#we haven't met a lot of upper-class figures yet

[youuuimeanmee]

ILY Reread Time!

*Episode 3-4*

Holy moly I underestimate how much I forget about the details in early ILY.

⚠️Spoilers. I've read ILY until the latest episode. If you are completely new to I Love Yoo or if you haven't caught up yet, please keep walking. But if you're the same as me, welcome!

Btw here's my reaction to previous episodes: 1 /

Episode 3

Never realize Maya's house is the exact same house I've seen in much further episode 🤣 The consistency impressed me.

Lmao, Maya's incest manga. I forgot it's from this ep. I really need to read Maya's character analysis in one of these days while my memory is still fresh...

I tried analyzing Maya's stuff on her display, but no luck. There's some kind of doll house(?) that reminds me of a court house(??) There's also a pegasus figure (???) And is that a trophy? In a shape of what, a bird? A person in gymnastic?? (did Maya ever got into a competition or smth? or myb its minhyuk's somehow) I have no idea what this all means. Maybe I'll look into it once it comes up again in later episodes. Or I'll just try scour fans' analysis on this.

One of my pet peeve: why didn't Maya & Rika give Shinae a full explanation/disclosure about the party they're going into before they ordered the masks and dressed up. I think the disclosure would do wonders for Shinae to prepare herself before entering this party. With the last-minute informations, it kinda seems like both of them are throwing Shinae into the sharks, esp if Shinae is unfamiliar with upper-class kind of party. It's kinda careless of them if you ask me. Maybe because they're so used to this party, they didn't consider to put themselves into Shinae's shoes?

Okay, so it's called Hirahara Convention Center. Never payed attention to that until now.

"We promise you're going to have so much fun, Shinae!" Oh. yeah. Fun. Famous last words.

The strangers who stare at Shinae, one of them has similar hairstyle as the new Nol, lol. For a second I thought it's Nol, but I remember his suit at that time was grey, not black... but fr tho, are they just random npc or should i keep an eyes on them?? or myb the detailed character design is just there to emphasize how sharp their gaze is at her...

See, my pet peeve. If you guys had warned Shinae about the party much earlier, maybe she could've prepared a better mask. Or maybe you could've helped her making a cuter one, idk. But ngl, Shinae's mask here IS iconic.

Is Rika's father Jayce?? Or not??

Oh yeah, the girls were focusing on what they want, not what she needs... even though they're the one who pushed her to join this party...

(I just read an analysis that the girls consider Shinae as a pigsty bc she eats a lot, but never consider why she eats a lot and stays thin in the first place... bc eating is such a priviledge for Shinae bc she's struggling with money... and now I'm broken T_T)

Kinda wonder if in the future Shinae will warm up to join parties because of her new forced lifestyle...

"This stupid mask though, making my face get all sweaty..." Is it a a foreshadowing that Shinae will still be uncomfortable wearing a "mask" even after 4 years learning to follow Yui's footstep? Or is it just a sign that Shinae will progress, from unable to keep her mask to being able to keep it on for so long?

Now that I'm older, I just realize those guys are straight up harassing Shinae 😪

Why is Nol & Soushi in the dance area, though. Nol doesn't seem like the type who enjoy that. Maybe Soushi wants to dance? Doesn't seem like him (or myb I barely know him). Bc if anything, Soushi would've loved the free buffet even more. Maybe Soushi wants to meet some girls on the dance floor (either for himself or for Dieter)?

Wait, is Nol nearby because he sees a woman (Shinae) in trouble? Does he already suspect it's the girl he met at the burger place based on her overall stature and her...unique mask??

Fuxk I forgot Nol has a great memory. With how memorable their first meeting on ep 2, ofc he's gonna recognize her from first glance in ep 3. Question is, is he nearby because he already recognize her from far away & he tries to approach her, or is he nearby simply because he happened to accompany Soushi to the dance floor?

Istg the reason why Nol is nearby and bumped into Shinae in this episode will determine whether their second meeting is intentional or coincidence. Whether he approaches her because he's really interested in her or because he happen to notice she's in trouble and will need Yeong-Gi's help. Whether he's approaching her as Nolan or as Yeong-Gi.

I AM STILL SALTY SHE DIDNT GET TO EAT THOSE FOODS.

WHat the Fuck, Kousuke. I know you're cranky because of Meg (iirc), but do you have to trip Shinae like that? Is that a gentleman attitude? Humiliating a poor woman who's just trying to enjoy her food? You could've just asked nicely, yknow. (Not that Shinae will give up her tiramisu easily, but at least it's much better than tripping her up?) Kou is behaving like such a child here. Is it because Yui didn't give him his usual dose or smth? 😭

Episode 4

I love Shinae's unhingedness.

Oh. My. GOD I can't believe I used to ship Shinsuke when he's being this ass??? Why did I ever consider this scene romantic 😭 (myb in my head i thought this is the start of enemies-to-lovers, but this is nastyy 🤣😭 shinae is over it prob, but now that kou's crumbling down, kinda curious how's he gonna react if he remember how they first met...)

Is Kousuke just asking for a fight??? Why is he being this classist & crankyy helpp 🤣🤣🤣 (Beside Meg, I don't remember Nol causing problem to Kou tho, so what gives?? kinda remember vaguely nol was ignoring kou, but was their problem prior to this really that serious?)

Like, Kou, I get it. You're stressed out, you need a reliever, and she happens to take away your precious sweet. Her dress looks cheap. She's not wearing any make-up or accessories to make herself prettier. She eats a lot. Sure those might irritate you because she's not up to your standard guest. But that's not an excuse to trip her and call her names. She's just minding her own business! She's innocent?? Ig in your defense, if only she dressed better or watched her manner gracefully you would've treat–

Wait. Is he lowkey jealous because she looks poor, yet, she doesn't need to keep up appereances to be happy??? He feels tired & miserable throughout the night and he still has to keep up apperances, so seeing someone poor but completely content without a care in the world pisses him off? (That does tie up with his jealousy for Nol, doesn't it... now i wonder if he sees young!nol in this moment and becomes irritated...)

I know that Kou is in the wrong here, but it bad that I actually find his attitude refreshing compared to the usual Kou who's all proper & perfect to please his father? Like, it fits his mental age (of 12) lmaoo . Still, that doesn't make me want him to treat people poorly.

omg omg omg. I know someone said NolShin's interaction at the very beginning is a premonition(?) of their future dynamic, that Shinae will be able to calm down Nol's chaotic energy. What if Shinsuke's first interaction here is also a premonition of their future dynamic: that Kou will be able to show his disheveled self—free from Yui's influence—in front of Shinae, while she will be able to keep him in check? im prob reaching here.

YEAHH GET EM SHINAE.

Kousuke, honey, I don't think $10,000 worth that much when your "brother's" alma jacket costs the same, so... myb you can get a much better & expensive suit later? Lol.

I forgot to mention it but I have a 'what-if' that this party will be a parallel of NolShin's reunion 4 years in the future. Like, Shinae will attend Hirahara party again but this time she has become Yui's "pawn," she's no longer an outsider, she will handle the party much better, she will get used to Kou's antics by now, and then a "mysterious person" aka Nol (who just got back from England) approach her and ask her to be his partner... maybe they'll even have a hot dance for a moment gyahhh. Quim no matter what tragic fate awaits them at least please grant us this moment 🙏

I cheer for Shinae to get back at Kou, but yeah, maybe throwing a steak at a random rich person is not the smartest idea...

Now that I put myself in Shinae's shoes.... myeaa idk about that, Nol, what you did IS creepy... Nana is right, Nol needs to seriously work on his first impression on strangers... But if he do this again on his reunion with Shinae 4 years later, maybr this will be hot?? idk idk im a mess lolol

Wait, Nol. Why did you follow her in the first place. Didn't you want to return her mask, or you simply want to meet her? You should've just said you want to 'return her mask because she dropped it after she bumped into you.' That'd be a much better (read: less creepy) first impression, wouldn't it?

Does he forget about her mask because he's just too hyped to see her? Is he just focusing on how to help her in some way until he forget about her mask? Or does he have no intention of returning it in the first place?? highly unlikely, but still.

(Maybe it's a foreshadowing that in their future reunion, Shinae will drop her metaphorical mask out of shock, he won't let her retreat to wear one, and yet, he's still keeping his on. Lol jk)

now my delusional stalkyoo mind is saying he doesn't return her mask because he wants to see her face for as long as possible, because she intrigues him he's curious to see the real her without any cover-up. i need help.

I wonder why Nol takes off his suit after Shinae run away. I don't think he's all hot & huffing after a little run, physique-wise he's fit as heck... Is this his attempt to appear less intimidating in front of her? So she won't run away again?

I think he hears the way her friends badmouth & ditch her, before he announces his presence.

Nol's motive for helping Shinae is... definitely interesting. I thought "oh yeah, this is his cover-up story to hide the fact that he wants to help her for his own absolution." But then I thought "waiit, he wanna help because he's bored? His eyes are open, he's not lying. Didn't he say in ep 2 he can't wait to meet Shinae because the party is getting boring? What he said to himself and what he said to her, they match. So he's being genuine here? He's not telling a cover-up story to hide his true objective??"

I know Nol said (in ep 179) he approached people with ulterior motives: because he wants to make amends for the past, to gain control over his life, for his absolution, etc. He makes it sound like he's approaching people purely to make him feel less guilty about himself, and to torture/punish himself at the same time by forcing himself to live/move even though he doesn't want to. But I don't think it applies to Shinae here. Regardless if she run into problems in the party or not, from the start, he already put an interest in her because she's interesting. If it's true that he approached Shinae in ep 3 because he recognized her and wanted to meet her, then maybe, his intention here is not entirely "selfless" afterall. He approaches her not because he anticipate her to be this damsel-in-distress who need saving, he approaches her because he likes her. Platonically ofc.

Wtf Quimchee, why do you give us a mental gymnastic like this. So the layer of Nol's intention is like this: Layer 1: Nol helps Shinae because she genuinely need help and because he likes her. Layer 2: Nol helps Shinae because she genuinely need help and he's using her distress for his own absolution. Layer 3: Nol helps Shinae because she genuinely need help and because he likes her. ??? It's like we're back to square one, but not really 🤣🤣🤣 (i guess in ep 179 he was too clouded with depression to see the original reason why he asked her out. Nol's pov screwed me overrr)

Or maybe I'm screwing myself. Just because what he said to himself (this party's getting boring) and what he said to her (I'm just bored) match, that doesn't mean his intention for absolution is any less real. Perhaps he was excited to meet her, but the moment he saw her troubled with the harassment and her girl friends, his gear shifted. It's no longer "she's so cool & chaotic I want to know more about her!", it shifts to "she needs help above all else. This is Yeong-Gi's time to shine." So maybe he IS telling a cover-up story to hide his true intention.

Istg Quimchee what the hell did u do to my brain.

oh OH. When he said he's bored in this ep, myb he meant he's depressed. He's numbed by the endless repetitive hell he faced. When he said he can't wait to meet Shinae at the party, it's bc she sparked his will to live. He wanted to create a little chaos against iniustice to feel alive again. The world turned against his back in the past because he was fighting alone. But this time, with someone who shares similar value with him, maybe he has a chance to win against the world this time. Because he's not alone anymore. but idk if nol realize all of this or not. or myb my line of thinking is too romanticized.

.

.

.

Anyway.

Shinae's rejection line. Her statement that she will treat everyone the same regardless of occupation might've made him even more impressed. Then, her comment that human (he) suck stings. Maybe he figures out she's putting up a wall as a defensive mechanism to fend for herself, which, he also relates with her. Maybe he's smiling because he empathized with her. Like "yeah, I get that, I feel like that too."

OH. This smile. I had such a hard time deciphering this smile. Maybe this is more than just him empathizing with her sentiment.

Maybe this is the smile of "Ahh gotcha. Another person similar with me who needs help. Once I help her, we can be friends, she's happy, another progress to absolve my sins. I hit a jackpot with this one."

If this is true, then it makes sense why Nol feel so guilty in ep 179. Because he treated helping Shinae as a way to fill his "good-boy stamp card" to make up for his past(?).

Ohh wait we don't know how his life went prior to this night! If my memory is correct that Nol was avoiding Kousuke prior to this, it means they had a problem, Nol was feeling shitty, he felt like the world is going against him, and he sees helping Shinae as an opportunity to gain control over his life!

If this is NOT true, then maybe the reason why he helped Shinae is simply because he likes her, he relates with her, and he wants to hang out with her more, but he doesn't realize any of this in ep 179 (even in the newest ep). Though I find this hypothesis to be more unlikely now, I won't toss it yet. Just to give it a fighting chance, lol.

"When I said I wanted to help, I meant it, so here I am!" Eyes closed. He's not lying, but he's hiding his true intention. Whether he's hiding his true intention of wanting to feel better about himself or he's hiding the fact that he likes her is still not clear to me.

Yeah, this guy is Yeong-Gi alright. The Yeong-Gi who tries to appear as harmless as possible. The bubbly guy who wants to help anyone he empathized with.

A normal person would simply help her by calling a cab, paying for it if they feel generous, and calling it a day. I think that's what Yeong-Gi would do, because as long as he can help her get home safely, it's more than enough for him. But no, I think this guy is Nolan, whether he realizes it or not. Or maybe there's a part of Nolan that's seeping through his Yeong-Gi mask. Yeong-Gi would go extra miles to help, but I think only Nolan would suggest to help her set up a prank for revenge. It's not just for her sake, I think it's also for his sake. Potential multiple reasons: 1) he's genuinely pissed at her girl friends, because they—who're supposed to be her close friends that she defended to such extent—abandoned her (just like how Kousuke abandoned him; Nol's projecting his anger at that time to her situation now). 2) Because he wants to get on her good side. 3) Because he's depressed with Hirahara's control that he wants to have fun (read: create a little chaos) with her. 4) It's a mix of all things.

Augh, I forgot he's so good at reading people. So, another possible reason why he suggested a prank: 5) Because he can sense Shinae is a natural daredevil (like him) based on how reckless she was to defend her friends, so there's a high chance she won't reject this offer.

My God, someone said the first time Shinae meet Nolan is at Minhyuk's party, and I agree, but what if the reason why Nol & Shinae hit it off so well in the beginning, is because Nol is being Nol without realizing it, and Shinae has already met Nolan since the beginning. Am I straying off or am I on the right track??

Huh, I completely forgot about Nol's intention of hooking up Shinae with Dieter. Like I said previously, is he deadass believing (in ep 231) he's approaching her because he wants to play cupid, and not because he himself is interested in her??

Or maybe i messed up; myb nol was only reminded to be dieter's cupid after he saw him again (ep 11 or smth). let's see in the next few eps

TLDR; So now, after ep 237 & rereading ep 4, Nol's intention's layer is like this. Layer 1: Nol helps Shinae because she genuinely need help and because he likes her spiciness. Layer 2: Nol helps Shinae because she genuinely need help, and he wants to get on her good side because he wants to hook her up with Dieter. Layer 3: Nol helps Shinae because she genuinely need help and he's using her distress for his own absolution. Layer 4: Nol helps Shinae because she genuinely need help, and he's using her distress to get on her good side so he can hook her up with Dieter because making his friend happy is his mission for absolution, to gain control over his shitty life. Layer 5: Nol helps Shinae because she genuinely need help and because he likes how she sparked his will to live & he wants to create a little chaos to fight against injustice with her, esp against close friend/relative who ignore their cry for help (Layer 4 & 5 is interchangeable/can be merged)

Maybe layer 4 is what he believed, and layer 5 is what actually happened? Lmao.

Am I crazy or is Nol in ep 237 truly that dense/in denial. Not that I'm saying he already harbored a romantic feeling from the very beginning—I don't think so, but I found it hard to believe he would think he likes her because he latches on to the first person who treat him nicely, and she can be replaced by anyone as long as they're a decent human being. (wait, with his condition it's not that hard to believe, ig...). Nol, please define "a decent person" in your book.

Nol, you... you're just too focused on how you feel for her on your birthday. You need sleep. And a lot of time to reminisce and contemplate (which I hope you can do in your jail time). Not neccesarily romantic, but your attraction towards Shinae clearly has started long before your birthday, your separation, or even the Kim party's accident, and it only got worse over time.

Myb i shouldn't have trusted his words so much, he has no idea what he's saying sometimes...

Nol always chooses his friends based on how much he relates to them, not just because they're someone who needs help. Soushi was facing injustice and was unable to fight back against his bullies. Dieter was a lonely foreigner who had a hard time adjusting to a new, unfamiliar country, which worsened his loneliness. Alyssa was a lonely person who was facing trauma and heavy guilt. Nol sees himself in them and decides to help them out as Yeong-Gi because, not just to alleviate his guilt, but also (most probably, whether he realizes it or not) because he wished they could have a "hero" he didn't have in the past. But Shinae is different. From the start, she's already a "hero." She chose to step up for other people's sake. She has this blazing fire to seek justice. She's probably a figure he wished he had in his past. She left a great impression on their first meeting. And eventually he learned that she wears a facade to appear strong to fend for herself and she's also abandoned by people close to her; just like him. Just from their first meeting, he can't just replace her with any decent person. He gravitates toward her because he immediately senses a kind of comradeship. She's already special in that way.

I'm just losing my mind. It's 5 AM already. I need to sleep.

*Edit: God, in Nol's case, it's kiinda like "love at first sight" (but not really) but he's too dense and/or in huge denial to see that. Aksjhxjskdkfhkdkdk

Edit2: The crux of my confusion with Nol as a character, is how much he acts as Yeong-Gi and how much he acts as Nolan in this party. Because. While Yeong-Gi being pushy with his help is so typical of him, the fact that he put an interest in Shinae in ep 2 and the way he suggested a rather devious plan for revenge screams Nolan to me. Is there any compiled analysis out there about Nolan vs Yeong-Gi?? I need to read more.

[agentsquirrelsgotrobots]

As a trans man that still goes by his mildly femme birth name (because I absolutely adore it and no other name compares), I absolutely get giddy whenever I meet another transfemme in the wild that shares my name.

I met a young Trans girl yesterday who also went by my name, and she was a blast to hang out with.

When I was just starting out figuring out my own identity, my name was a HUGE insecurity. I got it into my head that being "stealth" was everything, and I got super paranoid about being safe at all costs, even at the expense of my own comfort, delaying coming out to people in my life who were vocal allies and refusing to believe that there were people around me that were willing to go out of their way to protect me.

My sense of caution wasn't unfounded unfortunately, a commuity group near and dear to my heart allowed and tolerated new transphobic and misogynistic members for far too long, causing me to have to get the owner of the space involved to lay down the law. It got better, but it's heartbreaking knowing that even though the space is accepting, these people will only ever tolerate me.

However, the owner has my back, and he's kicked out more than one bad actor over my time going there.

Anyway, back to my name.

My name has, mostly because of tiktok, morphed into a stereotypical "nonbinary" name.

Honestly, I hate how this community has the tendency to categorize itself and go to war over the littlest things. We are all a part of the same umbrella, and by infighting over things that really don't matter (masc/femme vs. male presenting/female presenting, neopronouns, is-queer-a-slur), we weaken our sense of community and make it easier for bad actors to take root.

Seriously, it doesn't matter. I will use what name you want me to use and make a good faith attempt at any requested pronouns, and laugh as a small portion of the community tries to assign boxes to a community that literally is ostracized for not fitting into them in the first place.

Really, if you are the type to try and assign a social dress code to a group that is infamous for breaking them, you might need to lurk in our spaces a little more before hitting post. It's ok to admit that this community is a LOT at times because it is. We have been organized for such a short time, and we really don't have too many elders (people older then the age of 35) active in the same spaces that a lot of younger people start in. It's weird to think that at 17, I am edging on the older part of the community. (No, really, that's bonkers. The fact that I remember a time before smart boards and going to computer labs should not make me feel old.)

There is SO MUCH to learn, and as someone who has a VERY practical view on identity and relationships, I am used to the feeling of culture shock in some areas. I wish I had some good recommendations on some good people to follow for interacting with older community members/BIPOC perspectives/diverse economic and social backgrounds, but I am new to Tumblr and haven't found many yet. If you fall into the above, please reblog and @ yourself.

My follow list for people who talk almost exclusively about being in the community on here is mostly white and upper middle class, and I would like to break out of that. You learn nothing by never stepping out of your own demographic, and I would like to see the difference between here and tiktok, especially how there's a lot more people in their twenties on here.

So, hi, my online name is Squirrel. My pronouns are he/him, and I already have a pinned post with my boundaries on here.

[tinatribeca]

Life Update 11/10/24

11:42am.

School is kicking my ass right now. I don't even want to talk about this program I'm in. I feel a bit distracted. I'm questioning my decision to enroll. Was it too soon for me to go back to school knowing I'm still grieving? The work, school, social life balance is kicking my ass as well. Often I'm figuring out what I should be doing versus what I want to be doing.

Haha, I wish I was recording.

The program is short I'll delve into that during a time where I feel like really delving into that - it's easier to avoid the thought of my future. Ever feel like you want to talk about everything and nothing at all?

I'll still be thinking about that dream I have.

Of being a musician. Adulting they said. It'll be easy yet complicated.

Is it easy? more so, just complicated.

So why did I enroll? Well, my job will reimburse me. Well, maybe I've been a bit bored with what I'm doing. Maybe the idea of being upper middle class sounds nice. Maybe more money will make things easier.

I cried my first few exams. My thought process was literally what the fuck did I just do.

I passed both exams. I'm just anxious naturally.

What I'm studying I won't discuss cause ugh maybe if I write it down then that leads to acceptance: the acceptance of me being an adult and making adult decisions and adults go back to school? don't they?

Accept it girl, welcome to the big leagues of:

Adulting. Writing it down makes it real? Doesn't it?

Anyway.

I met someone. In person.

I hosted a few events within the last few months. One of them being at a bar in the lower east side. Mixers for people to meet new people. Word of mouth, reddit and boom. 60+ people my first event.

Did it again and changed the date because of food poisoning and second time around it was a lot less people.

I met a guy. He walked in like a comfortable breeze.

You ever meet someone and instantly need to know that person? I felt that gravitational pull instantly. I just want to speak to that guy, I'm not sure why but I need to talk to him- my exact thoughts the moment he left.

Attractive? Yes. My type? Absolutely not. To be the most honest I've ever been, he is the furthest from what I usually go for. He's all brains, like a whole lot smarter than me. White. Hazel eyes. Dark hair. Tan skin and not at all from here.

He's from San Diego and just moved here a year ago.

Has his PHD in neuroscience.

I've always had a thing for smart guys but I never usually go for them. I'm not sure why. I guess with age comes more confidence. Why not?

Somehow I found him online and messaged him. I shot my shot and surprisingly did not get turned down.

My friend hosted an event shortly after. He showed up and we made out the entire night drunkenly.

Before we kissed he said something that really made me think.

He told me I was intimidating and compared talking to me to talking to a celebrity. Then he was all "well not a celebrity because I don't care to meet celebrities..." and staggered along to explain how I was too cool for him. He said it was something about my aura or whatever, how I operate in a room. He stumbled over the words and said something along those lines. Well, it bothered me. May be a compliment to some but not to me. It made me feel like maybe I'm single because I have to be smaller. Less than I am now.

He saw my reaction to what he said and was all "It's a compliment. Its not a bad thing." But I couldn't help but feel otherwise.

We have been texting ever since but guess what:

He's not looking for anything serious. So, here I am once again. Falling but not falling at all. He's a psych professor. He's smart as fuck. I've never been more attracted to someones mind but I've been having the feeling I may need to let him go soon.

Here we go again.

I think not. I learned my lesson the hard way last time. But our lips intertwine like sand and water.

A perfect fit.

Isn't it funny how we text every day but I haven't seen him since.

Isn't it funny how I'm one foot in and one foot out.

[dolphin1812]

“the reader will permit us one other little digression, utterly foreign to this book”

I can’t tell if Hugo is completely lacking in self-awareness here, or if he’s gently mocking himself. Either way, I’m entertained.

A note from the Donougher translation: when the centenarian renews her vows, she uses the verb “bailler” (translated as “give” in this translation, and meaning either “to give” or “to pledge”). The verb “has a chivalric resonance,” but with her “colloquial” phrasing, it seems to suggest deception (which might be why the girls find it funny). (Donougher 455)

Notes like these suggest that the centenarian is supposed to be funny, but her position - she was “in society before the Revolution” and thus remembers the ancien régime as experienced by the rich - is also significant. Her stories are indicative of her prior status. Although it’s possible she exaggerates when she describes the Abbey of Fontevrault as a city, as she isn’t taken entirely seriously by those around her and seems to put on airs, what she “puts on airs” about does imply some level of nostalgia for the days of Louis XVI. For instance, she constantly references his Keeper of the Seals and Presidentess Duplat, in part to emphasize the status of those she was (supposedly) familiar with. 

It’s also interesting that she speaks a lot and that, when she speaks: “It was a century which spoke through her, but it was the eighteenth century.” The “eighteenth century” here seems to be the stereotypical image of that time: the aristocratic splendor (rather than the lives of regular people). For example, the custom of bringing four silver gondolas of wine for the visit of important figures in certain parts of France is, to her, something worth retelling. And it is interesting and fun to know! But the idea of wine being used to intoxicate just as a form of over-indulgence or ceremony - rather than as a rarity or a way of coping - has largely been foreign to us (in this novel, as readers) so far. The only exception is Tholomyès (and possibly some of the patrons at Thénardier’s inn, but Montfermeil is poor, so it’s unlikely that they’re drinking luxuriously and are probably drinking socially instead). Otherwise, characters have had some wine as part of hospitality (the bishop serving Jean Valjean his best wine) or wine has intentionally been used to intoxicate in tragic ways (this is how Mme Victurnien got the information about Fantine’s situation; Thénardier also did this to Boulatruelle). There’s overlap in the idea of wine being part of a good welcome, but most of the characters we’ve encountered don’t have the money to get drunk happily; the most information on intoxication we’ve had was for Boulatruelle, where it seemed like a desperate way to cope with having been in prison. This isn’t to say that the novel takes a stance on wine, but rather that the contrast between this type of drinking and what we’ve seen is stark. A man at the inn might have, for example, gotten drunk drinking a bottle or more, but he would have consumed each bottle (not sampled various wines). That quantity and variety of wine, presented in such a form, isn’t accessible to characters who specify every time they drink a bottle, and that highlights the cultural and material gap between this centenarian’s old life and the reality of France’s poor, both before and after the Revolution. The “century” she remembers is completely disconnected from what most of these characters’ families lived through just because of class.

I do feel bad that her plate caused so much gossip, though. The rush to look at it after her death isn’t actively harmful like earlier instances of gossip (Fantine), but it’s still unpleasant. And again, even the nuns aren’t immune to this behavior.

[keelee-doodles]

Kai "suggested" that he take a picture of them both, y'know, for the memories.

I decided that I'm gonna make a list of some of the details and ideas I've had for this au, so here we go.

Jay, Cole, Kai, and Zane are 17, and Nya and Lloyd are 16

As of rn, Jay has the Ladybug miraculous and goes by Lightning Bug, Cole has the Cat miraculous and goes by Mau Kem, Kai gets to use the Fox miraculous and I'm thinking about calling him Revontulet (Finnish word for the Aurora borealis, literally means fox fire according to google), Zane I'm thinking would use the Turtle, Lloyd is going to be the Snake but I haven't thought of a name yet, and I dont know what to do for Nya but I kind of want to do Dragon

Jay lives on the outskirts of Ninjago City, where it borders the desert, with his parents in their scrapyard

He goes to a slightly upper class school, through scholarships (like for inventions and stuff), so he lives in the dorms and no one knows he grew up in a junkyard

Kai and Nya do know though, and have been friends with him since elementary school (I think I'm not going to have Ray and Maya dissapear, it'd just be to complicated)

They still have their elemental powers and they all discovered them about the same time, about a year before Jay and Cole get the miraculous

They all pretty much kept their powers secret, except Lloyd told Garmadon (oni are too complicated as well, so we get Good Dad) and Wu, and Kai and Nya told each other

Lou was very successful w his dancing and singing, and he became famous and rich and whatnot

Lou made Cole do vocals and dance as he grew up, he still does but he also allows Cole more freedom since he does so well, and since Lou is very busy with things

Jay didn't really like Cole when he first met him because he thought he was just another entitled rich kid, but he figured out that Cole is really kind and thoughtful and now he has a huge crush on him

Cole has a scar going from above his left eye to beside his eye from an accident when he was younger, but he doesn't like people asking about it so he hides it with makeup

Cole was pretty sheltered as a child

He was never really close with his father, but he was very close with his mother until she died when he was about 10 ("died" ;) )

Cole feels like he can really joke around some and have fun when he's Mau Kem, because no one is holding him to high standards as Lou's son, so he goes out on patrol as often as he can

Theres definitely more but I've already written a lot.