#for context this is berges brother

[chorastar]

im alive. i think

guhhhhh 1st semester ggugjfjdjnssns

have this thjng. i dont like him

interact to throw a rock at him /hj

[the-garbanzo-annex-jr]

by Hadar Sela

On January 30th the BBC News website published a report by Raffi Berg about a counter-terrorism operation which had taken place several hours earlier at the Ibn Sina hospital in Jenin.

The report tells BBC audiences that:

“Israeli forces have killed three members of Palestinian armed groups in a hospital in the occupied West Bank. […] Hamas, an armed Palestinian Islamist group which is fighting a war with Israel in Gaza triggered by its unprecedented attacks on Israel on 7 October, said the Israeli forces had “executed three fighters”, including one of its members. Another armed group, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, said two of those killed were its members and were brothers. It added that one of them had been receiving treatment at the hospital.”

“In a joint statement, the IDF, Shin Bet, and police said the leader of the terror cell, Muhammad Jalamneh, 27, had been in contact with Hamas officials abroad. He was previously injured while preparing a car bomb attack, armed other operatives for shooting attacks, and planned “a raid attack inspired by the events of October 7,” according to the statement.

Jalamneh was also reported to be a spokesperson for Hamas’s military wing in the Jenin camp.

A handgun on Jalamneh’s body was seized during the raid, the IDF said.

The IDF named the other two operatives as brothers Muhammad and Basel Ghazawi. Muhammad was involved in shooting attacks at Israeli troops in the West Bank while Basel was a member of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad terror group, according to the military.”

The BBC’s report promotes a second-hand quote from the director of the hospital:

“They executed the three men as they slept in the room,” the hospital’s director, Dr Naji Nazzal, told Reuters. “They executed them in cold blood by firing bullets directly into their heads in the room where they were being treated.” An additional quote from the same person which appears at the end of the report suggests that the “they were being treated” claim is inaccurate: [emphasis added] “Dr Naji Nazzal said one of the men, who PIJ identified as its member, had been receiving treatment at the hospital since 25 October for a spinal injury which had left him paralysed.”

The BBC clearly made no effort to contact Dr Nazzal to ask him why – not for the first time – he had allowed members of terrorist organisations to hide inside the hospital he manages. The absence of such information hampers the ability of readers to put another quote promoted by Berg into its correct context:

“The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), the guardian of the Geneva Conventions which codify international humanitarian law, has expressed concern over the raid.

“Under international humanitarian law, hospitals and medical patients should be respected and protected at all times“, the ICRC said, adding that it would raise the issue “as part of its confidential dialogue with the concerned authorities”.” [emphasis added]

Berg does not bother to inform BBC audiences that the ICRC’s own website clarifies that there are exceptions to that rule:

Once again we see that BBC audiences are not provided with the full range of information in reports on counter-terrorism operations in Palestinian Authority controlled areas.

[josefavomjaaga]

Letter from Duroc to Eugène about events in Spain

Apologies, I’m lazy. This letter is a bit shorter than the one from 1805 that I actually wanted to translate. I’ll do this one first.

Historical context: This letter is written from Spain, a couple of weeks after the Spanish Bourbon double abdication at Bayonne and the Dos de Mayo uprisings. Joseph has already been made king of Spain, Murat king of Naples. For the moment, everything seems fine. Several marshals and generals, Soult among them, are still in Germany, administering the occupied Prussian provinces.

[Probably Marrac, ca. 17 – 21 July 1808] Monseigneur, the Emperor is about to leave on a tour of Pau, Toulouse, Bordeaux, Rochefort, Nantes, Angers, Tours and Blois and if from there or on the way we are not recalled by the affairs of Spain, we can go hunting in Rambouillet or else we will return to Marrac.

The Empress is going to take the waters at Barège, and there has been fighting in Spain. Bessières, with 15,000 men against 35,000, had what can be called a battle and cut to pieces 35,000 men, half peasants, half troops of the line, from the garrisons of Galicia and Asturias. This was a very fortunate event because the forces gathered in the kingdom of Leon were at a point that was essential for army communications and for interesting outposts. Marshal Moncey, after defeating the insurgents in Valencia, has taken up a position closer to Madrid to obtain all that he needs from it.

Madrid is very quiet and the King will soon arrive there. The Grand Duke of Berg - King of Naples - is recovering at the spa. The Grand Duchess has gone to Paris from where she will set off for her kingdom. She is uncertain whether she will pass through Milan. It has occurred to me that there has been a lot of talk about you here and that the Emperor has expressed his satisfaction with you and the hopes he has placed in you. He made no secret of the fact that if circumstances forced him one day to return to the head of the armies, he would take you as his lieutenant in the same way as the Grand Duke. I'm sure that now you'll be making all sorts of wishes for war.

I thought you would be very pleased to know this and I am very happy to know it too. Please accept, Monseigneur, the assurance of my respect and attachment. Le duc de Frioul

[P.S.:] General Sorbier hopes to have returned to favour and to be able to continue as your aide-de-camp. He was very sad to think that he would have to give that up.

-

Events indeed soon would have recalled Napoleon to Spain, with the defeats of Baylén and Vimeiro and Joseph being chased from his throne. Except he didn’t go there because he chose to meet Alexander in Erfurt first and to let Joseph hang a little longer. He will only return late in the year.

Of course Duroc will praise Bessières’s victory to best buddy Eugène. 😁

There is indeed some indication that Eugène’s name was floated around during the discussion in Bayonne, at least such rumours were mentioned in newspapers. This may have been only to distract from Napoleon’s true plans, however. As far as I am aware, he only offered the crown of Spain to his brothers Louis, Jérôme and possibly Lucien (?) before giving it to Joseph and letting Murat choose between Portugal and Naples.

However, there must have been an earlier letter from Duroc to Eugène that is now lost, hinting at Eugène possibly being a candidate for the throne of Naples if Joseph left for Spain. We know this because Eugène, as a footnote states, mentions this letter from Duroc in a letter to his sister in June 1808. And his reaction to that veiled proposal was quite characteristic, too: Dieu me garde de cette galère! - God save me from this mess!

So, presumably, Eugène for once was grateful to Murat for picking Naples as his kingdom.

The passage in which Duroc gossips about Napoleon being satisfied with Eugène’s work reminds me a bit of the brief congratulation to Murat that I posted earlier. Napoleon was not in the habit of praising people to their face, so Duroc made sure they knew that the emperor thought they had done well.

General Sorbier by the way had been Eugène’s aide de camp since 1807 but had then received a promotion and had to move on to take a command in the army of Portugal. I’m not sure why he would have been in disgrace, maybe that’s just a figure of speech. In any case, he did return to Eugène’s side as his ADC, only to get mortally wounded during the battle of Caldiero in 1809. There’s a letter from Eugène to his wife mention that "poor Sorbier has been seriously wounded". Sorbier was transported back to Verona but died of his wounds some time later.

[drukkaris-blog]

RANT

I'm having a hard time understanding why so many people choose to ignore what El has been through in S4, what I mean is by changing the context of the scenes to make it about something entirely irrelevant.

The whole El not talking to Mike after the whole aftermath is so dumb and ignorant. It generally annoys me, This is constantly brought up to boost a ship btw. I've seen this conversation being brought up on Tiktok so many times that it is generally concerning, like do y'all not see how weird it is????

It's actually sad really.

First of all she pretty much lost a fight to Vecna. She witnessed her best friend die before her eyes, she had gone home to Hawkins. Which btw is on the verge of collapsing in on itself, had to return to the cabin she had lived in for the past two years of her life with Hopper. Since the government still WANTS her dead/contained btw.

Keep in mind it has technically only been a year since Hopper had "passed" so she was still grieving.

She feels a huge amount of guilt and thinks it was a mistake for trying to stop Vecna, because her abuser who she thought was dead for 3 years was still alive. Brenner tried to make her believe she was not capable enough to stop Vecna and even attempted to manipulate her again.

Like I think it is a pretty normal reaction to ignore everyone after going through something like that. Or at least not be so talkative, that wasn't the only thing El went through in S4 btw. That was just the tip of the ice berg.

Mike telling El that he loves her was not the reason why she ignored him, in fact the monologue is the reason why El and Max are still breathing. The scripts prove all of it, I don't understand why it is so hard to accept the fact that Mike loves El.

I don't understand why you even want Mike to lie to El to begin with, him lying to El doesn't make his whole character redeemable or likeable again. It makes him a shitty person actually, if you understand El's character you would know she would be heartbroken. Saying she wouldn't is such an out of character thing, Mike is a huge part of her life. I'm not saying this because I ship Mileven, it's just canon, it's not something you can ignore.

Y'all can ship whatever you want but to try and say that El would be okay with the idea of Mike lying to her and then hooking up with her brother is insane. Just say Mileven isn't for you and go along with your day, instead of making her PTSD/trauma about Will and Mike relationship 👍🏻

[endless-ineffabilities]

Hmm (a christmas drabble)

Aemond Targaryen x f!reader (+ Aegon Targaryen II)

📝 masterlist

context: reader is from our modern world, who magically finds herself in House of the Dragon, falling in love with Aemond and becoming his consort.

"Christmas? This is something you celebrate?" Aemond asks, curiosity genuine in his expression.

You gaze at your lover, admiring every curve and crevice of his chiseled face. Beautiful.

He used to be someone seemingly plucked from your dreams; a perfect prince, one whom you had the pleasure to see on television every week. And now, he is in front of you. Here, he is yours. "Yes, well, I don't have a definite way of knowing what month it is at the moment here in Westeros, my love, but per my calculation, it has been around 2 months since I came here."

"So, it would be Da..cem...berg?" He tries out the term, apprehension in his tone. He wants to get everything right for you. He wants to show you that he is making every effort in understanding your traditions.

You smile at him, moving closer to gently tuck a silver strand behind his ear, "December, Aemond. It must be nearly the end of December by now, which would mean that it is..."

"Christmas." He repeats the name, seemingly proud at himself for remembering.

"Good job, my love. Yes, exactly." You lean forward, and peck him softly on the lips.

He blushes, his hands gripping your forearms, "Then we shall have a feast. As is required by this tradition of yours. I will ensure that all will go perfectly for you."

"No need for a feast, baby." The name falls from your lips flawlessly, making Aemond's heart skip, just as it did the first time you called him baby.

"Baby?" He had asked, incredulous, "Do you mean to insult me by likening me to an infant babe?"

"No, Aemond," you rushed to explain, "Baby is meant to be a romantic term of endearment in my world. A bit annoying really, but hey, it's cute."

"Cute?" He asked again.

"Cute, my love. Like you are."

"Oh." He mumbled, and that prompted an afternoon of acquainting him with the vernacular that you lived with.

Now, he himself tries out the word for the first time, "Baby, let me know how you wish to celebrate this tradition called Christmas, and it shall come to pass. Anything for you."

"I don't want for much, really. I just want you."

"Hmm," he voices out. That sweet sound, one which you have witnessed the internet go crazy over, back in your world. "Well, you have me."

"Do I, now?"

"Always. I am yours." He runs his fingers on your cheek, his eye glistening as he looks at you.

Aemond Targaryen professing that he is yours. Even now, it still does not fail to excite you. Taking a deep breath, you try to steady yourself by lightly responding, "Well, we could have a drink or two with your family."

He snorts, "A drink? A certain brother of mine would surely be receptive to that idea."

"Where is he anyway?"

"I had asked him to come meet us here."

"Anyway, he..."

"Has arrived. Your saviour has arrived." Aegon's voice echoes loudly in the room. Speak of the devil.

"Brother," Aemond tenses up, then relaxes, used to his brother's bothersome interruptions.

"Good evening, lovebirds. What is this about a feast Aemond told me about?" Aegon walks over, his feet slightly dragging behind him. Someone's been hitting the ale reserves.

"Not exactly a feast, Aegon," you say, "it would just be a small gathering between us. A few drinks shared. Conversation, drinking games."

"Sweetheart," he raises a finger at you, "you had me at drinks."

"Aegon," Aemond rolls his eyes impatiently.

"What, my dear brother? You support your beautiful lady's idea, yes?"

Aemond's hand tightens around yours, "When she told me, I was on board, yes. I would do anything for y/n."

"That's admirable, Aemond, considering she quite literally just sprung up from nowhere. We are still in the dark as to where she came from." Aegon winks at you, his words meant to be taken lightly.

"It matters not where she came from," Aemond decidedly says, "only that she is meant to be here with me."

"Stand down, boys," you croon, "it's Christmas."

"Don't curse at me, sweetheart." Aegon points at you.

"Hush, Aegon."

"Love you too, new sister."

"Merry Christmas, you drunkard." You wag your brows in response, already used to the banter only Aegon can provide.

"Huh, I would say the same to Aemond, but his face doesn't look too merry." Aegon snickers at his own words.

"Hmm." Aemond hums.

Heavens help you. Hearing that hmm in person just might be the best Christmas gift you could have ever received.

▪︎ ▪︎ ▪︎ ▪︎ ▪︎ ▪︎ ▪︎

Happy holidays to all who celebrate! (And even to those who don't. Everyone, just have a great weekend) 🖤🖤🖤

[pathsofoak]

The roles in the Safe Haven

(Includes a few OCs, the rest is all headcanons, in alphabetical order, some of this only makes sense in the context of my fic lol)

Aris bakes, he pairs up with Frypan frequently. When he's not baking he hangs out with Rachel and helps her go around the island, or he helps her in her recovery.

Brenda helps out in the infirmary later on, but before that spends most of her time helping out with smaller things around camp and the center. She spends a lot if time in and around the water once she learns to swim.

Chuck makes a few new friends his own age whom he hangs out with sometimes. Gally is training him to be a builder, but he likes to find a quiet spot (usually with Newt, Thomas, or his brother) to carve sometimes. He discovered after WCKD caught them again that he likes learning, so whenever someone teaches anything at the center he has the front seat. On rainy days he's in the library. The only downside is he struggles with a few skills a little, so he usually takes books out to loan so he can read them at the camp where someone can peek over his shoulder and explain things. The treehouse was his idea and design, with a little common sense from Gally added to make it a possible build that does not in fact defy the laws of physics.

Dijken has a little girl to care for, but he also has a little farm a little farther North with sheep, goats, and cows (among others). He keeps his distance a bit, because having worked at WCKD he doesn't feel he should get too close. Once Thomas starts visiting him he comes down to camp and the center more often though.

Frypan gets back to cooking. There's a time period in my fic he loses interest in it, but he gets it back and can be found in the camp's kitchen almost every night. Every once in a while he cooks at the center (kind of like a community hub thing?) When there's a big event and they need more help. He learns to play the guitar and piano too. He's quite a natural.

Gally gets back to building. He goes around the island fixing and mending things, sometimes Chuck comes with as his apprentice. When he's not building he helps around wherever whenever, but he likes to be near the water as well. At some point he and Chuck will build a playground near the center for the younger kids, a treehouse for themselves, and a makeshift elevator (one floor up) for Newt, Rachel, and sometimes Brenda to get around the center without needing much help. He he does pottery too, mostly hand building.

Harriet takes group A under her wing right from the get go. Aside from that, she helps the builders out every once in a while, and kind of functions as a middle person between some kids and the Right Arm (because WCKD made adults scary). Sonya helps her out with this too. She's a big fan of pottery (throwing).

Jorge's main job is looking after Brenda while she recovers, but whenever she thinks he fusses too much he helps out with building or the logistics of the scavenges. He's the main guy for their emergency Berg (in case they need to get deep into the mainland quickly, for medical emergencies). He's good with animals too.

Justin teaches the youngest kids on the island thr basic skills. Reading, simple maths, things like that. He went to school himself while Chuck and the others were stuck at WCKD. Vince and Jorge nudged him too so he'd have a little distraction. Justin specifically chose to learn teaching when he discovered through one of the Right Arm's spies that Chuck loves to learn. He also helps the builders because he's so strong and has some expertise. He loves to hang out with Dijken's sheep as well. He knits the group (group A and B, and Brenda, and Dijken's daughter) all blankets. Chuck and Thomas already had ones, so he knits Thomas a stuffed animal (because everyone else already had one but him) and Chuck gets a sack for his rock collection.

Minho has a bit of trouble finding his "thing" that isn't being a Runner or a soldier at first. He runs around to help everyone, but eventually (after a pretty long while to be honest) he heads out on scavenge journeys to the mainland, or helps out at the farm they have on the mainland, where immune kids get brought before the Right Arm gets them to the island or the Safe Zone kept in place at the end of part four (kids who need specific medical care go to that city first, others to the Safe Haven unless they don't want to).

Newt gets his gardens back. Vegetables, fruits, flowers, doesn't matter, he's in there every day almost all day. When he's not, he helps out in the kitchen with snacks, or he joins Gally in planning things for their camp. Sometimes he heads in early specifically so he can stay up at night to watch the stars (later on with Thomas, but others join sometimes). Justin teaches him to knit, so whenever he's bedridden he spends his time knitting, listening to someone's music, or just watching the sea. He loves (English fails me) swimming to look at the fish as well (they live near a coral reef), but he rarely goes alone.

Rachel is a very minor character, mostly because she doesn't do much. She's been comatose for almost two years, that has an effect on people, so she'll be very tired all the time in the first half of the story. At first she can't do much of anything at all, so even toward the end of the story she'll usually stick close to the main camp unless someone takes her to the center. She's a reader, and she's good with younger kids as well. Aris or the others sometimes take her to a lake/pool to be in the water because she loves the weightlessness of it. Newt introduces her to the gardens, where she takes up the lighter tasks and starts a herbarium (that's what one of those dried flower books is called right?)

Sonya kind of had a similar issue to Minho when she first came to the Safe Haven, so she helps him out. She likes to paint and play music, sometimes Harriet gets her to join her in the pottery as well. She starts hanging out with Newt in the gardens and the forest a lot when Newt shares they're related, to get to know each other better. She and him come up with the idea for a monument for their lost friends together.

Teresa helps out at the infirmary and literally everywhere else at first. She takes on a lot of work, while also sharing every bit of information she has about WCKD, and keeping track of Brenda and Newt's health. When that all becomes too much, she picks up other things and scales down. When Vince discovers she took elective computer science classes he lets her help crack WCKD's servers (a big thing, because after she burned out, he specifically made sure she wouldn't be busy with WCKD all the time, but here she's ready to do it in a healthy way). At first ones they had already cracked before so they could be sure she didn't find anything triggering, but later on he just lets her loose under he condition she talks about what she finds with someone.

Thomas has an issue similar to Minho's. He has no clue what he likes to do. Newt fixes this by having him go through the cycle again like in the Maze. He ends up helping out the Builders, occasionally being a pain in the ass to Gally because like Chuck he's eager to learn, but that has the nice side effect of his habit of asking 46829728 questions per hour come back. He and Gally become close friends through this, though. On tough days, Thomas lets himself be dragged to the arts area of the center, or he goes to swim. Sometimes he helps Dijken out on the farm, or he helps out with his daughter from time to time. He's wary around the infirmary, so he takes the long way through the center. He heals enough to get back to it, though, especially when Teresa finds herself in it for almost a week and he doesn't want to be the only one not to visit.

Vince runs the show, pretty much. He's the group leader of both group A and B (the Right Arm split the kids up over multiple camps to be able to help them recover better. Also B used to be in another group, but joined A when they arrived), but also still the leader of the Right Arm and by extension responsible for the security of the Safe Haven. He has people in charge on the mainland and in the Safe Zone (which is self-governed only the Right Arm essentially leads child-protective services on the "this child needs to be literally anywhere else" level). He also helps plan any operations to help save kids (immune and otherwise) from trafficking operations and other bad situations. Later on in the story he shifts his focus more to the Safe Haven and his dozen kids, though.

[historybetweenthepages]

Blocked to comment this on Anthony Fantano’s video (so I posted it here).

I couldn’t comment a response to this video on YouTube due to censorship so I decided to do it here:

The problem with Paul Joseph Watson is mostly the rational that is used to justify the 'breakdown' of morality through art and culture. The viewpoint that popular culture, within the twenty-first century,' is more "vulgar," "vapid," "self absorbed," "hedonistic," and "dehumanizing" "than any other time in living memory" is a view that is extremely one sided and biased. Any generation of the past could have made this argument about the popular cultural of their day and how it is "farther apart" from the traditional, fundamental values that define a culture or society.

If Watson is going to use the example of Miley Cyrus twerking in front of Robin Thicke as a reason this is no different than the view that parents, or most adults, had during the sixties about rock n' roll. For example, when the Beatles broke up my grandparents (on my fathers side) disparaged the groups period as a band commenting that 'The Mills Brothers' (a barbershop quartet that had a career run of fifty-four years and scored hits with 'You Always Hurt the One You Love,' Paper Doll,' 'Glow Worm,' and 'Up a Lazy River' in the forties and fifties that branded them "The Beatles of the 1940's") had a longer run and that the music, aside from Earl Hines, Marva Josie, and Dinah Washington etc. (musicians who need no introduction), had more 'quality' than the entirety of rock n' roll due to the immoral substance that my grandparents (on my fathers side) believed existed. Although this is not meant to disparage this generational period, as they were not always wrong on what popular culture contained whether it was moral or immoral, it highlights the gap between an older and younger group of people who, in some cases, failed to keep an open mind on what was new and presently modern.

If I was going to provide an example that related to the "classical traditionalism" that is 'mostly' found within Watson's channel, I would counteract this with examples of artists (composers, painters, sculptors, etc.), such as Frédéric Chopin, Alexander Scriabin, Arnold Schoenberg, Alban Berg, Karlheinz Stockhausen, Steve Reich, Philip Glass, Vincent Van Gogh, Mark Rothko, Jackson Pollock, Andy Warhol, Franz Kline, Barnett Newman, Francis Bacon, Damien Hirst, or Samuel Beckett. Although these names would invoke a more increased sense of realism to counteract against Watson's belief it would STILL, no matter how logical or understanding, would not be enough to disprove the argument that most, or all, of modern culture is immoral and responsible for the breakdown of "beauty" and "truth" (although these terms are subjective to how they are used within the given context to what people believe is beautiful and true).

Although there are a fair number of examples that have proved how modern society has provided the shift for the decrease of morality, this is still not comprable enough to assert the belief that modern society is the reduction of "everything that is 'moral' or 'positive' " (given the context of a certain subject or topic). If Watson had existed in the different eras of the artists listed above, he would have most likely disparaged what was not explicitly beautiful (hence, if he had existed in the era of Chopin, or Scriabin, he would have denigrated the use of dissonance found within a fair amount of their oeuvre as composers) believing that although these more modern artists are not entirely negative they STILL take away from the reality of "what beauty is."

Although I am four years late (regrettably), and I do not happen to agree with everything Fantano is expressing, he includes some important and relevant points, saying that although the classic, artistic styles of portraits are still relevant, it is essential to have variety and new ideas so these artistic, subject areas do not become static (3:00 - 3:08). With new ideas this allows for newer perspectives on how these traditional concepts can be considered, or 'digested,' from a newer perspective. Fantano also reminds us of the point that not everything in the modern era, especially television, is awash of programs that are unproductive, crude or narcissistic. For anything that can be defined, or misconstrued, as negative, or unproductive, it can be followed up with television programs, art, music, literature, or online articles that are supported with the intent of positively informing or entertaining their readers, listeners, or audience members.

Due to this, it disproves the view that modernism has produced the "diminishment of beauty" to such a high degree that it is a rare, almost nonexistent characteristic within our society. Although I believe that beauty has been subject to various levels of diminishment throughout the different eras of modern history, it STILL is an aspect of life that many people are fighting, protecting, and exemplifying through their work with some examples that include modern artists who are still living or working within the twenty-first century (with videos to prove my point):

Anthony Braxton (American "free jazz" saxophonist, composer, bandleader, and improvisor) 

Barry Harris (jazz pianist, composer, bandleader, and teacher) 

(although he is more of traditional modernist, espousing those who came after bebop such as Bill Evans)

Cormac McCarthy (author, novelist, poet, and playwright) 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_s-egB5SzFY

David Dubal (classical pianist, writer, and disc jockey)

David Hockney (painter)

Frederick Buechner (writer, novelist, poet, autobiographer, essayist, preacher, and theologian) (this will only maintain relevance if you are religious)

George Winston (pianist, organist, guitarist, composer, and improvisor)

Keith Jarrett (jazz and classical pianist, composer, bandleader, improvisor, and multi-instrumentalist)

(with five other video examples as well that will be posted in the reblog of this response)

Even if these examples provide a strong,  moderate, or weak validation for my argument they prove my point (I hope) that beauty is STILL a valued characteristic of daily life and defined as essential for the overall growth, of not only those who are subject to the work, but of the society and environment in which they live. Although the examples above are mostly based around music (due to this being a music channel), I have tried to include other aspects of the arts as well to prove that the modern world, whether it is centered around the second half of the twentieth century or the majority of the twenty first century, is capable of deriving beauty from non-traditionalism and that traditionalism is the foundation that supports the ideas that are acted upon in a modern context. Understanding this, it is safe to assume that not everything has to be 'traditional' or 'conservative' to be considered legitimate. Instead, it is more proficient to believe that as long as the various mediums within the arts, or other aspects of our societal culture, exude a pronounced sense of positivity, this will create a more likely heightened sense of awareness for what is considered 'valuable,' or 'essential' for a given society.

In summary, if Miley Cyrus and Marilyn Manson have profited off an existence that is viewed by a majority as being immoral this does not define the entirety of the modern world. Overt sexualization, the diminishment of beauty, and the "pretentious works of art" found at TATE Modern (using Marcel Duchamp's readymade sculpture, 'Fountain' (1917) as an example) is not the "top defining example" of modernism. Instead, they represent examples of variance that Fantano views as "shit posting before shit posting," even though I disagree with this viewing it as the development of a new artistic style and philosophy (what was known during Duchamp's life as 'DADA'). These newer styles separate art from aspects that are "static," "boring," or "plain" (depending on how these works are viewed) with Fantano using Lou Reed's 'Metal Music' as a relevant example for musical, modern ideas.

The "take down" (depending on how you define this in the context of how it is used) of traditional, conservative values do not define the majority of what is observed throughout the lens of modernism. Instead, it is artists, writers, composers, etc. taking risks on how they can combine traditional aspect of their medium, or style, and subject them to new ideas that are experimental, or improvisational, in their nature. even if an artist’s ideas had no connection to any aspect of traditionalism would this make it bad? In my opinion, not really.

Even if Watson makes a fair number of points that, hypothetically, could be agreed upon (with most that I do not agree with) this does not account for how flawed this view is. It is not healthy, or viable, for someone to look at the modern world with blinders on and continue to move forward. This does not assert change. This does not introduce newer ideas. This does not move traditional aspect of art, or culture, past their classical, conservative stages of infancy. If you want to move forward in the truest sense of a philosophy (give or take what that may consist of) you have to be open to incorporating newer ideas, even if it exists outside of your own personal worldview. You do not have to agree with it but to close yourself off entirely from a new experience that could benefit you personally is wrong.

The logic of "I disagree with certain characteristics of this so I am going to reject it entirely" is WRONG and should NOT be exemplified by anyone at any time. If you happen to disagree entirely with something that is your prerogative and should be respected (as long as it logically based off of facts that can be proven and sourced). Regardless of how right or wrong Watson is (although it may be apparent which view people have taken), it does not set aside the hatred that is transparent when choosing to believe in this philosophy. There are certain facts that define life and although it may be obvious that general "players" within the current culture are immoral and act in contrary ways, (opposed to the moral and values that once, in greater ways, defined our culture), this does not mean that those aspects of modernism that you personally disagree with, aside from what can be factually proven, are wrong, nor are they "the problem" (as Watson would say).

Yes, society has become more contradictory.

Yes, society has become more immoral.

Yes, society has become less centered around a factual or moral truth.

That is just the reality. But is it appropriate to hate what does not measure up with "moral" examples of the past? No.

Of course Mark Rothko is going to be different from Michael Angelo or Jackson Pollock from Claude Monet. That is just the way it is.

But to throw away what you cannot see personal value with may be realistic, and understandable, but in the end is ignorant.

So overall, anything that can be viewed as negative in the modern era can ALWAYS be paired alongside that which is positive. This has been true for the sixteenth, seventeenth, eighteenth, nineteenth, and twentieth centuries, while still remaining currently true.

If Watson has to be given examples of positive aspects of modernism within the arts and culture, I suggest that he do more research. But then again, he is probably incapable of finding real, hard data, or credible sources, when he only exists on a surface level (and I know this from personal experience, I used to be a subscriber)

P.S.

And NO, I would not say that this is a realistic portrayal of conservatism because what exists on the surface is usually not a summary for the entirety of people who exist within a political or social group/philosophy. Regardless, Fantano makes a great logical point while still remaining relevant while providing examples are spot on in making his point. Overall, this is a good video that deflates most of what Watson is saying as flawed and illogical while disproving him in a factual way.

Rating: B+

 NOTE:

I may edit this comment so expect changes. If I do not than it is here to stay. I hope that you have enjoyed what I have written and find it to be a good contribution to Fantano's response.

[luvneedsnosyt]

My Favorite Albums of 2019 (So Far)

Here is my list of my favorite albums half-way through 2019

You can find my list of my favorite albums of 2018 here And my list of my favorite EPs of 2018 here

My Monthly top albums lists from 2019: January, February, March, April, May

Honorable Mention:

Alice Merton - Mint Genre: Pop

Proof: No Roots / Lash Out

Anderson .Paak - Ventura Genre: Hip Hop / R&B

Proof: Chosen On (Feat. Sonya Elise) / Jet Black (Feat. Brandy)

Billie Eilish - WHEN WE ALL FALL ASLEEP, WHERE DO WE GO? Genre: Synth-Pop

Proof: bad guy / you should see me in a crown

blackbear - ANONYMOUS Genre: alt-R&B / Hip Hop

Proof: SWEAR TO GOOD / HIGH1X

Bring Me the Horizon - amo Genre: Rock / Alternative

Proof: in the dark / medicine

Cautious Clay - Table of Context EP Genre: R&B / Soul

Proof: REASONS / HONEST ENOUGH

Circa Waves - What’s It Like Over There? Genre: Alternative / Rock

Proof: Sorry I’m Yours / Be Somebody Good

Dabin - Wild Youth Genre: Electronic / Dance / Future Bass

Proof: In Flames (Feat. Lexi Norton) / Alive (Feat. RUNN)

Dawn Richard - New Breed Genre: alt-R&B / Electronic

Proof: shades / sauce

Dermot Kennedy - Dermot Kennedy Genre: Indie Pop / Soul

Proof: Power Over Me / Moments Passed

GoldLink - Diaspora Genre: Hip Hop / R&B

Proof: Zulu Screams (Feat. Maleek Berry & Babi Bourelly) / More

Hozier - Wasteland, Baby! Genre: Indie Pop / Soul / Folk

Proof: Movement / Dinner & Diatribes

James Blake - Assume Form Genre: Progressive Pop / Electronic / Indie Pop

Proof:  Barefoot in the Park (Feat. ROSALÍA) / Where’s the Catch? (Feat. André 3000)

Karen O & Danger Mouse - Lux Prima Genre: Alternative / Indie Rock

Proof: Turn the Light / Woman

Kevin Abstract - ARIZONA BABY Genre: Hip Hop

Proof: Joyride / Use Me

Maverick Sabre - When I Wake Up Genre: Pop / Soul

Proof: Slow Down (Feat. Jorja Smith) / Weakness

The List:

16. Little Simz - GREY Area Genre: Hip Hop

Proof: Offense / Boss / Venom / Pressure (Feat. Little Dragon)

15. Vampire Weekend - Father of the Bride Genre: Indie Rock / Alternative

Proof: Harmony Hall / This Life / How Long? / Sympathy

14. LÉON - LÉON Genre: Pop / Soul

Proof: Lost Time / Falling / Hope Is A Heartache / You And I // Bonus: Grey - Want You Back (Feat. LÉON)

13. Foals - Part 1: Everything Not Saved Will Be Lost Genre: Rock / Alternative

Proof: Exits / White Onions / In Degrees / On The Luna

12. Denzel Curry - ZUU Genre: Hip Hop

Proof: ZUU / RICKY / BIRDZ (Feat. Rick Ross) / CAROLMART (Feat. Ice Billion Berg)

11. G Flip - Drink Too Much EP Genre: Pop

Proof: Drink Too Much / Bring Me Home / Killing My Time / About You // Bonus: I Am Not Afraid

10. Elohim - BRAINDEAD EP Genre: Electronic / Synth Pop

Proof: running / tv / metamorphine / flagpole sitta (Harvey Danger cover w/ ALOWNATION)

9. Sigrid - Sucker Punch Genre: Pop

Proof: Sucker Punch / Basic / Don’t Feel Like Crying / Don’t Kill My Vibe // Bonus: Strangers (R3HAB Remix) / Don’t Kill My Vibe (Gryffin Remix)

8. Lizzo - Cuz I Love You Genre: Hip Hop / R&B

Proof: Cuz I Love You / Soulmate / Tempo (Feat. Feat. Missy Elliott) / Heaven Help Me

7. Seven Lions - Ophelia Volume 1 Genre: Electronic / Dance / Trance

Proof: Start Again (Feat. Fiora) / Ocean (w/ Jason Ross Feat. Jonathon Mendelsohn) / First Time (w/ SLANDER & Dabin Feat. Dylan Mathew) / Dreamin’ (Feat. Fiora) // Bonus: Ocean (Au5 Remix) w/ Jason Ross Feat. Jonothan Mendelson / Dreamin’ (Sunny Lax Remix) Feat. Fiora / Island (Dimibo Remix) (w/ Trivecta & Wooli Feat. Nevve) / Sojourn (w/ Crystal Skies) / Let Go (Festival Mix) Feat. Fiora

6. Maggie Rogers - Heard It In A Past Life Genre: Pop

Proof: Give A Little / The Knife / Alaska / Say It // Bonus: Give A Little (Mokita & GOLDHOUSE Remix) / Alaska (Toby Green Remix) / Alaska (Tycho Remix)

5. Nick Murphy - Run Fast Sleep Naked Genre: Indie Pop

Proof: Harry Takes Drugs On The Weekend / Sanity / Yeah I Care / Dangerous

4. Tyler, The Creator - IGOR Genre: Hip Hop / alt-R&B

Proof: IGOR’S THEME (Feat. Lil Uzi Vert) / EARFQUAKE (Feat. Playboy Carti, Charlie Wilson & Jessy Wilson)  / I THINK (Feat. Solange & Ryan Beatty) / WHAT’S GOOD (Feat. slowthai & Jarrod Carmichael)

3. Khalid - Free Spirit Genre: Pop / R&B / Soul

Proof: Better / Right Back / Outta My Head (w/ John Mayer) / Free Spirit // Bonus: Better (Jayvon Remix) / Better (no clue? Remix) / Talk (Disclosure VIP Mix) / Talk (Jarami Remix) / Talk (Alle Farben Remix)

2. Big Wild - Superdream // Superdream (Remixes) EP Genre: Electronic / Synth Pop / Dance

Proof: Joypunks / 6′ to 9′s (Feat. Rational) / No Words / She Makes Magic // Purple Sand (My Home) (pluko Remix) / City of Sound (Crooked Colours Remix) / Heaven (GG Magree Remix)

1. Nilüfer Yanya - Miss Universe Genre: Pop / R&B / Alterntaive

Proof: In Your Head / Paralysed / Tears / Heavyweight Champion Of The Year

Others:

Good: Adela - On The Line EP, AJ Tracey - AJ Tracey, Aldous Harding - Designer, Alesso - ALESSO MIXTAPE - PROGRESSO Vol. 1 EP, Alina Baraz - The Color Of You (Remixes) EP, Allie X - Super Sunset (Analog), Aly & AJ - Sanctuary EP, The Amazons - Future Dust, Anna Clendening - Waves EP, Ari Lennox - Shea Butter Baby, Anna Lunoe - Right Party EP, Ariana Grande - thank u, next, Ashe - Moral of the Story: Chapter 1 EP, Asiahn - Love Train 2, AURORA - A Different Kind of Human, Autograf - Love & Retrograde EP, Avicii - TIM, A1 - Turbulence, Bad Bunny - X 100PRE, Barrie - Happy to Be Here, Bassnector - Reflective (Part 4) EP, Bastille - Doom Days, BAYNK - Someone’s II EP, Beast Coast - Escape from New York, Beirut - Gallipoli , Better Oblivion Community Center - Better Oblivion Community Center, Betty Who - Betty, Big K.R.I.T. - TDT, Big Thief - U.F.O.F., Blaqk Audio - Only Things We Love, Blu & Oh No - A Long Red Hot Los Angeles Summer Night, Boy Harsher - Careful, Boogie - Everythings for Sale, B00TY - High Art EP, Brasstracks - Before We Go EP, Broken Social Scene - Let’s Try the After (Vol. 1) EP, Broken Social Scene - Let’s Try the After (Vol. 2) EP, Broods - Don’t Feed The Pop Monster, bülow - Crystalline EP, Bun B & Statik Selektah - TrillStatik [Mixtape], Cage The Elephant - Social Cues, Carlie Hanson - Junk EP, Carly Rae Jepsen - Dedicated, Casey Veggies - Organic, Casey Veggies & Rockie Fresh - Fresh Veggies [Mixtape], Cehryl - Slow Motion, Charly Bliss - Young Enough, Chase & Status - RTRN II JUNGLE, The Chemical Brothers - No Geography, Cherry Glazer - Stuffed & Ready, Choosey & Exile - Black Beans, Christelle Bofale - Swim Team EP, Chrome Sparks - Be On Fire EP, Ciara - Beauty Marks, Citizen Cope - Heroin and Helicopters, Clairmont The Second - The Second’s Do You Drive?, Collie Buddz - Hybrid. Crumb - Jinx, Crystal Fighters - Gaia & Friends, Curren$y & Statik Selektah - Gran Turismo, CZARFACE & Ghostface Killa - Czarface Meets Ghostface, David B - BLEU, Deadmau5 - Polar (Music from the Netflix Film), Deante’ Hitchcock - Just A Sample 2 EP, Deerhunter - Why Hasn’t Everything Already Disappeared?, DeJ Loaf - Go DeJ Go Vol. 1 EP, Delta Heavy - Only In My Dreams, Destiny Rogers - Tomboy EP, Devin Morrison - Bussin’, Dijon - Sci Fi 1 EP, Dinah Jane - Dinah Jane 1 EP, Diplo - Europa EP, Diplo - Higher Ground EP, DJ Khaled - Father of Asahd, Dog Blood - Turn Off The Lights EP, Dreezy - Big Dreez, The Drums - Brutalism, Dua Saleh - Nūr EP, DUCKWRTH - THE FALLING MAN, ELHAE - Trouble In Paradise, Emily Wells - The World Is Too ___ For You, Emotional Oranges - The Juice, Vol. I, Eric Bellinger - The Rebirth 2, Eryn Allen Kane - a tree planted by water EP, The Faint - Egowerk, FEELS - Post Earth, FIDLAR - Almost Free, flora cash - Press EP, Flume - Hi This Is Flume [Mixtape], Flying Lotus - Flamagra, Frances Cone - Late Riser, FRENSHIP - Vacation, Freya Riding - You Mean The World To Me EP, Froth - Duress, Gary Clark Jr. - This Land, Gesaffelstein - Hyperion, The Get Up Kids - Problems, Giggs - BIG BAD…, girlpool - What Chaos Is Imaginary, gnash - we, GRiZ - Find My Own Way EP, GRiZ - Ride Waves, Gryffin - Gravity Pt. 1 (Remixes) EP, GTA - La Nueva Clásica (Remixes), Gus Dapperton - Where Polly People Go to Read, HÆLOS - Any Random Kindness, The Hamiltones - Watch the Ton3s EP, Hayden James - Between Us, The Head and the Heart - Living Mirage, Helado Negro - This Is How You Smile, Hello Yello - Love Wins EP, Higher Brothers - Five Stars, Hikaru Utada - Face My Fears EP, Holly Herndon - PROTO, Ida Mae - Chasing Light, ilo ilo - wish i said this to u sooner EP, India.Arie - Worthy, Injury Reserve - Injury Reserve, Intellexual - Intellexual, Interpol - A Fine Mess EP, Izzy Bizu - GLITA EP, Jack & Jack - A Good Friend Is Nice, Jacob Latimore - Connection2, Jade Bird - I Get No Joy EP, Jade Bird - Jade Bird, Jaden - ERYS IS COMING EP, Jai Waetford - Figure It Out EP, Jai Wolf - The Cure To Loneliness, James Bay - One My Messy Mind EP, JAMESDAVIS - MASTERPIECE EP, Jamie Cullum - Taller, Jamila Woods - LEGACY! LEGACY!, The Japanese House - Good At Falling, Jasmine Thompson - colour EP, Jay Prince - WONDER EP, Jayda G - Significant Changes, Jean Deaux - Empathy EP, Jenny Lewis - On The Line, Jeremy Zucker & Chelsea Cutler - brent EP, jesse saint john - don’t stop dancing. life gets sad. EP, J-E-T-S - Zoospa, JOHN.k - if we never met EP, JOHNNYSWIM - Moonlight, JOHKOY - 404, Jonas Brothers - Happiness Begins, Jordan Rakei - Origin, Josephine Wiggs - We Fall, Judah & The Lion - Pep Talks, Juice WRLD - Death Race for Love, Julia Michaels - Inner Monologue, Pt. 1 EP, Kari Faux - CRY 4 HELP EP, Kasbo - Places We Don’t Know Remix EP, Kaskade - Redux 003, KÁRYYN - The Quanta Series, Kehlani - While We Wait EP, Kelsey Lu - Blood, Kerli - Shadow Works, Kevin Abstract - ARIZONA BABY EP, Kevin Abstract - Ghettoboy EP, Kevin Morby - Oh My God, KIAN - BLISS EP, Kiana Lede - Myself EP, Kishi Bashi - Omoiyari, Koffee - Rapture EP, Ladytron - Ladytron, Lafawndah - Ancestor Boy, Lemaitre - Fast Lovers EP, The Lemonheads - Varshons 2, Lexie Liu - 2030, Lil Skies - Shelby, Lissie - When I’m Alone: The Piano Retrospective, Local Natives - Violet Street, Logic - Confessions of a Dangerous Mind, Lolo Zouaï - High Highs to Low Lows, Loote - lost EP, Lonas - Youth EP, Lost Kings - Paper Crowns EP, Louis Futon - Way Back When, Loyle Carner - Not Waving, But Drowning, LSD - Labrinth, Sia & Diplo Presents… LSD, Lucky Daye - Painted, Lucy Rose - No Words Left, Mac DeMarco - Here Comes the Cowboy, Mack Keane - Donna Ave EP, Manila Killa - 1993 EP, Malibu Ken (Aesop Rock & TOBACCO) - Malibu Ken, Manatee Commune - PDA, Mansionair - Shadowboxer, Marco McKinnis - E’Merse EP, Maren Morris - GIRL, Maribou State - Kingdoms in Color Remixed, MARINA - LOVE + FEAR, Matt Maeson - Bank on the Funeral, McClenny - I’m Not Here EP, MED & Guilty Simpson - Child of the Jungle, Meg Mac - Hope, Megan Thee Stallion - Fever, Melii - phAses, Mereba - The Jungle Is The Only Way Out, Mickey Kojak - Coming Together EP, Middle Kids - New Songs for Old Problems EP, Mike Posner - A Real Good Kid, Mr. Carmack - Demolish [Mixtape], Mndsgn - Snaxx, MorMor - Some Place Else EP, The National - I Am Easy to Find, Nightly - Talk You Down EP, NIKI - wanna take this downtown? EP, Nina Nesbitt - The Sun Will Come Up, The Seasons Will Change, no rome - Crying In The Prettiest Places EP, Noah Kahan - Busyhead, Norah Jones - Begin Again, Octavian - Endorphins, ODESZA - A Moment Apart Remixes EP, Offset -  Father of Four, Oliver Dion - Exposed, Olivia O’Brien - Was It Even Real?, Omar Apollo - Friends EP, Panda Bear - Buoys, Patoranking - Wilmer, P!nk - Hurts 2B Human, Pink Sweat$ - Volume 2 EP, Phonte - Pacific Time EP, Plaid - Polymer, PnB Rock - TrapStar Turnt PopStar, Pond - Tasmania, PRETTYMUCH - Phases EP, Priests - The Seduction of Kansas, Prince - Originals, PUP - Morbid Stuff, Queen Herby - EP 5, Quelled Chris - Guns, Raja Kumari - BLOODLINE EP, Rat Boy - International Unknown, Raveena - Lucid, Rema - Rema EP, Reptaliens - VALIS, Rich The Kid - The World Is Yours 2, Rico Nasty & Kenny Beats - Anger Management, Rhye - Spirit, Rhys Lewis - In Between Minds EP, Rotimi - Walk With Me EP, Rudimental - Test Our Differences, Ruti - Racing Cars EP, Ryan Leslie - Fleurier Flows EP, RY X - Unfurl, RY X - The Water EP, SAFE - STAY, Said The Whale - Cascadia, St. Lucia - Remixed, Sammie - Everlasting, Santana - Africa Speaks, Santi - Mandy & The Jungle, Sara Bareilles - Amidst the Chaos, SASAMI - SASAMI, Saweetie - ICY EP, ScHoolboy Q - CrasH Talk, The Score - Pressure EP, Seasons - American Authors, Set It Off - Midnight, Set Mo - Surrender, Shafiq Husayn - The Loop, Sharon Van Etten - Remind Me Tomorrow, Shlohmo - The End, Shy Girls - Bird on the Wing, Silversun Pickups - Widow’s Weeds , Skepta - Ignorance Is Bliss, slenderbodies - soraya EP, slowthai - Nothing Great About Britain, Smif-N-Wessun - The All, Snake City - Hurts, SNBRN - Solé, SOAK - Grim Town, SOB X RBE & Hit-Boy - Family Not a Group, SOB X RBE & Marshmello - Roll the Dice EP, Sofia Kourtesis - Sofia Kourtesis EP, Solange - When I Get Home, SonReal - The Aaron LP, StayLoose - The City, Stef Chura - Midnight, Steve Lacy - Apollo XXI, Striking Matches - Morning EP, Styles P - S.P. The Goat: Ghost of All Time, Sufjan Stevens - Love Yourself / With My Whole Heart EP, Summer Walker - CLEAR EP, Sunflower Bean - King of the Dudes EP, Super Duper - Vessels EP, SVEA - This is EP, SYML - SYML, The Tallest Man On Earth - I Love You, Talos - Far Out Dust, Tank and the Bangas - Green Balloon, Tayla Parx - We Need To Talk, Taylor Bennett - The American Reject EP, Tech N9ne - N9na, TENDER - Fear of Falling Asleep, Terror Jr - Unfortunately, Terror Jr, Tiësto - Together, Tink - Voicemails, The-Dream - Menage a Trois: Sextape Vol. 1,2&3, T-Pain - 1UP, TOBi - STILL, Tom Walker - What A Time To Be Alive, Toro y Moi - Outer Peace, Tory Lanez - International Fargo [Mixtape], Trevor Jackson - Rough Draft 2, Tritonal - U & Me , The Vamps - Missing You EP, Various Artists - For The Throne (Music Inspired by the HBO Series Game of Thrones), Various Artists - Music Inspired by the Film Roma, Vasco - Tender Luv EP, Virginia to Vegas - Heartland St EP, Walshy Fire - Walsey Fire Presents: ABENG, Wallows - Nothing Happens, Wand - Laughing Matter, Weezer - Weezer (The Teal Album), Weyes Blood - Titanic Rising, Wild Belle - Everybody One of a Kind, Wu-Tang Clan - Of Mics and Men EP, X Ambassadors - ORION EP, XYLØ - pretty sad EP, Yeasayer - Erotic Reruns, Yeek - IDK WHERE, YG - 4REAL 4REAL, Yhung T.O. - On My Momma 2, Zacari - Run Free Run Wild EP, Zhavia Ward - 17 EP, 2 Chainz - Rap or Go to the League

Meh: A Boogie wit da Hoodie - Hoodie SZN, Berner - El Chivo, Birdman & Juvenile - Just Another Gangsta, Burna Boy & DJDS - Steel & Copper EP, Calboy - Wildboy, Casilofi - Create, Create, Create EP, DREAMERS - LAUNCH FLY LAND, DJ Muggs & Mach - Hommy: Tuez-Les Tous, Future - Future Hndrexx Presents: The WZRD, Future - SAVE ME EP, HiDoraah & Dolly White - Slimestas EP, Kenny Garrett - Hoax, Kevin Gates - Only The General Gon Understand EP, Logic - Supermarket, Miley Cyrus - SHE IS COMING EP, Night Lovell - GOODNIGHT LOVELL, Pet Shop Boys - Agenda EP, Pi’erre Bourne & Cardo Got WIngs - Pi’erre & Cardo’s WIld Adventure [Mixtape], Rod Wave - PTSD, Shy Glizzy - Covered N Blood, Spellling - Mazy Fly, Tee Grizzley - Scriptures, Tyga - Legendary, Wiz Khalifa & Curren$y - 2009, 03 Greedo - Still Summer in the Projects

Naw: Scarlxrd - INFINITY, Weezer - Weezer (The Black Album), Yung Gravy - Sensational, Zheani - The Line Censored

[dbphantom]

Canon: Zane Flynt fucks

Me: haha u know what this means ;))))

Me:

Me:

Me: merfolk glamour time

[[MORE]]

Alright but for real tho u wanna see how deep I am in this fucking universe? Lego

I don't even know where to begin with this universe (Zer0 is an alien! Hammerlock is a werewolf! Troy is psychic! Tannis is a skag! Wait, no, wrong shitpost...) so imma open the 140 page document and start from the beginning

Annnnd Clay! Junpai-7.

When Zane meets Clay for the first time he mentions they did a smuggling job together on Junpai-7, u know, the water planet, so obviously this is good news (This made me super happy because my discord channel's name had been the junpai-7 moon pool for a while so I was like 'holy shit it's canon now' :') )

Timeline wise this isn't the beginning, but I don't write in chronological order and I don't order anything in chronological order, either, so. Eh.

Speaking of chronological order, I once got a line where Zane was like exclaiming something and used the moon instead of idk a god or powerful figure or smth and I was like 'lmao that's canon now'

So the moon... Elpis fucking got yeeted halfway across the galaxy or smth, and, considering we've seen (more) ocean on Pandora in 3 instead of just, like, Liars Berg (getting to THAT) or Tretchers landing, I feel bad for the tides. But that's good news for everyone else. Unless you were on Elpis, I guess.

Also hoh boy the 'end' of the game where Troy Phaselocks the moon was fun to write (it actually wasn't, I lowkey hate writing Moonstruck phases because... It hurts and I can't do it well.) also can we talk about how in tps the psychos are called Moonstrucks in tvhm because this makes me so happy. I really hope they did that intentionally considering H2O is an Australian show because my two favorite things combined can and will kill me. Wait actually the Troy boss fight is gonna be hilarious to write mostly because of that one attack with the tidal waves lol oh no

Also, also, also, you guys it's only explained in a guide book and never actually in-game as to why Captain's ship is Like That (TM) so I took some liberties and uhhh blame the Crackening. I mean the crackening happened after dahl pulled out of Pandora/Elpis so it works. It sorta works. It mostly works. Fuck. It works okay? shut. That's why Liars Berg is all frozen ocean [shoves 3 page essay about climate change on Pandora into the trash] don't need that anymore.

I was gonna talk about smth else

Oh yeah

Mostly brain freeze and trick of the light. That one meme video I made of Tannis and the Flynt Brothers imposed over that one clip of H2O (so let me get this straight: you freeze things, you explode things, and you boil things) wasn't just for laughs, it was actually a warning.

Each Flynt has a thing and Zane's is ice, Baron's is explosions, and Captain's is fire. (Glorious cleansing fire) Because it fits. It fits so well. I will say right off the bat that Mako Mermaids isn't my canon. I lowkey want to write out Charlotte as well (lol) because I've seen the 2nd season so many times and tbh I much prefer them having 1 really strong power over having 3+ really weak powers. Also Charlotte did nothing wrong in the first half of that season. Cleo was just a bitch to her. And Mako Mermaids is just. Not great on the power side of things. You can TURN INVISIBLE. USE IT. Soooo. (also cam got destroyed in s1 and I'm so glad they ended up making him work in s2 and 3. Because he deserved better and Zac was a terrible friend to him and only got away with it because he's a main character). /rant sorry I have so many feelings about these shows. Grew up with them soooooo.

And if ur wondering why I brought up trick of the light it's cause the 13th year exists and that movie was bopping. U guys remember Jess? Good times... Tuba pool scene is iconic. U know the one. I would also bring up aquamarine but ngl that movie was weaksauce comparatively. They hid that bitch in a water tower and iunno talked to earrings. Meanwhile in the 13th year they bring Jess back from the fucking dead and climb on walls like Spiderman. Clearly one is superior.

"but cruddy Aurelia has ice powers too and she's not a mermaid" no she's a werewolf like her brother we already went over that. Did u think I was kidding? No! I'm never kidding unless I am and I fucking love werewolves so I'd never kid about that. I love werewolves and I love Hammerlock and it's perfect I just love the idea of this gentlemanly hunter being a werewolf because I want to see a giant hulking monster being all proper and shit. They're just really cool. Werewolves > vampires and ngl I'm sad skyrim screwed over werewolves with the dawnguard dlc. Anyway Aurelia's ice powers are nanobots as explained in-game and listen I already lore-scienced this okay? Let me say it's amazing the things science is capable of when it thinks it's trying to beat out a competitor and doesn't realize non-Siren magic exists. Even better now that we know Sirens are not Eridian and actually existed before Eridians. Makes me giddy to think about. The universe is tearing me APART Lisa.

Oh speaking of, can we talk about the witch's brew quest on eden-6 because holy shit I had been writing Hiromi and her fascination with discovering all the secret circles long before the game came out and then learning about the group of witches and The Pact (TM) made me lose my shit because 'oh my god it's actually canon now'. We're on the canon path nowwwww. Soon. I hope we get a water planet dlc. I wants it, GB, I wants it.

Also I was totally gonna write a clip in the main story of the game (because I write a lot of backstory stuff if you can't tell, I only have like 3 scenes that take place during the events of the game and like 4 that are speculatory from before the game came out (including a scene from before I realized Troy was Like That but I edited it so he's more in-line and also has Maya's powers now so that's... Hm. In line with the storyline somewhere, but not an actual scene in the games story. Because its not possible with how the game does things (seperating Vault Hunters) I suppose I could just insert a 5th Vault somewhere and say it's the 4th Vault connected to the Machine (with nekrotefeyo's being the 5th). Fuck it.) and then 9,000 are backstory) where Hiromi comes back after like decades of the two not seeing each other and she's been hired to assassinate Zane by one of the many corporations looking for his corpse for a multitude of reasons (And Emma and Nino are both d e a d a s f, you know, for context). And like Barnabas (ya old bastard) Zane is still joking around and just having a grand old time catching up with his black ops buddy meanwhile she had just tried to blow his brains out (she's a sniper) and got pretty damn close. She's not even amused because of her psychic powers so she's just like 'ok' every time he opens his mouth because she already knows what he's going to say she's mostly just frustrated that she missed because she thought she knew him well enough to go off instead of just listening to her intuition but alas people change after, like, 3 decades of not seeing them.

Oh since we're talking about Hiromi that reminds me why Zane wears the black suit. In my non-h2o universe it's because it looks cool and provides some protection from dots. In the H2Oniverse it is because it's waterproof. Okay wait hang on context so Hiromi doesn't like take off his suit or anything, she's extremely gay and not interested, because I realize now how that sounds me relating Hiromi to the clothes, they just get into an argument about how Sirens don't have to follow any arbitrary rules to hide their magic and how it's easier to hide magic without giant glowing tattoos (and mind you this is before Zane even knows Tannis exists though he does immediately know she's a Siren and that's a whole nother can of worms) and hr's like 'I wear a bodysuit for most of my waking hours, so I am pretty sure they can try wearing long sleeved shirts and makeup for a day. Just a suggestion' but like way more in character (and for the scene) because do I sound like I'm in character right now? I'm not. I'm me. And God what a terrible thing to be.

So context for the context: ~magic is real~. If you've got it then you can usually tell who else has it if you're looking. It's especially clear if they're 'similar' to you (if ur a werewolf and u meet another werewolf then you sorta just know they're a werewolf) or if you're psychic (like Hiromi) then you can make some informed guesses. Like. Same Hat? Same Hat!!! Sirens are basically such powerful magic users that they are in literally a whole nother ball park. They're leagues above everyone else. Kill you just by looking at you sort of deal. So sirens normally don't feel other magic because their own magic is so strong it just 'overwrites' the other signals. You know, to not only explain why Lilith isn't immediately like 'who the fuck are you' to Zane and also how Amara couldn't tell Tannis is a Siren. I had a whole thing with Troy (who is psychic) being able to tell Zane had magic despite being near 4 Sirens at once because Troy grew up with Tyreen always at his side so he's used to it and knows how to look through it. Meanwhile Hiromi is basically incapacitated when she's near a Siren because she gets overwhelmed because her powers make it easier for her to read other people's magic.

Oh, context, the black ops outfit worked with Atlas for a short time (the group being Zane, Hiromi, Emma, and Nino. Emma is the yeehaw captain. She's the leader) and ended up meeting Steele for a little bit. Hiromi was just dead the entire meeting, Zane was totally out of it, and Emma and Nino were too busy eyefucking to really care that there was a Siren in the room so. Just imagine one person lying face down on the floor and crying, another staring at the wall without blinking, two undressing each other with their eyes, and then Cmdt. Steele standing in the middle like 'how the fuck did I get here'.

So that was everyone's first experience with a Siren.

There are more but ehhhh I'm tired and I mostly wrote this because I wanted to talk about it with someone else but they haven't read the whole thing yet so now I can scream into the void about it and not feel like I'm bothering them.

Hooray!

[putthison]

Flyin’ the Flannel: A Comparison of Five Affordable Gray Flannel Trousers

No one wants to be a flâneur anymore. It sounds too dandy, too affected. Even if the idea of strolling around a (probably European) city, thinking deeply about how it engages with its people spiritually and aesthetically, sounds dope--no one respects a guy who would call himself a flâneur (he probably has a men’s style blog).

But everyone respects flannels. (The two words are not related but should be.) Gray flannels are swiss army knife pants, wearable in a pinch on nearly any occasion between jeans and formalwear, and great looking in any of those contexts. Made from wool twill that’s slightly napped and fuzzy, they can go multiple wears without needing a press or cleaning, and in temperate climates can be worn 9 months per year. They pair well with nearly any jacket fabric, much more so than navy wool pants, which are too dark for lighter fabrics and which never look right with plain blue jackets. For many of us, gray flannels were our first grown-up trousers. A true flâneur wouldn’t wear foppish finery, he’d wear flannels.

Good trousers can be expensive though, and like all well-made clothes, they seem to get significantly more so every year. I contacted four companies making flannels near the $200 mark to check out their flannel trou: Epaulet, H. Stockton, Berg and Berg, and Dapper Classics [Eds. note: Dapper Classics is a Put This On advertiser; per our editorial policy we do not let our business relationships get in the way of our objectivity and we always disclose when writing about advertisers.] 

Like with shoes, there’s not a lot to recommend under $200--even J. Crew and Brooks Brothers charge >$200 for gray flannels these days. There are bargains here and there but you should expect to pay at least that much for a well-made pair of dress trousers in a workhorse gray flannel that has the natural wrinkle resistance and texture of good wool.

The “on paper” details on these trousers are largely the same (with the slight exception of Berg and Berg)--they are flat front, wool flannel trousers with typical dress trouser features: curtained, split waistbands; lining to the knee; off seam pockets; and zipper fly. But the maker, fabric, and cut varied on each, as did the vibe.

Epaulet Walt ($97.50 on sale from $195): Making slim, affordable versions of archetypical men’s items is Epaulet’s lane, and the Walt trousers are no exception. The most aggressively slim cut I tried this round, Epaulet’s pants are quite flattering—the waist measured pretty true on my size 36 trousers and tapered to 8 inches across at the hem. The Vitale Barberis flannel Epaulet used in this version is on the lighter side of mid gray: just about perfect for odd trousers. The fabric felt a little lighter than on the other pants I tried, and given the cut it didn’t drape quite as cleanly, but that’s not what these pants are about. You won’t likely find pants styled like the Walts outside of Italian companies like Boglioli or Incotex, and the Epaulets are a better value. Epaulet makes these pants in Portugal, and they were finished well, although not quite as finely as some of the other pants in this review. They don’t cut corners on features, though--they have a split waistband (helps with tailoring and allows a little give), are lined to the knee, finished/covered interior, seams, and feature a button and slide closure and zip fly. These were also the only trousers I tried that arrived with a finished hem, with about a 34-inch inseam--plenty for most guys but maybe not everyone.

H. Stockton regular fit trousers ($225): H. Stockton is a traditional men’s clothier in Atlanta and these trousers are a good example of why traditional works. Made in Canada, they’re the fullest cut I tried and they drape beautifully--in part due to the wool/cashmere blend of their flannel fabric, which felt best among the trousers I tried. Like the other trousers here, they are lined to the knee and hems are left unfinished, with a 37-inch inseam, so plenty of fabric to cuff if you choose to do so (I would; the additional weight at the cuff would make the fabric fall even more nicely). The rise is middle of the road--definitely not low-rise but not conspicuously high either--I think these would meet Derek’s criteria well for eliminating the dreaded “shirt triangle” common with low-rise trousers. If you like fuller proportions in your tailoring, H. Stockton’s cut would suit you.

Dapper Classics slim and classic flannel trousers ($245): I tried both Dapper Classics slim and classic cuts, and their slim trousers were my personal favorite of the selection here. The cut of their classic fit is similar to the H. Stockton cut--full but not baggy, with room in the waist, seat, and legs (most of the pants I tried in size 36US and nearly all trousers measure a little larger in the waist than tagged; most of these had waist measurements around 37--Dapper Classics classic fit was closer to 38. Of course these can be tailored relatively easily and you’ll need to alter the hems anyway). 

I found the slims to be ideal for my preferences for trousers right now. The rise was a little lower than the traditional cuts but not constricting or hip-slung, the tapered cut through the legs allowed fabric to drape nicely but was cut close enough to give me some shape, tapering to an 8.5 inch hem. With my build, I think hem widths of 9+ inches are less flattering, although they have their place. The fabric has a good hand and color--it’s truly mid-weight and mid-gray, which doesn’t sound exciting except you’d be hard pressed to find a wool jacket these wouldn’t look great with. At $245, they are a little pricier than the other options here, but I still think a good value in a world where Italian ready-to-wear trousers like Incotex are pushing $400/pair at retail.

Berg and Berg Alfred trousers ($196, currently out of stock, shown in navy): Berg and Berg is a bit of a wild card here, as I tried out their pleated flannel Alfred trousers, which aim to deliver styling details less often found in current ready-to-wear trousers. These are a higher rise, single pleated, tapered trouser made in Italy, and not so much in the American, trad-influenced tradition. I liked them a lot, though, and for around $200, you won’t find a lot of similar trousers out there. Most American companies that are doing pleated trousers still cut them quite large, with shoe-swallowing hems. Berg and Berg’s trousers’ trim single pleat and taper lead to a really clean line from waist to hem that’s quite flattering. Flat front flannels are a true essential, but if you already have a couple of pairs Berg and Berg’s trousers would be a nice way to branch into different, forward looking styling for trousers, and at a pretty tremendous price. 

After spending some time handling and trying on a whole lot of gray flannel trousers, I’m happy to conclude that all of these are worth the money you pay and would be a solid addition to your closet whether they’re your first pair of gray flannels or your tenth. If I were to pick one, I’d give a slight edge to Dapper Classics’s slim fit, which happened to fit my body quite well and strike the right balance for me among flattery, classic proportions, fabric, and price. 

[lawrencedienerthings]

A Colorado author asked: What if “Mission Impossible” took place during the Renaissance?

#internationalawards🌏 📚 🗣📊 🏆 ✒️ 📖 🏆

get headlines https://thecherrycreeknews.com

Carol Berg writes epic, mythic, and adventure fantasy novels under her own name and her pseudonym, Cate Glass. Her 17 published works have won national and international awards, including four Colorado Book Awards and the Mythopoeic Fantasy Award for Adult Literature. Carol is a regular presenter/panelist at writers conferences and fantasy/sf conventions and is a two-time Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers Writer of the Year. She is a former software engineer who majored in math at Rice University and computer science at the University of Colorado to avoid writing papers. She lives in Colorado in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains.

The following is an interview with Carol Berg, writing as Cate Glass.

UNDERWRITTEN BY

Each week, The Colorado Sun and Colorado Humanities & Center For The Book feature an excerpt from a Colorado book and an interview with the author. Explore the SunLit archives at coloradosun.com/sunlit.

Carol Berg, writing as Cate Glass.

What inspired you to write this book?

After producing 15 epic fantasy novels comprising five different series in the span of 17 years, I took a little time off. I spent a few months playing around with some short fiction, looking for what I wanted to work on next. During that time my exceptional spouse and I binge-watched a number of wonderful “caper” adventure series, like “Burn Notice,” “White Collar” and “Leverage.” 

We also watched a recent “Mission Impossible” movie, and started comparing it to the original TV series that was more like the caper adventures – an ensemble of interesting people who accomplished off-the-books missions that other spies couldn’t do. All of these ensembles involved a few people with very specific talents.

That was the trigger to the fantasy author’s magical question” What if…? What if the very specific talents were magical…maybe in a world where sorcery was rare…oohh, perhaps forbidden? What if there were truly impossible missions that someone of importance believed needed doing, and they believed worthy of risking their lives to accomplish? Once I started thinking about possible talents that could make up such a group, and motivations to support such risk-taking, Romy, Placidio, Neri, and Dumond came alive, insisting that their adventures be written! 

Place this excerpt in context. How does it fit into the book as a whole and why did you select it?

All of my novels, whether the Carol Berg epic and mythic fantasies or the Cate Glass Chimera fantasy-adventures, are ultimately character stories. I love to write complex, complete, memorable human beings – people who make mistakes, who misjudge, who shine, who feel, who change. Thus I wanted to present an excerpt that highlights the characters involved.  

Also, to me, the key to an ensemble cast is how they fit together. I think this is why the “Mission Impossible” TV series is very boring for me to watch anymore, now that the technical aspects and the novelty of it are long out of date. We never knew anything about their past or their connections to each other or why they chose to participate in their missions. And they never grew or changed.

“An Illusion of Thieves” tells the story of how my talented ensemble—who call themselves the Chimera—come together, and how they get drawn into their first adventure. It sets the context for all the future stories, and thus it spends a somewhat longer setup time than the following books do. This particular excerpt tells of Romy and her brother Neri’s first encounter with the man who will become their third.

Tell us about creating this book: any research and travel you might have done, any other influences on which you drew?

I wanted to set the Chimera stories in the kind of world where intrigue and skullduggery abound. Rather than monumental conflicts of good and evil or struggles to readjust the balance of power in a failing society, I wanted to focus on more localized struggles, where the important conflicts take place in salons or dining rooms, artisan workshops, public buildings, and the like, and involved matters like hostage-taking, poisonings, art and antiquities, assassinations – and, yes, thieving.

From there I was led into research about everything from the resources and materials available in an age of burgeoning exploration and trade to Mediterranean vegetation, poisons, wine production, barge traffic on rivers. 

As the Chimera’s first mission has to do with art forgery and a statue of great antiquity, I read up on bronze casting. And as one of my four is a professional duelist, I read up on dueling regulations, weapons, and protocols. 

As the series goes on, I’ve gotten into researching the cloth trade and divination schemes, the history of geology, Renaissance men’s societies, and numerous other topics. When I settled on a locale much like the city states of Renaissance Italy, I even drew on my university education in History of Art.  

While studying mathematics, science, and engineering, I found time to cram in several semesters of History of Art. I’d learned early on in life that I was artistically challenged in the “doing it” department, but I really enjoyed learning about painting, sculpture, and architecture both in the context of their times, and in their evolutionary development.

OUR UNDERWRITERS SUPPORT JOURNALISM.   BECOME ONE.

Many people believe that writing secondary-world fantasy exempts a writer from research. Not true! If you want to make your story and your world believable, you have to make sure that the elements you choose, from geography and current technology, to food and transportation, to the logical underpinnings of magic fit together seamlessly. 

Besides the Italian Renaissance, I’ve written my own versions of the Age of Reason (the novels of the Collegia Magica), the 13th century (the Lighthouse and Sanctuary Duets), and invented a desert empire grown beyond its boundaries (the Books of the Rai-kirah).

I’ve used maps, herbals, science timelines, books about ships, about tidepools, about manuscript illumination, ballet dancing, and ink making, stories of Isaac Newton’s optics demonstrations, and biographies of interesting people. It’s all part of the fun. I believe that you can make anything happen in fantasy, but if you fail to ground the world in human experience or build on logic and history, the reader will feel cheated.

“An Illusion of Thieves” by Cate Glass (Carol Berg)

What were the biggest challenges you faced, or surprises you encountered in completing this book?

The biggest challenge was to balance the exposure of the world, its politics, customs, history, and supernatural underpinnings, with character introduction, and ultimately a fast-paced first adventure. I wanted to capture the feel of a rich world, with many other things going on in it than the story I’m telling, while keeping the tale moving…while foregoing the luxury of the longer format of epic or mythic fantasy that I was accustomed to. 

Walk us through your writing process: Where and when do you write? What time of day? Do you listen to music, need quiet? 

When I am in writing mode, I am at it most of the day. I get up, eat breakfast, glance briefly at news and email. But once I have a cup of tea in hand, I retreat to the office (or to a mountain hideaway with writer friends) and get to it. 

If I produced words on the previous day, I begin with rereading and tweaking them to get myself into the story. And then I work until I have accomplished something. Added words. Removed or rearranged words. Done research enough to write the next scene and started it or worked that research into what’s already written. 

I think of spiraling through the story, so that by the time I am at the end, I’ve a fairly solid manuscript. As for music, mostly I write in the quiet, but sometimes I turn on music that helps me focus. Nothing demanding like symphonic music or jazz, nothing with words, unless they are in Latin or French or some such. For example, my Lighthouse books, “Flesh and Spirit” and “Breath and Bone,” were written to Gregorian chant and some medieval French court music. 

What’s your next project?

For right now, I am putting the finishing touches on “A Summoning of Demons,” the third Chimera adventure. And after that…I’m not entirely sure. I have several projects floating around in the back brain, including more Chimera stories. I might get out some short fiction related to my earlier works to begin with.

— Buy “An Illusion of Thieves” through BookBar. — Read an excerpt from the book.

Our articles are free to read, but not free to report

Support local journalism around the state. Become a member of The Colorado Sun today!

$5/month

$20/month

$100/month

One-time Contribution

The latest from The Sun

A Colorado author asked: What if “Mission Impossible” took place during the Renaissance?

Colorado’s mask-wearing mandate will likely continue into at least October, governor says

Judge dismisses lawsuit seeking to hold up blue book printing over Gallagher Amendment language

Lack of child care prevents moms from getting drug treatment in Colorado. Here comes “RV Honey.”

Colorado gun sales remain at high volume, prompting $1.3 million request to speed up background checks

from Straight News https://ift.tt/2RgO3ap

[turkwriter]

The first time I saw this episode, I was so confused by that last image of Mayfeld when the three are imprisoned by Mando on the New Republic Ship.

Xi’an is pissed but that makes sense- besides the fact she’s about to go to jail, I’m sure Mayfeld told her that her brother betrayed her. The big red guy (Berg? lol, I can’t remember) seems almost bored, even though he’s had his horns cut off from giant doors closing on him, maybe he just has a concussion and has no idea what’s going on.

But Mayfeld, who’s spent the episode yelling and insulting anyone and everyone at the slightest annoyance, isn’t raging about Mando and Qin, or cursing out his teammates. He is curled up in what is pretty clearly complete “Oh shit oh shit oh shit” despair. And you don’t really get the context as to why until you see The Believer in Season 2.

Sure, Berg and Xi’an are in trouble for hijacking a New Republic Transport ship, successfully freeing one of its prisoners, and killing a guard. They’re looking at hefty prison sentences. But out of the three mercenaries, only Migs Mayfeld is a former Imperial soldier. An Imp who took part in the murder of a New Republic soldier? Whoo-boy, that does not look good for him. And from his monologue to Din in The Believer on the differences, or lack thereof, between the Empire and the Republic, Mayfeld was probably thinking as he sat in that cell that the Republic was going to do to him what the Empire would do to a Republic soldier who killed an Imperial soldier. Of course he’s miserable. That’s the look of a man who thinks he’s about to be executed.

Some Thoughts On Migs Mayfeld (Part 1)

It's strange to be writing a whole post on this character, considering I hated his guts in the first season and wouldn't have minded if Mando had killed him.

While I do think he's redeemed himself to an extent, I still don't stan him tbh. (Or do I?)

When this guy appeared in Chapter 6, I was expecting him to become a temporary ally to Mando, much like Cara and Greef. What I did not expect was all of them turning out to be complete assholes.

Mayfeld immediately struck me as insecure and emotionally fragile with his outburst when Din was sceptical of his shooting skills. But that was also before I realised that he's generally just loud af.

He went on to mock and insult everyone including his teammates, so then I realised ah, this generic asshole is not only being an asshole for assholery's sake but also to fit in with this group. I ended up hating him the least. Xi'an and Burg were intolerable and Zero was hardly any better.

In the Razor Crest, when the three of them mocked Din's beliefs, I was ready to throw hands. But Mayfeld went one step further, saying that he was ready for a pet now, picking Grogu up and pretending to drop him to get on Din's nerves. And then Zero exited hyperspace with barely any warning and the bald asshole really dropped the baby.

Still not sure why Mando didn't kill him on spot for that though.

Anyway, then Din took out the prison droids in the ship in the most badass Mando way possible, and while the three assholes were visibly impressed, it was Mayfeld's face I was guffawing at.

At first he just looks like Hm? What's the guy doin'?

Then he immediately goes Oh SHIT!

Then we have the beautiful HOLY SHIT, WTF??! face. This is when I realised he's genuinely afraid of Din, lmao.

So then of course, he does the most logical thing, tells Din to clean up after himself to cover his fear. Bitter ass motherfucker.

Next, we have the control room scene, where Mayfeld tries to assert dominance when his decision-making is being challenged. Yet another marker of insecurity of his place in the group.

I gotta say though, the "Get that blaster out of my face, Mando!" was almost as annoying as Xi'an's hissing and sneering and whatever the hell Burg was doing. Hats off to Bill Burr for effortlessly playing himself.

Anyway, then they break out Qin, betray Din, and then get separated cause of course Mando escaped.

Then Qin basically says he only cares if he escapes and Mayfeld just stands there looking like he's having second thoughts about the gang and this whole thing. "Nice family," might just be one of his best lines of the episode.

Next we have him getting spooked by a mouse droid, followed by one of my favourite scenes of the episode. Mando, somehow in all his fully armoured glory sneaks up on Mayfeld in the most badass horror movie-esque way possible.

I got a huge kick out of seeing the look of pure terror on his face, before he turns around, with an almost resigned-to-his-fate "No!"

Gotta say though, I was pretty surprised and a bit disappointed that Mando didn't kill any of them. Especially so, since they know about Grogu and could try to hunt him down. Well, he killed Zero ofc, so that's gotta suffice I guess.

Oh oh Mayfeld's completely dejected pose in the prison cell was worth it though.

All in all, a solid episode.

Part 2

[epfloutthere]

On the tropical icy islands of Ecuador

Squeezed between the Pacific Ocean and the Amazonian basin, the Ecuadorian Sierra hosts some of the world’s last tropical glaciers. These icy islands add on to Ecuador’s fame as THE biodiversity hotspot of planet Earth. Considering the diverse forms of life and landscapes along a 1500km traverse starting from the Galapagos Islands, extending to the Pacific coast, the Andean highlands and their glaciated volcanoes, ending up in the Amazonian jungle, we did realize that this fame is just the reality.

The beautiful colors of this bird of the green cloud forest contrast with the rocks and ice of the volcanoes. © Matteo Tolosano

Ecuador is seven times larger than Switzerland hosting nearly double the population, 20% of which are indigenous people. The influence of the equatorial Pacific Ocean climate along with large amounts of moisture rising from the Amazonian basin make up a special tropical climate, where all sorts of life from bacteria and algae to plants and animals flourish in extraordinary diversity. This incredible mosaic of biota, colorful scenery, tropical forests and relaxed but shy people, is interrupted by a chain of icy islands that protrude into the sky. When Pachamama (Mother Earth) feels like it, these icy giants are transformed into rivers of lava, spitting ash high in the atmosphere their glaciers transforming to hot and dirty ice.

Reventador eruption just before our arrival.

During the last forty years, the ice loss of the Ecuadorian tropical glaciers have been melting faster than many other regions worldwide. Today the glaciers’ terminus is restricted to elevations of 4800m, whereas many glaciers facing the Pacific (west) side of the volcanoes are nearly extinct. This fact posed the first challenge we had not faced before; acclimatizing and working in high altitude. While this was expected, as we march into the “high altitude year” with forthcoming expeditions to Kyrgyzstan’s Tien Shan Mountains and the Nepali Himalayas, many other things were not expected, flavoring our Ecuador expedition with a strong blend of “tropical spices”.

Chimborazo volcano. The aerial photo was taken in 2019. The green line is the glacier extend in year 2000, by GLIMS. The retreat is important in these 20 years. © Google Earth

What was not expected, yet for another time, was the endless negotiations with the Ecuadorian customs authorities in order to get clearance of our cargo, upon our arrival in the capital of Quito. During this time, we must have heard the word “mañana” coming out from the mouth of several officers more than 20 times. More striking though was the easiness of the “come back tomorrow and we’ll see…” mentality that obviously was a normality for the locals, but was testing our psyche in a relaxed but frustrating manner on a daily basis.

During the first week we could walk around Quito to get acclimatized for the high altitude. Here the team is on Pasochoa summit, 4200m. © Martina Schön

Armed with patience, wanting to smile and to bite in the same time, we were aided by the overall relaxed attitude that was buzzing around and by the Swiss Embassy in Quito. Day after day the tough climb of getting over and over several bureaucratic steps reaching all the way to Ministry level, was finally over after 20 days. To the positive side, this uneasy situation, gave us ample time to acclimatize and do a few reconnaissance trips figuring out the access to the most remote glaciers.

From the “Refugio Ruales Oleas Berge” on Cayambe volcano we could see our next sampling spots: Antisana volcano on the left, Cotopaxi volcano on the right and, small on the horizon, Chimborazo volcano. © Vincent De Staercke

Having left the biggest challenge behind, we were finally free to venture into the tropical icy islands of Ecuador. At that stage our mission was straight forward, as we had to safely approach the glaciers’ terminus in order to get water and sediment samples and to run our incubations in fifteen streams charging off from the tropical ice. Overall, we ventured onto five volcanoes along a 150km north - south transect. Cayambe, Antisana, Cotopaxi, Chimborazo and Carihuairazo. Each of these icy giants revealed more unexpected encounters that faded the waiting times in Quito into oblivion.

The team in front of the stunning Hermoso glacier, Cayambe Volcano. © Vanishing glaciers project

The team expands

Along this expedition, Amy Holt from Florida State University joined our team. Amy’s postgraduate research focuses on the sources and cycling of dissolved organic carbon in mountain glacier environments. She analyses carbon dynamics through molecular scale analysis of organic carbon coming out from the mountain glaciers at the molecular scale. Besides the scientific context, a new member comprises a refreshing and diverse asset to the team and in Ecuador, this proved to be very right. Aside from Amy, we had the pleasure to closely work together with Patricio Andino, a limnologist from the Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador (PUCE), in Quito and head of Humboldt Trips, who along with Professor Veronica Crespo from PUCE, took up a humongous load of our logistical burdens and were also in charge for the safe storage of our samples. Patricio additionally took over the tedious task to educate us on many things concerning the history and cultural evolution of Ecuador, over several relaxed conversations after our long days in the field. Nevertheless, it was more his easiness of interacting with his compatriots and his Latino spiky temper and that help us get a thorough perception of the Ecuadorian culture.

Patricio and Amy filtering water from the glacier in Antisana Volcano. © Martina Schön

Baltazar – A living legend

Upon arrival to Urbina, a small settlement to the east side of Chimborazo, the highest summit of Ecuador (6263m), we were to meet with a living legend; Baltazar – The last ice Merchant (El Ultimo Hielero - https://vimeo.com/66507747). The encounter was an inspiration to us in many ways. It is definitely touching to see how glacial recession and the lives of the people who depend on them are changing in our era. When the Last Ice Merchant could not harvest ice anymore as he was aging and the glaciers became more inaccessible, he opted to study and finish school, shining as a symbolic person with an endless lust for life. In science terms, we are now a bit more knowledgeable about the particulate and dissolved compounds and microbial life that exists in the ice cream we tasted, made from the Chimborazo ice, but this was a bit hard to explain to Baltazar and his brother. Perhaps we need more work on explaining to the locals the significance of our research, but one thing was for certain we took much inspiration from this pleasant meeting.

Part of the team with Baltazar, “El ultimo hielero”. © Vanishing glaciers project

Muddy streams and bad weather

Because of their geographical position, the Ecuadorian glacier‐fed streams present some special hydrologic patterns and unique biodiversity when compared with similar streams of temperate and arctic glaciers. These patterns include severe diurnal variations in runoff, whereas the loose volcanic geological formations they drain result in sediment laden waters with high concentration of mud and sometimes leading to mass movements of debris. Even if the weather was on our side for the first part of our fieldwork, Cotopaxi showed us its teeth the first minute we arrived in the parking lot. Strong gusty winds, rain and snow were enough to thwart our first try up there and called for a fast retreat. Our second try was somewhat more successful, as we established ourselves in the Jose Rivas refuge at 4800m and despite the not-so-good-weather, we did manage to obtain samples from four glaciers living through some intense moments.

A danger zone on Mars?! No, welcome to Cotopaxi Volcano and its glaciers! © Vincent de Staercke

In this hostile and high altitude environment with muddy waters there survives an important taxonomic richness. For example, the taxon richness in the glacier‐fed streams of Antisana volcano is expected to be significantly reduced following glacier shrinking[1]. In this regard, we are all waiting for the lab analyses of the samples from Ecuador that will shed new light on how the microbial diversity richness will be affected from the tropical glaciers rapid shrinking.

According to the map and the images we were standing just above the ice tongue. This glacier resulted impossible to reach. Another victim of the climate change. © Matteo Tolosano

Deeply immersed into the “Inexplorado of Equatorial Glaciers”, we left Ecuador with a sweet taste of satisfaction having established strong bonds with Amy and Patricio. This expedition would have not succeeded its goals without the invaluable help of Professor Veronica Crespo and Patricio Andino (Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador, in Quito), Mrs. Rita Hämmerli-Weschke (Swiss Ambassador in Ecuador) and Mr. Jaime Naranjo (Ecuador Ministry of Commerce).

Upon arrival in Europe, we were confronted to a new reality that we all have to adjust to. The sweet taste of the Ecuador expedition still holds strong in our minds, hearts, and fuels us with plenty of patience until this new situation will be surpassed. We do hope that this is the case for all the EPFL community.

Amy, Martina, Matteo, Mike and Vincent

[1] Cauvy‐Fraunié, S., Andino, P., Espinosa, R., Calvez, R., Anthelme, F., Jacobsen, D., & Dangles, O. (2013). Glacial flood pulse effects on benthic fauna in equatorial high‐Andean streams. Hydrological Processes, 28, 3008-3017. https ://doi.org/10.1002/hyp.9866

Sincere greetings to all the EPFL community and “bon courage” for this Covid-19 situation! A vicuña in front of the beautiful Chimborazo volcano. © Vincent de Staercke

[josefavomjaaga]

Hey there! Sorry to just drop this on you like that, but I though you might know something about this.

As far as I can tell Soult was basically banished from France for some time after 1815 and lived in Prussian exile thanks to his wife Louise who was from the Rhineland. I'd be very surprised if the Prussian government was really all that chill about letting one of Napoleon's top marshals, who had still been fighting for him as late as the hundred days campaign and who also didn't really make himself all that popular during the forth coalition, just live in their country. So my question would be do you know something about the Soults lives at that time? What did they think about their situation? Did they face some kind of restrictions or repressions?

Oh, thank you for the question! That's a good one! 💖 I think I've talked about Soult in exile at some points but as far as I'm aware I've never tried to give a summary of this period of his life. As to sources, I'll mostly refer to Nicole Gotteri once again, because what else.

Soult was already condemned to be exiled in an ordonnance royale from 24 July 1815, immediately after Louis XVIII had returned to Paris. While Ney's name topped the list of those condemned to death, Soult's was at the top of those to be driven out of France. However, execution of this decree was postponed, and after Soult had (barely) managed to get back to his mother in distant Saint-Amans, he was allowed to stay there (under strict surveillance, of course) some months longer. He spent the time working on a memorandum for his defense and to worry about the future: while public rumours abounded about how many millions he supposedly owned, the family had real problems to pay the 16,500 francs due as extra taxes for the contributions to the allies.

However, the loi d'amnistie from 12 January 1816 confirmed Soult's exile. He left Saint-Amans on 28 January and reached Maubeuge at the border of France on 6 February. Louise and the children, accompanied by Soult's younger brother Jean-François, followed mid-February. The family reunited at Barmen, where Louise's mother Wilhelmine now lived with the family of one of Louise's sisters, on 19 February 1816.

That was the beginning of an exile of three years. After a brief stay at Barmen, the family rented (on 21 April 1816) a house in Düsseldorf in Alleestraße (today: Heinrich-Heine-Allee) No. 7, close to the Ratingen gate and, more importantly, to the local gymnasium for Napoléon Hector. According to contemporary newspaper articles, it was an appartment of seven rooms (which is comfortable for a family of soon-to-be five, but rather modest for a duke), and the family did not even have a carriage of their own. They lived a rather secluded life, according to all sources. It was here where Louise, at the age of 46, gave birth to a daughter on 27 January 1817, whose death a couple of months later devastated the family. By that time, the two older children had already returned to France, in order to complete their education.

In February 1818, Louise also left for Paris, in order to look after the children, and Soult stayed behind, alone. As the house in Düsseldorf was far too big for him, he moved back in with his mother-in-law Wilhelmine. Louise and the children joined him in July 1818 for a prolonged summer vacation that they spent at a rented little chateau and that saved Soult from his growing depression. But it took another long winter that he had to spend alone, until May 1819, before Louis XVIII allowed Soult to return to France. Among other people, Soult's former aide Saint-Chamans (despite being at odds with Soult, as usual) had interfered on Soult's behalf and pleaded his case.

So, that's the timeline. Now to your actual question, how was Soult treated. For context: Louise Soult's family lived in what had been the Grand-Duchy of Berg-Kleve (and had belonged to one Joachim Murat), a region now governed by the King of Prussia. And it may have been quite fortunate for Soult that most people in these regions did not like their new Prussian overlords much 😁.

As mentioned above, Soult had already been under surveillence by French secret police while he waited for the final decision in his case. Once he had crossed the border, Prussian police took over. The director of police for the region, some guy named Schnabel, dispatched a police inspector to observe Soult and report about his comings and goings literally from day one. According to these reports, Soult arrived in Barmen accompanied by his 14-year-old son in a heavily laden carriage pulled by four horses. He entered the house of his relatives - and was then not be seen again for several days. Some young people rioted loudly in front of Wilhelmine Berg's house, without police interfering. And of course, there were the usual rumours about Soult having brought a wealth of 27 millions with him.

Those malicious rumours seem to have been all that the inspector hanging out on the street in front of Wilhelmine's house was able to report. Inside, Soult had asked the mayor of Barmen to come to visit, informed him officially that he would stay for a bit with his German family, and asked for a teacher in Greek and Latin for Napoléon Hector.

Just because we've been kicked out France does not mean that you can skip homework, young man.

He also had the Prussian notary in Barmen, a Monsieur Leopold Alhaus, draft a document that would allow Soult's brother to manage his French possessions in his absence.

A week after Soult's arrival, by the end of February, Prussian police decided to tighten the reins, just so that this Frenchman would not get too comfortable. Police director Schnabel informed Soult that he needed permission by the Prussian government if he wanted to take up residence in the Rhine region, and gave him four weeks to obtain it. Soult answered on 2 March that he had not decided yet about where he wanted to go and that so far, he was only visiting. On 11 March, Schnabel triumphantly announced that the King of Prussia had just decreed that, while he allowed the French exiles to stay in his domains, he would only tolerate them staying in Pommerania and Magdeburg.

So, pack up, ex-duke!

However, before following her husband, Louise Soult had already talked about the possibility of staying in her home region with Prussian ambassador Golz in Paris. Golz in turn had written to prince Hardenberg in Berlin about it. So did Soult now himself from Barmen, as soon as this overzealous police director started to harrass him. Among other things, he wondered if it might be possible for him to stay in Düsseldorf, because his son could go to school there. (Obviously still a major point for Soult.)

And guess what? On 24 March (almost miraculously fast for Prussian bureaucracy), Hardenberg sent the official permission for Soult and his family to stay in the duchy of Berg as long as he wished. For Soult, the King of Prussia had explicitly made an exception to the rule that applied to the other exiles.

Which put an immediate stop to director Schnabel and his ilk. I mean, you don't want to get on the worng side of the government. Who would have thought that this Frenchman had friends in Berlin?

I do not know why high-ranking Prussians showed themselves so lenient towards Soult in this case. To some degree, this was likely a concession to Louise. But it also may have had something to do with the fact that Soult had governed a Prussian province for so long and had been tasked with the details of several difficult negotiations. While contemporary reports from that period often badmouth him, and while Prussian historiography from the 1860s and 1870s can be really vicious towards Soult, Prussian books from the 1890s and later seem to treat him with much more benevolence, explaining that Soult in all these negotiations had tried to be as generous as Napoleon allowed him to be, and always fair. I suppose his contemporaries, especially the Prussian government at the time, were quite aware of this (even if they never would have admitted it out loud). This may have been their way to thank him.

Of course both Prussian and French police kept a watchful eye of Soult all the while (even when he was allowed back his entry into France was immediately reported to Paris). But armed with the permission of the King, he could at least avoid all real harassment.

As to the locals in Düsseldorf, they seem to have liked Soult well enough. While Soult did not go out much he must have had some contacts in town and occasionally invited people to dinner who, as a French police report stated, did not talk about anything but trade and agriculture. Soult himself, as to him, apparently loved to tend to the garden. But I have seen a mention of him being member of a club in Düsseldorf, and I have come across the report of a book seller who visited him. So he had not completely disappeared from view.

I hope this answers your question somewhat. There are some more details about Soult's life in Düsseldorf (local newspapers occasionally mention his name, Napoléon Hector successfully graduated from Düsseldorf's gymnasium and even had the honour to hold the graduation adress in Latin etc.) But this has already gotten quite long.

Thank you once more for the Ask!

[evakuality]

16, 18, 19

Yay more answering!  Thanks, friend.

16. Favourite Norwegian quote to say.  Ummm, this one’s hard.  I don’t tend to say anything Norwegian out loud, but I do love the way ‘drittsekk’ sounds when they say it.  And ‘pikk’ and ‘hva faen’ so I’m guessing I just like the way swearing and being rude sounds in Norwegian.  Hmmm.

18. Least Favourite moment.  Again, this one’s hard.  I have a lot of moments that I don’t like for a whole lot of reasons, from how horrible they are for the characters (eg Sana being told the girls don’t like her as much anymore or Isak being told he’s just ‘a sick idea’ to Even) to disliking what they mean outside the context of the show (Isak’s lecture to Sana about looking for hate bothers me for a whole lot of reasons) to things that just don’t make sense (why did Isak punch Mikael?  I don’t get it, and ‘jealousy’ seems very flimsy as a reason; I need more dammit) to things being used for shock effect which should be treated more respectfully (eg Even’s suicide attempt being a footnote in someone else’s story), to just plain making me angry (eg Noora crying on the footpath as William walks away because he’s too much of an ass to listen to her and would rather believe his asshole brother than his possibly-raped girlfriend).  So ... uh.  There you go.  As you can see, the majority of those are from s4, and that’s because while there are things I loved about that season there was so much that bothered me.

19. Most underrated character.  Hands down Chris Berg.  I want to see more of her and know more of her.  She’s such a fun and loving and caring person and she’s a ray of light to her friends.  I’m forever grateful that we got a clip in her pov, but I wish we had more.  One thing I wish we’d had more of in s4 is her friendship with Sana.  I loved the way they were in the first two season and it’s just a shame that for whatever reason (I heard time commitments for Ina?  Maybe?) we didn’t get as much of that in Sana’s season as I would have liked.

[evakteket]

Watchlist update!

It’s a turbulent week for SKAM fans! We haven’t completely recovered from yesterday’s clip yet, but we’ve pulled ourselves together sufficiently to realise that it’s more or less a week since the last watchlist update.

The usual: When it’s been more than three weeks since a fic was updated we consider it as on hiatus and remove it from the watchlist. Then we perform a small ritual of grief. However, we don’t cancel our subscriptions and if one of the removed fics gets updated again, we will put it right back on the list.

The usual II: feel free to send us an ask if you have suggestions for fics we should check out!

Update summary:

Completed: 1 Added: 5 Removed: 2

News:

Expect the Unexpected by bri_ness (@brionbroadway) NEW

This Big Brother AU had us at ‘snakesak’, and takes that tag to a whole new level. We’re transfixed by the mix of Big Brother gameplay and manipulation and the genuine interactions between Even and Isak, and we love how this fic feels really fresh while still giving nods to canon and staying in character. This is tagged ‘messy relationships abound’ and we’re totally here for it. - kit and immy

The Notion of Falling by smokeshop (@supermansplaining) NEW

Ostensibly a hate to love fic, this one has Isak and Even meeting through Sana and Elias, and has that perfect hurts-so-good thread of angst that gets me every time. It’s very heavy on Valtersen family stuff, with a lot of interaction between Isak and his sort-of-canon baby sister Lea, and I’m really into how much of that backstory this fleshes out. While it claims to be hate to love, mostly this fic centers around miscommunication and Evak starting out from a place of unintentionally hurting each other. Ouch, my heart. - kit

Things Look Different in the Morning by allyasavedtheday (@littlespooneven) NEW

THIS IS SO ADORABLE. This one has the somewhat handwavey scenario of Even needing to share a room with Isak (for Reasons), but once you accept that as a Thing this is one of the loveliest reads, full of feelings-inducing snuggles and (of course) bed-sharing. Isak and Even are technically college students in this, so this is a cute look at how it might have gone if they’d met later in life. It also features some of our favourite tags: slow burn and mutual pining. Warning: features insomnia. - kit and immy

a mental archive of love unknown by chevythunder (@icelandcurry) NEW

This fic begins with Even in love with Mikael and moving into the kollektiv with Isak and Linn–a combo we didn’t know we wanted. We’re already loving the angst and the growing friendship between Isak and Even, as well as the dynamic with the balloon squad, whose friendship here is ultimately #goals. Although we all know how this fic is gonna end, this feels like a breath of fresh air, and we can’t wait to read more. - kit and immy

Mental kampsport by Peer (Norwegian) NEW

Starting during Even's depressive episode in S3 and being told from Even's POV, this is an unforgettably beautiful and moving story. Every bit of it feels true to Even and the SKAM universe, while also bringing a feeling of fresh new perspectives to the table. Only in Norwegian, unfortunately, but if you can read that you should definitely read this. - immy

with love, from anonymous by cosetties (@adamparishe) and iriswests (@westiris) COMPLETED

Completed, rec here.

Still on the watchlist from last update:

Spacewalker by evenvaltersen

How the hell you can make a Wir Kinder vom Bahnhof Zoo AU work with SKAM characters is beyond me, but evenvaltersen manages just that, in my opinion. This may be my obsession with Christiane F talking, but give it a go. Be warned: it’s every bit as gritty and sad as you can expect something based on a mostly true story about teen drug addicts in Berlin in the 70s to be, no fluff here. - immy

making new clichés by strangetowns (@yousanaisendgame)

This is in its early days, but oh-so promising! It’s another Evak as best friends AU, but it’s incredibly well-written thus far and it has a very realistic, nuanced portrayal of their relationship, which is already just close enough that it has us absolutely stoked for the moment it tips over into feelings too big to ignore. - kit and immy

The Weight of Us by verlore_poplap (@mimi-fics)

This is a very interesting fic, in part because it’s so different to a lot of the stuff in the fandom so far. Isak and Even meet when they’re older, and in serious relationships with Emma and Sonja–in case alarm bells are ringing, yes, Isak and Emma are together, but the author uses the context of their relationship to explore what would have happened if he’d repressed his sexuality, which I think is very cool. The author also treats Emma very fairly. The fic has a few minor niggles–Isak, for example, at one point performs a super rare kind of heart surgery–but overall this fic has me really intrigued, and I can’t wait to read the rest. - kit

Checking from Behind by DickAnderton (@wecanjustbreathe)

A slight disclaimer is probably in order here, because I (Kit) am betaing this fic, but I’m too obsessed with it not to rec it. This is a hate-to-love AU, set in my absolute favourite of AU universes–college ice hockey! You don’t need to know anything about the sport to be intrigued by this fic, which definitely isn’t your standard Evak storyline. Warning: Isak and Even both explore relationships with women in this one, so see the author’s notes. -kit

Twice by intothewind (@brokenveinssay) This fake dating/band fic is a delicious addition to the world of Evak AUs, and we’re completely here for it. Isak pretends to be Jonas’s boyfriend, which leads to some borderline Josak/Jovak-esque moments here, and we’d be lying if we said we hadn’t already read that shotgunning scene MULTIPLE TIMES. - kit and immy

the city of illusions, the city of yearning by elisewin (@books-figuero) A different city AU where the slightly older SKAM characters are exchange students in Rome, and where the author obviously knows the city and writes it well. Sweet and humorous so far, with a fair bit of the banter we adore so much in SKAM fics. - kit and immy

A Collection of Even & Isak’s First Kiss AU Shorts by @fandomlimb Just what it says on the tin: first kisses, a different AU in each chapter. Adorable short stories, varying POVs and varying amounts of fluff. - immy

Livredderen by Kudzibisa (Norwegian)

AU where Even is the first to arrive at the scene when Isak has been in a car crash. As usual from Kudzibisa, short clipped chapters keeping the reader on tenterhooks, peppered with beautifully crafted evocative sentences, for those truly blessed people who can read Norwegian. - immy

Livet skjer med meg by neelabrenner (@nilabrenner) (Norwegian) Post season 3 canon divergent story about Isak and Even’s life together, from Even’s POV. So far feelgood and funny and precious, but not without angst and other deep and not always pleasant emotions. Capturing the characters well from Even’s POV. Yes, those who can read Norwegian are indeed truly blessed. - immy

I’ll Be Coming Home, Wait For Me by @dahlstrom This AU sees Even as a chef co-owning a new American style diner with Yousef, and Isak as their new waiter, so we’re already invested in the dynamics set up here! We’re especially excited by the tags, which promise not only a delicious slow burn, but a taste of our girl Chris Berg. We’re already super hungry for more of this (okay, okay, we’ll stop now with the food puns) so: why aren’t you reading this already? - kit and immy

Straight up (series) by (@nofeartina)

From the second work in this series, this is rated explicit… and rightfully so, omg. It’s nearly impossible to say anything useful about this because we’re (hopefully temporarily) not very capable of explressing ourselves beyond vague rambling about “fluffly smut” and “hot” and “holy shit this is hot” and “have we mentioned yet that this is hot”. We’ll let you know when we pick our jaws up off the floor. - kit and immy