gray yeon: watched oppenheimer first and thought it was mid. watched barbie next bc big ben forced him to and liked it.
big ben: was the most enthusiastic in rounding everybody up to watch barbie. watched it once with all his friends and then alone again at the theatres. bet he dressed up in pink too.
alex: oppenheimer, only watched barbie because ben made him.
eugene: oppenheimer and barbie but he would've watched both regardless of big ben
teddy: barbie, but he felt too embarrassed to watch it on his own so he used big ben as an excuse
gerard: barbie all the way
rowan: the most enthusiastic barbie watcher asides from ben
lily: barbie
julia: oppenheimer, then barbie with lily
lala lee: watched oppenheimer, then felt insecure and watched barbie
jimmy bae: oppenheimer at the theatres, barbie in private
jack kang: oppenheimer because jimmy made him, barbie at the theatres
forrest lee: felt insecure but watched barbie in theatres, beat up anybody who commented on it
grape and robin: were embarrassed but followed their leader to barbie, watched oppenheimer later on
wolf keum: oppenheimer once then barbie another three times
kingsley kwan: oppenheimer
donald na: was more inclined towards oppenheimer, but then he watched barbie just to see what the hype was about, and started contributing to the deep and profound analyses of the film's message on social media
i remember when someone was complaining about their partner being late for shit allll the time and someone was like ‘oh they MUST have adhd and they just can’t help it,’ so i was like ‘hey, yeah, i have adhd, i get this, here are some things other people with adhd can do to help with this problem’
and like five different people just went ‘um time blindness is REAL and you must just not have a severe enough case :/ but there’s no fixing this’
and it’s just…….. is this how we beat ableism? by just pretending that we aren’t in control of our actions at all?
that instead of having conversations about maybe offering more leeway and empathy for people’s struggles while ALSO equipping people with better tools to help themselves
we’re just gonna go ‘yeah, actually, neurodivergent people are wholly incapable of personal will and are ruled by their neurodivergence and can’t be expected to help themselves or other people in any way.’
like i get that some things are truly harmless or truly cannot be helped but… some things… can be worked on. maybe not “cured” or “fixed” but like… worked on. and maybe we should make that info more accessible rather than pretending like its ableist to like… offer tips or maybe not let people entirely off the hook for behaviour they can manage
Shonen authors writing a hetero romance: They bicker... But... They KISS?!?!?! Revolutionary.
Shonen authors writing two male "best friends": They are friends, partners, family. They complete each-other. They've been together for so long it's hard to tell where one ends and the other begins, and they know each-other so intimately that they can predict every action the other will take. They're opposites and yet they go together like a pair of gloves, they're yin and yang, they fill each-other's weaknesses and boost each-other's strength. They wouldn't be alive without one another, they wouldn't want to be alive without one another. Even when they're on different paths, they trust each-other blindly. Even as enemies they are willing to put their lives in each-other's hands. Their life goals involve one-another, all the roads in their life lead to their partner. A part of one will always be with the other, no matter how far apart the fates carry them.
I finished my Rome book and have now begun one about Pompeii. I’m 65 pages in and I already love it: yes, it covers the volcano, but most of the book is about “this is what the town and daily life of it would have been like, actually.” Fascinating stuff. Things I’ve learned so far:
- The streets in Pompeii have sidewalks sometimes a meter higher than the road, with stepping stones to hop across as “crosswalks.” I’d seen some photos before. The book points out that, duh, Pompeii had no underground drainage, was built on a fairly steep incline, and the roads were more or less drainage systems and water channels in the rain.
- Unlike today, where “dining out” is expensive and considered wasteful on a budget, most people in Pompeii straight up didn’t have kitchens. You had to eat out if you were poor; only the wealthy could afford to eat at home.
- Most importantly, and I can’t believe in all the pop culture of Pompeii this had never clicked for me: Pompeii had a population between 6-35,000 people. Perhaps 2,000 died in the volcano. Contemporary sources talk about the bay being full of fleeing ships. Most people got the hell out when the eruption started. The number who died are still a lot, and it’s still gruesome and morbid, but it’s not “an entire town and everyone in it.” This also makes it difficult for archeologists, apparently (and logically): those who remained weren’t acting “normally,” they were sheltering or fleeing a volcano. One famous example is a wealthy woman covered in jewelry found in the bedroom in the glaridator barracks. Scandal! She must have been having an affair and had it immortalized in ash! The book points out that 17 other people and several dogs were also crowded in that one small room: far more likely, they were all trying to shelter together. Another example: Houses are weirdly devoid of furniture, and archeologists find objects in odd places. (Gardening supplies in a formal dining room, for example.) But then you remember that there were several hours of people evacuating, packing their belongings, loading up carts and getting out… maybe the gardening supplies were brought to the dining room to be packed and abandoned, instead of some deeper esoteric meaning. The book argues that this all makes it much harder to get an accurate read on normal life in a Roman town, because while Pompeii is a brilliant snapshot, it’s actually a snapshot of a town undergoing major evacuation and disaster, not an average day.
- Oh, another great one. Outside of a random laundry place in Pompeii, someone painted a mural with two scenes. One of them referenced Virgil’s Aeneid. Underneath that scene, someone graffiti’d a reference to a famous line from that play, except tweaked it to be about laundry. This is really cool, the book points out, because it implies that a) literacy and education was high enough that one could paint a reference and have it recognized, and b) that someone else could recognize it and make a dumb play on words about it and c) the whole thing, again, means that there’s a certain amount of literacy and familiarity with “Roman pop culture” even among fairly normal people at the time.
what do you mean 244 and seongjoon spent one month together on the ship and seongjoon probably wore 244s clothes all the time and when they were on land they went on a date and seongjoon wanted to know 244 because when they first fought he noticed how theyre the same but he realized 244 is completely empty and he thought he is just a tool to 244 but then he got hurt and one of the crew said 244 was worried about him and must care about him which he never does which means he was hovering over knocked out seongjoon worried sick because he was injured and they had yet another fight and seongjoon was in jail all the time but he went out with the only clothes he had which were 244 and he just came crawling back on his knees for 244 asking to be taken back by him even though all the shit they went through and 244 gently asked him if hes okay with being together even though one of them will end up date and seongjoon STILL agreed to it and they were together for so long being partners and being comfortable around each but probably still just waiting for the moment they will fall apart bc they went into the relationship knowing theyre toxic for each other and then 244 filed a divorce and just sent a bunch of killers after him and sabotaged him but told him he'll wait for him for coffee and then hE DID JUST FOR SEONGJOON TO NEVER RETURN AND THEIR GAME WAS JUST OVER LIKE THAT ?!??!
i geniunely can't imagine any sort of normal tragic backstory for wolf keum. in my head this man was raised by wolves in the forest as a baby before hunters found him and returned him to civilisation.
"Imagine being mad that babies will live"
For the person in poverty who is now in a full year worth of debt for an uncomplicated birth
For the person forced to carry a nonviable fetus to term
For the sexual assault survivor who must nurture a reminder of that violence
For the person who faces lifelong disability due to the harm this pregnancy caused
For the medically unstable person who is forced to risk everything
For the teen who is forced to drop out of school
For the trans person who can't look at themselves
For the person who becomes an outlaw for seeking abortion in another state
For the unwanted child in an abusive home
For one more child placed into the already overrun foster system
For the child born to a homeless parent
For the child of color forced into an increasingly dangerous world
For the pregnancy that was simply unwanted and poorly timed
This isn't life
As always, Danny Devito said it best.
"Supreme court my ass"
A little girl died from hunger in Khan Younis, southern Gaza, despite being in the area where aid trucks are distributed. Another family in the north in Gaza city was forced to eat a donkey, which for many in Palestine is inconceivable culturally. Bisan says there isn't even water (clean OR dirty) for them to drink or wash with.
Though Yeongdeungpo was by no means a great neighbourhood- with its graffitied walls and copious amounts of street violence- Bambi was unable to get used to the crumbling walls and dirty streets that were distinct features of the area surrounding Hyeongshin.
The school itself seemed a little dingy, with shabby furniture and even shabbier students, so unlike Yeo-il’s pristine hallways and spotless floors. She eyed an overflowing trash can at the side of the corridor as she walked through, before turning away and sighing.
Whatever. She wasn’t a judgemental person. (She was).
She was headed to Hyeongshin’s meeting room, the usual meet up spot for when she came to do business with Forrest Lee. Despite the not-so-stellar quality of the school, she was in a good mood, as she always was when she was about to meet up with Forrest Lee, though it was a little dampened by the news she was about to deliver to him. It had something to do with business decreasing, which would’ve been fine if it was Ganghak, or Yoosun, or anybody with a reputation accumulated after a long time.
But for someone who just lost to another school and had their management changed in the short span that they were an executive (a position that they only gained through snitching on their ex leader), it would not have been the best thing to hear.
The boys from Hyeongshin were already losing part of their commissions, who knew what Donald would do if they continued to mess up? She frowned. Donald’s wrath was something she did not want to be on the receiving end of.
By now, she was nearly off the first floor, halfway up the staircase to the second storey where the meeting room was located, right at the end of the hallway. Though it wasn’t her school, she was well acquainted with Hyeongshin’s layout due to the numerous times she’d visited.
Like Yeo-il, there weren’t many students still lingering in the hallways, most having already left the school to go to karaoke or the pool hall, or perhaps even a cram school. (She snorted a little at the thought.) However, whatever little students were left identified her immediately and soon she had a small crowd of students whipping their heads towards her at breakneck speed, giving themselves a millisecond to gawk before directing their gazes to the ground, arms stiff by their sides.
In other parts of Yeongdeungpo, when people realised of her affiliation to the Union, they tended to stare and whisper amongst themselves.
But in Hyeongshin, when the boys saw her, or any other Union member, they all grew very silent and still, parting before her like Moses and the Red Sea. It seemed like Myles Joo had them trained well.
…
Before he left, of course.
She paid no mind to them, walking through the now cleared path (though there weren’t that many people in the way in the first place) and quickening her pace as she approached the meeting room, reaching for the handle.
Hyeongshin High’s meeting room, though smaller than a regular classroom, was spacious, with a long table on one side and two couches on the other. Though, officially, its purpose was to serve as a room where the student council would gather (and that was what it was used for, at least to the knowledge of the teachers) but the students of the school were all well aware of what it really was; the gathering area for the school head and his friends.
And there the school head was, sitting across the room quietly, frowning and presumably deep in thought.
“Hey,” Bambi tossed her bag onto the couch opposite Forrest Lee, making herself comfortable, before she noticed the unusual silence in the room and the absence of two certain someones. “Where’d they go?”
Forrest seemed to immediately know who she was referring to.
Robin Ha and Sam Lee (or better known as Grape) were Forrest’s second and third in command, though they seemed to be in disagreement about who was who. The two of them followed Forrest everywhere, and it felt strange when they were gone. Grape, who earned his nickname from his curly purple hair, was the shorter and more talkative one of the duo, with a cocky personality and an overt eagerness whenever it was time to get into a fight. Robin Ha, though less talkative than his friend, was by no means less sadistic or willing to punch somebody in the face.
“Hey. Robin went for a smoke, and Grape went to look for him.”
Forrest paused a little before he continued, and the look on his face told Bambi he was only expecting the absolute worst.
“So why’d you come down here today?”
She grimaced a little; it was too bad that she was going to have to validate his fears.
“It involves KHG industries.”
“Hyeongshin’s uniform sales have dipped after your loss to Eunjang. It’s not so bad for Yoosun, since Jimmy Bae’s in charge, but you haven’t been school head for long so…”
She studied his face, and when he stayed silent, she continued.
“Anyways, just get your boys to beat a bunch of guys up, or whatever. The method doesn’t really matter, as long as Donald doesn’t lose his commission.” Bambi pursed her lips; she usually never had trouble relaying instructions, but watching Forrest Lee’s cressfallenness made her feel a little guilty. “It’s better for all of us anyways, for sales to be high.”
Her attempt to lighten the tone didn’t seem to work very well, as Forrest continued to stare down at the table in front of him, his eyes never meeting hers. There was a grim yet pensive look on his face, like he was slowly processing the information.
After a moment, he finally responded.
“Yeah, okay.”
Bambi raised an eyebrow.
She’d been around Forrest long enough to put a name to each of his mannerisms, and the tone of voice he was currently talking with was the one he used when he was down- dejectedness badly disguised as impassiveness.
Usually he was brimming with confidence, making small talk and laughing with her, the large smirk on his face one of someone who knew he had power. But today it was different. She thought back to the events of the last Union assembly, sighing inwardly as she observed his downcast form.
She didn’t have to guess to know why.
“Has Ganghak come over to collect the files yet?” She inquired, neither addressing nor ignoring the elephant in the room, choosing to awkwardly skirt around it instead.
“Robin offered to pass them to Wolf, but I’m not sure if he’s arrived yet. I’ll check later.” Forrest’s grim look seemed to worsen at the thought of Ganghak’s leader.
“Okay.”
To be fair, who could really blame Forrest for being disheartened? Bambi certainly didn’t, but she was never really good at situations like this; she was more used to just saying something snarky and leaving.
She directed her gaze back to Forrest Lee, who was now staring at the wall behind her. His eyes were narrowed, like he was contemplating something, and she sighed again, out loud this time.
“Look, man.”
Forrest finally directed his gaze towards her, seemingly apprehensive about what she was going to say.
“I don’t like this new shift in management either. But if you and Jimmy Bae handled the situation with Eunjang better, this wouldn’t’ve happened. Not to mention what happened with Myles…”
Forrest Lee flinched, and for a split second both of them recalled the events that came before Myles Joo’s excommunication.
Bambi had already been suspicious of Myles after his show of displeasure at being demoted after Jake Ji’s arrival; his obvious anger at Jake and Donald Na, and even his hostility towards her and hesitation to follow orders, which had never been a problem before. She had the observers planted around Yeongdeungpo to report to her if Myles Joo was caught acting out, before Forrest Lee came to her all of a sudden with evidence that Myles was betraying the Union.
She narrowed her eyes.
She was pretty new to the Union too at that point of time, so Forrest’s information had definitely helped her in gaining Donald’s trust. Perhaps it was considered cowardly, or disloyal, to go behind your leader’s back to rat him out, but so what? The Union benefited from disloyalty.
If the boys were just going to sit by as their leader plotted a coup, it could end up leading to the downfall of the Union. And she couldn’t let that happen, could she?
“But I guess I can’t complain, since it was beneficial for me, too.” She finished, and Forrest nodded quietly. He seemed relieved that she hadn’t drawn the topic out any longer. Nobody wanted to think about the punishment that Donald had bestowed upon Myles, and the betrayal that had led to it.
“I’m gonna go now. Don’t forget to make sure the files are handed off to Ganghak. See you.”
“Later.”
She caught a glimpse of his face as the door slammed; his expression had shifted into something steely, like the gears in his head were slowly turning.
The sky outside had turned a dark blue while she was in the meeting room. She made her way down the stairs and out of the school gate. Though the school was empty by now, the streets were busy, cars rushing past her in a stream of colour.
She stood there for a moment, idly watching the traffic before a loud roar came from behind, forcing her to jump to the side as a group of motorbikes sped past her.
(God, she fucking hated motorcycles. Every goddamn Union assembly was full of them, leaking exhaust and polluting the air.)
Bambi glared at the bikers, her eyes catching sight of their red blazers and gray slacks. Could it be? Her eyes narrowed in on the boy at the front of the group, his messy purple hair slowly becoming less visible as he sped away into the distance, turning a bend and disappearing. She grimaced.
Seems like Ganghak did come over to make a pick up after all.
I was rereading second half of DN this weekend and I swear to god I can't believe anime just skipped this particular plot.
Bc a) Mello has more active part in story and actually had his own way of using Near b) those two kinda cooperating is sexy as hell c) more Mogi bc Mogi is amazing
(I really like the Polish translation of this moment "He is manipulated but not necessarily with he notebook" which imho has slightly different connotations)
Also, this fucker doing this I love him so much the little bastard
And this
(also Near and Light just hating each other so much is so so entertaining, like honestly their dynamic is 👌)