#if you knew at least tiny part of our history

[apricusapollo]

"they're acting like they won the world cup lol" idk man maybe finally being qualified to play at euros after waiting for decades for it to happen, also considering the fact that we're from a small country which has always been oppressed and colonised and had to fight tooth and nail to gain independence, MAYBE it does feel like winning the world cup

[perfectlyvalid49]

On being Jewish, and traumatized (It’s been 5 months and I want to talk):

Judaism is a joyous religion. So much of our daily practice is to focus us on the things that are good. I know that there’s a joke that all our holidays can be summed up as “they tried to kill us. We survived – let’s eat!”, and you might think that holidays focused on attempts at killing us might be somber, but they’re really not. Most are celebrated in the sense of, “we’re still here, let’s have a party!” When I think about practicing Judaism, the things I think about make me happy.

But I think a lot of non-Jews don’t necessarily see Judaism the same way. I think in part it’s because we do like to kvetch, but I think a lot of it is because from the outside it’s harder to see the joy, and very easy to see the long history of suffering that has been enacted on the Jewish people. From the inside, it’s very much, “we’re still here, let’s party” and from the outside it’s, “how many times have they tried to kill you? Why are you celebrating? They tried to KILL YOU!”

And I want to start with that because a lot of the rest of this is going to be negative. And I don’t want people to read it and wonder why I still want to be Jewish. I want to be Jewish because it makes me happy. My problem isn’t with being Jewish, it’s with how Jews are treated.

What I really wanted to write about is being Jewish and the trauma that’s involved with that right now.

First, I want to talk about Israeli Jews. I can’t say much here because I’m not Israeli, nor do I have any close friends or family that are Israeli. But if I’m going to be talking about the trauma Jews are experiencing right now, I can’t not mention the fact that Israeli Jews (and Israelis that aren’t Jewish as well, but that’s not my focus here) are dealing with massive amounts of it right now. It’s a tiny country – virtually everyone has a friend or family member that was killed or kidnapped, or knows someone who does. Thousands of rockets have been fired at Israel in the last few months – think about the fact that the Iron Dome exists and why it needs to. Terror attacks are ongoing; I feel like there’s been at least one every week since October. Thousands of people are displaced from their homes, either because of the rocket fire, or because their homes and communities were physically destroyed in the largest pogrom in recent history – the deadliest single day for Jews since the Holocaust ended. If that’s not trauma inducing, I don’t know what is.

And there is, of course, the generational trauma. And I think Jewish generational trauma is interesting because it’s so layered. Because it’s not just the result of one trauma passed down through the generations. Every 50-100 years, antisemitism intensifies, and so very frequently the people experiencing a traumatic event were already suffering from the generational trauma that their grandparents or great grandparents lived through. And those elders were holding the generational trauma from the time before that. And so on.

And because it happens so regularly, there’s always someone in the community that remembers the last time. We are never allowed the luxury of imagining that we are safe. We know what happened before, and we know that it happened again and again and again. And so we know that it only makes sense to assume it will happen in the future. The trauma response is valid. I live in America because my great grandparents lived in Russia and they knew when it was time to get the hell out in the 1900s. And the reason they knew that is because their grandparents remembered the results of the blood libels in the 1850s. How can we heal when the scar tissue keeps us safe?

I look around now and wonder if we’ll need to run. We have a plan. I repeat, my family has a plan for what to do if we need to flee the country due to religious persecution. How can that possibly be normal? And yet, all the Jewish families I know have similar plans. It is normal if you’re Jewish. Every once in a while I see someone who isn’t Jewish talk about making plans to leave because they’re LGBTQ or some other minority and the question always seems to be, “should I make a plan?” It astounds me every time. The Jewish answer is that you need to have a plan and the only question is, “when should I act?” Sometimes our Jewish friends discuss it at play dates. Where will you go? What are the triggers to leave? No one wants to go any earlier then they have to. Everyone knows what the price of holding off too long might be.

I want to keep my children safe. When do I induct them into the club? When do I let my sweet, innocent kids know that some people will hate them for being Jewish? When do I teach them the skills my parents and grandparents taught me? How to pass as white, how to pass as Christian, knowing when to keep your mouth shut about what you believe. When do I tell them about the Holocaust and teach them the game “would this person hide me?” How hard do I have to work to remind them that while you want to believe that a person would hide you, statistically, most people you know would not have? Who is this more traumatic for? Them, to learn that there is hatred in the world and it is directed at them, or me, to have to drive some of the innocence out of my own children’s eyes in order to make sure they are prepared to meet the reality of the world?

And the reality of the world is that it is FULL of antisemitism. There’s a lot of…I guess I’d call it mild antisemitism that’s always present that you just kinda learn to ignore. It’s the sort of stuff that non-Jews might not even recognize as antisemitic until you explain it to them, just little micro-aggressions that you do your best to ignore because you know that the people doing it don’t necessarily mean it, it’s just the culture we live in. It can still hurt though. I like to compare it to a bruise: you can mostly ignore it, but every once in a while something (more blatant antisemitism) will put a bit to much pressure on it and you remember that you were already hurting this whole time.

On top of the background antisemitism, there’s more intense stuff. And usually the most intense, mask off antisemitism comes from the right. This makes sense, in that a lot of right politics are essentially about hating the “other” and what are Jews if not Western civilizations oldest type of “other”? On the one hand, I’ve always been fortunate enough to live in relatively liberal areas so this sort of antisemitism has felt far away and impersonal – they hate everybody, and I’m just part of everybody. On the other hand, until recently I’ve always considered this the most dangerous source of antisemitism. This is the antisemitism that leads to hate crimes, that leads to synagogue shootings. This is the reason why my synagogue is built so that there is a long driveway before you can even see the building, and that driveway is filled with police on the high holidays. This is the reason why my husband and I were scared to hang a mezuzah in our first apartment (and second, and third). For a long time, this was the antisemitism that made me afraid.

But the left has a problem with antisemitism too. And it has always been there. Where the right hates the “other”, the left hates the “privileged/elite/oppressors.” It’s the exact same thing, just dressed up with different words. They all mean “other” and “other” means “Jew.” It hurts more coming from the left though. A lot of Jewish philosophy leans left. A lot of Jews lean left. So when the left decides to hate us, it isn’t a random stranger, it’s a friend, and it feels like a betrayal.

One of the people I follow works for Yad Vashem, and a few weeks ago she mentioned a video they have with testimonies from people who came to Israel after Kristallnacht, with an unofficial title of “The blow came from within.” The idea is that to non-German Jews, the Holocaust was something done by strangers. It was still terrible, but it is easier to bear the hate of a stranger – it’s not personal. But to German Jews, the Holocaust was a betrayal. It wasn’t done by strangers, it was done by coworkers, and neighbors and people they thought were friends. It was done by people who knew them, and still looked at them and said, “less than human.” And because of this sense of betrayal, German survivors, or Germans who managed to get out before they got rounded up, had a very different experience than other Holocaust victims.

And I feel like a lot of left leaning Jews are having a similar experience now. People that we’ve marched with or organized with, or even just mutuals that we’ve thought of as friends are now going on about how Jews are evil. They repeat antisemitic talking points from the Nazis and from the Protocols of the Elders of Zion, and when we point out that those ideas have only led to Jewish death in the past they don’t care. And if someone you thought of as a friend thinks of you this way, what do you think a stranger might think? Might do?

The Jews are fucking terrified. I’ve seen a post going around that basically wonders if this was what it was like for our ancestors – when things got bad enough to see what was coming but before it was too late to run? And we can see what’s coming. History tells us that they way people are talking and acting only leads to one place. I’m a millennial – when I was a kid the grandparents at my synagogue made sure the kids knew – this is what it looked like before, this is what you need to watch out for, this is when you need to run. I wonder where to run to. It feels like nowhere is safe.

I feel like I’ve been lucky in all this. I don’t live in Israel. I have family and acquaintances who do, but no one I’m particularly close to. Everyone I know in real life has either been sane or at least silent about all of this (the internet has been significantly worse, but when it comes to hate, the internet is always worse). I live in a relatively liberal area – there’s always been antisemitism around anyway, but it’s mostly just been swastikas on flyers, or people advocating for BDS, not anything that’s made me actually worry for my safety. But in the last 5 months there have been bomb threats at my synagogue, and just last week a kid got beat up for being Jewish at our local high school. He doesn’t want to report it. He’s worried it will make it worse.

I bought a Magen David to wear in November. At the time it seemed like the best way to fight antisemitism was to be visibly Jewish, to show that we’re just normal people like everyone else. Plus, I figured that if me being Jewish was going to be a problem for someone, then I would make it a problem right away and not waste time. I’ve worn it almost constantly since, but the one time I took it off was when I burnt my finger in December and had to go to urgent care. I didn’t think about it too much when I did it, but I thought about it for a long time after – I didn’t feel good about having made that choice.

The conclusion I came to is that the training that my elders had been so careful to instill in me kicked in. I was hurt, and scared, and the voice inside my head that sounds like my grandmother said, “don’t give them a reason to be bad to you. Fight when you’re well, but for now – survive.” It still felt cowardly, but it was also a connection to my ancestors who heeded the same voice well enough to survive. And it enrages me that that voice has been necessary in the past. And it enrages me that things are bad enough now that my instinct is that I need to hide who I am to receive appropriate medical care.

I wish I had some sort of final thought to tie this all together other than, “this sucks and I hate it,” but I really don’t. I could call for people to examine their antisemitic biases, but I’m not foolish enough to think that this will reach the people who need to do so. I could wish for a future where everything I’ve talked about here exists only in history books, and the Jewish experience is no longer tied to feeling this pain, but that’s basically wishing for the moshiach, and I’m not going to hold my breath.

I guess I’ll end it with the thought that through all of this hate and pain and fear, we’re still here. And we’re still joyful as well. As much as so many people have tried over literally THOUSANDS of years to eradicate us, I’m still here, I’m still Jewish, and being Jewish still makes me happy.

Am Yisrael Chai.

[agoodflyting]

Good Omens Historical Trivia That's Haunting Me Today...

So we all know A.Z. Fell & Co is located on the fictitious Whickber Street in Soho and was established in 1800.

Aziraphale has run the shop ever since then and was in contact with Crowley at least until the 1820's when they took their little jaunt to Edinburgh and Crowley got sucked down the tube slide to Hell. They meet up again no later than the 1860's, when Crowley asks for Holy Water.

Stands to reason that between the 1820's and 1860's Aziraphale was in Soho doing Aziraphale things. Running his bookshop. Eating tiny cakes

Yeah... you know what else was going on in Soho during that time?

The worst cholera epidemic in London history.

If you don't know, cholera is a deadly bacterial infection caused by drinking contaminated water. Prior to the 1850's humans weren't really sure what caused cholera, but they knew it was terrifying and also that it was absolutely epidemic in big cities.

TW: this is gross - The main symptoms of cholera are agonizing stomach pain and non-stop watery diarrhea, eventually leading to the skin turning blue due to the thickening of blood from severe dehydration. Patients can lose more than 20% of their body weight in hours as they quite literally evacuate every drop of water in their bodies until they die of heart failure. - OK gross part over

Cholera symptoms show up as short as 5 hours after infection and could kill within as little as 12 hours. Cholera was especially terrifying because of how quickly and painfully it killed you, and because the patient maintained mental clarity up until the point of death. More than half of the people who contracted cholera died within a few days after consuming the bacteria-contaminated water.

And guess what water had cholera bacteria in it?

The public water pump on Broad Street in Soho in August of 1854

And this wasn't one of those epidemics that starts slowly and drags on. It hit like a bomb. It killed 600 Soho residents in ten days.

That's roughly 60 people a day in a 3-4 block area. Most of them died at home because the disease struck too quickly for them to to make it to a hospital. Survivors described hearses stacked with coffins 4-5 high going down the street nonstop all day long during the outbreak. Entire families were wiped out overnight.

What does that have to do with Good Omens?

Aziraphale's book shop was right in the epicenter of this outbreak.

Neil Gaiman has been pretty free about the fact that Whickber Street is a thinly veiled expy of the real Berwick Street in Soho.

This is a famous map showing the 1854 Soho Cholera epidemic. I highlighted Berwick Street and the public water pump that was the center of the contagion. The black bars (I circled a few in blue) on the map designate deaths. The thicker the black bar, the more people died in that particular house.

51 people died the week of the cholera outbreak on Aziraphale's Street alone.

Cholera was one of those diseases that provoked a lot of panic, not just because of how fast and painful it was, but because of the way it didn't follow common conventions about class or age. Children died while the elderly survived (often because the elderly had no one to gather water for them). Lower class houses were spared while their middle class landlords died. Churches were packed that week, because people in Soho had no idea who would get sick next. The epidemic pretty much burned itself out in a week and a half, since by that point everyone who drank the water had already died. I have to wonder what our resident Angel was up to during that time. Obviously cholera can't hurt him, but that's his neighborhood. There's no way hundreds of people, including entire families with children, are dying painfully in his neighborhood and Aziraphale doesn't notice. That means that in between this scene:

And this one:

Aziraphale would have watched one of the worst disease outbreaks in London history play out right outside his front door. I feel like there's great potential for a good story there if anyone better than me wants to write it.

[asmo-d3us]

angsty & regulus’ death || the letter remus received from one his best friends || part 3 of 8

~*~*~*~*~*~

~*Remus Lupin*~

It was darker than usual outside, the stars were glittering brighter than ever and even though Remus would usually feel a sense of comfort at the sight, tonight it brought him a stab of anguish in his gut instead. So troublesome in fact that Remus couldn’t even read his book normally. Well, the book Regulus gave him, at-least.

He huffed, slamming the book shut after re-reading the same sentence over a hundred times. He stared out the bedroom window, glaring at the sky. What the fuck are you up to? He spoke to no one at all. Something wasn’t right, he was sure of it! But what?

He drank his tea and made a face at the cold liquid running down his throat, he had left it out for too long. He was home alone tonight, his parents had left him isolated in the house because of his furry little problem happening in a few days. He’ll admit, he was feeling a bit frustrated at nearly everything, but being alone did help considerably.

His brows scrunched at a sudden pecking noise coming from the window near the front door. Placing his cup down, he made his way out of his room and down the corridor, his mismatched socks sliding against the hardwood floor. He walked towards the window and each step he took his gut seemed to sink deeper and deeper into misgiving. He snatched the curtain and raised a brow at the black owl. Ah, Regulus sent me a letter? He thought before pulling open the window and letting the owl hop in.

Its long claws clicked against the window-sill, the envelope on its leg fluttering slightly from the light breeze. Remus wasted no time in grabbing the tiny rope binding the paper to the owl’s leg. At the first slight touch, his gut did yet another stab of concern. The owl flapped its wings, and took off into the bright sky, and Remus watched it all the way till its miniature figure disappeared.

He looked down at the letter in his hands, and the corners of his lips twitched at the confirmation that yes, this is from Reg. He walked back to his room, shutting the door and flopping back down onto his bed, getting cozy before flicking at the stamped wax, tearing it open and pulling out the unusually long letter. His brows clenched together and his eyes squinted. He usually doesn’t write this much.

He cleared his throat with a shake of his head, unfolding the letter, and he read.

______________________

08/01/79

To the biggest nerd ever,

If you have received this letter, I am dead. I have told Kreacher to send out all of my letters if I don’t make it back. In all honesty, I always knew I wouldn’t make it back, but I foolishly kept my hopes up. I kept my hopes up that if I went on just a day longer, things would change. But they didn’t. To make sure you read this letter, I have sent an owl to accompany it and bring it to the receiver.

Read the book I recommended yet? It was good, right? When I first read it, their dynamic reminded me of us. I’ll admit that when we first started talking I had forced myself to hate you because you liked my brother, but I couldn’t bring myself to. We had a connection that was so different from that of my friends and I. As much as I love them and how different we all are, you were the only one that was so similar to me.

Our book club with Lily were some of the best memories I had. I always looked forward to that time of the day, and I felt at home with the both of you. It upsets me that I’ll never experience that ever again, and neither will you two, but this was bound to happen wasn’t it? It was written in the history books.

I don’t know if my brother will read the letter I sent him, I don’t know if he’ll continue hating me, but if he continues to talk nonsense about me can you tell him? Tell him to read the letter I sent him? I don’t want to still have him lost from me even after death Rem, he’s one of the only family I have left.

I have one wish before I die; if you ever happen to stumble across my friends, show them respect. I want to witness the people I love most showing some form of affection for each other. Will you do that for me? No point in asking, I know you Remus, and I know you will do as I wish.

Thank you for the books you have given me, I’ve kept them in my room under my bed if you ever wish to retrieve them one day, and yes I had read them all, they were amazing of course. I’ve sent a letter to James and Lily, you should go check on them after this.

Thank you for being like a twin brother to me, thank you for providing me with the best memories that I’m grateful to die with, thank you for allowing Siri to tell me your secret, thank you for letting me comfort you before full moons. Thank you Moony, for everything.

Maybe in another life we’ll all be able to grow old together with our friends and the love of our lives. Maybe in another life we’ll be rebirthed as actual twins, and our friendship won’t be considered forbidden. I face death with the hope that you will all live long and healthy lives, and if not, I fill myself with yet another foolish hope that when we all die, we’ll be reunited.

Never forget us Moons, and remember me until you can’t.

R.A.B.

______________________

Remus threw the letter aside, fresh tears dribbling out of his eyes and down his scarred cheeks. He ran out of his bedroom and all the way to the front door, hastening to shove his feet into his shoes and fumbling with the door handle before managing to slam it open, sobs wracking through his body. The door banged shut behind him, and without locking it, he ran straight forward–and with a swish of his body, he apparated.

Being met face to face with the front door of James Potter’s and his boyfriend’s house, he finally felt the fierce surge of bereavement crash into his build. Trying not to collapse to the ground with mourning, Remus creeped his way towards the wooden entrance, clutching his stomach with the torturous feeling of loss. The loss of a best friend, the loss of a misunderstood soul, the loss of someone he could’ve called a brother.

He raised his trembling knuckles, and threw thunder after thunder of fists against the door, until he was met with the face of Sirius Black. And then, he allowed himself to shatter.

4 years later, Remus Lupin began to forget Regulus Black.

~*~*~*~*~*~

[absolutebl]

This Week In BL - Everything is Awful or New or Both

Feb 2023 Wk 2

Being a highly subjective assessmen t of one tiny corner of the interwebs. Organized by which ones (in each category) I’m enjoying most.

Ongoing Series - Thai

My School President (Fri YT) ep 11 of 12 - It’s an ep 11 so we knew this was gonna be a downer. This was definitely a “date me date my friends” kind of situation. At this rate, GeminiFourth’s other characters in Chicken are going to kiss before TinnGun do. I love Tinn’s dad. Also, it looks like our a tiny little ship of crumbs is sailing. How cute is that!? Sunshine + sunshine! Bonza. 

Bed Friend (Sat YT & iQIYI uncut) 1 of 8 - Fuck buddies get messy, AKA Between Us the second cumming only this time in an office (and on a desk). I have been waiting for James to hold down (or be held down in) a BL for years! All hail the new kings of high heat. BUCKLE UP I GOT A LOT TO SAY. I like that there’s a dark underbelly (*snicker*) of trauma to this one, it has a slightly a Japanese feel which suits mature characters and an office setting. King’s yearning worried eyes are glorious. Poor thing, he totally adores this beautiful broken fragile boy and doesn’t know how to capture his attention. I admit Net was the one I worried about with this pair. James was always gonna be great. It turns out, I didn’t have to worry. This is an awesome show and I fucking love it. It nearly scooped the top spot. Frankly this is the Office BL I have been WAITING for Thailand to give us. 

NOTE: I watched both YT’s cut and iQIYI’s uncut version. (Anyone else feel odd using those terms under a high heat BL context?) I like YT’s better, mostly iQIYI’s interface is shit. Deets? There was a little extra from the “morning after regrets flashbacks” but not so much I think you’ll regret missing it. Unless you REALLY prefer high heat. The emotion of the sexual connection and Uea’s lonely submissive need was transmitted in both versions, but the iQIYI is slightly more MOAR. 

Never Let Me Go (Tues YT) ep 10 of 12 - Flashbacks to the cutest boyfriends ever and then PAIN. All I can think is “thank fuck this was handed to Pond & Phuwin.” One of the world’s saddest executions of the sniff test trope. Meanwhile, Perth is SO GOOD but I wish Chopper would record his conversations with his dad. Look, we all know Chopper is gonna take his dad’s bullet for Nuengdiao, right? Oh well, if you didn’t know, I just told you. 

Moonlight Chicken (Weds YT) 3-4 of 8 - The plot... erm... thickens. I told you Jim had a tragic backstory with an ex. And now it’s all gotten VERY messy. Sigh. Fourth & Gemini are cute, tho. 

Hit Bite Love (Sat YouTube) ep 4-5 of 6 - I do like King & Burger. The idea of giving your perspective boyfriend your CV is ADORBS. Auditioning for the part, as it were. I would like it known that my sexual identity is chili (AKA spicy) henceforth. (My pronouns are MaxTul & sometimes Phi.) Look, this is an absurd show. Last ep it was BDSM 101, this ep we got a lesson on how to use a condom properly? AND why the closet is both necessary and damaging? I mean I applaud their educational endeavors but BL: The After School Special? Did I sign up for Degrassi Junior BL while I wasn’t looking? 

Boyband (Thurs YT) 1 of 10 - BL drama about putting an idol boyband together. AKA how to make ABL suffer by combing favorite (celebrity romances, Kpop) and least favorite (bad singing) tropes. AND? I REALLY like it. It’s fun! What singing there is, is looped not live. So we in Cutie Pie territory. It’s easy to skip. The pairing is rich/poor and I like an other side of the tracks romance.

Ongoing Series - Not Thai

HIStory 5: Love in the Future (Taiwan Weds Viki) ep 8 of 10 (or 15&16 of 20) - Covid strikes. Boyfriends are worried. Omg they are so cute and hot and awkward. Tension in the office politics too. It’ll be okay, babies. 

Jack o’Frost (Japan) ep 1 of 6 - After getting dumped, Ritsu has an accident and gets amnesia. Ikuya, his ex, struggles to help him regain his memories while wondering about the state of their relationship. But Ritsu falls in love with Ikuya all over again. Engaging opening but I’m just not sure about the premise. 

It’s Airing But ... 

Chains of Heart (Sat Gaga) 1 of 10 - Not dropping for me until tomorrow so it’ll be in next week’s round up I hope. Suspense thriller about a forest ranger, smugglers, amnesia, and lost love. Stars Haii (Cirrus in TT2) and Marc (My Gear & Your Gown in YYY). Adapted from a Y-novel of the same name by TJ Tommy.

My Beautiful Man 2 (Viki & Gaga) - Because there are only 4 eps, I decided to wait and binge this one. 

Cafe In Love (Thai) 10 eps on Ch3+ - Thai pulp, stars the actor who played Noh’s best friend Ohm in Love Sick 2. When his coffee shop closes, a man tries everything to save it and falls in love along the way. I had a hunt but can’t find it. 

Moments Of Love (Thai) Feb 14 Foremorfilm Production movie for cinema release. Was originally a series with Golf (609 Bedtime Story & The Eclipse) to direct, and SmartJames (LeonPhob from Don't Say No) to star. BUT is now something totally different. We’re all confused.

Destiny Seeker (Tues WeTV ) 10 eps - it’s not on any WeTV I can get ahold of. Engineering student Songkram is head of dorm 3, for "strong & athletic" students. Aye is head of dorm 2, for the "good looking" students. Aye used to be Songkram's tutor and friend, but they fell apart after becoming dorm heads. Aye is actually in love with Songkram but thinks Sonkram likes someone else. Songkram actually likes Aye. So, Bad Buddy the pulp rebirth meets that weird Japanese “girls-crossdressing-as-boys for love and infiltrating secret society of hotness” tradition.

Our Winter (Thai & Korea ?) - TutorYim vehicle supposedly airing now. Search me. 

The End Of The World, With You AKA Bokura no Micro na Shuumatsu (Japan Sun Gaga) - DNFing this one. It’s way too high heat for them to end it happily and full of dark stuff like cheating, suicide, depression, abuse. I actively HATE one of the main characters and mildly dislike the other. Easier to just stop watching.  

Next Week Looks Like This:

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

THIS WEEK’S BEST MOMENTS

My favorite thing to happen in BL this week. Possibly EVER.

Honestly, such a weird little After School Special. (All Hit Bite Love.) 

SAIL MY LITTLE CRUMBS! SAIL!!!! 

You TELL her, Paw. (All My School President) 

We stan the out boy. Own it, babycakes. (Moonlight Chicken.) 

(last week)

Current Kpop earworm? Beautiful by BEAST, look, sometimes we gotta go back to our roots. Check out the legends for what they were, criticize my taste later. Fuck I miss those times when everyone had to sing live and the one with the hot mic had to stop dancing to catch his breath because, ya know, he still had to sing. 

ALL that said, you slackers should check out HELLO GLOOM - Dancing In The Dark. I alway said IMFACT was the most woke Kpop group, now they broken up(?) nice to see ‘em solo in queer fuck-off style. 

[yellowcakeuf6]

Hearing the sad news about Patti Yatusake yesterday, it compelled me to share the segment of the fic I'm working on where my OC meets her (I wrote it before finding out about her death)

>>Arriving in the medical centre Mabel was instantly greeted by the bright and cheerful countenance of Nurse Ogawa.

The trim and petite medical ensign in her green uniform engaged her immediately and she could not help warming to her pretty smiling face and sunny disposition. 

She asked Mabel to remove her uniform tunic and sit on a bio bed, which she obligingly complied. 

“So you come from Wales?” she asked in a curious but pleasant tone.

“Yes,” at first Mabel expected the usual cue to elaborate but Ogawa surprised her.

“From what I know it was once part of the old United Kingdom, and is a very beautiful and unspoilt place with its own language and identity?”

Mabel nodded, pleasantly impressed, “Indeed it is, though I have not been back there for a while,” she replied, mirroring the nurse's infectious smile.

“Is your family living there?” Ogawa asked with genuine interest as she ran a medical tricorder over Mabel’s physique and observed the data streaming across the LCARS console.

“No, not any more,” Mabel replied, “My father passed away 3 years ago and my mother moved to a sheltered complex for older people on a Federation colony, but I’m not close to her,” she added factually.

“Ah, I’m sorry,” Ogawa’s tone was sympathetic but not at all contrived.

Mabel decided she liked her.

“No worries,” she answered affably.

"Would you ever go back?“

"I don't know...maybe one day. It would be nice to walk in the mountains again. To feel the fresh clean air and enjoy the peace and tranquility. It’s a great de-stresser.”

"A lot like walking Mount Fuji,” Ogawa replied. 

“Ah - you are from Japan?”

“Yes,” Ogawa replied, her face beaming, “Have you ever visited?”

"No but I’ve seen lots of images - It has such history. I love the architecture of the ancient buildings and the cherry blossom. Is it all still there?”

"It is. Some of the old places survived the war and others were rebuilt and yes, the blossom is stunning when it’s in full bloom during spring.”

"We have daffodils in Wales, huge fields of them,” Mabel smiled, “It’s truly amazing.”

“Ooh I have never seen those flowers, you must show me sometime.” 

"Of course. I will find one of my old images and send it on to you,” Mabel promised with a grin.

Her being felt nourished by this tiny show of shared interest and it lifted her spirits knowing that at least one person here knew of her homeland.

"Well you’ll be pleased to hear everything is in order.” Ogawa said at length.

"Good to hear it. Thank you so much.” Mabel replied, reaching for her tunic.

"Maybe I will see you in Ten Forward?”

“What’s that?” Mabel asked curiously.

"It’s our main breakout and meeting centre, where most of the ship’s crew socialises.”

“Wow, it must be pretty crowded then? I mean there are so many people on here.”

“No, not at all.” Ogawa shook her head laughing. “Of course there’s other rest areas - lower decks mess hall, the sports bar, the senior officers club - but Ten Forward is the most popular. However while it gets busy it's never rammed because everyone is on different shifts.”

"Ah I may pay a visit then, thanks.”

"Any time, hope the rest of your day goes smoothly."<<

[what-even-is-thiss]

When reading stuff from the far past you’re going to come across some things that we these days almost universally see as Bad.

Thing is though, you can’t judge these past people by the same standards you would a modern person.

It’s difficult to wrap your head around sometimes, but your morals, no matter what they are, aren’t somehow instinctual and inherent to the human experience.

It’s fine to point out something in an old text that’s Bad by todays standards. It’s also important to recognize that it was a different time.

There’s no clear cut answer to how we should treat old texts from any culture. All throughout history you’ll find justifications for slavery, anti-semitism, sexism, xenophobia, homophobia, and any other form of bigotry you can find.

There’s no culture throughout all of history that is entirely Good or entirely Bad. It’s important to engage critically with the things you read, but something being worthy of criticism does not mean it should be tossed out entirely.

Things like the odyssey, the romance of the three kingdoms, Shakuntala, journey to the west, are all classic pieces of literature that’ve had a massive impact on literature as a whole worldwide. All of these works are stuffed full of things that modern audiences could never accept in something written today. It’s important to recognize that, but it’s also stupid to think you can just throw these things away. They’re an important part of our history as different cultures and as a worldwide human species.

We all of us come from a never ending line of imperfect humans. The appeal to ancient wisdom is absolutely a fallacy that’s easy to fall for. The idea that the ancients must’ve been right about everything. That there were good cultures and bad cultures and the good ones knew things we don’t.

The reality is, our ancestors were just as stupid as we are and our current morals, standards, and societal norms come from the tiny changes all of them have made over and over again over the past 200,000 years.

So the next time you’re reading something from a long time ago, proceed with caution. There’s no right way to react to it, but at least try to allow some nuance in.

[lordhelpme0-0]

Since you like wings of Fire can I have a request featuring Yuu reading malleus the wings of Fire book series a “bedtime story” because…well…dragons and all?(rest of diasomnia can be part of the request if you want)

When I saw this, I KNEW I had to do it!!!

Diasomnia React to WoF w/ Y/n:

Fandom: Wings of Fire & Twisted Wonderland

TW: Spoilers for WoF yall

Malleus:

When Yuu first introduced the series, Malleus was intrigued to say the least

Let’s just say his favorite was Starflight

I mean- think about it..

Malleus entirely enjoyed the series and wished to know mores

He even asked if there was any gargoyles

“What are these…scavengers..Child of Man?”

“Oh! They’re humans, Tsunotarou!”

let’s say he was quite surprised by this choice of words, though he could see the reasonings behind the name

Yuu would absolutely ramble out theories while Malleus will add in with it

They will be in the library, giggling as they read the books

If Malleus was able to be in Yuu world to see the author, expect him to full on have all the merchandise

Malleus will absolutely be fascinated by Darkstalker: The Legend

Will definitely refer to Yuu as Clearsight at random times

Yuu would call Malleus Darkstalker in return

It would be funny and comical as everyone tried to figure why they call eachother such strange names

They will absolutely try to call the other students different names from the series

“Ah, it seems Sunny (Kalim) is bothering Glory (Leona) again Tsunatorou.”

“Indeed Clearsight, here comes Professor Kestral (Trein).”

Let’s say, everyone is confused at these strange nicknames

Even Floyd was tiny bit nervous as he was the one with the suspicious nicknames

“Koebi-chan, why am I called Whirlpool?”

“It is due to you being quite sadistic and slippery Whirlpool.”

Yuu snorted at Malleus random appearance and answer

Let’s say Malleus and Yuu ran quickly from a angry..slippery eel (if you know, you know)

Either way, you both will have fun

Lilia:

Lilia is amused by such silly concepts as he calls it (it be a silly concept when I-)

He enjoys it as mere fairytales, but that what he thought when he read the prophecy of the first arc

He would immediately latch onto the book series

As the cultures, history, and mystery of playing detective got him

Lilia will immediately stamp Queen Scarlet as point of interest

“Fufufu~! I’ve never thought that Queen Scarlet would be this enthusiastic about colosseum battles.”

His favorite would definitely be Blister. A wicked mastermind? Absolutely.

I wouldn’t be surprised if Lilia starts to be huffy over her death

He would list the reasons why she should be queen

He gonna be all over Queen Diamond and Queen Wasp

Yuu will be willing to share some theories as Lilia would just debunk each one

Definitely will create his own tribe at some point (I mean—we all done that at point)

Silver:

Silver will snooze it through

It’s confirmed that Malleus and Yuu will nickname him Coconut (I’m not even joking)

Silver won’t be interested much in the first arc, but he will definitely will be in the second arc

I mean, he gonna be interested there was a strange voice turning out to be Darkstalker, a magic scroll of animus magic, and even more knightly behavior from Qibli and Winter

His favorite gonna be Winter

Cold face (even though it’s their normal face), stiff, and somehow have a connections to animals (humans-), and a possibility of Silver being Auror-

Yeah, you get the point

Though our sleepy boi is always sleeping, he is vigilant

He definitely will be invested enough to put in little facts for theories with Yuu and the others

Expect him to snore at the boring parts of the books

Definitely will read the epilogue of each book for new details

He will not take kindly at Lilia idea of having sleeping darts made for research purposes (Sebek RUN)

Will have a hammock and whenever he naps, Malleus and Lilia will deem it Suntime

Most likely will have a RainWings persona from Lilia accordingly

Sebek

Sebek you can’t just tell profanities at 4:35 a.m cause of some event happen in the books

No Sebek, you can’t throw the Dragonslayer book into the furnace

Sebek will definitely not be happy over the dragonslayer book at all

Sebek is now called Tsunami

He will absolutely hold the nickname dear to him as it was given by Malleus out of amusement

Sebek is gonna yell at Silver to wake up and not be a literal RainWings

NRC is now baffled and confused at these weird and outworldly remarks

Will definitely be kept quiet so he doesn’t yell during theory time

That is now a thing

A/N: I’m so sorry anon! It took so long as I was busy and etc..I hope you enjoyed this!!! Feel free to ask for more ask! ^^

[robot-thighs]

Hey would you like some Brainstorm/Misfire rarepair crack fic with a gun that shoots orgasms? You can read the full fic on ao3

-

Brainstorm didn’t find himself in his workshop as much as he used to now that he’d partnered with Perceptor in the lab. When he did find himself here, it was usually to facilitate his after-hours tinkering on one of the various commissions he received. Lab resources were only supposed to be used at the behest of the commanding officers, or for things that would benefit the whole ship—well, at least stuff he could claim was for the benefit of the whole ship. But, as a brilliant mech with a reputation such as his, he was also host to a great number of requests from the crew; body modifications; unique weapons—imagination was the only upper limit. Occasionally, thanks to some historically ill-advised decisions on his part, he was subject to the occasional inspection to ensure he wasn’t doing anything entirely inadvisable in here—the ship had pretty well sailed in terms of good faith over his secret projects. But generally speaking, most of what he did in his workshop was relatively private.

So, engrossed as he was with soldering a chip into a facet in his newest micro-displacement mod, he ended up giving a startled jump when a fist started pounding on the workshop door. His hand jittered and he dropped the tiny chip somewhere on his workbench, where it bounced under the myriad of stacked datapads and partially disassembled projects. Dammit.

The knocking came again. The door to the workshop was closed and locked , which he figured was a pretty universal sign for “not seeing visitors.” Obviously, whoever was doing the knocking wasn’t big into reading signs. He ran through a matrix of possibilities as he set his soldering iron aside. Perceptor with something urgent in the lab? Not likely with it being after hours. Ultra Magnus, come with his datapad to prod his works in progress for anything that smacked of breaking the laws of the known universe? Nah… fist wasn’t heavy enough. 

Brainstorm opened the door a sliver and looked through to see Misfire, who was grinning as he leaned his shoulder against the doorframe like he’d been expecting to be face to face with him from this precise viewing angle. Brainstorm puffed with irritation. Misfire had not been on the list of mechs he’d expected to see here.

“Sorry, busy.” He started closing the door without preamble, but Misfire slid his fingers into the gap and pushed it back open before it could fully seal closed.

Misfire awkwardly shimmied his way past the door, fighting against the motors of the automatic closing mechanism before wiggling inside. Brainstorm backed up a step. He’d worked with the Scavengers before in his bids for materials with the Decepticons, so he knew what they were like—which was to say, virtually harmless—but he still wasn’t in a hurry to welcome one of the new, relatively unknown Decepticons who had joined the crew into his workshop. Alone. Unsupervised. He jerked his wings up in offense.  “What do you th—”

“Heeeeey, Brainstorm,” Misfire said with a charming grin. His wings gave a brief, friendly jiggle. “I know, I know. You’re all like, ‘what’s this guy doing here?’ I’m not here to bother you, I’m—”

“Already failed,” Brainstorm interrupted.

“I’m here to clear the air, yanno?” Misfire pressed on. He raised his hands in an exaggerated shrug, striding further into the workshop. Brainstorm shuffled aside to keep from getting batted by one of Misfire’s wings. “I mean, not like there aren’t bots on this ship with some history .” He laughed and grabbed a vial off of a shelf and looked at it disinterestedly. “And I mean, outside the obvious, even. But I figured—I thought…I mean, do they know? ”

[daydreams9]

Okay.......... But for what? Now need them as a staple

Seriously Wave? - You are just going to walk-in and order your usual ?! As if nothing happened. I mean I get it, sometimes all you need to do as a mature grown up adult is taking the first step in mending a friendship. And I am all up for it. Actions speak louder than words- and all.

But the thing is honey- You left. He didn't. He is standing right there where you left. But your friend deserves a teeny tiny "Sorry" at the least. Afterall, you did misunderstood him and the situation and did punched him.

Then again you just took the first step and silently stared at him and he all but came stumbling and running towards you. So I guess, I really should have no reservations regarding this.

Come-on Trin! - We knew you were pining but simping for him as well ?! Don't get me wrong, I am glad about two old friends being back together. Mending a friendship is all about forgetting and forgiving.

But sugar - should you not discuss it first where you people stand right now? You know to clear up all possible future confusion and misunderstandings. Instead you decided to straight-up down your drink with him first knowing you have a history of not being able to handle your drink properly.

Then again, you are happy to have your one-sided love back in your life. Please remember communication is the key.

As an audience though, I think expecting anything more than this is really a bit of a stretch. Considering they tried to at least give them a conclusion with them being supporting and guest characters. So giving them an adult conversation was not practical.

Maybe instead of the whole old buddies drinking together 'just like old times' , just only showing the part where Wave walks into his bar and orders a drink and it ends there - would have made much more sense to me. But that's just me.

Also, this is their only part I could find. Hopefully, I have not missed any of their other parts. Please tell me if otherwise, since I really didn't watched any other parts of this particular series except Trin and Wave storyline.

Now all that being said and done, how about a spin-off or a new series starring these two ? GMMTV? Please?! I think quite a fair share of audience would absolutely love and enjoy our beloveds : Guy Sivakorn Lertchuchot and Pod Suphakorn Sriphothong as a pair on-screen (even if as a secondary couple).

That's all I had to rant about.

Thanks and Regards if you made it to the end of this post.

[docholligay]

So, we all bring ourselves to any narrative we engage with. The window we look out of, is as important as the thing we’re looking at. It changes our perspective. This is not a bad thing, there is no such thing as narrative objectivity, but when we engage with narratives, we need, in as much as is possible, understand the lens through which we tend to read things. My being a lesbian, and a Jew, obviously, affects my read on things, but I am also come from lower-class rural roots, and this ALSO affects how I tend to read and experience narratives.

This is the saddest fucking part of the book for me. This is the part that makes me want to tear up, if I’m going to do it, this is idea that Nan is now so irrevocably changed that she can never go home. And it’s not the gay thing even, except with Alice, but that she has become a city girl with fine clothes and different manners, and she doesn’t fit here anymore.

I know not a lot of people on tumblr can relate to this, but I grew up with this sense of in-group and out-group. @keyofjetwolf laughs every time we go into a tiny rural Montana bar and my voice immediately slips into that variant. The sign that, “Oh, I’m not one of them. I’m one of you.” And there is community and there is pride in that. The idea of leaving that community, of leaving your family behind because now you are so different--as the first person on either side of my family to go to college, that really resonated with me.

Most of the people I associated with even when I first read this were country people, who knew how to ride and rope and for whom the idea of studying calculus was a big ol “to what point and purpose?” (I absolutely did not study calculus, ahaha) I always hate saying this shit, because it fits into that whole “Stupid country redneck lol not cool like me and my city friends with our super useful Literature degrees” (I have a degree in Lit and history! Don’t send letters!) because as much as the internet likes to talk about being different kinds of smart that doesn’t apply to country people in their minds, that applies to people with ADHD who had to drop out because homework is hard (I have ADHD don’t send letters) in the cultural consciousness we have here.

This sense of separation, this sense your family and friends have of being left behind because you are too good for them, that is a REAL THING. And that is POWERFUL and PAINFUL. Saying things like, “oh but a college degree can teach you how to think” I don’t actually disagree, though in the US at least I find many places diploma mills, and met many graduates who still manage to be fuck stupid and without critical thinking skills, but the people I come from hear, “YOU can’t think, because you aren’t educated like me. You’re stupid, and I’m smart.” My mother, who was writing poetry for some of my childhood, who read me books far beyond Hop on Pop and taught me how to talk about them, the woman, who, not knowing a single thing about ADHD but knowing that I was different, taught me how to exist in the real world, how to hack life for me, she thinks she is stupid, because she doesn’t have a college degree.  For one thing to be better, another has to be worse, you know? And that causes pain. I feel that, very deeply.

I feel like I’m not articulating this very well, certainly not for people who have never felt that sense of physical cutting at the way your voice, your manners, your everything, have to change in order to get along, and then you become a stranger to your own people but I get that, and this, to me is that saddest goddamn part of the entire book.

[ilikelookingatthings]

I had a weird as dream that I must write down. Imagine old tiny army cartoon or live action old army comedy show. We are in ghe perspective of a army nurse (also cook)who is very popular. Sam(Samuel) Ibie wellington(she likes imagine Sam I be smelling where she would hesitate over writing the last name cuz she'd feel the erge to write the smelling one for giggles...but she would wrote it in a fancy cursive with a heart.

The guys would get her fresh meat by hunting abd bring her first and leather...and she knew everyone of their stories by name.

WE know the entire troop is going to die because

They have been ordered to fight. They don't have enough time to make a plan and while they consider what if they just hid somewhere and ambushed...or just hid so they would live....if they AREN'T IN THE WAY AT AT LEAST slow the OPOOSING Army down the army would immediately get to Fort Knox who also don't have enough time to prepare and need at least that one day delay killing our troops would give or they and all the civilians they are protecting behind them to put up a proper fight.

If our troops just hid and the opposing army just passed by....a bunch mire people would be slaughtered and if our army lived people would question things and see it as them all turning traitor and abandoning their post woth at most gives yiu a death penalty and at least your court marshaled and you live in shame where if anyone they knew did live our Troup would luve in shame....because of course the army would have free ranger to attack more towns if they got through all the defenses.

The head of the Troup kniws this and is so angry they are being left to die...where he doesn't tell the troops the truth cuz he us angry and trying t solve it by himself and he doesn't think they habe enough time to solve the problem or put up a good fight...which is a mistake cuz it gives them even LESS time to find a solution.

Thry also have a basically blind person in charge(Mt mind got inspiration from this old comedy army show that my dad apparently used to watched that was black and white that showed in a doctor's office TV once...who was blind and old but wjo means well and wjo was taken foe a ride by his troops who would make fake scenarios to make him feel like they were doing their part because they didn't ACTUALLY want to go-to battle being led by a blind guy..where they actually shot down a big wig by accident who they already made a fake scenerio of giving a medal. But the senator or general sss understandably annoyed and pissed)....either way that's from the shoe not the dream ect ect.

Anyway we know in theory in the dream everyone is suppoused to die cuz it's history and its famous that they all were killed in the future(note I don't know much about history but this is definity not based on a real battle...99.999% my mind made it up)

Fort knox...really?my dream mind is weird.

Either way we see the nurse/cook somehow find out the truth with the troops and the other cooks and nurses and she is PISSED. She doesn't want to die. She doesn't want them all to die and if they just hidden they could kill Samuel in the other fort. But they have even less time to prepare.

They brought up gorilla warfare where they good hide in the bushes and camouflage but they are told the other troops are good at seeing throught it. Their 'bushes' also rumpled like a plastic or paper bag and are almost see through but they try to get more leaves and branches... to fill out the bush disguises...and our cook nurse lady brought up using all the furs amd leather they've brought to help with the sound problem and to make more disguises.

So everyone is dressed like different types of bushes and like the lost boys from Disney's Peter pan.

Wondering if they should give up and just die....the nurse cook brings up every one of their personalities and stories....like benjamin/Benny who's girlfriend left him where he was told he needs to live and find someone else or if he ever loved ger...he needs to live at least to see her whether they are together now or not cuz that was still regardless it was someone who had cared...bringing up family members and friends or even if they have no one....to bring up any one or any excuse to give they a reason to fight...enemies, aquatences, lovers, ex lovers friends, family ect.

And I woke up wondering if they were able to fight back and survive or if they fought back and they did die but this is the secret history that was never noticed.

Also I kept wondering who they were fighting? The British? Other Americans in a civil war? Vietnam or Korea? Wjat would have made the most sense for this imaginary too detailed dream war that was talked over by the narrator from old Disney shorts.

[harrietsdreams]

Chapter 4

This trip could be both a catastrophe and the most important moment of my life. Our arrangement was odd to say the least. My parents were already there, as they were terrified of what the oldest Allard might mean by news. So Theodore offered to drive us there, together for hours on end.

Lily refused to enter the backseat. No one protested; in the end, she lost a game she didn't even know she was part of.

I took it all in: the noises becoming quieter, the strong pine smell, tiny villages populated by even tinier numbers of inhabitants. Entire lives and histories, we were only part of for a blip of a second. Our messy and confusing lives, fated to never cross theirs.

Maybe it was for the best as I initiated multiple attempts at conversations between Leon and Cadie, resulting in screaming matches. All of them ended with Theodore threatening to drive into a ditch if they didn't stop.

Lily seemed to not mind any of this as she gave a four-hour presentation of her life story and positive attributes. Cadie and I endorsed her with casual comments of encouragement. Some of those made me uneasy. Leon knew, did he not? Oh, God.

Theodore nodded profusely, probably too engulfed in his first time driving on a highway. Nervously asking everyone if it was alright. Spoiler alert: it was not. Despite all this, we also laughed a lot, and Cadie responded politely to Leon one time. Lily went hauntingly silent at the entrance that led to the country house. And for the finale, Theo let out a profound sigh.

There we were, that same golden light shining through those wheat fields. At a loss, I asked the empty space how I was supposed to feel.

Mom. Would you expect me to smile? I apologise but I will refrain. Holding on to the promise we made with your eyes full of joy. That all you needed was my smile, and you would always be there. So I don’t, to keep you in a “Schrödinger's state.” Despite my ramblings, I am not all that different from Grandma. In this state of ambiguity, your hair remains superior to this golden sunset.

Perceiving myself as small and powerless. Can you help me through these feelings? Directly beneath that place looming above.

“Harriet!” I heard my aunt-turned-mother. A tangible one, more motherly than a ghost I sorely miss. “Have you been sleeping well?” She asked, gulping.

“As well as I can,” I answered honestly. She could tell either way.

“Grandma is alright… So if you want to go home-”

“I made up my mind to face this head on.” I probably should not mention Cadie or the deal we all made about my parents. My aunt knew my mother as her sister before I even existed… It must be difficult.

“Alrighty! Then I should mention that the Olives are here. You used to play with their kids so well…” She barely concealed a grin as she attempted to nonchalantly say that.

“Oh please, honey! You are so obvious,” Uncle added.

“Right? Her face says it all!” I grinned, reaching out for a hug.

She welcomed me in her arms but not without adding a snarky remark, “They grew up to be fine adults. Either way, give them a chance.”

I giggled harder, resembling a tall child in her embrace, and my auntie seemed to relax after that. “Sure. Why not?” I lowered my voice. “What do they say about that floor?”

My uncle looked behind him as if a ghost would appear. “The same as usual.”

“Dears, if you are about to badmouth me, at least enter my home before you do it.” She shot a harsh gaze towards her daughter and son-in-law. I turned towards her, preparing my greetings, but Grandma's eyes that fixated on me were unkind.

“Harriet. You-” Grandma visibly noticed her expression, fixing it to the usual one. “Enter. Your room is ready.” She stormed inside, running out of sight.

***

Leon and Lily immediately installed themselves in their respective bedrooms, like they had never left. I also rushed to deposit my belongings, envying their ease. Theodore and Cadie seemed to be missing. Did Grandma say something to them?

Later. I will ask them later. “My bedroom” felt spacious, far from the safe and cosy box back in the city. This house seemed to me unlike reality, resembling a portal I had traversed, someplace else. A voice inside told me: “You are not welcome.”

Setting foot into a fairy-tale, it felt like a princess chamber forgotten in this nowhere place. And I had fallen from a black hole and ended up here; after all, I was not suited for such stories.

I fell flat on the perfectly made bed. Balancing between the urge to stay in outside clothes or be a healthy, functional person. As my mind flooded with pesky dark clouds, the bed sunk into the shape of my body. Hours of almost falling asleep or minutes at a time turned into giving up.

I scooped my bunny-shaped slippers from my bag, not caring for the mess of clothes left. Rapidly, I was out of the door, with the sneaking ability to not wake up a large family while drinking water at night. 

Soon my feet found themselves in an unfamiliar mansion’s garden. It seemed dreamy, so well-kept that even the leaves and rocks appeared to be beautifully placed. Different from any distorted memory in my earliest memories, estranged from myself.

The fresh air lessened a headache I had been festering, and everything felt peaceful. Following a path made from minuscule pebbles led to a strange structure, which upon closer inspection was a fountain. In the centre stood some goddess with a deer-like animal. Moss grew in unflattering places; it was a decrepit monument of time, amongst well-groomed vegetation.

Why was that? Inspecting my surroundings, there was no rhyme or reason for this contrast.

Then I heard footsteps. "Lilian? What are you doing here? It's a little late, don't you think?" said a calm male voice. His chuckles resonated through the night.

[absolutebl]

This Week in BL - KISSES galore

Jan 20232 Wk 2

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

Ongoing Series - Thai

My School President (Fri YT) 6 of 10 - The mutual squealing and kicking and rolling over in bed was v cute. Tiw might actually be the greatest BL wingman of all time, yes better than Namgoong. Friend zone? Cute GMMTV, very cute. Elevator kiss, on the other hand = you little shits. Also, I’m mad you made me watch the MV because there was no way to skip through it without missing stuff. Tricky bastards. GMMTV = cute, shitty, & tricky all in one ep. Guess that’s why they’re the top of the Thai BL food chain. 

Never Let Me Go (Tues YT) 5 of 12 - We knew that this pair kisses really well, but for the characters that was a pretty stellar first kiss. I liked that we got to see Palm really want something for a change. Up until now, he’s been a pretty passive character, constantly told what to do by others, this is the first independent choice his character actually makes in this narrative. Meanwhile the action part of the bodyguard plot has begun, which makes me happy. Let the forced proximity cohabitation trope commence! With probably at least one running through the woods holding hands to come.

Between Us (Sun iQIYI) 9 of 12 - Basically a filler ep with in-your-face backstory we already sussed. Prem is doing a good job tho. WATCH ALONG HERE.

609 Bedtime Story (Fri WeTV) 8 of 11 - There was no GamesVee. I’m sad. 

Cutie Pie 2 You (special) 2 of 4 - Awwwww, how sweet they tried to give it a plot. Operative word being: tried. 

I Will Knock You (Fri Gaga) 9 of 12 - Stuff in tents. Lots of cringing blushing maiden bullshit. Noey = v bold and into public claiming. I’m not wild about this one. 

Remember Me (Sun Gaga) 14fin - Honestly, they were branded pairs so we knew ManTitle were goona kiss, but I kinda wish they hadn’t bothered. These characters just didn’t work for me as a couple. Marriage equality stinger* on this puppy. Still, what a slog. I’m only binging stuff from this studio henceforth. (Next one: Buddy Line Y Animal). Whatever. Frankly that’s my review of the show: whatever. 5/10 

* I do like that this drama teased a marriage and then intentionally never gave us that marriage on screen. For all romance genre fans, this would've felt like a slap in the face. Instead they put in a stinger that essentially said “if you want a marriage scene between men, legalize marriage in Thailand, you fuckers.” And ya know, I’m here for that. 

Ongoing Series - Not Thai

The New Employee (Korea Weds Viki) 4 of 8 - Ooo first date. Omg they are SO CUTE. There was a lot of squealing and flapping of hands on this side of the screen with the show. Also two out gay boys! Korea how far you have come in just a few short years! If adorable our baby boy’s 2 fag hags don’t get together by the end of this show, I will be a touch disappointed. (It has to be said. I’m not expecting it because this is still Korea doesn’t do sides in BL. But hope springs eternal.) Meanwhile, I like that there was actual desire expressed with these two. This is definitely one of the gayest BLs to have come out of Korea in recent years. If you’re confused like I was, that pen has the initial of baby’s ex crush from uni on it. 

HIStory 5: Love in the Future (Taiwan Weds Viki) 3 of 10 (or 6 of 20) - Classic that Taiwan has finally given us a femme character in a BL and he is predatory & evil. The secondary couple is the most adorable thing, I even forgive them a pratfall kiss, because there was a 3 piece suit involved. I am starting to like the main couple a little bit more, mostly because of the rich kid character. I love domesticity, and Taiwan always does it so well. The main character time traveler whatever remains a bit annoying, I prefer a sunshine archetype that is not intentionally naïve to the point of stupidity. Still, I’m invested. This is classic HIStory franchise. 

Candy Color Paradox AKA Ameiro Paradox (Japan Fri Gaga) 4 of 8 - It’s a bit too much second hand embarrassment and cringe for me. I hope Japan someday gives us a BL like Eternal Yesterday, where both characters are cool and no one dies. Incidentally, if you’re playing a game of spot that BL actor, the one playing the “actor character” is Izuka Kenta  (from The Novelist and Absolute BL2). WE LOVE HIM. 

The Director Who Buys Me Dinner (Korea Weds iQIYI) 9-10fin - I honestly don’t know how I feel about this one. It was more of a red thread fated mates who are fated to repeat the mistakes of the past. Shall we call it faded mates?  And I’m not sure, even though the ending is somewhat optimistic, that I am actually optimistic about it or them as a couple. So I wouldn’t call it HEA. 

Final review? Featuring a gorgeous & stellar cast, TDWBMD should have utilized them less for melodrama and more for chemistry. This BL is a unique twist on an office romance if NOT a unique twist on a doomed red thread trope, resulting in it feeling less than the sum of its parts and ultimately unsatisfying. Possibly this had to do with the fact that this was one of those KBLs where I felt how short it was the whole time, like I was missing something constantly, in every episode. No HEA. Worth watching for some but seriously flawed. 6/10

It’s Airing But I’m Not Watching It

The Star Always Follow You (Vietnam YT) - same Team RL peeps we have seen before (Sunshine, Stupid)

GMMTV’s Midnight series - first segment has begun bit it’s not the EarthMix messy gays. I’m so not interested in messy hets, so I’m waiting until they grace my screen. Moonlight Chicken (Weds YT) 1 of 8 eventually.  

Gossip

I’m gonna hold off on The Warp Effect and binge it later, after I know for sure if the BL couple makes it. 

I will be taking everyone‘s advice and not watching Till the World Ends sorry not sorry. Protecting my squishy center (also I HATE xmas carols.) 

In Case You Missed It

I posted a meta of all my 2022 wraps, top picks, industry stats, etc..

I ALSO posted the 2023 forthcoming BL master post.

Coffee Shop shorts series with the adorable couple from Ghost Host, Ghost House have a WONDERFUL new installment with "BLACK COCONUT". You should watch it. Also... try the drink. 

Love Bill (Vietnam Sat YT) starring Bah Vinh ended its run and IT’S SAD. I am so glad I waiting because now I’m not gonna watch it. So there. 

Adorable KGL Girlfriend Project, basically a very short lesbian version of Love Class. It’s cute. 

Next Week Looks Like This:

Jan 19: Individual Circumstances (Korea Thurs Viki) 8 eps - A reunion romance between a movie director who was once promising and a writer who disappeared due to past wounds. Stars JunQ (main rapper of 2nd gen group MYNAME) and Han Jung Wan (Mr International Korea winner).

2023 forthcoming BL here

THIS WEEK’S BEST MOMENTS

The LOOK in his eyes. I really hope we get more than crumbs from Satang Kittiphop in the future. 

Also, that outfit, definitely an instrument of hope. (Mark is going to be in Moonlight Chicken, Cooking Crush, Last Twilight, & Only Friends this year. Apparently GMMTV’s directors like him a lot. So ALL the hope. Plus more sweater vests without shirts, please and thank you.) 

Relatable. 

FINALLY! (all are My School President, it was a GREAT ep this week) 

(last week)

Current Kpop earworm? Well Monsta X released a new single, Beautiful Liar, so yeah, THAT! 

[charlotterhea]

Summer Fic Reading Challenge Part 1

I signed up for the Summer Fic Reading Challenge and thought, why not share which stories I read and comment on here as well?

So, if you're interested in me rambling a bit about the stories I read, you know the way. ^^

16. Oldest fic in the fandom

This prompt got me curious so I dug into the HP section of AO3 first but since AO3 offers the option to backdate your works, it's hard to find the oldest one there. I mean, it's hard to find the oldest story for such a huge fandom anyway, but I decided to venture to ff.net instead and there I found "Harry Potter and the Man of Unknown" by Gypsy Silverleaf. The story's almost 25 years old, written around the time Book 3 came out, and it was fascinating to go back to a time when nobody really knew which way these books would go. Should do that more often! It is a fast-paced story featuring a torn OC that very much reminds me of Severus, so I almost felt at home. XD Enjoyable read for the start!

23. Take your fandom to work AU

Tbh, I didn't even know what that was. XD This trope is not a thing in HP and so I had to venture into another fandom. Being face-to-face with the list of stories being tagged with this trope, I decided to choose a Supernatural fic because I at least know that source material. ^^ So I read "Engineering Dreams" by darkwings17 and let me tell you, this Destiel fic is adorable! I loved their bickering and seeing them as a happy couple planning their dream house, it just gave me all the warm and fuzzy feelings.

18. BIPOC main character

To be honest: I initially planned on using this story for the Historical AU prompt but when I wanted to tackle the BIPOC main character prompt I couldn't find a story that hooked me or in which Hermione being of color was important enough to make it fit the prompt. It should at least have some impact on the story if the story is to fulfill this prompt, shouldn't it? That's why I decided to switch the prompt for this story. ^^ So, I was skimming the historical AU section and what got me interested was "White Lies" by dannihowell. It is - finally! - a Snamione and I was hooked within the first few paragraphs. dannihowell has a beautiful way of writing and I loved the story they've woven. Although Hermione is passing as white in this story, her heritage has a huge influence on her life and how she's being treated and I was incredibly happy for her when she - Well, look for yourself. 😉

8. Historical AU

So, my change of plans returned me to skimming the Historical AU tag and honestly, I wasn't exactly thrilled about that. 🙈 I'm not a fan of historical stories. Not just historical AUs in fanfiction, historical stories in general. I hated everything about History class and that feeling of being bored to tears never left me. So I decided to get this prompt done quickly and began skimming the tag (again) and what got me hooked this time was "A Life in the County" by PixieKisses. It is Snamione as well, a lovely one-shot taking place during World War II, and I loved how they depicted the situation back then and how the characters we know fell into place in the story. Would have loved to read a bunch of chapters more. ^^ So, I guess what I'm saying is, I'm somehow glad for this prompt because I wouldn't have read the last two stories otherwise, and maaaybe it has a teeny-tiny bit healed my inner child being bored to tears in History class. 😂

3. Multi-chapter fic

I was already reading this story when I got my bingo card but since this is about the comments first and foremost and not the reading, I decided that I could use it to fill this spot. ^^ The story is "Rapture of the Deep" by nocturn and let me tell you, this story is amazing! So many creative tidbits that I've never seen before, an impeccable characterisation of our lovelies and a conspiracy to boot. Tbh, I didn't understand everything that was going on conspiracy-wise but that's a me problem. I'm pants at understanding that sort of stuff, my brain just can't connect the dots, it doesn't work. 🙈 But that gives me a perfect reason to reread the story one day and I know that I will enjoy it tremendously.

So far for now. I'm even more excited for the stories that are yet to come after finding so many interesting reads I wouldn't have read otherwise.

The only thing I'm a bit at a loss right now is the small fandom. Can somebody recommend me a fandom to look into? My brain's possessed by HP and everything I remember liking lately has way more than 1000 fics already. Says a lot about my taste but doesn't help me with my card. 😂 So please drop me a comment if you're in a fandom that needs more attention! 💚

[storycollectorstash]

New Blood

Chapter 5: Fateful Suprise

Andorra arrived promptly at the garden gate seeing Bronn, Tyrion and who she knew as Tyrion Squire, Podrick 

“Hello boys” Andorra says strolling over to the table as all their eyes landed on the Princess. 

“Andorra great! Now we may start our meeting. So the King has made a decree that Polina will now be allied with Westeros and have a small bit of land to establish a keep and eventually blood.” 

Tyrion paused and smiled at the princess

“I must say it is remarkable that in less than a year you have gained, good ole King Robert’s trust with out bedding him.” Tyrion says the last part caused everyone to laugh knowing the Kings promiscuous history

“Hey, Just because its a powerful weapon doesn’t mean I have you use it to get my way. A man is easily more fooled with the mystery behind a powerful woman who I’ve been told has the beauty of the late Lyanna Stark. I was told she was a great beauty in Winterfell and the heart of King Roberts desires during the war” Andorra says as Tyrion looked stunned at the information 

“You knew of Lyanna Stark and Robert? Even we barely know and my father had witnessed the war” Podrick spoke 

“Yes, but I have become great friends with the Stark sisters and we have exchanged many stories between each other.” Andorra says grabbing a grape off the table popping it into her mouth as it gave a loud crunch to her bite.

“So, what do you plan on doing with the keeps land? Farm land is valuable but it can get nasty once winter arrives.” Bronn asks while sharpening his small blade in his hand 

“Well, hopefully by then, I will use a small village and have some Polina citizens come to the land and see what the great waters have to offer. I see this as a benefit for my people to see how not everything in this world can be forgiving. I have learned how you view many normal things as almost taboo in my land.” Andorra explained as Tyrion nodded 

“Well sounds exciting. How do you plan on building this village? The king I have heard has already given more than enough for a Keep but for a full village that could take more” Tyrion says sipping on wine after his sentence 

“Well I can use my coin here. I just need approval is can be put into the currency flow and be used at the same cost as one of your coins here” Andorra says crossing her hand on her belly and looking out into the garden as a small breeze drifted into the space.  

“But we have one tiny thing that must happened in order for Polina to be completely accepted…” Tyrion trailed off as Andorra looked at the short man,who clearly didn’t want to break the news to her 

“What is it? Spit it out so we can get past this awkwardness” Andorra states causing Bronn to give a short chuckle at her forwardness 

“Well in order for proper relations to begin you or one of your family must marry a house in Westeros. It doesn’t need to be one so prominent  but one at least affiliated with the main Westeros houses.” Tyrion quickly explained as he watched Andorras face slowly go blank at the information. 

“So despite my status, reputation and my loyalty to this alliance we are still forced to marry?” Andorra asks calmly looking a little too calm about the situation 

“Yes, My Lady” Podrick says as the princess quietly stands up and goes out to the garden balcony. 

“Are you alright, Andorra?” Tyrion asks walking up to the girl

Andorra too a deep breath and closed here eyes 

“I will do it.” She says as Tyrion looked at the girl in shock 

“Do what?” Tyrion asks to scared of the answer 

“I will marry. It’s the only solution.” Andorra started 

“I’m the eldest in my family with no one courting me, my sister wouldn’t be accepted as she is a ‘bastard’ and even if that wasn’t in the way she is much to young for marriage.” she finished looking around the gardens 

“But what of your brother? A strapping lad such as himself can get any ladies if he wished” Tyrion says 

The man honestly didn’t want the girl to marry in Westeros. He has seen how one false marriage can ruin ones spirit and he didn’t want to see hers burned away

“It cannot, if I marry then Edward will be the one to take my place as the new King. I have made my decision quickly, but i have given this thought if it had ever come to pass. It is final I am going to marry to ensure the future of my kingdom” Andorra states as she gracefully leaves the meeting leaving them men in shock. 

Sandor who was standing guard outside had heard everything. This could mean trouble for the girl and he was going to be the one to help her in anyway he can.