#elders of the interwebs

[thatstormygeek]

In a lot of ways, today is the same as yesterday. I live in Missouri, so I've been aware that I'm surrounded by repubs. It's....shocking? seeing just how much of the country is happy to vote for a fraudulent rapist, but ultimately the country we're living in today is the same one as yesterday. We just see it more clearly now.

And my dogs don't know or care who is president. They need fed and want to play and go for walks no matter what I'm feeling.

I closed a lot of tabs. I've been considering writing a piece on the folks who are lost when organizations embrace bigotry and how those silent departures hollow out the core, but I don't think that's a thing that anyone is going to be interested in for quite some time. Oh well.

The very tarnished silver lining of this election is clarity, I suppose. Trump was extremely explicit about the type of person he is and the way he wants to run this country. That so many people saw that and said "hell yeah!" is something that is good for us to know.

I still wish it could be different, don't get me wrong. But we must take what is, not what we prefer.

But also

[thatstormygeek]

At the drive-in: Starman

In an actual theater: The Doors

I know I went to movies before that, but I snuck into that with my bestie cuz we were too young to buy tickets, so that's the one that's burned into my brain.

what's the first movie you remember seeing in theaters? don't try and be all edgy and cool and say like tetsuo: the iron man. be honest.

Go!!

[thatstormygeek]

One thing I really hate about kids these days is how they are pushed to specialize and limit their options earlier and earlier. Kids entering middle school and high school should not have to select a career track. This is when they are supposed to be learning all kinds of stuff to give them a solid foundation.

Instead, we're pushing kids so hard they feel like they have to have their life figured out before they've even had a chance to experience it. This lends a sense of urgency and seriousness to every decision that adds so much fucking stress to their existence.

Some unsolicited advice for the young 'uns: you have more time than you are being led to believe. It's okay to not have everything figured out right now. Try your best to get to know you despite all the pressure to do otherwise.

It's not easy. And I'm sorry. This is not the world we wanted for you. And hey - it's not your fault, okay? Just, if you take away nothing else, please believe that. It's not your fault.

[thatstormygeek]

It's so depressing to scroll through fb and see my friends who were deep into intersectional feminism reposting radfem content. And they don't see it for what it is because the "man bad; woman good" framing is everywhere.

This is what happens when capitalists get their hands on any concept. Fat Acceptance became Body Acceptance became Body Positivity became fucking Dove Real Beauty ads. Feminism was much easier, honestly. Especially with all the "lean in" crap in the early twenty-teens.

Girl Power. You Go Girl. Shero.

Package it all up in bright pink (which implies strength, rather than the traditional softness of pale pink) and glitter. Manufacture some pink tool sets.

There were already entire industries devoted to telling women they weren't good enough, but if they bought this vacuum/cleaning solution/cigarette brand/razor/makeup/cleanser/moisturizer/breakfast cereal/yogurt/deodorant spray/feminine hygiene solution/laundry detergent/etc. their lives would be complete. It takes almost nothing to tweak the message a bit, and suddenly women aren't safe unless they buy this pink keychain pepper spray/this alarm system/these locks, unless they use these apps and services that "protect" them by walling them off into subscription-based "security."

Just - it's always useful to stop and ask yourself who benefits. Who benefits from this divide between men and women? It's not women. It's not men. (it's definitely not all of us who are neither) Who is it serving? Again, not women. Not men.

The patriarchy is not men. The patriarchy is an oppressive system that harms everyone who lives under it. Those few it benefits? THEY are the ones being served by this gender essentialist, radfemmy bullshit. And it's incredibly sad making to see my ostensibly leftist friends go skipping down that trail.

[thatstormygeek]

The oddest things will bring home to me how differently I view things now than I used to.

For example, we watched Transformers (yes, from 2007) the other night and Optimus Prime going "We were a powerful empire, peaceful and just" made me side-eye him in a way I definitely would not have done 17 years back.

[thatstormygeek]

How many fucking leftists do y'all think there are in the US? If it's a significant enough voting block to always swing elections (or maybe only when dems lose...) maybe we deserve some sort of representation in our government?

But I think the people posting shit like this really know, deep down, that leftists aren't actually powerful enough to do all the shit they attribute to us. But it sure does make them feel good to blame us.

It's especially lovely as a trans leftist in a red state to once again see a bunch of fucking blue state cishet white libs patting themselves on the back with one hand while punching left with the other.

[absolutebl]

This Week in BL - All the endings

March 2023 Wk 1

Being a highly subjective assessment of one tiny corner of the interwebs. Organized by which ones (in each category) I’m enjoying most.

Ongoing Series - Thai

Bed Friend (Sat YT, GaGa & iQIYI uncut) ep 3 of 8 - Only one of them is in a fuck buddy relationship, and it’s not King Moon-eyes Husband-material. This show is so damn good. I love it when high heat is used to serve the characters and the narrative, as well as us fans. (In other words, take away the sexualized part of this relationship and the whole story would fall apart.) I suppose we should pay attention to Uea’s rules since they will all be broken. Uea has a bit of a demanding spoiled prince thing going and I’m not mad about it. This may be the most neck-kissy couple ever, I’m so happy for them! Yet another  installment in “Thailand, please get that boy to a therapist.” This ep likely has lots of extras so I might watch IQ as well. Child abuse trigger btw. 

Moonlight Chicken (Weds YT) eps 7-8fin - It was a good last 2 eps, and I ended up actually liking the complexity of the messiness more than I thought I would - disaster queer authenticity isn’t usually my thing. (Japan taught me that lesson the hard way). All in all, a stellar a little offering from GMMTV, in the Not Me or ITSAY vein of “I question whether it’s actually BL but like it anyway.” Full review and rating below.

Never Let Me Go (Tues YT) ep 12fin - The climax was rather predictably climatic (as it were). I love that Chopper shot his dad. Better aim next time, sweetheart? The cousins making up was sappy. Chopper & Ben were fine. Frankly, I’m not sure about PerthChimon’s chemistry, a bit nervous for their series now. And then Kdrama separation nation strikes again. Yawn. Question: Did the cute girl at Palm’s bar ever get her coconut juice? Full review and rating below. 

A Boss and a Babe (Fri YouTube) ep 1 of 10 - ForceBook in an office set boss/employee highly camp rom-com. Babe is a bit too slapstick for me, boss is a bit too creepy, and Book is def over egging the pudding. Well meaning chatterbox idiot is not my fav archetype. Bathroom meet cute? Huh. I don’t know. I don’t hate it, I guess?  

The Promise (Thai WeTV & YT) ep 1 of 10 - Popped into my YT feed so I gave it a try. Unexpectedly good! Phu & Nan are childhood bffs from middle school through college (almost lovers). Phu disappears just after graduation. After looking/waiting for him for ages, Nan gives up and self isolates, and the actual story takes place 10 years later. The arbitrary slapstick elements are unnecessary, disjoined, and rough. The show should have had the strength of its convictions just to be a serious drama. But it’s way better than expected (it’s about coffee, I love coffee) and no need to have watched the prequel miniseries Phupha | Nanfah. Phu’s granny and cohorts are THE BEST. Also elder queer rep. There better be a GREAT reason why Phu didn’t reach out to Nan or I will be seriously displeased. 

Chains of Heart (Sat iQIYI) 3 of 10 - I kind of love Ken’s slightly idiot gay couple friends. (I do love all of the queer family we are getting these days.) They better not betray him! Still, this is one of those shows where, despite his competency, we haven’t really been given a reason to like Ken all that much. I’m not super invested in his grief or his new romance. The captions are BONKERS but the sex scenes are good. I hope LueKen deliver as well as DinKen. Gotta say, despite my grumbling, I did enjoy it more this week. 

Tin Tam Jai (Tues Gaga & iQIYI) ep 1 of 10 - I am not a huge fan of the tsundere seme, especially if they are the older character. But this is a really good cast and for a pulp it’s actually okay acted and captioned. It’s cute. Campy. Old school Thai. I do like a flirty uke who knows what he wants. Lots of very prototypical tropes. Is it good? Well, no, but I’m still gonna watch it. 

Love Syndrome (Thai Sat WeTV) ep 1 of 10 - Terrible subs again. They a hot couple but Itt is a revolting character, asshole rather than brat. Day is VERY sexy tho. This one is messy and rough and will likely involve cheating AND the amnesia trope. I might put it onto the binge pile. 

Our Winter (Thai & Korea YT & TikTok under ThaiMiniSeries) eps 8-9 of 14 - TutorYim are cute. And nice to have decent music with Thai actors for a change. 

Ongoing Series - Not Thai

All the Liquors (Korea Thurs Gaga & Viki) ep 1-2 of 8 - Oh my God, breaking up with a man because he picked the wrong restaurant for a holiday meal is v relatable, but the reaction ”how can you break up with me before we’ve eaten?” is the best thing ever. I may identify with our baby party boy hedonist more than any other BL lead ever presented. I adore how Korea is leaning into “out gay boys” these days. Love love love the gay bestie. This is on the New Employee end of the KBL spectrum, no bad thing. Not sure about the alcoholism angle tho. Still, this is a fun show! I don’t even mind the crash into me trope when combined with baby is a floppy drunk trope. 

HIStory 5: Love in the Future (Taiwan Weds Viki) ep 10fin (or 19&20) - Not at all surprised that Vincent (Sam? How many names does this man need?) was pulling a double cross, because from the credits we knew the pairs get along. Couple’s necklaces and a sweet make up sequence for the sides. Nice sex scene and manufactured drama for the mains. Ultra cheese fest ending for all including random H4 couple. Full review and rating below. 

Jack o’Frost (Japan GaGa) ep 3 of 6 - The first time sex scene from the past was sweet and well done. That said, a traditional BL romance is not what this story is doing. It’s about 2 people at different points in a romantic journey, one of whom has memories of a failed relationship (and associated baggage) and the other who does not (so is starting at fresh). It’s using high concept to explore this, but that means (this beaning Japan) HEA is on shakey ground. Also, still running a bit low energy for me. 

It’s Airing But ...

Blue Sky Complex (Japan ???) 5 eps for VR - Kei Ichikawa's manga is getting a JBL adaptation. Weird distribution though, it started Feb 27 sequentially on 360 Channel (SHOCHIKUch) a VR video distribution service. Will inter-fans ever get to see this, and if it’s filmed for VR will it adapt without being overly dark and fuzzy? I have questions. But as usual, you do you Japan and we will wait (im)patiently to see if you remember the rest of the world exists. This is my preferred kind of live action yaoi, so fingers crossed: 

Boyband (Thai) ep 2 of 10 - Stopped airing on YouTube, and only available in Thailand & Japan. Not sure if they’re working a distribution deal or just fucking with us.

Cafe In Love (Thai ???) 10 eps on Ch3+ - Thai pulp, about trying to save a coffee shop. FairyGodBLer came through for me, but I’m collecting to binge just in case. It’s my new policy with the grey stuff.

Destiny Seeker (Tues WeTV Thailand) 10 eps - it’s not on any WeTV I can get ahold of. Bad Buddy the pulp rebirth meets Japanese handsome host club action. Same as above.

Heesu In Class 2 (Korea Thurs unknown, I check Viki Gaga iQIYI) - A gay(er) version of Sex Education. I’m still not sure this one is actually happening.

Finished This Week 

My Beautiful Man 2 AKA Utsukushii Kare Season 2 

These two have such a great DS dynamic. Only Hira would apologize for fucking and wanting to fuck his own boyfriend, but doing it anyway. Talk about a service top with a humiliation fetish. Sheesh. The masochism is strong with this one. (Since I do not deal with humiliation fetishists well, the cringe factor got to me a little.) Still, pouty jealous Kiyoi is the cutest. [One flaw: The photographer dude should have been played by Kenta. Just a little joke.] 

SUMMATION 

All in all, this 2nd season didn’t blow me away the way the 1st did. It was quieter and more uniform in its narrative and messaging - thus more predictable. The basic relationship misunderstanding remained the same - all about value and self worth and how that’s assessed. The result is a dialogue between imposter syndrome and a parasocial relationship. If these 2 only had the language and framework of BDSM to understand each other, than they would, but they don’t so the story is us watching them suffer for it. But that’s part of the fun. Part of their fun too, I think, as if the fighting and misunderstanding is just another one of their many kinks. An engaging and solid second installment that was so consistent, I’m going to keep the rating consistent too. 9/10 

HIStory 5: Love in the Future 

High concept of a man from the past traveling to Covid times and getting involved with a spoiled rich kid soon to be CEO that ultimately made for a dull story. Sides were stellar but intentional miscommunication as a narrative driver never works for me. Good chemistry, nice sex scenes, and a cheesy ending (90% of the time) is Taiwan’s BL brand. I expected nothing less. But there is a little part of me that hoped for something more. 7/10 

Never Let Me Go 

Bodyguard romance where poor boy must watch over rich boy for family obligation reasons. Simple premise well executed with a few bumps that made it feel like it was trying to tackle too much (when it wasn’t). Still, an enjoyable show that benefited from being handed to PondPhuwin who did a stellar job with their roles and chemistry. Is it going into permanent rewatch rotation? No, but a solid GMMTV offering. 8/10 

Moonlight Chicken 

I enjoyed this complicated little show, even though it’s spectacularly messy gay with lots of shrapnel and authentic pain. I thought EarthMix turned in their most compelling performance to date. But it was GeminiFourth who stole my heart.  That said, the most interesting central relationship was that of Jim & Li Ming, their father-son angst mixed with evident affection made me tear up. This was more slice of life than it was BL, but it ended happily so I’m not mad at it. 8/10 

Gossip

Apparently Pavel (my love) has been added to the cast of Pit Babe, a Thai BL series I thought was defunked (it was supposed to be out in Jan). So I’m happy. I also put it back on the 2023 tracking sheet. 

Tia51 announced upcoming sampler pack Thai BL My Universe. Normally I don’t report on Thai announcements, as they are pure speculation, but this one is reported to feature 22 actors, 11 couples, 12 stories, and 24 episodes in August 2023. STOP OR YOU’LL GO BLIND. (FB page BLUpdate2020 has a full rundown of the 12 stories.) No MDL listing that I can find. Giving the War or Y peeps a run for their money? Or just epic Thai BL lever pulp-tastic insanity?

New Pinoy BL Stay announced, 6 eps featuring boys who unexpectedly meet in Los Angeles. More here.

In case you missed it 

Jeff Satur is leaving BeOnCloud. Honestly, who tf didn’t see this coming? He just dropped a MV with SHAUN (Steal The Show). Jeff is one of the biggest Thai indies and Shaun is legacy Kpop indie. Jeff was and is always more focused on singing and that’s busted a pair before. Frankly speaking, he's ambitious and doesn’t need BeOnCloud. I’m a big believer in breaking from an agency if you have the platform to go it alone. And just because he’d not repped by them doesn’t me he can’t still work with them, sheesh calm down KP fandom. (Honestly this seems to be my mantra since that damn show aired.) 

Next Week Looks Like This:

03/08 - Pastsenger (Thai Gaga) 12 eps- Stars Marc (My Gear & Your Gown) and Cooper (My Engineer) both formerly paired with others, in a time travel paranormal that smacks of HIStory 5. Sunshine 90s kid travels to 2022, goes to university, encounters grumpy nerd.

03/09 - Our Dating Sim (Korea unknown) - What happens when two men, friends since schoo, meet again at work to create a dating simulation game together.

03/12 Future (Thai YouTube & Gaga?) 5 eps - Based on a y-novel by Faddest (En of Love - yeah I didn’t know that was based on a novel, either). About, you guessed it, an engineering student and a dentist. Maybe this will be the FOTS we were all hoping for? Fuse (the engineering student) is played by Boom from the En of Love and is kinda the same character (Field). I think we can expect this one to be soft, it’s from the 21 Day Theory people. (maybe March 19 international)

Full list of upcoming in March 2023 is here.

2023 forthcoming BL master post. (see comments, some are inaccurate, NOT KEPT UPDATED)

This Week in Subs of Qua?

THIS WEEK’S BEST MOMENTS

I liked this scene in Moonlight Chicken so much I did a whole post about it. 

Chains of Heart the past relationship. can’t wait to see if they do as well with the present one. 

(last week)

Current Kpop earworm? Peacemaker by P1Harmony (I’m considering stanning this group because their rap line is insane, everyone can dance, Theo is beautiful, and Keeho is an adorable nut job with a great voice. Talk about a boy who should do BL, and probably would without a care in the world. Stop him though, these boys are gonna be the next Monsta X.) 

[ficandkaboodle]

Imagine, though, growing up knowing that your life is, for better or for worse, carved out for you. You know where your path leads to, your every age is divided up into stations in your faith, of which contains a multitude of principles and a blend of ideologies that, until recently, have mostly just been dour and dreary.

But you have optimism, and you dare to have a vision: You see something brighter, you see what it all could be. You intend to rise up to the position with these brand new ideas, things no one in your group has spoken about on such a massive scale.

You're quite proud of it!

. . . The elders of your society, however, view it very differently. And at best, they take what you've got and bastardize it and make a simulacrum of it until it just superficially resembles what you had in mind. So your faith in everything, in everyone, dwindles with time. But you can't really get out of this, not on your own terms, anyway. So you keep going along with everything, even though your heart's not in it. But others look up to you, even though you know this isn't the real you.

Anyway, you keep doing this, you give them everything you have and even stuff you don't really have or can afford to give. And you're rewarded by the others for it. You show your elders and it's like "Look! Something good came out of this! Look what my ideas have brought!" And you once again dare to believe that maybe there's hope after all. Maybe your thoughts do have worth --

And then you get ripped out of your position prematurely. In front of a crowd of people who looked up to you.

And you have to watch some no-name nobody from within your group take over your job. Worse, the very people who removed you actually seem to like this fucker. Whatever. Whatever. Whatever! You don't know what to do with your premature retirement, but at least maybe now you can finally just . . . What can you finally just??

You never find out: It goes dark one night. You don't see what happens. You don't know that your body is desecrated for the sake of a photoshoot. You don't learn how much the people who looked up to you miss you, or that they still fawn over your visage long after you've gone.

You don't see the people poring back over your works and rediscovering and analyzing what you had really been saying all along, you don't see newcomers looking to the past and finding you and falling in love with you and feeling conflicted for missing someone they had never met.

. . . And then some mufucker on the interwebs goes around and starts suggesting that you need to climb on the kitchen counter just to reach the cereal your stupid taller boyfriend put on top of the fridge --

[until-the-brahmin-come-home]

Compiling potential Dogmeat origins from the poll, alongside my thoughts on each option:

Just a Regular Dog: I guess this is an option. Kinda boring, but hey, a dog is a dog, and I'm happy to have one. Does open up the possibility of someone (probably a ghoul) out there maintaining prewar dog breeds, which is a fun space you could play around in. Maybe they have dog shows.

Synth: We know the Institute has made synthetic animals, and his placement right in your way at Red Rocket is suspicious to me. However, the game has nothing else to say about this. I wouldn't be surprised if he was sent your way on purpose, or else is an escaped synth dog.

Time traveler: Joel Burgess said in a twitter thread that Dogmeat is caught out of time and does not belong. I also for personal worldbuilding reasons associate dogs with time in fallout. And yes, time travel is established in the fallout canon. A couple of times, even. Alternatively, he came from another dimension. @/fetidcursedswamp proposes that the Power of Love ripped a hole in space-time, allowing sole's original prewar dog to hop through (this is very cute but I feel like sole would have something to say about this identical dog lol)

Spirit of the Wasteland: proposed by @/lost-in-interwebs. Exactly what it sounds like. I am in love with this concept and will probably implement it. Also works as a parallel to the Pariah dog from fo2.

Immortality: A couple different versions. As proposed by @/thewordinvention: Dogmeat came into contact with some weird science or maybe magic, and now lives forever. This one is pretty cute. I like to imagine his presence only getting weirder as time goes on as individual dog breeds fade out. @/iwillwalk500miles proposes he's the souls of the american people/everyone who died in the blast compressed into the form of a dog which is...interesting.

Offspring of cyberdogs: proposed by @/gecko-in-a-can. You know what, I can see this one. The Old Worlds Blues ending mentions Roxie and Rex having a litter of puppies, so it is feasible for a pair of (functionally immortal) cyberdogs to have had Dogmeat.

Descendant: Of the dog that sole says is missing at the start of the game (proposed by @/thetruecrystalvixen).

Eldritch entity: proposed by @/murmeloni, @/wingwaver (specifically comparing him to how scooby-doo is an elder god), & @/fuzzydreamin (comparing him to the Mysterious Stranger - very, very cool). Y'know what, there's enough eldritch stuff in fallout that I can see this. Kinda mad I didn't think of it myself, actually.

That's god: why not? by @/lostjediis.

The Thing: by @/jackinaboxx. Admittedly I haven't seen The Thing but from what I know this would be super funny. Murder monster is friends with one (1) human.

A Good Boy: said by many; very true.

Additional note: reincarnation (mentioned by @/reefman-a). I'm glad to see other people share this idea. While it doesn't explain how he's a german shepherd, it is a fun concept - that every Dogmeat, from fo1 to fo4, is the same Dogmeat in spirit. This is another one that's true to my personal version of canon.

[thatstormygeek]

This is good communication advice, but the framing is incorrect. A boundary is a line. That's what a boundary is. It's a divider. That's all. It's there whether you communicate it or not.

I feel like "boundary" has fallen prey to our habit of imbuing words with mystic power. There is nothing overly special about a boundary in and of itself. It's all in the interpretation.

My whole tangent probably seems pedantic, and maybe it is, but tethering all this weight to a single term actually makes interactions more fraught. The heavier these words are, the more they sink down into our individual understanding of common sense and the less we feel we need to communicate them clearly. They become unspoken expectations.

Which is what I believe the above advice is addressing. A boundary is a line. One that it's important to tell people about if you don't want them stepping over it. And informing them of your likely actions as a result of said boundary crossing can be helpful. Ultimately, the only person you can control is yourself, so you will likely be less frustrated if you recognize that when communicating your boundaries.

Since I'm this far into it, I might as well add that it's important to investigate and define your own boundaries repeatedly throughout your life. Remember they are there to serve you, not the other way around.

Proper boundaries

[blu3-j]

Hello, hello, hello, fellow strangers!!

I just wanted to give you all a little life update! (Because I'm sure some of you are wondering "Where in the heck did you go? What's taking so long?")

(And I also kind of think of this as like a personal word of mine to send out into the ocean for somebody to hear and possibly relate instead of keeping it in this dome of mine! After all, the worst that can happen to my posts on here is that no one sees it! :))

So, what's been happening in my life since I graduated? Well, I got my first job! (Professional, anyways.) Additionally, some of you may have noticed in my last fanfic that I wrote how I now have regular interwebs access at my humble abode! So exciting! I can do so much more now! I do have some unfinished and mostly finished artworks here and there I could post. (A good chunk of them are personal doodles, haha!) In fact, here's a sneak peak of one! Just need to do a few last touches!

At one point I became quite discouraged to continue writing and drawing. I felt as though there was no more spark to it all. While before, there was color and life, at that point, it was now just color. So, I kind of took a small break. Went camping with my family and boyfriend for a few days. In that time I got my spark back! ...Kind of, anyways. But that's personal stuffsies I don't need to let you all in on!

I also got an idea for something new! A video game! Small and simple for the most part. Or...well...at least...that's how it started, haha! Regardless, my elder brother and I have begun creating a video game!

Something I find extremely fascinating is how coding works! I love the idea of taking pretty much nothing and creating something out of it! It amazes me to no end, haha! My elder brother thinks the same, and we've both been wanting to create a video game for quite a while now.

Now for the first time, we have all that we need to do it! So, I've begun working pretty darn hard on it! There won't be a beta or demo for a while, but we're working on it! (Let's just hope this isn't a bust, haha!)

Last part: now that we have interwebs access, I've also been tempted to get Splatoon 3 for a while now! Maybe not for another few weeks, but soon! (There's a good chance I'll be a total noob at it for a good long while, haha! I'm not all too good at shooters and online combat games. But it seems interesting! And fun! I'm so excited to try it out!) Who knows? Maybe I'll make a few friends! Maybe I'll meet some of you on there?

Alrighty tighty, then. That should be all for now! I hope you all have a fantabulous day! You all deserve it! And reminder for you all, don't be afraid to send in requests or asks. I love to make chit chat, even if it's small! You all are so amazing! Have a wonderful day or night, fellow strangers!

[thatstormygeek]

Sometimes I look around and just feel so old.

Like, I get that Amazon sucks and it feels good to think you're sticking it to them by buying elsewhere. And there are many good reasons to not shop on Amazon and to shop small/local businesses! None of that is a problem.

But.

Amazon owns the infrastructure that supports a sizeable chunk of the web. You buying your shoes or books or whatever elsewhere isn't doing shit to their bottom line. That's not a reason not to do it! Just understand it's not accomplishing what your purported goal is, so if you really want to achieve that goal, you need to look deeper.

You can't say that, though, because 10,000 comments will immediately jump on how you are hurting the cause and every little bit helps and blah blah. Fine. But while you are busy making sure everyone stays focused on those helpful little bits, the big picture is going unaddressed.

There is a widespread insistence that treating the symptom is enough. In fact, if you dare suggest the underlying cause should be looked into, you are Part Of The Problem. And I don't know how anything gets better like that.

[darkficsyouneveraskedfor]

Looking for a Place to Happen

Warnings: non-consent sex and rape (series), age gap, general stupidity.

This is dark!biker!Sam Wilson x reader and explicit. 18+ only.  Your media consumption is your own responsibility. Warnings have been given. DO NOT PROCEED if these matters upset you.

Series Synopsis: There’s lots happening in Birch and you find it all too amusing.

Sister series to Smalltown Bringdown, When the Weight Comes Down, Little Bones, and Fully Completely

Note: We’re starting Sam’s installment but this weekend I’ll probably only be catching up on my headcanons and drabbles because I’ve been a lazy bitch and I’m sorry to those who have been waiting.

Thanks to everyone for their patience and feedback. :)

I really hope you enjoy. 💋

<3 Let me know what you think with a like or reblog or reply or an ask! Love ya!

Chapter 1: I've got a job, I explore

💀💀💀

The sleepy town of Birch was awake. 

In those last weeks, the arrival of outsiders had roused the attention of many once passive residents of the timeless territory. Those brick buildings unchanged by the tick of the clock inlaid into the old tower above the library that chimed every hour on the hour. They still stood with only chips in the mortar but the air tasted different. The frost was more bitter and the sky more grim. An omen of something no one could predict.

It was the perfect setting for a screenplay. The isolated town with its unsavoury secrets and the visitors who threatened to bring them to the surface. It was inspiring to you, to imagine what was hidden behind the stern wrinkled faces of the town elders and under the jackets of those men who wore the cut of the local club. The bikers ruled the town covertly but everyone knew that Bucky Barnes’ palm was lined with the map of Birch.

As a bystander, an unnoticed observer, just another ant in the hill, you watched from the side and amused yourself with the drama of others. It was like a soap opera or another HBO hype machine. Those things you aspired to when you could be free of this ho-hum town.

The snows added to the natural gloom of the place. The deep heaps smothered the noise and harkened back to those days of colonial settlement. Forgotten, desolate, fearful. 

You ventured down in your heavy boots that stretched to your knees and pushed your chin down into your scarf. As a child, you ran and jumped in those piles, now you were out of breath just trying to walk past them.

You stopped in the bakery that doubled as the only café, a place where the owner, Babs, tried to to intimidate the last caffeinated trends. She was always a few seasons behind but you didn’t mind so much. 

You ordered the salted caramel mocha and waited patiently as the quiet woman fought with the steaming machines. She was older than you but you’d work with her for one summer during high school, only five years ago. She had the eyes of a child still, but there was something worn in her. As if she’d been exposed to far too much in her three or so decades in that place. She was a harbinger of what you didn’t want to become.

You thanked her for your drink and set out once more into the billowing winds. Birch winters were never kind but this one was crueler than most. Your teeth chattered as you blew the steam away from the lid and hugged it with your mittened hands.

You stopped short as you heard the familiar ding of the diner door across the street. You recognised the mechanic who kept to herself and once growled at you in the grocery store. She stormed across the street, followed closely and quickly by a black-haired man you’d only seen once before. He was one of those outsiders who came to deal with the club men.

You sped up as you sensed chaos brewing and pulled out your phone as you balanced your paper cup in your other hand. You flicked your camera on just as you got to the front of the shop and the man grabbed the mechanic. You let out an ‘oop’ as she turned on him and you aimed the lens at the couple as they fell into the snow, the man’s shoes giving little traction to his steps. 

You moved closer, stunned by the scene, and kept your cell phone rolling as you found a better angle around the snowy walks. As she choked him on the ground he elbowed her and she coughed as she rolled away. She snarled as he clamoured to his feet, slipping and sliding as he marched away.

You killed the recording and watched the man cross the street again, nearly wiping out as he did and when you looked back to the mechanic, she was gone behind the clattering door. You chuckled to yourself and tucked away your cell. It was prime footage for TikTok; with a bit of editing, it would be comedy gold.

💀

You stomped up the steps of your grandmother’s house, this time through the front door as you heard her chair rocking in the front room. You usually took the stairs in the back as you paid her to live on the upper floor of the duplex. You checked in with her daily, she didn’t get out much more than the occasional trip to the grocery store when you couldn’t or you dragged her out to join you for a tea at Babs’.

“You’re late,” she grumbled as you set your cup down and unzipped your coat.

“For what?” you scoffed.

“It’s after noon and you don’t even come down to say hello? A ‘good morning, nan’,” she harrumphed.

You chuckled and hung your coat before shoving your boots over on the mat. You grabbed your mocha and leaned on the doorway as you watched her crocheting in her chair, reruns of some court show playing from the boxy television.

“I was working,” you said, “sent in some stuff for review. Hopefully not much work to be done.”

“I don’t know how you make money on that interweb,” she bemoaned, “I don’t trust it.”

“Maybe you’d trust it more if you used the Netflix subscription I got you,” you crossed your arms, “then you wouldn’t have to watch trash daytime TV.”

She shrugged and muttered under her breath. She could be crotchety but you liked her sense of humour. Your aunts and uncles never came around because they just took it as spite. You were the only one who knew how to handle the jaded old lady.

“Maybe you coulda looked out the window,” you snickered, “quite a show going on in town.”

“Hmm, what’s that?” she stilled her needles and reached for her tea stained cup.

“Just a fight. You wouldn’t believe it, that lady mechanic beat the shit--”

“Language,” she huffed.

“Anyway, she had this guy in a chokehold. It was awesome.”

“What guy?” she squinted at you over her glasses.

“I dunno. Some out of towner. Remember I told you about that burly dude hanging around the library?”

“There’s more?” she sucked on her teeth, “those bikers have never been good news and now they’re bringing in more.”

“Yeah, well, what’re you gonna do?” you sniffed as you took out your phone and rewatched the scuffle with the volume down. You shook your head and opened up your TikTok. 

“I don’t understand why you’re always on your dang phone,” your grandmother pestered.

“I’m not always on my phone,” you smiled at her smugly, “there are those time when I’m listening to you prattle on or you know, making you tea, oh, and cooking you dinner. What was it I did last week? Oh that’s right, I got Pippin out of the crawlspace.”

“I’m too old to be chasin’ that cat all around,” she huffed, “where is he anyway?”

“He’s your cat, I don’t know? Last time I saw him, I sent him back out the window for shredding my charger.”

“He knows you need to give it a rest,” she laughed to herself, “got your nose to that screen too much.”

“And what do you do, old lady? Crocheting doilies to put where exactly?”

She gave you that dry smile, the one that said watch it but carried a hint of humour still. You hit post and put your phone away as you waved off her irritation.

“Well, you know what, I sit all day at my computer, doing who knows what and you know what it got me?” you taunted, “a large mocha!” you sipped as you sat on the sofa and grabbed the remote, “and it’s paying my rent and putting bullet points on my resume.”

“Mhmm,” she scowled, “just remember, real life ain’t online. Those videos you’re always laughing at like hyena, that’s not reality. You forget it and it’ll come back and bit you. ‘Specially with those bikers.”

“Oh, nan, you know too well, don’t you? Didn’t you have a fling with one back in your hippie phase?”

“Two, actually,” she raised her brows, “I was young and stupid. Not like you, but still.”

“I love you too,” you chirped and sipped from your cup, flicking the station to Jerry Springer, “that’s more like it.”

💀

Your usual TikToks were sarcastic and dull complaints about your small town life. The response was less than pleasing but it gave you an outlet to vent. You liked to goof around and document the very specific type of weirdos that resided in Birch. But the video of the fight in the snow blew up your phone and made it difficult to ignore the buzzing as you went back up to your room to eke out the last of your captions for the ad agency.

When at last you could call your day hard-earned, you logged off and sent in your hours to the agency. Social media promotion was easy enough but the working gigs for a thousand different companies was tedious. You hoped you could build your portfolio enough to manage a single corporate page as you continued to chip away at your creative outlets.

You picked up your phone as you waited for Netflix to load on your tiny smart tv and flopped onto your bed, not two feet from your desk. You hit the icon in the upper panel of your phone and scrolled through the notifications, pausing to turn on another episode of the cable sitcom from ten years before. You snorted as you read each comment but the number under the video made your eyes round. The thing was bound to go viral.

As usual, you went down to help with supper. Pippin, the orange tabby, returned to cry at his dish and you fed him too. Your nan peered through her glasses at a crossword as she tasted the tangy pasta sauce. 

“More basil,” she snipped.

“Well, I asked if you wanted to help,” you muttered, “I think it’s good.”

“Hmmp, I need milk,” she jutted her chin out, “for my after-dinner tea.”

“You couldn’t say something like three hours ago?” you blinked.

“I could have but I didn’t,” she snickered. You rolled your eyes and she took another forkful of penne and filled in another line on her puzzle, “ah, no hurry, girlie, you know I’m patient.”

“Patient? You?” you chuckled as you took your plate and shoved it in the microwave to keep it warm. The ancient thing had a dial and the door stuck, “I’ll just go get it over with.”

“Don’t forget your mitts,” she called after you as you tramped into the front room, “it’s cold.”

You pulled on your knitted cap and matching mitts. You zipped up your parka and shoved your feet into the deep boots. You grabbed your wallet and buried it in the spacious pocket. You bounced out the front door and down the steps as the sky sent down another coat of powder for the night.

You went up White Forge Street and through the short path behind the diner that led to the main road. You glanced over at The Asp, the beacon of the dull town, and turned towards the grocer. Like anywhere in Birch, the store was outdated and stuffy. It felt like stepping into another time with the paper bags and chunky tills.

You went down the center aisle and stopped at the fridge to search through the frosted glass. Your nan only drank whole milk and the last time you carelessly grabbed skim, she whined that even Pippin wouldn’t drink it. She was particular but that was just her nature. You couldn’t say you were any less fussy in some instances.

You grabbed a jug and the door slapped closed against the worn rubber seal. You headed up the candy aisle and brushed your woolly thumb over your chin as you considered gummy bears or Reeses’ Pieces.

“Hard choice?” The deep voice jolted you.

You snatched the box of chocolate and looked over at the man in leather, his chin tucked down behind the collar as snow dusted his shoulders.

“Sure,” you said as you brushed past him.

The cut of the leather told you he was better not entertained. While you thought the men amusing, you weren’t stupid enough to engage with them. You rarely listened to your grandmother but she was wise in her own way. 

You knew a girl in highschool, she was fucking around with one of the club men in her junior year, she ended up with a baby and no support. You didn’t think he was into you that way but he could hardly have innocent intentions.

“How’s the old lady?” Clayton asked as he rung in your order at the end of the belt, you moved along with the groceries and pulled out your wallet.

“The usual, you know? She’s tryna quit again. Don’t know how long it’ll last.”

“Oh yeah? I’ll keep a carton aside for her,” he kidded as you felt your phone vibing in your back pocket.

“Don’t encourage her,” you swiped your card and punched in your pin, “although I don’t know what’s worse; the smoke or her sucking on those mints all the time.”

“Oh, it’s not the bitchin’?” he laughed.

“That, too,” you scooped up the paper bag and put your wallet away, “have a good one.”

As you came to the end of the first counter, you were nearly cut off by the club member as he swept around from till two. His own purchase of a car magazine and jerky was tucked under his arm.

“Ah, sorry,” he smiled, a sparkling smile, almost charming.

“No worries,” you continued on and he followed close behind.

“Those mitts look real warm. ‘Specially in this weather,” he said as you pushed open the door.

“Uh huh,” you kept on as your boots crunched out into the snow.

“You know where I can get a pair. Leather isn’t exactly thermal, you know?”

“These? My nan made ‘em. I’m sure Clayton got some hung up back there,” you looked across the street as you stepped up onto the ledge of snow between the sidewalk and the road.

“Am I bothering you?” he asked.

You looked at him dumbly and almost laughed in his face. You glanced back across the street then down towards The Asp.

“Sorta,” you answered.

“Make you a deal. Leave ya alone for your name.”

You eyed him. He was older than you like many of the Commandos. At least a decade, likely more than that. You chewed on your hesitation and cradled the bag more firmly against your side. His eyes strayed as he tried to see through the thick layer of your coat.

“Nah, I’m not s’posed to talk to strangers,” you said and hopped off onto the road.

You heard him behind you as he struggled to follow and as you came up to the other side, he came parallel with you and kept stride with you easily.

“I know you’re young but you’re not a kid,” he intoned, “what’s the harm in a name?”

“It’s a small town,” you stopped short of the end of White Forge, “I think I know enough about you to avoid you.”

“Oh ho, is that it? Well, I’m Sam, I’m not a stranger now, am I?”

“Not interested, Sam. Sure there’s women your own age over at the bar,” you nodded behind him.

“You wanna come see? Maybe have a drink?” he gave a crooked grin.

“You don’t give up, do you?” you shook your head, put off by his forwardness.

“Well?”

“Not tonight, Sam,” you turned around and headed down White Forge.

“Then what night?” he asked but you didn’t answer and he didn’t follow.

You turned down onto your street and refused to look back in case. It would be best not to mention the run-in to your nan, she was paranoid enough as it was. Besides, you’d forget about it by the end of next week.

[12raben]

Almighty Hat’s Modest Lady - texture referenced

EDIT 3/1/2022: Updated the whole set to include elder clothes in elder shape. It’s located in a separate post here.

EDIT 31/12/2021: Added a link to Vampirekiss6661′s fixed teen mesh.

If you’re playing in a medieval setup, chances are good, that you are very familiar with Almighty Hat’s countless contributions to the community. One of those is the Modest Lady: A set of 72 simple yet elegant gowns for female sims (144 if you’re adding teens). Now. When making another default replacement, I found, that all 72 dresses come with a diffrent empty texture and a frankly speaking unnecessary normal map for the alpha group. This of course increases file size and loading time. Don’t get me wrong, I love and appreciate Almighty Hat’s hard work, but I still decided to make some edits to her files.

Warning: Wall of text. Next to no pictures. Very boring, but might be worth your time.

What did I do the files? Well, a mind-numming rinse and repeat of editing material definions mostly. Changes include:

I linked ALL outfits to ONE normal map and ONE empty texture

Deleted unnecessary textures

Edited the tooltips to inform about the mesh used and to indicate the usage of external textures

Edited filenames to get rid of special characters, spaces etc.

Merged files for your convienence

Why do I use an empty texture still, instead of using a Null texture? For the life of me I couldn’t get it to work. I think, I tried everything to make the alpha group use no texture at all, alas it didn’t work. So, you and I are stuck with 1 measly, empty 8x8 pixel texture. But this is still better, than 72 1024x1024 textures and 72 1024x1024 normal maps. (Those are all gone.) If you don’t understand, what the diffrence between empty and null textures are, please read this post by skell. It enlightend me on the subject.

Other than that, nothing changed from Almighty Hat’s original settings. All dresses are available for young adults, adults and elders. Teen version is of course for teens only (Duh!). They are categorized as everyday, formal and outerwear clothes. The dresses will not spawn on townies.

There is a thing, that changed: File size. Before: 94.2 MB After: 87.3 MB A total diffrence of 6.9 MB!

Are you excited yet?? Well, come with me on a journey full of

very boring, technical information!

For your simming needs, there are a few options avaiable. We’re going from most to least complicated.

First off: There is no mesh included in the archives. I prefer to have mine separate. And there are diffrent versions of the mesh available, so you’re better off getting, what suits your game best. Most medieval simmers will probably have it already. The mesh is Iamliz13's Alpha-Editable Medieval Gown, so you’ll need either the original or one of the edits floating around the interwebs.

EDIT 31/12/2021: I just stumbled over vampirekiss6661′s UV-map fix for the teen dresses. It’s included with Vampirekiss6661′s Strumpet. If you’re using the teen dresses make sure to get the meshes with the UV-fix. You can use the links below, but there will be a jump on the teen dresses’ texures.

Here is the original. For adults: Mesh_Liz13_afmedievalalphadress For teens: Mesh_Liz13_tfmedievalalphadress

Here is an edited version. (Part of the ACME starter kit) For adults: Mesh_Liz13_afmedievalalphadress_preg_by_Dicreasy-UVedit-ByVK For teens: Mesh_Liz13_tfmedievalalphadress_preg_morph_by_Dicreasy

I’ve tested with these and both work. If you’re playing with teen pregnancy, you’ll want to get the edited meshes.

Almighty Hat's Modest Lady - Separated

In the archive for adults you’ll find 3 folders, 2 master packages and a read me with all necessary information. In the folders are packages, that will add one dress at a time to your game. Please, refer to Almight Hat's original post for swatches. You can select any number of packages you want to add to your downloads folder. Since I couldn’t nullify the texture on the alpha group, I did the next best thing: I created a masterfile. “MASTERFILE_emptyalpha_12Raben” is a small little package, that I have often used, when I was unable to use Skell’s exported Null-txmt. It contains the information for the game, that it should display a teeny-tiny empty texture, without a normal map. The other one “MASTERFILE_AlmightyHat-modestlady-bmp_12Raben” contains the normal map all dresses are linked to. These master files are absolutly required to use any of the dresses in this archive! Failing to add these files to your downloads folder will cause errors. Probably nothing harmful or game breaking, but definitely weird looking. When you're done selecting, please consider to merge the files. Quick and easy tutorial on how to do that here (by keoni). Upcoming uploads might include it as well. However: You will only need one copy of my masterfiles in your downloads folder.

The teen dresses come separated as well. But I made them use the adult textures, so they won’t work on their own. And I don’t plan on making a standalone version for teens. Sorry. In the archive you’ll find 3 folders and a read me with all necessary information. Like the adult textures one package will add one dress to you’re game. But they require their adult counterpart. What does that mean? E.g. You want to add

TF-body-Iamliz-AlphaDress-AlmightyHat-ModestLady_Adonis

to your game. You will need:

AF-body-Iamliz-AlphaDress-AlmightyHat-ModestLady_Adonis

and the masterfiles for adults MASTERFILE_AlmightyHat-modestlady-bmp_12Raben MASTERFILE_emptyalpha_12Raben

These archives are probably best suited for people, who are comfortable with SimPe or at least have a very organised downloads folder, so nothing gets lost in oblivion.

With that out of the way let’s get to the more convienent files.

Almighty Hat’s Modest Lady - Merged

In the archive for adults you’ll find 3 packages and a read me with all necessary information. These will add multiple dresses to your game at once. For easier handling the masterfiles are merged with them as well.

AF-body-Iamliz-AlphaDress-AlmightyHat-ModestLady_AeliaAutum-txtref-12Raben-merged - Contains all dresses from the Aelia Autum Palette - This gives you 20 dresses at once

AF-body-Iamliz-AlphaDress-AlmightyHat-ModestLady_CuriousB-txtref-12Raben-merged - Contains all dresses from the CuriousB Palette - This gives you 42 dresses at once

AF-body-Iamliz-AlphaDress-AlmightyHat-ModestLady_Pooklet-txtref-12Raben-merged - Contains all dresses from the Pooklet Palette and the original texture - This gives you 10 dresses at once

Only the mesh is needed. No other files are necessary. Pretty easy peasy, right? The teen dresses have a merged option as well, but as before: They need their adult counterpart.

TF-body-Iamliz-AlphaDress-AlmightyHat-ModestLady_AeliaAutum-txtref-12Raben-merged -requires: AF-body-Iamliz-AlphaDress-AlmightyHat-ModestLady_AeliaAutum-txtref-12Raben-merged

TF-body-Iamliz-AlphaDress-AlmightyHat-ModestLady_CuriousB-txtref-12Raben-merged -requires: AF-body-Iamliz-AlphaDress-AlmightyHat-ModestLady_CuriousB-txtref-12Raben-merged

TF-body-Iamliz-AlphaDress-AlmightyHat-ModestLady_Pooklet-txtref-12Raben-merged -requires: AF-body-Iamliz-AlphaDress-AlmightyHat-ModestLady_Pooklet-txtref-12Raben-merged

Failing to add the required files to your downloads folder will cause errors.

Now there’s only one left: This for those of you, who want to commit, like no one commited before....

Almighty Hat’s Modest Lady - All-In-One

If you just love all the dresses and can’t possibly pick just a few of them, I provide 2 All-In-One archives. One for adults and one for teens. Beware though: Both packages together will add 144 dresses at once to your game. Teen dresses will need the adult counterpart, but other than that only the meshes are needed. No other files are necessary.

A word about teen dresses:

Winter already made a texture referenced version of the Modest Lady set. From what I can tell, glancing at her files, she used Almight Hat’s textures as a basis. That means, if you wanted to use all 72 dresses, that all 288 textures of Almighty Hat would be required for them to work. My version contains only 74 textures at max. (72 base textures, 1 normal map and one empty texture.) In short: My adult textures are not compatible with Winter’s teen dresses.

I also want to adress, that there is a “jump” in the texture on teens.

EDIT 31/12/2021: Unless(!) you keep track of you files, silly me. There is a teen mesh available by @vampirekiss6661, which I totally forgot existed. It fixes the whole mapping issue, so be sure to use “Mesh_Liz13_tfmedievalalphadress_preg_by_Dicreasy-UVedit-ByVK”. (Link above) to avoid this issue:

This is however also present in the original files and barely noticeable, when not zoomed in like above. This is how the mesh works and since I’m not capable of meshing or uv-mapping, this is a “problem” we’re stuck with. One could probably butcher the textures, so it isn’t noticeable anymore, but this would get rid of the sweet decrease in file size, I was aming for. Also one should keep in mind, that Iamliz13 probably didn’t make that alpha group to be turned invisible. Usually it covers this seam.

I’m also aware, that there is a mesh conversion for elders available, but I just don’t want to edit files anymore. 😞 Just so you know.

As I’m providing diffrent degrees of merging, please make sure to not use diffrent versions of this. So, if your’re using either Almight Hat’s or Winter’s files, make sure to delete them first. If you have them in your game already, replacing Almighty Hat’s files with mine shouldn’t cause any issues, since I used the original files. Sims dressed in them *should* keep them, but I’m not 100% sure of this. I can’t speak for Winter’s files though. I don’t know, whether she used Almighty Hat’s files or started from scratch. Deleting clothing is however not game breaking, the only issue you might encounter is, that a teen, who wore them will get a new random outfit.

Also: Rename my files. I gave them super long names, so eveything is clearly named and you can easily distinguish them. But as we know, the longer the file name, the longer the game takes to load. I went ahead and got rid of special characters, spaces and such, but you probably have a naming system, that works best for you. The files tooltips have also been edited, so you will know, 12Raben aka I screwed around with them. 😏

+Credit+

All credit goes to Almighty Hat! She did all the work tbh. All I did was clicking import, commit and save a few hundred times. Credit also goes to Iamliz for the original mesh as well as Dicreasy and Vampirekiss for their mesh-edits.

So without further ado: All files have been uploaded to SFS! And don’t forget to get the meshes, if you don’t have them already!

Here is the folder.

+Download - Modest Lady Separated+

Quick & Dirty install instructions

Each package will add one more dress to your game.

You can add any number of packages you want to your downloads folder.

requires: -MASTERFILE_AlmightyHat-modestlady-bmp_12Raben -MASTERFILE_emptyalpha_12Raben

When you're done selecting, please consider to merge the files.

+Download - Modest Lady Separated for teens+

Quick & Dirty install instructions

Each package will add one more dress to your game.

You can add any number of packages you want to your downloads

requires: -MASTERFILE_AlmightyHat-modestlady-bmp_12Raben -MASTERFILE_emptyalpha_12Raben -their adult counterpart

When you're done selecting, please consider to merge the files.

+Download - Modest Lady Merged+

Quick & Dirty install instructions

No other files are necessary. Just plob them into your downloads folder.

+Download - Modest Lady Merged for teens+

Quick & Dirty install instructions

requires: -their adult counterpart

+Download - Modest Lady All-In-One+

Quick & Dirty install instructions

No other files are necessary. Just plob them into your downloads folder.

+Download - Modest Lady All-In-One for teens+

Quick & Dirty install instructions

requires: -their adult counterpart

Phew. Happy simming!

[thorraborinn]

I know a lot of modern rune lore, divination, and magic focuses on the Elder Futhark but I was wondering if there were any systems strictly for Younger Futhark or AS Futhorc?

I've tried scouring the interwebs for something but have come up empty handed basically

Anglo-Saxon runes are used moderately in modern runic magic, the only specific thing that comes immediately to mind is Rune Games by Marijane Osborne and Stella Longland. This is in turn based on or at least inspired by Marijane Osborne's actual well-reasoned theory that the Anglo-Saxon Futhark (and only the Anglo-Saxon Futhark) was actually used for divination.

I'm not aware of any using Younger Futhark from the last century. Johan Bure used the Younger Futhark, and the Armanen runes are based on the Younger with two additions, so it's arguable that modern rune magic starts with the Younger before the Elder became more popular (remember, the elder was not deciphered until the late 1800's), but (hopefully obviously) I'm not encouraging those or taking them seriously. Pretty sure Edred Thorsson and Rune Gild people push the line that magic with the Younger Futhark is just a pared down version of the same thing as magic with the Elder, the development of the runes apparently being guided by a secret society of runic wizards making sure that all of the "mysteries" remain intact with the new configuration (this is a minor adaptation of Johan Bure's belief about the transition from paganism to Christianity, and also is extremely incorrect). I'm not sure if you're asking for historical curiosity or because you're looking for something to use or adapt yourself, but as might not surprise you I do not have a high opinion of literally any fully-formed runic magic "system" I have ever encountered and I feel very confident that if you made something up it would be preferable to anything already-existing.

The Liber runarum is pre-modern but interesting, and uses not just the Younger Futhark but also includes stungnar runes. It's hardly a "runic system," more like using them as fodder for a Hermetic system but it's interesting how the names and symbols spread and morphed far from Scandinavia.

[absolutebl]

This Week in BL - I have thoughts on voice overs

Aug 2022 Wk 4

Being a highly subjective assessment of one tiny corner of the interwebs. Organized by which ones (in each category) I’m enjoying the most.

Ongoing Series - Thai

The Eclipse (Fri YT) Ep 3 of 15 - The splinter thing was cute. I liked that they used it to show that Aye is a capable boy, and I enjoy that quality in a character. The disciplining of the 3 queer boys plot is giving me So Much in Love vibes. I’m a little confused by the friendship between Thua and Aye, did that come out of nowhere or is it just me? 

Vice Versa (Sat on YT) Ep 7 of 12 - It’s been interesting to watch Sea come into his own with this show, since at first Jimmy takes up all the air in the proverbial cinematic room. But Sea is good, subtle. Do I feel a little manipulated by the external conflict? Yes. And I still think Jimmy‘s character’s motivation is suspect. In other news, it should not be as weird as it was to watch someone eat carbonara Thai style, but it totally fucked with my head.

21 Days Theory (Sun YT ) Ep 3 of 4 - They are all so cute. The side noona romance, even the side Cyrano romance. I’m deeply grateful they ff the singing trope for me! OMG its so ADORABLE when X&Q switch to using X and Q. Eeeee!!!!!!! Q is so nervous and pleased about it. I love this show so much. The representation of an elder gay advisor, teaching about proper communication and warning of damaging romance tropes, PLUS language play and high school? Everything about this show is in my wheelhouse. 

My Only 12% (Fri iQIYI) Ep 3 of 15 - Well if anybody can advise a lonely confused gay boy in high school, I suppose it’s Fuse Kung. This one is moving along swimmingly, it’s complex, nuanced, and very well done for essentially a simple premise from Thailand. It’s not a pulp, but it’s not high production either. In style it’s more in the vein of UWMA than anything I’ve seen out of Wabi Sabi in a LONG time. Thumbs up. 

Love Mechanics (Sun WeTV) Ep 10fin - I really loved the class conflict with these two, and what it says about the characters in their families. Honestly THIS could’ve been the plot for this whole drama. It would’ve been so much better if it had dwelled in this space of family drama, rather than the chaotic messy bi-slut cheating space. And guess that’s it. That’s the end. Sigh. In the end I went with 6/10, I compare this to My Gear and Your Gown (a classic 6/10), and find it’s about the same. Yes YinWar are great, and they were great in this, but the story was not good, and not improved by being given more time to hang itself. I like the shorter En of Love version better (yes I think they can and should be compared) and I’m was left simply hoping YinWar get more better work in the future. 

Coffee Melody (Mon Viki) Ep 6 of 10 - Pleng & Yi are good communicators (now) but this show is kind of boringly slow. Jean is a KILLER flirt. Like the best, really. Yi should have taken lessons.

Unforgotten Night (Weds on GaGa) Ep 10 of 12 - I got drunk this time in order to make it through. Good thing too, I I NEEDED to be drunk. Because they threw a random threesome and a highly worrying and unstable kink in the shower sequence at me. It’s such a terrible show. TRASH WATCH HERE! I’m gonna start moving this to Thursdays and watching back-to-back with LITA for alcohol consumption reasons. 

Love in the Air (Thurs iQIYI) Ep 2 of 13 - there was a spanking, so that’s something, I guess? DUMPSTER FIRE TRAH WATCH ALONG HERE.

Check Out (Sat IQIYI) Ep 12fin - hadn’t dropped yet for some reason and I could not care less. 

Work from Heart (Thurs WeTV? YouTube?) from DV8 an office BL featuring lots of other couples. Stars Love With Benefits pairing Gameplay & Folk. It isn’t even listed on WeTV streaming in my territory, but it is airing to WeTV Thailand. Probubly still hunting for distribution.  

What If (Mon WeTV) Is on WeTV but for VIP only (pay wall). Neighbors who grew up together and have special feelings for each other but keep it to themselves. And then... university.  My FairygodBLer has provided, so I’ll be reporting in on what I can get starting next week. I must rewatch WBL2 first tho. Priorities!  

Ongoing Series - Not Thai

Minato’s Laundromat (Japan Weds GaGa) Ep 9 of 12 - The mystery behind Asuka and Shuu is finally explained, and as @heretherebedork​ points out, is being used as a foil for the main romance thread. Also, the director did this transition around which character is being filmed standing in doorways and on thresholds (from Shin to Minato) that was SO CLEVER I kinda lost my whole tiny mind for a while. I ended up doing an unexpectedly deep dive into this filming trick as a narrative technique on the SQUEE WATCH ALONG . And yes, I think it’s possible this came directly from the manga, the manga seems very very SMART. 

Takara-kun and Amagi-kun (Japan Thurs GaGa & Viki) 2 of 8 - I can’t believe we are getting BOTH these from Japan right now. Japan, and I say this in all seriousness, we do not deserve you. These two are so shy and awkward and cute, and it’s so high school it’s almost unbearable. But I really enjoy the way burgeoning desire works with high school characters better than in any of the other setting Japan might choose. I gnaw on my knuckles and squeal a lot with this show. The handholding is so adorable. Also Amagi is so awkwardly jerky and angular in a way that doesn’t seem overblown like it did in Kieta Hatsukoi. Clever shooting on the erotic dream sequence too. I see what you did there, Japan. Amagi’s fears are all the fears of first love (and not just queer love, anyone’s first). I really like that. Also I really love the internal dialogue that’s happening around communication. Because part of first love should be learning how to talk to each other and communicate. The way Takara communicates is so good and so important to the genre I did a whole post about it.  

Papa & Daddy 2 (Mon GaGa) Ep 4 of 8 - Taiwan handles a love triangle so differently, especially with mature characters. It’s actually kind of beautiful to watch them explore ideas around infidelity, affection, lost love, and rediscovery. Also I love the gay sibling couples sharing tips on how to manage kids and parents. 

Want to See You (Vietnam YT) Ep 13 of 14 - I definitely like it better after the time jump. But I still feel jerked around by the uke’s behavior and decisions. Golden rule of BL: he’s never asleep.

In Case You Missed It

Viki has picked up old fan favorite Ossan’s Love 1 & 2 (the original Japanese version) which I don’t like very much. 

Viki also got Korea’s Love Class, which I enjoyed. review here. 

Japan is airing キスkissキス AKA Kiss X Kiss X Kiss Perfect Scandal starring Ryuga Akahane and On Nakano, on dTV. Depicts an “extremely risque yet beautiful forbidden love between the two idols, A and B, who were in the same idol group. The fans knew that they were good friends. However, the real relationship between them is... lovers.” WHY IS THIS NOT IN FORNT OF MY EYEBALLS RIGHT NOW? (It’s poorly rated so I am assuming sadness.) I am not alone the comment thread of people trying to get ahold of this is insane, seriously Korea why are you sleeping on this idea? 

The OnlyOneOf BL universe crossover continues with part 3. Oh Kpop. 

Gossip

Oh My Assistant is going for the reshoot option. Fascinating. Honestly this says a lot about the KBL industry that it’s so cheap to produce, it’s easier just to redo the whole thing when you’ve  the option on a popular manwha. Original info on why I thought this one was DOA. I’m delighted to be proved wrong but remain nervous over the fact that this is Korean doing high heat. 

Next Week Looks Like This:

Starting this week: About Youth turns out to be uni set, not high school (this is my sad face). Still I’m looking forward to new BL from Taiwan and it’ll be on GaGa starting Monday. 

Ending: Check Out, Want to See You. 

MIP (missing in production): Ghost Host, Ghost House. 

Coming September 2022 we hope:  

9/14 Once Again (Korea) Viki we think. From Moving Picture studio & Idol Romance (Wish You, Ryu's Wedding, Tasty Florida, Tinted With You, and Kissable Lips - also forthcoming Happy Ending Outside The Fence and The Circumstances of Pungdeok Villa Room 304) Stars actors (no idols) Moon Ji Young (also star in an upcoming BL The New Employee), Lee Hyuk Jun, and Kang Woo Jung. time-slip fantasy BL

9/16: More Than Words (Japan) Amazon Prime Video JP adaptation of Etsuko’s two mangas In The Apartment and More Than Words, starring Ryōko Fujino (Fujoshi, Ukkari Gei ni Kokuru), Yuzu Aoki (Kakafukaka), Daisuke Nakagawa (Colorful Love), and Daiki Kanechika (EXIT). 

9/26 Ai Long Nhai (Thai) no international distribution as yet. 

Coming September 2022 we hope:  

Fahlanruk (Thai) WeTV

Comfort the Boy (Korea) - got an R15+ rating for topic & vulgarity, stars idols Jaehan & Yechan BOTH from Kpop group OMEGA X.

Happy Ending Outside the Fence (Korea ) Star Leo of VIXX. 

SELF the series (Thai)

This week’s best moments?

Advising elder gay REPRESENT!!! (21 Days Theory) 

Communication represent! (21 Days Theory) 

This should have been what this series was about (Love Mechanics). Or they could have wrapped the fathers reservations up with Vee’s miss behavior making for a more complex family dynamic because Mark’s dad would have been partly justified. 

Consider I recently did a post all about comparable Asian honorifics including how nong is (and is not) like Japanese -kun, this was very fun to see pop up on my screen. Thank you Love Mechanics. 

I love this friendship group. (The Eclipse) 

Such a little shit. (The Eclipse) 

Honestly? Takara & Amagi hit it out of the park this week, I have a bunch of shots from it because ep 2 was SO GOOD. 

(I’m not gonna tell you want’s happening in this shot, you gotta watch it. SO GOOD.) 

(last week)

current earworm? Jang Woo Hyuk’s Echo