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thekatea · 8 months

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My Dearest

Watched: 02.09.2023

Ever changing layers of happiness and sadness, pain and survival.

I went into this drama with a lot of trust and hope. Hwang Jin Young amazed me once with Rebel: Thief Who Stole the People, and I was ready to be amazed again - and she did not disappoint.

Set around the year 1636 during the Qing invasion of Joseon, the story centers around the themes of social structures and expectations put on different social classes, inequality of genders, women solidarity, the role of the royal family, all mixed with a beautiful, well paced romance that keeps breaking your heart and mending it back together - the sweetness and the angst perfectly balanced.

The story opens with what one could describe as open ended closure - showing us the future, but just a direction of where it all went, vague frame of the characters’ fates, while leaving enough uncertainty to keep you curious and striving to make your own interpretations and theories.

The core of the show are its characters. Yoo Gil Chae is exactly what I always wanted to see from a strong female lead - realistic depiction of pure survival based on wits and determination instead of unrealistic superhero like skills. She is introduced as a naive, egocentric and slightly delusional young woman, who thinks the whole world centers around her. Her bold attitude and cunning nature is truly refreshing, even if at times cheesy.

As the drama progresses, she shows an enormous amount of emotional strength and wits. The same cunning nature she used to seduce men, she then used to keep others alive. Even though her whole behavior and demeanor changes in a matter of days, it feels organic, believable and right - all the development happens on top of already existing traits she had.

And then we have Lee Jang Hyun introduced as a resourceful casanova dressed in a veil of mystery, surprising everyone with his skills, insightful understanding of politics and unconventional takes on matters of loyalty, patriotism, marriage and love. A man who seems too perfect to ever exist. A man who can make viewers' hearts flutter with sweet teasing and playful flirting, but also sincere confessions and yearning gazes he gives Gil Chae. A man who is willing to try to stop the war for the woman he cherishes.

Compared to Gil Chae and Jang Hyun, who present this opposition to accepted social norms and values, we have Nam Yeon Jun and Kyung Eun Ae, whom I would describe as prisoners of their upbringing and expectations put on them.

Yeon Jun, the loyal subject with an idealistic idea of protecting the royal family when needed. Eun Ae, the perfect pure woman who protects her chastity. His worth lies in his devotion to the king, her worth lies in her purity that should be given only to her husband. Both characters were truly sad to watch and fascinating to analyze.

What more has the drama to offer? First of all, the amazing, and at times painful to watch social commentary, often presented in the format of contrasting scenes intertwined with each other. Patriotic moments put against complete defeat, happy celebration in contrast to upcoming invaders, inconvenience of the royal family opposed to dying subjects. Sometimes just seconds, passing moments that stay with you long after you finish watching.

What adds to the gripping storytelling is the more realistic depiction of war and how gruesome it can truly be for commoners. All the scenes of the invaders attacking villages, killing all the men, the horrifying fate of the women, struggles of the slaves and pain of the ones thought to be the enemies of the Qing. People trying to survive, people trying to get back to normal, even if the peace was not fully obtained.

Everything created ever changing layers of happiness and sadness, pain and survival. How the tragedy hits us harder thanks to the happiness we previously witnessed, and how we appreciate the joyful moments, remembering the pain the characters went through.

All that emotional impact was possible thanks to the phenomenal performances from the cast. While watching Namgoong Min in this drama, I accepted that I will stay single for the rest of my life. My standards in men reached unobtainable levels all thanks to his portrayal of Jang Hyun. You wish to be in mortal danger so he can save you, while also making you want to protect him. The perfect balance of confidence and vulnerability, playful nature and sincere love, bravery against the enemy and the fear of losing people he cares about.

Ahn Eun Jin was the perfect choice for Yoo Gil Chae. An actress skilled enough to present the pure innocence, cunning nature and mature strength in a way that it never felt contradictory. I ended up adoring the character’s little schemes, feeling the pain she was feeling and rooting for her with all my heart in times of hardships and danger.

Lee Hak Joo and Lee Da In had an extremely hard job of presenting characters whose usually praised traits became their flaws. A delivery that at times makes you feel a whole ra(n)ge of emotions. Love them or hate them, but you for sure will not be indifferent.

From the production standpoint, I cannot describe how happy I was with the styling of the characters during the turbulent times. The raw perfection of the imperfections. No porcelain like white skin. The blemishes, imperfections, dirt and sweat - all adding to the realism of the story.

And then we have the touching soundtrack. Only With Heart full of feelings of hope, the innocence of pure love hidden in Road To You, The Painted On The Moonlight filled with longing and the desperation in Unforgettable Love.

Realistically speaking, words cannot describe how much I love this drama. It took complete possession of my brain, heart and soul. It gives you sweet moments that will make you grin from ear to ear and scream into the pillow. It breaks your heart times and times again, and yet you will feel grateful for every tear it made you shed. It introduces uncomfortable topics and scenarios that will make you contemplate your own beliefs and ideas. It served me everything and I could not ask for more.

Is the show flawless? No show is. But if you ask me to name any flaws, I would struggle, because all the tiny issues I might have had seem so miniscule and insignificant it would truly feel like looking for something to criticize just for the sake of finding any negativity. One thing that bothered me slightly in the later episodes: there were some unclear time passage issues, the contextual hints of how much time passed were not always clear and it affected the understanding of the characters, their motivations and emotions. It was not extremely hard to figure out, but it did require a bit more analysis and thinking.

#my dearest #kdrama review #this drama just broke me in the most beautiful ways and i am grateful for the sweet and the pain

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theseareafewofmyfavoritethingzz · 2 months

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I am so interested in how different types of privilege work and overlap and affect each other and it was so heartening to see young royals tackle this head-on. they didn't just leave it as a story about queerness, it is about that, but it's also about race, and class, and how all these things interact together. We see Wille offering the crown's protection to Simon when he's targeted, but what about the other queer people who don't have those resources? It shows the difference between temporary fixes, and actual societal change. Liberation cannot be achieved without solidarity

#young royals

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criesinnorwegianpodcast · 2 years

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Taking a brief break from SKAM, Gaby and Liska finally sat down to discuss YOUNG ROYALS! Joining us is the one, the only, the legendary Henrik of @skamenglishsubs, with his fascinating insider knowledge of the country and culture.

#young royals #wilhelm x simon #edvin ryding #omar rudberg #skam

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stonerbughead · 1 year

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tagged by @usercassieblake ❤️ these are always fun!

rules: tag 9 people you want to get to know better.

three ships: Bughead (Riverdale), Natewyn (One of Us is Lying), Nace (Nancy Drew)

first ship ever: probably Rory and Jess back when i watched Gilmore Girls live on the WB as a literal child with my mom and sister :) we got to watch live as long as we went to CCD that afternoon lol

last song: Doo Wop (That Thing) - Ms. Lauryn Hill

last film: 9 to 5 (the best)

currently reading: Nothing More To Tell by Karen M. McManus and On The Line: A Story of Class, Solidarity, and Two Women's Epic Fight to Build a Union by Daisy Pitkin

currently watching: so much always!!!! i don't have a tv podcast for nothin'! i'm bored so i'll break it down into subcategories lmao

current rewatches: Ginny & Georgia (new season tonight yay!), Younger (never watched s7 so i will this time), Young Royals (i'm behind on watching S2 i know), One Tree Hill (along with listening to the Drama Queens podcast)

currently airing series I'm watching: Gossip Girl (2021), Abbott Elementary, All American, All American: Homecoming, Mythic Quest, The Sex Lives of College Girls that just wrapped up its sophomore season

first time watches: Everwood at a @leftistteendrama listener's request :)

on my docket to watch next: Heartbreak High, Reservation Dogs, A League of Their Own; also will soon be rewatching Outer Banks and Yellowjackets before the new seasons!

currently consuming: well i just got back from a tasty ass dinner with my fiance celebrating 100 days until my wedding so i recently consumed crostini, calamari, and gnocchi!

currently craving: dessert! lol

tagging @heartunsettledsoul @feisty-aquarius4 @monica-posh @simon-eriksson @writeraquamarinara @onlyalittlebookworm @lurker-no-more @sullypants @imreallyloveleee

#tag game #tagged #books #tv #movies

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gameofthronedd · 1 year

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Alicent raised two rapists, one of whom is a pedo who watches kids fight to the death too including his own children, and she deliberately went AGAINST royal and Targaryen traditions to make sure Aegon and Helaena married so young that poor Helaena gave birth to twins at barely 14 years old.

Alicent gets no feminist sympathy when she chooses again and again to cause women suffering to further her own agenda.

If the idea that Aemond is a r*pist comes from the Alys Rivers situation then it's important to remember a few things. F&B has a wide variety of opinions/biases courtesy of the writers and, since it was designed to be reminiscent of real-world historical sources, it isn't always accurate. I don't believe any of the writers were at Harrenhal (iirc). Alys is also a notoriously mysterious character and a key point of the Aemond & Alys situation is that mystery, and the fact that no one knows for sure what was going on there. Consequently, the assertation that Aemond is a r*pist is an assumption, or interpretation, and not canon thus far. We'll have to see what the show does, anyway.

As for Alicent...

Almost every character, the main ones in particular, has their own agenda - Alicent, Otto, Viserys, Daemon, Rhaenyra, Corlys, Rhaenys. So on, so forth. Some agendas are more ambiguous and more difficult to pinpoint. I'd argue that Alicent's falls into this category but I think that trying to ensure her children's wellbeing is the main motivator for her actions in the series.

As for her causing the suffering of women. I can't recall any instances where Alicent directly causes a large group of women, or women as a collective, to suffer. Correct me if I'm wrong. The marriage of Helaena to Aegon is not something I personally like or agree with, but it is strategic move on the part of the Greens to consolidate power and give legitimacy to Aegon, and is not a decision made with the intention to harm Helaena.

It's important to keep in mind that the characters in this series are not modern day feminists. They are women living in a medieval and patriarchal context. Consequently, their actions align with this. And on that note, no female character in the series (that I'm aware of) is advocating for the emancipation of women, though Dany in ASOIAF is probably the closest. Keep in mind, as well, that a woman in a primary position of power does not immediately mean that women are freed from the patriarchy (see female rulers like Elizabeth I or Victoria I, and prime ministers like Margaret Thatcher).

Back to the point about "feminist sympathy".

What does a lack of feminist sympathy look like? And what is feminism if not solidarity between women despite patriarchy's push to make women constantly at war with each other? I'm not saying that women should be exempt from criticism or that every woman is contributing or contributing positively to the feminist movements (I'd also argue it's unrealistic to expect every woman to engage in collective feminist action!). But I'd like to think that there's some incentive to extend sympathy to even those women we may disagree with.

My general stance on this is that, given the context, it's unlikely that Alicent or any other female character could overwhelming improve the situation for all women (and we obviously know the outcome of F&B and further down the line as well) especially given the added layer of class privilege. I think as well that it's perfectly fine to be critical of women and their actions but I do draw a line when it comes to attacking other women using misogynistic rhetoric (i.e. victim-blaming, slut-shaming etc.) as I spoke about in my previous post.

I personally don't believe that Alicent is contributing to or making the situation worse than it already is for women (she's not making it better, either, but which woman in this series is?). The smallfolk, in particular, have been sidelined throughout Targaryen (and then Baratheon) rule, and the women likely suffer the most throughout the many instances of Targaryen warfare (and, of course, non-Targ warfare).

Back to Alicent, she is a victim of the patriarchy and I reckon she's probably internalised some misogyny too (like most of us probably have). However, she isn't intentionally harming women for the purpose of oppressing women, nor is she solely responsible, and her actions stem moreso from her desire to protect her family than any inclination to gain power for herself or to harm women. It also seems to me that Alicent is a very conscientious and smart character who understands that there is little she can feasibly do (she was, after all, raised by Otto who tends to tell the harsh truth rather than a sweet lie).

To conclude, you can have your opinions of Alicent and interpretations of her actions and motivations. However, I'm personally quite tired of women being pitted against one another, honestly. I personally have sympathy for Alicent as a victim and in general as a woman in a highly patriarchal society. She's not a feminist but I don't need her to be. Same said of Rhaenyra and other female characters.

#deserving #answered asks #gameofthrones #hotd #hotd meta #hotd thoughts #house of the dragon #alicent hightower #tw: sa mention #tw: r*pe #my overall point is that we shouldn't expect or treat these women like modern day feminists who are trying to emancipate women #also that it's not like alicent is purposefully trying to make the lives of women worse #and personally i don't understand this idea that a woman has to be of sympathy but yknow #obvs there are a few exceptions lol but you get what i mean #first it's the ideal victim then it's the ideal feminist then the ideal woman-- 🥴#this was messy oops oh well

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every-marveler-ever · 1 year

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The Clouds Have Always Been Gray

IronHusbands Bingo Round 4 | 🗯️ @ironhusbandsbingo | Royalty AU

Steve Rogers Bingo 2022 | 🌭 @steverogersbingo | "Something's strange in the air today. The sun is gone and the clouds turned gray. Just what's comin' is hard to say, I don't know"

masterlist :: (ao3 link)

RATING: General WARNING(S): Howard Stark's A+ bad parenting, Implied depression

A/N: I’m not sure what this is but it’s better at the end than it is at the beginning so maybe just try and hold on I guess. I think royalty au’s just may not be my thing, but have this anyway I like the way it’s styled. This could also be expanded way more than it currently is so maybe expect that in the future. Also did not realise that his quote was from Rogers the musical and I maybe should have looked that up earlier lol.

A glimpse into the life of prince Anthony Stark and how escaping was a much better idea. | tony stark/james 'rhodey' rhodes

ihb 🗯️ r4 | srb 🌭 2022

Royalty had never been Tony’s plan, he was a mechanic and that was all he ever wanted to be. He left the life of royalty left the excitement, the money, the jewels and the large ceremonies because his mum disappeared.

On his 9th birthday, the royal headline reads: ‘Maria Stark Whisked Away To Tropical Beaches For Her And King Howard Stark’s Honeymoon, Only to Be Stranded Alone Upon Stark’s Return.’ Howard scoffed when he read it complaining that the title was too long, not catchy enough, not even a thought to where his wife was, why he returned alone.

Tony cried that night into his stuffed toys.

The next day the toys were taken away from his room, too soft for a Stark, “Starks are made of iron,” Howard reminded him as the workers removed them all.

At age 11 he met Rhodey, the son of one of the maids, Rhodey was the only person around that was his age as they did lessons and tutoring together. Tony quickly nicknamed him Rhodey after not much time. Swinging his legs laying upside down on the couch younger Tony looks to Rhodey, “why did your parents name you James, that’s so boring, I like Rhodey better,” the young genius muses and Rhodey just goes along with it because Tony is the king's son, he’s the crown prince.

Steve, Tony’s bodyguard at the time, used to tell the two boys stories about him and his ‘friend’ James. That was always the one-time Rhodey would speak up, “see James is a cool name,” he would mutter along and Steve and Tony would both look and shake their heads.

“Do you ever notice that sometimes the sky is just grey,” Tony at age 14 mutters lying on the castle grounds staring straight up into the sky which he describes as grey. He’s not supposed to be in the gardens, he’s suspected to be in lessons but Rhodey knew from the moment that Tony rejected coffee that morning that the prince needed a different kind of day.

Tony leaves a large enough space for a response but Rhodey chooses to instead just grab the prince's hand in solidarity with whatever he says next, "Something's strange in the air today. The sun is gone and the clouds turned grey.” Rhodey chuckles at the line, he knows Tony means it in a way of acknowledgement but to Rhodey it almost sounds like poetry.

Everybody seems to progress in their life except Tony, Rhodey became Tony’s personal guard from being a maids son, excelled in all his classes, and went on to be a castle soldier, he would have been able to lead but Tony wouldn’t let him, Tony needed him instead. Steve went on to marry James, who he fondly calls Bucky instead (which Tony believes is a win against the name James). Tony seemed to always just be a prince, eventually one day he might become king but that seemed unreasonable according to his father.

“I think I want to leave,” he tells Rhodey in confidence, “just what's comin' is hard to say, I don't know.”

Bags are packed quickly and an escape plan is hatched.

When Tony is 15 the headlines read, ‘only son of King Howard Stark, Prince Anthony, has been taken overnight, we have yet to have notice of where he may be.’ Howard slams the newspaper on the table and screams but Tony can’t hear it, he’s days away.

Away where the sky is finally blue.

BINGO CARDS:

#SGRBingo2022 #Steve Rogers Bingo 2022 #ironhusbandsbingo #ironhusbandsbingoround4 #tony stark #james 'rhodey' rhodes #tony stark/rhodey #tony stark x rhodey #every marveler ever #every-marveler-ever

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merlinmyrddin · 3 years

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Hello!

Can you recommend me some very underatted gay movies? (I prefer comdey or happy ones if it's possible)

I recently came to realize i am a 23 man who happens to be gay. I don't know what took me so long.

Hello! I am sorry for the time it took me to answer you, but your ask has been playing constantly in my head now for weeks and I had to go down nostalgia lane film-wise...!

I'm also sorry for how long this answer is, I got carried away!!!

So first of all, I am damn proud if you. I know it sounds like empty words but whether you're 13, 23, or 45, being able to say you have found your inner truth is always something to be proud of! And what took you so long? It didn't. We are living in times where people want you to believe you are meant to have your sexuality and/or gender figured out by 18 when in reality, I know more people doing their coming out in their 20's/30's. Because when it comes to being gay, lesbian, bi, trans and queer : this last decade has seen some major changes. But it's ok for people born late 80's and 90's to come out "just" now. We grew up in a time where homosexuality was still taboo in most places. And when I say taboo, I mean that "homosexual" was barely pronounced, sometimes only whispered. A time where "gay panic" was a legitimate defense in court. (Talking from a Western European point of view here again. Many places in the world, including the USA still consider the murder of an homosexual or transgender victim as a legitimate act. And these last years has proven that there was not only the "gay/trans panic" crippling our streets, but also a "black panic" and more recently, an "Asian panic". Short aparte here : "gay panic" doesnt mean "omg, that person is making me question my identity!?" nor is it a term used when thirsty over an actor/actress when openly gay such as "[actor name] oh wow...*gay panic intensifies*... this term is a serious concept a murderer can use in court as a defense when taking the life of someone from the community. This is the law enabling hate crimes.)

To any younger people reading this right now : gay marriage has been legal in France since 2013, in the UK since 2014 and, allegedly, in the US since 2015. This is recent history. People who are mid-20's are historically closer to the HIV/AIDs crisis than of the legalisation of same-sex marriage.

As such, we are made to believe than coming out in our twenties or thirties is doing a late coming out. No, it's not. We are a generation who suffered through systemic homophobia in our formative teenage years. When we were trying to figure who we were, people were marching in the streets calling us names, and trying to defend the idea we did not deserve basic humans rights. (As a side note, I am not implying that such issues are not currently happening. This is mostly western European centred again as I am, well, European. This is also targeted towards sexuality orientations, excluding any gender talks as this is still currently a very real societal issue for which the fight has only just begun. Double side note : I'm not yet fully caffeinated. But hopefully you get the general idea despite my flagrant lack of eloquence on this fine morning.)

Alright, let's move on to films then!

I searched for a long time for happy / comedic films but then I realised I was definitly not the right person to answer that. On a general basis, I enjoy dramas. That's my thing.

So instead, I thought I would list you the first LGBTQ+ Films I ever watched, hoping they'll find you well.

-Stonewall (1995). Not my favourite film, but as a kid, it was great first jump into lgbtq+ history. Sad note : The director of this film died of AIDS shortly after.

-Another country (1984) Based in the 1930's in a public school. Starring Rupert Everett (who just a few years ago came to direct "The Happy Prince", a great take on Oscar Wilde and Alfred Douglas, casting himself as Wilde, and Colin Morgan as Bosie...fantastic film, highly recommand), and starring Colin Firth. Teenagers discovering themselves, from homosexuality to politics. (The parralele made is quite interesting as both young men are misfits...one for being gay, one for being Marxist.) Great watch, but a heavy one.

-Maurice. (1987) God, I love this film. It explores not only coming to term with your sexuality but also what it means to be homosexual for the people around you and the impact it can have on your life, depending on your social background. Starring James Wilby, Hugh Grant and Rupert Graves, this is an other drama which leaves you feeling almost raw. I always had an affinity for British film because of how...real they feel. Best example would probably be Danny Boyle himself. You know what I mean... you grow attached and you feel for these characters. And Maurice does just that. Memorable quote : I am an unspeakable of the Oscar Wilde sort. (And you might think : "Oscar Wilde? Again??" And oh boy, yes. Oscar Wilde again. Yes, he is one of the most well known author, mostly because of The Picture of Dorian Gray, but he is also a major part of Queer history. After all, "queer" has been used as a derogatory term for homosexuals for the time...directed at Wilde during his trial for posing as a somdomite. (No typo there.) Being an unspeakable of the Oscar Wilde sort is an other one of the euphemism like "being a friend of Dorothy") And talking about Wilde...

-Wilde (1997). Biopic, Stephen Fry as Oscar, Jude law as Oscar's lover : Bosie. Incredible. Superb film. I can not find words.

-An Englishman in New-York (not the Sting song. Actually yes, kinda the Sting song. Because both the film and the song are about the same man : Quentin Crisp). Biopic. An artist, writer, actor, Quentin Crisp has always bothered. Painting his nails, wearing make up, criticising the royal family. He was a character. John hurt is magnificent as Crisp, who he had already played in 1975 in The Naked Civil Servant, an other great watch.

- A Single Man (2009). With Nicholas Hoult and Colin Firth. This film was a slap in my face. And it has, in my opinion, one of the greatest speech of all time, during a scene in the classroom :

"[...]Let's leave the Jews out of this just for a moment. Let's think of another minority. One that... One that can go unnoticed if it needs to. There are all sorts of minorities, blondes for example... Or people with freckles. But a minority is only thought of as one when it constitutes some kind of threat to the majority. A real threat or an imagined one. And therein lies the fear. If the minority is somehow invisible, then the fear is much greater. That fear is why the minority is persecuted. So, you see there always is a cause. The cause is fear. Minorities are just people. People like us."

-Pride (2014). [TRAILER] Bloody hell, that film. When we talk about lgbtq+ history, we often thing about the pink triangle and the holocaust, Reagan, Stonewall, AIDS and... fucking Maggie. Margaret Thatcher, the Iron Lady. Again, funny how the past is closer than we think, as I still have friends of mine talking to me about that period in British history that they lived through. The minors strike. The poverty, the crisis of the working class and the HIV crisis. But if you are looking for a film full of hope, from tears to laughter, this is the one. Bread and Roses. Bread, and Roses. And a message, which I believe is the essence of our community to this day : solidarity forever. After all...there is power in a union.

If anybody has other films to add, you are more than welcome to do so.

Love you all xx

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miss-pearlescent · 4 years

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I Want You (M)

You know you are attracted to the incubus named Kai, but is it because he’s an incubus or because he is Kai? You’ll just have to let him show you.

Rated M for smut. Also: fluff advisory (o˘◡˘o)

The lace collar was itchy. The corset was tight. You tried not to breathe to hard as you saw him approaching, his lean body quick and agile. You focused your eyes on the queen, ignoring the longing to look over and see what Kai was up to.

It was the queen’s coronation ball, a special day to mark the unification of demons and humans in the kingdom. You had always thought she was fit for the role despite what others said, and you were glad for all the changes she brought to the castle. That included the recruitment of many demons from the other realm.

You weren’t entirely sure how things worked down there but you had heard that only the “goodest” of the bad were hired, whatever that meant. Either way, you had been able to make many new friends in the past couple of years, ones who were accepting and didn’t look down on you for being the stable master’s daughter.

“Boo,” a low voice whispered in your ear and made you turn. It was hard not to stiffen and let your jaw drop to the floor, so you quickly looked away instead, trying your hardest to concentrate on whatever the queen was saying.

Beside you, the handsome devil named Kai stood by your arm, back straight and arms behind his back. On any other day, he made you blush in his training uniform. But tonight, he wore a deep blue formal jacket and a gold sash branding him as one of the kingdom’s royal knights. The sight took your breath away, even if you could only see him from the corner of your eye.

“Good evening,” you whispered back.

He nudged your elbow. “I have something for you.”

Curious, you allowed yourself to peek over. “Me?” You tried to think back. It wasn’t your birthday. He didn’t owe you any favours. There weren’t any special occasions for gift giving coming up.

With a mischievous grin, Kai brought his arm forward and presented you with a small plate piled high with tarts, cakes, and biscuits.

Your eyes bugged out so much that you thought they were going to pop out of your eyes. “How did you get this? Dinner’s not even served,” you hissed.

In response, he put a finger to his lips. “It’s a secret.”

“You are...sneaky.” You put a hand over your mouth to cover your laugh and quickly took a lemon tart before anybody could see. Discreetly, you took a bite, loving the sweet and sour that mixed on your tongue followed by the flaky crust.

You noticed Kai watching you intently and looked away again. His stare was unnerving and you did not want to make a fumble of yourself on such an important night.

“Will you be needed soon?” you asked, trying to sound casual.

Kai turned to the stage. “Soon. I am waiting for your father’s signal.”

You found your old man waiting at the edge of the stairs, wringing his hands on his lap. He was to usher all the knights onto the stage when the queen’s speech was over so that they could represent the solidarity of humans and demons fighting for the good of the kingdom together.

“How are things with your father?”

Your shoulders slumped a little bit. “They’re okay.” The two of you had had a quarrel the other day when you were manning the steeds and your father was burdened about the ball. He had stopped you in the middle of your work day and lectured you once again about finding a good husband, this time on coronation night.

But the thought of meeting a man at the ball terrified you. You were dressed up in clothes that you wore once in a blue moon, with your hair swept up into a beautiful braid and your lips painted rouge. It would be like a Cinderella story if you met the man of your dreams tonight and then he had to see you dressed in pants and tunic, shovelling horse dung all day. The thought that a man might turn his face away in disgust made you want to crawl inside a hole, especially seeing all the beautiful ladies attending tonight.

Besides, you liked things the way they were, and you didn’t want to meet a new man because that might mean that your friendship with Kai would grow distant. He always mentioned how he would be slightly jealous if his wife had a male friend as close as Kai was to you. Always the gentleman, Kai said—much to your dismay—he would be willing to stay away from causing friction in a relationship when you found a husband of your own.

If that ever happened.

“He’s likely taking his stress out on you,” Kai added while taking a bite of a small tea cake. “He’s been having to deal with all of us the past two weeks and I think it’s turning his hair grey.”

You smiled because your father did seem quite nervous about today. But everything was going well so far and you knew whatever happened tonight would be for the best.

You saw your father raise his hand and wave not so subtly. “That’s your cue,” you said in a hushed tone, taking the plate of desserts out of Kai’s hand.

He rubbed his hands on his pristine white pants—a nervous habit of his—and you bit your tongue to keep from telling him that the action might dirty his pants. It was too late now.

Kai turned toward you and opened his mouth, then closed it in a smile. “You have something here.” He reached out his hand and brushed his thumb against the corner of your lips.

You sucked in a breath. Looking down, you saw a crumb fall to the floor. Though he was simply helping you keep tidy, he might as well have branded you with his touch. Your lips were warm and tingly as he walked away, cracking his neck from side to side.

You watched, starstruck as the knights lined up and stood on stage, their backs stick straight and their uniforms gleaming with badges. When the commander stepped forward to give his speech, his voice cracked and there was a slight murmur of giggles through the room. But your eyes stayed on Kai as his mouth curved in a slight smile and his gaze grazed the room to land on you.

He winked.

Your cheeks felt like they were on fire, and you frantically stuffed a tart into your mouth, not caring about chewing.

“You know, he is an incubus.”

You turned to the voice and found one of the aunts of the royal family with her arms crossed and her lips pursed. You weren’t sure which aunt she was, just that she frequented the castle with her sons.

She cut you a look full of judgement. “A girl like you should not be spending so much time with the likes of him. His only goal is to ruin you, and I can see that you are already falling for the tricks up his sleeve.”

You looked down at the desserts on your plate. “It’s just a few cakes,” you muttered.

“A few cakes here, a few flowers there. All he needs to do is snap his fingers and you will be on your back in the hay bales for him.” The woman rolled her eyes. “You are blind if you think he isn’t playing this game with all the women in the castle. Do yourself a favour and find a nice stable boy who will still be willing to marry you while you’re young and untouched.”

Suddenly, the desserts made you want to vomit.

Your father didn’t say those kinds of words but wasn’t that what he meant in the end? Find someone who would be willing to marry you before you become old and alone?

You had known Kai for years now and knew from the first day that he was a demon, specifically an incubus. But was that why you were so attracted to him that you didn’t even want to entertain the thought of marriage?

You bit your lip as the audience clapped, because you didn’t want to believe the woman. Kai was not the type of person to do such a horrible thing and play with your feelings. Hell, that was why you stayed just friends with him. He had never pushed for anything other than friendship. He was just being himself.

It was simply you that fell for him.

Inwardly, you groaned and turned to leave the room. It was suddenly too stuffy and you remembered how much your dress itched and the tightness of your corset. You needed to leave and—

“Oof!” You bumped into a broad chest and steadied the cakes in your hands. An arm wrapped around your shoulders as you wobbled from the force of crashing into the man. You blinked upward, a little dazed. “How did you get back so fast?”

“I guess I used my demon speed to teleport here,” he teased with a slight shrug then switched to being serious. “You okay?”

You nodded and set the cakes down on a table before rubbing your forehead. “I’m fine. I was just going to...” What? Run back to the stables and sulk with the horses as you thought about a plan of attack for the new year so that you could get married and everybody will be happy?

Kai waited for a moment before looking around. “Did you want to dance? We can practice what we learned last month.” The two of you had inserted yourselves into a busy class held by the dance instructor that was hired for the royal family. At the back of the class, you remembered losing your breath as the two of you tried to keep up with the instructions while holding back your laughter.

The memories were fond and you were about to say yes when you saw the glare of the older woman from behind Kai’s shoulder. Quickly, you shook you head as you watched the waltz begin on the floor. “I don’t remember the steps.”

Kai’s expression fell to one of concern and mild rejection. You didn’t like doing that to him, but dancing in his arms again would make your heart soar way too high.

“Is everything all right?” he asked softly so that nobody else could hear.

Your gaze locked on his and you wondered if he could see all the emotions that were going through your mind. You wanted to tell him everything yet nothing at all because that would just make you vulnerable to him. Slowly, you shook your head, barely enough to be detectable.

He turned and held out his elbow. “Let’s go for a walk around the room then. Take my hand.”

Thoughts racing, you placed your hand on the crook of his elbow and followed him, ignoring all the gazes that seemed to follow you.

Were you what the masses considered a whore? But you had never gone to bed with a man.

Did they consider you a demon-hunter, a term for human women who slept with high-ranking demons so that she could move up the social ladder when no humans would have her? But, again, you had never slept with a human let alone a demon.

But all this time spent with Kai sure made it look like you did.

Was it wrong that you just liked being around him?

“You look very beautiful tonight,” Kai’s deep whisper interrupted your thoughts.

You blinked and your face flushed. “Thank you. You do, too.” Stuttering a little, you corrected yourself. “I-I mean, handsome. Though the clothes you wear are very beautiful.”

He chuckled and squeezed your hand. “But you’re the one getting all the lovely stares from both men and women.”

You looked around and wondered if Kai’s eyes were working properly. Those men and women were staring at her out of contempt for being with a demon, not for being attractive.

Even after all these years of mixing between the species, there was still underlying hate and prejudice beneath the surface.

“I think they are surprised to see the stable master’s daughter in a dress,” you muttered.

Kai laughed. “If I’m being honest, I was surprised, too. But you look like you want to rip it off the moment the ceremony’s over.”

“I do,” you agreed. “It’s stiff and I can barely breathe.” You tugged on the lace of your collar.

Kai squeezed your hand, tight. “Don’t do that.”

You looked over, startled by the change in his voice. It was gruff, a complete change from the soft gentleness that he usually spoke with. “What?”

He kept his stare straight ahead though now it was harder and his mouth was in a tight line. “Men are staring.”

You looked down and saw that the lace had moved a little, exposing even more of your breasts that were bound so tight that they nearly reached your chin.

Okay, that might have been an exaggeration but for somebody who barely had an breasts, this was all new to you.

And Kai was right, men were staring, and this time their eyes were focused on your breasts.

You flicked open the fan that was hanging on your wrist and fanned yourself lightly, taking care to cover your decolletage.

“This was what my father wanted, wasn’t it?” you said with chagrin. “For me to find a man who would be willing to marry me.”

“There are many men who would be happy to marry you,” Kai rushed in with his hard voice. “Lucky to marry you,” he added.

Your heart picked up its pace. “You don’t have to say that.”

“I am simply stating what I know is true.” Sometimes you wished demons weren’t so unreserved with their statements.

What could you say to that? Kai always had a way with words that made you speechless. He knew how to work his way into your heart, and you could do nothing but think about what the woman had said earlier.

“Is this your incubus side speaking to me?”

“Hmm?” He turned to you with a raised brow.

You gave him a stiff smile. “You are always such a smooth talker. It must make all the women swoon. Is that one of your demon powers?”

“No.” He gave you a slow blink and his lips curved into that mischievous grin once again. “But would you like to see some of my incubus powers?”

Did you? Honestly, yes. You had never been in contact with demons enough to witness their powers in real life. There were only a couple stories here and there about fire-breathers and levitation. It would be cool to see what Kai could do. Eagerly, you nodded.

“All right,” he replied and placed a hand over yours. “But you have to make sure you keep your hands on me or else every woman in this room might get a feel for my abilities.”

A surge of jealously bubbled in your gut and you tightened your grip.

You walked with Kai a few more steps before you were transported to a realm of darkness.

It felt like a dream.

You looked around and could only see black for miles and miles. You waited and as the seconds ticked on, your heart began to race.

“Kai?” you whispered.

And magically, he appeared before your eyes. You were relieved but only for a moment because you looked down and realized he was naked.

And you were naked.

And suddenly you wanted nothing more than to lie back and let him have his way with you. So you did.

You weren’t sure what was happening but you laid prone on the ground, your back arching up as your nipples perked. It seemed that just watching him stare down at you in such a vulnerable position was enough to get you turned on. Not to mention, his cock was standing up straight and proud.

You usually thought horses were too hung and disturbingly big but Kai’s was just...beautiful. It looked like the perfect length, with thick ridges that you were sure no human man had. The thought of that pumping inside you made your thighs quiver.

He crouched beside you and stroked your cheek, but all you wanted was his cock inside of you, and you didn’t care where. You licked your lips, ready to take him into your mouth and suck him dry.

He pressed a hand to your shoulder, pinning you to the ground with a chuckle. “This is my time to demonstrate my powers to you, not the other way around.”

You whined in protest and gave him a pout.

He shook his head. “I want you to see all the ways that I want to take you.” Your lips parted as a soft sucking sensation began between your legs and your thighs were pushed apart. “Look down,” he said.

You did as you were told and found Kai’s head between your legs, his mouth playing with your folds.

“I want to spend hours down there.” The Kai down there was busy, but his voice still filled your head. “I want to make you nice and wet for later.”

“L-later?” you panted as you felt a finger enter your slit.

Two hands appeared out of nowhere and suddenly you were flipped onto your knees, your hands holding onto an invisible wall. Kai was still sucking on your clit and pumping his fingers in and out of you, but you couldn’t turn your head to see.

Instead, another Kai materialized in front of you, his two hands rolling your nipples between his fingers.

“Later, when my cock fills your tight pussy, I want you to scream my name.”

“Kai...” you were already ready to scream his name as you felt a hollowness in your belly. You wanted to beg him to mount you like one of the stallions to the mares.

“You want it dirty like that?”

You bit your lip as your legs trembled. He was pinching your nipples hard and his fingers were also hitting the perfect spot inside you at the same time. You weren’t going to last long.

Kai’s lips found a sensitive spot on your neck. “Control your breathing. People are looking,” he murmured.

For a moment, you didn’t know what he was talking about, but then you were transported back to the ballroom and found that the tops of your breasts were heaving and you were dripping between your thighs as you continued to pace around the room with him.

You drew in a deep breath and fanned yourself, trying to cool off.

“Ready to go back?” his low voice reached your ear and you gave a small nod.

You were thrust back into the darkness again with Kai’s lips and hands all over you. You cursed because the brief break and sudden onslaught of his ministrations nearly pushed you over.

“Would you like to know what I would feel like inside you?” he purred.

You gulped and nodded, desperate to feel him stretching you open.

But then suddenly everything stopped and you let out a small whimper as you fell to your hands and knees, your heat sopping wet and your body shivering with need.

A hand tilted your chin up and you locked eyes with Kai’s handsome face.

“This is just a dream,” he said. “You are not a ruined woman if you agree to this.”

“Mm-hmm.”

He leaned in, pressing his lips to the corner of yours. “But I want you, and I want you to know it. You have been what I longed for for years.”

You paused. “I am just a stable girl.”

“Just a stable girl?” Kai let out a breathy laugh and kissed you again, this time lingering on your bottom lip. “You are the smartest, most hard-working woman I know with the biggest heart. You treated me like a friend from the start, even though you knew I was a demon.”

Your cheeks turned red. “I might have been harbouring a slight crush.” Your cheeks turned redder still. “And I might still be harbouring that crush, but I know you are an incubus and I know you can have any woman with the snap of your fingers,” you said, quoting the older woman from earlier.

He was just a breath away and you wanted his kisses so bad, but you knew you had to finish explaining yourself.

“I was scared of getting hurt in case I was just a friend in your eyes.”

Kai’s chest rose and fell as the moments passed by. “I know you told me you wanted to wait till marriage, but would you like to know how I see you in my eyes?”

You licked your lips and he followed the gesture with his liquid stare. “Yes.”

And all at once your body was covered in white fabric and a bouquet of flowers dropped into your hands. You looked down and realized you were wearing a big wedding dress.

You scanned the area and found yourself standing alone in a garden. “Kai?”

“Boo,” a raspy voice came from behind you and you whirled around to find Kai in a black suit, his hair slicked back and his teeth shining as he smiled down at you.

“What is this?” you asked, sweeping your arms around at the rows of chairs lined up in the garden.

He scratched the back of his neck, another nervous gesture of his. “I always wondered what you would look like in a wedding dress.”

“Really?” You looked down and smiled. “I like it.”

“Mm,” he murmured, leaning down to kiss your exposed neck. “I like it, too.”

You sighed as all the arousal from earlier rushed back to you in waves every time he sucked on the spot on your neck. It was as if that caused all the other parts of your body to feel the suckling too.

Then you felt hands on your hips and something slide between your slit. Your eyes widened. “What was that?”

“It’s me again,” Kai said, raising his head. “Would you like to see?”

You nodded and the Kai in front of you disappeared. You craned your head and found him behind you, holding your hips with your dress flipped up, his thick cock slicking himself against your entrance. “You have a lot of playroom with your power,” you pointed out.

He smirked and canted his hips again. “I like making you wet and I will use all the tricks up my sleeve to do it.”

You felt fingers flicking your clit and nipples, yet Kai’s hands were anchoring your hips and your bodice was still laced up tight. This couldn’t be possible.

“If you want a hundred tongues on you, I could make that happen,” he said proudly.

A hundred might be overkill, you thought as you keeled over from the pleasure, holding on tightly to one of the chairs. Your senses were being overloaded as he teased every part of your body.

“I’m going to give you what you want, my love, don’t you worry.”

“Wait,” you moaned, reaching for one of his hands. “I’m scared I’m going to come.”

“And?”

You squeezed his hand to keep from rubbing against his cock. “We are in a full ballroom.”

“No, we’re not.”

Cool air brushed your neck and you opened your eyes, finding yourself in a dimly lit garden.

“I have you.” Kai’s arm was wrapped around your shoulder, holding you as you leaned against him on a quaint wooden bench.

You could see the party through the big windows of the castle, bustling with lights and laughter. Out here, it was quiet and private, but still within view of anybody who stepped out onto the balcony.

Any onlookers would only see a man trying to comfort a poor woman.

You steadied your breathing, a little bit disappointed but at the same time relieved. “When did we come out here?”

He rubbed your flushed skin with his thumb. “When I couldn’t hide my hard-on anymore.”

“Oh...” You looked down and blushed at the sight of his length straining against his white pants. “I’m sorry about that.”

He barked out a laughed and pressed a kiss to your forehead. “I’m not the one who was two seconds away from an orgasm.”

You clutched your fan. “Is it too late?”

He cocked a brow and you jumped in your seat as you felt something prodding your core.

“Oh!”

He pulled you in, letting you rest on his shoulder. “It’s never too late,” he murmured. “Are you ready?”

You raised your hip onto your side as if giving him more entrance though you knew he didn’t need it. Your panted against his neck as you felt his cock stretch your lips wide.

“That’s it, my love. Take all of me,” he whispered, his voice hoarse as his fingers dug into your side. “Fuck, you are so hot and tight.”

You moaned and opened your legs farther apart. “I need your tongue.”

“Where? Tell me.”

You clutched his golden sash in your hands as he pushed inside you a little more. “Everywhere.”

And suddenly you understood the beauty of a hundred tongues on your body.

You sank your teeth into his uniform to muffle your scream as tongues flicked your little nub, helping you open up wide enough to take his hard length all the way down to its base. And the ridges. Oh, the ridges. You felt them as they entered you but you felt them more as he withdrew, pulling back just enough so he could surge back into you.

“Kai!” you cried out against his lapel as you felt the first orgasm hit you. Your body shook with every thrust he made. He made sure to drive all the way to the hilt with every stroke. He ordered the tongues to change up their speed, slowing down and softening the small circles on your clit and nipples.

But he didn’t stop them. “You are so beautiful. I want to watch you come apart like this forever.” Tenderly, he kissed your forehead again, a small gesture that was so different from everything else he did to your body.

And you loved it. “Yes, more. More.” You were going to come again. Your pussy was throbbing around him. You kissed his neck, wishing you had the guts to claim him as your own even as you clawed his uniform with need.

“I am yours,” he said, as if hearing your thoughts. “Even if you marry another, I will always be yours.”

You pulled back but the orgasm hit you before you could correct him. You squirmed in your seat, feeling juices pool out beneath you, as you stifled your cries in your hands.

“Stop,” you choked out. “Kai, stop.”

In an instant, everything stopped and you slumped against him with a contented sigh. You closed your eyes and drew in deep breaths, trying to organize your thoughts.

“I don’t want to marry another,” you declared.

You felt Kai freeze against you.

“If you would take me as your bride, I would like to be married to you.”

It was a bold confession, but you knew it to be true from the bottom of your heart.

Kai’s voice was serious as he spoke. “This is not just because of my powers, is it?”

“Oh, your powers help,” you said with a happy giggle. You leaned back and took his face in your hands, the way you liked to do whenever you wanted to tell him something important while he was being a jokester. “But I do love you, and I think I always have. You are brave to take a job in a world that is against you, yet you are kind to those that are not your kind. Like me.”

His eyes softened. “Because I love you.”

You kissed him gently on the lips. “See? You are sweet and make my heart flutter. I want to marry you.”

He pulled you in for a fuller kiss, wrapping his hand around your neck and messing up your braid a little. Images of you bent over hay bales with your breeches down to your ankles, ready to take his cock flooded your brain.

You moaned.

More images, this time of you in a wedding dress, riding Kai’s cock to orgasm atop a galloping horse.

Your pussy began to clench again.

When he pulled back, the both of you were breathless. “And I am the luckiest male, demon or otherwise.”

---

HULLO. DID YOU THINK I WOULD WRITE ABOUT A SUCCUBUS AND NOT ABOUT INCUBUS!KAI??? >:) Hope everyone is enjoying their holidays!!!!!! This is my thanks to you for all your love <3 Please know that I see your replies to the stories but I don’t know how to reply to them using my fanfic account and not my main account LOLLL I appreciate each and every one of them!

PS: I also wanted to squeeze one more writing piece into my 2019 list hehehe

PPS: this story was inspired by yet another one of Larissa Ione’s novels :3 I read Passion Unleashed in 2015 and parts of it have stuck with me to this day! The hero is an incubus and the heroine is a human. At one point, he projects himself into her dreams and does dirty things :) And her swallowing his cum makes her uncontrollably aroused. I love amazing ideas from amazing minds *chef’s kiss*

#exo #kai #exo scenarios #kai scenarios #exo fanfiction #kai fanfiction #jongin #kpop #kpop fanfiction #fanfiction #kpop scenarios #smut #demon #incubus #cute #fluff #fantasy #writing #romance

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mountainmaster489 · 4 years

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Hi, @reve13, I promised to tell you about the Russian holidays, I hope it comes in handy and will be fun😉:

1. The very first in the year and the most widely celebrated holiday is the Novyy god (New Year).

It's celebrated on the night of December 31 to January 1. New Year holidays (weekends) last from January 1 to January 8. New Year is a secular holiday loved by almost all the inhabitants of the country, regardless of nationality or religion.

According to tradition, a few days before the New Year it is customary to install and decorate the fir-tree, as well as the house. As a rule, when the New Year is celebrated, close people gather at the New Year's table, usually on the evening of December 31 of the outgoing year.

The coming of the new year and the actual beginning of the celebration is marked by the Kremlin Clock striking twelve, i.e. midnight Moscow Time preceded by the New Year Address by President of Russia and followed by the playing of the National Anthem of Russia.

The most popular dishes of the New Year's table in Russia are "Olivier" salad (Russian salad), "Selyodka pod Shuboi" salad (Herring under a fur coat), Kholodets (aspic), caviar, champagne, tangerines, etc. Popular hot dishes include a roasted pig, roasted meat chunks, goose with apples, chicken stuffed with buckwheat and mushrooms, sour cream hare, venison, lamb, whole fish, etc...

Gifts to Russian children and adults are brings by Ded Moroz (Grandfather Frost). This is a character of Slavic fairy-tale folklore. In its origins, he is a pagan personification of the forces of nature (winter and frost) and a wizard. Ded Moroz is depicted as an old man in a colored - blue, blue, red or white coat, with a long white beard and a staff in his hand, in felt boots. He rides three horses. Usually comes accompanied by his granddaughter, Snegurochka (Snow Maiden), who helps him. Snegurochka is also a fabulous folk character. At holidays, acts as an intermediary between children and Ded Moroz. Sometimes portrayed as a little girl, sometimes an adolescent. She wears long silver-blue robes and a furry cap or a snowflake-like crown. They can also be accompanied by forest animals.

We also have very popular fireworks. After midnight, it may resemble a small colorful war, hee hee.

2. Christmas in Russia (Russian Orthodox Church), commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ, is celebrated on 7 January in the Gregorian calendar. Christmas is considered a high holiday by the Russian Orthodox Church. On Christmas Eve, 6 January, there are several long services, including the Royal Hours and Vespers combined with the Divine Liturgy. The family will then return home for the traditional Christmas Eve "Holy Supper", which consists of 12 dishes, one to honour each of the Twelve Apostles. Devout families will then return to church for the "всенощная" All Night Vigil. Then again, on Christmas Morning, for the "заутренняя" Divine Liturgy of the Nativity. This holiday is important for religious Orthodox Christians.

3. St. Valentine's Day is a holiday of Catholic origin, which is celebrated on February 14 in many countries of the world. Named after one of two early Christian martyrs with the name Valentine.

Those who celebrate this holiday give their beloved and dear people gifts, flowers, sweets, toys, balloons and special cards (often in the shape of a heart) with verses, love confessions or wishes of love - Valentine. This holiday gained popularity in the 90s in Russia. It is not a public holiday or a day off, but rather widely celebrated by young people.

Сompetition for Valentine's Day is All-Russian Day of Family, Love and Faithfulness (The Day of Saint Peter and Saint Fevronia). This holiday is celebrated on July 8th. Its symbol is a white daisy. The history of the spouses of Peter and Fevronia is the embodiment of the unquenchable love and loyalty. This date are trying to popularize , because many Russians dislike the foreign Valentine's Day, which is called commercial.

4. Defender of the Fatherland Day (День защитника Отечества) is a holiday observed in Russia on 23 February.

Officially, as the name suggests, the holiday celebrates people who are serving or were serving the Russian Armed Forces (both men and women, both military and civilian personnel), but unofficially, nationally it has also come to include the celebration of men as a whole, and to act as a counterpart of International Women's Day on March 8. Because the majority of men in Russia undergo mandatory short military service.

The holiday is celebrated with parades and processions in honor of veterans, and women also give small gifts to men in their lives, especially husbands (or boyfriends, fiances), fathers, sons and brothers. As a part of the workplace culture, women often give small gifts to their male co-workers. State day off.

5. International Women's Day is celebrated on the 8th of March every year. It appeared as a day of women's solidarity in the struggle for equal rights and emancipation. State day off. The celebration of March 8 in Russia includes the established tradition of giving women flowers and other gifts.

6. Maslenitsa (Мaсленица) is an Eastern Slavic religious and folk holiday, which has retained a number of elements of Slavic mythology in its ritual, celebrated during the last week before Great Lent, that is, the eighth week before Eastern Orthodox Pascha. The date of Maslenitsa changes every year depending on the date of the celebration of Easter. The traditional attributes of the Maslenitsa celebration are the scarecrow of Maslenitsa (which burn), making visits, sleigh rides, dressing up, bonfires, snowball fights, the capture of the Snow Fortress, festivities. Russians people bake pancakes and tortillas. It is customary to eat them with various fillings and share with friends.

7. The Russian Orthodox Church celebrates Easter (Paskha/Пасха) according to the Orthodox calendar, and so it can occur in April or May. Russians celebrate Easter with decorated eggs, special foods, and customs. The day before Easter all churches hold night services and organize religious processions around churches. By that time, kulich, the traditional holiday baking symbolizing the body of Christ, had been already baked and Easter eggs painted. The morning starts from visiting neighbors and giving away Easter eggs. The common phrase you can hear on that day is: "Khristos voskres!" (Christ is risen!), which is to be followed by "Voistinu voskres" (Truly He is risen! This traditional greeting followed by hugging and triple kissing is called "kiss of peace". Christian Easter feast lasts seven days and is called the Holy Week or Sedmitsa.

8. Spring and Labor Day. 1st May Day in its present form arose in the middle of the 19th century in the labor movement, which put forward the introduction of an eight-hour working day as one of the main requirements. In today's Russia, the holiday has lost its original political character. Some political parties and labor unions may have demonstrations on this day, but most Russians use Spring and Labor Day for gardening or spending time with their families. It is also common for people to have picnics or barbecues. Men may give spring flowers, especially tulips and lilacs, to women, and parents may buy balloons and ice-cream to their children to celebrate the end of the cold season in Russia. 1 May is a public holiday.

9. Victory Day. May 9, Russia celebrates the victory over Nazi Germany, while remembering those who died in order to achieve it. On 9 May 1945 (by Moscow time) the German military surrendered to the Soviet Union and the Allies of World War II in Berlin. Victory Day is by far one of the biggest Russian holidays. It commemorates those who died in World War II and pays tribute to survivors and veterans. Flowers and wreaths are laid on wartime graves and special parties and concerts are organized for veterans. In the evening there is a firework display. A huge ground and air military parade, hosted by the President of the Russian Federation, is annually organized in Moscow on Red Square. Similar ground, air and marine parades are organized in several other Russian cities. It’s a public holiday.

10. Russia Day (День России/Den Rossii) National Day, celebrated on 12 June. On this day, in 1991, Russian parliament formally declared Russian sovereignty from the Soviet Union.

11. Unity Day (День народного единства/Denʹ narodnava yedinstva) is a national holiday in Russia held on November 4. It commemorates the popular uprising which expelled Polish–Lithuanian occupation forces from Moscow in November 1612, and more generally the end of the Time of Troubles. The day's name alludes to the idea that all classes of Russian society united to preserve Russian statehood when there was neither a tsar nor a patriarch to guide them.

Celebrations of these days are accompanied by: Flag hoisting, parades, fireworks, award ceremonies, singing patriotic songs and the national anthem, speeches by the President, entertainment and cultural programs.

#mikhail arbatov #feilong #liu feilong #feilong liu #mikhail/feilong #mifei #mikhailxfeilong #frabatov #viewfinder #finder series #you're my loveprize in viewfinder #ayano yamane #manga #south park style

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raging-violets · 4 years

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Flare’s Whisper

Sorry, @darknightfrombeyond I hope you don’t mind! Also, this title sucks, and this was the first thing I thought of and...maybe could extend it with a few more??

Amelia tried to keep her face neutral as she looked around the sea of socialites dressed in their best, gliding from one another along the background music of violins and classical music. She felt she was stuck in a movie, where they were trying their hardest to show off the characters’ worth. But it was real life.

Funny what sort of things you noticed when you were looking right at it, rather than a side-sweeping gaze as most of the attendees were to do. There were a few that looked at her for a moment then kept going, not wanting to bring anyone new into their fold.

But then they found out who she was and was incredibly interested. Not as interested as she was but...

“A little bored?”

The blonde turned to find a young brunette siding up to her, a glass of wine and a napkin clutched in one hand, the other being used to gently wave to someone who passed by and tipped their head at her.

Or maybe waved at Amelia. She wasn’t quite sure. Since people had learned about her royal line...she’d been treated even more differently than she’d been before. An upper class family was nothing compared to a royal upper class family. If any of the news articles and paparazzi following her meant anything.

“Don’t worry, these guys really get the party going once the silent auction starts,” The woman continued. She took a sip of champagne, her eyes roving over the prizes that’d been set up. “Last year, two old women got into a fist fight over a yacht.” She nodded towards what looked like two of the sweetest older women sitting at a table close to the items up for auction. She noticed Amelia’s raised eyebrows and said, “Don’t let the dentures fool you.”

Amelia smiled. “But over a yacht?”

“That was just last year. The year before one company bought out another one all because the owner of the second company outbid the owner of the first on a week stay at the resort on the Cayman islands.” The brunette shrugged. “Not that they both couldn’t afford a week’s there from an hour’s salary.”

“So what do you think this year?” Her eyes shifted toward and landed on a jewelry set that seemed to have captured the brunette’s attention as well. “The jewelry?”

“That’s what the women will fight over,” the brunette said. “The men are looking after the toys with engines. The interesting part is once the jewelry is done. The younger women are sore losers.” The brunette started to grin, clearly enjoying it. ”They rip each other to shreds the best way they know how; with gossip and slander. Though I’m really hoping for a massive blowout, I could use some entertainment.”

Aamelia laughed. A little too loudly. She saw Oliver and Moira turn her way, both with raised eyebrows. Stares that were a little too chilly. Covering her mouth, Amelia turned back to the brunette, finding solidarity with her. “Can you imagine Moira Queen getting in on the fights?”

“Oh, she’s all about the gossip and slander. She knows how to get her way without getting her hands dirty.”

Amelia nodded. She knew exactly how that was. Moira had warned her to be careful who she aligned herself with, but there wasn’t anyone else around who seemed to be as genuine. “I’m Amelia.”

“I know,” The brunette said with a playful smile. “No one could believe it when Oliver Queen got married, news travrls fast.” She chuckled at what Amelia assumed to be a joke, and grasped Amelia’s hand and shook it firmly. Grasp warm. “I’m Cadence.”

#ocappreciation #arrowverseocs #oc: amelia archer #oc: cadence nash #crossover #oc talk #ficlet #by: riley #this is the first part to something #i just don't know what yet #lol

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skippyv20 · 5 years

Text

💜💜🙏🏻PG INTERPRETATION OF MM ANON🙏🏻💜💜

💜💜🙏🏻THANK YOU MM ANON🙏🏻💜💜

This late afternoon when l finally got moving l read incredulous things. I think we are finding things never thought and by an unforced on HRC’s behalf. Why come out of the shadows and tweet unveiling herself?? Thank you MM ANON and LG for your never ending work on behalf of HMTQ and British solidarity. I sense as Brexit gets closer more bizarre unexpected names will rise from the depths of the mire. God bless and keep you 🙏🏻🙏🏻💜 GSTQAOBC 🇨🇦

MM Anon MM ANON … Bumbling along …… “( no Ice in my coke”)…… embrace the crowd …… they love me…… TV ‘ it’s a cake walk …… I’m not a royal pawn…… that’s what nanny is for …… the coverage darling,the coverage. …… F#@£ those small minded Brits…… while I’m in control ……… “ But! Nobody knew …… tell SS to put out a denial …… Di knew we’re the bodies were buried ‘ and so do I!! ……🎼 welcome to the Hotel… 🎼

Bumbling along Bumbling is acting in a confused or ineffectual way; incompetent manner. Is this how they want us to see Harry? Certainly there has been a very domineering intense effort to role switch, she as the royal , he as the plus one. Let’s be certain, Harry is not bumbling, he is in , quite literally the fight of his life, the fight for the Monarchy. The bumble dating app has aligned with Smart Works. $$$$£££££€€€for who?..

“( no Ice in my coke”) Flying first class commercial, can’t use any substances. Playing on words to flight attendant. Poor pet, that was one major reasyfor flying private but was never given publicly as an excuse. But we’re dumb Brits/Commonwealth we would never think that!WRONG😡 not only do l think it, l know and believe it!

embrace the crowd Oh embrace the millions of Americans who adore her and will be lining the streets to welcome her home and praise her for all her hard work! 🦗 crickets do l hear 🦗 crickets? Yep no cheers only 🦗 crickets.

they love me She is so delusional, she really truly believes she is loved and adored in America. Most people there don’t have a clue who she is. Nor do the care.

TV ‘ it’s a cake walk Oh my, l hope this isn’t a reference to the interview with Ellen rumour. Maybe hoping to meet with her team tonight. Now which team OS that hmmm??? HRC lives in Westchester, NY.

I’m not a royal pawn She feels that doing anything royal, which was her chosen duty when she married , she is being used. She wants nothing to do with royalty except the fun parts with diamonds, private jets, Givenchy etc.

that’s what nanny is for Any questions leaving amw, as he is too young and fragile to fly to Balmoral, the nanny can look after him while she is in America.

the coverage darling,the coverage. The coverage she will get, tv camera will be on her not Serena. Tennis players as are stage actors, notoriously superstitious! I think since Serena lost the last time madam was present, l would assume the last thing she wants is a repeat of that. She has also made a very public concerted effort to remove herself from the friendship. Ie when asked what baby advice she had…you remember that if you saw that. It would not surprise me at all, if madam did this without any consultation with her ‘bestie’ or her managers.

F#@£ those small minded Brits Her, AND HER BACKERS!!!! Have exactly that attitude about each and every British citizen and by extension Commonwealth citizen. Folks, this is way way deeper of a plot and goes to levels once thought implausible, but that tweet today, that sent it over the edge.

while I’m in control She seems to think she has the power and control. LG is giving her a few more inches of wiggle room, let her show , l do think the tweet today brought out in public a backer no one could ever have thought. What is going on? If a foreign national marries and tries to undermine the politics of the country she is not a citizen, that is tantamount to treason.

“ But! Nobody knew Here l shall say, nobody knew HRC was a backer. I have a strong hunch HMTQ and LG and his team know every backer. But as far as l know, nobody had even mentioned her as a possible, her husband involved with JE. Something always thought odd, how such a woman of power stood by a man who so publicly humiliated her. I still can’t, but their mutual lust for power and control supersedes anything.

tell SS to put out a denial Is this the whole anti-nanny thing? Have them deny that? Why? When there are a zillion other issues , PR lies, just in the last week!

Di knew we’re the bodies were buried ‘ and so do I!! She still feels she has secret info on the royal family, and maybe she does, but whatever, she is wielding it like a hammer to get her way. Let’s reassure ourselves, this is LG, working with the worlds elite services, they do not suffers fools lightly, HMTQ as well.

🎼 welcome to the Hotel… 🎼 From The Eagles Hotel California, where you can never leave, like the mob, it’s for life. The ship she has tethered herself to, is a lifetime deal, and she has been so blinded by desire for fame, she has become infamous and she will have to answer to her backers because she changed the agenda!! For selfish reasons!!

GSTQAOBC 🇨🇦

Thank you so much PG! Fantastic! And the bubbling app and Smartworks.? Wow! 🙏🏻💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜

I’m going to say it...I am...a dating app? I’m guessing goes deep into all kinds of things...

#Ask Skippy #submission

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su-o · 5 years

Link

The tiaras have been dusted off and the pearls polished. Four long years after the final instalment of Downton Abbey, it’s back, this time on the big screen.

This perfect specimen of English baroque is the setting for the new Downton Abbey film – in which George V and Queen Mary tour the north of England (which also includes a visit to Downton itself, filmed as usual at Highclere Castle in Berkshire) – and today they are shooting a grand ball at the home of the Countess of Harewood in the film, attended by the royal couple and Downton’s Crawley family.

In the background, an assistant producer is being told off by one of the volunteers of Wentworth Woodhouse for wandering into a disused room. This isn’t jobsworthiness. The carpet in some rooms is nearly 300 years old and will disintegrate if anyone breathes on it. The wallpaper, meanwhile, is laced with arsenic (as was the fashion at the time) in order to make it a certain shade of green.

Away from the action, Michelle Dockery, who plays Lady Mary (the eldest Crawley daughter), is sitting in her trailer, her sharp features accentuated by period make-up, feeling slightly in awe of the whole process. ‘It was during my costume fitting when it hit me. I got really emotional.’

In America, it became the most successful British drama import of all time. It also set the bar for costume dramas, at least in terms of visual sheen. The Crown, Netflix’s lavish regal series (which returns this autumn), has clearly been influenced by Julian Fellowes’ series, which cost, on average, £1 million per episode to make.

Everyone expected that a film would be made, but it was quite a feat getting the cast together. ‘It was like herding cats,’ says Dockery. ‘But I just love it. It’s so familiar and doesn’t feel like work.’

Despite rumours to the contrary, Maggie Smith is back as the Dowager Countess, famous for her withering put-downs, as are Hugh Bonneville’s paterfamilias the Earl of Grantham, his American wife Cora (played by Elizabeth McGovern) and his two surviving daughters, Lady Mary, of course, and Laura Carmichael’s Lady Edith.

Others involved include Penelope Wilton’s sensible cousin Isobel and many of the downstairs staff: Jim Carter’s stentorian Mr Carson and his wife, the no-nonsense housekeeper Mrs Hughes (Phyllis Logan); Mrs Patmore (Lesley Nicol), the plain-speaking cook with Escoffier abilities, and her protégée, the occasionally mutinous Daisy (Sophie McShera).

When I talk to Fellowes though, he is adamant that a film was never inevitable. Rumours circulated about a prequel, following Robert’s courting of Cora for her money and subsequently falling in love with her, but nothing came of it. ‘When we finished the series, we didn’t envisage a film. We had a lovely party at The Ivy and everyone cried, but that was it as far as I was concerned. Then, as the years rolled by, there was a sense that people hadn’t quite finished with it, and eventually I formed an idea for a feature film.’

Other new cast members include Simon Jones and Geraldine James as the King and Queen, Imelda Staunton (real-life wife of Carter) as Lady Bagshaw, lady-in-waiting to the Queen and a relative of the Crawleys, and Tuppence Middleton as her mysterious lady’s maid, Lucy.

Although the film is set 15 years later, the King and Queen did make similar, unlikely tours around the country, as Fellowes explains. ‘After the First World War, there was a period of unsettled feelings about things – not least the monarchy. It had to re-establish itself as many members of European royalty had disappeared – the German Emperor, the Austrian Emperor, the Tsar of Russia. The structure had to be restated as having an integral role in society and they [George and Mary] were very successful in doing so. By 1930, the Crown was back at the heart of English life.’

For Dockery, making the film was not only a chance to catch up with old friends, but also to further develop a character that the nation took to their hearts.

‘Mary is so complex. We met her at 18 and she was this rebellious teenager – she was bored, and because she was a girl, she wasn’t what her father wanted [an heir to Downton]. Ultimately he became very proud of her, though, and I think everyone really responded to that. Seeing her journey was what hooked people.’

Now we see Lady Mary very much in control, happily married (to Matthew Goode’s Henry Talbot) and more than capable of taking over the ancestral pile when the time comes.

‘Julian writes really well for women and I think that has something to do with his wife, Emma [a descendant of Lord Kitchener]. I see a lot of her in Mary, just her expressions and things,’ she says.

Dockery has had a particularly successful career post-Downton. She brought rigour and a dash of fun to her part as an ambitious TV exec in Network (the National Theatre production based on the acclaimed ’70s film), and a sort of watchfulness to the role of a hard-edged widow in Netflix’s warped western Godless. Next year, she will be showing her versatility further in Guy Ritchie’s film The Gentlemen, in which she plays the wife of a drug lord (played by Matthew McConaughey).

One character who has a particularly meaty storyline in the film is gay footman Thomas, played by Robert James-Collier. We meet at Shepperton Studios, where the kitchen scenes are being filmed. It’s a cavernous setting which production designer Donal Woods describes as ‘like a noirish, Scandi film, as opposed to the glorious technicolor of upstairs’. For the TV series, the servants’ quarters were created at Ealing Studios, but the set has been flat-packed and sent over, as have the copper jelly moulds, kettles and pans.

This time, we see Thomas befriend a footman from the Royal household (played by Max Brown), and he ends up in an illicit gay drinking den in York. This was an era when homosexuality could result in a prison sentence, but, says James-Collier, for one brief moment his somewhat malevolent character is liberated.

‘He is introduced to this other world that he doesn’t know exists, and there is this sense of relief, this sudden realisation that there are kindred spirits and that he is not this “foul individual” as Mr Carson once described him.’

The irony that Downton Abbey has been sold to countries where homosexuality can be punished by death is not lost on James-Collier, and he feels a grave sense of responsibility about his role. ‘I have received letters from young men who say that watching Thomas’s journey has helped them. All I can say is that it’s an utter privilege. It’s the reason why I do it.’

In the film, however, there are no such concerns, and that reflects the point that Downton is in many ways a fantasy. One criticism of the original scripts was that the Crawleys were too benign as employers, that the relationship between master and servant was much more remote, without any of the Earl of Grantham’s well-meaning paternalism. Fellowes disagrees.

‘This notion that people were horrible to their servants is wrong. Most of us, if you think about it logically, and putting aside the moral view that that life should exist at all, would want to get on with the valet or lady’s maid. When you see a character snarling at his butler, you think this isn’t a way of life. None of us would want to be in a position of speaking to people you disliked.’

If Fellowes is the arbiter of psychological accuracy, then Alastair Bruce is the gatekeeper of protocol. He was Downton’s historical adviser at the beginning and describes himself, among other things, as the posture monitor.

He explains. ‘The cast tend to put their bums here on the seat,’ he says indicating the back of his chair. ‘But in those days, you didn’t – you would sit at the front. Also, [people’s] shoulders have fallen forward because everyone is on their mobile phone all the time.’

Bruce also helps the actors with their diction and mentions the word ‘room’. Many tended to accentuate the ‘o’s when it fact it should be shortened, so they sound very nearly like a ‘u’.

‘It is pompous bollocks, but if you are recreating the ’20s you may as well get it right,’ Bruce adds. ‘Michelle would quite happily let me describe her evolution in life as a long way from Downton Abbey, but I have some pretty grandiose friends who can’t believe this is the case. I am very proud of the fact that she now has this incredible poise – you never see a curve in her back – and her accent is on point.’

Several months later, I ask Fellowes whether he has plans for a sequel (although in truth, certain scenes in the film suggest a full stop rather than a pause). ‘There is never any point in answering that,’ he says. ‘In this business as soon as someone says that’s the last time I’ll put on my ballet shoes, there they are, a year later, dancing Giselle.’

Downton Abbey is released on 13 September

#downton abbey #michelle dockery #rob james collier #Julian Fellowes

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awed-frog · 5 years

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Idk much about uk/eu politics but I have a question.. is this correct: us "left-wing" = uk "left-wing" = eu "left-wing." What about right wing

That’s an extremely complicated question, and I’m not sure I can do it justice, but I’m going to do my best, because it’s a really important issue.

The joke answer is: the US left is not like the European left because the US doesn’t have a left.

The tl;dr answer is: politics depends on people and how they view the world, and those things are shaped by history and geography, so every country’s going to have a slightly (or very) different version of left and right.

For a longer and possibly boring answer, see below.

Leaving aside the fact academics fight about what left and right even are (personally, I think it’s like pornography: you recognize them when you see them) and that there’s tons of theories out there on what makes people left-wing or right-wing - in a nutshell, the main characteristic of a ‘traditional’ left like the European left is opposition to the status quo and a wish to distribute wealth more equally. After all, in their modern sense, political parties were born around the time of the French revolution, when those people who supported the king and the Church deliberately placed themselves on the right-side benches of the Assembly (right being, of course, a synonym for ‘honest’, ‘just’ and everything else) so that those standing with ‘the people’ and demanding change were forced to sit on the left.

Now - as far as I can tell, one big difference between the US left and the European left is that the European left was shaped by the unions and Communism in a way the US left wasn’t.

See, in Europe you get two waves of ‘opposition to the status quo’: the first revolutions, like - arguably - the French revolution, were mainly middle-class people being fed up and demanding the same privileges the aristocracy had. Nobody really cared about ‘the people’; the question was, “How come we - the merchants, the clerks, the lawyers - the generally hard-working and generally educated and wealthy-ish people of this fine country, are still seen like second-class citizens because we haven’t got the right blood?”. Meanwhile, the ‘real people’, those at the very bottom of society, were too uneducated, politically unaware and scattered about to demand anything for themselves.

All that changed when factories became a thing. Suddenly, instead of a bunch of exploited farmhands grumbling about their fate and being reprimanded in some village church, you had hundreds - or thousands - of workers crammed together and chatting about how miserable their lives were. That’s how you have the conditions to truly change something - bring about a lasting revolution instead of the disorderly, ultimately useless revolts farm labourers sometimes staged. All you need is a savvy political leader, and for various reasons, it was Communism who provided that.

That’s how the modern European left was born: in the factories, among the workers, supported and nurtured by union leaders, and later inspired and funded directly by the Soviet Union. In most countries, politics became a three-way street - privilege-defending right-wing parties which gradually shifted to fascism, a combative left with a minor split between anarchists and communists, and a Christian ‘middle’ desperately trying to stay afloat and losing its soul in the process.

(Religion is by nature conservative, but while many Church leaders sided - openly or implicitly - with Nazism and Fascism, many priests fought on the other side, forming an uneasy truce with communists. Today, this inner conflict is far from over, especially in the Catholic Church.)

And then, after the war, when the European left seemed so strong the US firebombed Greece and formed a plan to invade Italy if voters decided on a Communist government, disaster struck: the Soviet Union invaded Czechoslovakia, and we started to learn what the Soviet Union really was.

It’s impossible to underestimate what a shock that was for left-wing voters, and particularly for those who’d fought in the Resistance during WW2 and had been calling themselves communists - with great pride - for generations. For decades, the Soviet Union had been an ideal - a nation built on the refusal of a murderous war, a nation of slaves butchering a corrupt and cruel royal family, a nation of new rights for everyone, of equality, of tremendous scientific and social progress. It was only in the late 60s that people in the West started to learn about the rest of it: about Stalin’s crimes, about the gulags, about the regime’s violence - everything. And at that point, everything just - collapsed.

Roughly speaking, left-wing parties split between a majority of people who wanted nothing to do with Communism anymore and a minority who still defended it (and later turned to violence). There were many, however, who simply walked away, or started to vote for other parties.

The second death blow for the European left, which, as I said, had been heavily linked to the unions and the factory workers, was the closing of those factories. This was partly inevitable, I suppose, because globalization made it much cheaper to move production out of Europe, but right-wing politicians like Margaret Thatcher were publicly and privately over the moon about it, and the entire process happened in such a way that entire communities were literally destroyed. The left, of course, tried to fight back - in the UK, strikes went on for weeks - but for a bunch of reasons, they lost; and slowly but surely, they also lost their voters, many of whom never found a job again.

(In the UK and elsewhere, many of them took a sharp turn to the right when parties on the extreme right found an easy answer to their problems: those ‘bloody foreigners’ who’d taken their jobs.)

Finally, the European left got all but obliterated when some influential left-wing politicians decided the only way back was to move ‘to the centre’ (ie, to the right) and surrender to extreme capitalism. Left-wing parties had already lost most of their traditional base (factory workers) and when people like Tony Blair took over and preached the Milton Friedman Gospel, they mostly lost the other, smaller part of their supporters (students and intellectuals) without gaining all that much in return. That’s how in many countries today you find a left wing that can still command a sizable portion of the vote but is splintered among dozens of small parties. In some cases, like France and now Italy, voters are so fed up with the lack of clear values the left is almost gone.

In the US, on the other hand, things happened very differently.

For one thing, the unions decided not to play a part in politics. For another, parties inspired by Soviet Russia were definitely a no-no. Then you’ve got the geography of the place - hundreds of small communities scattered here and there, all with different cultural values and political goals, the light of their ‘manifest destiny’ guiding them in a difficult and alienating environment. And the fact political parties in the US were born top-down instead of bottom-up. And, of course, slavery and its aftermath.

(In a nutshell: since there are always more workers than bosses, the only way for bosses to control workers is divide them into prvileged and less privileged sections so they fight among themselves instead of collaborating and asking for better working conditions. This is particularly easy to do when the less homogenous your staff is. That means that in Europe, workers solidarity was much easier to achieve - though we still got tensions, even violence, because that’s nationalism and racism for you - while in the US it was much more difficult to integrate African workers with white workers and convince them to stand together, with people on various sides, and with different motivations, insisting that what divided these groups was too significant to be overlooked.)

That’s basically why you can’t exactly compare the Democratic party, which traditionally served the interests of rich land-owners in the South, supported slavery and was born more as a lobby than what Europe would understand as a party, with the European left. They’re two different animals. One of my university professors used to say Democrats and Republicans are not about left and right at all - they were shaped by other things, and serve more as geographical and historical markers than as parties - to the point were the left wing of the Democratic party would have more in common (and vote with) the left wing of the Republican party than with the right wing of the Democratic party. And while the Democratic party slowly became more similar to the European left (for instance by aligning with the workers and supporting civil rights) the transition was never complete. In fact, a new wave of fresh tensions is happening right now: there’s very little in common between people like Joe Biden and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, and in Europe they’d probably belong to different parties. From what I read, many people (especially young people) are trying to pull the party to the left, but party leaders absolutely do not want that. That’s a huge problem, especially in a country with a two-party system, and may very well cost the Democrats the 2020 election.

As for the right: as I said in some earlier post, while the left splinters, the right simply - moves more to the right. That’s been a common trend for decades, and something you can see very clearly, especially in the US and the UK, but also in France or in Italy.

(Germany seems immune - for now - but we’ll have to wait and see.)

This happens, in part, because people on the right are generally motivated by concrete goals and are ready to stomach tons of unpleasantness to get there. The millionaires funding the Republican party may not like the prospect of a trade war with China, but they’re going to keep donating because they get tax cuts in return; and Christian extremists are not enthusiastic about a President who sleeps around with prostitutes, but if he makes abortion illegal, they’ll still show up for him.

The problem with all of this is that most people, everywhere, are sort of in the middle. And now the middle is disappearing - well, the big question is, where are they going to go? Every scenario is very dangerous, because from what we’ve seen so far, there’s only four bad choices:

People keep voting for their traditional party, but do it unenthusiastically and consider it the lesser of two evils. This way, party leaders are encouraged to stay on their path, and things get steadily worse (example: the Italian left).

People vote for ‘the new face’ because they’re fed up with ‘business as usual’. This is generally a disaster, because ‘the new face’ is either someone with a precise and hidden agenda (like Berlusconi or Macron) or someone with zero experience who’s going to fuck things up, because politics is complicated (like the Italian 5* Movement) or a combination of both (arguably, Nick Clegg and the LibDems in general).

People vote for the most radical thing they find, which is usually a party on the extreme right possibly masquerading as ‘the centre’ or ‘the sensible choice’. This is the ‘protest vote’ and partly how you get Donald Trump or Marine Le Pen.

Finally, lots of people just stop voting, which empowers the extremes because if you take those with doubts or uncertainties out of the equation, you’re left with the obsessed, the stans and the nutters. In fact, considering how many people don’t vote, extreme right parties like Salvini’s Lega don’t have a lot of support, but is this good news? They’re still at the head of the government.

So there you go. I’m sorry it got so long - I hope it made sense? In short, left- and right-wing parties of different countries are likely to have stuff in common, to the point where they often work together without too much friction (as they do in the European Parliament, for instance), but it’s problematic and incorrect to say there’s a ‘universal left’ and a ‘universal right’ based on the same exact values and goals.

If you’re trying to understand whether you yourself are right-wing or left-wing, this test is always a good place to start - but you’ll need to have an opinion on a number of issues in order to answer it so that it’s truly useful to you. My advice would be to read up on the history of your own country, if possible from unbiased sources; to keep up with the news (from different sources); to discuss important issues with friends, teachers and family members - keeping an open mind and interacting even with people you don’t agree with; to accept political opinions are fluid and will change with age, or when you learn new facts; and take the time to listen to the candidates before elections so you know where they stand on stuff that matters to you (education? the climate? immigration? more jobs for young people? foreign policy? women’s rights? and so on).

#ask #politics #left and right #europe vs the us #history #political parties #long post for ts #answers and comments welcome #as i said #i'm really not an expert #especially when it comes to us politics

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in-flagrante · 5 years

Text

The wait is over

THE TIARAS HAVE BEEN DUSTED OFF AND THE PEARLS POLISHED. FOUR LONG YEARS AFTER THE FINAL INSTALMENT OF DOWNTON ABBEY, IT’S BACK, THIS TIME ON THE BIG SCREEN. BEN LAWRENCE WENT ON SET TO UNCOVER SOME FAMILY SECRETS

The Daily Telegraph

31 Aug 2019

As Downton Abbey sweeps majestically on to the big screen, Ben Lawrence joins the cast reunion on set

It is a crisp, clear morning at Wentworth Woodhouse, the stately home in South Yorkshire. Built by the 1st Marquess of Rockingham, it has the widest façade in Europe, boasts at least 365 rooms (no one is certain of the exact number), and represents two and a half acres of building. This perfect specimen of English baroque is the setting for the new Downton Abbey film – in which George V and Queen Mary tour the north of England (which also includes a visit to Downton itself, filmed as usual at Highclere Castle in Berkshire) – and today they are shooting a grand ball at the home of the Countess of Harewood in the film, attended by the royal couple and Downton’s Crawley family.

Inside the house, a production unit zigzags in and out of huge vaulted rooms with cables and film cameras, while extras in 1920s ball attire chat nonchalantly on makeshift chairs. Meanwhile in the ballroom – a giant marble space, adorned with deep-red damask wallpaper and enormous flower arrangements – Maggie Smith and Penelope Wilton (two of the stars of the original series) slip through the lines of dancing couples in diaphanous silks, as a small orchestra plays a waltz. In the background, an assistant producer is being told off by one of the volunteers of Wentworth Woodhouse for wandering into a disused room. This isn’t jobsworthiness. The carpet in some rooms is nearly 300 years old and will disintegrate

if anyone breathes on it. The wallpaper, meanwhile, is laced with arsenic (as was the fashion at the time) in order to make it a certain shade of green.

Downton Abbey made Dockery and many of her fellow cast members international names, and no wonder. The ITV series, which ran from 2010 to 2015 and followed the lives of the aristocratic Crawley family and their servants, was sold to 220 territories worldwide, achieved a global audience of 120 million and was nominated for 53 International Emmys. In America, it became the most successful British drama import of all time. It also set the bar for costume dramas, at least in terms of visual sheen. The Crown, Netflix’s lavish regal series (which returns this autumn), has clearly been influenced by Julian Fellowes’ series, which cost, on average, £1 million per episode to make.

Despite rumours to the contrary, Maggie Smith is back as the Dowager Countess, famous for her

‘When we finished the series, we didn’t envisage a film. We had a party at The Ivy and everyone cried’

withering put-downs, as are Hugh Bonneville’s paterfamilias the Earl of Grantham, his American wife Cora (played by Elizabeth Mcgovern) and his two surviving daughters, Lady Mary, of course, and Laura Carmichael’s Lady Edith. Others involved include Penelope Wilton’s sensible cousin Isobel and many of the downstairs staff: Jim Carter’s stentorian Mr Carson and his wife, the no-nonsense housekeeper Mrs Hughes (Phyllis Logan); Mrs Patmore (Lesley Nicol), the plainspeaking cook with Escoffier abilities, and her protégée, the occasionally mutinous Daisy (Sophie Mcshera).

The Downton Abbey film, directed by Michael Engler, is set in 1927, just over a year after the series ended, and focuses on the Crawleys and their servants as they prepare for a royal visit. It causes much excitement below stairs, but the staff soon find the monarch’s entourage taking over – including a temperamental French chef (played by Philippe Spall) and a pompous head butler, played by David Haig, who refers to himself as the ‘King’s page of the back stairs’. Other new cast members include Simon Jones and Geraldine James as the King and Queen, Imelda Staunton (real-life wife of Carter) as Lady Bagshaw, lady-in-waiting to the Queen and a relative of the Crawleys, and Tuppence Middleton as her mysterious lady’s maid, Lucy.

Fellowes was inspired, in part, by a book he had read called Black Diamonds by Catherine Bailey, which details a 1912 visit by King George V and Queen Mary to South Yorkshire. As well as tucking into lavish 13-course dinners, which included puddings served in sugar baskets that took four days to weave, they also met local miners and toured pit villages. Although the film is set 15 years later, the King and Queen did make similar, unlikely tours around the country, as Fellowes explains. ‘After the First World War, there was a period of unsettled feelings about things – not least the monarchy. It had to re-establish itself as many members of European royalty had disappeared – the German Emperor, the Austrian Emperor, the Tsar of Russia. The structure had to be restated as having an integral role in society and they [George and Mary] were very successful in doing so. By 1930, the Crown was back at the heart of English life.’

For Dockery, making the film was not only a chance to catch up with old friends, but also to further develop a character that the nation took to their hearts.

‘Mary is so complex. We met her at 18 and she was this rebellious teenager – she was bored, and

‘It is pompous, but if you are recreating the ’20s you may as well get it right’

because she was a girl, she wasn’t what her father wanted [an heir to Downton]. Ultimately he became very proud of her, though, and I think everyone really responded to that. Seeing her journey was what hooked people.’

Now we see Lady Mary very much in control, happily married (to Matthew Goode’s Henry Talbot) and more than capable of taking over the ancestral pile when the time comes.

Dockery has had a particularly successful career post-downton. She brought rigour and a dash of fun to her part as an ambitious TV exec in Network (the National Theatre production based on the acclaimed ’70s film), and a sort of watchfulness to the role of a hard-edged widow in Netflix’s warped western Godless. Next year, she will be showing her versatility further in Guy Ritchie’s film The Gentlemen, in which she plays the wife of a drug lord (played by Matthew Mcconaughey).

One character who has a particularly meaty storyline in the film is gay footman Thomas, played by Robert James-collier. We meet at Shepperton Studios, where the kitchen scenes are being filmed. It’s a cavernous setting which production designer Donal Woods describes as ‘like a noirish, Scandi film, as opposed to the glorious technicolor of upstairs’. For the TV series, the servants’ quarters were created at Ealing Studios, but the set has been flat-packed and sent over, as have the copper jelly moulds, kettles and pans.

This time, we see Thomas befriend a footman from the Royal household (played by Max Brown), and he ends up in an illicit gay drinking den in York. This was an era when homosexuality could result in a prison sentence, but, says James-collier, for one brief moment his somewhat malevolent character is liberated.

The irony that Downton Abbey has been sold to countries where homosexuality can be punished by death is not lost on James-collier, and he feels a grave sense of responsibility about his role. ‘I have received letters from young men who say that watching Thomas’s journey has helped them. All I can say is that it’s an utter privilege. It’s the reason why I do it.’

The film’s 1927 setting marks a period in Britain when country houses such as Downton were beginning to feel the austerity of the interwar years. Death duties had to be paid and households streamlined, which meant that many servants lost their jobs. Meanwhile, the General Strike of 1926 – in which the TUC fought against worsening conditions for the country’s miners – underlined a growing sense of solidarity among the working class. In the film, however, there are no such concerns, and that reflects the point that Downton is in many ways a fantasy. One criticism of the original scripts was that the Crawleys were too benign as employers, that the relationship between master and servant was much more remote, without any of the Earl of Grantham’s well-meaning paternalism. Fellowes disagrees.

Bruce also helps the actors with their diction and mentions the word ‘room’. Many tended to accentuate the ‘o’s when it fact it should be shortened, so they sound very nearly like a ‘u’.

#downton abbey #downton abbey movie #michelle dockery #robert james collier #alastair bruce #julian fellowes

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hedwigsaardvark · 5 years

Text

From the Telegraph.

The wait is over: Downton Abbey hits the big screen - and a visit to the set uncovers family secrets

By Ben Lawrence

30 AUGUST 2019

Harry Hadden-Paton, director Michael Engler and Matthew Goode CREDIT: CHARLIE GRAY

CREDIT: CHARLIE GRAY

The tiaras have been dusted off and the pearls polished. Four long years after the final instalment of Downton Abbey, it’s back, this time on the big screen.

Others involved include Penelope Wilton’s sensible cousin Isobel and many of the downstairs staff: Jim Carter’s stentorian Mr Carson and his wife, the no-nonsense housekeeper Mrs Hughes (Phyllis Logan); Mrs Patmore (Lesley Nicol), the plain-speaking cook with Escoffierabilities, and her protégée, the occasionally mutinous Daisy (Sophie McShera).

For Dockery, making the film was not only a chance to catch up with old friends, but also to further develop a character that the nation took to their hearts.

Now we see Lady Mary very much in control, happily married (to Matthew Goode’s Henry Talbot) and more than capable of taking over the ancestral pile when the time comes.

Bruce also helps the actors with their diction and mentions the word ‘room’. Many tended to accentuate the ‘o’s when it fact it should be shortened, so they sound very nearly like a ‘u’.

Downton Abbey is released on 13 September

Source and copyright The Telegraph

#the telegraph #matthewgoode #downton abbey

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