#dang pandemic :(((

[yeoldenews]

"An honest-to-goodness dollbaby."

(source: The Miami Daily Record-Herald, December 20, 1918.)

[raeloganthesonic06fangirl]

Finally got to the dentist and this was the Christmas tree decor

By the way, got to have some teeth pulled over a few appointments in the next few months, and I'm just ouch right now, so heads up on low online activity for a bit.

Got a cute ice pack in the shape of a tooth from them, free chapstick and a $25 pizza voucher. Seriously, my teeth suck bad. The tiny blackened bit I thought was a small cavity on a stray tooth turned out to be a whole butt wisdom tooth underneath that was the size of my thumb knuckle with a deep root and rot underneath the gums, and had to be yoinked. I'm calling it "Iceberg". It's crazy to look at.

Will get back to silliness whenever possible, but teef for now

[lovevalley45]

The fact that the actor who plays Bishop is Talas husband...

She said Hey My Man is Hot getting Beaten Up give him a Job

sjksf it's still so funny to me that he's her husband like. i will say i was so happy that they actually had a plot where young bishop is forced to be babysat by the tarazis in s7 bc of that alone

but also it was a good call! he is great at being beaten up and i love that for him

[flyingcatstiel]

live reaction reading this post

People who try to analyze what happened on Tumblr on November 5th, 2020, often really overstate how much it was actually “about” Supernatural. As someone who has never been in the supernatural fandom ever but dID join in on the hysterical destielposting—it was really more about the stress of the pandemic and the 2020 presidential election.

The two biggest Youtubers I’ve seen try to dissect “what happened that November 5th” in video essays both weren’t American—- and I think that explains why they both tried to explain the hysteria primarily via analyzing the Supernatural fandom/the original show, rather than through the lens of the election. And while those videos are cool, valid, informational, and make lots of really well-considered interesting points— I can tell you that me and almost all my mutuals had literally no knowledge or interest in the fact that “oh supernatural had made nods at the ship in the past but the creators were adamant that I wouldn’t be canon” or etc etc etc etc. the first time I learned about any of that context was way later, watching videos where people claimed that fandom history context (that I did not know anything about) was the actual reason for the hysteria.

But the reality is that people latched on to the Destiel stuff because it was a piece of big useless inane zero-stakes fandom news in a time when we were desperately waiting for serious high stakes election news. We were latching onto a “positive “ piece of inane stupid fandom news in a time of great stress, with all the desperation of a drowning man who latches onto whatever piece of wood will keep him afloat.

The core of the hysteria was that Americans (who make up a huge chunk of tumblr’s userbase) were currently glued to their laptops watching the live presidential election vote counts come in. These vote counts were taking an extended amount of time due to the pandemic causing high numbers of mail-in ballots, resulting in a constant state of Election Day Stress for multiple days straight.

This was also during the height of the Pandemic. People had predicted Trump’s presidency would be bad; no one had predicted it would be this apocalyptically bad. No one had predicted pandemics and lockdowns and hospitals overflowing with bodybags. remember Trump spreading Covid lies and conspiracies?? There were so many Qanon conspiracies about democrats being Satanic child traffickers who had to be put to death, and coup threats were mounting from the right wing side. It seemed like this election was a choice between ‘centrist democrat’ and “apocalyptic right wing conspiracy theory authoritarianism,” in the midst of pandemic conditions that people feared would never ever improve— and it seemed like a close election.

Another major point was that Trump voters were more likely to be antimaskers/Covid deniers, while Biden voters were more likely to take the pandemic seriously— so Biden voters were more likely to send in mail-in ballots instead of risking the in-person voting crowds, which meant their ballots would take much longer to count. And so, in many state electoral vote counts, it would initially seem like Trump was very far in the lead— only for Biden to slooooowly build up an agonizingly small lead as the mail in ballots came in, and then defeat Trump at the very end.

So you’re just watching these news sites giving live election updates, refreshing the page every 2 minutes to see if you’re going to live under a spineless centrist democrat or a literal Qanon Dictatorship. And then you go on tumblr to distract yourself, and there’s more election posting, and more agonizing over the votes, and more stress and despair—-

And then it’s been days and we’re right at the crucial tipping point where it’s anyone’s game and the next few hours will determine whether Trump will win, so you need to keep your eye on the vote count, because the next hours will determine the future of the pandemic and your country and your plans for your entire life—

And then stupid Destiel becomes canon! And it becomes canon in the silliest way possible!

If Destiel had become canon at any other time, it would have been a big goofy tumblr celebration? But we wouldn’t have gotten the insane explosion of hysterical interaction.

The entire core of it was the contrast between the inane meaningless stupidity of fandom news vs the actual stressful election news you wanted to hear! It really is best conveyed in that meme where Castiel says “I love you” and Dean indifferently responds with a piece of important election news.

It’s about the contrast between the low-stakes inanity of fandom and the massive life-destroying stakes of a terrifying election. There really was no reason it had be Supernatural specifically, except that Supernatural was a thing everyone knew basic things about from dashboard osmosis— it could’ve been any other equally huge silly fandom ship news about a ship everyone *knew of* but might not necessarily be invested in (ex. Stucky becoming canon, Johnlock becoming canon, Kirk/Spock becoming more canon somehow, etc etc etc.)

I think it’s true that people who weren’t paying agonizingly close attention to the American election news got swept up in it, and that non American Supernatural fans also were extremely excited for purely fandom reasons — but the entire reason it blew up to an unprecedented degree was because of that core of stressed out terrified Americans glued to their computers watching election results and suddenly receiving stupid fandom news instead, and deciding to just hysterically parodically hyper-celebrate this absurd useless zero-stakes news.

I think it was also all elevated by the fact that, as I said before, this happened at the crucial “tipping point” of the election where the next few hours would determine the winner. The fact that Biden began to slowly develop a lead in the hours after made it feel, hysterically, as if the hours after Destiel became canon was somehow the turning point where he began to win; so celebrating Destiel felt like celebrating that slow turn towards victory.

The tl,dr is that it’s so important to Remember the Fifth of November …..in preparation the inevitable hysteria that will happen in the presidential election on November 5th of next year. XD. Personally I’m rooting for Johnlock or Frodo/Sam to somehow become canon in the eleventh hour right before the democrats win

[moonraisedsunchild]

I want the Tom nook build a bear (both outfits tbh)... I feel like I am frothing at the mouth. He is so friend shaped and I wanna hug him so bad.

[macgyvermedical]

As a trans guy I'm really worried about maintaining access to T. I live in a safe state but I know how quickly things can change in a matter of months to years, so.. I'm worried. That being said, what do you know of DIY HRT? I know that cis guys sometimes use T and I doubt they always go through their doctor, so I'm curious how that works.

I don't want to have to do this, but I figured I should at least know the gist of it should I ever need to or if someone I know is in the same situation.

P.S thank you for being here for everyone who has questions. It means a lot 🩵

As a fellow trans guy, I feel you. Note that while the following looks like advice, it is for educational purposes only, and you are using this information at your own risk.

The following is listed from least to most illegal:

Probably your absolute best bet (especially if you pass) is to get a doctor that can prescribe T for male hypogonadism (low T). Now, this is probably not going to be an in-person doctor for two reasons. One is that they will probably do a testicular exam, which will give things away. Second, most electronic medical records link up these days, so any doctor treating you will be able to pull your medical records and find out you're trans.

One possible way around this is telehealth, which has boomed since the pandemic. Try googling "male hypogonadism telehealth" to check around for options. This will probably need to be paid out of pocket under a fake name if you want to ensure your account isn't linked. Make sure you know the symptoms of male hypogonadism, or come up with a story about how you're already diagnosed because you had mumps as a kid or something. Note that if they ask for a blood test, which they probably will, and you're not already out of T, skip your dose and take the test a few days later, so you test low. The nice thing about this is it gets you a diagnosis that can only be gotten if you're AMAB, so it lends credibility to your situation.

The next option is to stockpile some T while you still have access to it. Because T is controlled, the most T you can have in your possession is a 6-month prescription (otherwise you risk a 4th degree felony). However, if the prescription is written for 1-ml vials and your dose is 0.5ml/week and the prescription says to "discard vial after 1 dose" you can technically have up to a year (because in theory, you're throwing away 0.5ml of T each time you inject- but you could also, in theory, keep it and use it as long as you were careful to clean the top with alcohol before you puncture it). Keep in mind that even if you happen to get more T than a year's worth, it's only good for about 3 years before it starts losing potency or may become contaminated.

The (far) next option is to find someone in the bodybuilding community and start asking around. Making it clear that you know how to do injections will get you to people who have T that they don't want to self-inject but may trade you (or at least sell to you) for doing their injections. This is your best bet for finding illegal T. Note that T is a (pretty dang) controlled substance. You and everyone involved in getting T to you is at significant legal risk (that 4th degree felony again).

Unfortunately even looking in the dark recesses of reddit I was not able to find a safe "recipe" for testosterone. Most of what is suggested is to buy T powder from overseas and compound it yourself into a cream. This is very very illegal and could be very dangerous if you don't do it correctly. I'm not going to talk about it here because I don't understand it enough. Also it's really freaking illegal.

Note: If you haven't yet had a hysterectomy, I suggest you do everything in your power to keep a functioning ovary. That way if you do lose access to T, you won't lose bone density. If you have already gotten your ovaries removed, talk to a doctor about low-dose hormones to maintain bone density.

[polibry]

Some teachers had the NERVE to send a mail complaining that too many students had their cameras off during zoom classes and it was SO hard for the poor poor teachers to teach in such conditions. Their understood that we missed chatting with fellow students in between classes but we COULDN'T see how HARD it was for the teachers. (almost verbatim)

Meanwhile poverty hit students so fucking hard, we had record breaking queues at food-donating charities. My classmates were complaining that when their cameras were off it was because they were crying. Some were home, having to share the space with their families (camera = no privacy). Sometimes we could hear disputes in some students households. Others were isolated in small af dorms, lonely as shit (let's not even talk about foreign students who were even more isolated and away from home). Some had poor connection and could NOT turn their cams on. We were all fucking miserable. I got depression, and i sure wasn't the only fucking one, but hey, luckily enough i wasn't fucking STARVING.

But yeah no, those poor teachers didn't get to see the tears on our faces because we were SUCH BAD STUDENTS unwilling to turn the camera on.

being a student during peak pandemic was so fucking surreal like. "it's not an excuse to fall behind" I cannot stress enough to you how much A Worldwide Plague Upending Life As We Know It is literally one of The Top Three Reasons to fall behind

[turtlesandfrogs]

I made this Pre-pandemic for a "Starting plants from the grocery store" class I was teaching, here it is edited down for anyone interested.

For saving seeds, the fruit should be fully mature for the seeds to be fully mature. Therefore, you can use seeds from a winter squash but not a baby zucchini, and the likelihood that the seeds of a tomato (or red bell pepper) will grow are much higher than for a green bell pepper. Unfortunately, many are either going to be poorly suited for your conditions, or hybrid, which we'll touch on later.

Stem cuttings are a great way to start many common culinary herbs! Especially basil!

Some tubers to consider starting from are sweet potatoes and actual potatoes.

And then of course, the bulbs! Green onions and garlic are your best bets!

These are outdoor plants and thus are Somewhat Fussy if you're going to grow indoors. Do not overwater them (eg, letting them sit in a tray of water for days) nor let them dry out completely. Try to keep them evenly moist, with thorough waterings that then pour out the bottom of the pot unimpeded. 

Given that they are outdoor plants, a south-facing window (assuming you’re in the northern hemisphere) or grow lights are your best bet. If they don’t get enough light, they will turn pale and stretch towards their light source. They won’t grow as quickly or as healthfully as they would with sufficient light.  

Examples:

Tomatoes & peppers! Tomatoes are the one that actually inspired me to make this because I saw this clip on starting plants from kitchen scraps, and they buried the whole dang half of a tomato! Don’t do that! What a waste of a tomato half! EAT your tomato! Take the seeds out! 

If you’re intending to grow these outdoors, start them about 6 weeks before your last frost. If you have not grown plants from seed before, here’s some information from another class I taught: https://tinyurl.com/seedstarting2020

If you’re intending to grow them indoors the whole time, you will likely need grow lights for both tomatoes and peppers, and they like it if you keep your house on the warm side. I would suggest growing them outdoors and buying seeds for a dwarf tomato if you really want to grow indoors.

The down side is that most are hybrid, so when you grow out the seed, it's not necessarily going to grow well, be productive, or taste good. Even if it is open pollinated, it's probably been bred to thrive in conditions unlike those you can provide. If you need a successful crop, I highly suggest buying seed, or swapping with a reputable source. Although if you like and can find yellow pear tomatoes, those are an exception to this entire paragraph.

Basil! Basil is a great one to do stem cuttings of, get it started indoors, and then plant out once night time temperatures stay above 50f (10c). I prefer to start them straight into soil, and seem to have a higher success rate this way. To do this, remove all leaves except the top bud, and bury the stem in soil up to just beneath that bud and firm gently. Keep the soil moist and the pot above 60f, and you should have a good success rate. This method works for mint, lemon balm, rosemary, sage, etc, as well.

Green onions- really easy, put the bottom inch or so in soil and they’ll grow very well for you. I prefer soil over water because a) the water gets stinky, and b) they grow better and stronger in soil.

AND MORE:

Sage, rosemary, and thyme (also any stemmed herb): just like basil

Lettuce, carrots, beets: you get the tops, but usually they’ll try to bolt. Easier just to buy seeds. If you want, I usually start in shallow water and then plant as soon as I see roots growing. Again, keep the soil moist, and for these ones, keep them in a cooler part of your house. But really, they almost always bolt in my experience.

Sweet potatoes: Get them in the fall, it takes months for them to start growing (unless you're somewhere warm apparently? ). They will sprout, grow roots, take slips to plant outdoors once night time temperatures study above 50f (10c)

Garlic, just grab a clove and plant in the fall. Boom. GARLIC.

Squash- you don’t know what you’ll get, because they might be cross pollinated with another variety or hybrids. If you do grow it out and it’s bitter, don’t eat it, it’s poisonous. If you want to know more, search “toxic squash syndrome”

Ginger: Plant the rhizome in summer, harvest before frost, or overwinter indoors with a lot of light.

Pineapple: Doable, but it takes three years to get a harvest. Plant in well draining soil, and give it as much heat and light as you can.

Just for fun: (Unless you’re in the tropics or have a lot of patience.)

Mango, avocado, citrus. Take years, and a different climate than I have to fruit. If you’re in the tropics, go for it, but know that avocado pollination can apparently be tricky. I am not in the tropics, so I do not have direct experience with this. Citrus I think I've read also don't come true from seed.

Apples, pears: take years, and don’t come true to type. You do not know what you’ll get, and you’ll probably get something that is not worth eating (but would work for cider). These do need a cold dormancy period in the winter to do well. Of course, you could plant them and then top graft if it does turn out they don’t taste good.

Plums, peaches, apricots: take years, often do come true from seed, but peaches and nectarines are very susceptible to peach leaf curl, so may just die depending on where you are.

[drchucktingle]

what chuck will not write

every so often internet remembers that erotica about sentient covid and chuck is tagged in joking way, so again: making hero out of covid as joke does not prove love. not fun or funny trot about something that hurt so many. try these free tinglers instead

and if you are up for it and enjoy these tinglers it is always good time to donate to ST JUDES CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL or GLOBAL GIVING or other charities listed on link

sorry to harsh anyones trot but there are still some who do not understand my work and think 'oh i could do that i will write MEME EROTICA about this big news topic'. it is fine bud, you can create what you want, but that is enormous and cynical misunderstanding of chucks work

natural disasters that hurt real buckaroos, pandemics, acts of violence may be NEWS WORTHY and get you dang clicks but they are not heroes

[counterintuitivecomics]

Some colorized bits from my recent free printable zine WHY WE MASK: It's Not "Just A Cold"! I purposefully made the whole thing b&w to make printing as cheap as possible, but it's fun to add color especially to the snot-splosions.

HEY COMICS FRIENDS going to SPX or other cons this weekend - MASK UP, EAT OUTDOORS, and REST if you start feeling run down. COVID-19 levels are BAD bad right now (it's currently the worst September out of the whole pandemic) and the government does not have our backs. This virus causes YEARS worth of horrible vascular, neurological, and immune system damage, and each infection raises your chances of gaining fun new disabilities that could prevent you ever making comics again.

I strongly advice cancelling festivals, cons, indoor dining, anything involving crowds indoors OR outdoors, etc. But I know people depend on income from cons, so: PACK MASKS, NASAL SPRAY, and CPC MOUTHWASH and actually use them! If you develop any COVID-19 symptoms (headaches, dizziness, nausea, stomach pain, diarrhea, sore throat, sore joints, etc) don't assume it's "just a cold". Stay in your dang hotel room and REST! You can TRY to "push through" to keep tabling but you are NOT gonna like the long-term results (aka Long COVID).

I care about all you comics people and I want you to enjoy many more decades of making and sharing and reading comics with each other. If you're feeling sick at a show this weekend and don't know what to do, drop me a line! No judgements. Take care of yourself and each other out there and remember, no one can rest your body for you but you.

(Image Descriptions are in the Alt Text. Also please feel free to print my zine and hand it out if you do go)co

[windvexer]

Do you know any simple purification anti negative repellants to place periodically around the home? When I was a teenager, for example, I used to visit my friend's grandma's house in Florida and I saw that she had small bowls of salt in each of the rooms and my friend at the time had told me it was to ward off negativity and bad spirits. Have you heard of any of that yourself and while using salt?

Thank you!

Yes, these kinds of "ambient" spells (thanks again to @aesethewitch for the term) are common. Exactly what is prescribed is very cultural and really depends on your beliefs.

It is my belief that most anything you place out, including something as mundane as a dish of salt, should be worked over in some manner. Reading Psalms, prayers, enchantments, or energy work are examples of how to "activate" these charms.

Salt in dishes is a fine way to get it done. An onion, quartered and placed in the corners of the room, is also said to be purifying. (During the pandemic lockdown era, my coworkers apparently thought quartered onions in a room was a scientifically proven way to purify the air and limit infection... I imagine they also would have thought highly of four thieves vinegar).

A white candle burned by the front door can cleanse energies that come into the house. Or, a living rosemary bush (or I imagine, any plant able to protect and cleanse) by the entryway can be assigned to purify energies going into the house.

A wide variety of constructed talismans and charms can also serve this purpose, and they can be very simple. Especially look into religious or spiritual symbols. A solar cross, pentacle, Jesus t, crucifix, triskelion, etc, can all be used to protect a space from unwanted energies.

Purifying powers can be combined with normal cleaning routines for an especially potent outcome.

Although protecting from unwanted energies isn't the same as purification, I find it's pretty danged helpful.

Other folk charms, like horseshoes and brooms hung over doorways, are said to limit intrusion.

For animists or monster lovers, figures of protective animals or monsters (including beings of myth, such as Medusa) can be placed near entryways and asked to guard against unwanted energies.

[murfpersonalblog]

Jfc it FINALLY breached containment. 👏

Hopefully AMC sees the ramifications of what egregiously tone deaf & historo-culturally ignorant & racially insensitive behavior looks like in this fandom.

Crap like this is what Black fans in particular have been going through for the past 2 years since S1--ever since Jacob Anderson's casting was announced.

And AMC hasn't helped, when their press coverage by journalists & influencers & even the cast members themselves have deliberately skirted around topics of race, and how that affects public perceptions of not just the present IWTV adaptation, but also its 1994 predecessor.

Rolin Jones said multiple times that he didn't want his project associated with that disgusting period in American history, cuz "who the f**k wants that?" What on earth would possess someone to think it was a good idea to prop up a fictional slaveowner's effigy at an IRL plantation in the wake of Black Lives Matter protests that worked so hard to dismantle and take DOWN images that celebrated slaveowners & KKK members in this racist country? Even the UK had HUGE BLM rallies in the midst of the 2020 pandemic that went viral online & in international news--British protestors even shoved a public statue of a British slave trader into the harbor! So why are y'all UK fans acting brand new, as if y'all never heard of plantations & slavery before!? Cuz you're LYING! You just don't CARE!

This is what happens when no one is encouraged to actually sit down and THINK about what it means to have a story about a 150yr-old gay Black man; who was born barely a decade after the Emancipation Proclamation; who lived during Reconstruction, the Black Laws & Jim Crow.

No, it's not AMC's job to educate y'all about the history of slavery, racism, Jim Crow, race riots & lynchings; or how that all affected the lives of the Black diaspora of NOLA's Storyville--let alone its permutations in 1940s Paris. Read a dang history book before you come to someone else's country & step in some mess that could land you in a effing news article. Google & Wikipedia are free.

AMC, let this be a lesson to you. This is what happens when Louis de Pointe du Lac is WRITTEN color-consciously on the show, but TREATED color-blindly by the network, journalists, and fandom.

[tragicallyuncreative]

Excerpt From WIP

I know I'm new to Tumblr and ao3 and hardly anyone's reading this, but I'm having so much fun with this little one shot WIP that I had to post a snippet for my own entertainment. Chapter 2 of Before The Fall dropping tomorrow!

A Hectic Morning

Darrel

“Dallas, get down and stay down. Sodapop, you n’ Steve try to jumpstart the Ford. Two-Bit, grab Johnny an ice pack. And Ponyboy, for God’s sake, get off the couch; go to bed and stop spreadin’ your germs ‘round the whole dang house, we don’t need a pandemic on our hands.”

“Paramedic?” said Two-Bit, confused. “I don’t reckon you need one, he’s got the stomach flu. There’s probably one in the ambulance if ya need him though, but you better hurry, they ‘bout to leave.” He craned his neck to look outside, where they were finally loading Mr. Johnson onto the stretcher. “Jesus Christmas, that ol’ geyser’s not lookin’ so hot, ain’t he?.”

“It’s pandemic, you moron!” Dally yelled, voice muffled from behind the door.

[jmdbjk]

Are they or aren't they?

I know I'm not the most jikook-centric blog around here and I don't go on and on about them every time content drops. (Or do I? 🤔)

I am not here to convince anyone of anything. I just say what I think about what I see and that's pretty much all there is to it.

I guess I take it for granted that most see what I see and it’s not necessary for me to point out the obvious all the time.

But for some reason today, I started thinking about Jimin and Jungkook and what they are to each other and how that has manifested itself to us this past year. Even though we see very little of it all, speaking for myself, I still see what I see and its all fine.

A super-long ramble:

The past year's solo era has definitely been an eye-opener for me as far as learning more about ALL the member's individual personalities, of how they work and how they view each other.

As far as Jimin and Jungkook, as time goes on, I don't sense anything that makes me feel whatever they are to each other has diminished at all. If anything, I feel like it is even more intense.

It is not so much what I see between Jimin and Jungkook because dang, there has not been very much to see with them in the same room has there?

But if we aren't seeing them together, I just sound delulu right? I just said I say what think from what I SEE... how can I see anything, you ask?... well...

Hear me out...

I see Jungkook figuring out this new phase himself... he has said in the past he still had some maturing left to do. I think he has shown us plenty of his true self and maturity this past year.

We know all this because he's shared a lot with us via his lives. He's been living his introverted life his way until its his time to get to work.

He likes to cook. He likes to watch TV. He loves to sing. He's keeping up with his boxing training. He has a goofy sense of humor. He's trying to be a normal person and go out in the world and eat at restaurants and attend concerts and hang out with friends. We've seen him being his "rebellious" 25 year old self. We know he has serious stalkers and he is very direct about it. He shows no fear to us.

We know he's most comfortable when he knows we are there with him. Unfortunately we've also seen him suffer through loss and we've seen him working through some feelings that have made him emotional. We've seen quite a bit from JK.

He has spoken to us about serious things and not so serious things. He is very good at phrasing things and expressing things clearly.

Jungkook is figuring it all out.

Kookie has spent a lot of time showing us himself and where he lives. He has had a lot of time to do so.

I see Jimin, on the other hand, has returned to being somewhat more like the Jimin we knew before the pandemic. The perfectionist workaholic. Also a new (to me) layer of sweetness and gratitude that exudes from him no matter where he is, interacting with fans at a radio station, in the audience of a performance, interacting with others in general and during his lives or just walking through the airport, Jimin is thankful for it all. This extra-strength gratitude manifests itself in the way he takes his time to thank just about EVERYONE and how he always seems genuinely surprised to see the outpouring of love.

Earlier last year it was obvious to me (me who pays very close attention to Jimin) that he was not himself. During photoshoots and promotion recordings he was not engaged. His mind was elsewhere. They all looked less than thrilled don't you think?

But since about last October, Jimin has been the happiest I've seen him in AGES during his lives. His music is making him happy. Working is making him happy. He says it at least once during every live: "I am happy."

And the sassy has returned. Jimin is SO HAPPY that we are seeing the re-emergence of a more assertive Jimin during a live broadcast! We haven't really seen this Jimin since... a long time.

This most recent live, I see a Jimin who is doing well and taking control of his life again. A Jimin who knows what is coming and is going to meet it head on.

From what I've seen, I can say that Jimin and Jungkook's time together was most probably curtailed this past year. I think a lot of people agree with that assessment. We infer this because Jimin was working his ass off and therefore he was elsewhere busy with schedules. I think the bulk of this was for his Face album but he was also busy with his new brand ambassador responsibilities. Side note: I saw that Robert Pattinson was getting $12 million dollars for his deal with Dior so I think its safe to say Jimin is getting at least that if not more for his deal. And he also has the Tiffany deal... Jimin is doing very well...

So where does this leave any sort of relationship (whatever it may be) between Jimin and Jungkook? How can they be "together" if that is what they are? Or how can they even be "close"?

JK has made it clear and obvious that he is very thrilled to see Jimin commenting during his lives. We've all seen it. He spontaneously combusts when he would see Jimin commenting.

[When someone commented that Jimin did not come live to tell us the Rainy Day Fight story so Kookie proceeded to spill the tea.]

My opinion from what I see: I think JK started looking for Jimin in the comments after a few times of having him show up there. I think he craved the interaction with Jimin. The knowing that Jimin was aware of him and took the time to acknowledge means something to JK.

And finally it clicked and Kookie realized "wow, turn on notifs and I too can know when JM goes live!" And so he did when Jimin was in the car and JK proceeded to have a full blown conversation while Jimin was on his way home from work.

When Jimin's album release date got closer Jungkook was giving us spoilers of some of Jimin's work via some of the songs on the playlist while doing a live broadcast. We weren't aware those were spoilers until Jimin's album and other songs came out: Muni Long, JVKE, the butterfly hair twisty thingy, playing Letter on the guitar... and then just outright telling us something amazing was coming out at midnight when Set Me Free Pt. 2 dropped.

... something amazing... I'm pretty sure JK knew how much work Jimin put into this first album and what it meant to Jimin to purge some emotional demons that had been plaguing him for some time. I would even say that JK was proud of Jimin and therefore, made sure to hype it up even though we saw that JK had some sort of emotional moment by himself on White Day back in March.

The lives progressed into Jungkook just outright spending either the entire live or big chunks of time totally ignoring Armys and focused solely on Jimin content.

He turns on a live because there is some sort of comfort to him knowing Army is present and then he turns his attention to Jimin...

He does all of that on purpose. Without just saying the words: "I adore Jimin and support him wholeheartedly" he has proven that he feels that way with his actions. He figured out a way to express this even when Jimin was who knows where.

If he didn't want us to think that, he wouldn't have done what he did, would he? Why would he spend so much time focused on Jimin?

We know JK's stopped having a presence on social media except for Weverse. And using just Weverse Live, he's been able to accomplish more visible support for Jimin than any other member has shown for any other member during this solo era.

And if he's doing all of this on Weverse, what else is he doing behind the scenes, in person, with Jimin?

We know they spent time recording Run BTS episodes last year.

We know of at least one instance of JK visiting Jimin while he was working hard.

Having Jungkook's support is probably one of the best feelings for Jimin.

"But Jimin asked JK to visit again and JK said 'no'." And yet JK contradicted himself telling Jimin he'd come to a music show recording but Jimin said it was too late, and that it was ok because JK had already visited him during this dance practice above.

"Jimin said that JK has not cooked ramyeon for him yet." Jimin also said it is off limits, he's eating a high protein diet. JK has also mentioned in the last year that he should be eating less gluten so sounds like they both avoid the type of noodles that are high in carbs and gluten. FYI: "ramen" is technically the Japanese style noodles with a milder flavor and "ramyeon" is the Korean version which is spicier. I have a habit of calling it "ramen" when I mean "ramyeon".

"Jimin doesn't hug JK like he does Hobi." Uh... yeah he does:

And then we have started seeing this pattern... coincidence? Not anymore... of Jungkook coming on live right after Jimin has left the country. And then we get the same thing from Jimin the other day after Jungkook leaves.

My opinion from what I've seen:

These two are very close and have worked out how they deal with separation. They spend time together when they can. When they can't they share things like everyone else does, by texting and phone calling and face timing and all that.

From what I've seen them say during their own lives, I think they spend time together talking about work. I especially think JK has participated in helping Jimin rehearse, practice and just generally hanging out. I think they spend time eating together and watching tv or youtube together.

I think they are fine and are navigating their relationship (whatever it is) very well, regardless of their careers and impending military service, existing as global superstars as well as being normal day-to-day Jeon Jungkook and Park Jimin. They are making it work because they've been doing this for at least ten years already.

So, long ramble to say, I will continue to not state the obvious every time we see something, because to me, its obvious everything is going well for them.

[skuttlesstrawberry]

NSBU Adventuring Party thoughts:

STRONG pandemic Zoom AP energy happening! See: the extended discussion of Cold Stone Creamery.

Jacob Wysocki is again a delight! So grateful and also so grounded. I can’t wait to see more of what he does this season; I think he’s going to be a key part of keeping things vaguely on the rails, which is going to have INSANE consequences in play since Dang is already so out of this world…!

[covid-safer-hotties]

Also preserved on our archive

By Sabra Gibbens, MD

It wasn’t always lonely out here. I have been the only permanent doctor in my little country clinic north of Kingston for eight years now, and I previously felt tremendous camaraderie and connection with my hospital-based specialist colleagues and other family physicians in the area. But in the past two years, I have begun to feel alone.

My diagnosis of long COVID came in 2022, after months of investigations. The results of the bloodwork, pulmonary function tests, sleep study, head CT, Holter, and exercise stress tests all came back normal. When I met with a cardiologist to review my symptoms and the abnormal echocardiogram, she confirmed that the persistent shortness of breath, postexertion malaise, insomnia, headaches, and brain fog were caused by long COVID. She never attributed them to anxiety. I was grateful for the validation.

Thankfully, my symptoms have largely improved over the past two years, but because of this experience, I take prevention seriously. I am the weirdo who still requires masks or respirators for all staff and patients in the clinic. I am the outlier who has HEPA filters in the waiting room and exam rooms, who monitors CO2 with my air quality monitor, who cracks the windows, and who asks patients with respiratory symptoms to do rapid SARS-CoV-2 tests at home before they come in.

The primary focus of public health throughout the pandemic has been to prevent severe acute disease and to preserve hospital capacity. Prevention of long COVID, or post-acute sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 infection (PASC), has always seemed like an afterthought, if it gets mentioned at all.

Why do emergency department reports and hospital discharge summaries not mention that my patient tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 (or had “a really bad cold” or “the worst flu ever”) 1 month before they presented to hospital with weakness, falls, confusion, dyspnea, heart failure, acute kidney injury, or non–ST-elevation myocardial infarction? Doesn’t that seem relevant? It does to me.

With the blessing of provincial medical officers of health and regional public health units, most institutions and the general public have adopted the “vax and relax” strategy, When it comes to COVID-19, most public health officials seem more concerned with meeting people where they are and with keeping people calm than with informing and guiding people about risks to their health. I wish I didn’t, but I now have doubts about the willingness of these officials to inform and guide physicians and the public about the next epidemic or pandemic.

The department of family medicine where I trained, as well as most family medicine clinics in my area, made masking and other precautions optional long ago. How quickly optional became rare, then peculiar.

In February 2023, I attended a recruiting event with dozens of local family physicians and residents. Rates of SARS-CoV-2 infections and wastewater levels were very high in our region at that time, so I wore a KN95 respirator. I did not expect to be the only one, but I was. Dang. Awkward.

Social media constantly reminds me that most of the medical community has moved on. It’s a steady stream of pictures of parties and crowded conferences and medical school classes with no one masking. My feed is occasionally interrupted by posts from similarly COVID-conscious physicians who are trying their best not to get COVID-19 or transmit it to patients under their care. Scattered across the Twitterverse, each one of us is a little island of perseverance.

I stopped attending in-person medical events because it is psychologically too difficult. I expect to be the only one masking in the movie theatre or grocery store, but among physician peers? Did they not get the memo? Did I not get the memo?

It wasn’t just one memo; 24 000 papers on the sequalae of COVID-19 have been published since the pandemic started.1 The British Medical Journal published an update on long COVID for primary care in September 2022, and guidance includes a time- and resource-intensive protocol for bloodwork, stress tests, pulmonary function tests, CT scans, and specialist consultations.2 Ontario Health published summary guidance for primary care regarding PASC in December 2022, but it has not been updated.3 The absence of any newer guidance suggests that interest in or funding for this topic has dwindled.

Anyway, I’m headed to a conference in a sunny place next week. It’s mostly an excuse to get away with my family while I brush up on some topics of interest. Of course, I am packing respirators, a CO2 monitor, and a portable HEPA filter. Weirdo? Outlier? Yep. Don’t care. Maybe I feel comfortable doing that for this conference because I’m unlikely to have any ongoing relationship with the other conference attendees. I care more about preserving my health so that I can continue practising medicine, taking care of my community, and enjoying my family than what others might think of me.

I do miss the camaraderie. What would it take to get that back? I had been hoping that the whole medical community would come together to advocate for clean-air standards, masking to protect against airborne pathogens, better vaccines, diagnostics, and therapeutics for PASC. I now realize this is unlikely to happen. I cannot wait for the world to change. I’ve got to find something in me, a mindset that will enable the reconnection, the old sense of belonging and shared purpose. I’m looking. I’ll keep looking.

References ↵Al-Aly Z. Long COVID puzzle pieces are falling into place — the picture is unsettling. The Conversation 2024 July 18. Available: theconversation.com/long-covid-puzzle-pieces-are-falling-into-place-the-picture-is-unsettling-233759 (accessed 2024 July 25).

↵Greenhalgh T, Sivan M, Delaney B, et al. Long covid: an update for primary care. BMJ 2022;378:e072117. doi:10.1136/bmj-2022-072117.

↵Post-COVID-19 condition: guidance for primary care. Toronto: Ontario Health; 2022. Available: www.ontariohealth.ca/sites/ontariohealth/files/2021-12/PostCovidConditionsClinicalGuidance_EN.pdf (accessed 2024 Aug. 5).