-mates too then?” He heard her stop writing and looked to see her slightly frozen but she swallowed and nodded before speaking:

“Most of them stopped being there when my phobia got worse, I tried going to parties with them but I just kept feeling nauseous and wanting to leave. I kept trying to go to parties with them but I think it became worse…better to just not go to parties than feel like you’re drowning in people.” She swallowed and looked down, picking back up her pencil and playing with the eraser.

“Probably a stupid thing to say but yea…I have no mates anymore, I can think the same goes for you?” His throat felt dry as he nodded and wrote his notes as he spoke.

“Had a friend back in school but they went to a different college, then Oliver came and I thought I had a mate but he liked the posh cunts more.”

Making friends for Michael was always not something he enjoyed; he was an outsider even if he was posh like them, he always resented how it felt like they felt righteous for something that their parents payed for.

“So…Yea, no friends.” It was silence for a moment, say for when Michael tried pronouncing ‘Developer’ in French, to no avail.

“It’s ‘Révélateur‘.” He looked at Vivi who looked up from her notes, he scrunched his lips and took in a breath.

“Yeah I know, just it’s hard to pronounce.” Michael only knew a bit of French and Spanish but he was mostly more good at Spanish than French.

An idea seemed to have come to Vivi as she leaned in and looked at his notes, Michael felt oddly hot having her near him. Enough to where she could whisper into his ear.

“Why don’t we do something? You go with me to the wedding…and maybe help with my agoraphobia, then I’ll help you with French and anything you’d struggling with.” He raised a brow when she mentioned her agoraphobia.

“I…I want to be able to at least get it under control by the time the wedding comes up, last wedding I went to, I was near a panic. Don’t know if I can have it go away fully but I would like to try and have it a bit more under control.” She moved away and played with a loose string from her shirt, he thought about it for a moment and offered his hand.

“Fine then…as long as you also maybe help me with another thing; help maybe do something to Quick.” It was Vivi’s turn to raise a brow and look at him, granted what he wanted to do wasn’t horrible but…still he wanted her to agree to it.

“Okay then…as long as it doesn’t include murder then I promise I’ll help.” She offered her pinky and he suppressed a smile and took her pinky, she returned his smile and nodded.

“Suppose that makes us sort of friends?” Vivi looked at him and he shrugged, her eyes showed curiosity and he thought about it for a moment before nodded and offering her a grin.

“You’re my mate then…though if we go through this wedding and revenge on Oliver, we’ll still be friends.” She nodded and took his hand again, squeezing it.

“Michael Gavey you’re my mate.”

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Yes this is early but I already had a small outline for this part❤️❤️❤️also MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ANYONE WHO CELEBRATES ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️Happy Hanukkah or Kwanza to everyone and I hope you all have a lovely day💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚🎄💚💚💚💚💚🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄

Taglist: @bellaisasleep @prettymuchteddy @fan-goddess @arcielee @sepherinaspoppies @knewwaver @liv-cole @synkverv @valeskafics

[demigodsanswer]

☔

[wip game]

☔Is there a fic concept you have that you'd like to just explain and share because you're not sure you'll ever write it? If so, what is it?

Please allow me to introduce you to my self indulgent Shakespeare AU!

It would basically be an Actor AU that is also my apology to Luke for what I did to him in TUAP as well as a place to put all my Shakespeare love and knowledge.

The concept is the characters working as actors in a summer Shakespeare festival out on Long Island (if you've seen the TV show Slings and Arrows, it's a bit like that, but by no means a direct AU). It would take place over a rehearsal period and summer production season, as Percy and Annabeth slowly reconnect and fall in love, despite not having any on-stage romantic moments.

The backstory is, Percy and Annabeth met as kids at the adjacent theater camp for the festival, and returned year after year. They grew apart in college, as Annabeth went to Yale for drama (disappointing her Harvard family), and Percy stayed in New York. He went to City College and took additional acting classes (fuck NYU, he did not go to NYU. No way he's paying for that). This is her second year performing in the festival, but Percy's sixth year or so. The year before, she was Cordelia in King Lear, Isabella in Measure for Measure, and Celia in As You Like It. Percy was Casio, Edgar, and Orlando. They've never played romantic partners (In MFM, they were brother and sister).

This year, their characters actually have very little on-stage time together, but they still find time to reconnect through rehearsals. There was some spark the summer before, but they were mostly getting reacquainted. This year, they're already starting out closer friends, and now is the perfect time for more to start stirring between them. Show-mance ensues.

The summer of the fic, they are doing the full Second Henriad (Richard II, Henry IV parts one and two, and Henry V).

Percy is Hal/Henry V, and it's his first summer a major star for the festival, and he's hoping this will really jump start his professional performance career, and get him into bigger festivals and New York shows. He is basically the lead for three of the four shows, and has the longest arc. It's also a role with lots of complex daddy issues, so he kills it. And he gets to sword fight. He's great at stage combat.

Luke is Richard II, Hotspur, and the French dauphin. He's a bigger star, but he has come back to the smaller festival to be Richard II and Hotspur, two of his dream roles. In this AU, he's much more of a big brother figure to both Percy and Annabeth. Although, he does tend to get cast as antagonists.

"Last year I was Angelo in Measure for Measure and Edmund in King Lear, and this year I'm Hotspur. What is it about me that screams villain? Antagonist?" Luke asked.

"Facial scar," Annabeth said simply at the same moment that Percy hit him with: "Blond."

Also Luke playing a character named "Henry Percy" does cause constant confusion, given that Henry V is irl a Percy.

Annabeth plays all the major women: Anne of Bohemia, Katherine Percy (Hotspur's wife), and the French princess Katherine. (Originally she was going to be the production dramaturg, but that is simply to close to my dissertation research, and it would get a little too specific for a fanfiction).

She spends the whole summer complaining about the choice to do a series of plays with a dearth of female characters. Despite this, she is the only principal actor with a role in all four shows ("Hardly a principal actor! You have more lines in 1 Henry IV than I have in all four plays combined!"). While she does have a role in all four shows, this is certainly a downgrade from the characters she got to play the year before. ("We could have at least added Merry Wives of Windsor!")

This does mean Annabeth technically gets to play Percy's wife, but it's hardly the great on-stage romance they could have had if she'd landed the role of Rosalind in As You Like It, opposite his Orlando. And she's still mad she didn't get Rosalind. She thought she'd be perfect for it. But Chiron wanted her as Isabella more.

[knightzp]

Hi Miki!!! Was wondering how did you learn english? I'm gonna start working on spanish soon and I'm trying to think what would be best for how to get a basic knowledge of words and stuff because I don't know much

HII TIA!!! ohh in my case i learned a good part of my english just going to classes. english is like the compulsory second language in almost all schools here so i remember starting learning my very first words when i was just like. three years old lol. apart from the lessons i had every year at school my parents also made me attend a lot of extracurricular english classes growing up and i even went a couple of months during summer to the uk where i spent the time living with a family there and so i had no other option than to read and talk in english all the time and it helped a lot too

but ig this isnt very useful to you so thinking of something that can help you in an easier way and that has helped me a lot too was reading a lot and watching shows in english! i was always very lazy to start reading books in english ngl but when i started with fics i had no other option so i slowly began doing it and tbh it took me a while to get really used to it, bc even if i already had a good english level there were still words and expressions typically used in writing that i had never come around just yet. i was slow at first, looking words on the dictionary from time to time, but i really felt like it helped me lots to get better and it still does. and not only fics. unironically reading posts here on tumblr also helps a lot bc it makes me read in english every day and so i can easily maintain my level and even improve it. for the tv shows, i found that watching cartoons especifically helped me a lot since i hear the voices clearer than in other shows and even if you dont know that well the language i feel like this helps. ive done this not only with english but also with french, which im by no means as fluent as im with english but even if i didnt understand every single word i think it helped me quite a lot!

however its true that for what i said abt the reading and the tv shows you need at least some basic level on the language and since you said you dont know much.... mmmm i remember that back in school we used to read some thin books during english classes that were basically adaptations of other actual books (like one i remember was frankestein for example) but with simplified language and they were available for each level you had so something like that might help ! idk if it would be possible to find them online for free but i dont think itd be very expensive to buy one or two if you want to

[ostianshadow]

TOA Anniversary Munday!

Celebrating TOA and the people who contribute to make our group what it is.

Repost, don't reblog. Only fill in what you feel comfortable sharing!

Happy anniversary, TOA! Here's to many more years spent together.

Name: vicky (aka key or wkey)

Pronouns: she/her

Birthday (no year): jan 6

Where are you from? What is your time zone? french canadian. west coast best coast. pst.

Roleplay experience: idk since i was like 7? running around the neighbourhood w the boyz and gming our own little world of makebelieve… writing/online-wise, since around the age of 10-11 when we got a puter in the living room.

Got any pets? black kitty called cabbage i fostered and then adopted. she's no thoughts head empty and that's why she won over my other 16 foster cats. /hj

Favorite time of year: autumn-ish or spring. don't do well in the heat but sad makes winter bad.

Some interests and things you like: comics&webtoons, puzzle games (picross, sudoku, etc), ultimate frisbee, tennis, hiking, traveling

Some funfacts & trivia about you:

-prefer crepes to pancakes

-don't leave me alone with a box of ice cream sandwiches for the love of-

-past key has cumulatively drawn 500+ comic pages over the years (and misses it dearly)

-used to play ice hockey, played for bout 12 years. stopped due to injuries.

What non-Fire Emblem games do you play? ffxiv, zelda, tales of, undertale

Favorite Pokemon type & Pokemon: ghost, haunter

How did you get into Fire Emblem? smash bros /j i think my bro acquired a copy of fe7 and the rest is history

What Fire Emblem games have you played? 6 through current

First Fire Emblem game: 7

Favorite Fire Emblem game: hrkkk probably 7 but super fond of sacred stones n path of radiance too

Any Fire Emblem crushes? 😳

lmao

If you’ve played the following games, who was your first S support? Who would you S support nowadays?

- Awakening: mightve been chrom by accident n woulda been pissed about it. henry & gaius beloveds

- Fates: conquest- niles, birthright- azama, revelations- kaze

- Three Houses: was it claude or felix? idk but claude is def why i started w deer haha

- Engage: louis and lapis i married both that's my story and im sticking to it

Favorite Fire Emblem class: thief or mage

If you were a Fire Emblem character, what would be your class? probably an archer, or mage. miss me w close combat

If you were a Three Houses character, what would be your affiliation? hmm… i wanna say deer but probably beagles

If you were an Engage character, which Emblem would you Engage with? lyn. long distance pew pew goes brrrrr

How did you find TOA? kept seeing it on twitter from ol ferp mutuals and eventually caved

Current TOA muses: hector, matthew, azama

Who was your first TOA muse? If you don’t have them anymore, could you see yourself picking them up again? ewan. some days i think i could.

Have you had any other TOA muses? florina, henry

Do you think you have a type of character you gravitate towards? prickly, maybe. in general muses that allow me to explore… ewan is more outgoing than i will ever be, but lets himself feel petty or jealous. hector is brash, but struggling with an uncomfortable and unexpected weight on his shoulders. azama invites conflict like he needs it to breathe, while ive typically been averse to conflict. florina is timid but trying to grow stronger for her friends (and herself, she comes to realize). henry is… an oddball, idk how to describe what draws me to writing him. change of pace maybe? requires thinking outside the box with his unique worldview. i dont tend toward angst but matthew is a good output for it if im feelin it haha.

What do you believe you enjoy writing the most? i think i like. when threads start to come together. yknow in stories when you can start referring to things that have happened? and you're like "woah wait i know what that's referring to!!"

when you manage to reach a shared history ig? i know im p slow re. writing but i cherish the bonds and overarching/intertwined stories my muses wind up with. people you meet touch your life in ways you might not immediately fathom…

Favorite TOA-related memory: lots of lock & key justice shenanigans… bunker … enjoyed unscripted a whole heck of a lot as well

How do you pronounce TOA? 🤔 T-O-A. sounds fancier to spell it out haha

Got any delusions that didn’t see the light of day that you’d like to share? 😉 felix, ike, kaze, serra, sain, naesala, ingrid, eldigan, bramimond, lethe, shinon, kliff… not so much delusions as "might be fun to explore…" – and i wouldn't trade our current reps of the above for the world ✌️

[thececeverse]

001. KIM MI-RAE … ˗ˏˋ ꒰ ♡ ꒱ ˎˊ˗

KIM MI-RAE is a soloist under SM Entertainment and Interscope Records. Starting out as a model, actress, and ballerina, Mi-rae began to branch into the music industry in 2018, but her own solo debut wouldn’t happen for another 5 years. Already beloved in Korea and worldwide, her long-awaited debut—“Heart Burn”—was a smash hit, and Mi-rae has gone on to become one of Korea’s most prominent celebrities, being dubbed the “Nation’s Princess.”

BASICS … ˗ˏˋ ꒰ ♡ ꒱ ˎˊ˗

BIRTH NAME … Kim Mi-rae (김미래)

ENGLISH NAME … Crystal Marie Angelica Bienvenu

ALSO GOES BY … Crystal Angelica Kim

NICKNAMES … Angel, Angie, Mimmi, Rika-chan

BIRTHDAY … April 28th, 1995

ZODIAC … Taurus

BIRTHPLACE … Seoul, South Korea

HOMETOWN … Seoul, South Korea + Paris, France + Manhattan, New York

ETHNICITY … Korean-French

NATIONALITY … Korean-French-American

SEXUALITY … Bisexual

PHYSICAL … ˗ˏˋ ꒰ ♡ ꒱ ˎˊ˗

HEIGHT … 4’10” (147 cm)

WEIGHT … 96 lbs (43 kg)

BLOOD TYPE … B

PIERCINGS … N/A

TATTOOS … N/A

CLAIMS … ˗ˏˋ ꒰ ♡ ꒱ ˎˊ˗

FACE CLAIM … YooA / Kim Si-ah (OH MY GIRL) + ?

VOICE CLAIM … Minatozaki Sana (TWICE / singing) + Jang Wonyoung (IVE / speaking)

DANCE CLAIM … Mina (TWICE)

CAREER … ˗ˏˋ ꒰ ♡ ꒱ ˎˊ˗

COMPANY … LOEN Entertainment (2018–2021) + SM Entertainment + Interscope Records

OCCUPATION … Singer-songwriter, composer, actress, model, ballet dancer, fashion designer

DEBUT DATE … June 9th, 2023

TRAINEE YEARS … 2 years

YEARS ACTIVE … 2023–present

SURVIVAL SHOWS … Girls Planet 999 (2021 / guest mentor)

FANDOM NAME … Miracle (미러클)

COLORS … #C2EFFF + #FFFFFF

BACKGROUND … ˗ˏˋ ꒰ ♡ ꒱ ˎˊ˗

⋆ ˚｡⋆୨୧˚ 🦢 … ONE. BEGINNINGS IN BALLET

Kim Mi-rae was born in Seoul, South Korea to a French father and a Korean mother as the youngest of three children. Her father, Lucas Alexandre Bienvenu, is a renowned pastry chef and former model who hails from a noble family. Her mother, Kim Minyoung, is a semi-retired supermodel and fashion designer who founded the luxury brand MYK in 1994. Mi-rae’s older siblings—Kim Jaehyun (or Christopher Kim) and Kim Narae (or Christina Bienvenu)—also have successful careers, as Jaehyun is a singer-songwriter based in Korea and the United States, while Narae is a supermodel and actress.

Ever since she could remember, ballet has been a huge part of Mi-rae’s life. In 1998, her mother placed both her and her older sister in classes to help develop their strength, discipline, and to help them discover their interests. Narae only remained in ballet for seven years until she went on to begin her career as a model, but Mi-rae stayed. She knew ballet was her true calling, and for the next decade, she would grow to become one of the world’s most prolific ballerinas.

⋆ ˚｡⋆୨୧˚ 🦢 … TWO. INDUSTRY DARLING + A CAREER IN LIMBO

Starting in 2007, Mi-rae would study at the Bolshoi Academy for a year and a half. During the times when she wasn’t in class or competing, however, she was in front of a camera. In 2008, she was featured in a children’s campaign for her mother’s brand. It was her third modeling job; her first was when she accompanied her mother down the Chanel runway in 1997, and her second was when she was featured in her mother’s “No. 5” campaign in 2001. Once those photos dropped, however, it was a whole new world for Mi-rae. One of Minyoung’s close friends contacted her and asked why Mi-rae wasn’t a model. A few days later, she was sitting in front of another camera for a portfolio shoot, and that summer, she had a contract with Wilhelmina.

In between becoming the youngest soloist at the Korea National Ballet at only 16, Mi-rae would also become a top model, with her career reaching its peak by 2011. By then, she had made her film debut in one of Korea’s top blockbusters, and multimillion dollar contracts with L’Oréal and Kate Spade came with it. She starred in campaigns for top brands such as Chanel, Oscar de la Renta, Giambattista Valli, Vivienne Westwood, Anna Sui, Moschino, Miu Miu, Jill Stuart, and Saks Fifth Avenue. She walked runways in Paris and Milan despite her short height, and became renowned for her unique, “doll-like” looks. Unsurprising considering that both her mother and her sister became supermodels, but her most surprising venture would come in 2018.

After rising to the position of principal dancer and becoming a guest principal at both the Bolshoi Ballet and the American Ballet Theatre in 2015, three years later, Mi-rae was inspired by her brother and she made the decision to pursue an idol career in Korea, signing with LOEN Entertainment. The announcement shocked the public, as most thought she would do nothing but ballet even after her cover of IU’s “Boo” went viral in 2016. Mi-rae’s debut was intended to come just months after she signed, but once she got busy with ballet and acting, it was unfortunately but inevitably delayed.

In between 2018 and 2021, Mi-rae made strides as an actress and television host, in addition to her established ballet career. She was nominated for her first major award in 2018, starred in a career defining drama a year later, and was offered her very own talk show by KBS in 2021. However, despite all of that success, there was still no talk of Mi-rae’s debut. In early 2019, rumors spread on online forums that her debut was set for sometime that year. However, said rumors were quickly dispelled by LOEN and Mi-rae herself. That led netizens to ask the question: just when was her debut?

In January 2021, it was announced that Mi-rae had terminated her contract with LOEN (now Kakao). This had fans worried, as that could’ve spelled the end of her idol career before it even started. A month later, however, SM announced that Mi-rae had signed with them instead.

⋆ ˚｡⋆୨୧˚ 🦢 … THREE. THE DEBUT

Even though fans were expecting an immediate debut, they unfortunately wouldn’t get that. Mi-rae would take to social media explaining that she wanted to train her voice and get used to the industry before debuting, and that such a process would take a while. In the meantime, Mi-rae would of course continue ballet and touch on other aspects of her career, starring in two television shows and a film and also trying her hand at fashion design, designing a capsule collection for her mother’s brand in 2022. As the years dragged on, though, fans grew worried again.

However, in the spring of 2023, something happened. SM announced that Mi-rae was preparing for her debut, and that it would happen sometime in the summer. A day later, she posted footage of herself in one of SM’s studios, and netizens immediately began talking.

In May, Mi-rae was featured on aespa’s “‘Til We Meet Again,” and anticipation for her debut continued to grow. And then, after a month of teasers, Mi-rae’s debut EP—Jewel—was finally released.

⋆ ˚｡⋆୨୧˚ 🦢 … FOUR. SUPERSTARDOM

Mi-rae’s debut album and its corresponding single instantly became chart-topping hits. She quickly rose to becoming one of Korea’s most beloved soloists, with netizens comparing her to the likes of IU, Bae Suzy, and Im Yoon-ah.

Her surprising vocal talent further endeared her to the public, garnering her nicknames such as Korea’s Doll, SM’s Angel, and Nation’s Little Sister. Even though her career isn’t even a year old yet, many agree that it clearly looks promising. Mi-rae is—in every sense of the word—a star, and her well-rounded skill set, charming personality, and princess-like image is setting her up to be one of the industry’s most iconic idols.

[tonycamonte]

actually freddie life update time ^__^

graduating hs this year (scary) + class started on tuesday ermm im still unemployed... um i went 2 the city just with my friend + nobody else for the first time 2 weeks ago (this sounds ridiculous but you have to understand its an hour and a half commute i live on an island + i cant drive lmao. im just a countryboyy) + she got mad at me because i was so bad at reading the bus schedules ❤️<- guy who has not taken a Big City bus in 11 years. what else i went to another party we had it in the middle of a provincial park and it sucked really bad so i left at 12 but everyone who stayed said it was more fun after that so whoopsie but idgaf it was lame. uhhh i wanted to be in earth science but i ended up in environmental science instead and it was realllly annoying (my teacher was weird + a specific type of hippie i dont really like And it was right after genocide studies so kind of two downers in a row. also she made us watch prince ea videos) so i got my counselor to change me into philosophy 12 but now i regret it because its too hard -__- so that was not smart but whatever. also ive been kind of slightly inactive but for like no reason i just dont feel like it. anyway my best friend came back from the camp she worked at all summer + its bumming me out because i didnt see her + everything + she is always talkin about how she likes her camp friends more than her friends here and its like damaging my fragile little ego............ and i dont have any classes with anyone i know and im LONELY. im so lonely you guys how am i going to survive the rest of my life without my three friends ive had since the dawn of time but also i believe in myself 🕊️ and my best friends are also kind of mean but its like whatever theyre all moving out in 5 to 12 months and theyll all be either in the city or literally on the other side of the planet. supposedly. this was so miserable sorry i am actually doing really good i got into the culinary arts program again + its so fun i love the chefs like our head chef is like top ten people ive ever met in my life hes soooo nice. + i have my favourite english teacher next semester so awesome because i thought id never have him again because i was so incredibly annoying to him in 9th grade. + im smarter now + like marginally more committed to school so maybe i can write an essay that doesnt suck ass this time ! what elseee i graduated french immersion + next year at some point im going to quebec + the us east coast because ive only been to california washington oregon + idaho and im like a fake fan. of the united states of america. also ive never been to another canadian province so really im more a fake fan of canada but thats ok by me. also i have been writing more and im having fun. OKAY THATS ALL I LOVE YOU FOREVER ESPECIALLY IF YOU READ THIS GOOBYE !!!!!

[itsisla-dubois]

[ciswoman and she/her] Welcome to Aurora Bay, [ISLA DUBOIS]! I couldn’t help but notice you look an awful lot like [JESSICA ALEXANDER]. You must be the [TWENTY-TWO] year old [SAG-AFRA ACTRESS/PART-TIME INSTRUCTOR AT ELEGANCE DANCE STUDIO]. Word is you’re [SOPHISTICATED] but can also be a bit [RUTHLESS] and your favorite song is [W.I.T.C.H. BY DEVON COLE]. I also heard you’ll be staying in [CRYSTAL COVE]. I��m sure you’ll love it!

@aurorabayaesthetic

Full Name: Isla Marguerite DuBois Nickname(s): I, Is, Princess, Lapin (family only) Age: 22 Birthday: May 30th, 2002 Astrological Sign: Gemini Place of Birth: Quebec, Canada Parents: Henri III & Celia DuBois (65 & 54) Siblings: Henri Dubois IV (31), Julian DuBois (29), Kais DuBois (27), and Claude DuBois (25) Children: N/A Pets: Louie (3-month-old French Bulldog) *Relationships: see wanted connectionsScars: N/A Tattoos: N/A Other Physical Distinctions: Heart-shaped birthmark on her right hip Sexual Orientation & Gender: Heterosexual and Heteroromantic ;; Ciswoman Occupation: SAG-AFRA Actress & Part-time Dance Instructor @ Elegance Dance Studio *subject to change as roles are taken

bullet points

tw: cheating, hyper sexuality

○ ○ born on a picturesque late spring day in quebec, isla dubois’ life was perfect from the moment she began it. with two supermodel-attractive parents who both happened to own their own highly successful businesses, the girl was born wanting for nothing. think burberry baby shoes and ralph lauren dress as her 'going home from the hospital' outfit.

○  isla was born the final child of Henri and Celia, who already had four rambunctious boys at home. being both the baby and the only girl, she quickly learned the power she wielded when a pout and big eyes could get her what she wanted. and she always got what she wanted.

○ being raised like that, she has a tendency to sound really…..entitled. honestly, she doesn’t mean to sound like an absolute stuck up bitch, but that’s her language. the girl can be very caring and sincere if someone can stand the outer shell of some annoying ignorance about the suffering of others.

○ since she was young, isla has loved all things stereotypically girly. pearls, lace, pink, frills: you name it, she loves it. she is always dressed to the nines. coquette has been her style since high school and she never plans on giving it up.

○ the move to aurora bay from quebec in 2014 wasn't much of a change for her. the nannies and housekeepers continued to be her surrogate parents and was still given everything her little heart could desire. it was now just all happening in california.

○ although the move brought them to a mainly english speaking state, the dubois insisted that french still be spoken at home. needless to say, isla still carries her heavy french accent. she doesn't mind it, though. she believes it adds to the mystique.

○ they say you’re either a horse girl, a mermaid girl or a princess girl growing up but isla opted for a secret forth option: the dancer girl. thank you for the music by abba must have been written about her since it seemed that she too had truly been dancing before she could walk. by the age of two she was placed in dance classes, and the dubois' knew they were never looking back. isla's whole heart and soul lives in dance. there was nowhere she felt more free nor more herself than in a dance studio

○ her love of dance and a developing competitive nature that thrived off the need to be the best at everything poised isla perfectly to enter the competitive dance world. she started going for titles at six with her dance company’s elite team and would prove to be a reliable winner as the years went on. the girl has lost count of how many titles she has won and is currently storing at least three rubbermaid boxes full of trophies and crowns in her parents’ attic (since only so many will fit in with her apartment's aesthetic). 'first place’ was like her drug. and the high? it continued to come as easily as everything else did for her. (also, yes, her mom would have been cast on dance moms. 100%)

○ once isla hit puberty, the true devilish side came out. an obsession with men (and their attention) bloomed. she knew she was beautiful and she knew she could get any man she wanted if she tried. this way of thinking has yet to subside. if you identify as male (and straight/bi, she ain’t no reverse james charles) there is about a hundred percent chance she will try and hit on you. partner or not. (isla is also a bit of a notorious homewrecker.)

○ after putting her in modeling classes and acting classes on top of her dance classes, isla quickly fell in love with acting. she recently graduated with her BA (triple majored in screen acting, stage acting and dance (she won't be the dumb blonde stereotype, no thank you)) and has since become a SAG-AFRA actress, starring in a few short films. but considering who her family is (and who she's willing to convince), it's only a matter of time until she's in the blockbusters.

○  having cultivated this obsession for boys, isla has developed a new talent: using them for her own gain. she is a serial dating manipulator. it was only a matter of time, considering the 'casting couch' phenomenon that lurks in the hollywood culture. if you have something to offer her, isla will get close to you and sexually/romantically manipulate you into giving her that advantage. after she’s gotten that, she’ll expertly make the break off seem like the "right thing at this time.”

○ her little "talent" or "industry hack" has become a little more nefarious, however. now it's not so much a game of "who can offer me something" but "who will be the most fun to toy with"? isla has been breaking hearts for fun and there's no signs of stopping her now.

Wanted Connections

the best friends ;; her partner in crime, the ying to his yang. the pair or more that are typically attached by the hip, consult each other, and couldn’t live without one another.

the partier ;; the sound of too loud music and the taste of warm, cheap beer are the defining characteristics of this friendship. these two may give each other recognition in the halls, but as soon as the word ‘party’ is involved, these two are together. the best of friendships always start smashed.

her girls ;; not many women like isla, but these girls are that exception. her ride or dies. she’d kill or hide a body for these women.

the one? ;; these two flirt so much, they might as well just get it over with and date. however, many steps have to be taken to get there. are they willing to make those steps?

the big ex ;; these two seemed to be so in love. …or not. maybe they ended on a good note, maybe it went down in flames. all that’s known for certain is that they went from the cutest couple to barely speaking.

fwb ;; having a friend is good. having a friend who has sex with you is better. no strings attached.

just a hookup ;; they’re for sex and nothing else. harsh but true.

the toy ;; isla’s own little toy. she uses them for whatever reason and makes them think they’re her one and only. will she break her shiny new toy? maybe. she’s not known for being careful.

the scorned ;; whether this is an ex hookup’s  partner or someone she used and threw away, she burned this person. all she can seem to give them is a shrug emoji.

HMU! ~Lo

[nunuisancenewt]

So Shelter Euthanasia rates have been going up the past few years, disappointingly reversing the trend in the 2010s, especially for dogs, and Gen Z are more likely to get an animal from a breeder over a shelter then millenials are

Beyond the numerical data I just wanna talk about some cultural trends I’ve noticed on social media, that reflect how people think about dogs and adoption

First, theres the obvious material comparison to get out of the way, more Gen Z live in apartments and don’t have room for a dog, especially big ones, the three most common breeds to appear in US mixed breeds ancestry are all big dogs, American Pit-bull Terriers, German Shepherds and Labs, combined with landlord rules against “Dangerous Breeds” and weight limits and it becomes convenient to buy a Yorkie or french bulldog ( or adopt a cat? )

Which brings us to Pit-bull hate, particularly, which seems like it’s on the rise. With pitbull hate becoming a racist dog whistle , and the rise of R/banpitbulls and R/Dogfree. then the UK , which previously banned American Pit-bull Terriers, banned “ XL American bullys” leading to more rounds of debate from people who had basically no experience with them talking about how hyper dangerous and aggressive and lethal and stupid and ugly Pit-bulls were and how only horrible people would ever want one

This Is the part where I point out that in a shelter context “ Pit-bull” is basically any medium or large dog with short fur and a large head, wether it be part Rottweiler, mastiff, boxer, chow chow etc whatever, discussion of actual breed characteristics have little relevance to predicting the behavior of mutts based on looks , and people are really bad at guessing a dogs ancestry

Golden retrievers are cool now I guess, used to be they and Labradors were the ultimate symbols of conformity to the Americana suburban dream with 2.5 kids and a white picket fence, but now every goth black-cat bi girl needs a Golden Retriever( blond? Friendly? White? Loyal? i didn’t understand this trend) Gamer boyfriend. Everyone is mocking the designer poodle mixes now, labradoodles and the like, as the ultimate symbol of the upper middle class suburban family, but this time mocking them as “ overpriced mutts”

Purebred fetishism is big again it seems, Tiktok likes the phrase “ Adopt or Shop Responsibly” , The dog nerds don’t talk about Puppy Mills at all, they only mention “ Backyard breeders” which is a vague term for any small scale breeder they don’t like, but particularly those that produce mixed breeds/designer dogs/dogs that don’t fit AKC standards or aren’t registered/ “ unrecognized” breeds, There are a-bunch of people convinced It is important to support “ Ethical Breeding” , but treat that as a synonym for AKC certified, the Organization that determined a Pekingese should look the way it does

Theres a hint of misogyny to it all also? Aimed at white millennial women for being dog lovers, the mockery of them and pit-bulls and poodle mixes, of cringy doggy moms with fur babies, the bestiality meme with racist undertones, the “ I can excuse racism but draw the line at animal cruelty” snippet from Community , the trend of joking about white women approaching scary dogs and eventually any big dangerous animal that was on TikTok awhile, just this hatred of hippiedom the left has now Ive mentioned before ,

[scotianostra]

On September 19th 1778, Henry, Lord Brougham, the Scottish Whig statesman and jurist was born in Edinburgh.

Henry Brougham, the eldest son of Henry Brougham and Eleanora Syme Brougham, was born at the top of the West Bow, aged 14 he was enrolled at the University of Edinburgh, Henry Brougham displayed a remarkable talent for learning in a city steeped in the cosmopolitanism of the Scottish Enlightenment

He made his way to London, where he began a long career as a Whig politician and reformer. Trained as a lawyer and called to both the Scottish and English bars, Brougham made a name, as well as a substantial income, in this profession. The legal victory for which he acquired the most recognition was his 1820 defense of Queen Caroline in the House of Lords. Brougham had served as her legal advisor since 1812 and became her attorney general when George IV insisted on a divorce soon after inheriting the throne. After Brougham delivered a speech that lasted for two days, the bill to dissolve the royal marriage passed the Lords with only a handful of votes, which convinced the government to drop the matter and avoid what promised to be a crushing defeat in the Commons. As the public demonstrations celebrating the queen's victory demonstrated, popular opinion was firmly with the queen, and thus also with Brougham.

Commentators at the time recognized that Brougham's rhetorical skills far surpassed his understanding of complex legal issues. His particular talents were perfectly suited for politics. He began his political career in journalism, when in 1802 he helped Sydney Smith, Francis Horner, and Francis Jeffrey establish The Edinburgh Review, a quarterly periodical with a strong Whig bias that soon became a leading platform for political debate. I have posted about The Review and it's founders inprevious posts. Brougham frequently contributed articles, which in the first eight years of the Review's run numbered over one hundred. Brougham entered Parliament for the first time in 1810 as MP for Camelford. Though he lost and regained seats in Parliament over the years, he nevertheless managed to attain high political office by serving as lord chancellor from 1830 to 1834 in the administrations of the prime ministers Charles Grey and Lord Melbourne.

Brougham was routinely associated with the radical wing of the Whig Party, since his positions reflected those of many nineteenth-century reform movements. He was an early supporter of the abolitionists and promoted their efforts to end the slave trade.

Brougham encouraged one of the most significant political shifts of the century by making parliamentary reform a main tenet of his election campaign in Yorkshire in 1830 and then by helping to secure passage of the 1832 Reform Act.

is interest in educational policy took him in several directions. First, in 1820 he proposed a bill promoting publicly funded education; the bill failed, but Brougham remained committed to the cause. Second, in 1826 he founded the Society for the Diffusion of Useful Knowledge, which published cheaply priced works aimed at the working classes. And third, he was among the active supporters of England's first nonsectarian university, the Unversity of London.

Brougham became Parliament's most consistent champion of law reform, in part because in 1828 he delivered a brilliant six-hour speech that turned law reform into a popular cause. He established the judicial committee of the Privy Council, a central criminal court, and bankruptcy courts, and he also laid the foundation for a county court system.

Brougham had an interest in science as well as politics. He was a fellow of the Royal Society and was credited with designing the brougham, a four-wheeled carriage. He died and was buried at Cannes, where his frequent residence during the last three decades of his life helped make the French Mediterreanean town a destination for British tourists.

[catullus0525]

Chapter 1: Dim And Remote The Joys Of Saints I See (1869-1895) -- Part I

 As soon as I was persuaded of your love, alas! I scarce delayed a moment, resigning myself to all your protestations. To be beloved by Abelard was, in my esteem, too much glory, and I too impatiently desired it not to believe it immediately. I endeavoured at nothing but convincing you of my utmost passion. […] I ought to have forseen other more certain evils, and to have considered, that the idea of lost enjoyments would be the trouble of my whole life. […] Charmed with each other, we quit our philosophic studies to entertain ourselves with our passion. […] Even in holy places before the altar I carry with me the memory of our guilty loves.

—— Heloise to Abelard, Letter IV.

Robert ‘Robbie’ Baldwin Ross was born in Tours, France on 25 May 1869 to an illustrious Canadian political family with Scottish-Irish roots. His father, John Ross was a well-to-do Toronto lawyer (who became Solicitor-General in 1851) and a second generation immigrant whose parents migrated to Canada from Ulster. Meanwhile, his mother, Augusta Elizabeth ‘Eliza’ Ross (née Baldwin) was the beloved daughter of Upper Canada’s first Prime Minister Robert Baldwin. However, by the time Robbie turned 2, the family lustre had been largely dimmed by his father’s failed business ventures and untimely death. By the time of John Ross’s death in Toronto in 1871, much of the family’s fortune, including his wife’s substantial dowry, had gone towards paying back his former clients. Moreover, when they left for England in 1872, the formerly prosperous Canadian upper-class family found itself reduced to a rather obscure upper-middle class one, for they had few social connections in the new country. On top of which, Eliza preferred a quiet life secluded from English society, which further reduced the family’s influence. According to the estimation of Robbie’s sister Mary, during their childhood the family’s income was less than £1000 per year, most of which came from a few properties in Toronto their mother had inherited from her father. To put this into perspective, in today’s money this would be approximately £141,713 per year, just over the income of a newly-qualified solicitor in the City of London today. Though it was certainly not a meagre sum and the family was very comfortable compared to most Victorians, they were nevertheless far from wealthy. According to Mary, most of the income went towards rent, the five children’s school fees, and their three domestic helpers. 

We know very little about Robbie’s early childhood. By the limited accounts available, he was a delicate child brought up in more-or-less typical upper-middle class English fashion.  Edra Bogle noted that according to letters, cards, and photographs kept by Mary’s daughters, as a child Robbie learnt to swim, bicycle, row, and play cricket despite his diminutive figure. He was also rather fond of animals. When he was nine he had a large dog which he was very fond of, and as a teenager he once gave the sons of Oscar Wilde a kitten. He also exhibited interests in art and literature at a young age, probably under the influence of his two elder brothers, both of whom Cambridge-educated lovers of literature. 

His education was a bit less conventional. Unlike many middle class boys of his time (including his two elder brothers), Robbie did not attend one of the major public schools and was homeschooled for a considerable period of time. This was probably why Robbie spoke both English and French with a Canadian accent despite having only spent a few years of his life in Canada. For some reason, he was very secretive about his educational background before university, giving no further information than the fact that it was ‘private’. We could not even ascertain which schools he attended: we only know that he went to a school in Surrey named either Landroyd or Sandroyd House, and then another school in Edinburgh with an unknown name. The homeschooling decision was most likely made because of Robbie’s delicate constitution. We know that he caught measles when he was only a few weeks old, which made him a sickly child attracting much extra attention from Eliza. Additionally, at school he got injured in his kidney by a cricket ball (and when Robbie worn himself out caring for Oscar Wilde in prison in 1896, the injury flared up again, and he had to undergo a life-threatening surgery to remove it), and had to forgo a classical scholarship due to ill health. However, amorous attention from his fellow students or even teachers could also have contributed to the decision to remove Robbie from boarding school. Though Neil McKenna was probably exaggerating somewhat when claiming that young Robbie was ‘a beacon’ for older men interested in anally penetrate younger men or boys, it is unquestionable that Robbie was a rather attractive teenager. According to John Addington Symonds, every dormitory in Victorian boarding schools was ‘incredibly obscene’ and every boy ‘of good looks’ was ‘recognised either as a public prostitute or as some bigger fellow’s “bitch”’. With his slender figure, puck-like face, and ‘purring voice’, Robbie may well have been rather popular amongst the older boys or the teachers, especially considering that his elder brother Alex once noted that one of his childhood schools was notorious for homosexuality. On top of which, his niece, who was six years younger than Robbie and very close to him, later believed that Robbie must have been ‘tragically turned’ or set in the direction of homosexuality by ‘early influences’ which had disrupted ‘the balance of the masculine and feminine’ within him. Whilst these are hardly definitive proof, they certainly suggest the possibility.

After taking him out of boarding school, Eliza frequently brought Robbie on trips across Europe, and when Alex finished his Bachelors degree at Cambridge in 1884, the family spent an entire year on the continent.  These trips cultivated Robbie’s artistic tastes. He especially appreciated the paintings and sculptures he saw in Italian cities and wrote a great many excited letters to family members about them. This most likely paved the way for his keen interest in Italian paintings when managing the Carfax Gallery two decades later. Moreover, they probably built up Robbie’s character as well. When staying at the Grand Hotel in Switzerland, for instance, Eliza and Robbie shocked their snobbish fellow residents by keep showing respect to a poor girl who broke the strict social code of the time. Instances like this left a deep impression on young Robbie, as throughout his life he rarely failed to show kindness to those less fortunate than himself. Later in life, he would establish a scholarship for impoverished art students with his rainy day fund, use his voice as a leading art critic to call for greater inclusion of the general public, and turn his own home into a shelter for young queer artists during the Great War. 

Ironically, these European trips may had offered young Robbie with more opportunities for sexual escapades with men than boarding school. Oscar Wilde later quipped that ‘St Robert of Phillimore’ was ‘known in Hagiographia for his extraordinary power […] in supplying temptation to others’ in ‘great cities’ of both Britain and the continent ever since ‘the comparatively early age of eight’. Though Wilde was hardly a reliable witness, many European cities did indeed enable English gay men to explore their repressed sexuality. In contrast to England, which criminalised all forms of male homosexual intimacy in 1886, many European cities became increasingly liberal since the early 1880s: gay bars slowly proliferated in Berlin after 1880, Italy became a popular destination for gay sex tourism after the decriminalisation of male homosexuality in 1880, and queer men and women had long since gathered in Parisian cafes and bars to relish the sexual freedom made sacrosanct by the French Revolution. Moreover, from what we know, when he was out of his mother’s protective watch, Robbie did have quite a bit of fun. When the family was in Mainz, for instance, he and his brother Jack were even arrested and fined by the German police on trespassing and suspected spy activities.

Whilst it was not uncommon for middle-class Victorian teenage boys to dabble in homosexual intimacy, self-identification as a homosexual was very uncommon: most boys either ‘grow out of’ their reckless boarding school years or force themselves into respectable heterosexual family life. After all, in a society which treasures ‘respectability’ above all else and puts men in the pillory for loving men, few had the courage to be true to his desire, and would shudder at the thought of embracing homosexuality. However, a sensitive and precocious child, Robbie knew from a very young age that he was not like the other boys. By the age of 13, he had already made up his mind about marriage and family. In one letter to his mother from school, Robbie declared that he would never get engaged with a girl like his elder brother had just done or his other siblings would inevitably do. The possibility of having biological children of his own was also ruled out in his head. Thus, he told his mother that he was ‘very glad that Jack has married’, for this means that 'the Great house of Ross will not become extinct' because of himself. Instead, he had envisioned for himself a life as a bachelor sharing a house with his mother and working as ‘an oculist […] saving one of the family Royal’ just like his childhood hero. Incidentally, as if by some strange twists of fate, that childhood hero was very likely Sir William Wilde, Oscar’s father.

He was also precocious in his religious sensibilities. Eliza was a strict Anglican who raised all the Ross children in the Anglican Church. However, much to his mother’s dismay, Robbie became fascinated by Catholicism at a rather young age. [more evidence]  Despite his leanings, however, Robbie would not formally convert to Catholicism until 1894. This is not exactly surprising considering that had he converted in his teenage years, he would have been barred from almost all top English universities save for University College London.

Presumably, the fascination was related to his European travels and his love for Italian art. But, rather counterintuitively, his sexuality may also had contributed to his Catholic leanings. Catholic rituals and symbolism fascinated many nineteenth century European decadents. Notably, in the preface to A Rebours, that epitome of decadent novel which corrupts Dorian Gray, Huysmans defined decadence and aestheticism as a ‘Roman Catholic revolt against the materialism of the age’. Decadence, in turn, was a heavily queer-coded literary movement whose hallmark was fascination with all that was perceived ‘degenerate’ and whose champions were those perceived with ‘unnatural’ tendencies. Androgyny, homosexuality, masochism, mysticism and neurosis were the decadents’ common themes; and Roman Catholicism, with its archaic rituals, extravagant aesthetics, and tales of mystic power, offered just the right space for exploring them. Moreover, Catholic leanings were sometimes queerness sublimated: queer men and women sometimes took refuge from the tyranny of marriage and reproduction in the sex-segregated monasteries and nunneries. Indeed, Frederick Rosen argued that the Oxford Movement, the nineteenth century precursor to Anglo-Catholicism, served as an opportunity for men and women who did not conform to heteronormative sexuality to ‘dedicate their lives to God’ whilst living ‘in companionship with others of their same gender’.

However, this connection between faith and sexuality hardly absolves the irreconcilable tension between the two. Moreover, arguably religious sublimation of homosexual desires is no less a forced renunciation of one’s nature than heterosexual marriage, except divine conscience is much less forbearing than any mortal spouse. Thus, for a sensitive soul, sublimation could turn out to be much more of a psychological torment. This was likely the case for young Robbie. Edra Bogle noted that several of Robbie’s teenage poems pondered death and lamented that for someone like him, suffering was inevitable whilst salvation impossible. The Santa Scala, which Bogle quoted, in particular, gives glimpses of Robbie’s inner turmoil: 

I knelt upon the holy steps at Rome 

The holy stairs on which the Savior trod, 

Before he went to his long rest and home 

The throne of great Jehovah the great God.

God! Was it not sufficient then for thee

To see thy son mocked with sneers and scorns, 

Raised upon the accursed tree, 

Crowned with a crown of very bitter thorns.

The triumphing Christians kneel upon the stones. 

They kiss the blood and long prayers they say, 

They rend their hearts with sobbing and groans

Hoping that their Purgatory will stay. 

I kneel because a suffering martyr trod,

I pray no prayer for daily leaven, 

The son of man I pray and not of God 

The steps lead down to hell not up to heaven.

We will never be able to ascertain the deceased author’s intention, but that is irrelevant when the text speaks for itself. The ‘Holy Steps at Rome’, or The Santa Scala in Italian, are the 28 marble steps Jesus Christ climbed on his way to trial before Pontius Pilate. For centuries the Holy Steps have attracted pilgrims who wish to honour the Passion of Jesus, that short final period before his crucifixion. At first glance, it is a rather mediocre poem in theme and in language. However, a more careful reader would notice a critical hollow at its centre: it does not explain what has prompted the lament in the second stanza. For a religious poem, it is curious that the poem hinges on some unspoken sin unabsolved by the Crucifixion of Jesus Christ. This unspoken-ness invokes the Victorian Unspeakable. This, in turn, is the key to the next two stanzas: because the narrator’s unspoken sin is unatoned-for, whilst other ‘triumphing Christians’ worship to stay their purgatory, ‘I’ alone have no such recourse and cannot pray of God; thus, whilst others’ faith stems from the fear of suffering, the faith of ‘I’ is rooted in identification with the ‘suffering martyr’. For that very reason, the narrator does not see his kneeling on the Holy Steps as a gesture of piety leading to the salvation of ‘heaven’, but rather as a moment of personal connection with the suffering Christ before entering the ‘hell’ of suffering; thus whilst the literal steps before everyone lead ‘up’, the figurative steps of faith for him lead ‘down’. But at the same time, the last line could be read as an explication of the inextricable contradictions in the narrator’s faith: whilst his suffering prompted his prayers, his faith only exacerbates his suffering; therefore, kneeling on the Holy Steps, the narrator sees that his faith shall lead him to his personal hell. 

This teenage poem’s unmistakable undertone of painful struggle indicates that Laura Lee was perhaps brushing it off too lightly when she claimed that ‘unlike Bosie, who would struggle his whole life with the conflict between faith and desire, Robbie managed to reconcile his Catholicism at a young age without any great difficulty’. We could never know for how long, or how painfully Robbie struggled with the conflict between his faith and his sexuality, because as implied in this poem, from an early age Robbie had come to believe that his sexuality was his cross to bear and his alone, thus he never acted out his pain as Bosie did. Meanwhile, this poem shows that Robbie could be a rather elusive writer concealing himself behind layers of metaphors, symbolisms, and ellipses which take considerable interpretive labour to unmask.

The contradiction between faith and sexuality and the torment of choosing sublimation shall dominate Robbie’s life till the very end. However, as in his teenage poem, Robbie shall swallow his pain and and suffer alone in silence till the end of his days. Thus, unlike many religious homosexual contemporaries, he was to become a Flagellant rather than a Crusader. 

[borvooven]

Thank you @jinnthepain <3

Relationship status: single and i really dont want a relationship

Favourite colours: green and brown

Song stuck in my head: the South Park theme song....

Last song I listened to: THE HOUSEBUILDING SONG BY DAVID FERGUSON LETS GOOOO

Three favourite foods: Gnocchi with tomatoe sauce, fruit salad and SCHWENKER

Last thing i googled: Stalker existentialism (for context I'm planning to write an essay on that movie to give to my english teacher so I don't feel stupid)

Dream trip: I have been wanting to go to Sweden as long as I can remember, lately Ive been craving going to Norway more for some reason

Anything I want rn: somehow I developed a sudden urge to learn a lot of languages because my parents say I have a talent for learning languages so I want to try and use that talent (my goal is to be able to say Ive had French in class for ten years and still I know more russian/italian/swedish/etc just from teaching myself for one year)

Gonna tag @cowboymotif @raththemagician and @spice-lord-official !!

HEE HEE tagged by @dunkingtruth hello

relationship status: transgender mostly asexual gay man what do you think

favorite colors: GREEN AND REDDDDD!!!!!!! 🦜🍀🌾🌹🫑🥩🧃☎️🔫🪓🩸🦠🧪!!!!!

Song stuck in my head: there’s a tiktok sound that is a remix of the last of us theme as Michael Jackson hee-heeing which has been kicking around in my head all day (I have not watched the show or played the video game or)

Last song I listened to: Mongrel by Alex Cameron :P

three favorite foods: as of right now fench fries, pickles, and rice. Freak.

last thing I googled: uhhh let’s see. “Graduation cap on headband”

dream trip: IRELAND!! OR ICELAND!! Or France again because I really would like to be in the louvre for longer than 1 1/2 hours

Anything I want rn: food that is bad for me 🙏

tagging @ka-19 @tothetoonandback @jinnthepain and @w-hysola-rt if you so please :)

[houkagochemistry]

Tenma: could you make ocean noises so I can sleep faster?

Shinsuke: wooosh

Tenma: …maybe something like a French beach?

Shinsuke:

Shinsuke: le wooosh?

[lanaswritingbook]

“That’s my girl”

Word Count: 600

Summary: Peter has a crush on his long term best friend and struggles on what to do about it. But what will happen when she’s on the other side of the door listening to his confession to Ned.

Warning: Self doubt.

A/N: My first Peter Parker story hope you enjoy there will be a part two tomorrow! TOLD IN PETERS POV!!

Part 2: https://eddiesmunsonswife.tumblr.com/post/689163973318377472/but-thats-my-girl-part-2

Ned, Yn, and I have been best friends for years now ever since elementary, so were all extremely close but I still have to keep it locked up that I’ve been in love with Yn since 2nd grade.

-

During Lunch Ned and I talked about our plans for the weekend “Peter dude literally we haven’t hanged in like weeks” Ned groans “We we’re literally with each other last Friday” I grinned eating a fry.

But I suddenly go in high alert as I hear a familiar voice talking to some. “I mean sure we can I just have to check with Peter and Ned first.” Yn spoke but clearly uncomfortable. “Cmon your wayyy too good for them nerds hang with me. The Flash” he kissed his muscles as if he had any.

No Peter that was mean. “Are you even listening to me? HEY YN C’MERE” Ned waved her over. I suddenly fix my posture as she walks towards us “Whats up?” She smiled sitting right next me. I can already feel my cheeks becoming blood red.

“Yn tell Pete that we have to work on my new lego set tonight. I mean what do we have to do its Friday” he chuckled drinking his milk. She smiled at both of us hopefully she doesn’t notice that I haven’t said one word yet.

“I dont know Ned… Flash asked me to the movies and you know I dont like being rude” Yn sighed. “W-what like a date?” I finally spoke giving her my signature puppy dog eyes. She didn’t answer just looking around the room ignoring the question.

“Are you freaking kidding me I mean is the group falling apa-“ zoning out as Ned gives us a full blown lecture about not hanging I feel two sets of eyes on me. One of the girl I’ve been in love with for years and the boy trying to take her away from me sitting at another table.

“Peter are you ok?” She asked putting a hand on my shoulder while her other pulled away my closed fist. “Y-yeah fine. Great! I have to go sorry Yn.” Quickly running out the cafeteria going to the schools front door. I could afford missing a class.

Besides I wouldn’t be able to focus no way, I’m to busy thinking about how Flash is gonna French kiss my girl. I mean Yn.

-

“Dude whats got you all in your feels?” Ned asked while he laid on the floor. “What do you mean.” You ask not taking your eyes off of the group photo of you three. “You’ve been out of it man. Is it Yn?” My eyes widen as I sit up quickly. “Yn? What are you talking about” you nervously chuckle.

“Oh cmon on man Ive known you my whole life. Your in love with her.” He grinned. “No! T-that, thats… true. God Ned why did I have to fall for her thats my best friend she’ll never like me back that way.” You jumped off the bed walking on the walls.

“I FREAKING KNEW IT! I KNEW YOU LIKED HER ITS SO OBVIOUS” He yelled standing up. “What obvious how? No. Yn is to good for me. One she’s amazing, she’s super smart, and very pretty. So so pretty, and plus she’s the girl of my dreams but I know it’ll never work out if Flash gets with her.” Ned just grinned like a idiot at my confession.

“Just work your Peter charm there’s no way she could turn you down.” I nod taking a deep breath while sitting upside down on the ceiling. “No I cant! Flash has way more of a chance than me and hes a complete idiot. But Yn’s my girl so i have to try.” A spark lights in your head as you crawl to the door.

As my bedroom door creaks open my nose is hit with a familiar smell. Looking straight ahead is YN standing with her mouth open in shock..

Did I just ruin our friendship.

Part 2: https://eddiesmunsonswife.tumblr.com/post/689163973318377472/but-thats-my-girl-part-2

[lv-iceprince]

~you want to know more?~

nothing was off of the table (including the waffles that you had just ordered). 

~the general stuff~

hi there, my name is ty! i prefer to go by eden on here but if you know my real name or know my face it’s no big deal. 

~i’m a he/him

~i’m twenty-three years old (okay grandpa) and my birthday is the 12th of october. 

~and my possible winning point i’m from australia.

~ i’m part indigenous australian, tongan, scottish and part mystery (this is true and a whole story that i’ll leave for another day)

~ i have no idea if anyone wants to know my sexuality or romantic attraction, since it’s not like i’m gonna be dating any of you guys...unless... but yeah i’m pansexual and panromantic. 

~personality~

 kind of all kinds of awkward, but despite that i push through and try to appear as charming as i possibly can.  definitely more on the quiet side until you get to know me.  bubbly, clumsy and kind of childish but  also a chronic flirt. has that star attitude where i want to be the best or famous but i don’t act like it. told that i can be kind of pretentious but i’m just a perfectionist. a fashionista who loves androgynous and out there clothing. a libra with scorpio energy. has resting dead behind the eyes face. lowkey cold, or maybe just blunt? a hopeless romantic. and judging by all the bdsm doms and sugar daddies hitting me up in the last year, probably the subbiest person in existence. 

~ fun facts~

~ i occasionally mention it but i’m film student with dreams of being a music video director and producer.

~ i’m also into music production, though i barely ever show it. I can also sing (i have a legacy of being a soprano in various choirs, i was so competitive with that), i can rap and dance as well (another story is me getting kicked out of a dance class because young me was dancing too sexual for being so young). i  can play the piano and drums and am learning how to play the guitar

~ i speak nine languages besides english. those being: creole, ngarrindjeri (both of these are indigenous australian), japanese, italian, french, german, russian, spanish and gaelic.

~i actually learnt these some of these languages to flirt with people but it never actually worked 

~i’m also a photographer.

~relating to art i also do digital and watercolour art.

~i have synesthesia ( stuff like numbers having personalities, seeing colours when i hear music to give some examples). 

~i love animals and have 12 pets- 3 cats, a rat and 8 rabbits

~ i volunteer at a hospital as a play therapist where i legit just play games with patients

~ addicted to dying my hair, if i ever post photos of myself i 100% dyed my hair at home

~big six- zodiac signs~ 

☉~ libra

↑ ~ aries

☾ ~ scorpio 

☿ ~ scorpio

♀ ~ virgo 

♂~ sagittarius 

~mbti~ entj-t 

~likes~

~plushies 

~fairy lights

~coffee 

~ bubble tea

~ cats

~ strawberry milk 

~any type of gazing (cloud and stars)

~idk i don’t want to say anymore because i already sound so lame

~dislikes~ 

~judgemental people

~grapefruit 

~ the two worst things in life 

~main groups i stan ~  ateez, skz, txt, nct, enha, twice, mamamoo, oneus, kard, svt, gfriend, stayc, kep1er, twice, purple kiss, onewe, ive, monsta x, aespa and a.c.e. 

~playlist~  ☀️