#written february 10 2022

[batboyblog]

Things the Biden-Harris Administration Did This Week #33

Sep 6-13 2024

President Biden marked the 30th anniversary of the passage of the Violence Against Women Act and highlighted efforts to stop gender based violence. the VAWA was written by then Senator Biden and he often talks about it as his proudest legislative victory. The act transformed how the federal government dealt with domestic violence, sexual assault, and stalking. In part because of the connection to Joe Biden, President Trump and the Republicans allowed the VAWA to expire in 2019. President Biden passed a new reauthorization, with new protections for women against cyber crime, in 2022. On the VAWA's 30th anniversary President Biden announced $690 million in grants to support survivors of gender-based violence.

President Biden and Vice-President Harris announced a new rule to force insurance companies to treat mental health care the same as medical care. The new rule takes on the use by insurance of restrictive practices like prior authorization, and out of network charges, it also closes a loophole in the law that allowed state and local government health insurance not to cover mental health.

The Biden-Harris administration announced that 50 million Americans, 1 in every 7, have gotten health insurance through Obamacare's marketplaces. Under Biden a record breaking 20.8 million enrolled this year. Since the ACA was passed by President Obama and then Vice-President Biden it has transformed American health care bring affordable coverage to millions and getting rid of "preexisting conditions". During the Presidential debate Vice-President Harris defended the ACA and the need to keep building on it. Trump after 9 years of calling for its repeal said he only had "concepts of a plan" on what to do about health care in America.

The IRS announced that it has recovered $1.3 billion in back taxes from wealthy tax dodgers. For years Republicans have tried to underfund the IRS hindering its ability to police high income tax payers. President Biden in his Inflation Reduction Act ensured that the IRS would have the money it needs to chase high income tax cheats. In February 2024 the IRS launched a program to go after over 100,000 people, making $400,000 or even over $1 million a year who have not filed taxes since 2017. The IRS also launched a program to collect from tax payers who make over $1 million a year who have uncontested debt of over $250,000. Between these two efforts the IRS has collected over a Billion Dollars in back taxes from the richest Americans, so far this year.

The Department of The Interior and White House Climate Advisor Ali Zaidi highlighted green energy efforts on public land. Highlighting two projects planned in Nevada officials talked about the 41 renewable energy projects approved on public land under the Biden-Harris Administration. These projects over 25 gigawatts of clean energy, a goal the Administration's climate plan set for the end of 2025 but met early this year. With the new projects in Nevada this is enough energy to power 12.5 million homes, and the Bureau of Land Management is another 55 utility-scale project proposals across the West.

The Department of The Interior announced $236 million to help fight forest fires and restore landscapes damaged by recent wildfires. Under President Biden's Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the Administration has spent nearly $1.1 billion dollars to combat deadly wildfires which have over the last 10 years grown in size and intensity thanks to climate change.

The Department of The Interior announced $157 million in wetland conservation. The money is focused on protecting bird habitats. It will protect and preserve thousands of acres of wetlands across 7 states.

The US Senate approved President Biden's nominations of Adam Abelson, Jeannette Vargas, Mary Kay Lanthier, and Laura Provinzino to federal judgeships in Maryland, New York, Vermont, and Minnesota respectively. This brings the total number of federal judges appointed by President Biden to 209. When Biden entered office 318 district judges were Republican appointees and 317 Democratic, today 368 are Democratic appointments and just 267 are Republican. President Biden is the first President in history to have the majority of his appointments not be white men and he has appointed more black women to the bench than any President ever.

[doyoulikethissong-poll]

Guns N' Roses - November Rain 1992

"November Rain" is a song by American hard rock band Guns N' Roses. Written by Axl Rose, the power ballad was released in February 1992 as the third single from the band's third studio album, Use Your Illusion I (1991). In the US, the song peaked at number three for two weeks in 1992, making it Guns N' Roses' sixth and last top-10 hit. It stayed in the top 10 for 10 weeks and on the Hot 100 for 30 weeks. It reached number two on the Portuguese Singles Chart, number four on the UK Singles Chart, and the top 10 on several other music charts around the world. In Australia, "November Rain" was ranked at number two on the 1992 end-of-year chart despite only reaching number five on the ARIA Singles Chart. It was included on ARIA's year-end charts in two consecutive years (1992 and 1993, when it appeared at 36). In New Zealand, the song peaked at number seven but stayed in the top 20 for 24 non-consecutive weeks, ending 1992 as New Zealand's second-best-selling single.

On November 4, 2022, the track was re-released on a Use Your Illusion reissue, but with newly recorded orchestration replacing the sampled sounds used on the original mix. The orchestration consists of a real 50-piece orchestra. In July 2018, the music video became the first video created prior to Youtube to surpass one billion views. In February 2023, the music video reached another milestone after it surpassed two billion views. As of October 2024, November Rain is the most viewed song on Youtube released in the 1990s.

"November Rain" received a total of 67,4% yes votes! Previous polls featuring Slash: #159 "I'm Just Ken", #341 "Give In to Me".

[motogp-museum]

Top 5 Motogp ships on ao3 during the last decade

I filtered each year from Jan 1st to December 31st. No other fics are included in each year's rank, only the ones posted during that calendar year.

'New' means that they were either new to any year's top 10 on ao3, or new to this list. If I included the plus minus, that means it was not new to the top ten, it just hadn't made the top 5 yet.

2014

P1- Marc Marquez/ Dani Pedrosa

P2- Marc Marquez/ Valentino Rossi

P3- Alex Marquez/ Dani Pedrosa

P4- Jorge Lorenzo/ Original Female Character

P5- Dani Pedrosa/ Valentino Rossi

2015

P1- Marc Marquez/ Dani Pedrosa (=)

P2- Jorge Lorenzo/ Alex Marquez (New)

P3- Alex Marquez/ Original Female Character (New)

P4- Marc Marquez/ Valentino Rossi (-2)

P5- Dani Pedrosa/ Valentino Rossi (=)

2016

P1- Marc Marquez/ Dani Pedrosa (=)

P2- Daniil Kvyat/ Marc Marquez (New)

P3- Jorge Lorenzo/ Dani Pedrosa (+6)

P4- Jorge Lorenzo/ Marc Marquez (New +5)

P5- Jorge Lorenzo/ Valentino Rossi (New +3)

(Rosquez down 3 places to P7)

2017

P1- Marc Marquez/Dani Pedrosa (=)

P2- Luca Marini/Alex Marquez (New)

P3- Jorge Lorenzo/Dani Pedrosa (=)

P4- Jorge Lorenzo/Marc Marquez (=)

P5- Marc Marquez/Valentino Rossi (+2)

2018

P1- Marc Marquez/Valentino Rossi (+4)

P2- Marc Marquez/Dani Pedrosa (-1)

P3- Jorge Lorenzo/Dani Pedrosa (=)

P4- Luca Marini/Alex Marquez (-2)

P5- Jorge Lorenzo/Marc Marquez (-1)

2019

P1- Marc Marquez/Valentino Rossi (=)

P2- Jorge Lorenzo/Dani Pedrosa (+1)

P3- Luca Marini/Alex Marquez (+1)

P4- Jorge Lorenzo/Valentino Rossi (New +5)

P5- Marc Marquez/Dani Pedrosa (-3)

2020

P1- Fabio Quartararo/Maverick Viñales (New +6)

P2- Marc Marquez/Valentino Rossi (-1)

P3- Jorge Lorenzo/Dani Pedrosa (-1)

P4- Luca Marini/Alex Marquez (-1)

P5- Marc Marquez/Dani Pedrosa (=)

2021

P1- Marc Marquez/Valentino Rossi (+1)

P2- Fabio Quartararo/Maverick Viñales (-1)

P3- Marc Marquez/Dani Pedrosa (+2)

P4- Marc Marquez/Fabio Quartararo (New )

P5- Jorge Lorenzo/Dani Pedrosa (-2)

2022

P1- Marc Marquez/Fabio Quartararo (+3)

P2- Marc Marquez/Valentino Rossi (-1)

P3- Jorge Martin/Fabio Quartararo (New)

P4- Jorge Lorenzo/Dani Pedrosa (+1)

P5- Luca Marini/Alex Marquez (+1)

2023

P1- Marc Marquez/Valentino Rossi (+1)

P2- Marc Marquez/Fabio Quartararo (-1)

P3- Jorge Lorenzo/Dani Pedrosa (+1)

P4- Luca Marini/Alex Marquez (+1)

P5- Marco Bezzecchi/Celestino Vietti (New)

2024

P1- Marc Marquez/Valentino Rossi (=)

P2- Marco Bezzecchi/Celestino Vietti (+4)

P3- Francesco Bagnaia/Marc Marquez (New)

P4- Marco Bezzecchi/Marc Marquez (New)

P5- Jorge Lorenzo/Dani Pedrosa (-2)

Top 5 of all-time and their ao3 debut date

P1- Marc Marquez/Valentino Rossi (17 June 2014)

P2- Marc Marquez/Dani Pedrosa (26 December 2013)

P3- Jorge Lorenzo/Dani Pedrosa (21 July 2014)

P4- Luca Marini/Alex Marquez (15 February 2016)

P5- Fabio Quartararo/Maverick Viñales (13 November 2019)

Discussion:

Since there were so little motogp fics in the first few years, some of the ships in the top 5 were there because of a single writer. So it does not always reflect the fandom's opinions of the ships. For example, all of the Alex/Dani and Alex/Jorge fics were written by the same person (at the time. There are new ones).

It also shows how a ship being popular for a short time can have lasting effects on the all-time rank. Maverick/Fabio being an example of this as they are still in the top 5 overall, despite only being in the top 5 of the yearly rank twice.

[daisyswift3]

The Elevator 🌔

I think I know what this message from 🌋 is referring to. Lizzy McAlpine just released the deluxe version of her album Older today and she titled it Older (and Wiser). I’m pretty sure Older is related to Gracie’s song Older on TIWIFL (see this post for more on the Gracie Lizzy connections). Lizzy’s Older and Gracie’s Older are both related to the Peter Pan metaphor. I think the deluxe album being titled Older (and Wiser) indicates that Peter is getting ready to grow up -> “I have this thing where I get older but just never wiser.” Taylor is no longer going to be an anti-hero, she is instead going to be a hero.

(x)

The first track on Older is The Elevator and the lyrics of this song match perfectly w Labyrinth (and Labyrinth is related to the Bejeweled mv bc Taylor takes an elevator from the 1st to the 13th floor):

“It wasn’t slow it happened fast” -> “You know how scared I am of elevators, Never trust it if it rises fast, It can’t last”

“And suddenly the only thing I (Peter) saw was you (Wendy)” -> “Uh-oh, I'm fallin' in love, Oh no, I'm fallin' in love again”

Also, the plane -> The Tortured Poets Depart 🛫🛬 -> “I thought the plane was going down, How'd you turn it right around?” -> LWYMMD mv where Taylor clips the wings of her TS6 plane (karma the lost album) -> Elton John’s Goodbye Yellow Brick Road (which is referenced in the Karma mv) using the same plane metaphor: “When are you gonna come down? When are you going to land?” This song is abt Elton choosing to walk away from fame which is also what the Bejeweled mv is abt (Castles Crumbling).

If you look at the Spotify canvas for The Elevator, a calendar is shown w several dates and this is where the math comes in. Some of the dates are 11/10, 10/28-10/30, 11/6, 11/7-11/10, 10/24, and Oct 28. 11/10 mirrored is 10/11 like @lyricstoojesus said, and 10/11 is the first quarter w 58% illumination which is mentioned in the 🌋 message. The waxing gibbous phase 🌔 starts on 10/12. The Elevator calendar has some very interesting things written on it. One of them is “Piano Taylor” which is on 10/11-10/12. This could be what that 🌋 message was trying to point us to. Perhaps this is a hint that we should pay attention to Taylor’s next piano surprise song. Plus 12 mirrored is 21 which is one of Gracie’s songs (see this post for more on the 12 and 21).

Another thing that caught my eye was “Richter.” This could be referring to the Richter scale which measures the magnitude of earthquakes. Gracie just recently played Fault Line as a surprise song on Oct 2. This song uses an earthquake as a metaphor for a relationship falling apart. “I know you're a fault line, but I'll break too, Crackin' at the same time, does it shock you?” Interestingly, Aaron Dessner described the song “us” as “an earthquake of a song.” So putting these easter eggs together, they could be saying that “us” (that is the tortured poets + us true fans, "you + me = us") is the earthquake in the song Fault Line; the relationship that's falling apart in Fault Line is the one between Peter/James (the tortured poets) and Wendy/Betty (us true fans). It could also be saying that this relationship will be the thing that burns the lover house to the ground and starts the revolution, the "volcano." The Elevator calendar may be foreshadowing when the first cracks from this earthquake will start forming, 10/10. Ginger anon mentioned the cracks in the facade that turn into a chasm.

The last thing I wanted to point out is “Codesmith” which is written under “Monday, Wednesday, Thursday” and next to “Oct 28” which is a Monday. The wk of Oct 28 is the same wk as Halloween which is on a Thursday. I have no doubt sth big will happen this wk since this was the whole purpose of the 🎃 messages.

[dontforgetukraine]

Twitter Thread from Замаханий репортер (@/ReporterTired) on Nov. 17th 2024

"This thread will be in English, just in case someone from abroad wants to read it and understand a bit more about the war in Ukraine. Feel free to share it if you like. These are purely reflections on how daily news about killed people has become routine.

In journalism—likely in Western journalism as well—there’s a concept called “corpse-kilometers.” In one phrase, it would sound like: “For a reader to pay attention to a terrible event, the number of deaths must be proportional to the distance between the event and the reader.”

You’ve probably noticed this. If a car crash in your country kills 20 people, it resonates with you. If it’s 20 people 5,000 kilometers away, you might not pay attention. After all, it’s far away, in a country unfamiliar to you, and those terrible events barely touch you.

And that’s normal. People are naturally more interested in what’s happening around them because it directly affects their lives. Unfortunately, they care less about events far away, even though those events might also have significant impacts on them.

Now, about Ukraine. Since 2013, my colleagues and I have observed spikes of interest in events here. This lasted until around the winter of 2015. The reason was clear: first, protests against Yanukovych, then the occupation of Crimea, then the war in eastern Ukraine.

It all came to a halt after Ukrainian troops withdrew from the encirclement in Debaltseve and the Minsk agreements were signed. After that, the war entered a frozen stage, where it remained until February 2022.

Why did this happen? The protests against Yanukovych, who was actively pulling Ukraine toward Russia, escalated gradually: mass protests, the first brutal beatings of protesters, the first MASSIVE rallies in Kyiv, barricades in the streets, clashes with police.

Then there was a brief lull, followed by gunfire against protesters on February 18, and mass shootings on February 20. Yanukovych fled, and the south and east of the country ignited with pro-Russian rallies (if English-speaking readers are interested, I’ve written about this).

Next came the occupation of Crimea, where Russian military forces without insignia pretended they weren’t interfering. Then the occupation of Sloviansk, involving Igor Girkin (callsign "Strelkov"), who arrived in eastern Ukraine straight from Crimea.

What followed was the active phase of the war, with a dynamic frontline where Ukraine was reclaiming territories, generating newsworthy events. After Debaltseve, the war was frozen, and a frozen war doesn’t make news.

What’s more, people grow accustomed. To maintain audience attention on the horrors unfolding at home, the horror has to become increasingly massive. From 2015 to 2022, Ukrainian soldiers were dying almost daily along the frontline.

But this was almost unnoticed even in Ukraine. Daily reports of 5, 7, 10 soldiers killed became numbers, a routine. Everything changed in January when the media began actively discussing an impending Russian full-scale invasion.

About two weeks before the full-scale war began, the Russians ramped up shelling along the frontline. Ukraine was back on the front pages. Then came Kharkiv, Kyiv region, Chernihiv region. There was Mariupol. There was horror and shock.

Then came the de-occupation of Bucha, Irpin, Makariv. Yahidne in Chernihiv region. Mass graves of murdered civilians. These dead people in pits probably still haunt many journalists from time to time. Then there was the counteroffensive in the Kharkiv region. Graves in Izium.

Ukraine conducted a successful offensive in Kherson. Uncovered torture chambers. The summer of 2023 passed in anticipation of a counteroffensive, which ultimately didn’t succeed. For a number of reasons.

Then there was the destruction of the Kakhovka dam. Flooded Kherson. Villages near Kherson under water. Dead people who drowned because, on the left bank of the Kherson region, the Russians didn’t even try to help them. Hell, the Russians even abandoned their own troops to drown.

And then came the Russian offensive. Which continues to this day. Against this backdrop, news of daily missile and drone strikes gets lost – strikes that kill civilians. Every week, the Russians kill a dozen or two civilians. But this has become routine.

Because what are ten dead people compared to Chasiv Yar or Toretsk, which are being literally leveled to the ground? What’s the investigation of Russian crimes from March 2022 compared to Pokrovsk, which now waits for Russian bombs?

What are civilian prisoners, about whom we have almost no information, compared to all this? Hell, even Kharkiv, which is hit daily with guided bombs, has become routine. Not just for foreign media, but even here in Ukraine. For different reasons, though.

Because nearly every city in Ukraine is hit by drone and missile fragments. Every week. And people are more worried about what’s happening nearby. Unfortunately. For foreign colleagues, it’s hard to hold the audience’s attention, because those bombs fall somewhere far away.

More pressing matters include Trump’s elections. Or what the Labour Party will do. Or whether the far-right will gain votes in Germany’s elections. The war in Ukraine – it’s somewhere. And to keep attention, you have to find new ways constantly. And every month, it gets harder.

If in November 2022, 120 missiles fired at Ukraine were big news and a topic of discussion, I doubt it would be a major story now. Because what’s far more important is what Scholz talked about with Putin. And when those negotiations will finally happen.

Because Europe is tired of the war. And as a Ukrainian who sleeps every night in a bathroom behind two one-meter-thick walls, listening to Russian missiles being shot down, I find this both laughable and infuriating. But it is what it is.

So read the news about Ukraine. Read what Ukrainians write about this war. They understand Russians much better than wise Russo experts. Because we are the ones who live next door to the Russians. It’s us who spent ten years trying to negotiate with them.

Otherwise, one day you might be in for a surprise when Russian tanks roll from Belarus toward Königsberg, and the Russians wipe themselves with the peace agreements you’ve signed with them. Believe me, Ukrainians have had plenty of those over 10 years of war.

And if you’ve made it this far – thank you so much for reading. Have a peaceful day.

A few hours ago, the Russians struck a residential building in Sumy with a ballistic missile. Ten people were killed, including children aged 9 and 14. 50 people were injured. Surrounding residential buildings were damaged. Sadly, this is just an ordinary day in Ukraine.

This morning, Russians launched a ballistic missile strike on Odesa. There are casualties and injuries, but the exact numbers are not yet known. The flight time of ballistic missiles is so short that the air raid siren doesn’t always activate in time. Nightmare."

[colinodonoghue]

222aghoststory & colinodonoghue1: 🚨 MEET YOUR DUBLIN CAST 🚨 @shonabmx @birdspotting @colinodonoghue1 @thewhitmore will be taking #222AGhostStory to Dublin’s @3olympiatheatre this Summer, 21 June - 11 Aug. For a strictly limited run 🚨Do you dare to join us? Book your tickets now! Link in bio 👻📸 @seamusphoto

Colinodonoghue1: Woohoo!! So excited to be a part of this show!!

[Get your tickets here!!!]

Runaway Entertainment in association with 3Olympia Theatre presents

2:22 - A GHOST STORY

Shona McGarty, Jay McGuiness, Colin O’Donoghue, Laura Whitmore, Announced for The Very Special, Standalone Irish Production

The smash hit play by Danny Robins Makes Irish Debut At 3Olympia Theatre This Summer For a Strictly Limited Run

Directed by Matthew Dunster & Isabel Marr

“A slick, chilling, romp of a play” The Guardian

‘A modern classic’ Sunday Times

Producer Runaway Entertainment is delighted to announce the stellar cast for the critically acclaimed, smash hit, supernatural thriller 2:22 - A Ghost Story opening at Dublin’s 3Olympia Theatre this summer for its debut Irish performances.

Shona McGarty (Eastenders) will play Jenny, Jay McGuiness (The Wanted, BIG! The Musical, Rip It Up), who is currently on the UK tour in 2:22 - A Ghost Story, will play Ben, Colin O'Donoghue (Once Upon A Time, The Tudors, The Right Stuff, The Gray House) will play Sam with Laura Whitmore (Love Island, Finding Joy, Queenie, and Jenny in 2.22: A Ghost Story in her West End debut) stepping into the role of Lauren.

The very special, standalone Irish production, produced for Dublin’s 3Olympia Theatre, will open on Thursday 20th June 2024 with performances until Sunday 11th August 2024 - for a strictly limited run only.

Full list of performances below. Age Suitability: 12+ 

Tickets priced from €26.50 including booking fee and €1.50 restoration levy on sale now with Ticketmaster Ireland

2:22 - A Ghost Story began in summer 2021 at the Noël Coward Theatre, starring Lily Allen, Julia Chan, Hadley Fraser and Jake Wood, and where it won the WhatsOnStage award for Best Play. It then transferred to the Gielgud Theatre for 10 weeks from 4 December 2021. The production there starring Stephanie Beatriz, James Buckley, Elliot Cowan and Giovanna Fletcher completed its run on 12 February 2022. For the first season at the Criterion (May - September 2022) the cast was Tom Felton, Mandip GIll, Sam Swainsbury and Beatriz Romilly. In late September Laura Whitmore, Matt Willis, Felix Scott and Tamsin Carroll took over. 

The box office record-breaking run at the Lyric starring Cheryl, Jake Wood, Scott Karim, and Louise Ford, concluded its run on 23 April. The West End season at the Apollo Theatre starred Sophia Bush, Frankie Bridge, Ricky Champ, Clifford Samuel and Jaime Winstone, and set off on its UK tour in Autumn 2023 with Joe Absolom, Charlene Boyd, Nathaniel Curtis and Louisa Lytton in the cast. Current cast on the UK tour: Vera Chok (Lauren); Jay McGuiness (Ben); George Rainsford (Sam); Fiona Wade (Jenny).

2:22 is written by award-winning writer Danny Robins, creator of the hit BBC podcast The Battersea Poltergeist, and is directed by Matthew Dunster and Isabel Marr; it’s an adrenaline-filled night where secrets emerge and ghosts may or may not appear…

Danny Robins said: ‘I'm really looking forward to seeing how Dublin audiences respond to 2:22 this summer. The tour continues to be a great success and I can't think of a better place to round off the journey in 2024 than here with a brand new cast to be announced soon!'

What do you believe? And do you dare discover the truth?

“THERE’S SOMETHING IN OUR HOUSE. I HEAR IT EVERY NIGHT, AT THE SAME TIME"

Jenny believes her new home is haunted, but her husband Sam isn’t having any of it. They argue with their first dinner guests, old friend Lauren and new partner Ben. Can the dead really walk again? Belief and scepticism clash, but something feels strange and frightening, and that something is getting closer, so they’re going to stay up... until 2:22... and then they’ll know.

2:22 - A Ghost Story features set design by Anna Fleischle, costume design by Cindy Lin, lighting design by Lucy Carter, sound by Ian Dickinson for Autograph Sound and illusions by Chris Fisher. Casting by Matilda James.

2:22 - A Ghost Story is produced by Tristan Baker and Charlie Parsons for Runaway Entertainment, Isobel David and Kater Gordon.  [source]      

[coquelicoq]

i've been dying for a poll option ever since i saw my followers' answers to that text post from february 2022 asking people whether they pronounce beloved as "be-lov-ed" or "be-loved". many people were emphatic about only using one option, and many others use both but were not always able to articulate when they use 2 syllables vs. 3. so out of the goodness of my heart and my insatiable lust for knowledge i have gone through the notes on that post and written down some likely contenders! you're welcome!!!!

BEFORE YOU ANSWER! think about how you would pronounce beloved in the following syntactic contexts:

noun, talking directly to the beloved: hey there beloved

noun, talking about rather than to the beloved: my beloved lives in a pineapple under the sea

adjective in a noun phrase: my beloved x lives in a pineapple under the sea

verb participle: x is beloved by y

okay poll time! there are no wrong answers!! and apologies in advance if i didn't capture your truth, i only had 10 options and life is a rich tapestry!!

[tomorrowusa]

One of Putin's goals with his illegal invasion of Ukraine was to extend the cultural influence of the Russian world. That has been a bigger failure than his military disaster.

Ukraine's language situation is complex. But about 20% of the population is primarily Russian speaking and a majority of the population can understand Russian – a legacy of Soviet imperialism.

Russia used to be a major source of music. That changed bigtime in February of 2022. Putin has unintentionally created a boom in Ukrainian music.

Prior to February 2022, YouTube’s rankings in Ukraine were overwhelmed by Russian-language songs, which occupied up to 75% of top chart positions. Ukrainian-language music struggled for visibility, making up just 10% of the weekly top 100. But in the months since Russia’s assault began, homegrown Ukrainian acts have rapidly overturned this imbalance. They now account for 65% of YouTube’s top slots in the country, while Russian musicians have been largely purged from the charts, Ekonomichna Pravda writes.

січня = January квітень = April липень = July жовтень = October

The war appears to have enriched Ukrainian performers financially as well. Best Music, a Ukrainian publishing company, reported one its top artists earning 248% more from streaming services in the third quarter of 2022 compared to 2021. Other leading singers saw quarterly streaming revenues in the $18,000 range.

Russian language and culture have taken it on the chin in most parts of the world – but especially in Ukraine.

In Ukraine, you can now officially write Russia and words related to it in lower case.

Ukraine Allows Russia-Related Words To Be Written In All Lowercase

So presumably your Ukrainian spell checker won't ding you if you type росія instead of Росія (Russia), путін instead of Путін (Putin), or москва instead of Москва (Moscow).

Putin is doing for Ukrainian culture what he's also done for NATO.

[foxes-that-run]

2014 Haylor Timeline

Timeline Tag, or years, back to 2013.

1 January - Taylor wrote say don’t go

2 - 4 January - Harry and Kendall Skiing with Jeff and his GF

6 January Lover Journal January 6, 2014, LA: Taylor decides to move to NY “dating is awful”. Reports KUWK producers wanted to film Harry and Kendall and Harry said no.

16 January - Harry seen at pool, then eagles concert in LA on 17th Harry puts his arm around Kendall at Eagles Concert. Kathy Griffiths said he was wasted, said that Tom hanks joked about wanting to drive Harry rehab and that he didn’t stay with Kendall inside. 18th Jarry at sundance festival

19 January - Harry covered "things I can't" with bible and Silver Spoon tattoo's. 20th in LA

21 January - I know places written, then Welcome to NY, you are in Love. Ryan Tedder said Harry was in the Studio then also.

25 January - Lover Journal: January 25, 2014, LA - after Clive Davis Grammy party at night that she never felt better about their chances of winning a Grammy. Rumour Harry seen with Kendall.

26 January - Red doesn't win Grammy, Taylor decides to make 1989 sonically cohesive

2 February - Harry’s 20th birthday, he told stern in 2022 that when he was 20 he felt like every decision in his adult life had been made as a democracy till that point and felt he should make decisions. Daily Mail he spent birthday with Kendall Jenner, his cousin said he is always the dumpee.

9 February - Clean written

11 February - Taylor gets haircut, Harry seen backstage, she then writes Shake it off. He writes Stockholm Syndrome

14 February - Taylor posted "there's nothing like real love"

15, 17, 18th - Harry seen in London

18 February - Kendall at London Fashion Week, Harry goes to Cara's show not hers, in the BUA the next week "Harry purposely didn’t go to the Topshop show or have his planned party so people wouldn’t speculate about him and Kendall,”

19 February -Taylor writes Style in LA. Harry later to collect Brit because he was in bathroom. Rumour he was smoking with Nick G, Harry left after party with his mum, Zayn and Louis not there.

20 February - Harry arrives in LA in afternoon.

21 February - Harry at Sushi Dream with his mum and Robin, later dinner with Jeff, may be the date Charlie Puth tweeted about him.

22 February - Lover Journal February 22, 2014, LA, Been in the studio with Max, Shake it off, has been in Conway Studios all week. Taylor walks on beach with Lorde. Ariana Grande also recording album with JALBOYH in Conway Studios, Max Martin working on both records. Harry MIA in day, then at same Miley concert, Kendall goes separately. Harry and Kendall BUA, work commitments

24 February Harry got anatomical heart tattoo (a real heart for a real love) HSA Publishing Limited (UK company) (private limited company) this is harry’s publishing company was incorporated in February 25, 2014 and is the publisher of JALBOYH

25 February - Article about Harry having written with John Legend and on 20 songs away from the band, says he had worked with Alex & Sierra

1 March - Both at Oscars party. Karlie Kloss flies from Paris to LA.

2 March - Harry seen in LA, then disappeared for 10 days, then LA again. 1D on break.

3 March - Taylor at vanity fair party

4 March - Alex & Sierra posts photo of Meredith in Taylor’s LA home. Harry wrote I love you for them and this was like meeting him about that, Taylor later confirmed she heard it. Harry seen Culver city

5 March - Harry tweets ‘hands on the wheel’ when Taylor posted the photos from the weekend starting with a photo with Ed and others at vanity fair “this weekend was like..” and including a road trip to big sur with Karlie. Karlie has posted daily till she arrived in LA then started again when Taylor posted her photos. Who took the photos? A tumblr user assumed they stayed at Deetjen's Big Sur Inn resort because someone who took a photo in the same place did, maybe, the hotel is 4 star.

7 March - Taylor publicist Paula Erickson resigns, she provided 60 day notice but announced 2 weeks before took affect. Release said taking PR in-house. This reddit post has good analysis suggesting the split may have been because of the rise of Taylor’s image as a serial dater. There was a page six article that may have come from the publicist that Taylor’s parents were hard to work with.

12, 13 March - Harry had dinner alone in LA, Kendall on date with someone else down the street. Harry’s motorbike broke down, he looked sad, guy who came to help mad. 15 March LA

18 March - Harry back in London

19 March - Liam and Harry take fan who won competition out to dinner at Sanctum Soho Hotel London

24 March - Lover Journal: March 24, 2014, New York; Moved to Tribeca, never felt more busy. One Direction filmed You and I music video at Clevedon Pier Somerset

25 March - Harry The Ace Hotel Shoreditch with Ed and Lou Teasdale for a book launch. 1D tour rehearsals

27 March - 1D Where we are tour rehearsals London. (27 & 28) 1D Camden London recording. MH plays call or delete with Nick Grimshaw and calls Niall and Harry, he says he has Niall’s number because he is writing a song for one direction and that he had never spoken to Harry before (but had his number and Harry recognised his voice.) MH asks to borrow £5k and Harry agrees. Harry probably knew he was on Nick Grimshaw. Harry and Niall seen in rehearsals in England.

2, 3 April - Harry London

17, 22, 23 April - Harry seen in LA

8 April - page six article maybe put out by Taylor’s resigned publicist that says Taylor’s parents are difficult to work with and says her business manager also resigned.

22 April - HS in LA at Sharks game with Jeff

25 April - 5 October - 1D Where we are Tour. South American dates till 11 May.

26 April - Harry Fern Tattoos, healed, covering "Might as well..."

29 April - Matty Healy's mum says MH is writing a song for 1D

4 May - Taylor attends met gala and later features this dress of ‘old Taylor’ in LAYMMD, marked start of 1989. 1D in Argentina.

7 May - One direction bread van to Christ the redeemer in TV special. Earlier Harry drunk at the hotel pool, floated his hat in the sea and Brazil! Tattoo. 1D sue over condoms using their name, MTV says it means fans will “never ever sleep with Harry Styles”

8 May - One Direction record Change your ticket in Fasano Hotel, (2:12) Rio De Janeiro. The TV Special shows Niall working out the lyrics and Harry recording WDBHG (2:25) also, though the hotel is not credited for WDBHG. In 2016 Matty Healy messily said he had been asked for a song for Four which wasn't used and felt Change Your Ticket was similar to guitars on the 1975 Girls. 1975 or MH never pursued it other than the shade. MH said to Capital FM he heard change your ticket before it came out and asked to take guitars off he didn’t write on it.

11 May - 1D tour break till 23 May, working on Four.

17 May - Taylor on tour break in NYC, working on 1989. Taylor seen most days in NYC in May.

17 & 20 May - Harry seen LA

24 May - One Direction (headliner) and Ed Sheeran play Radio 1 Big weekend in Glasgow. Ed wrote 18 this week. Liam said they had a show in another country the night before and that night. Taylor leaves NYC not seen for 6 days until Japan 31 May. 23 May - 13 July Europe 1D dates.

26 - 28 May - One Direction break, Taylor MIA. Harry in London and plays celebrity football game on 26th. After scoring a penalty shot Harry hugged Niall then kissed his heart tattoo.

27 May - footage of Zayn and Louis smoking weed in a car leaked, filmed in April. Harry quoted in media being annoyed they let it be filmed. Ed Sheeran live on Britans got talent, Simon Cowell asked for a 1D song, Ed declined then wrote 18 the next day.

30 May - Lover Journal: May 30, 2014, Shanghai 1989 cover art. 2 June - Tokyo, then asian dates till 12 June. Taylor arrives at a commercial airport with so many fans it’s talked about 10 years later… and held up as why she flies private when she had owned a jet for years… Harry Manchester show.

31 May - Tree Paine starts as Taylor’s publicist.

7 June - rumour Harry was getting dual citizenship

8 June - 1D had 5 day break starting in London then Stockholm on the 13th. Heart kiss in You and I

11 June - Harry sent a fan a video for her wedding “"You don't have to go through with this, you know all men cheat these days and it usually happens pretty fast. It’s not too late, I’m going to be waiting at Orli’s in Borehamwood for the next three hours. If you don’t come I’ll understand but that’s where I’ll be.”

12 June - Red Tour ends in Singapore, then seen most days in NYC till the 20th.

18 June - Taylor adopted Olivia Bensen, model Steph Smith with her, Steph posts to instagram and follows both Harry and Taylor that day. Harry can be heard laughing in this video. Harry not seen, but in Copenhagen the day before and day after in London

19 June - Harry in London dressed the same as in the Four booklet

20 June - Taylor seen in NYC then not again for 10 days till 30th. 1D Paris

2 July - Ariana Grande talks about Harry writing JALBOYH. She says it's a beautiful song he's an amazing songwriter.

4 July - Taylor squad party at RI. 1D had a show in Switzerland.

13 July - Taylor water gun patrol at High Watch RI. Last time she is papped there for 10 years.

17 July - Harry and Paige at same GQ party.

20 July - Harry at Anne and Robins wedding UK

31 July - Harry in LA, not seen on 28th. Taylor NYC

March - September - Harry wrote for Four: stockholm, Where do broken hearts go, I love you (Alex and Sierra) & Little bit of your heart.

1 August - 5 October - 1D US/Canada dates.

2 August - Taylor played 1989 for Harry. Harry followed Jack Antonoff on Twitter the next day. 2 November Harry said he spent a week in the US and then played daytime TV for the rest of break.

14 August - Taylor wore black and white rose dress on Tonight show with jimmy Fallon, prompting rumors 1989 will be called Roses

18 and 20 August - 18th seen with fans in US, Harry MIA on 20th

19 August - Shake it off released, 1989's lead single with Hella Good Hair line.

24 August - 1D show in Dallas where a fan has a “Harry you have hella good hair”’poster Harry grins at. Harry comes back (he first sees it at 1:03) to point, thumbs up and again smile at the sign.

23 and 25 August - Harry in Nashville. JALBOYH released.

26 August - 1D in LA for Ellen, then Chicago then disappeared

20 - 25 August - Taylor in LA, MIA till 3 September

30 August - Heart Kiss you and I

31 August - 9 September - Harry MIA, only seen LAX 5 September then appears in London on 9th.

3 September - Ariana says she nearly refused to record JALBOYH

When asked whether she felt pressure recording a song written by Harry, Ariana said, "No, I was more intimidated because he recorded a demo for me so I could learn the song. I was like, "I don't know if I wanna touch this song.'" She has previously said ""I remember when I heard it I was like 'Wow that's a really strong verse, that's really beautiful' and then the [pre-chorus], I was like 'wow that's a really beautiful pre, that's a really strong pre!' and then the chorus I was like crying!"

3 September - Taylor arrives in London wearing the New York sweater she wears in the Reputation Magazine polaroid for Dancing with our Hands Tied. The Rep photo looks to be taken in her London rental she had in 2017, it's unclear when it was rented.

3 - 14 September - Taylor seen in London till 7th, then MIA till NYC on 14th (i.e. both go from LA to London and MIA for a week) Niall said they had 10 days off and didn’t see each other.

8 September - Taylors 1989 Rolling Stone Interview where she said it was infatuation, RS said she sounded jaded.

11 September - Rolling Stone things you learn hanging out with Taylor Swift included:

"“I think the way I used to approach relationships was very idealistic,” she says. “I used to go into them thinking, ‘Maybe this is the one — we’ll get married and have a family, this could be forever.’ Whereas now I go in thinking, ‘How long do we have on the clock — before something comes along and puts a wrench in it, or your publicist calls and says this isn’t a good idea?'”

13 September - One Direction - Rose Bowl Los Angeles, during You and I on “did they ever hold each other tight like us?” Harry kissed the heart then had chest pains later in the show. He ends the show visibly unwell.

14 September - Four written with Fools Gold. First day Taylor seen (NYC) in a week, last seen London. 18 September Niall mentioned a 10 day break and again said the band didn’t see each other on break.

19 and 20 September - both play the iHeartRadio festival, on the 19th Taylor played WANGB, IKYWT, Love Story with a speech about Romeo & Juliet and a lot of pointing 22 and Shake it off. and 1D on the 20th, Harry kissed the heart tattoo in Little Things.

23 September - Harry, Niall, Altoid girl go to bars including a gay bar, Harry and girl rode a mechanical bull together. fan reports she had a boyfriend and hired to show them around Austin.

25 September - Nola 1D concert 1D 2 hours late and helicopter out immediately after show, fans wonder if the night Zayn threw Liam against wall.

Late September Harry had US shows, he kissed his heart tattoo un Better than words (4:23) and was in a great mood. Taylor wasn't seen until NY the day of that show. Harry’s instagram goes b&w between 24 September and 23 October. Out of the woods released 14 October, may refer to screaming colour lyric? Taylor posted about screaming colour. Also over 28 sept anniversary

4 October - Lou Teasdale shares photo of Harry’s braids

6-11 October - Taylor in Paris and london

8 October - Harry pumpkin picking with Erin Foster. E news “It's unlikely it will ever become serious, but they are casually dating whenever they are in the same place at the same time and it works for both of them. Meanwhile, their outing was PDA-free and didn't seem to hint that any sort of romance was brewing.”

10 October - Taylor performed Riptide performance on BBC 1 with the lyric "I love you when you're singing that song / And I got a lump in my throat / 'Cause you're gonna sing the words wrong"

12 October - Harry threw up on side of the road in LA and sign put up. He had been at lily Allen’s party the night before. Press included quotes from Ed that Harry didn’t drink in the US

24 October  - Taylor MTV You are in Love is about Jack and Lena, who didn't know and her body language is guarded. Recorded this date.

27 October - 1989 released, Taylor NY. 1D Film Night Changes  MV

1 November - Harry wore the Saint Laurent coat in November - December 2014. In 2016, He choose it, now with a lipstick stain, as one of '12 prized possessions', “I was leaving breakfast in London wearing this coat. I thought the girl was biting me. She was lovely.”

4 November - Taylor pulls her entire discography off Spotify over period that artists would not earn royalties. Harry said a month ago at an Airport a reporter said "Do you have any Nudes on the cloud?!" I said "yeah, loads." 

5 November - Taylor Posts a video of herself lip syncing to Kendrick Lamars Backseat Freestyle

8 November - Taylor liked a tumblr post of Matty Healy wearing a 1989 t-Shirt on stage.

10 November - Taylor wore the Butterfly and Reputation Snake Ring in the Blank Space Music video.

13 November - Harry's mermaid tattoo. “I am a mermaid”

14 November - sad guardian 1D interview

15 November - Taylor in NY, Harry records Band Aid in London. Throughout November and December Louis and Liam seem annoyed with Harry and talk over him. Many consider this the point Harry told the band he would not renew his contract, the band tensions were high from this point. See One Direction break up deep dive on Reddit.

17 November - One Direction releases Four. Perform Today show in Orlando live, Zayn missing. Filmed Four TV special. Released the Four Hangout where Harry describes the Stockholm Syndrome muse (TS) a Nympho and talks about writing from personal experience. At 31 mins Niall says WDBHG is his favourite 1D song, Harry says thank you and Niall hugs him. Harry agrees, then says best song ever then gotta be you One Direction song which (in the background) Harry adds "well done Tyler." Niall adds "your boyfriend’s back." (The boys had rhyming nicknames for each other, Tyler Swift was Taylor’s name in The Man) Change your ticket announced as bonus track on ultimate edition.

19 November - Harry and Taylor go to a 1975 concert together, ET reported they went back stage together. Change your ticket (which MH claimed was too similar to Girls after  1D did not use a song MH submitted for Four. Us weekly reports Haylor talking again.

23 November - Harry looks in Taylors direction while performing, she points at him in her performance and he makes heart eyes/whistles at Taylors AMA’s speech. Harry stayed in LA an extra day to go to Taylor's mini post-AMAs part while 1D went to Australia. (Canyon Moon vibes).

30 November  - Taylor arrives London

1 December - Harry, Kendall and Cara at British Fashion Awards in London, the day of that photo of him at top of stairs.

2 December- Taylor performs Style at VS show and completely slays. Harry joins them at the VS after party and leave 5 mins apart. (So it Goes, pick you up, leak vibes) Taylor posted photos with Ariana also, JALBOYH was still charting. Taylor wears a similar outfit in the I don’t wanna live forever video with Zayn. This was also the first time Style was played live!

4 December - Taylor returns to NY

5 December - rumours Taylor at 1975 concert

Early December- Harry follows Xander Ritz on Instagram. Xander is a lacrosse player who is close friends with Harry and seen a lot in late 2015 and 2017/2018, there are ships of them. Xander is now married to Jacquelyn. Harry is still seen with his brother Maxwell. Max and Xander co-own the Loyalist in Brooklyn. The loyalist is a high end brand integration company. Like Taylor, Xander is from Philadelphia and his family is still there. He was seen with Jeff a lot and rumoured Jeff introduced them.

6 December - Taylor has laryngitis at Jingle Bell Ball. Matty Healy has a meltdown on stage, crying, lying down and is eventually dragged off stage. In 2015 he said this was about girl stuff, drug stuff, financial stuff. In 2016 is said "“Yeah. Absolutely. And the reason I mention that is because if I had gone out with Taylor Swift I would’ve been, ‘F***ing hell! I am NOT being Taylor Swift’s boyfriend.’ You know, ‘F***. THAT.’ That’s also a man thing, a demasculinizing, emasculating thing.”

8 December - Blind "The B- list celebrity offspring of two of the worst celebrity parents ever has been hooking up the past few weeks with the lead singer of the band that Taylor Swift loves. Apparently they sent Taylor a pic of themselves naked in bed together." (Ali Lohan (Dina and Michael)/Matty Healy “The 1975″)

9 December - one direction RTL episode where the band is angry at Harry, especially this section, where Liam seems drunk and talks about new experiences (shading Harry for saying he won’t continue 1D maybe) later in the interview says “we should have written a song about beards” and Louis said “or hair in general” and with a mocking look to Harry “har, har”, (possibly shading Harry for Matty Healy's meltdown the night before.) This was followed by a lot of interviews with Liam and Louis reacting to Harry like this and some they gave separate interviews.

12 December - Taylor performs the Z100 Jingle Bell Ball, with IKYWT over midnight to her birthday and during Shake it Off she gives a breathless sounding 'it's my birthday' she points to the left of the stage to say guy with the hella good hair. Harry was in Spain for Los40 Spain. Rob Sheffield writes a piece about just Harry (not band) in Rolling Stone which is positively glowing.

13 December - Taylor has a party in her apartment. Harry is in France for the NRG Awards. Tweets asking the media to stop having her date her friends (MH & KK)

15 December - one direction performs WDBHG with Ronnie Wood on xfactor UK final

19 December - Harry at the Bowery Hotel again, wears the Another Man 12 Prized Possessions coat that later has lipstick

22 December - Harry in Central Park, wearing Saint Laurent coat

21 December - Harry seen with Nadine Leopold and wears her jacket and carrying her bags. Sun reports things “heating up” with happy photos. The same night there are photos of Harry pointing and yelling angrily at 2am in the east village in the jacket with bags.

24 December - Tabloid media about Ali Lohan/MH

26 December - Taylor wears opal ring thought to be from Harry.

30 december- Taylor morning show and says about Style “This song is about a relationship that is never really done. you always have that person who you feel like might interrupt your wedding and say ‘don’t do it because we’re not over!” I compared it to person comes in and out and never really go out of style with a smile. Asked if the person sings she says she wants fans to picture their ex-BF not hers.

Continue to 2015

[waitmyturtles]

Turtles Catches Up With Old GMMTV: The Bad Buddy Rewatch Edition, Part 0.5 -- The BBS Meta Series Preamble

[What’s going on here? After joining Tumblr and discovering Thai BLs through KinnPorsche in 2022, I began watching GMMTV’s new offerings -- and realized that I had a lot of history to catch up on, to appreciate the more recent works that I was delving into. From tropes to BL frameworks, what we’re watching now hails from somewhere, and I’m learning about Thai BL's history through what I’m calling the Old GMMTV Challenge (OGMMTVC). Starting with recommendations from @absolutebl on their post regarding how GMMTV is correcting for its mistakes with its shows today, I’ve made an expansive list to get me through a condensed history of essential/classic/significant Thai BLs produced by GMMTV and many other BL studios. My watchlist, pasted below, lists what I’ve watched and what’s upcoming, along with the reviews I’ve written so far. Today, I'm preambling a series of posts that I'll be publishing throughout November and December about my OGMMTVC rewatch of Bad Buddy and Our Skyy 2 x Bad Buddy x A Tale of Thousand Stars.]

After nearly a month of rewatching Bad Buddy and Our Skyy 2 x Bad Buddy x A Tale of Thousand Stars -- TWICE, holy shit! -- I'm finally putting pen to paper on a four-part series of BBS meta that I've been looking forward to writing nearly all year.

Before I start the series, I'd like to offer a not-so-quick preamble of how I got here. Before the birth of this Old GMMTV Challenge project, I was flitting and floating, enjoying a dalliance with Thai BLs here and there, while still mostly watching Japanese BLs, my entrée into overall Asian BL content. I started with KinnPorsche in the late summer of 2022, picked up The Eclipse after that on the recommendation of a dear mutual (@the-nihongo-adventure, I hope you're well!), and then picked up A Tale of Thousand Stars in order to prepare for my first live GMMTV fandom experience on Tumblr in early January with Moonlight Chicken.

That was the exact order by which I came to Bad Buddy, which I watched for the first time in January and February of this year, after MLC ended. I was so blown away. I thought I was a drama girlie before Bad Buddy, but it was like Bad Buddy had made me see facets of drama-making that I had never known or appreciated before. The act structure of episode 10 alone just sat me the hell down, let alone the brilliance of the overall story arc vis à vis Pat, Pran, the themes and motifs of intergenerational trauma and filial piety that I related to, down to my bones and bloodstream, and the millions of layers on this show that we could spend a lifetime parsing.

My first piece about Bad Buddy, published in February, is the post on Tumblr that I am the most proud of writing, my first post (as a relatively new Tumblr-ite) that I took days and drafts to work on. In that post, I worked out what I saw as the major theme of intergenerational trauma dominating the story landscape of Bad Buddy, framed in what I interpreted as a reflection of David Hegel's thesis-antithesis-synthesis modality of change in philosophy and art, as most poignantly reflected in Herman Hesse's Siddhartha.

In other words, y'all: I became a BBS girlie, lol.

And, partly in conversation with @miscellar, and partly by way of the just TREMENDOUS, TREMENDOUS amount of meta on Bad Buddy on Tumblr (whew, the MASTERS, @telomeke, @grapejuicegay, @dribs-and-drabbles, @airenyah, @dudeyuri, @dimplesandfierceeyes, oh my gosh, so many many more, I can't list them all!), I came to learn that Bad Buddy was a home to so many other themes, motifs, and references that honestly, my mind was blown.

For me, personally, it was ABL Sensei's original post on the newer landscape of GMMTV BLs answering to Thailand's seminal BLs, as well as @miscellar's post on BL tropes referenced and reshaped in Bad Buddy, that served as the original inspiration for the creation of the Old GMMTV Challenge project.

I needed to watch older Thai BLs to understand the landscape of how this genre was born and how it's changed and developed over time, to truly and deeply understand the impact that Bad Buddy had on me personally and artistically, and how it stands in the echelon of the Thai BL genre today, particularly by way of the influence of BBS's director, the brilliant Aof Noppharnach. I needed to know about the food that fed Bad Buddy to make Bad Buddy what it was as its own seminal drama.

So, after 32 shows and movies watched on the OGMMTVC list, I get to this moment -- my turn, my time, to pound out some BBS meta, knowing what I know now about the history of the Thai BL genre up to 2021-2022.

My four-part series of BBS meta will focus on the following:

Part 1: A look at how previous GMMTV BLs spoke to Bad Buddy in their own development, and to Bad Buddy itself. I'll take a look at the BL tropes that Bad Buddy references and reshapes. I'll touch upon Theory of Love, A Tale of Thousand Stars, Still 2gether, and many more older shows. I'll also take a look at themes in BBS that I didn't touch upon in my first BBS thesis from February 2023.

Part 2: In conjunction with my Big Meta series on themes of pain in Asian dramas, I want to take a look at the themes of pain, trust, and separation (sometimes voluntary, sometimes forced) in some Asian dramas, including Bad Buddy, Still 2gether, A Tale of Thousand Stars, Until We Meet Again, and I Promised You The Moon.

Part 3: I have had the extremely GREAT luck to engage in lengthy discussion about Bad Buddy with a number of Asian Tumblr bloggers, to discuss how we related to BBS as Asians, and what themes we could analyze from our culturally attuned and lived-in perspectives. In this meta, I'll take a look at Asian cultural touchpoints including inherited and intergenerational trauma; competition amongst one's peers; the nature of secret-keeping and what's "acceptable" to explicitly talk about in Asian family systems; and much more. (I may need to split this post into two, we'll see!)

Part 4: I'll offer some thoughts, based off of the Pain, Trust, and Separation Big Meta and the BBS Asian Cultural Touchpoints meta, on Pran leaving for Singapore, and how Thai vs. international audiences may interpret his decision to leave Thailand for two years.

I'm late to the BBS meta game, but there's no time like the present to catch the hell up. I'm happy to celebrate Bad Buddy's two-year anniversary this way, and I'm really excited that the OGMMTVC allows me to do so.

Part 1 drops later this week. Meet me at Wai's bar for a chit-chat -- and thank you for reading along!

(Tagging @dribs-and-drabbles by request! If you'd like to be tagged, please let me know! <3 )

[Here's the complete OGMMTVC watchlist as it stands today. For a more accurate look at what I've watched, please mosey over to this link!

1) The Love of Siam (2007) (movie) (review here) 2) My Bromance (2014) (movie) (review here) 3) Love Sick and Love Sick 2 (2014 and 2015) (review here) 4) Gay OK Bangkok Season 1 (2016) (a non-BL queer series directed by Jojo Tichakorn and written by Aof Noppharnach) (review here) 5) Make It Right (2016) (review here) 6) SOTUS (2016-2017) (review here) 7) Gay OK Bangkok Season 2 (2017) (a non-BL queer series directed by Jojo Tichakorn and written by Aof Noppharnach) (review here) 8) Make It Right 2 (2017) (review here) 9) Together With Me (2017) (review here) 10) SOTUS S/Our Skyy x SOTUS (2017-2018) (review here) 11) Love By Chance (2018) (review here) 12) Kiss Me Again: PeteKao cuts (2018) (no review) 13) He’s Coming To Me (2019) (review here) 14) Dark Blue Kiss (2019) and Our Skyy x Kiss Me Again (2018) (review here) 15) TharnType (2019-2020) (review here) 16) Senior Secret Love: Puppy Honey (OffGun BL cuts) (2016 and 2017) (no review) 17) Theory of Love (2019) (review here) 18) 3 Will Be Free (2019) (a non-BL and an important harbinger of things to come in 2019 and beyond re: Jojo Tichakorn pushing queer content in non-BLs) (review here) 19) Dew the Movie (2019) (review here) 20) Until We Meet Again (2019-2020) (review here) (and notes on my UWMA rewatch here) 21) 2gether (2020) and Still 2gether (2020) (review here) 22) I Told Sunset About You (2020) (review here) 23) YYY (2020, out of chronological order) (review here) 24) Manner of Death (2020-2021) (not a true BL, but a MaxTul queer/gay romance set within a genre-based show that likely influenced Not Me and KinnPorsche) (review here) 25) A Tale of Thousand Stars (2021) (review here) 26) A Tale of Thousand Stars (2021) OGMMTVC Fastest Rewatch Known To Humankind For The Sake Of Rewatching Our Skyy 2 x BBS x ATOTS (re-review here) 27) Lovely Writer (2021) (review here) 28) Last Twilight in Phuket (2021) (the mini-special before IPYTM) (review here) 29) I Promised You the Moon (2021) (review here) 30) Not Me (2021-2022) (review here)

31) Bad Buddy (2021-2022) (thesis here) 32) 55:15 Never Too Late (2021-2022) (not a BL, but a GMMTV drama that features a macro BL storyline about shipper culture and the BL industry) (review here) 33) Bad Buddy (2021-2022) and Our Skyy 2 x BBS x ATOTS (2023) OGMMTVC Rewatch (watching) 34) Secret Crush On You (2022) [watching for Cheewin’s trajectory of studying queer joy from Make It Right (high school), to SCOY (college), to Bed Friend (working adults)] 35) KinnPorsche (2022) (tag here) 36) KinnPorsche (2022) OGMMTVC Fastest Rewatch Known To Humankind For the Sake of Re-Analyzing the KP Cultural Zeitgeist 37) The Eclipse (2022) (tag here) 38) The Eclipse OGMMTVC Rewatch For the Sake of Re-Analyzing an Politics-Focused Show After Not Me 39) GAP (2022-2023) (Thailand’s first GL) 40) My School President (2022-2023) and Our Skyy 2 x My School President (2023) 41) Moonlight Chicken (2023) (tag here) 42) Bed Friend (2023) (tag here) (Cheewin’s latest show, depicting a queer joy journey among working adults) 43) Be My Favorite (2023) (tag here) (I’m including this for BMF’s sophisticated commentary on Krist’s career past as a BL icon) 44) Wedding Plan (2023) (Recommended as an important trajectory in the course of MAME’s work and influence from TharnType) 45) Only Friends (2023) (tag here)]

[mrs-monaghan]

it’s interesting seeing taekookers talk about how “taehyung is exposing his relationship with jungkook” yet if you look at it all written it, it’s actually extremely weird, all of this comes from him within the last year, and i’m sure there is things forgotten, if this was jimin doing this to jungkook he would be torn to pieces, the fanservice narratives would be spread every single second, especially with how one sided it is

april 2022:

- talks about a “trip” he took with jungkook but then shuts up as soon as jungkook arrives

- as soon as jimin sat on floor during vhopekookmin live, grabbed jk and pulled him close to him

may 2022:

- festa video, grabbed his leg and grabbed him to pull his close to him

june 2022:

- did live saying would get tattoo with jungkook

- uploaded a fake tattoo minutes after jungkook posted his real one

- posted photo of jungkook on his story during a music show recording

october:

- busan live, as soon as jimin touched him, he grabbed him and put his arm round him

november:

- live saying he was going to game with jungkook

- next day at airport said he was going to be coming with jungkook(?)

january:

- 4 minute live and mentioned jungkook

- another live, said he was gaming with jungkook

february:

- made jungkook do a instagram live with him

- did a live randomly name dropping jungkook

march:

- live stream randomly mentioning jungkook

- comments on jungkooks post randomly minutes after the jikook interaction about ramyun

april:

- car live mentions doing karaoke with jungkook

- starts a live randomly in jungkooks house seconds before leaving

- live where he mentions jungkook randomly, says he told him a song, mentions him about 10 times

- another live randomly mentions jungkook after the premiere

may:

- posts random tk selfie 3 weeks after the premiere

The most interesting part is the increase with how often it has happened since all the Taennie leak, meanwhile they continue to wear the clothes from the leaks, and post even more photos showing things from the photos which we haven’t seen before, meanwhile he at the same time is feeding Taekookers even more.

This is all just going to end up negatively on him, because one day he is going to have to reveal he is a heterosexual man.

[dreaminginthedeepsouth]

"Rule of Reason" :: Dwight D. Eisenhower

* * * * *

LETTERS FROM AN AMERICAN

May 10, 2024

HEATHER COX RICHARDSON

MAY 11, 2024

On October 31, 2020, former Trump White House advisor Steve Bannon—who had left Trump’s administration in 2017—explained to a group of people that, knowing that votes for Biden would accumulate throughout the evening as mail-in ballots were counted, Trump planned simply to declare victory on election night, seizing the presidency and claiming that any results to the contrary were an attempt to steal the election from him. “[A]t 10 or 11 o’clock Trump’s gonna walk in the Oval, tweet out, ‘I’m the winner. Game over. Suck on that,’” Bannon was recorded as saying.

That prediction was pretty much what happened, but Trump did not succeed in seizing the presidency. Next came plans to overturn the election results, and Bannon was also involved in those. Then, famously, on January 5, 2021, he predicted on his podcast that the next day, “all hell is going to break loose.”

Not surprisingly, the House select committee investigating the January 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol wanted to talk to Bannon. It subpoenaed him in September 2021 for testimony and documents. When he refused to comply, a jury found him guilty of contempt of Congress in October 2022. A judge sentenced him to four months in jail but allowed him to stay out of jail while he appealed. 

Today a three-judge panel of the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit upheld his conviction. He will not be jailed immediately; he can still appeal to a higher court. 

Another White House advisor, Peter Navarro, appealed all the way to the Supreme Court to overturn his own conviction for contempt of Congress after he, too, refused to answer a House subpoena for testimony and documents. The Supreme Court denied his appeal, and Navarro reported to prison on March 19, 2024. He has asked a federal judge to let him serve the remainder of his sentence on supervised release, so far without luck. 

Former federal prosecutor and legal analyst Joyce White Vance wrote: “Bannon is effectively out of appeals. He can delay a little bit longer, asking for the full court to review the decision en banc & asking SCOTUS to hear his case on cert, but neither one of those things will happen. Bannon is going to prison.”

Lack of information was at the heart of Bannon and Navarro’s cases; it was also at the heart of the State Department’s report to Congress about whether Israel’s strikes on Gaza have complied with international and U.S. law. National Security Memorandum (NSM)-20, which Biden signed on February 8, 2024, was designed to make sure that there are adequate safeguards and accountability when countries who have access to U.S. weapons use them. The memo required the secretary of state “to obtain certain credible and reliable written assurances from foreign governments receiving defense articles” and transmit that information to Congress. 

Issued today, the report covered seven countries in “active conflict”—Colombia, Iraq, Israel, Kenya, Nigeria, Somalia, and Ukraine—and explored whether they were using U.S. government-funded defense articles in accordance with international humanitarian law, and whether they were not “arbitrarily” denying, restricting, or otherwise impeding U.S.-backed humanitarian assistance in any areas where the country was using those U.S. defense articles.

The report noted that it’s hard to collect accurate information in a war zone. Often, the information has to come from participants or third parties, and sometimes that information comes only from the country the U.S. is supplying with weapons. It also noted that the human-rights-based Leahy Laws prohibit the U.S. from supplying weapons to a foreign military unit if the departments of state or defense have credible information that the unit has committed a gross violation of human rights, including torture, rape, extrajudicial killing, or enforced disappearance.

The report concluded that Colombia appears to be in compliance. Iraqi security forces have been credibly alleged to be violating international law, but the U.S. does not supply those units. Those it does supply have received U.S. training on compliance with international humanitarian law, and Iraqi leadership is working closely with the U.S. to professionalize. It has not restricted humanitarian aid. 

Kenya has repeatedly violated international human rights law, but it is working to come into compliance and has not misused U.S. weapons. Nigerian forces routinely use excessive force and torture. They are expanding the legal advice in the professionalizing army, and there are no credible reports of U.S. matériel used in ways that are inconsistent with international law. 

Somalia has violated humanitarian law and human rights law, arbitrarily killing and torturing people and committing sexual violence. The U.S. supplies the counterterrorism Danab Brigade of the Somali National Army and works closely with it. The State Department assesses that the brigade has not used U.S. weapons in any violations of humanitarian or human rights law. 

That leaves Israel and Ukraine.

The report begins by noting that in the October 7 attack on Israel, Hamas and other Palestinian terrorists killed an estimated 1,200 individuals, wounded more than 5,400, and took 253 hostages, including U.S. citizens. Hamas, it notes, “does not follow any portion of and consistently violates” international humanitarian law. 

Then it takes on the numbers of Palestinians killed and injured, saying that the Hamas-controlled Gaza Ministry of Health, “which international organizations generally deem credible,” estimates that 34,700 Palestinians have been killed. Another 78,200 have been wounded, “a significant percentage of whom are reported to be women and children.” The Gaza Ministry of Health does not differentiate between Hamas fighters and civilians, but Israel says that about half the 34,700 killed were Hamas fighters. The State Department says that “we do not have the ability to verify this estimate.” It also notes that “[t]he conflict has displaced the vast majority of Palestinians in Gaza and resulted in a severe humanitarian crisis.” 

The State Department notes that the U.S. government has emphasized Israeli compliance with international humanitarian law and that Israel has “institutions and processes charged with upholding” those laws. Israel has been conducting assessments, including criminal investigations, into alleged violations of international humanitarian law. 

The next paragraph, though, says that when asked, Israel shared some information that gave insight into Israel’s procedures and rules, but that information was incomplete. Among other things, “Israel has not shared complete information to verify whether U.S. defense articles covered under NSM-20 were specifically used in actions that have been alleged as violations of [international humanitarian law or international human rights law] in Gaza, or in the West Bank and East Jerusalem during the period of the report.” However, the authors concluded, because “certain Israeli-operated systems are entirely U.S.-origin (e.g., crewed attack aircraft),” they “are likely to have been involved in incidents that raise concerns about Israel’s [international humanitarian law] compliance.”

The report goes on to say that while it is difficult to determine whether specific U.S. weapons have been used improperly, “there have been sufficient reported incidents to raise serious concerns…. Given the nature of the conflict in Gaza, with Hamas seeking to hide behind civilian populations and infrastructure and expose them to Israeli military action, as well as the lack of [U.S. government] personnel on the ground in Gaza, it is difficult to assess or reach conclusive findings on individual incidents. Nevertheless, given Israel’s significant reliance on U.S.-made defense articles, it is reasonable to assess that defense articles covered under NSM-20 have been used by Israeli security forces since October 7 in instances inconsistent with its [international humanitarian law] obligations or with established best practices for mitigating civilian harm.”

The State Department says it is “not aware” of U.S. weaponry being misused. It also said that it “has had deep concerns…about action and inaction by Israel” that hampered humanitarian aid efforts and that, while that aid still is insufficient, “we do not currently assess that the Israeli government is prohibiting or otherwise restricting the transport or delivery of U.S. humanitarian assistance.” 

The report also assessed that Ukraine had occasionally violated international humanitarian law and international human rights law, torturing those suspected of collaborating with Russia, for example. The Ukraine government has committed to adhere to the rule of law. It has apparently not used U.S. weapons in those violations and has facilitated U.S. humanitarian assistance.

LETTERS FROM AN AMERICAN

HEATHER COX RICHARDSON

[idleglowingpixels]

October-December 2024 Updates - XXY, Monster High & More!

Me when I remember I have a Tumblr & AO3 I wanted to run on a regular basis, but haven't done anything with either for roughly 3 months:

ANYWAY hi, I am back on Tumblr (and soon, AO3) to drop some MAJOR updates regarding what I've been up to in my absence, my WIP fanfics, upcoming fandom stuff (mainly art but also some general theory/headcanon/etc. posts), and generally what I'm up to for the rest of this year!

Lin! Where Have You Been, Loca?!

I've been doing a lot behind the scenes! During the spring and summer, I've been working on a script for a personal project of mine. All of my writing time had been committed to it -- I've got over 400 pages of script done since March 2023! I met some new friends and reconnected with old friends too, this summer was very social for me.

I'm currently attending my first semester of college (FINALLY), and it's going well! The adjustment period was very long and tiresome, but I feel a lot better about being on top of my schoolwork and keeping things balanced. Now if only my sleep could enter the equation...

Since August started, I haven't written much at all because I was taking part in a college summer program. I wanted to have at least one chapter and/or oneshot fic completed by October, and thankfully I've manage to achieve that! It's been genuinely refreshing to return to my fanfics, and they make me wish I didn't have to be away from them for as long as I did. There's also just been so many different franchises that I've re-entered obsessions with, and would love to share with all of you. So without further ado, let's get to it!

XXY - Chapters 8-14

I have officially completed the first drafts of all 7 upcoming chapters! Editing doesn't take me very long to do, and now that I'm better adjusted to my school/work/life balance, I've been able to manage my time a little better.

To all of you who have been waiting for new chapters since Chapter 7 released, I'm so sorry for making you wait! I honestly don't know how the time from last August to now went by so fast. I still check my email regularly and seeing support from old & new fans of the fic during its extended hiatus has really helped me get back into the swing of things.

To celebrate the occasion, I wanted to provide the names of the next batch of chapters, as well as their release dates. These release dates are final, and will only be changed under extreme circumstances (WHICH WON'T HAPPEN WORLD ISTG--!!!) or if I accidentally forget what day it is (which has happened before), and in that case it'll be posted within 1-2 days after the release dates I've listed below.

Chapter 8: Gladiolus - December 7th, 2024 Chapter 9: Hyacinth - January 7th, 2025 Chapter 10: Spearmint - February 7th, 2025 Chapter 11: Coriander - March 7th, 2025 Chapter 12: Hibiscus - April 8th, 2025 Chapter 13: Violet - May 7th, 2025 Chapter 14: Jasmine Tobacco (INTERMISSION) - June 7th, 2025

Per my Monster High fics, I will also be releasing cover art for Chapters 1-7 (since I didn't get to before) throughout November, leading up to Chapter 8's release. From Ch. 8 onward, cover art for the chapters will be released the same day & on the same update posts as their respective chapters. I hope you'll be looking forward to what I have in store!

Monster High AU Updates

My Monster High AU is back from the dead with plenty of goodies this October! This year I was planning to write, draw & release a lot more for the AU, but since I haven't been able to, I wanted to make up for it during Spooky Month.

I don't have definitive release dates for this, but I have plenty of stuff I want to share, so here's a list of everything I plan on releasing throughout the next few months:

Updated Character Art & Bios: Frankie, Draculaura, Clawdeen, Cleo & Lagoona (Fun fact, I'd had everyone but Cleo done all the way back in 2022, which is why the art style differed so much from more recent drawings I'd posted!)

NEW Character Art & Bios: Clawd Wolf, Howleen Wolf, the Timberwolfs (3 characters), & a surprise character!

NEW One-Shot (With Cover Art): Taking A Lycan To New Salem

NEW Art -- Two pictures from the text conversations in Trapped By The Rain

My original plan after the main 5 ghouls was to create & release the bios of the main mansters (Deuce, Heath, Jackson/Holt, etc.), but in light of the upcoming fic release, I wanted to shift my attention to Clawdeen's siblings and the rest of their pack first. I've spent a lot of time developing them, and a couple of these characters are from G2 & G3 who I've altered to fit into my AU as seamlessly as possible! After these bios release, I do intend on returning to my versions of the mansters, as well as rounding out the rest of the lead ghouls in the ensemble cast (Including (but not limited to) Ghoulia, Abbey, Twyla and Torelai).

Since my scripts are wrapped up for the most part, I do plan on having more frequent fanfic updates for the AU in the forseeable future. How frequent? I have no idea! But I'm absolutely making this AU update much more than once a year.

Gravity Falls -- Billtober & Upcoming Fanfiction!

That's right, one of my all-time favorite TV series has re-entered my mind and I cannot contain it! Believe it or not, before XXY AND my Monster High AU, I had been planning to debut on AO3 with a Gravity Falls fanfiction.

With all that The Book Of Bill & thisisnotawebsite.com have given us lore-wise, I've had a new and revitalized version of that old fanfic idea (Name TBD). Unfortunately, due to the lack of attention I've been giving the aforementioned stories I've been working on over the last couple of years -- and because I want to release chapters once the fic is completed -- I don't (and won't) have much, if anything, to report on it in the upcoming months.

To satiate my need to make something for the show, I decided to take up the Billtober challenge created by @dailybill-cipher ! I'll be working on my sketches sporadically over the next month or so, and will post 7-8 doodles for every week that I finish. Again, this will be sporadic, so I will post whenever I have completed my personal quota!

I also have an old OC for the series I made back in high school who was in DESPERATE need for some upgrades, and whenever I finish a drawing for him, I can't wait to share his design! He'll be in my fic, but only really at the beginning and end, with an appearance here or there as the plot demands it (which is not much).

Miscellaneous

I have a Miraculous Ladybug rewrite fic in the works, whose notes have been collecting dust on my cork board, but it's something I intend to begin working on again in the next year or so. I despised S5's ending, and therefore, will not be continuing to view the series proper. I stopped at S5, so anything that has released for it after S5's finale, excluding the movie (I forgot if it released before or after the finale), I haven't seen. And I don't intend to see (I'm allowing exceptions for what I've seen already, because I need to research for my fic). But I'm really looking forward to returning to this old draft and rejuvenating it!

I may do some art for Five Nights At Freddy's in the near future? Nothing guaranteed, but I do love the franchise, so it's not like I won't talk about it ever lol. Also, I was gifted a copy of The Week Before, which besides my movie poster is my only FNAF merchandise, and OOOOOOOOOOH BOY AM I EXCITED TO RAMBLE ABOUT IT AND EVENTUALLY LET MY RAMBLES ESCAPE MY DRAFTS.

Sonic The Hedgehog 3 is dropping in December...And I will make it everyone's problem (/j). I'm highly anticipating this one, the trailers make it look great!

Ending Notes

For now, these are the main projects that I'm working on. I'm be working really hard to be better at consistent updates and such, so hopefully I won't be away as long as I was unannounced.

As always, thank you to my readers, old and new, for being patient with me. It really is appreciated and helps me continue these stories!

[marlo-noni]

10 more Liu Yuning songs I love!

This is part 3. Here are part 1 and part 2.

New Year's Song (过年的歌), 2020 Why it's good: it's so cute, happy, and festive! You may hear it in your local Asian supermarket around Lunar New Year, because it's fairly popular. The video is adorable too. I love his bandmates, A-Zhuo and Da Fei, in their costumes - Da Fei is the god of wealth (I think), and A-Zhuo looks like some longevity god? My knowledge of Chinese mythology and deities is lacking.

2. Adore (十分喜欢), 2019 Why it's good: so soft and romantic! This feels like your boyfriend, Liu Yuning, is singing a love song directly to you. It was also written by Penny Tai, who Liu Yuning would later team up with on season 3 (2021) of the variety show Our Song.

3. Obviously (明明), 2019 Why it's good: just very catchy, especially the chorus. It's the first song on his 2019 album Ten (十), and it's a good choice for that, because it hooks you in.

4. Light Years Away (光年之外), 2018 cover of a G.E.M. song for the variety show Golden Melody 2 Why it's good: this was his first music variety show performance, only 2 months after he blew up online in June 2018. He said on livestream that preparing for this was super stressful, and his vocal coach (or maybe a producer? I can't remember) was having a conniption the night before. But he knocked it out of the park! I also listened to the original G.E.M. song just now, and it's got a completely different energy. Liu Yuning totally did his own thing with it. Thanks to @thefeastandthefast for sharing this performance, and the story, with me.

5. Azure (这蔚蓝), 2024 performance on the variety show Melody Journey Why it's good: I love that chorus, with the "yi dian yi dian yi dian yi dian yi dian" ("bit by bit by bit") in it. Liu Yuning also recently talked about this performance on livestream, and how this song was out of his comfort zone, so he was incredibly nervous. Again, he knocks it out of the park.

6. Adventurer (探险家), 2018 promo song for the film Alpha Why it's good: someone once asked Tumblr OG Liu Yuning fan @heymeowmao for some recommendations of songs where Liu Yuning rocks out, and this was on the list. And yeah, I think this might be his most rocking song - the only contender I can think of is his recent performance of Chi Luo Luo with Da Zhang Wei on season 6 of Our Song. But that's for another post (if I end up doing a list of fave collabs). For now, enjoy Liu Yuning at his most rock 'n' roll!

7. A Good Guy (挺好个人呐), 2020 promo song for the film My People, My Homeland Why it's good: just quirky as hell! I haven't seen the film this was promoting, but I assume it's a retro thing, because this is a total disco throwback. The heroic voice Liu Yuning uses in it is super fun as well. I'm just glad he decided to do such a silly song.

8. Fireworks and Stars (烟火星辰), 2021 OST opening theme for You Are My Glory Why it's good: sappy-as-hell theme song for the drama where two of China's prettiest people, Dilraba and Yang Yang, get it on. Liu Yuning has done a zillion cheesy love song OSTs, but this one sticks with me for some reason. It's got the same songwriter as his OST for Love Between Fairy and Devil (寻一个你) and that Melody Journey song I love so much, Falling (掉), so I think maybe it's just this songwriter's style that I like.

9. A Good Year (一个好年), 2023 Why it's good: this is Liu Yuning's much lesser-known Lunar New Year song. It's much sweeter, more nostalgic, and less energetic than the other one, but I think I've listened to this one more. It just feels uplifting and warm in the middle of the January/February gloom here in Vancouver.

10. Fall in Love, 2022 Why it's good: I can't believe I almost forgot this one! I've listened to it so many times that it's not in my regular rotation these days. This is his danciest poppiest song. It was originally going to be the lead single on his 2nd album, but since that album still hasn't come out (here's hoping for January 2025!), he said it's officially not new enough to be on there anymore. Anyway, this song is fun as hell!

[pherryt]

* 2023 Writing Summary

Total Words Written: 295,823 AO3 Wordcount***: 273,755

Best Month (somehow): February at 43,422 words Worst Month: November with 12,177 words

Highest Day: 5904 words Lowest Non Zero day: 2 words Daily Average: 815 words

Total 0 days: 107

*** reminder that AO3 Wordcount doesn't match for 2 reasons. ***

My spreadsheet tracks all words written in that year, posted or not, while AO3 obviously only shows the posted BUT will use words from previous years if a story started during a previous year was finished during the next.

Fic Breakdown: 37 Posted Fics

18 Witcher

9 One Piece

5 Crossovers

4 Supernatural

1 MHA

Top 5 Fics by Hits:

Matter of Convenience - 20,431 hits. Witcher, Rated E, longfic

A Swordsman Walks Into a Bar - 5219 hits. One Piece, Rated E, Oneshot

Not All Mushrooms are for Eating - 4049 hits. One Piece, Rated E, Linked drabbles

When the Captain Walks Into the Galley - 3900 hits. One Piece, Rated E, Oneshot sequel to Swordsman (above)

Lunchtime is for Talking, Not Eating... Apparently - 3419 hits. Witcher, Rated T. Part 10 of a series

Fic Lengths

3 long fics (78k, 42k, 28k - 2 of these i'd been working on since 2022 at least)

12 medium length fics (5-10k)

22 short fics (3k and less)

A lot of these fics ONLY happened because of events during the year such as @reverseprompts @spncoldesthits @thewitcherflashfic @save-a-witcher-bingo @smubbles-etc and more

Thank you for everyone who encouraged me this year! I really needed it!

Also, i have noticed i never did one of these last year so i'll need to put one of those together too i guess.

@loki-is-my-kink-awakening thanks for the tag! enjoy :D

[coochiequeens]

A man with a disabled wife and an autistic child "took contol of a situation" that left their house without working pipes in their bathroom. Instead he focused on his TQ+ blog using his child as a prop

By Reduxx Team February 19, 2024

CONTENT NOTICE: This article contains graphic descriptions of child neglect involving human waste and may not be considered safe for work. Reader discretion is appreciated.

A trans-identified male and his wife have been accused of endangering the welfare of a child after their 10-year-old autistic son was reportedly found in “squalid” conditions. Robert Eugene Plummer, 45, who identifies as transgender and uses the name Kirstyn Piper, and his wife Amy Plummer, 46, were arrested in Ocean County, New Jersey on charges endangering the welfare of their young son.

Reduxx has obtained details of the disturbing incident from the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office, revealing that the New Jersey Division of Child Protection and Permanency (DCPP) was first contacted on December 8.

According to a sworn affidavit written by an Ocean County Detective, the DCPP was informed by a nurse at the child’s elementary school that there were “ongoing concerns” for the child’s hygiene and appearance.

DCPP workers went to the child’s residence, and observed horrifying conditions. They noted that the bathroom was “covered in feces” and that there were multiple Home Depot buckets placed around the residence, specifically in the hallway, filled with human waste.

DCPP deemed the residence was in “deplorable conditions,” and noted a number of other safety issues in the home. Police were then notified and the child was immediately removed from the home.

On December 11, a Detective with the Ocean County Police Department interviewed the child, who revealed that he had been living in those conditions for one year.

The child explained that the toilet did not flush, and his parents would simply wait for the toilet to fill with feces before scooping the waste out into buckets. He was unable to bathe because the bathtub was also full of feces, and had been getting bullied at school due to his poor hygiene.

Police then spoke with the child’s mother, Amy Plummer, who stated that there had been problems with the pipes in their home since March of 2022. She stated she would take the child to a nearby convenience store to defecate and wash when possible.

Amy explained she suffered from multiple physical disabilities, hindering her from walking too far, and had no income, preventing her from hiring a plumber.

She noted that the child’s father, a trans-identified male who uses the name “Kirstyn Piper” Plummer, had “taken control” of the issue and refused to seek help from anyone, the problem becoming increasingly worse over time.

In the affidavit, Kirstyn Piper, born Robert, is referred to using “she/her” pronouns. An arrest warrant shows Robert was classified as a “female.”

Following the interviews, Supervising Assistant Prosector Christine Lento approved charging both Amy and Kirstyn Piper with Endangering the Welfare of Children. The two were booked into the Ocean County Jail on December 12, and were released on December 19 pending trial.

According to the Prosecutor’s Office, their next hearing is scheduled in March.

The Plummers are vocal trans activists and have frequently posted to social media about their support for gender identity ideology and “LGBTQ+ issues.” Their foray into activism appears to have begun after Robert began identifying as a “lesbian woman” sometime in 2020.

Instagram posts made by Robert via his photography business use hashtags such as #lesbianpride, #transpride, #transgirl, and #savetranskids. Robert also appears to have produced and sold stickers and merchandise featuring the slogan “protect trans kids.” In some photos, his son is seen wearing a shirt reading “I Love My Two Mommies.”

A sticker designed by the Plummers.

The couple also had been running a blog, which has since been deleted, where they had posted about raising their son, who was diagnosed with autism in 2016.

Reduxx is withholding the information on both the Plummer’s blog and Robert’s social media accounts in order to protect the dignity and privacy of the child involved.

In February of 2023, Robert penned a blog entry about the importance of exposing children to “LGBTQ+ issues and transgender rights” from an early age.

“As caregivers, it’s our responsibility to provide a safe and inclusive environment for our children, regardless of their gender identity or sexual orientation. By exposing them to diverse perspectives and experiences, we can help them understand and appreciate the unique struggles that people from different communities face,” Robert wrote.

“Introducing our children to LGBTQ+ issues and transgender rights can also help break down harmful stereotypes and stigmas that may exist in society. Normalizing conversations around these topics can create a more accepting and compassionate world for all individuals.”

Robert Plummer.

Photos and videos uploaded to Robert’s various social media accounts indicate that he and his wife Amy had taken their son to LGBT-themed events on multiple occasions.

Disturbingly, Reduxx also discovered that Robert had been following an account on X that publishes “age regression” transgender fiction.

The account, @darkkitten123, bears the name “Ashleigh McGregor,” and links to a Patreon page where two individuals, at least one of whom is a trans-identified male, self-publish fictional stories about little boys being transformed into girls.

A significant portion of stories written by “Dark Kitten” incorporate adolescent and preteen characters, as well as themes of furrydom. The style follows a format for a genre known as “sissification,” in which the intended male audience finds erotic pleasure in the humiliation of a boy or adult man being forced to dress or behave in a stereotypical feminine manner.