#this is why I'm not keen on active careers

[liesmyth]

Further to Keeley saying yes to marrying Roy (definitely agree), how much would Roy only be asking because he thinks that's what you do. Like he's retired, he's forty, and all his former teammates are married/have kids. He's a traditional guy (kind of) - would he have waited for them to have been together for two years (or whatever) and then proposed because that's the next step?

Context: this is a follow-up to this 'unpopular opinion meme' ask where I said that (to me, etc) Keeley would've said yes if Roy ever asked her to marry him post S2.

In general, I just looove to overthink gender roles and performative heterosexuality with these characters, because the mix of sports series + juicy queer dynamics is like catnip to my brain — so thank you for this ask so I can ramble about it some more!

The thing is. I think Roy's actually not very traditional for a footballer (let alone a very famous one) simply because he's close to forty and he's never been married and doesn't have kids. Like, genuinely, that makes him a huge oddity in his set. If I were applying RL football logic to the football show that plays fast and loose with realism, I'd say that there must be a lot of speculation in-universe that Roy is gay. OR maybe he's had so many public short-term flings that there's only a little speculation — but there would still be people thinking it's strange. Just because "WAG and kids" is such a big aspect of how football stars are expected to perform masculinity, and Roy not having any of that (while at the same time performing a very specific brand of 'old school' tough guy masculinity) would make him a weird anomaly.

(When talking to non-sports fans, I usually find it useful to compare pro athletes to active-duty military personnel as two categories that on average start a family very young. It's a mix of a family providing more stability in a hectic career + expectations in those circles because everyone else is doing it + financial reasons that mean is more convenient to do it now than to wait)

(Again. Reflecting on social norms in footballers' circles makes me think a lot about what Keeley's expectations might have been pre-S1, when she kept dating footballers and moving in those same circles, whether the fact that she was with a young guy at 30 bothered her more than she let on, etc etc. This is also part of why I think she absolutely would say yes if Roy proposed — see also her reaction to Shandy saying that all their former flatmates "married footballers", which is just like "yeah, fair enough". I think pre-season 3 she just never saw her life going in a different direction, and was fine with it — at least until S3 made her consider stuff she might not have otherwise)

Anyway SORRY I went off!! Back to Roy — all that ramble was to say that, TO ME, if he wanted to be married, he absolutely would be already, way before the show started. It's something he must have considered earlier in life, just because it's a staple of the Ideal Footballer Career Path, and for whatever reason decided he wasn't keen on it. And it wasn't a one-off earlier — it's something people would have commented on it over and over, as all his teammates started families and he didn't, as the tabloid press speculated on his private life. It's not that he never had the opportunity; it's that he actively chose not to. So I'm not sure retirement would necessarily be the thing that makes him decide that "it's time" to get married. We see that in S2 he really throws himself into ~playing house~ with Keeley because he's trying to find a new life anchor after retirement, but idk if that would necessarily translate, to him, into "next step is getting married." Because, for someone in Roy's position, getting married would have been "the next step" ten years ago, and he was like, nah!

I also think that "when will Roy and Keeley get married" WAS an expectation that was very much present in the eyes of everyone who interacts with them, at least from the moment it became clear that they were serious and basically living together. Tabloid speculation, old friends of Roy who're also retired, friends and acquaintances of Keeley who also move in those 'D-list celebs / influencers / WAG' kind of circles. Their families, even; I have a very elaborate headcanon built off that one (1) throwaway line that Roy wanted to open the champagne when Keeley's mum "moved back north", that maybe Keeley's mother was a bit too happy to see her settled down with an older man for once, and they're living together, and he's very famous and very rich. My other headcanon is that Keeley dropped Shandy / her old friends after she got with Roy partly because there'd have been some wink-wink-nudge from those corners about "landing Roy Kent" (I have WAY too many thoughts about Keeley and Shandy, lol).

...Anyway. This is all to say. I think, between the two of them, Keeley might have been the one who vaguely considered that maybe marriage could be on the horizon as a next step, because she's a woman over 30 in circles where women over 30 get reminded of these things. Roy has the luxury of thinking about it less, because he decided years before the show that he wasn't going to get pressured into an early marriage just because it's The Done Thing.

I can believe Keeley and Roy never discussed marriage all through the year-odd they were dating, but I bet multiple people brought it up to Keeley unprompted, and to Roy also but to a lesser extent, and he was able to shrug it off way more easily. Keeley is probably dodging old friends who text her happy birthday and then are like "how are things going with RoyKent(TM)??" wink. babe you landed the big fish!! etc. etc.

SORRY THIS GOT SO LONG! this is like 80% headcanons that's partly inspired by me being A Sports Fan, partly by me overthinking Keeley's narrative, especially in S1 and S2 when she was still allowed to have neuroses and a meaningful friendship with Rebecca. But I'm ALWAYS thinking about Roy/Keeley not only as a ship but also in the context of the very specific gendered dynamics that exist among top-flight footballers and their partners, especially in the UK. It's just anthropologically fascinating to me, and I think S1 especially does a very good job of hinting at all the various nuances with Keeley's character.

[aeternallis]

Kim's Place in the Mafia: Novel vs Show

The one thing I can say without a doubt in my mind is that from the crumbs we get of Kim and Chay from the book and show, these two are obsessively in love with each other. So I'll say that now and get that squared away.

And I know, most of the fandom detest the book due to its problematic authors and will never read it, and that's completely valid. Furthermore, I will say now that the book is trash and hardly coherent at times. But as my favorite English scholar for Ancient Rome, Mary Beard, once said: "It's trash...but it's very valuable trash."

For what it's worth, reading the book at least once can provide a more nuanced understanding of why the showrunners made the changes they did in the show. The changes in and of themselves makes for a more cohesive story (SOO MUCH MORE COHESIVE), but it also goes without saying that a lot of the events in the show remain faithful to the novel, so in that regard, there is some merit to be had.

Finally, when I say the novel is "trash", I mean the narrative itself, not necessarily the translation (although it's not perfect by any means). If anything, I'm grateful for the translators who took the time to translate this novel into English, since translation is a thankless job most times in fandom (lookin' at you, MDZS). As I speak no Thai whatsoever, I can’t give an informed opinion on DAEMI's technical writing abilities, since I'm not a native speaker, nor am I the book's target audience.

But, I digress.

The more I reread the book (in all its trash glory), the more I find myself questioning Kim's views in regards to how he sees himself as part of a mafia family. 🤔

In the book, Kim is a lot more accepting of his place within the mafia, despite his initial tendencies of disappearing on his guards and staying away from the main house. In fact, that pretty much changes once Chay enters the picture.

Gotta love a Kinn who's curious about his little bro's love life. XD

Kim is firmly settled into the fold of the family business (if that scene in the secret warehouse is anything to go by) and there’s a scene in the beginning of the book where Korn obligates all 3 sons to dress up in some fancy suits and visit their chocolate factory, since he’s particularly keen on getting it off the ground. This shows that although Kinn is set to inherit (in public, at least) the other two sons still have their duties to the family.

In fact, I will say that one of the most interesting things about reading the book is finding out that Kim's sleuthing is actually canon. Lol Granted, it's sleuthing more in regards to finding the mole and not really about Korn's game plan, but sleuthing nonetheless.

But in the show, his role within the family business and how he views it are a little bit more foggy because he has his musical career to keep him occupied, besides his sleuthing into Korn’s affairs. He’s not active in the way one would typically expect a member of the mafia to be (and who knows, this may be due to limited time constraints on the part of the showrunners), but he’s active within that sphere nonetheless.

And because of this, contrary to the general fandom consensus, I never really got the impression that Kim wanted to be out of the mafia, yknow? Personally, I think it’s too big of a leap to say him moving out = him not wanting to be in the mafia. Having that sort of character motivation wouldn't really make sense either, because then we would have had stronger hints of it, I think?

At the very least, by the end of the show, Kim--just like Chay--has more reasons to stay than not. The way I see it, Kim wanting to be out of the mafia would actually somewhat contradict his actions in the show.

Despite his effort in staying away from the mansion his father and brothers live in (and later on, Chay), Kim benefits from being a Theerapanyakul. We see this in a lot of different ways: the penthouse he lives in, the cars he drives (he gets his own set of the Maserati fleet, yo), his private studio, the freedom of movement he has in being able to easily get information (although this may be debatable), using Big as a gopher.

I highly doubt his career as a young musician is maintaining his luxurious lifestyle (perhaps only a part of it, like the fame); imo, there’s a calculated reason why BOC chose to keep the level of his fame as vague as possible. The way I see it, Kim moved out and pursued music simply because, due to his unique position of being the youngest son (aka the spare), he just had the luxury to do so.

If he truly wanted out of the mafia, I'm firmly on the camp that he could have done so already. We've seen in both the show and the book that unlike Kinn who's constrained by his duties, Kim does have the freedom to disappear, even to the point that it's to his detriment at times. Lol

Maybe I can go even further, and suggest that perhaps the reason he chose to move out is to get a better vantage point of the circumstances surrounding his father's schemes and the ongoing tides of power. Kinda like, he has to move away from the trees, in order to see the entire forest.

I wouldn't go so far as to say he wants power for himself (although this idea would be fun to entertain, especially within the context that he now has Chay in his life to protect), but again, being a member (a high-ranking one, at that) of the Theerapanyakul family benefits him in a lot of different ways.

In one of BOC's interviews and then in Jeff's goodbye message during the last KPWT, he mentioned something about Pond changing up Kim's character in order to make Jeff Satur shine. Idk about y'all, but that's quite a touching gesture, and one I definitely approve of, whilst I get a better understanding of the similarities and differences between novel!Kim and show!Kim. It's obvious from the show that besides changing Kim's maturity level and changing his image from a fuck boi to a cool prince, giving him a passion for music definitely humanized him and served as a way to balance out the other two love stories.

But be that as it may, although we the audience don't know as to what extent Pond changed Kim's character to better fit the story, at the very least maintaining Kim's position as a legitimate contender in the politics of the mafia world remains consistent in both the book and show.

Whether that observation lines up with the idea that he wants out of the mafia though, is entirely up to you. XD

[tuxonomy]

The purpose; an introduction to 'tuxonomy'.

This is a blog I'm hosting in order to demonstrate the various activities & ventures I've been doing relating to my future endeavors (at the time of writing this).

Generally, you'll be finding program development, music & auditory experiments, blog writings adjacent to the aforementioned topics, & a plethora of posts pertaining to other topics not too astray from everything that's to be presented (e.g. Mathematics, Literature, etc.). Hobbies & career interests all around.

I have a very keen interest in trying new things, even if the sheer complexity that comes with delving into the science of it all is nothing short of terrifying, but what is that to dictate the way you do things? Personally, I believe that things can only be done to full effect when you commit to it. It's an idea that seems to gradually be fading, especially in an age where the internet has been gradually delegating much of its usable existence to predisposed, centralized websites & immediate gratification / assurance. It's not to say that daily processes have been greatly eased, where questions can be summed up by reddit posts with ETAs of about 3 seconds. That's a good thing. But for the many tasks that involve lower level understandings—that even desire them—such feats seem to be fading in favor of new, easier tactics that undermine several trivial aspects. This is what I wish to unravel in my journey through much more rule-aligned activities, such as coding & math. Finding the applications & asking "why" every turn of the way until I dig myself into the bedrock of assembly & whatever else that constitutes those at a subatomic level, exposing every triviality; &, most importantly, how can I use them for creative purposes?

Either way, it's all a collection of things I would love to deepen my interest in. Stick around, perhaps. Expect stuff soon.

[werewolfetone]

im begging you to tell me about Edward John Newell & his time as an informer & his disappearance. this will be your only warning.

*Rubs my hands together* right. Edward John Newell.

Firstly, this is him (from a sketch he did of himself, which was first published in his autobiography & was later reproduced by my good friend RR Madden for his The Life and Times of the United Irishmen)

And Mr. Newell was born in Downpatrick in 1771 to Scottish parents. He was noted to be a pathological liar even when he was a child, which. tbh. almost foreshadowed his future activities. Anyway, he had a bit of a falling out with his mother in 1788, which led him to seek work as a seaman. He gave up on that because it was too uncomfortable and eventually moved to Dublin to try and find a job, but couldn't hold one down for long, and when he asked for help his parents denied it to him due to the general animosity between them and due to his support for the United Irishmen. So, he moved to Belfast in 1796, became a portrait painter (despite apparently having little experience in art), and everything swiftly took a turn.

It's not... clear when he became an informer, exactly. It's probable that it was immediately, given that he later admitted to going around dressed like a British soldier with his face painted, pointing out United Irishmen to Lord Carhampton and a group of actual soldiers. Apparently he did this a lot, because Newell claimed to have put 227 people in prison this way, and to have forced upwards of 300 people to flee from their homes for fear of being arrested. Newell wasn't necessarily very good at being a spy, because instantly his superiors in the United Irishmen noticed that he was... overzealous in a weird way... but he did manage to stay under the radar for long enough that he wasn't killed at that point.

Also important: Newell had a friend called George Murdock (or Murdoch, I've seen it spelled both ways). Murdock was the opposite of him politically and also worked for the government and I.... remember reading somewhere that he was in the Orange Order, too, but I can't recall where so I can't provide a source for it. Anyway, the United Irishmen weren't keen on Newell's friendship with Murdock, leading to Murdock's house having to be placed under armed guard lest they try to kill him, but they stayed friends.

Eventually, Edward Cooke (the spymaster for the British government in Ireland at the time, basically. horrible man) brought Newell to Dublin Castle, where he questioned Newell for nine hours. Newell was more than happy to tell him everything, and in return he was rewarded with money and the opportunity to stay in Dublin Castle to learn more about being a spy. While there, he made an absolute nuisance of himself, including shooting at a guard because the guard was slightly too slow in opening the gate for him when he returned past midnight. He also testified before the government's incredibly creatively named (/s) Secret Committee, where he talked for a long time and later admitted that he had made much of his testimony up specifically to scare the people on the Secret Committee.

Eventually, Newell... I don't know, felt bad about what he was doing, maybe? Decided that it was time to change sides again? I don't know. Either way, he asked Cooke if he could stop being a spy, and Cooke agreed to put him into what was basically witness protection, which would allow him to live in England and resume his painting career. Newell could have just taken the offer and gone, but decided, I guess, that that was not enough, and so he wrote and published a book that detailed 1. how very sorry he was for being an informer; 2. everything about his time as an informer; and 3. every single thing he had told the government about the United Irishmen.

You may be thinking "wait that sounds incredibly stupid, why would he do that," which. yeah. I'm not sure why he decided that he needed to do that either. But he did, and predictably, both the government and the United Irishmen were livid. Also, so were the Defenders, who were the Catholic sectarian murder group, because Newell had talked a lot in his book about how they were cooperating with the United Irishmen. So Newell had pissed off not one, not two, but three groups that were all completely willing to kill people to get what they wanted.

But even this was not enough for him! Because it came out with this autobiography that Newell had been having a long-standing affair with Murdock's wife. This pissed off Murdock's people, and it made Murdock so angry that he broke into Newell's room in Dublin Castle to shoot at him multiple times (no one was injured and Murdock even went to jail for a day or two). Newell was evidently very attached to Murdock's wife, which is. kind of sweet I guess. but anyway. At this point, Newell's horrified friends started trying to get him to leave Ireland by any means possible. Remember, there were now four angry groups that wanted him dead, so if he stayed it was pretty much inevitable that he would get a bullet in the head. Newell would not, however, consent to leave without Murdock's wife, who Murdock did not want to let go because y'know... they were married. Since he would not leave immediately as he probably should have done, Newell's friends convinced him to come as far as Bangor, where he stayed in an inn while they tried to convince him to leave for America.

Before I go any further, I feel like I should clarify for people who may not know--there's an important difference between killing someone and disappearing someone. If you were killed by the United Irishmen, maybe they ambush you as you're walking along the road, shoot you and leave your body in the ditch, but your body's still there, and it will be found, and returned to your family, and they know what happened to you, etc etc. But if you were disappeared by the United Irishmen, they might grab you while you're walking along the road, or show up at your house and drag you away, or ambush you at a pub--either way they take you away, and no trace of you is ever seen again. Nobody knows what happened to you, where you are, if you're dead or alive, etc etc--it's almost like you've vanished off the face of the earth. This is often considered worse than killing someone because of the lack of closure, and it's also specifically a human rights violation apart from just normal murder according to the UN.

Having said that, you've probably guessed what happened to Newell. He was at his inn one night, drinking with his friends, and he walked away arm in arm with "two professed friends" who none of my sources name, and he was never seen again. There are conflicting accounts of what exactly happened to him. One says that he was shot to death on the road and his body was buried on the beach. One says that he was thrown off of a ship that was meant to take him to America. One says that they just drowned him. Madden kind of implies that he may have been put into what was basically a saw trap and fallen down a trap door with an axe murderer under it. I've even seen it kind of suggested that hey, maybe he did make it to America after all (unlikely tbh). Whatever happened, no trace of him was ever seen or heard from again. They did later find two separate skeletons that were both theorised to have possibly been him--one under the beach in Bangor in the 1820s, another under the foundation of the house with the axe murderer hole in the 1810s. The other thing all of these accounts agree on is that the United Irishmen were the ones who did it, and that those who did it specifically were probably Newell's own former colleagues.

[unhingedwomandiaries]

I'm on my lunch "break" trying to make it through another afternoon when the local rag catches my severely underpaid eye. Turns out the corporate behemoth that represented my first faltering steps into theworkaday world after securing an Associate's in Dante's Semantics is currently a flaming shit-tornado of red ink and shuttered retailers. Now, I'm not usually one to revel in economic failure, but this particular scenario brought a distinctly smug smirk to my perpetually bemused face. Why? I'll tell you why.

Rewind to 2008. I'm 18, freshly molded by the indoctrination farm we call "higher education," and grinding it out behind the deli counter for crumbs. My direct superior is this human-sized naked mole rat whose very existence seems to mock the concepts of joy and intellectual curiosity. She's been at this soul-eroding gig for a quarter-century, a factoid she wears like a tarnished badge of poor life choices. The staff don't mind her, but I absolutely despise her and with good reason.

On one particularly regrettable afternoon, two dudes rolled up to my station sharing casual intimacy and domestic bliss generally afforded to the straight world. No big whoop to me because love is love, as the youngs are fond of saying. But not for Helga, the Hun. She straight-up announced her refusal to serve those "kinds of people" because homosexuality violated her archaic belief system. Just like that her moral objection transformed into open discrimination.

So I did what any quasi-intelligent 18-year-old would do: I ratted her bigoted ass out. But the manager, a tall, imposing black woman, hit me with a hairball of back-asswards logic. Since Olfactorily Challenged Olga had been disgracing that establishment for longer than I had, I'd be the one catching a pink slip if I kept whinging.

When I suggested she envision that scenario with the colors reversed, she labeled me a racist which was ridiculously off-base. I may have emerged from an albino armpit of rural America, but I'm no cross-burning redneck yahoo. I just figured if discrimination is unethical for one group, it's unethical for all groups. Wild concept, I know.

Anyway, I brought my troubles to the ineffectual worker's union. Those conflict-avoidant losers essentially told me to get bent. Most of my co-workers were similarly unhelpful, unmotivated clods just keen on collecting their Ho-Ho funds. Except x, the chronically stoned smoothbrain who couldn't have cared less since he wasn't part of the demographic being victimized.

Eventually, the manager got word of my irksome advocacy and promised to squash me like a remorseful roach. I could've stuck around to be slowly drained of hope and self-respect, but screw that noise. I cut bait and moved on to an equally joyless fast-food post. It was a lateral career move at best.

But I'm still savoring this glorious collapse of the outdated, actively discriminatory company that kicks off my craptastic professional journey. They cultivated an environment of open hostility and injustice, so I hope their vacant hovels serve as a lingering monument to moral bankruptcy. Let their struggle inspire others to finally evolve past their ignorant prejudices or just go hungry, I don't care. Those intolerant dipsticks have been on the wrong side of history for far too long.

[everythingbap]

🎤 Timid Magazine: Bang Yongguk on the road to 3: his third EP, from studio to stage

Bang Yongguk

On the road to 3: his third EP, from studio to stage

-

Talent: Bang Yongguk @bangstergram

Photos: My Music Taste @mymusictaste.official, YY Entertainment @yy_ent

By Jiselle Liu

Bang Yongguk (also stylized as BANG YONGGUK) is perhaps best known as a member of South Korean boy group B.A.P, where he served as their leader and main rapper. But even before that, he was already making waves in the music industry, releasing his single album “I Remember” and featuring in Song Ji-Eun’s number one single, “Going Crazy” in 2011. Over the years, he continued to explore solo work with tracks like “AM 4:44” and “Yamazaki,” and in 2019, he released his full album, BANGYONGGUK.

Following the release of his first two EPs, 2 in 2022 and The Colors of Love in 2023, his latest, titled 3, dropped on a significant date for the artist this year. “When we decided to release the album 3 in March, I wondered what the most special day in March would be,” Bang says. “I thought that my birthday, which is on the last day of March, would be the most meaningful.”

Admittedly, as someone relatively new to the world of K-pop, I had not been familiar with Bang’s work, both under B.A.P and as a soloist. Nevertheless, it was easy to get drawn into his latest mini album, especially with the accompanying official videos that were released with each song.

3 features six tracks, with “MOVIMENTO” and “BAD” serving as the title tracks. “BAD,” which features artist YOUHA, in particular, stood out to me with how they contrasted each other lyrically, vocally, and visually in the song and music video.

Wrapped in a brightly colored blanket, Bang sings repeatedly in the chorus, "I'm feeling bad, bad, ba-a-ad." His glum demeanor is particularly striking against his more vibrant surroundings, amplifying his sense of loneliness rather than offering comfort. He laments being interested in a girl who seems keen on playing games, spending much of the song staring into space. The one time he cracks a smile is when YOUHA’s vocals first enter the song. YOUHA, who only appears via a video call on his tablet, looks more confident and playful, singing “I know you want me, but I'm kind of busy.” Although visually, it seems as if viewers are invited into his perspective, the upbeat melody pulls us into hers as well.

This recent release explores new sounds, and some have noted that both title tracks are a bit of a departure from Bang’s signature broodier style. But while his new music has surprised, it has not disappointed. “I feel like the range of my music has expanded a lot,” says Bang, reflecting on his music evolution since he began his solo career. “By incorporating various genres, tempos, and different stories from my life, I now have solo tracks that cover a wide range of themes.”

Bang actively participated in writing, composing, and arranging all six tracks in 3. “This EP was inspired a lot by the recent world tour,” he says. “I wanted to enjoy the performances with more audiences in a more exciting way. That's why I decided to challenge myself with genres and tempos of music that I hadn't tried before.”

Not wasting any time after the release, Bang embarked on his US tour, III. He performed in 11 cities across the month of April, starting in Brooklyn and concluding in Los Angeles. Fresh off his tour, he shares his thoughts on his latest mini album, his creative process, and his experiences on the road.

Timid Magazine: Congratulations on the comeback and tour! Looking back on your US tour, what was a memorable moment—on or off stage—that you can share with us?

Bang Yongguk: It was a tour that started right after releasing the new album 3, and the most memorable moment on stage was when the fans sang along to the songs from the new album. It was a moment where I could feel the love.

TM: What inspired you to release a video for each track on the album?

BYG: I always try to focus on both music and visualizers. This is because I believe that music has become not only something to listen to but also something to see and a part of the performance on stage. Therefore, I wanted to create a visualizer for every song on the album. Just like the process of making music, we spent a considerable amount of time with the team preparing for overseas locations, and I feel that we have created a great piece of work.

TM: During filming the videos, was there a specific experience, challenge, or highlight that stands out for you?

BYG: The moments preparing for the shoot by going to France ahead of the music video filming date and scouting the location in Nantes are still vivid in my memory. After finishing the location scouting, we would always have long meetings with the team to decide on the filming concepts. Sometimes, we would share our opinions and work on creating a piece of art together until the sun rose. Even though it was tough, those times made me feel alive.

TM: Can you elaborate on your creative process? Do the lyrics typically come first, or does the melody? Does your approach differ depending on the song?

BYG: When making music, I don't focus more on either writing lyrics, composing, or arranging. Each of these tasks requires significant choices and concentration. I think the process of building up each part like constructing a building day by day is more important. In fact, I often tend to give up personal time or hobbies. Music has become both my work and a companion in life.

TM: My favorite track on the album is one of the title tracks, “BAD.” Can you tell us a bit about how this collaboration with YOUHA came about?

BYG: When I needed a female vocalist for “BAD,” YOUHA was the first person who came to mind. I often listen to YOUHA's music and really wanted to work with her at least once. Considering the theme of the song, as well as the visual aspects and vocal skills, I thought YOUHA would be the perfect fit for this song, so I reached out to her. I trusted my intuition, and as expected, we completed an excellent track. I would like to take this opportunity to thank YOUHA once again.

TM: The track “NUMB” stands out with all-English lyrics, while your other title track “MOVIMIENTO” incorporates a little bit of Spanish in the lyrics. During your songwriting process, what factors influence which language you use in a song?

BYG: After finishing the track, I usually decide on the language based on the feel of the track. When I used Spanish with the garage sound, it felt mysteriously fitting. Rather than planning it out in advance, I tend to follow the feeling during the work process. It would be great if I had the opportunity to perform it during a South American tour.

TM: Beyond live shows, what are some ways you hope to connect with your fans this year?

BYG: I want to tell you a lot of good news that fans will enjoy. The biggest plan of the year is to prepare a project that I have to wrap up personally and give you some surprising news.

TM: Looking back on your career so far, what has been the most rewarding experience for you as an artist?

BYG: When I was younger working part-time, I told my friends that I would definitely take the music I made to America and play it for them. Who would have thought it would come true? Rather than being sure about that dream, I trusted myself and tried harder. I think it's very rewarding to be traveling around the world and achieving those dreams right now.

TM: Is there any message you’d like to share with your fans?

BYG: Dear and respected fans. I would not have grown this far without you. Thank you for your support and love. I will try my best to repay you.

TM: Now that you’re back from touring, what’s next for you that you can share with us?

BYG: I want to complete my summer plans and go on a long trip alone. I haven't had a particularly relaxing day this year. I feel I need a long time to reflect on myself again. I look forward to the day I will greet you again with new news. Thank you!

‍

Disclaimer: This interview was edited for length and clarity.

[victorluvsalice]

Fortunately, it was around this time that I discovered that, hey, all those satisfaction points he’s earned from fulfilling various aspiration goals? Yeah, those can just buy a Potion of Curse Cleansing. Time to get rid of this damn Overcharge curse so he can repair things magically again without fear! I mean, that main lobby toilet at the lab breaks a fair bit, I’ve noticed. . .

Anyway, with his duel won, Emmett headed off to work, to trade magical mischief for sciencial mischief. Specifically, in addition to the usual prompts to force his coworkers to clean and change clothes (does that have to be a work goal EVERY TIME?), the lab asked Emmett to upgrade his SimRay with a new mind control option -- Eat! Though, in the course of testing it, it worked a bit more like “Drink,” frankly -- Emmett’s coworkers kept getting glasses of water and sodas out of the fridge. As you might imagine, getting to the toilet became kind of a priority for them! Poor Mortimer and Perry and the rest -- I do feel kinda sorry for them. At least Emmett got a bit of karma for tormenting them so -- namely, his attempts to work out after his OWN lunch didn’t go so well. What you get for trying an incline without proper preparation, Emmett!

[1111jenx]

How would Lilith in 5th house :)??

Hey there:)

I'm trying my best to finish my Lilith series aw I'm so glad you guys reasonate with my posts🖤

Lilith 5fth house

The 5fth house is the house of sexuality, pleasure, creativity, and children.

Ruled by the luminous Sun. When Lilith entered this house, she simply thrives. In terms of sex, while 8H talks more about transformative sex, healing sex or "making love"; 5H is based of pleasure, of fulfilling one's primal needs.

Lilith here could have various strings of one night stands. 5H like to be pleased and Lilith likes to dominate. These natives are like dangerous lions in bed, they put the D in BDSM. They're serial daters, people see them as higly desirable and attractive. Almost similar to 7H Lilith here as they attract others using Lilith energy but they are way less mysterious and are instead more upfront, all it takes is their smile and others will want to bow down.

Fun. Fun. Fun. Adrenaline and serotonin is like a drug to them. Activities that allow them to lead, to be in control will get them excited. Life of the party. Others would want to have then at gatherings. They shine naturally and can turn the most innocent actions to something provocative.

As children (5H) they may have had issues with showing their more promiscuous side or even simply their darker side. They felt as if they're the only one who has these values about sex, about art and life in general. Creatively tortured.

These natives are horrified of emotions and something thats below the surface. This is perhaps why many of them chose to stay like this, their promiscuity is their mask. They HATE it when others try to guess their emotions

^ Either this or they're very keen about who they let into their circle, as they understand that the pleasure is truly what makes them stay. Would never stay with someone who doesn't give them the light and energy they crave. They NEED that fire. That feeling of eyes meeting in a crowded bar. They love a good challenge.

Complex relationship with children(5H). Can put up with them but get scared by the thought of having children (esp HARSH aspects to personal aspects). Lilith is nor the Moon or Venus, she's not even as nearly as maternal like the two. In her world, it is her and the unknown. The idea of pregnancy scares these people.

Once they grow older and matured as time passes, this dynamic will likely change. They will be more open towards children.

Their traumatic childhood may contribute to why they don't want children, feel like children will take aways their "freedom" or personal power. Deeply scared of true intimacy. Lilith rebels from traditional values and the ideas of "settling down" freak these people out.

They have great luck in business as their charming nature are very contagious. People perceive them as calculating but determined.

Lilith's willpower makes her see things for what they really are. They understand that eventually the fun must stop. This ignites the fire in them, thinking about endings.

Lilith 5H individuals adore tortured artist, they're amazed at paintings where the artist can correctly captured the rawest and most primal side of human.

The type of people to look at a piece of art and immediately get the meaning behind it. They know it's their flaky nature that some might underestimate them and grow jealous of them, yet they see this as a compliment.

To these people, attention from enemies are a reward. They will never beg for anything. Prideful. These natives do not like to be vulnerable.

Creative in bed. Can honestly make great politicians if they wanted to. Art comes to them naturally.

Proud of their Lilith, they embrace Lilith trait and let her take over when needed, in fun settings. gathering with loved ones and close friends, the signs their lilith are in now shine and dominate over others.

Lucks when it comes to careers. Their personal lives may be messy, scandalous and inappropriate even. But they truly don't pay much attention. To them, jealousy is the biggest compliment others can give.

The ideal partner. Others crave their fun and relaxed nature, they hide great pain and past trauma so deep down that sometimes, they drown themselves in partis and pleasures, in sex and lust to forget.

People talk about them. They just do. But not in the way people talk about Lilith 7H. But others are more curious about their next conquest, who they're sleeping with.

Their long term partner should be similar to them. Someone who's detached, cold and rational but knows how to open them up. They need a strong partner who will have their back. Lilith is in a fixed house after all. To them, betrayal is a slap to their faces.

Hardworkers if well aspected. Know that in order to have fun they have to earn it. If have harsh placements to sun, saturn or MC, will then very likely to "sleep their way to the top"

Here are some of the basics I've noticed so far:) Lemme know your opinions!Let's discuss it together🖤

[kwkiyong]

hallo hallo! so excited to be here, it's been 6 years since i've rped on tumblr... happy to be back :D

quick rundown of kiyong/axel:

competitive skater, part of the south korean national team, an active olympian. used to train overseas but decided to return to korea as he approaches his 20s

why? well, one is bc of financial costs. he can't keep making his parents fund his career when his younger sister is a budding volleyball player recently accepted in to the national setup (if anyone wants to play the sister, hmu)

another is bc he's been influenced by the hallyu wave, esp netflix (hahaha). who says olympians don't follow pop culture?

he didn't have a normal upbringing, having had to skip school a lot and spend majority of his time training

so now he wants to try living a normal life (as if he can)

but oho, at kyungwon he's able to try new sports and somehow he's keen on ice hockey (which he tried when he was younger) ... to the displeasure of his coach :p

a huge part of him is conflicted on whether he wants to continue skating - he did participate in the 2022 beijing winter olympics but didn't medal. the old chronic injuries keep coming back (and are starting to stack ..) but he still has more jumps and techniques to perfect

the older he gets, the more he hates the sinister part of the sport he loves - his athlete friends being caught doping (unwillingly), the high profile ones turning to gambling and drugs as methods to destress, and how his success in the sport has caused the korea skating union management to use him for internal political warfare

he just wants to be a normal 20 year old worrying about normal stuff, not corruption and exploitation of underaged athletes

random facts

he loves to snack and has only been able to get away with his snack breaks when he started to podium at the senior level competitions. bless his high metabolism or else he'd be crucified for eating so much chocolate bars in between trainings. you can consider him as the doraemon of snacks (ask and you shall receive)

he is super lame (as in he loves deadpan humour, puns, memes and pop culture). very gen z. makes his coach suffer through a generation gap identity crisis every 2 business days

despite his lame personality, he has a very cold ~ aura ~ so he's been called ice prince many times and comes off as unapproachable

undecided major bc he's soul searching

his family started off as lower middle income when he was born, but as he progressed in his skating career, his family gradually became okay financially. however he still worries about his parents' retirement funds + sister's volleyball training costs and has been secretly putting aside money for them

kiyong likes to go by his korean name off the rink but insists on being called axel when discussing his ice skating endeavours. it's a separation of personal vs professional lives thing. no promises that he won't throw his ice boots at you if a lame axel pun is made

oh, his parents gave him the middle name of axel bc his father got tear eyed watching a beautiful double axel jump when his mother was pregnant with kiyong :p

he has yet to do his military service, and is strategising to win gold at the asian winter games before he retires so he can go for the reduced military service option instead

very particular with money management - he's learned to budget since he was 7 years old so you can spot him at flea markets trying his best to out-haggle other ahjummas for bargain deals

likes to thrift clothes and into environmental activism (bc winter sports will die out if the planet continues to get hotter)

i'm still setting up his bio page up but can always hit me up in the DMs to plot! am open for anything :D

[trashlie]

I'm loving all your ILY posts! I've also seen your comments on reddit and I enjoy reading your insightful analysis there, too. I would like to know your thoughts on Kousuke and Alyssa. Do you think they will become narrative foils? I noticed they were acting awkwardly around each other too (it kind of reminds me of how annoyed Soushi reacts around Maya) and she seems to have a crush on him 👀 I think she'll be used to contrast how he's still capable of redemption. 1/?

I mean Yui groomed them both successfully. They have shown to emulate her behavior, value their reputation over other people's feelings, and refuse to take accountability for their actions against Shin Ae and Nol. But unlike Kousuke, Alyssa has shown no hint of remorse or even guilt. 2/?

Waaahh thank you so much, anon! Isn't it silly that I still go :O when I realize people actually enjoy what I have to say? I started yelling into the void on tumblr because I got worried I was too active on reddit and I was possibly annoying people lmaooooo so I'm actually really glad you're able to find me on both platforms! It means a lot that I'm not just yelling into a total void.

If you don't mind, I'm breaking your ask down into two parts, because I might leave somethin off/this will get too long if I keep it all in one lol. BUT you bring up things I love to think about!!!!! So!!!!!

I think we are deliberately kept in the dark about Alyssa - whether it's to subvert the scheming girl trope, I'm not sure, but there's a lot of things we don't know about her and that's definitely on purpose. She's a character who probably won't be revealed more to us for a while yet, too, which is frustrating if only because I want to know everything NOW, but it does serve to make her more interesting.

Alyssa's interest in Kousuke is so obvious I can't believe I never noticed it in my original reads. I've seen this brushed off as "She just admires him" and I'm just like... she actually sulked for a moment about Kousuke leaving! Meanwhile she was straight up all but telling Nol she'll help him pack his bags lmao.

I feel like the cast of her shadow is deliberate, too, but look at that face. Sulking.

Compare with

There's room to argue that we can't see Alyssa's face when she first tells him she won't stop him, but she kind of makes it abundantly clear that Nol being away doesn't really affect her. And, I mean, look at how their relationship is conducted. She's bragged to Meg that she and Nol are so casual and cool and easy breezy.

(I guess that means there ALSO is room to argue that Alyssa is putting on a front and just saying this to make sure people think her relationship is great, but the only People who know is Meg. And as a people pleaser, if Alyssa felt uncomfortable with the casual nature of her relationship with Nol, wouldn't she actually do more to make the relationship more of what she wants? Notably during the conversation on the balcony, she basically tells Nol this isn't really her dream relationship, which leads to the admission that they are together not for each other but for the benefits they each get so......)

Kousuke is the one who confuses me the most, because it strikes me as really weird that Yui has used Alyssa as leverage before against Kousuke. "You should bring a date, Kousuke, Alyssa will be there." What does this mean? What does it have to do with him and why would it entice him to bring anyone, anyway? I'm still really baffled on this one, tbh. Something that really stood out to me was during the dinner when Nol finally revealed he was planning to attend Oxford, Kousuke was distracted by his own news that the CFO position would be opening. In fact, when Nol mentions attending Oxford later, Kousuke seems to act like this is his first time hearing it.

Nol takes note of Kousuke's state of distraction before he finally starts talking about his plan.

The way quim does the dialogue and suddenly Kousuke's interest returning is.... interesting isn't it? From the moment Nol notes Kousuke's disinterest, we don't see his face again until Rand brings up Alyssa. Quim doesn't do anything without reason - in a movie, you wouldn't waste film on Kousuke's interesting returning at the mention of Alysa unless it meant anything, right?

There's so many little moments that make me go what the heck is going on here, too.

What the heck is up with THIS? Why does Kousuke deliberate SO LONG before he calls Alyssa? Like, do I think he's really so weirded out about calling his younger brother's girlfriend, considering he has one of his younger brother's own friends reporting on him and at his beck and call? You can't convince me that he's hesitant only because Alyssa is the sister of Meg. It just seems too wary.

And yes, this moment here?

It really does have the same tone as Soushi's wariness of Maya, except is Kousuke wary of Alyssa in the same way? Is he wary of her intentions? This one is so hard for me to read, because frankly, at this point it's hard to tell if Kousuke even cares about Nol as a brother or because he was forced to and he feels deep-buried remorse for the way he treated him and doesn't know how to handle it. Is he just aware of Alyssa's keen interest in him and that puts him on edge? Would he even care about Alyssa's keen interest unless she starts to get pushy?

I HONESTLY HAVE NO IDEA and frankly, it drives me nuts, so I love to discuss this and see what other people have to say. I'd never even noticed how long he deliberates before finally calling her until someone on reddit pointed that out.

lmao this so much preamble to get to the point but anyway YES they are absolutely parallels and I do wonder if they would become foils. Again, it's hard to know with Alyssa because we've been deliberately shielded so much of her personality right now and it's hard to tell what's real and what's not with her. The way that she worries about Shinae telling Nol what she did absolutely reads to me as a lack of remorse, but maybe I'm just projecting because we haven't been given much reason to like her lol. Shinae definitely makes it seem like Alyssa never actually apologized and the way Shinae just brushes it off makes me feel like there was never actual, proper closure. What Alyssa did is worse than just causing her injury: it was why she did it and how she reacted like Shinae was something dirty and how dare she even talk to her even though Shinae probably just wanted to know why Alyssa stopped being friends with her. Maybe she was even seeking closure at the time.

In the same way that Nol and Shinae are mirrors, Kousuke and Alyssa are their parallel abusers, grooming victims of Yui, those who care more about their image and reputation than anything else and have hurt others (Nol and Shinae) in their quest to fill the role. We still don't know if Alyssa dated Nol because she genuinely had a crush (doubtful so far) or because she figured out the family he's from and wanted to get closer. I try so hard to give her the benefit of the doubt but narratively we aren't privy to that yet. Also, have you noticed that Nol and Shinae both have a relationship of some kind with each others' abuser? This mirror and their parallel abusers thing is INTRICATELY woven.

That's what makes it so difficult to tell if she'll become a foil or merely a parallel that highlights what Nol and Shinae have been through. We know Kousuke will receive a redemption arc, because he's a main character, and also because I think part of subverting his trope is that he has to take responsibility for his past actions, rather than being loved in spite of the things he's done or whatever. In order for Kousuke to proper and develop further, he has to be held accountable and he has to break free of his family. Can we trust the same for Alyssa? At this point, she doesn't want to lose Nol because she knows if she loses him, she can just as easily lose her career and access to the world she's only just gained access to (and if she were to lose it all right now, it would be worse for her because she'd have all those trainee fees to pay back).

I think both Kousuke and Alyssa are likely in for a very public airing of their sins; for Kousuke it may come in the form of the expose YuJing is working on, collateral damage in the quest to take down Yui. I also think the only way to nudge Kousuke to change is that his image has to take a hit in some form. Is it that Rand isn't his father? Is it a reveal that he abused his brother? Is it whatever happened in the past that Nol got in trouble for was caused by Kousuke and he let Nol take the blame? Likewise, I think the fact that people knew Alyssa in middle school means she's not so safe, either; what if one of the girls from after school duty reveals what happened? Surely there were rumors going around school about what happened - Shinae is out of school, Alyssa is pulled from school, kids talk. Frankly, a scandal like that could ruin her career, and worse, if Nol knew what she had done, would he be able to remain shackled to her?

While I know Kousuke won't immediately take responsibility for his actions, I've always believed that such a catalyst would at least make him start thinking about it and force him to admit it. It wouldn't happen over night, but in time it will. But will Alyssa? Would she deny the allegations? Would she just shift blame, insist that it was all an accident, that it wasn't bullying like you think? (Cos look, I do believe it was an accident, but there's a way to call it an accident and still admit fault and blame; but just as easily you can call it an accident and try to shirk responsibility.)

I do love the idea of her being a foil for Kousuke, an Aesop's fable, if you will, of what happens when you barter with the devil (Yui). I'm not opposed to the scheming female character type, but I do oppose it when they take down others to raise themselves up, and if that's the way Alyssa will end up doing it, then I'll be happy to watch her fall. If she can scheme and use her connections without hurting people then hey power to ya. Unlike Alyssa, Kousuke never had a chance to evade Yui, and being able to walk away from her as an adult will be a choice he can make. Alyssa loses... so much if she breaks her deal.

I guess that's the thing about where she and Nol are in their relationship now - it's been made clear he's hanging in here because he's forced to and as a sort of act of self-sabotage, full well knowing she's here because she's taking advantage of the opportunities that "dating" him brings so... if they're in an agreement, is it okay to watch her climb right now? She leaves me conflicted and I know it's largely because she's one of the characters we know just enough to hate but so little to justify. Could it be that it all just got out of hand for her? At first she just wanted friends, was trying to find a place to belong, something good in a life that deprived her of social connections. And then comes along Yui, seducing her with ideas of fame and fortune? Was the desire to be loved and admired so strong it powered over the need to fit in with friends and she readily cast them off? Did she not anticipate what it would actually mean, thought she could have her cake and eat it, too? The way she responds to Nol's texts, and the fact that Dieter and Soushi ask him about her, means she probably isn't even in touch with them at all anymore. Idk, I really look forward to seeing their dynamic pre-idol Alyssa, because I want to know how she fit with them, what was it like?

And then, because this was supposed to be about foils lmao you have the fact that Shinae basically foils both Alyssa and Kousuke in regard to Nol, both as a person who cares about him and also as "a good friend" vs "the person I'm currently seeing" lmao like, everyone is literally set to juxtapose each other and man, I'll never get over how well this has been done lmao. Compared to Kousuke and Alyssa, Shinae is the one who accepts responsibility even when it's difficult, who knows when and how to swallow her pride (even if she's not the one who should) and I think it's why she is the one seen a the champion at Nol's side - they are the ones who care little for their images and who know how to apologize (even when they aren't the ones who should be) and that's why they are at each other's sides.

So yes, this is a very long essay response lol to essentially say: I'm still undecided if I think Alyssa will become a foil or merely remain a parallel. I would love to see her redeem herself but something tells me not all characters in this story will be redeeamable. Maybe one day we'll understand her motivation, even if we don't agree with it. I hope at the very least she makes peace with Shinae, but I get the feeling she'll be forced into it (as in, her secret gets ousted) and that's not as satisfying, but hey, if it helps Shinae then I'm for it.

A friend of mine has mused that maybe Alyssa will be the one to oust the secret herself and I'm ngl, I like that idea though it does feel kind of vindictive towards her character. Maybe accidentally spilling it to Nol would be the segue to a couple episodes from her POV though!

Gosh this was so long I'm so sorry lmao but please follow up with your thoughts and feelings, too, or if this made you think of anything or what! I think at this point in the story we've been given a lot of information but we just don't have enough of it to totally piece together what we're supposed to be seeing. I think Kousuke and Alyssa's weirdness around each other is very deliberate, though, and I'm not sure "She's Meg's sister" is enough to warrant so many panels of Kou being SO WEIRD about her, you know? Am I missing thing? Is there more to be revealed? Are we just blind? lmao Aaaahhhhhhhhhhh

[llendrinall]

I'm with you on how terrible we found Fantastic Beasts. Now let me ask, how would you have written/built the Fantastic Beasts storyline?

I have not watched the 3rd movie so it’s possible that they have managed to turn it all around, but to start with I would give some actual connection to the movies beyond the title and characters. Otherwise it just feels like those children books: “X goes to the park”, “X in the supermarket”, where we see the same people in different situations but they are disconnected from each other.

I probably would have gone a different route all together, but suppose Warner has already hired the actors and started building the sets so we must use at least some elements from the movies. In that case I would make a story of discovery and reflection in three parts, with narcissism being the main theme.

First movie

Newt goes to NY with his magical bag. Most of the film is the same, but we get a sense of Newt being less childish (less painfully obvious and thinly surreptitious wand waving around muggles) and a bit more selfish. However, we should like him more for it.

Newt is, to the society of the time, completely mental. Rather than going on hunts and collecting trophies, he is recuing animals! I would emphasize that the animals he keeps have been compromised and can’t be safely returned to their habitats and since conditions and wizarding zoos are deplorable, he keeps them with him. The exception is that thunder bird he has come to release.

And that’s his goal, releasing the thunder bird, which he pursues with extreme focus. He doesn’t care about anything else which is why he is so open to Jacob the Muggle. Newt could be imprisoned* and Jacob would be obliviated into a stupor, but Newt doesn’t care about personal risks so he doesn’t care about the danger he poses to others. He is selfish that way. A generous kind of selfishness, sure, but dangerous.

I’m sorry, but the President of the MACUSA is not a woman nor a POC. It must be a white man surrounded by white men, one of whom might be either Catholic or Jewish and that’s all the diversity you see. Are there POC wizards? Yes. But not in positions of power. There is a bigger emphasis on the separation of wizards and No-Maj, with waaay more surveillance and harsher punishments. Suspicion alone may be enough to break your wand in some cases.

* And that’s how I could believe that POC wizards and witches (WWs from now on because “magicals” sounds weird) aren’t intervening in muggle spaces. They must be suffering similar levels of racism. They are tolerated, maybe they have better prospects that POC muggles, but that’s it. I can’t believe none of them would show some solidarity to the Non-Maj, unless it meant being summarily executed.

(Oh, and there would be this scene in which we see law-abiding and conscientious Tina stalking the house of an African-American muggle family. Nothing is said of it, other that Tina used to work with a muggle-born partner but now she works alone. Keen-eyed viewers will notice some hoodo trinkets in Tina’s flat, and a photograph of Tina with an African American woman, and then we will know).

I don’t remember Credence’s storyline very well, but it doesn’t matter. What is important is that Graves (powerful white man Graves) develops some sort of empathy. He doesn’t want it, but it’s there in his heart now. Maybe something with Newt’s animals. Some “beast” (look at how they say beasts and not animals) should have maimed and eaten Graves, but doesn’t because Newt is there in all his animal-loving glory. Graves gets to see the monster as merely a scared and hurt animal and learns to treat others with some decency and kindness.

That would be a nice classic movie, (prejudiced man gets over himself), but we can’t end it here. I would even allow for Tina’s scene stalking the house to be cut in order to have time for the climax: the moment when Graves realizes his society and his government may not always be right and defies direct orders by helping Credence. As I said, I don’t remember what the deal with Credence was, but Graves fixes it. There will be a personal cost to his career, but losing a promotion is nothing compared to saving a life, which is what he does. No ambiguous explosion or cloud of smoke. Credence is evidently and irrevocably safe at the cost of Graves being demoted.

There is no Gellert Grindelwald whatsoever, except maybe some government secretary mentioning they like that guy from Europe.

Second movie

Set in London rather than Paris. Newt receives the visit from a lovely, lovely, gentleman who, as it turns out, doesn’t think Newt is a fool. The charming gentleman asks Newt about the dragons, specifically the ones in Gringotts and oh, oh, Newt is against it. It’s abominable and unethical. But Newt would rather not think too much about it because, what can he do? He would rather focus on helping those he can and on spreading his thoughts on animal conservation. He is publishing a journal, although he admits it doesn’t do too well. He has twelve subscribers and seven of them openly mock his papers during dinner parties.

The charming gentleman says, but what if Newt could do something about it? What would Newt be willing to do? Would he break the law?

Newt laughs. He is forbidden from leaving the country. He is no stranger to jumping, crossing, tampering or breaking the law.

Marvelous! The charming gentleman reveals that he, like Newt, is unhappy with their society. It is weak and corrupt* and someone must do something about it. They have to fix it.

So the charming gentleman introduces Newt to some other like-minded friends and together they plan a heist to get into Gringotts and release the dragons. It is time to build a society one can feel proud of!

We get the heist, which is clever and delightful. The charming gentleman is brave, smart and powerful with his magic. There is a moment when some of the co-conspirators, and even the charming gentleman himself, get inside some vaults. This is not what they had planned! Not at all. But the charming gentleman assures Newt that he has good reasons.

They get out. And here comes the Nagini moment. Meaning I really, really, really, don’t need to see an Asian woman condemned to whatever that was in the second movie. I don’t need to have beautiful Neville kill a woman who has been turned into a snake and then a Horcrux.

But, do you want an “oh no” moment? Here it comes.

Because of the heist, Gringotts revises their security measures. That poor dragon in Deathly Hallows? The one with scars who had been conditioned to fear a certain sound? Newt’s fault. And the charming gentleman doesn’t care.

We have established in the previous movie that Newt is somewhat selfish and short-sighted. He rejects his society and cares only about his animals which is very nice. Newt is well intentioned, but that is not enough. Not caring about politics is the privilege of those in the elite (and despite Newts’ eccentricities he is very much the elite). The previous movie had Graves’ awakening. The man discovering something about himself in this movie is Newt.

Newt realizes that he must be an active participant in society. Sadly, he only realizes it after he has helped Gellert Grindelwald steal a number of very important artefacts as well as some gold to fund his project to reform Europe.

The epilogue of the movie has Albus Dumbledore visiting Newt, telling him not to be too hard on himself because he, Dumbledore, also fell for Gellert lies. And if Newt wants to do something about it, Dumbledore has some ideas.

* History fans might not realize immediately, but hopefully they will catch on the fact that all of the beautiful arguments from the charming gentleman are about weakness of the state, which is a common fascist trope.

Third movie

In which characters from previous movies are brought back without having to completely destroy their personalities.

Graves is in Europe and he pays a visit to Newt to ask for his help. Graves is using his new found empathy (that he didn’t want) to investigate a series of highly suspicious murders and incidents. The victims were all Latinas so it was dismissed, but Graves thinks there is something.

Two scenes later in comes Tina, who has quitted her job in order to track the murderer of some friend’s friend. An African American child is dead, no it was not the No-Maj, it was someone else, someone who wanted to cover their tracks and leave no witnesses and Tina is going to eat their heart.

Is it possible that Graves and Tina are after the same person? Yes and no. It is two different henchmen but Dumbledore has no trouble going beyond the small picture to see the pattern. He knows Grindelwald always had an interest in powerful artefacts, not just the Deathly Hallows.

Grindelwald has stolen the Macguffin, a powerful artefact belonging to a Latin-American community. With that and the Elder Wand he will be unstoppable. Oh no!

But! Newt realizes there is something missing. The raven is not a symbol of death in all cultures. Grindelwald might not fully understand what he has taken or how to use it.

So Graves and Tina go fight Grindelwald’s organization and be awesome together, delaying Grindelwald’s big coup. Meanwhile, Newt illegally leaves the country, goes back to NY, takes Queenie and deploys her. Because Queenie is nice. She plays the vapid pretty woman, but she is above all nice and if someone can make a hurt and distrustful community open their door to strangers, it is going to be Queenie with the help of Jacob’s bread.

And, indeed! They succeed. The bruja Latina explains about the Macguffin. Grildelwald doesn’t understand what he has stolen. It is not meant to be used like that at all.

They go back to Europe quickly, Newt relays this information to Dumbledore and he steps to his duel with Grindelwald armed with the knowledge and insight that comes from showing some measure of respect to other people for once.

(And if it seems that Dumbledore’s victory rests on other people’s work, well, Dumbledore’s main trait is his ability to earn people’s trust and devotion. But I guess Newt and Queenie could have brought the bruja with them and after a nice chat with Dumbledore she agrees to share their secrets with him, so he has the opportunity to show he is different).

Rather than having a man realize something, this movie is about the consequences of not opening your eyes: Gindelwald’s fall. It would also nicely establish Dumbledore’s best manipulative traits. If we must have het couples, Tina saves Newt’s from some mook and taker a kiss. Graves goes with the pretty Lestrange, I guess, to have a long life of morality sanctioned crimes.

(A TV show. Twelve episodes. Cancelled after the first season. Graves and Lestrange are back in the States helping oppressed communities and dodging the MACUSA and whatever the equivalent of the FBI was back then).

[killian-whump]

And here I was, not telling anyone that I didn't like The Rite for fear of being bullyied. Now I see I'm not the only one and that's a huge relief. Now serious question, do you think he had bad luck with The Rite with the way he was directed and all and that's why he hasn't been cast for a major movie since then? Or maybe he decided that major movies weren't his thing and he prefered TV, indie movies and such? Do you think The Rite had something to do with his job choices? It's interesting.

Honestly, Colin always has positive things to say about The Rite. I think he’s really proud of his work there, and of working with Anthony Hopkins (and he should be!), he seemed to have a fine time working on it, and he seems to still be very friendly with the director. So I think it’s safe to say that he definitely doesn’t see The Rite as negatively as I do. I think, for sure, he’s at least decided to focus on the positives of it - and there were a lot of them, because it got Colin seen on this side of the ocean, and essentially helped him get on Once Upon a Time. I don’t think it really changed his goals much - probably whetted his appetite for success, though :)

But I do think, in terms of roles and his job choices, he legitimately values the roles themselves over the caliber of them. I mean, ALL actors say that, but I feel like Colin maybe means it a bit more than some of them do? I don’t think he’s actively avoiding doing bigger roles, but I also don’t think he’s necessarily going out of his way looking for them, either. I mean, he has definitely dropped enough hints blatant statements that he’d love to play James Bond, and that’s a pretty major role. And we know he tried for Superman before Cavill got it. So he’s certainly not averse to major movies or big roles at all, but I do think it’s gotta be the right role - something he genuinely wants to play.

BY THE WAY, HOLLYWOOD: CAST COLIN O’DONOGHUE AS JAMES BOND

As for the industry’s opinion... I mean, to be honest, most of the reviews that mentioned Colin’s performance (they were mostly all focused on the controversial subject matter and on Anthony Hopkins’ performance) seemed to say he did a good job, his performance was fine... but that he lacked the charisma and/or experience to carry a major Hollywood picture. And the sad truth about Hollywood is that they’re not too keen on second chances. However, that said, Colin followed up The Rite with a long, beloved stint on a successful major network television show - where he proved he’s got charisma galore, and where he clearly acquired a lot more experience. I don’t think Hollywood would’ve given him another big budget movie right after The Rite, but I also don’t think that their reservations at that time still hold true now. I don’t think Hollywood would be opposed to giving him another shot at something big.

...and I even suspect that might be going to happen sooner rather than later. He did a lot of little interviews right before the world exploded into protests and riots and what-have-you, where he consistently brought up or was asked about the same three things: How long he’s been in the industry, The Rite, and Once Upon a Time. It definitely felt like a mini pandemic-era press junket of sorts, touching on how much experience he has and the biggest things he’s done. And Hollywood likes to not-at-all-subtly remind people that someone is “a big star” with “a long career” who has done “big things” with “other big stars” right before they announce them for a major role. Colin’s gone quiet on that front with all of the real world shenanigans going on, and I suspect if there WAS an announcement, it’s been delayed by that, but I still have my deerstalker cap on and my magnifying glass out, waiting.

SON, I ARE SUSPECT >.>

But regardless, I think we’ll still see him in a lot of smaller things and TV things, because I don’t think he’s going to give up playing the kinds of roles he likes just to play the kind of roles that pay big. And I hope he doesn’t, because it just so happens that the kind of conflicted, angsty, troublesome guys he likes to play are precisely the kinds of guys I like to watch him play <3

[tcsnextgen]

I'm sorry to pester you about Rory (am I ?) but I'd really like to know more about how he eventually joined the dark side? I know his father's death affected him and he doesn't have a good relationship with Sam, but I wonder if there's more.

Oooooh, there is no such thing as ‘pestering Sanne with OC stuff’. I love this. Fave past time activity, for sure. And I still got the Rory fever (in addition to the Orla and Mick fever), so there’s that. *w*

I haven’t made a final decision about that yet buuuut I really feel it’s going to be a creeping process instead of a certain thing that happens and that marks Rory’s “turning point”. I don’t even think he has a turning point of that sort - he remains the same guy, just with his hands dirty, if that makes any sense?

I still have lots of stuff to think about, for sure, but for now… well. :D

I’m still a firm believer that Rory isn’t a bad person. I rather see him as someone who takes the wrong turn at some point and gets lost BUT instead of switching on the GPS function on his cellphone, to try and make his way back, he’s going to be like “Oh wow, this place looks cool?!” and then he throws the cell phone out of his car, enjoys the view and just keeps driving, lol.

Rory starts hanging out with the ‘wrong folks’ really early. I think even now, at eleven, he starts picking the somewhat ‘problematic kids’, or maybe they pick him, I’m not entirely sure. That will continue and get worse while he grows up. If there’s a new little fuck-up in town/at school - don’t worry, Rory will find them. Often feeling a little invisible among his (extended) family, he doesn’t really think that anyone would actually care what he’s up to.

He starts smoking early, he starts staying out late, he’ll become very good at lying and making up stories, and at some point, probably in his late teens or so, someone will see his ‘talent’ to adjust to the situations around him and lure him into comitting a dead-on crime, probably burglary, I don’t know yet. Something that is not “just” some occasional vandalism or doing drugs or making noise in the wrong places. He will agree to do it, because, hey why not? And instead of feeling super bad about it, Rory will get a total kick. He did something as if he was born to do it. He acted quickly and efficient (albeit with his heart racing) and he was good at it. It will probably happen again, on occasions. Rory will drop out of high school at some point. School is boring. He’s aimless when it comes to career choices, he doesn’t like anything much and he isn’t too keen on strictly working 9 to 5 anyway when there are so many other options to make a living, if you catch my drift.

I really haven’t thought everything through yet (as I said, my mind’s mostly busy with the current generation) but I really love the thought of him merely adjusting to something new, to something bad-but-exciting, and making the best out of it, absolutely remaining who he is. Rory isn’t trouble only after all. There’s light under the moody and cranky facade. He’ll still be Rory, who sings and moves to his fave songs. Who reads tons of books. Who laughs about things that amuse him. Who plays Pokemon GO in his free time. Who watches TV shows and yells at the characters for making questionable life choices. Who tells one of his friends to bring him chocolate on his way home from another job, “Not the white one tho, that tastes like shit. Thanks. You’re my favourite!”, before he focuses back on his 3DS game.

Y’know. All these things and many more things shape Rory into who he is and he won’t stop being himself and that’s what truly amuses me, lol. :D :D :D

[dxmedstudent]

Hi, I hope you're well! I'm a med student, and I've heard that having to be med reg is something that puts people off certain specialties. From the sounds of it and the little i've seen it is a v tough job. I'm interested in one specialty that involves being med reg and another that doesn't, so I was wondering what your thoughts were from what you've observed of what a med reg does. Is it an excruciating role that you just have to get through if you're very keen on a particular speciality? (1/2)

Idk if I'd ever be capable of it, but it seems a shame to write off a potential specialty bc of it. Then again it's years till I have to decide so who knows what'll happen? Anyway, I'm rambling, but I'd be interested to know your thoughts. Have a good day! (2/2)Hey, I’ll be honest, there are times when the thought of being a med reg puts me off most hospital medical specialties, and makes me re-evaluate the desire to even be in hospital medicine at all. So uh... it’s tough.  But that’s my decision, not yours or anyone elses; our strengths, goals and interests don’t have to be the same, neither do the specialties we enjoy have to be similar. I can’t speak for anyone else and what would make them happy. I know a lot of people who actively planned their career choicesto avoid being a med reg, and I know some who tolerate it to get to the specialty they want; after all, it’s not forever, and eventually they’ll be a senior reg or consultant in the specialty they actually love, and not have to deal with most of that stress. And some who actively enjoy it. Some people really, really get on well with it; it’s not the case that it’s universally bad. But it’s generally considered the toughest medical job. Partly because it’s a big step up from SHO, and partly because it’s just tough. It very much depends on how much you enjoy certain things. For example, part of being a med reg means taking charge of crash calls and sick patients, and making lots of senior decisions; who to admit, who should be DNACPR, when to call ITU or escalate treatment to something more complex. A lot of it depends on how much you enjoy making those calls. And whether the adrenaline rush of acute medicine is for you. Some people love that kind of thing. Some people tolerate it, and some people just don’t thrive on it and find it stressful. Ward work as a registrar isn’t much more stressful than being an SHO; you take more senior decisions, but we all ward round. They review referrals, but that’s the main difference. However, doing A&E take oncalls as a med reg, and being the most senior medical doctor in the hospital at night, on your own, when everyone comes to you for advice on sick patients, that’s where the stress lies for most people. The rotas are tough, same as medicine in general. You’re working in a system that is far from perfect, just like you are as a junior. Except you’re a bit later on in your life, with more responsibilities and less energy than you had before. And now you’ve got more pressure and responsibilities at work; in medicine we’re expected to step up and take on more responsibility and more difficult decisions. You don’t get to sit where you are; it’s a constant state of progression and growing through stress. It doesn’t help that they are constantly trying to re-classify who has to be a med reg for what number of years before they get to do their specialty alone. They were trying to force dermatologists onto the med reg rota at one point. Like, if you work in derm, you’re really not going to get the exposure to acute medicine to keep you comfortable with spending half your time as an acute medic. But also, the kinds of people who gravitate towards less acute specialties do so precisely to avoid being med reg. I get that all these re-jiggings of who does what rota is probably mostly aimed at filling rota gaps and just ensuring there are enough med regs around, but I fear that it might push some people out of hospital medicine, simply because not everyone likes that level of acuity. So, yes, med reg being called “the shittest job in hospital” by most doctors I’ve met (medics, surgeons, specialists of all grades), is probably not a myth. But the reasons why it’s stressful will have different weight for everyone. And there are other jobs that people who enjoy med reg-ing would probably find more stressful- most med regs I know absolutely raise their hats to GPs, for example. They know that’s tough, too! It’s really just about finding the job that works with your strengths, and doesn’t make your life harder because it doesn’t go well with your weaknesses.You’re still at an early stage in your career; there’s no need or reassure to decide now! Try being a doctor first, learn what it’s really like, then you’ll ahve more information with which to choose. It’s hard to decide in advance, as a student, from a position of having no idea what it’s really like; that’s probably why so many people change their minds about specialties along the way. So, no pressure. Take your time to choose. It’ll be OK.

[zmblnty-drlyn]

CHOOSE STEM, FEAR NOT

Many incoming senior high school students fear STEM Strand. But that's the very reason why I'm here today, I'm here to enlighten all of you about why choose STEM as an academic track.

What is STEM Strand?

You must have heard how important STEM is. You may also have heard that people with a STEM career are often very financially sound. But what you haven't heard is a real VOICE.

Getting a definition for STEM is easy: it means science, technology, engineering and mathematics. That you are taking a biology course at university and technically you are taking a course that is part of STEM. However, STEM is a more useful way to group topics into one catchy shortcut.

At its core, STEM is a philosophy of learning that integrates all four disciplines into a single, interdisciplinary program that provides teaching in real (as opposed to purely academic) applications and teaching methods. This is important to understand because obtaining a degree in mathematics does not mean that you have completed a STEM program, even if mathematics is a STEM subject. Without a combination of all four disciplines and the use of real learning methods, you will not gain the educational benefits that make STEM degrees so valuable and a career in STEM more desirable.

It is designed to prepare students who express keen interest in taking college degrees focused on Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM), senior high school students will be exposed to learning activities that will hone their knowledge and skills in analyzing data, understanding real-world impacts, and conducting research.

STEM STRAND IS FOR?

The STEM strand is designed to support the curiosity, problem-solving and communication skills of upper secondary schools. With the STEM strand, they can:

Develop an even greater sense of creativity and ingenuity, which is essential for creating new ideas and innovations.

Be more inclined to experiment and be more open to risk.

The knowledge they have learned in the classroom can be used in everyday situations, especially in future courses.

ADVANTAGES OF STEM STRAND

STEM strand allows high school seniors to learn about interdisciplinary disciplines (science, technology, engineering and math) to see how they work in real life. STEM strand:

Build a strong safe environment by allowing students to experiment and experience natural failure as part of the learning process.

Create group collaborations so that students can find solutions to problems, record data, write reports, submit presentations, and so on.

Teach children about the power and importance of technology, especially in today's digital age.

It develops an attitude of adaptation when things are not going according to plan.

COURSES YOU CAN TAKE AFTER SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL

Senior high school graduates of the STEM strand can enroll in the following undergraduate programs:

Bachelor of Science in Computer Engineering

Bachelor of Science in Computer Science

Bachelor of Science in Information Technology

POSSIBLE CAREER PATHS WITH THE STEM STRAND

Senior high school graduates of the STEM strand can have successful careers as the following:

Pilot

Architect

Astrophysicist

Biologist

Chemist

Industrial Engineer

Chemical Engineer

Dentist

Nutritionist

Doctor

Marine Engineer

Petroleum Engineer

WHAT ARE THE SUBJECTS?

CORE SUBJECTS

Core subjects are subjects that all SHS students will study regardless of their chosen career track or learning strand. You can think of this as similar to the general education (GE) subjects that college students usually take on their first or second year of college. Subjects that form the core of the SHS curriculum include:

1. Oral Communication

2. Reading and Writing

3. Komunikasyon at Pananaliksik sa Wika

at Kulturang Pilipino (Communication and Research on Filipino Language and Culture)

4. Pagbasa at Pagsuri ng Iba't Ibang Teksto Tungo sa Pananaliksik (Reading and Critique of Different Research Texts)

5. 21st Century Literature from the Philippines and the World

6. Contemporary Philippine Arts from the Regions

7. Media and Information Literacy

8. General Mathematics

9. Statistics and Probability

10. Pansariling kaunlaran (Personal Development)

11. Understanding Culture, Society, and Politics

12. Pambungad sa Pilosopiya ng Tao (Introduction to the Philosophy of the Human Person)

13. Physical Education and Health

14. Earth Science

15. Disaster Readiness and Risk Reduction

APPLIED SUBJECTS

Applied / contextualized subjects are subjects that all SHS students will take; however, contrary to core subjects which are only meant to cover the most basic of topics, applied subjects are designed to focus on the specific applications of certain subjects on the student's chosen career track or learning strand. Applied subjects that you are going to study as part of the SHS curriculum include:

1. English for Academic and Professional Purposes

2. Practical Research 1

3. Practical Research 2

4. Filipino sa Piling Larangan

5. Empowerment Technologies (for the Strand)

6. Entrepreneurship

7. Inquiries, Investigations, and Immersion

SPECIALIZED SUBJECTS

Specialized subjects are subjects that are unique to the career track or learning strand that the student chose. These are similar to the major subjects that college students take, although they're designed to be less complex than their college counterparts.

1. Pre-Calculus

2. Basic Calculus

3. General Biology 1

4. General Biology 2

5. General Physics 1

6. General Physics 2

7. General Chemistry 1 and 2

8. Work Immersion/Research/Career Advocacy/Culminating Activity

IF YOU CHOOSE STEM STRAND HERE'S THE TIPS:

1. MANAGE YOUR TIME

2. BE ATTENTIVE AT CLASS

3. STUDY

4. PASS ON TIME! DO NOT PROCRASTINATE

5. TAKE A REST

6. DON'T STRESS YOURSELF

7. FOCUS ON YOUR GOAL

8. ASK HELP

BONUS:

"What are the common problems of STEM Students?"

It seems that there are several main reasons, common to all disciplines:

Overly Procedural thinking.

Lack of ability to translate mathematical meaning to real-world meaning.

Lack of ability to make approximations or estimations.

Lack of multi-step problem-solving skills.

Lack of practice.

Lack of confidence.

ENCOURAGEMENT

You will soon begin your high school experience and it will have many challenges and learning curves. If you have an idea of ​​what you want in the future - great for you! But if not, then you're fine.

Once you see divergent, you will understand what it means to choose a track. For someone who has always known that he wants to become a psychologist, choosing a beach is a difficult decision. It's hard because I also want to become a theater artist, fashion designer, lawyer and diplomat. As the saying goes, "you can be anything, but you can't be everything."

By the way, don't be fooled into thinking that some strands / tracks are "chill" because it's not real! Each strand / track will prompt YOU to your imaginary limit.

There. is. no. such. thing. as. “chill.”

Choosing a track / strand is simply the first of the many deceleration obstacles you have to overcome. Being a high school student costs a lot of determination. There are deadlines and long hours that you want to meet. There are ultimate challenges you want to create to break and cry. High school is more of a mountain and you can't get high without losing a good portion of blood, sweat and tears.

"STEM is a strand where you can find the reality."

[spring-emerald]

I'm never gonna miss this chances.... USHIMONI FOR THE SHIP THING *goes back to the rareship hole where she belongs*

My beautiful UshiMoni enabler! ^^ 

Because this shipmeme is quite angsty, then some angst it shall deliver. ;) 

who is more likely to hurt the other?

Ushijima. Restassured that it’s unintentionally though. He really doesn’t know how to mincehis words and would really say what’s on his mind, unaware that what he’ssaying are quite hurtful. When he realizes it though, he immediately apologizes. 

who is emotionally stronger?

Moniwa. He kind ofhas to. He wouldn’t have gotten far if he isn’t emotionally strong, especiallywith all the criticisms he’s faced ever since they’ve been together.

who is physically stronger?

Ushijima, without adoubt. (Moniwa had jokingly asked if he could ride Ushijima’s back while he’sdoing push-ups. And well, you know how jokes usually goes over Ushi’s head, sohe actually thought Moniwa’s serious, and he didn’t begin until the other issitting on his back, and well, yeah. He was able to do 15.) He offhandedly says it’s a good challenge and that they should do that again, much to Moniwa’s embarrassment (but he didn’t say no…) 

who is more likely to break a bone? 

I think they bothhave decent chances of breaking bones, one way or another, but as it is, it’sprobably going to be Ushijima. Only because the one with an active sportscareer, and accidents can happen. Moniwa is clumsy, that’s for sure, but the injuryhe usually gets are cuts/burns.

who knows best what to say to upset the other? 

It’s not that he knowsit would upset the other, but Ushijima just has this uncanny ability to say thingsthat really hit some of Moniwa’s sore spots. 

who is most likely to apologise first after an argument? 

Moniwa breaks the ice first, but more oftenthan not, it’s Ushijima who says ‘I apologize’.

who treats who’s wounds more often? 

Moniwa treats hiswounds more often. Ushijima is prone to more serious injuries, but he knows howto take care of himself. Not that Moniwa doesn’t but yeah, it’s him who gets ‘injured’most of the time.

who is in constant need of comfort? 

Not constantly, butMoniwa definitely needs it more than Ushijima. Although, it’s more of reassurance,rather than comfort. Doesn’t mean that Moniwa doesn’t comfort Ushijima,especially when the other needs it. (Ushijima usually needs it when they’reseparated long enough, because of his commitments.)

who gets more jealous? 

Ushijima does. Well, hedoesn’t think that someone is going to swoop in and take Moniwa away from, notlike that. He’s jealous of Moniwa’s friends because they get to spend more timewith him. He’s quite jealous of how close Moniwa is with Tendou, because he cantell how comfortable Moniwa is with his friend, and how easily Tendou can makeMoniwa laugh. Well, he wishes that he could do both of those effortlessly.

who’s most likely to walk out on the other? 

Ushijima is moreprone of walking away from Moniwa.

who will propose? 

Ushijima! Talk about how. 

who has the most difficult parents?

*sob, telenovela-esquebackstory ahead. You have been warned*

Ushijima. Becausethey are traditional and matriarchal. His mother and his grandmother had adifficult time accepting their relationship, and actually threatened to disownWakatoshi if he continues his relationship with Moniwa. It didn’t bother Ushi,because he’s already set for university, what with his numerous sportsscholarship offers and all. It’s a good thing that he’s had foresight of havinga separate bank account for all his allowance as member of the U-17 team, andhe thought of using that to keep himself afloat, until he can fully play pro.

Moniwa isn’tconvinced, and thought about breaking up with him because he’s not worthloosing family for. So he did….break-up with him. and how… (and this is to be explored more on a storythat I will eventually write when I have the motivation to…someday…) BUT, it’s allbehind them now.

who initiates hand-holding when they’re out in public? 

Ushijima does. Moniwais shy about public display of affections. Ushijima, true to his nature, doesn’t mind about what others think, as long as he and Moniwa are together.

who comes up for the other all the time? 

Moniwa does, becausehe has the leisure of having more free time, or a rather flexible schedule thanUshijima.

who hogs the blankets? 

Moniwa, because hegets cold easily and he’s used to sleeping with a lot of blankets. Ushijima isa good natural heater though, so sometimes, he settles for cuddles.

who gets more sad? 

He doesn’t show it,but it’s actually Ushijima. He’s sad, and well, quite guilty, because he thinksthat he’s not doing enough for Moniwa, especially with all the ‘bad’ things theother had gone through just to be with him. He’s regretful because he thinkshe ought to do more for Moniwa.

Moniwa doesn’t knowit, but he’s got a vague feeling that Ushijima thinks like this, so he makes ita point to tell Ushijima how fortunate he is, and how much he loves him andthat he won’t leave Ushijima (again). (so cheesy but RIP ME I HAD ACTUAL TEARS:’(( )

who is better at cheering the other up? 

Moniwa is better atcheering Ushijima up. Although, Ushi had his moments.

who’s the one that playfully slaps the other all the timeafter they make silly jokes?

Moniwa does, once he’s more comfortable around Ushi.

who is more streetwise?

Ushijima actually. Whilehe’s not particularly good with socializing, he’s actually quite a keenobserver, and he’s learned how to be streetwise from his regular jogging, as well asfrom travelling.    

who is more wise?

Moniwa is. The thingshe’s been through are humbling experiences and are rich with valuable lifelessons, that if asked, he wouldn’t trade for the world, despite the hurt it hadcaused him.

who’s the shyest? 

Moniwa is shyer thanUshijima. And again, Ushijima can’t even be classified as shy because he simplyisn’t bothered, you know what I mean?

who boasts about the other more? 

Moniwa does, ofcourse. But not like he needs to, because they all know. 

(“Guys, have you seen the perfect service ace?? OMG Toshi is just…so amazing!” 

*sighs* 

“We know,Moniwa. We were there too. WE SAW.”)

who sits on who’s lap? 

Moniwa sits onUshijima’s lap. And why… 

*joins you in the ushimoni rareship hole* Thanks @tanakaryuu ^^