#curated conversations representation

[hallowpen]

I figured I might as well make this a little blog series, since there will be more to address in upcoming episodes.

Before we dive into the nitty gritty... I really want to acknowledge the production value of The Loyal Pin and all the hard work that went into making it. The characters, the sets, the wardrobe, the dialect... everything was an honest representation of a historically accurate period drama. The first episode was perfectly curated to establish the series' universe. I was really impressed with Becky in particular because I've been following her since GAP, and I know how much she struggled with reacquainting herself to the language when she moved back home to Thailand from New Zealand. To have the added pressure of maintaining a period accurate dialect was not easy for her. Freen has proudly commented on how hard Becky worked to really learn the script... and it shows. Well done, Bec Bec!!!

Let's Talk Thai Culture...

We'll start off by breaking down Thai Royal Language Terminology (คำราชาศัพท์)

The Savettavarit Royal House Consists of 1) His Royal Highness, The Prince Thai Royal Title: พระองค์ชาย (pronounced phra-ong chai) reserved for direct male descendants of the king

2) Her Serene Highness, Princess Alisa Thai Royal Title: หม่อมเจ้าหญิง (pronounced mom-jao ying) a non-inherited title for being the wife of a prince (abbr. M.C.)

3) His Serene Highness, Prince Anantavut Thai Royal Title: หม่อมเจ้าชาย (pronounced mom-jao chai) a title for male children of a prince, meaning secondary prince (abbr. M.C.)

4) His Serene Highness, Prince Anon Thai Royal Title: หม่อมเจ้าชาย (pronounced mom-jao chai) a title for male children of a prince, meaning secondary prince (abbr. M.C.)

5) Her Serene Highness, Princess Anilaphat Thai Royal Title: หม่อมเจ้าหญิง (pronounced mom-jao ying) a title for female children of a prince, meaning secondary princess (abbr. M.C.)

The Kasidit Noble Family Consists of 1) Her Serene Highness, Princess Pattamika Thai Royal Title: หม่อมเจ้าหญิง (pronounced mom-jao ying) a non-inherited title for being the 'adopted' sister of the prince (abbr. M.C.)

2) Lady Pilanthita Thai Noble Title: หม่อมราชวงศ์ (pronounced mom rat-cha-wong) a title assumed by 'commoner' children of หม่อมเจ้า (M.C.), meaning their ancestry can be traced back to a king (abbr. M.R.) The Common Address: You'll hear certain characters use the term ท่าน (pronounced than). It is the formal address between members of royalty/nobility to acknowledge certain members of higher rank. It essentially means "Your Highness". For example, regarding Princess Pattamika, Pin addresses her 'adoptive' mother (f.) as ท่านหญิง (than ying) and Anil refers to her 'aunt' as ท่านอา (than ah*). *อา (ah) is how one would refer to their father's younger sibling

Another term you might have heard was เพคะ (pronounced phe-kha). It is less formal and used to express familiarity. Both Prik and Lady Pin use this response to address Princess Anil as "Your Highness". Princess Alisa can also be heard using this phrase in conversation with, and to respond to, her husband.

She is considered a Noble 'Commoner', so Lady Pin would be formally addressed as คุณหญิง (khun ying) given her title. However, Pin is depicted as being more reserved and adherent to social structure. This is very telling of her social class amongst the higher ranking royal family who took her in. Pin has a lot more to lose than Anil should she stray from class expectations, and they did a wonderful job establishing that in the first episode. (I'm sure this will come into play even more as the characters age up... and I'm very much looking forward to it.)

Lower ranked servants/attendants (บ่าว - bao) can be heard using the term เจ้า (jao) to indicate their showing of respect when addressing someone of superior status.

Pronunciation and Formality: Without even knowing the Thai language, you might have noticed that the characters heavily enunciate their dialect when speaking. It's an accurate depiction of a "prim" and "proper" royal family. Even how Anil addresses her two brothers is very formal: พี่ชายรอง (meaning second eldest brother) and พี่ชายใหญ่ (meaning eldest brother). If you're going to do a period drama... this is how it's done!!!

Should we discuss the Thai dishes highlighted in this episode? ...Why not?

สองมาลีลอยแก้ว (pronounced song mali loy kaew) is a Thai dessert comprised of watermelon and mamuang dong (มะม่วงดอง - pickled mangoes). The fruit is carved into floral shapes and arranged to "float" in sugar syrup with ice, hence its name... which literally translates to 'Two Flowers Floating in Glass'.

นำ้ปลาหวาน (pronounced nam pla whan) is a Thai dipping sauce comprised of palm sugar, fermented fish sauce, shallots and chili. It's usually paired with firm and tart fruits... like green mangoes. (It's an acquired taste hehe)

The last thing I wanted to mention are Thai night markets and fairs (ตลาดกลางคืน). They are still hugely popular for social outings and, like the series has shown, are comprised of various stalls offering street food, clothes, accessories, attractions, etc. They're very popular amongst tourists, as well.

I hope this wasn't too overwhelming with information... but I just wanted to be as thorough as possible because this series is shaping up to be, what is essentially, a love letter to Thai tradition.

[excalibur-gone-missing]

[TEASER]

Paring: seungcheol x you

Requested: no

Release date: 24-04-24

Genre: mafia au, reverse of getting kidnaped by the mafia boss, fluff, e2l, crack, assistant au

Warning(s): mention of abduction, guns?

summary: It was not supposed to be like this, it was a meticulous plan perfectly curated by you, Jun and Seokmin. You were supposed to go get the man who was the future heir of the Kim Corps named Mingyu, you ever had a pic of his. Most importantly it was definitely not supposed to be the man who now sits in your basement claiming that he is the leader of the mafia organisation you three work for.

words: 342

Other works

disclaimer: this is not the exact representation of the subjects in real life. I just use them for my inspiration.

a/n: taglist is open, comment if you want to be tagged.

[permanent taglist][for those who want to join the permanent taglist]

“So, you are telling me these three, these newbies who literally didn’t have any good job for them to gain experience drugged your ass and took you to god knows where, and you couldn’t even put up a good fight?!”

Jeonghan exclaims looking at the seated, nervous and scared faces of the three of you from Seungcheol’s office’s glass.

“Apparently not”, the older man sighs.

“My friend are you sure you are a real mafia? Because in the light of the current happenings I am starting to question your integrity a lot.”

Jeonghan says as he barks out a laugh, taking pleasure at his friends’ humiliation.

The bitch continues to make fun of the older man.

“Or maybe you were too immersed in staring at the pretty lady to notice that you were getting kidnapped”.

“I just thought I was getting mugged, so I didn’t fight hard enough, who knew I would be kidnapped instead.”

Seungcheol grumbles pouting a bit.

“Which is even worse, because you are telling me you would have let people just mug you for no reason when you are one of the most influential people underground!” now Jeonghan did look pretty concerned about the statement his superior just spewed and he does indeed have a hard time accepting it.

“Ahh! Just get over with it and let me go and make sure the three of them face the appropriate consequences for not only abducting me, but also trying to abduct my friend”, Seungcheol barks out while walking out, thoroughly humiliated and annoyed that his junior was having fun at his expense.

So Jeonghan does what he is good at. Right after his superior leaves, he strides towards the group and says, “so because the boss has instructed me to do something with you three which will stop you guys from going off the hook, I’m going to assign you some jobs in the organisation because I can.”

Now, anyone even vaguely familiar with Jeonghan would recognize the expression he wore just before chaos ensued, but contrary to popular belief, Jeonghan is actually quite amiable—at least, that's what he believes, and that's what matters, right?

He continued, “Junhui, you’ll be overseeing the artillery division our deputy head Chan will ensure you are well informed about your job. You’ll meet him tomorrow. As for Seokmin,” he paused, a sly smile crossing his face, which made Seokmin visibly nervous, “you, my friend, will be our esteemed boss's driver. Lastly, y/n, you'll be his assistant. You'll meet Chan tomorrow too; he'll explain the workings of your new role.”

Normally, in any ordinary conversation, you wouldn't dare ask inappropriate questions, but the circumstances were far from normal, so you proceeded with the most audacious question you could muster: “Why did Chan leave his previous post?”

Jeonghan politely responded, “He left because the job didn’t suit him, so we shifted him to the artillery department as a deputy head.”

Unspoken was the fact that Chan had been worn down by the boss's relentless bullying, quietly requesting a transfer for at least three years before Jeonghan finally relented. Since then, the turnover of assistants had been alarmingly high. Jeonghan desperately hoped you would stick around. Moreover, if either you or Seungcheol objected to this arrangement, he had enough leverage to ensure you both compile.

Enough dirt to keep both of you in line.

[max-uhhhh-talks]

Hey there, you're 16. I'm 30. it's okay if you are still upset by media because it depicts immoral things, but the best thing you can do is avoid things that hurt you. Media depicts shitty things all the time.

For example, I like watching cop shows. ACAB for life, but i like a cop serial. I know, they're usually kind of trash, but i like a predictable little detective story. It doesnt change that I think the police institution shouldnt exist.

If you believe, even though the Copiiia shippers do not, that canon is law, you must agree that what we enjoy in fiction is no representation of what we endorse in reality.

It's okay that it really upsets you, but the world cannot make itself palatable to the tastes of one teenager. I know you grew up with the algorithm and haven't had to learn how to curate your online experience, but it's a skill that will help you a huge amount.

Direct your energy towards meaningful things. The zest of youth is powerful, and it does not last forever. Before you know it, you too will be thirty and just trying to pay your rent on time. Live your youth well, focus on the things that matter.

Take care, and leave the tired adults alone. Peace out.

I will not leave the "tired adults" alone, they deserve to be called out.

I have been on the internet for years, I know how to curate my experience online. I actively do curate my experience online.

That doesn't stop me from seeing disgusting things.

This is not just one teenager complaining. There are tons of people in this fandom, a lot of adults I've interacted with in the fandom, who hold my beliefs in terms of the standard on what is and is not to portray in romantic or sexual ways.

This is not just a child that is complaining. This is someone starting a conversation that needs to be had within this fandom. It is a genuine issue that needs to be brought to light.

You've clearly never heard of "fiction reflects reality," have you?

Indulging in a cop investigation show while holding the ACAB belief is not the same as going out of your way to write, draw, read romantic and sexual depictions of incest. Why do you like incest so much?

Theres a difference between media depicting certain dynamics and media romanticizing it.

[acheronist]

I am reading The Goldfinch. I'm where he just started hanging out at the furniture/antiques place regularly. It's written well, it's holding my inerest, but I don't yet see what all the fuss is about. So not as a criticism but in an effort to appreciate something I might be missing, why is it a book you love?

well.

donna tartt is one of my favorite authors anyways. I think she's a spectacular freak and her storytelling skills are exceptionally good and i've read as much of her work as i can possibly get my little hands on!

but for tgf specifically, the narrative being soooo so so centered on personal emphasis & meaning being bestowed upon specific artworks despite them being very unpersonal objects (after they get out of the artist's hands, that is,) in stark comparison to the way that art that can belong to/be seen/be consumed any random fucking person alive in the modern age has been the only existential buoy in my life for a very very very long time. in my lowest times, instead of killing myself i go stand in art museums and think about how much love and creativity is innate in humanity despite times of crisis and war and disease and all of the fucking agonies and everything going wrong and having no control over it. ha ha. it's always been a balm to me, to remember that there is goodness and love preserved in artwork, and that artwork is tougher and longer-lasting than you'd initially think, and that it's always there waiting for me to come back to it and see it in a different emotional state to find new meanings in it. this is the same as how theo thinks about the painting thru different times in his life!! going from needing it desperately as a connection to his mom, obsessively as a comfort, and then reviling it for being a representation of his life's biggest trauma and yet still tending to it and caring for it, to the heartache of losing it and the relief of retrieving it with the one person who genuinely loves him as an act of devotion and apology for a previous betrayal....all while navigating how systems in power are neglectful and uncaring and capitalistic. it's all just So Much To Me.....

and I know the middle chapters where theo just goes on and on about the intricacies of antique forgery aren't as fun and sexy as the vegas chapters with boris (underage drug abuse and gay sex WHEEEEEE) OR the actual criminal chapters at the end (mysterious borderline-noir criminal heist slash subtextual romcom), but they're soooo so poignant to me. because in my own little life, curating the art and music around me and finding beauty and importance and symbolism in these subtle things is a vital central axis that i need to have, much like i need a nice bed or a good meal or a glass of clean water. much of how i cope and navigate the world is very deeply focused around art & art analysis, and I think the only other book i've read that articulated that sort of feeling quite as eloquently would be john berger's way of seeing, which is an academic and analytical text. but i just love fiction so much, so to have tgf as the extremely emotional fiction option to go along w my nonfiction art thesis books that are tonally very prim and objective and well organized..... DELICIOUS. i love it. and i love a fictive narrative built upon tragedy. i love works that call back to each other in conversation, and stories that cannot exist without the foundation of Something Else Existing A Millennia Prior. i love comparing works and establishing what makes them similar or different but how they approach the same themes. and i love to see characters (THEO. boris. pippa. hobie. andy.) that i can identify with who struggle with similiar problems i have, because it makes it easier for me to get thru my own life. this isn't groundbreaking reasoning though, that's just how every human alive consumes art and content. of course we look for ourselves in fiction. of course we as individuals want to find things that we relate to.

and also in a purely self-indulgence way, I also looooooove it when media is unbearably long and i can get completely entranced and study it closely and always be able to find new details that throw the whole story into a completely new light, which I think tgf does very well because it's almost 900 pages LMAO. every time i reread it there's a new nuanced angle for me to think about actions and thoughts leading into consequences and i just eat that up every single time.......

but despite all of this i do recognize that tgf is not everyone's cup of tea. like it's genuinely one of the most meaningful texts in my heart but i completely understand how it can be long, and boring, and melodramatic, and a bit insane, and convoluted, and pompous, and not worth the time to get from cover to cover.

but it is worth the time. to me.

[d-criss-news]

‘Glee’ alum Darren Criss ready for National Christmas Tree Lighting ahead of Wolf Trap

His breakthrough role arrived on Fox’s “Glee” before winning an Emmy Award on FX’s “American Crime Story.”

This week, actor and singer Darren Criss performs live at the National Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony on The Ellipse outside the White House on Thursday night.

“This is my first year doing this particular event,” Criss told WTOP. “I’ve been lucky enough in my career to have done a number of things for the Bidens. That is a low-key humble brag. They haven’t decided to kick me off the invite list yet, but there’s still room! I could really biff it at the White House.”

He joins a star-studded lineup of Mickey Guyton, Dionne Warwick, Joe Walsh, Ledisi and St. Vincent.

“It’s a pretty cool list, man,” Criss said. “I just saw the list and I don’t know who printed the ad mat, but there’s no world in my mind where I would ever appropriately be anywhere higher or before the likes of St. Vincent, Renee Rapp. … When your name is with the likes of Joe Walsh, Dionne Warwick and many more, you can’t help but just have a huge wave of imposter syndrome.”

After that, “A Very Darren Crissmas” hits The Barns at Wolf Trap in Virginia on Saturday and Sunday.

“We’re just going from town to town spreading holiday cheer, man,” Criss said. “A lot of people put out holiday albums … just playing the very well-known songs. … My main goal in life is not necessarily as a performer but more like a curator. … If I had it my way, my Christmas album would have been 100 songs that no one’s ever heard of, but because I’m not a fool, I toe the line between familiar stuff but I do it in an unfamiliar way.”

Born in San Francisco in 1987, Criss grew up in loving “Star Wars,” “Transformers” and The Beatles. He pursued the arts as a theater major at the University of Michigan, performing in “Pride & Prejudice” and “A Few Good Men” before founding StarKid Productions to produce his own shows. That included the Harry Potter production “A Very Potter Musical,” which actually landed songs on the Billboard charts.

After appearing on the ABC series “Eastwick,” Criss’ big break came on Fox’s “Glee” (2010-2015), playing transfer student Blaine Anderson, who eventually married Kurt Hummel. Criss started out singing Katy Perry’s “Teenage Dream” and ended by writing the Emmy-nominated song “This Time” for the series finale.

“‘Glee’ was incredibly popular and progressive,” Criss said. “I lucked out and won the golden ticket because when I joined that show, it already had a significant degree of attention where one of the most popular characters was Kurt, somebody who was making waves … in the queer dialogue amongst popular culture, the conversation of gay teens and representation of queer people on mainstream, linear, network television.”

He reunited with Ryan Murphy to play the killer Andrew Cunanan in “American Crime Story: The Assassination of Gianni Versace” (2017), beating out Antonio Banderas, Benedict Cumberbatch, Jeff Daniels, John Legend and Jesse Plemons to win the Emmy for Best Actor in a Limited Series.

“Actors wait a whole lifetime for parts like that,” Criss said. “This horrible thing happened because of a guy who happened to kind of look like me and be kind of my age and ethnicity. … Twenty years later, how do we make sure those tragedies don’t end up as these horrible things? To bring light to a darkness by illuminating the things around those tragedies, the other themes that led to how and why these things happened.”

On stage, his Broadway roles include replacing Daniel Radcliffe in “How to Succeed in Business without Really Trying” (2012), replacing Neil Patrick Harris in “Hedwig and the Angry Inch” (2015) and joining Sam Rockwell and Laurence Fishburne in the revival of David Mamet’s play “American Buffalo” (2022).

“I’ve really gotten to check a lot of boxes in what I believe to still be the earlier part of life and career, boxes that I really did always dream of and worked hard to get to,” Criss said. “Now onto Christmas baby!”

[chimeraan]

tbh I don't actually know what to do or say to people on here who won't interact or will completely dismiss genres not wholly associated with white people

Inevitably some well meaning person who knows their shit is going to make a playlist of non-white artists for tumblr to listen to, perfectly curated towards tumblr's taste, and then what? That'll end up being the only thing outside the usual shit that they even touch.

These people won't even listen to weirder LGBT artists since there's a yearly conversation about how there's no LGBT representation on the billboard 100 and there are constantly people telling them actually there's a shit tonne of music made by queer people you just have to do a bandcamp, rym or even Spotify search. It's just not yknow gonna sound like Swift or Lemon Demon or whatever.

The dismissal of entire genres of music stems from imo a lack of curiosity, an unwillingness to empathise and an aversion to being uncomfortable whilst experiencing art you're not familiar with.

When I first listened to jazz (Dexter Gordon's Our Man in Paris (an all time fave now)), it didn't immediately click but I was curious and wanted to understand it. It was worth it, since it's a great album but it took tike, I had to open myself up to experiencing something new.

It's not always easy experiencing or trying to understand new art or people but it's obviously worth it since the musical world (and the world in general) is so rich with new experiences and sounds. I just do not know how to relay this to tumblr users or just Internet people in general though, especially when they're so willing to just dismiss entire genres outright based on preconception.

(There's also an even deeper conversation here about how people won't even try to experience art made by people from different countries (that are not Japan or Korea). I don't even know how to unpack that shit tho)

[chickenstrangers]

Pisaeng's Mother in Episode 6

We got such a monumental feeling episode with Pisaeng last week and his exploration of his queer identity, and this episode felt a bit quieter on that front, but no less important for understanding his character. This was a parent heavy episode, both with Kawi's desperation and grief over his father's illness and future death, and the introduction of Pisaeng's mother. I have a lot of thoughts about Kawi this episode but here I'd like to discuss Pisaeng and his mother.

We first see her onscreen this episode when Max is watching her interview, and he notes they have the same last name but Pisaeng doesn't comment. Max compliments her and says he likes what she has to say, but there is something uneasy in Pisaeng's response. We then see her photograph in Pisaeng's house. Both the interview and the photograph are carefully curated representations of herself, just as she is trying to have Pisaeng maintain his own reputation (and by extension her own).

But then we get the truth of their relationship when she comes to visit. There is a growing sense of unease in this scene for me. On the surface, she portrays herself as quite supportive--she is accepting of her queer colleagues, she wants Pisaeng to be able to trust her and open up to her. For a second I wasn't sure if the sense of discomfort I was feeling was intentional or if the show was framing her as the good supportive parent archetype in a clumsy way. But the show is demonstrating the nuances between surface-level support and real support in a way that isn't just black or white and feels very real and very sickening.

She enters Pisaeng's home by herself, not waiting to knock and be let in. She then lets him know that she knows he's been somewhere he doesn't normally go (or maybe isn't really supposed to go). [edit: @bengiyo makes a really important point about surveillance in queer and marginalized communities that is very relevant here]. She doesn't wait for him to come out to her (though he already presumably did when he was 15) or wait for him to feel comfortable talking to her. She says he needs to come to her first before talking to anyone else, not out of wanting to be safe for him but wanting to manipulate him again. She makes it seem like she will support his "decision" but is more focused on what people will think of him if he is out.

It's interesting that this scene is followed immediately by Not and Pear, and Not asking if Pear thinks Kawi is gay. Kawi who is still just beginning to figure out his queerness and is already being labeled by outsiders and judged. Notably, there is no mention of Pisaeng in this conversation.

There was discussion last week surrounding Pisaeng's discovery and acceptance of his identity with the scenes at the bar but it's clear now that this process started a long time ago for Pisaeng. It wasn't even subconscious. By 15, he was already aware enough about his sexuality that his mom also knew, whether he actually came out to her or not. This isn't a new discovery for him, which recontextualizes the scenes in the bar and in front of the pride flag for me.

Coming out is not a one time event, it is a continuous process. And being in the closet is a spectrum.

The idea of Pisaeng going back into the closet hit really hard this week. Being out to some people, at least to his mom, at a relatively young age, and then going back into hiding hurts. Five years. I felt that. Even more so because she made him do so with loving words and expressions of concern.

So Pisaeng's visit to the bar wasn't necessarily about discovering his own queerness, but finally seeing other people's queerness out in the open, at least in a safe space. The pride flag a banner for all to see. And so now he knows that it is possible for him too.

[ladybird-scribbles]

On the Death and Rebirth of Third Places

As is typical of the constant content cycle of the 2020s, recently my social media feeds became filled with discussions on the ideas of "Third Place" and "Third Space". This first began as a screencap of a Twitter thread, then video essays on YouTube, and SubStack articles on the loss of third places and the loneliness epidemic of today. Therefore, I decided to undertake a deep dive of these phenomena...

What is a Third Place?

Oftentimes third places and third spaces are confused, and used interchangeably, however occupy different meanings. We can attribute the concept of the Third Space to post-colonial critical theorist Homi K. Bhabha, who describes it as a metaphorical space of negotiation.

Paraphrasing Bhabha, the three forms of Space can be summarised thus:

First Space - direct spatial experience, physical spaces, such that can be measured

Second Space - spatial representation and the abstract

Third Space - the liminal inbetween, where ideas and people blend together.

The Third Place comes from a similar root concept, but focuses more on the physical space and activity rather than on the abstract. Originally coined by sociologist Ray Oldenburg in The Great Good Place (1989) each Place is defined as such:

First Place - the home, someone's refuge, nest, and point of closest connection with others

Second Place - the workplace, where people spend most of their time

Third Place - congregational neutral ground, a mix between First and Second places that is both and neither.

Traditionally, the Third Place would be a community hub such as the church, or the local pub, as well as leisure spaces such as the library, sports grounds and social clubs. One might also consider shopping centres, cafes,

Hostility in Third Places:

A tweet by Salem @aWildSalem on Twitter - (who uses third space as the term rather than third place, but means the latter)

"People really built a society with no third spaces, made it illegal or unsafe to be outside, and then blamed phone use for making teenagers depressed. I've had this conversation with multiple parents. They want the phones to be the source of the problem because they don't want to admit that we have created a physical environment that is hostile to teenage existence."

It seems clear to me that this does not solely impact today's teenagers, but the entirety of society. Third spaces these days are typically either commercial or digital, both of which sets limitations on users and connections. A coffee shop could be considered a third space, however you still need to purchase something, e.g. a coffee, in order to justify using the space. Public parks are often home to hostile architecture discouraging lingering and loitering - decorative sculptural benches that become uncomfortable after a short period, or no seating at all, have become increasingly common in public spaces to discourage rough sleepers, which not only makes the space intentionally hostile to homeless people, but also to disabled people and to the elderly, who need spaces to sit. Therefore these public spaces become less appealing and more threatening for a significant number of citizens and these spaces limit opportunity for connection as we are pushed away from them.

On the flipside, in recent times there has been a growing an argument that social media is the new Third Place to combat the loss and degradation of physical Third Places. Arguably this can only apply to forums such as Discord, where curating an online community, rather than pushing products and services, is seen as the goal. Discord started as a server platform for gamers, with voice, video, and chat functions, creating a digital communal space like a club would but without the physical and spatial presence of said clubhouse - bringing people together from all across the world over shared interests who may otherwise have never met. Friendships and relationships blossom in the digital realm in ways that were not possible before the internet and instant communication. During the Covid-19 pandemic, digital third places became for many people the only communal space they could occupy without risk, as public spaces required social distancing and limits on numbers, and there was the ever-present risk of coronavirus. Forums and servers continue to provide safe spaces for communities who might otherwise be treated with hostility in the physical world.

The issue with this is that by not having visibility in the physical world, these communities can be pushed further away from it and further into online-only interactions.

Public Space and Performance

How much does your performance affect your perception of the space around you?

The Second Place is centred entirely around the idea of Performance - the workplace is where you are your most productive: creating, manufacturing, providing in order to earn a living and sustain yourself, in the hopes of more freedom as you work up the chain of command. This constant productivity also demands constant performance - in the service sectors, one must be polite, approachable, knowledgeable, well-dressed. For women this can mean a face of makeup and a structured bra, for example.

We return home to our First Place - makeup is wiped off, bra cast aside and discarded on the back of a chair, to be rediscovered tomorrow in a wild rush. We unmask into comfort after providing a Performance from approximately 8am to 5pm, depending on what "work" looks like. Longer, if we have to work overtime or face a lengthy commute.

Therefore, the Third Place is an inbetween of the two - we are naturally expected to behave well as this is a public realm, but how we present ourselves should be to our own comfort levels.

What intrigues me about these topics is not only the death of the Third Place, but the blurring between First and Second Places. Growing up, the idea of somebody working from home was a rare one - my father, a notable exception who worked from home before it was cool, still has his home office in the tiny box room I had once called mine as a toddler (the room still has the same blue carpet and the same farm animals dancing around on the wallpaper). He has worked from home for around 25 years now, and for most of that time, he was the only person I knew of who used home as a workspace. This all changed with Covid-19 and the pandemic - universities rushed to put their students into online learning, workplaces shuttered and sent employees home with laptops to eke out existence on the kitchen counter, surrounded by everyone else at home trying to do the same thing. Pure chaos, perhaps?

However, four years on hybrid working is a highly sought-after job attribute, and people appreciate the flexibility it gives them to avoid as much commuting and to spend much-needed time with loved ones. However, this has come at the expense of home privacy - where does "work" end and "home" begin if you are operating in the same series of rooms day-in, day-out? Does working from home make it harder to switch off from work-mode, and vice-versa? Working from home removes a significant chunk of the performance that office work requires - by this I mean dressing well, platitudes about how peoples' weekends were, listening to the standard radio station rather than playing your own music - although this can look different for everyone - however it also removes some of the connectivity that we need as adults which is harder to come by than when we were at school. In school, you made friends by proximity. In adulthood, that method of friendship seems far more rare. Some people may find their "work bestie" and it blossoms into true friendship, others see work colleagues as people they share a building with and that's the extent of it. Add to this hybrid working, and we see colleagues less frequently and have less chance to make meaningful connections with them. Gone are the conversations clustered around the water-cooler... and sometimes working from home means the only conversation someone might have is a five minute Teams call pushing for a project, where the receiver ends the call and thinks "That could have been an e-mail."

This all feeds back into the growing loneliness epidemic - loneliness was declared a "global public health concern" in the tail end of 2023. Covid-19 has accellerated what was already a burgeoning issue before the pandemic as we were de-socialised over a series of lockdowns.

Much of what I am exploring in this thinkpiece feeds back into each other in a loop - pushing people away from physical Third Places causes hostile environments which pushes people further away, for example. Children not having space to play can lead to lonely, isolated young adults who don't know how to connect in the real world.

On the other hand - I have hope that despite the odds communities persevere and grow, creating new Third Places for people to congregate. I am lucky enough to live in a town with a thriving craft scene, multiple book clubs, and a clear community spirit that has been evident for decades and that the town itself is very proud of. Believe me, it makes a massive difference.

FURTHER READING / VIEWING: - https://www.re-thinkingthefuture.com/architectural-community/a10494-third-spaces-in-architecture-edward-soja/

Chapter 4, Section 4.4 and Chapter 5 in Foucault for Architects, Gordana Fontana-Giusti, 2013

Mina Le - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KqjpuUJQFcM - "third places, stanley cup mania, and the epidemic of loneliness"

NotJustBikes - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VvdQ381K5xg - "The Great Places Erased by Suburbia (the Third Place)"

Elliot Sang - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Ku9csXhvJY - "Nowhere to Go: The Loss of Third Places"

[polyamorouspunk]

I wonder if those idiots would say that to my Rromani mother who listens to Lynyrd Skynyrd and Motorhead.

A Rroma who was legally forced out of her own home by French authorities (in a literal go back to your country) in 2010 and had a brother go missing because he protested and had grandparents who died in the resistance at Birkenau. The only reason she wasn't "repatriated" to Romania (which she was never from her family had always lived in France) was due to her marriage to my American GI father. Oh yeah I was also stolen from her at three months because "gypsies make terrible mothers". Go on tell her that she deserves to die for being a "fascist" for trying to reclaim some of this imagery. I think our mothers are both better representations of punk than op.

Sorry you had to deal with that pal (pal meaning brother in Rromanes and not friend like English). *hugs*

Thank you for teaching me a bit of Romanian (is that the correct way to say it, I see some of your words have two r’s in them) culture!

I feel like personally some of “online” culture is too much “denouncing” things that are bad to make sure that you curate the perfect image online (for example: there are probably opinions and stuff I have that I will NEVER be sharing on here because I already get eaten alive on this blog for what I do share). That it’s more important to dissolve family ties and maintain a perfect image of “Punk Purity” if you will than to actually have the hard conversations about things that are not always black and white (like family ties to people who support you even while being “problematic” vs other trans punks on tumblr.com who will tell you to kill them because oopsies sometimes people uh idk aren’t perfect? SHOCKING). There’s so much EFFORT that goes into maintaining a “punk facade of perfection”. Like man it’s almost like purism but in a different way. Like instead of “we can’t have kink at pride” it’s like “can’t listen to true crime because it’s all exploitative and all of it paints cops in a good light and it’s all cop propaganda” like idk posts about that kind of stuff I see. Like make all the patches you want and post all the trans art you want but are you actually like. Nice to people. Idk.

The people who change the world and make history are not these sanitized perfect people. Having “all the right opinions” doesn’t make you punk. Being nice to people does. I’m waiting for someone to be like “actual Martin Luther King Jr. was problematic and we shouldn’t support him anymore because-” or some stupid shit like that. Like ya’ll I’m not perfect and people need to stop threatening me, sending me hate, etc. or whatever because oh my god [insert whatever drama I got dragged into this time] was problematic.

I love you, and your family, they sound like amazing tough people, I’m glad the ones that survived did to make you and I’m joining you in this little tiny moment of answering your ask to mourn the ones that didn’t. On the topic of true crime as someone who DOES listen to it (the last episode I listened to was literally just then shitting on the Bridgeport Connecticut police department and how awful they are at their jobs and talking about how systematically racist they are) I’m going to put effort into looking into some Romanian (I hope I’m saying that right) cases and maybe putting them out on my own true crime blog to bring attention to the plight that Romanian people have faced historically and still face.

[allycat75]

A bit more on your hypocrisy, Boston Dumb Fuck!

Sure, young voters don't want hyperbole, but they also crave substance and to not be talked down to by a crowd of privleged white dudes who feel they have the competence to curate the appropriate information for them. Why are you and your clout chasing partner the Chosen Ones, when your motives are far from chaste and honest?

Truthfully, is your head so far up your own ass that you didn't realize there are no pictures with at least one person of color or more than one woman? Even your performative activism can't pass the Bechtel test*! Maybe they were doing the hard work of the people and didn't have time to waste on a photo op for your vanity project. At least Biden gave you your participation trophy (my heart sank a bit because you almost looked truly happy, but we all know it was undeserved praise).

*from Wikipedia:

The Bechdel test (/ˈbɛkdəl/BEK-dəl),[1] also known as the Bechdel-Wallace test, is a test to measure the representation of women in film and other fiction. The test asks whether a work features at least two female characters who have a conversation about something other than a man. In some iterations, the requirement that the two female characters have names is added.

The test is used as an indicator of the active presence of women in fiction. A work of fiction passing or failing the test does not necessarily indicate the overall representation of women in the work. Instead, the test is used as an indicator for the active presence (or lack thereof) of women in fiction, and to call attention to gender inequality in fiction. Media industry studies indicate that films that pass the test don't perform any better or worse financially than those that do not.

[jeannereames]

Good morning Dr. Reames I wanted to ask you, what do you think that Christian Cameron compared Alexandros with Hitler, do you think it is a fair comparison? That is, there will be traits that all leaders must share to motivate a large number of people to follow them and come to power, but is it really true that Alexandros was the Hitler of his time?

First, let me say that Chris Cameron and I share some mutual author friends, so I know him “adjacent,” but we have never had a conversation. Let me also say that while I’m not a fan of his God of War novel about Alexander, I assume he’d equally dislike Dancing with the Lion (assuming he’s even read it). Authors are allowed to have different visions.

So, that stated, I had some pretty serious issues with God of War (GoW), in terms of both his reading of Alexander as well as his historiography. In GoW, he Mary-Sued Ptolemy at the expense of Alexander (and Hephaistion and Olympias, for that matter). Compare his “can do no wrong” Ptolemy (which seems to swallow Arrian’s history whole-hog) with Kate Elliott’s Persephone/Ptolemy in the Sun Chronicles…a much more nuanced portrayal, where—surprise!—Persephone/Ptolemy *lies* when it suits her…like the historical Ptolemy, who was establishing a dynasty, so he carefully curated his history. Basically, Cameron’s historiography is problematic as it doesn’t show much awareness of the tropes and themes present in ancient literature, and doesn’t properly “interrogate” the ancient sources for bias.

GoW is a very “het” novel although I don’t think he considers himself homophobic. Nonetheless, parts of GoW read as homophobic, and misogynistic too. Or it may just be that his sifting of the sources isn’t, IMO, nuanced enough to recognize the misogyny in the ancient sources. I doubt he likes (or perhaps has not even read) Beth Carney on Olympias. And I’m sorry, but calling a character presented as primarily homosexual (Hephaistion) a “bitch queen” can’t be anything BUT homophobic, unless there’s a counterbalance gay character somewhere in the (800-page) text, and there’s not. Having a gay character in another novel elsewhere really doesn’t count (and that gay character has other moral issues).

He has a military history audience, and he doesn’t dare alienate them. I’m not convinced he fully gets the problems in what he’s written for LGBTQ representation OR misogyny OR complex historiography generally.

As for ATG as Hitler, there are OH, so many problems with that. He’s read a little too much Ian Worthington and Peter Green (and Brian Bosworth and Ernst Badian, maybe), then taken it further. ATG was not the ancient Hitler. That doesn’t mean he was necessarily a good guy, or that conquest should be elevated in the modern world. But just as Cameron doesn’t seem aware of the various tropes in ancient sources and their impact on historiography, he also doesn’t seem to understand how to analyze ancient expectations.

There is, IMO, a middle road between simply condemning Alexander on modern grounds, versus undue elevation of Alexander and the “conquest narrative” found throughout the ancient world. Basically, Alexander pursued what he grew up to understand as a noble aspiration. Virtually nobody in HIS world would have critiqued that, only how he went about achieving it. That doesn’t mean we can’t critique it, but critiques that expect ancient people to think like moderns hitch on anachronism.

This is something I think Classics/ancient history generally is struggling with at present. How do we avoid making conquest into a thing to emulate, versus applying modern moral standards to ancient people?

[meanmisscharles]

So, I've had this conversation with a few people, but I'm going to bring it here, because I'm pissed off and that's a valid a reason as any.

The questions: Should I, as a person of the African Diaspora give Our Flag Means Death a chance? What about the 'issues' with Taika Waititi? What about the issues around the rl people that the show has put at the center of the show?

So, the thing about The Real Stede Bonnet and Edward Teach is NOW well known. They were a slave owner and involved in the slave trade and Blackbeard (Teach) even has rape on his rap sheet. Could they have picked someone better, or created new characters, wholecloth? Sure, but that still comes with the same issues, because the reality of pirates during the Golden Age of Piracy is that they were these people that dealt in these things.

The SHOW tries to not put that front and center, which would make it an unwatchable experience for Black viewers that care about that. It does not always succeed in this attempt. There is NEVER anyone but Stede Bonnet's family shown at his Barbados home. Maybe we're supposed to think that his white wife is June Cleaver-ing it up and taking care of that estate on her own. Maybe we're supposed to think that his 'paid servants' have clocked out for the day. Who knows? It doesn't actually work though, since one of his crew members is referred to as a slave and another called a 'darkie' (which also happens to be the only contemporary slur for any group used). There are 'servants' on a party boat full of French people - like okay. Everyone had servants, then? Servant implies a salary and...just. It's clunky and I think they needed to think about things a little more fully, but it's not AWFUL.

All I can say is, they try and it's not painful to watch.

Taika - well, he is executive producer, but he's not the showrunner, David Jenkins is and Taika is not a writer for s1. The writer's room is very diverse, with one of the better episodes being written by a queer Black man; John Mahone. I'm not saying that he isn't problematic, but I am at the point where I have to watch something I like and work around other issues. He doesn't detract from it, for me. I don't hate him like I hate the blatant racists that are the main cast of What We Do In The Shadows, which I will not ever watch for any reason.

There are Black characters who have agency and they are great! They are very much also a reason I enjoy the show and got past a lot of the other stuff mentioned above.

The fandom: Trash. Lots of talented artists, writers and there are good people in it, for sure. HOWEVER, it's not a good, or safe place for Black fans and people will put their heads down, or complain, because you're making 'their fun place all icky with racism talk'. The uzsh. They talk a lot about CURATING YOUR EXPERIENCE, as if racism will stick to a tag you can block effectively.

So...it's a good, queer show with good Black and PoC representation. Take what I have to say about it with a grain of salt and perhaps stick a toe in and check it out. S2 is in the works - if you like it, then you'll be set up for enjoying that.

[femmeidiot]

Bruh you’re literally 100% correct about teens and kids believing they know the entirety of any given social justice cause just because they watched some (biased, misinforming) tiktok videos about it. They will argue that their generation is the most woke even though the last two major mass shootings in my country were a misogynistic teen male and a homophobic teen male.

I would contend that this current generation is more sexist and homophobic than mine was in the 2000s. Even when people were still openly using the word “f*g” as a general pejorative, at least we all knew the dudes hitting on lesbians were creeps and the men telling women how to do feminism were assholes

I think it’s honestly even more complex than that and I hate the whole concept of generalizing generations overall (this is not like a dig at you mentioning that btw). I think so many of the teens and young adults and kids right now do so deeply and genuinely care about social justice issues but they don’t want to see the problems with social media and how it is organized. There have been so many people who have tested (not necessarily in an academic sense) the way that algorithms work really well to allow impressionable kids (usually white boys) to spiral very quickly into right wing terror propaganda. However, algorithms are dangerous for everyone, and TikTok’s algorithm in particular is really good for curating a very specific experience, like you can create a perfect echo chamber of things you already agree with if you want to.

I think a lot of people, at all ages, don’t want to admit that these algorithms can be super dangerous to our thought processes. Even if you are looking at social justice topics, you can get so focused on something you heard and it just becomes a full truth to you and you will not be able to even consider the opinions of other people who even have a similar world view to you. Like a year or so ago I remember there was like a whole thing with young lesbians on tiktok campaigning against he/him lesbians, despite historical representations of lesbians who are transmasc, etc. and the fact that gender and sexuality are not the same thing and also the fact that pronouns do not equate to a gender, which is insanely binary thinking.

The reality of social media is you can curate a perfect feedback loop of things you agree with, and therefore when you see something you don’t agree with, or even if you just see someone you would normally have a lot of solidarity with you can become super defensive even over a really minute detail and become unwilling to have a normal conversation. The real world outside of social media (because social media is an aspect of the real world with real consequences) does not work like that. You cannot completely eliminate people you disagree with from your life. Even the people you are closest to you will disagree with and that’s literally just a normal human experience. You will have to be civil with people you don’t agree with or like and I know that only goes so far you shouldn’t give people a pass on being terrible but there is no way to avoid conflict in person to person connection forever and yelling at people you disagree with and calling them stupid in most settings will get you absolutely nowhere (and it doesn’t actually get you anywhere on social media either it only creates further divisiveness). This is not even to mention the way that it’s so easy to misunderstand tone and stuff online.

we really just need to, in both online and offline spaces, find ways to have open conversations with people because continuing the cycle of curating every single experience will only lead to further divisiveness. Individualism and focusing on your own individual beliefs so hard and fast can harm your ability to have true solidarity with others, and I’m not talking about people who are out there saying the nastiest shit you’ve ever heard I’m talking about other people working in social justice spaces. Making mistakes and having disagreements is normal it’s human it’s to be expected and you cannot just shun people out of those spaces when they’re trying to do positive work just because they fuck up. People have to be able to learn and grow and social media divisiveness does not allow that to happen.

[wibble-wobbegong]

What proof are you talking about? Proof about op being a proshipper? Just see their twitter account lol (barbjeanisms). Or search icedmo here, someone made a post about them a long time ago

And I'm just asking you not to call every person who’s uncomfortable with it a homophobe or mega-christian. I said to you why I am uncomfortable with that scene, because it seems to me that you’ll being going after everyone who doesn’t see it or who’s uncomfortable with that. And also for me, I don’t see such a meaning in that scene at all, no matter how hard I try, and no it’s not because I’m into purity culture, and no it’s not because Mike and Will are gay. And I have this thing with many other scenes on the show, and not just with byler. Also, not all minors are like you, I've seen some of them feel uncomfortable when adults talk about relationships between teenagers in a sexual way, but that doesn’t mean they’re homophobic oh my god (Although I know you don't care because I see a lot of posts here about shaming minors because of this) (And no I’m not talking about kiss practice fic) (And it also seems like a lot of the people in the byler tag can’t take other people's opinions)

yes i was asking for proof of what you were talking about in regards to the accusations against someone and i’ll look at it

1. Never said anyone was a mega-homophobe or christian, just that they’re partaking in purity culture

2.

i literally said you don’t have to like it, but denying its existence because you don’t like it is different

3. just because you don’t see it doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist. if you want an explanation dm me but if you’re just saying you don’t see it to try and deny its existence then i can’t help you with that. happy to help explain that imagery if you’re actually curious

4. being personally uncomfortable with sex/sexual attraction doesn’t mean it shouldn’t be represented. if you don’t want to watch sexual activity, then you don’t have to, but it’s unfair for the show to exclude the gay couple and denies some teens representation. just skip over it

5. okay??? just because some minors don’t want to hear adults discuss it isn’t my problem? those kids can learn to curate their own experiences too and block people discussing things that make them uncomfortable. again, never said anyone was an outright homophobe for being uncomfortable with stuff like that. i’m saying anti purity culture enforces homophobic rhetoric created by our oppressors and people unknowingly buy into that rhetoric because it’s framed under the pretense of “protect the children”

7. when did i shame minors???? this whole thing is in support of teens getting to see themselves on screen and not feel shamed for experiencing sexual attraction. bro what

6. “a lot of people in the by/er tag can’t take other people’s opinions” you literally said you didn’t like it because you had personal issues with it and therefore the experience makes you uncomfortable. that’s not an opposing view point to what i’m saying, that’s an attempt at shutting down the conversation

[mercerislandbooks]

Lillian's Next Chapter

I cannot tell you how many times I've been told how wonderful our children's section is, how thoughtfully curated, how delighted people are to find unique books and gifts for the children in their lives. And that is primarily down to one person: our children's specialist, Lillian. So we're sad to say (although happy for her) that Lil is moving onto a new chapter in her working life. After 20 years in the book industry, she'll be shifting to work for a Design/Build firm in Wallingford, running their small home goods store and project-managing for their interior designers.

Lil and I started working at Island Books at roughly the same time, but since she came with 12 years of experience to the book industry and I came with none (beyond being a lifelong reader), she was always willing to walk me through the many new things I had to learn.

Lil shared with me some of the things she’s been thinking about as her time at Island Books comes to an end:

Lil: “When I think about things I'll miss the most, one will definitely be the many picture books I've read over the years. Conservatively, I’ve probably read 3,000-4,000 while at Island Books. Which sounds like a crazy number, but given the buying schedule for the kids' section, and checking the math, that is probably right.”

Lori: “Reading picture books is one of those unexpected delights of working in the kids' section. And the amount you read just goes to show how the kids' section is so well curated, because the time goes into thoughtfully selecting what goes on the shelves.”

Lil: “For sure. The curation comes from the store choosing to invest the time. Island Books has always made it a priority to have people in the kids' section who make it their job to take the time TO curate the kids' section so well. Luckily, we’ve been a team of 3 back in the kids' section for a few years now, so 2/3rds of us will still be here.”

Lori: “So getting exposure to all those amazing picture books, that’s something on the running the kids' section side. What about on the personal side?”

Lil: “Without question the thing I will miss the most is just the day-to-day talking to people — coworkers, customers, anyone — about books. In a single day I can have conversations covering queer representation to the value of graphic novels to what new rom-com I want to read on my lunch break.”

Lori: “I agree, talking with people about books is one of the best parts of the job. I know our chats about the books we’re reading, and want to read, are always so fun. How do you choose the books you read for your own enjoyment?”

Lil: “When I started this job, I gave up letting anyone or anything tell me what to read; that's how I’ve continued to love reading outside of work. I don't believe in the word "should" when it comes to reading.”

Lori: “Wise words. On that note, any parting recommendations for us?”

Lil: “When I thought about what I kept recommending over and over again, these were the books I reached for:

Lillian's Favorite Recommendations"

What are the books that you remember Lil recommending? She’d love to hear if there was a book she put in your hands that was memorable. You can stop by Island Books on Thursday, February 29th, until 5pm, to wish Lil well in her next chapter!

— Lori

[nanowrimo]

NaNoWriMo x YAP: Every Story Matters

At NaNoWriMo, we believe in the transformational power of creativity. That’s why we team up with other organizations who help share stories and empower writers. Today, Brooke Shannon at Young Authors Publishing, a children’s and young adult book publisher, talk about their work producing diverse and culturally relevant children’s books, and why that work is so important: 

Stories are the creative basis of human connection. They encourage organic artistry, form culturally-shifting conversation, and expose the beauties and tragedies of society. Wouldn’t it be important for stories to share the intricacies of various forms of identity (e.g., race, gender, class, ability, age)? Absolutely. Then, is this common practice within the publishing industry? Well, let’s take a look at some statistics. 

A 2022 report by Zippia showed that, in the United States, the common ethnicity of authors is White (79.4%), followed by Hispanic/Latinx (7.2%), Black or African American (5.8%), and Asian (4%). More specifically, a 2020 CCBC study researched children’s books and reported the following: “12.1% of children’s books… featured a [Black]/African main character and 7.6% were written by a [Black]/African author.” Additionally, there was a 23% decrease in children’s bestsellers that have Black main characters, according to WordsRated. While the lack of representation is evident, the importance of creating space for diverse stories is not lessened.

To further promote diverse literature, we’ve partnered with NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month), a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that assists writers’ manuscript development. Every November, NaNoWriMo hosts the following challenge: draft an entire novel in one month. And through their Young Writers Program, under-18 writers and K-12 educators are able to participate in the event and let their imagination take over. By partnering with Black and Brown publishers, such as Young Authors Publishing (YAP), this NaNoWriMo program, and others, ensures that underrepresented young writers have an avenue to share both their stories and their voices. Youth can read stories, write stories, and publish stories that reflect the reality of their existence and identity. 

Similar to NaNoWriMo, Young Authors Publishing hosts a four-month “Experience Program.” Starting in January of each year, young authors are paired with trained writing mentors to help them conceptualize and write their own children’s books. Once manuscripts are finalized, young authors attend workshops that focus on the fundamentals of financial literacy, entrepreneurship, and public speaking. Through this program, Young Authors Publishing empower young authors to use their words to change the dialogue around representation in literature. And the stories curated from this experience mirror YAP’s mission: to publish books for children and young adults that reflect the diversity of this world. 

As NaNoWriMo states on their homepage, “Every story matters.” And the responsibility is on us–publishers, organizations, educators, etc–to generate writing communities and literature that reflects the diversity of the world. Only then can young readers truly experience the rewards of implementing diversity, equity, and inclusion in both publishing and literary spaces. 

Young Authors Publishing is a children’s and young adult book publisher that exists to share the stories of Black & Brown children. They believe that all kids are story-worthy and should see themselves reflected in the books they read. Publishing books that reflect how diverse the world is, their two-part mission is to produce culturally relevant children’s books and to use book publishing as a vehicle for economic mobility for their young authors.

Check out the publishing Q&A hosted earlier this year by Young Authors Publishing founder and CEO Leah Hernandez!