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#so I bought a book about clothes throughout history and did some other research on 11th century anglo saxon fashion
iregreteverything19 · 2 years
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*kinda* more accurate merlin era fashion
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audreydoeskaren · 3 years
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Thank you for posting a review on the book Evolution & Revolution Chinese Dress 1700s - 1990s. It’s so disappointing how the book potentially could’ve been good. What are your favorite books on Chinese fashion history?
Hi, great that you found the review useful! To be completely honest, I haven't really read any books on Chinese fashion before I started this blog, because I mostly used online resources like museums' websites, archaeology reports and other blogs. I actually started this blog in the hopes that people might recommend me some books😅 And I only ever read about the Ming, Qing and republican era so my knowledge is very limited.
Anyway, here are some books people recommended to me that I found great, some that I'm currently reading and some I know to be objectively good:
Ming Dynasty
Q版大明衣冠图志 (2011) 董进著
A classic made by the popular fashion history blogger 撷芳主人 (real name Dong Jin), this book is the ultimate compilation of Ming Dynasty looks illustrated by the most adorable drawings. It has basically everything you need to know about Ming Dynasty garments from informal civilian fashion and theater costumes to the most formal court dress and military uniforms. My only quibble with this book is that it doesn’t specify the decade/year each look is from, giving the false impression that everything could be worn throughout the Ming Dynasty (I heard that he did specify some eras in the new version? I don’t have it so I’m not sure). You can follow the author on Weibo where he regularly posts stuff about the Ming Dynasty, or check out other books and articles written by him. Even if you don’t have the book, you could probably find images of individual entries on the internet. Unfortunately all of it is in Chinese and no English version is available :(
华夏衣冠 中国古代服饰文化 (2016) 孙机著
More of a collection of essays Sun Ji wrote on historical Chinese clothing from a variety of eras, I got it for the chapters on Ming Dynasty xiapei 霞帔 and headwear. Professional, academic language that is still easy to read, plenty of references and neatly traced line drawings of artifacts. Useful diagrams on the structure of 狄髻 diji. However if I remember correctly, Sun had some beef with Dong Jin on the terminology of parts of diji, not sure if that was ever resolved; here’s an article about that. Also only in Chinese (that I know of).
Qing Dynasty
Chinese Reverse Glass Painting 1720-1820 (2020) by Thierry Audric
This is the book form transcript of a dissertation given by the author in 2016. It's more Chinese painting than Chinese fashion but has a lot of wonderful images of 18th century export paintings (with dates even), which depicted fashion realistically. I love 18th century export art in general, they're really beautiful and unusual so I would recommend everybody to check them out. I love this because Chinese oil painting outside of a court context (and all other forms of art that were not literati painting e.g. woodblock print, lithograph, pen and ink illustration) gets very little attention from Chinese art historians. This book could be downloaded for free in pdf form the publisher Peter Lang.
A Fashionable Century: Textile Artistry and Commerce in the Late Qing (2020) by Rachel Silberstein
This book focuses on the 19th century and has some interesting insights on the impact of commercial workshops on Qing fashion, which is a welcome break from the “dragon robes” and women’s domestic work stereotyped in most literature on the Qing. It has rich descriptions of the decoration patterns and fabrics used in the 19th century, accompanied by paintings and photographs. It did kind of fall into the trap of “the late Ming continued into the early Qing” and just dismissed the 18th century altogether, which is a shame. Silberstein’s dating of several prints also appears somewhat incorrect, but it’s still a very useful analysis of the 19th century nonetheless. I read this for free on JSTOR through my university login.
Cinderella’s Sisters: A Revisionist History of Footbinding (2005) by Dorothy Ko
This book is absolutely epic and an undeniable classic on the subject. Ko masterfully avoids all the surface level problematic takes on footbinding and offers an extremely nuanced, extremely well researched overview on the history of footbinding in the Ming, Qing and republican eras, the reasons for its popularity and demise, with a most interesting analysis of the problems with the way people in the republican era went about the abolition of it. The book is more heavy on the social analysis side but also contains a lot of factual description of the process of footbinding, styles popular in different eras etc. I just love how she approaches the topic in the most factual and non-emotionally charged way possible, which is refreshing considering the sheer volume of literature on footbinding that is just brainless condemnation without any nuance, a lot of which also unconsciously perpetuate misogynistic ideas rather than combat them. I don’t know of a way to read this for free, I bought it from Amazon.
Every Step a Lotus (2001) by Dorothy Ko
I haven’t read this yet but apparently it works well as a supplement to Cinderella’s Sisters. Also on footbinding.
China Trade Painting 1750s to 1880s (2014) by Jack S C Lee / 中国外销画 1750s - 1880s 李世庄著
Another book on export art, focusing more on the established painters. Lee digs a bit more into the painters’ experiences and biographies, with big portions on George Chinnery and Lam Qua, but also includes plenty of portraits and scenery paintings depicting men’s clothing and the architecture of the studios at the Guangzhou factories (十三行). It’s great because the paintings included were super realistic and well made with accurate proportions and anatomy----the quality on a par with those produced by the European academies----so they contemplate conventional Chinese portraits made in the same era in showing how the clothing fits on the body. Again I bought this book second hand from Amazon.
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I don’t know of any reliable books for republican era fashion because for some reasons most discourse on it is centered around the glorification and mystification of the cheongsam... Fortunately, due to the abundance of extant originals and photographs, books are largely not necessary for the research of republican era fashion :3
There are some other books and articles that were recommended to me but I haven’t yet read: x, x
@fouryearsofshades also made a post recently recommending books and it covers other time periods as well.
If anyone knows any other books on the Ming, Qing or republican era please tell me regardless of good or bad. I need to read more😅
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dinosaurtsukki · 3 years
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BSD x university au hc’s | pt. 2
part 2 of the university au hc’s !! i am obviously a slut for chuuya and fyodor so don’t mind me. i hope you guys like this !!
check out pt. 1 here
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Akutagawa Ryuunosuke:
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i love akutagawa ryuunosuke my angst child but i’m just like ‘hmmmmmmm’ when it comes to what his course would probably be
after extensive research aka reading his character page on wiki i feel like maybe he’d be a history major because,,,, he likes antiques?
well his clothes do seem very dark academia-esque and i can see him liking something as cool as history
akutagawa’s probably into something like war history but he’s not weird about it he just finds it really cool how different strategies work or analyzing what exactly makes the winners win
he absolutely HATES the fact that he keeps having to read the Iliad for class
he’s also that classmate who INTENSIVELY DEFENDS achilles for being a bit of a little bitch (but he fully agrees that patroclus and achilles were gay af ok this was random moving on)
akutagawa has practically no social life. he doesn’t go to parties, he doesn’t talk to his roommate, he doesn’t even like to eat in the dining hall
BUT he absolutely loves being in debate team because WINNING
he’s such a nightmare to work with though but he just delivers so well when it’s time for him to speak. like, if he’s on a negative and it’s time to hash out rebuttals, just prepare to get MURDERED
other debaters: “esteemed scholars and adjudicators...”
akutagawa: “you, sir, have no idea how wrong you are.”
that is until dazai decided to randomly show up at a debate tournament all ‘la di da da’ like and completely crushed akutagawa along with his ego
from then on he started stalking dazai and just SOMEHOW managed to end up in his circle of friends
even though he’s antisocial in real life, akutagawa 100% runs a dark academia aesthetic blog on tumblr i’m right and i don’t accept criticism
it’s actually really good he has a ton of followers and even does requests for moodboards if someone asks nicely
atsushi was the one who actually found out about it but he’s nice so he didn’t tell akutagawa about it
kunikida probably follows that blog
Chuuya Nakahara:
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if this part sounds like i’m just thirsting for chuuya then you’re absolutely right i love wine man
don’t get mad at me but i can ABSOLUTELY SEE HIM MAJORING IN FASHION DESIGN I MEAN LOOK AT HIM
he’s just always had such a good eye for fashion and he’s veryyy meticulous when it comes to snipping and putting together clothes
chuuya also carries a sketchbook full of designs and his drawings look amazing and he isn’t afraid to just show them off
that said he doesn’t dress like a tired uni student at all, like he just always looks so on-point and unbothered by his five million deadlines
dazai: chuuya, i said this was a CASUAL LUNCH
chuuya, dressed in what looks like silk pajamas: THIS IS CASUAL
tbh if he just wore a white t-shirt and jeans i would die maybe he’s actually saving us from this ordeal
he has so much talent though as a designer he’s probably had several internships with design companies all throughout his years at uni
i feel like chuuya’s also really active in extracurriculars and has been in leadership positions in some of them (he probably runs the student org for fashion design)
chuuya in a student band though oh my gosh i can’t breathe i can’t breathe him as a VOCALIST?? and wearing torn jeans and eyeliner and that same hat in concerts ican’t brEATHE
okay in all honesty he would thrive being in a band chuuya loves the attention and the creativity of being able to design their whole look and write songs
tbh i don’t know if he’d have a roommate chuuya’s probably the type who’d rather have one of those single rooms or just rent a flat for him to stay in even after graduation
because his social life is super vibrant, he does have a lot of friends and he does make an effort to get to know all of them individually 
but he’s more open around those who he’s been friends with for a really long time and as much as he’d like to say dazai isn’t one of them, he is
also chuuya is definitely the type to party hard during the weekends and has more than once crashed in someone’s house after drinking too much (dazai drew on his face on more than one occasion)
Oda Sakunosuke:
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i love this man SO MUCH you guys have no idea i would literally die for him
100% this guy majors in creative writing because this is supported by FACTS and not just me wanting to be coursemates with him in this fictional world
super serious and diligent with his work especially since he’s passionate about writing. he loves to read in his spare time and is such a fan of classic novels about social realism or philosophy
oda spends 99% of his time in second-hand bookshops that the owner probably knows him by name at this point
he’s super old school when it comes to writing though, like he still keeps and writes in a notebook before typing it up on a laptop and no matter how many times dazai tells him its impractical, oda just keeps doing it
lmao whenever workshops come around he’s super nice with his critique. i bet a lot of his fellow classmates like sending their writing drafts to him
he draws smiley faces and always adds ‘nice work’ on people’s drafts omg i love odasaku
he’s such an old soul, he probably doesn’t do a whole lot of partying but he likes more quiet, private social events like drinking with close friends or just hanging out and talking at other people’s houses
he and dazai probably met when dazai decided to take an intro to creative writing class and wrote a long poem about double suicide on his first day that kind of put off everyone in the class from wanting to sit with him
odasaku was the only one who wasn’t exactly bothered but he did give dazai some comments to help him with his poetry and dazai instantly wanted to be his friend
in terms of extracurricular life, i can definitely see odasaku joining a writing organization and even the campus newspaper. he does find joy in interviewing students for newspaper articles
he’s also pretty into photography and uses a really old, second-hand camera that he bought at an antique store and fixed himself. at one point he won a prize in a contest
odasaku would be the best roommate. he’s super sensitive to when you have a bad day and will invite you to sit on his bed and hug his pillow and talk about your problems
scratch that, everyone talks to odasaku about their problems and now your room is like a therapist’s office
Edgar Allan Poe:
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i swear this was the only gif i could find other than actual edgar allan poe
ANOTHER CREATIVE WRITING BUDDY AHHH I WOULD LOVE TO BE BESTIES WITH HIM AHHH
well actually i feel like since he’s super ambitious and already has a fixed idea on the stuff he likes to write, he’d probably double major in something like forensic science because he’d use it to write his mystery novels
omg that’s where he meets ranpo and now pretty much every main character poe writes is slightly based on on ranpo
it’s a problem. his professor brings it up more than once during his classes but it’s poe’s Thing now
he also has such an unending passion for gothic literature and he wears those white, long-sleeved blouses and waistcoats on a REGULAR BASIS
chuuya probably saw him once and was like ‘hmm, i could pull that off’
poe’s daily route is just going to the library and to class and then go home and that’s about it
he ended up working as a student assistant at the library because he’s just super familiar with the book collections and it’s a job that’s peaceful and quiet 
more than once though, he’d just be really in-deep with his writing to the point that he doesn’t even notice that the library has closed or that he hasn’t eaten the entire day
that’s alright though because ranpo always passes by the library at night to check on his friend and (reluctantly) give him some snacks
also since poe’s pretty much a recluse, he doesn’t go to any social event UNLESS it’s a halloween-themed one
he loves going all out with his costumes because he’s a Drama Queen like that but the problem is he keeps dressing up as gothic novel characters and nobody gets it
dazai, trying to guess his costume: umm,, Two-Face from Batman?
poe: IT’S DR. JEKYLL AND MR. HYDE
there was this one time when poe took it upon himself to host the halloween party and it was EPIC
he basically designed it as a murder mystery night wherein everyone who came pretended to be guests at a house and then a murder happened
the only problem was that ranpo was conspiring with poe and it was pretty much unfair
except for the fact that ranpo was frustrated at how bad everyone was at deducing that he ended up solving the mystery for them
Fyodor Dostoevsky:
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one of my favorite scenes of him in s3 was of fyodor playing the cello because god damn that is beautiful and therefore i am hc-ing him as a music major and you can’t tell me otherwise
fyodor is an absolute music genius and he was definitely scouted by the university’s music program and then he was granted a scholarship (because in this ideal university, the arts are valued)
he purposely decided to go to a university rather than a music conservatory because he’s also interested in learning a bunch of other things
aside from his music classes, he ventures into comparative literature and philosophy, even a bit of computer science at some point
people always assume that since he’s a music major he probably wouldn’t do well in other subjects but SURPRISE BITCH
anyway, fyodor’s a genius because god clearly has favorites
aside from attending class, he’s even part of an official orchestra and has even landed a few solos 
that said, he’s quite busy and very preoccupied in his own work to actually have a social life either
you’ll often find him rehearsing by himself in an empty classroom for hours and hours on end (someone pls bring him food he’s also the type to forget to eat or even drink water)
if you are able to catch him perform at an orchestra or just practice by himself, it’s quite a mesmerizing sight. his eyes are often closed so he could focus on the sound alone and his fingers move so elegantly along the neck of the cello
(sorry i just love people who play any form of stringed instrument)
fyodor also takes such good care of his cello. also he would probably kill you on the spot if you touched his bow
he has a fairly small group of friends and they like playing chess together (even though fyodor is better than all of them) and just talk about um,, idk philosophy and stuff (whatever it is smart people do idk i’m not one of them)
i have a feeling he actually follows akutagawa’s dark academia blog and loves his content, even to the point of requesting ‘cello player moodboards’
also because he’s a cello player he needs to take care of his fingers so he wears gloves a lot (idk why i find this hot)
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taglist (check out my post for details on being part of my taglist): @waitforitillwritemywayout @tpwkatsumu @laure-chan
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beneaththetangles · 4 years
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Christmas Gift Guide for the Christian Anime Fan
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What do you get the anime fan in your life for Christmas? An already difficult task is made even more challenging if you’re looking to gift something that fits within the boundaries of faith, items that are safe to give in a Christian household but still fun for the receiver. If you’re faced with that dilemma, we’ve got you covered this Christmas season. Below are nine gifts that the anime fan in your life will love, that are also safe—and some even spiritually uplifting!
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1. Shonen Jump
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If you have a manga reader in the family, one of the best things you can get them is a Shonen Jump subscription. Shonen Jump (SJ) was one of the foremost shonen manga publications in print the U.S. Now, as a digital magazine, it’s even better. For $1.99 a month, an SJ subscription grants you access to SJ’s entire current lineup as well as a huge archive of historic manga. Want to read all of the Dragon Ball manga beginning in the early 80s? SJ has you covered. Interested in learning more about the romance manga Boys Over Flowers? It’s there along with the most current Season 2 chapters. Enjoy the nonsense of JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure? Parts 1 through 3 are there in full and VIZ is slowly adding all of Part 4. As part of the greater VIZ manga family, more and more options are being added all the time to the SJ vault. Currently, VIZ does not offer gift subscriptions to SJ, however, you can pay for your subscription month to month. We recommend getting your friend or family member a $25 Google Play or iTunes gift card and tell them to enjoy all the manga at their fingertips for a full year.
Google Play or iTunes Gift Cards can be purchased from Amazon.
2. Cool anime clothing and streetwear
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There’s an episode of Genshiken, the classic series about an anime club, where super otaku Madarame goes out shopping for clothes in an attempt to be stylish. It’s not only an uncomfortable experience for him; it leads to a real questioning of who he is and how he identifies because, after all, being an anime fan means dressing cheaply and sloppily, right? Well, if it ever did, it does not not—you can look good while sporting threads that show off your fandom. While Amazon and other outlets sell shirts anime-related shirts that don’t look particularly great, you’re better off doing a little research to find stylish clothing developed by real fashion designers. Take for example Wooji, whose clothing would be at home on a runway, but is priced well. Imouri, on the other hand, has a bright, cute design that more outwardly demonstrates a fandom. Go with a brand that would fit the person you’re gifting, and check out other stores as well by searching through tags like #animeclothing and #streetwear.
We’ve personally sampled items from both Wooji and Imouri, and highly recommend both.
3. Manga Majesty
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If ever there was a portion of scripture that would fit into manga format, it’s the Book of Revelation with its imagery of good and evil, and redemption and love. And that’s exactly what the folks at Next Manga have adapted for their latest release. Manga Majesty artfully and scripturally illustrates the final book of the Bible, including the powerful prophecy that makes up much of it. While this manga makes for a wonderful study resource for Christian readers (and potential evangelistic material), it’s also just plain well-made, and engaging from a reader’s perspective. It unfolds like the powerful narrative it is, compete with full-colored illustrations that capture both the majesty and fear of the end times. And thus, it’s a double gift of sorts, one that’s a feast for the eyes and good for the soul, and really, what else more could you ask for on Christmas?
Manga Majesty is available for purchase from Amazon.
4. Crunchyroll Gift Membership
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If you are buying for an anime or manga fan, chances are they watch their anime on various streaming services. Maybe they have Netflix, Hulu, or Amazon Prime Video (or all three). However, if you are looking for a streaming service that specializes in anime, look no further than Crunchyroll. From classics like Fist of the North Star to current ongoing series like My Hero Academia, Crunchyroll has something to offer for every anime fan. Have anime fans who are children? No problem. Crunchyroll has some great series like Shonen Ashibe! GO! GO! Goma-chan and Bananya that offer up fun for the whole family. In addition to their anime offerings, a premium Crunchyroll subscription offers access to a decent catalog of manga. While their manga app is imperfect, web reading works very well and a number of currently ongoing series are simul-published by Crunchyroll.
Gift subscriptions can be purchased directly from Crunchyroll.
5. Anime DVDs and Manga volumes
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Of course, it seems natural to buy the anime fan anime for Christmas—the barrier, though, is that there is so much anime out there that it can be difficult to determine which your recipient will like. And how do you select series that avoid content which you find inappropriate? We’ve got you covered. We have an anime recommendation list which provides titles that are both entertaining and spiritually enriching; we also include content information so that you won’t be surprised by levels of violence, sexualization, or other material in the series. We recently expanded the list, giving the full rundown on a number of shows, but also giving quick recommendations for dozens of others. We also encourage you to just search through our website, looking for topics that pique your interest (ex. grace), to find other series that might be specifically made for the person in your life.
Check our anime series and anime movie recommendations.
6. Dragon Ball FighterZ
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Did you know that 2018’s Fighting Game of the Year at The Game Awards was an anime based game? ESPN”s “Game of the Year” was the same anime game in 2018. What was that game? Dragon Ball FighterZ. Dragon Ball FighterZ is a fantastic fighting game taking characters from throughout the full Dragon Ball franchise and making it incredibly fun. Arc System’s game mechanics remind you of the first time you played Marvel vs Capcom. It is a lot of fun for fans of the Dragon Ball franchise and newbies alike. I (MDMRN) bought it for myself last year on Black Friday as a non-Dragon Ball fan and, frankly, it turned me into one. Get it for your friends or family members who enjoy fighting games and anime if they don’t already own it. Believe me, they’ll thank you after trying it out.
Dragon Ball FighterZ is available for purchase from Amazon for the Nintendo Switch, XBoxOne, and Playstation 4.
7. Gear for fans of anime and gaming
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Speaking of games, chances are that the person in your life that you’re buying for is probably not only a fan of anime, but a gamer as well. The two often go hand in hand, so in addition to the recommendation for Dragon Ball FighterZ we gave above, we also encourage you to check out Fan Gamer, a store that has a ton of wonderful merchandise that gamers will adore. We can attest that they carry products that hit that sweet spot of being both cool and high quality. You could surf the site all day (and you might want to!), but we’ll give four products we’re liking right now: Okami and Samurai Shodown t-shirts, a book about the history of the NES, and a set of awesome playing cards.
Give Fan Gamer a visit and check out their selection!
8. An Anime Convention Pass
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pc: arthur yao
If there’s one thing that unites all high school and college otaku, it’s this: They’re broke. The anime fandom for many fans, young and old alike, isn’t based necessarily on TV series and manga—its centered on the convention scene. Facebook and Twitter feeds relating to conventions are absolutely filled with griping about the cost of conventions—remember that besides the entrance fees, which can easily go over $100, attendees have to pay for food, parking, hotel, souvenirs, and their own cosplay. It adds up and leads many to skip out on events they dearly want to attend. You can encourage them and help defray the costs by looking ahead and buying tickets to an event. Also note that many conventions occur during the spring and summer, so there’s another advantage to making this your gift—at this time of year, you might be able to get an early bird discount as well.
Check out some of the conventions we attend and cover here on Beneath the Tangles.
9. Reading material
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You don’t necessarily have to look to a TV or video game screen to find series for your anime fan to enjoy. Just as in the west, and even more so, anime films and shows are adapted from previous works, mostly divided into two categories: manga (Japanese comics) and light novels (serialized books that contain illustrations). And just as with anime, we’ve got you covered here, too, with plenty of recommendations for both accompanied by explanations about the content within. These make for great gifts because all of these series have at least several volumes in release in the English language, meaning that you can pick up several issues as a present. And here’s another insight: manga and light novels are often (usually?) more addicting than anime series. Chances are that if you buy several for your loved one, they won’t be able to put the tomes down until they finish!
Check our manga and light novel recommendations.
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And there you have it—we did 90% of the legwork for you. Now there’s no reason to indulge your anime fan at home with something that they’ll love without worrying about neglecting or breaking your faith values. Go forth and purchase! And have a wonderful Christmas!
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peckhampeculiar · 5 years
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Fabric of society
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Words Emma Finamore; Photo Marcos Avlonitis
The bold, bright colours and beautiful, intricate batik patterns of wax print can be seen all over London, but they’re a visual symbol of somewhere else: Africa. From village to cotton field, from mill to market, a new film traces the story of how this fabric came to epitomise a whole continent – and it goes to some surprising places.
Peckham based composer Aiwan Obinyan, has just released ‘Wax Print’ – a documentary exploring this extraordinary material's relationship to Africa and its people, as well its journey. She wrote the film – as well as directing it, producing it, and even composing its soundtrack – after bering inspired by something her Nigerian grandmother said. 
"I grew up with the prints,” she explains. “But when I heard my grandma call it 'Hollandaise'...and I was like, how is it Hollandaise? What does that mean? I noted it and got on with my life but then later I started making clothes and wanted to use that fabric, and thought it would be nice to show my customers where the fabric comes from and a bit of the history, and I thought it as going to be simple...but the more questions I asked the it just took me from one country to another, to different periods of time. For two years I traced the story." This took her and her camera to Ghana, Nigeria, the Netherlands, even to Manchester: "Wax print was made in Manchester for over 100 years, at ABC Wax, from 1908".  
That’s because, despite being seen very much as ‘African’ fabric, wax print’s story is one of colonisation, international trade (including the slave trade) and industrialisation, across multiple nations, continents and cultures. During the Dutch colonisation of Indonesia in the 1800s, Dutch merchants and administrators became familiar with the nation’s batik technique. “They took it from Indonesia and figured if they could mechanise it, they could sell loads of it. It was originally a handmade print," explains Aiwan. The owners of textile factories in the Netherlands started developing machine printing processes which could imitate batik, hoping that the far cheaper machine-made imitations could outcompete the original batiks in the Indonesian market: creating the look of batik without the labour-intensive work required to make the real thing.
West Africans recruited between 1831 and 1872 from the Dutch Gold Coast to serve in the Dutch colonizing army in Indonesia would have seen these prints, and when retiring to Elmina, in modern Ghana, they may have provided an early market for the imitation batik. That’s one theory, but what we do know is that demand for the fabric grew in African ports and throughout West Africa, prompting Scottish, English, and Swiss manufacturers to follow the Dutch in producing and selling wax print.
The material quickly became a part of African apparel, and of society: women used the fabrics as a method of communication and expression, with certain patterns being used as a shared language, with widely understood meanings. It was soon also used for formal wear by leaders, diplomats, and the wealthy population.
Aiwan’s telling of this tale begins with her own story and relationship with the material. "Growing up in south east London, being bullied for being African - it wasn't cool to be African in the ‘90s - and wanting to hide my identity as much as possible,” she says. “And one of the most immediate, physical symbols of Africa is wax print. So you kind of wanted to push it to one side, and not be associated with it."
This has changed though, for her and many other people with African heritage – it’s now something to wear with pride. “I think it's being reclaimed by black people worldwide - in the diaspora and on the continent. It's being reinterpreted in terms of design, and it's being reclaimed as a symbol of Africa and African-ness. And something to be proud of." 
Aiwan talks about how this resurgence means you can now get wax print earrings, glasses frames....pretty much anything you want. Part of the documentary is actually filmed at the Hub and Culture shop in Peckham, where customers can pick up everything from shoes, kimonos and capes, to handbags and head wraps – all in wax print, in every colour of the rainbow. Sales figures demonstrate the popularity of these products too. In Sub-Saharan Africa, wax print boasts an annual sales volume of 2.1 billion yards, with an average production cost of $2.6 billion and retail value of $4 billion. Ghana, to take one example, has an annual consumption of textiles about 130 million yards.
But it’s more than just a product to be bought and sold. "The film is kind of like the fabric,” explains Aiwan. “It's woven, it's many stranded. But the bottom line is about identity. It's definitely a statement. When someone's wearing wax print they're wearing it with intention. It's a statement: ' 'This is who I am.' The fact of the matter is that wax print is bold and vibrant and colourful, it stands out. So when you're wearing it - it's a statement."  
These statements extend to places as well as people, as Aiwan discovered on her explorative journey. "So for instance in Congo their colourways are very bright, almost fluorescent pinks and yellows,” she says. “Whereas if you go over to Ghana the prints are a bit more muted, more burgundies and olive greens. And in Nigeria the prints are more strong yellows, strong oranges, really intense blues. And within Nigeria there are different colour ways for different parts of the country. So the colour way for Ibos over in the East is that blue with the orange, whereas the colour way for Yoruba would be different."
Another part of the wax print story that Aiwan unearthed was especially exciting: about a group of pioneering, formidable women called the ‘Nana Benz’, who played a key, pivotal role in the development of the wax print industry, operating during the 1930s to 1970s. "They were very, very powerful women who became millionaires during their time through trading in wax print - they were the gatekeepers,” explains Aiwan. “If they said it wouldn't sell, it wouldn’t sell. They were in touch with the local women so they knew what they liked, and they fed that back to the European merchants, who then made the cloth according to those specifications. They had economic power, political power, social power...they were so wealthy that they owned luxury cars like the Mercedes Benz - hence the name, Nana Benz. They owned so many of these cars that the government at the time, if they ran out of cars for local dignitaries, they would borrow cars from the Nana Benz.
“For me it was the most surprising thing [about making the film] - was the story of the Nana Benz, because I didn’t know it. I first got introduced to it at the Vlisco wax print factory  [in Helmond, the Netherlands] and there was a picture there of an old African woman, and I asked somebody who it was and she said, 'That's a Nana Benz' - and she explained briefly who she was. And at first I thought it was specifically who she was - I thought Nana Benz was a single person, Then I did more research and realised it was this group of powerful women."  
Aiwan’s research saw her talking to professors, reading books, and then a bit closer to home: "Then I made the connection between the Nana Benz and my grandma." Her grandmother ran a sewing school and tailoring business in Ekpoma in Edo State, Nigeria – an entrepreneur who ended up supplying custom clothes to surrounding businesses. "There's a picture in the film of my grandma in the most amazing outfit,” Aiwan remembers, “standing next to a bright red BMW sports car....she was a Nana Benz!
“I'm glad I went on that journey, and that I was given the honour and the privilege to be able to tell that story. I'm really glad that the stories of the women have been re-centred, and the story of wax print has been re-centred. Very often when people write about wax print it's almost anthropological, sort of analytical and academic. So I was happy to re-centre the story of the Nana Benz's and people like my grandma - without them you wouldn’t have wax print, that's the bottom line, there is no wax print. It became what it was because of them, and their collaboration with missionaries and traders." 
This big story calls for a big audience, and this month Aiwan is taking her film on the road. Wax Print has been accepted into the Pan African Film Festival in Los Angeles, so Aiwan will be out there in February, then there’s an event with artist Yinka Shonibare MBE (whose work exploring cultural identity, colonialism and post-colonialism often features brightly coloured wax print) in Exeter, as well as at a wax print factory in the Netherlands, and screenings in Japan and Ghana  - poignantly on Juneteenth Independence Day or Freedom Day, a celebration of the abolition of slavery in Texas and the emancipation of enslaved African Americans throughout the former Confederate States of America. "In the film I talk about how slavery was a big factor in wax print,” says Aiwan, “so it'll be nice to celebrate the abolition of slavery in Ghana where slaves were taken, while showing a film which is about our identity as a people." 
If that wasn’t enough hard work, she’s just finished working on a play at the Young Vic Theatre – doing the sound for The Convert, a play written by Black Panther star Danai Gurira – and is currently working on a feature film in Nigeria called 'Nigeriana', following a young man’s struggle to engage in politics despite a corrupt system.
Like these projects, Wax Print is powered by Aiwan’s clear passion for storytelling, especially a tale that’s close to her heart. "It's hard work but I think it would be harder if it wasn't something I care about,” she explains. “I think it's important to work on things you truly believe in."  
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calaycay · 5 years
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Calay Indochina Trip (April 17-22, 2018)
Jealousy is something that needed to be addressed for a better relationship. So when my Tatay got jealous of my Hong Kong trip last October 2017, I acquired insomnia. My mind can't stop thinking of the best place where my Tatay can get a great experience with a very small budget. Thanks to Colz’ post in DIY Philippines Facebook Group about her Indochina Trip, I finally got some sleep. They day after the long peaceful sleep, I immediately invited my friends who I know love to travel also. Fortunately, I convinced my Baka-chan, Reinee, and Johnrey. This is the start of our failed and unsatisfying but definitely unforgettable Indochina trip that we will surely laugh about when we get older.
Planning for Indochina Trip really needs a lot of research. Imagine going into one country after another, one should really know everything that he/she needs to know.
DAY 1
Thanks to Traveloka, we were blessed to find an Airasia seatsale going to Ho Chi Mihn, Vietnam with connecting flight to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. So we automatically had an additional country aside from our original Vietnam-Cambodia-Thailand travel.
We exchanged our peso to Ringgit in NAIA just to be sure to have a money to spend enough for DAY 1. It is better to change your money in NAIA than in any airport of the country you are going into.
We depart from Manila around 5:30 PM and arrived at Kuala Lumpur by 9:05 PM. KL's airport is really big. We rode Aerobus going to KL Sentral and their Rapid KL (counter part of MRT here in the Philippines) going to Masjid Jamek Station - the nearest station to our accommodation. We didn't have data so we weren't able to locate our hostel easily. It took us a lot of walking. People pointed us to places everywhere. They can barely understand us and we can barely understand them as well. Fortunately, Rajid (a staff from China Hostel) helped us to contact our hostel and booked a grab for us. (THANK YOU RAJID!) Finally by 2am, we were able to get some sleep.
I experienced the same in my HongKong trip. So I suggest to book an accommodation nearest to a landmark. Also, ask the right person so you don't need to get lost even worse.
We booked a night stay at Grand Mountbatten Boutique Hotel through Traveloka as well for P1750 for 5 pax 350 each - very cheap.
Day 1 is like Day 0. We weren't able to go anywhere but our hotel.
DAY 2
We woke up by 6am and started our journey by 7am. Our first stop is Batu Caves. We got lost because apparently KTM Kumuter is not working, and we do not know how to get there via other transportation. So we asked, and rode a free bus up to KTM Sentul Station, from here we waited for more than an hour before it departs to Batu Caves. This is the heartbreaking part. We weren't able to take into consideration the waiting time of the departures because we have a different itinerary. Some things really don't go according to the plan.
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at Jamek Mosque
We enjoyed Batu Caves, especially for me and my Tatay. I just love natural things. I prefer going to these tourist destinations (just like Ngong Ping Village in HK) than in the city. The monkeys and doves are everywhere! You can even get a shot like you're in Rome with those doves. And my Tatay experienced getting his polvoron rubbed by the monkey. It's so funny. The Big Buddha is really enormous. It's amazing.
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Inside the Batu Cave
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You need to climb 272 steep steps before reaching the cave. But the fear, hunger, and effort are totally worth it. It's a huge cave. They have a small temple inside it. Again, the monkeys are everywhere.
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Just a reminder: do not wear shorts or skirts above the knee. You will be asked to pay 5 MYR for the cloth which they will wrap around your waist.
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We went back to the KTM Komuter by 11am. This is where everything messed up. We weren't able to eat breakfast and lunch because of the hectic schedule. We weren't able to go to Petronas Twin Towers (yeah I know 💔💔💔) And the worst part is, we missed our flight going to Vietnam. Yes we idiots did.
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We got no choice but we are still blessed. Flight from KL to Siem Reap, Cambodia is cheap. So we decided not to go the Vietnam and just go straight to Cambodia. And we booked our accommodation in Cambodia through Agoda for PHP 2265.59 each.
We spent the whole day at KL Airport and waited for our 7am flight to Cambodia. We are so broken that we didn't even talk about going back to KL Sentral for Petronas Twin Towers and we are too afraid to miss the flight again.
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DAY 3
We arrived at Siem Reap, Cambodia by 9AM. Took a tuktuk ride from the airport to Kok Meng Lodge. The Inn doesn't allow us to check in yet because it's too early. So we had no choice but to go to Pub Street without taking a bath. We just walked straight from Kok Meng Lodge to Pub Street, it is just 5 to 10 mins walk away. It is a very hot late morning. We are all sweaty and sleepy.
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We ordered a sharing food for lunch. Johnrey bought a booked from a disabled vendor. We talk about our frustrations in this trip.
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We went back to the inn ( Kok Meng Lodge ), took a bath, got some sleep, and went out to take a look of Siem Reap. We intentionally didn't go to Ankor Wat because it will be unfair to Baka-chan's friend who was left in Vietnam.
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Upon walking, we bumped into a tuktuk driver and asked him where we can go. 
But before anything else, James, our tuktuk driver took us in a street restaurant to eat meryenda.
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Yes, these heavy meals were our meryenda. And yes, we were that hungry. XD
He took us to the War Museum, Tatay and Johnrey obviously enjoyed it in different reasons. Tatay is into guns and other war equipment, there were tanks! And Johnrey is really interested in history. War Museum has a lot to tell.
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After the War Museum, James Peter, our tuktuk driver, took us to one of Angkor Wat temples for free! This is because you can enter Angkor Wat Complex after 5pm for free.
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We just went to Pre Rub, amazed by the work of men, the sunset and took beautiful photos.
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Early discovery of talent
The complex is so peaceful. There are a lot of trees, and a lake. I love the environment.
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When it got dark, we decided to go back to Pub Street and end the trip with this Pacquiao-fan tuktuk driver. James is really accommodating and pleasant. He only asked us 12 Dollars for the whole trip. Thanks James! I hope to see you again!
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[I’ll insert James’ calling card here, I just need to look for it.]
We booked a bus trip from Siem Reap to Bangkok Thailand via HANG TEP TRAVEL CO., LTD. for 20 Dollars. Just to make sure that we will get to Thailand.
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We finally experienced the Pub Street life. And took a mandatory shot in Pub Street sign, ate dinner, look for some souvenirs, and tried fish massage. That was a great night. And that's the best night in our trip. Cambodia is the best that happened to us.
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DAY 4
We were supposed to go to Angkor Wat but the group realized that it is a waste of money going to Angkor Wat for just one hour because we booked an early trip going to Bangkok. Yeah, this is another heartbreaking story. We came here to see the Angkot Wat, yet we failed again.
By early 7AM we took the bus going to Thailand. Reached the border by 12pm and the next 4 hours was hell. We lined up in the immigration for 4 hours! We were on an open space covered with a high roofing, the line was very long. It was a very hot afternoon. And we didn’t have anything in our stomach but water. It was a very painful experience. This was the point that I realized that I need to tell you these guys. INDOCHINA TRIP IS VERY EXHAUSTING. YOU'LL EXPERIENCE HUNGER, TIREDNESS, AND DIZZINESS.
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Line in Cambodia Immigration Office,  Krong, Poi Pet
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When you see this Arch, this means you are in the border of Cambodia and Thailand already.
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This is the line in Thailand Immigration Office,  Aranyaprathet
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And this was us, in front of the line after hours. They just called from the line and prioritized us, maybe our bus guides did the work. Thanks no thanks. They’re too late.
We departed from the Cambodia-Thailand border by 4pm and reached Bangkok by 9pm. So Day 4 was spent in the immigration and on the road. We headed straight to Khao San Road and exchanged our dollars to baht. Finally, we were able to eat our first meal of the day. We had just some peanuts while on the bus. So yes, dinner was our first proper meal of the day. I thought I was gonna die out of hunger, imagine how my 62 year old father suffered. I'm sorry.
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We tried the famous Pad Thai with Shrimp and egg. It tastes good actually. Go ahead and try it.
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Nope he didn’t eat it.
We stayed in an airbnb very far away from public transportation so we got no choice but to ride the taxi all throughout our Bangkok stay. So don't make the same mistake. Book an accommodation near public transport or your desired destination even if you pay more because it is just the same booking a cheaper accommodation then spending in grab and/or taxis plus the hassles.
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DAY 5
This was our last chance to make the most of our Indochina trip. We woke up early and started the day going to Damnoen Floating Market. We took the grab going to Southern Bus Station and ride the bus going to Damnoen Floating Market for THB**. It was a 2-hour ride. Make sure to enjoy the view going to the South of Bangkok. Upon reaching the pier, there were offers going to the actual floating market for THB 1,000 for the 6 of us. Grab it. I know that some blogs would say not to fall for it. But based on a recent experience, for that amount you get a free 1-kilometer ride. This is the distance from the pier to the actual floating market. But we declined this offer.
Then, a van offered to bring us in the second pier. There, they offered us THB 300. We still didn’t agree with the price because based from the blogs we read the 300 THB is supposed to be for all of us already. So what we did is to walk from the bus stop to the floating market. It was a long and hot walk.
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And upon reaching the actual floating market, the fee is 200 THB. The floating market is a little bit crowded. There are many boats. It is really a floating market. Vendors are selling products in the boat, although some are on the riverbanks.
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We bought Chinese soup for breakfast for 60 THB, and mango shake for 65 THB. The Chinese soup is okay, and the mango shake is satisfying. The vendor of the shake is also very beautiful, she’s like a Korean.
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Going around the river, we also saw some local houses. We also saw lizard-like creature – I don’t know what it is called. It was swimming in the water. It’s kind of scary but just fine because it didn’t swim towards our boat. The sailor of our boat asked for a tip. So you better budget also for these miscellaneous expenses.
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Going back to the bus station, we rode a yellow jeep for THB 10. We took a grab going to the City to go to the temples. This is where the second most heartbreaking part of our trip comes in (first is our missed Vietnam flight).
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She is making a pose for me :)
I said that DAY 5 should make up this failed trip. We started the day right but ended up scammed. Upon reaching the city to visit the temples, we looked for the pier where we were supposed to ride the boat going to the temple.
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Then there’s this some guy who offered us help maybe because we were obviously lost – we can’t find the pier. He instructed us to ride the tuktuk going to the pier, so we did. 
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Remember this man’s face! He is a scammer! ALL THE HATE ON HIM!
The tuktuk brought us to a pier. A lady in the pier was charging us, if I remember it correctly, 1600 THB each for the boat ride, then we bargained it down to 600 THB which was supposed to be, if you go to the right pier, 15 THB only. So you see, we were scammed, they didn’t even give us a ticket. 
At first we kinda like it.
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But then, we just went around a shallow and unpleasant canal.
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And after the 1 hour (which was really less than 1 hour) CANAL boat tour, all the temples were already closed. YES they were all closed, so we didn’t got the chance to enter at least one temple. :(
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We just went around and took some photos with other temples.
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This day gets from worse to worst, even the Chatuchak Market was already closed when we get there so we also didn’t have the chance to do “Bangkok Shopping”.
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We just went back to Khao San Road and had some decent dinner.
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The next day, (DAY 6) 
We went to the airport and traveled back to the Philippines. And our pasalubongs? We bought it from the airport because that’s the only choice we had.
THAT’S IT. Our Indochina trip just went like that. Spending five days on the road and having an unworthy experience. If I could only correct everything. I guess we just need to charge this to experience. At least we got 9 passport stamps. (Yey!)
I would like to take this opportunity to apologize to my travel buddies – Tatay, Reinee, John Rey, Baka-Chan, Babes ni Baka-Chan – sorry guys, I know that this is not what we wanted. I hope to travel with you again next time, and by that time, we will finally enjoy our trip.
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Indochina Trip is not always like this. It’s always different for all of us. It’s just that we got to experience the opposite of anything that you can call good. I suggest you allot longer days for this trip, then for sure, you will have a blast.
Bonus:
I prepared an excel of our expenses. Click here. :)
Cheers to travelling the world! Meow meow!
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ooc-but-stylish · 6 years
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The ending to XV is still a robbery until they change it to something more sensible. There’s insufficient proof that the world is actually alright after Noctis sacrifices himself, and they took time to show that Noctis had plans to unify the different empires for peacetime. He was taken away before putting those plans in action and proving himself as a leader. What we have now is a half-assed MMO in Comrades and some token cutscenes in the Retcon Edition, but that doesn’t change that the main game's ending only covers the bare minimum (the dawn comes back). It says nothing about people or politics or anything about the WORLD the game and its side material have supposedly been trying to build.
Comrades expects us to believe that the people formed some kind of competent defense system plus governing body to lead them through ten years, that they could just keep using after Noctis died, just because they put it there and it exists in some form “in canon” and told us that’s how things were going. 
That ignores the fact that it was only months/weeks before Chapter 13 that Insomnia was destroyed and upwards of thousands of people were displaced from their homes with no functional currency to use in the outside world. They were completely uprooted from their ‘advanced’ lifestyle-- a lifestyle which included their reliance on orphans of war and refugees from towns that Insomnia had abandoned in the first place (see: Galahd), a lifestyle that enabled the natives of the crown city to shamelessly treat those exact same refugees like second-class citizens while exploiting their labor-- the Kingsglaive were the ones giving their lives to defend Insomnia and they are mostly made of refugees that are all aware that Regis was using them for his own ends and they wouldn’t have betrayed him if they didn’t think that way. The natives were complicit, and those people needed to then adjust to a life multiple steps down from their usual standards, to live in areas where no one uses cellphones or has cellphone service to begin with, they have shitty cars that break down too often, and a nighttime stroll can kill them. 
Insomnians are fucking coddled and wouldn’t be magically cured of it by having their home blown up, is what I’m saying here. There would still realistically be tension between them and the residents of neighboring towns that a) live under the heel of Niflheim, b) resent Insomnia and Regis, or c) they don’t think Niflheim is doing anything wrong ( it takes until Comrades for an NPC to say they don’t trust the radio. ) And then, how well would anyone handle it if they tried to get settled into another place like Lestallum or Galdin or migrated to Altissia for asylum and Altissia got fucked by Leviathan, Lestallum had a daemon infestation incident in its very own power plant, and Galdin eventually became uninhabitable from daemons? There’s at least one (1) unlucky person that’s survived all that nonsense and seen every home they’ve tried to make destroyed or compromised. That’s got to be bad for health and identity.
Even then, whatever didn’t belong to Insomnia belonged to Niflheim, even if it gave the impression of independence. Regis and Iedolas are definitely dead. Did the Altissian lady survive the ten years? She could be useful. Other than her, who else is savvy enough to lead people? There was Noctis, yeah, but no one in the world mentions having waited for Noctis or believed in his return without having actually known him. Does the general public even know why the world went dark? Would anyone believe that Ardyn was responsible for it? The Chancellor of Niflheim? The guy no one knew? The guy that no one respected? Ardyn played himself off as a nobody with connections. No one would believe he's a Lucis Caelum, the history books say he’s Izunia ( his maiden name before being blessed by the gods, I suppose ) and that doesn't sound like it was something that was ever publicized during the ten years of darkness even though Ignis and Talcott somehow found out in unexplained records that were somehow as legible then as they were 2000 years ago because I dunno, linguistic drift doesn’t exist in their world or something.
So there’s the people and the politics, what’s up with their infrastructure? Like I said, Lestallum’s been harvesting power from the meteor shards and somehow for some reason in this city that’s meant to be safe from daemons, they get a daemon infestation anyway right inside the power plant and it took Holly by surprise meaning... maybe, just maybe, the meteor has the parasitic Starscourge in it. And they’re still using its power for all their stuff. Does anyone in their world understand that at all? That’s like if the Lifestream were directly causing Geostigma and ShinRa still kept using Mako energy post-Advent Children, or if they still kept experimenting on people with Jenova Cells. It’s incredibly dumb.
More so since there are no professional medics or even hospitals in this world. Noctis almost died against Leviathan and instead of being someplace where his vitals are monitored and nurses tend to him, he’s sleeping it off in a bedroom. Nearly drowning is something you can just sleep through, apparently. There’s no medical care to speak of outside of the Oracle, which is baffling, since everyone in-universe should know that “healing items” don’t work, and post-Chapter 13, magic barely exists outside of the MarySueGlaives in Comrades. 
What this means is the Starscourge would’ve fucked people over significantly. I can't imagine there's many children left after the ten years. They tend to be the most susceptible when epidemics happen. Them, the elderly, and refugees which there’d be a lot of. And I don’t think the Scourge would magically miss any important people like engineers and whatnot so a fair amount of them must have gone too. Just in general, anyone with connections put other people in danger by contact; it’s Starscourge that’s killing people, but the infected still have some amount of coherence left immediately after turning daemon ( see: Ravus, Iedolas, etc ), which would be ‘human enough’ to affect those that care for them. Sadly for them, only the Oracle can heal the Scourge, so they’re all as good as dead.  the Scourge is explicitly described as "Plasmodium malariae" and "insect-borne", so... mosquitoes. Mosquitoes are transmitting this disease ( if it's not the "miasma" the infected exude in their later stages ) and considering how easily it proliferated throughout Eos, no one invented repellent or breathing masks. Either that or people don't keep themselves clean.
And yeah. Healing items don’t work. "Items like potions and elixirs gain their healing power from Noctis's growing ability", otherwise potions are merely energy drinks. The flavor text for other items are the same way, so everyone is fucked if another meteor drops. Peep this:
Antidote: "A refreshing herbal drink that takes on curative properties by way of Noctis's powers." Phoenix Downs: "A talisman that takes on miraculous properties ..." Mega-Phoenix: "An elite energy drink transmuted into a miraculous plume..."/"A consecrated talisman that takes on miraculous properties..." Potion: "An energy drink that takes on healing properties..." Hi-Potion: "A high-end energy drink that takes on healing properties..." Elixir and Hi-Elixir: "A legendary energy drink that takes on superior restorative properties..." Megalixir: "The ultimate energy drink that takes on supreme restorative properties..."
So in other words, those items every shopkeeper sells are silly trinkets, luck charms, energy drinks, and no normal person who's ever bought those has had their life saved by one in their entire, presumably short thereafter, life. Yet they’re regularly sold everywhere. The only person whose "regular consumables" were known to actually help and have magical properties was Kimya, an elderly woman who... what was that... ah yes, got demonized by her sister Ezma/Izania for being a witch, and was cast out, even though Kimya's potions by her own admission were "very special", could "Repel the daemons, [strengthen] the Oracle’s blessing," and were used at havens. Izania exiled her sister to the forest, to practice her "witchcraft" alone, and made the forest off-limits. Not to mention the ten years of darkness after Luna and Ravus died meant there was no one to renew the spells on any campground havens around Eos. Lestallum is a WYSIWYG affair. Comrades tries to “make this better” by setting her up in Lestallum to imply she was no longer demonized and free to do her witch things, but that doesn’t take away from the fact that as far as the main game is concerned, she stopped existing past her sidequest. 
Dino wanted to become a jeweler and create accessories. Accessories have flavor text that suggest their properties are real and not magical/imbued by  Noctis. Dino is turned into a daemon by the end of the timeskip. That he shows up in Comrades doesn’t change that it’s his clothes in Galdin Quay around the area he used to sit around in.
Sania had knowledge of what the Scourge was and with that knowledge would come how best to prevent its spread. Sania died/became a daemon by the end of he timeskip and her research was abandoned in a diner.
Point is, the original game's ending is a more "fake happy" ending than Verse 2. Verse 2 at least looks like it leads into further development for the characters and the chance things will go the way Noctis wants, with the most helpful non-Oracle people being present to use their knowledge and expertise. Verse 1 is an ending that only looks good on paper and addresses just one (1) concern of the plot at the expense of everything else. Noctis is dead, Luna is dead, Ravus is dead, none of the Bros are happy, all ( if not most ) of the world leaders are gone, the lead researcher on the Scourge died, the “local witch” didn’t survive, the jeweler is gone and so is the reporter with lore about the world, there's no magic, and that’s not getting into the fact that there are specific Scourge-infested dungeons that only open at night ( which are also difficult to access and optional for Noctis to get rid of ) and just... in the end who the hell is gonna care about some boy that fishes and strikes JJBA poses? He was fucking around Eos on a road trip, planting carrots, catching frogs, and finding abandoned weaponry in caves while ( and after ) his country got invaded, Titan shook the earth, and the Imperials were shooting innocent people. But look, his posse took a photo in front of a Magitek dropship!
I mean, we could make the case that Prompto's photos help cement that Noctis was a real person and not a puppet that those in power could ideologically castrate post-mortem and put words in his mouth to support whatever agenda they would try to push using his imagery, but that requires, like, Noctis to even be important in the public eye and have had a more political presence than a bedside confession to Prompto and a speech to a handful of people in the Retcon Edition. It also helps if anyone aside from his four friends and a bunch of nobodies actually heard him speak to begin with. He's really easy to misquote and put words into when no one gave him a voice. It’d be even better if he were actually alive. People interpreting his wish for Eos with their own biases of who he was as a person and how best he’d want things done isn’t the same thing as him doing it himself and proving his character.
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thoughtstojots · 6 years
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End Reflection: sophomore year of college
This year has been quite the year but most definitely a step up from the last in many ways. Here are some conclusions and progressing thoughts. 
1.) I still am not sure what I want to do with my life... maybe a doctor, maybe someone in product development. Whatever it may be I still want to dip my toes in so many other subjects and fields of study like cardiac research, textiles, sociology, European history, political science dealing with health care and international relations, food waste, biotechnology. The list GOES ON. If anything I have realized this year, it is that I just want to learn, to know, to try to understand, and to do whatever I can to gain a better perspective of what I want to learn about. 
2.) Academics are not my priority. Important? Yes. Needed? Well, maybe not. That doesn’t mean I neglect them at all. Yes, I still put effort and I still intend to get good grades but I am most definitely not losing sleep (or as much as my more school-oriented-high-school-self would have) over stressing out about a class to get an A in. 
a. What if I want to be a doctor? Then I should have exceptional grades to bring up my overall resume. Grades are one way to boost your resume but definitely not the only way. I’m not just letting them sink and watching them drown. Rather, I’m just choosing my room over the library. More so, because I’m not so sure I want to be a doctor, I don’t think it’s worth it to lose sleep over it especially in these harder science classes. And if I do choose med school, I’ll work super hard to do well on the MCAT (easier said than done, but doable). 
b. Somewhere in the fusion of the egg and sperm that made me, the DNA lineup possibly allowed me to be slightly smart. This year, the year I have honestly slacked the most ever in school, I have noticed that my plummet was not too bad. I mean it may be that I’m getting more sleep than others but I don’t have to work as hard as a lot to get the same results. When it comes to understanding connections between differences and learning trends and patterns, I much say I have a knack for it after just seeing it the first few times. And I guess with this, I choose my battles. I.e. organic chemistry. Mechanisms no problem. Remembering reagents, problem. Wouldn’t have been if I had taken some time to make flashcards or a Quizlet but oh well.
c. My desire to learn really comes into play with all of this. I enjoy hearing it for what it is or maybe reading on it to know more about it. But hard core studying, no thanks. Evolution lecture was very interesting (during the times I wasn’t sleeping in it) but more enjoyable was the book (when I actually read it). The book was actually interesting and from there, informing, and a good way to study. But I didn’t go out of the way to study so I could get an A on the exam. 
d. Regrettably, I still don’t know how to effectively study. The studying I did this year was a lot of piggy backing off of other’s study sessions or self teaching myself something I did want to know more about but was probably only going to be two multiple choice questions on the exam. 
With this mentality, I have become more relaxed and less stressed. I have invested myself in so many other things that have made me happier. That was also a difference between high school me and college me. My grades were "priorities” in high school but I kept a balanced life of doing extracurricular activities that I honestly enjoyed. It just happened that a lot of my social life at time was also interwoven with these activities, making it all manageable. Once I entered college, I came in with the mindset that my grades were my priority and actually made them my priority. There’s no doubt, there are times I still regret my past action and choices, comparing my what is to a what could have been scenario (but I always overthink things and look back on what a “better” situation). It’s difficult not to but I’m learning.
3.) The time spent with certain people is way too short. This year I have really branched my self in varying social groups and met many people. Sad to say though, quite a few of them graduated this semester. Even sadder to say, a good handful were international students who are returning/have returned to their prospective homelands. Those who are not, are off to better things away from Lexington. Earlier in the week I was comparing my social group from freshmen year to this year and noticed stark contrasts but also some underlying themes. 
a. The Greek life scene was definitely not up my ally. A lot of partying and drama, fake sisterly bonding, and an awkward climb to a crumbly social hierarchy. I think the worst part about it was that it kept me encapsulated in a bubble where I found no individual growth. My days revolved around it with going chapter meetings or mandatory events, trying to eat or hang out with my “sisters” to bond, pretending to care about the dumb shit they got themselves into. It was all just not my scene. That doesn’t mean that I didn’t meet any great people. I met wonderful women in the sorority I was in and I know a handful of strong, intelligent, women in sororities now. But it was not until I was out of that cliquey, over-dramatic environment and involved in other things that I saw some of the better qualities in these women. One, it makes me happy to see the great things of them do outside that realm. Two, it’s disheartening to see how two-faced these same people can be around different people. 
The people I met this year, wow. I can’t even say they were a complete 360 but really they were just on a different playing field. As much as I would like to think it had something to do with the Law of Attractiveness, it was probably more so luck. From work, to clubs, to labs, to classes, to volunteering, to random hangouts, to studying, I met some good people that I have shared some great memories with. (There have also been a handful of bad apples that I wish I didn’t have memories with.) They were all integrated in their own communities but were so welcoming to me. In one short year, I have experienced more warmth from strangers than I have a lifetime. I wish they didn’t have to leave. 
b. Dipping my toes in other things has also kept me a good distance from the pre-med crowd. But even in freshmen year, I didn’t seek their integration. I have met more pre-meds but I have learned to pick and sort who I enjoy being around, who I find annoying and aggravating, and who I totally don’t want to talk to unless I need something from them ¯\_(ツ)_/¯. Surely enough, this distance has made it easier to relieve some guilt I have about my not-so-stellar grades and to pursue more enjoyable events. But hey, late night study sessions with lots of Starbucks and good company is something I will forever cherish. Also, it has been so much fun meeting science orientated people not pre-professional anything.  
4.) Home is still too far. Yeah, a little over an hour away but with no car and limited time, it is far. Talking and texting my family weekly is still inconvenient for al of us as we’re each getting busier and busier.  In some ways it has been a good thing, especially for my siblings. Since I am a second overbearing mother figure sometimes, they have less to deal with now that I am away and I can see that it has been for the better. They’ve grown and accomplished so much. I’m proud. 
5.) Just because I have free time doesn’t mean I’m free. This year was also a lot about balancing my energy levels in terms of school, work, socializing, and having me time. I tended to overbook myself thinking I was getting equal amounts in everything but not realizing that I needed unequal amounts of some things for me to really thrive. 
6.) The year of not shopping for clothes failed. Sorry not sorry. I cheated the system for so long by having Umair buy be things and I buy him things in return. Now it has just collapsed. Somewhere in March, I bought something. But, hey, I did last longer than many assumed. 
7.) If you can’t be a team player, don’t be on the team. There were some shining moments where I showed some intelligence, organization, and leadership skills throughout the year among different groups. However, if I must commend myself on anything, it’s for being a team player. Understanding where the faults are, doing your part, and upholding yourself to the standards set, it’s not impossible. You’re just really accountable for you. But to be on a team, please be aware of of the others and try to be understanding. You don’t have to break your back for someone but you could try bending a bit. It’ll only help you be more flexible. 
8.) I’m really not that young. They say age is just a number and it really is. But it’s also a number with limitations and responsibilities. No driving until this age.  No drinking until this age. Vote when you’re this age. Apply to things when you’re this age. Sigh. As much as I look forward to getting to a more respectable age, I don’t want to grow up at all. It’s all contradictory to me. 
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pixiealtaira · 7 years
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I Don’t Leave Home Without
I missed the 4th..because the 4th is of course just one of those days....so here is day 4
Pairing: eventual Elliot/Kurt, but not really relationship at at the start
warning: not really friendly to anyone sharing the loft with Kurt
Elliot answered the frantic knocking on his door.  He hadn’t been home long; having worked an early shift at the coffee shop he was currently working at.  He didn’t plan to be home long either.  He wanted to get to campus and be able to get some research done for a paper before attending class.  It was an advantage having only afternoon classes on Tuesdays and Thursdays…and his only evening class that night. Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays were much more packed…with classes scattered throughout the day and no time to really head home between them.
Elliot opened to the door to…Kurt.  He was pretty sure the bedraggled sad creature in front of him was Kurt, at least. The boots were Kurt’s.  The hair was his color, even though it looked like he’d stuck his finger in a light socket and been covered in bucket of muddy water.  His eyes were red and puffy.  His face was even red.  His clothing was a mess, wet and muddy and possibly even torn up on one side.
“Kurt?”
“Can I come in?”  Kurt asked in the smallest voice he’d ever heard from the other man.
“Please do.”  Elliot said.
Kurt slid through the opening and dropped a bag he was carrying and then just dropped, himself. Elliot closed the door and dropped to the ground beside him.   Kurt collapsed completely against his side.  Elliot wrapped his arm around Kurt and just held him for a while.  Kurt didn’t seem to be crying, but Elliot seriously felt like the entire ability to keep itself up just left Kurt’s body the moment he put his arm around him.
Finally Kurt spoke.
“I’d have called first, but I don’t have my phone…or my keys, or my wallet, or even MY bag.”
“Kurt, what happened?”
Kurt’s head just fell against Elliot’s shoulder, like whatever was keeping it upright was cut.
“So, I had a huge presentation at school today.  We were to take a play, design costumes for it, make a costume, and perform a scene in said costume.  We had to present the costumes we designed like we would do so when applying for a job, that part was today.  The acting part is Friday.  So yesterday I stayed late on campus, finishing the last touches of the design panels, making sure each character had a drawing. I included accessories and footwear. This is so much of my grade this semester in this class, Elliot.  So much of my grade.”
“Anyway, Blaine was mad. He and Sam and the girls wanted to go out and go clubbing and he wanted me to go with them. They came and found me at the school when I wasn’t home by the usual time, even though I’d told them where I’d be and why. He tossed things around, ruined a panel for one of the costumes at the school and then stomped out screaming that I was ignoring our relationship and spouting off all sorts of fantasized reasons… from I was staying late to meet another guy to I was staying late to meet up with a teacher to show him how well I could earn a grade to I was telling teachers they needed to flunk him because he was better than I am at everything and it was the only way I could compete with him. So I ended up at the school even longer.  I left everything on campus after that, though, except my notebook and write up, which I needed to add to and print out. I got home not much before midnight and no one was home yet.  I stayed up, got my presentation outfit ready, and finished up the write up.  I printed it out just before two am.  No one was home yet.  I tidied up and put my bag together.  I set my bag right next to the door so all I’d have to do was grab it in the morning. I set my alarm clock so that I’d be able to be up and out the door with plenty of time to make it to campus even if everything ran late. Then I went to bed.”
“I heard them come back at some point; they were so loud trying to be quiet.  Blaine came in and whined he was horny and I told him to go take care of it himself. It was way too late and I had an important day at school that I had to be up early for. He went out and spent the night with Sam in the living area watching TV.  However…while bugging me he turned off my alarm.  I woke up an hour after my alarm was supposed to go off.  I got up, put on coffee and popped in toast, showered and got dressed in my presentation outfit since I would have no time to change at school. Things should have gone fine.”
Elliot tucked Kurt closer to his side.
“I made my cup of coffee and headed out to the living room where Blaine and Sam were crashed to clean up a little bit.  There were beer bottles lying around and bowls of half eaten cereal and bags of chips that were spilling all over.  I picked up one of the bowls, and was picking the other up, when Blaine yelped and stood up fast, pushing me aside as he dashed for the bathroom to throw-up.  Sam woke and dashed after him. Apparently, Blaine can’t throw-up by himself, it makes him sad.  Bowl two was knocked so it covered my pants as well as two half empty beers.  I didn’t cry. I just walked to my room and stripped down.  I smelt like sour milk and beer, my outfit was ruined. I changed into an outfit I had also considered and started to living room to pick up my coffee I’d set down.  I’d just picked up my coffee when Blaine came back into the living room. He pushed me out of the way so he could collapse on the couch.  He pushed me by the arm holding the coffee.  I ended up covered again, this time by scalding hot coffee.”
“I screamed.  I didn’t even scream at him, I just screamed.  God it hurt so bad.”
Kurt pulled his legs up towards his chest.  He looked so defeated and so crushed.
“Sam started yelling first. Yelling about how horrid I was to not have gone with Blaine when he wanted me to and how selfish I was to put classes before my boyfriend and how much a bitch I was being yelling at them then just because I was too uptight and had to big a stick in my ass to go out and have fun.  Blaine joined in.  He yelled about not having time for him, not focusing on him, not helping him with his things, trying to make him look bad by getting better grades, and about how I should be trying to support him and how I should praise him to the teachers. Then he went on to start yelling about personal habits as I walked into the bedroom to change again.  I had no other outfits set out.  I grabbed the slacks from my grey suit, however the rest of the suit needed to be cleaned due to Blaine and Sam messing around last week with squirt guns filled with colored water so it was out.  And I was in pain.  So I pulled out the softest turtleneck I own and a cream colored sweater, also very soft yarn and I dressed again. I had ten minutes to make it to the subway to catch the last train that might get me there on time. I switched all my stuff into my coat pocket…keys, wallet, money, phone, IPod.  Everything.  I walked out and went to grab my bag…and Rachel wandered over and spilled her coffee all over my coat as she tried to drunkenly hug me.  I didn’t even think about the items in my pocket…just screamed and removed the coat and hung it on the coat rack.  I told everyone that I expected the room cleaned up but I would take care of the clothing items when I got home and I was utterly ashamed to know any of them at that moment.  Santana came flailing out of Rachel’s room screaming at me again and I grabbed the bag by the door and left.”
“It shouldn’t have been much a problem.  In the front pocket of my satchel is my extra subway pass and tucked in my history of British theater book is some extra cash and in the bag is an extra key.  Except, it wasn’t my bag.  It was Santana’s dance bag.  She left it on the other side of the door when they came in last night, I guess, and I didn’t pay close enough attention when I pick up the bag this morning. I mean, they are essentially the same bag, it was a two for one sale and so I bought two and Santana took over the extra, but I still should have realized it didn’t weigh nearly enough when I grabbed it.”
“I was halfway to the subway stop when I realized I didn’t have my pass.  I stopped and scooted off to the side of the sidewalk so I could look through the bag to pull out my extra, when a couple walking by just went nuts. He was hollering at her and they started fighting and I tried to move but couldn’t get by and I ended up slammed against the building and it tore up my sweater and shirt and I know my arm was actually scraped up… and then I finally got out of being cornered against the building by the fighting people when I got hit by a bicyclist and pushed into the street.  Luckily it was between two parked cars, but I landed in the water still in the gutter and then got drenched by a car driving by who hit the puddle.  And I hit one of the cars hard enough with my head as I fell to activate the car alarm.  That however did cause the people fighting to stop.  So I pulled myself up and decided to walk but my head was spinning and I didn’t want to go home and the only address I could remember was yours, so here I am. I dug enough money out of the bag to take a bus to a few blocks away. So now I’m going to flunk out and Blaine and Rachel will have won.”
And with that Kurt broke down in tears.  Elliot looked closer at his friend and could see where he’d been pushed against the building and the scrapes on his side, a few which he suspected were bleeding. The head injury and hot coffee scalding worried him.  He tucked Kurt against his side and pulled out his phone.  Dani knew a girl who worked at a clinic who might have advice for if he should bring him into someplace or not.  His call to Dani had him checking Kurt’s head by softly running his fingers through his hair as he cried and deciding to take him in.  He called his teachers and left messages that he might not make it to class, he had to take a friend to the ER.  He called Dani again and asked her to go fetch the items from Kurt’s coat pocket.  Finally he looked up NYADA and called the first number he found, which after three transfers landed him talking to the Dean and explaining that Kurt had been injured while caught in a fight on the street and that he would provide documentation from the ER, but that he didn’t feel comfortable letting Kurt go to the school first, due to a potential concussion.  The Dean was happy to reschedule his presentation for another day, as long as it wasn’t too far away in time, provided the paperwork checked out.
As Elliot bundled Kurt down the stairs and into a cab, he briefly considered calling someone at the loft and informing them.  Then he looked at Kurt’s clothing and decided he’d leave that decision to Kurt later.
He hadn’t considered that later wouldn’t be till the next day.  That he would actually take Kurt to his home, concussion confirmed and with orders to monitor him for 48 hours, and help Kurt reschedule his presentation in two days for Thursday morning and feed him and have Dani over for a movie night/wake Kurt every few hours all-night-a-thon and then have cooked breakfast and called Kurt’s and his professors for yet another day off before Santana would call to see if by any chance Kurt was there, as he never came home the night before and she vaguely remembered Dani at the loft. No one called when he convinced Kurt to stay another few days after a dizzy spell right after his successfully given presentation, or asked when Dani went by to gather clothing for those next few days and the laundry Kurt was stressing about. Even then, Santana was the only one who asked about him until Friday, when Blaine and Sam suddenly realized they hadn’t seen Kurt for a few days.  Rachel never even noticed he was gone if her behavior when Kurt returned Monday after school, like usual, was anything to go by.
When Blaine moved out with Sam after Kurt put his foot down once again and that space made Blaine and Kurt’s relationship flounder even more…well, Elliot wasn’t going to let Kurt wallow.  If they went out more and more and spent time traveling together to see sites Kurt didn’t want to put off seeing any longer, Elliot wasn’t going to exactly rub it in that he spent more time with Kurt than without Kurt around.  And when Blaine flunked out for not making enough effort to be to classes and be prepared and be on time and do the correct assignment and not just what he felt like doing and Blaine’s mom and dad made him move home…well Elliot didn’t rub that into anyone’s face either.  He just showed up to Kurt’s fantastic year end showcase and cheered on his ‘buddy’.  The next Christmas, at Kurt’s chance to shine at the winter showcase, Elliot met Burt as Kurt’s boyfriend. Kurt told Burt about Elliot being the one who rescued him the day he forgot his keys and got a concussion for simply walking down the street and Burt praised Elliot up and down for taking care of his boy when he was too stupid to take care of himself.
Elliot scoffed at the too stupid part, but didn’t argue much.  Kurt rewarded him for not arguing with his dad by a day at the spa, a night at a favorite club and several rounds of ‘inappropriate semi-public behavior’ sprinkled through…and an insistence that Elliot did take care of Kurt when he was too stupid to take care of himself, just Kurt’s view of his too stupid behavior and his dad’s view weren’t quite the same.
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dfnews · 7 years
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Episode Recap of "Triple Date Night"
Season 4, Episode 2 - June 12, 2017
"Ben, Derick and Austin spend an afternoon at a trampoline park as Jessa, Jill and Joy search for the perfect date-night outfit. Meanwhile, Jill and Derick share big news with Israel; and Jinger and Jeremy settle into married life in Texas."
Let's all travel back in time to those days before Joy was married (an hour before this aired) and start airing courting shows just to confuse everyone. TLC's policy is to make its audience dizzy so they won't notice all the gay hate and female bondage going on with the Duggar cult.  
1. I'm watching the YouTube version of this episode where the Duggars' voices are all made deep as Darth Vader as a way to try to fly under the illegal upload radar. Jill and Joy sound so masculine and already deep voice Jeremy sounds like he's strangling to death. Those points may be what keeps me awake for this recap.
2. Jill, Jessa and Joy decide to go on a triple date with their boy toys. One of the opening shots is a toothbrush holder with dozens of brushes grouped together. I thought these girls had some medical training. Those toothbrushes prove they try to pray away the germs instead of using common sense. They pull out a clothes rack filled with $2 thrift store finds to wear for the date. They talk about clothes and style and that's about it. Austin is asked about Joy's style and he does the right thing by just saying, "I love it." Good boy! Joy says she's starting to wear dresses because Austin likes them. If Austin likes dresses let him wear them! He already said he loves your style so who gives a crap what he likes. Jessa gets onto the topic of her pregnancy with Hankster. This was filmed last fall or early winter before his birth. Jessa mentions, for the first time, that she has regular prenatal care. Amen! Hallelujah! We were never sure about that but I hope she means by a real doctor and not her unlicensed midwife friend. They talk about keeping the baby's gender a secret even though Hank, a boy, has been on earth for four months now. I think the secret is out. Five minutes in and we're still at the clothes rack. Jill says she'll wear whatever fits and doesn't make her sick. Jessa is confused about sick inducing clothing but I'm guessing Jill is in the early stages of pregnancy and hasn't told anyone yet. Jessa just thinks Jill is loony like the rest of us. After all that time at the clothes rack finding nothing the girls decide to go to town with the camera crew and leave the babies with grandma. How sweet of them. Grandma can barely walk but she can watch two very active toddlers. Way to go girls! How sensitive!
3. JinJer are in Laredo cooking. Jinger makes breakfast. Jeremy gets the coffee. Jeremy eats. Jinger is very quiet. Jeremy finishes his food and says he's gonna hit the books. Jinger says she has a lot of laundry to do. That's about it. They are both boring as hell! Jeremy says he does most of his pastoring research and writing at home which I guess is to keep an eye on Jinger and to take advantage of the always being available marital rape crap that Jinger has been brainwashed to think is okay. Jinger is allowed to leave the apartment by herself to drag all the laundry downstairs. I'm betting she is only allowed because the camera crew was with her. Jeremy later goes with her to collect the laundry. I guess he has to make sure it was done right before its allowed back in the apartment. What does Jinger do all day in that apartment with Jeremy underfoot? What a sad existence.
4. Jill, Jessa and Joy are now in a store looking through clothes racks. Jessa suggests some leather for Joy and she says she's not really into it. I bet some of Josh's side ladies were. Joy finally tries on a dress and comes out of the dressing room with that ugly mustard cardigan. Did she have that thing stuffed into her purse? I'm not sure if she ever bought anything but she didn't seem thrilled at all with the choices. Why? Because that is not Joy. They're trying to force nicer clothes on her because she's got a boy to please but what truly pleases Joy? Not this.
5. Time for the Duggar dumb boys talking head moment of the week. The producer asks them to name some fabrics and with utter surprise Josiah names spandex. Josiah has either been experimenting or talking to Josh too much. Jeer wins the dumbie award of the week with the fabric called "scarlet". Congrats, Jeer!
6. Back to sickly Derick and his gag problem. Again!? Didn't I complain enough the last time you filmed Derick puking? STOP IT!!!! Yes, we all know Derick is sickly but you don't have to show it. Old clips of scandalous Dr. Fedosky are shown again checking out Derick. People can comment below on Fedosky's history. It's not good. Hopefully he's clean now. Derick is then shown going to a female allergist. Yay, for an educated woman in this show. It's a rare occurrence.  Maybe she can smack some sense into him. It's found out that Derick has a ton of allergies including milk and nuts and he's never been tested before??? Dr. Merritt thinks his esophagus is spasming.  She wants to test him on some meds before he goes back to El Salvador and Derick seems unsure when he is going back. Whenever he can grift enough money from the gullible, I guess. Derick has suffered from seasonal and food allergies for over a decade. His palate, jaw and teeth were neglected as a kid. Where was his mom when it came to her son's medical needs? Maybe it's not her fault. Maybe Derick refused to get medical and dental treatment, but seriously! Why is Derick such a mess?
7. As the girls shop and grandma babysits, Austin, Ben and Derick go to a trampoline park to play. Derick promises to not puke in the trampoline park. That's always nice to hear before hanging out with that dude. Austin and Ben prove to be pretty athletic at the park. Derick flails around like a rag doll. The guys sit and talk after exhausting themselves jumping. Austin comes off as more mature than Derick and Ben. Ben talks about Austin having a job which is something Ben doesn't talk about himself. He has a job working for the Godbobber and once lied about being a real estate broker.  Derick talks about Austin being self-sufficient which Derick has no clue about since others are funding his life. I hope Austin went home and realized that he is way ahead of those two dumb-nuts.
*Time for the Duggar dumb boys talking head moment of the week part 2. The trampoline park referee tells the boys to not do certain moves because, I assume, they're dangerous. The producer asks the Duggar boys and Jessa about these moves and for once they're surprisingly not ignorant. They know exactly what these moves are that they are not supposed to do. We've seen many photos of the Duggars going to this trampoline park. I'm sure they've been warned about not doing these moves but I get the feeling the smug Duggars who don't like to follow rules from secular places break them all the time. Their smirks throughout this talking head pretty much prove it.  
8. Austin arrives for the triple date. Joy picked a dress and Jill is late because she's not feeling well. The girls act like they have no clue why she isn't feeling well. We all know they track each other's cycles and share pee pee sticks. They know. Joy can't find a shoe and asks Hannie and Jenni to help find it but they don't listen too well and move like snails so Joy ends up walking down the stairs to Austin in one shoe and one extremely filthy bare foot. Maybe the filthy feet these girls often have is to discourage foot fetishes. We wouldn't want to Josh up a new beau. Joy eventually finds the other shoe and Jill arrives. Time to party!!!
9. This is the most boring party ever!!! Jill is suffering from pregnancy sickness so she dictates what Derick can eat. I just know by the end of the night one of the Dillards is going to be puking in the parking lot. They chat about nothing and eat and then leave. All that prep for nothing.
10. Cut to the Dillard's House as the subtitle says but it's not really their mcmansion. It's Jim Bob's. He owns Derick. I wonder which Dillard donor purchased that North Face jacket Derick was wearing at dinner. Derjill attempts to tell a 19 month old that he's going to be a big brother. Of course Izzy is clueless but he does love the baby doll they gave him to play with. I hope they allowed him to keep the baby and didn't take it away because they think it might make him gay. They give Izzy a big brother shirt and Derick makes a comment about it not fitting over his grilled cheese tummy. I wonder if Derick is overly concerned about Izzy's weight. That could be a sign of Derick having an eating disorder. They break the news to the other family members over Thanksgiving in Branson. The Duggars are slow readers so it took them time and Jill holding poor Izzy up towards the ceiling for them to finally notice Izzy's big brother shirt. As I scanned the tables looking for Josh, because I know he was in Branson with them, I spy Laura DeMasie sitting at the table with all the grown boys. She's sitting between Jed and Jason. John is sitting next to Jason. She is with the Duggars too much lately and is the only nonfamily member at this dinner. Hmmmm. What the heck is going on? Maybe she and John are getting it on. Or maybe Jana. Jill gets all goofy trying to figure out how her mom raised 19 kids even though only a couple of minutes before they were talking about the buddy teams. Remember Jill? Remember raising your mom's kids? Yes you do. And as soon as Izzy can change Samuel's diaper, a new buddy team will be born.
Now get a decent toothbrush holder before someone calls the health department!
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14orfonline-blog · 7 years
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Is the “Asian Century” over before it has begun?
Ever since Japan began to be viewed as an economic juggernaut in the 1970s, the world has anticipated the “Asian Century.” Predictions of America and Europe’s inevitable decline and Asia’s inexorable rise have been staples of books, newspaper and magazine articles, and news shows for decades.[i] In a tectonic shift in global power similar to the one that took place in the early 20th century, we are told, the countries of the Indo-Pacific will begin to dominate global economics, politics and security.[ii]
Such claims seem merely to reflect reality. Over three billion people live in the great geographic arc from India to Japan, and one in every three persons on our planet is either Chinese or Indian. The formerly war-ravaged and impoverished countries of the Indo-Pacific now export forty percent of the goods bought by consumers around the world.[iii] The world’s most populous countries and largest militaries are in the Indo-Pacific, and millions of Asian immigrants are changing the societies to which they have moved. Asian art, cuisine and pop culture have spread throughout the world. Whether you care about the Indo-Pacific or not, it is a part of your world.
Meanwhile, more Asians than ever in history are benefitting from economic growth and political stability. The region has not seen a real war since the Sino-Vietnamese clash of 1979. Since the mid-1980s, democracy has spread to Taiwan, South Korea, the Philippines, Mongolia, Indonesia and elsewhere. Hundreds of millions of Chinese, Indians, Vietnamese and others have been lifted out of poverty. Lifespans throughout the region have increased, and the standard of living in Asia’s major cities now rivals (sometimes exceeds) that of the West. Scientists and scholars from Asian countries play leading roles in research institutes, laboratories and universities around the globe. Some of the world’s most advanced industrial factories are in countries like Japan, South Korea and Taiwan.
Perhaps because much of Asia has been peaceful for a few decades, many outside the region—and inside it as well—seem to take for granted that it will always be so.[iv] As their European counterparts did in the first decade of the 20th century, many observers today argue that the great volume of trade, the unhindered movement of people and the bevy of regional political organisations have made war in Asia impossible. Perhaps most importantly, when compared with the strife-torn Middle East, aging Europe or crisis-beset Africa, the Asia-Pacific region looks like the one major area of the world where opportunity, economic growth and political development are still possible. In short, the global future looks increasingly Asian.
Perhaps the main reason for that is an economic one. Most global consumers can hardly imagine a world without Asia as its workshop. China and Japan are two of the world’s three largest economies, and the majority of clothing, textiles and consumer electronics are produced in Asia.[v] A massive building boom accompanied the decades of post-World War II growth, as capital investment in plants, ports, roads, airports and office buildings transformed rice paddies into business parks, while sleepy capital cities became financial and industrial magnets. Today, 18 of the world’s 25 largest container ports are in Asia, including all of the top eight, while the largest US port, Los Angeles, is only ranked nineteenth.[vi]Perhaps even more impressively, urbanisation has erased traditional villages across Asia, and megacities like Tokyo-Yokohama, Shanghai, Jakarta and Mumbai now burst with tens of millions of people, from the world’s wealthiest tycoons to its most poverty-stricken strivers.
The story of global economic activity for the past two decades largely has been the story of China, taking over from Japan and the Four Asian Tigers as the driver of economic growth in Asia. In the space of one generation, China has become the largest or second-largest trading partner of 78 countries around the globe, including the United States, Japan and South Korea.[vii] By some measures, China is now the first-, second- or third-largest trading partner of nearly every nation on earth.
According to the International Monetary Fund, China is central to the entire world economic structure, as its imports help prop up the economies of major players such as Germany, smaller ones like Australia, and fledgling countries in Africa.[viii] The world has grown used to miracle stories of people like Jack Ma, the founder of e-commerce giant Alibaba, who became China’s richest man in a few hours when his company’s initial public offering on the New York Stock Exchange netted him $13 billion.[ix] Shelves of books have been written about China’s economic explosion and how it is transforming the world.[x]
China is just one example of how hundreds of millions of Asians have been pulled out of deep poverty. As late as 1990, just before Deng Xiaoping made his famous push to revitalise economic reform, per capita GDP in China was just $340. Ten years later, it had almost tripled, to $945, and in 2014, the World Bank estimated it to be $7,590, more than a sixfold increase in twenty years.[xi] In 1953, just 13% of China’s people lived in urban areas. In the 2010 census, that figure stood at 49% and had grown by 13 percentage points in just the previous decade.[xii] China’s largest cities have exploded in size, and the country now boasts 170 cities with over a million people, as well as five with over 10 million.[xiii]
Like its more developed neighbours, China has rapidly become a technologically sophisticated society. China had nearly one billion mobile phone users in 2011, with millions signing up every month. Sina Weibo, the world’s biggest social networking site, attracts a large percentage of China’s nearly 600 million internet users.[xiv] Such success stories of modernisation can be repeated throughout Asia, lending credence to the idea that Asia’s future is a golden one.
What most of the cheerleaders for Asia miss is the other side of the story. Despite enormous progress, growth and modernisation, Asia still struggles with enormous problems. Because so many of those weaknesses have been ignored, they now threaten the region’s future. From economics through domestic politics and security, solving the challenges facing Asia will demand the full attention of policymakers, thinkers, business leaders and citizens.
The world is just beginning to wake up to the fact that Asia’s economic miracle is at risk. After decades of hearing about double-digit economic growth in Japan and China, and impressive growth in the Four Tigers, the pace of GDP growth has slowed dramatically. Japan’s generation-long stagnation is perhaps the best known example, but when China’s stock market crashed in the summer of 2015, many observers for the first time appeared to recognise that the problems in the region were widespread and endemic.
Among the suspect assumptions that have driven hype over the Asia Century are that China’s economy will continue to grow for decades, that India is poised to take its place if it should falter, and that Southeast Asia remains just steps away from explosive economic performance.
In reality, from Japan to India, the nations of Asia struggle to maintain growth, balance their economies and fight slowdowns. In most of these countries, the days of high-flying growth are long over, while for others, they never began. It is past time for the rest of the world to pay attention to the threats to Asia’s economic health. Uneven development, asset bubbles, malinvestment, labour issues and state control over markets are just some of the features of economic risk in the Asia-Pacific. And because Asian economies are increasingly interlinked, problems in one country spill over to others. Even if Asia’s economies manage to muddle through, the world must ask what will happen to global trade and investment if growth in Asia simply cools off.
There is little doubt that the world must prepare for a China whose growth has dramatically slowed if not stagnated, and for mature economies like Japan to never recapture their former economic vibrancy. As for the developing states, the risk is that they will never attain the growth needed to ensure the modernisation of their societies.
Most of Asia’s developed countries, including Japan, South Korea, Taiwan and Singapore, are facing or will soon face unprecedented demographic drops. China’s one-child policy and horrendous environmental pollution will also bring a population decline in the world’s most populous nation, at a time when the country is not yet rich enough to deal with the resulting dislocation. On the other hand, India has a growing surfeit of young people and needs to improve educational standards, expand its urban and rural infrastructure, and find them all jobs. Much of Southeast Asia is in the same situation as India.  Demographics will put enormous pressure on Asia’s domestic political and economic systems; understanding this is a must for understanding risk in the region.
Another enormous area of risk is Asia’s unfinished political revolutions, in both democracies and autocracies. How political leaders respond to economic and social challenges will ensure domestic tranquility or produce civil unrest. An Asia whose political systems fail to provide stability, legitimacy and growth is an Asia that will become increasingly troubled. The region’s history is full of examples of domestic failure leading to wider dislocation.[xv] At the same time, embattled regimes have regularly sought to defuse tensions at home by exporting instability abroad, even to the point of invading neighbouring countries.
The gains of democracy continue to be put at risk by corruption, cliques, protest, cynicism and fear of instability. The spread of democracy, which has succeeded so well in recent decades, may be reaching a limit—how temporary is impossible to say. Even mature democracies, like Japan, face a crisis of political confidence, and a “political arthritis” that leaves vital problems unsolved.
Democracies are afflicted by malaise, cynicism and anger at the growing gulf between the haves and the have-nots. In Japan, where life remains comfortable and envied by most other Asian nations, voter participation rates in elections continue to drop, as many young people turn away from politics, convinced that the country will never pull out of its economic stagnation. South Korea is in the midst of a political crisis, as President Park Geun-hye was impeached for a bribery and influence-peddling scandal, after millions of South Koreans demonstrated in the streets against her. The Thai military continues to hold power after overthrowing the elected government, while in Malaysia, Prime Minister Najib is under fire for a billion-dollar financial scandal. Democrats around Asia are pessimistic about the future, helping stir populism and broader discontent.
Autocracies are in similar straits. In China, the Communist Party has become ever more isolated from the citizenry and is seen as corrupt, inefficient and often brutal. President Xi Jinping has cracked down on civil society, arresting lawyers and pressuring non-governmental organisations, even as he has gathered more power into his own hands.
Fearful of its lack of legitimacy, the Chinese government remains unshakably committed to preventing any geographic area from splitting from the country at large. This dynamic drives the government’s repressive policies towards Hong Kong, Taiwan, Tibet and Xinjiang, and is rooted in the knowledge that these regions would readily sever ties with Beijing if they could. A China riven by fission among its parts is the central leadership’s greatest fear. Fears about the future of Chinese stability are growing, in part due to uncertainty over Xi Jinping’s future plans. Nor is it far-fetched to conclude that China’s increasing belligerence over territorial disputes comes from a desire to shift attention away from increasing government control at home.
But if Asia’s domestic political systems are under strain, its diplomatic relations are at just as much risk. Few observers think about war in Asia. After all, the Indo-Pacific has not seen a region-wide total war since 1945. After Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the last major clash between Asian nations was the 1962 Sino-Indian War, and there has been no extended conflict between Asian nations since the 1979 Sino-Vietnamese border war. Given the growing trade and wealth in the region, a casual visitor to Asia could be excused for assuming that Indo-Pacific nations are too busy getting rich to waste time on territorial disputes and military confrontations. In fact, modernisation and economic growth have led to a new era of insecurity and a growing threat of armed conflict.
More than any other region, the Asia-Pacific remains fettered by centuries of history. Its largest and most powerful nations, China, Japan and India, were also its major imperial powers through millennia of history. Today, these giants have no formal allies among their neighbours, and few close partnerships. Because of this, Asia lacks longstanding, tested, respected political mechanisms for cooperation between states. This is a problem for a region with both major security tensions and a need for continued economic integration. Given the stakes, all countries in the region should be striving to create and maintain a political community that contributes to both growth and political stability. Yet such an achievement is far off on the horizon.
Despite facing many of the same problems, there is little that links Asia’s nations together. Beyond a rudimentary sense of “Asian-ness,” there remains no effective regional political community. There is no NATO, no EU in Asia that can try to solve common problems in a joint manner, or work to address bilateral issues in a broader framework. This lack of regional unity is a largely underappreciated risk factor.
The danger of a lack of political community is that there are no mechanisms for mitigating such deep antipathy, certainly between major players such as India and China or Japan and Korea. A nation like China is all too ready to threaten economic or political action in response to their antagonists. The various nations have few working relationships that can help defuse crises. Nor is there a core of powerful liberal nations committed to playing an honest broker’s role or trying to set regional norms. How well can Asia weather another regional economic crisis like the one in 1997, or a major border dispute?
The immediate cause of rising insecurity is simple: as China has grown stronger, it has become more assertive, even coercive. Beijing has embraced the role of a revisionist power, seeking to define new regional rules of behaviour and confronting those neighbors with which it has disagreements. Japan and Taiwan, along with many countries in Southeast Asia, fear a rising China, as does India, though to a lesser degree. That fear, fueled by numerous unresolved territorial disputes in the East and South China Seas and by growing concern over maintaining vital trade routes and control of natural resources, is causing an arms race in Asia. The region’s waters have become the scene of regular paramilitary confrontations: From the divided Korean peninsula to the Taiwan Strait, and from the Kurile Islands in the north to the Spratleys and Paracels in the South China Sea, coast guards, paramilitary forces, maritime patrols and air forces jockey for position, sometimes leading to the ramming of ships and the sinking of fishing vessels.
The Indo-Pacific contains its own ‘great game’ between great and small powers. Some of this competition is simply for greater influence, but some is for concrete gain such as wresting away territory or gaining de facto client states. At the highest level, that between China and its neighbours, it is for determining the basic structure of the region and the rules and norms that guide it. It is a contest in which no one, not even China, feels assured of its own strength. Asia’s simmering military competition, stand-offs, mini-confrontations and saber rattling have until recently been ignored in good-news discussions of the Indo-Pacific.
The rapid transformation of Asia’s security environment threatens to undo the work of decades. China’s rise is upsetting the political and military equilibrium and causing other nations to build their own military power. In addition, an increasingly nuclear capable North Korea has moved from bizarre annoyance to deadly threat, while numerous territorial disputes between countries both large and small are helping fuel the arms race. Even without an ongoing war, the region now spends more than Europe on military budgets, paying out $287 billion in 2013 for weaponry.[xvi] An accident or miscalculation on the part of any of these great and small powers in the region, fueled by nationalist passion, could result in an armed clash that might spiral out of control.
 The “Asian century” thus may not turn out to be an era when Asia imposes a peaceful order on the world, when freedom continues to expand, or where the region remains the engine of global economic growth. What it imposes may instead be conflict and instability. The nations of the Indo-Pacific and the world must prepare for the possibility of economic stagnation, social and political unrest, even armed conflict. The emergence of those would mark the end of the Asian century.
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