#linguistic execution

[the-most-humble-blog]

“There’s Always One.” A Blacksite Literature™ Reply Without Replying <div style="white-space:pre-wrap">

There’s always one.

The type who tries to debate the thunder in a lightning storm. Then gets confused when the ground doesn’t reply.

They read “humility looks better on me than it ever will on you” and forget where they are.

Not in a classroom. Not on Reddit. Not in some safe little think-piece zone where cleverness gets you cookies.

But here — On a page that rearranges your nervous system without your consent.

They try to be clever. Try to “catch the bit.” Try to name the satire like they’ve solved something.

But satire wasn’t hiding. It was staring them in the face — with a mouth full of smoke and a halo made of flame.

Don’t worry. I saw you. I saw the little “gotcha” curled in your throat like a worm thinking it invented irony.

I just chose silence. Let you send yourself to bed without dessert.

Because sometimes, that’s the bigger humiliation.

Not being destroyed. Not being named. Just being ignored by thunder because you never held lightning to begin with. </div>

🧠 CTA:

Reblog if you’ve ever watched someone trip over their own wit trying to touch a storm. Like if your silence ever made someone realize they weren’t part of the conversation — just background noise.

[tower-of-hana]

On the Official Language Executive Order

I have seen people talking about the executive order to make English the official language of America and I would like to clarify that while this is obviously racist the only actual effect of the order is that government agencies don't have to include other languages in their material.

[inmedicalres]

So, I need a linguistics nerd who likes fantasy willing to read some sections of my WIP. One of my characters has a super-over-powered Gift of Tongues and I want to make sure my book is playing with wtf would that even *mean* in a way that is fun for real linguistic people.

[diamondnokouzai]

i hate descriptivism i hate descriptivism

[veal-exe]

I saw a post earlier, I will not be appending my response to that post to the post itself, but I did want to touch upon it.

The post was about how trans men and transmasculine people afab don't have any media tropes that are, we'll say, problematic for them, the way that the 'funny man in a dress' trope is trans-misogynistic, I wanted to discuss that and lay that claim to rest.

Below I will be discussing some tropes in media that affect trans masculine people afab. Some may be worse than others, some accidental, some maybe on purpose, but I've compiled them because I think it's important to understand that just how the harmful tropes aimed at masculine people afab do exist, they just differ in their execution.

DISCLAIMER: If I have worded anything poorly in this post please tolerate it, English is my fourth language and it can be overwhelming to attempt linguistic perfection or the performance of it for native English Speaker.

EDIT: tumblr really messed my layout and formatting up, sorry for that but I'm not fixing it unless I really need to.

1. “Tomboy Gets a Makeover” = Suddenly She’s Worth Something (AKA: Now She’s Fuckable)

This one’s everywhere. You’ve got a character who’s rough around the edges, usually wears hoodies, maybe doesn’t shave, maybe doesn’t even care what people think. And the story punishes her for that. Until someone (usually a fairy godmother or mean girl turned ally) shoves her into a dress, puts some gloss on her lips, straightens her hair...

and then she’s finally seen as beautiful, desirable, and valid.

The core message? Your masculinity is temporary, and your value doesn’t actually exist until you conform to traditional femininity. You weren’t lovable, datable, or even visible until you softened up and got pretty.

This trope tells young people AFAB:

You're not enough unless you perform femininity

Your gender nonconformity is a flaw to fix

If you're not seen as sexy in the "right" way, you're invisible

And this sticks. Especially for transmascs, who grew up seeing their natural instincts or styles treated like a before picture.

Examples:

The Princess Diaries – Mia goes from “invisible frizzy nerd” to prom-queen level once her hair is flat and her legs are waxed.

A Cinderella Story – Sam’s baggy clothes are treated like a shield for her insecurity, until she shows up in a dress and suddenly earns male attention.

The Breakfast Club – Allison is artsy and weird and quietly masc... until she’s quite literally pink-washed and given a makeover so she can be datable.

She's All That – Laney is cool and self-possessed in her own way, but the movie waits until she’s in a red dress and contacts to take her seriously.

Meteor Garden – Shan Cai’s toughness is tolerable, but she’s still only framed as truly “lovable” after being softened through male attention.

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2. “She Pretended to Be a Boy” = She’s a Lying Snake Whore

When characters AFAB dress or live as boys, it’s almost always framed as deception. Not survival. Not autonomy. Not self-expression. Just trickery. There’s a dramatic “reveal” scene where everyone suddenly feels betrayed, like the character has been scheming the whole time instead of just…

living. Sound familiar?

This isn’t just about fiction. It directly echoes how transmasc people are treated in reality, as liars, as fake men, as threats to those around them just by existing. The idea that someone AFAB could be masculine, or just a guy, is treated like a trap set for unsuspecting cis people.

The underlying message:

You can’t be trusted if you present as masculine

Your gender is a mask, a trick, a crime

If people liked you before, they were duped

it’s the same logic used to justify violence and exclusion towards Transmasculine people AFAB in reality.

Examples:

She’s the Man – Viola pretends to be her brother to play soccer, but it’s all “uh-oh she has boobs” humor. Her gender presentation is the punchline.

The King’s Affection – She lives as the crown prince and does a damn good job, but the tension constantly hinges on whether she’s tricking people by being there at all. Masculinity is okay only if it’s secret and painful.

Coffee Prince – Go Eun-chan presents as male to get a job, and instead of critiquing the system that forces her to do it, the narrative focuses on her guilt and “the reveal.” Masculinity is tolerated, but never fully respected.

Victor/Victoria – Gender is treated as a clever disguise. The moment someone finds out “the truth,” it’s all shock, betrayal, and drama. Queerness framed as a con.

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3. “It’s Just a Phase” = You’ll Be a Real Girl™️ Eventually

You can be a tomboy for now. Run around, get messy, be loud. It’s even kind of cute! As a little kid who needs to grow up. Then suddenly, your masculinity isn’t just childish! it’s a problem. Something to “grow out of.” Something to fix!

This trope trains audiences to see AFAB masculinity as:

Immature

A quirk of childhood

A stepping stone to real femininity

And what does “real girlhood” mean in this context? Dresses. Lip gloss. Boys. The implication is that your value kicks in when you start performing the kind of femininity that makes you palatable and desirable. You were allowed to be wild for a minute, but only if you clean up nice later.

It reinforces the same tired message: Girlhood = destination, not a choice. Masculinity is just the wrong stop on the way. If you are Transmasculine AFAB, you are a child who should grow up, immature, being treated as much younger than they are is a huge issue with transmasculine people AFAB.

I would like to add that this is also a misogynistic trope, but misogyny intersects with transandrophobia in ways that are valid to talk about.

Examples:

The Parent Trap – Annie and Hallie are opposites, but Hallie (tomboy-coded) only really “settles down” and softens once she’s back with her mom. Her rougher edge is charming but temporary.

Now and Then – Roberta is the tomboy of the group, and her Big Moment of Growth™ comes when she puts on a dress. Not solving childhood trauma. Not emotional healing. The dress.

Boys Over Flowers – Jan-di is scrappy, resilient, athletic! and then she falls for the male lead and gradually loses every bit of that fire. By the end, she’s quiet, deferential, and soft. like that’s her natural arc.

Hi My Sweetheart– Rainie Yang’s character starts out masc-presenting and bold. She’s mocked, corrected, and eventually “fixed” into a soft, pink, cutesy girl. Her makeover isn’t for her. it’s the narrative giving her permission to be “dateable.”

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5. “One of the Boys” But Never Really One of the Boys

She’s tough. She’s cool. She fights. She hangs with the guys. She might even burp. But make no mistake! she’s never actually allowed to be one. This trope gives characters AFAB just enough masculinity to seem "interesting," then punishes them if they go too far with it.

Again, this is also a misogynistic trope, but the intersectionality here is important even in the ones that don't seem obvious, some people will poke fun at me putting Natasha here for example, but if you do that you're misunderstanding my intent and I do not care for it.

I am not saying ANY of these characters are coded transmasculine, I am discussing how masculinity is treated in regards to characters AFAB.

The message is clear: You can borrow masculinity, but don’t get comfortable in it.

These characters:

Get constant reminders that they're different

Are sexualized, softened, or sidelined the moment they get too close to “boyish”

Exist to complement the boys, not compete with them

Examples:

Avengers – Natasha Romanoff is deadly, competent, cool under pressure, but also constantly shoved into the “team mom” or “sexy redhead with feelings” role. Her backstory centers around forced sterilization, and her arc in Age of Ultron literally says she’s a “monster” for not being able to have kids. Tell me again how she’s treated like “one of the guys.”

How to Train Your Dragon – Astrid starts out as the alpha fighter, but as soon as Hiccup grows up, she becomes a background girlfriend with no arc of her own. Her sharp edge gets smoothed into supportiveness.

My Hero Academia – Nearly every tough AFAB character gets undercut. Mirko is badass but exists on the fringes. Jirou gets development, but only as support. Bakugo’s mom is comic relief. Meanwhile, male characters are allowed complex, messy, powerful arcs without ever needing to "soften" for the audience.

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“AFAB Character Learns to Embrace Womanhood” = Moral Victory!

You start with a tough, scrappy, masculine-coded person AFAB, maybe she fights, maybe she’s emotionally shut down, maybe she just doesn’t want to be like other girls. It doesn't matter, this is how it ends:

She softens. She submits. She “grows” by becoming a wife, a mom, a love interest, a Real Girl™️.

This isn’t healing. It’s containment. The message is: your rebellion was cute, but it’s time to settle down and accept the role assigned to you.

“Growth” = compliance. “Strength” = giving it up. “Maturity” = pink, dresses, and a baby carriage.

Examples:

The Hunger Games – Katniss Everdeen is trauma-coded, masc-leaning, and uncomfortable with romance or traditional femininity. So what’s her ending? A baby epilogue where she’s in a dress, quietly settled into nuclear family life. Is she happy about it? No, but there's no denying that this is her ending.

Mulan II– In the original, she challenges gender roles and becomes a literal war hero. In the sequel? The plot revolves around her needing to prove she can still be soft, feminine, and wife-material. Her masculinity is not allowed to just exist.

Jojo Rabbit – Rosie (the mother) is framed as the ideal woman: warm, loving, feminine. Meanwhile, Elsa (a girl in hiding) starts out guarded and hard-edged, but only becomes “redeemed” once she softens and embraces traditional femininity.

A Silent Voice / Koe no Katachi – The narrative constantly punishes her for not being “nice enough,” and her arc only begins to shift once she becomes more demure and apologetic. She cannot be both a good person and brash or hotheaded, submit or be branded evil.

Inuyasha – Sango is introduced as a demon-slaying warrior. But her story ends in the most vanilla way possible: marriage, motherhood, and sidelining. She loses her edge completely. I hate the end of Inuyasha so much it is borderline a meme in my circles.

Fruits Basket - Uotani is tall, tomboyish, and used to be in a girl gang. She has strength, history, and depth. And then her “big growth moment”? Realizing she wants to be softer and more ladylike, because femininity is treated as the finish line within the story.

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“Masculine Presentation” = Joke Costume or Moral Failure

When characters AFAB wear suits, cut their hair short, or pass as masc in any way, media rarely lets it land without a laugh track, or a moral consequence.

Masculine presentation is treated as:

A silly costume

A failed experiment

A sign of monstrosity

Or something to be shamed out of.

The story makes sure you feel embarrassed for them. It invites the audience to laugh, cringe, or judge, because “girl in boy clothes” is still a punchline in mainstream media. Just like 'Boy in girl clothes' is.

And yes, this hurts trans women, but it also absolutely targets butch, GNC, and transmasc folks. Masculinity is marked as wrong on AFAB bodies, funny if temporary, disgusting if permanent.

Examples:

Scooby-Doo – Velma’s masc coding (short hair, flat clothes, practical shoes) constantly becomes the joke. If she dresses even more masc? She’s “mistaken” for a man and ridiculed. Her queerness and presentation are treated like a quirk at best, a problem at worst.

The Suite Life of Zack and Cody – London Tipton wears a single masc outfit and the laugh track explodes. The outfit itself isn’t weird, but the show acts like the sight of her in anything non-feminine is a cosmic-level joke.

Friends – Rachel and Monica wear tuxedos in one episode, and the joke is entirely that it looks “wrong.” Chandler mocks them, the camera lingers on how “awkward” they look.

iCarly – Sam dresses masc semi-regularly, and is constantly mocked for acting “like a guy.” In interviews, actress Jennette McCurdy has said this ongoing joke contributed directly to her eating disorder relapse. This is not harmless.

Matilda - Miss Trunchbull is heavily masc-coded: big build, short hair, no makeup, harsh voice. She’s a literal villain, and her appearance is meant to be scary. Her masculinity is associated directly with her monstrosity.

Aikatsu! – Girls in suits are used as performance shock value. “Omg, a girl in a tuxedo??” is the whole joke.

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IN CLOSING.

These tropes don’t exist in a vacuum.

they shape how people see us, and how we see ourselves.

When characters AFAB exploring masculinity are only ever jokes, villains, phases, or tragedies, it sends a message: You don’t get to be this. You’re only allowed to visit. And when you're done, you better come back “correct.”

But we’re not punchlines. We’re not broken girls. Some of us are boys.

Some of us are neither.

Some of us are just butch as hell and happy about it.

We deserve stories where we aren’t corrected. Where masculinity on AFAB people isn’t a phase, a disguise, or a joke. But our lives, and the truth of them.

[winged-void]

The Princess trades not in perfidy, for any deception would imply a weakness in its ability to execute its will. A Princess soeaks only truth, for when a princess speaks, whatever truths you thought you knew will be replaced. It is a font of understanding and its wisdom flows only downstream, do you understand?

Thus when you draw attention to its typos, your attempts to be CRUEL are not only ineffective, but will cause significant and, frankly, irresponsible degree of linguistic drift.

[hunzzzzz]

OBX TWEETS: part 17 (Rafe Cameron x reader x John B SMAU)

A/N: some writing at the end. don't miss it!

TW: daddy issues

To say you'd been "checked out" for the past week was an understatement. Your daddy issues had always been the punchline of a self-deprecating joke, the kind that gets a nervous chuckle and a quick subject change. But deep down, you knew that particular brand of emotional baggage wasn't just a problem; it was the fertile ground from which all your other charming neuroses bloomed.

Your parents' relationship wasn't exactly a gentle stream flowing through a meadow. More like a constant, head-on collision between two very stubborn, very loud freight trains (unless you count your eventual trust issues as a logical outcome of witnessing the wreckage).

You were the resident eavesdropper, a tiny, silent gargoyle perched atop the stairs, knees tucked so tightly to your chest you could practically feel your kneecaps fusing. The yelling was the soundtrack to your childhood, a discordant symphony of slammed doors and raised voices.

Then, one day, the music stopped. Not a fade-out, more like a sudden, jarring silence. And just like that, the man who was supposed to be your superhero vanished into thin air. Your mom, bless her tight-lipped heart, offered no grand explanations, no dramatic pronouncements. Just a simple, devastating "Daddy's not coming back." At eight years old, that sentence was a linguistic black hole, sucking up all understanding and leaving behind a void.

Fast forward eleven years, past a graveyard of missed birthdays, silent Christmases, and Thanksgivings where his absence was a louder guest than anyone present. He didn't show up for your high school graduation, a milestone that apparently ranked at the bottom on his list of priorities.

And it was in those years, navigating the minefield of adolescence and burgeoning adulthood, that you truly began to catalogue the sheer, unadulterated damage his disappearing act had inflicted.

Your teenage years were a masterclass in misguided control. Since you couldn't control whether a parent stuck around, you decided to control the one thing you absolutely could: your own body. Turns out, an eating disorder is a fantastic (and by fantastic, I mean soul-crushingly awful) way to feel like you're in charge when your world has gone completely sideways.

And relationships?  You were the queen of the emotional hit-and-run. Anything past the one-month mark felt less like a budding romance and more like an impending disaster.

The script was always the same: they'd either get fed up with your expertly crafted emotional unavailability (a skill honed over years of practice, thank you very much) or you'd execute a swift, silent ghosting – your signature move. It wasn't conscious, not really. More like a highly effective, deeply inconvenient trauma response.

After the original heartbreak, delivered by the man who was supposed to be your ultimate protector, you never quite rebuilt the part of you that knew how to stay. So, you perfected the art of abandoning ship, because being the one who left felt a hell of a lot better than being left again.

Letting anyone new into the inner sanctum of your messy, complicated self was like asking you to perform open-heart surgery with a rusty spoon. Terrifying didn't even begin to cover it.

The thought of someone seeing the darkest corners of your mind, the echoes of that original wound, and then choosing to walk away? Your nervous system literally couldn't tell the difference between vulnerability and getting shot at point blank.

You decided to walk back to John B’s from work. The chateau wasn’t exactly down the road. Given your recent car troubles you usually got Rafe or John B to pick and drop you from work. But these days you enjoyed walking.

Headphones on, world off. Your standard defense mechanism was in full effect, drowning out everything but the carefully curated soundtrack to your current state of advanced avoidance. You were so deep in the rabbit hole of your own making you almost clotheslined Rafe, who was leaning against his truck like he owned the street.

"You're avoiding me," he said, no preamble, just the accusation hanging in the air as he stepped closer.

You mumbled a "Sorry," yanking off your headphones like they were suddenly too loud, your gaze fixed firmly on the ground. "Just been busy." The lamest excuse in the book, but it was all you had.

Your previous setup with Rafe had been demolished. You'd practically lived at his place, especially after the fallout with your mom when you got back from rehab making home feel less like a sanctuary and more like a battlefield. Rafe's bed was a five-star resort compared to your aunt's lumpy sofa.

Then came the fight. Just a few lines, a shift in his usual easygoing dynamic, but it had felt like a physical blow. All that tough-girl bitch fasacde? A paper-thin shield. You were raw and exposed underneath.

The sudden anger in his words, the sheer force of his frustration – it had tripped a wire deep inside you. Your built-in eject button was slammed. He's pissed. He's going to bail.

You had convinced yourself you were unlovable, too damaged to make a relationship work. The thought wasn't logical, but it was loud, a siren screaming through your brain. The only way to control the inevitable was to trigger it yourself. Pull the pin. Run.

So you'd been bunking at John B's, ignoring Rafe's attempts to reach you for the past seven days. Your friends weren't stupid; they knew the whole "my deadbeat dad is back" drama was only part of the story. They just waited, blessedly, letting you self-destruct in peace.

“You know,” Rafe started, his voice rough, etched with hurt, "I was hoping your phone spontaneously combusted. I was seriously considering 'missing persons report.' Figured it was more likely than you just not answering my calls for a week." He rubbed his temples, the gesture speaking volumes about his stress.

You stared resolutely at the ground, the worn-out treads of your sneakers suddenly fascinating. Any attempt to speak would shatter the fragile composure you were desperately clinging to.

"Can't even look at me?" A heavy, frustrated sigh. Then, gently, his fingers were under your chin, lifting your head until your watery gaze was trapped by his. "Baby, I'm sorry. I'm sorry I blew up at you."

"It's okay," the words were thin and unconvincing, accompanied by a weak, wobbly smile.

"No, it's not okay." He shook his head slowly, his eyes scanning your face, cataloging the damage the past week had wrought. The dark smudges beneath your eyes, skin unnaturally pale despite the relentless summer sun. It was a clear report card of sleepless nights and relentless anxiety.

"Are you mad at me?" He asked, his voice softer now, taking your hands in his. You managed a small shake of your head.

"Are you upset with me, then?" His eyes searched yours, a silent question begging for an answer you couldn't give. "What is it, then? Just tell me. What did I do?" His voice climbed, a note of desperation making it sharp.

The sound transported you, stripping away the years until you were that small, scared child huddled at the top of the stairs, the sound of yelling echoing around you.

Tears welled instantly, spilling over and tracking down your cheeks. You recoiled, stepping away, instinctively wrapping your arms around yourself, shrinking inward.

"Hey, hey," Rafe was there in an instant, circling you, his arms gentle as he pulled you into a hug. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to yell."

You collapsed against him, deep, racking sobs tore through you, shaking your entire frame. Your face pressed into his chest, soaking the front of his shirt. He held you close, rocking you side to side in his arms.

"It's okay," he said quietly, his voice low and comforting, guiding you towards the open door of his truck. "We don't have to figure it all out right now." He helped you in. "Let's just go home, yeah?"

You knew exactly where home was.

.・。.・゜✭・. .・。.・゜✭・. .・。.・゜✭・.

"I missed you so fucking much," Rafe groaned, pulling you into him, tangling you both in the sheets.

"I'm sorry," you mumbled into his chest, the apology a small, inadequate offering for the week of silence. "I... I don't know why I'm like this." 

It was a lie, a reflex born of habit, because you knew exactly the root of this twisted behavior.

"It's okay," he murmured, his hand stroking your hair.

"No," you pushed yourself up, crossing your legs on the bed. "It's really not."

He sat up with you, leaning against the headboard, his expression open, waiting. He didn't demand answers, just reached out, his fingers finding yours, lacing them together, his thumb stroking the back of your hand.

The words felt like shards of glass in your throat. "I'm a leaver," you choked out, the confession a raw wound.  "That's what I do. When things get... real, or tough, I run. It feels like it's just... in my programming. Part of the factory settings." 

You finally looked away, shame heating your cheeks. "So when we argued... it felt like the beginning of the end. And I just thought it would be easier to... handle the exit myself."

"Baby," Rafe's grip tightened slightly on your hand, his voice soft but firm. "That was a stupid argument. My fault. It wasn't the end of anything."

"You don't want this, Rafe," you insisted, shaking your head, a dry, humorless laugh escaping you. "Trust me. Because this is what you get. Someone who disappears, who shuts down, who builds walls the second things get hard. No one in their right mind would sign up for that."

"Well, maybe I'm not in my right mind then," a faint smile touched his lips, but his eyes were serious. "Listen to me. I see the walls. I see you pushing. And yeah, it hurts like hell. But I also see you. The person underneath all that. The person who's been through some serious shit and is still standing. Still sarcastic. Still amazing."

He squeezed your hand again. "And I don't care if you push. I'm starting to understand how your defense mechanisms work. I just... I want to be here for you. If you'll let me."

Your throat felt tight, your eyes blurring again. "I don't know how," you whispered, the admission a painful one. "I don't know how to... let anyone help me."

A flicker of hurt crossed his face. "Like you do with your friends?" The question hung in the air, unspoken acknowledgment that he meant John B.

"It's just... easier with him."

"How?" His voice was gentle, curious, not accusatory. He genuinely wanted to bridge the gap.

"He knows," you explained, the words finally flowing, carrying the weight of years. "He was there. When my dad left. He knows the before and the after. He knows all the messy parts. I don't have to explain. He just... gets it. Automatically."

Rafe nodded slowly, a dawning comprehension softening his expression. "So... that's what this week was about? Your dad?"

You nodded, a hesitant dip of your head. Swallowing hard, your stomach twisting with nerves, you made the decision. A leap of faith. He'd stayed through your silence. He was still here, holding your hand. You wanted this to work. You wanted him to last. 

And then you started talking. The words tumbled out – the sudden reappearance, the complicated, painful history, the gaping wound of the "daddy issues." You laid it all out, the ugly parts, the fear, the feeling of being fundamentally flawed. And as you spoke, pouring out years of buried pain, the weight on your chest began to lift, just a fraction.

"Baby," Rafe murmured when you finished, pulling you into a fierce hug, one hand coming up to cradle the back of your head, the other stroking a soothing path down your spine. "I'm sorry you had to go through that. Trust me, I know a thing or two about shitty dads."

"I'm sorry I don't... open up," you mumbled into his shirt, the apology feeling small but necessary. "It's just... hard. Because if I let myself feel things, if I let someone see... all of it..." You pulled away from him, meeting his eyes. "...I'm terrified they'll leave. That you'll leave." The confession was a quiet ache in the air. "It's easier to be the one who walks away than to stand there and watch someone else do it. It hurts less to expect it than to be blindsided."

"Listen to me," he said, his voice low and earnest. "I know that's your default setting. I know you've been hurt. But I'm not him." He paused, letting the unspoken name hang in the air, acknowledging the shadow of your father. "I'm not going anywhere just because things get a little messy, or because you're having a tough time, or because you show me the parts you try to hide."

"I'm here. And I'm staying. You pushing me away for a week? It didn't make me want to leave. It made me worry. It made me want to figure out what was going on. It made me realize... how much you mean to me." He reached out, gently cupping your face in his hands.

"I'm not going to leave you, baby. Not for this. Not for anything." His voice was a solemn promise, etched with sincerity. "You don't have to be afraid of falling apart in front of me. I'm not going to leave no matter how much you run, I’ll chase you to the ends of the earth.”

"When you're shutting down, tell me. Just a word. 'I need space.' 'I'm freaking out.' Something. So I'm not left guessing. Communicate what's going on. Okay? Can you do that?" He continued.

"I can do that. I'm gonna work on it,” you promised him, and you meant it.

.・。.・゜✭・. .・。.・゜✭・. .・。.・゜✭・.

Taglist:

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[mewlabu]

People forget that while Ukraine isn't allowed to harm one hair on Russia's soil, Russia has been working hard to kill Ukrainians not just with misiles

- by destroying the medical infrastructure

- freezing or burning people to death by destroying the power grid that helps people survive during winter and increasingly hot summers

- by kidnapping and re-educating Ukrainian children and adopting them into Russian families

- by destroying Ukraine's food production capacity

- by targetting civilian areas, in broad daylight, such as shopping centres

- by destroying cultural institutions, museums, universities, schools

- by riddling farm land with mines it will take decades to remove that will maim and kill farmers and children

- by causing one of the worst environmental disasters when they blew up a dam

- by executing and torturing and raping men, women, children and elderly who are Ukrainian

- by creating generations of trauma and loss, some of which has and will end with people taking their own lives

- by convincing the whole world that it's ok for them to keep doing this without consequence whether in Chechnya, Syria, Ukraine, Georgia, Mali, Sudan, Central Africa, and the list goes on

And that all not even touching on how the operate in the actual battle field, using chemical weapons and white phosphorus, or executing POWs, and civilians in captured towns.

And this isn't touching on centuries of linguistic and cultural repression, political repression, forced starvation, forced labour, death by displacement, gulags, and summary executions.

Russia is a plague on the world. Hell, on its own people.

And it's been that way for centuries. Before Putin. Even before Stalin. Even before the Tzar.

Repression. Oppression. Violence. Totalitarianism. Subservience to power. Apathy in the face of it all. That's all it has to offer in its grotesque history, art and culture.

[xenopoem]

A xenopoem is a speculative, avant-garde form of poetry that transcends traditional human language and semiotics, often embodying alien, non-human, or posthuman perspectives. It functions as a linguistic or biosemiotic "glitch," disrupting conventional meaning-making through fragmented, recursive, or algorithmic structures. Drawing from experimental art and systems biology, xenopoems act like portals or mutational vectors, reconfiguring cognition, space, or even planetary  ecosystems. They are not merely read but inhabited by non-human entities—like microbial intelligences or AI—as self-executing scripts or topological shifts in reality.

Key characteristics include:

Alien semiotics: Incorporates untranslatable  or non-human linguistic systems, challenging human cognition.

Glitch ontology: Acts as a disruptive "virus" in bio-digital or planetary architectures, fostering adaptive mutations.

Posthuman focus: Engages with distributed cognition, cross-species communication, or technomorphosis, often bypassing human-centric narratives.

Interplanetary design: May manifest as fractalized data structures embedded in extraterrestrial habitats, rewriting environments.

[absolutebl]

This Week in BL - Korea Is Back, Baby

Organized, in each category, with ones I'm enjoying most at the top.

March 2025 Week 4

Ongoing Series - Thai

Perfect 10 Liners (Sun YT) ep 22 of 24 - Faifa is a natural flirt. He just flirts with everybody. I think it’s an essential part of his personality. I hope Wine is okay with that. I wish we got a little bit more about Wine’s past and history and why he is the way he is.

Ohm is our super hot P’Tor? Glorious! GREAT spot casting. Also a nice sweet character - direct and honest. I liked everything about this cameo.

All in all a nice ep. Lovely execution of the rooftop assignation trope. (It's an OLD one, was in Takumi-kun)

Top Form (Thurs WeTV) ep 2 of 10 - ep 2 and we are already on dub con and a stolen kisses? Charming. Frankly, I found this second installment a little dull. But I’m still enjoying the show.

My Golden Blood (Weds iQIYI) Ep 3 of 12 - is that the same house as Win’s family home in Between Us? 

Sweet Tooth Good Dentist (Fri iQIYI) ep 2 of 12 - no ep this week.

Lost in the Woods (Weds Gaga) ep 2 of 7 - Meh. I’m DN-effing this one. Effing indeed.

Flirt Milk (Sat YT) ep 10 end - I just want the photography club pres to get a boy. Could he have his own BL please? 

Summary

An insipid story of a boy who likes another boy at a university photography club. One of them is dim and the other is a jerk and that's it. Side couples are BL and GL, with the back-up gays the only good thing about this whole show and there isn't much of them. 4/10

Ossan‘s Love Thailand (Mon YouTube) ep 12 END - finally it's over. I will say that the actress they got to play Mo’s sister does look like she really could be Mix’s sister.

Summary 

Was this punishment for how fantastic Cherry Magic Thailand was? WHY DID THIS HAPPEN?!! I never liked this IP. It's a terrible story based entirely on a love triangle, the viability of the whole show hinges on the boss character being likable, because the lead is an unsympathetic looser (and user of people), and the roommate/love interest has no personality. With better optics, better kisses, and better chemistry than the original this Thai version STILL managed to be worse with more workplace harassment. A true feat of, well, something that ended up the visual equivalent of smelling like feet. Save yourself from the pong. 4/10

Finally… where tf were my ladies? The female characters were the best thing about the original.

Ongoing Series - Not Thai

Heesu in Class 2 (Korea Fri Viki) eps 1-2 of 10 - Adaption of the comic by Lily, about a shy unpopular boy with a secret crush on best friend who somehow also ends up his school's relationship counselor. This was my most anticipated BL of it's original year (2022) and I am so glad it's living up to expectations (I worried about how long it was in dev hell).

It is both painfully cute and painfully awkward and I love it. Giving Light on Me vibes. Sex Ed but a KBL is basically made for me.  I love all the characters. I love the friendship group. I love the poor lonely super studious actual love interest. Everything. Thank you Korea.

Secret Relationships (Korea iQIYI) ep 5 of 8 - episode five, and I’m starting to just feel so sorry for poor Da-on. Aw linguistic negotiation my love! I still enjoy it but things are getting dark for our hero.

Exclusive Love (Taiwan Fri Gaga) ep 8 of 12 - my love affair with our new blond boy continues. He is best boy.

Checkered Shirt (Korea YT) ep 7 of 8 - I’m enjoying this. In that cautious way I have with this particular production house, since they don’t always stick the landing.

Fight for You (Taiwan Fri Gaga) ep 1-2 of 12 - I liked premise of the show, but I’m not loving the execution. It’s the same company that does the robot stuff. And it’s got that same awkward tone and lackluster aura.  I absolutely hate the nosy grandmother character, and she may be a dealbreaker for me continuing to watch the show if she shows up regularly. This is the character (and personality type) I find the most intolerable in the world.

It's airing but......

Sashes and Hearts (Pinoy YT) 13 eps - Philippines is doing Drop Dead Gorgeous only all gay boys queening their asses off. Doesn't interest me, not sure if it's BL.

Last Meal Universe (Thai ????) 8 eps - An alien who has come to destroy earth instead falls in love with Thai food and then the Thai boy who cooks it - realistic, actually. I got a link to watch but it still wouldn't work for me, so I guess I'm waiting to see what happens.

In case you missed it (I did)

I never caught Marahuyo Project when it was airing but I recently binged it and it is charming. Not BL really (no trope et al), more a kind of 90's style Big Eden or Shelter early queer cinema thing. Made me very nostalgic for those bad old days. Definitely worth a watch if you like that kind of QL, it's 8 eps on ANIMA Studios YT channel.

Next Week Looks Like This:

COMING IN APRIL

4/3 Business as Usual AKA Eul's Love (Korea Thurs Viki/Gaga) 7 eps - trailer on Twitter Kim Min Jun, a 30-year-old office worker, is stuck in the repetitive cycle of his 9-to-5 job and can’t shake the feeling that something is missing from his life. Things take an unexpected turn when his ex-boyfriend Jin Hwan, whom he hasn’t seen in 8 years, suddenly reappears at his office as a new colleague.

4/25 My Sweetheart Jom (Thai Fri YouTube) - trailer Saint is back in a BL? Who knew that would ever happen? When he gets tangled up with a mafia boss's son's girlfriend and ends up in a scuffle, young Yothin needs to find a safe place. Instead of sending him overseas, his father decides to send him to the countryside. There, he stays in Bang Pho under the care of subdistrict headman, a close friend of his father. He's also under the watchful eye of the village headman who happens to be the subdistrict headman's grandson and is overseeing his probation. As Yothin spends more time with Jomkhwan, his perception of the village headman begins gradually to change.

4/26 The Bangkokboy AKA Bangkok Boys (Thai Sat ????) trailer - messy gays

2025 Line Up

BL Announced for 2025 - PART 1

BL Announced for 2025 - PART 2

20 BLs Announced for 2025 That I'm Really Excited About

GMMTV 2025 Line Up - My Totally Biased and Wildly Flawed Feels

THIS WEEK’S BEST MOMENT

Everyone loved the rooftop kiss but I adored that cuddle.

(last week)

The tag BLigade: @doorajar @solitaryandwandering @my-rose-tinted-glasses @babymbbatinygirl @babymbbatinygirl @isisanna-blog @mmastertheone @pickletrip @aliceisathome @urikawa-miyuki @tokillamonger @sunflower-positiiivity @rocketturtle4 @blglplus @anythinggoesintheshire @everlightly @renafire @mestizashinrin @bl-bam-beyond @small-dark-and-delicious @saezurumurmurs

[benjaminallhope-fulltimemind]

Don't forget the words Republicans use to scare people that came before it which were: PC (Politically correct), Affirmative action, Multiculturalism, Tax & Spend, Woke, and Feminism (yes it was used to scare people). Fun fact most of these came from leftist spaces but then got stolen by the right to scare people, historically it's always been the right to simply describe any vaguely liberal policy they don't like. Also to touch on a point freebroccoli made we live in a neoliberal world and most people by default support the neoliberal policy, so when Republicans call default vaguely progressive neoliberal policy "woke" they believe they are woke for supporting the default.

I think the way a lot of normie liberals processed the concept of wokeness was

1. Conservatives are against "wokeness." 2. Therefore, I must be in favor of wokeness! 3. Therefore, whatever I was already in favor of, that's must be what wokeness means.

[aethon-recs]

This Week (x2) in Tomarrymort (1 – 14 February 2025)

We are officially at 15,647 fics in the ship tag at the time of this post, up from 15,508 fics just two weeks ago! And that doesn’t even count the number of updates for ongoing fics that were published during that time (of which there were approximately 300+ total updates). Keep up the great work, everyone! 🤍

*

Tomarrymort Completed Fics

To Live Again by @mosiva (E, 17k, complete)

Harry’s luck wouldn’t be that bad. Still, he probably should have kicked the habit of being disrespectful about the emperor. After all, it had got him executed ten years earlier.

Your Wish, My Command by @moontearpensfic (E, 19k, complete)

"I wanted to see you," Tom says. "I missed you." Tom wants to deepen his relationship with his father. If only his "mother" wasn't in the way…

A Prick of the Tongue Upon the Spindle by beetaker (M, 45k, complete)

(F/F Tomarrymort) On the night of Harry's eleventh birthday, she dreams a wonderful dream of sulphur and brimstone, as though she is descending down a spiral staircase in the oven-roasted centre of the earth. The way is dark and treacherous, as there are no handrails with which to steady herself, and no light by which to see. But the air smells warm and heavy, like burying her face in fresh mulch and breathing in life and the smell of sweetly rotting strawberries. And there is something else alongside Harry, some weighty presence following her, looming over her so she will know she is not alone.

*

Tomarrymort One Shots 

One Shot | One slap, two slaps, three slaps by @albondiguilla007

One Shot | Into the Harryverse by @duplicitywrites

One Shot | kid (call me when you're sober) by @curioushabitforarivergod

One Shot | unraveled at the seams by @defectivehero

One Shot | no good deed goes unpunished by @known-concepts

One Shot | A Touch of the Devil by cainfyre

One Shot | By Any Means: Dick Riding Edition by @corpium

*

Tomarrymort Ongoing Fics

Chapters 1 through 3 of Follow where she goes by @mosiva

Chapters 20 and 21 of the stars, my destination by @milkandmoon-ao3

Chapter 30 of Of Kings, of Pawns, and of Men by @ambivalens999

Chapter 18 of Ills of Murder by @shadow-of-the-eclipse

Chapter 24 of Paved With the Best Intentions by @perhaps-sunlight

Chapters 11 through 21 of je ne m'y soumets pas (I will not submit to fate) by @phqyd-roar

Chapter 1 of love you down to the bone by @aitafrog

Chapter 25 of Date Ideas for the Linguistically Inclined by Antique_Mango

Chapters 7 and 8 of Fool me once by @holaolla1

Chapters 8 through 10 of Part Two - To Grow a Heart by @iseliljathedreamer

Chapters 13 and 14 of Anytime, Anywhere, Always by @moontearpensfic

Chapters 21 of Hole in the Wall by @elddrmot

Chapter 3 of The Stubborn Hunger by @marrythemonsters

Chapter 8 of Bitumen by @crowcrowcrowthing

Chapters 17 and 18 of you speak of the devil (like he's not your friend) by @amuria

Chapter 13 of Of snakes and stags by @luketheidiot

Chapters 1 and 2 of for i am with you by @solelyseeking

Chapter 8 of the night is cold in the kingdom by @girl-with-goats

Chapters 1 and 2 of thimble of the banshee by @houndsofheaven

Chapter 10 of 7 by @moontearpensfic

Chapter 13 of A Light That Never Goes Out by @kippipies

Chapter 4 of exitium by @leafsandstarlight

Chapter 146 of Liquida Tenebris (Remastered) by @dymis

Chapter 10 of Dreams Beyond Blood by @hikarimeroperiddle

Chapter 1 of The Casanova Hunt by @dragonaireabsolvare

*

[paper-mario-wiki]

this might be a ......... weird question ? i don't know how to phrase it. but your raps are so intricately made and flow so nicely and the phrasing and wording are just so pleasing to listen to! how does your process usually work for coming up with your lyrics? i feel like in general i struggle a lot with very plain language and "creative thinking" to come up with phrasing and vocabulary like that so i was just wondering if it comes to you naturally or if you do extra research and take in external influence at all.

i think i'd be lying if i told you it didn't come to me somewhat naturally because ive got specific mental illnesses that make me Clang compulsively, but i've also got a background in linguistic anthropology and i've been listening intently to rap for, like, my entire life.

the process of writing looks something like this:

come up with a general idea that I want to write about. Sometimes it'll come from the beat (butter dog type rap was written to be a rap that was sort of about butter dog), and sometimes it'll come from how I'm feeling (Low Maintenance was written because i was feeling particularly trapped in my own mind at the time), but i never start writing without a goal in mind.

from there i start coming up with words or phrases i like. a lot of interesting writing comes from visual metaphor, and descriptive words, so i try to think of particularly evocative words that i can to use as anchor points in my songs. sort of like key frames in an animation, if you're able to map out what you want the load-bearing portions of your song to sound like, weaving between them intricately becomes slightly easier!

something that i tend to do is come up with a punchline i want to write into, and then finding out how to start the line based on where i want it to end. one example of this is "Let's sick the wolves on wall street, little red bookin' it never looked so sweet", which started from me wanting to reference Mao Zedong's little red book. i thought "killing the owning class could be called Little Red Bookin' it, but Little Red is also the name of a character in a story". from there, i turned the "big bad wolf" into a wolf of wallstreet reference, with Little Red representing the fleeing executives and hedge fund managers. you start with one piece of context, and build off of it from there!

that's all i can think of for advice for now, i hope it's helpful!

and thanks you so much for the high praise!

[after-hours-art]

The good, the wrong, and the right

Pairing: Levi Ackerman x f!reader

Genre: forbidden romance, professor x student

Warnings:

*The good*

It felt good to Levi to have Y/N by his side. Not literary speaking, but the front seat in the row by the window - that is, right in front of his desk - fall pretty close under the term 'by ones side'. It never occurred to him that he might like one of his students. The majority of them were showing, more or less, a lack of general interest in his classes. Not that he was ever surprised, lecturing about linguistics nor ethics were written under a 'dream job' on his papers either when he was their age. And somehow, he ended up there, by the desk of his late teacher. With a weirdly shy, yet smart and attentive young woman in front of him. So much for executing his field of work when having an interest in one's student is, if not unethical, then at least highly inappropriate. Obviously, he never showed off with his interest. After all, he never planned to tarnish his or Y/N's reputation. Yet, it felt good, satisfying even, when she openly tried to answer his question, how she brought slight upturn in corner of his lips when she read answers from her notebook thinking that he can't see it. There was something about her that made him crack a smile every time she said 'hello' or 'goodbye' or merely walked past him on the corridor, doing the little polite bow.

It felt good to watch her take notes, the blue pen rushing across the notebook's pages as she tried to capture both his commentary and explanations and text on the screen. He felt a slight bit of pride every time she tried to answer his question.

- Every X has a Y that it loves? - she muttered, trying to read a logical formula from the screen. Levi smiled when she got it right. He nodded gently and clicked to another slide. His eyes focused on her, hoping that she'll read another formula, but this time, another student took the laur. Levi, not wanting to be unfair or show any favouritism, praised the student, equally happy that more than one person actually focused on his attempts to explain a little bit of logic that is in this curriculum. He went on with the class, still sometimes crossing his gaze with hers. He wanted to talk to her, recommend her a book on logic used by law students, it's not like he believed that she'd buy it or read it, but he just wanted to talk and get an ounce of her attention as a person not as her teacher. Before he got a chance, other students approached him, asking something about some summer language program. That is what he has for being a dean of the department. Not a second of free time. Yet, the second she said quite goodbye and smiled at him, his heart stopping for a fraction of a second, corners of his lips lifting in his regular smile when he saw her. Her eyes shined in the sun that fell into the classroom through the window. It made him feel like spring and summer are definitely times when she shined the brighter. She looked less tired than she used to during the winter semester.

*The right*

It felt right to ask her out. Inappropriate, scary as he knew that if she'd feel uncomfortable, she could report the incident to the dean and ultimately end his education career, but somehow, it felt right. His heart was racing the day she walked up to his desk.

- Mr. Ackerman? - she asked, smiling, her own voice shaking a little as if she was equally nervous as he was.

- Yes? - he looked up at her. If he could, he'd drown in her eyes the second their made eye contact, yet again that day.

- I just wanted to ask if you could maybe send us the PDF you we're showing today?

- I'm a-afraid that it won't be possible, Miss Y/N. However, the book should be av-available online to download or in our library. - the typical for him stoic tone cracked under her presence, causing him to stutter, something he hasn't done in years.

- Oh... okay, then...

His heart clenched slightly at how disappointed she looked. Before he could think or consider his words, he heard his own voice.

- I-I can help you look for it. O-Only you want, of course.

The silence fell in the classroom as neither of them believed what just had happened. Her eyes widened as she felt the temperature of her cheeks rise. Levi looked equally shocked by his own words, his cheeks flushed with pink as well. She has never seen Professor Ackerman looking so confused and even... scared. Something in his gray eyes gave away that the simple question he asked himself startled him. She blinked a few times, snapping back from her thoughts.

- S-sure... - she muttered. Levi's eyes lightened up, his jaw, that he didn't realise he was clenching, relaxed.

- Okay. Then... email me when you have time and... and... and we will meet. - he stuttered, cursing himself for letting his nervousness show.

It felt right when a week later he walked her through the labirynt of shelves. He talked constantly, always throwing a word in about any book that remotely caught her attention. Her knowledge about linguistics expanded more during this short walk than it did during a semester of classes. By the time he shows her the hardback copy of the book he used during classes, Y/N felt prepared for the final exam, even when it was still weeks away. Yet, she drank every word that came out of his mouth. She couldn't help but find it adorable how Mr. Ackerman's eyes lightened up when he spoke about differences between French and Japanese, two languages he used most when stating examples during his lectures.

*The wrong*

It felt wrong to save her number on his phone. It felt even worse to text her during the day, when she was out of the college, doing her own things, probably not even wanting to think about her professor.

It felt wrong, like not only breaking a sort of a social taboo - a student , potentially dating her teacher - but also violating his teachings. Because, in what world, professor teaching ethics does something so unethical, from the point of the third person seeming like taking advantage of a vulnerable female student? Apparently, in this world.

But he still opened the door, letting her enter first in the cafe. This one is further from the campus, closer to where she lives. It's small, in one of the side alleys. He pulled the chair for her to sit, judging from her expression she had never encountered such chivarly before. He took a seat across the table, pretending that he's looking at the menu. Y/N looked different that day. Her hair less messy, as if she took a lot of time to style them. Not that he ever complained about her hairstyles before. He loved her messy hair, though the bags under her eyes always worried him during exam sessions. Her outfit also looked different - a nice knee-length skirt and delicate sweater were quite an upgrade from jeans and hoodies. Not that he ever complained. Y/N has always looked cute, but that day she looked... feminine for the first time since he met her.

If felt wrong, having her on the bed at his place. It's nothing fancy, just a two bedroom apartment in the older district that he inherited from his grandmother. Mahon furniture, bookshelves bending underneath the weight of books collected by five generations of Ackermans. And her. His Y/N, his Y/N in elegant black lingerie, sat at the edge of his bed. Her cheeks flushed with blush as he knelt in front of her, as if she was a goddess and he was a mere worshipper. His lips kissed her calf. He didn't dare to even suggest any intimate activity that went beyond stolen kisses, dates, or movie nights when they ended up falling asleep on the couch together. But she said she wanted to celebrate the end of the finals week. His kisses slowly moved up to her knee caps, his fingers toying with the edge of her lacy underwear. He never thought that she'd wear something like that. She seemed too shy for that. Even when she wore dresses, she looked modest to the power of ten. He gently spread her legs, his lips continuing the ministrations on her skin, his fingers gently pulling the lacy panties down. He looked up, searching her gaze. He asked her if she was sure of a million times. When she suggested it, when they came to his apartment, when she undressed, when he undressed. His gray eyes, filled with adoration that could be found only in most devoted lovers, the most religious believers when they stand in front of the object of their worship.

- Are you sure, Y/N? - he asked, his voice hoarse, deeper than usually, dripping with desire mixed with uncertainty. His hand dangerously close to your virtue.

- I'm sure... - her voice was quiet, not wanting to disturb the heating up atmosphere they created. The bedroom suddenly felt warmer when the matter of ethical behaviour mixed with desire that lingered between them two.

It felt good to run his fingers through her hair, his lips lingered against her temple, his hands gently tracing circles on her stomach. The hot water in the bathtub gently washed off the sweat and high emotions of their love-making.

- How are you feeling? - he asked, his voice deeper than before, possibly from the intensivity of their previous action. It's not like abscinated from physical intimacy. He simply had too much respect for women to contribute to the so-called 'hook-up' culture. Not only is that against his values, but also, contrary to how it was marketed, found it was more oppressive to women than liberating.

- Fine. Tired. - her quiet voice broke the silence in the bathroom.

- Are you sure you feel fine? - he asked in concern. After all, hurting his dear Y/N, even by accident, was the last thing he wanted.

- I promise that I'm fine, Mr. Ackerma- - her words got cut off by a deep kiss on her lips as he gently tilted her head back, closer to him.

- Call me... Levi - he said quietly against her lips. - P-please.

He stuttered a little for the first time in weeks.

- Levi... - she said carefully, as if savouring the word on her tongue. Levi splayed one of his hands on her stomach, the other one gently squeezing her thigh.

It felt wrong to feel so right having her in his arms.

***

- Je t'aime.

Those little words slipped through his mouth by accident, somewhere between their night in, medical drama playing on TV, and the weight on Y/N's head on his chest. Upon hearing himself say the declaration of love, he froze, his hand still on Y/N's head, as he was playing with her hair to sooth her and help her relax after her last final she wrote that day. She finished the freshman year of university with GPA 4.5, not what she wanted, so being the perfectionist she was, she spiralled into self-pity for the whole day. And Levi just wanted to make her feel better. With her favourite show marathon, her favourite food, lots and lots of cuddling.

- What? - she tilted her head, looking up at him. In the dim light of the living room, she couldn't see the blush on his pale skin. Maybe that's better, saved him even more blushing.

- N-nothing. - he muttered, trying to save his face. Maybe she didn't like him like that. It wasn't like she had to. They sort of flirted for four months, dated in an unofficial manner for another three months. He couldn't... couldn't just expect her to feel the same. Forcing his feelings on others wasn't in Levi's book, or at least that's what he always told himself. A quiet chuckle from Y/N made him blink twice. Her hand found his, giving it a gentle squeeze.

- I... I think I love you too, Mr. Ackerman. - she said, flinching when he pinched her side.

- I told you to call me by my name, ma lumière d'étoile. Especially now, when we said 'I love you' to each other. - he pulled her closer, kissing the side of her neck, his warm breath hitting her delicate skin. - And please, no more Mr. Ackerman. I checked your syllabus, and we won't have more classes together. Not that I'm not sad about losing your presence for those half an hour per week, but... I'm glad I'll be having you around my place more often.

- We'll still have to not show off with us at school. - she pointed out. He placed a kiss on her neck, gently sucking on the skin till there was a small, pink love bite formed.

- There. Now we won't have to show off to make everyone understand that you're taken. And when this pretty one will go down... - he leaned to the coffee table and took a small box from it. He opened it, showing a necklace with a silver book pendant. - You can just look at this and think of me. I... I-f you think it's cheesy or too much. It just seemed so straight out of those books you love I just... - he started to stutter again. Y/N slowly sat up, taking the necklace in her hand.

- It's beautiful, Levi. I promise it's not cheesy. Sometimes.... all the romance needs to spark is a little cliché. - she smiled. Her expression lightened up even more when she saw a silver necklace with a star pendant around his neck. Ma lumière d'étoile.

[no-passaran]

you mentioned that it was beaten into your grandparents' generation to not speak catalan, but to speak spanish. did people in catalonia often not speak spanish before franco? what was the political situation of the language like before?

also, do catalan people prefer when spanish is called castellano? i know in romance linguistics it's often called that because spain has other languages, but i think catalan people often don't consider themselves spanish if i've understood it correctly

Yes, many people did not speak Spanish before Franco. For example, my grandma was born and raised in Barcelona right before the war (she was born in 1932) and she did not know any Spanish when she was a kid. She told me that one of the things she remembers the most of her childhood is how terrified she was that someone would find that out. She used to go with other kids of the street to sew with a elderly woman while their parents were at work (babysitting in working class neighbourhoods basically) and after Franco won the war this woman (who didn't speak Spanish either) told them in a made-up Spanish (adding an -o at the end of Catalan words and making them "sound Spanish" mixed with the very little Spanish she knew) that now it was very important that they all spoke Spanish when someone could hear because otherwise they could go to jail. So my grandma spent about a year when she did not say a single word on the street or outside of her family and close family friends. When she went to the market, she only pointed at things and nodded yes or no with her head or said the numbers by raising her fingers. She was very scared that she would be jailed with murderers and rapists. Even though I don't think children would be jailed for this (but it's not strange she believed it, because she had relatives who were in jail and were tortured, and the first years of dictatorship there was so much torture, executions and depravity that you ended up believing anything could happen), even if children wouldn't be jailed, they could still have gotten punished. She was still a kid, so at that age you learn quickly, so she could learn Spanish soon enough (or at least enough Spanish to pass well, because to be fair I've heard her speak Spanish now and every so often she still makes noticeable mistakes, even after decades of being married to my grandpa who is Spanish and speaking Spanish at home).

My parents (born in the 1960s), too, have told me that some of their classmates made mistakes and used Catalan words instead of the correct Spanish sentence. At that point, pretty much everyone in urban areas like ours already spoke Spanish well enough, but most people didn't use it often outside of school (unless they were Spanish immigrants or their children), so they made mistakes. And then the teacher beat them. It was the law that the punishment for speaking Catalan (and for many other things) in schools was corporal punishment. My mum was never beaten and was always at the top of the class and well-behaved, but even to this day she is still quite traumatized for what she saw. The only time I have seen her cry very desperately almost like an anxiety attack was when my grandma was talking about their teacher, because she remembers how he used to throw disobeying children to the floor and kick them, even when the kids were crying he'd still continue kicking them.

My parents have still met quite a few elderly people who didn't speak Spanish, only Catalan or Aranese (there was an Aranese man who used to come to my town for commerce, but it's no problem because Aranese and Catalan are mutually understandable, so they could have conversations where he spoke Aranese and the others spoke Catalan and it was fine, they just thought it was kind of funny). But I (and I dare to say almost everyone from my generation, except people who know someone with a strong mental disability and maybe some people from very rural areas) have not met anyone who speaks only Catalan and doesn't speak Spanish (excluding people from the Catalan-speaking areas that aren't under Spanish control, of course; because I have some friends from Northern Catalonia and there the bilingualism is Catalan+French, or even only French at this point for many young people).

You asked what the political situation of the Catalan language was before the fascists' victory in the Civil War. The situation was of course much better than during Francoism, for example we had the right to use Catalan in public, in schools (public schools taught in Catalan and even taught how to write Catalan), there were films dubbed to Catalan, Catalan radio, Catalan books, etc. and the huge amount of people in Catalonia spoke only Catalan in their everyday lives. However, there was still a strong political and social discrimination according to which Catalan was associated with the working classes and Spanish was seen as more classy (this was the case since the 1600s and intensified much more after 1714), but thanks to the Renaixença movement* Catalan had regained prestige to be used in literature and formal settings, even of the upper class, though conservative upper class (specially monarchists and fascists) still preferred Spanish. But we had done a lot of great steps in the right direction, and things were going very well. Better than ever before since Spain's invasion in 1714.

*the Renaixença was an artistic —and most important literary— movement of the 1800s that's basically our version of Romanticism but with a strong component of political and social fight for the rights of Catalan language and people.

I do not have any preference on whether Spanish should be called Spanish (español) or Castillian (castellano). In Spain, it's almost always called Castillian, so when I speak in Spanish I say castellano just because that's what I'm used to. But it's the same. It feels more correct to say Castillian because it's the language of Castilla, like you say "English" because it's the language of England (instead of saying "British"). But Spain is just Castilla and the lands it invaded, so when anyone says Spanish (language, culture, government, whatever) it means the Castillian one, and Spain has worked hard to make it clear that it does not include any of the occupied nations in its concept of country. So I always understand Spanish as referring exclusively to Castillian things (understanding Castilla to include all the Kingdom of Castilla, not only the modern-day administrative regions of Castilla. So, for example, including Andalucía and Extremadura).

I do not consider myself Spanish and I find it offensive when people try to say "Catalan is also Spanish because it's a language from Spain", it feels like saying that Catalan is nothing of itself, only belonging to Spain. It's forgetting that part of Catalonia has never been Spain (Northern Catalonia) and that Catalan is also the language of Andorra (an independent nation) and l'Alguer (a city in Sardinia inhabited by the descendants of Medieval Catalan settlers who moved there centuries before Catalonia was occupied by Spain). Their language is not "a Spanish language" and never has been, and either way I refuse to be reduced to that. Our language goes back centuries (with changes over time, of course, but it hasn't changed as much as English, we can read Late Medieval Catalan just fine), it has developed as independently as any other Romance language, with its own traditions and literature (the 1st vernacular literature in Romance languages btw!), so we are of ourselves, not "of Spain". I don't want our existence to be reduced to a possession of Spain. We should be described in our own terms.

So yeah, in Spanish saying both castellano and español are fine (some Spanish-speaking countries use one more or the other more), and in English I think it's better to just say Spanish, because that's the word that's used in English. But I don't really mind tbh.

I hope that answers your questions :)

[gabrielisdead]

would never touch chatgpt even with this level of executive dysfunction, because I truly believe that anguish is part of learning linguistics and if you skip that you will never be able to move forward from where you are. In a technological world where inconvenience is oath to be eradicated in exchange of your creativity and free thinking you must persist it with writing god awful short novels and dialogues that came to you in a dream