#it's hard to describe but i know Every Single scene in the first couple of seasons

[famewolf]

wanted to watch something light and dumb so I picked up Naruto again for the first time in a decade

[slaaverin]

Hey Slavv

you’re video edit was wonderful, thank you for sharing it with us

I just wondered what you thought about the episode as a whole? Did the baby conversation make you take pause? I hope they are able to stay together despite not being able to be parents in the future.

Ohh thank you so much 💜

This question is quite hard for me to answer properly.

First of all, I really loved it. I had a very peculiar and quite strong reaction to it. I'll try to put it in words the best I can.

I'll start with a simple thing: in my 7 years of being a jikooker, that is all I ever wanted to see from them.

Being relaxed, happy, joyous, authentic, confortable.

So this felt like some kind of apoteose. Everything came full circle. For them & for me.

When you think about it, nothing really happened in this episode, they were doing the most mundane things, but there was this vibe of the most comfort, the most warmth, the most quiet and simple love, that my heart was deeply touched by it and after it hit me I really had no words to describe the feeling I had. It's deep stuff lol

Somehow they always exceed my expectations. I'm not those people who say "I expect nothing so I won't get disappointed". No, I expect things. But not because I want them to do certain stuff, more because I feel I know them sufficiently, and some of their patterns, and I see them within the love umbrella, so it gets easier and easier to predict what they might do or not. How crazy this is that they check absolutely all the boxes everytime and confirm every theory? I'm trying to stay sane of mind over here but no they want me to be the most delulu lol

Of course the ambiance really helped the episode to feel dream-like. And we know how much Japan means to them. JK must have said 384737 times how much he loved it and how happy he was.

Nothing was hanging on their shoulders anymore, no burdens, and I think that's why they were able to enjoy it this much.

It's quite insane when you think about it how fluid this all was. Like nothing felt out of place, conversation flowed easily, they are on the same wavelength about everything, they spoke openly, they had fun and let their inner child play, everything felt SO EASY. Their dynamic is just perfect, no hiccups, it just fits, jives, it clicks.

Now I am wondering how the hell they are not already a human representation of the Cosmic couple because if there is supposed to be a next level to this relationship I can't even imagine what that would look like. How much better can it get? It's so full of love already. Anyway I digress

About the child talk, firstly I was expecting this talk in Sapporo indeed. It was obvious they would at least mention it. So when I saw the scene I was already prepared mentally.

It doesn't make me worry about jikook because I think that if at some point they will want a child, they'll get to have one. Jimin or Jungkook can firstly adopt as a single parent (a bill has been passed about this in Korea recently) and then raise the child together unofficially. Or they can use a surrogate mother from overseas or something. You know they are filthy rich so I think if they REALLY want to, they would find a way.

But JK isn't ready about it yet lmao leave this man alone for now 😂

When and if it is the right time for the both of them there will be solutions so I'm not worried. This moment was really cute 🥰

Who knows what the future holds for them. Many years before we would have never expected to see them even shirtless, we would have not believed we would see their dynamic up this close in a show like this.

Things can evolve quickly. Who knows how things will develop with BTS as well, for how long will they remain a group?

It's true they are getting old, in "idol age".

Who knows how the country will evolve too?

I trust Jimin&Jungkook to make decisions about their future that will benefit them and their relationship. Maybe it will involve a child, maybe not. But I personally don't think they would break up because of this. You can see how precious their relationship is for them.

But only time will tell if I'm right.

Anyway, I could go over all the scenes of this episode and talk about it for hours.

I know this was an ephemeral dream for them this trip, like a time capsule, a bubble of normalcy, where everything is and means suddenly more. There was nothing and everything they needed at the same time. Ahh, so beautiful 🥺

I wish their lives were all the time like this, but it is what it is, they had to come down from the cloud, and face their duty, then it will be their schedule, and things will go back to regular program.

But for now I don't mind losing myself in the dream with them, and float, and pretend everything is the way they want it to be.

"All for your happiness" Jimin said

If they are happy, I am happy.

Let's enjoy those next 2 eps, I think we're in for other surprises.

Thank you for your ask 💜

[mommyzhilla]

Bad Buddy and its aftereffects

Disclaimer: this is just going to be a word vomit. Something I had been meaning to do since ages but being down with flu finally gave me the time and mindspace to do it.

My first tryst with Thai BLs started with Love By Chance and I tried.. I really tried.. but the script.. the acting were just not clicking with me.

Then came the wave of 2gether the series and that was much better.. I was at least able to complete watching the first season even though I didnt get the hype around it.. It was my second time giving up..

My third effort was ITSAY and gosh what a show that was.. I was recommending it to anyone who would listen to me gush about Billkin and PP and the director. The show was heavy on my heart.. I needed to brace myself every time I wanted to rewatch it.. I guess I have rewatched it 3 or 4 times in all these years.. It just is that emotionally heavy show for me.

But the music.. Gosh the music.. the songs.. Billkin's voice.. When I tell u Skyline and untold answer were on repeat.. Specially untold answer.. I still listen to it..

Despite my love for ITSAY and my tolerance for IPYTM.. I again took a break from Thai BLs.. and BLs in general..

Throwback to exactly 1 year back.. When I rediscovered thai BLs... let me be specific.. I discovered Bad Buddy..

My first watch.. awesome.. loved it.. listened to the songs a bit..

my bestie then suggested me Not me.. kinnporsche.. eclipse.. liked them all.. and I thought thats it..

But then I rewatched Bad Buddy.. and rewatched it the next time.. and the next.. I was literally rewatching those 12 episodes almost till April and May of this year.. for almost 6 months.. I didnt consume bad buddy.. bad buddy consumed me..

I was watching MSP and never let me go and other BLs too.. but an episode of bad buddy everyday became a need.. and this perplexed me.. I kept on having conversations with my bestie about my obsession with Bad Buddy. This level of obsession.. where I was crying listening to the BGM.. crying over a 3 min trailer.. after watching the show multiple times.. had never happened to me ever..

And apart from all this.. bad buddy was responsible for a couple of firsts for me.. first time joined tumblr.. for bad buddy.. explored ao3 and read way too many pat pran fanfics.. and also made me explore Thai music.. and my spotify wrapped is the proof.. its full of thai songs.. Bad buddy instrumental BGM.. is in my top songs..

I guess the obsession was a consequence of my failed past relationship.. which finally ended right around the time I discovered Bad buddy.. where things were very similar.. I used to call him soulmate.. but family issues made us break up after 10 yrs.. Every time I rewatch ep 11.. where Pat says to Pran that you dont leave me and fight alongside me.. I cry buckets over this one scene.. coz I didnt have anyone to fight alongside me.. may be its that.. may be it was the characters.. may be it was the magic created by p'aof.. but somewhere.. something struck such a cord that the show still has the ability to bring out emotions that I didn't know existed.. I always describe it as emotions bubbling and trying hard to break the wall and spill all over.. thats what I feel.. and sometimes they spill over.. and m left a crying mess.. No other show has made me feel this way.. No other form of media has made me feel this way.

Is the obsession still there? Not as much.. I still love a good patpran fanfic.. My top song is Just friends by Nanon which I listen to this day.. I still cry over the instrumental BGM.. But I no longer have to watch bad buddy every single day..

I dont know how much bad buddy has helped me overcome my past.. but I know its still a safe space I can visit when things get tough.. Funny how a random piece of media can have such an important share in your life.. A random show on the internet can heal you more than the living people around you.

Now that I have talked about it so much.. I may as well watch ep 6 (3/4).. fyi.. that beach scene is my fav..

P.S.. I know there would be typos and errors but I am not going to read it all back else I will not have the courage to post this.

[aspiring-artist-em]

get to know better tag

thank you @achilleslikespeas!! you're so so amazing omg- anyhoo

three ships: wolfstar, ineffable husbands (someone pls talk to me about good omens I literally can NOT rn), drarry

first ship: drarry, it’s a tried and true ship for me, ive been shipping it since I was like, a child  (literally flashback to me at like, 7 years old telling my mom that harry and Draco should get over each other and buy a castle and live together forever as a happy couple (parents were not happy that their daughter was saying this (they were homophobic( (im now gay and still shipping it so suck it, ig)))

last song: I would love to lie and say its something cool like “killer queen” or “lady stardust” bc I listen to those a lot, but once again, I would be lying and my actual last song that I listened to was “no hands (ft. Roscoe dash and wale)”, yk, the frat party song, I like to play it while writing angst

last movie: Harry Potter? idk what one, I like to put the tv on while I do stuff like budget money and write fanfic and draw, so honestly idk, it was probably the chamber of secrets, that and poa are my all time favs 

currently reading: ur mom LMAO (im so sorry) no, what im reading is smut, and also like, a good omens fic about Crowley’s fall (witness the fall) bc im trying to forget about season 2′s ending. im also reading away childish things (again) bc like, that's one of my fav drarry fics of all time. if we’re talking about marauders fics, it was probably her body is a temple down in the frozen food aisle  by achilleslikespeas, both for my emotional masochistic enjoyment and bc I wanted to draw a scene in the story (go read it now pls, its really good, Claude is really good a writing and im freaking out bc I wanna draw a scene from every single one of their fics I- like go-to horror dead dove fics for me I reccomend Claude and for smut I go to moonie), if we’re talking books books, Ive been reading yellowface and I am a cat which so far, are really really good, but also like, im really bad at reading so like, I haven't actually touched them in a week LMAO

currently watching: good omens, its playing on my tv in the background both because I love it and also because Neil said if u stream it enough amazon will see how valuable it is (with the strike and everything) and like, actually be willing to negotiate, essentially, help out the strike, go watch gay celestial beings 

last thing i wrote: 'Til Death Do Us Part, and Even Then, I'll Do My Best to Stay With You, its a dead dove fic centering around grief and denial, uh, 2 chapters in lol

currently writing: I have like, a million wips and no motivation to write rn so lets dive into them lol

1) chapter 3 of do death do us part, very sad, like, maybe 3 sentences in?

2) the next part of my lesbian wolf star series, its the one right before the trail one, so like, part 10 is gonna be another chapter centering more around Sirius’s memories and part 11 is gonna be the trial, I have like, 2 separate things ive written for it and I need to decide where I want it to go tbh

3) smut, gay wolf star, frat hazing blow or blow smut. sirius is on his knees and almost throws up but he doesn't and its lowkey like actually non con but its also frat hazing, like, idk how to explain the vibes but sirius is referred to as a dog and a filthy animal and degraded and he's sucking remus’s dick on coke and im like 2k words in and like, running out of ways to describe a cock lol (its also hard to bc like, I don't have a dick and my textbooks are no help sometimes) but he is also called the “pike puppy” and like, I think im smart for that and also its really filthy ngl, not a happy ending?

4) a short fluff fic to make up for the angst I put my readers through, im like 200 words in

5) au kinda thing, inspired by don't worry darling and like a TikTok that I saw (and now people are commenting on me commenting if I can write the idea and asking for the fic name and like, Im 500 words in? pls I need time), the idea is that Dumbledore has everyone under imperio or a potion to get them on his side to fight for him, lily’s pov, I really like it so far, uhh im like 500 words in I think?

so yeah, when I get inspiration im gonna write everything all at once lol, probably when my body isn't trying to kill me lmao or im at work

tagging: @spookymoonie @pinklume @wxlfstxrisbest @spindrifters @siriuslystargazing @siriusly-sapphic @green-lights-33

[fatherentropy]

Entropy's guide to Final Fantasy XIV

Just a handy dandy little guide for no reason because you literally don't need a guide to play the game and be happy but I keep seeing misconceptions about it and they're driving me UP THE GODS BE DAMNED WALL so here we ARE

FINAL FANTASY XIV WAS ORIGINALLY RELEASED IN 2010

AND IT SUCKED

There's a ton of different series based on the absolute shenanigry that was involved in FFXIV 1.x but the important part is that most of the development team were either fired or moved to other departments and were replaced by the current Producer; Yoshi-P and his team. They tried rehabilitating the game as is but it became increasingly apparent they were going to have to do something drastic so they shut the game down and completely redid it. Keeping in mind that Square Enix was not doing well financially at the time, this means their budget was not very big and it shows from time to time.

2.x otherwise known as A Realm Reborn, is a completely redone base game. Over the past couple of years the devs have done a lot to improve the base game for longevity reasons but it's still kind of awkward and a bit of a slog. Be patient, dick around, honestly I do recommend playing around on the Free Trial unless you know you're going to be playing awhile because it isn't time gated so you can go at your own pace (You just can't exceed a certain level or quest at the end of the first expac; Heavensward, and you have a TON of content you can access despite being a trial.)

Still a lot of people just do not like ARR (or subsequently the expac Stormblood) and this brings me to my next point

2. THERE ARE "JUMP BOOSTS" SOLD IN THE STORE TO SKIP STORY AND CLASS LEVELS

If you're new to the game dO 👏 NOT 👏 FUCKING 👏 USE 👏THESE 👏!!! Even if you aren't interested in the story, the game is training you for the mechanics that come in later in the game.

You'll see it time and again where a WoW streamer or someone will come in and try FFXIV but they'll treat it like their old mmo and say it's a terrible game but you'll watch their streams and they're standing in twelve AOEs and refusing to do mechanics shouting about the healers being terrible. The game is SPECIFICALLY DESIGNED so that you have to do mechanics and not stand in shit. If you get one hit by a AoE Marker in end game every other person was trained to avoid from the beginning of the game, idk what you want them to do tbqh!!!

3. AT THE END OF THE DAY FFXIV IS A FINAL FANTASY GAME

The focus of this game is story and will always be story. Unlike western games that all decided cutscenes were bad for some reason, you will literally be inundated with them. Not all of them are voiced. That is a lot of reading. Pace yourself.

There are different story arcs (expansions) but the story of Final Fantasy XIV is one continuous story from beginning to end and it references past events all the time because it's still relevant. The devs try really hard to make sure old unexplained questions get addressed and their attention to detail is pretty great. We literally just had one of our mysteries of base game explained but also maybe with a tie in for future content.

FFXIV has been described as being one of the best single player MMO experiences and that's getting truer all the time. Devs are only a couple dungeons away from having made every single dungeon you are required to do for story available to complete using NPC teammates instead of real people.*

Our Raids have story and cutscenes. Our non required dungeons got story and cutscenes. If you're not interested in story you probably shouldn't be playing this game. We do have a raiding scene and FFXIV has probably one of the lowest entries into raiding so it's easy to get into but it's not going to be the WoW Raiding scene other people are used to.

Also stop complaining about the unskippable cutscenes that show up in very select dungeons. They are Like That™ because old players used to kick new players for trying to watch them because they're trying to speedrun. It's a thing we all gotta struggle through because of people without empathy.

If you don't have time for things to go bad, don't run that content.

*this doesn't include Trials which are big boss fights but when you realize NPCs can't do more than one (1) mechanic at a time you begin to realize why there's exactly one trial they can do in the entire goddamn game.

4. WESTERN AND ASIAN FANTASY ARE TWO DIFFERENT THINGS

I keep seeing people scoff at Asian fantasy because it's not what they're used to in fantasy like GoT or tES but idek why they're compared?? Final Fantasy is inspired by dungeons & dragons, sure, but it's also inspired by shit like

S T A R W A R S

I'm not even remotely joking about that. Once you realize that it becomes more apparent the more you look. 80s Star Wars was HUGE in Japan. As my sibling says, it's not really a Final Fantasy game unless you end up in space for some reason.

This is ofc not even mentioning that the values and cultural infuences of different European countries tend to be different from one another let alone fucking JAPAN at the other end of the world.

Some weird and wild shit happens in the game that you wouldn't see in your typical Western fantasy stories but to be quite honest some of the complaints I see against Asian anything is quite frankly Racist. (If you have had the notion that Asian things are just worse than Western stuff then I may have news for you!) I would just try and come at it thinking it's an entirely different genre than try and force it to be something it just isn't nor should be.

I might add more to this as the salt takes me but!! I've said my piece... for now.

[lacomandante]

Tagged in '20 questions for fic writers' by the @chiropteracupola — thank you!!

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

4. Very shameful... I have many, many fics started, and so many ideas, but I usually lack the energy to finish them, but slowly work on them. And while I do have a couple that are finished, posting them wouldn't make a ton of sense without prior explanation on a lot of things. So it stays in the vault for now.

2. What’s your total AO3 word count?

8,887! I need to publish a fic that's just one word now!

3. What fandoms do you write for?

Primarily Sharpe- but more often I've written for Tolkien, even though I've never published anything publicly to AO3, just tumblr.

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

....I don't want to link the first one bc it's embarrassing, but it has 199 kudos.

Home has 34.

Longest Night has 26

And Después de guerra has 19.

5. Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

Absolutely- I try to respond to every one I get. It's very rare I get comments for my fics, especially the Sharpe ones, so I treasure them dearly!

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

This is going to sound terrible, but I usually don't write fics with angsty endings!! I always try and end with at least a silver lining. (And at least for Sharpe fics, canon already is pretty depressing, so I like to write happier things lol). I think it would have to be the one where my dúnedain ranger dies at the Battle of the Morannon, being snatched by a fell beast and dropped from a large height.

7. What’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

I think Home. I just love Teresa and Sharpe and Antonia safe and happy and loved 🥺 Though it's been so many years since I wrote it I might have to go back and polish it....

8. Do you get hate on fics?

No, thankfully. But the fear of getting hate is what's prevented me from posting most of my Tolkien ones, I would say.

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

Yes! I've got one in the works atm that I really like. I'm a sucker for hurt/comfort in general, but honestly, I'm game for any smut. I'm the type of person who writes a 2,000 word blowjob fic thats IMPERATIVE for the character development lmao.

10. Do you write crossovers? What’s the craziest one you’ve written?

I don't think I've personally written any fics with crossovers before. I guess like 12 years ago I wrote a Resident Evil/Silent Hill crossover but never got far into it...I posted it to LiveJournal lol. Those were the days.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

No, thank goodness. At least for Sharpe the fandom is so tiny it'd be hard not to notice if someone did lol.

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

Nope! Though I've considered translating my own into Spanish, I'm not quite proficient as I am in English and it wouldn't be the same.

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

Almost every single bit of writing for the Sharpe series that isn't posted to AO3 has pretty much been written with @properbastard. Sam and I pretty much every day bounce ideas off of each other and share one brain cell. But she also beta-reads my fics and often helps me when I'm stuck, so even if it's a fic I wrote myself, she's pretty much embedded into it too. And if rping counts as cowriting a fic, then yes, absolutely!

14. What’s your all time favourite ship?

If you're following me and reading this, you probably already know <3

15. What’s a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

Personally I try not to think of WIP's that way. I think I have the potential to finish any fic, but I don't want to set myself up for failure by thinking I'll never finish something. Or maybe that's just me being in denial LOL.

16. What are your writing strengths?

I think descriptions and maybe dialogue? I like to describe landscapes and set up scenes so that a nice image is painted and sets the stage for the main characters, so to speak. I also have a decent feel for dialogue, I think. Since I've very rarely written modern fiction, one of the most important aspects of historical fiction is being conscious of how characters speak. What words would they use? Do they shorten sentences, or not? What's their background? Upper class or from the gutter? Do they speak English natively? Can they use this phrase, or is that a modern one? I'm a stickler for it, and if I read a fic where the characters Do Not sound like themselves, I usually have to exit out of it.

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

Actually writing lmfao. I don't tend to have a lot of confidence with my writing, which is a shame, but I struggle a lot with that and second guess myself on a lot of things. I'm also incredibly slow- I have so many fics on the backburner just chillin' that I get overwhelmed just looking at and then don't do it, despite wanting to. I create a lot of obstacles for myself that I know don't need to be there, but I'm not sure how to get rid of them.

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic?

I've done it before! Least not in published fics. For Teresa, since I literally got a Spanish degree because of her, in the past I've incorporated a bit of Spanish into my writing to practice my lessons with her. It was really fun- and honestly, I think it can definitely serve a purpose in a fic- sometimes not knowing what's being said and being forced to extrapolate for yourself through context clues can really put yourself into another characters shoes.

19. First fandom you wrote for?

Left 4 Dead. I was hugely into the Valve games, but L4D was my first foray, and probably my biggest and most popular fic. I had quite a few chapters and people really liked it on FF.net, and I would write out the chapters on paper in class, in middle school. I ended up deleting it because I had no idea what to do with it- no plans, no story, just writing as I went. I fondly remember a scene I wrote where Zoey was bleeding out and Nick used a defib on her and it worked <3 oh 13 year old medical knowledge....

20. Favourite fic you’ve written?

I can't choose! I think I'm so critical of my writing it's so hard to like anything I write.

I tag @phoenixflames12 @properbastard @conquistadoradelmar @prvtocol and whoever else wants to do it!!

[questinwitchface]

Author Question Tag Game Thing

Thank you so much for tagging me @thatmexisaurusrex!

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

18

2. What’s your total AO3 word count?

582,835

3. What fandoms do you write for?

MCU, mostly SamBucky.

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

Pet Names The Promise of Cheesecake and a Decent Wine You Probably Think This Poem Is About You (And That's Because It Is) Dear Sam There Was More Than One Bed (But Who's Counting?)

5. Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

I do my best to respond to every comment. Usually, if I don't, it's because I didn't see it and it's been long enough that I feel awkward replying so much later lol. But I appreciate every comment I get.

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

I don't actually write sad or angsty endings, really. I guess the closest would probably be Bucky Barnes Hates Christmas because that whole fic is just full of bittersweet holiday feels, and even though the ending is happy, the tone of it is still kind of bittersweet?

7. What’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

Like I said, almost all my endings are happy, but I'd probably go with The Promise of Cheesecake and a Decent Wine for this answer. Just because they went through so much angst to get there, like so much angst.

8. Do you get hate on fics?

I have gotten hate on a couple fics, but I just delete and ignore it.

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

Yes, I write smut when I feel like the fic calls for it or is made better by having it. I don't really know how I'd describe it? Emotional. Very emotional.

10. Do you write crossovers? What’s the craziest one you’ve written?

I don't write crossovers these days, but way back in middle school when I was writing on fanfiction . net under a different username, my first-ever fic was a crossover. It was a self-insert into two of my favorite book series, and I don't remember much from it other than that it was objectively cringe, but eh. I was in middle school and just starting to try writing for the first time, so what do you expect?

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not that I'm aware of.

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

Nope, or if they have, no one ever told me about it.

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

Nope! I would be curious to try though. Usually writing for me is such a solitary process, it would be cool to see how trying to write with someone else worked.

14. What’s your all time favorite ship?

SamBucky, though I definitely have a soft spot for the rareships I write for as well.

15. What’s a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

I literally have a folder titled "Ideas I probably won't write" which is where my fics go to die when I know I won't write them. I would love to write a couple of the Steve/Thor ideas I have in there, or the Cap Quartet Polycule one, but I just struggle so hard to write Steve Rogers in an engaging way. I don't know what it is about him, but we apparently don't jive when I try to make him a main character.

16. What are your writing strengths?

Dialogue usually comes easily to me.

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

Setting. Description. Smut scenes. I could go on, but I'm going to stop there lol.

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic?

I've done it before, and it went okay. I actually ended up having people tell me they felt more included because I'd used their language. That said, it's not something I do often, and I am usually at the mercy of whatever translator app I'm using, but I try to make that clear in the author's notes and use short phrases/single words instead of full sentences.

19. First fandom you wrote for?

Maximum Ride and *mumbles unintelligibly* - that crossover fic from middle school.

20. Favorite fic you’ve written?

I love all of my fics for different reasons, and I don't know that I could say I have a favorite, but the one I reread the most often is probably Cinnamon-Brown Sugar Coffee Creamer. It's shorter, it's cozy, and in all of Sam's partners in that fic just love(d) him so so much. It's very sweet imo.

No pressure, tagging: literally anyone who wants to do this. If you looked at this and thought it sounded fun, please do the thing!

[mediaconsumernightwriter]

The Idyllic Sapphic World of Crush (2022)

Crush is not a perfect movie, not by any means, but there is one thing it gets right. It transforms our heteronormative world into a sapphic paradise. All the relationships seen in this movie (apart from the secondary couple who’s already together and the creepy relationship between Paige’s mother and the track coach) are sapphic ones. Every single girl (or non-binary person) is outwardly queer and into women. The relationships the main character is pursuing are both with out-of-the-closet sapphic women.

This is unlike anything I’ve ever seen in a movie. It’s already unusual to have a sapphic main couple at all, since most of queer media focuses on white cis gay men. But a world full of sapphics? Unheard of. It’s so hard for a queer woman (and I’m including myself in the label of “woman” simply for this example) to date, because it’s difficult to understand if the person in front of you is gay or just has a septum piercing. In this world, it’s made easy. It’s almost like it has homonormalized the world. It also helps that there seems to be no homophobia anywhere near this world.

Maybe this is why this silly little movie meant so much to me. It’s no different from other teen rom coms I’ve watched before, except for the fact that it is so gay and so unapologetic about it. Does it make some “an adult wrote this pretending to be a teenager” jokes and references? Yes, but that’s because it was an adult writing this pretending to be a teenager. I didn’t say it captured the teenage lesbian experience well, which I can’t even judge because I’m not a teenager, but it is unapologetically gay. In its approach to relationships, to background characters’ sexualities, to queer identities, etc.

Another thing that is very refreshing is that these sapphics are all out of the closet already. No one needs their big coming out moment with the crying and the self consciousness. In fact, the one coming out we do see is very easy, nonchalant and accepting. Everyone knows they’re queer and everyone is cool about it. At least now (AJ tells the story of her coming out and how her mother didn’t react at first, but it is assumed that she now accepts her).

I think pretty much everyone making out at the party scene, from the people being interrogated by the girls to the ones who start making out on top of AJ, is sapphic. Just another interesting way to build a sapphic-filled world. There’s some male looking gay people in there as well, but they are given less focus than the sapphic relationships. In the seven minutes in heaven portion, there are multiple queer couples (women loving women AND men loving men) and also multiple groups of what I assume to be polyamorous relationships. This doesn’t prove my point but I also don’t care because that’s when we get the main characters’ kiss and that makes me happy enough.

The last thing I’d like to focus on is how the bisexual character’s sexuality is not questioned in any way, especially after she’s with a woman. It would’ve been so easy for the writers to include a joke about how she was actually really a lesbian, but she stays bisexual throughout the whole thing, because that’s her identity. It doesn’t change if she’s with a man or a woman or a non-binary person. She’s bi for a reason.

For a movie that describes in the script the track team as 60% queer, it shows a lot more than that percentage of queer people and relationships on screen. It is a queer person’s paradise world, especially if you’re a sapphic person, like myself. So yes, I really like this movie a lot.

[jaerie]

2022 Evaluation of my Fics

I was tagged by @chai-hat-tea

1. Number of stories posted to AO3 this year: 24

2. Word count posted for the year: 95,054

3. Fandoms I wrote for: One Direction

4. Pairings: Harry/Louis and then some that I wrote anon that I won’t out myself on haha

5. Story with the most:

Kudos: Mr. Tuesday

Bookmarks: Mr. Tuesday

Comments: Mr. Tuesday hahahaha wow yall loved that one

6. Work I’m most proud of (and why): 

I guess probably Mr. Tuesday.  I had a lot of hope for The Marm but I struggled a LOT writing this year and it ended up not being what I wanted and hoped it would be.  

7. Work I’m least proud of (and why):

I think I’d probably have to say The Marm just for the reason above.  I had so many good ideas for it… but I just wasn’t able to make it happen.  So much potential.  It’s not a BAD fic overall, I just know what it could have been.  

8. Share or describe a favourite review you received:

I don’t have a specific one to pull out unfortunately… but I receive comments saying how they trust me with new topics or kinks and it makes me feel like the mom of unchartered territory.  Like hold my hand and let’s dive through it kids!  Those are always the best because I try to approach topics with realistic thought processes and human experience even though most situations are fictional.  It’s hard to describe what I put into fics, but it’s nice to see that I really am putting across what I’m trying to.  

9. A time when writing was really, really hard:

This year was really hard for me to write in general. The past couple years have been very very difficult.  The trauma over the last few years specifically from everything that has happened in my professional life made it really hard to do much more than come home and disassociate on Tiktok or some mindless phone game.  I also traveled to 4 countries for 12 Harry shows and 5 Louis shows which ate up a lot of time.  It was the first year of my 19 years in the industry that I used my entire allotment of employee rate hotel rooms if that says anything.  I also have realized that my tolerance level for things has become so very low and I have taken a lot of things to heart that I would have brushed off in past years.  The main one being that everyone comments on every single story about wanting sequels and about how they can’t wait to see what happens! Not realizing that I am internalizing that as the original fic not being good enough.  I understand the thoughts behind the comments and I do appreciate that people want more, but in the mental state I’m in, it has been very hard to not see it as a sign of inadequacy.  

10. A scene or character you wrote that surprised you:

At this point, I feel like I’ve written so many surprising things that nothing surprises me anymore!  I often try to push myself to write something bizarre or dark.  I guess it always surprises me when something turns out to be soft when I didn’t set out for it to be.

11. A favourite excerpt of your writing:

I really liked this setup:

The pages of the date book fluttered as Harry used his thumb to open to the current page. Everyone used the online schedule system now, but Harry always preferred paper. He copied any appointments down every morning to keep it up to date. He slid his finger across his handwriting in pink ink until he came to today.

 Tuesday. Harry loved Mr. Tuesday. 

 It was true that most of his clients were regulars, but there was just something about Mr. Tuesday that would make him stand out amongst the others even if he hadn’t booked almost every single Tuesday with him for the past year. It was the first day of Harry’s work week and Mr. Tuesday always eased him into it in such a pleasant way. It also meant Harry didn’t have to worry about primping himself all weekend since Mr. Tuesday liked him more natural. It was one less day he had to shave his sensitive parts. 

 Harry still prepared like he would for any client. He spent some time in the shower washing every inch of himself and then cleaned and sanitized the bathroom behind himself. He threw on a robe and some little shorts so he wasn’t completely naked as he moved around the room. His checklist was so routine now as he checked that the bedside table was fully stocked even though it would be impossible to go through that many condoms in one session. 

 There was a light knock on the door and Harry glanced up at his clock. 5:30. Right on time. 

 Harry took the few steps around the bed to answer the door while he was still wearing his robe. It wasn’t one of his sexy silk ones, it was pink and fluffy and usually only used to snuggle into when he wasn’t on the clock. Mr. Tuesday only liked Harry’s lingerie on special occasions. 

 Always aware of safety, Harry checked the peephole before opening the door. Mr. Tuesday handed him the token that confirmed he’d checked in at the front just as all of his clients had to. There didn’t need to be any negotiations. They were both on the same page. 

 12. How did you grow as a writer this year:

That’s a difficult question.  My initial response is that I didn’t grow, but that’s never entirely true.  Loss of skill has been a huge concern for me with such long stretches of not writing anything. So I would say that trying to adapt to writing in new mindsets with new processes that work in said mindset was growth. I don’t know how successful it has been, but I’ve completed a few things so it isn’t entirely a failure.  

13. How do you hope to grow next year:

I hope to be able to focus on one thing and get it done. My goal is to fully form ideas before just diving in as I always have in the past.  We’ll see how that goes.  

14. Who was your greatest positive influence this year as a writer (could be another writer or beta or cheerleader or muse etc etc):

If I spoke with you about writing, you’re a positive influence. I have a couple group chats made of individuals who are usually up for indulging my ideas even if they never become much more than ideas.  

15. Anything from your real life show up in your writing this year:

I think a lot more themes or ideas from my real life pop up in my fics than anyone realizes.  I won’t expose most of those things, but gender has been a reoccuring theme for the year.  

16. Any new wisdom you can share with other writers:

I don’t really feel like I’m in a place to offer much wisdom… but I will say that if you want to write it, write it.  There is an audience for EVERYTHING. It may not be a large audience, but there will be an audience.  Rare pairs, dark fics, controversial fics, etc etc.  Someone will always read it if you are willing to write it.

17. Any projects you’re looking forward to starting (or finishing) in the new year: 

I may have made a mistake with signing up for this round of Big Bang... but I have a lot invested in the fic and I am feeling pretty good about it so far.  I am really hoping I am able to do my idea and careful plotting justice.  It isn’t exactly like the things I usually write, but I’m hoping that will be a refreshing jumpstart for other projects. One step at a time, though.  

18. Tag some writers whose answers you’d like to read.

If you’re a writer, consider this your tag! Tag me when you answer!

[silveragelovechild]

Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny

The thing about a franchise like McDonalds is that you can go to any outlet and knows exactly what to expect. A few years ago I toured Turkey and Greece. After 3 weeks of lamb kabobs and souvlaki I was desperate for something familiar. When I got back to Athens I went straight to the McDonalds on Syntagma Square and ordered a Big Mac meal. It was delicious and exactly what I wanted.

Movie Franchises operate in the same way. A movie with a new idea, or state of the art effects will be successful. It becomes a franchise when the studio orders sequels. The marching orders are to make the sequel more of the same. The hero is never in any real danger, otherwise who will star in the next sequel.

When George Lucas and Steven Spielberg reinvented the 1930s serial adventure with Indiana Jones, a new iconic hero was born. Four sequels followed over the next 42 years.

Of course, like everyone else I loved Raiders of the Lost Ark. I don’t remember the details of Temple of Doom except that the excessive violence gave birth to the PG13 rating (and Spielberg himself hated it). Last Crusade was fun, with Sean Connery as Indy’s dad.

Then… a 19 year wait until Crystal Skull. Ugh. In my opinion it’s worse of the bunch. Adding scifi to Indy’s resume was a big mistake. But did Lucas and Spielberg learn their lesson not to go back to the same well again? No.

With another 15 year wait, Dial Of Destiny arrived at theaters this week. What did these masters of cinema deliver? More of the same… lots more of the same. There are more Nazis, more long chase scenes; more Christ-related artifacts, and more science fiction! Did I mention more Nazis?

I’ve got to hand it to Harrison Ford. He gives it the old college try, huffing and puffing through each chase. At the age of 81, for his sake I hope a stunt double did most of the hard stuff. I imagine insuring Ford in case of accidental death took a chunk of the $295 million budget.

But it was nice seeing John Rhys-Davies in a couple of scenes. I probably shouldn’t say this but I was surprised he is still alive. But guess what? He is 2 years younger than Ford.

Co-Star Phoebe Waller-Bridge is the most unlikable character in the entire Indiana Jones pantheon. She is an annoying and untrustworthy - more so than the Nazis.

I need to mention Ethann Isidore, he plays a young teen who is this film’s Short-Round. I suspect Harrison Ford will forget all about him until Isidore wins an Oscar in 20 years.

Speaking of the Nazi villains, Mads Mikkelsen plays a Nazi scientist trying to get his hands on the McGuffin. Mikkelsen can play Nazi villains in his sleep but I thought the character was underwritten. No real motivation other than “I’m a power hungry Nazi.”

Boyd Holbrook and Thomas Kretschmann also play Nazis. I’d love to ask them “Don’t you ever get tired of playing Nazis?!?”

As I mentioned, there are several chased sequences - in streets and tunnels of NYC, in the crowded streets and alleys of Marrakech, and another that I’ve already forgotten entirely about. But here’s the thing about the chase scenes… it doesn’t matter how fast they go or the short cuts they take, the Villains always catch up to the heroes within a couple minutes - every single time.

And the most annoying thing of the entire plot… Mikkelsen and his Nazi thugs kill plenty of innocent people throughout the kill. But when Mikkelsen finally obtains the McGuffins he was searching for, does he kill Indy? No - like a Bond villain, he decides to Monologue is plans and bring Indy with him through the <redacted> to witness his triumph. Such Bullshit.

And the scifi element? I won’t describe it but it is full of plot holes and so far beyond anything featured in an Indiana Jones movie so far, it’s more laughable than the aliens in Crystal Skull.

I’m sure you’ve read that, like other movies starring old actors, Harrison Ford was “de-aged” for portions of the films. While it looks better than the first de-aging I saw in “X-Men Last Stand”. Young Patrick Stewart and Ian McKellen looked like cabbage patch dolls!

The problem with the de-aging here it that the scenes go on way too long. And the longer you see it, the weirder it becomes. It’s especially noticible when his face is in shadows or in profile (his nose just looks weird). They should have just used it briefly, but the scenes go on about 15 minutes.

NOTE 1: There are NO scenes after the credits BUT the final scene of the movie may be its best.

NOTE 2: The film is rated PG13. It’s probably due to the extraordinary people shot and murdered throughout the movie - lots of Nazis and lots of civilians too.

Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981) 93%

Temple of Doom (1984) 77%

Last Crudade (1989) 84%

Kingdom of the crystal skull (2008) 77%

Dial of Destiny (2023) 66%

[radarsteddybear]

@belphegor1982 replied to your post: The one thing that has remained constant in the...

I've heard a lot about this novel and the 1980s adaptation, but never read/seen it. (But I love seeing people talk about things they love 💜) What do you love about it (besides what you just said here)? What was your first reading experience like? Did you see/like the movie?

(Replying to this like an old-school xkit user because it's my blog and I can do what I want)

In all honesty, the thing I love most about it is all of the whump and hurt/comfort. Ponyboy has a really hard time of it (emotionally, physically, mentally) at different points throughout the novel, and the steady stream of hurt/comfort is 👌

I also like how I find that I frequently discover something new about it when I reread it, which may be more due to being so young when I read it the first time than anything else.

That whump was exactly what I was looking for at age 13 when I first read it (and also what I was writing, but miles and miles and miles better and much more cohesive). Thus, my first reading experience largely consisted of me thinking, "More whump? This is fantastic!" (except not exactly, seeing as I didn't have a term to describe it yet) as I read.

I wish I remembered the academic parts of reading it for school better, like what we talked about and went over. I doubt we went all that deep (or maybe I was too immature to grasp the deeper aspects of what we talked about, idk), which is a shame. I think we just had a packet with comprehension questions to fill out as we read, and I can't remember if we did much else.

What I do remember is that we had a substitute teacher the day that we started book, and he told us that S.E. Hinton (the author) is a woman, which our regular teacher was mildly annoyed about because she'd wanted us to guess about it. And I remember the teacher explaining how to pronounce "Soc"* ("sosh" with a long o). Does knowing the correct pronunciation keep me from saying it "sock" in my head every single time I read it? Absolutely not.

We watched the movie at school after we finished the book; the teachers got together and blocked off a whole afternoon so we could all watch it in one sitting instead of in ~40 minute increments over a couple of days. I was disappointed that it cut out certain scenes from the book (which is understandable--a lot happens in those 180 pages), but otherwise, I liked it a lot. (I had some Opinions on the casting, though, that Ralph Macchio should have played Ponyboy instead of Johnny and C. Thomas Howell should have played Johnny instead of Ponyboy, but I was probably basing that more on looks than anything else, and as someone who doesn't ever have clear pictures in my head of what book characters look like, that means less than zero. Both did great in the roles they played, and Ralph Macchio did, in fact, fit Johnny's description very well.)

Some number of years later (no idea when), I borrowed the director's cut version on DVD via Netflix, but I have no recollection of whether or not it adds back in the specific scenes I was looking for. They've got it at the local library, so I'm going to try to go get it so that we can watch it sometime this week.

*"Soc" is the term that everybody in the book uses to refer to the rich kids, which is short for "socials".

[m1ckeyb3rry]

ok so you asked which parts were my favourite.. toooo many omg (ok out of context this one is really 🤨🤨) but “Please disrespect me until the word disrespect has no meaning, and then do with me what you will.” ???!!??? LIKE?? AND

“You,” he affirmed. “Only you. Always you. You, and you, and you, until you grow tired of feeling my gaze so constantly.” “I would never grow tired of it,” you said. “Always I will want for you to be looking at me.”

LIKEEEE???!!!??

that whole scene of her getting upset after seeing him dance with someone else then them having their first kiss ugh, and the time they fell asleep together while stargazing 😭😭 just ugh they are too much for me.. i think asftd moved at a much slower pace so it would take longer to get to the yearning but it definitely has so much potential if it ever makes a comeback 🤞🏼

i have loved your fics so much like i swear in almost every single era you have had i have been here for it!!!;!2:!1 i read tgp (though only briefly) and peregrine too (which i am caught up on), i literally loved peregrine even if i know nothing about bllk lol like i am just a sucker for those kinds of fics.. not to mention seabird?? it was only a one-parter but i giggled and kicked my feet i loved it like YES i do not know who itoshi sae is but🤚🏼

and yes about specific kinds of love, you just nail the whole crush sort of thing and like the yearning and the whole intensity of it that’s why i always love your fics whenever you put something out😭

i cannot wait for more peregrine honestly (if that’s what you think you’ll continue to work on) and as an og i will forever be nostalgic and hoping for sith and asftd to make a pomegranate ink type comeback😔 but even if not hey it’s a win anyway so🤷🏻‍♀️

I’M SOBBING THE FIRST ONE WITHOUT CONTEXT MAKES MEGUMI SOUND SO HEINOUS 😭😭😭 but omg i do love that whole scene hehehe their first kiss was so 💖💖💖 actually royal guard megumi invented romance #real he’s so full of yearning and pining and devotion it’s insane. i do agree that asftd is a much slower story than icoamd but that just means the yearning in it will be that much more intense (if i ever write it)!!! although actually funny story in asftd the king of yearning is actually yuji not megumi 🤫🤫🤫 like i think one of the tags/warnings for asftd is literally obsession and that is because yuji is actually insane in that fic omg like i cannot begin to describe it he is the most tragically mournfully in love character i have ever thought to write

awww wait i’m crying it’s so sweet of you to read everything like that!! SEABIRD WAS ACTUALLY SM FUN TBH I LOVED WRITING THAT STORY sae actually became one of my favs just because of it i literally did not even care about him before but he’s so funny and romantic and dumb in seabird that he grew on me heavily 😫 but peregrine actually is everything to me atm which is insane considering i typically hate stories set in modern times…i think the nonlinear set up is one of my fav parts about it because now that we’re finally getting to the chapters about them in high school it will be so much worse knowing how they will inevitably end up. like it’s a story you cannot change no matter how hard you root for them yk??? UGH

AHAHA OMG YAYYYY i’m so glad you think that!! i really feel like i’m so much better at writing the parts before a relationship than the actual relationship…re: yuta literally dipping from pomegranate ink after he and y/n became a couple 😭 yearning and intensity and strife are my favorite tropes to write that is why i will STAY a forbidden love stan idc if people get bored of it 🥱

YESS i’m planning on trying to get some more requests posted and then i will update peregrine i think!! the next chapter is like halfway done but i’m not letting myself write any more for it until i do some requests because i feel bad keeping people waiting 😔 and honestly anything is possible HFSKSJSJ i never thought pomegranate ink would make the comeback it did but somehow i went from not updating in a year to finishing it in a month 🤷🏻‍♀️ never say never yk

[lynsburner]

your fics are so amazing!! where do you usually get inspiration from?

Thank you so much! Also, my apologies, because as always, it's time to give an unnecessary, long-ass answer to questions that should take a second to respond to.

So, this is threefold.

One: I love me a rom-com. I love two people who should be together finally find their way to each other. Some of my favorites are What If? (also called The F Word in some places) which to me is friends to lovers excellence, and there's a scene where they turn the "grand gesture" trope on its head that I LOVE, About Time (and the message of living every day to the fullest), and I really did like Plus One, which is another great friends to lovers time. Also, as we know, I am a sucker for Practical Magic. I just like writing stories like these lol

Two: .... don't hate me for this, but spite/determination LMAO. There were fics that I wanted to see/read but couldn't seem to find them... so I wrote them myself!

I didn't really get into reading/writing self-insert until a few years ago, and even then, I was mostly reading the silly/Wattpad-level bad ones with friends as a joke. But, like most things I do, it went from being ironic to unironic really quickly and I thought to myself, "Hey, if these people can do this, so can I!" Most of these stories lived on my notes app and I exchanged them with a single friend. The more (once I realized who and who wouldn't judge me for writing these) friends who saw them encouraged me to publish them. And now I have this burner account lol.

So, long story short: there are just things I wanted to read and I thought "Well, if no one else will... guess I'll have to step up to the plate. "

Not that I think I'm writing anything revolutionary. This is my burner account self-insert blog. My name isn't really Lyn. This is my little secret aka my commitment to the bit is truly... unmatched.

And three: My first ever published fic from this account was inspired by a genuine long-distance relationship I was in at the time (he was also just as tall, and had long hair, but from a neighboring country lol) and being frustrated I couldn't meet them because of the pandemic. So I kind of channeled that want (and even some of the moments we had shared) in there.

The second one in that series was inspired by more real-life experience, as well as a shit ton of tik-toks of plus-size women having shared their experience of more conventionally attractive people trying to flirt with their significant others in front of them. I really wanted to attempt to subvert expectations with that one and say while it might feel good in the moment, constantly being overlooked because of the body you lived in fucking SUCKS.

The third in that series literally came together in a week of just an idea I had that was just like... yeah this relationship is hard... and no one's perfect.. but love, man! I also just desperately needed a vacation IRL lol Plus, a lovely anon kept messaging me about that series and I had the urge to revisit it.

With the most recent one, that angst was actually scrapped dialogue from the third in that series that I just wanted to explore more? Like that one had the end goal of them getting engaged and I knew if I had them genuinely yelling at each other, that engagement wouldn't be earned. So to a blank slate of a couple it went to! Also, lbr, Unreal Unearth is truly so tragic when it comes to its themes (specifically about love) so I pulled from there a teensy bit.

And, then the chaptered one was fully inspired by that tumblr post that was like "He's a sound guy. Shite Craic. Would not have him round for cans, on my life" where they described Andrew as a dude who only mopes and smokes weed. I just thought it would be very funny to make him a bit of a cynical asshole. Plus, I technically have a film degree, and dreams of becoming a professional screenwriter in me, so writing dialogue is my absolute favorite thing. Love silly banter between two people who just need to kiss already.

Again, so sorry for this being so long, but I am a sucker for an ego-boost-filled deep dive.

[ailelie]

talking through writing choices

Something happened. Nora was staring right at the commotion and she still could not, for any life she cared about, explain what happened. One of the people in a red ribbon fell. Another rioter shoved the guard, pushing her back into another beribboned listener. Then sunlight flashed off steel. Then Aggie wrapped her arm around the older guard’s throat. Then someone screamed. Then blood dripped down a sword. Then more guards descended on the crowd. More steel. Nora stared. Screams and chants twisted through the clashing bells filling her head. Then someone pulled her sleeve hard enough to make her stumble. “Stop gawking. We have to get out of here,” Gabriel said.

So. This scene in Nora's Return occurs when Nora, Gabriel, and Ambrose seek out a pop-up Speakers' Square where people are airing grievances, basically. One woman (Aggie) is very legitimately angry and is raising support. Her building collapsed despite her trying to get it fixed. The local nobility let it happen.

(Note: I, Ailelie, am on Aggie's side. Nora, however, isn't quite there yet).

Anyway, the paragraph above is the moment the speech turns into chaos. The guards, worried about the passion Aggie was whipping up, told her to step down and she refused.

Nora has never seen something like this before. She's heard of uprisings and the violence involved. And she's seen executions. She's been executed (or nearly). But this it the first time she's seen something like this for herself and this up close.

So, I tend toward medium/long sentences, so starting the paragraph with the two word "Something happened" was very deliberate. It is meant to feel like an interruption without me having to say it is an interruption. Then we get a long sentence. This is a later reflection, almost. I'm honestly not 100% sure it belongs there, but I wanted to basically say that everything seemed to happen all at once and she couldn't pick out any single action as a starting point.

However, this longer sentence does also serve purpose of being a moment to breathe and it represents the moment just before everything goes to pieces. At this point Nora can watch and process. After this, she cannot.

Nora initially is able to pick out individual actions. This happened. Another thing happened. She cannot pick out causes or connections, but she is seeing individual actions.

But then, the fighting becomes too chaotic (and she gets too overwhelmed) and she starts only noticing instants or images. Then, then, then, then. It is like she is looking from point to point in the chaos, trying to make sense, and only pulling out these quick flashes. These sentences are short to medium in length and I tried to vary them so there's no pattern to them. That is to (a) represent chaos and (b) keep the writing interesting to read.

Then we get "More steel." I am worried about this sentence. I'm not sure it fits. I like the escalation it represents, not just in the fight, but in Nora's increasing inability to catalogue the fight, but it also feels a bit out of place. I'm considering adding a bit. Perhaps:

More steel. "No more!" Blood. Nora stared.

I like that also because it has "more blood" and "no more blood" kind of hidden within it. And that feels like both what Nora could seeing and what she wished she wasn't seeing. Also, moving to a single word, "blood," would complete the escalation.

As for clashing bells, that's Nora's way of describing how her head feels when she is completely overwhelmed. She gets overwhelmed in a couple ways. One is this clashing bells and the other is when she cannot stand to be touched at all and every single touch burns or itches. The latter is why she dislikes others initiating touch with her and why she tends to limit touching. She tries to stay within her limits. She doesn't mind if people she trusts initiate trust because she trusts them enough to know they will stop if she pulls away and won't be upset.

Touching tends to connect with her stress levels. The more stressed she is, the less she can tolerate. And she has developed a genuine dislike of strangers' touching her based on a childhood of trial and error figuring out her limits. Clashing bells are when her mental state is overloaded with information and she basically bluescreens, unable to parse it in that moment. For that all she has to do is calm down or find a place to rest and organize her thoughts.

I left the second paragraph in there because I'm not sure I should I should start it with "then." I don't know if I like the implied tie to the chaos. Yeah, I think I'll remove that word and start the sentence with "someone."

Note: I don't do this for every paragraph. Nor am I doing this kind of self-analysis for everything I've written so far. That's for line edits. But this was on my mind.

[umichenginabroad]

Week 4: What does it mean to be Argentine?

Yesterday in my Sport and Culture in Contemporary Argentina class, my professor, Eduardo, asked us to think about one word that describes Argentinians. After spending a month in Buenos Aires, my first thought was "passion", as I have first-hand witnessed the intensity of daily life here. However, after some more debate and consideration, I finalized my answer to be expressive." In all aspects of life, Argentines are not afraid to express themselves, and I have especially noticed this utter resolve to be true to themselves this week throughout my adventures in Buenos Aires.

To start off the week, our program took us on a day-trip to the esteemed city of Tigre, just an hour by train away from the capital. We took a lovely boat tour around the delta, learning about the simple and eco-friendly way of living of the residents, before heading to a restaurant off the shore for lunch. It was admirable to witness the dedication in the humble lifestyle. Everything these residents of Tigre would ever need can be found somewhere on a boat! My favorite part of this trip, though, was visiting the local artisan market. It was heartwarming to see how the hard-work of the artists can create such a beautiful community. Each vendor was so passionate about their own products and ideas, and through art they are able to display their creativity. I bought a crochet top from the sweetest lady, and she said that she and her daughter hand-make each item! She also made sure to emphasize how talented her daughter was.

Later on in the week, I finally made the quick trip to the infamous Bond Street, a hidden gem filled with color and edge. I have never seen so many tattoo parlors in one area, and it was so exciting to see the artists perform their work through the windows. Two of my friends even chose to be canvases themselves, getting a tattoo to commemorate their time in Argentina. There were also so many different clothing stores, ranging from those that only sold vintage streetwear to stores that resemble an exponentially more intense Hot Topic. Bond Street is such a safe space for Argentines to completely be themselves, and it was a really refreshing scene as compared to the overall elegance and organization in the day lit streets of Buenos Aires.

Argentine expressiveness is not always in a pleasant, creative way, though. After being recommended by multiple different people, my friends and I finally booked a reservation at the renowned Uptown and The Bronx. Its savvy interior and innovative subway train entrance won me over before I even sat down at the table, but I fell in love the moment I had a bite of the bbq ribs. The food was outrageously good, and the ambiance was indescribable. However, our meal was soon interrupted by the neighboring table, where a couple was fighting vehemently. The police even had to get involved, dragging the couple outside of the restaurant. I have never seen such a blatantly expressive argument in a public area, and while I don't know the details of the situation, it was very interesting to witness such passion and vigor.

I can't talk about the meaning of being Argentine without describing my experience with the passion and expressiveness in being an hincha and through mate. As a class field trip, we visited La Boca, one of the most famous neighborhoods. Home to the Boca Juniors and the wildest fan base in the world (in my opinion), La Boca was an unforgettable experience. The streets were filled with blue and yellow, the colors of Boca Juniors, both on the walls of buildings and the clothing of its residents. The outside of La Bombonera, the Boca Juniors stadium, was continuously crowded with fans. My professor told me that most of the people there were residents who visit the stadium every day, expressing their undying love for the club. Every single Argentine is able to express their passion for their unofficial religion, futbol, by supporting their favorite club, and they are never afraid to go all out.

Another key component of Argentina is mate, the unofficial national drink. We were able to go to a mate tasting and making event, where I got to experiment with different herbs and ingredients to concoct my perfect tea. Mate is incredibly important to the culture of Argentina, as it connects every single person into one community. Messi drinks mate; those living in the streets drink mate; the Pope drinks mate.

There is no single activity that unites the expressive will of Argentines more than drinking mate and futbol, and it was such an amazing cultural experience to witness.

[candycritic]

Eating in Qatar

I think Qatar has a really interesting food scene. Since it was part two of our trip in the Middle East, it's hard not to compare our time in Qatar to our time in Oman. While these two places have a lot in common, there seems to be some differences as well. If I was to describe the main difference I saw I would say it's about traditionalism. Don't get me wrong, both of these countries are steeped in their traditional culture, but my experience in Qatar was that of a place looking at outside influences a bit more, where Oman is looking more at its traditional roots.

I say all of this with some strong biases. First of all we never left Doha when we went to Qatar, where in Oman we traveled around a lot. Qatar was also just on the end of their World Cup show, and it felt like the city went through a very large transformation to prepare for it. I would say that Doha appears to be a little more modern and bigger than Muscat, we did plan our travel with that thought in mind. This is all to say that during our time in Doha we ate a lot of western food.

We did this because we no longer live in a western country, and when presented with western food it's a treat. I've mentioned this a thousand times on this blog before, but whenever we live overseas (as we are now) we often like to plan some time when we travel to enjoy western treats when we can. Doha offered us more than we expected, and we took advantage as much as we could.

Our hotel even offered us western fair every single morning. They had a waffle maker and an attendant at the waffle iron that couldn't get them out fast enough. It wasn't just me though, I would say that most of the guests at our hotel went for a waffle every single morning. The line actually got so long that I had a few breakfasts without.

The one thing however that we could not do without each and every day was cheesecake from the Cheesecake Factory. 

Allison and I are huge fans of this place, and especially their cheesecake.

It really serves us well as they even have a cheesecake that Allison can enjoy.

They also have many different cheesecakes that I can enjoy.

Which is great.

I probably could have written an entire blog about each and every night at the Cheesecake Factory, and our amazing server Chris, who got to know us and knew what we wanted to order each and every night.

At this point I'm just putting filler text between the many pictures of the different cheesecakes that we sampled.

We didn't eat every single meal at Cheesecake Factory, in fact we only ate one (we just always ate dessert at Cheesecake Factory). We also enjoyed meals at Shake Shack, TGI Fridays (which we had an issue with considering the Muslim weekly calendar is different than the western one), and even a few stops at McDonalds (I'll have more on that in a future post).

All was not dedicated to fast food either, we managed to try a few fancier restaurants as well. One such meal we were treated to an amazing view of the city on top of the torch that was built to celebrate the World Cup. The view was amazing and the food was very classy indeed.

Probably our most interesting meal was when we decided to wander to the Katara Cultural Village. We didn't know what to expect at this place but we knew we wanted to get lunch. What we discovered was a love for Armenian food at a restaurant called Mamig. To keep on brand with this blog, we got a couple of desserts that were both beautiful and tasty.

One was a wonderfully creamy pistachio dish the other was cakes filled with silky cream. I cannot tell you how great every part of this meal was, and how much I'm now a fan of Armenian food.

I'd be lying if I didn't tell you that most of our meals on the Qatar leg of our trip weren't from other parts of the world. Maybe much like my home town of Toronto in Canada, part of Doha's culture is other cultures. This part of the world has been a hub of trade for thousands of years, and so there's a certain openess to other cultures, and cultural foods. While we focused on western food while we were there, that's only because we wanted to. There were so many other great places to eat, and fun foods to enjoy. From Fancy treats to simple pleasures, Qatar has some amazing food range.

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