#sometimes inspiration comes from sad twitter quotes

[cocoabell]

Oldie but goldie

My brother bought me Hades last year and it consumed my soul

[treadmilltreats]

Not everyone is coming with you for the whole ride

Recently, I saw Tyler Perry giving a speech. He said not everyone is going to be there for your whole ride. He went on to say some people are like the boosters for a rocket. As soon as the rocket rises into the atmosphere, the boosters fall off the rocket. They can't go as high as you're going. They are only there for part of the ride.

Some people are just there for a season, for a reason, or for a lesson. If you are like me, a friend for life, this lesson is a hard one.

I am one of those people who have had friends from kindergarten, lifelong friends. If I am your friend, I am your friend till the end or until you give me the knife.

I know that during the holidays, everyone gets nostalgic

thinking about those people who are no longer in your life. I think back about the wonderful times, and sometimes I get sad, but then I have to remember that they are no longer in my life for a reason.

We all know that in life, some friendships go by the wayside because you grow and change, and the other person doesn't. Some because others are jealous of you and where you are going. Some friends were just the same mean girls that they were in high school, never changing.

Some friendships were toxic, and you can't allow yourself to stay in that environment any longer. Sometimes, you must even cut off your own family members because sometimes they will cut you the deepest. I know this hurts, but we all must move on. If covid or my life that has been full of losses has taught me one thing, it is that life goes on.

Yes, it may hurt. Yes, there may be a hole in your heart, but still, life goes on.

We learn to deal with that person's absence, and slowly, the pain is less and less.

I am always talking about life lessons. It's not what life is doing to you, but for you. What is the lesson that God, the universe, or whatever you believe in is trying to teach you? Are you listening?

So today my friends remember as hard as it may be, some people will not be there for the whole ride and that's okay. You are going to bigger and better places that are not for everyone. Just remember that these are the lessons that we must learn to move forward with our lives.

"Be the change you want to see"

@TreadmillTreats

"Be the change you want to see"

@Treadmilltreats

"And just when the caterpillar thought his life over...he turned into a beautiful butterfly"

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[1111jenx]

Lana del Rey's

fascinating birth chart. 🦋

Do you guys remember when people were fighting over Lana del Rey's sign and Twitter was HEATED w people debating between whether or not she's a Gemini Sun or Cancer Sun lol

So I just thought of this today and thought it would be super fun to look back on what happened and how it all went down, keep in mind back then astrology was not at all that popular on the mainstreams and TikTok has yet to exist;)

1. how it began

So one beautiful day, miss Lana del Rey woke up and decided to reply to a fan's comment, asking for her birthtime to determine her astrological sun sign. And this is what she had to say:

And oh did the world listen to Lana. This innocent looking comment took the astro communities by STORM.

Cancers were lost, Geminis were IN TEARS, astrologers were confused yet didn't waste a second before digging into her birth chart and tried to find justification for this new info.

And according to Lana's comment, this is what her chart looks like:

Lana would have been a Gemini Sun 29° 1st house, Leo Moon 2° 3rd house and Taurus Rising 13°.

It's funny how if you only look at these numbers, it would have made sense.

Gemini Sun 29°(critical degree Leo degree), Moon at 2°(taurus degree=richness, abundance, money) -> recognized for her deep (Moon) and powerful (Leo) emotions which can sometimes be overbearing and as how she is, Taurus Rising= elegant, venusian, 3H Cancer means she sings about her emotions. In addition, her chart ruler would be Venus in Taurus 14° Taurus in 1H (self), makes perfect sense right?

But if you dig deep in, things don't really add up. We ofcourse as people on the internet do not know Lana personally hence we can't determine whether or not she's like irl, yet personally, I think we can really match her career and significant events to her birthchart.

But back then astro accounts were beefing bad abt this haha:

But here's a sum up of what happened:

But it wouldn't be a story if it had ended there.

2. how it all came down

Well after spending her sweet time seeing all that had happened, Lana, like the queen she is, once again gave out another statement on Twitter:

This once again SHOOK the community and people were.simply.shocked.

So now, we finally have the confirmed and final birth chart:

And to quote one of the BEST analysis (and comeback) ever written by @star-astrology.

"...She(Lana) is inspired heavily by the past and the occult in her writing (Mercury in Cancer in the 8th). She has a pretty large emphasis coming from both her 8th and 9th house. The 8th house occupies her Sun, chart ruler, and of course Mercury. A lot of time and energy is spent around the dealings of the 8th house. Her Moon is in the 9th house and the line “it’s nice to love and be loved, but I’d rather know what god knows” is in line with that if it comes from the heart. She spends a lot of time familiarizing herself with divine love to possibly compensate or replace a different type of love..."

Everything in this chart makes sense. It's her Moon (emotions) in 10°(public recognition) for me. It is her immense 8H stellium and crazy Scorpio/Plutonic energy for me. Everything abt this chart screams Lana.

And with that Mercury sextile NN with 0° orb and Mercury trine ASC 1°, everything she said will be listened to, the good and the bad, intensely.

Having both luminaries rulers, Cancer-Sun Leo-Moon in the opposition gave Lana a willful and daring manner. And with that crazy fixed energy AND a grand trine in fixed sign, our queen will never stop being relevant.

She's not only moody, but she's relatable and real yet still very much out of reach. She sings about pleasures and fucking old men and sad love stories. If that doesn't scream water energy then I don't know what it is. Her pain, her emotions, her dedication and sadness, its all so apparent and raw. She amazes us, yet traumatizes us.

With so many planet in retrogrades, she had been there, she had done that and perhaps thats why her music can relate to her audience so so well. With mercury sextile venus 2°, She can sing (Mercury) anything and it would still come off beautifully and harmoniously (Venus).

At the end, I was fascinated by Lana's chart and it has been a great time watching her grow as we investigate her birthchart:) Finally for once and for all, the argument can be put to rest🤍

I also found this analysis and predictions as I was doing research for this post on a Lana's forum written back in 2014, wayyyy before these tweets were released and I think OP was amazing at guessing Lana's chart, she got almost everything spot on except for her Ascendant, yet it must be taken into account how similar Scorpio Risings and Virgo Risings can be, heres the link if you guys are interested in some reading 🤣

So that's it for today guys, I'm so glad I was able to share this with you guys. If you were to see Lana without knowing her birthchart? What would you think her big 3 would have been? Lemme know boos.

love,

saint jenx 🦋

[deci-doodles]

Now that the 2.0 trailer is out I can finally start dissecting the trailer with way more intensity than necessary for as many lore crumbs as possible but before all that:

Mondstadt’s the city of freedom, we see this when Venti lets Dvalin go as one of the Four Winds as freedom isn’t really that when a god is ordering you

Liyue had its contracts, the adepti fulfilling theirs despite Morax’s supposed death and Zhongli creating his “contract to end all contracts” with the Tsaritsa

But what of eternity? That’s not really an ideal, not to mention it’s such a vague one too. So I’m gonna upload my write up on Baal I did a few days ago for my interpretation of what eternity is meant to be and her potential motivations to pursue it

(TLDR: Baal isn’t inherently malevolent and her eternity’s a bastardised version of Nirvana, but she’ll never be able to achieve it because she misunderstands it and it’ll only do more harm than good)

Buddhism is one of the biggest religions in Japan (as the saying goes, Japanese people are born Shinto, married Christian, and die Buddhist). As such it should come as little surprise that it also has had a huge impact on Japan’s culture. In fact, we can see this with the most famous floral symbol of Japan, the cherry blossom.

Now I know what you’re thinking, what do cherry blossoms have to do with Baal? Well we’ll cross that bridge when we get there, just be patient.

Cherry blossoms are also synonymous with ‘mono no aware’ (the pathos of things), something derived from Zen Buddhist teachings and described as a “gentle sadness” from the acknowledgement of life’s transience. In fact, you’ll notice that a lot of Japanese culture and values can be linked to transience and imperfection, from Hanami and wabi-sabi to kintsugi. This can all be linked to Buddhism. Now to blasphemously simplify an entire religion into a single sentence(I’d recommend doing further research if you’re curious, I’m not a practitioner so I don’t recommend asking me), Buddhism’s “aim” is to break Samsara (the cycle of death and rebirth), and the only way to do this is to achieve Nirvana (enlightenment).

So where am I going with this? Well, what if Baal’s “eternity” is simply her equivalent to Nirvana?

Think about it, because all living things are trapped by Samsara, they are doomed to live transient lives, dying and being born again before dying and so on.

This certainly wouldn’t be the first time Mihoyo’s nabbed inspiration from religions, the folks over on Khaenri’ah have done a fine job analysing various instances on their Twitter. Baal thinks highly of her ideal as shown in both the Vajrada Amethyst stone and the quote from Zhongli: “Seven ideals for seven gods, and of these, Eternity is the closest unto heaven”. Nirvana is enlightenment, it is freedom, it is what allows one to transcend beyond the material world and finally be liberated from samsara, so it shouldn’t be a stretch to assume that this is what Baal means by “eternity”, especially since it directly opposes transience. But still, why would Baal take such extreme measures? And is she in the right here?

Let’s start off with first question and the vision hunt decree itself. The decree’s a direct reference to the various sword hunt decrees in Japan’s history but what’s interesting is that Inazuma’s can be linked to the sword hunt under Toyotomi Hideyoshi where the confiscated weapons were to be melted and cast into a giant statue of the Buddha. In a similar fashion, Baal is in laying the statue of the “Thousand-armed, hundred-eyes god”’s palms with confiscated visions. This also leads to yet another Buddhist parallel.

The Bodhissatva Kannon (also known as Guanyin) is the goddess of mercy, and one of her most popular depictions in Japan is the thousand-armed Kannon (Senju Kannon), who grew 1000 arms out of her desire to help free everyone from samsara. Sounds familiar doesn’t it? Like how Baal wishes to achieve the “eternity” that she promised her people. 1000-armed Kannon was also sometimes depicted with eyes in the palms of her hands, and where is Baal placing the confiscated visions again? That’s right, the statue’s palms.

But still, can we use this to justify the actions she’s taken? Baal may believe her intentions are noble but they’re also heavily flawed. Let’s rewind a bit, transience is a huge metaphor in Japan and thus it should come as little surprise that it’s also reflected in Inazuma.

- Kazuha’s main motif is maple, a deciduous tree associated with autumn, both being symbols of change as autumn is a transitional season and maple leaves fall

- Ayaka’s shown with cherry blossoms, but also her clan mon (crest) depicts a camellia flower (tsubaki). Camellias are associated with divinity but also a noble death as the flowers “decapitate” themselves

- Yoimiya has a firework theme, fireworks themselves last briefly but shine bright nevertheless. Her choker is also a butterfly, an insect synonymous with change

- Sayu’s kimono has bellflower patterns, bellflowers being one of the ‘seven autumn flowers’ and, again, autumn is a season of change

- Even Baal herself is the electro archon, storms never last forever and lightning (Inazuma’s namesake mind you) is also extremely brief

So where am I going with this? Well there’s another aspect of Buddhism that I left out. When one reincarnates, there are six possible realms you may go to depending on your karma: hell, hungry ghosts, animals, demi-gods, humans, and gods. Only those who reincarnate as humans have the opportunity to achieve nirvana. Baal’s obsession with eternity is only doing more harm than good regardless of her intentions because she fails to truly understand both the beauty that transience holds as well as transient mortals themselves. Her ideal directly contradicts Inazuma itself, so even though she may love her nation and it’s people oh so fiercely, the more she pursues “eternity”, the more she’ll fail to truly help her people. We’ve already seen this through Kazuha and Atsuko, the former losing his friend when he decided to make a stand and the latter nearly dying as she escaped. People have already drawn connections between her and Decarabian, and it seems that if she continues her path she may meet a similar demise to him.

[babydaddyleorio]

Favorite Apps Headcanons

Random headcanons over what some characters favorite apps would be.

 Killua 

-Oh Killua’s favorite app is most definitely twitter

-He lives for all the drama that goes down on there and for some reason always knows where to find the accounts with all the tea 

-Lowkey why he’s so messy to this day

-Loves looking at meme pages and will spend hours saving memes to his phone

-Thinks that dark mode > light mode

-Canary put him on to Black Twitter a while back and whenever they hangout they’ll laugh at it all night long together

-Retweets a whole bunch of edgy quotes because he’s our edgy boi

-Has like 20k followers for some reason but he only follows back Gon

Chrollo

-Chrollo likes to get on tumblr whenever he has the time which is all the time because he has no life

-It took him awhile to figure out how to work it but now that he understands it he’s become addicted to it

-Tumblr honestly just fits his whole cool boy vibe

-He follows those really dark accounts that’s whole feed is full of gothic aesthetics

-Chrollo either makes super depressing, political, or deep philosophical posts that literally no one asked for

-Has classical music playing on the background of his page

-Slowly mutes it

-Chrollo probably has 500 followers or more because he’s an edge lord and everybody thinks he’s hot despite the abundant amount of gel he puts in his hair

Kurapika

-When he’s not trying to beat the phantom troupe’s ass, Kurapika enjoys getting on to Pinterest

-This is the app that usually calms him down and I can vividly see him sipping tea from his I Love Leorio Mug while wearing his reading glasses and scrolling on his phone

-Pinterest gives him a lot of inspiration to try different things and especially keeps him occupied from being too sad or lazy

-Kurapika is a good baker and he would throw down in the kitchen after finding a good recipe on pinterest 

-He’ll sometimes send Melody posts that he likes and knows that she’ll like back

-He has sooo many boards and pins that he’s spent a lot of time organizing

-Gets a bit sad whenever he sees happy pictures of couples and families because it reminds him of his happy days with his clan

Feitan

-Realistically, Feitan is probably never on his phone, but It would be really cute If Feitan’s favorite app was Duolingo

-We all know that Japanese is not Feitan’s native tongue and sometimes when he speaks It comes out slow or broken

-Because of this, Feitan gets teased by the phantom troupe (mainly phinks) and kind of gets upset at himself

-Shalnark saw Feitan’s irritation one day and showed him how to work Duolingo

-Ever since then, whenever he has freetime and is alone he would try to learn new words and how to pronounce them

-He would do this in secret of course because It would hurt his pride to let others know that he does this 

-Shalnark exposes him anyway just to be petty

-Chrollo would end up telling Feitan how impressed he of his Japanese one day and even though nobody could see it, Feitan would have a tiny smile on his face hiding behind his scarf

[letterboxd]

In Focus: The Truman Show.

Inspired by Letterboxd data that revealed it to be a lockdown favorite, editor-at-large Dominic Corry looks at the ever-evolving importance of contemporary masterpiece The Truman Show.

It has long been apparent that The Truman Show is an unnervingly prescient film. The story of a man who becomes aware that his superficially idyllic life is, in fact, a live-streamed television show has gone from being high-concept to every-day.

Thanks to the three Ps—the prevalence of mass urban surveillance, the proliferation of reality television and the pervasiveness of video in social media—the notion of cameras filming our every move is no longer a paranoid fantasy, but real life. The twist being that, for the most part, we all willingly signed up for it, and did all the filming ourselves. As Yi Jian saliently observes in his review: “Not to get all ‘we live in a society’ on Letterboxd but I know a person or two in real life that would actually give anything to trade lives with Truman, it do be like that sometimes”. It indeed do, Yi Jian.

So it’s something of a cliché at this stage to point out how we are all living in some version of the The Truman Show, and you don’t have to be a member of the royal family to feel that way. Yet, somehow, the film has become even more pertinent over the last eighteen months. And it’s a pertinence reflected in the massive uptick in viewership for the film as seen in Letterboxd activity.

During the month of February 2020, the last moment of the Before Times, The Truman Show had a modest 1,235 diary entries. That number tripled in April of that year, by which time the seriousness of the pandemic had become clear. And by July, deep in the worst of the pandemic, Truman fervor peaked, with a further 178 percent leap over April’s numbers, firmly placing it in the top 200 films watched by our members in a year of lockdown. (By the way, ‘diary entries’ mean activity where the member has added a watched date; many thousands more also marked Truman as ‘watched’ in those dark months, but didn’t specify a date.)

It’s not difficult to imagine why we might become more interested in revisiting this eminently re-visitable film. During lockdown, social media—including Letterboxd—took on a greater presence in terms of how we communicated with each other. We got used to seeing footage of faces more than actual faces. We were all the stars of our own ‘Truman Show’, and simultaneously the audience of everyone else’s ‘Truman Show’.

Christian Torres boiled it down effectively when he wrote: “Now every movie I see seems to be related to my life in quarantine. I am Truman and I want to escape.” And Sonya Sandra eloquently captured the film’s increased contemporary significance in her review: “This is a real-life daylight horror film. The best kind. Even more relevant in 2021 than ever. We are all Truman, we all want to find what is real in our fake lives filled with media, capitalism and ideology. And it’s our job to fight the storm and get to the truth of it all. Nothing is real, everything is for profit, and everyone is selfish. Go out and find what is real, because it’s definitely not here.”

With its deft, dazzling blending of the profound and the humorous, the optimistic and the cynical, it’s difficult to think of anything released since The Truman Show that comes as close as it does to being a modern-day Frank Capra movie. It’s hopeful, but has its eyes wide open. There’s a darkness in the themes of the film that is never replicated in the colors on display.

While everyone involved delivers career-best work, we must principally credit the triumvirate of talent at the center of the film: director Peter Weir, screenwriter Andrew Niccol and star Jim Carrey.

Star Jim Carrey and director Peter Weir on the set of ‘The Truman Show’ (1998).

Weir is a director who inspires much online love whenever his name is mentioned, but he isn’t really mentioned all that often. Or at least as often as he should be. The Australian filmmaker has delivered masterpieces across multiple genres, and it’s extremely sad that he hasn’t directed a movie since 2010’s not-quite-true World War II drama The Way Back, arguably one of his lesser works. That’s also, insanely, one of only two movies he’s made since Truman, the other being Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World, the wide and rabid affection for which regularly kicks up on Twitter (not to mention demand for a sequel).

Weir doesn’t do many interviews, and while this 2018 Vanity Fair article marking Truman’s twentieth anniversary has many quotes about the film’s modern relevance, Weir doesn’t offer any commentary to that effect, presumably preferring to let the work speak for itself—though in this 1998 interview he did talk about the relationship between the media, the general public and the people we become fascinated with, as a “complex situation”.

The Vanity Fair article does, however, reveal a fascinating ‘what if’ scenario relating to Christof, the god-like director of the in-movie TV show played by Ed Harris, who offers up a pile of pretentious auteur clichés: mononymous, beret, etc. (beyond the whole god thing, that is). When Dennis Hopper, originally cast in the role, wasn’t working out, Weir considered playing the role himself, which would’ve added yet another meta layer. It brings to mind how George Miller styled Immortan Joe (played by Hugh Keays-Byrne) after himself in Mad Max: Fury Road, or how Christopher Nolan’s haircut shows up in most of his films.

Ed Harris as Christof in ‘The Truman Show’ (1998).

And, at one point, it could have gone mega-meta. Weir, in the 1998 interview, talked about a “crazy idea” he had, a technical impossibility back then but easily achievable with live-streaming now. “I would have loved to have had a video camera installed in every theater the film was to be seen [in]. At one point, the projectionist would … cut to the viewers in the cinema and then back to the movie. But I thought it was best to leave that idea untested.” Imagine.

Weir also played a role in helping to shape the originally much more overtly dark screenplay into the cheerier (on the surface at least) shooting script, which is solely credited to fellow antipodean, New Zealand-born Niccol, also a producer on the film. Both men have done the majority of their work in America, but it’s tempting to credit the film’s tone-perfect sense of heightened Americana to the degree of separation offered by their foreign provenance. In any case, it’s clear that open-air mall designers were paying attention.

Niccol’s original screenplay made his name in Hollywood, and revealed a storyteller excited by big ideas. He moved into directing with the smaller-scale Gattaca, released a year prior to Truman (itself delayed to meet Carrey’s availability). Niccol’s subsequent filmography includes several legit bangers (Lord of War hive step up!), and his endearing dedication to lofty allegories in a genre setting makes him an increasingly rare breed in Hollywood.

Like Weir, he is not the greatest fan of giving interviews, but the Vanity Fair piece quotes him making an interesting point: “When you know there is a camera, there is no reality,” thereby making Truman “the only genuine reality star.”

It’s a sentiment echoed by MusicMoviesMe, who writes that “‘Truman Show’ beats all other reality shows out there like Bachelors, Survivors and Kardashians. Come on, when you know there’s a camera at your tail, there’s no reality. So yes, Truman beats all reality shows out there bar none!”

The role was perfectly suited to Jim Carrey’s affected mannerisms, and his status as one of the world’s biggest stars meant he could relate to Truman more than most people. Then, at least. Nowadays, of course, we are all Truman.

“It is always incredible to see how far The Truman Show was ahead of [its] time,” observes The Closer79. “In a world where celebs are monitored 24/7 and we are showered with unnecessary private information on the web, where talent-free wannabes become famous and where you sometimes [wonder] what kind of surreal show society you are in—Truman and his fake show life cleverly have anticipated all of this. Only Truman knew nothing of his luck and he was granted an escape from his glass prison. We don’t really have this possibility… Aren’t we all Truman? Sometimes even voluntarily…”

Austin Burke concurs: “I have always known that I really enjoyed this film, but I had no clue that it would hold up so well years later… Could this be because the strange world that he finds himself in is far more similar to our world today? Possibly, but the idea and themes are so much more relevant now compared to when this originally released.” And while DallasFrance is conscious of piling on about the film’s prescience, his review highlights how there really is no limit to the film’s meta qualities:

“Instead of writing a review about how this film predicted social media, or how we’re all Truman, or yadda yadda yadda, I’ll instead fixate on the miraculous fact that two absolute legends were cast as primary viewers of the Truman Show:

1. The old lady from The Running Man who starts betting on Ben Richards (Arnold Schwarzenegger). ‘He’s one bad motherf*cker!’

2. The villain from The Karate Kid Part II:

‘Live or die, man?!’ ‘Die!’ ‘Wrong!’ *hooooonnnkkk*

I’ve never seen either of these actors in any other roles. With the second one, I felt like I was watching a character from my childhood watch a character from his childhood come to realizations about the characters in his childhood. So actually… the movie’s really about me.”

Never change, LB membership.

We are all generally pretty aware of how ahead of its time The Truman Show was, but that doesn’t lessen its impact. Maddie’s review shows that there’s always some new angle to consider: “Imagine being an extra in this movie… You would be an extra, playing an actor, playing an extra. Think about that long enough and tell me that doesn’t make you want to walk into the ocean.”

Kev goes even further: “Watching other people watch somebody else while also watching that person while also watching the person watching over that person is a great reminder that watching is weird, and to be watched is to not own yourself. Don’t watch, don’t try to be watched. Just live.”

Or perhaps Will encapsulates the film’s ability to present an ever-evolving message best, writing that, “clearly, this is video proof that we live in a simulation.” Beyond mere prescience, The Truman Show is a telling mirror to whatever era it is viewed in. Its message will continue to evolve.

Now that we’re finally (touch wood) emerging from the pandemic, it will be fascinating to see what The Truman Show has to say about its audience and the world they live in, in years to come. Rest assured, it will be well-documented by you, the Letterboxd audience.

Also: can Peter Weir please make another movie? Like, seriously.

Related content

A Meta-Reality: Robert’s list of layers of film in life and life in film

Follow Dom on Letterboxd

[scarlettgresosyu]

Hello! I’m Scarlett. You can call me Sca, Scar, Lett or Letlet,,, or Yu. It’s up to you.

I am currently a Grade 12 student studying in UPHSD-Molino Campus.

Sorry for my pics, I’m not really a photogenic person :’>

I am 17 years of age and I’m from Culion, Palawan (near Coron, Palawan)

I am an ambiverted person, I’m shy and I don’t usually talk to people unless they will talk or approach me first. But once I feel that I’m comfortable with the people around me I get hyped.

I like to do works individually than working in a group, but if I’m with my friends that’s fine for me. I am also talkative with my circle of friends. I rather sleep in my bed than to go somewhere else like party or some sort of occasions. Well yeah, unless it’s a family occasion.

I have an interest and passion for art stuff, whether it is digital, traditional drawings, photography, editing skills, or anything that is art. While in quarantine, I tried remaking some of my favorite anime characters (the other ones were deleted from my phone :<). But I still don’t know how to draw anatomy so yeah. I’m searching in Pinterest for some inspirations or poses that I can use and then make an art. But then art blocked came, I stopped making arts because I don’t feel making one. I still don’t know what is my art style. I also like painting, I paint for fun but my artworks aren’t that good enough. Sometimes I paint to relieve myself from stress but I found myself stressing out on how to paint the details. I told myself that I should improve my art works to the point that it will be worthy of stealing.

I’m also a meme lover. Every time I open my Facebook account, all I do is to share memes or other informative posts if there are any. But I am a responsible meme sharer, I don’t share negative, insensitive, dirty posts or other offensive posts. I also like sharing motivational posts or quotes, I know that some of us is not doing well these days and sharing those posts might help them in a simple way.

I also watch anime series and movies. Oh and also I tried to learn Japanese Hiragana and Katakana during quarantine and sad to say I forgot most of them :<. I’m into any genre of anime, whether it is slice of life, action, sports, comedy, romcom, fantasy, science fiction, etc. I dreamed of going to Japan and visit all the places I’ve seen in anime and take pictures of them.

When it comes to school, I might say that I’m a grade conscious student. I don’t like failing grades but I just want to chill and enjoy studying. Unlike when I was younger where I sacrifice most of my time doing school works and activities that I forgot about my health and made my family worried about me. I learned that I just need to enjoy learning and not forcing myself too much. As much as possible I want to keep it balance, like how I keep my balance while riding a bicycle… Just kidding, I don’t know how to ride a bicycle---. I prefer studying alone but I join my friends when they want to do group studies.

I don’t want my parents to be disappointed that’s why I’m doing my best to study hard and to study smart. It lowers my self-esteem whenever there is something that I didn’t accomplished. Well that was my mindset before, I know that my parents will still support me even though there are instances where I can feel myself as a failure. But that will not stop me. I just had to keep on going and get out of my comfort zone to see more opportunities and room for improvement.

I aspire to be a doctor to help people especially the needy. I have a soft heart for those people that are not in a good situation.

I also love dogs :>

Well, this was quite a fun. I hoped that you got to know me by reading my post.

And always remember that great things never come from comfort zones so push yourself, because no one else is going to do it for you.

Sayonara~

(Shameless plugging my socmed accounts)

Instagram & Twitter: scarlettgyu

[dramaticlester]

willow

Summary: Life was a willow and it bent right to your wind (inspiration from “willow”  by taylor swift)

genre: angst with a happy ending

warnings: swearing

Sometimes, Dan just wishes he tried harder. Other times, he’s just happy he’s still loved by Phil.

There was a time when it was just them against the world. They were scary times but, in a way, Dan had felt the safest during them. Every single risk was taken together and somehow they all paid off. Phil was an anchor, solid to the ground and Dan just clung on for dear life, unable to sway every which way. They were a team, initially fuelled by admiration and love, later fuelled by passion and creativity. 

It wasn’t that Dan fell out of love, quite the opposite actually. It was more that he fell so in love that he was scared of how deep he could go. There was a time when he couldn’t do anything without Phil being by his side and that was well and truly terrifying because he was a grown man, so co-dependant that thoughts of how he’d cope alone kept him up at night. The conversation hadn’t gone well, Phil was left hurt and broken down. Dan was left empty.

But they grew; like a willow tree. Strong and beautiful, using their roots to bloom. Their fans were loyal, sticking by them through the awkwardness and turmoil. They never really understood, though.

Dan had thought something was wrong with Phil for a while. He was...happy. And not in his usual Phil way, but something much deeper. His smile was wider, his tongue peeking out the corner more often. He was fresh and ready to work on his projects, never letting the strenuous hours of work he was doing per day get him down. 

Dan was happy for him of course, happy that he didn’t dwell on the past. Phil still loved him, though in a much different way to what he once did. Dan told himself that was fine, though.

“Hey...” Phil started, wandering into the living room. It was 10am. Dan hadn’t slept, but he could tell from the way that Phil sat opposite him, his leg not pulled up beneath him, that it was serious.

Dan stopped his typing, peering over the top of his laptop. Phil was looking at him expectantly, his face pulled into an unreadable expression.

“Um, hi?” Dan said, raising an eyebrow.

“Dan, I’m going to talk and you’re going to listen, okay?” he said, lip worried between his teeth.

“Phil...” 

“I’m seeing someone. He’s really incredible,” Phil whispered, head down turned. 

The pain wasn’t instant, rather a numbness. It took over Dan’s brain like fire, his fingers tingling. He pulled his lips into a smile, what did he expect? 

“That’s wonderful, I’m very happy for you,” Dan lied. Phil rolled his eyes at him.

“You’re a terrible liar, but thanks for trying.”

“I’m sorry,” Dan whispered. “I really am happy for you, Phil.”

“Doesn’t mean it doesn’t hurt though, right?” Phil said sadly, his hand grabbing hold of Dan’s. “This doesn’t change us, okay?”

“Phil, don’t worry. I’m not a child,” Dan smiled, squeezing Phil’s hand. The sentiment was nicer than Dan would admit.

It wasn’t true, though. Everything did change and Dan had to pretend it was okay. Even worse, Owen was lovely. He was tall and poised, hair a curly mop atop his head, not unlike Dan’s, with kind green eyes that quite literally twinkled, even under the dim light of Dan and Phil’s living room light. Dan had to sit in the living room and watch a film with them as they giggled, curled up on the one person armchair as if there wasn’t a whole sofa.

“I think I’m gonna retire,” Dan said halfway through the film, when the sound of smacking lips was almost too much for his heart to handle; on the precipice of shattering. He was heartbroken in a way he never had been before.

He stood up, muttering a goodnight in Phil’s direction.

When he was in his bed, he didn’t cry like he wanted to. He just scrolled through depressing quotes on Tumblr, liking a few and leaving the detecting skills up to the fans. He was hurting so badly. He realised he never had really gotten out of that pit. He was falling deeper, but this time he didn’t have Phil’s chest to soften his fall, or his hand to hold when he got a little too close to the end. 

Head on the pillow, I could feel you sneakin' in

He could see people already speculating, but it just hurt his heart even more to see the theories.

There was a knock at the door at 12:07am.

“Dan?” Phil’s voice drifted to him.

“Phil,” Dan replied, his voice was much more cracked then he would’ve liked.

“I’m sorry,” Phil whispered. Dan heard him shuffling, confused until the corner of his duvet lifted up and Phil slipped in beside him, their faces inches away.

“What are y-” Dan started.

“I’m trying to apologise to you, you stubborn bitch,” Phil joked, eyes half-lidded.

“You don’t need to apologise, Phil. You deserve to be happy,” Dan promised. Phil’s hand emerged from under the duvet, cradling Dan’s cheek. He felt Phil swipe under his eyes. When did he start to cry?

“So do you,” Phil mumbled, tilting his head. 

“I already fucked it up. Don’t let me do it again,” Dan said.

“I love you, idiot,” Phil said, his voice sounded sad now. “But I love Owen, too.”

“I love you, too, Phil,” Dan whispered, choking on a sob.

Phil cradled Dan, pulling him into his chest with an arm around him.

“Well what are we going to do?” Phil asked. He sounded so fucking tired; almost as tired as Dan felt.

“I don’t know.”

“Me neither.”

The more that you say, the less I know

Dan was lost. He woke up the morning after, his bed empty and freezing cold. He wasn’t thriving anymore. He couldn’t go on Tumblr or twitter without seeing his face and he couldn’t go into his own kitchen without seeing his face either.

That's why he was at Reading train station, his mouth dry as he recited his family home address.

His mum didn’t ask too many questions when he called. As soon as he told her, she told him to come to her. 

Going back home was positive in ways, but really negative in others. Especially when he’d spent a Christmas with the Lester's once. His childhood home was cold and filled with terrifying things, mental demons and sign posts of things that made him feel nauseous.

“Sweetheart, I made tea,” his mum said, unsure on how to react. 

Dan was already crying by the time they’d sat down at the table, telling his mum everything. She probably struggled to follow, but she nodded along and reached out a hand to hold Dan’s when he started clenching his fist, unsure on what to do with his muscles.

“Dan,” she said slowly, her eyes were kind. “You love Phil.”

“That’s the problem,” he whispered, using the heel of his hand to wipe his eyes. “That’s the fucking problem. Because he loves me, too.”

“And I love you, too,” she said. “I know it’s not the same, Daniel, but we’re strong, yeah? We’re here together. I know it’s weird for you, but I’m really happy. You’ve grown into everything I wanted for my child. You’re capable and wise and so so intelligent, Dan. Phil is your best friend, don’t let this ruin you.”

“I’m trying,” he breathed.

“I know, love.”

-

Dan had been ‘home’ for 5 days. It had only been him and his mum. They’d bonded and done things together that they should’ve done before he was 29 years old, but they did them. He felt..happy?

He was woken in the night though, his phone vibrating on the table rousing him from an actually peaceful sleep.

“Phiw?” Dan slurred, eyes squinted at the clock 12:07am

“Dan, come home.”

Phil was sobbing down the phone, actual painful sobs that tore Dan’s heart out.

“Phil, fuck, are you okay?” Dan panicked, jumping out of bed. He was topless, exposed to the cold air, but he didn’t really care.

“Dan, please,” was all Phil cried. 

Show me the places where the others gave you scars

“Mum, I have to go,” Dan heard himself saying, knocking on the door to his mums room.

“Why? Are you okay?” she asked groggily. A mothers instinct.

“It’s Phil,” Dan stuttered. “He just called. He’s sobbing down the phone to me, he won’t tell me what's wrong.”

-

Dan’s mum had helped him pack his stuff and gathered him up into her car.

“Mum, it’s like a 90-minute drive.”

“Darling,” was all she said with a shake of her head. “Some things are more important than an extra 90 minutes in bed.”

The ride was tense though, Dan was constantly texting Phil telling him he was on his way,

5 minutes

was the last thing he sent before he was clambering out of his mums car and getting his bags out the boot.

“Bye, mum, thankyou for everything,” Dan said as she stepped out the car to wrap him in a hug, somehow managing despite her tiny frame.

“I love you, look after him.”

“I love you, too. And I will.”

He waved her off, jittering anxiously to get to Phil. Once she was off in the distance, he went up to their apartment, opening the door.

“Phil?” Dan called, dropping his bags down. He was about to go looking before he was pushed up against a wall, lips covering his own. Dan could still taste the salt of his tears.

“Dan,” Phil whimpered as they pulled away briefly for air before reconnecting their lips.

“I’ve got you, bub,” Dan mumbled, pulling Phil even closer to him, two large hands covering his lower back till they were pushed flushed together from head to toe.

They just kept kissing, but their hands stayed where they were. Phil’s embracing around Dan’s neck and Dan rubbing gentle circles into Phil’s back.

When they finally pulled away, Phil rested his forehead against Dan’s, sniffling slightly.

“Dan, I love you.”

“I love you.”

-

When Phil had calmed down, Dan had managed to get him to settle down in his bed to have a bit of extra sleep, clinging to Dan like a koala. Dan would never let him go again if he could help it.

“Dan,” Phil mumbled before he slept, yawning.

“Hmm?” Dan whispered.

“I’m sorry it took so long for me to realise. It’s always been you. I really didn’t want it to be, but it is.”

“It’s always been us, Phil,” Dan promised, kissing the top of his head.

“Dan and Phil vs the world,” Phil muttered, nestling more into Dan’s chest.

I'm begging for you to take my hand Wreck my plans, that's my man

[serpentsapple]

(This post includes major spoilers for The Grisha Trilogy and the Shades of Magic series.)

@dykeblight replied to our introductory post with the following:

alright bud since u decided to put this in the main tags of the books ur critiquing ur ready to hear my take on this. first of all the wording in this post is pretentious as hell and it bothered me all thru out reading it. second of all, let’s lay some shit down: the only books ive read discussed in this post are adsom and tgt, and while i agree that tgt isn’t the most radically feminist book series out there, i have to ask: why are u focused on women writing this? why is this post generalizing

horrible male authors but name dropping female ones? alinas journey was largely about her realizing that she could make her own choices. about her not needing to be queen or supreme ruler or some shit. about how she could literally settle down with the worlds most boring dude and still be happy. anyways, beyond that: adsom. first of all, whenever someone pulls the “not like other girls” card for lila, i have to pull the “she’s genderfluid” card. it wasn’t Explicitly stated in the series, and v

has expressed regret for that, so it’s probably going to be more obvious in the next series. also, adsom is very much a period piece. you couldn’t be a woman in the early nineteenth century doing what lila did without like, yknow, *not being a woman.* the threat she got on that first ship— a period piece! if it was a male author, then that’s gross. but it’s not, a woman wrote it! lila also proceeded to burn the whole goddamn ship down. sometimes authors don’t want to write traditionally feminine

characters!!! sometimes women want to write about what THEY can relate to! and ve schwab, as a queer woman, probably did that. so now we come back to the question of WHY are you calling out only female authors for this? you could have accomplished the same goal by just including books and authors that you deemed Respectable. not to be that bitch, but there was literally no reason for you to post this lmfao. i think we should first tackle the issue that is men having access to keyboards, and

maybe then we can broaden our horizons by critiquing everything women do thats decidedly not perfect.                            

We created this blog to discuss these topics, so we welcome other opinions and interpretations!

To reiterate our goal and perhaps clarify... male authors already receive enough publicity and analysis - to the point they eclipse, at times, their female peers, even when it comes to writing female characters. How wonderful of them to treat fictional women as fellow human beings! (How shameless of others to treat them as their personal sexual fantasy!) Yet we would like to hear what women have to say about themselves. It is why we focus exclusively on their works.

Furthermore, we believe these works as worthy of analysis as any text written by a man. And it is precisely because of this conviction - their books potentially as grandiose, as mediocre as any man’s - that we will not refrain from criticising them. To treat them differently would be implicitly agreeing with the notion they aren’t as intellectually engaging as men’s writings.

Moreover, we are not advocating for “feminist” books from women. In fact, we dislike this qualifier: too often misattributed, rarely useful, always commercial. We desire convincing female characters, as talented as they are flawed, as just as they can be immoral. Thus, while we have grown tired of uncreative, unnecessary sexism in fantasy, we are not expecting perfect little militants in every story. We expect to be moved and stunned, to be left inspired or reflecting on what we read.

I hope this has cleared up our intent with the blog. Now, for the specific series discussed...

While I could see this be Bardugo’s aim for Alina’s journey, I disagree with it being well executed. Narratively speaking, I do not think Alina was treated fairly and was able to make true choices. Throughout all three books, Alina remained unobservant and somewhat self-centered, never challenging the affirmations of others and instead regarding them as truth. Let’s take the example of the Darkling: she accepts his supposed initial good intentions and views him, to the very end, as some kind of lost and anguished “boy”. Yet that isn’t what the text shows - on the contrary, the Darkling is a hollow character that spent centuries sitting on his behind, doing nothing for his fellow Grisha. Alina is never given the chance to realise this and reevalute what happened to her.

Beyond this, I feel like Alina’s journey was contrived from the start. Bardugo does not allow her to see beyond the words of others, nor does she allow her to actually grow. Alina’s crush on Mal and her fixation on remaining with him - despite him disliking what she is! - stems from a child’s anxiety and solitude. Instead of becoming her own woman, making her own choices and yes, having to face losing relationships, Alina regresses to the safety of her childhood, powerless and normal, just like Mal. Let us remember that, to remain with him, she sealed her powers within herself, endangering her health! So symbolically, it is a slap in the face: just when she embraced her powers - meaning letting go of her fears, of Mal -, she loses it all and go back to square one.

This is why I don’t find Alina’s journey satisfying. Even if it hurts, I wish to see female characters confronted to their fears and their flaws, and grow from them*. That is not what we witnessed with Alina. And: why is it that female characters must be “depowered”? Why does the Darkling (and Ilya Morozova) get to keep his immense powers, must live with his guilt, yet Alina loses every and any scrap of magic? Why is she punished for her greed so much, when she hardly is the greediest? (This echoes also Genya’s “punishment”, so heavily tied to her being a beautiful woman and beauty being, in Bardugo’s world, a key quality for women. Nikolai’s monstruous transformation is cruel but never specifically targeted at his sex.)

Why is it female characters only whose “happy” ending involve going back to their boyfriend’s house, complete with potential children? In a fantasy world, is it the best we can offer to these characters? Why does “making her own choice” usually involve them being unambitious and - I am barely caricaturing - happy housewives? Where are the female characters being greedy, powerful to the point of madness, and fascinatingly ruthless? Where are the genius, the good but scheming inventors and princesses? Where are the female Darklings and the female Nikolais?

Yes, it may not be Alina’s story and that’s alright. But reading the story she received, I could not help wondering: is it truly her story, or is it her story in a narrative unfair to women?

As for Lila... what Schwab stated confusingly in interviews or twitter threads cannot be used to analyse the text itself, though it may help. In this case, it holds a very different perspective from what she may affirm outside of it, so let’s keep close to what she wrote.

I disagree that it is a period piece. Her series is firmly set in a fantasy version of our world, with four alternate but equally real Londons, and with interactions between them that differentiate her England from ours. She chose to keep this England similar to ours, so the departure from it could be obvious; she chose, again, to have Lila threatened with rape by sailors even in Red London, her full invention. She chose, still, to never mention the miserable reality of lots of poor women like Lila in our England - namely, prostitution. She picked what suited her, as authors do, yet could not come up with any other plot than sexual assault. That she is a woman does not excuse her utter lack of imagination on that front! I find the notion that female characters are condemned to sexual threats depressing, on top of insulting towards authors who still strive to be creative.

And this is all ignoring what Schwab forced her other female characters to endure, which is sexual slavery, somewhat coerced pregnancies and social isolation, plus being sexist caricatures and butchered so men could be sad about it. In that context, what is Schwab exactly saying about women, if even her heroine is misogynistic and desperately trying to escape this reality? If Lila isn’t a woman - which she is in the text, she never denies being one, she only affirms being different, meaning a full human being! -, does that mean women’s place is in caricature and distress and death? If she is, then must they reject their womanhood and deride other women to be in the spotlight?

And this is all, again, ignoring that Schwab who, yes, admitted wanting to write a female character she wished to see in fiction, that resembled her... had Lila’s whole development derailed in favour of male characters. Lila’s ambition and excessiveness vanished in a third book dedicated to temptation! Lila’s anger and recklessness receded in front of Holland, all so we could learn about his sad backstory. Which involved, as salt to the wound, the stereotypes of a greedy girlfriend and the ever failing mother Schwab is so fond of.

Our post never suggested that women should not write non traditionally feminine women. Rather, that would be quite refreshing! I would love to read about these women that we hardly see.

Is it what Schwab wrote, though? Lila indeed crossdresses and appears androgynous enough to sometimes pass as a man (not always, in a manner that is most convenient to the author). Yet: she constantly mocks other women for being vapid, gossiping, feminine, in a word weak. Yet: Schwab has her, in the second book, attend a ball dressed femininely and feeling insecure about it, all to state she is - quoting! - “not most girls” and have Kell, her love interest, compliments her. She has the happy tomboy reaffirmed as able to be feminine and beautiful that way! How is that not depressing for every woman and girl who never want to be feminine? Why did Schwab choose to have her in a dress instead of a suit, like Lila would probably have preferred? Why did Schwab choose to strictly divide women and men into two categories, dress-wearing and not-dress-wearing? Why is Lila alone in her plight as an androgynous woman? Why didn’t this fantasy world have women and men dressed in a way they felt comfortable with?

This isn’t a period piece. Schwab was free to make that choice... and she did not. I would add, too, that women in real life have always struggled and fought against misogyny. They were women and they were still complex human beings and they still tried to live as comfortably as they could. Sometimes they failed, yes, because society wouldn’t want them to. But women like Lila have existed, and behaved like her, and dressed like her, and dreamed as big as her. Why should not we expect as much of fiction, then?

Sidenote: I am especially critical of that awful “tomboy turns into a lady” trope that fandom will seize it and run. It is disheartening to see countless edits and fanarts of Lila depicting her as feminine instead of androgynous as she was written, and often in feminine clothing at that. So if even the narrative later ends up confirming it...

*Or perhaps spiral down, willingfully blind. Alina’s story isn’t supposed to be a tragedy, however, so this does not apply here.

(If you don’t mind, I would like to hear why you found the post’s wording pretentious?)

[originofjaehyun]

Interlude: No More Drama & Prelude: After Story – Omake

Omake’s primary meaning is general and widespread. It is used as an anime and manga fandom term to mean extra or bonus.

Hi!

Because I wasn’t able to update the next chapter this week (stares directly at my other deadlines) – so I thought of updating you guys with something that is rather different instead! :D

Whenever I write, sometimes I would reach roadblocks, and ideas just wouldn’t come out. Usually by then, I would start to imagine things that most of the time are totally unrelated to the main story (haha).

Anyway! Long story short, these are the character profiles that I imagined when I designed them on my head (lol?)

Friendly reminder that this is a complete fiction!

P.S.: I imagined them during their Neo Zone era, so I wouldn’t talk that much about them physically? Also, you can search on Twitter on their actual perfumes, but I think these brands would suit them very well too (there are some that I took from that reference as well lol).

Read Interlude & Prelude

Jaehyun

Scent: Maison Margiela – Jazz Club, Jo Malone – Myrrh and Tonka

Cigarette brand: Marlboro Red

Carpool karaoke pick: (At first) Lauv – I Like Me Better, Cigarette After Sex, and such, but later he would play Spotify’s This Is Adele playlist

Cocktail pick: Ballatine’s Scotch Whiskey

Food delivery choices: Anything within reach (does not have any preference)

Kinks: This tickles him by a lot, but he likes it when you teased him by playing with his happy trail

Yuta

Scent: Diptyque – Tam Dao, Armani – Code Colonia

Cigarette brand: He used to smoke Camel, but changed to IQOS

Carpool karaoke pick: Depeche Mode, Post Malone, RADWIMPS, sometimes Arashi

Cocktail pick: Cassis Orange, beer

Food delivery choices: Fried chicken (let’s not make him obviously Japanese by making him ordering Ramen every time lol)

Kinks: He loves the sound of skin slapping each other, so expect a lot of spanking

Johnny

Scent: BYREDO – Mojave Ghost (for daily), LE LABO – Santal 33 (for the evening), Tom Ford – Fucking Fabulous (for the special occasions)

Cigarette brand: Dunhill Blonde Blend

Carpool karaoke pick: Daft Punk (for sure), Disclosure, and such

Cocktail pick: Negroni

Food delivery choices: Fast food, preferably burgers

Kinks: He’s sensitive behind his ears, and would go wild whenever you whisper directly to his ears

Doyoung

Scent: Le Labo – Another 13, Chanel – Bleu De Chanel

Cigarette brand: None

Carpool karaoke pick: Park Hyo Shin, Daniel Caesar, Celine Dion

Cocktail pick: Gin & Tonic

Food delivery choices: Jajjangmyeon

Kinks: He likes it when you explore his neck, and whenever you kiss his adam’s apple

Mark

Scent: Dior – Eau Savage

Cigarette brand: None

Carpool karaoke pick: 2Pac, Kendrick Lamar

Cocktail pick: He prefers dark beer, but would take soju anytime with his hyungs

Food delivery choices: Anything carbs

Kinks: He bites a lot

Taeyong

Scent: Penhaligon – Endymion

Cigarette brand: Raison

Carpool karaoke pick: Jhené Aiko, Kehlani, Justin Bieber

Cocktail pick: Jagerbomb, but he would be the one who suggested Tequila shots

Food delivery choices: Bubble tea

Kinks: He likes the feeling of your nail piercing onto his skin (lol did I just make him slightly masochist)

Haechan

Scent: Jean Paul Gaultier – Le Male

Cigarette brand: Lucky Strike Menthol

Carpool karaoke pick: Michael Jackson, Queen, Jason Mraz

Cocktail pick: Soju

Food delivery choices: Fast food, but he would join anyone who’s ordering any food

Kinks: He prefers the room to be bright so he can see you

Jungwoo

Scent: Roses – Chloe

Cigarette brand: None

Carpool karaoke pick: Frank Ocean, Dean, NCT (a-ha)

Cocktail pick: He would take a sip of anything tbh

Food delivery choices: Anything but he would often craves for kimbab

Kinks: Jungwoo you’re not allowed to have a kink

Taeil

Scent: Tom Ford – Noir Extreme

Cigarette brand: Camel Filter

Carpool karaoke pick: He owns a playlist called; “Wedding Day Songs”

Cocktail pick: Old Fashioned

Food delivery choices: Ramen (the legit ramen and not the instant ones)

Kinks: He breathes you in, a lot

Winwin

Scent: Aqcua Di Parma – Blu Mediterraneo Mandorlo Di Sicilia

Cigarette brand: Mevius One

Carpool karaoke pick: The 1975, Vampire Weekend

Cocktail pick: Ume Highball

Food delivery choices: Jokbal

Kinks: Surprisingly he’s into role play (he loves it when you call him by his code name)

Random Trivia

All Interlude chapters’ quotes are from Jaehyun’s parts on Neo Zone album

Same goes for Prelude, except for Make Your Day (since Yuta wasn’t a part of that song, I replaced it with Jaehyun’s)

You might or might not notice, but I also put Jaehyun’s part(s) on the actual chapter (either on the conversations or the narrations)

Yuta’s yakuza friend, Taka (mentioned briefly), is taken from MIYAVI’s real name (Takamasa Ishihara) – I borrowed his name because Yuta listened to MIYAVI alot (he also followed him on Instagram!)

The music that they listen to on the car ride during Pandora’s Box was Cigarette After Sex’s Apocalypse (because Jaehyun listens to Cigarettes After Sex before going to bed)

The music during the first car ride with Yuta was No Replacing You by Pink Sweat$ (it’s a part of Jaehyun’s playlist – which he revealed on one of his vlive)

The movie that Jaehyun and [Y/N] watched during the rainy day on White Night, The Notebook, is based on Jaehyun’s recommendation on NCT Night Night

I also mentioned this on Pandora’s Box, but the repeated quote between [Y/N] and Jaehyun, “What is the first twenty-four hours if we’re looking back at the past seventy years?” is highly inspired from Ed Sheeran’s Thinking Out Loud (And darling I will be loving you 'til we're 70) –because Jaehyun is a fan of Ed.

Also, [Y/N] and Jaehyun met when they’re on their mid 20s. The average human lifespan is 79 years —hopefully our [Y/N] and Jaehyun would have a wonderful long life together. That phrase itself means that both of them are willing to spend the rest of their lives together. Though, I don’t know how that becomes their own love language, it just happened as I write the story haha

[Y/N]’s body gel inspiration is actually a body cleanser by Aesop, A Rose By Any Other Name

Jaehyun’s engagement ring pick was Étincelle de Cartier Ring by Cartier

Jaehyun and [Y/N]’s favorite Ghibli movie pick is Howl’s Moving Castle – Jaehyun mentioned on NCT Night Night that he watched Howl’s Moving Castle a lot when he was at school

After the wedding, dark crimson rose was spotted on Nakamoto’s residence. This symbolizes grief and sadness.

On Make Your Day, the flower language meaning for Buttercup is “Your charm dazzles me”. This is why Yuta knows ___ is attracted to her. If you didn’t notice, Yuta already know that she’s the florist during their first encounter at Nonstop. That is because Yuta remembers their first encounter, too

The tune that ___ listen to at the end of Make Your Day is Always With Me (Spirited Away theme song). I personally feel the scene (on my head) fits the song perfectly! If you want to give it a listen, I recommend the piano version

At the end, ___ gave Yuta anthurium, which means hospitality and happiness. Note how I never really specify their relationship status, since I want the readers to have their own interpretation on the continuation of their relationship

Yuta’s haircut was actually not planned, but it fits the transition since he did cut his hair haha

The hardest chapters to write was Pandora’s Box and Not Alone – purely because they’re mostly transition chapters

Out of all chapters, my personal favorite from Interlude would be White Night and Nonstop for Prelude.

In fact, Nonstop would be my favorite chapter. I think I was so immersed with Jaehyun and [Y/N]’s wedding so I kept including TONS of details hahaha (I hope you don’t mind lol)

[krispyweiss]

Nothin’s Gonna Bring Him Back: Grateful Dead Lyricist Robert Hunter Has Died at 78

He’s gone.

Robert Hunter, the longtime Grateful Dead lyricist who wrote songs with Jerry Garcia for nearly 30 years, has died.

Hunter was 78; his death the night before was announced Sept. 24 by the “greatly saddened” team that runs SiriusXM’s Grateful Dead Channel.

“We thank Robert for his immeasurable contributions to music and for making life a little bit better,” the station said in a Facebook post.

“Fare thee well,” Dark Star Orchestra said on its Facebook page.

Hunter died 24 years after his songwriting partner, Garcia, with whom he composed numbers such as “Eyes of the World,” “Terrapin Station,” “Brokedown Palace,” “Touch of Grey” and “Stella Blue” among others. He also occasionally provided words for Bob Weir (“Jack Straw”), Phil Lesh (“Box of Rain”), Mickey Hart (“Fire on the Mountain”) and Pigpen (Alligator”). He became a full-fledged, non-performing member of the band on 1969’s Aoxomoxoa, co-writing all of its nine tracks.

Hart called his friend and collaborator “Bob” a “visionary wordsmith extraordinaire,” in an online eulogy.

“The Grateful Dead was his canvas and together we made magic,” the percussionist wrote.

Writing on Facebook, a “heartbroken” Lesh said Hunter “defines in his words what it meant to be the Grateful Dead.” Then, the 79-year-old bassist, who is recovering from back surgery, foreshadowed his own passing by quoting “Dark Star:”

“When my time comes, I’ll be looking for you and Jer out there in the transitive nightfall of diamonds.”

Speaking for Dead Heads, who are everywhere, band archivist David Lemieux said of Hunter: “For a man who provided us with so many meaningful words, the soundtrack to our lives, he's left us a bit speechless with his passing.”

More personally, he added: “Not a single day has gone by since 1984 that Hunter's words haven't been a part of my world; I've heard Jerry, Bob and others sing his words literally every day for the past 35 years. ... No matter what meaning, solace, lesson you find in Hunter's lyrics, please go out and do some good with them.”

Even fellow songwriters were unable to find words to convey their sense of loss.

“As many songs as I’ve penned, hearing this news, I’m at a complete loss for words,” former Furthur singer Jeff Pehrson tweeted. “Rest In peace, Robert Hunter, and God’s speed (sic).”

Playing for Change quoted Hunter’s “Ripple,” a song the charitable group recorded a couple of years ago and said on Twitter: “Your words live in our hearts and our consciousness forever.”

Hunter released a handful of solo albums that included his takes on Dead songs and other material the band didn’t record or play in concert. He toured mostly as a solo-acoustic act and sometimes played between sets at concerts by The Other Ones and the Dead in the early-2000s.

“Sad news, but what a great life,” unlikely Dead Head Ann Coulter tweeted.

Hunter, who played with Garcia in a series of pre-Dead bluegrass bands before their songwriting partnshop began, also wrote lyrics for, among others, Bob Dylan, New Riders of the Purple Sage, former Dead pianist Bruce Hornsby and the String Cheese Incident, who tweeted: “Thanks for all of the incredible lyrical journeys you took us on.

“ ... You will be missed,” the band said.

HeadCount, which has been registering fans to vote on recent Dead & Company tours, also mourned Hunter online.

“We are saddened to learn that Grateful Dead lyricist Robert Hunter has left us,” the organization tweeted. “His words have inspired us all countless times, and always will.”

9/24/19

[keeping-up-with-the-olympians]

IF THE GODS HAD TUMBLR BLOGS

Aphrodite: You think you’ve seen a feminist blog? Think again. There are ~tasteful~ pictures of nipples left and right, quotes about body image and lots of empowered women. The title is: freethenip_keepthewhip Rupi Kaur would probably deem the blog too much, but somehow she manages to keep it to a sane level. Everyone follows her, even tho they all deny it. 10/10 inspirational as fuck

Hermes: He runs: yaboy-hermesss This blog is a mess. There is no such thing as a theme, or any kind of cohesion, the boy just reblogs what he likes. That’s it, that’s the only rule. It’s a shame he mostly only blogs when he’s high, so it’s a game of “will today be a motivational quotes over colorful sunsets OR Low-resolution pictures of literal houseplants in the dark” kinda day? 7.5/10 – if you’re high too, it’s the best thing you’ve seen all year

Dionysus: AKA: yourdaddywouldnever. The blog is pretty tame, it’s mostly just memes and an occasional photo of the latest shenanigans he’s gotten into. But he likes everything. EVERYTHING. From cat pics on Hephaestus’ blog to random selfies of Indian dudes, it seems like Dio uses the like button every time he takes a breath. 5.5/10 the blog itself is really mediocre

Hephaestus: Pictures. Of. Cats. Just so many cat pics. He recently began adding gifs to the mix. He names every kitten, and his tags are full of things like #fluff #meow #furryfriends. There is an occasional photo of him posing (but pretending to be natural) and some of those memes your aunt would post on facebook, tagged with three crying-laughing faces. The name is: hephaestus1 – “hephaestus was already taken” 9/10 gotta admit the kitties are cute as fuck

Hestia: Poetry blog. She uploads her own stuff and reblogs quotes from others, but the main purpose of tumblr for her is to get into debates about meaningless stuff in the comments. Her blog’s name is: lines­­­_of_revolution 6.5/10 the poems are not bad actually, but for the love of everything, don’t tag her

Ares: His blog is mainly black and white images. He tries to maintain an aesthetic but sometimes it is too much for ADHD boiTM, and he spirals into a pit of sad and miserable quotes only. But when he’s doing good, the pictures are a very decent way of telling what mood he is in, and actually tell a pretty good story of his week. The blog name is: ares-godofwar 8/10 when he’s fine

Artemis: This is The Aesthetic Blog TM. Everything matches with everything. She keeps up themes that change every month, and there is not a post that’s out of order. The blog is so aesthetically pleasing, legends say you can not look at it for more than 15 minutes at a time or your life will fall apart and nothing will ever seem worthy of looking at again. Her blog is: goddessofperfection

Apollo: There is no good way of putting it, Apollo’s blog is a good ol’ pornblog. He strongly argues and puts it as some kind of “artistic choice” or “naturalistic expression” but that’s no way of fooling anyone when there are more naked butts on his page than on Burning Man. His username is: harp­_me_up (he spent 3 weeks coming up with this name) 5/10 for the denial (just admit it bro)

Demeter: She runs: demeter-dontmakeatumblrplease. Now listen. I don’t have any explanation for this. But her blog is the funniest shit ever. In the history of time, it is the most hilarious thing to grace this blob of stone we call Earth. It is just straight up hysterical. It resonates with everyone. The things she reblogs and the things she posts herself. Quality content. This is what I’m here for. And by myself I mean everyone ever. 100000/10 would recommend

Athena: Song lyrics everywhere. She probably thinks the site is a knockoff karaoke bar. Her blog is the equivalent of every single time a song has gotten stuck into your head for two days. Besides that, it’s usually “intellectual” stuff such as quotes from famous thinkers, but just when you think there is more to that than annoying lyrics, a line from I Wanna Know What Love Is pops up and the illusion is ruined. Her blog is: itsa-kindof-magic 5/10 pretty boring (sorry)

Persephone: Pretty convinced that her site (queen­_of_the_dead) is just a cover for some serious satanic shit. It’s straight up scary. Can’t really give a rating, cuz I’ve only looked it up once and it still haunts be, but let’s go with a 10/10 not to piss her off.

Hera: It’s a pretty standard hipster blog with the trademark pics of cozy coffee shops and those backpacks (you know, the ones you see on the back of a dude with a beard longer than your last relationship) in every color imaginable. The blog is: mom­_friend101 It’s cute and sweet and reflects her personality very well. Lot’s of rolled up pants to reveal crazy patterned socks. All around great vibes. 9/10

Hades: Ah yes, the dog rating site. “how many TIMES DO I HAVE TO TELL YOU THAT IT’S NOT A DOG RATING…!!” Ssssh, Hades, it’s okay. We all have a soft spot. A for effort for posting some other stuff once every month or so just to keep up the illusion. But it is what it is. His blog is: not-a-dog-rating-site JK, it’s actually: hatethis­_hades 10/10 because it’s the best thing to come out of the grumpy old man (the dude gives every dog a max score)

Poseidon: Doesn’t get the concept of it, regularly confuses tumblr with twitter and posts his opinions nobody asked for. His username is: better-than-zeus, and he begins every single one of his posts with “Now guess what…” a strong 8/10 because he is actually pretty funny but no one will admit it, so don’t bring it up

Zeus:

AKA: zeusofficial Only posts about twice a year and it is always a link to some other site or article you know you’ll never read. -100/10, this is not your granddad’s facebook page, get it together man

[wordsnstuff]

Wordsnstuff Playlists Masterlist

Ko-Fi || Masterlist || Work In Progress || Request || Studyblr || Studygram

* = 100+ songs ♡ = One of My Favorites

My Writing Playlists

Writing Playlist // Spotify **Updated Frequently** *

Original Character Playlists *

Wordsnstuff’s Writing Playlist 

Requested (Concepts, Quotes, Etc.)

Chaos Killed The Dinosaurs Chaos and impeding doom. We’re all in the middle of it, so let’s suffer together and try to our universal struggle more poetic. Listen On Spotify

Sweet Dreams & Beautiful Nightmares This playlist is a beautiful mix of sweet melody and sinister undertones. This playlist will help you drift into a peaceful sleep and comforting nightmares. Listen On Spotify

Badassery Embrace your inner badassery and do it to the perfect soundtrack. Listen On Spotify

Stay Wild Everyone needs adventure and some risk in their lives. Sneak out, dance, experiment, and have fun while you’re young and free. Roll down the windows, activate your soundtrack, and stay wild;) Listen On Spotify

Like Or Like-Like You may be going through a breakup or relationship troubles in general. Sometimes you just need to listen to music and either cry, or get mad. Here’s the perfect soundtrack. Listen On Spotify

I Was Never What You Wanted A lot of people are in that bubbly, exciting place, where you’re trying to figure out if they like you back. Here’s to new romance and the pain and butterflies that come with it. Listen On Spotify

Soaked To The Skin With Emotion These song’s are bursting at the seams with emotional weight, and it can be therapeutic to indulge in someone else’s overwhelming thoughts. These songs are relatable, nostalgic, depressing, and honest, and they’re well worth a listen. Listen On Spotify

New Old Favorites Classics and love songs ~ From Sinatra to Lana, this playlist takes you back to the good old times.. whenever those were. Listen On Spotify

“Just Friends” “Just friends” don’t look at each other like that… Listen On Spotify

Skin Emotion is like skin. Some is soft, some is rough, some is dark, and some is light. All emotion should be felt, through our skin and inside our bones. Here’s a list of songs to sit back and let sink in through the skin. Listen On Spotify (feat. @redwatersounds​)

Cuddles To Kisses Night in with your favorite person? Need some romantic, slightly steamy ambiance? These songs will set the mood for a memorable evening. Listen On Spotify (feat. @redwatersounds​)

Hurt Me, Won’t You? All the songs she cried to over you.. Listen On Spotify

Pagan Underground In history class, we learned about witches. About them being hunted down. We were told this was all a misconception. That true witches were never to be found. But I know the real truth, the one everyone says is wrong. Listen On Spotify

2 AM With You On The Beach Here I am, drowning in an ocean of you.. Listen On Spotify (feat. @redwatersounds) *

Rebellious Teenagers The greatest pleasure in life is doing what others say you cannot.. Listen On Spotify (feat. @redwatersounds​) *

Silk Sheets & Afternoon Tea We all need a calm day in bed with a cup of tea sometimes, as well as a soundtrack to go with..Listen On Spotify (feat. @redwatersounds​) ♡

Valentine’s Day You know you’re in love when you can’t fall asleep because reality is finally better than your dreams..Listen On Spotify (feat. @redwatersounds​)

Good Old Days When we had the time to just lay and listen..Listen On Spotify

We Were Picturesque Remember those days? I’m starting to forget…Listen On Spotify

Speeding To A Stop We all need a soundtrack to increase the drama of driving on a freeway at night.. Listen On Spotify

Dancing With Myself Allow yourself to trust joy and embrace it. You will find you dance with everything.. Listen On Spotify ♡

Star Crossed For those lovers who were torn apart and brought together again.. Listen On Spotify

The Terror Behind Your Beauty Some of the prettiest things are the scariest in the dark.. Listen On Spotify

Earl Grey & Daisy Chains  Stay soft, it looks beautiful on you..Listen on Spotify ♡ *

For Writing Types of Scenes

Romantic Scenes For writing sappy, beautiful, romantic scenes in your story..Listen On Spotify

Resolution Scenes For writing those scenes at the end of your story where everything is coming together..Listen On Spotify

Calm Scenes For writing the calmer scenes in your story..Listen On Spotify

Climax Scenes For writing the big scenes in your story..Listen On Spotify

Fun Montage Scenes For writing those fun, upbeat scenes that would be montages in the movie version of your story..Listen On Spotify

Angst Scenes A playlist for writing scenes full of anxiety, dread, and darkness..Listen On Spotify

Fight Scenes For getting in the mood to write entertaining fight scenes..Listen On Spotify 

Epic Scenes For writing epic, jaw-dropping scenes that make your readers take a second to breathe..Listen On Spotify

Chase Scenes For writing chase scenes that are.. awesome.Listen On Spotify

Sad Scenes For writing the scenes that make your readers bawl like babies..Listen On Spotify

Atmospheres & Musical Genres

Ambient Ambient tunes to calm you down and inspire you. Whether turned on for a relaxing evening, a late night of deep thinking, or just something to listen to that’s catchy, but not too heavy, this is perfect for any time. Listen On Spotify

Classical & Instrumental Whether you’re studying, reading, sipping Earl Grey, writing, etc. this playlist will relax and inspire you. Listen On Spotify

Calmly Sad Sometimes it’s important to take the time and let the emotions flow. For those rainier days, here is some calm music to listen to while you clear your system of whatever is bringing you down.  Listen On Spotify

Driving At Night Windows down, stereo loud, and our throats raw from singing along as our worries are soaked up by the stars above.. Listen On Spotify ♡

Warmth Warm songs for cold days..Listen On Spotify

Mocha Sit back, sip a coffee, and enjoy…Listen On Spotify

Home The songs that embody home and familiarity..Listen On Spotify

Moody Day For those days when you just need to pout about stuff, or when you’re writing an exceptionally angsty scene. Your choice. Listen On Spotify

Other

Things To Listen To When You’re Working *Masterpost*

This is a long masterpost of ASMR, white noise, and instrumental music playlists for you to listen to when you’re working and you want some nice noise in the background that doesn’t distract you. 

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FAQ //monthly writing challenges // Masterlist

MY CURRENT WORK IN PROGRESS (Check it out, it’s pretty cool. At least I think it is.)

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[lauraramargosian]

Celebrities when they were younger, how their past photos inspire.

Celebrities when they were younger, how their past photos inspire.

Yes, this is Calvin Harris!

Isn’t it true that sometimes we look at celebrities as though they have always been “glamorous,” [yes, “Fergalicious” did help me remember how to spell that, I love that song]…

The entertainment industry shows the beauty, the glistening, the star-studded hotties wearing the biggest name brands like Prada, Calvin Klein, Versace or House of Drew.

In fact, that’s the goal, Hollywood talent tend to maintain the image they hope to inspire others with, luckily, it doesn’t take away from being human and that includes making mistakes.

These photos are some of your favorite celebrities when they were younger. Ryan Seacrest, for example, truly had my jaw hit the floor.

It’s nice to be like, “man, we would have been friends in middle school and high school.”

Further, we all had those “awkward phases,” growing up and many can relate.

The truth is, the majority of your favorite celebrities were bullied, they felt hopeless too at times.

Strength, that’s the word that brought them to where they are at this moment.

Youth is a process of growing and learning. Music videos, songs, lyrics, acting, it all comes with a past that influenced it, that’s why they say “what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.”

It’s safe to say that many people want to leave the world better than you found it, Mac Miller, [and my heart still hurts] for example, was constantly worried about the legacy he would leave behind…

But that worry, was all for nothing because he left behind art, a story, a struggle and one that constantly inspires people to make better choices.

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Trials can make our emotions rise but they also help you in a positive way.

“When you feel sad, it’s okay. It’s not the end of the world. Everyone has those days when you doubt yourself, and when you feel like everything you do sucks, but then there’s those days when you feel like Superman. It’s just the balance of the world. I just write to feel better.”

-Malcolm James McCormick

Honestly, it’s one of the best quotes Positive Celebrity has remembered from watching Mac Miller’s past interviews.

It’s a quote that really hit emotions due to the fact that we have all said: “everything sucks right now.”

When you look through photos of celebrities when they were younger, it’s almost as though you connect on another level.

To be specific, maybe you looked completely different when you were younger.

Unfortunately, sometimes kids can be mean and maybe you were bullied.

Taking a look at celebrities when they were younger gives you a little perspective into who they were before Hollywood shined its lights on them and allowed them to follow their dreams.

Not only their dreams in music or acting… But being able to further help charity, or bullied LGBTQ youth.

Pride 2019: Daya was not afraid to open up about her sexuality!

The list goes on and on, so when you look at a picture, think of it the way Susan Sontag explains in her quote.

“All photographs are memento mori. To take a photograph is to participate in another person’s (or thing’s) mortality, vulnerability, mutability. Precisely by slicing out this moment and freezing it, all photographs testify to time’s relentless melt.”

― Susan Sontag

“A picture is worth a thousand words,” refers to any complex idea and how it conveys meaning, purpose, and essence more effectively than a description does.

With this in mind, maybe looking at where our favorite celebrities started is what we need for that extra kick in the butt to never doubt or settle for less than you deserve.

To end, we want to invite you to take a look at your favorite celebrities when they were younger. Most importantly, remember who they are now as well, you’ll see more than growth, it’s like looking into their soul.

Except, it’s yearbook photos and stuff, haha!

Blessed be and enjoy!

Beyonce

Britney Spears

Calvin Harris

Clint Eastwood

David Guetta

EMINEM

Jennifer Aniston

Justin Bieber

Justin Bieber

Kim Kardashian

Krewella

Lady Gaga

Leonardo DiCaprio

Mac Miller

Madonna

Martin Garrix

Matt LeBlanc

Ryan Seacrest

Selena Gomez

Shia LeBeouf

Skrillex

Skrillex

Taylor Lautnor

Taylor Swift

Zac Efron

Zedd

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Positive Celebrity Gossip - Laurara Monique

Laurara Monique is known by various celebrities as the youngest and kindest celebrity blogger. PCG has been described as a "celebrity safe zone."

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Lmfao, this had me shoot coffee out of my nose. LOL. Kids really do say these things sometimes. bhahahaha.

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Positive Celebrity Gossip - Laurara Monique

“All photographs are memento mori. To take a photograph is to participate in another person’s (or thing’s) mortality, vulnerability, mutability. Precisely by slicing out this moment and freezing it, all photographs testify to time’s relentless melt.” ― Susan Sontag

Celebrities when they were younger, how their past photos inspire.

Celebrities when they were younger, how their past photos inspire. Check it out right here on positive celebrity gossip and entertainment news!

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Just having a laid back day.

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Animals don't have a voice but you do!

This Humane Society was named as 4-star charity for fiscal responsibility!

This Humane Society was named as 4-star charity for fiscal responsibility! Check it out right here on positive celebrity gossip, charity news as well as all entertainment news!

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“I dreamt of being a famous singer or an actor who, through my work, could inspire others to be themselves or hang in there. I had no idea how I dreamt so big when I felt so small, but I know it got me through each day. I wanted to be the person I couldn’t find in my life.” - Ruby Rose

Ruby Rose: ‘Dreamt Big’ when she felt ‘so small.’

Ruby Rose: ‘Dreamt Big’ when she felt ‘so small.’ “I dreamt of being a famous singer or an actor who, through my work, could inspire others to be themselves or hang in there…

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[reh-sa]

الفرنسية؟: Middle Eastern influence in Vere

So, the thing is, I’m a nerd when it comes to the Middle East. I love the history, culture and aesthetic so much! Now we all know and love our fantasy version of France called Vere, but while I read Captive Prince, I couldn’t help to think that Pacat might have been influenced by the Middle East in her worldbuilding as well. I think it fits incredibly well into the Captive Prince world, so I decided to make a list of the things that drew my attention. I’m by no means an expert and I’m not refering to a specific country’s history here; of course, the “Middle Eastern culture” doesn’t exist, just like there is not a single “European culture”. Instead, I wrote down all the things that reminded me of certain aspects from different Middle Eastern countries.

First, I think the most obvious hint is the fact that “Vere” was originally called “Rabat” in Pacat’s first livejournal version. The real-life Rabat is the name of the capital of Morocco. And fun fact: French is actually the official business and education language in Morocco.

There is also the architecture. This is how Damen describes his first taste of Veretian architecture:

» As for the room, everywhere he looked his eyes were assaulted with ornamentation. The walls were overrun by decoration. The wooden doors were delicate as a screen and carved with a repeated design that included gaps in the wood; [...] The windows were similiar screened. Even the floor tiles were parti-colored and arranged in geometric pattern. Everything gave the impression of patterns within patterns, the twisty creations of the Veretian mind. «

Now, compare that description with pictures of the interiors of famous mosques and palaces. Here are some examples of ornamental walls and tiles, and here of doors and windows (and many more to be found on pinterest!). It really fits Damen’s description well. You will realize very quickly that geometrical starbursts (Laurent’s symbol) are a very popular motif in these patterns, too. There are also the floor baths in Vere, something that wasn’t a thing in France, and the chambers where Laurent’s pets are supposed to reside (if he had any) are literally refered to as “harem”...

As for the culture, the strong seperation between genders is another thing that reminded me of the Middle East, which has been practiced for many centuries and partly even today. 

There is a line at the banquet where Damen notices that all of the servants are attractive looking pages. I had to giggle a bit about that, because the Persians were known to choose servants for their looks, to have at least a bit of an eyecandy, as women weren’t allowed to men’s gatherings at all. And speaking of Persians: They were hella gay. They were so gay, that the topic of same-sex love was the favorite kind of poetry in the Persian and later Ottoman Empire (who copied a lot from the Persians). In fact, they considered poetry adressed to a woman to be immodest. And even better: One of the most popular themes was the love to a slave soldier! *wink* 

Even though homosexual relationships were officially forbidden, it was something that was rarely pursued. There are many Middle Eastern historical figures that openly had male lovers. In fact, having a male lover was sometimes easier than a relationship with a woman (without being married to her):

In Ottoman society, sexual or erotic relations between men or men and boys were seldom punished, especially if they were carried on in private, and homoerotic relations were in a much less serious class of crimes than illicit sexual contacts with women, which could, in theory, result in death by stoning. (Source)

Sadly, this is an aspect of Middle Eastern history that often gets erased nowadays, but I can recommend this website and this blog if you want to know more! (Also, while it is sad that a lot of these same-sex relationships were pederastic, please note that this wasn’t something exclusive to the Middle East and you could find the same ideals of pederastic love in Ancient Greece and many other cultures.)

In general, a culture based on Persia fits the setting in the Captive Prince world really well for a different reason too: Ancient Greece and Ancient Persia pretty much hated each other, were constantly at war, and liked to refer to each other as “barbarians”.

I’m not too sure if there is an equivalent to Veretian pets, but they did remind me a bit of Turkish Köçek dancers. Here is a quote from wikipedia:

» The youths, often wearing heavy makeup, would curl their hair and wear it in long tresses under a small black or red velvet hat decorated with coins, jewels and gold. [...] They were said to be 'sensuous, attractive, effeminate', and their dancing 'sexually provocative'. Dancers minced and gyrated their hips in slow vertical and horizontal figure eights, rhythmically snapping their fingers and making suggestive gestures. Often acrobatics, tumbling and mock wrestling were part of the act. The köçeks were available sexually, often to the highest bidder, in the passive role. «

Mock wrestling and acrobatics is something we see in Veretian pets too, as well as the extravagant makeup!

As for Veretian fashion, while I don’t know about any laces in ancient and medieval clothing (I think Damen is exaggerating here anyway), Middle Eastern fashion is and was known to be very non-revealing, and often, multiple layers and layers of clothes were worn. Definitely something Damen would hate!

Another hint is Laurent himself. He doesn’t look like a typical Middle Eastern person at all, but don’t forget his mother is a foreigner. As Pacat once said on her twitter, Laurent is supposed to have his mother’s look (the Kemptian side of the family), while on the other hand, Damen comments on how he doesn’t look like his uncle at all (the Veretian side of the family). On top of that, his blond hair was rare enough to recognize him by it. So rare that Laurent’s pursuers simply searched for somebody blond, and so rare he hid by covering up his hair. Or, as Damen put it:

“You stand out in this light. Your mousy hair’s like a beacon.”

The same goes for Ancel: In the “Pet” short story, the Regent refers to his red hair as “exotic” in Vere. It made me question if the Veretian population is really as light as the fandom thinks.

And, last, orientalism was a huge thing in real-life France. With the alliance to the Ottoman Empire, their curiosity raised and French paintings depicting a romantized version of the Middle East sprouted like weed. They fancied the aesthetic so much that the nobles would have themselves potrayed in Turkish clothes! I often have to think of how in the early chapters, Damen is lying stretched out on silken pillows all day, or how he sees a woman smoking a long pipe (a hookah?), holding her beautiful pet...if that isn’t a cliché from an orientalist painting!

So, was Pacat partially inspired by the Middle East when she wrote Vere? Maybe she was, maybe she wasn’t. Maybe I’m seeing ghosts! But I think this whole aesthetic fits Vere incredibly well, if only for Laurent stuffing Turkish delight into his mouth and Damen’s frustration over learning all these ornamental letters…!

[fly-pow-bye]

Powerpuff Girls 2016 - “Bubbles The Blue”

Written by: Haley Mancini

Written and Storyboarded by: Caitlin Vanarsdale, Angela Zhang

Directed by: Nick Jennings, Bob Boyle

No Eiffel 65 jokes here. Or Lord of the Rings.

This episode deals with a serious topic. While I had this interpretation since I first watched this episode, one of the head writers outright said it on their Twitter.

But anyway, here's a dolphin running into a wall. It is not that indicative of the rest of the episode.

Blossom: (with no sarcasm) Dolphins are sooo smart!

The joke is that animals are stupid. Buttercup gets into an argument with Blossom over whether or not dolphins can speak Spanish. Blossom and Buttercup decide to go to the animal expert: Bubbles. This may be a reference to Bubbles' ability to talk to animals, which I can appreciate. Also forgotten: this scene.

Just like the title says, Bubbles is blue. Not just in a "crying a lot" kind of way, but in a "lying in bed, circles under eyes, permanent frown" kind of way. Buttercup makes the assumption that she must be having a staring contest with the ceiling, but Bubbles corrects her and says that she's just sad today. The very thought of any emotion that isn't considered "bubbly" makes them shocked.

As in, "make another silly face inspired by those silly storyboards" shocked. At this point, it's just the show's style to have these faces. It does give PPG 2016 a style not a lot of cartoons have, but I would say there is a reason for that. They ask Bubbles various questions to why she's so sad. Is she tired? No. Is she bored? No. Is she hungry? No.

To be more specific, Buttercup pulls out a living chicken and a blowtorch. See, since Bubbles is too busy moping throughout the entirety of this episode, Buttercup gets to take over the job of doing the "so random" jokes. I didn't think this one was that bad, but I prefer the line that comes right after this.

Blossom: Are you sad because you keep thinking about your place in society, as the eyes of everyone looking to you for guidance begins to weigh heavily on your young soul, only to realize you were just one of the many leaves bending to the will of the wind in a never-ending race with the cruel mistress that is time, an illusionistic prison created by man, shackling us all to the dream we call life?

If you needed a signature quote for some social media site that still uses them, here's the best attempt at one I've seen out of this show. Bubbles just answers no to this, while Buttercup's jaw is dropped. One of the few subtle jokes with Buttercup, as I can now appreciate. Eventually, they get scared. Not because Bubbles has a serious medical condition I did not think this show was capable of portraying...

...but because the Professor randomly pops up out of nowhere. He's here to show off his "soundless slippers". The episode grinds to a halt so they can show an informerical. Does it have anything to do with the plot? Will it actually amount to anything? Is it even funny? Much like the Powerpuff Girls' questions, the answer is no.

Before the Professor can contribute to the actual plot, the hotline-cellphone rings. I am glad to say this season uses the cellphone often enough that I can count episodes that actually use it on two hands rather than one.

We cut to what should have been the opening scene for this episode: a giant armadillo having anger issues threatening Townsville. This comes complete with helicopters trying to stop him; I'm actually kind of surprised Townsville even bothers with funding for that. Well, maybe they have some reason now considering the Powerpuff Girls' success rate with monster punches, but still. Blossom and Buttercup show up to give him the old punch that needs to be covered up with a hit flash. The Harmadillo rolls up into a ball, and they get an idea seemingly pulled straight out of the original.

They then play catch with the rolled up armadillo. The original would have had them use a telephone pole and a baseball mitt sign, which would be more creative, but they have aura powers now. Buttercup uses a baseball bat aura, because you can use that as a weapon. Blossom uses a pillow aura, because they still have to stick with Blossom's theme of "things you can find at HomeGoods and/or Office Depot".

They call out to Bubbles to join in on the fun, but she’s still on the ground, still sad. Blossom and Buttercup wonder why she can still be not bubbly if Bubbles is her name, because how dare she have any other emotions! To be fair to them, this is no ordinary sadness, as we'll soon see.

We go into a musical segment, where Blossom and Buttercup try to woo that “sadness” with her favorite things. Blossom shows her Octi, a tea party, and other cute things…

...while Buttercup shows gross things like lint from a laundromat. I'll give them credit for the use of stock images this time; it enhances the contrast between the sensible items and the one from the new wacky girl.

This also plays into a theme with the episode. Both of them don't understand Bubbles' sadness, and try to use their own ways to try to "cure" it. What they do is not too far off from examples of what not to do when trying to help someone with depression. This doesn't seem out of character to me, because this could show their inexperience. I mean, they are just little kids, after all.

With the mindset of a little kid, their next assumption is that someone did this to her. Buttercup goes to Discount Jojo's place, and punches him right out of the shower. This scene reminds me that I could be watching Telephonies instead. Jojo does interrupt his lines to remind the viewer that while it's not his fault, he does think it would be a great idea. There's no foreshadowing here, it's just for the viewer to know that Jojo is still a villain, despite everything else.

Blossom also uses the idea that someone did this to Bubbles, but does it in a different way. She falls a little more into the example that these symptoms must be the result of something personal, which it is not.

Specifically, Blossom thinks it is her own fault as she gives her apology letter after apology letter, despite Bubbles outright telling her that she didn't do anything. This "I'm sorry for remaking the bed" one is the only one we actually see; either that one was the only idea they could think of, or they wasted all of their talent on the wacky Buttercup jokes.

Speaking of which, Buttercup then shows up with a happy ray gun. Thankfully, it doesn't work like the happy rays from the dancing lobsters from Painbow, it just puts a silly costume on whoever it shoots. Essentially, it's an attempt to try to hide the problem, and it doesn't work.

In an unrelated note, Blossom asks her where she got the ray gun in the first place, and we cutaway to a scene where Buttercup threatens Discount Jojo with a knuckle sandwich. This is far beyond "rascal" and more into "Him possession". In fact, how come Discount Jojo was the first villain they thought of when it comes to playing with people's emotions? It could have been Him, or Alle...yeah, maybe it was Jojo.

The Puffs in the wrong continue to ramble to Bubbles until they get interrupted by that running gag of the soundless slippers. We finally get to see the payoff to that, and it is just as great as the gag was.

Buttercup: (zaps the slippers) No.

Professor: Aww! My slippers!

Annoying thing happens constantly, Buttercup makes it go bye bye, joke over. It is better than nothing, which is how most of the running gags seem to end in this show, so at least I could give it that.

Blossom starts complaining to the Professor about her sad sister, and even pulls out the “she’s only doing this for attention” line. Unlike Buttercup's antics, Blossom's terrible reasoning of someone suffering from depression is realistic. Honestly, it shows that she is just as terrible as the new wacky girl when dealing with this. Who can possibly do something good with this?

Ultimately, it's the older and wiser that ends up being the voice of reason in this. This episode features a sadly rare occurence that the Professor actually acting like the respectful father figure he should be, being the voice of reason to his children. Even the soundless slippers gag plays into the "inventor" angle they have been, which is far closer to his character in the original than the "out of touch Sitcom Dad" I am far too familiar with.

Unfortunately, Blossom and Buttercup aren't there to witness this, as they are too busy with the Harmadillo again. Having been fed up about his constant whining, they decide that the best way to deal with him is to have Blossom tie him up in an aura net. Maybe it's a hammock, I don't know. They then make a combined aura of a stapler with a knife attached to the end. Considering we can't even show someone getting punched in this series unless its the girls getting punched, someone has to stop them.

It just so happens to be Bubbles, having her spirits slightly lifted from "not doing anything" by what is implied to be a speech from the father figure. Because the Harmadillo is having some emotional issues of his own, they are able to bond with each other. It may seem like this was a missed opportunity for the "talking to animals" power, but it would have done more harm than good.

Because Buttercup can't let a touching scene be, she starts to panic over the disease spreading. She then makes a chainsaw aura, persumably to cut both the armadillo and her own sister into little bits. I stand corrected: there is a worse way to deal with depression than telling them they're only doing it for attention. Blossom stops her, and tells her that maybe the real problem is that they decided not to listen to her. What an understatement.

This episode almost ends with this shot, which is a very good way to end an episode about feelings. It’s a quiet moment of them looking at the ocean. Before this episode, PPG 2016 seemingly had no clue on how to end an episode with a calm moment. Unfortunately, this episode does not disprove that.

Buttercup: I’m bored, what are we looking at?

(Blossom punches Buttercup into the water)

A deserved punishment, sure, but it was completely unnecessary. We can only hope the oceans also acts as holy water.

Does the title fit?

The title works as a pun; Bubbles happens to be the blue one, and she’s feeling blue.

How does it stack up?

I knew we were going to get some sort of "special episode" on a serious topic, and even the original can fail at such episodes. In the case of this episode, Bubbles The Blue actually handles the topic rather well, far better than I would ever expect out of this show.

There are problems that prevent this from being among the absolute least worst episodes; the episode had a tendency to repeat itself, the soundless slippers gag never amounted to anything, and Buttercup's antics are disturbing at worst and unnecessary at best.

Despite that, this episode goes in directions few reboot episodes do, and I have to commend it for that.

Next, I don't think Mary Poppins could fix this reboot's problems.

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