#korea service area

[doux-amer]

One thing that has deeply annoyed me about the response from Americans/Westerners about this week's events in Korea is that a lot of them, including people I like and respect, are like, "The protesting civilians and lawmakers who barged into the National Assembly would've been shot if this were the U.S./this would've never happened in the U.S. because people are too afraid of being shot." There's some truth to that, at least with regard to state violence, but I'm fed up because it doesn't account for how frightening this could have turned out to be had it not been for how much of an inept flop dunce Yoon Sukyeol is. It minimizes the courage of those who showed up.

Sure, it was likely that the military and riot police wouldn't have done much (again, YSY's self-coup wasn't thought out well, and there's more evidence of that as military officials and soldiers are speaking up about the lack of information they received, but I'll refrain from talking about that to avoid making this even longer than it inevitably will be, knowing myself), but let's not pretend there haven't been issues with them in recent years. They pepper sprayed and used water cannons during an anniversary rally for the Sewol ferry victims (x) (x) (if you don't understand how unbelievably cruel that is, look into the horrific Sewol ferry sinking). They tear gassed crowds (Korea has a gruesome history of this) and sprayed water cannons, and citizens have been injured and killed during the 2015 protests and 2016-17 Park Geunhye impeachment protests, notably Baek Namgi, an elderly activist whose death caused global outrage (x) (x). Park Geunhye was going to enforce martial law during those protests according to a leaked document, with hundreds of tanks, thousands of soldiers and special force troops! (x)

Not to mention, there are decades of extreme state violence that have scarred an entire country and are still super fresh for a huge percentage of the population. Again, check out that tear gas history piece. Look up the April Revolution, Gwangju massacre, and June uprising and see just how bloody they were. Thousands of civilians were tortured and killed. Look at how many protests were going on year after year during the 1980s. That isn't that long ago! All those older people who ran to the National Assembly to stop the coup? You bet a lot of them were college students who protested during that time or knew people who did. All the younger people? They may not have experienced what it was like living under martial law, but as I said, state violence still occurs, however much it's dwindled over the years, and you have to account for generational trauma. I don't think I'll ever forget the way I felt when I saw the breaking news alert about the martial law declaration on December 3. I've never experienced that, at least to that degree.

Instead of viewing the response from civilians and elected officials through the framework of police brutality in the U.S., it should be contextualized using Korea's own history. Thankfully most of the serious discussions are doing this, but like I said, even people who are smart about reading up on things have reflected on how this wouldn't fly in the U.S., not because of the difference in protest history, civil movements, and public engagement with both in the two countries but because of the military/police response. There's an insinuation there that Koreans would be more reluctant to do what they did if they knew what it's like to live in fear of violence instead of living in such a safe country like Korea...and I want to yell.

It was monumentally brave of everyone to do what they did to stop the coup. We're all laughing at how stupid the coup was and there's a reason why people were more furious than scared because of the political history of Korea and the laws set in place to protect the democracy and neutralize coup attempts, but this could have easily become a disaster. It's not alarmist of me to say so because there was no way for anyone to be 100% sure of how the military would react—especially when no one knew what the hell was going on.

[class1akids]

What are your thoughts on Shoto hero's name ( air conditional hero XD ) ?? I find it very adorkable :)

Shouto's hero name is still "Shoto". Air Conditioner Hero is a kind of descriptor like Exploding Hero: GEMGD, Rainy Day Hero: Froppy, etc.

I like how goofy it is. It suits Shouto - whether he came up with it himself or someone suggested it to him "Eraserhead-style" and he just ran with it. Endeavor was "Flame Hero: Endeavor" - very serious and intimidating. Air Conditioner Hero: Shoto is kind of embracing Shouto's own desire to be approachable and reassuring, a friendly kind of hero who is happy to do small acts of public service, like cooling down an area to provide relief in the summer heat.

Also, apparently there is an old interview where Horikoshi said that he'd like Shouto's quirk because he could cool himself in the summer and heat himself up in the winter and I'm wonder when people voted for best quirk many people may have made similar comments. I wouldn't be surprised.

I guess we'll have to wait for the fanbook to maybe give more insight. But for me, A/C hero: Shoto is kind of dorky and charming so I'm pretty happy about it. (During the recent trip to Korea, Yuki Kaji also tweeted about this like twice, so he seems to find it funny too).

[jmdbjk]

Cannot wait...

Still a month away from watching these two be their adorable goober selves together:

I keep telling everyone around me I'm going to be insufferable for a while, with Jimin and Muse coming soon and then these two together, week after week ... makes me giddy. Sorry, not sorry.

We'll get teasers. I'm going to squee over all of those as well. Again, sorry, but not very sorry at all actually.

All of it takes me back to when I realized JK's 2022 Vlog was going to be centered around camping. Honestly? I was a little surprised. He has never come across as the outdoorsy type to me. But he'd never had the chance to express much of what interests him outside of BTS and outside of what we saw on various content through the years either!

This series of vlogs helped us see each member doing things they chose to do on their own and helped kick off the "solo" era in 2022.

Jungkook's delight in stopping at Korea's version of Buc-ee's and buying gas station food and eating to his heart's content was oddly satisfying. Maybe because I take great pleasure in doing such simple things too, after all, the best part of a road trip is stopping to buy snacks along the way, am I right? The service area where they stopped is called the Gapyeong Service area on the Seoul-Yangyang Expressway (60). These places are like a food court/mini mall. Just like Buc-ee's.

I am already laughing at the thought of he and Jimin stopping at a grocery store to buy deli pizza in Connecticut... IT'S GOING TO BE WOEFULLY SUBSTANDARD I FEAR!

In his 2022 vlog, Jungkook helped set up the camper he slept in and cooked and sat around the campfire drinking. And we know in past Bon Voyage seasons and other content, they've pitched tents and slept outdoors. All of these things he must have immensely enjoyed if we might be seeing them again soon with Jimin.

Then there's the recent story going around about someone spotting he and Jimin returning their rental car in Japan and learning Jungkook was driving... Jungkook got to drive on the "wrong" side of the road in Japan! He put that international driver's license to use finally!

From the preview clip the other day, it appears Jungkook also got to practice his motorcycle handling skills. Handling a Harley Davidson is a bit trickier than handling a smaller motorcycle. Those things are heavy. And it's a little different when you have a passenger sitting behind you. The two Harley helmets we saw sitting on the edge of his sofa last year... yep, he's had practice.

TMI: I was today year's old when I learned that motorcycles are banned on major roadways in Korea.

Are we going to see how Jimin scraped his knuckles while snorkeling on Jeju?

And that nekkid-in-bed live when Jungkook was begging him to come over and Jimin told him to look at the photo he sent... did Jimin get a black eye from being elbowed when they were sleeping?

And as I was running through my blog posts, I realized all of these things I previously said last year:

Me wondering if their trip to Japan was unstructured and spur of the moment...

I wondered if Closer Than This was a pre-release to an upcoming album...

I'm thankful to Tae for bringing JK along with his Wooga friends to that ski resort back in 2022. We can't know if JK had ever snowboarded before that but it appears he loved it enough to want to stick around long after they left him there. And now he had the chance to do it again with Jimin! I know they had so much fun together. At the beginning of this year, I pointed out some fun facts about Sapporo...

Skiing? Snowboarding? All of the above?

And save this for future reference, it's the onsen resort image we heard about and I mentioned in a weekly Bangtan report this past February....

Maybe none of the above will be accurate, but thinking about how much fun they had anyway has me very excited for August 8.

[reasonsforhope]

"Of South Korea’s countless kilograms of annual food scraps, very few will ever end up in a landfill. This is because of two reasons—the first is that it’s been illegal since 2005, and the second is because they have perhaps the world’s most sophisticated food waste disposal infrastructure.

While representing a significant burden on the economy, the food waste disposal nevertheless produces ample supplies of animal feed, fertilizer, and biogas that heats thousands of homes.

As the New York Times’ John Yoo and Chang Lee reported from Seoul, South Korean cuisine tends to lend itself to creating food scraps, since many staple dishes come with anywhere from a few to a few dozen sides.

With the culture erring on the side of abundance rather than restraint, many of these small dishes of tofu, kimchi, bean sprouts, and other bites would be tossed in the landfill if it wasn’t illegal to do so.

The government put the ban hammer on it because the mountainous terrain isn’t ideal for landfill construction.

Instead, restauranteurs and street hawkers pay the municipality for a sticker that goes on the outside of special bins. Once filled with food scraps, they are left on the road for collectors in the morning who take 90% of all such waste in the country to specialized collection facilities.

At apartments and among residential housing areas, hi-tech food waste disposal machines are operated by a keycard owned by residents under contract with the disposal companies.

Once taken to the recycling facilities, the food is sorted for any non-food waste that’s mixed in, drained of its moisture, and then dried and baked into a black dirt-like material that has a dirt-like smell but which is actually a protein and fiber-rich feed for monogastric animals like chickens or ducks.

This is just one of the ways in which the food scraps are processed. Another method uses giant anaerobic digestors, in which bacteria break down all the food while producing a mixture of CO2 and methane used to heat homes—3,000 in a Seoul suburb called Goyang, for example. All the water needed for this chemical process comes from the moisture separated from the food earlier.

The remaining material is shipped as fertilizer to any farms that need it.

All the water content is sent to purification facilities where it will eventually be discharged into water supplies or streams.

While one such plant was shut down from locals complaining about the unbearable smell, many plants are odorless, thanks to a system of pipes built into the walls that eliminate it via chemical reaction.

It’s the way South Korea does it. Sure, it costs them around $600 million annually, but they have many admirers, including New York City which hopes to implement similar infrastructure in the coming years."

-via Good News Network, June 15, 2023

[808airsoftbros]

Missing 411 (Female Idols)

Author: This special chapter is also posted on my wattpad and decided to post it here too to help revive this dead Tumblr account. Also if you want to see more check out the Masterlist.

Y/N's POV

It's been ten years since that stormy night... Where everything went to hell... Awakened something that was never supposed to be in this world. What is it? We will never truly know and perhaps it's for the best.

Now you all must be asking what I'm talking about. I don't know much since I'm a foreign government agency from America to help with the Korean National Police Agency.

All these accounts and stories are based on reports filed by the KNPA, witnesses, and survivors of their encounters with this... thing.

I cannot disclose everything as this case is classified and under investigation by the Republic of Korea National Military and the National Intelligence Service.

It all began ten years ago on August 19, 2019, when a massive typhoon struck the Korean peninsula turning Seoul into a rubble mess than ever in history.

Everything was in total devastation, small businesses, and homes were destroyed, and families pretty much lost everything so much so that even K-pop idols began lending a hand, and those who were on tour or elsewhere donated money.

I will start with the first case... The unsolved case of the disappearance of Jennie Kim and Jeon Jungkook...

~

Flashback

Date: August 21, 2019 Location: Seoul, South Korea

Jisoo's POV

It's been two days since the massive typhoon struck the city of Seoul, I was in the safety of the dorm when it struck and thankfully nothing was damaged or lost but the same cannot be said for the unlucky ones.

Some were caught in a bad time and the street vendor's property has been damaged beyond repair including those I always visit.

"I can't believe mother nature is capable of such devastation..." I muttered looking at the rubble of fallen trees, flipped cars, and broken street lamps.

"Well, that's nature for you, come on, those people need all the help they can get," Chaeyoung replied and I nodded.

Walking around the streets, determined to help those in need as much as possible, other idols have joined us in our efforts helping where they can, and offering assistance to the rescue operatives.

The streets were flooded in some areas, especially the underground parking lots, the sewer systems were overflowed and clogged causing the sewages to flood the streets.

Everyone worked hard to guide the survivors to shelter camps to tend to the wounded and sick. My arms and legs ached like hell but if it's for the people, I must keep going.

"Jake said this is all we can do for now until firefighters and Coast Guard crews clear up the debris in the heavily impacted parts, I'd say we take a break," I explained to the girls and they nodded.

As we sat down under the shelter camp, we saw BTS covered in mud and sweat approaching, they all looked equally exhausted and worn out.

"Ah, I see you boys managed to make it, I thought you all were on a tour," I greeted and Namjoon chuckled.

"Hey, this city is our home, we can't just simply watch by as the people suffer. We lend our hand wherever we can," Namjoon replied.

"Right, there are so many children lost from their parents, I heard some of them didn't make it out," Jennie mentioned and he sighed.

"Real shame, I pity those poor souls, nobody could've expected a typhoon like this, throughout my years, I have never seen anything like this," Jungkook commented.

As the boys joined us under the tent, Taehyung was kind enough to give us water to quench our thirst, and I couldn't feel more relief as I sipped down the water.

Suddenly, Jungkok and Jennie stood up but before they could walk away from the tent I stopped them.

"Hey, where are you two going?" I asked curiously.

"I overheard there are some cabins in the woods, possible someone could've been sheltering there during the storm and will see if we can help or not," Jungkook answered and I nodded.

"Alright, be safe out there," I warned them and they nodded.

"Don't worry Jichu, we're always careful~," Jennie assured and walked away with him.

Though I had a bad feeling about it, I shrugged it off as I didn't have much time to think about it as the fire chief called us over requesting our assistance with the water pumps.

In the next several hours as the sun was starting to set and dusk was approaching, however, Jennie and Jungkook had yet to return.

"Hey, you heard from Kookie any chance?" I asked Jin and he shrugged.

"No idea, no call on the radio or anything, I was about to ask you," Jin answered unsurely and I was growing concerned.

Deciding to investigate the cabins as a group, we went to their last known location which is the cabins in the woods, we kept our guard up for any wild animals that may loom in the area, and as we reached the cabins, I felt dread as the cabins were dead quiet.

Looking around, there was no sign of any wild animals or birds in the trees anywhere and the area wasn't as damaged as the rest of the forest.

"I don't like the looks of this..." Suga commented.

"Yeah, it's too quiet for my liking, I feel like something is gonna pounce on us at any second," Hoseok replied.

"Let's make this fast and find those two before it gets dark," Namjoon said and we agreed.

Immediately, we began searching the cabins and the surrounding nature but as time went on, we couldn't find a single trace of them anywhere or signs of life.

I was now growing even more worried as they somehow disappeared like they never existed... Until...

"Hey, I think I found something!" Lisa called out and we went up to her.

"What is it?" I asked.

Lisa showed us Jennie's phone and wallet along with Jungkook's wallet containing his bank cards and IDs inside one of the bedrooms in the cabin.

"Is there anything else?" I asked and she shook her head.

"Nope, not any sign of footprints or traces, it's like they vanished like a ghost," She sighed and looked at the time it was getting dark.

"Will report this to the police when we get back, for now, there's nothing more we can do for them until morning, it's too dangerous to search at night," Namjoon explained and I felt devastated.

"W-We can't just abandon them, they're like family to us," I begged and he shook his head.

"I understand how you feel, Jisoo, and I feel the same way for Kookie but will be no good to anyone if we're attacked by predators," He replied in a sympathetic tone.

Reluctantly agreeing, I felt shameful and guilty as I felt like I had to abandon Jennie as she could be seriously injured or God knows what I knew Namjoon was right but it was my fault for letting them go in the first place.

"I should've stopped them..." I muttered to myself as we left the cabins.

~

Present

Y/N's POV

Since then, the group went to the nearby police station which was still intact, and reported a missing person case, a search was later held the next morning but despite their best efforts, no traces were ever found besides their wallets and Jennie's phone.

We couldn't turn it on as the screen was cracked and it was damaged but we did manage to extract the data but found nothing out of the ordinary.

The search went on for some time until...

~

Date: August 30, 2019 Location: Seoul, South Korea

Y/N's POV

Arriving in Korea at the airport, I was greeted by one of the agents of the NIS and he drove me over to the police station in Seoul.

"So, I was told I would be briefed on this investigation, what do we have?" I asked.

"Well, two idols vanished without a trace just a week ago when they were helping clean up the city after the typhoon hit, they went up to the cabin area in the forest but never returned and the group decided to investigate themselves to find nothing but few of their belongings," The agent explained and I nodded writing them down in my notepad.

"I see, what about the search party? Any news?" I asked and he nodded.

"After several days of searching, we did find their remains... It's quite a grizzly and disturbing sight, to say the least, and it's hard to describe it so it's better if you look at them yourself," He answered.

The rest of the drive was silent as we went into Seoul giving me the chance to look around at the devastation the typhoon had caused and it was surreal than the pictures on the news.

Once we finally made it to the station, I walked through the backdoor leading downstairs to the evidence lab, and I was led into the forensics lab.

One of the experts bowed before leading me into the lab, laying on the operation table were the bodies of Jeon Jungkook and Jennie Kim and my eyes widened as it looked like their souls were sucked out of them.

They were skinny to the bone, there was no blood within them, and they looked almost skeletal making this the most disturbing case I've ever worked in.

"What the hell happened to them...?" I asked shocked at the sight.

"We're not sure, we ran all the tests in the book but found nothing out of the ordinary or pointers of how they died, no wounds, scratches, nothing, just their souls sucked out dry," The expert explained grimly.

~

Meanwhile...

Jisoo's POV

I couldn't sleep well ever since Jennie's disappearance, we always missed her and it didn't help that the police already found her dead body not far from the cabins along with Jungkook.

YG and BigHit sent condolences letters to their families and the funerals were held as soon as the rubbles were cleared from parts of the city.

Their remains were cremated to ashes with Jennie to be sent home to New Zealand in her hometown and Jungkook to the family cemetery.

"O comforting One, compassionate One be with us all when we suffer loss and ache with the pain of grieving. Give us a glimpse of the way it will be when love will never be taken away, when life itself will not be diminished when all that we hold most precious will live and remain with us forever. Amen." The priest said his prayer as the urn of the ashes of Jungkook was slowly lowered into the hole dug before his gravestone.

The funeral was small only consisting of myself, Lisa, and Chaeyoung, along with BTS and Twice who had just returned from their tour, and of course Jungkook's family.

To this day, I still feel guilty as I could've stopped this all from happening, now two idols were lost to the Heavens, and everyone grieved their deaths.

Jin who would always boast about being flirty and ladies man was now all silent, I can tell the loss of what he considered a brother deeply affected him.

"T-Thank you for coming, Jihyo, I didn't think you'd show up," I thanked her and she nodded.

"Hey, this is more important than our idol lives, I knew them both and they were quite exceptional and talented individuals, it's a shame they went out like this," Jihyo replied and I sighed.

"Are you okay?" She asked conerningly.

"No, not really, I could've prevented this from happening, Jennie and Jungkook would still be alive if I hadn't stopped them from going to the woods alone... I'm such an idiot..." I grimly answered and shed a tear as the guilt became too much to bear.

Instead of an angry reaction, as I expected, Jihyo gave me a sympathetic look and placed a comforting hand on my shoulder.

"It's not your fault, my dear, none of us expected anything like this would happen," She assured and I sighed.

"Speaking of which, they never disclosed their cause of death nobody knows what happened to them, they found no wounds or indication of how they died considering they were young and healthy at the time," I mentioned.

"Well, all we can do is leave it to the authorities to handle this, I am confident they will find a trail eventually and we can soon get to the bottom of this and hope Jennie and Jungkook will be the last victims of this mess," She explained and I nodded knowing she was right.

After the funeral was finished, we all left for our vehicles, our driver picked us up and drove us back to the YG building as we needed to discuss some things about our upcoming comeback.

We headed to the top floor of the building where YG's office was located and knocked on the door.

"Come in!" He called out and we opened the door.

"Please have a seat you three, we have urgent matters to discuss," He instructed and we sat down in front of him and he sighed.

"As you all may know, Jennie was found dead, now not only has this heavily saddened the Blinks and fans around the world, but it also hurts our business as our comeback is scheduled to release soon, and without Jennie to finish her lines, we might have to cancel it and start from scratch without her or one of you will have to take her place," He explained.

"Sir, are you going to find a trainee to debut and replace her...?" Chaeyoung asked and he shook his head.

"Not anytime soon, none of the trainees so far have the skills or talent or experience like hers to substitute her absence and this will surely tank the reviews and our income, that is why I'm asking you all what you wish to do at this time," YG explained and we pondered.

As we all discuss among ourselves how we're going to finish this comeback or if will just cancel it entirely, I cannot help but feel like I'm being watched, and when I glanced out the window my eyes widened as I saw... Jennie standing on a platform...

She was unrecognizable, her body was skinny to the bone, her eyes were white and her skin was pale like she was a ghost, and was staring directly at me.

"Jichu...? Are you okay?" Lisa asked waving her hand across my face snapping me out of my trance.

"H-Huh?" I stammered as I regained my senses and when I looked out the window all I saw was the cleaner wiping down the windows.

"Is there a problem, Miss Jisoo?" YG asked.

"N-No, sir, I'm fine... Just tired is all..." I nervously replied and he nodded.

"Alright, how about this? I'll leave you all to rest for the day, and by tomorrow you all can come into my office with your final decision, is that okay with you all?" YG asked and we nodded.

As we are dismissed from leaving the YG entertainment building, we head over to the dormitory to gather our thoughts and hopefully my sanity as I feel nothing but dread.

There is much pressure added to us now that Jennie is gone and Rose and Lisa were thinking about splitting the extra work evenly but that will be difficult as fans will feel disappointed about the comeback without her.

That night, my sleep was anything but peaceful, I woke up in a grassy land, and there in front of me was Jennie wearing a white dress and Jungkook wearing a black tuxedo. They were both warmly smiling as if nothing ever happened.

"K-Kookie? Jen? What are you two doing here?" I nervously asked.

"Hello, Jichu... We are waiting for you..." Jungkook spoke but his voice sounded off.

"We are waiting for you Jichu, join us... And you will be free of guilt..." Jennie spoke up.

Without warning, I woke up panting out of breath, I was covered in sweat trying to figure out what I just dreamt of but I didn't get a chance when I heard strange crackling noises like bones cracking.

I looked around, my stomach dropped seeing what appeared to be Jennie in that same white dress walking disfigured to the front entrance.

"J-Jennie... Is that you?" I softly called out as I got out of bed.

Quickly I got dressed in casual attire grabbed a black mask so nobody knows my identity and followed Jennie out of the dorm quietly without waking up Lisa and Chaeyoung.

I followed Jennie around the city which was strangely quiet and desolated as people are superstitious about walking at night, but I can't help wondering why Jennie was walking so awkwardly like some of her bones are broken or worn.

Eventually, she led me to what appeared to be an abandoned mine long forgotten to time.

"Why the hell is she going to a mine...?" I asked myself as I watched her from the distance in the bushes.

All of a sudden, the entrance of the mineshaft was glowing crimson red yet Jennie continued walking but she stopped right at the entrance and came out of what seemed to be what I describe as the gate to hell.

Coming out of the entrance was Jungkook in that same black tuxedo from my dream but his eyes were anything but normal as it was all white, he reached out his hand and Jennie took it before walking together through the mineshaft entrance.

"Dear Lord you are our shepherd and defender please protect me from all evil..." I prayed as I decided it was time to leave.

I continued repeating the prayer all the way back to the city and I saw some planks on the ground and decided to seal off the entrance to the best of my ability.

After the work was done, I ran the hell out of the forest as fast as I could until I reached the safety of the city and the dorm.

What I witness is just something I cannot explain nor could anyone and I do not want to go near that God forsaken mine ever again.

~

Present

Y/N's POV

And that is the end of the story of what the people and the authorities know... However, what Jisoo said in the interview isn't exactly clear and straight-up bullocks to most.

The military dispatched a company of soldiers to investigate the mine and sealed off the area with electric fences and barbed wire to keep everyone out... Or something in.

I don't know what the military is doing at those mineshafts to this day as the reports are all classified and they want nobody going in there.

Jennie and Jungkook were declared dead after their bodies were found but idols do report seeing them at night or in their dreams similar to Jisoo.

Sadly... Those two would not be the only missing victims...

[city-of-ladies]

Sent to a foreign country as a tribute, Lady Ki (c.1320- after 1369) carved a place for herself and became a powerful empress, the last of the Yuan dynasty.

From maid to imperial consort 

Lady Ki, also known as Öljei Khuduq, was born in Xingzhou, Gaoli (present-day Korea). The Korean state used to send a tribute of women to its neighbor, the Mongol-led Yuan dynasty, who controlled most of modern-day China and its surrounding areas such as present-day Mongolia. 

Lady Ki entered the palace and was assigned to Toghon Temür's service. Described as beautiful and clever, she quickly caught the young emperor’s attention and was elevated to the rank of consort.

The empress Danishiri was hostile to Lady Ki but was executed in 1335 or 1337 for having tried to protect her brother who was involved in a rebellion.

Toghon Temür then tried to name Lady Ki empress, but his decision was met with extreme hostility. Indeed, no Korean woman had held the dignity so far. Most empresses came from the Mongol Khongirad clan. He ultimately relented and chose a Mongol empress: Bayan Khuduq. 

A powerful favorite 

Lady Ki’s position was strengthened when she gave birth to a son, Ayushiridara (future emperor Zhaozong of Northern Yuan, r.1370-1378). Bayan Khuduq's son died young. Having a frugal and effaced personality, the empress was furthermore no match for Lady Ki. Ayushiridara was thus made heir apparent in 1355.

Empress Ki was influential and involved herself in political and military affairs. She for instance protected the high-ranking official Toqto'a but withdrew her support when he opposed the installation of her son as heir apparent. 

She liked to read the Women’s Book of Filial Piety and sought examples of past empresses she could emulate. When a famine struck in 1359, she showed her generosity by having the officials distribute porridge to the hungry, using her own funds to have thousands of corpses buried and hiring monks to perform funeral services. 

Lady Ki used her influence to promote her family’s interests. Her kinsmen in Korea were granted official ranks and titles. They repeatedly abused their power, which led the Korean king to execute Lady Ki’s entire clan. 

When she learned about it, she asked her son to avenge her family and raise a force of 10,000 soldiers. The military campaign was a complete failure and the entire force was routed. 

Empress before the fall

Bayan Khuduq died in 1365. No obstacles stood in Lady Ki’s way and she received the empress’s seal. It seems that she tried to make up for the mistakes of a poorly-performing emperor. Later historians indeed wrote that Toghon Temür preferred focusing on wine and women, though this could be an exaggeration to justify the fall of the Yuan Dynasty. 

The government’s structure was disintegrating. Empress Ki conspired to force the emperor to abdicate and put her son on the throne but failed. She faced little consequences and was simply put under house arrest for 100 days. Her agressive defense of her son’s interests was in keeping with Mongolian political culture, which recognized the influence of strong women. 

The Yuan dynasty fell in 1368 when the armies of the future Ming Emperor Hongwu entered the capital. Empress Ki fled to the north with Toghon Temür. What happened to her afterward is unclear, but she likely died the following year.

Her life was the inspiration for a 2013  Korean television drama, Empress Ki.

Feel free to check out my Ko-Fi if you like what I do! Your support would be much appreciated.

Further reading 

Buell Paul D., Fiaschetti Francesca, Historical Dictionary of the Mongol World Empire

McMahon Keith, Celestial Women: Imperial Wives and Concubines in China from Song to Qing

Robinson David M., Empire's Twilight: Northeast Asia Under the Mongols

Xu Shindan, “Öljei Qudu”, in: Hong Lee Lily Xiao, Wiles Sue (ed.), Biographical Dictionary of Chinese Women, Volume II: Tang Through Ming 618 - 1644

[usafphantom2]

Blackbird pilot recalls the mission where a Soviet MiG-25 Foxbat fired a missile at his SR-71

Soviet MiG-25 pilot tells why Foxbats were not able to fire a single missile at SR-71 Blackbird Mach 3 spy planes

The Soviet MiG-25

The “holy grail” of the soviet air defense system: shooting down a Blackbird

Missile fired at an SR-71

MiG-25 at risk of being shot down by its missile

What happened to the missile fired by the MiG-25 at the SR-71?

The Soviet MiG-25

The Soviet MiG-25 (NATO code-name “Foxbat”) was a high-speed interceptor and reconnaissance aircraft. The aircraft entered service in 1970 and has a top speed of Mach 2.83, powerful radar, and could carry up to four air-to-air missiles.

The MiG-25’s capabilities were not discovered until 1976 when Viktor Belenko, a Soviet MiG-25 pilot, defected to Japan. Subsequent analysis revealed a simple-yet-functional design with vacuum-tube electronics, two massive turbojet engines, and sparing use of advanced materials such as titanium.

CLICK HERE to see The Aviation Geek Club contributor Linda Sheffield’s T-shirt designs! Linda has a personal relationship with the SR-71 because her father Butch Sheffield flew the Blackbird from test flight in 1965 until 1973. Butch’s Granddaughter’s Lisa Burroughs and Susan Miller are graphic designers. They designed most of the merchandise that is for sale on Threadless. A percentage of the profits go to Flight Test Museum at Edwards Air Force Base. This nonprofit charity is personal to the Sheffield family because they are raising money to house SR-71, #955. This was the first Blackbird that Butch Sheffield flew on Oct. 4, 1965.

A capable interceptor, the MiG-25 was widely exported by the Soviet Union. This aircraft could outrun any fighter in the air, and indeed any military aircraft other than the SR-71 Blackbird.

Loaded with two R-40 missiles (NATO reporting name AA-6 ‘Acrid’), the Foxbat could reach 78,000 feet, but with its full complement of four missiles, it was limited to 68,900 feet. By contrast the Habu flew at cruise speeds above Mach 3 at over 80,000 feet.

The “holy grail” of the soviet air defense system: shooting down a Blackbird

Nevertheless, once an SR-71 Blackbird flown by Col. Darrel Cobb was fired on by a MiG-25, as Cobb himself recalls in this interview given to his son Chris;

Col. Cobb’s SR-71 Blackbird fired on by a MiG-25.

‘Operational missions.

‘First let me assure you; we never broke President Eisenhower’s promise to cease overflying the Soviet Union. We remained over international water – 12 mi offshore.

‘All of my operational flying was from Kadena, Okinawa. Area of interest was Vietnam; Korea; Vladivostok, USSR; China. Later, we flew transatlantic & return from Seymour Johnson, NC supporting the Israel Arab war. After I left the program, the SR flew from Mildenhall, England & Bodo, Norway.

‘We already touched on missions against Vietnam & the only night mission.

‘Today let’s cover “north missions.”

This print is available in multiple sizes from AircraftProfilePrints.com – CLICK HERE TO GET YOURS. Dawn at 80.000ft – SR-71 Blackbird

‘Take off, refuel & head into the Sea of Japan; between Japan & south Korea. Accelerated to operational speed – 3.20. Head directly at Vladivostok. headquarters of USSR air defense; and test/r & d of new radar & intercept development. 2200 mph guaranteed to light up all the radar & intercept systems they had.

‘A MiG-25 interceptor squadron was based just outside of Vladivostok. The “holy grail” of the soviet air defense system was to shoot down an SR-71.

‘Turn north up the Sea of Japan & make a U-turn back down the USSR coast (12 mi offshore) with ELINT & SIGINT recorders going full bore. Photo cameras looking oblique into the USSR, updating the interceptor air order of battle. Head south east till past Vladivostok then turn slightly left then right to cross Korea at the DMZ. Photo cameras updating N. Korea force readiness to resume hostilities against S. Korea.

Missile fired at an SR-71

‘Continue down the yellow sea coast of China. All sensors evaluating China’s threat to Taiwan. Turn left- decel & land at Kadena. I flew this profile several times during the 4 years I flew ops missions. One of these got very, very thrilling. Southbound, passing Vladivostok, Reg (my RSO) announced;

‘”We’ve got a fighter locked on – it’s gotta be a MiG-25″

‘”Our DEF [Defensive Electronic Gear, DEF. It Provided ground-to-air and air-to-air missile protection. Still Classified. Def systems were labeled DEF A,B,C,E and G. Later modifications to the DEF Systems resulted in DEF A2, C2, H and M systems. Nearing retirement of the SR-71, a programmable DEF labeled A2C could defeat all known threats to the Blackbirds] is blanketing all beautifully.”

‘”Oops – he just fired – – we’ve got a missile locked on”

‘”Our def has shifted to its missile magic”

‘”There – lock’s broken. Missile’s back in search”

‘”That’s weird – sounds like the missile’s locked on – but not locked on us”

‘”He’s gone – coming up on the “s” turn to the DMZ.”’

Fast forward to late 1976 Col. Cobb retired from the Air Force.

MiG-25 at risk of being shot down by its missile

Cobb continues;

‘I’m retired! Learning that retirement means no days off; no vacation; no holidays; big pay cut.

‘I find the aircraft TV channel & history channel. Lots & lots of SR-71 films. I avidly watch at every opportunity. In my den, glued to the TV & today’s SR-71 show, & who do I see comparing the MiG-25 with the SR-71??

‘You’re right – – Lt Victor Belenko!

‘He was totally gobsmacked; his MiG-25 burned up the engines getting to Mach 3 yet the SR’s cruise speed was greater than 3.0.

‘Belenko is the one who said that the Holy Grail of soviet air defense was to shoot down an SR.

‘He told of how they would pre-position ahead of the SR’s radar track and had to zoom up to get a lock on & fire their missile.

‘Belenko stressed how quickly & precisely they had to perform because the window of opportunity was so very short.

‘Their target was traveling at 3600 ft/sec. Faster than a speeding bullet.

‘He described in detail how precise the post firing breakaway had to be executed to avoid getting shot down by their own missile; talking as though they found this out the “hard way.”’

Cobb Concludes;

‘Man talk about intense attention – – I’m quickly mentally replaying that tape from the inter-phone – –

‘”We’ve got a fighter locked on – it’s gotta be a Mig-25″

‘”Our DEF is blanketing all beautifully.”

‘”Oops – he just fired – – we’ve got a missile locked on”

‘”Our def has shifted to its missile magic”

‘”There – lock’s broken. Missile’s back in search.

‘”That’s weird – sounds like the missile’s locked on – but not locked on us.”’

What happened to the missile fired by the MiG-25 at the SR-71?

What happened to the missile fired by the MiG-25? Could it have locked onto the Foxbat itself? Could the SR-71 DEF have deceived it? We’ll never know.

However, we can assume that given that SR-71 had a cruise speed faster than the top speed of the MiG-25’s Acrid missiles, the Blackbird simply outran the AA-6. There was no chance a Foxbat could conduct a tail-chase interception of an SR-71 (the MiG-25 couldn’t carry out a head-on intercept of a Blackbird too: in fact, the Foxbat’s radar and fire control system was not sophisticated enough to solve the problems of a head-on intercept at closing speeds that would exceed Mach 5).

Be sure to check out Linda Sheffield Miller (Col Richard (Butch) Sheffield’s daughter, Col. Sheffield was an SR-71 Reconnaissance Systems Officer) Twitter X Page Habubrats SR-71, Instagram Page SR71Habubrats and Facebook Page Born into the Wilde Blue Yonder Habubrats for awesome Blackbird’s photos and stories.

@Habubrats71 via X

[kanmom51]

So guys, I guess this is it.

I guess this is the big public reveal of Taenni.

Make no mistake here.

This is not coincidental, they weren't caught by accident on camera by a paparazzi photographer who happened to be in the area.

This is planned and executed by them in correspondence and approval of their companies.

Tae and Jenni just strolling comfortably on the street holding hands, their managers five steps behind them, then being also filmed going to their car, together - that was their doing. That happened only because they wanted it to happen.

According to the paparazzi he was there by chance.

But they weren't. They weren't walking the streets hand in hand out in the open thinking they won't be recognized. They knew they would be. It was a given. Them being who they are, with the entourage and the security.

The manager, knowing they were being filmed, did not send him on his merry way, but only had him move a little further away, after confirming their identity and getting his permission to film them!!

And then you have the French paparazzi laws and regulations.

Oh, they were definitely aware they were being filmed, and showed no issues with it. No hiding, no letting go of hands, quite the opposite. A confident walk hand in hand down the Paris street, all being filmed, all while knowing this is going to spread like wild fire.

Add to that the speed in which Elle posted this:

They sure did get their confirmation real fast.

There is zero doubt in my mind that this whole thing was orchestrated (as in them knowing someone is going to get them on film and the whole thing will blow up) and is their way of going public. Not in Korea, in Paris, for the whole world to see.

To see them walking hand in hand on the streets of Paris, the city of lights, the city of romance and love.

To see them with their staff, just to make sure there is no mistaken identity and no "this is cosplay" or "it's not Tae, it's someone else" or "it's just a random Asian couple" (like seriously? A random Asian couple? Can we be any more racist? And that random Asian couple happen to have staffers and security following them and protecting them too?) or the rest of the delusional farts we've been hearing for the past few hours.

This was not a 2 second clip. This was getting them from several angles, following them as they walk down the street, go back to their car.

This, my friends, is what GOING PUBLIC looks like on their own terms, in their own time.

This happened now, in Paris, because that's what they wanted.

The two have been together for at the very least 18 months now.

My guess is that there needed to be some kind of clarity of intent from Tae's side before enlistment, as Jenni is expected to wait for him to finish his military service and I assume she expected some kind of commitment from him.

What surprised me was the timing.

I kind of thought Tae and Jenni would make it public before his enlistment because of the above mentioned, but I never in my wildest dreams expected him to do so before his solo album.

Fuck, man is brave.

Cause let's be real. He knows. He knows exactly how fickle and vile TKKs and his solos are. He knows that there will be a price to pay. And he surprised me, he really did. I admit so here fully.

I guess the cards are already starting to fall into place.

It's being discussed on K-media.

In an article published on Naver by reporter Hyun-deok YG AND HYBE chose not to make a formal statement only saying:

"We do not know because it is the artist's private life."

Come on now. This is as good as a formal statement saying they're together.

We saw how fast YG were to deny dating rumors attached to Rose, Hybe too when there were pics involved.

And there are definitley pics involved.

Also, I suggest you read the article. Because it as good as confirms them being a couple as is.

For example:

"V and Jennie were spotted traveling together on Jeju Island in May of last year, and dating rumors were raised."

Not edited pics, not people think they might have seen them. This is confirmation to the validity of those photos.

I guess now we wait and see.

I really do believe this was them saying "here we are and we are together" for the world, for their fandoms.

We will wait and see if the agencies do make official statements about it, but possibly they want to wait a little longer before doing so, or maybe, just maybe, this is a new era, where the companies just let their artists be (not betting on that one though).

There has been talk about a Dispatch couple reveal coming up. Idk where it's coming from or if there is any truth to it. If, by any chance this is true, it will be interesting to see if Dispatch got exclusivity on the big reveal, and that's where we'll be getting their own statements, coming from the companies, but the two of them confirming it out loud.

I've seen TKKs spaces, they are going absolutely feral. One thing I see repeated is that if Dispatch says it's true, then it's true. If there is something, anything, that can get them to just STOP, stop their vile behaviour, stop their hate, just stop, then I'm all for it, as long as it's on Taenni's own terms. And their night stroll in Paris kind of tells me that if it happens, it's their decision, it's them giving the green light to go ahead and let everyone know.

I would love to see a Cannes red carpet couple. Too much? Perhaps. But a gal can dream.

[mariacallous]

This week sees the one thousandth day of the war launched by Vladimir Putin in February 2022. The Russian invasion of Ukraine is the largest European conflict since World War II, and one of the first major wars to be covered in real time on social media. Audiences around the world have watched in disbelief as the Russian army has advanced into Ukraine, reducing entire cities to rubble and displacing millions of people. For almost three years, this unfolding tragedy has been the world’s leading news story.

Few expected Ukraine to reach this week’s grim milestone. Indeed, on the eve of Russia’s full-scale invasion, the consensus was that any organized Ukrainian resistance would likely crumble within a matter days. In retrospect, it is now clear that both Vladimir Putin and the vast majority of international observers were equally guilty of underestimating Ukraine.

While their country has surpassed all expectations, Ukrainians have little to celebrate as the war passes the 1000-day mark. The Russian invasion has inflicted unparalleled suffering on Ukraine, with hundreds of thousands killed and more than fourteen million people forced to flee their homes. Huge numbers of Ukrainian service personnel and civilians have suffered life-changing injuries. For the men and women defending the country on the front lines, the physical and psychological toll from almost three years of relentless fighting has been immense.

Beyond the battlefield itself, the Russian invasion has plunged the entire Ukrainian population into a mental health crisis that will last for decades. Almost everyone has experienced some kind of personal loss or wartime trauma. In towns and cities across Ukraine, people have grown used to the daily routine of air raid alarms, bomb shelters, and electricity blackouts, all accompanied by gut-churning news of the latest Russian atrocities.

Despite the many horrors and hardships, Ukrainians have remained broadly united by a shared sense of purpose. While most people are understandably desperate for peace, there is also widespread recognition that Ukraine is fighting for national survival and faces destruction if Russia’s invasion succeeds. This has been made abundantly clear by the actions of the Russian army in areas of Ukraine under Kremlin control, with thousands of potential dissenters abducted and children sent for indoctrination to rob them of their Ukrainian heritage.

Most Ukrainians acknowledge the need to fight on, but there are growing concerns over continued international support. During the initial months of the invasion, the watching world was awed by Ukrainian courage and tenacity as the country fought back against the might of the Russian military. This helped convince Western leaders that arming Ukraine was both morally right and worthwhile. However, as the war has dragged on, grumbles over the cost of supplying the Ukrainian military have grown louder, as has the chorus of voices calling for some form of compromise with the Kremlin.

Every time Western leaders delay the delivery of military aid, the cost can be measured in Ukrainian lives. These delays enable Russia to bomb Ukrainian cities and advance further along the front lines of the war. Shortfalls in military support are also making it significantly harder for Ukraine to mobilize new troops for the army, with many potential recruits left alarmed by the prospect of being sent into battle without adequate weapons or armor.

While Kyiv struggles to convince wavering Western leaders, Moscow is creating an axis of autocrats to bolster the Russian war effort. Since the start of the full-scale invasion almost three years ago, Putin has strengthened ties with China, Iran, and North Korea, receiving a range of support including sanctioned high-tech weapons components, attack drones, ballistic missiles, and vast quantities of artillery shells. This alliance is playing an increasingly direct role in the invasion of Ukraine, with North Korean soldiers recently appearing on the battlefield.

Donald Trump’s election victory is now fueling anticipation that the war is about to enter a new phase, with the incoming US administration expected to push for a negotiated settlement. Nobody wants to end the war more than Ukrainians, of course. At the same time, there are mounting concerns that Western efforts to pursue peace from a position of weakness may lead to Kremlin-friendly terms that would end up emboldening Putin and setting the stage for further Russian aggression.

Ukrainians have particularly painful memories of the failed peace process that followed Russia’s 2014 invasion of Crimea and eastern Ukraine’s Donbas region. For eight years, Russia refused to even acknowledge its direct involvement in hostilities, insisting instead on noncombatant status. This farcical situation made it virtually impossible to achieve any meaningful progress toward peace. It is now clear that while Moscow was pretending to engage in diplomatic efforts to end the war, Russia was busy preparing for the full-scale invasion of February 24, 2022.

Ahead of any peace talks, Ukrainians will be hoping their international allies have not lost sight of the huge costs they will face if they fail to stop Russia in Ukraine. The invasion launched by Putin one thousand days ago has already transformed the geopolitical landscape and led to the emergence of a formidable authoritarian alliance that shares a common commitment to ending the era of Western ascendancy. Russian success in Ukraine would dramatically strengthen this alliance, with alarming ramifications for the security situation everywhere from Central Europe to East Asia.

As the world reflects on one thousand days of Russia’s attack on Ukraine, the Ukrainian nation is exhausted but remains determined to end the war on terms that will allow the next generation to live in peace. This will not be possible without continued international support. Putin was wrong to assume that Ukraine would collapse in the wake of his invasion. Western leaders must now convince him that he is equally wrong to believe he can outlast them in Ukraine.

[channieskies]

The Perfect Storm [HJS]

Pairing: Non-Idol|Han Jisung x Pet Groomer|Reader (She & Her pronouns used)

Genre: Fluff

Synopsis: The storm brings in more than one unlikely companion to help you weather it.

Warnings: MC may suffer from some form of anxiety, more than likely, social.

Word count: 1,900 + [Reading time 8 minutes]

A.N: I wrote this a very long time ago for a friend and decided it was time to revamp it and put it out there. Thanks, @infamouskem , for letting me redo this.

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To quote Sophocles;

"Laziness is the mother of all evils."

At least, that's what she told herself as she worked tirelessly. After spending two years learning a language, she finally worked up the courage to move to another country- South Korea. She had been there six months and had secured herself a job she loves and an apartment that served its basic functions at least. I mean, who really needed a stove when food delivery service was just one click away? 

There were only a few more hours before closing time, then she could go home to bask in the comfort of her plush hoodie, bearded dragon, Mushu, and very her comfortable fuzzy socks. The bell above the door rang, indicating a customer had arrived. The owner greeted them, which meant she didn't have to, making her sigh out of relief. But she still watched the interaction through the large picture window that gave customers a look into the grooming area.

“I'm dropping my dog off for the first time. This place was recommended by a.. friend of mine.” The customer placed the dog on the counter. It was a cute little bichon frise with a red hoodie on. She couldn't help but smile at how it sniffed around, wagging its tail happily. She was in it for the pets and not so much for the human interactions. She was shy and mostly anxious, so being in the back made her comfortable, which is why she and her boss had come to an understanding. She groomed the pets, and her boss took care of the customers.

Once the cute bichon Frise, whose name she found out was Bbama, was checked in, her boss brought him back for her to attend to. “His owner should be back in two hours, and since we don’t have any more appointments, I’m going to head out with my son.” She said as she placed the cute dog into her employees' hands. “He says I never have time to do stuff with him, so I’m taking him to a movie. But don’t worry, I’ll be back before the customer comes back to get Bbama.” She put a reassuring hand on the girl's back before turning and leaving out. She locked up the front, leaving the girl and the dog to themselves. 

Y/n put on some music before moving back over to the little dog. She took off his cute little red hoodie and put it someplace safe. She started with clipping his hair and nails before moving to wash and dry him. Before she knew it, time slipped past. She had easily bonded with the friendly dog, his presence making her miss the pets she left back at home in her country. “You're really cute, you know that.” 

It was as if he really understood her as he stood up on his hind legs, his short little paws on her chest as he licked her face, giving her a kiss. She chuckled only for her time with him to be interrupted by a knock on the front door. Her music was low enough for her to be able to hear when her boss came back, so that's who she expected it to be. She grabbed Bbama and carried him in her arms to the front, but it was not what she was expecting at all. 

She stopped dead in her tracks at the midway point between the swinging door that led to the grooming salon and the fence that was next to the front desk. She began to panic. Usually her boss took care of things like this, but here she was alone, her boss nowhere to be found even after two hours. It was pouring down outside, and she felt so bad for the young man who was trying his best to stay under the small awning. 

She sighed, pushing all her anxieties to the back of her head and heading to the door to unlock it. He rushed in with a charming smile on his face. “For a second there, I thought you weren't going to open the door.” He laughed as she bit down on her bottom lip. “Is he ready?” He asked, nodding his head towards Bbama, whom she was still carrying around. 

“A-ah yeah.” She nodded, handing the slightly damp man his dog. “I’ll check you out.” Her words resounded in her head, making her rethink them. Yes, he was very attractive, but she wasn’t trying to let him know she thought that. “I-I mean, I’ll… uh… I’ll help you cash out your bill.” She swallowed the large lump in her throat as she scrambled to the cash register.

“Cute.” He spoke under his breath as he leaned against the counter, putting Bbama down on the surface. Her face heated up, though she was skeptical if he was referring to her or his pet. She looked over his paperwork and quickly inputted the information into the computer, but just as she was about to press the checkout button, the lights went out. She left out a scream as the room went dark. The whole block was powerless. “Are you okay?” He asked. His smooth melodic voice somehow managed to comfort her, though she was scared out of her mind. 

“I-I’m fi-fine.” Her shaky voice revealed her true feelings. She and the small dog were both rattled.

“I don't want you to take this the wrong way… but you don’t sound fine." There was still a little light outside, making it easier for him to scope out his surroundings. "How about we get away from these big windows, I don’t think they are helping you.” Lightning stuck as he talked, lighting the small store front of the salon. Normally she would object, but she was too scared to stay up front, she couldn’t send him and Bbama into a storm like that, and she didn’t know his owner well enough to just leave him in the front with valuable merchandise. 

“Follow me.” She shuffled to the door with the help of her phone's flashlight and held the door open for him. She took him to the employee break room where the windows were small and up high so they would know when the rain stopped but wouldn’t have to deal with seeing so many strikes of lighting. He kept his dog close as he made himself comfortable in one of the chairs at the break room table.

“I guess I should introduce myself, I’m Jisung.” He chuckled awkwardly. The light of her flashlight kept the room from being pitch black. It also helped her to see him avoiding her eyes as she did the same.

“Nice to meet you. I’m Y/n.” She mumbled, finding a spot and keeping her eyes focused on it.

“Bbama really took to you. He usually isn’t that trusting of strangers. But he seemed like he almost didn’t want to come back.” He spoke softly as he rubbed th dogs' freshly washed and dried coat. She smiled to herself. 

“He’s a cute little guy.” She admitted softly. Jisung's presence was surprisingly comforting. He seemed almost, if not, equally as awkward as she was. He just had a better way of hiding it. "I've taken to him too." She reached out and rubbed the dogs fur, her soft touch causing him to wag his tail.

They talked for a while about Bbama, how he came to adopt him, how long he'd had him, and ao on. Then, they found out they had similar tastes in a few other things like games and their love of Japanese rock and anime theme songs. Though she wasn’t normally talkative, she found it easy to converse with him. Her attraction to the beautiful young man just kept growing. 

There was a loud and sharp lightning strike nearby that caused the corpuscular room to go white, the whole building shook with the loud thunder that came right after. She whimpered, scared to even open her eyes at this point. Jisung reached across the table and grabbed her hand, squeezing it. Bbama cowered into a ball, hiding himself in Jisung's sweatshirt.

“It’s okay, just focus on the sound of my voice.” Jisung started off humming, filling the space with a soft melody. But slowly, he started to get into it, noticing just how much she seemed to relax. He changed songs, giving words to whatever random thing he was singing. His mellow voice flowed into her ears, and his voice made her feel as if there were no other singers in the world. There was only Jisung and his beautiful voice. He scooted closer to her, now taking both of her shaking hands into his. 

With their knees now touching, it made it easy for Bbama to move from Jisungs lap to hers, where he found just as much comfort. “It’s okay, Y/n. You aren’t alone.” It was like her fears slowly melted away from the presence of this man and his cute little dog. If you asked her, there was no way this random guy visited her store and was able to make her warm up to him like this. 

No, Jisung had to be an angel of some sorts. He drew closer to her, his face mere inches away. “See it’s not that bad. It’s just a little storm.” She didn’t know what came over her, but she threw her arms around him and hugged him tight. He made an attempt to wrap his arms around her, only for her to pull away quickly, flustered.

“I’m so sorry!” 

He paused, almost failing to process the abrut exit from his personal space. He started into her eyes, getting lost in them. "Please forgive me. I was startled, and I- you were just so comforting that I kind of lost myself for a second. Oh gosh, I hope you don't think Im some kind of weirdo that hugs randome guys who sing to her. Im so sorry." She covered her face as she stopped her rambling, her mind running at the speed of light. He didn't say anything. He just pulled her hands away, his lips quickly covering hers in a quick, dreamy kiss. 

She was so shocked she looked like a fish out of water as she blinked wildly at him. She often made fun of the clueless girls in drama’s but now she had joined the ranks of the girls she had made fun of over the years. He pulled back with a shy smile on his face. “Sorry, I don’t know what came over me.” She shook her head, feeling just as shy about what just happened. Silence took over the room, the storm soon dying down. 

The lights flickered back on, but the silence still remained. Soon enough, her boss came rushing in, apologizing for being caught up in the storm.

Too embarrassed to move, Y/n sat there while her boss saw Jisung and Bbama off. She soon came back in the back with a small piece of paper in hand. “Here, he left this for you.” Y/n looked at it confused before opening the small folded paper.

 “Maybe next time we can have a date before we kiss? Bbama’s dad, Jisung.” His number was scribbled right below his name. She squealed, not believing something like that had happened to her. She tucked the paper away safely, looking forward to the day they would meet again.

FIN

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A.N: Please reblog or leave a like or comment to let me know how you feel. I'd love a little feedback. Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoyed it.

[Rewrites, Reposts, and Translations are Prohibited]

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[darkmaga-returns]

Palisades Fire ‘Crime Scene’. MAUI 2.0. Trump Plans to End the IRS. Trump’s going to WEF Davos 2025. S. Korea’s president detained. Pezeshkian: Iran never plotted to kill Trump. Mark Zuckerberg Lied.

Lioness of Judah Ministry

Jan 15, 2025

Return Of Strong Winds Spark "Dangerous Situation" Across Fire-Ravaged Palisades

One week after the fires in Los Angeles County began, the blazes remain out of control, scorching nearly 40,000 acres and leveling entire neighborhoods.

On Tuesday, winds are expected to gust between 45 and 70 mph, accompanied by dry air, significantly increasing the risk of fire spread. The National Weather Service has issued "Particularly Dangerous Situation Red Flag Warnings" for L.A. and Ventura counties through Wednesday evening, warning that "this setup is about as bad as it gets." Strong gusts could derail any progress made by firefighters early this week across two of the main fires, the Palisades and Eaton fires. The blazes have burned upwards of 40,000 and leveled entire neighborhoods and burned more than 12,000 structures. At least 24 people have died, with the death toll expected to rise.

Palisades Fire ‘Crime Scene’ Gives Clues to Inferno’s Origin

Investigators trying to trace the origin of a Los Angeles County wildfire that is devastating parts of America’s second-largest city believe it may have originated in a known hiking area.

Authorities have taped off a ridge overlooking Los Angeles as they investigate the origin of the Palisades Fire, describing the area as a “crime scene.” The wildfire, which caused the destruction of thousands of homes and businesses and claimed at least eight lives, remains uncertain. However, investigators are scrutinizing the site for clues, as evidenced by the police tape. Dominic Choi, the assistant Los Angeles police chief, says “there has been no definitive determination that it is arson”—but he has not ruled it out.

Wildfire Woes: California Regulators Halted Palisades Fire Prevention Project to Save Rare Shrub

Nearly 24,000 acres - including much of Topanga Canyon - have gone up in smoke...

California’s eco-regulators halted a critical wildfire prevention project near Pacific Palisades to protect an endangered shrub - only for that same area to be engulfed in flames during the Palisades Fire, the most destructive blaze in Los Angeles history. In 2019, the LA Department of Water and Power (LADWP) set out to replace aging wooden power poles - some nearly a century old - with fire-resistant steel poles and widen fire-access lanes in the wildfire-prone Topanga State Park. The $2 million project was designed to bolster fire safety after the area was deemed an "elevated fire risk."

MAUI 2.0: They just admitted LA Fires are a carbon copy of Lahaina

Trump Announces Plan to End the IRS

President-elect Donald J. Trump announced he intends to create a new revenue agency that will effectively end the need for the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), which oversees the federal taxation of Americans.

Instead, the President-elect proposes an External Revenue Service (ERS), which will serve as the central point for collecting tariffs, duties, and other taxes and fees on foreign goods. This revenue source, he believes, will supplant the need for the federal income tax. “For far too long, we have relied on taxing our Great People using the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). Through soft and pathetically weak Trade agreements, the American Economy has delivered growth and prosperity to the World, while taxing ourselves.

[rjzimmerman]

In case we need visual reminders......

This photo:

The Palisades Fire burns near homes amid a powerful Santa Ana windstorm on January 7, 2025, in Pacific Palisades, California. A record-hot summer in California during 2024, combined with near-record dryness in southern California late in the year, helped set the stage for the catastrophic wildfires that have ravaged the region this week. (Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images)

And this chart:

And these maps:

Departure of temperature from average for 2024. North America, South America, Europe, Oceania, and Africa all had their hottest year on record. Asia had its second-hottest year on record, while Antarctica had its 17th-hottest year on record. It was the hottest year on record in more than 100 countries – including China, Canada, Mexico, Germany, Brazil, Greece, Malaysia, and South Korea – and in areas where a total of 3.3 billion people live, according to Carbon Brief. No regions experienced record cold. (Image credit: NOAA)

Change in average yearly temperature from 1995 to 2024. The regions with the strongest warming have been the Arctic, Eastern Europe, the Middle East, and the waters off the Northeast and Western U.S. coasts.

Excerpt from this story from Yale Climate Connections:

In 2024, the planet broke the record set in 2023 for the hottest year on record, NOAA, NASA, the European Copernicus Climate Change Service, Berkeley Earth, and the UKMET Office reported on January 10. There were 14 straight months of record-breaking global temperatures from June 2023 through July 2024, and the July global temperature value was likely the hottest of any month since 1850. 

Human-caused climate change added an average of 41 days of dangerous heat globally in 2024, and it is likely the total number of people killed in extreme weather events intensified by climate change in 2024 is in the tens or hundreds of thousands, according to the World Weather Attribution group and Climate Central.

According to Berkeley Earth, 24% of the Earth’s surface experienced a locally record-high annual average temperature in 2024. Local record annual averages impacted an estimated 3.3 billion people — 40% of the global population — with 104 countries setting new national records for their annual average, including China, Canada, Mexico, Germany, Brazil, Greece, Malaysia, and South Korea.

Global ocean temperatures and land temperatures in 2024 were both the hottest on record, said NOAA. The record heat in the oceans in 2024 brought on a global coral bleaching event, the fourth one in recorded history (1998, 2010, 2014-17, and now 2024).

The year 2024 was the first in which global average surface temperatures exceeded 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels in the five leading datasets, with departures from average ranging between 1.46-1.62 degrees Celsius. (The differences in the datasets arise largely from using different baseline years for pre-industrial climate, such as 1850 versus 1880, and from slight differences in how researchers account for data-sparse areas such as the Arctic, especially prior to 1900.) While record heat in 2023 and 2024 was expected because of a strong El Niñ0 event that occurred in the Eastern Pacific, the full magnitude of the heat both years was higher than expected, for reasons that climate scientists are trying to understand.

Reaching 1.5 degrees Celsius in an individual year is not equivalent to a breach of the Paris Agreement’s 1.5°C limit – which refers to long-term warming over a period of 30 years – but it nevertheless indicates that the world is quickly approaching this internationally agreed threshold.

[jmdbjk]

BTS Military enlistment thoughts...

These are my thoughts and opinions. Information is out there if you seek it yourself. Nothing has been confirmed by any of the members or the company.

News media says Korean male citizens Kim Namjoon, Kim Taehyung, Park Jimin and Jeon Jungkook will be enlisting soon: Dec. 11 for the first two and Dec. 12 for the latter pair.

And that Jimin and Jungkook seem to have chosen the companion enlistment option. Yes, "option" because they could have chosen to go in separately.

Koreans who are familiar with how this all works, have tried to explain the process. From what I understand, the companion option allows them to serve their entire enlistment together.

They weren't forced and this wasn't their only option for enlistment. They chose this themselves for a reason, for personal reasons, that none of us can know because we aren't them.

Many speculate but NO ONE KNOWS their reasons!

According to various sources, they will be at the same training center as Jin. There are many groups doing ongoing training there. But I don't believe they will be in the same company that Jin serves as assistant trainer. Credible sources say that Jin's unit at the training center is not accepting recruits on Dec. 12 which is the supposed date that Jimin and Jungkook will enter the military but we don't know for sure. But being at the same training center would allow them to see each other when they have time.

This reunion:

We won't know for sure until it actually happens.

Many are throwing around wild speculation regarding the fact Jimin and Jungkook are the only two with tattoos and therefore had fewer options. But they aren't. All the members have tattoos now. The Korean military needs all the manpower they can get, they aren't excluding men with tattoos, they are just limiting the situations they can serve.

The options are limited (and only slightly) for them because very visible tattoos, especially on the arms and hands, would allow them to be identified too easily. This is a consideration and criteria that is regulated in militaries and law enforcement around the world and is not isolated to Korea. Criminals are identified by their tattoos. Military personnel can also be identified by visible tattoos. In a situation where it is imperative that enlisted remain anonymous, hand tattoos would be a dead giveaway for identification. I'm sure there are other reasons for no tattoos allowed in certain assignments.

The application process began months ago and is the same process all Korean male citizens would go through to be approved for the companion program.

No one is really discussing Tae and Namjoon, everyone is going batshit crazy over Jimin and Jungkook. Let them do their service in the manner they wish. None of you have any say-so in it so shut up.

No one is capable of or even wants to step back and consider the big picture which is more telling.

Regarding Tae and Namjoon, I would venture to say that after basic training, its possible Namjoon will serve in some capacity with the Defense Ministry's Agency for KIA Recovery & Identification which he was named ambassador for earlier this year. That office is located in Seoul I believe. The fact he is well-known publicly and he can speak English would enhance his success in an assignment of this sort. This agency recovers those who lost their lives in action during the Korean War in which American soldiers also perished.

Recovering those KIA happens near or in the DMZ.

IF the hearsay about where Jimin and Jungkook might be assigned after training has any truth, they are supposedly headed to this area as they also perform minesweeping when searching for KIA remains. Again, none of this is confirmed, I am just employing critical thinking...

Tae supposedly has chosen the Special Task Force of the Army's Capital Defense Command. That seems like it implies he'll remain within Seoul during his enlistment.

It's all speculation, but I think these men carefully considered their options and the ramifications. None of this was done on a whim, from Namjoon's ambassadorship and the possibilities of it, to Jimin and Jungkook's companion enlistment and why they chose that option, NONE OF IT WAS DONE WITHOUT CAREFUL CONSIDERATION. They had to apply MONTHS ago for the options they were allowed to choose. They are not the only men in Korea enlisting this year, there are tens of thousands of others.

No one is considering, IF Namjoon is in Seoul during his enlistment, he would have something in common with Tae. And Yoongi. And Jin will be discharged in June, Hobi will be discharged in October... the implications, the connections... their target is 2025. Nothing is a coincidence. They can't be working while enlisted, however reuniting briefly with friends over dinner and drinks is allowed... what they talk about during their get togethers is none of our business.

ALL THAT BEING SAID... Hybe did a tremendous job this past summer with the 10th anniversary Festa celebration, involving various municipality governments, procuring large corporate sponsors and communicating to news media in the almost month long series of events. They elevated the general public's awareness of BTS's impact and therefore instilled value and pride for their continued success.

No military commander would want anything to happen to the members while under their watch.

NOTHING IS A COINCIDENCE.

P.S.: The idiots sending in emails to the Defense Ministry are hurting EVERYONE. The level of lunacy knows no bounds with certain people. They suffer from a pathological psychosis. Don't engage, don't acknowledge.

[jasfhercallejo]

The National Museum of Korea is the most representative and extensive museum in Republic of Korea. The museum holds an immense collection: it has more than 410,000 historically valuable and highly aesthetic relics ranging from the Paleolithic Age to the early 20th century, and more than 12,000 masterpieces of its collection are always on display in its permanent exhibition hall.

The museum also houses a Children's Museum, where visitors can learn more about the nation's history through educational programs and experiences. The outdoor grounds feature pagodas and other stone artworks too large to be on display inside. In addition to galleries with a wide array of national and international pieces, the National Museum of Korea is a stage for a number of cultural activities related to collection, preservation, research and analysis, social training, academic publications, intercultural exchange programs, concerts, and more.

The museum has six galleries: Prehistory and Ancient History, Medieval and Early Modern History, Donated works, Calligraphy and Painting, World Art, and Sculpture and Crafts Galleries.

The National Museum of Korea was established in 1945. In 2005, the museum extended and reopened on a site of 307,227㎡ (building area: 45,438㎡) in Yongsan, Seoul. Since its rebirth as a “cultural complex,” the National Museum of Korea not only to preserves and exhibits precious relics, but also provide various educational programs and cultural events.

The National Museum of Korea has a number of important cultural materials related to Silk Road (both land and maritime) from Central Asia, East Asia, and Korea. In particular, its unique collection of Sinan Undersea Relics which is a valuable source of information for study of ancient trade between China, Korea and Japan. A sunken Chinese trading ship was discovered in 1975, in the Korean southwest coast near Sinan, Jeollanam-do Province. The ship, carrying trade goods produced on orders from the Kyoto area, sank on its way to Japan from Ningbo in Zhejiang Province, China in 1323. About 30,000 maritime Silk Roads objects were excavated; they are 14th century Chinese goods, including celadon wears, coins, metal artifacts, medical artifacts, and many other types of objects.

Visitors can appreciate its vast collection; numerous national treasures of Korea are exhibited including Pensive Bodhisattva (a Korean National Treasure), Goryeo Celadon Openwork Burner, Ten-Story Pagoda from Gyeongcheonsa Temple Site, and Gold Crown from Silla.

In addition to the programs and contents respects mentioned above, the National Museum of Korea would be one of the best museums in the world, in terms of the size of the museum (biggest one in Asia and sixth in the world), the annual attendance figures (1st in Asia, 10th in the world in 2009), additional facilities (a theater, a cafeteria, a museum shop, education hall, conference rooms), and digital services for the exhibition (PDA, MP3 and kiosk system).

Opening hours: Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday & Sunday : 10:00 am ~ 6:00 pm (Final entrance at 5:30 pm); Wednesday & Saturday : 10:00 am ~ 9:00 pm (Final entrance at 8:30 pm)

[delusioniste]

Hi mod, i saw that you write for Prison Playbook, thank you so mucho 😭🙏🏽 can you pls do a headcanon or a oneshot for Captain Yoo (Haein's character), i'm obsessed w that man and i can't find any fics for him 🥺 pls i beg you 🙏🏽

유대위/Captain Yoo Jung-woo | Reader (슬기로운 감빵생활/Prison Playbook)

Hi darling, thanks for requesting xxx I don't exactly enjoy writing for widely liked and conventionally attractive characters but here you gooo! Hope you enjoy! Warning(s): suggestive at times

- Yoo Jung-woo is super down to earth (the okokok to your lalala basically) and embodies rationale and logical decision-making

- he does the finances, if you want to do them he will try to help even if his help is not needed because he's convinced he takes it more seriously than you

- law and order™

- however he has a lighter side and mucks around with you frequently à la rolling around the floor laughing at some sort of meme or funny anecdote or just because he farted and you attacked him for it

- enjoys cooking with you a lot, is good at noodle dishes

- likes to eat kimchi and spicy food but is not willing to actually make it himself (so you go to the shops instead)

- workout freak, 24/7

- never, ever skips the sport (makes sense because of his military profession lmao) and when at home encourages you to participate (personal trainer at no cost)

- smiles at you often with the attitude of letting you in on a secret, even when you're at the opposite end of the room

- favourite thing is holding hands with you

- dislikes formal wear like blazers and chinos and shirts except for his service uniform, has a varied collection of t-shirts

- you are so welcome to borrow them, he enjoys seeing them on you + slipping his hands underneath to put them on your hips and send you into shock with his cold skin

- likes scaring you with his cold skin in general

- conscious of duty and honour and has an extremely strong moral sense, is not afraid to defend you from any harassment and also anyone else he encounters for that matter

- punctuality is written in capitals, will forgive you if you're late though because he's your boyfriend

- likes swimming in mountain creeks and waterfalls, you often go on long hikes with him in national parks and other mountainous areas

- is ticklish

- you wearing his uniform beret

- is a sweet and soft kisser, not the type to eat your mouth out (he can do so if desired but he doesn't do that on a regular basis), always smiles at you after

- is a hugging person but in general less physical

- sits you down on the sofa or the floor and brushes your hair with painstaking care and love as if he's doing an asmr video

- gathers the fallen hairs and makes the effort of binning them for you

- you like going food shopping together

- his brother is so glad that Jung-woo has you, you get invited to their house often

- sexy time is varied and fun, you both like to switch and try out different things, he will be serious but also smile at you like an angel sent from heaven

- eats you out with relish

- will wash your hair for you when you shower (baths at home are uncommon in korea) (I know this bc I'm a korean myself)

- sleeps like a rock, is irritated if disturbed and will ignore you and try to get back to sleep

- when you're down or struggling he will talk you through it and offer reassurance, constructive criticism, hugs and rational solutions and a neutral perspective

- has fixed routines (again owing to the army) and is not the most flexible person tbh, likes being prepared but doesn't get angry if he isn't

- generally slow to anger, is a forgiver and forgetter, but also can deliver the driest, most humiliating, holier-than-thou, withering lectures ever

- a sweet boyfriend to have

[nightlyforrest]

I actually fucking despise the british government

I've just seen Rishi Sunak's election ad and it is the most primal rage enducing, self entitled, egotist, arrogant, patriot dick riding, careless, lazy, disgusting absaloute piglet fucking thing I have ever seen. The fucking balls he must think he has to claim we have a stable economy to fight for, to pretend he's the reason we got through covid and to try and pander to young people as if he hasn't done anything but ruin our fucking lives since he's had a shred of power, I actually fucking hope the most horrific thing happens to that man he is VILE. To claim you want a safe, sustainable future for people's children and then in the same breath say you want to push refugees out, ride isreal's fucking cock like netanyahu is his daddy, deny the palestinian genocide and toss around the idea of forcing young people to conscript to military service the same fucking way they have to in places like korea. completely and utterly despicable. As if he has ever done fucking anything other than fuck us youngsters over. fuck no I would sooner fucking kill myself infront of the sorry prick and hope it scars him for life. he deserves a bit of trauma to match the fucking rest of us. I wont even call him a pig anymore he doesnt have the meat on his bones or the spine to hold it up to deserve that fucking title, he's a joke, a rich, entitled prat who thinks he's owed everything in the world for putting in the least ammount of effort in to keep his image clean. Fucking disgusting, I would say imagine putting your own kids on the front line but I know by now that would make no difference he doesnt fucking care. That's not even mentioning the damage he's already done, like crashing our economy, cutting taxes for the rich while freezing benefits for the poor and disabled, cutting funding for the nhs just to line his pockets and pour more money into our fucking equally disgusting, useless police force just the other week I had to kick off at a bunch of piglets just wandering around while a bin poured out thick white smoke. Like how fucking inept can you be to just stand there and gawk and gossip fucking call for backup and remove the children from the area you fucking useless pig. And how fucking dare our MPs complain about fear for their safetey, they deserve to be fucking scared. maybe they should try living in the run down housing estates they've been packing with veterans and disabled parents for years see how their own kids turned out. because I guarentee they'll be cutting themselves and doing drugs like nearly every other normal kid I fucking know. Truly a pathetic runt of a man I'm so fucking sick of this country, I hate it I hate it I hate it. The rich deserve more fucking axe cuts.