#i will take wed+thur. that should be enough

[rennybu]

ok as tumblr is my primary place of business (I LOVE YOU ALL) just a heads up that i will be taking a few days this week to file my ✨first ever taxes as a self-employed person✨, and apologize for the tiny disruption in my commission work schedule

[absolutebl]

This Week in BL - I guess Korea is supporting us now?

Organized, in each category, with ones I'm enjoying most at the top.

April 2025 Week 3

Ongoing Series - Thai

Top Form (Thurs WeTV) ep 5 of 10 - I know (but also I keep forgetting until the credits roll) that this show is based on a yaoi. The Japanese feel of all of the characters and their interactions that keeps hitting me broadside. For example the whole smoking sequence in this episode. Then I’m reminded that this is Japanese IP at the end, and then I retroactively forgive it startling behavior in each episode. I think I would enjoy this more if I reminded myself as it starts that this is Japanese sensibilities Thai style. This is an authentic adaptation, more so than anything GMMTV has ever given us. (Much as I loved Cherry Magic it was a very VERY GMMTV Thai BL take.)

Sweet Tooth Good Dentist (Fri iQIYI) ep 4 of 12 - It was fine. They are cute enough. But I’m over the moon that Jimmy comes in next episode. That’s all I really care about right now. Honestly I wish I liked this show more, I want to like it. It should be me cup of tea teeth.

Ongoing Series - Not Thai

Heesu in Class 2 (Korea Fri Viki) eps 7-8 of 10 - I am so glad and relieved that Heesu’s bestie crush has finally ended. Thank you. Could we please get on with the BL portion of this narrative now? Honestly, I adore Heesu because he is both honest and earnest (I think that's why the people around him do too). What an utterly charming main character to get to spend time with. I cant wait until next week. I honesly don't mind that the crush swung so swiftly and easily because frankly, that's high school for you, and also we get VO of Heesu's thoughts, so we are kind with him... at least I am.

PS On a complete aside. I cant believe how long this BL is... from Korea! 

PPS I have to confess that I too love carrot juice.

Business as Usual (Korea Thurs Viki) Ep 3 of 7 - ep 3 and we got a confrontation already! And a reverse pov? Excellent. i’m not wild about the reason for the split being miscommunication and fear and running away, I feel like it would be nice we got something different from Korea this time. But I’m still enjoying the show = good kisses, heart-beak et al.

Secret Relationships (Korea iQIYI) ep 8 end - very exciting final episode. Quite thrilling, actually. If you're into, ya know, soap operas and melodrama. Which I absolutely am. As is customary with these kinds of BLs, I spent a good portion of it saying "this boy needs a therapist not a boyfriend!" But they did make a cute couple, with good kisses, even with the ubiquitous year gap at the end.

Summary 

An entirely unhinged story about a very troubled office worker and the three men who are passionately in love with him. Two of whom are very warped and unhinged about it. This is an unadulterated melodrama, and extreme in always including domestic violence, kidnapping for love, and some light stabbing. As ya do. It’s a wild ride, but enjoyable. The visuals are excellent, the acting is fun if chewy, and the chemistry is good all round. However this kind of BL has a low rewatch potential and too much violence for me personally. 8/10

Something Is Not Right (Korea Weds Viki) ep 1 of 8 - Interesting start. Unusual and I kind of like it. They are so cute and so in love and so teen crush. Tsundere is VERY tsundere. It's a very manwha piece, much more so than Blueming ever felt. I'm not in love with it, but I'm not upset with it either.

Fight for You (Taiwan Fri Gaga) ep 5 of 12 - Aw he has such sad eyes. The conceits of this show are increasingly ridiculous and yet I’m enjoying it immensely. Especially when they’re kissing. Thank you Taiwan. Also, how could he not fall in love with the sunshine, when the sunshine is essentially being the perfect boyfriend? That said, I never high rank a show where one of them is lying to the other one essentially the whole time - so that is tempering my enjoyment. But I am still enjoying it despite that one big worry. 

Exclusive Love (Taiwan Fri Gaga) ep 11 of 12 - pocky game with your quasi-ex-bestie when he's getting married the next day? That’s a wild idea honeychild. I do like that we got a lot of the sides this time around. And kidnapping and some self sacrifice stabbing. The usual.

It's airing but......

Sashes and Hearts (Pinoy YT) 13 eps - Philippines is doing Drop Dead Gorgeous only all gay boys queening their asses off. Doesn't interest me, not sure if it's BL.

Last Meal Universe (Thai ????) 8 eps - An alien who has come to destroy earth instead falls in love with Thai food and then the Thai boy who cooks it - realistic, actually. I got a link to watch but it still wouldn't work for me, so I guess I'm waiting to see what happens.

Lost in the Woods (Weds Gaga) 7 eps - Not my thing, dropped at ep 2.

Secret Ghost (Thai Sat Viu) ?? eps - The trailer dropped and it looks so bad.

My Golden Blood (Weds iQIYI) 12 eps - dropped at ep 5. I just can't. It's too awful. I did try. 

Next Week Looks Like This:

COMING IN APRIL

4/20 Boys in Love (Thai Sun iQIYI ) 12 eps - Our only true high school BL from GMMTV this year and it's fresh faces for the youths and old favs for the teachers. It's milk teeth Make it Right and fine with me! I like lotte milk. Also DIMPLES! Yay! I suspect they are using this one to test some fresh pairs for future seasons. Like a Project 101 Thai BL. (Honestly I just invented an amazing reality TV for you GMMTV, you're welcome.) Like My School President in 2023, this could be a major sleeper hit for me.

4/20 My Stubborn (Thai Sun iQIYI) 10 eps - trailer Mflow's next high heat office romance involving best friend's younger brother, boss meets intern, bit of a love triangle, GL crumbs, and few other tropes.

4/25 My Sweetheart Jom (Thai Fri YouTube) 12 eps - trailer Saint is back in a BL, but this is what he chose? When he gets int rouble, Yothin needs to find a safe place. Instead of sending him overseas, his father sends him to the countryside. There, he is under the watchful eye of the village headman Jomkhwan.

4/26 The BangkokBoy AKA Bangkok Boys AKA The Bangkok Boy (Thai Sat ????) ?? eps trailer - Action, crime and revenge meets gangs, mafia, and more. Oh my.

2025 Line Up

BL Announced for 2025 - PART 1

BL Announced for 2025 - PART 2

20 BLs Announced for 2025 That I'm Really Excited About

GMMTV 2025 Line Up - My Totally Biased and Wildly Flawed Feels

THIS WEEK’S BEST MOMENT

Not a great week actually, no pulls.

(last week)

The tag BLigade: @doorajar @solitaryandwandering @my-rose-tinted-glasses @babymbbatinygirl @babymbbatinygirl @isisanna-blog @mmastertheone @pickletrip @aliceisathome @urikawa-miyuki @tokillamonger @sunflower-positiiivity @rocketturtle4 @blglplus @anythinggoesintheshire @everlightly @renafire @mestizashinrin @bl-bam-beyond @small-dark-and-delicious @saezurumurmurs

[oldsalempost-blog]

The Old Salem Post

Our  Local Tamassee-Salem SC Area News each Monday except holidays           Contact: theoldsalempost@gmail.com                              Distributed to local businesses, town hall, library.                            Volume 7 Issue 11                             Week of February 26, 2024                https://www.tumblr.com/settings/blog/oldsalempost-blog                                                         Lynne Martin Publishing

EDITOR: Why aren’t we learning from mistakes?  People have been leaving polluted cities for years, yet Oconee County is trying to industrialize and develop our beautiful county as fast as it can to become what people are leaving.  Why are citizens allowing this?  We need to learn from the destruction of others and not repeat those same mistakes.  Let us not follow those leaders. LRMartin   Earth provides enough to satisfy every man's need, but not every man's greed. —Mohandas K. Gandhi (1869-1948)

TOWN of SALEM:  * Visit the Downtown Market every Sat, Winter hours 9am-1pm. *  Easter is coming.   Community Egg Hunt March 30th at 10am at the Town Park.  We need candy!!  Candy donations are welcomed!

SALEM LIBRARY:  Hours Monday 10am-6pm. Tues-Friday 9am-5pm. Closed 12-1 each day for lunch

Jottings from Miz Jeannie  by Jeannie Barnwell    Remembering a Dear Mother                I KNEW  that I was her favorite daughter. On the other hand, Jerri and Nancy KNEW that THEY were her favorite, too! Mom and I promised each other that we would find a way to signal each other, should one of us "graduate"  to the next realm of the big adventure.  After Mom's passing,  it always grieved me to see happy families snuggled in for a group photo, knowing that for OUR family those days were over.  Then I  noticed that someone always worked the camera and missed being in the photo.  "AH HA!," Says I to Me, I will always ask if I may take the picture.  So all over the world, I engineered family photos to be cherished. AND I came to notice, in the mini second of the camera flash (whether in Peking  or Paris, or Pickens) there would appear a happy old lady waving frantically from the back of the group.   And there is no explanation for this, but for that brief enlightened second... and still today THERE'S MY MAMA!    Miz Jeannie loves All of Y'All!!!

ASHTON RECALLS:  by Ashton Hester                                   WOULD-BE SALEM BURGLAR COMES UP EMPTY - (The following story was in the January 6, 1954 Keowee Courier). . .A busy, would-be burglar--apparently with his heart set on cash instead of merchandise--broke into two Salem business firms and attempted unsuccessfully to enter a third during the late hours of Tuesday night or early Wednesday morning. . .However, it would appear that the only thing the intruder gained from his efforts was a gashed hand or arm when he broke a hole in the plate glass window at Clyde Talley's Grocery Store, as traces of blood were found on the window and also on the cash register. . .No cash was available in that store or in Whitmire's Dress Shop, the other store which was broken into, and the owners of both stores said no merchandise was stolen as far as they could determine.. . .There was also evidence that entry was attempted at Hinkle's Cafe. . .Whoever the burglar might have been, indications are he was an orderly-minded character. After breaking the glass at Clyde Talley's store, he took it and stood it nearly against the side of the building. Also, several rows of candy boxes were located at the spot where the break was made, and instead of simply pushing them off onto the floor to enter, he had taken the time to place them to one side in neat stacks

JOCASSEE VALLEY BREWING COMPANY,(JVBC) & COFFEE SHOP* 13412 N Hwy 11 Open Wed–Sat 9am-9pm and Sunday 2pm-7pm. Events this week:  Wed: SINGER-SONGWRITER night with Rick Malec 6:30pm  Thurs:  Conservation Theory  impromptu Fri: Food: BLUE RIDGE GRILL Fish Fry and more!   Music: Max Hightower  at 6:30pm   Sat–Food: Poor Man’s Burgers  will start at 12pm-until  Music: Millstone Talents at 6:30pm  *Featuring Pisgah Coffee Roasters and fresh brewed delicious coffee made to order.  More information call 864-873-0048    

A Reader Asks for Help!  We greatly enjoy reading your weekly publication!  Do you know how or if I can obtain a copy of the memoir of Pauline Kelley Cannon and also I need a photo that I could reproduce of John W. Cannon/Orr's Rifleman, who died in 1930. Thank you for any help you can render.     * Please email theoldsalempost@gmail.com if you can help this reader.*

EAGLES NEST ART CENTER 4 EAGLE LANE SALEM SC 2024 UPCOMING  EVENTS                                                                                       House of Raeford Farms Chicken Sale: Order before items sell out! But you must preorder online before Feb 29th  ( Items could sell out before the cut off date). Pick up your fresh chicken on Saturday, March 2nd between 9am and 12pm.  Type in House of Raeford Farms, Greenville, SC and scroll down to the preorder section. Choose Salem Location. Place your order and pay online.  Do not forget to pick up your order!! 

March 2nd, 2pm-5pm Second Annual Alumni Gathering 2pm-5pm. More info: Susan 864-247-4622  Judy  557-0869                       March 23rd, 7pm  Oconee Mountain Opry $10  Featuring Angela Easterling, Mountain Bridge Band and more!                            The Eagles Nest Treasure Store is open every Saturday morning 9am-12pm.  We are accepting donations during that time or call 864-557-2462.  Information on sponsorships, events, volunteering, donations, or rentals call 864-280-1258.

PROM DRESSES :  Ladies Prom Day is approaching!!  On March 22nd from 3pm-6:30 pm and March 23rd from 9am-12pm we will displaying and selling prom dresses for the upcoming proms.  We have many beautiful gowns short and long to choose from.  We look forward to seeing you. Please call  Donna at 864-557-2462 for more information.     

YARD SALE:  Rent a spot if you would like to bring a table and set up for our big sale on March 22nd and 23rd.                                                           

CHURCH NEWS               Bethel Presbyterian Church (PCUSA),  580 Bethel Church Rd Walhalla, 29691. Worship at 10:30 a.m. March 3, Message by George Harper. March 10, Message by Mel Davis. March 31 Message by George Harper, Easter Sunday with Communion.  A Special thank you to the folks who attended our Worship Service and the Souper Bowl Sunday luncheon following. The donations were generous and will support Oconee United Ministries and other organizations for our Mathew 25 commitment.

CONSERVATION and PRESERVATION starts with each of us.  I am sharing this from Facebook where a Pickens County couple has preserved their land.  “We felt a deep commitment to join with Upstate Forever in preserving the land, water sources and scenic views of Table Rock Mountain so that future generations can continue to enjoy the beauty from the Cherokee Foothills National Scenic Highway”- reeds Run landowners Tom and Cathy, who worked with our nationally accredited land trust to permanently protect roughly58 acres in Pickens County last year.   OPUS Trust is a local nonprofit in Oconee County with a mission to educate landowners in preservation of open spaces, farm lands, and other precious places. 

Blessings and Peace! LRMartin

[makeusfly]

More Light Than Heat, Chapter 19

To Watch Skyscrapers Tumble

previous chapter

read on A03

masterpost

Isabella tried to be mentally present for the rehearsal Thursday but all she could think about, for the first time in her entire life, was how grateful she was that summer was almost over.  This, the last week of the season, had to be the longest week of her life.

There was no reason it should feel like it was crawling - she was certainly busy enough.  Between wrapping things up at her internship and handling last minute wedding details, she barely had time to breathe, let alone contemplate why Candace’s text Monday left her feeling so warm and fuzzy.

Rehearsal dinner Thurs, not Fri. Pescada.   And then, a few seconds later: Ferb’s idea.

And she still hadn’t processed that when Django had texted her Tuesday and told her he was sorry things didn’t work out for her and Phineas.  That he was heading back to school, but if she needed to talk, he was there for her.

She…didn’t think that boded well for Phineas, but she hadn’t had a chance to ask.

Plus, she had exactly one more day at her internship, when she would be evaluated for her work that summer and she’d be able to say, definitively, that she’d ruined her dream career before she’d ever had a chance to start.  She wanted it to be over.

She was so close , and she probably could have gotten out of the night without dealing with any of it, except she just had to step outside for a breath of fresh air and run directly into the Flynn-Fletcher boys arguing.

Later, she would blame it on the headache.  It wasn’t even entirely a lie - she hadn’t been sleeping well and, as low as they were trying to keep their voices, Phineas and Ferb squabbling was like a mallet to the skull.  But most of it was a sharp pain in her chest accompanied by that same voice she heard during the tournament.

Wrong wrong wrong.

“Phineas!” she barked, plunging them into blessed silence as the boys turned to look at her.  With a deep breath, she said, “Just tell him.”

Ferb’s brows furrowed.  Phineas blinked.  “Are you sure?”

She forced a chuckle, but it came out more strangled than she preferred.  “I’ve already ruined everything else this summer.  I refuse to tank Phineas-and-Ferb too.”

Crossing her arms, she wrinkled her nose against threatening tears, watching Phineas face his brother.  He opened his mouth, but snapped it shut before saying anything.  Holding up a single finger, he said, “You: hold that thought.”

He slid across the patio to stand in front of Isbella, clenched jaw failing to guard her.

“Hey,” he said, taking her elbows in his hands.  “What are you talking about?”

She buried her face in her hands, leaning into his touch.  She wanted to hold her own, she knew this was all her fault…but it was just so fucking heavy.

“I snapped at Marissa and she hates me now.”

“She’ll forgive you,” he answered, his voice soft.  “You don’t have to be perfect, Izzy.  Just apologize.”

“Even if she does now, I completely blew our collab.  I’m never going to get a job in journalism.”

He rubbed her arms gently, grounding her.  “One bad day isn’t going to ruin an entire summer of hard work.”

“And your parents!”  Her voice broke, but she was too devastated to be ashamed.  “They’re practically my second parents, and now we’ve broken up, and that’s down the drain…”

Phineas was smiling now, the twinkle in his eye suggesting he’d laugh if he didn’t think it would make things worse.  “Isabella, Mom and Dad loved you long before we started dating and will continue to do so until the sun explodes, just like me and Ferb.  You haven’t ruined-”

“I talked to Django.”

The words flew out of her with the force of a train and, based on how quickly Phineas’s expression shifted, they hit him just as hard.  After a beat, he swallowed hard, biting his lip and shaking his head.

“Don’t worry-”

“Phineas!  You have been the best friend a girl could ask for, you went along with this whole harebrained scheme to make me happy, and this is what you get?  To miss out on a chance at something real -”

“No,” he said, a finality to his voice that garnered no discussion, but he kept talking anyway.  “No, Isabella.  This is real.  What you and I have is real .  It’s not less important or less valuable because it’s not romantic.  I agreed to this because you’re my best friend and I love you, and I don’t regret it.  Not a bit.”  He paused, making sure to look directly in her eyes before continuing.  “We couldn’t have predicted how this summer would turn out, but I still would have chosen you.”

Even Isabella couldn’t say if the sound she emitted then was a laugh or a sob, but she wrapped her arms around Phineas’s neck and emoted into his shoulder.  It felt like a long time that they stood that way before Isabella pulled back and wiped her tears away with her thumb.

“It goes without saying,” she told him with a shaky breath, “But I love you too.”

He beamed.  “Yes.  Yes, you do.”

This time, she absolutely laughed before smacking him playfully on the arm.  “Well, go on.  Come clean to your brother.”

He nodded, hand slipping down her arm to grip her palm as he turned to face Ferb.  “Isabella and I didn’t actually break up.”

Ferb only looked more confused and Isabella couldn’t blame him.  She laughed.  “You don’t lead with that.  He means: we didn’t actually break up because we were never actually together.”

If anything, this confused Ferb more.  He looked slowly between the two of them until, finally, Isabella winced.

“Don’t be too mad at your brother, okay?  He wanted to let you in on it, but I just-”  She sighed, unsure how to finish that sentence.  “I haven’t liked him in forever, but everybody just assumed!  Making it impossible to date anybody else, so we just…”

“Faked it?”

“Yeah…”  She twirled a strand of hair around her finger.  “Thought we’d let it run its course and everyone would finally see that we don’t belong together.”  She met his eyes sheepishly.  “I’m sorry we lied to you, but-”

His mouth opened slowly, eyes wide in horror.  “I wasn’t listening.”

Isabella nodded, tilting her head.  She knew he was apologizing, and she hoped he knew she forgave him.  And there it was - the uptick of one side of his lips, the tiny smile that made it clear he understood.

Turning from her, he gave his brother his full attention, holding his gaze for a long moment.  “I’m sorry.”

Isabella felt the tension in the air and the hand she held even as Phineas shrugged.  “You were trying to protect Isabella.”

Isabella took a small step to the side, making room as Ferb approached him.  “But I love you too, and I should have been listening to what you wanted.”

With one last squeeze, Phineas dropped her hand and embraced his brother.  Smiling, she took another step back and a small pivot towards the restaurant, determined to let them have this moment.  She paused when she saw Jeremy waiting in the doorway.  There was no way to know how long he’d been standing there or how much he’d heard, but he waited until Phineas and Ferb stepped apart.

“Hey y’all,” he said.  “Candace’s Bar results just came in, and she wants everybody in there when she reads it.”

“We’re coming,” Isabella called back, answering for all of them.  Phineas nodded, clapped Ferb on the shoulder, and jogged inside.  Isabella giggled at his enthusiasm, ready to follow, but a light touch on her back stopped her.

“Ferb…”  She braced herself, but when she turned to him, her eyes fell on the phone he was offering her first.  Wide-eyed, she stared at the screen until it went black.  She could have unlocked it - she knew his passcode - but she didn’t need to.  She’d seen what he was trying to show her.  It was Marissa’s article on the tournament - and the byline listed both of their names.

Maybe Phineas was right.  Maybe Marissa didn’t hate her and all she had to do was apologize.  She could do that.

“Thank you,” she breathed, finally looking Ferb in the eyes.

Vaguely, she realized that she didn’t know if Jeremy and Phineas had already gone in or if they were standing there, watching.  Vaguely tickling the back of her brain was the reminder that he really needed to get inside and be present for his sister, but it didn’t matter.  She was frozen in his gaze, unable to decipher what she found there.

“You picked a Kosher restaurant.”

He blinked, and it was only then that she realized she had said it.

“Well,” he answered.  “You wanted to know what your options were.”

She swallowed tightly.  “I-”  Cleared her throat as the fog left her brain.  “We should go back in.”

He nodded, but it took another long, few seconds before he actually walked away.  Following him was automatic.  She took her seat at the table between Phineas and Vanessa and tried to settle back into the conversation.  Everything blurred together, but she still felt enveloped by the warmth of it all.  

The buoying effect of it carried her through to the next morning when, armed with two iced coffees, she felt ready for the day.  Head high, she walked into the newsroom and slid into the seat next to Marissa.

“I am very sorry I was a jerk to you last week,” she said, pushing a cup towards her.

Marissa took a sip of the coffee before looking up at her.  “We all have bad days.”

She gulped.  “Phineas and I broke up.”

Marissa’s brow furrowed.  “Are you…”

“Not that upset, actually.  It’s trite, but we actually are better as friends.”

Marissa nodded, considering.  “And did your feelings for his brother have anything to do with that?”

Isabella deflated.  “I am so sorry .  It just hit me all at once.  I shouldn’t have taken it out on you.”  She inhaled deeply, forcing herself to sit up straight.  “Ferb would be lucky to go to the Night of the Falling Stars Dance with you.”

“Nah,” she said, nonchalant.  “I don’t date my friends’ crushes.  We could go as a group though.”

“I actually have to drive back to school on Sunday.”

“So…when are you going to tell him?”

She shook her head, sipping her drink.

“Isabella!” she laughed incredulously.  “You can’t not tell him!”

“I-”  She cut herself off, head shaking frantically.

“Isabella, listen.”  She leaned forward, resting her elbows on her knees.  “My mom always taught me that there will be a lot of times you’ll have to choose between two different kinds of discomfort.  So there’s the discomfort of telling him, which would last…I dunno, ten minutes?  Or the discomfort of wondering for the rest of your life.”

Conspiratorially, Isabella leaned in.  “See, my mom taught me that, when you’re working with limited information, it’s impossible to know which choice is right and which is wrong, so the question is which choice can you live with being the wrong one.  And if telling Ferb is the wrong choice, I can’t live with losing him.”

“Admittedly, you know him better than I do, but…I don’t think Ferb’s that kind of friend.”

“No, but…I’m not usually the kind of friend who snaps at people for no reason, either.”

Marissa patted her hand.  “Which is why I forgive you.”  Leaning back in her chair, she added, “And why you’re not getting out of me nagging you about this.  That’s the kind of friend I am.”

Isabella caught herself smiling and took another sip of her drink.

next chapter

[lgcmanager]

PHYSICAL BOOTCAMP 001

SCHEDULE TYPE: TRIMESTER ( PART 1 OUT OF 1 ) SCHEDULE RESTRICTIONS: Cannot be paired with another trimester schedule, unless stated otherwise. You may only take part in ONE bootcamp.

on OCTOBER 10, at the beginning of each training groups' day (8AM for morning training group, 3PM for evening training group), the trainees are guided towards a large meeting room big enough to accommodate everybody. once all the trainees have arrived, KIM HYUNCHEOL and ALL THE COACHES make their entrance. the head manager of the trainees waits for the assembled crowd to grow quiet before speaking: "it's good to have you all back in legacy!" he begins, the smile on his lips showing that he genuinely means it. "we hope that you've learned a lot during the summer and look forward to see your growth of the past months. now that you're all back and the family concert is behind us, it's time to look ahead.

as you all know, the year end is a busy period in the industry. unfortunately, many artist tend to get injured or sick due to their tightly packed schedules during this time of the year. with that in mind, as well as the various tours that have recently ended, your coaches and i felt that we should be put more effort into preparing you - the next generation -  to withstand such demanding schedules. due to our busy training schedule, physical training has always been left at your discretion, however, building up muscles and stamina is extremely important for your health as idols. therefore, from TODAY to DECEMBER 24, 2022 regular schedules are suspended, and of you not taking part in the other bootcamp, will participate in the PHYSICAL BOOTCAMP" whatever the general reaction is, hyuncheol doesn't seem to care as he continues. "on DECEMBER 25, PHYSICAL BOOTCAMP trainees will take part in a CHARITY DEMI-MARATHON by the han river. your results on that day don't matter, as long as you try your best. all proceeds will go towards buying food for low income families for LUNAR NEW YEAR. and one last thing..." he cracks a smile. "you'll be taking the WEEK OF DECEMBER 26, 2022 off, before regular schedules resume on JANUARY 2, 2023."

PHYSICAL BOOTCAMP

as explained above, trainees will be taking part in a physical conditioning bootcamp. during this bootcamp, they are expected to pick up 3 activities; one cardio training ( done on mon-wed-fri ), one muscle training ( done on tues-thurs ) and one sport ( done on saturdays ). during the first week, every trainee will go through a physical check-up; any trainee with injuries will have to attend physiotherapy and massage therapy. they will be closely followed by the various coaches to avoid further or new injuries ( this bootcamp is about getting them in better shape to avoid injuries after all! )

SCHEDULE

↠ Weekdays

Non-Students ( Morning Training Group )

8AM to 10AM: Group Free Practice

10AM to 12PM: Group Vocal Training ( mon-wed-fri ) or Group Dance Training ( tues-thurs )

12PM to 1PM: Lunch Break

1PM to 4PM: Workout

4PM to 5PM: Meditation

5PM: END

Students ( Evening Training Group )

3PM to 5PM: Group Free Practice

5PM to 7PM: Group Vocal Training ( mon-wed-fri ) or Group Dance Training ( tues-thurs )

 7PM to 8PM: Dinner Break

 8PM to 11PM: Workout

 11PM to 12AM: Meditation

 12AM: END

↠ Saturdays

All Trainees

8AM to 11AM: Sports Lesson

11AM to 12PM: Meditation

12PM to 1PM: Lunch Break

1PM to 3PM: Group Dance Training

3PM to 7PM: Free Practice

7PM: END

LGC CAFÉ PERFORMANCES

for this trimester ( Q4 2022 ), all of the trainees in the physical bootcamp will be eligible to participate in it as long as you meet the point requirements! you can find out the details over HERE.

REQUIREMENTS

rather than giving a writing task for everyone pertaining to the information above, we’ve decided to implement a new system in hopes of encouraging character development and continuing any past threads you may have! this is somewhat similar to the charts mission in that any thread replies ( with a minimum of 8 lines ) written between TODAY until DECEMBER 31 2022 11:59PM EST will be counted. text threads will not count unless there is a paragraph of at least 8 lines or more added to the post. as for starters, you can only write a maximum of TWO for this to count.

moreover, instead of the posts counting for points like we typically do, points gained will be revealed after the end of the period like our secret rewards! if you are interested in doing this, please tag all of the posts as lgc:wc001 and you have until DECEMBER 31, 2022 11:59PM EST to participate and submit your posts for this event. when you’re done, please submit the form below to the lgcpoints blog:

MUSE NAME ∙ WRITING CHALLENGE 001  - POSTS COMPLETED: [ # of posts; do include how many starters were written in case you wrote some ]  - POSTS: [ link all of the posts ]

[1ddotdhq]

Thurs 21 Jan ‘21

Welp. Today was a busy week, huh? 

Let’s start with Zayn’s INZAYNLY AWESOME idea of writing a comic book based on his own album - take THAT reviews that said he had no concept behind it! The first panel of the story is a man in a white car speeding away from a man with purple eyes and white pupils (REALLY creepy btw), and it reads, “A madman has been chasing me for the past hour. When I go faster, he comes closer”. I am intrigued! I hope that this is some sort of enemies to lovers type thing, but knowing these guys, its strictly horror/suspense. This is being presented in video form, so the panels are moving figures and they are scored with songs from the album, which I assume is how the rest of the panels will also be presented. You can watch these two panels with the songs “Calamity” and “Better” over on YouTube for the full effect! Also, Zayn’s last listening party was today and he was the DJ! “DJ Malik”, he said in a sentimental throwback to his boyband days. He and his team had a great time throwing airhorns into the the listening party and then they did a “from Dusk Til Dawn '' encore, which I’m sure means Zayn wants us to be streaming NIL from Dusk Til Dawn! 

To keep the party going, Paul Roberts, TPWK and longtime 1D choreographer, had a chat with the BBC about working with Harry and Phoebe (WB) on the music video. He knew right away, he said, that everyone from 1D could be a great dancer if they really wanted to be, and, ten years later, he finally got the chance to test the theory! Spoiler alert: he was RIGHT! Harry had seen Phoebe in Fleabag on the West End and got on with her from the word go, and so the idea came about. “It was about three weeks before the world started to burn”, he says about the filming of the video,“We didn’t know how lucky we were”. 

Finally, let’s CHAT: it’s stunt timeeeeee!! Today is, of course, Freddie’s birthday, which meant the usual round of pictures stolen from social media from the Tomlinson sisters, silence from Louis, and birthday pics from the Clarks. Including a picture of a sonogram posted by Briana that was taken on August 3rd, 2015 (Louis confirmed the baby on the very next day on GMA). This sonogram is notable BECAUSE - drumroll pleasseeeee - it was taken at a FERTILITY CLINIC which specialized in surrogacy and IVF. So this is a clinic that only treats people who cannot have children naturally. To make matters more interesting, the clinic does not do non-client visits, and they did not do them in 2015. You simply could not go to this clinic if you had an accidental pregnancy because those are not the kinds of clients served by this clinic! I mean, if nothing else, this shows that Briana did not get accidentally pregnant by Louis, if she was pregnant at all. Likely, it was another fucked up photoshop job, where they switched Tammi’s name for hers and just forgot to change the name of the clinic. Sighhh. We knew this, of course, but WOW does this prove it concretely, huh? Anyways, I cannot BELIEVE that they are still fucking up THIS BADLY five years later, but uh. Yeah. Happy Birthday, Freddie, hope you got more than an apple this year! 

But that’s not the ONLY stunt that’s becoming faker and faker: Fauxlivia is proving itself to be nothing but the cash, and the cars, and the glory...and the pretty clothes, apparently! Turns out, Olivia is a brand ambassador for La Ligne in much the same way that H works for Gucci. She’s been featured on their instagram many MANY times, and has, thus far, worn their clothes for no fewer than TWO of the Holivia pap walks. Strangely enough, though, when this whole stunt began to manifest in late October, HARRY began featuring on their Instagram page as well. Totally Organically, of course, considering that they’d never talked about him before! That AND: the pink beanie that H was wearing in their dumb af Parking Lot Pap Walk has ALSO been idenfied to be La Ligne, which I’m sure he Just Decided to begin wearing and it had NOTHING to do with Jeff being Right There and them having promoted Gucci together at Jeff’s wedding. Mhmmmmm they’ve convinced me they’re TOTALLY in love. Celebrities that promo together, stay together, after all! (Oh, is that not the saying?)

Meanwhile, Liam’s Final Act merch has been delayed, and he has asked people to “contact him when they get it” (Harry’s team could NEVER), and JC Stewart called Niall “one of the nicest guys in music”. I’m sure he agrees! And, Niall has his own little discourse today - so much for him not creating any drama, huh? There were some shirtless pics of him posted by an ~source~ where he seems to have been working out (Niall has ABS now??) and is arranging a stack of boxes that read “nude” (just like Niall, huh?). UAs battled it out whether or not these pics should have been posted because he did not know they were being taken and there’s ETHICS involved, but Niall hangs out shirtless so much ANYWAYS that I bet he doesn’t mind.

[lemonbalmgirl]

I wish I could figure out how to make my weekly schedule work out better, especially in terms of Business Stuff.

It takes me a certain amount of time to wake up & focus enough to work on Business Stuff (especially producing jewelry), there are a lot of days in my week where that time factor just...isn't there. Especially when my best working hours seem to be approximately noon to 4pm.

Monday & Wednesday I donate plasma (but I get paid for my time), and that's where my $ for food comes from. I partially do these days because that's when I can get a ride to and from the facility, which is 10 miles away. If I were using public transit, things would take at least another 2 hours. Donating plasma can take around 2 hours, depending on how quickly donors are being processed. And then afterward, I usually need to take a nap (you know, because stuff was literally removed from my bloodstream). This is also when I can run errands that are with a car, like grocery shopping. I'm usually gone from 11 am to around 4 pm.

Not quite weekly, I meet up with my business buddy, Pattie, to discuss where we're vending next and other sundry details. I usually take the bus to her (~1 hour each way), we have a meeting for a couple hours, then go eat lunch somewhere. I'm usually home by early evening.

Saturday & Sunday are, of course, the weekend. Roommate is home and this is often when socializing with other humans happens, because most people work during weekdays. Even when there aren't specific weekend plans, it can be more difficult to get good Work time in because Roommate is home, which means it's easier to get distracted and I KNOW I'm not home alone, which just...makes it more difficult to freely do things.

So, that leaves Thursday & Friday. Sometimes Thursday ends up being a recovery day (especially if I have a tiring weekend, and then go straight into plasma day, meeting with Pattie, plasma day).

Also, when I'm not able to work on stuff I know I should be working on (whether because of other obligations or mental health or whatever), I feel guilty, which leads to feeling anxious. So like...I can't even relax when I'm supposedly "doing nothing" a lot of the time. Which is both hilarious and enormously frustrating.

Edit: I’m going to try moving my second plasma day to Friday, even though I can only get a ride TO plasma. This is the easiest piece of my schedule to move and I’ll be okay with being more exhausted since it’s going straight into the weekend, especially if it means I can get more done earlier in the week.

So, I guess I’m trying out Tues/Wed/Thurs as a better work week?

[absolutebl]

This Week in BL - 2024 is Ending, Not With A Bang But With A Whimper

Organized, in each category, with ones I'm enjoying most at the top.

Dec 2024 Week 4

Ongoing Series - Thai

Your Sky AKA How to Train Your Seme (Sun iQIYI) ep 6 of 12 - Oh they are so fucking cute. Lee maybe the best brother wingman ever in BL. He is so entirely on Fah’s side. And we get sweet soft first kisses with permission asked. Yeah!

Stupid phone call!

ThamePo (Fri YT) ep 3 of 12 - Not gonna lie, hard call over whether this should take the top spot this week. I adore this show.

This lead pair is absolutely stunning. I love that the story is about external drama with others, not manufactured drama or miscommunication between the leads. In fact, the romance that we see developing is one characterized by careful attention, gentleness, and patience. They enjoy each other‘s company in a restful calming way. We are watching them become each other’s safe space. Neither of them realizing how much they needed that from the world. I hope the conflict stays external and they get to evolve as a couple while narrative tension stays external.

Love Sick 2024 (Sun iQIYI) ep 15 end - i’m quite pleased that they kept most of the stuff in the forest. And I actually like that they swapped it around so that this was the end of the series. I think it makes for a better more solid ending. I'm disappointed that 10 years on and PhunNoh still don't get to have a decent kiss. Since I think the new pair would’ve done fine with it. In the end I think neither Love Sick really come out on top. They’re both represent their time although this new one was oddly nostalgic.

I chronicaled my experience with 2024 as compared to 2014 here including ep-by-ep recaps and ratings, as well as a summary judgement over all. Spoiler...... all that work and it was, ultimately, a draw. I guess 10 years a not all THAT much has changed in Thail BL. Therefore this Love Sick gets the same as the original, 7/10 

The Heart Killers (Weds Gaga) ep 6 of 12 - I love the tension and the slow rollout of the secret being revealed. It’s really beautifully done. Joong is knocking his role out of the park, I have to say. He’s kind of stealing this show for me. Also I loved the foreshadowing of drawing the make up tears on his face and then, of course, us knowing that there will be tears from Fidel in this episode once he knows The Truth. Very nice, boyos.

Fourever You (Thurs YT) ep 13 of 16 - I think i love Arthirt best in the world. love seeing someone more an arse than Johan. To Johan. Also, by all means take Ngern's shirt off. We all being all kinds of respectful on this side of the screen. Pinky promise.

Caged Again (Fri Gaga) ep 8 of 10 - Adorable date and sweet kisses. But NGL this episode was a bit boring for me.

Perfect 10 Liners (Sun YT) ep 9 of 24 - I think that I like ForceBook best when they are just being casual long-term boyfriends together. You know, chwill chwill sabai sabai. I see Santa is back in his "punk ass little brother" role. Suits him well enough. But I have to say that Junior is absolutely stealing this show. He’s truly stellar. Meanwhile, what an adorable hug and meet cute. I enjoyed the ending of this episode. I admit, I’m not sold on the new pair, but I’m more willing to give them a chance now then I was when this was first announced.

Secret Love 60-81 end - what a very odd show. But I forgive a lot for pining semes and the stepbrother trope. 7/10

Ongoing Series - Not Thai

Our Youth AKA Miseinen: Mijukuna Oretachi wa Bukiyo ni Shinkochu (Japan Tues Gaga) ep 8 of 11 - oh its so painful. No one does this level of suffering like Japan. Just press that bruise and feel the sticky sweet ache.

See Your Love (Taiwan Weds Gaga) ep 11 of 13 - it is all very important and absolutely adorable but where Sean just kind gestures desperately at the bed and Shao Peng muscles him into it was absolutely fantastic. All the picking up and tossign arroudn and smily fun kissing in the shower. It'll all just GREAT. Also, THAT pregnancy line was epic. 

Eternal Butler (Taiwan Fri Gaga) eps 3 of 12 - It's actually quite sweet. Tonally quite odd, and definitely jarring when pitted agains the rest of the end of year offerings, but I think I like it? I don’t know where it’s going. Or what it’s doing. And I don’t entirely trust it. Because of the production house track record. But I am enjoying it. Also, the horny herb drug is back. This is a seriously old trope. Like 1970s old romance trope.

Teenager Judge (Vietnam Sat YT) ep 13 of ? - I'm bored.

It's airing but......

Spare Me Your Mercy (Thurs iQIYI) finished it's run. I don't know what to do. Reviews are all over the damn place. Do I watch?

Be Moon - Falling for my enemy's son (China YT) movie from HBD Studio. I can't find it. You?

Winter Is Not The Death of Summer (Thai ???) - has been picked up to air on WeTV, or something? Criminals who meet in prison fall in love. I did find it on YouTube, initially un-subbed, then subs happened by which time I got distracted. It is very pulp but intriguing. For now it's to the wayside until someone tells me it landed safely. Occasionally Thai pulps want to be edgy and it's not a good look on them. But sometimes they do good.

The Renovation (Thai mini One31) 2 eps - Writer turns his blossoming romance with holiday resort owner into a novel. Is it worth tracking down? That is the question.

0.5D (Japan ????) 4 eps - Supposedly a now completed short. "Sales ace, Sada, has a secret that only his junior, Daiki, knows. He has pretended to have a gf for years, resulting in him being a virgin. But now Sada has fallen in love. Confused, Sada seeks advice from his junior." I sense another queer Cyrano De Bergerac. I can't find and it's got very poor reviews, so Imma stop looking. Info here.

It Ended But?

Blue Canvas of Youthful Days (China Sun Viki) paused at eps 9-10 of 12 - I have been told the ending is OK if not great. I just haven't been inspired to watch.

In Case You Missed it

I've started my end of year wraps. Here's the 2024 Trend Report. My best of year wards are still to come. Watch this space.

Next Week Looks Like This:

Final still to come in 2024:

12/29 Sangmin Dinneaw (Thai Sun iQIYI) ??eps - trailer Childhood friends (Thai & Korean) reunite after being apart for ten years. As the boys reconnect, their bond matures and feelings of romance develop.

2025 Line Up

BL Announced for 2025 - PART 1

BL Announced for 2025 - PART 2

20 BLs Announced for 2025 That I'm Really Excited About

GMMTV 2025 Line Up - My Totally Biased and Wildly Flawed Feels

THIS WEEK’S BEST MOMENT

BEST BOY. (Your Sky)

(last week)

The tag BLigade: @doorajar @solitaryandwandering @my-rose-tinted-glasses @babymbbatinygirl @babymbbatinygirl @isisanna-blog @mmastertheone @pickletrip @aliceisathome @urikawa-miyuki @tokillamonger @sunflower-positiiivity @rocketturtle4 @blglplus @anythinggoesintheshire @everlightly @renafire @mestizashinrin @bl-bam-beyond @small-dark-and-delicious @saezurumurmurs

[f4liveblogarchives]

Fantastic Four Vol 1 #239

Thur Dec 17 2020 [10:52 PM] Umbramatic: :O [10:52 PM] Wack'd: I'm gonna guess Batman. You'd never expect that

[10:53 PM] Umbramatic: its the spanish inquisition [10:54 PM] Wack'd: So this mystery guest is a woman with short black hair, having come to see the Four all the way from Arizona on a matter of life or death. She also mentions in thought balloons that

"It's been so long--so many years since we last saw each other. I wonder if he ever thinks of me--of us."

[10:55 PM] Bocaj: I don't think I know of anyone with black hair [10:55 PM] Wack'd: Lucky for her, especially given it's the dead of night, the Four's little corner of the Baxter now has a receptionist. Uh. Kinda.

[10:57 PM] Wack'd: Reed meanwhile has been up for three days straight trying to fix the current Ben related-fuckup. He blamed himself, of course. Sue tries to reassure him that Ben probably doesn't hold him accountable [10:58 PM] Wack'd: Huh!

[10:58 PM] Wack'd: You know what? Fair dues. I did not see this coming. [10:59 PM] maxwellelvis: Doctors Hate Her! [10:59 PM] Bocaj: I always thought of Aunt Petunia not appearing until later [10:59 PM] Bocaj: In my mind she was sort of a the ghost for a while in the sense of sir not appearing [10:59 PM] Wack'd: I mean hey, twenty years is a hell of a while. [10:59 PM] maxwellelvis: As an aside, from what I remember of Ben's wedding, it looks like Aunt Petunia started aging in real time as if the Four had gotten their powers NOW as in 1982 [11:00 PM] Wack'd: "Doctors Hate Her!" Funny you say that max because Ben describes Petunia as a "genuine country doctor." [11:00 PM] maxwellelvis: Ha! [11:01 PM] Wack'd: So Petunia meets the gang. Sue mentions she was expecting someone older, which Petunia takes in stride [11:02 PM] Wack'd: It turns out Petunia married into the family. She, uh. Well. [11:02 PM] Wack'd: Ben's Uncle Jake got into an auto accident, which killed his wife. Petunia, then a student nurse, became his medical student, and then his wife. [11:02 PM] Wack'd: That...sure is a course of events! [11:03 PM] Bocaj: 😬 [11:03 PM] Bocaj: That feels like it fits into a trend with Byrne [11:03 PM] Wack'd: Doesn't it just. (Though I will again point out he is not responsible for Sue having been creepily young when she and Reed hooked up. That's Lee.) [11:04 PM] maxwellelvis: I can see why Slott decided to retcon Aunt Petunia into the grandmotherly type for the wedding. [11:04 PM] Bocaj: Oh now I know where MCU Aunt May has absorbed life force from [11:04 PM] Wack'd: So the "life or death" matter involves her home out in Arizona with Jake. The whole town is in danger of being "frightened to death." [11:05 PM] maxwellelvis: So call Mystery Incoporated [11:05 PM] maxwellelvis: Oh wait, this is 1982, Mystery Inc.'s broken up. [11:06 PM] Wack'd: So. Uh. This is Uncle Jake.

[11:06 PM] Wack'd: And this is Aunt Petunia.

[11:07 PM] maxwellelvis: Yeah, she'd have to have a few more gray hairs than that if she's known Ben since he was a boy, I think. [11:07 PM] Wack'd: She does not seem to have. [11:08 PM] Wack'd: So the Four arrive in Benson, Arizona, and the narration informs us that Ben had been the only one who approved of Jake marrying Petunia, and. [11:09 PM] maxwellelvis: That's what all the instances of Ben invoking her name had led me to believe. [11:09 PM] Wack'd: Look I want to take for granted this is messed up and move on but the damn book seems dead set against me doing this. [11:10 PM] maxwellelvis: Well, anyways, I guess that means we've hit the OTHER side of John Byrne's run. [11:10 PM] maxwellelvis: Aspect, perhaps [11:10 PM] Wack'd: Sue mentions we don't know much about Ben's past. Ben says his mom and died died when he was a teen and Jake raised him. [11:10 PM] Wack'd: (We don't really know much of Reed's past at this point, though I am given to understand this will also change in the near future.) [11:11 PM] maxwellelvis: This part is just Byrne telling Steve Gerber he can fuck off. [11:11 PM] Wack'd: Gerber, I assume, would instruct Bryne to get in line. [11:12 PM] Wack'd: Racism? Anyone want some racism? Anyone think what this story could really use, right about now, is some racism?

[11:13 PM] Bocaj: Eesh [11:13 PM] maxwellelvis: (Gerber I think was one of the first writers to use the "Ben grew up on Yancy St." backstory) [11:14 PM] maxwellelvis: (Unless he didn't write that issue of Marvel Two-In-One, in which case it would probably be Roy Thomas that Byrne was dismissing here) [11:16 PM] maxwellelvis: (I would look this up, but I physically cannot get to my Essential 2-in-1 collection atm) [11:16 PM] Wack'd: So Ruth's child assistant(?) Wendy is upset that Ruth, rather than just appreciating the arrowhead, started a whole excavation. She has fond memories of this place because when her mom was sick they'd come to the site and collect rocks and whatnot. [11:16 PM] Wack'd: So that's not ominous.

[11:17 PM] Wack'd: We skip forward to that night, where two of Ruth's more non-child students are doing some late-night archeology. A mist comes at them and then BAM! Scared to death! [11:18 PM] Wack'd: MEANWHILE IN THE HIMALAYAS [11:19 PM] maxwellelvis: I was putting something in the oven, thinking "Oh man, it better not be the Miracle Man again" and then we cut to the Himalayas [11:19 PM] Wack'd: Quicksilver has been fighting some kind of war, apparently, while Crystal--suffering complications from a half-mutant half-Inhuman pregnancy--is being treated by whoever this guy is.

[11:20 PM] Wack'd: Pietro here is apparently the only guy in all of Attilan who's not come down with some sort of mysterious disease. [11:20 PM] maxwellelvis: He looks like the Leader, if the Leader was slowly turning into a raisin. [11:20 PM] Wack'd: And Attilan is being destroyed, leaving Pietro as their only hope. [11:21 PM] maxwellelvis: Oh yeah, he just looks like the PICTURE of health here, don't he [11:21 PM] Umbramatic: gfrtvtigyhhuihjio;opkp [11:21 PM] Bocaj: The funny thing is that mutant and inhuman genes apparently cancel out [11:22 PM] Bocaj: Or Crystal and Pietro won the silliest genetic lottery [11:22 PM] Wack'd: Back in Arizona, Reed is having no luck cracking the case, while Frankie and Wendy get some bonding time in

[11:23 PM] Wack'd: So, uh. Because this story just did not have enough going on, it turns out Wendy's dad is beating her. [11:23 PM] Umbramatic: oh [11:24 PM] Wack'd: Frankie tries to intervene but Wendy begs her to back off, so she figures there's nothing to be done and leaves. [11:24 PM] Bocaj: Comic are you sure you're up to this content [11:25 PM] Wack'd: I feel like Reed should be caught a bit more flatfooted by someone he looks up to intellectually telling him he can't fix things with guesswork.

[11:26 PM] Wack'd: Sue and Ben want to take action of some kind but Reed points out that, uh, they can't really punch their way out of this one. [11:27 PM] maxwellelvis: I'd make more scooby-doo jokes, but John Byrne deciding to put a Very Special Episode in here has kind of made that feel... not so fun anymore. [11:28 PM] Wack'd: That night, Wendy sneaks out of her house to go talk to the mists. Turns out that’s who her wonderful friends are. [11:30 PM] Wack'd: I think she wants to beg them for mercy? The narration boxes get kinda cryptic. Anyway if that's what she's done, it reeeaaally doesn't work.

[11:30 PM] Wack'd: "What was that about not being able to fight our way out?" [11:32 PM] Bocaj: I think Slott revisited some of this [11:32 PM] Bocaj: I vaguely remember mists and gremlins when Franklin and Valeria were staying with aunt petunia post wedding [11:33 PM] Bocaj: But as it was the same story where Sue made Doom naked on a live broadcast the details escape me [11:33 PM] Wack'd: So on top of these weird things the entire town is now also set on fire and also in a giant windstorm. The Four put out the fires but the damage is done and most of the town decides to evacuate. [11:33 PM] Umbramatic: oh yes that one [11:35 PM] Wack'd: what the fuck what the fuck what the FUCK

[11:36 PM] maxwellelvis: Oh of COURSE Byrne has Reed sympathize with an abusive parent. [11:37 PM] Wack'd: Okay so for starters, because this is the thing I'm the least mad about, everything about this resolution is fucking nonsense. We know basically nothing about any of the other people who got "frightened to death" and so as the readers had no ability to draw upon our own knowledge of their morality or why they might not be able to handle seeing visions of their worst selves. [11:37 PM] Wack'd: From there we get to the fact that, for all the ways Ruth and Reed protested earlier, this is a massive pile of assumptions with absolutely no backing in fact or evidence. [11:37 PM] Umbramatic: geez [11:38 PM] Wack'd: Speaking of Ruth, she said that the arrowhead was crucial, and Ben speculated that may be the excavation released the spirits and they needed to be re-buried. They don't out right say it, but this may as well be a "ancient Indian burial ground" plot. [11:39 PM] Umbramatic: yeesh [11:39 PM] Wack'd: And from there we get, yes, Reed saying that their job is not to judge people, therefore they can't do anything about an abusive parent. Which is frankly just moral cowardice and also really gross. [11:40 PM] maxwellelvis: And also a grim portent of things to come in this era. [11:41 PM] Wack'd: And so the story ends, with. I think the implication is that Wendy asked her "friends" to take care of her dad for her? Which is okay, I guess, but doesn't really fix the way everybody else reacts to this.

[11:42 PM] Wack'd: The story is also just plain all over the place. There's absolutely no reason for the characters who get the Four involved in the plot to be Ben's Aunt Petunia--except-- [11:42 PM] Wack'd: Oh. The whole town got judged. [11:43 PM] Wack'd: Did John Bryne really just write a plot where a bunch of cosmic arbiters of justice basically give the okay to marrying your student [11:43 PM] maxwellelvis: RED FLAG [11:44 PM] Wack'd: This a lot, huh. [11:45 PM] Wack'd: Well, maybe whatever Inhumans nonsense is going on will help clear my head.

[1ddiscourseoftheday]

Tues 5 Nov 🧨

As promised, Fine Line presales opened this morning, along with some new merch (shirts of the album cover) and a surprise: an album release show at the Forum in LA! One night only! "FINE LINE LIVE!" Tickets go on sale Thurs with a special code given to those who have ordered merch via the US store by Wed evening. UK Ireland and Australian store orders will get a code for 'a potential upcoming show' in that region. Harry liked posts on twitter and "answered" some questions; he says there will be 863 songs on the album for example. Spoiler, he is LYING we can clearly see the tracklist and there are twelve! Two of them are LONG, over six minutes. Asked what his favorite song on HS2 Fine Line is he takes a page from Louis' book but he just had to take it a little further and star out the whole title, so good luck with * **** * **** (I guess he is right to make it harder, it only took about 30 min for someone to correctly guess We Made It.) He also followed David Beckham and I guess sent him some Gucci Disney luggage?? Okay. Oh and last night pap pics of him came out, but probably they're old, but whatever, the real news is: he is holding one (1) lemon and one (1) orange in his two (2) hands. Like you do.

New Zayn song!! Well.... Not yet. But news of a new Zayn song! Yesterday producer Daniel Zaidenstadt posted an old pic of himself with a shaggy haired smiley Zayn, today: song announcement post! The silent post (my friend: "Zayn wants us to listen with our third eye") invites us to pre-save the track, Flames, a collab with R3HAB and Jungleboi. And that is all we know so far.

Niall, who is supposed to be the no drama no discourse corner of the fandom, even Louis said so, is stirring discourse! WTF! The VIP packages for the NTMY tour are up and while they don't include a meet and greet option there is a "Q and A" included- but she ain't cheap. "$400 to hear people ask when he's collaborating with Shawn, no thanks," said many. Ouch. He also had a good interview out (no discourse!) and more content from the MITS awards yesterday (not much discourse.) The interview has some interesting content, including him saying that he agrees with Harry's quote about young women's influence on culture, that "young people are the ones with the power and they’ve shown that for so many years, the young people always pick up on something and really go with it when they get it." I take strong issue with his definition of power, but can appreciate his (I believe) intended point about who the cultural tastemakers are. As for the MITS award thing, we don't actually get to see it, but we see a glimpse of what is apparently a sketch spoofing The Office and award winners Harry Magee and Richard Griffiths featuring not just Niall but also Liam! From Liam's 'IT tech' look I'm gonna say he was a version of Chris Hemsworth's character in Ghostbusters and friends, I would like to see it. Niall as Magee is in a toned down version of his BSE look with his hair all white. Niall, Liam, and Harry all also recorded messages for their old Modest Management team ("congratulations guys, I love you both very much. I’m really happy for you," [H] "I love these two men, can’t talk highly enough for them," [N] and "I don’t think we could’ve really asked for better mentors" [Li])

Louis had an interview in the Times of India in which he talks about the importance of talking about our emotions and says going to India is a priority for him. And a sort of 3D pic thing was posted to his account, a new WMI promo pic, it's neat. More info on the Elvis Duran ticket giveaway- it's a lot. It's tickets to one of the London shows plus backstage to play video games with Louis and keep the games (¿?) plus all expenses trip plus you get sent out to a pub dinner (??).... ALL THAT!! I'd rather just talk to Louis than play video games but okay sure I mean. It's an amazing prize. And in more happy news, rumors are circulating that more Latin American dates are being negotiated for LTtour.

Liam had an opinion piece attributed to him published in Radio Times Magazine about his time in Namibia for the upcoming Straight Talking with Ant Middleton special. He says he "learnt the true power of conversation- and silence," and that he learned a lot thanks to his experiences "in the band One Direction," and that in conclusion, we should all unplug and spend less time on our phones. And the video segment showing him surprising young Pride of Britain Award winner Ben Hedger aired tonight and it's really sweet.

[absolutebl]

This Week in BL

April 2021 Part 1

Being a highly subjective assessment of one tiny corner of the interwebs.

Ongoing Series - Thai

Second Chance Ep 1 - living up to its name since it looks to be a series of redemption arcs. Launched with a college confession and a broken friendship, then a flash back to them as seniors in high school. Pairings include friends to lovers, nerd/jock, and maybe cafe boss/employee. There’s a lot going on, but it’s still... quiet and sweet. The script is pretty pat but it’s still WAY more watchable than Cupid Coach or Brothers and most of the acting is solid. Ep 1 tropes included: he’s in engineering, wound tending, fast & bicurious. This could turn into what I wanted My Gear & Your Gown to be. Fingers crossed. 

Love Poison 2 Ep 1 & 2 turns out I did watch and report on season 1 (8 eps), season 2 seems equally unmemorable. Thai countryside setting, strong dialect, incomprehensible plot, camp side characters, and ghastly singing. 

Y-Destiny Ep 1 (eng subs?) - opened with the sports romance enemies to lovers (they aren’t going in the teaser order). When the couple got over fighting, the flirting was v cute, but the flipping SPONGE BATH trope had to rear its ugly head. Still, this series is shaping up to be less coy and more frank than most BL, better than expected. It feels, I don’t know, gay-er or something?  *** Sources were correct that each couple is getting (at least) 2 eps, and MDL has been updated to say this is a 15 episode series (not 7). 

Cupid Coach 12 fin - The new Nite was great and should have been a main all along. It felt like we got a tiny nugget of what could have been in about 10 minutes worth of this last ep. It was way too slow with terrible editing and a criminally bad script, but at least it ended happy. Mostly, like Friend Forever, I’m just disappointed that these two actors were done dirty by the series. Bad Cupid Coach, no screen caps for you. 

Lovely Writer Ep 6 - breaking news, there’s a het couple I like: toppy bi femme + soft boi = such a good pairing! I know, but this NEVER happens. Meanwhile, Sib’s secret is out, Gene is a bit of a drama queen, and the plot thickens. We half way through.  

Brothers Ep 9 - Kaow had a serious moment of advice giving that was truly lovely. Lots of family dama made this a superior episode to... well... any of the others in this series. Which isn’t saying much. 

1000 Stars Ep 10 fin - at the start this series didn’t grab me the way GMMTV’s last BL, Tonhon Chonlatee, did. But boy did it end 1000x better. Might have given us 2021′s best forehead kiss. I enjoyed the ultra romantic cliff-top reunion kiss, and I LOVED the stinger flirting scene. That was an absolute gift we had no right to expect. This drama is a poster child for finishing on a high note (always focus on that dessert course). Final thoughts? This was FAR more a classic romance than it was BL. There were some BL tropes used but not many and most of them originated in the romance genre not yaoi. A picture perfect ending bumped 1000 Stars much higher up my best-of list than expected. Not sure how often I’ll rewatch it as a whole, but this last episode? I’m probably rewatching it right now. 

Ongoing Series - Not Thai

Dear Uranus (Taiwan GL) Ep 3 fin - I guess that’s it? Okaaaaay  

HIStory 4: Close To You (Taiwan) Ep 3 (AKA Ep 5-6) - we got actual legit gay culture not just BL (always appreciated) from XingSi. I’m starting to find LiCheng’s “show them we fucking” hijinks hilarious rather than annoying (not sure why, maybe I just love a rubber chicken, or maybe it was the STUFFED CORN WITH THE TASSEL that did it). 

-- H4 Moment of RANT --

Tropes included beach trip, there’s only one bed, cook for him, baby is a floppy drunk, carry baby to bed, and.... drunk non-con. Whoopdedoo. Here we go again. Did TharnType teach us NOTHING? (Apparently it taught us if the chemistry is good enough, I have no morals at all.) At least H4 seems to be taking us out of cheese into serious when it comes to assault. Or is it? 

I take back what I said last week about XingSi & YongJie being codependency + salvation trope, that only works if YongJie is the uke. He’s NOT. So we got us an obsessive predatory villain with a possible redemption arc. That’s more common in crime dramas, mafia romance, and epic fantasy than BL. It’s real hard to redeem a sexual predator in a reality-grounded universe like contemporary romance (See Kla in LBC1&2). 

Next week is gonna be a test of the whole damn franchise. Imma remind both me a you that this was ep 3 of 10 so we got a ways to go yet... but ooof, what have we wrought, BL? (I ended up doing a whole post about the stepbrother trope because of this sub plot.) Taiwan is killing me.

-- RANT ended --

Word of Honor (China) Ep 19-21 - over half way point so we got ALL the back story (in a classic 4 act story structure midway reveal). Now we know who WKX really is and his lineage. We also got some cute hugs and hand holds. Moving along at a nice clip despite being 36 eps total. Still gayest thing to come out of we-not-gay China since Advance Bravely. 

Most Peaceful Place (Vietnam) Ep 2 - takes them a while to get eng subs together and ep 2 didn’t drop until late. So I’m putting this in a Thurs time slot going forward. Miscommunication already cleared up and a 2nd couple has been introduced. The pacing on these Vietnamese BLs is always a bit... off. But it’s still better than most of its ilk, enjoyable. I’m thinking it’s a 6 ep arc. 

We Best Love 2 (Taiwan) Ep 5 - after the initial drama DRAMA of ep 2, the current external crisis at work is much quieter, giving this whole season a top heavy feel. Taken along side the first season, I think it’s fitting nicely into a 4 act structure, but that might be my bias. I hope I’m not wrong, we’ll find out next week. Shi De puttering about being domestic with Shu Yi on his back was the best execution of the piggyback trope EVER. Meanwhile, our little D/s side couple of codependency, salvation trope + mental illness is becoming weirdly appealing. I don’t know. H4 done mess with my head. 

Stand Alones 

Absolute BL AKA Zettai BL ni Naru Sekai vs Zettai BL ni Naritakunai Otoko  (Japan) Ep 1-4 mini series. Found subs under A Man Who Defies The World of BL. IT’S HILARIOUS. It’s Japan making fun of us, but also itself for having started this whole BL nonsense - from yaoi roots to present day. It’s parody goddamn gold. Utterly cheeky unto the very last line. We are not worthy. 

Apparently the most powerful tropes of all time are: baby is a floppy drunk and the piggyback fo nobility. Oh and chocolate. {Full review here.} 

Honestly, this show may have been made with only @heretherebedork and I in mind. I don’t know if you’d even understand half of it if you don’t have a history with the manga source genre and an obsessive interest in underlying narrative devices. I haven’t seen much chatter in the blog’o’sphere on this one because, in the end, it’s not a romance at all, it’s social commentary. 

The ending line was a masterclass in lampooning a genre. I’m going to rewatch the whole thing just to catch all the digs I missed first time around. It is a thing of beauty and a joy forever. 

Thank you Japan. I forgive you all your hair-styling sins of the last decade. 

Breaking News 

Spring Line Up:

Scholar Ryu’s Wedding Ceremony AKA Nobleman Ryu’s Wedding (Korean historical BL) April 15th 

Close Friend the series (Thai trailer) April 22. 

2gether the movie (Thai trailer) April 22 to Thai theaters.

Nitiman (Thai) May 7 on One31.

I Told Sunset About You 2 (Thai) May 27 on LineTV

Ossan’s Love (Hong Kong) June to Viu 

Gossip 

Bad Buddies released its first promo op via Arm Share, which means GMMTV is at least *thinking* about filming it. 

Fun behind the scenes gossip sesh with eng subs for Tell the World I Love You (that Perth Bas movie we are maybe getting someday but will likely be sad). 

New Thai BL Bite Me (adapted from novel Grab a Bite) dropped a teaser. It stars Mark Siwat (Kla in LBC) as uke character Ake, a delivery boy with special foodie powers, and chef Eua (seme played by Zung Kidakorn) who discovers him. It’s from the same author as Manner of Death so we might even get some actual plot. Since it’s an established BL actor who I happen LOVE, a known author, and a plot about FOOD, I could not me more excited for this one. 

Next Week Looks Like This:

Some shows may be listed a day later than actual air date for accessibility reasons. Some are dropping multiples at a time but just started so I’m not sure on numbering. 

Upcoming 2021 BL master post here.

Links to watch are provided when possible, ask in a comment if I missed something.

[fuckcanontbh]

confessions in plain sight *stozier*

So this is for @ceftali in @stoziersecretsanta gift exchange! Sorry if this is late for you, but it is officially two hours into Christmas for me! This is my first time writing these characters so I apologize for any OOC-ness that happens. This is also my first contribution to the fandom, I hope you enjoy!

Note: bold lettering is Richie’s handwriting, words in [brackets] are actual song lyrics. Does contain swearing.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The sun beat down on the group, water dripped from their hair, and despite everything huge smiles were on everyone's faces as Mike told a story from the farm. Today was the first day of summer, so all of their backpacks crowded the space as well. Soon enough the group would be dry enough to get dressed and hang out in the club house until dinner time. 

"Look, all I'm saying is that half of the problems in horror movies could be fixed if the characters weren't such idiots. I mean, really? If you see the murderer, why would you scream so he sees you?" Eddie's voice was the only noise as the group headed down into the club house.  "Y-yeah. But you have to t-th-think that it's for dramatic e-effect. The character's can't always have a s-s-satis-satisfying ending." The group's leader argued further with Eddie, the two of them continuing their debate in a corner of the clubhouse. 

"You're actually going to be starting school with us next year, Mike? Maybe now you'll actually believe us on how crazy school can be! All the stories we've told you about Richie and Bev are true, and Richie told me he's got some crazy stuff planned for our senior year!" Ben's excited voice came from another side of the clubhouse, Mike and Bev sitting in front of him on bean bags the group had added when winter made the ground too cold and hard to sit on comfortably. Stan watched all of this happen and then his eyes fell on Richie, who was unusually quiet as he sat in the hammock, reaching into his bookbag for something. "What are you looking for?" Richie jumped at Stan's voice, but quickly pulled a comic out of his bag. "Nothing but the newest X-Men comic, Stanny my boy, you'll never believe the kind of shit Storm cooks up this time!" Stan peered down at Richie, but the boy's grin seemed genuine so he shrugged and sat down, looking over Richie's shoulder. ~ "Alright, we'll see you tomorrow! Meeting at my house at four, right?" Beverly had already made her way up the ladder, but Ben was still waiting for an answer from Richie and Stan. "Haystack, you know I'll be there. Can't let your mom miss me too much!" Stan's hand reached out to smack Richie before he could stop it. "Tell everyone Richie has been uninvited." Ben simply laughed at their antics and shook his head as he climbed out into the little bit of sunlight left. 

"We should probably head out soon, did you want to come over for dinner?" The blonde stood and brushed imaginary dust off his shirt and khakis. "Uh, hell yeah! Mrs. Uris makes the best food around here! Don't tell Ben I said that, his mom's cookies are good as hell." "Yeah, yeah. C'mon Trashmouth, I think mom is making meatballs and spaghetti squash." ~ Stan's house had been Richie Tozier free for about thirty minutes when Stan noticed Richie had left his bookbag next to his bed in his haste for dinner. The zipper was mostly undone and everything was one trip away from being all over Stan's floor. The boy rolled his eyes and bent down to zip it up when a small notebook caught his eyes. The book itself was simple on the outside, but it looked like a bunch of random things were also stuck into the book, making it thicker than it needed to be. It also looked like it was almost full, a slim part of the back of the notebook was still flat. 

"Just leave it alone, Stan, it's none of your business." The boy brushed his teeth and put on his matching blue and white striped pajamas before climbing into bed. Minutes seemed to drag on forever before Stan stopped fighting himself and turned on his lamp before he grabbed the notebook. "It's probably just some dumb jokes Richie's thought of...or maybe some songs he's working on?" ~ 'Science HW due Thurs 28th' 'hang out after school @ quarry' '[Somewhere I'd never ever known, right at the back of my head, it hit me like a flashlight lighthouse beam of light]' ~ "Seems like it's just somewhere for him to put all his thoughts. Wonder who the song's about..." With the idea that the book was just a glance at Richie's mind as it worked a mile a minute, Stan continued reading. ~ 'Bev is the best!! girl offered me smokes even after i had to convince her skipping mrs. hepburns class was a good idea.' 'FUCK BOWERS' 'Math HW due Tues 4th' '[Cause you talk to me and it goes over my head...]' 'operation: get haystack the girl of his dreams walk her to class!! maybe walk her home sometimes? don't offer too much help bc bev hates that! write more of his sappy poems' 'gotta stop with the your mom jokes, not funny anymore' 'why is history so boring? REMINDER: ask ben to explain' 'start saving money-no more big spending at the arcade' ~ Stan scoffed at the thought of the curly haired boy giving up his favorite past time. "What's he even need to save money for anyway? He's already gotten that truck of his." ~ 'work @ 12-9 sat, sun and @ 5-12 mon, wed, fri' 'do i have an "it" factor? don't wanna miss out on making my mark on the world.' 'i don't even think he knows he does it. soft little smile on his face when he gets to a difficult problem, who does he think he is???' 'ma and dad fought all last night again. big bill asked what was up but i didn't want to talk about it. comedy is a good distraction' 'work @ 12-9 sat, sun and @ 5-12 mon, tues, wed, fri' 'glad i saved up some money, had to buy groceries again. ma's getting real bad again. haven't seen dad in a few days.' 'can't believe i got lucky enough to have such good friends. billy invited us all over for a horror movie marathon, ben and bev were put in charge of snacks. seems operation: get haystack the girl of his dreams is in motion. good for him! now if only i could get bill, mike, eddie, and stan lovers...' '[you've been on my mind boy girl since the flood]' 'ma passed out on the couch last night, guess it's a good thing i'm a lot bigger now. carried her to bed then went for a drive.' 'i swear he gets prettier the more i look at him' 'haystack just told me he scored a date!!!' 'HW due wed 18th' 'dad came home last night. got a good earful from him. maybe i should just stop talking? not like i got the nickname 'trashmouth' for something good. wonder if anyone would even notice' 'taught myself how to make chicken alfredo, actually got ma to eat with me.' 'i think i'm gonna tell him' 'nope. not gonna tell him. there's no way it would end good. out of all of our friends he's the least likely to want me' 'they say it is better to have loved and lost than never to love at all. but then it's 2 am and all you can think about is him, and you know he isn't thinking about you' ~ Stan snapped the book shut and quickly shoved it back into Richie's bag, thoughts flooding his mind. "Who is this boy Richie is crushing on? Is it Eddie? Eddie does yell at him a lot...and they have a bunch of classes together." "I didn't know things had gotten so bad at home. Mrs. Tozier used to be a saint.." "Is Richie okay?" He couldn't pin point why, but as  he clicked his lamp off, Stan's chest hurt, but before a tear could escape his eyes he rolled over and pulled his covers up to his chin. ~ "Hey Rich, you left this at my house last night." Stan held the bag in-between them, his eyes refusing to meet Richie's, his chest still tight like the night before. "Stan the Man! My savior, got some important goods in here!" The blonde's eyebrows raised, finally looking at Richie's face just for the boy to look away quickly. "Can't lose my comic so soon now can I?"

"My mom made cookies!!" Ben walked into the living room,  plate piled with chocolate chip cookies in his hands. "Ben Handsome, you are nothing if not the son of a saint, if you know what I mean." Richie dived for the plate, one cookie already in his mouth and three in his hands. 

"Beep, beep, Richie!" Eddie scoffed and bumped the boy's shoulder, taking one cookie from Ben's plate. Stan watched as Richie's shoulders deflated, and the brunet ate his second cookie much slower. Before he could say anything Mike and Beverly's voices took everyone's attention towards the TV. 

"We're not doing more horror movies, we did that like two weeks ago!" Beverly was swatting at the movies in Mike's hands, trying to reach across him to put her VHS into the VCR player. "She's not w-wr-wrong Mike. Let's just do the Disney marathon." At Bill's words Mike sighed and gave in, backing away from the TV so suddenly that Beverly fell forward slightly. 

"Did you see that foul play my good man? Foul play I say!" Richie nudged Bill just to be shrugged off as the boy grabbed a cookie and moved to sit on the couch. ~ "I think I'm gonna go ahead and head home you guys. I'm getting one of those notorious Tozier headaches." Richie stood behind the couch as the credits to Bambi played, bookbag slung over his shoulder. "Yeah, yeah, bye Richie." "See ya, Trashmouth." "I think I'm gonna head out too, gotta help my mom clean up a bit before my aunt stays with us." "Dang, bye Stan." "Have fun with that Stan!" ~ "Hey Rich, think you can give me a ride?" The boy nodded and started his truck, hurriedly throwing a couple things behind the bench seat of his truck. 

"Only the best for a prince, amiright?" If Stan didn't know better he'd say Richie's ears had gone a little pink. His truck started and he pulled out of Ben's driveway onto the road. 

"Are you actually getting a headache Richie? Cause if not, I wanna talk.." His hands gripped the steering wheel a little tighter but Richie put on a smile and glanced at Stan.

"Always knew you could see through me. Don't know if we can have this conversation without your mother though, she wanted to be the one to break the news."

"Oh shut up asshole." Despite his words Stan felt himself smiling as Richie snickered. 

"I just want to say I'm sorry first. Because I shouldn't have pried. But I thought it was just gonna be stupid stuff. Maybe some black mail material."

"Wait, you read my fucking journal? Stanley that's fucked dude! I would never do that to you. I can't believe you went through my bag. Guess straight cut Stan isn't as honest a man as I thought. Dude, what is your problem?"

A red light had stopped them, and Richie was able to look at Stan in the eye now, his brown eyes angry, but also coming off as slightly panicked. 

"Look, I really didn't mean to get into your heavy shit. I thought it was just gonna be full of those little doodles you do in class and some new song lyrics. I didn't read too much of it Just a couple pages, maybe three tops! It's just got me worried about you."

"What did you read Stanley? Worried I'm sick? I can't really say I'm surprised." Brown eyes rolled and he clicked his tongue as he pulled forward.

"Sick? What- no. I'm worried about your mom and dad." 

"You know that's none of your fucking business. We're just fine at the Tozier residence. Nothing has changed, Went works all the time and Ma takes care of the house. Don't start talking like you know anything about them. Get out of my car, Uris."

"Rich-"

"No, I said I'd give you a ride home, and here we are. The Uris residence. Go help your mom clean up and figure out how to stay out of other people's business."

Stan sighed and hung his head as he got out of the truck, only turning his head towards the street when Richie sped off, a cloud of smoke following him. ~ "Beverly, I really messed up the other day." "Sweetheart, Richie is known for the theatrics, don't let it get you down." "Yeah, Stan, that boy is like a rubber ball, he'll bounce back."

A shaky hand worked it's way through blonde curls, brown eyes bounced around the room, landing on Bev sitting in the window smoking, the radio sitting next to her turned down quiet enough for them to talk over, and Mike sitting criss cross on the bed. 

"Stan, what even happened? I have never seen you this worried over some little fight with Richie."

"Look, I know it was wrong, but I accidentally read his very personal journal." Stan cringed as he said the words, already feeling Mike's eyes on him when Beverly whipped her head in his direction.

"How do you accidentally read someone's journal man?" "What did you read Stan?

Mike and Bev spoke at the same time, and Bev's cigarette was out before Stan could explain. 

"Look, he's just got some shit going on at home, and he doesn't want to bother us with it...andIthinkhemighthaveacrushonEddie." "What was that last part?" "I think he mighthaveacrushonEddie." "Stan, breathe sweetheart we aren't gonna yell at you." "I think he might have a crush on Eddie and I'm not sure why I'm upset about it." 

Mike and Bev shared a knowing look over Stan's down tilt head, Bev's eyebrows raised in a silent question that Mike answered with a nod.

"You may be one of the smartest most oblivious person I've met Stanley Uris." "You've had that boy wrapped around your finger since you became friends in second grade." "Guess you just didn't realize he had you around his finger as well."

Mike's words stung at first, but when Beverly pointed out who Richie's crush was, Stan's face lit up like a light. His cheeks dusted with pink as he met their eyes.

"You're being serious. Fuck, now I've really messed up. He thinks I hate him!" ~ "This is such a bad fucking idea. He hates you right now Stan." With a sigh the boy threw the first stone at the second floor window. It took three stones for Richie Tozier to open his window, and only one glance to see Stan before he was retreating again. 

"Wait, Richie! Please, I just want to talk. Can we go for a ride?" Stan watched with bated breath as the shadow at the window hovered another moment before it retreated.

"Called that one."

And then Richie was climbing down the siding of his house.

"Be careful! Why didn't you use the front door dumbass?" All Stan got in response was an eye roll and a thumb pointing to the car in the drive way, Went was home.

"Oh." "Yeah, oh. Let's go. Been itching to go somewhere anyway." ~ The only sound in the truck was the two boys' breathing and a soft static from the radio. Stan swallowed air and watched as they passed the movie theatre. 

"Look, I really am sorry. I just want you to talk to us more. You're acting like some shitty parenting is where we draw the line, have you completely forgotten that fucking clown?"

"I know. Sorry for being a brat the other day. I just don't like people to see that stuff, I have a reputation ya know? Comedian first, dumbass second, and softie never."  Richie turned left, leading to the outskirts of town.

"Yeah, wouldn't want to ruin this perfect "class clown" persona you've got going on."

"Stanley Uris, did you just use air quotes to describe my entire personality to me?"

A chuckle escaped Richie and the truck air suddenly felt much lighter. "You're a lot more than that you know. You're more than some shitty but perfect timed your mom jokes. We keep you around for a lot more than a laugh." "What else am I good at Stan? All I do is mouth off and tell bad jokes." Brown curls came down from Richie's bun as he shook his head, leading the two of them past a sign asking visitors to come back to Derry.

"They may be bad jokes, but they still make us laugh. You're always the first one to put aside time for any of us, all we have to do is ask. And- stop shaking your head. Who took the time when we were all younger to listen to Eddie explain which of his inhalers were for what and how to administer them? Who learned how to cut hair just to help Bev save money and keep it trimmed? Who helped Mike shear the sheep when Spring started just so he could hang out with us sooner? Who practiced endless tongue twister with Bill to help with his stutter? Who did all that? Richie Tozier did. You give us everything and never expect anything back. All I wanna do is give back. God knows you deserve it."

"Hey now, don't bring the big man into this conversation." Despite the levity of what he was saying, Stan could hear the tears on the other boy's voice. 

"I didn't mean to make you cry. You just have such a big heart, and I think sometimes you don't know what to do with it...I saw the notes about a boy. You know we wouldn't judge you for that! Shit, none of us batted an eye when Big Bill came out as bisexual, so why would we care. You deserve to be happy, Rich. I just want you to be happy." 

The more he spoke, the quieter Stan's voice became and the louder his blood rushed in his ears. Silence enveloped the truck again, and soon the tires came to a stop over a patch of grass. 

"Did you mean all of that?"

Richie Tozier was not a small boy anymore, he was all long limbs of 6'2, and had developed a jawline sharp enough to cut a man, but right now, in the dim light of his dashboard, swallowed by a grey hoodie and hunched over, Richie Tozier reminded Stan of that scared boy in the sewers. 

"Every last word. And I think you should know that a little birdie told me that I might be the inspiration for some of those lovely lyrics in your book..." Glasses nearly flew off Richie's face with how quickly he shot his head up, worried brown eyes magnified by the lenses. 

"Bev, that bitch."

"I wouldn't say that quite yet. She pointed something else out to me too. She said I've had you wrapped around my finger since we met in second grade, but she also said that you've had me wrapped around your finger for a while now too. And I've got to say, she's right. Can't believe she knows me better than both of us. But yeah, Rich, you've had me wrapped around your finger since you told my mom at age six that she had better get used to you because you'd be around for a while."

Richie put the truck in park, unbuckled and shifted to be more in the middle of the truck, and the yellow of the radio highlighted the pink on his cheeks perfectly. "Stan...I don't really know what to say. Still can't believe she ratted me out like that." 

"Say you're gonna let us in more. Say she was right. Say you want to give this a shot.”

"I want to give this a shot. I'm pretty sure I've been in love with you since we were twelve." A warm hand gently took Stan's as he spoke, squeezing gently before he scooted just a bit closer. 

"Slow down there Tozier, I've only just opened my eyes to the fact that you might be it for me, let me catch up before we start tossing the L word around. Buy me dinner first at least."

A genuine chuckle and Richie moved back to his seat, his hand still in Stan's. "How bout a late dinner at-", brown eyes glanced at the clock,"-nearly one a.m?" "Lead the way, Tozier. I'll be right with you."

[sparrow-ink]

covid diaries aka memoirs of the plague

trying to keep my thoughts organized and coherent has been a bitch recently, so i’m going to try to put them down more or less in order here and see where we end up. this is going to be heavy on personal covid content and might get long, so please skip if either distresses you.

so last tues, the uh... 24th i guess, i started feeling ill. mostly like allergies plus a bad headache. i had a feeling i was getting sick but didn’t want to alarm my spouse or housemate/best friend, so stuck with ‘could very well be allergies and dehydration.’ also it very well could have been, and it was very reassuring for us all to tell each other that. my company had already moved the majority of employees to work-from-home, including me, so i already wasn’t going to come into contact with anyone outside my home.

symptoms got worse over the next few days, congestion, headache, feeling feverish, cough started up. we didn’t own a thermometer, and my spouse and housemate tried every wal-mart, wal-greens, target, etc to find one. housemate said at one place they laughed at her when she asked if they had any. i tried ordering one on amazon with no luck. either they were $90+, out of stock, or not shipping until may. i settled on ordering on for shipment in may. the seller messaged me the next day and said they couldn’t fulfill the order and asked to cancel it.

from our last costco trip we had already (unintentionally) gotten stocked up on toilet paper, snacks, and some dry goods. at some point before I got sick, spouse and I bought a bag of rice and bag of potatoes, because I intermittently try to do mealprepping and seemed being stuck at home would be a good time to try again, what with national and state-wide states of emergency being declared. also seemed good to have them in supply. and we were still stocked up on cold and flu medecine from when i got bronchitis mid-dec to mid-jan. so we were/are pretty well-stocked on essentials? that was reassuring, as i was obviously, noticeably sick by last friday.

i was hoping i would get better over the weekend but i did not. still couldn’t find a thermometer anywhere. governor had issued the state-wide stay-at-home order on uh...thurs? weds? but already being sick, and already working from home, and not going out, it didn’t really affect me much?

i feel like i should mention at this point that since the state of emergency was declared and we started to transition to working from home, i’d been trying to ration my social media (tumblr/twitter/insta) time for my sanity. but also not having information makes me feel helpless, so i had the CDC covid page up and checked every day. and then the colorado state covid page too. seeing the numbers of confirmed cases double, and triple, from week to week was... hm.

also one of my younger siblings moved from colorado to arizona at the start of march, and presumably lost their phone because i haven’t heard from them since despite poking. that hasn’t been concerning during a global pandemic. not at all. they’re probably not dead. i mean, you’d think a bitch could call their older sibling to let them know they’re not dead, but whatever. i’m sure they’re fine. probably. anyway.

where was i. so by the weekend i was Not Feeling Well At All Actually. my cough had become “scary.” my housemate did all the dishes in the kitchen despite not being responsible for most of them. i felt, and sounded, disgusting.

i checked the covid testing requirements again, and basically found that in colorado you had to be dying to be tested for covid. cool.

monday rolled around, still not better. i ended up having work computer issues (their end, not mine) where i basically ended up laying on the couch in my office while IT did IT things. a blessing. i slogged through the rest of the day. just felt like i wasn’t tracking well, couldn’t focus on shit. that evening while watching shows with husbeast & housemate, i had a truly uncontrollable coughing spasm/fit that seemed to just go on. could barely talk without coughing. i coughed all night. i basically didn’t sleep.

tuesday morning i woke up, and started coughing again. i could hear a crackle echo up my throat when i breathed if i was in the right position. i sat up to try and get my breath. i think it was like 6 am. spouse creature (already awake from my coughing) gently rubbed my back. i started crying. i just wanted to sleep, and i couldn’t sleep, and i couldn’t stop coughing, and i felt like i could barely breathe, and things just hurt, and i couldn’t think straight. i felt so... defeated. i think it freaked out the spouse creature. i usually only cry during children’s movies.

i took the day off of work. i hadn’t taken a day yet because i was already working from home, and it was the end of the month which is the busiest for my team, and my boss had said last week that if i felt i could work, they needed me. by tuesday morning i was out of energy and also fucks. i got in the queue for a teladoc appointment. per the CDC and colorado covid websites, telehealth visits are to be the first option in order to help prevent the spread, etc. also i would have done teladoc anyway bc i don’t have a PCP.

it took a few hours to get connected with a doctor. i think i started coughing while he did his intro thing. he basically said, well i think i know what you’re calling about, but why don’t you tell me. i told him. and coughed some more. he said my symptoms are consistent with covid, and in a perfect world they’d be able to get me in for rapid testing, but they couldn’t. that basically people are only getting tested at this point who are getting admitted to the hospital. some people were able to access testing through their PCPs but even that was drying up. he advised me to self-isolate (already on it lol) and for my household to self-quarantine for at least two weeks from when i started showing symptoms. and i could un-self-isolate once the majority of my symptoms calmed down AND when i didn’t have a fever for three days straight with no meds. he prescribed me an inhaler and a cough suppressant pill, though he said the cough suppressant might not do much since it didn’t seem to be working for anyone else with similar.

husbeast had run out to get some more supplies by the time i got on the vidcall with the doc, mostly liquids and electrolytes. he went back out once i gave him the rundown, to fill my prescription and get me the good costco chicken soup once they were open. he also, miracle of miracles, managed to find and buy a temporal thermometer at costco for like $45 i think. a true champion. my temp seemed to be fine in the afternoon, a touch above normal but fine. i’m not actually sure what my personal base temperature is. i should also say that i’d been consistently taking dayquil and sudafed since the previous weds.

that evening my temp started to go up. and up. or at least i think it was tuesday night. maybe it was weds? freaked out spouse, i got up to 102 F even with sudafed and additional acetaminophen. i basically had a fever from tues through this morning (friday), while taking pills like clockwork. always seemed to get worse in the afternoon/evening and be better in the morning. today at least it’s stayed below 100F, even mostly below 99F.

the cough and difficulty breathing has been the worst part. i have delicate baby lungs to begin with, and i have allergies and a history of childhood asthma. so i’m already paranoid about my breathing even with a normal cold. but to hear that i would have to immediately proceed to emergency services should my symptoms progress to: can only get a few words out, can’t stand up or walk across the room, can’t maintain conciousness, to hear that was... something. because then it’s basically like, okay, if I get pneumonia and my lungs are filling up, then i can go see a doctor in person. cool. and i know it says on the websites that there’s no approved treatment for coronavirus, that treatment for less severe cases will be the same at home as it would be in person, but shit. i woke up so many times last night feeling like i was fighting for air, waking up because i was coughing so hard i had to sit up all the way to breathe, and i kept thinking, what if i just stop breathing in my sleep? not like i would notice, right?

it’s been scary. i’ve been trying not to freak out my people with more crying and whatnot, but i’ve already got anxiety and this shit aint helping. i’m trying to stay relatively calm and not make them deal with me losing my shit on top of already taking care of me and bringing me soup and water and pills and asking what they can do for me. i’m tired of being sick. i want a new pair of lungs. i want to not feel like i’ve been hit by a truck. my ribs hurt from coughing so much. my chest hurts. my whole body aches. the headache keeps coming and going. i can’t stop fucking coughing. i don’t want to die, i just want to maybe go into a coma and wake up when this is all over. once the line of dump trucks has stopped running me over.

and i’m just so mad at the lack of preparedness in the US. i’m so pissed that i can’t even get tested, i can’t know for sure what the fuck is happening to me. i’m so mad that the cheeto is president during this. i hate this fucking timeline. i hate that we don’t even have clear numbers on cases because of mismanagement. i hate that i keep feeling like i’m about to throw up because i’m coughing so fucking hard. real fucking reassuring to know that the symptoms i’ve been told to watch for, to know that i need to go to the hospital, are the same ones that constitute an emergency and would mean that i would basically have to be rushed there. wearing a facemask if we can find one.

ugh. the other worst part is that i haven’t even been really coherent enough to write. and i’ve only been able to settle on a few things to read and watch. being sick makes me picky and like, impossible to please. so i’m spoiled for choice with 4+ streaming services, but nothing sounds good. and my people are working from home, but they’re still working. they can’t spend all their time with me. i’m bored, and everything is garbage, and there are only so many times i can rewatch the princess bride. i have been napping quite a lot, but even that doesn’t take all day.

maybe i’ll write some crackfic. then it doesn’t have to be coherent. and it would be in the spirit of covid to write some real absurd shit i think.

anyway. i might delete this later. i feel better for getting events put down and venting.  also i apologize, i have no idea how to do a readmore cut on tumblr anymore.

[omgviolette12]

After hours- Chapter 4 A professor Loki Fanfic

Previous Chapter

Summary: Evelyn Monroe has been a TA for professor Laufeyson’s Calculus course for four months now. He was known to be quite strict, but that never deterred her from applying for the position in order to be close to the man she had been secretly pining for. One evening, she returns to his office after opening hours… and with her bountiful luck, she walks in on something not meant to be seen.

Chapters: 4/?

Words: 2105

Tags: @milkymaidme @dangertoozmanykids101@alexakeyloveloki  @little-moonbeam-666  @marvel-ous-fics@clovermariear @lynnesm@bitchyikes@moon-child-of-a-poet, @allthecraftandthings@bubblegumspitt

If you’d like to be added, let me know. I’ve also posted this on AO3

________

If Evelyn thought she would get a wink of sleep that night, she was sadly mistaken.

Her thoughts were insistent on replaying certain scenes inside her head, which led her to overthink many things regarding Professor Laufeyson.

She would get flustered when she thought about how nice it felt to sit in his lap, then she’d remember how good he’d smelt. Then the next moment, she’d want a dark hole to swallow her up when she thought about how she ended up there, and why he even bothered to hold her.

In addition to that, she also spent the majority of the time thinking about the woman he was with. While there were many striking similarities between them, there were also differences. The first being that she was much more…voluptuous.

Before the woman could hide the entirety of her lady bits behind her professor’s desk, she saw that her breasts were larger by a considerable margin; While Evelyn wasn’t small-chested, her boobs weren’t nearly as large. The lady’s backside was also quite round and plump, taking the blows of her professor’s…paddle… like jelly.

In simpler terms, the woman was thick. With not one, but three C’s.

Evelyn refused to be a hater and assume she had some work done on her assets, but she wouldn’t deny the possibility.

She continued to compare herself endlessly to the woman - and what she thought her professor’s type might be.

The woman seemed much more mature, experienced, and desirable. And unfortunately, the more she focused on those differences, the more she found the similarities to be mere coincidences.

Evelyn even began to think that she probably did mishear her name. After all, why would he say her name, of all things? Although they had grown comfortable with talking to each other over the past year, he still treated her like all his other students.

He was more attentive for sure, but she attributed that to the fact that she was just slower than the rest of her peers.

And just like that, her insecurities continued to eat at her throughout the night, and well into the morning.

Crushing on a professor really sucks ass…

Evelyn was practically dead on her feet as she went about her day - she opted to stay home and laze about, neglecting to work on her art assignments. She’d curse herself tomorrow when she has to play catch-up, but she didn’t care at the moment as she curled up on the couch to watch her favorite cooking channel.

“Eve! Come do my hair!” Candice came bouncing into the living room, hair wet and comb in tow, “Cmon, get your lazy ass up and help me.”

Evelyn did not bother to raise her head as she replied, “Leave my lazy ass alone and do it yourself.”

“Pleaasee! You know I can’t do hair…”

Candice continued to pester her until she finally gave in, “Okay! Fine! But just know you’re cooking today.”

“Yeah yeah…” Candice plopped her butt unto the couch, handing her the comb, “Bantu knots, I want my curls like yours.”

As Evelyn began to part through her hair, Candice snapped her fingers as if remembering something, “Oh..! You still a TA for professor kinkster or nah?”

Candice yelped as Evelyn combed her hair a bit too roughly, “Prof…Professor what now?”

“You know…whack whack, paddle-waddle. Professor Laufeyson, duh. Did you give him the letter?”

Evelyn gave her elder sister an exasperated look, “Can - can you not call him that? Where did that come from…”

“Eve, you said he was tenderizing some booty with a paddle. He’s kinky as shit!”

“Is.. is that a bad thing, or..?” Evelyn never questioned the oddity of what she witnessed until now, as she thought that everyone did that sort of thing during sex.

“Nah.. it depends on what you like. Some people are into it, but not me.” Candice began to casually munch on some chips that had been left on the coffee table, “You should Google it - Bondage, whips, crazy sex toys, etcetera. Like I said though, not my thing.”

“What.. what in the world are you talkin’ about?” Evelyn was flabbergasted, and it showed clearly on her face.

“Look, all I’m saying is that he’s a freak in the sheets. End of story. Now did you give him the dang letter or not?”

Her head was still reeling from what she was just informed of, but was focused enough to answer her question, “Yeah… I gave it to him.. But…” Her dark skin began to flush red as she once again recalled the events, “I kinda like…passed out? Then woke up in his lap…”

Candice began to choke on her chips, “You.. you what now..? Like…how?!”

“I mean, I didn’t really eat much that day, and then he got too close -“

” - So because he got close…you fainted? Then you woke up…in his lap? His lap sis? Don’t you think that’s a bit…intimate for a teacher to do?“

Evelyn paused, resting the comb in her hair, "Yeah, but… it didn’t really mean anything right? He was probably just worried…”

“Evelyn. Come on.” Candice turned around to give her a pointed look, “Now I know you’re not this stupid…”

“Well, apparently I am! What am I not getting here?”

Her sister looked at her oddly, “Man…mama sheltered your ass to the max. Are you actually this naive?”

Evelyn crossed her arms, a frown coming upon her brows, “Instead of patronizing me, tell me what the hell’s so wrong?”

“Eh… you’ll just get mad. Forget I said anything.”

“Tell me Candice…or you can just finish your damn hair yourself.”

Candice kissed her teeth, “Tsk, don’t get mad, okay? He just seems like…hmm… how do I say this…”

She paused, considering her words carefully, “Like he’s the type to…you know, fuck his students on the regular…have hoes on call, you know the works. Just warning you, I don’t want your feelings hurt.”

“What - No! I mean I get why you think that, but he’s… he’s not like that at all… he apologized to me, and when I asked about the girl, he said she wasn’t a student -”

“ - So she’s his girlfriend then?”

Evelyn was stumped, “No…? I mean… he didn’t really clarify…”

Candice sighed, her expression bordering on pity as she looked at her, “Look, I’m saying this for your own good…but don’t get your hopes up with this man. First of all, he’s your professor who’s like, 13 years your senior? And then -”

“ - It’s just a damn crush, it was never that serious. Drop it.” Evelyn’s voice was cracked with emotion, almost yelling.

“Okay…okay… I’m sorry. You do you.”

Candice grew silent as Evelyn rushed to finish her hair. After that conversation, she just wanted to be alone.

_______________________

It had been a few hours since Evelyn hid away inside her room, sitting at her work desk. She was upset with Candice not only because of the condescending manner in which she spoke to her… but for what she assumed about the professor that she’d come to know.

From what she’d learned about him, Professor Laufeyson was anything but a womanizer. He had good looks, but she has never seen him interact with or entertain any female on campus unprofessionally - and they threw themselves at him in literal droves.

Well, until that night that is…

Evelyn wiped her eyes in frustration, as she tried to push Candice’s words to the back of her head. Sometimes she was helpful in her bits of advice, but today it felt extremely unneeded.

She opened up her laptop, intent on sucking herself into a black hole of memes and mindless entertainment to get her mind off things.

That was until a loud ping! notification flashed at the side of her screen.

It was from her outlook account, where she had set up her school email address. She had neglected to check it in the week she was absent due to a certain someone, and she regretted being so childish now. She probably missed out on a ton of important emails from her other professors, and Evelyn hoped there wasn’t anything urgent.

But when she logged in, she did not expect to see three unread emails from professor Laufeyson, the third sent to her inbox just yesterday.

Laufeyson, Loki                         Fri 4/12 TA position Evelyn, it was a very pleasant surp…

Laufeyson, Loki                        Thur 4/11 Office visitation: Please stop by at your earliest convenience

Good morning, I understand that due to certain circums…

Laufeyson, Loki                         Wed 4/10 Important: Regarding yesterday’s incident

It is imperative that we discuss…

Seeing three emails in a row from professor Laufeyson really knocked her for six. Whenever she had questions and decided to email him, he would never reply- only answering them when he saw her in person. She found it to be counter-productive, but never really dared to complain about it.

But considering the circumstances, she guessed it was understandable - he probably thought she would go around blabbing his business, so he took to damage control. Regardless, her heart started to race as she opened the email from earlier on in the week- opting to read them in order.

Laufeyson, Loki                         Wed 4/10 Important: Regarding yesterday’s incident

It is imperative that we discuss what transpired. Please visit my office at the earliest opportunity, around 11 am. I hope to see you tomorrow, and promptly.

Sincerely,

Loki Laufeyson

It was short and sweet, as Evelyn expected it to be. She suspected that even if she saw that email at the given time, she wouldn’t have budged from her bed in the slightest. Clicking out, she moved on to the next one.

Laufeyson, Loki                        Thur 4/11 Office visitation: Please stop by at your earliest convenience

Good morning,

I understand that due to certain circumstances, you are hesitant in discussing matters with me. I have much to make clear with you, in addition to making several apologies. I would like to discuss this in person, Evelyn. It is very… unbecoming, and I do not want this situation to compromise any academic priorities you may have. If you would feel more comfortable speaking over the phone rather than in person, I will attach my number. Please, I implore you to make good use of it.

Best,

Loki

Evelyn found this one to be much more sincere, to the point that she wanted to hop down to his office right away - even though it was the weekend. She once again mentally slapped herself for acting immaturely, instead of facing the situation like an adult. She could only sigh as she opened up the latest email, which she assumed was sent after he dropped her home.

Laufeyson, Loki                         Fri 4/12 TA position

Evelyn, it was a very pleasant surprise, although in a rather odd position, to see you at my office door. I shall once again apologize for startling you, as I was unaware that you were faint of heart. Despite that, I hope that I have managed to clear the air so that we can re-establish our relationship to its previous state. Although, I am aware that you may still be uncomfortable working together with me. We will discuss things once more if that is the case, so that we may come to a resolution regarding your grade.

If you would still like to retain this position, please attend my lecture this coming Monday - I am in need of assistance, and I would love for you to take this responsibility. I will also reiterate what I said yesterday evening. I value your presence, as you are one of my most favored students.

Have a lovely weekend,

Loki

At some point in reading that email, Evelyn’s heart had turned into a beating, mushy mess. He called her his favorite student, and Evelyn was practically mind-blown with this newfound information. She knew that he found her tolerable, more so than the other students in his class - but not to this extent.

Evelyn came to a decision. Although things might still be pretty awkward with this professor of hers, she’ll make an effort to get over it, and get back to how things were. He had even attached his private number to his email, something that she never thought he would share. 

They were both adults, so she’ll try to treat the situation as a minor embarrassment. She would attend the lecture on Monday and pretend like the entire thing never happened.

But little did Evelyn know… that things were forever changed between her and professor Laufeyson, and that they would never be the same again.

_________

A/N: Hey guys, please let me know what you thought, what you think will happen, etc! Things will be picking up next chappie, if you know what I mean. ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

I’ll try to get another chapter out before I leave for sleep-away camp for work on June 20th(No longer 15th, thank goodness), as I’m not sure about the internet reception there. I sincerely hope there is, since my contract ends on August 11th. I need to update! grrr! Thank you guys for reading, and I sincerely appreciate very comment. Like seriously, they make my day!

[carndriverrecords]

First Blog Post 3/20/20

Started CnD Records today. Feels Good.

Working on some diss tracks. Not sure if they see it coming - doesn’t matter either way.

Planning to release Car and Driver first real record this Friday 3/20/20. Driving Test Driver Fest 1. 

Self release first record - another 20 tracks next week. Compile top 10 - 15 for first release with other label - thinking Terrible, Kranky, blu ish label or Thrill Jockey. Citrus City a no-go for now. Maybe just keep building CnD records.

Be the middle man - take advantage of opportunities without sacrificing my bands’ (and those I represent) integrity.

Reach sleep destroyer.

Last night at Ted’s - great DJ set. Kidz bop remixes, Fancy. Crowd hated it. Ted disappointed we had to leave but it’s ok with everyone. Tall guy took aux right out of computer, have video. Started dancing - cucked everyone. Everyone thinks they’re the crazy charismatic guy. Am I actually? I think so. Syd thinks so. 

CnD Fest 2 , 3 , 4 at Purchase and beyond. Would like to play apartments, Scully’s den in BK (reach out) and Philly, DC etc.

Next voice memo album - 20 - 25 tracks right now. Better than the first. Danny said best album ever.

Working on “My oh Maia Reason Why” video - my favorite video I’ve ever seen. Getting good feedback.

Important to collab with certain SUNY people before I go:

Members of Lip Critic, Dawson, Neal, Gabe.

Send stuff back and forth with Joseph Kress. 

Need to write song about not sharing a stage w unstable Car and Driver - cost me 2 gigs. Ok because I had the police interaction that night. 

Things have been working out quite well. Syd is keeping me in check. Main priorities are keep the energy going while I can and make sure everyone around me is comfortable with me doing my thing, specifically mom, sofia.

Going to Only Angels tomorrow to collab with Alex.

Tues/Wed in RI with Zach Gorton. Need to see Nick Holcomb, Sofia, Will Orchard if he’s around. Riley in Boston? Would love to. 

Visit Dad soon on the way to Richmond, in a few weeks perhaps. Grandma Roberta etc. They have a BBQ place now - I bet it’s great. 

Follow up in the morning (3 hours from now) with wedding band, Kevin Daniels, drummer etc.

Film sunrise sessions at Purchase: My Ride’s Here, Splendid Isolation, Keep me in your heart, Studebaker, Cat’s in the Cradle, Everybody that you know. Don’t think twice, Boots of Spanish Leather, Someday my Prince, Teenage Dirtbag, Arthur (Woof Woof), Forget You, Signed Sealed Delivered, Superstition, The Promise, Hold me now (TT), Love on Top, Townes Van Zandt, 1-800 superstar, Evan Wright, Tom Petty, Blinded By the Light, Searching for a Heart, Mag Field’s, Barenaked Ladies, TMBG, Dolly Parton one sided love, Byrds, Beatles, Kinks, Stones, Parquet Courts, T Swift (Red, Way I loved you), Mitski, Sasami, Anything Could Happen, Beach House, He Needs Me, These Days, YLT, Beach Boys, Big Star Take Care, G500/Luna, Felt, Psychic TV, Shelia, BJM, Yellow Sarong, Over and Over, Hazel St, Heatherwood, Helicopter, He Would’ve Laughted, I wanna be your lover, The pump, Good enough (sleep destroyer), Them airs, BH (14, indian summer), help me scrape mucus off my brain), Beach Comber, DO YOUR THING, Icehead, Bobby, 1000 times, WIll Orchard, Bon Iver, MGMT, Tame impala, Instant Crush, etc. Art Vandelay, Quick Canal, Stereolab, Grouper, Broadcast, Animal Collective, Panda Bear, Bachelor Kisses, Cranberries, Cure, Pastels, MBV, I found a reason, pale blue eyes, Deerhoof, Gretel Alex G, Dancing w tears in my eyes, Elvis Costello, No age(things i did), Are ya ok, Maus, Ariel, R Stevie, Aphex Twin, Zomes, Vampire Weekend etc.

Bring Laptop for Beats on some and lyrics for all. 

Love life more than ever before. Music feels so good. Want to help, make amends, everything that moondog did. Don’t be homeless much longer.

Not sure if I like throbbing gristle - definitely like Psychic TV.

How savage should diss tracks be? Very? Match the severity of the person’s treatment of me/others. Aka - pretty bad for all except for Auto.

Listened to new Kanye today - 10x better and more influential than death grips. 

Realized today that i’ve spent my whole life wishing I was Kanye and now I am Kanye. Feels very good.

Everyone is gifted but internet makes us angst. 

I am mostly Camus right now - maybe more Kierkegaard soon. Religion and Terrence Malik. Still need to read books.

Order of Books: The graduate Portrait of the artist Consider Lobster Infinite Jest Pynchon Ulysses (At recommendation of American gamer association)

Syd is incredibly gifted. Want to help her feel comfortable doing art/work here in the chaos but also sort out the chaos for both of ours’ sake. I thrive in it, she tolerates well. Want to move to Riverdale still, maybe East Williamsburg with Backpack Chris. We’ll see about money. Philly perhaps, little too far. Jersey is good location but bad commute. Bad to RI. 

Visit RI and Boston Tues - Thurs. Sell Cigarettes at Concerts. Feels right.

Keep smoking for now - quit end of summer perhaps. 

Don’t have Corona Virus - glad we are not quarantined. Still be smart. Don’t expose mom regardless. Protect at ALL costs. 

Really though, why does Journee hate me? Write new track (Journee into forever nevermore not now not ever (Lou)) or Journee into SJW self righteous moral posturing (way too savage - maybe voice memo outro)

AR Kane album is incredible. Syd loves too. Sample everything.

Crazy - sound better at jazz than ever in my life. Exploring harmony - never practice. Teach free lessons all the time. Love the diminished scale. Might be best jazz guitarist to ever live. Time will tell. Would be cool long term. Prefer singing. 

Getting good at piano too.

I’m my favorite lyricist/comedian/actor.

Is maia right, acting isn’t hard? Weird they can’t act.

^Remember to delete^

Don’t share this on Facebook yet.

Why does Journee hate me so much? Just the Louis CK joke?

People who stay home and do nothing hate to see irreverent people doing things.

People like when you’re losing - don’t like to see you win.

^That makes me sound crazy.

F00D outsider might make me famous first.

Need to keep up with legal situation.

Hope mom and dad both live long. Call Syd, get something nice for everyone in family. Get weird jewel cases. Order jewelry from etsy. Post merch on bandcamp.

Finish album art soon. Music videos. Get better at animation etc. Pay Ben for his poster. Actually really good. Maybe album art? Duo album! Record in Wisconsin, release under his name. WIll success be good for Ben? I think so. Still can’t believe Liv told him I wasn’t ok. Wow - good content for lyrics. You truly cannot write this.

How will people react to diss tracks? Extremely negatively. Or no reaction. We shall see. Maybe no real names in the titles...... only on Oh my. 4 names in titles is too many. Don’t release Auto track. Maybe on Voice Memos. 

Track List: Good God Bed Head Rosa Reprise Oh My House Pop 1 skydive Pop 2 APhex GVO Pay 4 Take some Cherish Stars in F Are ya ok too bright Honeys Get to work Everybody That You Know Frost Bit BPC NYC New Age Heimet Helmet Deadbeat dads watermill for slitting bars romantic song david byrne Cinema study in cinema Brain ego Cherry doc marten Can’t liv w/o Venmo groceries Oh you like? Dancin DJ blues We are the State Farm robots Danny dorito is a dirty devito My funny valentine Zoomer blues The thing abt genres Blss Like minds ft dawson Lil toucha jazz Introducing car and driver The holy moment empire Ethics 101 - gma in the street Otto is sad I don’t know what it means! Operatic mellismatic Car and driver fest will be a success! Car and driver fest was a bust again! Cipha’s comedy corner Ryder Be gone evil atonal spirits!

Unreleased mental breakdown compilation ep:

I like all music! I’m a stupid pos Electric micro bike Get off your phone! John frusc Nice song Lap steel for 2 My masseuse advice Bed head wash sq Punchie John Maus yoyo interview Diminished  kinda thing

Build the NYC scene, w Blu ish, Evan, 1 800, sweet joseph, Comics Club, Dawson, Sloppy Jane, Wheatus,

See Jack Fortin in NYC soon. Either my event or his. 

Things are still good. Syd will be a great filmmaker. WIll maybe will end up with a dancer or a filmmaker - Probably not a musician. WIll have many loves. 

Things are good right now - hope they stay that way. 

Feel like Ezra Keonig - hopefully someone reads this one day and agrees. Different time in history and the internet - hope this is less cringe than Ezra’s blog , probably not. Ezra, if you’re reading this, sorry. See ya at Bernie’s rally. 

[jessiewre]

Day 52

Tues 25th Feb

#prawnsforBarry 🍤🍤🍤

We sat at breakfast excited to have our, sorry Phil’s, new mustard accompaniment. We even managed to convince Wendy the waitress to try it. She said she liked it, but it was hard to tell if she was just being polite or not!

As had become a daily occurrence, we began to discuss when we should leave Watamu and move on. When we would actually start travelling again. Whenever we had this conversation, we seemed to add on a day - and so far we’d done this at least 4 times. We had somehow ended up on holiday while on holiday.

With Phil’s run on the Sunday, we knew we had to move and agreed we should arrive in Moshi (Tanzania) by Friday at the latest. So when Philly Tours discovered there was a daily direct bus from Mombasa to Moshi, it was decided - we would go to Mombasa on the Weds to get the 7am bus the next day. Or the Thurs. Ok probably the Thursday.

Ok well with that plan in place, we went to see my little tailor mate to order more clothes didn’t we! They were so nice and cheap, it made sense to use this opportunity to replace the pair I lost while flailing about in the Nile. So Phil ordered an extra pair of shorts and I asked for two pairs, plus a pair of culottes style trousers. I personally wanted to get the same sizing Phil had for his birthday shorts, as they were soooo comfy, but Phil said they were a little too baggy and ill fitting. He had a point to be fair, so the man measured me up but I tried hard to make it clear that I didn’t want the clothes to be too tight and uncomfortable. Watch this space.

After that, we went to the pool and as we approached, I could see that Barry was lay on the far side. He had his shades on and hadn’t noticed us yet.

‘Barry’s over there Phil’ I whispered.

‘I know’ he said ‘But I can’t be arsed right now, I’ll chat with him later’.

But the attraction of Phil was too much for Barry and he could smell him for sure. Within 30 seconds, Barry was out of his lounger and on his way over. Oh we could see that he wasn’t happy from his walk. And he didn’t need to be asked why, so he saved us a job and launched right into it.

‘I was meant to go on that boat trip today weren’t I.’

We nodded along.

‘They pissed me off so I sacked it off’.

Oh shitt. There’d been some drama in Barrytown. Well we were in by this point, so we couldn’t help but dig for more. Not that we needed to ask, we would have definitely found out either way.

‘Oh dear, what happened??’

‘Well...’

Barry took a deep breath.

‘Some bloke met me at the front of the hotel, but there was no tuc tuc, so I said Where’s my tuc tuc? And he pointed to the beach and said Boat here. So we walked to the beach and there was no boat so I said Where’s the boat mate?? and THEN he pointed to the end of the bay. He was saying I had to walk to the other bay! So that pissed me off. That pissed me right off. I told him, I said, I don’t like walkin’. Ya know?So we eventually got to the other bay and there was a load of Italians sat about waiting for the boats and I’m looking at these boats thinkin’...I don’t fancy that. They were not even that big these boats and I thought Ya know what, I can’t be arsed with this. So I got up and walked back. Fuk it. Only lost $20, I don’t even care’

And that was Barry’s boat trip.

Being the great friend that he is, Phil got into the pool with angry Barry to cool him down and comfort him with kind words and a quick head rub.

Kiddddinnnnnnggg

They just chilled in the pool and actually had a lovely chat about food, Barry telling Phil about the food available at his local in Cyprus.

‘You’ve got your Pork chops, Lamb, Olive oil, Salt, pepper - its gotta be dun’ mate’

Yes Barry, quite.

Despite the inspiring meat chat, we had a cheap and simple VEGETARIAN lunch at our hotel consisting of rice, lentil Dahl, spinach and chapati and actually got ourselves organised enough to do an activity. Unheard of! I swear, the longer we had stayed in Watamu, the lazier we’d become, and an excursion out was a much needed rarity. We arrived to the Turtle Ocean Conservation and everywhere you looked were recycled items lovingly used to ingeniously build and decorate. The gardens were lined with glass bottles as flower bed edging and there were sculptures of animals & big displays made from plastic waste. It was one of those places that had a special feel about it, like it was made out of pure love and good vibes. Real wholesome like 🤓

Ruth, a passionate & knowledgeable environmentalist, showed us around the small centre and explained the many problems they (the turtles & sea life) were facing on a daily basis - pollution, lack of education, plastic waste, over-fishing, poaching - to name but a few. They had one resident turtle in at that moment. She’d been found in a fisherman’s net and was struggling with various health problems. They hoped to nurse her back to health and eventually release her back into the ocean. Luckily turtles never formed bonds or any attachement with their human carers, so once they were healthy, the release was easy - they swam straight off without looking back. It was even more important to get them better if they were a female turtle as they had the potential to reproduce. It could take months or even years before she was better - one turtle was in for 6 years before its release!

Female turtles can have over 2000 eggs in a lifetime, but due to all the obstacles they now face, it’s likely that only 1 or 2 of those eggs will go on to have their own eggs. People often think that turtles are doing really well as they see lots of pictures of them and they have so many eggs in their lives, but its a misconception. The population is rapidly decreasing.

We ended the tour passing past an entrance to a garden area and I asked Ruth if we could go in. She said yes, but she didn’t seem to think it was really worth a look. I don’t know why, as there were some amazing art sculptures in there. There was a huge jellyfish made from plastic bags and a massive turtle made of bottle tops, plus there was a sort of turtle graveyard with all the shells they’d collected from the poaching. The whole area was like a sort of secret garden, with winding paths and hidden corners and it was clear to me that this garden could be utilised and made more of a feature for the centre. It would be far more engaging by adding a challenge or treasure hunt type activity. I discussed it with Ruth and explained my idea, saying they could have a simple paper sheet with tasks & questions to answer. They could sell for like $1, and then kids could go round the garden finding the answers by using fact boards placed around the garden. SICK IDEA RIGHT!?
Well she thought so too, and said she was definitely going to make it happen when the next volunteers arrived! WOOP WOOP 🙌. Shame we were leaving Watamu and couldn’t stay to help. I would have smashed that. I decided I’d drop her an email afterwards to check up on the idea and see if she needed any help with it. And get a cut of the profits obvs.

The whole centre runs purely from donations and running their tours, so if you would like to donate to help the turtles, every little helps. I will post a link up after this post.

Phil had already planned to use our trip out as an opportunity to do a run and so donned on all his gear and headed off while I waited for a tuc tuc. The driver and I then overtook Phil halfway back and even the driver said Phil was ‘very fast’. I smiled proudly and agreed with him. I waited for him to finish that sentence with. ‘...for a muzungu’ but he didn’t. Wow it was a proper compliment.

We went for another late afternoon dip in the sea accompanied by a beach bar beer, and Barry the stalker appeared in the bar next to ours - it was the same bar he went to every evening to be fair. A man of habit was our Barry.

No point sitting on different tables though Barry eh...so he followed his hearts desire and came over to sit with Phil. I was there obviously, but we all know by now Barry only has eyes for Phil.

‘Someone’s sat in my seat tonight’ he said, nodding towards ‘his’ bar as he arrived.

Nightmare. Barry had rocked up to his bar and someone had sat in his favourite seat. What an absolute joke.

Phil and Barry discussed many things, one being Barry’s marriage and subsequent divorce. Why didn’t it work out I wondered? No doubt there were various reasons, but maybe Barry going to the pub 3 or 4 nights a week didn’t help. Just a thought. But for Barry it was ‘necessary’ to have his pub time. Essential. I asked whether his wife (sorry, ex-wife) ever went out, or was she just at home with their child, while he was at the pub and he said ‘I gave her every opportunity to go out with her friends’. I choked on my drink laughing as it reminded me of something Phil says sarcastically on a regular basis - ‘Thank you for the opportunity Jess’.

But my favourite topic of the evening was Barry’s ‘banter’ chat.

‘Phil, do you have banter with your mates?’

He didn’t wait for a reply

‘Cos I do.’

I interjected at this point to mention that we both enjoyed dabbling in a spot of banter from time to time, but Barry was a mans man and I’m not sure he heard me. Boys will be boys right.

‘Me and my mates used to go to this one pub a couple of nights a week and bloody hell the banter was ‘ilarious. One time, my mate went to the loo and we barricaded the door. Completely blocked it, he couldn’t get out! Oh we had sucha laugh. Another time, this guy started a fight with my mate, over nuffing, and we all jumped on, then the barman - he was a big lad - he just picked the fella up and THREW him out the door! Honestly it was HILARIOUS. Oh ha and once, we got a painting that was on the wall, took it off, and we screwed it to the ceiling. Oh god, the landlord didn’t find it for weeks! Honestly Phil, so funny mate....’

 

Listening to Barry’s bountiful banter tales of mischief and man fun was thoroughly entertaining (gosh imagine the thrills of it. I can’t wait to get home and do the painting on the ceiling trick at my, sorry, Mum and Dads house) but I decided to leave them to it and walk up to my tailor bloke to collect the items before he closed.

My plan was to try the new items on and give feedback if necessary. But by the time I walked down the beach and then the pitch black beach road at high speed, I was sweating so profusely that I wasn’t thinking straight. I lost approximately 3 litres of sweat trying on the various shorts and trousers only to discover they were FAR too tight for me - but the boss guy wasn’t even there and I was SO hot that I just paid up and ran out of the shack. As I walked back along the beach, I already decided I would have to go back the next morning to get the trousers changed at the very least.

By the time I got back to the lads, Barry and Phil had settled in for the night and had even got themselves double stacked chairs to sit on for additional support (Barry was not a small chap). My plan to eat at a nice restaurant I’d spotted was rapidly fading away and in a desperate attempt to entice me to warm to the idea of a romantic meal for 3 on the beach, Phil announced he wanted prawns for dinner.

Now let me tell you - Phil has never, EVER, in his life ordered prawns. He has occasionally eaten prawns off my plate, and ONLY when I have thoroughly de-shelled and prepped them as though he was a baby (or Roy McCusker). So I could hardly say No could I, and to be honest, I was impressed by his boldness and also intrigued to see how the hell he was going to handle de-shelling prawns for the first time in his life. All with an audience (ok, just Barry). This was going to be a sight to see.

After we ordered the food though, Phil decided to announce he was going for a quick shower, so Barry and I finally got some time to ourselves. Great. It’s what we’d both been craving.

I stuck with what I know and chatted about different countries etc and ended up showing Barry some pictures of Mexico on my phone. Easy win. But suddenly a WhatsApp message popped up on the screen and it was a video of Phil singing as he got into the shower. I VERY quickly swiped it away and thought PHEW, I’ve just about got away with that one. I continued to show pictures of Mexican cenotes when another message appeared. This one was something like this

🤪🥰😍

Ok well this one was also cringe, so I quickly shifted the phone away to turn it onto airplane mode.

And thank god I did, as the next message Phil sent me popped up on the screen just as I moved it from Barry’s view:

#prawnsforBarry

Ok so at this point, I told Barry the phone was no longer working.

Phil returned (THANK GOD FOR THAT) wearing the newly altered mustard shirt, but Barry pointed that the pocket was still on the wonk. Dammit he was right as well. During the hour wait for these prawns, the topic I’d of how we met was bought up. I happily told Barry we met in a gay club and that we both had best friends who were gay. That’s right Barry. GAY. Oooh how was this going to go down I wondered...

We started off ok. Barry said he used to know a guy at work and he invited him to some of his dinner parties a few times. How nice of you Barry.

Lovely. But where’s the ‘but’...?

Ah ha, here it is

‘I don’t have a problem with it...’

Yes Barry, go on...

‘I don’t have a problem with it...but...’ (there it was) ‘...but when it comes up on TV and there’s two blokes kissing, I mean, ya know I don’t wana see that’. Barry pulled a face of disgust.

It was my turn to jump in

‘But I suppose two girls kissing is ok to see?’

Barry raised his eyebrows and avoided eye contact.

‘Well...you don’t see so much of that do you, its always blokes’

‘Apart from in porn right? Lots of men don’t mind gay kissing when its women doing it and its for their gratification. Kind of ironic really isn’t it!’ I said.

What I also wanted to say was:

I hate to break it to you Barry but you DO have a problem with it.

People are allowed to be uncomfortable with it, that is their right, but they need to understand that therefore they DO have a problem with it. And if that’s the case, then it would be better for everyone if those people kept their prejudice and judgement on the matter completely to themselves. It is homophobic to say ‘I don’t wana see that’ and talking like that is not helpful to anyone.

But what I actually explained to Barry was that of course he was not alone in his discomfort and many men and some women of his generation, and other generations too, would feel uncomfortable. This was likely due to the fact they had not been bought up to see gay culture and had been surrounded by homophobic language, media and culture in their life. If they were conscious and aware about why they felt the way they did, they might feel more comfortable with being uncomfortable.

I’m not sure how much of it he took in. Things went rapidly downhill after this when I mentioned the plastic straw issue to the waiter and Barry forgot he’d already told Phil about his Greta Thunberg joke meme (he definitely didn’t know it was a meme, but it was a meme). I managed to hear properly this time. Are you ready? Apologies in advance for this.

He described it as a picture of Greta Thunberg and at the top of it, it said ‘F**k the climate’ and at the bottom it said ‘I’ve discovered c**k’..

Not only was it a bizarre and offensive, it was not funny.

What IS funny is how a 70 year old man was so uncomfortable with two men kissing, but completely comfortable making a gross sexual joke about an autistic child.

Phil spoke up in response this time and said ‘Wow I mean, its pretty rude and its not really very funny. Anything she does for the climate is fantastic really’, while I said something like ‘Wow, isn’t she like 15 years old??’. To which Barry awkwardly said he thought she was 16. COOL WELL THAT MAKES IT OK THEN MATE.

So anyway - #prawnsforBarry - Phil somehow dealt with the prawns completely independent of my help which was actually unbelievable and I glowed with pride. The pace at which he was able to consume his dinner was far slower than he would have liked due to the amount of prep work required, but he got on with it like a trooper. His achievements of combating prawns alongside not being a sexist homophobe really shone that night and we went back to the hotel agreeing that we’d have dinner just us two the next day.