#of the series i probably will never make of why kant and style are best friends

[khaoala]

❝What? Are you hurt?❞

FIRST KANAPHAN as KANT PATTANAWAT and KHAOTUNG THANAWAT as BISON episode 8 of THE HEART KILLERS

[ae-azile]

Emergence: Chapter 3 Preview

Read entire series here:

By the time 4 pm rolls around, Style wouldn’t say that Bison and Kant are good, but they are…co-existing. That is the best word Style has for it. But still, it's progress. He wants to be encouraging.

“Hey,” Style says quietly, pulling Bison to the side, “Things seem a little bit better, yeah? You played video games together while Fadel and I cleaned out the pool.”

Bison doesn't directly answer Style’s assumption and rolls his eyes, “I still don't see why we need to fill up the pool in the back. The beach is right there. My parents barely ever bothered.”

“We’re doing it because I said so,” Style says, stomping his foot.

“Just because I had scrub brushes and a working pool vacuum doesn't mean I have everything else,” Bison says, “I can’t believe you got Fadel to do most of the work on that when we don't even have the supplies to make sure the water is safe.”

Style shrugs at that, “Fadel and I found a place that sells pool supplies on the coast. They are open until 9. We’ll take care of everything. We should probably check on the jeep anyway. You know how he is about his jeep.”

“Still a risk,” Bison says, his eyes narrowing as he crosses his arms. Before Style can answer, Fadel walks up in an apron, looks between them, then stands next to Style before putting a gentle hand on his back.

“What's the problem?”

Bison sighs, then gestures at Style, “You are seriously letting him drag you to the mainland considering how we left Bangkok?”

“He gets cooped up.”

“That isn't an excuse!”

Style holds back a smile as Fadel pulls him closer, “The jeep has different plates. I changed the registration tags, and we parked it in a secure area anyway. That being said, I want to make sure it wasn't tampered with. We checked every time we stopped for trackers, so no one would have been able to follow us down here. We aren't on any wanted lists-”

“Which is confusing and doesn't make sense!” Bison says, “Considering what they have-”

“Is circumstantial.”

As both Fadel and Bison turn to him in bewilderment, Style clears his throat.

“My aunt is a lawyer!” Style says, “I worked for her one summer that I stayed with her. I know a lot!”

“What the fuck, Fadel?” Bison says, “He has connections to law enforcement-”

“Oh, please!” Style interrupts, “She is a defense attorney! She is an advocate for clients who were manipulated, abused, and controlled from a young age!”

Bison’s face screws up, “That doesn't describe us!”

Style opens his mouth to argue that point. He wants to, he truly does. But Bison clearly isn't at that level of awareness yet. Style doesn't even think Fadel is, although he is a lot closer. Style doesn't want to push Bison too hard or speak ill of “Mother”. Despite Bison’s attempt at speaking ill of his aunt, Style isn't going to do the same thing.

“Whatever,” Style says, “But you should take comfort in knowing that she would be willing to be held in contempt of court in order to help you if she ever became your lawyer! So don't speak ill of my aunt. She's a bad ass!”

“He is on our side, Bison,” Fadel says, “He just wants the pool for Kant’s sake. To help him get used to the water again.”

“He does okay in pools as long as it isn't too deep,” Style says, “We thought we would get more groceries as well. Mainly things that we can store in the freezer in case we stay for a while.”

Bison stares at Style in a scrutinizing manner before letting out a huff, “Give your lists to me. I’ll send the neighbor to get everything. He's worked for my family for a long time and is loyal.”

Unlike you. The words are left unsaid, but Style still hears them. Part of him wonders if Fadel feels the same-

“Style is loyal or he wouldn't even be here!” Fadel snaps, “He would have run off back when I told him to leave!”

Nevermind.

“I will never betray either of you ever again,” Style says solemnly before putting his arm around Fadel’s waist, “I’ve already made it clear that I am proposing to Fadel as soon as I clean this situation up for all of us and we can all live normal lives. We already talked about this, Bison. Remember the plan.”

Fadel glances at Style before sending a sharp look to Bison.

“Don't you dare encourage the plan Style is talking about.”

“You don't even know what I told your brother!”

Fadel turns back to Style, “I can guess, and it's still a no. You aren't putting yourself in a dangerous situation like that.”

At least Fadel isn't saying Style is doing it to cheat on him. And more than that, Bison isn't confirming that was the plan they discussed at all. In this regard, Bison is reasonable. He realizes it may be the one true path to victory. Style just has to get dicked down by some manipulative cop old enough to be his father one time.

Or a couple of times, depending on if he finds any dirt on him the first time. If he has to go back again, he definitely won't enjoy it, but he will go back to make sure the fucker completely discredited and sent away for decades. Style is willing to do that for Fadel, and Fadel isn't appreciative about it at all.

But he doesn't want to argue about it now. Despite Fadel’s frustrations with the current topic, he has been very clingy and has had a desperate need to be in Style’s space. Style doesn't mind, but he wishes Fadel would express why he is feeling so vulnerable right now. Style doesn't want to push because that could be asking for a push right back. So instead, Style just had him clean the pool out. Fadel didn't even glare at him. He did it without complaining once.

“Are you going to give me a list or not?”

Style snaps himself out of his thoughts and sees Bison waving a notepad in his face. Style takes it from his hands and lists down the pool chemicals and supplies before moving onto groceries and clothing requests.

Bison takes it once he is finished before giving Style a fed up look, “You said pool stuff.”

“Amongst other things,” Style says, then gestures down at himself, “Look at me, man. I'm wearing Fadel’s stuff. It is too big on me, and I need at least a few crop tops anyway.”

“You don't need crop tops.”

“He does.”

The stern words come from Fadel as he steps towards his brother menacingly, “If you don't find a way to get him some, I will prep the boat and head out myself.”

Bison steps forward as well, “Are you threatening me over crop tops? Your own brother?!”

“I didn't threaten you,” Fadel says, his voice a dead calm, “It’s just a fact.”

“You're so fucking weird now! Why?!”

While Bison’s concern and question are both valid, all Styles can do is stifle laughter into his palm. It's an easy question to answer. Style brought out Fadel’s weirdness. They match each other's freak. Bison should be aware of this by now.

“Fine,” Bison says, then points a finger at Fadel, “But you of all people should know this is still risky! You would normally be the first person to point that out!”

“There is barely any risk,” Style says before Fadel can answer, “Even less, now that you are sending the neighbor. But even if you or Fadel went, there isn't a warrant out for your arrest.”

Style looks at Fadel at that point and tilts his head, “See what I mean? If this cop wasn't dirty, he would have put something out. He has filthy, ulterior motives, I know it. Just let me prove it or put him in a position that makes him even dirtier.”

“Stop,” Fadel says, but then pulls Style in for an unexpected hug. Style lets out a surprised sound at the gesture but puts his arms around Fadel until Bison grumbles about them being weird before walking away.

“Seriously,” Fadel says, lifting Style’s head just enough until they meet each other’s eyes, “I'm not letting you put yourself in a situation like that.”

Style finds himself briefly transfixed by Fadel’s intense, furrowed, sexy eyebrows before remembering that his future fiancé spoke to him, “Hmm?”

“It's too risky, Style. It's dangerous. He could try to arrest you for something you didn't do-”

“I would like to see him try!”

“He might be more dangerous than you think.”

“I don't underestimate how dangerous he is,” Style counters, “That's why I need to incriminate him and make sure he is no longer a problem.”

Fadel shakes his head before pulling him a little closer, “He could take the bait-”

“That would be the goal.”

“And then he could really hurt you,” Fadel finishes, “I would be pissed off at you if you…seduced him and went home with him. Whatever you say you're going to do. But I wouldn’t be able to handle it if he really ends up hurting you. I…never want you to get hurt like that ag-”

Fadel cuts himself off, before looking a strange mixture of anxious, protective, apologetic, hurt, and still betrayed despite Style not actually going through with this plan yet. He is obsessing. Style thought he was the obsessive one in this relationship. But here Fadel is, getting all worked up not only over something that hasn't happened (yet), but over the worst possible outcomes and over what Style told him. That shit is old news. Style is really fine and he wishes Fadel would stop fucking thinking about it. Style needs to make it clear it doesn't matter to him.

“Whatever,” Style says, standing up straight, “If something like that would happen, that's all the more evidence we could use against him.”

Fadel stares at him in disbelief, as if he can't even understand what Style just said. It takes approximately seven seconds for his face to turn red as he shoves Style away from him before he walks towards the back door.

Great. Style meant to make a logical point, not piss Fadel off. He should probably think of a way to apologize. Maybe he can write a love song, make a beautiful landscape painting of the beach, or build a life size sculpture of Fadel out of trash washed onto the shore, seashells, and old fishing supplies-

“Come outside.”

Style scoffs and sees Fadel sulking at the open sliding door, “I thought you were mad at me!”

“I am.”

“Okay, so I should wait until you cool off a little and find a way to make it up to you before joining you,” Style says, “How do you feel about sculptures built with recycled materials?”

Going by his expression, Fadel doesn't feel much about sculptures built with recycled materials at all.

“You can make it up to me by coming outside with me,” Fadel says, before becoming more upset, “And by never saying something like that again!”

“Hm,” Style hums, then gestures at him, “You still seem mad-”

“I want you outside with me!”

Bison is right. Fadel did get weird. But since Style is the main reason for this, he takes responsibility by following Fadel outside in order to help him clean and prep the grill.

[bigbooksandhottea-blog]

Women Writers: Comics and Beyond

               This is, first and foremost, a literature course. This course specifically focuses on contemporary literature written by women, sometimes with a female audience in mind, but generally for the masses. It’s easy enough to describe the course itself, that is, as long as words like “literature” are generally agreed upon. However, this isn’t always the case, especially since in this course we will be studying things like comic books, which are considered by many not to be literary material.

               Since this is our first unit in the course, talking about comics as literature and how we define literature seems important. The dictionary definition of literature seems to be entirely occupied with the written word, ignoring the true purpose behind literature. Although, this is probably wise on the dictionary’s part, since bringing purpose into the mix has a tendency to throw things off balance. For example, I personally would consider literature art, as my definition of art aligns more with how Scott McCloud defines art in Understanding Comics, but at the same time, German philosopher Immanuel Kant defines art as necessarily not having purpose, which limits his ideas of what can be art to a purely decorative realm.

               If we broaden the definition of art into something that can serve a purpose, then literature becomes included. This is because literature must always serve a purpose to be considered literature. There is almost always some sub-context or deeper meaning involved in literature, regardless of whether or not it is comprised exclusively of written words. The common saying “a picture is worth a thousand words” is a generally true one, although slightly hyperbolic. If this was universally true, I would simply be able to post a picture instead of this essay, but no picture could embody all that I am trying to convey, except of course, if I drew it myself.

               This is where comics come in, in the symphony between written words and sequential art. The art is most definitely the most important aspect of what makes a comic a comic, but the words provide the literary basis for the story as a whole. I personally cannot think of a picture that can tell a story as precisely as words can, and words can never have the same descriptive power as a picture, but combining the two results in both a clear and descriptive story that, if you’ve ever read graphic novels by Alan Moore, Neil Gaiman or Dave McKean, can truly be called literature.

               However, this class does not deal with the likes of Alan Moore or the vast majority of mainstream comic book authors. These authors get the vast majority of fame and acclaim, especially in the comic world. When asked to think of a prominent female comic creator, we are left with very few, the most well-known of which is probably Fiona Staples, co-creator of Saga. Which begs the question, why are there so few women getting recognition in comics?

               Until recently, comics were a “boy’s game,” often focused on white, male superheroes saving their respective cities from chaos. Many times, this chaos was at the hands of a woman, in fact, many of the most well-known Batman villains are women (Catwoman, Harley Quinn, and Poison Ivy just to name a few). It was a time when a “strong female character” was one who broke the rules and brought madness upon society, someone who would eventually be beaten by the male protagonist anyway.

               This idea of the “strong female character” hasn’t improved much. For a while there was an oddly specific character type used to describe a woman who had no real purpose, drive, or passion, merely a few personality quirks that helped the main male character see that he didn’t have it so bad. This type of character became known by the term “manic pixie dream girl,” essentially an empty sidekick. The best excuse I can come up with for characters like this is relatability. Much like McCloud describes a certain simple, iconic style used in comic books to help readers relate to the characters, writers that do not have the ability to rely on pictures make their characters as broad as possible for relatability’s sake.

               Although I cannot rightly call it literature (despite having a strong abstinence theme) the Twilight series is a big offender of this, proof that female authors can be guilty of this as well. The narrator, Bella, despite being the supposed main character, is always playing second fiddle to her love interest, whom she shows an unhealthy obsession for. This is perhaps because she is so boring. She is described as relatively plain, white, brown hair and eyes, and a passion for literature and using big words incorrectly. Her most defining feature is her inordinate clumsiness, a cheap way to get women to relate to her, because let’s face it, everyone has tripped over their own feet at some point. It is not a personality trait.

               Gradually we shifted away from the “girl as shell” trope and female main characters became more popular in genres like young adult. However, this presented another problem. In the great tradition of young adult, books generally involved some sort of adventure or romance, usually both. Adventure stories generally call for a specific type of character, which for a long time has been portrayed as male. This means that female main characters such as Katniss from The Hunger Games and Tris from Divergent are more or less men in the bodies of women. Now, far be it for me to say that all women have to feminine or soft, but when you’re reading about somebody who’s entire existence is based off of physical prowess, it can be hard to see them as distinctive from their thousands of male counterparts.

               In this way, many modern writers have separated the female from the feminine. This is not always a bad thing, since all people (female or not) possess some feminine traits, just as all people (including females) possess masculine traits. But in the case of stripping out the feminine in its entirety and replacing it with the masculine, this is extremely detrimental to young people reading these books and thinking that there is nothing to strength besides the physical. This is important to everybody, not just women. Feminine traits have been deemed unworthy for so long that people of all genders have forgotten their importance.

               If the terms “feminine” and “masculine” as separate from “female” and “male” don’t seem to quite make sense, it is because the society we live in has issues with differences from what’s considered an acceptable norm; women are more emotional, men are more physical, etc. etc. etc. The feminine itself seems to be described rather well by Clarissa Pinkola Estes in Women Who Run with Wolves. However, even in this book (or at least what we’ve read of it), she limits this feminine power to women, as if men do not have the power to be intuitive or creative. Despite this oversight, I understand why it was done and why feminism in general seems to be non-inclusive of men.

               Women have been dependent on men for so long that now that they are finally able to show what they can do, it is shocking. Our culture needs this shock, it needs to hear what women have to say without the influence of men dictating their words. It might just be surprising how much we have to say.

Lily Allen’s got the spirit (nsfw/use headphones)