#but I am glad people like how it turned out!

[14dayswithyou]

I literally have the most amazing and wonderful community in the entire world???? T_T In this essay, I will—

This is going to be raw and unedited because I want to get my initial thoughts out there before I forget n go back to crying /pos, but?? Yawl.... I can't even begin to find the words to express how appreciative and grateful I am for each and every one of you!! ;v;

I've spent the past few hours reading through everyone's personally written messages, then rereading them all again to let it all fully sink in. I'm being genuine when I say that I've never felt this loved or appreciated in any community before in my life.

Those in the Discord server might know about this already, but since the start of this year, I haven't really been enjoying myself (nor have I been as active) in the yandere VN community. There was far too much infighting between devs, parasocial communities, and toxic anons that ruined so much for me — so I withdrew from it all and remained in my own small bubble. Even then, I still got belittled, harassed, doxxed, and even became the target of Tall Poppy Syndrome by others; most of which nearly made me want to leave altogether, but the overflowing amount of support from everyone in the 14DWY community made me want to stay.

And even now, after reading all those heartfelt messages... I think it's permanently solidified the little space I occupy here on the internet :3

So... Yeah, long story short (and a story that will likely end up as its own separate Tumblr post gjskskjd), I wasn't enjoying myself at all in the yandere VN community... but I did have the time of my life in the 14DWY community. And it's all thanks to you guys.

I'm genuinely sooooo proud to have such an endlessly kind, social, and talented community; and I'm glad to have brought such an interactive and friendly group of people together over our shared interest in such a nice concept. 14DWY is essentially a labour of my love — and although I'm ultimately creating it for me and my silly interests — it's still something that I want to make worthy of you guys as well. All the love and support you've shown me and 14DWY motivates me to do my very best, and y'all deserve nothing less. So...

Thank you all for finding a comfort character in my Totally Normal Guy and his Totally Not Eccentric quirks. Thank you for all the insanely talented creations y'all make and share with me. Thank you for sending in your silly (/pos) questions and turning them into inside jokes and AUs for the rest of the community to enjoy. Thank you for talking with me and making this space a genuinely fun place for me to be in again.

From the bottom of my heart; thank you all so much. I really hope everyone has had an amazing year so far, and I hope 2025 will be as kind to you as you all were towards me.

I also want to give a big fat massive huuuuuuuge shout-out to Ashe / @flaneur001 my love (/p) for organising the 14DWY letter event on Discord, and for contributing so much of their time and dedication to the 14DWY community. You say you've only been part of the community for a year, but to me, that was a year well cherished and appreciated. The 14DWY community (and me especially) have all been so lucky to spend this past year with you, and I sincerely hope you've enjoyed it as much as we have. You've done so much for me, the community, and the 14DWY Discord server, so it's only fair that you get the recognition you deserve. So thank you, Ashe!! And a big thank you to everyone in the 14DWY Discord who participated in this event as well!

Now, if you'll excuse me, I have some cryin and sobbin to do <3 /silly /pos

[nerdishpursuits]

Sayeth others what they will, I am really enjoying the show. Santiago's face at Pelayo's betrayal is a poem. So was Marta's trying to deny the allegations. Santiago: She's an invert

Marta: Excuse this poor, uneducated man. The linguistic complexities of the Thesaurus Dex are lost on him. What he means is Introvert.

All in all I'm glad Santiago's demise happens the way it does. Karmic justice prevailed in a way that stings worse for him, I think. He bit off more than he could chew, filled with self-importance and secure in his triumph over Marta. Having counted on Pelayo to back him up only to discover he's free-falling, no safety net in sight? Oh, how the turns have tabled, as @midniteowlet loves to say. Could be we have not seen the last of him, though. Alas, mediocre men? Ever their cup overfloweth with confidence. Santiago vowing vengeance even as he's being dragged away by the Civil Guard? Someone failed to understand the assignment, or asses the situation. Damian reaching out to hold Marta's hand as a vow of support and loyalty? Be still my heart, they've come SO far. In my humble opinion, the growth of their relationship has been one of the best written character arcs on the show. Marta & Damian: Dairy? What dairy? He's obviously trying to milk this lie for all it's worth

Santiago: Diary ... D I A R Y

Pelayo: someone take him out to pasture … the inmates work at the dairy farm, across town

As for Pelayo himself. So far, a pleasant surprise, albeit he largely remains an unknown. He signs the business deal without making a fuss. He returns Marta's diary to her, tells her he's not read it and advises her to get rid of it, informs her his reasons for helping her are his own and that he won't ask for favors, especially given men don't count among her tastes? Well. He's been a gentleman so far, noble and altruistic. Remains to be seen if he remains one. It would seem, tomorrow's preview corroborates the theory that Pelayo flies the Rainbow flag too. His 'I prefer to form my own opinions about people ... especially people like the both of us who don't fit the social mores' ... it appears he's confessing something personal to Marta, something that might level out the playing field between them. To me it looks like he's out to gain her trust. For what purpose? Now that's the question.

If he's to become this show's Harry Cameron? I'm not opposed. Marta needs more allies and here's to hoping, as the show progresses, these two end up having a beautiful friendship. It really would be Marta hitting the jackpot in 1958: a sympathetic husband / best friend who ended up accepting her for who she was and a gay business partner / friend. Let's see where it all goes. Presently, he’s definitely trying to curry favour with Marta. For what reason, has yet to be determined. I will say? I am not liking Carmen at all these days. She acts like Tasio's mom, not his wife, as if he were incapable of making his own decisions. She's judging Marta as if she were a stranger and removes any and all accountability from Tasio. I keep repeating myself, but one questionable decision does not a questionable person make. Carmen being such a hot-head about this, while befitting her volcanic personality, is rather disappointing. I know she'll reconsider, but to think Marta is trying to buy Tasio's silence by ceding part of her shares in the company is ludicrous. Marta has always appreciated and supported Carmen within the company, and Carmen has had a front-row seat in witnessing Marta's fairness and kindness, her struggles and triumphs. I really need Fina to talk some sense into her. Volcano vs. Volcano. That ought to be a sight. Might I also hope Marta gives Fina the diary to read before she disposes of it? That they have a heartwarming conversation about it, growing even closer in their love, taking their intimacy to new heights? Because dispose of it she will, I think: sadly, it’s a smoking gun they can't afford.

Short rant long? Alright novelita. Lead the way. Let’s see what else you’ve got in store.

[max1461]

biden trump pretrump posttrump democracts republicans elite university cancel culture twitter yimby nimby affirmative action rent control. we didnt start the fire leftist rightists liberals grey tribe what about this? what about... oh right. ais and other tech things will come along and make everything not matter. we should do vague technocratic liberalism for two decades and then ai will turn us all into immortal simulated minds or maybe replace all labor. it's probably not important to update social structures in light of that sea change we should keep doing like technocratic market liberalism even though the very concept of like man's place in the world is about to be. yeah that makes sense did you know that affirmative action is going to undo the industrial revolution? because diversity hires won't know how to operate the machines yeah. yeah the fall of the west is coming and china is going to put all american males in those sperm machines from the porn video but we should pretty much do centrist technocratic liberalism until then. and make a really big army to kill china when they show up wait I just thought of something. I forgot what it was but the world isn't very stable it's about to change drastically according to my thing that I believe in. yeah that usually doesn't happen I know but this time my thing that I am all worried about is gonna come and get us soon but instead of preparing for that I think we should sort of do centrist technocratic liberalism kind of as if the world was gonna keep chugging along for another few centuries kind of as if everything is business as normal wait not to make the point too on the nose but I think that's cognitive dissonance. I think if you really thought trump was hitler 3 you probably would act different than you're acting I think probably if you thought uh, whatever, I think. Well I don't know what's in your head but I don't think you.

Right so look at all of it right. Not just in a caricatured way but really look at all of it. It's just been going along, right? I mean it's just been chugging along. I'm glad I don't live in 1500s france but I probably would have been fine. I mean maybe I would have got depressed because I believe in too strict a religion but I'm depressed right now. Maybe I would have died sooner but I'm gonna die anyway, I've only got 80 years anyway. What if I lived in the soviet union? I like freedom of speech but on the other hand who cares. I would have got a job and been fine. Sucks that I can't voice my opinions and shit but on the other hand whatever.

You'll be fucking fine everybody's been fine forever. You'll be fucking fine. You uh, you treat everything as business as usual because at some level. Shit is just how it is you know. I mean there's the monty python caricature of the middle ages where they all ate dirty and shit but in the real middle ages they woke up did some hard work on the farm had sex with each other died of dysentery you're gonna die of some nasty shit that will be viewed as barbaric in the future too. "Yeah but that's a bad thing!!!" too bad it's your fate. The lot of every human ever you everybody before and everybody after is to figure out how to live in a world that kind of is not going to be nice to you. And your big world ending thing is not gonna happen it's just gonna be, wake up pay taxes get sick maybe find love like it's been for everyone forever that's all there is to it. Political regimes and technological systems come and go but eating and fucking and dying and hopefully making friends is forever. There's no point in thinking about the grand story of humanity unless you're an academic it doesn't mean anything or do anything. This post is very not fully endorsed but on the other hand I think this is the corrective most people here need. Don't worry about this shit just try to make some friends and not die too bad, that's all any of us will ever have.

[celticcrossanon]

Hi Celta,

Thank you for expressing how you truly feel about Camilla. I’m glad that she’s being revealed for the person she is.

I got into a disagreement with a tarot reader on here because I called out her bias against the Wales. Her opinion was that William and Catherine were destroying the monarchy because they’re lazy, don’t want to work, are on ego trips against the King, especially Catherine all of last year, and they don’t want to take on assignments as ordered (which I suspect has a lot to do with reconciling with Harry, and bringing him back into the fold). She wanted to nitpick every decision and ongoing project the Wales have, and every single one was baaaaaad and destructive. All of this amid the worst health crisis they are facing, I thought it was highly unfair.

I challenged her to look at Charles as POW and asked what HIS plans were for the monarchy at William’s age (42), when he was newly married to Diana. Besides playing hide the sausage with Camilla at her sisters estate, ruminating about plants and architecture, I’m not aware of what his long term plans for the monarchy were. His decisions about the Duchy of Cornwall I’m sure were based on solid financial advice given to him by the best advisors. He’s had the better part of fifty years for his Princes Trust and Duchy to gain value on the stock exchange. What were his future plans for continuation of the monarchy really?? She got angry with me, and instead of answering the question, she blocked me, and called me a Wales worshipper and being delusional about William and Catherine.

Here we are in 2025, Charles is King and things are falling apart. It seems to me no one was asking Charles the same hard questions being asked of William. There was no accountability then and throughout Charles’ life, yet some people ( I strongly suspect Sussex sugars) are turning the screws on William and demanding the accountability they never asked of Charles. All of this to say, if you can turn back time, can you look at Charles when he was William’s age now, and ask what were his plans for the long lived continuation of his line?? It seems that’s the point of the monarchy, and Charles seemed only into having the best time, and not on thoughts of future. The future has now arrived with a bang, and now Charles seemed only to be interested in status quo. If you fail to prepare, prepare to fail.

I wish only the very best for the Wales, they have their work cut out.

Hi AnonymousRetired,

I think my main gripe with Queen Camilla is that for me, she is not acting like a queen. All the gloating and self glorifying PR is not what a Queen does, at any time, in public, and neither is showing disrespect for the country's main religion, the one of which her husband is head. It's just wrong, and it rubs me the wrong way, and then I get blunt in my assessments as I'm too irritated to be charitable.

I know a lot of people like Queen Camilla, and I am glad that she has supporters. I don't blame people for liking her. I wish I could - I wish I still had the grudging respect that I had for her before she opened her mouth and showed what she was really like - but I can't, and that is all there is too it. I wish her supporters well but I can no longer be one of them.

Some royal watchers are biased against the Prince and Princess of Wales. I have noticed that. There is no point in arguing with them as they are not open to reason or logic in that area.

They have built up their own community and their place in that community by abusing and bullying The Prince and Princess of Wales, and they are not going to change now. Part of that abuse is holding one standard for the King and Queen that is filled with excuses for their behaviour, and another, much higher standard for The Prince and Princess of Wales, where everything they do is torn apart and criticised to the nth degree, especially if there was nothing wrong with it in the first place.

What those royal watchers say about others is what they are guilty of themselves - their comments are projections of their own behaviour.

I ignore them, as what they say is of no interest to me. IMO their comments are driven by dislike, if not hatred, and/or intense envy and jealousy, and I see no reason to engage with that.

Other royal watchers prefer to focus on The King and Queen, and that is fine. I have no issue with that at all. Everyone can follow their own interests on their own blog, and others can engage or not as they wish. There is always the option of scrolling by if you don't like what another person says.

As for accountability, that I think goes back to the media. They were fine letting King Charles do whatever he wanted and covering his activities in various ways, and the closer it got to the time King Charles would ascend the throne, the more flattering their coverage became. On the other hand, the media have a definite bias and against and, in some cases, hated for Prince William and Princess Catherine, because the two of them do not play the media's games, and the media takes it out on the couple in their coverage, including holding Prince William responsible for things that were never his responsibility in the first place and comparing him unfavourably to his father. Certain royal watchers have picked up on this trend and they follow it and apply it to everything done by Prince William and his wife.

Your arguments about comparing The King to his heir make very good points. My own preference is not to compare the two but to judge each one on their own merits. So far Prince William is winning in my eyes, but that could be my bias showing (every time I think King Charles has shown that he can be a good king he stuffs it up in some way, most recently by shoving Camilla down my throat).

[mumblesplash]

alright now i’ve only browsed a little bit so i could be misreading some of the vibes BUT apparent differences so far:

the Massive Betrayal and Gaslighting reveal made me like armand way more not just as a character but as a person. it’s hard to tell where other people would have landed on armand going on blind like i did before the events of season 2 but the whole ‘i protect your happiness’ ‘i would never harm you’ thing made my skin crawl and i’m so glad he turned out to be Like That instead.

do i understand why people would want to see loustat + claudia as a happy family? yes. do i hate it? also yes. imo by the time s2 rolls around the healthiest and happiest possible claudia + lestat dynamic is they live on different continents and go no contact except she occasionally visits to beat him to death

to clarify point 2 i’m saying BOTH 1) claudia deserved better than how lestat treated her and her anger is justified AND 2) the idea that the good timeline is ‘lestat comes around and learns to love her as family’ feels gross

getting the sense this might be more ‘haven’t read the books’ than an actual difference of opinion but i was totally blindsided by the daniel/armand shipping. it just straight up didn’t occur to me. yes, even after that one scene. i know. i might be stupid.

louis’s lack of curiosity didn’t even register to me bc i am the same and around someone like lestat specifically i would be 10x worse. no i will Not ask you how you stopped time and talked without moving your lips because you clearly want me to and rewarding that kind of behavior is setting a bad precedent. nothing is my business. i understand him.

just finished watching interview with the vampire (2022) by myself and without any prior knowledge or fandom interaction or looking anything up. i have formed many opinions about the show and characters under these circumstances. time to take a biiig bite of the fandom tag and see how closely i align with the consensus

[julnites]

I had a blast doing part of the cover for the Mirror image zine for the @d20zinejam! ✨ Check out this, and many many more zines, in the full charity bundle!

[vaguely-concerned]

the more I play the more I think lucanis basically knows it's illario who betrayed him right from the beginning (he's had a year in the ossuary to think. not that many people knew where he was going. when you ask him 'did Illario know you'd be on that ship' his only answer is the hardest flattest 'yes' you ever heard). so it's not so much about figuring out who the traitor is (because that's ludicrous. we all know. immediately. they didn't really bother to hide it lmao) as about methodically closing off every single avenue of denial lucanis has clung to that whole time with as much or little gentleness as you might prefer until he has no choice but to admit it. because the moment he has to admit it, he'll have to do something -- feel something -- about it. and that's such a catastrophic event in lucanis' inner landscape (he has had TWO people in this whole entire world up until now and will do anything to hold on to them with a heartbreaking child-like desperation, even at and especially through the detriment of his own self) that he'd rather just. not. what if we quite simply. didn't. what if we just stayed here in the emptiness where we can both pretend you didn't hurt me in a way I should never forgive. I have so much practice in that with caterina already it's always worked out great for everyone so far. (press x to fucking doubt but that's trauma logic for you lol)

after everything illario did, so much of the storm of lucanis' emotions around it is 'what the FUCK did you get yourself tangled up in this time and how do I get you out of this mess safely'. what's worse: the fact that your brother murdered you, or that he put himself in horrible danger doing so and thus exposed you to the risk of losing him forever. lucanis' heart certainly has an opinion here and it's fucking unhinged (affectionate)

the themes of dissociation in lucanis' character in general makes me feel nuts. allllll these contradictory messy things he needs to cut off from each other because they can't coexist or be easily reconciled inside him. but all remain stubbornly true separately anyway and will have their due one day. love and resentment. tenderness and fear and rage. terror and longing. love and freedom don't coexist. the burned out golden child anthem is playing in the background. he was always caterina's favourite and he has to keep striving to deserve that dubious honour with every breath he takes and then, presumably, mercifully, some day he will die and be excused and can rest. and until now he's suppressed all the -- natural, healthy, protective! -- negative feelings that threaten the few attachment relationships he actually has, at the cost of ever actually having his needs for connection and safety met and leaving his core self imprisoned and compromised. and spite goes 'what. no. that's dumb fuck that' (*spite voice* I do not understand that and even if I did I would not respect it) and does not allow him to fall back into that, which I think is what saves his life, ultimately. it took being possessed by a demon for lucanis to even contemplate telling anyone he loves 'no' in any way, but hey. whatever gets you there right lol

lucanis is dealing with the freeze response allll the way down baby. and he was even before the ossuary, that just turbo powered it and brought it to a breaking point way before it could happen naturally. but something was going to break eventually no matter what, and I'm just glad that in the end, through the power of friendship and also pure spite, it doesn't have to be him

[echo-coyote]

She likes to be tall

[bi-dykes]

Aww hun <3 Thank you for the shoutout! I am glad you (and others!) see it as solid logic! :)

Theres a deeper reason around this as well! I'm gonna chat a lil about it lol

Toxicity to soft lovers is an incredible trope because-

1. humans are messy and so we get to see messiness in our favourite pairing as well, relatability in fiction is GOOD.

2. It's not inheritly abusive. Situational toxicity from a non-partner: someone who has no romantic and domestic obligation to you- is not always crossing a line. It also depends how far the toxicity goes. Like My Dark Vanessa: too "toxic" (it's worse than just toxic, it's abusive) to be enjoyed. But toxic ships as a whole do not need to go that far. They can just be swordfighting each other making clash clank noises with the sunset in the background. Many toxic ships are exciting and unhealthy at first without being dehumanizing to either characters.

3. As catras-breakup-song outlines above, we get to see GROWTH! There won't be as much of a satisying and hard working character arcs if we already start at relationship goals.

4. It shows us as that it's okay to make mistakes. At some point or another in our entire lives we will be toxic friends, toxic family, toxic lovers, toxic classmates, toxic coworkers, toxic people, whatever. Stress brings out the worst in us. And guess what? Life is pretty stressful. We cannot handle everything right all the time. We are not iredeemable villains for screwing up once in a while. And neither are our toxic ships. Seeing toxicity to soft lovers means we can see redemption on screen and it give us hope, give us the ability to forgive OURSELVES and our loved ones who have shown remorse and improvement.

5. It's just... It's FUN! Toxic yuri pairings getting into dagger fights... Toxic yuri characters getting so angry at each other their face is blushing... Catradora Agathario Jennifer x Needy... the angst of it all <3 Anger can be passionate. Conflict can unearth character depth. The tension that arises can be *chefs kiss*. It doesn't even need to be sexual tension since I listed Jennifer x Needy, two high school students, it can just be sparkly flirty tension.

Toxic ships that get redeemed are all about seeing someone's ugly and "getting it out of the way" and loving them anyways, and seeing them imrpove as a person BEFORE you settle down with them. Which is why Belle chose Beast and not Gaston!

The villain who stops being the villain and falls for the hero is... so much more trustworthy than the angel who is just so kind and nice all the time and we dON'T KNOW THEM VERY WELL-

Like the "bad boy" trope done RIGHT (which is not often!! and does not need to mean just a boy. I meant bad boy as in rebel) should mean that all the surprises are gone and the character knows what they're getting themselves into and will never be shocked with a vile betrayal or heel turn from their lover. Whereas a character who seems flawless is actually scary lmao. It's essnetially Kristoff VS Hans (I'm not even a Disney fan, how do disney characters keep coming up XD)

I hate Fifty Shades of Grey, I hate abuse, but sheesh, I'm not intruiged with Peppa Pig. Heaven-esque ships NOR Hellish ships make for a cathartic viewing/reading experience, but Purgatory-esque ships.

Toxic ships becoming loving ships is one of the best healthy mediums you could find IMO.

Thank you for coming to my Ted Talk! xx

(Put the 4ntis aside cuz this is supposed to be a interesting thought provoking discussion about the show) do you think catradora are meant to be a relationship that goes from toxic to healthy?

thank you for censoring ♡

from toxic to healthy, yes absolutely. i've never been one to deny that catradora is a toxic ship or that catra was a toxic person; denying that is just as frustrating as denying character growth took place, because both are so integral to the story's message about how we are shaped by the people around us, and that mistakes don't have to define who we are or how much love & happiness we deserve.

if we pretended that catradora's relationship was always wholesome, we'd miss out on how hard they worked to get to that point, as well as how good it feels for catra to earn the future she truly wanted, as opposed to the one she tried to convince herself would be satisfying after the portal closed.

[amelikos]

I am already a big enjoyer of Friede and Amethio's rivalry and dynamics in general, so if Crave turns out to be Amethio's father, I feel like this knowledge would reframe their rivalry in very interesting ways and give additional readings and perspectives..

[thefandomlesbian]

AO3 Wrapped 2024

Another year drawing to a close!!! An awesome year for fan work!

Tagged by @oddlittlestories, started by @thatwholethingwiththeduck

Here's the template for anyone who would like to participate!

@someguywriting @sourb0i @zambehnation @ahousethatjackbuilt @gaylilsherlock and anyone else who would like to complete it!

[icewindandboringhorror]

"We can get through this by working together, reach out to your friends, community is all we have, a social network will be your security in the world, now is the time to lean on others!"

I do agree, and it's scientifically sound (pretty sure there is data about how people with better social networks live longer and etc) but also....augh..... what about the severe social issues, difficulty to leave the house, physical issues which lead to like zero socialization energy a majority of the time, etc. etc. Social support can be a replacement for structural support, but.. I guess I just wish it didn't have to be. Community is extremely difficult to build, even moreso if you're someone who has issues with social cues or group conversations or even just being around others in the first place. And blah, nuance, of course I'm just complaining or maybe being too negative or maybe misunderstanding, but, I hardly have the energy to brush my hair once every 2 months.. how am I supposed to maintain a wide social network and be active in a Community and Join Groups lol... sometimes it kind of feels like "er.. well if thats my only option then...... ruh roh". It's overwhelming

[doux-amer]

One thing that has deeply annoyed me about the response from Americans/Westerners about this week's events in Korea is that a lot of them, including people I like and respect, are like, "The protesting civilians and lawmakers who barged into the National Assembly would've been shot if this were the U.S./this would've never happened in the U.S. because people are too afraid of being shot." There's some truth to that, at least with regard to state violence, but I'm fed up because it doesn't account for how frightening this could have turned out to be had it not been for how much of an inept flop dunce Yoon Sukyeol is. It minimizes the courage of those who showed up.

Sure, it was likely that the military and riot police wouldn't have done much (again, YSY's self-coup wasn't thought out well, and there's more evidence of that as military officials and soldiers are speaking up about the lack of information they received, but I'll refrain from talking about that to avoid making this even longer than it inevitably will be, knowing myself), but let's not pretend there haven't been issues with them in recent years. They pepper sprayed and used water cannons during an anniversary rally for the Sewol ferry victims (x) (x) (if you don't understand how unbelievably cruel that is, look into the horrific Sewol ferry sinking). They tear gassed crowds (Korea has a gruesome history of this) and sprayed water cannons, and citizens have been injured and killed during the 2015 protests and 2016-17 Park Geunhye impeachment protests, notably Baek Namgi, an elderly activist whose death caused global outrage (x) (x). Park Geunhye was going to enforce martial law during those protests according to a leaked document, with hundreds of tanks, thousands of soldiers and special force troops! (x)

Not to mention, there are decades of extreme state violence that have scarred an entire country and are still super fresh for a huge percentage of the population. Again, check out that tear gas history piece. Look up the April Revolution, Gwangju massacre, and June uprising and see just how bloody they were. Thousands of civilians were tortured and killed. Look at how many protests were going on year after year during the 1980s. That isn't that long ago! All those older people who ran to the National Assembly to stop the coup? You bet a lot of them were college students who protested during that time or knew people who did. All the younger people? They may not have experienced what it was like living under martial law, but as I said, state violence still occurs, however much it's dwindled over the years, and you have to account for generational trauma. I don't think I'll ever forget the way I felt when I saw the breaking news alert about the martial law declaration on December 3. I've never experienced that, at least to that degree.

Instead of viewing the response from civilians and elected officials through the framework of police brutality in the U.S., it should be contextualized using Korea's own history. Thankfully most of the serious discussions are doing this, but like I said, even people who are smart about reading up on things have reflected on how this wouldn't fly in the U.S., not because of the difference in protest history, civil movements, and public engagement with both in the two countries but because of the military/police response. There's an insinuation there that Koreans would be more reluctant to do what they did if they knew what it's like to live in fear of violence instead of living in such a safe country like Korea...and I want to yell.

It was monumentally brave of everyone to do what they did to stop the coup. We're all laughing at how stupid the coup was and there's a reason why people were more furious than scared because of the political history of Korea and the laws set in place to protect the democracy and neutralize coup attempts, but this could have easily become a disaster. It's not alarmist of me to say so because there was no way for anyone to be 100% sure of how the military would react—especially when no one knew what the hell was going on.

[serenhob]

Cpr

In Romance novels I've noticed the Cpr trope a bunch of times (mc/lo perform Cpr on mc/lo and they kiss or indirectly kiss I guess) and its relatively harmless BUT sometimes they will have the character giving Cpr being a professional (think lifeguard or firefighter or whatever) and that's where it loses me.

Life breaths are no longer allowed (except if you're a lifeguard/coastguard but I'll get to that) because of potential diseases from saliva etc. Normally people have this weird tube

Which they shove down the unconscious persons throat to open the airway (unconscious people don't have a gag reglex which is why they can) and then they attach it (or use on its own) this device

Which they fill with air and squeeze the bag on the end to pump air into the persons body (you can't put too much air in the bag or the persons lungs will pop, extra tip if you need to do cpr on a baby you loosely fill your cheeks with air and puff with that cause if you don't you will pop the babies lungs and do chest compressions with two fingers)

The only time anyone would do life breaths depends on two conditions:

They don't have access to this other equipment

The person is directly related to them or are a child

I mentioned life guards were an exception. Life guards can do life breaths but they must be through the nose. Which was really weird pantomiming on the cpr doll.

Anyway, thanks for reading and please 🙏 if your character is a professional don't make then do life breaths.

[kirby-the-gorb]

[ambrosykim]

just watched all the veilguard endings and