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The Night Moves | Part Three

The Night Moves Masterlist

Alternate Universe

supernatural!Bradley Bradshaw x Female Reader; supernatural!Jacob Seresin x Female Reader

Summary: An internship with the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History should have been the highlight of your academic career. The perfect addition to your resume while you worked on your doctoral thesis. An interdepartmental assignment, however, sees your reality ripped apart by incomprehensible forces. Five tumultuous days will leave you forever changed and inextricably linked to two men born centuries apart.

Warnings: Angst, Language, Violence, Blood, Supernatural Themes, Historical Inaccuracies, Institutional Inaccuracies, Mature/Explicit Themes - 18+ Only

Word Count: 4844

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-Thursday-

“That’s it. Five-hundred tagged gala favors.” You exhaled in relief, tying the last bow and setting the final pouch into the box with the others.

“Thank fuck, that only took what, two hours?” Amira sighed dramatically, rolling her hazel eyes.

Chuckling softly, you shook your head at your fellow intern’s free use of curse words in the conference room. Granted it was nearly seven-thirty in the evening and the pair of you were probably the last ones in the building. “I had no idea what I was getting myself into when I volunteered to help Resource Development with this Food History Gala.”

“Hopefully the actual event is more exciting than stuffing rare seeds into velvet pouches for the well-heeled attendees.” She grinned, her uniquely asymmetrical face making the expression all the more mischievous.

“Well thanks to your dresses, we actually have a chance of blending in.” You echoed her grin, rising to your feet.

“My impeccable taste saves the day yet again.” She laughed brightly, her salon perfected platinum blonde locks brushing against her jaw as she walked with you. “Hey, my boyfriend and I are going out for Vietnamese, do you want to join us?”

“Oh, I appreciate the offer, really, but tonight I am taking a bath and crawling into bed early for the first time this week.” You shook your head emphatically, flicking off the lights and locking up the room behind you.

“Oh shit, yeah, that is completely fair. I honestly can’t believe you’re still doing this…” She shook her head as you made your way back to your shared workspace.

Shrugging your shoulders, you slid your hands into the pockets of your cozy sweater. “Looks good on the resume, impresses the facility, and RD emphasized the networking opportunities…It’ll be worth it.”

Amira retrieved all but the chosen dresses for tomorrow night’s gala, leaving those hanging in your cubicle to change into after work, while you grabbed your scarf, jacket, and work bag. Parting ways at the staff entrance, she headed for her boyfriend’s waiting Prius while you followed your usual path to the Smithsonian Metro station.

“Good evening, Miss Intern.” His voice cut through the darkness of the Mall and your head snapped in his direction as your feet stuttered to a stop.

Rising from a bench, the bench that you and Bradley had occupied just two nights previous while you awaited your ride, was the blond stranger from the courtyard last night. You watched as he tossed a takeout cup into a nearby garbage can and strode over to you easily.

“Who are you…” You breathed, flooded with a combination of both curiosity and trepidation.

“Lieutenant Jacob Seresin, at your service Miss Intern.” He grinned, teeth glinting sharply in the streetlights. He lifted your hand to his lips and pressed a slow, beverage-warmed kiss to your skin before slowly turning your hand in his, eyes falling to your inner wrist intently.

Furrowing your brows, the movement of your muscles slowed by some unseen force, you muttered your name, correcting him reflexively as irritation simmered within you. His eyes flickered to your face, luminated from within by something sinister as he repeated it reverently.

“What divine chance to happen upon you here. Might I tempt you with a stroll through the park?” Jacob asked as he straightened, your hand still ensnared in the dwindling warmth of his.

Your eyes ricocheted from his face to your hand and then out onto the Mall, feeling somewhat reassured by the lingering presence of tourists – it wasn’t that late, not yet eight o’clock. You turned back to eye the lieutenant sceptically, filled with a great deal of uncertainty about his invitation and yet brimming with the desire to know more about him. About why he kept showing up in the most unusual places. Why he kept calling you ‘Miss Intern.’ There was also the fact that your mouth seemed suddenly physically incapable of forming the word ‘no.’ That seemed to be the final deciding factor.

You nodded your agreement wordlessly and he grinned broadly, tucking your arm into his elbow, effortlessly guiding your body closer to his. He struck out along the path, leading you at a confident but leisurely pace. A chill bit at your skin as the night closed in and you wound your wool scarf tighter around your neck with your free hand.

“You are far too lovely to toil in a cruel place such as that.” He commented, glancing at you with a surprisingly tender expression.

“In a place like…the museum?” You tilted you head, finding it difficult, once again, to think clearly in his presence.

“A woman of your calibre ought to be cherished.” He replied and you barely registered that he was leading you away from the more popular attractions and instead guiding you across the Mall towards the temporarily closed Smithsonian Castle. “Treasured. Cared for.”

You scoffed weakly. “I like my job…” Every thought took forever to pass through your mind, as if it were flowing down a river of molasses. “Want to make a career of it…”

“You like the past, do you?” He probed as you passed the Folger Rose Garden, a place so green and cheerful during the day somehow haunting and lifeless after sunset.

As you nodded you were filled with the unsettling sensation that your head was weightless, barely tethered to your shoulders. “I find it fascinating.” You murmured as he turned the corner at the edge of Arts and Industries building, leading you into the dark collection of trees inside the Ripley Garden.

It had been quite sometime since you had passed another person, a fact that your befuddled state prevented you from registering.

“Was it fascinating the other day? Unearthing horrors that one so beautiful as you has no business being exposed to?” He raised an accusatory eyebrow and your throat clenched nervously.

“That was an unusual situa– wait…how did you…” You stumbled to a halt, and he turned back to face you.

“Never mind such vulgarities, pet.” He fairly purred, lifting your hand once again, face partially in shadow. “Please…” Guiding your inner wrist to his lips once more, he repeated his plea from the night before, “let me taste you…”

“What…” Eyes shooting wide, you shook your head, trying desperately to clear it as your pulse leapt at your throat. “Who are you?!” You asked again, voice no more than a thin hiss, trying to claw your way out of the fog that seemed to cloud your mind in his presence.

His green eyes looked up at you through his luscious lashes, glinting dangerously as you felt something sharp pressing against your skin before a searing pain blended with a scorching desire licked up your arm before spreading through your body. The desolate garden echoed with a mixture of moans echoing from each of your throats as you sank back onto a red brick retaining wall, your legs threatening to give out entirely.

Just as you began to struggle to keep your eyes open, overwhelmed by the sensations he was pulling from you, a figure collided with Jacob’s side. You yelped in shocked as his mouth was wrenched from your wrist, revealing to your eyes the welling of bright red blood. Panic rose swiftly within you, and you cast about for something to press against the now freely bleeding wound before your hand brushed against your scarf. Yanking it from your neck you wrapped it around your wrist tightly before turning your attention to the nearby sounds of struggle, blinking at the scene before you blearily.

Grunts and curses intertwined with inhuman snarling as they struggled for dominance on the brick pathway. Though the man initially had the advantage of surprise initially, Jacob rolled and pinned the attacker, striking a few blows to his face before tossing him aside carelessly. The hollow ringing of the lamppost as the man’s body collided with it had you flinching in fear, convinced he had broken his spine, and yet somehow, he was soon struggling back to his feet.

You gasped sharply as in the glow of that streetlamp, the man at last came into focus as one Bradley Bradshaw. At your sound, Jacob appeared momentarily distracted, glancing at you quickly, and Bradley took advantage of that distraction to lunge forward at Jacob once more. They tossed one another into bushes, over benches, and wrestled on the ground once more, the two men seeming a fairly equal match in strength.

A particularly brutal blow to the jaw left Jacob dazed enough to give Bradley the opportunity to reach into the inside pocket of his jacket, producing a long object you couldn’t quite discern at your current distance. That inhuman snarl fell from Jacob’s lips once more, and he shoved Bradley to the ground harshly before taking off in the opposite direction, leaving him laying on the pathway.

Pushing yourself to your feet, intent on making sure he was alright, you were startled when he was quickly at your side. He gently took hold of your forearm, lifting your scarf to take a peek at your wrist before pressing the fabric back down.

“Keep pressure on it.” He murmured, sliding an arm around your waist.

“What the fuck is going on…” You asked shakily, craning your neck to try and look over his face, assess his injuries after his brawl.

“I’ll tell you in the car.”

Bradley half carried you out of there, his arm waist bracing you tightly against his body while constantly reminding you to keep pressure on your wrist. The Bronco was waiting in the drop off zone in front the Castle, four-ways flashing, and you were promptly loaded into the front seat. He even put on your seatbelt, affording you the opportunity to observe the bruises, cuts, and abrasions to his face up close.

“You’re hurt!” You exclaimed lamely.

“I’ll be alright.” He grunted and shut your door carefully before hurrying around to the driver’s side and peeling out aggressively.

You clutched the door handle reflexively before quickly returning your hand back to putting pressure on your wrist before he had a chance to remind you again. “Bradley…”

He exhaled slowly before unlocking his phone handing it to you. “Can you put your address in again?” He licked his lips nervously, thanking you once you had returned it with navigation instructions playing. “I’m going to be as honest with you as I can be, and I apologize in advance for how difficult it may be to believe.”

“Bradley a man who keeps showing up randomly and makes me feel all weird when I’m around him and even though I know better I still follow him into dark places, just bit me…and then he threw you into a lamppost and your spine should be broken but it’s not and you’re going to be alright?!” Your voice took an a rather unattractive shrillness that had even you wincing and you swallowed, taking a slow breath before continuing more calmly. “Try me.”

“That man is a vampire. The sarcophagus opened by the Forensic Anthropology department was previously in the care of a society of individuals who very wisely keep sealed boxes shut because usually they have very bad things inside them. The fire, however, destroyed the box’s home and protector and the geniuses you work for let their curiosity get the best of them.”

Vampire. An undead, nightwalking, blood-sucking, vampire.

It was difficult to pay attention to anything he said after that word left his lips, but his glib insults directed at the Smithsonian institution raised your hackles and drew your focus once again.

“Bad things in boxes are not within the purview of scientific and historical study, Bradley.” You snapped defensively. “That sort of consideration appears nowhere in our standard operating procedures or in the risk/reward equations that are thoroughly considered before discovered remains are examined. Besides the decision was way above my pay grade.” You finished in a bitter mutter feeling suddenly rather culpable for releasing a monster from the eighteenth century into the modern world. The fingers previously holding your ruined scarf tightly to your wound shifting to rub the fabric against your skin as it began to itch a little.

Bradley’s fingers suddenly wrapped around your wrist, halting your movements with a firm yet gentle grip. “I know it’s itchy, that’s a good sign, but try not to scratch.”

You sighed heavily and leaned back into the seat, feeling an awful lot like a scolded child.

“I know you didn’t open the box.” He muttered gruffly, moving his hand to rest on your knee. “But that’s not all it took for him to get up and walk around. He would have gone centuries without blood. Someone had to wake him up.”

Glancing over at him, you watched as the intermittent illumination of oncoming headlights and streetlights highlighted his features, starting to wonder just how he knew so much about all of this when Jacob’s initial tortured, mummified appearance came back to you. “It was deeply unsettling to be in the room with him like that…I tried to convince myself that it was just because of normal desiccation but…” You trailed off.

“He would have suffered as he starved.” Bradley agreed, squeezing your knee. “You weren’t imagining it.”

“I was so freaked out I panic-signed the forms and gave myself a –” The words died on your lips, eyes widening in alarm as those three innocuous seconds; the slicing of your finger, the shaking of your hand, the scatter of blood drops, registered in a new light.

Bradley said your name, tone low and apprehensive. “What did you give yourself? What happened in there?” His grip tightened on your knee, and you tensed.

“Papercut.” You replied meekly, grimacing at he uttered a harsh ‘fuck’ under his breath.

“That’s why he’s so obsessed with you.” He turned onto the exit to Ashburn. “He had the tiniest of tastes after hundreds of years and now you’ve become some kind of fixation.”

“So, he’s going to keep following me? Trying to bite me? Because I’m a fucking klutz!?”

“I’ve honestly never seen it before, but it seems that it’s the case, yes.” Bradley replied, pulling up at your building, turning to you at your noise of dismay. “Hey, it’s going to be ok. Come on, let’s get you inside. He cannot enter your home unless you invite him. You must never ever invite him in, no matter how persuasive he is.”

He unbuckled your seatbelt before climbing out of his side, coming around to help you out but you found yourself eyeing him suspiciously. “Bradley…why do you know so much about this?” You looked him over, still seated in the car, before reaching out to grasp his jaw. “You…you’re not like him, are you?” Shifting your thumb to press against the centre of his chin you pushed down, forcing his mouth open to inspect his teeth.

All you saw were two rows of perfectly normal teeth, including average canines, and his lips twitching into a smirk. Releasing his face, you slid from the car warily.

“I am not. Can I prove it to you?” He asked and you nodded slowly, still watching his every move closely. “Let’s head up to your apartment.”

Pulling your keys from your bag, you followed him up the stairs, finding your fingers anything but dextrous as you dropped them twice onto your doormat as you tried to select the right key for your deadbolt. Bradley retrieved them for you the second time and had you to point out the correct key before unlocking the door.

“Have you ever invited me in?” He asked and you shook your head, watching him step over the threshold and into your apartment before turning back to reach a hand out to you.

Hesitating a moment, you considered the facts – he had a suspicious wealth of knowledge about vampires, and yet he had saved your life at least twice now. If he wanted you dead, it would have been quite easy to let the undead lieutenant have his way with you. Swallowing tightly, you set your hand in his, allowing him to guide you into your own home and down the hall toward the bathroom. You were somewhat soothed by the fact that he seemed to be guessing about the direction in which it lay before trying all the light switches until the room was illuminated.

Gesturing for you to sit on the edge of the tub you watched as he opened the medicine cabinet to find some rubbing alcohol and bandages before coming to kneel in front of you and carefully unwrap your scarf from your wrist. You winced, squinting one eye shut as the wool fibres pulled at the barely dried blood but did your best not to complain.

“Sorry.” He muttered, tossing the ruined garment into the garbage can behind him, before sliding you along the porcelain surface towards the tap.

Bradley turned on the water and adjusting the temperature until it was comfortably warm before guiding your arm beneath the stream. You watched as the water sluiced over the patches of dried blood, turning pink as it swirled the drain, revealing two small puncture wounds beside the tendons running up the centre of your wrist. Bradley used the soap from your counter to carefully clean your forearm before patting it dry. He then prepped a cotton swab with some rubbing alcohol and looked up to you from his kneeling position, expression apologetic.

“I’ll try to be quick, but this will sting.”

You nodded in understanding, bracing yourself as he quickly dabbed at each of the marks marring your skin. Tucking your lips under your teeth you swallowed your hiss but still flinched, the reaction involuntary in the face of the brief, stinging pain. Thankfully Bradley was quick, true to his word, and applied a wide bandage with a soothing antibacterial cream. “These heal fairly easily, just remember not to scratch.”

You nodded quickly, watching him stand and dispose of the garbage from his application of first aid. “Thank you.”

“Let’s get some food into you.” He took your hands gently, helping you to your feet and you reached out slowly to brush your fingers along a nasty cut on his cheekbone.

“Let me clean you up first.” You protested quietly. “Least I can do.”

“That’s fine, it’ll heal by tomorrow.” He insisted trying to pull you toward the kitchen, movements somewhat stiff, reminding you of his less than gentle collision with a lamppost.

“Please Bradley, let me look at your back at least…” You insisted stubbornly, stepping around him awkwardly in the limited space to carefully push up his jacket and the shirt beneath.

The ugly black bruise, streaking diagonally across his back, made you exhale shakily. “This has gotta hurt like hell…”

“I’ve had worse…” He rasped bravely and you let out an exasperated huff, rolling your eyes.

“I don’t care if you’ve been hurt worse in the past, you’re hurt badly enough right now. I’ve got bruise cream around here somewhere, can I please put some on this?”

He glanced back at you over his shoulder, raising an eyebrow. “You’re not going to let this go, are you.”

“The chances are slim.” You admitted with a shrug, causing his lips to twitch fondly.

“Fine.” He grumbled, shrugging out of his jacket which you caught, sliding it down his arms and hanging it on the doorknob as he carelessly pulled off his thin black sweater.

You turned back to a very shirtless Bradley Bradshaw, stunned in a stupor for the second time that evening as your eyes traced over the well-defined muscles of his back. He was still tanned from the summer, skin dotted with beauty marks begging to be kissed, and more than a few scars confirming tonight had not been his first fight.

“Cream?” He prompted, voice laced with a blend of cockiness and teasing.

“Right.” You replied quickly and dove into the cupboard beneath the sink, riffling about for your less commonly used first aid supplies, surfacing with the tube of bruise cream.

Taking a fortifying breath, you applied a dollop to your fingertips before dotting it lightly along the bruise down his back. “Please tell me if I’m pressing too hard.” You urged him, waiting for his nod before carefully beginning to rub the cream into his skin.

You took solace in the fact that the tension in his back and shoulders seemed to ease as you worked, turning to wash your hands once the injury was sufficiently covered. “All done. You sure I can’t look at your face?”

He turned and sat on the edge of the tub, the unofficial treatment spot you had recently occupied, his shirt still in his hand, and looked up to you expectantly. “If you must.”

Stepping closer you leaned in to examine his face, washing the cuts and abrasions and applying some cream to the bruises. “Does it at least feel better?”

“Yes.” He admitted grudgingly. “Thank you.” He nodded and you smiled a little, cleaning up as he stood to pull his sweater back on. “Now I’m starving so you must be at the very least vaguely hungry?”

Chuckling softly, you led him to the kitchen, digging around in your cupboards for something simple to make. You glanced at him as he pulled out plates and cutlery, setting the small table in the dining room. “You know you never answered my question…How do –”

“I know so much about all this?” He finished your question for you, eyes focused on setting the forks, knives, and spoons just right. “I come from a family of vampire hunters. My father did this before me, and his father before him. I’ve been assigned to neutralize this threat.”

You brain once again snagged on one word in an explanation he provided and seemed unable to move on. Assigned. “This is your profession.”

“There’s a bit more to it than that. Genetics.” He laughed dryly. “Physical abilities I’ve inherited from my family. Anyone can learn to hunt vampires, but they don’t have the strength, speed, and healing that we do.”

“So, when you do…neutralize…the lieutenant then, you get a new assignment?” You looked back to your cutting board, continuing the bit of chopping before you.

“The lieutenant?” He raised an eyebrow and came over to lean against the counter beside you. “That man is a vampire, nothing more. The person who he was before he was turned was murdered in the process. All that remains is a creature that survives off the blood of its victims. And that creature is obsessed with you.” You swallowed tightly, setting your knife down on the cutting board and looking up at his determined face, an expression you had yet to see him wear. “So yes, once I kill him and neutralize the threat against you and all of Washington, I will get a new assignment and go take care of some other vampire.”

“You kiss all your assignments?” You asked him acidly and though you immediately regretted it, you had no idea how to take it back.

Whirling and stalking over to the stove, you tossed the ingredients from your cutting board into the hot frying pan. The only sound filling the kitchen was the sizzling as they cooked.

“That was unprofessional and I’m sorry.” He muttered after several minutes of awkward silence passed, making you jump slightly and glare back at him. “It was not supposed to happen. You were a lead and I got very,” he sighed heavily, slowly unfurling the fists clenched at his sides “very distracted.”

“Hm. I guess I should apologize too, then.” You replied though your tone was not at all remorseful.

“Don’t bother, you had no idea.” He replied flatly before running a hand through his slightly dishevelled curls. “Look, I get that you are angry. I would love to give you your space, however I think that my target will be back, and I do not feel comfortable leaving you alone.”

Loathe to admit it, Bradley did have a point. The lieutenant, you stubbornly though of him as, had been in your courtyard last night. He knew where you lived, and it would be in your best interest to keep a vampire hunter close at hand just in case. Even if he did seem to have a loose sense of professionalism.

“Good, I made too much food for just me anyway.” You replied and dished equal portions onto the plates he had set on the dining table before turning to get yourself something to drink. “Water?” You offered reaching for a second glass.

“Please.” He replied quietly and you set two full glasses on the table before tucking into your meal.

The pair of you ate in silence, the sound of cutlery on china filling the void, until that began to grate on your nerves too. And your simmering curiosity boiled over. “So, your whole family does this?” You asked quietly, taking a sip of water.

He let out a breath of relief and nodded, swallowing his bite. “My father was born into it, my mom married into it.” At the mention of his mother, he seemed to remember his manners. “Dinner is delicious, thank you for cooking.”

“You’re welcome.” You took another bite, mulling over all that he had shared since he interrupted the lieutenant in the park. “So do you…get to retire or?” He stilled a moment, bite poised just in front of his mouth, and you tensed realizing you had hit a nerve. “Sorry, forget about it.” You added quickly, shoveling the last of your food onto your fork and into your mouth before standing to go fill the sink with water to wash up.

His plate landing on the counter beside you startled you again, driving home just how tired and overwhelmed you were by the events of the last three days. “I’ll wash you dry?” He offered, rolling up his sleeves.

Nodding silently, you stepped aside to let him take over the sink, grabbing a tea towel from where it hung on the oven handle. “Most of us don’t make it to retirement.” He suddenly answered your question and you frowned.

“Bradley, I’m sorry you don’t have to…” You trailed off as he shook his head and set a clean glass in the drain tray. You picked it up to dry as he continued.

“My dad died when I was two, I really don’t remember him other than the stories people tell me about him. My uncle, who’s not really my uncle but might as well be, he’s a hunter too. Was my dad’s best friend and kind of filled in for him. He’s the oldest hunter I’ve ever heard of.” He spoke to the bubbles of dish soap in the sink as he scrubbed the cutlery, the plates, and then the pots and pans. Not once meeting your eyes.

Guilt wrenched at your heart for as hurt as you felt by his earlier revelation about what he was doing in your life, it by no means meant you wished for him to suffer. “Would you ever…want to do something else?” You asked quietly after a few beats of silence.

He looked to you for the first time in a while, face awash in confusion as though he had never once considered anything else. “I have no idea what that would be. I was born for this. Raised for it. My whole community is built around it.” He shrugged. “It is what it is.” He turned back to the frying pan, carefully scrubbing it clean before pulling the plug from the drain.

“Thanks for your help.” You commented lamely. “I’ll make up the pullout couch so you can have the bed…I don’t think you’ll fit on the pullout.” You laughed once, eyeing his height.

He blinked and shook his head. “Oh, I won’t be sleeping tonight. Night is the only time vampires can be up and about. The only time my target is a threat. Would you mind if I made some coffee, though?”

Shaking your head quickly you got him set up for his night watch before a yawn overtook you.

“You should really get some sleep.” He murmured and you swallowed painfully, very much wishing you could read more into his concern for your well being, but painfully aware that was no longer a possibility, what with his renewed sense of professionalism and all.

You should not even want him to care, anyway, not after his duplicitousness. But ‘should’ rarely mattered when feelings were concerned.

“Yeah, I think I will. Good night, Bradley.” You nodded.

“Night.” He offered a thin-lipped smile, and you paused a second, waiting for the addition of ‘sweetheart’ before realizing you were probably not going to hear that from him again.

Turning quickly, you did your utmost to walk calmly down the hall, shutting the door to your bedroom behind you, lest your complete lack of a poker face expose your disappointment.

-------------------------

Read Part Four

The Night Moves Masterlist

Tag list: @moonyinthestars, @roger-that-cap, @gaminffnerd, @blckgrl-sunflower

[veryberryjelly]

hi! can i get the chocolate croissant please? it would be cool if you can ship me with a character from the marauders.

physical appearance - im a girl and im about 5'3. i have straight brown/black hair, which is a bit over my shoulders. im vietnamese :)) my style is something between 'that' girl and cottagecore ( i prefer cottagecore style more tho). my favorite colors are red and blue.

more information about me - im a Gryffindor and my patronus is a deerhound. my wand is alder wood with unicorn core, 12/ 1/4".

hobbies - i love to write and listen to music. i LOVE taylor swift and lana del rey, i listen to artic monkeys and the neighborhood sometimes too. im obsessed with romance/action movies. i love to bake and cook. i love animals (especially bunnies - i have one of my own)

personality - im a ISFP, and a feb aquarius. i could be really shy at first but when i really trust you, id become really outgoing, it can be annoying sometimes. i rather have a dark sense of humour, most people dont get it but if you do, i would be very funny. my love lanuage is physical touch and act of service, i can be clingy at times. im the mom/therapist friend of the group. i help people with their emotions all the time but i never talk about mine as i like to keep personal problems to myself :)

thank you and have a great day!

𝐣𝐨𝐢𝐧 𝐦𝐲 𝐜𝐚𝐟𝐞 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐭

i ship you with...

james potter !!!

i think james would absolutely adore your style and thew ay you dress!

he doesn't pay much attention to fashion but he know's you look perfect and beautiful

i feel like james is the one to pull you out of your shell a bit, enjoying when you open up around him and slightly clam up around new people.

it makes him feel special.

like he's the only one who really knows you.

james is a total lana del roy fan!! i know he loves abba and everything else but i think he just loves the lyrics & her soft voice <<33

[marryslittlelambs]

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Kinder Care

Kindercare is a large-scale child kinder care provider that offers a variety of programs. Its curriculum is influenced by Montessori and Reggio Emilia, with the emphasis on STEM-based activities and more independent play. It also emphasizes the importance of character development and leaves room for children to express themselves creatively.

KinderCare also puts its employees first. Its employee engagement strategy has helped it achieve 23 consecutive quarters of growth and win a Gallup Exceptional Workplace award. The company’s success has been fueled by discoveries about teacher talent, engagement strategies, and values alignment.

In the infant stage, Kindercare teachers meet each child where they are at on their developmental path and offer support as needed. Teachers often provide one-onone time with infants and group time that includes singing and stories. They also encourage outdoor play and follow a schedule that is based on your child’s needs, such as their napping and feeding patterns. Many parents love the photo and video updates they get throughout the day, as well as the frequent updates from their child’s teachers.

[organicmarketresearch1]

Vietnam Telecom Market Size, Share, growth & Trend 2031

The Vietnam Telecom Market is estimated to reach USD 29.6 billion by 2032 with a CAGR of 4.4%.

The telecommunications market in Vietnam continue to witness significant growth and transformation. The industry is characterized by intense competition among major players, such as Viettel, VNPT, and Mobi Fone, driving innovations and affordability in services. Mobile penetration rates soared, with a large portion of the population owning smartphones, and this trend is expected to continue.

Vietnam made notable progress in expanding its 4G and 5G networks, resulting in improved internet access and faster data speeds, particularly in urban areas. The government’s push for digitalization and smart city initiatives further stimulated investments in infrastructure.

In the fixed-line segment, fibre-optic technology gained prominence, offering high-speed broadband connections to households and businesses. The shift towards fibre-optic infrastructure has also enabled the growth of IPTV and other digital services.

Download Free Sample Report

Exploring the Growth Drivers of the Vietnam Telecom Industry

The growth drivers of Vietnam’s telecommunications market are diverse and have contributed to its substantial expansion in recent years. One key driver is the rising mobile penetration in the country, given Vietnam’s population of over 96 billion. The increasing affordability of smartphones has led to greater access to mobile services, resulting in a heightened demand for mobile data, voice, and messaging services.

Government initiatives have played a pivotal role in shaping the telecom landscape. The Vietnamese government has been proactive in promoting digitalization and the development of smart cities. These initiatives have encouraged investments in telecommunications infrastructure, particularly in the deployment of 4G and 5G networks, providing ample opportunities for service providers to expand their offerings.

Another critical factor is the expanding middle class in Vietnam. This demographic is increasingly seeking high-speed internet connectivity, multimedia services, and digital content. Telecom operators have seized this opportunity, catering to the growing consumer base by offering a wider range of services.

What challenges does the Vietnam Telecom Market face?

The Vietnam Telecom Market confronts a range of challenges that impact its growth and development. One significant challenge arises from regulatory hurdles, with the government’s strict control over content and cybersecurity regulations limiting innovation and internet freedom. These restrictions can stifle the industry’s flexibility and creativity, hindering its ability to adapt to changing consumer demands.

Intense competition and price wars among major market players like Viettel, VNPT, and Mobi Fone are another challenge. While consumers benefit from lower prices and attractive marketing strategies, this competitive environment exerts pressure on the profitability of service providers, potentially impacting their sustainability and investment capacity.

Network quality and coverage represent a persistent challenge, despite advancements in 4G and 5G technologies. Rural and remote areas still lack reliable network coverage, leading to an access divide. Ensuring equitable access to telecommunications services remains a top priority for the market’s continued development.

What are the recent developments happening in the Vietnam Telecom Market?

One significant development was the ongoing expansion of 5G networks across major cities in Vietnam. This expansion was poised to deliver faster data speeds, lower latency, and support for emerging technologies like the Internet of Things (IoT) and augmented reality, promising a more robust and connected digital ecosystem.

Another crucial aspect was the government’s steadfast commitment to digital transformation. Initiatives aimed at promoting e-government services, smart cities, and digital payments were in motion. These efforts sought to drive the adoption of telecom services and bolster the digital economy, positioning Vietnam as a technologically progressive nation.

Telecom infrastructure investments were a focal point for service providers. They recognized the growing demand for reliable, high-speed internet access, particularly in rural areas. Investments in infrastructure were essential to enhance network quality and coverage, ensuring that more citizens could access advanced telecommunications services.

Key Target Audience

Government and Regulatory Authorities

Telecom Operators

Consumers

Investors and Shareholders

Technology Providers

Media and Analysts

Vietnam Telecom Market Segmentation:

1. By Service Type

Mobile Services

Fixed-Line Services

Internet Services

Data Services

Value-Added Services

2. By Consumer Type

Individual Consumers

Businesses

Government Organizations

Others

3. By Demographics

Age

Gender

Income Levels

Geographic Locations

4. By Technology Type

4G

5G

Fiber Optics

Satellite Communications

Traditional Wireline Technologies

5. By Region

South Vietnam

North Vietnam

Central Vietnam

Key Topics Covered in the Report:

Vietnam Telecom Market Size (FY’2019-FY’2032)

Overview of Vietnam Telecom Market

Segmentation of Vietnam Telecom Market By Service Type (Mobile Services, Fixed-Line Services, Internet Services, Data Services, Value-Added Services)

Segmentation of Vietnam Telecom Market By Consumer Type (Individual Consumers, Businesses, Government Organizations, Others)

Segmentation of Vietnam Telecom Market By Demographics (Age, Gender, Income Levels, Geographic Locations)

Segmentation of Vietnam Telecom Market By Technology Type (4G, 5G, Fiber Optics, Satellite Communications, Traditional Wireline Technologies)

About Us: Organic Market Research Business Consulting is a fast-growing Market Research organization which is helping organizations to optimize their end-to-end research processes and increase their profit margins.

Organic Market Research facilitates clients with syndicate research reports and customized research reports on 10+ industries with global as well as regional coverage.

Mob : +91 9319642100 Noida One Tower Sec 62 Noida 201301 Sales : sales@organicmarketresearch.com Website : https://www.organicmarketresearch.com

[bluper98]

My Favorite TikToker: Duo

Duolingo is an educational program that provides language learning and certification, offering courses in over 40 languages. It is one of the most downloaded education apps and for good reason! It offers easy-to-understand "bite-size" lessons daily in different areas from speaking, reading, listening and writing in the users target language. But the app is also popular for another reason:

Yeah... its mascot, an owl that goes by Duo, is a TikTok influencer... with 8 million followers. This is one of the ways that Duolingo markets its product to their audience.

Duo's TikToks use humor to advertise their product, usually surrounding Duo reminding their followers in some sort of way that they need to do their daily lessons. Based on each video's content, the trends, and the figures that pop up every now and then in their videos, their target audience seems to be young people, ranging from teens to adolescents who are looking for an entertaining way to learn. It seems that they are speaking to this audience by relating to their humor the topics that they might be interested, whether it be music, movies, TV, etc.

Obviously, it looks like this type of content is working because, as said before, Duo has 8 million followers, 174 million likes, and thousands of comments and saves on every video. Not to mention all the videos made under the #Duolingo. Oh, and don't forget that this account is just their English account, they have verified accounts in Spanish, Portuguese, Vietnamese, and Japanese as well that all have millions of views as well.

Not only are they social media "famous" but marketing-wise, this is actually a really effective way to increase brand awareness. Not only will people stumble across their page easily due to the TikTok algorithm and the utilization of the "For You" page, but also due to Duo's personality and humorous TikToks. People are more likely to remember a brand when they can match a face to it... or beak in this case.

Not only that, but the Duo bird has actually become a meme for many, with followers creating their own funny videos surrounding the owl. This is because their TikToks use trending sounds and video ideas to advertise their service, along with getting other celebrity figures to star in their videos, like K-Pop stars and even Malala!

However, no brand is perfect, not even Duolingo. One thing they can do to improve on their marketing is maybe create some TikToks that focus seriously on advertising what their app is about, giving customers an idea of what the results may be after using it. On their website, it states that their app's teaching methods are based on science, so maybe for one TikTok, they can go a little bit more in depth on that area and how their methods differentiate from other language learning apps.

All in all though, Duolingo's TikTok depicts how important it is to differentiate your brand voice. Duolingo shows that they are not just an educational app, they are communicating that you can have a positive experience learning a new language and still have some fun while you're at it!

[vatt-world]

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universe universities university

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vacations vaccine vacuum vagina val valentine valid validation validity valium valley valuable valuation value valued values valve valves vampire van vancouver vanilla var variable variables variance variation variations varied varies varieties variety various vary varying vast vat vatican vault vb vbulletin vc vcr ve vector vegas vegetable vegetables vegetarian vegetation vehicle vehicles velocity velvet vendor vendors venezuela venice venture ventures venue venues ver verbal verde verification verified verify verizon vermont vernon verse version versions versus vertex vertical very verzeichnis vessel vessels veteran veterans veterinary vg vhs vi via viagra vibrator vibrators vic vice victim victims victor victoria victorian victory vid video videos vids vienna vietnam vietnamese view viewed viewer viewers viewing viewpicture views vii viii viking villa village villages villas vincent vintage vinyl violation violations violence violent violin vip viral virgin virginia virtual virtually virtue virus viruses visa visibility visible vision visit visited visiting visitor visitors visits vista visual vital vitamin vitamins vocabulary vocal vocals vocational voice voices void voip vol volkswagen volleyball volt voltage volume volumes voluntary volunteer volunteers volvo von vote voted voters votes voting vulnerability vulnerable

survey surveys survival survive survivor subdivision subject subjective serve served server servers serves service services serving

approved anniversary believe alternative

[whattheabcxyz]

2023-02-01

Singapore

Malaysian man claims his Singaporean girlfriend complained about $10 红包 from his parents - how ‘bout let’s just all scrap the stupid 红包-giving tradition once ‘n’ for all?!

74-year-old HDB unit in Tiong Bahru rented out at $6200/mth - some people have more money than sense

53 Nanyang Primary pupils & 2 staff members down with acute respiratory symptoms - not COVID-19

Crazy idiot of a man sues female friend for $3m over her only wanting to be friends with him - JAIL THE LUNATIC!!!

1st glass recycling plant set up here

Singapore to buy electricity from Malaysia for 1st time starting from 2nd half of this year - one can only cross one’s fingers & hope nothing will go wrong

Ticket holders of cancelled 2022 Siloso beach party file police reports after failing to get refund - organiser told them their funds would go towards this year’s party tickets instead

Doctor committed whole string of different offences, from cheating to sexually abusing minor - why isn’t he in jail yet?!

Height-based school activities resume after 2-year pause following fatal incident

Self-radicalised Malay teen detained under ISA planned to execute various violent schemes here aimed at killing people - wanted to go support ISIS

So far 9 people under 21 dealt with under ISA since 2015 - with so many different channels these days for people to be brainwashed, self-radicalised terrorists are only going to increase

Vietnamese man stranded here during pandemic who was shown kindness by Singaporean woman ends up raping her daughter - I blame communism for erasing people’s morals & virtues

Technology

IMDA’s SMS scam alert service is idiotic & broken - caused some users to think they had been scammed when they had not

Business

Tin Pei Ling joins Grab Singapore as director of public affairs & policy - can we then dock her pay as an MP, since she now has another high-flying job & so obviously cannot be putting as much effort into her MP duties?!

Nature

^ The dodo bird may be brought back! - everything you need to know about this creature here

Should we get rid of all mosquitoes? - YES PLEASE!!!

Caffeine is a natural pesticide - no wonder I hate it so much

Travel

Air New Zealand passengers stranded in Singapore after airline cancels flight suddenly - & they were told there aren’t anymore flights till March

Society

Miners somehow manage to lose a highly radioactive object along a stretch of Western Australian highway - imbeciles

People

Annie Wersching, voice of Tess in “The Last Of Us”, dies aged 45 from cancer

Transport

Singapore: Bus & train usage continue to recover - 2022 ridership at 83% of pre-pandemic peak

[brookstonalmanac]

Events 2.1

1327 – The teenaged Edward III is crowned King of England, but the country is ruled by his mother Queen Isabella and her lover Roger Mortimer. 1411 – The First Peace of Thorn is signed in Thorn (Toruń), Monastic State of the Teutonic Knights (Prussia). 1662 – The Chinese general Koxinga seizes the island of Taiwan after a nine-month siege. 1713 – The Kalabalik or Skirmish at Bender results from the Ottoman sultan's order that his unwelcome guest, King Charles XII of Sweden, be seized. 1793 – French Revolutionary Wars: France declares war on the United Kingdom and the Netherlands. 1796 – The capital of Upper Canada is moved from Newark to York. 1814 – Mayon in the Philippines erupts, killing around 1,200 people, the most devastating eruption of the volcano. 1835 – Slavery is abolished in Mauritius. 1861 – American Civil War: Texas secedes from the United States and joins the Confederacy a week later. 1864 – Second Schleswig War: Prussian forces crossed the border into Schleswig, starting the war. 1865 – President Abraham Lincoln signs the Thirteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution. 1884 – The first volume (A to Ant) of the Oxford English Dictionary is published. 1893 – Thomas A. Edison finishes construction of the first motion picture studio, the Black Maria in West Orange, New Jersey. 1895 – Fountains Valley, Pretoria, the oldest nature reserve in Africa, is proclaimed by President Paul Kruger. 1896 – La bohème premieres in Turin at the Teatro Regio (Turin), conducted by the young Arturo Toscanini. 1897 – Shinhan Bank, the oldest bank in South Korea, opens in Seoul. 1900 – Great Britain, defeated by Boers in key battles, names Lord Roberts commander of British forces in South Africa. 1908 – Lisbon Regicide: King Carlos I of Portugal and Infante Luis Filipe are shot dead in Lisbon. 1924 – Russia–United Kingdom relations are restored, over six years after the Communist revolution. 1942 – World War II: Josef Terboven, Reichskommissar of German-occupied Norway, appoints Vidkun Quisling the Minister President of the National Government. 1942 – World War II: U.S. Navy conducts Marshalls–Gilberts raids, the first offensive action by the United States against Japanese forces in the Pacific Theater. 1942 – Voice of America, the official external radio and television service of the United States government, begins broadcasting with programs aimed at areas controlled by the Axis powers. 1942 – Mao Zedong makes a speech on "Reform in Learning, the Party and Literature", which puts into motion the Yan'an Rectification Movement. 1946 – Trygve Lie of Norway is picked to be the first United Nations Secretary-General. 1946 – The Parliament of Hungary abolishes the monarchy after nine centuries, and proclaims the Hungarian Republic. 1950 – The first prototype of the MiG-17 makes its maiden flight. 1957 – Northeast Airlines Flight 823 crashes on Rikers Island in New York City, killing 20 people and injuring 78 others. 1960 – Four black students stage the first of the Greensboro sit-ins at a lunch counter in Greensboro, North Carolina. 1964 – The Beatles have their first number one hit in the United States with "I Want to Hold Your Hand". 1968 – Vietnam War: The execution of Viet Cong officer Nguyễn Văn Lém by South Vietnamese National Police Chief Nguyễn Ngọc Loan is recorded on motion picture film, as well as in an iconic still photograph taken by Eddie Adams. 1968 – Canada's three military services, the Royal Canadian Navy, the Canadian Army and the Royal Canadian Air Force, are unified into the Canadian Forces. 1968 – The New York Central Railroad and the Pennsylvania Railroad are merged to form Penn Central Transportation. 1972 – Kuala Lumpur becomes a city by a royal charter granted by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong of Malaysia. 1974 – A fire in the 25-story Joelma Building in São Paulo, Brazil kills 189 and injures 293. 1979 – Iranian Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini returns to Tehran after nearly 15 years of exile. 1981 – In the underarm bowling incident of 1981, Trevor Chappell bowls underarm on the final delivery of an international cricket match. 1991 – A runway collision between USAir Flight 1493 and SkyWest Flight 5569 at Los Angeles International Airport results in the deaths of 34 people, and injuries to 30 others. 1992 – The Chief Judicial Magistrate of Bhopal court declares Warren Anderson, ex-CEO of Union Carbide, a fugitive under Indian law for failing to appear in the Bhopal disaster case. 1996 – The Communications Decency Act is passed by the U.S. Congress. 1998 – Rear Admiral Lillian E. Fishburne becomes the first female African American to be promoted to rear admiral. 2002 – Daniel Pearl, American journalist and South Asia Bureau Chief of The Wall Street Journal, kidnapped on January 23, is beheaded and mutilated by his captors. 2003 – Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrated during the reentry of mission STS-107 into the Earth's atmosphere, killing all seven astronauts aboard. 2004 – Hajj pilgrimage stampede: In a stampede at the Hajj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia, 251 people are trampled to death and 244 injured. 2005 – King Gyanendra of Nepal carries out a coup d'état to capture the democracy, becoming Chairman of the Councils of ministers. 2009 – The first cabinet of Jóhanna Sigurðardóttir was formed in Iceland, making her the country's first female prime minister and the world's first openly gay head of government. 2012 – Seventy-four people are killed and over 500 injured as a result of clashes between fans of Egyptian football teams Al Masry and Al Ahly in the city of Port Said. 2013 – The Shard, the sixth-tallest building in Europe, opens its viewing gallery to the public. 2021 – A coup d'état in Myanmar removes Aung San Suu Kyi from power and restores military rule. 2022 – Five-year-old Moroccan boy Rayan Aourram falls into a 32-meter (105 feet) deep well in Ighran village in Tamorot commune, Chefchaouen Province, Morocco, but dies four days later, before rescue workers reached him.

[veworminder]

Offline voice translator app free

#OFFLINE VOICE TRANSLATOR APP FREE DOWNLOAD#

Windwalker Media, Kindle Nation Daily and its subdomains are published independently by Stephen Windwalker and Windwalker Media and is not endorsed by, Inc. This content is provided "as is" and is subject to change or removal at any time. Certain content that appears on this website is provided by Amazon Services LLC. Amazon, Kindle and the Amazon and Kindle logos are trademarks of, Inc. While all titles recommended on this website must meet our standards for price, quality, and appropriate content, some publishers or rightsholders compensate us for prominent placement on the site or in our email bulletins.Īpart from its participation in the Associates Program, Windwalker Media, Kindle Nation Daily and its subdomains are not affiliated with Amazon or Kindle in any other way. ITranslate – get it now, while it’s still FREE! Oh, my friend from Honduras will probably faint dead away when I ask, ¿Has visto alguna chupasavias amarillo vientre? unless, of course, he’s just seen a yellow-bellied sapsucker. I can’t wait until I run into my German speaking zoologist friend and ask him if he’s seen any alle schwarzen Schwanz Rehe? Of course, I’m going to have to practice for several hours pronouncing “alle schwarzen Schwanz Rehe,” but you never know when a black-tailed deer might have come along. I can put in any phrase in the app, and get the written AND spoken translation from English to more languages than I knew existed. Two of my friends speak German and Spanish, while my one friend in France has great difficulty with English. I have several acquaintances who speak English minimally, and I unfortunately, speak no other language (even after 7 years !!! of HS and college French and German). Supported languages: Afrikaans, Albanian, Arabic, Belarusian, Bulgarian, Catalan, Chinese Simplified, Chinese Traditional, Croatian, Czech, Danish, Dutch, English, Estonian, Finnish, French, Galician, German, Greek, Hebrew, Hindi, Hungarian, Icelandic, Indonesian, Italian, Irish, Japanese, Korean, Latvian, Lithuanian, Macedonian, Malay, Maltese, Norwegian, Persian, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Russian, Serbian, Slovak, Slovenian, Spanish, Swahili, Swedish, Tagalog, Thai, Turkish, Ukrainian, Vietnamese, Welsh, Yiddish Landscape mode – Turn your phone to the side and type faster with the landscape keyboard. Share, save & copy – Send a translated text via Email, post it on Twitter, save it to your favorite list or simply copy it. Tablet Ready – iTranslate is optimized for use on your big screen tablet. Voice recognition – Simply speak and instantly see your translation! Available for many languages Voices – Listen to high-quality voices in most languages. Over 50 languages – Translate words, phrases and even whole sentences into over 50 languages.ĭictionaries – Now for many languages pairs: Dictionaries with additional translation results, meanings and suggestions! The popular iPhone translator app, now finally on Android!īy combining voice recognition, machine translation and voice output iTranslate is the first app to make the legendary SciFi dream of a Universal Translator reality. Over 50 languages – Dictionaries – Voices – Voice recognition – Tablet Ready – Share, save & copy You can’t use the app’s ability to “hear” and translate spoken language, because the Kindle Fire doesn’t have a microphone, but you can have iTranslate translate from one of over 50 languages into another language, view the text translation, and have the Fire “read” the translation aloud! iTranslate is very well-liked by users also, and has an average review rating of 4.5/5 across 318 reviews.

#OFFLINE VOICE TRANSLATOR APP FREE DOWNLOAD#

ITranslate has been wildly popular on the iPhone, and now it’s available for the Kindle Fire, too! Right now, not only is it FREE, but you’ll get a $1 credit toward the purchase of Amazon MP3s when you download iTranslate, as well. BOOKS ELIGIBLE FOR KINDLE PRIME LENDING.

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[voicemonkservice]

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We have a large selection of native Vietnamese voice actors that have been checked for quality. These Vietnamese voice over artists have vast experience and are ready to assist you with your upcoming project. For more information visit:- https://voicerecordingstudio.in/

[absolutebl]

This Week in BL

May 2021 Wk 3

Being a highly subjective assessment of one tiny corner of the interwebs.

It’s a cray cray Friday when Vietnam gets its eng subs up before GMMTV Thailand. What alter-reality are we in? Well, the Vietnamese offerings are better right now anyway. (Oooo, feel that burn.) 

Ongoing Series - Thai

Top Secret Together Ep 2 - pulping it up in the best possible way. Sure sound and production values are pants, and in classic Thai fashion the editing in post is exacerbating (rather than fixing) pacing issues, but it’s still CUTE AF. I don’t even mind the added university storyline, because they’ve got good chemistry (and a confident gay fresher after a panicked gay hazer is an old favorite... what can I say, SOTUS was my first love). We aren’t spending too much time with any one couple, so it’s weighted a lot better than Brothers was, but also character development is slow. 

Siew Sum Noi Ep 2 - Unfortunately, it’s just too hard to find, plus no subs. I’m dropping it in the hopes it comes back on my radar some day. 

Y-Destiny Ep 8 - (Thurs) It’s rough having a ghost boyfriend, half your friends are scared, the other half think you’re crazy, and kissing shortens your lifespan. This was a cute couple even if I wasn’t wild about the surrounding story. 

Close Friend Ep 5: (Dear My Star/JimmyTommy) - about high school penpals. It had to rely entirely on voice over work as the actors only meet face to face at the end. It’s a good thing they are appealing screen presences on their own, with good vocal control. It’s hard to imagine any other BL pair carrying this kinda plot. It’s by far my favorite of the series so far, and I’m not even a big JimmyTommy fan. 

Fish Upon The Sky Ep 7 - no subs. Do we care? Not really. Because we have... 

Nitiman Ep 3 - currently my favorite out of Thailand. It’s the university Thai BL i’ve been waiting for since... when was the last good one? My Engineer? Yowza. Anyway we got: head on my shoulder, baby is a floppy drunk (but still wants to be in control), proximity alert, boyfriend’s closet, seme gets seriously jelly, and a cute twist on feeding him. There’s something fun and complex about Jin’s character. He’s not a panicked bi. He knows exactly what’s going on, he just hasn’t decided if he wants Bb or not. He clearly enjoys being looked after, the compliments, and the attention, but he’s not sure if he’s going to like what happens if he gives in. I like that twist on the usual tsundere uke archetype a lot, cautious rather than willfully obtuse or freaked out. We can see Jin realizing in stages: I like this person, I like that they like me, I like the romantic attentiveness. But in the background is... do I actually want to f*k him? It’s a dynamic we don’t often see on BL. 

Ongoing Series - Not Thai

HIStory 4: Close To You (Taiwan) Ep 10 fin - the most ridiculous show using BLs worst tropes in a sort of weird smoothie of bitter greens and too ripe banana. The ending was the sappiest cheesiest thing ever, like cheese syrup tapped from the cheese tree. So of course I loved it, but I’m pretty sure I giggled through all the bits meant to be profound. Because, in the end, to tolerate this show at all, you just can’t take ANY of it seriously. RECOMMENDED (with some SERIOUS reservations and trigger warnings.) Full review here. 

Be Loved in House: I Do (Taiwan) Ep 1-2 - I don’t mind a damaged seme character but this one is a bit weird for me. Like creepy Cheese in the Trap level weird. On the bright side, the story has given our tsundere uke good motivation for his angst and great existing friendships, loyalty, and likability. Plus I’m invested in the cafe owner/innocent puppy side dishes. So if it’s only the seme character I’m not jiving with, and he’s the most established actor, it should all turn out fine. I believe in you, Taiwanese BL. 

Papa & Daddy (Taiwan) Ep 6 fin - speaking of belief. This such a good show but they gave us a cliffhanger ending. Now we must hope against hope for season two. That’s never guaranteed with Taiwan tho. So, I’m docking a few points and saying, RECOMMENDED so long as you realize it’s a cliffhanger. 

Love is Science? (Taiwan) Ep 1-9 (BL subplot) - this is a good het romance, but the fact that the BL subplot is a beautifully acted disaster bi + confident gay means you’re hearing about it whether you want to or not. Plus they just added in some GL! Come on! I gotta support Taiwan normalizing queer to this extent. They are fighting the good fight and if I also have to watch a career lady and her much younger softest straight boi get it on, too? Twist my arm with that service sub subtext. Go on Taiwan, TWIST IT. It’s on Viki. Join the revolution.   * Incidentally if you actually like the D/s het dynamic of this show, I highly recommend Japanese Kimi wa Petto - career woman keeps a hot young dancer boy as a pet. Oh yes, an actual pet, that IS the pitch. Never doubt Japan when kink is on the line. It’s also on Viki. Go get your kink on, thank me later. (If it helps: That was not a request.)  

Most Peaceful Place 2 (Vietnam) Ep 2 (AKA 5) - love triangles aren’t my thing, but if you’re gonna do it short form, by all means bring in the lead’s other BL pairing so the chemistry is on point. Now I've no idea who I want him to end up with. Can’t they just be in a poly triad? 

My Lascivious Boss (Vietnam) Ep 7 - I’m still enjoying it a lot. It’s still unabashedly queer and the tension is ramping up. We now have secret identity, blackmail, femme fatale, faen fatale, and incoming seme confrontation. Best of all, the series is still airing, which makes it longer than any other Vietnamese BL I’ve seen (aside from Tein Bromance - which is just too weird to count). 

Gossip - Thai BL 

SEVEN PROJECT TEASERS

No one is entirely sure what Studio Wabi Sabi’s Seven Project/7Project will entail. 

It might be like Close Friend (1 episode per couple, no linking), 

or Y-Destiny (2 episodes per couple, loosely linked), 

or The En of Love (4 episodes per couple, linked but independent consecutive stories). 

They’re giving the couple’s arcs separate titles. So each one would be what? Seven Project: Once Upon a Time or the like? We’re in Taiwanese title territory people and NO ONE WANTS TO GO THERE. Anygay... 

Once Upon a Time is the BounPrem (og UWMA) anchor story, and seems to be the most dramatic and likely saddest. These two can handle most of what’s thrown at them at this juncture, so it should be good. 

Vs Love is a BoomPeak (og Make it Right) university vehicle. Since I thought Boom was done with our nonsense, I couldn’t be more thrilled and surprised this pair is doing another show together. I don’t think either of them are the greatest actors but I find Peak very endearing and Boom charismatic on screen, so I’ll watch. 

Would You be My Love is the hotly anticipated SantaEarth launch. They’re a (cultivated) IRL ship and Earth is an established BL actor. They have great chemistry and high energy so this could be lots of fun. 

We are also getting a GL from this series from established BL actresses Samantha and Pineare. Nothing teased yet on that, but I’m looking forward to this installment the most. Also curious to see how the ladies handle the branding and promo side, not to mention the culture. (Thailand variety shows gonna force *girls* to play the Pepero game?) 

Secret Crush on You upcoming Thai BL with no release date, co-produced by and featuring (but NOT staring) Saint and directed by Cheewin (sigh) with all fresh faces. (Previously known as Stalker the series.) It looks like pure pulp and I’m not wild about the plot but could be better than expected as it’s adapted from a novel. Cheewin is an okay director when he has an actual story to follow. 

Don’t Say No the series. Coming from the producers of TharnType this is the JaFirst vehicle many have been waiting for. Friends to lovers + a good boy/bad boy pairing on a sports romance foundation. It’s basketball so they tapped Meen as well (he’s semi-pro). The bad news? You get one guess as to who is writing the darn thing? Yep it’s MAME. So, ya know, expect some slam dunk kidnapping, a light dribbling of rape, and me turning into a basketcase. AKA... 

Will I have to live blog this series in order to survive it? That seems to be the only way I can. So probably. Which means the bad sports puns will continue. Look, if I’m suffering, SO ARE YOU! 

Rumors of a new YinWar vehicle The Best Story (mini series) coming in July. Also rumors that their previously announced Love Mechanics (full length series) has either been delayed, is facing money issues, or is moving studios, or all three. 

Breaking News 

DELAYED (I’m talking these three off the watch list until we get new airing dates) 

Love Area’s release was pushed out but it got a trailer. 

Golden Blood was supposed to drop Weds but comments in MDL report that it is delayed due to C19.  

Love’s Outlet (Taiwan) is supposed to have started a 50 episode run (only 3-5 min each, what utter nonsense). Sadly, this delay is due to a surge in cases in Taiwan which was doing so well, but also doesn’t have many inoculations. 

Bad Buddy has started workshopping at GMMTV actual. 

Kang Insoo’s BTS for Nobleman Ryu’s Wedding is SO FLIPPING CUTE. You have to watch it. Trust me, I don’t rec behind the scenes stuff often. 

Next Week Looks Like This: 

Some shows may be listed later than actual air date for International accessibility reasons.

Upcoming 2021 BL master post here.

Links to watch are provided when possible, ask in a comment if I missed something.

[pokesplendor]

carmela’s team from my pokemon shield playthrough! not as happy with this bunch... info beneath the cut!

Graves - Inteleon - she/he - lesbian White - cis woman - age 30

Graves came from a very unconventional background prior to entering into the League circuit. Having raised since she was young by Interpol for undercover operations, she was there and experienced things a child shouldn’t for the sake of ‘justice.’ Who’s justice is really to question in this situation, as she never had a say. It’s only once she reached legal age did she take a ‘vacation’ and decide to try the league. That’s where she re-encountered Ella, who she had met on the job in the Champion’s guard. She uses her combat skills she gained from her rigorous upbringing, which you’d think would cause her to dominate the field, but that isn’t the case. She’s actually fairly bad at it. 

She has a bit of a problem interacting with others. She was trained in how to act natural, friendly, and unassuming, but she doesn’t know how to not act. What’s Graves’ personality? Well, she’s a crybaby whenever she’s alone. Little things upset her, her anxiety ramps up her paranoia, and she keeps it all saved beneath the surface until she’s alone and then she cries. Other than crying in her off time, she’s a voracious reader, and particularly likes poetry.

If Graves could ever be honest with herself, she’d admit she’s fallen for Ella quite hard. That bright ball of sunshine brought a smile to her face in a way she hadn’t experienced before. But she wasn’t able to voice her feelings, and Ella is now sadly taken. She’s also a poor leader, along with a poor battler, and she doesn’t garner much respect from her team. She’s often spoken over by Crusher.

Crusher - Sirfetch’d - she/her - lesbian White - cis woman - age 34

Crusher likes to think she’s a gallant, chivalrous knight that leaves women quaking with soaked undies are her arrival and her deep, rusty voice sends shivers up their spine when she announces herself, and she’d like to think that everyone wants her around, but she’s wrong. She butted her way into Graves’ team, seeing its lack of, well, many things, leadership, power, attractiveness… They obviously would benefit from her accompaniment. She didn’t care what they had to say, she was going to be on their team and they were going to worship her for what she brings to the table. She’d like to think she’s wanted, but honestly, not very much so.

As if it wasn’t evidence enough, Crusher is extremely up her own ass, overconfident, and unfortunately, with enough power to back up her words. She’s a demon on the field, knocking enemies out with a single sweep sometimes. She works out on the regular, and doesn’t wear armor to show off her many (sexy) battle scars. Otherwise, she’s into collecting antique tea sets and little glass kittens to display back home. Her house is full of them.

Crusher likes to think (man she likes to think a lot of things) that everyone on the team is slightly in love with her, when she is tolerated at best. Goliath likes her, but Goliath likes everyone. He spots for her when they’re working out together, and she respects him for his strength. She’s especially hard on Thrasher and Maverick for not pulling their weight until they evolved, citing them as a weakness.

Goliath - Grimmsnarl - he/they - gay Japanese - nonbinary - age 21

Goliath hails from the Glimmwood Tangle, from quite a large and loving family, but he got it in his head that he had to see the world beyond the forest clearing, he wanted to see where all the people braving its endless maze to reach the gym were about, he wanted to know! A regular yearning princess wishing to see what’s beyond her tower she’s been trapped in. And this is the family business Matilda had to leave her swamp for, bringing his ass home. She got there a little too late, however, already picked up by Graves’ group and registered into gym fights. He couldn’t leave! He made a promise to help! And look at his cool new friends.

When not spent daydreaming about adventures he could be having, he likes to keep in shape. His family home requires constant upkeep, lest the magical wood overgrows anything manmade within a few days. He likes to read, despite struggling with it due to his dyslexia, and he hopes to write his own book one day about what he’s experienced, he wants to have an adventure worth filling a book with. He’s a very positive lad, a happy one, who tries to share the happiness with those around him.

Goliath is still young, but he’s pretty sure about who he is as a person, he knows where he stands on morals, and her own identity as well. He’s chivalrous and kind, always trying to get the team to work together and get along. It has varying results. Grievous loves to mother him, and he likes to think he’s pals with Graves. Despite being younger, he tries to protect Thrasher and Maverick.

Blitz - Centiscorch - she/her - queer White - cis woman - age 33

Blitz, like Graves, was raised by Interpol for infiltration and undercover work. Unlike Graves, however, while the Inteleon was sanded down to being a weak, anxiety-ridden mess, it only strengthened Blitz’ nerves of steel, causing her to become cold and calculating. She only joined the League circuit because she had a mandated vacation following losing her leg from the knee down, and she didn’t want to get rusty on her skills. Not to mention she saw Graves attempting to lead and failing at it and thought she’d stick around to demean her for her lack of anything worthy of use for Interpol’s workings.

She doesn’t have many hobbies, she likes working out, staying fit, and occasionally cooking some ultra healthy superfood, but it’s not like cooking is her passion. She doesn’t understand why people think you need to have a life outside of your work, she’s perfectly happy to just always be on the job and do as it demands. She smokes, but only the occasional cigarette so as to not negatively affect her health. She’s a woman of few loves, few words, and she thinks that’s just fine.

Blitz scoffs when the team tries to have any sort of ‘get to know each other’ exercise. It’s never in good faith, and just ends in disaster so she tries to avoid it. Grevious tries to mother her on occasion, for whatever reason, she never had a mother and she doesn’t want one, so she doesn’t understand why her face gets flushed and hands get sweaty when the dragon’s around.

Maverick - Corviknight - she/her - lesbian White - trans woman - age 32

Maverick is a failed knight from olden times; she was sealed in a tomb in the slumbering weld with her previous king as a way to protect him in the next life, only to be revived by Graves and Ella exploring the area. Being awoken in modern times, she had a lot to learn and get used to, part of it being her king is no more. The body is gone, and the tomb ransacked. She failed, and this weighs heavy on her shoulders through the journey. She agreed to follow Graves, sensing a nobility to her, Ella already having Thomasin by her side while Graves had no one. She is skilled in battle, if not unsure of herself due to her failings during both in the past, and while she was asleep.

She holds herself to high standards, almost impossible for her to meet, but no one else. She does not expect others to keep up her strict training regime, it is for her alone to shoulder the burden of being known as a failure. Despite that statement, Crusher constantly challenges her, and they’re often sparring with one another. In her off time, she enjoys weaving and is learning the modern trades of ‘sewing’ and ‘crochet.’ She enjoys making clothes for herself and others.

Her strict lifestyle doesn’t give her many moments to herself or to consider her feelings for others. She dedicates herself to a cause and thinks of little else. However she enjoys Grevious’ company. She does notice the occasional stares from others, such as Thomasin from Ella’s team, and she wonders what it could mean. Does she resent her for not joining Ella? It seemed only fair at the time.

Grevious - Dragapult - she/her - bi Vietnamese - trans woman - age 45

The ghost of a test pilot that went down during a new dirigible’s trial run over Galar. Her body was never found, believed to be incinerated by the blast, and her spirit has hung on to the area as she never got a proper burial. Graves, hearing her plight, followed her to her remains, giving her the burial she deserved. Freed from her prison, she was free to pass on, but she denied doing so, she had to repay Graves for her service. And so, she was conscripted to the gym challenge, one she had seen many travelers pass by speaking of such a thing and she was always curious just what exactly it was. She had heard things of course, but nothing is better than first hand experience.

Grievous is a very noble person, but not too stuffy either. She loves a good joke, she loves puns, and she loves giving people a good fright with her ghostly status. It’s all in good fun, she’d never do anything malicious or something that would genuinely harm others! She loves to fly, she had always loved to fly, and dying didn’t exactly rob her of that love. Now she can do it without a plane! She spent so long as spirit, she kind of forgot what having hobbies is like, and she’s trying new things!

She’s a very motherly person, and, being the oldest of the group, feels very maternal towards all the young little ones around her. She’s particularly concerned for Graves and Blitz upon hearing around their upbringing. That’s no way to treat a child! She does her best to tend to the others of the group. Though she would be lying if she didn’t say that Crusher pushed her buttons more than once.

Thrasher - Obstagoon - they/them - lesbian Black - transmasc nonbinary - age 24

Thrasher comes from a foster home full of wayward kids who grew up on the downward spiral of life, and they themselves weren’t an exception. Originally from Spikemuth, they never knew their parents and their foster home travels were rough. No one seemed to want to keep them, and at one point they got sick of it and ran away from home. They ran and ran and never looked back, and found a job working in the professor’s lab in Postwick. They didn’t ask them where they were from, nor tried to contact anyone else, so it was good for them. They met Graves early into their gym circuit and decided to join her to perform some field work for the professor.

They’re quite down on themselves, never feeling like they’ll accomplish anything of worth. They couldn’t be a good child, they’re not a good battler, it took them a while to come into their own, and Crusher needling them constantly didn’t help. In their spare time, they play guitar and sing covers of existing songs. They don’t have a knack for writing, just another thing they fail at. It’s been a tough life, and they stumble along the way constantly trying to get to a better tomorrow.

Thrasher is a shy sort when it comes to their feelings, they haven’t been engendered into showing their vulnerable side to others. And Graves’ group isn’t exactly what you’d call family. But it’s a nice change of pace and they almost feel… wanted. And Grevious is a nice addition to their life. To have such a motherly person doting on them is, well, a dream come true.

[bessmrvin]

𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐑𝐀𝐂𝐓𝐄𝐑   𝐒𝐇𝐄𝐄𝐓

𝐛𝐚𝐬𝐢𝐜𝐬.

NAME   :   elizabeth ‘ bess ’ mildred cai marvin

NICKNAME   :  bess, ol’ bessie, marv

ALIAS(S)   :   magpie

GENDER   :   female

SIZE:   5′5″  

AGE   :   verse-dependent, eighteen +

ZODIAC   :      cancer

SPOKEN   LANGUAGES   :   english   ,  japanese (conversational, but it sounds very american), vietnamese (learning)

𝐩𝐡𝐲𝐬𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥   𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐬.

HAIR   COLOR   :   black, has had it dyed blonde for many years.

EYE   COLOR   :   dark brown

SKIN   TONE   :   tan

BODY   TYPE   :   curvy, pear body type; her weight is in her hips, breasts, and tummy. appears mid-size, size 14-16. hourglass shape with a tummy.

VOICE   :     her voice is feminine and clear with a bit of vocal fry. [LINK]

DOMINANT   HAND   :   right

POSTURE   : she is actually quite neutral when it comes to her posture; she isn’t overly straight-backed or slumped.

SCARS   :   has a large scar on her left arm from falling onto a rock during the ‘ransom of the seven ships’ case,

TATTOOS   :   none ; wants a very pinterest-y, early 2010s tattoo

BIRTHMARKS   :   some freckles across her face, a beauty mark mole by her eye.

𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐝𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐝.

PLACE   OF   BIRTH   :   ho chi minh city, vietnam 

HOMETOWN   :   river heights, illinois

SIBLINGS   :   none

PARENTS   :  linda marvin (adoptive mother), paul marvin (adoptive father)

𝐚𝐝𝐮𝐥𝐭   𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐞.

OCCUPATION   :  verse dependent ; college student / beauty salesgirl / amateur detective

CURRENT   RESIDENCE(S)   :   verse dependent; river heights, illinois ; bayport, massachusetts ; other

CLOSE   FRIENDS   :  nancy drew, george fayne, ned nickerson, joe hardy, frank hardy,

RELATIONSHIP   STATUS   verse dependent, typically she is always in love or in a relationship or dating or pining. she loves love.

FINANCIAL   STATUS   :   upper middle class

DRIVER’S   LICENSE   :   yes!

CRIMINAL   RECORD   :   debatable; is on records for aiding nancy, but hasn’t been charged for anything.

VICES   :   ice cream, cute men, boy band merch

𝐬𝐞𝐱   &   𝐫𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞.

SEXUAL   ORIENTATION   :   closeted bisexual

PREFERRED   EMOTIONAL   ROLE   :   caretaker

PREFERRED   SEXUAL   ROLE   :   submissive / pillow princess

TURN   ONS   :   emotionally   /   personality-wise: dreamy, funny, accepts her, indulges her wild stories/fantasies, protective, when they cook for her physically: sometimes her physical likes conflict; it can confuse her. she likes pretty vibes but also uber masculine vibes, tattoos, piercings bigger/taller than her, blue eyes, deep voice, dyed hair, plump lips and strong jaws.

TURN   OFFS   :   talking over her, fatshaming her, mean comments, cheaters,

LOVE   LANGUAGE   :  acts of service (giving) , quality time (giving/receiving), gift giving (reveiving).

RELATIONSHIP   TENDENCIES   :   unreliable. she falls in and out love like breathing. she has had too many relationships to count. she loves love. she loves like a star burning out, passionately and all encompassing until like a flash shes onto her next crush. she is easily bored and needs a lot of excitement to maintain a relationship’s spark. commitment scares her as well - if she in a relationship and her partner expresses moving forward in a way that she doesnt feel ready for she’ll clam up and more often than not that feeling leads to her ending the relationship sooner rather than later.

𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐜𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐞𝐨𝐮𝐬.

CHARACTER’S   THEME   SONG   : the feels / tw.ice [LINK]

MENTAL   ILLNESSES   :  n/a, undiagnosed general anxiety disorder

PHOBIAS   :   phobia of the night (always needs a light on or a nightlight)

SELF   CONFIDENCE   LEVEL   :   9/10  

tagged   by   : stole it

tagging   :   @shaggee , @interxstitial ,  @roshale​ , @imperfectluv​  ,  @robinbckley​

[firstfullmoon]

Do you have favorite quotes related about the importance of small details?

“The precious intimacy of little things.”

— Daphné du Maurier, I Will Never Be Young Again

“On my windowsill when I got home, there was a tumbler with pink jelly in it, and embedded in the jelly, sliced strawberries and bananas… [my neighbour] cooks at odd hours. She must have made the strawberry jelly this morning. When I buy baklava, which is not often because I eat too many, I leave a few for her on her windowsill, with a headscarf over them so the wasps don’t come. For these little gifts we don’t thank each other with words. They are commas of care.”

— John Berger, From A to X: A Story in Letters

“I suppose I could spend time theorizing how it is that people are not bad to each other, but that’s really not the point. The point is that in almost every instance of our lives, our social lives, we are, if we pay attention, in the midst of an almost constant, if subtle, caretaking. Holding open doors. Offering elbows at crosswalks. Letting someone else go first. Helping with the heavy bags. Reaching what’s too high, or what’s been dropped. Pulling someone back to their feet. Stopping at the car wreck, at the struck dog. The alternating merge, also known as the zipper. This caretaking is our default mode and it’s always a lie that convinces us to act or believe otherwise. Always.”

“One of the woman was gently arranging an older woman’s collar beneath her sweater, freeing it from the cardigan’s neck, using both of her hands to jostle it free but also seeming to spend a little more time than necessary, creasing the fold of the collar, the other hand kind of resting on her shoulder, the two of them chatting the whole time, sitting there holding each other, nodding, my head twisting toward them like a sunflower as I finished the stairs and walked by, so in love was I with this common flourish of love, this everyday human light.”

“but her need to share the photo with me [...] smiling and looking at it, smiling and looking at me looking at it, me smiling and looking at her looking at it, which is simply called sharing what we love, what we find beautiful, which is an ethics.”

— Ross Gay, The Book of Delights

“He’s got a fever. He’s all alone. So I’m gonna buy him something to eat.” “The congee downstairs is quite good.” “He doesn’t want congee.” “What does he want?” “Can’t taste anything so he wants sesame syrup.” [...] “What are you cooking?” “I had a sudden craving for sesame syrup.”

“Why did you call me at the office today?” “I had nothing to do. I wanted to hear your voice.”

— In the Mood for Love, dir. Wong Kar-Wai

— Danusha Laméris, “Small Kindnesses”

“It all matters. That someone turns out the lamp, picks up the windblown wrapper, says hello to the invalid, pays at the unattended lot, listens to the repeated tale, folds the abandoned laundry, plays the game fairly, tells the story honestly, acknowledges help, gives credit, says good night, resists temptation, wipes the counter, waits at the yellow, makes the bed, tips the maid, remembers the illness, congratulates the victor, accepts the consequences, takes a stand, steps up, offers a hand, goes first, goes last, chooses the small portion, teaches the child, tends to the dying, comforts the grieving, removes the splinter, wipes the tear, directs the lost, touches the lonely, is the whole thing. What is most beautiful is least acknowledged. What is worth dying for is barely noticed.”

— Laura McBride, We Are Called to Rise

“I’ve never told you this,” she said. “But there’s something about taking the cart back instead of leaving it in the parking lot. I don’t know when this came to me; it was a few years ago. There’s a difference between leaving it where you empty it and taking it back to the front of the store. It’s significant.” “Because somebody has to take them in.” “Yes. And if you know that, and you do it for that one guy, you do something else. You join the world…You move out of your isolation and become universal.”

— Andre Dubus, “Out of the Snow”

“It’s true that, in Vietnamese, we rarely say I love you, and when we do, it is almost always in English. Care and love, for us, are pronounced clearest through service: plucking white hairs, pressing yourself on your son to absorb a plane’s turbulence and, therefore, his fear. Or now—as Lan called to me, “Little Dog, get over here and help me help your mother.” And we knelt on each side of you, rolling out the hardened cords in your upper arms, then down to your wrists, your fingers. For a moment almost too brief to matter, this made sense—that three people on the floor, connected to each other by touch, made something like the word family.”

— Ocean Vuong, On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous: A Novel

— Ada Limón, from “The Great Blue Heron of Dunbar Road”

“I’m doing a balancing act with a stack of fresh fruit in my basket. I love you. I want us both to eat well.”

— Christopher Citro, from “Our Beautiful Life When It’s Filled WIth Shrieks”

“One of the primary ways we connect with each other is by eating together. Some of the connection happens simply by being in the same place at the same time and sharing the same food, but we also connect through specific actions, such as serving food to one another or making toasts: ‘May I offer you some potatoes?’ ‘Here’s to your health and happiness.’ Much of our fundamental well-being comes from the basic reassurance that there is a place for us at the table. We belong here. Here we are served and we serve others. Here we give and receive sustenance.”

— Edward Espe Brown, Tomato Blessings and Radish Teaching

“Attention is the beginning of devotion.”

“Now in the spring I kneel, I put my face into the packets of violets, the dampness, the freshness, the sense of ever-ness. Something is wrong, I know it, if I don’t keep my attention on eternity. May I be the tiniest nail in the house of the universe, tiny but useful. May I stay forever in the stream. May I look down upon the windflower and the bull thistle and the coreopsis with the greatest respect.”

“it is a serious thing

just to be alive on this fresh morning in this broken world.”

— Mary Oliver, Upstream: Selected Essays / from “Invitation”

— Wendy Cope, “The Orange”

“After learning my flight was detained 4 hours, I heard the announcement: if anyone in the vicinity of gate 4-A understands any Arabic, please come to the gate immediately. Well—one pauses these days. Gate 4-A was my own gate. I went there. An older woman in full traditional Palestinian dress, just like my grandma wore, was crumpled to the floor, wailing loudly. Help, said the flight service person. Talk to her. What is her problem? We told her the flight was going to be four hours late and she did this. I put my arm around her and spoke to her haltingly. Shu dow-a, shu-biduck habibti, stani stani schway, min fadlick, sho bit se-wee? The minute she heard any words she knew—however poorly used—she stopped crying. She thought our flight had been canceled entirely. She needed to be in El Paso for some major medical treatment the following day. I said no, no, we’re fine, you’ll get there, just late. Who is picking you up? Let’s call him and tell him. We called her son and I spoke with him in English. I told him I would stay with his mother until we got on the plane and would ride next to her—Southwest. She talked to him. Then we called her other sons just for the fun of it. Then we called my dad and he and she spoke for a while in Arabic and found out, of course, they had ten shared friends. Then I thought just for the heck of it why not call some Palestinian poets I know and let them chat with her. This all took up about 2 hours. She was laughing a lot by then. Telling about her life. Answering questions. She had pulled a sack of homemade mamool cookies—little powdered sugar crumbly mounds stuffed with dates and nuts—out of her bag—and was offering them to all the women at the gate. To my amazement, not a single woman declined one. It was like a sacrament. The traveler from Argentina, the traveler from California, the lovely woman from Laredo—we were all covered with the same powdered sugar. And smiling. There are no better cookies. And then the airline broke out the free beverages from huge coolers—non-alcoholic—and the two little girls from our flight, one African American, one Mexican American—ran around serving us all apple juice and lemonade, and they were covered with powdered sugar, too. And I noticed my new best friend—by now we were holding hands—had a potted plant poking out of her bag, some medicinal thing with green furry leaves. Such an old country traveling tradition. Always carry a plant. Always stay rooted to somewhere. And I looked around that gate of late and weary ones and thought, this is the world I want to live in. The shared world. Not a single person in this gate—once the crying of confusion stopped—has seemed apprehensive about any other person. They took the cookies. I wanted to hug all those other women, too. This can still happen anywhere. Not everything is lost.”

— Naomi Shihab Nye, “Gate A4″

“Then there are the things, if you are particularly lucky, that this person has done for you while you’re away: how in the pantry, in the freezer, in the refrigerator will be all the food you like to eat, the scotch you like to drink. There will be the sweater you thought you lost the previous year at the theater, clean and folded and back on its shelf. There will be the shirt with its dangling buttons, but the buttons will be sewn back in place. There will be your mail stacked on one side of his desk; there will be a contract for an advertising campaign you’re going to do in Germany for an Austrian beer, with his notes in the margin to discuss with your lawyer. And there will be no mention of it, and you will know that it was done with genuine pleasure, and you will know that part of the reason—a small part, but a part—you love being in this apartment and in this relationship is because this other person is always making a home for you, and that when you tell him this, he won’t be offended but pleased, and you’ll be glad, because you meant it with gratitude.”

— Hanya Yanagihara, A Little Life