#my mom used to work for him before he became president

[courtana]

Today is the anniversary of the U.S.'s military invasion of Panamá, which occurred on December 20, 1989.

Julio Yao writes in the article "Legacies of the U.S. Invasion of Panama":

On December 20, 1989, former president George H.W. Bush ordered the invasion of Panama. The U.S. 82nd Airborne division pummeled Panama City from the air, as U.S. soldiers from the 193rd Brigade clashed in the streets with troops from the Panamanian Defense Forces (PDF) and the Dignity Battalions, a militia of workers and campesinos. Thousands of civilians were caught in the crossfire as the heavily populated El Chorrillo neighborhood was set ablaze. By the time General Manuel Noriega surrendered on January 3, 1990, 23 U.S. soldiers and 314 PDF troops had been officially killed in the fighting. Civilian casualties were estimated in the thousands. According to an independent investigation by former U.S. attorney general Ramsey Clark, as many as 7,000 people may have been killed. Mass graves were uncovered after U.S. troops had withdrawn, and over 15,000 civilians were displaced.

Despite the civilian body count, no Panamanian government since has authorized a commission to investigate the killings that took place during the foreign military aggression. No administration has attempted to demand reparations from the United States, nor filed a lawsuit against the United States before the International Court of Justice at the Hague.

Over twenty two years later, the U.S. “Christmas invasion” of Panama is being lost to memory, yet its legacy lives on in profound ways that continue to shape both domestic and foreign policy in Panama.

[...]

Panama’s tendency to submit to U.S. policy has resulted in a foreign policy devoid of independence. For example, Panama is one of the few countries in the world that has not established diplomatic relations with the People’s Republic of China, though it maintains relations with Taiwan in accordance with “checkbook diplomacy.” The U.S. government has prohibited Panama’s gestures toward diplomatic relations with Beijing.

Guided by this protectorate concept and right-wing policy, Martinelli’s administration [(2009-2014) had] offered its unconditional support to Israel and withdrawn all backing for Palestine. It [had] distanced Panama from the Central American process of regional integration, withdrawn from the Central American Parliament (PARLACEN), and increased ties with France and Italy’s conservative former prime minister Silvio Berlusconi, who was blackmailed by Italian arms company Finmeccanica into brokering a corrupt bilateral security agreement with Panama in which Panama was overcharged for military hardware, including helicopters, radar, and mapping systems. It signed a free trade agreement with the United States and Canada, and [had] given natural resources to foreign corporations, especially mining companies, including Vancouver-based Bellhaven Copper and Gold, Ontario’s Aur Resources, Toronto’s Inmet Mining, and New York’s Dominium Minerals Corporation. All of these actions [were] fully aligned with the foreign policy and national security interests of the United States.

This was, after all, the ultimate goal of the 1989 U.S. invasion. At a meeting on December 10, 1985, four years before Bush ordered Operation Just Cause, then U.S. national security adviser John Poindexter met with Noriega with several U.S. demands: (1) Panama should allow the training of Nicaraguan Contras in the Canal Zone; (2) PDF troops should invade Nicaragua to justify U.S. aggression toward Nicaragua’s Sandinista government; (3) Panama should help dismantle the Contadora Group, a regional initiative to resolve the military conflicts that were destabilizing Central America; and (4) Panama should consent to continued U.S. military presence in Panama.

[...]

The move [of the invasion] destroyed Panamanian sovereignty and the PDF, dismantled security structures, reformed the political system, and returned power to the old oligarchy. This paved the way for new forms of foreign domination, and the Panamanian people continue to suffer its legacy.

More Resources to learn about Panamá's Invasion:

Julio Yao's "Legacies of the U.S. Invasion of Panama," NACLA (March 22, 2012).

John Lindsay-Poland, Emperors in the Jungle (Duke University Press, 2003).

The documentary The Panama Deception (2002) on YouTube

The documentary INVASIÓN (2014)

Stephen Kinzer's chapter "You're No Good," in his book Overthrow: America's Century of Regime Change from Hawaii to Iraq (Times Books, 2007)

___

Photo Credits & Description: Images taken on the morning of December 20, 1989, when various parts of the capital city were under US military control | Images from Panamá Vieja Escuela or (@PaViejaEscuela on Twitter).

[irrolyphant]

Timothy Olyphant, 55, is an actor who starred in Deadwood, Live Free or Die Hard, and Justified. He will star in the FX miniseries Justified: City Primeval this fall and currently co-stars in the Max miniseries Full Circle. He spoke with Marc Myers before the actors strike.

TIMOTHY:

You couldn’t get me out of the pool when I was a kid. We lived next door to a swim and racket club in Modesto, Calif.

I began regular swim practice at age 6. My older brother, Andy, took to tennis, which probably helped us get along. We were competitive. Our younger brother, Matt, did a little bit of everything and eventually became a water-polo player.

I was born in Hawaii, but we moved to Modesto when I was 3. My dad, Bevan, worked for Del Monte and left to work at E&J Gallo Winery soon after we relocated to California. He started in bottling and worked his way up to vice president of production.

My mom, Katherine, was a full-time mom. She was the nurturing type. Whether I won or lost, she’d always talk about how well I competed or how beautiful a swimmer I was, never about whether I won or not. She’s very sweet and encouraging.

Just as I was starting high school, my parents divorced. After they split up, we quickly figured out who was responsible for what. For example, our dad didn’t really know how to do laundry or cook. If we were going over to his place, we’d probably be eating out.

When you’re young, any time your foundation gets rocked, it sets you back a bit. I’d been a good student when my parents were together, but there definitely was a dip after the divorce. I kind of saw what I could get away with and wound up just an okay student.

I wasn’t in school plays. I’m not sure I saw that side of me yet. Instead, I was at swim practice and hanging with my buddies. I also liked to draw a lot, which I suppose is how I expressed myself.

I was a solid swimmer in the Central Valley. I set a CIF SAC-Joaquin Section Record and wound up with an All America Swimming Certificate. By my senior year, I realized swimming was my ticket out of town and certainly the only way I’d get into a great university.

I worked hard. After USC saw the times I was posting, they called to recruit me for the team. When I flew out to USC on my recruit trip, I met with the dean of the architecture school. He said there was no way I could manage both the swim team’s practice schedule and the rigors of the architectural program.

I asked him about the art gallery downstairs. He said it was part of the fine-arts department. I didn’t even know you could get a degree in that. I met with the fine-arts dean and asked if I could be on the swim team. He said we’d work it out.

Majoring in fine arts for me was like winning the lottery. In high school, I’d get in trouble for drawing when I was supposed to be doing schoolwork. Now, in college, drawing was my schoolwork.

After my senior year, I left USC several electives shy of a degree and didn’t finish until the pandemic. But before I left, I met some drama majors who got me thinking about acting.

By then, my college girlfriend, Alexis, and I had married. We moved to Seal Beach, south of Los Angeles, where I coached swimming. To fulfill some of my electives I took an acting 101 class at UC Irvine. I had a ball. It was a language I understood immediately.

I read Stanislavsky’s and Sandy Meisner’s books on acting. I realized that it wasn’t a frivolous pursuit but a craft on par with how artists I admired approached painting and sculpture. I told Alexis I was thinking about pursuing acting rather than a master’s in fine art. She said, “Tim, just do something. Just pick one thing and do that.”

The guy who taught the intro class was a graduate student who recommended I study with Bill Esper at the Esper Studio in New York. Fortunately, Alexis’s dad lived there and let us move into his place.

My career has been many little steps—a lot of one step forward, two steps back. I’m not sure if there was any one role that really changed things, but landing the lead in “Justified,” in 2010, certainly helped things along.

Today, Alexis and I live in Los Angeles and have three grown kids. We moved in 15 years ago and love the house and neighborhood. I still draw and swim.

Breakfast is my favorite meal. I make steel-cut oatmeal in my rice cooker, which has a porridge setting. When I come home from swimming and have my oatmeal, I feel like I’m 8 again. And you know what? That feels pretty good.

—————

Timothy’s Digs:

Full Circle? I play Derek in the miniseries about a kidnapping gone awry and the family secrets exposed.

Blissful space? Sitting in a blue chair in the kitchen having coffee with my wife.

Cool buy? A painting by an artist I’ve admired for at least a decade or so.

Tennis? I play with my brother and oldest daughter. The fact that they play with me means the world.

Youngest daughter? Vivian. She’s an actress in the coming season of Justified: City Primeval.

[coolcarsntrucksngunsnusa]

I know there's a lot of folks who truly are upset about seeing Trump heading back to the Oval Office. Maybe this will help a little bit in understanding both why someone might vote them in, but also that it'll be okay.

This story is from before when Trump was in office in 2016. It’s a poignant story from a Gold Star Mom, but it talks to why support of Trump isn’t as crazy as some might think.

With the vitriol in DC and the fainting couches being ordered by the folks on the left, we keep hearing questions about how we could possibly support someone who says such things as the next president.

I’d rather have someone say harsh things and do the right thing, than to say all the right things and do the wrong.

I’ll again quote a Gold Star Mom, because her words capture this sentiment better than any other I’ve ever come across.

First, for a quick intro:

Billy and Karen Vaughn are the parents of fallen Navy SEAL, Aaron Carson Vaughn (SEAL Team VI). On August 6, 2011 Aaron was killed in action in the Tangi River Valley of Afghanistan when a chopper (call sign Extortion 17) carrying thirty Americans was shot from the sky. Let me tell you, when a Gold Star Mom speaks, people listen. These moms have endured unimaginable loss and have earned the right to a bully pulpit. They are not some fawned over TV show host or starlet. GSMs are the stuff that made America truly great, raising kids who understand the meaning of “the last full measure of devotion.”

Here are her words:

Sometimes God uses the no-nonsense, salty sailor to get the job done. Appreciating what the man is doing doesn’t mean we worship the salty sailor or even desire to be like the salty sailor. It doesn’t even mean God admires the salty sailor. Maybe He just knows he’s necessary for such a time as this.

I believe with all my heart that God placed that salty sailor in the White House and gave this nation one more chance in November 2016. Trump is what he is. He is still the man he was before the election. And without guilt, I very much admire what that salty sailor is accomplishing.

He’s not like me. That’s okay with me. I don’t want to be like him. I will never behave like him. I know we’ve NEVER had a man like him lead our nation. It’s crazy and a little mind blowing at times. But I can’t help admire the ability he has to act with his heart rather than a calculated, PC, think tank-screened, carefully edited script. I still believe that is WHY he became our President and WHY he’s been able to handle a landslide of adversity and STILL pass unprecedented amounts of good legislation for our country AND do great works for MANY other nations, including Israel.

I’m THRILLED with what he’s doing for my nation, for the cause of Christ (whether intentional or unintentional, doesn’t matter to me), and for the concept of rebuilding America and putting her FIRST. I will not be ashamed of my position because others don’t see him through the same lens.

Should it matter to me if a fireman drops an f-bomb while he’s pulling me from a burning building? Would I really care about what came out of his mouth in those moments? Heck no! I’d CARE about what he was DOING. He wasn’t sent there to save my soul and I’m not looking to him for spiritual guidance. All I’m thinking in those moments is, “Thank you, Jesus, for sending the fireman.”

This man is crass. Okay. He’s not careful with what he says. Okay. You feel offended that he’s not a typical statesman. Okay. But he is rebuilding the nation my son died for…the nation I feared was on a fast track to becoming a hopeless cause. Forgive me if I’m smiling.

[theageofsims]

The Age of Sims 2.8- Part 11 - “See You Soon"

The words came through in a broken message thanks to the increasing interference of the airways from storms that were nearby -- storms he wished could have waited until she had arrived safely.

He hadn't lost his sanity no matter how much he wanted to have her close, reminding her in a broken message much like hers to head back home if her flight was delayed because there was just no sense in having her waste time sitting around in an airport.

He still couldn't believe it though... that she had agreed to do everything he asked her to. Of course it wasn't out of reason, except maybe telling her to get out of work -- work that he knew was as important to her as his own work had been once upon a time, but still... he hadn't expected it.

Now that she could hopefully be on her way, he could feel some of his tension lessen though he couldn't rid himself of it completely -- not with his older brother around...

--------

"Gloria's comin'." He muttered once his brother appeared in the kitchen, fully dressed and headed to the kitchen sink to rinse out his second cup of coffee. "There's soap--"

"A rinse is good."

"It's good when you're the only one that's going to use it. Use the soap."

"Always bitchin'…" He muttered before ignoring his younger brother's request, and set the mug inside the sink. "How's about I just leave the damn thing here instead?"

William watched as he walked away from the sink and took a seat on one of the island stools.

"Come. Sit. Let's have a good ol' talk -- man to man."

"David--"

"Ah -- come on, have a seat."

"I haven't got time for shit this morning."

"Shit? When have I ever given you shit?"

"My entire life." William reminded him then, "Since I was old enough to understand words, at least."

"Ah come on…" He laughed, "I was just manning you up is all -- every older brother wouldn't be doing his job if I hadn't."

"It wasn't your job to 'man me up'…" He stared at him, "You weren't my dad."

"Come on, Dad couldn't do it."

"Dad wouldn't do it." He reminded him for what seemed like the hundredth time over the years, as he remembered how fair and even their father tried to be.

"Sure he would -- if mom would let him. The power a woman has over a man she's servic--"

"Don't." William stopped him abruptly. "She was our mother."

"Of course she was, but that doesn't change what life's all about. A man's a man for a reason and a woman… well a woman's a woman for a whole lotta reasons, one being to trap a man and use her womanly ways to get him to beckon to her every call…" He shrugged, "Dad would have stepped up to the plate and done what I did for you -- tried to do for you at least, but mom gave him ultimatiums."

"You… really believe that, don't you?" William shook his head. "Even about our own parents."

"Brother -- I believe that no matter who it is. A man's a man and a woman's a woman." He roughly shook his head, "It's that simple."

"Can tell why you never married…" William said under his breath while he looked away from him.

"Can tell why you still aren't…" He easily shot back, not to make the steady and constant tension worse.

William looked back at him like he had struck a nerve.

"Still hurts, doesn't it?" He asked, but recieved no confirmation. "Had you listened to me… I told you once she found something to do, she wouldn't be doing you--"

"Kathy and I had a good marriage." He insisted. "I had no problem with her working. When I met her, she was farther along in her career than I was--"

"Bullshit."

"It's the truth. I spent years proving myself in the field before they ever let me supervise anyone -- even a couple of interns. Three years after we married she nailed her application process and became the president of the company." He shook his head, "It's not just a man's world anymore."

His brother rolled his eyes, "You're killing me with the feminist bullshit."

"It's not bullshit." He tried to get his point across, "When I started as a scientist you couldn't find a woman in sight… by the time I retired, the men in my lab alone were being outnumbered."

"Maybe you had a sissy lab?" He cracked, making a careless joke that only crawled its way into William's skin and started to make a home. "Or maybe that pretty little thing that had you wrapped around her finger had some pull for more women to come on board."

His stare deepened to the point it almost darkened just as he shook his head.

"Where is Elizabath anyway? Thought when I reached your front door I'd have smelt her perfume before I could even knock on the door, but there was no sign of her--"

"Obviously I wouldn't know." He was direct.

His brother waited for a moment or so before he shrugged, "Why?"

"Because I'm not seeing her anymore, David -- that's why." He stated.

"Why?"

"Because it's none of your business -- that's why." He shot back, anger bubbling to the surface.

"Hey -- easy there, Billy--"

"Stop calling me that!" He barked.

"What the hell kind of bug crawled up your ass this morning?"

"The same bug that crawled up yours." He challenged him, "Am I right? I heard you grumbling non-stop for hours this morning and then you were banging around the kitchen -- slamming cabinets on purpose when I told you to keep it down because of Noah--"

"That kid's gonna grow up to be weirder than he already is--"

"He's not weird. He's different -- that's all."

"So he's deaf and nearly blind -- doesn't mean he's gotta live his life inside a plastic bubble."

"He's not deaf. He's hard of hearing and his eyesight is better than mine was at his age." He corrected him, "Jesus fucking Christ -- can't you see that he has special needs?"

"Couldn't see past all the coddling -- "

"Yeah well, sorry to break it to you David, but you couldn't see past anything that makes sense."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means there's a damn good reason why I'm protective of him. For starters he's a child, the second -- he's my goddamned nephew who is struggling with a number of things."

"You're not his father."

"I don't have to be!" His tone was rough, "This was the job I was given -- and I'm doing the damn job."

"Where's Peter?"

"On drugs." He said it without hesistation and did not flinch when his brother looked at him for some elaboration. "Yeah -- Peter is addicted to drugs for a few years now… no telling if he's ever going to come back and considering the bastard of a father he's got which unfortunately is this kid's grandfather -- if I don't do what I'm doing, who the fuck is going to do it?"

"… is that why Elizabeth took off?" His brother asked, not caring much about anything else. "Couldn't stand to play mommy to a child that isn't hers? Can't fault her for that -- she's a woman that deserves her own--"

The laugh that escaped him was one of complete disbelievement and bitter disgust for several reasons he had no intention of explaining.

"You know what, David? I haven't got time for this."

"It's early."

"Noah and I are going into town, then hopefully catching a quick train ride to the airport if these storms continue to hold off. All I need for you to do is take care of the dogs and make sure you try real hard to watch your mouth."

"Sounds a whole lot like watching your own ass -- hard to do without a mirror and can't say I spend much time in the bathroom unless I'm planted on the john."

"Well you better fucking figure out a way." He told him without skipping a beat, "Because after the shit you pulled when Gloria was last around, you're lucky I'm still putting you up and didn't send your ass to the farthest hotel."

"Sounds like you put your foot down -- I'm your brother and that's final. Real tough guy shit -- I'm proud of you, Billy boy."

"You're only still here because of her." He corrected him, "So if I were you -- I'd start showing her respect."

"Woof -- Billy, you're real serious -- huh?" His brother shrugged around a sly smirk, "… suppose time will tell…"

It was then that William sat there and thought about what a big mistake he might have made by asking her to the join their vacation.

[kjharris]

My Total Drama Headcannons

Do you know that scene in the beginning of roti when the Gen 1 cast is on the yacht? I feel like that’s the yacht party Owen promised after he won, and he finally got around to it.

Justin is definitely a barb. Knows every Nicki song word for word.

Noah and Courtney definitely became friends eventually. I feel like they’d watch Hamilton on Sundays or something after talking about class president stuff.

So we all know Duncan tries to be all big and bad. I have this feeling that when he thinks everyone in his house is sleeping, he’d watch miraculous ladybug. 😭

Justin and Alejandro are frenemies. One day they’re beefing about who’s more hot and then the next, they’re doing face masks together.

Leshawna, Trent, and Gwen play just dance. All the time.

Leshawna visits DJ and his mom a lot just bc

Harold and Ezekiel are definitely bffs. He doesn’t excuse the sexist comments made. But he still understands him.

kb5 (Duncan, Courtney, Geoff, Bridgette, DJ) have water balloon fights in the summer and they definitely have chicken fights when they go swimming at a lake or pool.

I feel like if Geoff drinks or eats anything sour he’ll turn into the biggest baby ever.

Heather became a model after the show. But she also loves screen time so she is on a couple of commercials and shows.

Gwen and Heather had “uwu” phases.

Gwen got a job at hot topic and when Cody found out, he applied there too.

Drama brothers bought an apartment together but got evicted because of all the chaos they’ve caused. (Completely Justin and Cody’s fault)

Duncan needs glasses. But he doesn’t wear them because he doesn’t wanna look “geeky”

I feel like half of them still have contact with Chris, despite what he’s put them through. Some hate his guts, while others don’t. Some actually like him!

Chris can’t cook for his life.

Chef actually makes pretty okay food. Since the island was abandoned before the show, they most likely didn’t have anything to work with for food. So Chef used what he can. But once everyone complained and Geoff asked to order pizza rather than eat his food, he made it bad on purpose.

Heather and Duncan secretly have a Minecraft village together.

Cody still plays roblox and has no regrets of it

Duncan and Geoff definitely get put on house arrest for doing something stupid.

If someone were to leave a family member younger than 10 with Duncan, he’d show them “A Nightmare On Elm Street” That kid would be traumatized for the rest of their life.

Sierra and Topher would literally be best friends if they met. I don’t think they ever would, but maybe they’d talk to each other online once or twice.

Heather secretly watches attack on titan. She’s an Eren simp.

kb5 favorite show to watch is probably “Outer Banks” or “Riverdale”

Trent and Courtney had a little friendship. I’d say during roti. They’d play their instruments together and sing.

Justin definitely hangs out with the girls when their just doing girly things. Like if their doing each others hair, his is getting put into bows and clips. Makeup? Maybe he’ll let them do it. Clothes? No. That’s when he leaves.

thats all for now.

[sasuhinasno1fan]

When it all changed - Lukadrien June 2024 Day 1

So I know I technically posted something for Day 1 of @lukadrienmonth but I had written that on my phone, the day of my college reunion when we were all walking around and doing things. I had the hardest time coming up with an idea and I thought the 9-1-1 au would work, but I actually hated it. It didn't have much Lukadrien in it and didn't really feel like it fit the prompt. I thought this went a little better. It's a Legally Blonde au and it's most based off the musical than the movie, which kinda felt fitting. I found the MTV showing of it on the day of my graduation after I got home and this is a fic I'd been working on the day of my reunion. Anyway, Emmett is more present in the musical, helping Elle with tutoring and studying, basically supporting her as she works her way into being a lawyer while also letting her support him in being a good lawyer. I thought since he'd oringally been so focused on making a good impression and doing well enough to work hard for his mom, that Elle's apperance in his life would of been the, well, start of a whole new look on life. Not to mention it being Elle's start on seeing herself as more than just her blonde hair. And as such, we get this. Hopefully you guys like this more. Start of something new

“Welcome to the hallowed halls of Harvard Law. I’m Luka Couffaine, class of the odd 5. I know how hard all of you worked to get here, so why don’t we go around the circle and introduce ourselves?”

Three years ago, Luka was sitting where these guys where, terrified that giving up music was the worst mistake of his life but after hearing how his mom almost made it through law school when she became pregnant with him and watching her stand up for herself against the ticket loving officer in France, Luka wanted to prove himself. People looked at their family, willing to break the rules and supporting each other and thought they’d never amount to anything. Luka was this close to become partner at Barbot’s firm and fully graduating as a lawyer. Being a TA was hard work, not to mention his part time jobs just so his father wouldn’t pay his loans but if he stuck to his routine, it would be ok. Everything would fall into place.

“Hi! Sorry I’m late!” a new voice yelled, interrupting Alya’s long resume of accomplishments – and possible lawsuits, how did she get away with half that stuff?

Americans considered themselves to be contained compared to all the international admissions, but this guy? The wildest thing Luka did was dye his hair blue. The blonde in front of them was dressed, quite fashionably, in pink. Somehow he managed to find a pink Harvard shirt and his newspaper boy hat was a shade of pink plaid Luka hadn’t seen before, not even from Rose. The strangest thing was the long-haired black cat tucked under his arm. Like most cats, he was boneless but not squirming an inch, tail twitching and purring loud enough Luka could hear him from where he sat

Luka didn’t know it then but, that boy was about to change his routine, his constant, his life.

Agreste, Adrien, like most of the students in his orientation group, was from France but he’d been living in the US to attend UCLA. He’d been accepted into top school in France and even Cambridge in England, but Adrien claimed he wanted a different experience. With a fashion designer father and actress mother, no one really told him no. he boasted about being the only male to be allowed in Delta Nu and was president and actually founded a charity for kids to gain an opportunity to go school despite their circumstance called Black Cats. And oh, of course, stopped Mireille Caquet from buying a ‘truly heinous tube top.’ Luka also found out –

“Wait, wait, wait. You caused the campus to close down for half an hour? Security was scrambling all over looking for someone, that was you?”

Adrien shrugged, not looking at all bothered. “Well, I thought my personal essay would be better given in person, instead of my original idea of filming it.”

“And they still let you in?” Alya asked, Prince Ali and even XY looking surprised.

“Well, they didn’t love the singing and dancing,” they didn’t like what? “But! Once I reminded him that getting the whole UCLA marching band and most of the cheer team to come help because of the type of person I saw, they decided to give me a chance. I was homeschooled until I ran away from home enough to just attend school once. I’m stubborn.”

Adrien was, something. A bit ditzy and a little naïve and focused on one girl, Kagami Tsurugi. The teachers had high hopes for her, her own father a famous graduate and when her family weren’t destroying opponents in fencing, they were running Japan as politicians. She could have looked annoyed when she saw Adrien in class with her, more so when he’d been hearing that the girl had a very jealous girlfriend ready to use her claws, but he’d heard the most surprising thing from her.

“Who is he?” Luka asked, after giving Adrien his syllabus for the class.

“My ex. Last I saw him, we were visiting family in France before Spring Break started.”

“Huh.” He said surprised. “he’s either a stalker or determined.”

“He’s actually one of the sweetest people I’ve ever met. The fact my family didn’t like him was I thought the most surprising part, but clearly, I’ve underestimated him. I’m almost looking forward to seeing the look on my mother’s face.”

Most people didn’t look proud of their Exes. Not that it lasted long. Adrien had gotten kicked out of Barbot’s class for not doing the reading, putting him on Marinette’s radar to stay away from her girlfriend, which started a trend. Adrien falling behind, despite how much he seemed to be trying, snarky comments not just from Marinette but everyone who thought the boy who loved pink didn’t belong and the bright smile Adrien had slowly growing dimmer. Plagg, Adrien’s cat, was becoming more of a security blanket than the only animal brave enough to climb onto Barbot’s table and not move after being shoved to go away.

So, Luka didn’t think much of it when he found Adrien crying on a bench on campus after another late night in the library and asked what was wrong. He’ll admit, he was surprised Adrien actually admitted he came to Harvard to follow Kagami, but he was also happy to hear that he wasn’t blind to how his school life had been going.

“So, you came out here to follow a girl and Harvard Law was just part of the plan? What rich romantic planet are you from?” he asked jokingly, pushing the bunny ears further up on Adrien’s head. Luka didn’t want to look in too deep as to why Adrien was dressed as a male Playboy bunny, just thankful he decided to wear a shirt in the East Coast fall weather.

“France? Technically.”

“SO, instead of walking through Parisian streets by the Eiffel Tower, you decide to just follow a girl to an Ivy League school? That’s got to be the weirdest reason-”

“Why’d you come?”

Luka had only ever said it once, during his own orientation. Despite being born in France like Adrien, he’d lived in the States his whole life, so his group had been bigger and most of them had zoned out by the time he spoke.

“Ok.” Luka dropped his bag on the bench and tugged his jacket off, putting it on Adrien’s shoulders. “My mamman was supposed to graduate from law school, but she dropped out to have me. It wasn’t part of my grandparent’s deal with her and when she wouldn’t go back after my first year to finish, they cut her off. So, she moved us here, not wanting anything to do with my dad. She almost got back together with him, but he never changed and he just left her with my sister. Life was hard growing up, but she worked hard to give us what we need, even after my sister’s anxiety got worse and my empathic nature made it hard for me to be around people. Thing was, she’s always been a rebel, so she’s gotten into trouble with the police. Mamman was top of her class though, so she could run rings around them but enough cop cars stopping by and a concerned social worker is enough to start rumours. People thought we wouldn’t amount to anything and I was getting so tired of people saying that to the person who gave everything up to be happy. So, I was going to prove them I could follow in her footsteps and still be better than all of them. when I win my first lucrative trail and can move us back to France so she can get the houseboat she always wanted, that’s when it’ll be worth it. I got through 3 years of law school with two jobs to pay for loans, so you’ll forgive me for not weeping at your tale.”

“Excuse me, just because you have some chip on your shoulder,” Adrien started.

“Yeah, and that chip has been the thing to help me through this and makes me driven as hell. Adrien, you’ve been given a chance most people dream of so don’t waste it. in fact,” he said, standing up and pulling his bag back on his shoulder, “think about getting a chip of your own. I want my jacket back.”

He’d given advice before, helped bolster a bit of encouragement into a student, maybe no one like Adrien, but it felt like routine at this point. Nothing should have changed.

Adrien got into Harvard after dragging a marching band and cheerleaders into the admissions office. Luka was starting to learn it was nearly impossible to not get drawn into what Adrien’s world was. So much so, that he was as surprised as his mother was when he told her what he was doing.

“Did you get my package for thanksgiving?”

Luka unlocked the door to his apartment with said package under his arm, using his foot to shut the door behind him.

“Yeah. I thought you weren’t planning on sending anything.”

“Thank Rose. Got flirted by some rich kid. A prince apparently, but he got so enamoured by her, he didn’t care she was dating your sister. Something about how he’ll be back in his country with armoured cars, so might as well make all the pretty girls happy with whatever they want?”

Luka was sent back to the first day of classes when he heard those words. “What’s his name? the ‘prince’?”

“Alibaba? No, that’s a website.”

“Ali. Prince Ali. Was Rose near campus? He goes here.”

“Oh.” His mother sounded surprised, but Luka was used to Rose doing odd things. She was a ray of sunshine dating his shadow of a sister, taken in by their pirate mother. “She was looking for you actually. Wanted to ask for a book to be held at your job and you almost never answer your phone unless you call first so. Where were you Tuesday? She thought you’d be at the library or grading papers.”

“Ah. I was helping tutor someone.”

“You?”

That wasn’t an insult. Luka was a nice person who gave encouragement but he had little patience for teaching people. He tried with Juleka, who snapped at him as much as he did her and the few times he tried during school to try and get paid for it, it ended up with him being paid to do the work because he’d become short with whoever he was teaching.

“There’s this student, a freshman. He’s…different.”

“Different enough that your tutoring him?”

He hadn’t planned it. Adrien dragged him back into conversation that night by asking for advice on how he managed to do it all during his first years, not that he seemed to listen as his main focus was trying to prove he was serious. He’d been invited back to Adrien’s room – all brightly coloured can slightly covered in black cat hair – and when Adrien admitted to studying magazines more than his text books, he sort of, snapped. He thought dismantling the desk turned vanity would annoy Adrien enough that he wouldn’t even try but even with a bit of groaning, Adrien still unearthed his textbooks and let Luka help him. Instead of heading to the library after Barbot’s classes, he’d find himself with Adrien, either dragging him to the library with him, admitting defeat and going to a coffee shop on occasion or to Adrien’s room. Being at his room meant sharing the new desk space with Plagg, Adrien’s cat and quizzing Adrien as he became as addicted to Redbulls as Adrien was. Whenever Adrien had essays or readings, Luka would still find himself in the dorm room working on his own work for classes or whatever Barbot dropped in his lap for work.

He hadn’t realised he’d fallen into new habits since meeting Adrien. It probably explained why when he went to their next study session, after he convinced Adrien to skip going home for Thanksgiving, that he took the whole package his mother had sent him and pushed back their normal video call where he’d eat the food sent with them.

“What’s this?” Adrien asked pulling out the half-thawed pieces of turkey and artichoke dip.

“I know you wanted to see your friends, so I thought we should at least feast on the classics. Unless you were heading home to France and want foir gros.”

“Gross.” Adrien said, scrunching his nose. He looked a picture, dressed down in an oversized pink UCLA hoodie and pyjama pants covered in anime characters. “I hate foir gros. To be honest, I hadn’t decided where I was going. I just planned on figuring it out when I got to the airport. Oh, don’t look at me like that. We don’t celebrate thanksgiving in France but I have good memories of it. one of my older sorority sisters invited me my first year. It was a massive thing, somehow missing all the trashy drama that happens now, but they let me join in their traditions, we watched the Addams Family movies and just eat the food. France just has my family. Though, dad is paying for me to come here, even after he didn’t think I should. I know most of my family doesn’t think I’m all that serious, even after what I did just to go to school in person with people and I’d like to prove to them I am. But they still believed in me. All I had to do was ace the LSATs and all years were paid. I guess passing my first year would prove to them they made the right choice.”

“You will.” Luka promised. “Now, we can steal the oven in the kitchen to warm the food up while I quiz you on famous cases. Remember, Barbot is going to have you justify your case for your test. Think you can keep up?”

Adrien looked nervous, but like everything else – except for when he’d broken down on that bench that fall night – he looked determined.

“I can do it.”

_____________________

The crush? That started to clue in later. His mother would tease him whenever he mentioned he’d been with Adrien, which was nearly every day when he wasn’t busy. The holidays had thankfully slowed the office as many gave up high profile cases for vacations in warmer weathers but Luka filled the time off he’d been given with more shifts at his jobs, going over Adrien’s work and slowly getting Adrien to realise that his desire to get Kagami’s attention was doing more harm than good.

It had clicked for the blonde when Luka came to drop off his present. It had been a joke, the 2-in-1 shampoo and conditioner, mostly to see the disgusted and horrified look on his face when Luka mentioned he used it.

“you have coloured hair! You recently coloured it too.” Luka hadn’t expected Adrien to dig his hands into his hair, messing up his bangs and causing them to fall into his eyes. “how on earth do you use that stuff and your hair is this soft?” Luka should have picked up on something when he noticed that Adrien’s hands, whenever they passed over his ears, were really soft. “You are joking right? Luka, I swear if this is what you actually use.”

Someone clearing their throat reminded them they weren’t alone. Luka pulled Adrien’s hands away to look at the guy smirking at them from Adrien’s bed. “Don’t mind me, just enjoying the show.”

“Ah. Right. Luka, this is Max. he graduated from MIT early and works at the nail salon I go to.”

“Right. With the miniature horse.”

“He’s a trained therapy animal.” Max reassured. Honestly, Luka was doing criminal and divorce law, that was not his problem. “I was helping Adrien study. I think I’ll head out though. Nice to finally meet you Luka. Adrien mentions you all the time.”

“Nothing bad!” Adrien assured as Max disappeared doing something behind Luka’s head that he barely caught. “But seriously, you were joking right?”

“Adrien?” Kagami asked, knocking on the door. The blonde ripped his wrists from Luka’s hands and smiled at his ex. “have you gotten the email from Barbot yet? I wanted to print off the reading he wants us to do to read on the plane home and I still haven’t seen anything.”

“I, uh,” Adrien giggled. “I…um?”

Luka decided to help him out. “I send the readings out. Barbot hasn’t sent me the original documents he wants. It’ll be out soon.”

Kagami seemed surprised to see him there, glancing at Adrien before nodding to herself. She looked set on something before offering her thanks and leaving, Adrien still as incoherent as he’d been when she walked in. he knew this is why Adrien wasn’t doing so well, focused on getting Kagami’s attention. Why it filled him with such hot rage, he had no clue. Watching Adrien put the pieces together and actually win his practise case was amazing, more so when Barbot seriously accepted Adrien’s resume for his internship, even printed on pink paper and scented. When Adrien was one of the 4 names, Luka couldn’t be prouder.

He could have done without him deciding to be a trustworthy lawyer to their client Clara Nightengale by keeping her alibi secret and not budging for anyone. Not even him. It somehow then evolved into Adrien dragging him shopping.

“I don’t need a new suit.” He tried protesting as the entered the department store.

“Luka,” Adrien turned, looking odd in the black suit he was in. it was the first time he wasn’t in any sort of pink. “I know you’ll find a way of winning this without Clara’s alibi or a plea deal, not to mention doing the one thing you’re trying to avoid.”

“Which is?”

“giving people what they want. Luka, come on, you became a lawyer because everyone thought you’d amount to nothing and that your mother was the same. The same woman who raised you to be a rebel and do the right thing.”

“How is clothes going to help with that?”

Adrien actually giggled and bounced in place at the question. “clothes help paint the picture. I love your jean jackets and ripped jeans and I know you’re an amazing lawyer but looking the part would be a massive help in showing what you can do. I know you’re amazing. Now we just need to show everyone else. Come on! god, I love shopping for guys!”

Since dawning the black suit, Adrien seemed to be hiding but the whole experience made him look like the naive freshman who graduated UCLA to follow a girl he’d moved on from. Silly as it sounded, it was the side of Adrien he loved. He didn’t do this, get so involved with a student that they became his best friend, that he wanted to gain their approval, that they’d be so concerned over him not going back on his morals just to gain the approval of a boss to make his life easier.

“Love? It’s the new scent from Calvin Klein.” A department associated offered.

He didn’t fall in love.

But since that first day, where Adrien rushed over to their group decked in pink and carrying Plagg, full of tales and anecdote, unwilling to give up no matter how hard, Luka’s whole life had changed. There was a new routine, a new path. That first day was the start of something new he was never expecting.

And he wouldn’t change it for the world. The things that almost made him lose him after, that he would, but considering it got Adrien back into his signature pink plus bonus heels – a sight that would never get old – he couldn’t be too upset.

[sparkedblaze]

DAVEY

Look y’all gotta start telling me if y’all want canon or modern 💀

Okay so idk if Davey was based of Dave Simmons but let me tell you about him anyway 🥰🥰

I think Jack’s characterization is far closer to Dave Simmons than Davey’s. The only thing they share is a name.

But I digress

So! This is Dave Simmons!

President of the Union in the first half of the strike

Accused of betraying the strike, though I personally think he may have been a victim of a whisper campaign out out by the papers

The rumor was that he and Kid Blink took a bribe to sell papes before the end of the strike.

Though they both denied the accusation, they both stepped down from their position. Dave (I believe) became treasurer instead.

There’s no actual evidence that he actually scabbed. But they decided to step down rather than hinder the strike with disloyalty.

Newsies Davey

Mom friend. This isn’t even a hc it’s just canon at this point.

This boy is burnt out before he’s even an adult 💀My poor boy is so tired all the time please give him iced coffee and therapy

Book smart. Common sense dumb. Uses big words like auspicious but knows nothing of selling or anything about Snyder (despite living in NYC and being poor enough to need to join the newsies)

Here comes my rant about autistic Davey Jacobs:

Has no filter and even less chill. Davey is very all or nothing and I love him for that.

Doesn’t get social cues. See: Jack v upset about Crutchie being arrested. Davey: “abOvE thE fOld”

Special interest: learning. Especially about art. And hawking. And pretty strike leaders

He and Les have gotten stuck in echolalia circles. They’ll echo each other for hours on end.

Has trouble lying, and approaching people in general.

End of this autistic Davey Jacobs rant bc I could literally talk forever

He values honesty so much it hurts. When Jack scabs in 92sies. One of first things David says is “You’re a liar! You lied about everything!” And the devastation on his face in Livesies. Literal chills 😭😭

Where Jack ignores orders just to prove a point, Davey doesn’t mind following orders as long as they’re reasonable. As long as they make sense. When the strike starts, Davey doesn’t quite understand. He doesn’t get the difference in ten cents for a hundred papes. It doesn’t make any difference to him. When it’s explained to him, he’s wholeheartedly for the strike. When Jack scabs, Davey once again doesn’t understand because they’ve worked so hard. And this is the one thing Jack listens to?

Anti-violence. Even in the face of starvation and freezing in the coming winter (they don’t know how long this strike will last. He has to be prepared) Davey is adamant. Do not soak the scabs.

Is always 100% done with Jack’s shit.

Is Jewish!! I’m like 98% sure this is canon, but I am certain it’s at least fanon the Jacobs are Jewish

Say something about his baby brother and he. Will. End. You.

RYAN KOPEL IS SO RIGHT THAT DAVEY GETS A LITTLE MORE FERAL EVERY DAY.

Modern:

Davey✔️

He and Jack have been friends for as long as he could remember. His family always went around to the orphanages in New York, bringing old clothes that had been collected by the people of their Synagogue.

David and Sarah had always sought out Jack when they’d get to the Refuge. Snyder always put on a front of being a kind, caring guardian when there were visitors, but Jack told Davey and Sarah about some of the horrors that they were put through.

Their parents never believed them, because Jack (having a distrust of adults for some odd reason) always told them that he was fine and he wasn’t in any danger, and so they thought their children were making it up to try and bring their friend home. When Les was born, the Jacobs took time off to get adjusted to having a new child in the house.

In college for business or marketing to make sure he knows how to do what’s best to keep them successful.

Dave in the Life: Multiple videos a week just vlogging the domestic side of his and Jack’s relationship

Been There Done That: Joint channel with Jack. Traveling, doing wild shit, usually featuring many of their friends

This concludes everything coming out of my brain about Davey Jacobs right now

Thank you for coming to my Ted Talk

[faytelumos]

A Good Girl's Eulogy

cw: real death; animal and human death mentions

---

On August 28th last year, some time around 5pm, my family's 18 year old chow/shepherd mix took her last breath.

When we first got her, she fit comfortably in my mom's hands. She was the runt, and mom had picked her out for that fact. The runt of the litter doesn't always get adopted, she said. While us kids and Dad were at home, fawning over our new baby, Mom went to get bowls, food, and toys. Us kids went to bed and Dad watched the puppy, the gears in his mechanic's brain working, and when Mom got back, he looked up to her, our new family member in his lap.

"We have two choices for her name. Diesel, or International."

Diesel was smart, and maybe all dog owners think theirs is unusually intelligent, but our girl was clever.

By the time Diesel was a "teenager" she knew we didn't like her out of the yard alone. She belonged in the back yard when there wasn't anyone around to watch over her, since the front yard was completely unfenced and open to the neighborhood. Every day, when Mom got up, she would let Diesel into the back yard to do her business, and ten or so minutes later, would call Diesel back into the house for breakfast. Every single day, this was the pattern. And one day, Mom strayed from that pattern to look out into the front yard.

And there was Diesel, casually patrolling the front yard, unattended.

Shocked, Mom had headed to the back yard, but by the time she got around the side of the house, Diesel, too, was in the back yard.

We learned that day that she had found a hole in the fence, and more than likely was taking daily constitutionals into the front yard, perhaps to check up on things or watch birds, before returning to the back yard to be collected for breakfast. If she ever had any more sneaky escapades or excursions, we never caught her.

We adopted other dogs, who became Diesel's companions and fellow family members in her adulthood. A stocky little thing that had been surrendered to us from another family (we gave him a Nicholas name after a US president) a tiny pup we had gotten from a local breeder (who we also gave an automotive name) and another tiny breed who we adopted from a home that couldn't care for him anymore (named after a color).

Diesel was always the biggest by far, tall and strong. She was dominant in personality and in charge, and she often led the others around the yard here and there to anything that was interesting or required attention.

She didn't need a leash if a human was with her. She started one-sided fights with President, chased rabbits and birds, always came when she was called, knew how to shake hands, and you could pat your chest to get her to jump up, put her paws on you, and gives kisses.

She deserved more love than we gave her.

Dad played fetch with her, took her for rides in the truck, and called her his good dog. He was outside working often, and they spent time together when she wasn't exploring or checking things out with the others. She'd sit with him inside in the evening, and he'd give her scritches.

Five years ago, he died suddenly. I lived out of state. The police officer on my mom's doorstep told her she didn't want to see the body.

A lot happened in that week. I asked myself more than once if Diesel knew he was gone. I came and visited, and then went back to the life I had left paused.

Three years ago, Diesel got very sick.

Mom wasn't sure she'd make it through the weekend, and I dropped everything again to return. She was sixteen at the time. She had been a part of my family for sixteen years, and I stopped just short of telling my boss and coworkers that my sister was dying.

She was his dog, Mom wept over the phone.

When I got into the house, she was in a sorry state; skin and bone, her strength sapped as she lay on the living room floor. She hadn't eaten in two days, and she'd stopped drinking that morning. I couldn't have imagine it, not from the girl who had been a powerhouse and boss over her huge back yard not so long ago.

I gave her bland food to coax her to eat, and overnight she seemed to gain ten pounds. I took her to the vet, told them where she hurt and to be careful of her temper, and then took her home. The appointment that, three days ago, had been for her final breath, turned into a prescription for antibiotics. But at her age and in her state, chemotherapy and surgery wasn't an option. So we let that battle go.

I came, visited, and then went back to the life I had left paused.

Last year, another call.

She's really bad. I think this is it.

Tell her I'm coming. Tell her I'll be there tomorrow.

I silently hoped I could perform that miracle twice.

She was so thin. She wobbled on her back feet, toes getting caught as she walked. She coughed, raspy and rough. I picked her up, my once 60 pound firecracker, and she let me carry her upstairs so mom could give her a bath in the tub.

I laid with her for hours, two towels wrapped over her and curled up against her back so she didn't shiver as she dried.

The vet came to us. A new, affordable program for geriatric or terminally ill dogs. I made sure Mom would get her ashes back. Because we'd had her for eighteen years, and she was going to stay with us now forever.

The other dogs and all of us kids and mom held her and stroked her. The vet was so kind, and we all watched as our beloved girl let go of her pain.

I carried her, wrapped in my dad's favorite blanket, to the back of the vet's car. There were two other bundles in the back. Small, and tenderly covered.

I watched her go, and I stayed in the street after she'd turned the corner.

[nathaniel-donovan]

Filled the hole in my head with prescriptive medication, and I forgot how to cry, who am I, who am I to complain.

FULL BIO HERE.

BACKGROUND. (tw: emotional abuse, depression, substance abuse, death mentions)

Second child to Harold and Meredith Donovan; was always pushed to follow in his father's footsteps, with an idealization (on Harold's part) for him to inspire to gain a career within law enforcement.

If Nate could have chosen his own path in life, he would have succeeded the title of aerospace engineer, being that he always had a fascination of building/fixing things, combining that with his love for space his dream was to work for NASA. To be able to say I built that was always a teenage goal, one that was quickly stamped out by his emotionally abusive alcoholic father.

He dove into the educational path set out for him in fear of disappointing his father, becoming depressed during his late teens that carried on into his twenties, enrolling in the police academy and it was there he gained an injury that (fortunately on reflection) had him incapable of performing his daily tasks. Something that spiralled into an identity crisis, kick starting his drop out from the police force and awakening full vocal disapproval from Harold, he also became reliant on OxyContin at this time.

Found himself diving into an intense toxic love with an ex gf when he was 22. They were equally good for each other as they were bad. This relationship was pivotal to Nate in the sense of him choosing to remain on the single side of life once they broke up after years of dating.

At 23 he joined the Hellraisers as a prospect, with Leon Best (former MC President) giving him the push he needed to do so, in turn he learned the true meaning of family. His loyalty to the Sons knew no bounds, even despite Nate constantly pushing through everyday on softer drugs.

A few years later he turned to harder drugs (with his ex) and it wasn't until his sister, Logan found him unresponsive that she called 911, kick starting Nate's journey to sobriety (a sobriety he became lenient with, in terms of limiting himself to 2 beers if he wanted so).

When he was 28 his mother died in a car accident, days before he had a disagreement with her and the last thing he ever said to his mom was "No", something he regrets and cannot move on from.

Nate has owned The Raven for five years; the high-end strip club being his legitimate business.

In 2023 his sister, Cassie Donovan, died and Nate began to struggle with the mental toll of her loss, blaming himself with the burden of not doing enough to help her with her own substance abuse issues. He relapsed and started leaning onto the pills he was taking and finding comfort in the form of alcohol. Since hitting rock bottom, Nate has been trying to pick himself back up from the ground and his aim is to keep to his sobriety and have no leniencies. Nate is trying to focus on himself, find himself, and remain clear headed for the family that surrounds him.

HEADCANONS.

Has a one-eyed silver Maine Coon called Chip. Nate ensured the life of this cat was saved and has had and adored Chip for four years. He would literal die for this cat. His sister, Logan, got him an orange cat called Cheddar for Christmas '23.

Avid boxer, as well as gym-goer. These activities helps him not only to stay fit, but he finds they help him mentally.

He was a massively into Pokémon when he was younger.

His mom used to called him Nathan, as well as her "little monkey", a nod to that is the cute monkey tattoo he has on his (right) inner wrist. Adding to this he has a full tattoo sleeve (right arm), as well as the Sons reaper on his back. Also has an Aquarius constellation tattoo on his (right) inner wrist as a nod to his ex gf (his first personal tattoo).

His middle name is Joseph.

[anonymous1038]

Little Miss Perfect and President Perfect

@ila-appreciationweek day 2

(Inspired by Little Miss Perfect and President Perfect songs)

Note: takes place before homecoming in ILITW

Minor warning: mentions of emotional abuse and manipulation and implied drug abuse

Straight hair.

Straight A(s).

Straightforward.

Be the perfect daughter of Mayor Green.

She didn’t want to pretend there’s nothing wrong in her family. She hated it.

So much.

Her mother and father were constantly fighting before their eventual divorce. She kept fighting with her mother about the most ridiculous things that her brother had to keep intervening to make sure they don’t kill each other.

Stacy hated the word perfect.

It would never describe her, never be something that can define her.

So when Britney told her that she’s the perfect little princess of the mayor, she snapped. She spilled so many secrets that were locked behind locked doors that the media would have a field day with if they got ahold of it.

She thought she was safe when she shared it all with Britney, who held her and gave her a shoulder to cry on when she needed it most

She betrayed her. And made her her puppet.

It was never worth it.

Not when she’s little miss perfect.

.~.

Straight hair.

Straight A(s).

Straightforward.

Be the perfect student of the whole school.

The student body president with so much to do, too little time for himself.

The pressure became too much.

His parents’ successes played through his mind on repeat. How his mother would chew him out for losing 1% on a test, berating him for one little mistake he made. How his father read his accomplishments to him until dawn comes, as if mocking him for being lesser.

Lucas hated the word perfect.

It would never describe him, never be something that can define him.

But he tries to maintain the ‘good’ reputation he built up, until it became far too much for him to bear.

So he turned to...drastic measures.

It worked, far too well. It became a secret he must keep until the end of high school.

It was never worth it.

Not when he’s president perfect.

.~.

“Do you hate a specific word?”

“As a matter of fact, I do.”

“Perfect?”

“...yes, that one.”

In that moment, as they hugged each other, they weren’t little miss perfect or president perfect.

They were just Stacy Green and Lucas Thomas, ordinary students with too much to bear.

They’re no longer perfect in the eyes of others, but it was worth it.

.~.

“So, who wants to go and murder some bitches?” Ava reaches for the knife taped to her boot, unsheathing it and itching to use it.

“Hell yeah.” Andy cracks his knuckles.

“Do you want to get arrested for murder by your own father?” Connor’s hand on Andy’s shoulder was the only reason why he hasn’t run off yet. “Besides, Stacy’s mom is my mom and-

“Don’t care. Lucas’s parents suck and Stacy doesn’t deserve that garbage mother. And neither do you.”

“Oh yeah, kill them.”

All heads turn to Lily, who had a furious expression plastered on her face, brandishing a baseball bat that suspiciously looks like Candy the bat Jasper got at the hardware store.

“Lily. Holy shit.” Noah muttered.

“Can we kill Noah’s mom too?” Jasper asks, raising a knife menacingly into the air.

“What?!”

[feuqueerfire]

Moonlight Chicken Live Blogging

 GMMTV Youtube

Another GMMTV 2022 BL that's finally been released! I do like it when Disney+Hotstar releases the shows 2 eps a week because I get to binge the shows sooner (as long as they still put it up on Youtube...)

I avoided spoilers mostly except after watching My School President and kind of getting into GeminiFourth, I also got spoiler for almost their whole storyline last week haha Also, apparently it's not a cheating story as expected but rather Alan and ? Wen? are exes.

NLMG was up wonky in its last few episodes, so here's hoping another of my most anticipated shows from the 2022 lineup doesn't let me down.

Ep 1: Only You in the Full Moon Night (Mar 1)

1-1

ah they're talking about the effects of Covid on the economy - I think I remember somebody talking about the gentrification that happens or something?

Ah, I don't know if this is one take but I loveee the handheld (?) camera following around Jim as he travels from Leng to Li Ming to Gaipa, etc. It gives the impression of there's always something to do, something's always happening

lmfao jinxing Praew still having her period cuz I think she's gonna get pregnant, right?

oh this was filmed September 10 2022

(Linguistics) Jim is using -ha ending particles with the grandma

drunk driving with no seatbelts lmfao

ah the 2 of them just praying and wandering around the streets

plssss I've seen the clip of Wen walking into Li Ming's room before but I didn't realize it was like this, I'm crying

"It won't be complicated, right?" lmfao

there was a kiss on the back in NLMG as well

this is a lot for me tbh I keep wanting to skip but ah I won't, I'm nervous about missing things. I'm just watching it not on fullscreen

Very good start but do I finish up this episode before sleeping or do I do a LeetCode like I've been meaning to all day instead?

1-2

Okay, I did my leetcode (very badly rip) so I get to reward myself with part 2

gbye Wen playing with Jim's cat after their one night stand killing me so bad

ohhh this is the cat food PPL people were talking about lmfaooo

lol pls Gaipa's mom covering for him about the Sour Soup even though Leng was right when he said it wasn't his mom who gave it but Gaipa himself

please my poor Gaipa giving the mooncakes to Jim out of his crush on him but Jim just thinking about sharing one with Wen last night

ah Khaotung my most beloved boy, I missed seeing him on my screen

Wen's back at his own apartment and I know it's exes living together instead of cheating storyline apparently but :< I wish it was cheating. who would've thought I'd want that but Love Mechanics did a number on me I suppose

two chargers

1-3

I should go to sleep but part 2's preview showed Heart and Li Ming so... here I am instead

both of them keep thinking of that night

Li Ming is so boyish and trickster-y when he manages to get the keys to the motorbike and ride despite his license

lol Li Ming really left poor Heart with the broken glass

ah, I know so much about Heart and Li Ming already :< like Heart became deaf a few years ago and his parents don't let him go anywhere and haven't learned how to communicate with him

pls "We both took turns" "Hehe, that's my slutty boy"

(Linguistics) I've noticed Thai people sometimes say "chill chill" in English instead of just chill and now this guy used "pure pure" to describe pure sex. I wonder if this type of repetition is common in Thai as well and I just don't know it because I don't know Thai or if it's specifically with English words. Actually, I think plural is just repetition of the word at least sometimes? dek = child, dek dek = children, so it's not just English loanwords

Wen's avoiding his apartment?

1-4

who's Mrs. Jinata? oh is that Heart's mom

rip not only are Li Ming and Jim poorer than the officer, the officer is also obviously a cop. So they could ruin them

ah Li Ming's gonna work for Heart's family to pay it off 7k baht

How come Heart let Li Ming take the fall? I wonder if his parents are just not listening to him saying what he's trying to communicate or if Heart's a jerk and is letting Li Ming take the brunt of it all

Wen taking lessons about one night stands from his P'Gong and yet still showing up to Jim's to drink a beer lmao instead he even wants to waitstaff at the restaurant like bro what about your real job. then again what even is his job? he was at his apartment and the gym and he seems to spend money much more casually than Jim but what does he do to earn that money?

Very good, delightful episode with good acting, writing (in terms of characters and sensibility of events), and directing/cinematography. I'm really looking forward to the rest of the episodes.

Oh yeah another big spoiler that I didn't wanna put up there was that I've been saying ppl post behind photos of MLC and saying Gaipa's mother is gonna die. It's ep 6 been released and she hasn't died yet I don't think from the way the tweets are worded, so I'v been spoiled about something that hasn't even happened yet lmfao

Ep 2: The Temporary Chicken Rice (Mar 1)

2-1

not Leng's premonition dream about their daughter

Li Ming is soooo teenage boy here my god I wanna be him so bad

like he's rude to his uncle and doesn't let Heart get away with sitting around and it helps that Fourth was 17 when filming but it really is so 17 year old behaviour

lol Wen's not gonna let up

2-2

please Gaipa starting shit in Leng and Praew's relationship just for the hell of it

why does Gaipa handle the chicken and everything else with the same gloves T.T

Wen vs Gaipa over Jim's affections lmfao this awkwardness...

I wish I knew Wen and Gaipa's ages like how old are they supposed to be

Li Ming giving me the most random gender envy like I think I could be fixed if I was a 17-year-old boy who was playing soccer while shirtless with some other boys

so does Li Ming know he likes boys/is starting to realize he likes boys/knows he doesn't like girls? like was his disinterest in the girl because of his lack of attraction to her or is it because of his worries covered up by apathy about the future?

What's Li Ming watching on his phone?

okay just kidding I don't envy his grades nor his lack of direction for the future and his money troubles

also quick insert from after watching the ep: he got a 2/10 on his English but he wants to travel abroad for work to like America or Australia

A tiny truce between Li Ming and Heart

haiaiai Praew's now pregnant and her parents will want her and Leng to get married but he doesn't have the money for it rip the stress making them fight is the worst because they were so cute so far this ep

2-3

I don't fully get what's happening with the Car Insurance letter thing

oh instead of paying that bill he bought gold jewelry for Praew?

lol ofc he'd run into Wen

So I guess Wen makes enough to have some income to spend on some things but not like he's freely spending

ah Wen saying "I have so much time for you"

Li Ming's hopes of going on America or Australia bringing back immigration time memories even though I don't remember much. I know lots of international students who come to study here but you gotta be loaded for that; Li Ming as a young boy who doesn't know the language coming here would be so difficult it's actually making me already anxious. I want him to break out of the small town/restaurant if that's what he wants but coming to work in North America with little education, skills, and command of the language is its own version of hell

but maybe at least knowing Wen's relatives would help him

Note upon rewatch: lol I think someone on Discord mentioned it so I rewatched this part where I initially thought Heart looked around, didn't see Li Ming, then went on his phone but instead Heart saw Li Ming and immediately went on the phone to cover up the fact that he was looking for him and ignored him until he was touched lol silly boy

Heart wanting to watch a Thai movie that doesn't have Thai subs but ironically MLC also doesn't seem to have Thai subs

the pimples and bumps on Gemini's face I love you. reminds me slightly of watching Not Me and getting to see their faces not just blurry

ah Heart said thank you for being my ears

oof Heart's mom forbidding him from going out is so

ahh yeah Jim did indeed get it for Leng to give the necklace as Praew's dowry

pls not Leng saying "one during the day, another at night" about Jim with Gaipa and Wen

2-4

not a fucking mistake when reversing a car that sends ppl falling - my worst nightmare

fuckkk not Jim needing the car insurance after he bought the necklace instead of paying the insurance bill

are the couple faking it? did they purposely go behind the car and pretend to fall and make a big deal and just leave with the money?

bro Wen's saying yeah I just gave them 3k baht and it's okay, you don't need to pay me back? be so serious

so how much money does Wen actually have?

Jim tryna get a home and a kiss from Jim but Jim not wiling to provide either

This show shows something about the small pleasures of the poor/those struggling with money. Leng's cigarettes that cost 4 baht for 1 and Jim drinking 1 beer a day. People who aren't in that situation say to save that money as if that little will solve their problems; instead, the small pleasures and vices help people to get through the day

Ep 3: The Dream of Eternal Moon (Mar 1)

3-1

ah yeah Mix is working on the Marina food court ting that Jim and Gaipa were previously discussing

Are those Wen's photos with Jim's cat? or a diff one?

ahh they're negotiating the demolition of the place where Jim's restaurant is

ah fuck the team Wen's in spoke to Gaipa's mom because she's the owner of the chicken restaurant and got her to speak to other owners or whatever about something for them (selling their businesses, I think?) and got the contact for the person who owns the property where Moonlight Chicken is. However, they didn't tell her they're gonna demolish it so she doesn't know and is complaining that these people keep demolishing things and should instead be preserving ahhh.

Also, Gaipa and Wen's staring at each other in during that conversation because only the two of them know both the facts that 1) Wen works at Moonlight Chicken and 2) The demolition stuff will be happening

Giddy little Heart at Li Ming learning sign language and trying to speak with me. My poor boy who has been so isolated and neglected for the past few years T.T

oof Jim thinks Wen's worried because of monthly bills and payments

oh Papang's character used to be Jim's boyfriend

Papang yelling out loud about their love is making me nervous

oh smiley, happy Jim

lmfao so dumb to just have the person you're cheating with's phone call background be a cutesy photo of you and them + have your camera roll be filled with them wtf

so is the homophobic sister the same as Li Ming's mother?

rip Wen just learns more than Jim can even say he loves his diner and his history with it; the whole time, his company's planning on demolishing it

3-2

no like Li Ming so true because when you're rich or have status, you get endless free things or it's easier to get to borrow things whereas poor people or those who really need said free help/loan have to fight tooth and nail to get a portion

Wen has Jim as Chicken Stranger on his contacts

bro people pointed it out on Reddit and Discord that Earth sighs too much and now I'm noticing it too. Even Wen sometimes sighs too much

Finally some angst and conflict between Jim and Wen

3-3

pls Gaipa's "Na?" with the smile reminded me so much of Ayan

ah more of Jim and Li Ming's conflict

I fully get Jim's concern because what the hell do you mean you're gonna somehow acquire money to go to the US and somehow manage to get work there and then have no plans after that? While having no money, grades, connections, English? But I also get 17-year-old Li Ming who is desperate to get out of this fucking place

omg Li Ming is so fucking teenager. Doesn't tell anything to Uncle Jim because "he's so annoying, all our conversations end in a fight"

Leng and Praew are so cute to me

ah my beautiful Li Ming sitting and gazing out to water

2-4

the fucking chin tickle thing will actually kill me one of these days. Li Ming to Heart, Gun to Tinn, Fourth to Gemini

not Wen inviting Jim to a dinner with his father my goodness

underage drinking ah it's typical but it makes me nervous that it's happening at Heart's home + Li Ming originally got in trouble because of the alcohol

it's so typical teenager, to drink from their parents' alcohol and water it down to make it seem like it hasn't been drunk from. or maybe it's not really typical teenager behavior and is just based on the YA novels I've read but hasn't appeared much in BLs

Heart doesn't even know it's Loy Krathong today

ah happy babies

insane to call Jim as Loong in front of your father

"A hard life over there is better than living here" hmm I guess? maybe? Well actually idk but Li Ming's in a bad position even in Thailand, so I guess only way it can go is up. Just that he'll be lacking a lot of the things he has in Thailand including familiarity, family and support, language

why does Wen keep saying he lives paycheck to paycheck when it's not true?

Well at least Jim calls him out on it

Next year Loy Krathong pinky promise please I'll cry if Li Ming and Heart aren't together for that next year

my beautiful dancing boys T.T

ah Gaipa with his mom

"I can't wait to see who your lover will be" man all the ep 7 clips I've seen have been the characters in black, presumably at Gaipa's mom's funeral fml man and all the talks about how long they'll do this together

Heart and Li Ming sleep over T.T

ah flustered Heart turning away and going to sleep is so reminiscent of when Gun did a similar thing after the eye contact with Tinn scene

the whole entire scene with Wen at home, grabbing a beer that has significance to him and Jim, looking at random things on his phone while smiling - probably something to do with Jim - and then going to the bedroom with Alan sleeping is so aklsdfj I wonder what it would be like to watch this show with little to no knowledge. Not only did I know about Alan, I knew he'd appear at the end of the episode while in bed because 1) people said he was there for 2 seconds and 2) in people's archives, I saw gifs of this scene even though I was trying to avoid these

Ep 4: The Midnight of Lifetime (Mar 2)

4-1

ah my beloved cute heartliming and once again heart pretending he’s not looking at li ming ahhh so cute pretending to sleep

i too love li ming’s eyes so i get heart

the fucking legs what if i died

naurrr Alan’s arm over Wen and Wen just continues to look at him with such contempt. even that 0.2 second glance in the last episode was similar

this Wen and Alan convo so tense my god and yeah they’re still living together but not actually together

First is so freaking beautiful with those glasses and glossy lips

pls not the underage smoking as well tho Li Ming didn’t look experienced

ah fuck ofc everything is so tense between them and Li Ming walks in the moment Jim looks in his drawer

fucking fuck this scene between Li Ming and Uncle Jim killed me so bad

my lovely silly boys heart li ming

also now Heart tickling under Li Ming’s chin is soooo cute

pls Heart being dazed at shirtless wet Li Ming so funny

pls Li Ming is sooo rough teenage boy with the colour complain

2-2

Wen planning a surprise birthday goddamn

beautiful Li Ming with the sweetest face like truly congrats to Fourth for having the face he does

ah so indeed Wen is almost 30

keep calm and eat chicken

Wen really is endlessly persistant and forward lol

ah Wen approaching for a kiss and all Jim can think about is sex with Ben or whatever Papang’s character’s name is rip

beautiful Wen

this fucking cat product PPL pls

I can’t think of Alan objectively as a character like I’m just delighted to see First

ah what did Alan do without asking Wen that broke them?

also Alan really going to Gong to ask about Wen’s relationship status lol

4-3

ahh Alan in banking sees the man from Wen’s IG story. He’s interacting with Jim already knowing about him negatively and as a rival while Jim’s clueless

sucks that Jim can’t get a loan rip

please Gaipa and his mom are so delightful

mom supportive of gay love for a liiiiittle bit of aroacephobia lol i’m gonna choose to ignore it bc maybe she didn’t mean it that way

i fucking love Gaipa and his mom I’m gonna be so mad sad when she dies

the show is going by so fast, it was September in ep 1 and then Halloween time October in ep 2, Loy Khratong was in November in 2022 for ep 3, not almost Christmas for ep 4

Heart’s parents really speak 1 sentence to him a day and like they’re so uninterested in his life that he just has Li Ming in hiding and they suspect nothing

Heart Li Ming so cuteeee what if I died

I have a class and then a project meeting so I can’t watch part 4 for like 2 hours what if i was a villain

4-4

I ate while watching this so I didn't write anything but it's just

(Fave) all the way through

I loved the way we got to see Li Ming take Heart to the mass for deaf people, got a little info sharing PSA about life and treatment of deaf people, and then that old man's answer was the throughline for the other storylines like Alan Wen Jim, Gaipa and his mom, Leng and Praew, and ofc Heart Li Ming themselves

Also, so far, my love for First kept overtaking any other feelings I could have about the character in the first 3 parts because I kept seeing him but in this part, Alan has started to take a stronger form. At that store, that was little bitchy Alan

Also, the pawn shop form... Leng sold the gold necklace lol I knew that was a possibility as soon as Jim told him not to sell it. I wonder what he's gonna do with the money? Spending it on baby related stuff is one thing, I just hope he didn't put it in the lotto stuff

Also, I get why they didn't translate Heart's signing in the first 2 episodes to make us go through the same things as Li Ming but now that Li Ming understand Heart, we should be getting translations. It's like [speaking a foreign language] when the main character is also not supposed to understand is fine but saying that isn't fine when everybody in the conversation is supposed to understand the language. By ep 4, Li Ming understands and communicates with Heart and what Heart says back should be understood by the audience.

Ep 5: Wrong You In The Right Time (Mar 3)

5-1

(Fave) ahh cute 1st year anniversary Wen and Alan

they gaveth me FirstMix and then they taketh it away T.T

so they were together for 5 years but by Feb 2022, they were broken up and living together as 'friends' and Wen's reasoning was just falling out of love

oh fuckkkkkkk AlanWen slept together after breaking up bc Alan kept initiating and Wen says he felt bad for Alan, that's why they slept together rip fr

ahhh not Alan being like come here, I'll dress your wound. girl you caused it?

This confusingly civil conversation at the table like idek, Wen does even know, Alan doesn't even know

I guess Wen's keeping it civil till he can actually move out

bro Gaipa, don't give your mother's land as collateral to Jim to get a loan to buy out the restaurant T.T mans doesn't love you

messy as Li Ming, first shouting out Gaipa and now Wen to come to the same table with him and Jim

I think this part gave me like 7000 emotional damage

5-2

plss Li Ming asking Jim about Wen and saying he seems like an okay guy

last part was just so much emotional damage but now Heart and Li Ming are so cute and adorable >.<

Engineering or Com Sci <- lmfao Heart is my friend group except for the one person who is doing bio

agh Heart's mother not letting him go to school anymore

they're sooo cute in their big costumes T.T also Heart-Gemini reminds me of Barcode here, so cute

cute beloved Heart having fun with his drink

lmfao Li Ming is such trouble, mentioning to Wen that now Gaipa works at the restaurant

Wen being like wow these bitches gay

Li Ming so funny getting involved in Wen's gay business and then involving Wen in his own gay business

Alan and Jim at the bank goddamn Alan was tryna kill Jim with his stare and also is he suspicious that the title deed is actually fake or something?

"I wasn't aware I was taking it" "That's alright. Now that you're aware, just return what you took from me" sure is some dialogue my god

5-3

I need to seek help, Alan's being a dick but he had a little pout at 1:40 and I've died my beloved beautiful First ah

lol Wen seeing Jim ignore his call

lol "We broke up but live together. no biggie" about Alan who came to cause a scene at the restaurant is certainly a choice

no I get Jim fr though like I am not gonna be involved in this mess, thank you and goodbye

I thought Wen lived with Alan out of some sort of necessity but it really doesn't even seem to be the case. He's just unable to really let go and just leave for real?

not this beef and chicken convo. with them both having teary eyes

oof Wen losing his feelings probably had at least something to do with him eating beef despite him not liking it because Alan does (ie. making accommodations for Alan to his own detriment?)

damn Wen even saying he was also hoping they could work it out

P'Aof sighting

bro Wen even had some promise ring or something still? they really had such a murky relationship

ah they've finally really truly broken up i guess. also Alan really now knows that even if there was no Jim, Wen wouldn't love him again

also did Alan really not do anything? idk what was being hinted at last episode

5-4

Leng calling Li Ming nong rak

oh yeah Leng sold the gold chain, right?

not the gay couple in the gay chicken restaurant

H <3 and Ming :)

I'm so nervous bc they're gonna get into a motorcycle crash soon ah

bro I feel like you'd need special training to teach a deaf person how to ride a motorcycle bro tf and Li Ming doesn't have a license either

girl, not the crash and Shit! from Li Ming

Heart injured his hand ahh

I don't wanna watch this conversation with Heart's parents, Jim all present

okay good I thought they'd just get mad at Li Ming but I'm glad Heart's also getting to say his piece

(Fave) The conversation between Heart and his mother facilitated by Li Ming... his mom literally having to hear all of Heart's frustrations and thoughts through this kid they've known for a few months because she hasn't learned to communicate with him for 3 years

I didn't realize originally that Heart seemed hopeful for one second when his mother started doing hand gestures but then rolled his eyes when he realized it was her signing

sad Heart T.T

Li Ming so teenager once again like he was correct to me in the sneaking Heart out but letting him drive the motorcycle was too much and the way he was like you don't have to help me, I'll take responsibility because I'm grown to Jim is so teenager but also I get it because while Jim tries to support Li Ming in his own way, he’s constantly opposing all of Li Ming’s choices and decisions and hopes

This episode was just so much emotional damage and also really realizing just how much every other relationship is more interesting than Wen and Jim. Whether it be our side couples, Li Ming with Jim or Wen, Alan and Wen, Alan and Jim, Gaipa and his mom, Heart and his parents. Gaipa and Jim are meh as well because it's just awkward how much Jim doesn't reciprocate while Gaipa's trying so hard but it's meant to be that way.

Also I wish I knew how long Li Ming has lived with his uncle. Jim’s missteps are more understandable if it’s been like just a year and he wasn’t prepared to parent/be the guardian of a teenager rather than if it’s been like 5-6 years.

Ep 6: The Walk to Forgive and Forget (Mar 4)

6-1

she really knows nothing about her son my goodness

kinda parallels about Li Ming telling Heart's mom that actually Heart's quite communicative because Li Ming tells Jim nothing but is communicative with Wen

oof, yeah I read a comment (on discord?) that Jim's ex died

6-2

oof Alan's immature to not be able to just process Jim's loan but at least he told Jim to go elsewhere rather than sabotage it - and he was right when he was like why is Jim coming to my bank instead of any other?

ah fuck Gaipa confession, I don't wanna watch this

not Gaipa's teary eyes ah and drinking water and avoiding eye contact T.T

bro not Gaipa literally wiping off his tears and everything and Jim also returning the title deed when tf will this scene be done I can't, like I'm watching it via my peripherals

"Come on, we already talked about this" Wen is so funny because he finally left Alan where he consistently had to be like no romantic relationship to go to Jim's who keeps telling him I don't want a romantic relationship

damn Jim fr the other man

"We just fell in love with a selfish man" ah. I do find it somewhat refreshing when characters talk frankly about a dead person rather than put them on a pedestal because they're dead

6-4

Heart and Li Mingggg

ah pls Li Ming is so excited at Heart's voice like my guy what do you mean how can he speak T.T He used to speak as his main form of communication till 3 years ago

I've been looking forward to "You're poor and now you're gay too" since starting the show and finally Jim has seen them kiss

pls Heart Li Ming sooo cute

not Alan wearing both the rings

oh mans was drunk driving

Ep 7: My Heart Represents the Moon (Mar 5)

7-1

ah fuck Wen as Alan's caregiver is so... does Alan not have family nearby?

ah so he wasn't drunk driving, he was sitting at the back of someone's motorcycle while drunk

okayyy so Alan's sister is here, nice

Alan and Wen are decent and nice but working on extracting each other from themselves

naurrr sad Gaipa

adfsjlkasfj Gaipa's tears around Jim T.T

pls Gaipa's already so sad but at least his mom's there - soon she's gonna die T.T

ah Li Ming and his mom's conversation here and their different demeanours compared to MSP despite being the same people is so good

wait does Jim know his sister's in the house? no, right?

ah this discussion between Jim and Li Ming... interestingly, he didn't yell at Jim at all. was just so apathetic to Jim's scolding like bro who cares

I once again wonder how long Jim's had Li Ming. he's so unable to have a decent conversation with him or navigate any topic

7-2

no like Jim is cruel to Li Ming but that stems from the fact that he can foresee these conversations by society and his sister. He defends Li Ming to his sister saying he did nothing wrong but he acts that way with Li Ming because his life just got harder

okay she said Jim raised Li Ming. that's too long for Jim to not have figured out some sort of way to navigate conversations with him

ah his sister is kinda bribing Jim to convince Li Ming to go with her by giving him the title deed

ah so they do touch on abortion just a bit but since Praew's parents said they'll support the child, it's okay

so will we also talk about the pawn shop certificate or no

None of Wen's friends are gay? Gong's straight? oh wait he has a gf that we literally saw, I forgot but still idk why I was fully convinced he liked men as well

so indeed Jim spells out that he can accept Li Ming but is just worried about him because of the state of gay acceptance

another marriage equality PSA and also a mention of the dinosaurs dying - like in MSP ep 12 also

lol the convo about Wen chasing Jim for the longest and being like I might disappear one day you know like you know if this a longer series, it probably would be that way

7-3

why are all the interactions in this show so fun like I love Gaipa and Leng so much, just teasing each other non stop and causing problems

Gaipaaaaa T.T Gaipa's mom T.T

omg she was only 49 years old? that's too young

lmfao not the Gaipa and Alan meeting pls like I've been conflicted about the possibility ever since The Eclipse aired and KhaoFirst became popular and became aware that this happened when the last 2 eps came out but I just... how do I feel about it? like if this weren't KhaoFirst but just the characters themselves

okayyyy Heart's mom is speaking to him using sign as well

Heart Li Ming my loves actually like I love them so bad

Jim's not vocal approval but he's laid up on Li Ming as well

bro Beam's family also such dickheads. Beam had all the bank accounts and stuff in his name and so his family took it all

this Alan and Jim convo is so exhausting and I'm not even a part of it

7-4

ah so Li Ming's been with Jim for 5-6 years

ahhh shy Li Ming after saying that he loves Lung Jim T.T

lmfao Li Ming being offering beer by Jim

Jim and Li Ming lovely convo that didn't devolve into fighting, so true

being told "he knows how to jack off" by my uncle in front of my mother would actually send me into an early grave like i'd just pass away

anyway, I hope they support Li Ming's decisions in the future

happy Li Ming having happy dinner with his mom and Jim >.<

(Fave) damn the singing as Gaipa's crying is actually killing me wtf I teared up for the first time while watching this show

Also the dynamics of the funeral arewild because it's consistently Gaipa-Jim and Alan-Wen paired up with even some occasional crossover like Jim and Alan

Wen returning the apartment keys to Alan ah

damn this ep is end of so many chapters, including the Moonlight Chicken lease being up

Ep 8: The Self-Made House and Home (Mar 5/6)

I'm gonna need to take a break from shows for a few days after this show because why am I starting this ep instead of doing my assignment due tomorrow, doing my interview prep for tomorrow, getting some sleep since it's 12AM?

8-1

Yeah, both Jim and mom are worried about Li Ming but let's support him even if the world doesn't

I watched the title credits finally and yeah after listening to the song a few tmes in the show, it's a good one. I should add it to Spotify later

Li Ming and mom touching times aw

goodbye to Moonlight Chicken restaurant

8-2

Alan being okay with leaving behind the photos of their anniversary behind to show that he's finally moving on actually

so Heart's also going to America for university for deaf people - I did get spoiled that they're both going to the states but wasn't sure why Heart's gonig

ah parallels of Li Ming and Heart at the temple to back when Jim and Beam were were praying there

pls Li Ming saying "But I didn't copy you for sure" to Jim is so cute and funny

ah Jim being explicitly supportive of Li Ming T.T

I love Jim and Li Ming so much now T.T

watched first 2 parts, time to go to sleep now. 40 more minutes left for tomorrow.

Bro here I'm back almost 24 hours later after an interview, an assignment submitted, and another one discussed sigh

8-3

2 months later

Alan Gaipa everybody's beloveds, convince me too since KhaoFirst are my beloveds

well at least it's been 2 months since they first met and have had some time to get over their previous love/crush and develop affection for the new person

not Alan asking for Gaipa's chatID T.T shocked Gaipa like kab? and Alan terribly covering his ass talking bout some headquarter documents

not Alan's pen again lmfao

oh, he's got a food truck now

ah Leng, he's beloved to me too

8-4

oh we're getting a lot of resolutions in these last 30 mins I guess like we're going to Jim's sister's house and also Alan's gonna show up at the food truck

ah Jim introduces Wen as his boyfriend finally

I fucking love Li Ming's teeny nods like I first noticed it when he was talking with Wen in 3-3 where they were talking about Work and Travel at 9:40 I think? (after I wanna work and get paid for it) and now at 3:52/3:53 he gives the smallest nod like idk if it's a Fourth habit or if it's just something for Li Ming (since I don't know if Gun does it? I at least didn't notice it). omg again at 5:46 here

Li Ming talking to his mom about America and also she hasn't said anything bout Heart but I know she realizes

Heart and the child ahhhhh so cute

I still don't fully get the deal with Heart's speaking beyond deaf people sometimes are uncomfortable speaking when they can't hear themselves

Li Ming and Heart my beloveds

Jim supportive of Li Ming's America dream T.T lending him 30k baht T.T and going with him to sign documents and stuff

no it's so funny like Alan and Gaipa are meeting to 'discuss documents' at Jim's food truck

asdklf not Gaipa not even knowing about Alan and Wen omg

pls Alan about to wither away vs Gaipa early being like join us for dinner ^.^ without knowing the history

Leng is so meddlesome heh I continue to love Leng and Gaipa ahhh

ah everybody at this food truck including Heart-Liming, Alan-Gaipa, Leng-Praew with daughter

cute mini endings - hopeful for everybody

ah Wen did reject the job promotion

added the song to spotify, it's good

Overall:

It's a good one! High quality with good acting and interesting storylines that are unique in BL. It didn't hit me as hard as it seemed to hit some other people though and I'm not thinking about it much at all since finishing. I think Jim/Wen's relationship was one of the weakest aspects of the show to me because I didn't care nor did I really feel anything.

I loved Heart and Li Ming, I enjoyed getting to see Jim grow and also how his relationship with Li Ming changed, I liked getting to see Wen and Alan's flashbacks and to present tense relationship, I like Gaipa showing up once in a while to be bright, I thought Gaipa and Leng's interactions were funny, I loved Li Ming as a character so much, I wished to be him so badly.

Rating: 7/10

Tiktoks

Ep 2 HeartLiming (bg: Little Freak)

[Fave] TinnGun x HeartLiming (bg: About You by The 1975)

Mix and First characters

HeartLiming Dancing - not answering phone (bg: Fly Me To The Moon)

heartliming this is gay - pink shirt

li ming learning sign for heart

heartliming vs the world - compilation 

Gaipa and his cool mom 

Ep 1 - 5 Li Ming (bg: i’m so sick of seventeen)

Trailers

New Trailer:

I watched the reaction with the cast and the trailer itself was okay, though it gave away too much, but it was fun seeing the cast being excited

Mock Trailer:

I've watched parts of this before but I hadn't actually watched it fully I think? Good enough for a mock trailer, definitely gave interesting story threads without giving too much away.

[roseblood93]

I was born and raised on base. When we’d go to the movies, it was a massive culture shock going to civilian theatres when we didn’t have to rise for the national anthem. Or that life went on everywhere else at 5pm when folks didn’t peel off to the side of the road or standing in place when retreat was called. I lived on base through 9/11. My father took his time lacing his boots about to retire, and then I watched him move double time grabbing his outer shirt and bolt out the door. I didn’t know what was happening. Seattle was broadcasting water plane races. I thought it was a clip from an accident as they drop in the water before they go. The months to follow were intense. I remember moving back to the base of my birth. Years and a war later, my father cheered in the car as we pulled up to the BX parking lot when the radio announced we got Saddan Hussein. I shared in his joy. I had faith in our country. I wanted to serve too. Health concerns had other plans.

My maternal grandfather served. He’d take my sister and me on base to go bowling during the summers. We’d sit with him in VA hospitals for his appointments. They would take forever, but they weren’t ever less than kind. He’d tell me and my cousins about adventures in Okanawa. In Turkey. But he’d always go quiet when he’d mention Vietnam with this dazed glaze until my Grandma cut the tension with a joke or some homemade fudge. She served from the sidelines, but she served nonetheless. She volunteered and fought for veterans rights at the DAV until her final days. She helped hundreds of veterans keep their benefits. Advocating for them to find jobs, healthcare, and jumped through the hoops aiding veterans in their applications for disability. My aunt served. My uncle too. My mom went through ROTC, but ultimately didn’t join, even when she wanted to. She still became a public servant. She and my stepdad work in local government. My stepdad laces up his boots and runs out that door when we have storms, deploying his team to ensure our community has clean, safe roads. He goes to public council to listen to the concerns of his constituents. I can’t go around town with my mom without bumping into someone in the community recognizing her with a friendly hello. They truly care about the city and the people in it. Even when it’s ugly. Even when it’s hard.

I used to have such hope that we were moving forward. I used to believe in the good. In the light of our people. That we were a free country with free elections, and a freedom of choice. To love. That had slowly eroded many years ago. I was once told that I’d become more conservative as I got older. Recognizing patterns, watching countless atrocities by our government, it couldn’t be any less true. I’ve become more radicalized for the people, not the profit of oligarchs.

On the precipice of staring down the barrel of a second presidency where even before he takes office, the rights of millions of queer Americans have been taken and many more will be taken, the free voice of millions of Americans have been stripped overnight, the jobs of millions, small businesses, passive and active income gone overnight. It’s all due to a billionaire having a tantrum that he doesn’t own the platform folks are using, nor can he keep up. And so, he’s playing into our government’s inherent xenophobia to get it banned. Free governments don’t ban platforms of free speech. Free governments don’t ban books. Day two, the incoming regime planned Gestapo raids coming under the name of ice.

Even so, the people get up and do our civic duty. We lobby. We protest. We vote. We inform and teach. We give compassion and kindness. We stand up when something is wrong. We contact our representatives to uphold the will of the people. Those same representatives in our highest offices do not care. It’s profit over people. It was true when Martin Niemöller once said, “First they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out—because I was not a socialist. Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out—because I was not a trade unionist. Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out—because I was not a Jew. Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak for me.”

I grew up primed to believe in this nation. I grew up in a family with a long history of public service. To give unto others. To listen. To love and understand. To be comfortable with being uncomfortable and learn from inherent biases and grow. To teach others of their own. I grew up to believe that we were to uphold the constitution from all enemies, foreign or domestic. We have been witnessing what happens when the domestic holds the highest public office. I don’t have much faith anymore. I haven’t for a long, long while. It’s that funny feeling gnawing at the pit of the stomach. I don’t think that it’s gonna go away any time soon.

[cleverhottubmiracle]

Written by DUSHICA PROTIC; Edited by SANDRA RADOJA Whoever you are—I have always depended on the kindness of strangers. Tennessee Williams It’s 55 years since we arrived in America, Serbian immigrants from Africa. My brother and I were little kids sitting on suitcases, while my Dad went into the hospital to see where we would sleep for the night. My father was 45, a seasoned doctor starting life all over as a student. Dad had taken this medical residency in Brooklyn, sight unseen, because it offered housing. This was1967; Medicare had been implemented; old people were flooding to doctors. President Johnson inaugurated a special visa to import doctors. My late father jumped at the chance. Once before on our anniversary in the US, I wrote about our arduous beginning. This year I want to remember and thank all those Americans who helped us: The Mosley’s we knew in Africa, they had gone back home to Texas. Just knowing that there was one nice, kind family in this huge country was comfort enough. In New York we knew no one. But there was a secretary in the hospital who took pity on us; she took us to Macy’s to buy bedding, showed us how to drop a dime into a subway turnstile. At a time when there was no internet she often gave us invaluable information on how to navigate the American way of life. I remember her enrolling us in the local public school. Mom didn’t speak English and Dad was at work. She helped us open a bank account, a novelty for people who paid their bills in cash at the post office (still a practice in Serbia and in Africa for many). Then there was the late Dr. John Cafaro who signed a credit guarantee for a fellow doctor he hardly knew to buy a beat-up old car on credit so my father could commute to two moon-lighting jobs he had taken to support us. One was at a drug addict clinic and the other at a nursing home. We had no credit history. Dr. Cafaro would take us for lunch to his parents’, Italian immigrants who had made it in the US, and his Mom would make a ten-course lunch. In the residency housing were an Iraqi doctor, his Dutch wife, and their two kids our age – the El Rubies. They were our first close friends in the US with whom we explored the free or cheap wonders of New York. I still keep in touch with this first best friend, Fatima. A Korean family, two residents, gave my Mom a job as a nanny even though Mom didn’t speak a word of English. There is now a grown Korean doctor, our Suzy, who speaks fluent Serbian. After Dad’s residency, Dr. Eugene Hoffman helped him achieve his lifelong dream to have his own practice. Dr. Hoffman and his wife had met as teenagers in the Dachau camp where they had lost their families. My father had narrowly escaped a similar fate from the Nazi Ustashi Jasenovac concentration camp as a Serb. Dr. Hoffman sold us his three-floor town house with a medical office on a personal loan. The Hoffmans had no children and he was dying of cancer. As if giving away his house on a personal mortgage wasn’t enough, during the last vestiges of his life, he sat in the office with my Dad introducing him to Jewish patients so they would not abandon this Serbian doctor. For years the first of the month was sacred. My mother would take the subway delivering the mortgage payment to Mrs. Hoffman who moved to Manhattan. Mom would take this lonely old woman to lunch and continued to do so, even after the loan was paid off, until she passed away. Over the years, despite a busy life, I have gone to lay a stone on the Hoffman’s tomb in Brooklyn, a Jewish custom. The late Shelly Hurwitz was a young stockbroker at Shearson Lehman and was cold-calling for clients. My Dad, also a beginner, became Shelly’s first client, and so began a life-long friendship. Shelly was brilliant and taught my father, a quick learner, everything. The two of them through prudent investments amassed for our family enough wealth for my brother’s and my college, law school, and medical school tuitions, retirement for my parents, a second home, and even our inheritances. The seed money of course came from Dad working 24/7 at two hospitals, private practice, and the part-time nursing home job which he kept because everyone there loved him.  I would often hear Shelly and my Dad talking about trading investment ideas, companies’ P&Ls, EPS, P/E, ROE, and diversification. Unfortunately, there are not many Serbs in this story. Our church was in a schism when we arrived, a heated battle between those who felt the mother church was infiltrated with communists, and wanted to separate from it, and those who wanted to remain with and under the control of the mother church in Belgrade. Legal battles were flying, with the court case eventually decided by the US Supreme Court in favor of the mother church, a landmark decision. What this meant for us is that all newly arrived immigrants were viewed with suspicion by the Serbian community as Tito’s communist infiltrators. This nice family with two little kids, us, sat in a corner in the church hall after services being eyed by every other table with suspicion. Then one Sunday the church Board President Zorka Milich came over and invited us to their house on Long Island for a barbeque. She was our first Serbian American friend and that is how we entered the Serbian American community of New York. She was released from the board of Trustees this year at 96. I call her from time to time and spoke to her recently. I think our family, in part because of these experiences, and in part because of our own innate Serbian largesse, has always tried to give back, to help someone somewhere. Have I gotten burned by people? Sure I have, but that is a small minority. My philosophy is that helping people comes back tenfold to you and maybe someone somewhere will remember and thank you long after you are gone as I do all these unbelievably kind souls. About the Author: Born in Belgrade, Serbia, Dushica Protic practiced law for over 30 years in New York, specializing in securities laws, compliance and litigation. She was a staff attorney at the U S Securities and Exchange Commission, and was in private practice at the prominent international law firm of Weil Gotshal and Manges, among other prestigious positions. She is a graduate of Cornell University and Fordham University School of Law where she was editor of the International Law Journal. At age five, Protic moved from Belgrade to Harar, Ethiopia, with her parents and brother, where her father was a practicing physician and researcher. The family immigrated to New York in 1967. Dushica wrote this piece in 2022, in remembrance of the anniversary of her family’s arrival in the United States. Protic is the founder and moderator of the almost 12,000+ member Linked In group – Serbian American Professional Networking Group and its Facebook counterpart. For more information about membership in these groups, please reach out to Dushica online. (function(d, s, id) var js, fjs = d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0]; if (d.getElementById(id)) return; js = d.createElement(s); js.id = id; js.src=" fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js, fjs); (document, 'script', 'facebook-jssdk')); Source link

[norajworld]

Written by DUSHICA PROTIC; Edited by SANDRA RADOJA Whoever you are—I have always depended on the kindness of strangers. Tennessee Williams It’s 55 years since we arrived in America, Serbian immigrants from Africa. My brother and I were little kids sitting on suitcases, while my Dad went into the hospital to see where we would sleep for the night. My father was 45, a seasoned doctor starting life all over as a student. Dad had taken this medical residency in Brooklyn, sight unseen, because it offered housing. This was1967; Medicare had been implemented; old people were flooding to doctors. President Johnson inaugurated a special visa to import doctors. My late father jumped at the chance. Once before on our anniversary in the US, I wrote about our arduous beginning. This year I want to remember and thank all those Americans who helped us: The Mosley’s we knew in Africa, they had gone back home to Texas. Just knowing that there was one nice, kind family in this huge country was comfort enough. In New York we knew no one. But there was a secretary in the hospital who took pity on us; she took us to Macy’s to buy bedding, showed us how to drop a dime into a subway turnstile. At a time when there was no internet she often gave us invaluable information on how to navigate the American way of life. I remember her enrolling us in the local public school. Mom didn’t speak English and Dad was at work. She helped us open a bank account, a novelty for people who paid their bills in cash at the post office (still a practice in Serbia and in Africa for many). Then there was the late Dr. John Cafaro who signed a credit guarantee for a fellow doctor he hardly knew to buy a beat-up old car on credit so my father could commute to two moon-lighting jobs he had taken to support us. One was at a drug addict clinic and the other at a nursing home. We had no credit history. Dr. Cafaro would take us for lunch to his parents’, Italian immigrants who had made it in the US, and his Mom would make a ten-course lunch. In the residency housing were an Iraqi doctor, his Dutch wife, and their two kids our age – the El Rubies. They were our first close friends in the US with whom we explored the free or cheap wonders of New York. I still keep in touch with this first best friend, Fatima. A Korean family, two residents, gave my Mom a job as a nanny even though Mom didn’t speak a word of English. There is now a grown Korean doctor, our Suzy, who speaks fluent Serbian. After Dad’s residency, Dr. Eugene Hoffman helped him achieve his lifelong dream to have his own practice. Dr. Hoffman and his wife had met as teenagers in the Dachau camp where they had lost their families. My father had narrowly escaped a similar fate from the Nazi Ustashi Jasenovac concentration camp as a Serb. Dr. Hoffman sold us his three-floor town house with a medical office on a personal loan. The Hoffmans had no children and he was dying of cancer. As if giving away his house on a personal mortgage wasn’t enough, during the last vestiges of his life, he sat in the office with my Dad introducing him to Jewish patients so they would not abandon this Serbian doctor. For years the first of the month was sacred. My mother would take the subway delivering the mortgage payment to Mrs. Hoffman who moved to Manhattan. Mom would take this lonely old woman to lunch and continued to do so, even after the loan was paid off, until she passed away. Over the years, despite a busy life, I have gone to lay a stone on the Hoffman’s tomb in Brooklyn, a Jewish custom. The late Shelly Hurwitz was a young stockbroker at Shearson Lehman and was cold-calling for clients. My Dad, also a beginner, became Shelly’s first client, and so began a life-long friendship. Shelly was brilliant and taught my father, a quick learner, everything. The two of them through prudent investments amassed for our family enough wealth for my brother’s and my college, law school, and medical school tuitions, retirement for my parents, a second home, and even our inheritances. The seed money of course came from Dad working 24/7 at two hospitals, private practice, and the part-time nursing home job which he kept because everyone there loved him.  I would often hear Shelly and my Dad talking about trading investment ideas, companies’ P&Ls, EPS, P/E, ROE, and diversification. Unfortunately, there are not many Serbs in this story. Our church was in a schism when we arrived, a heated battle between those who felt the mother church was infiltrated with communists, and wanted to separate from it, and those who wanted to remain with and under the control of the mother church in Belgrade. Legal battles were flying, with the court case eventually decided by the US Supreme Court in favor of the mother church, a landmark decision. What this meant for us is that all newly arrived immigrants were viewed with suspicion by the Serbian community as Tito’s communist infiltrators. This nice family with two little kids, us, sat in a corner in the church hall after services being eyed by every other table with suspicion. Then one Sunday the church Board President Zorka Milich came over and invited us to their house on Long Island for a barbeque. She was our first Serbian American friend and that is how we entered the Serbian American community of New York. She was released from the board of Trustees this year at 96. I call her from time to time and spoke to her recently. I think our family, in part because of these experiences, and in part because of our own innate Serbian largesse, has always tried to give back, to help someone somewhere. Have I gotten burned by people? Sure I have, but that is a small minority. My philosophy is that helping people comes back tenfold to you and maybe someone somewhere will remember and thank you long after you are gone as I do all these unbelievably kind souls. About the Author: Born in Belgrade, Serbia, Dushica Protic practiced law for over 30 years in New York, specializing in securities laws, compliance and litigation. She was a staff attorney at the U S Securities and Exchange Commission, and was in private practice at the prominent international law firm of Weil Gotshal and Manges, among other prestigious positions. She is a graduate of Cornell University and Fordham University School of Law where she was editor of the International Law Journal. At age five, Protic moved from Belgrade to Harar, Ethiopia, with her parents and brother, where her father was a practicing physician and researcher. The family immigrated to New York in 1967. Dushica wrote this piece in 2022, in remembrance of the anniversary of her family’s arrival in the United States. Protic is the founder and moderator of the almost 12,000+ member Linked In group – Serbian American Professional Networking Group and its Facebook counterpart. For more information about membership in these groups, please reach out to Dushica online. (function(d, s, id) var js, fjs = d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0]; if (d.getElementById(id)) return; js = d.createElement(s); js.id = id; js.src=" fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js, fjs); (document, 'script', 'facebook-jssdk')); Source link

[ellajme0]

Written by DUSHICA PROTIC; Edited by SANDRA RADOJA Whoever you are—I have always depended on the kindness of strangers. Tennessee Williams It’s 55 years since we arrived in America, Serbian immigrants from Africa. My brother and I were little kids sitting on suitcases, while my Dad went into the hospital to see where we would sleep for the night. My father was 45, a seasoned doctor starting life all over as a student. Dad had taken this medical residency in Brooklyn, sight unseen, because it offered housing. This was1967; Medicare had been implemented; old people were flooding to doctors. President Johnson inaugurated a special visa to import doctors. My late father jumped at the chance. Once before on our anniversary in the US, I wrote about our arduous beginning. This year I want to remember and thank all those Americans who helped us: The Mosley’s we knew in Africa, they had gone back home to Texas. Just knowing that there was one nice, kind family in this huge country was comfort enough. In New York we knew no one. But there was a secretary in the hospital who took pity on us; she took us to Macy’s to buy bedding, showed us how to drop a dime into a subway turnstile. At a time when there was no internet she often gave us invaluable information on how to navigate the American way of life. I remember her enrolling us in the local public school. Mom didn’t speak English and Dad was at work. She helped us open a bank account, a novelty for people who paid their bills in cash at the post office (still a practice in Serbia and in Africa for many). Then there was the late Dr. John Cafaro who signed a credit guarantee for a fellow doctor he hardly knew to buy a beat-up old car on credit so my father could commute to two moon-lighting jobs he had taken to support us. One was at a drug addict clinic and the other at a nursing home. We had no credit history. Dr. Cafaro would take us for lunch to his parents’, Italian immigrants who had made it in the US, and his Mom would make a ten-course lunch. In the residency housing were an Iraqi doctor, his Dutch wife, and their two kids our age – the El Rubies. They were our first close friends in the US with whom we explored the free or cheap wonders of New York. I still keep in touch with this first best friend, Fatima. A Korean family, two residents, gave my Mom a job as a nanny even though Mom didn’t speak a word of English. There is now a grown Korean doctor, our Suzy, who speaks fluent Serbian. After Dad’s residency, Dr. Eugene Hoffman helped him achieve his lifelong dream to have his own practice. Dr. Hoffman and his wife had met as teenagers in the Dachau camp where they had lost their families. My father had narrowly escaped a similar fate from the Nazi Ustashi Jasenovac concentration camp as a Serb. Dr. Hoffman sold us his three-floor town house with a medical office on a personal loan. The Hoffmans had no children and he was dying of cancer. As if giving away his house on a personal mortgage wasn’t enough, during the last vestiges of his life, he sat in the office with my Dad introducing him to Jewish patients so they would not abandon this Serbian doctor. For years the first of the month was sacred. My mother would take the subway delivering the mortgage payment to Mrs. Hoffman who moved to Manhattan. Mom would take this lonely old woman to lunch and continued to do so, even after the loan was paid off, until she passed away. Over the years, despite a busy life, I have gone to lay a stone on the Hoffman’s tomb in Brooklyn, a Jewish custom. The late Shelly Hurwitz was a young stockbroker at Shearson Lehman and was cold-calling for clients. My Dad, also a beginner, became Shelly’s first client, and so began a life-long friendship. Shelly was brilliant and taught my father, a quick learner, everything. The two of them through prudent investments amassed for our family enough wealth for my brother’s and my college, law school, and medical school tuitions, retirement for my parents, a second home, and even our inheritances. The seed money of course came from Dad working 24/7 at two hospitals, private practice, and the part-time nursing home job which he kept because everyone there loved him.  I would often hear Shelly and my Dad talking about trading investment ideas, companies’ P&Ls, EPS, P/E, ROE, and diversification. Unfortunately, there are not many Serbs in this story. Our church was in a schism when we arrived, a heated battle between those who felt the mother church was infiltrated with communists, and wanted to separate from it, and those who wanted to remain with and under the control of the mother church in Belgrade. Legal battles were flying, with the court case eventually decided by the US Supreme Court in favor of the mother church, a landmark decision. What this meant for us is that all newly arrived immigrants were viewed with suspicion by the Serbian community as Tito’s communist infiltrators. This nice family with two little kids, us, sat in a corner in the church hall after services being eyed by every other table with suspicion. Then one Sunday the church Board President Zorka Milich came over and invited us to their house on Long Island for a barbeque. She was our first Serbian American friend and that is how we entered the Serbian American community of New York. She was released from the board of Trustees this year at 96. I call her from time to time and spoke to her recently. I think our family, in part because of these experiences, and in part because of our own innate Serbian largesse, has always tried to give back, to help someone somewhere. Have I gotten burned by people? Sure I have, but that is a small minority. My philosophy is that helping people comes back tenfold to you and maybe someone somewhere will remember and thank you long after you are gone as I do all these unbelievably kind souls. About the Author: Born in Belgrade, Serbia, Dushica Protic practiced law for over 30 years in New York, specializing in securities laws, compliance and litigation. She was a staff attorney at the U S Securities and Exchange Commission, and was in private practice at the prominent international law firm of Weil Gotshal and Manges, among other prestigious positions. She is a graduate of Cornell University and Fordham University School of Law where she was editor of the International Law Journal. At age five, Protic moved from Belgrade to Harar, Ethiopia, with her parents and brother, where her father was a practicing physician and researcher. The family immigrated to New York in 1967. Dushica wrote this piece in 2022, in remembrance of the anniversary of her family’s arrival in the United States. Protic is the founder and moderator of the almost 12,000+ member Linked In group – Serbian American Professional Networking Group and its Facebook counterpart. For more information about membership in these groups, please reach out to Dushica online. (function(d, s, id) var js, fjs = d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0]; if (d.getElementById(id)) return; js = d.createElement(s); js.id = id; js.src=" fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js, fjs); (document, 'script', 'facebook-jssdk')); Source link

[chilimili212]

Written by DUSHICA PROTIC; Edited by SANDRA RADOJA Whoever you are—I have always depended on the kindness of strangers. Tennessee Williams It’s 55 years since we arrived in America, Serbian immigrants from Africa. My brother and I were little kids sitting on suitcases, while my Dad went into the hospital to see where we would sleep for the night. My father was 45, a seasoned doctor starting life all over as a student. Dad had taken this medical residency in Brooklyn, sight unseen, because it offered housing. This was1967; Medicare had been implemented; old people were flooding to doctors. President Johnson inaugurated a special visa to import doctors. My late father jumped at the chance. Once before on our anniversary in the US, I wrote about our arduous beginning. This year I want to remember and thank all those Americans who helped us: The Mosley’s we knew in Africa, they had gone back home to Texas. Just knowing that there was one nice, kind family in this huge country was comfort enough. In New York we knew no one. But there was a secretary in the hospital who took pity on us; she took us to Macy’s to buy bedding, showed us how to drop a dime into a subway turnstile. At a time when there was no internet she often gave us invaluable information on how to navigate the American way of life. I remember her enrolling us in the local public school. Mom didn’t speak English and Dad was at work. She helped us open a bank account, a novelty for people who paid their bills in cash at the post office (still a practice in Serbia and in Africa for many). Then there was the late Dr. John Cafaro who signed a credit guarantee for a fellow doctor he hardly knew to buy a beat-up old car on credit so my father could commute to two moon-lighting jobs he had taken to support us. One was at a drug addict clinic and the other at a nursing home. We had no credit history. Dr. Cafaro would take us for lunch to his parents’, Italian immigrants who had made it in the US, and his Mom would make a ten-course lunch. In the residency housing were an Iraqi doctor, his Dutch wife, and their two kids our age – the El Rubies. They were our first close friends in the US with whom we explored the free or cheap wonders of New York. I still keep in touch with this first best friend, Fatima. A Korean family, two residents, gave my Mom a job as a nanny even though Mom didn’t speak a word of English. There is now a grown Korean doctor, our Suzy, who speaks fluent Serbian. After Dad’s residency, Dr. Eugene Hoffman helped him achieve his lifelong dream to have his own practice. Dr. Hoffman and his wife had met as teenagers in the Dachau camp where they had lost their families. My father had narrowly escaped a similar fate from the Nazi Ustashi Jasenovac concentration camp as a Serb. Dr. Hoffman sold us his three-floor town house with a medical office on a personal loan. The Hoffmans had no children and he was dying of cancer. As if giving away his house on a personal mortgage wasn’t enough, during the last vestiges of his life, he sat in the office with my Dad introducing him to Jewish patients so they would not abandon this Serbian doctor. For years the first of the month was sacred. My mother would take the subway delivering the mortgage payment to Mrs. Hoffman who moved to Manhattan. Mom would take this lonely old woman to lunch and continued to do so, even after the loan was paid off, until she passed away. Over the years, despite a busy life, I have gone to lay a stone on the Hoffman’s tomb in Brooklyn, a Jewish custom. The late Shelly Hurwitz was a young stockbroker at Shearson Lehman and was cold-calling for clients. My Dad, also a beginner, became Shelly’s first client, and so began a life-long friendship. Shelly was brilliant and taught my father, a quick learner, everything. The two of them through prudent investments amassed for our family enough wealth for my brother’s and my college, law school, and medical school tuitions, retirement for my parents, a second home, and even our inheritances. The seed money of course came from Dad working 24/7 at two hospitals, private practice, and the part-time nursing home job which he kept because everyone there loved him.  I would often hear Shelly and my Dad talking about trading investment ideas, companies’ P&Ls, EPS, P/E, ROE, and diversification. Unfortunately, there are not many Serbs in this story. Our church was in a schism when we arrived, a heated battle between those who felt the mother church was infiltrated with communists, and wanted to separate from it, and those who wanted to remain with and under the control of the mother church in Belgrade. Legal battles were flying, with the court case eventually decided by the US Supreme Court in favor of the mother church, a landmark decision. What this meant for us is that all newly arrived immigrants were viewed with suspicion by the Serbian community as Tito’s communist infiltrators. This nice family with two little kids, us, sat in a corner in the church hall after services being eyed by every other table with suspicion. Then one Sunday the church Board President Zorka Milich came over and invited us to their house on Long Island for a barbeque. She was our first Serbian American friend and that is how we entered the Serbian American community of New York. She was released from the board of Trustees this year at 96. I call her from time to time and spoke to her recently. I think our family, in part because of these experiences, and in part because of our own innate Serbian largesse, has always tried to give back, to help someone somewhere. Have I gotten burned by people? Sure I have, but that is a small minority. My philosophy is that helping people comes back tenfold to you and maybe someone somewhere will remember and thank you long after you are gone as I do all these unbelievably kind souls. About the Author: Born in Belgrade, Serbia, Dushica Protic practiced law for over 30 years in New York, specializing in securities laws, compliance and litigation. She was a staff attorney at the U S Securities and Exchange Commission, and was in private practice at the prominent international law firm of Weil Gotshal and Manges, among other prestigious positions. She is a graduate of Cornell University and Fordham University School of Law where she was editor of the International Law Journal. At age five, Protic moved from Belgrade to Harar, Ethiopia, with her parents and brother, where her father was a practicing physician and researcher. The family immigrated to New York in 1967. Dushica wrote this piece in 2022, in remembrance of the anniversary of her family’s arrival in the United States. Protic is the founder and moderator of the almost 12,000+ member Linked In group – Serbian American Professional Networking Group and its Facebook counterpart. For more information about membership in these groups, please reach out to Dushica online. (function(d, s, id) var js, fjs = d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0]; if (d.getElementById(id)) return; js = d.createElement(s); js.id = id; js.src=" fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js, fjs); (document, 'script', 'facebook-jssdk')); Source link