#the only place where a chinese girl white girl and thai girl live in the same place in the 11th century

[charlesoberonn]

Amphibia AU where the trio live in 1019 instead of 2019 when they're transported to Amphibia.

So instead of going from an advanced world to a primitive one, it's the other way around.

#the only place where a chinese girl white girl and thai girl live in the same place in the 11th century #is probably as the children of envoys in the chinese imperial court #amphibia #amphibia au #call it timeswap au

[icembrace]

⊠    ɪᴅ  .  .  .  ʟᴏᴀᴅɪɴɢ    ››    [    pat chayanit    /      32    /    cis  woman    /    she/her    ]   mercy  headquarters  is  pleased  to  officially  introduce  𝐂𝐈𝐏𝐑𝐈𝐀𝐍𝐀 𝐂𝐀𝐎.  they  have  been  apart  of  the  organization  for  twelve years ,  serving  as  𝐀 𝐅𝐈𝐄𝐋𝐃 agent  and  has  been  assigned  the  codename  𝐀𝐆𝐄𝐍𝐓 𝐈𝐒𝐄𝐔𝐋𝐓 it's  worth  noting  that  their  file  indicates  they  have  undergone  the  solaris  treatment  and  host 𝐈𝐂𝐄  𝐌𝐀𝐍𝐈𝐏𝐔𝐋𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍  according  to  our  dossier,  the  agent  exhibits  a  combination  of  𝐂𝐎𝐍𝐅𝐈𝐃𝐄𝐍𝐓  and  𝐄𝐋𝐔𝐒𝐈𝐕𝐄  traits,  fitting  for  someone  reminiscent  of  natasha  romanoff & emma  frost.  prior  to  embarking  on  any  mission,  the  find  solace  in  listening  to  the  song  “i don’t wanna be me“  by  𝐓𝐘𝐏𝐄 0 𝐍𝐄𝐆𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐕𝐄.  

𝐃𝐄𝐂𝐋𝐀𝐒𝐒𝐈𝐅𝐈𝐄𝐃 .

full name : cipriana lamai cao . nicknames : none, don't try . occupation : field agent . age : thirty - two . place of birth : new york city, new york . gender : cis woman . languages : mandarin chinese, thai, english, russian, polish, lithuanian, japanese, korean & spanish . ethnicity : chinese and thai. religion : tba . date of birth : 30.12.2016 . zodiac : capricorn . chinese zodiac : monkey

𝐏𝐇𝐘𝐒𝐈𝐎𝐋𝐎𝐆𝐈𝐂𝐀𝐋 .

height : 169 cm . build : slender . eye colour : brown . hair colour : naturally black , but prone to change depending on her mission. most notably, she used to be blonde . hair style : usually kept long and straight . scars : earned a scar on her neck on her most recent mission and was wearing lots of silk scarves and turtlenecks to cover it up . managed to remove it thanks to a cosmetical procedure. distinguishing features : her lips , more specifically, her cupid's bow . scent : amber, leather & rose clothing style : elegant on most occasions, more practical during missions, in shades of black and predominantly white , with occasional inclusion of other colours.

𝐏𝐒𝐘𝐂𝐇𝐎𝐋𝐎𝐆𝐈𝐂𝐀𝐋 .

character parallels : natasha romanoff ( marvel ) , emma frost ( marvel ) , the girl ( a girl walks home alone at night ) , nora ( past lives ) . moral alignment : chaotic neutral . personality type : istp. emotional stability: in need of improvement . element : fire . character tropes : color motif, dark action girl, i don't pay you to think , the paragon, with my hands tied, more than meets the eye .

𝐏𝐄𝐑𝐒𝐎𝐍𝐀𝐋 .

father : james cao . mother : lauren saengarun . siblings : none. spouse(s) : duncan lawrence ( divorced ) , lev lebedev ( divorced ). children : none. pets : none .

𝐇𝐈𝐒𝐓𝐎𝐑𝐘 . tw: torture.

¹. the caos were wall street royalty of the 80s, 90s and 00s, an entire generation of bankers, loan processors and hedge fund managers — sovereigns, lacking only a gilded crown, who ruled the worldwide market with an iron fist. then, came cipriana, the only child of james cao and his much-beloved wife lauren with pin curls in her head and pearls around her neck, inheriting only half of her mother's beauty but none of her mellow nature. for all his brilliance and adroitness, james cao could never get along with his daughter — she was excessively this, and overly that, and yet never quite enough. so most of her childhood, cipriana had spent in her mother's embrace, lost between continents, raised in new york during winters, but beijing and bangkok during long, sweltering summers.

². boarding schools, well-paid and carefully chosen private tutors and instructors, suitcases in her hands — these are her recollections of her teenhood. she was always leaving. from the age of eight to nearly sixteen, she was enrolled in institut le rosey in switzerald, where she grew only more defiant over the years. her nonpareil academic achievements and artifice, however, did not aid her in reaching the impossibly high standards her father had set for her. james cao could no longer tolerate his daughter, deciding thus to cast her aside and take away her inheritance — and in turn, cipriana promised to give herself the world.

³. despite the sudden severance from her family, cipriana still found herself at princeton, using her eruditeness, excellent records as well as her family name to secure a spot at such a prestigious university. there, she was subsequently discovered and recruited by one of mercy's special agents. at the age of twenty, she officially began her training as a junior agent, graduating a mere two and a half years later. officially a field agent, fresh-faced, and irrevocably determined, she decided to undergo the solaris treatment — but the process did not go without a hitch. it took longer than expected for her power to surface, which only made cipriana overcompensate in other departments, more specifically combat.

⁴. cipriana spent her early and mid-twenties on the field, all across the country while partaking in numerous missions. the agency loved just how easily she could adapt to her new identities and extract information, singing her praises while simultaneously destroying what little identity she had left. at twenty-six, she married for the first time, on a whim, because it felt like the only thing she wanted, desperate for something or someone to return to — but it didn't last. he deserved someone better. someone who could give him more. she filed for divorce within the same year, and a month after her divorce, she was deployed for an overseas mission.

⁵. with a new narrative, her hair bleached and still smelling of ammonium hydroxide and a forged passport in her hands, she made her way to warsaw, poland. she lived under various names,most notably, anielka song, danute garsva, and sunisa shinawatra. she was stationed in poland for half a year and the other half she spent in lithuania. then came russia, an additional two years of covert and clandestine operations. after russia, she was led to thailand, a place that should've been familiar terrain. all was well up until the moment she was caught and captured, and thereupon tortured. they didn't manage to extract any information, but the psychological and physical damage they had done was severe. the lack of access to solaris drug was one of the reasons behind her failure. she was eventually found by her mission partners, and the transgressors were convicted, but to cipriana it felt like a pyrrhic victory. mercy, however, did not agree and labeled her as a 'hero' instead.

⁶. after five years deep undercover, cipriana's finally made her way back to apex city. she passed all her tests — and is still suited for a field agent, but some would beg to disagree for the sake of her health. she conceals her issues well, from struggles with her identity or rather the lack of it, to short-term memory lapses that started after thailand. it's a tale of a girl who's spent her entire life leaving. always leaves first so she isn't left behind. leaving for cipriana is an art.

𝐄𝐗𝐓𝐑𝐀 .

has only been around for the last couple of months — as she spent five years undercover in eastern europe, baltic countries, and asia. her whereabouts and coordinates were classified as confidential. feels like an utter stranger after living for so long away from apex city.

a former gymnast. unlike most children, she did not partake in regular sports but rather found solace in gymnastics. she won several gold medals when she was younger but ultimately hated competing.

trained and skilled in many forms of martial arts, including: judo, karate, savate, aikido, muay thai and brazilian jiu-jitsu. basically, her skills and combat style are heavily inspired by natasha romanoff.

married for the second time while she was undercover. she met lev in st. petersburg but married him in pattaya city. it was another reckless decision, a byproduct of her loneliness in a foreign country. she divorced him after a year.

'she wore white (shoes)' — a code phrase that was exclusively associated with cipriana. so while she didn't always wear white attires, her shoes were distinctly white.

she learned mandarin from her father and thai from her mother — english was simply the middle ground in their household. she picked up japanese and korean while in boarding school as it was required of her to study at least two foreign languages. she was tutored in spanish at home at the behest of her mother, and she learned russian, polish and lithuanian while at mercy.

has perpetually cold hands and does not shy away from cold weather. catch her out in the snow with just a shirt on.

𝐏𝐋𝐎𝐓𝐒 . i intend to make a proper page with more than just three plots, but for now, here's something.

i. due to the fact that she's been away for a while, cipriana assumes that most don't remember her. this person, however, never forgot about her, and are hoping to rekindle the closeness that they shared. linger in my life for just a little longer - type of deal. do you think if i dye my hair black again we could get our old friendship back? ii. a person who was constantly bested by cipriana while she was still around and considered her a rival. no matter how much they tried, she was always better. when she left, they finally seized their victory. now that she's back, will old fires find a way to burn again?iii. a newfound friendship that's mostly based on them practicing and testing their combat skills together. when she pins them down to the floor, only one question remains — 'are we still friends, yes?'

#mercyorg:intro

[bellarose-jasmine]

#TiredoftheRiches pt.1

today i saw one of my classmate, i don't like her due to pass happenings getting married. i didn't know at first until tiny bro mentioned it. and then i just get obssed with the updates, seeing her story and the thai guy's story. even his other friends too. i just can't stop myself. i have mixed feelings the entire day, up down up down. even though i don't know 100% accurate truth about her, I just really really need an outing. honestly at first in the beginning of mba, i was quite okay with her and she seems friendly, everyone was, honest. but that betrayal happen, and after i knew the truth that she was the main provocator that convinced my friend to leave me, i had a personal grudge against her, and her friends too. Hung out with her a few times, but since we were from two different countries that speaks entirely different language, i can;t even join in the conversation, nor does she bother to talk to me either. i feel just, you know that i am extremely sensitive when it comes to friends and friendship since finding friends these days is tough. so when i felt ignored, alone in the crowd of that group of friends, it maybe trigger the trauma i used to have back in high school, i just felt unappreciated once again. Honestly I've had bad experiences with language in SG especially if i meet Chinese people who could barely speak English. Those days when i was a trainee, an intern, people insulted me literally behind my back using mandarin, over and over that it just scares me a lot. that is beside the perception that Indonesians are slow and all that. i felt helpless at the time. My mandarin was good during my time in school, but that's studying. my conversational level was quite low honestly. i just remember some things for the test and that's it. so the fact that I'm outcasted for not being able to speak mandarin, being ignored, and just have a hard time getting accepted nor being accepted, it triggers a lot of things. which is why i hated her to the guts. i hate her.

She is that typical queen bee of the school. all she posts is about her looking cute and pretty, yes i admit that she is but still, it just get so obvious of what type of person is she. she knows she could get whatever she wants with the pretty privilege. and honestly i don't think she came from a rich family. I'm pretty much skeptical of the luxury item she has, wherever it is definitely don't come from her own money (from working) or parents money. that I'm quite sure. But she just managed to make herself look luxurious. i do envy tho, girls like her, white smooth skin, tiny petite body, and a beautiful face. you really can fool anyone into thinking that you're rich. but where the money comes from is quite questionable tho, sine i hear a lot of them are aiming for sugar daddies. though i hear the one she marries has quite the age gap with her, but lucky tho, the guy might be blindly in love with her, and she is the type of queen who choose a rich guy that would do anything for her. and she succeeded.

honestly thought she's gonna have a very luxurious wedding since the guy is wealthy (heard they might move to new Zealand). she did choose an expensive hotel but the place where they had the wedding ceremony is quite cheap. decorations also not so much, only invited like 24 ppl. maybe they just wanted a private wedding? i guess. not even a wedding gown on sight. its just pretty much casual, unlike the Indonesian weddings i normally see.

seeing her and some other girl who is quite pretty, its so nice being them, wether they come from a rich family or pretend to. by being pretty, get the quite right guy or just guys you can smooch off the money from, willingly buying you jeweleries even when you just dated (not even a fiance or boyfriend yet), luxury brand items (bags, perfumes, shoes), bringing you to trips and you don't need to pay a cent for it, like living everything for free while enjoying your life. a street free life where you don't need to think about money since others are willing to think twice as hard for you. the privilege of pretty girls, or parents that willingly spoil you with the riches.

[justanotherexpatinkorea]

Racism is relative

4.13.21

STOP ASIAN HATE 아시안 혐오 멈춰라

It’s weird, being a white American in Asia. At a time when people of Asian descent are increasingly the targets of hate crimes in my home country of America. 

I’m going on my third year living in South Korea. I’m a 외국인, a “foreigner.” I refer to myself as such in conversation, both in English and Korean. In an ethnically homogeneous country, my tall caucasian presence sticks out like a sore thumb. If anyone’s getting a sideways glance it’s me, the weird white person out of place in a sea of Koreans. And I’m fine with that. I made the decision to live here, and I enjoy doing so. Once I learned the rhythms of Korean life, I also learned that at the end of the day people are just people. No matter where you go.

The background of my daily life consists of Asian food, buildings, culture, language -- and Asian people. They’re the bus driver, grocery store cashier, bank teller, crossing guard, police officer, cook, convenience store clerk. And the list goes on. They’re just people. White, Asian, anything. We’re all just human beings trying to live in this world. Should be common sense. Common humanity. But apparently it’s not. 

---------------------------------------

Korean Friend: I’ve actually never left Korea, but once COVID is over I want to travel abroad.

Me: Where would you go?

Korean Friend: Australia, New Zealand, the U.S…

Me: Um, please wait on that third one.

Korean Friend: Why?

Me: *sends links to news reports about the Atlanta spa shooting, increased reports of hate crimes against Asians in the U.S.*

Korean Friend: Oh…

                         That’s scary…

Me: I know...

Korean Friend: I’ll just stick to travelling around here.

In all seriousness, I could not tell him he would be safe travelling to the U.S. And that is shameful and embarrassing to admit. Sadly I’ve grown accustomed to that twinge in my gut, when certain topics arise in conversation with non-Americans. 

In the U.S., Koreans and other people of Asian descent are being murdered and assaulted on the basis of their skin color. Fortunately Korea has rigorous gun control laws, so mass shootings aren’t an issue here. But just because people aren’t being killed by racists doesn’t mean racism doesn’t exist. As a culturally and ethnically homogenous country, Koreans take immense pride in their heritage. Often at the expense of others. 

Foreigners who don’t know better often lump Asian countries together. They assume everyone in Asia eats sushi, bows when they greet you, etc. Korea, Japan, and China are probably lumped together the most often. I used to do it too. I didn’t know enough about any one place to differentiate them in any meaningful way. But I do now.  

------------------------------------

For starters, there’s quite a bit of tension between the countries. Korea’s biggest beef is with Japan. A lot of Koreans have animosity towards Japan for their refusal to fully admit and apologize over the comfort women issue. (“Comfort women” were Korean women and girls forced into sex slavery by the Japanese army during WWII.) And I can’t blame them; there’s a lot of dark, horrible history there. A couple years ago, Korea enacted a boycott on Japan (for alleged economic and trade reasons I won’t get into here). There were stickers emblazoned with “No Japan!” slapped on just about everything. When I taught the “Where are you from?” chapter in my English class, students were blurting it out -- “No Japan!” As if anyone from Japan should simply be shouted down with a “No!” That’s where I started to get uncomfortable. 

As for China, Koreans also have some problems there. For starters, air pollution. China does produce a lot of air pollution that gets blown over the Korean peninsula. But on an average day, it’s only about 50%. Yet many Koreans will mumble and complain about the dirty Chinese factories clogging up the skies, forgetting to mention the other half that’s made by Korea itself. Another factor is tourism (in pre-COVID, days anyways). Some Koreans complain about the loud, noisy, dirty Chinese tourists. Add the coronavirus to an equation already based on stereotypes of uncleanliness and -- I’m getting uncomfortable again. 

Yeah, Japan committed war crimes. Yeah, the coronavirus started in China. I’m not going to deny the facts. But I do have a problem with the attitudes of discrimination that it breeds. 

Which brings me to another point that makes me uncomfortable. This time in a laughable and darkly ironic sort of way. 

----------------------------------------------

Last month, three of the eight provinces in Korea issued administrative orders stating that foreign workers must get tested for COVID within a two week timeframe. This was in response to a handful of outbreaks of factories that employ largely migrant workers. The order targeted foreign laborers from China, Thailand, Vietnam, Uzbekistan, and other similar countries. However,  it did not require Koreans working at the exact same facilities to get tested. We all know too well that the coronavirus does not discriminate, and will infect anyone. 

The government faced a lot of backlash, and the policy was downgraded to a “recommendation.” But one thing was made clear. Foreigners were being singled out as the “carriers'' of coronavirus. We were the threat. 

I say “we” here, but I mean it in an oblique way. In terms of my legal status in Korea, I have more in common with a Southeast Asian migrant worker than my Korean colleagues. I speak pretty good Korean, but not a lick of Thai or Vietnamese. But cultural competence doesn’t matter here. Our “foreign-ness” is the factor at play. 

I would like to add that overall, my foreign-ness is different. I’m white. And unfortunately that’s still a point in my favor. Whiteness and lightness is still seen as preferable. (One of my 6th grade students: “Teacher! Your skin is so white. So beautiful. Not me. I’m too dark. I want to be more light.” My heart shattered into a million pieces, as I tried to tell her she was already beautiful the way she was.) 

One of the ways it has affected me is the questions I get asked at work. Take this one from last May, directed exclusively at foreign English teachers: “Where did you go last weekend? Were you or anyone you know in Itaewon?” (Itaewon is the foreigner district in Seoul, where a large coronavirus outbreak occurred. Funny enough patient zero was not a foreigner - they were Korean.) This may seem like a harmless line of questioning. My phsyical saftey and well-being were in no way in danger. But again the underlying assumption is that foreign = dangerous. 

Ironically, Asians are being targeted in the U.S. while foreigners are being targeted in Asia. But I suppose it’s not really that ironic after all. This is nothing new. History shows again and again, that it’s often our nature to blame and shun that which is different and foreign. This is not unique to the U.S. It’s an issue unique to the human condition. 

Racism exists. It exists everywhere. Especially in the era of COVID. No one is immune. I mean, look at me. I grew up in a church that taught me to maintain the purity of the races, and that interracial marriage was a sin. I’m sure glad I’ve gotten rid of that one. But that was a learned belief. Racism is learned. We must commit to actively un-learning it too. 

[bellakitse]

Of cute beagles and decidedly cuter owners

For @gra-sonas who had this excellent post and let me use it. I hope this is fluffy enough for you, hon!

Michael, Rosa, Kyle, and Jenna just moved into a new place that doesn't allow pets, luckily across the street is the cutest beagle ever. Rosa is ready to plan a dog-nap, Michael suggests writing a note to the owner instead.

All Rosa wants is to play with Buffy, while all Michael wants is Buffy's owner.

Michael arrives home sometime after six p.m., the hallway of the modest townhouse he and his roommates moved into, still has boxes lying around. They've been in the two-story home for three weeks now. But with work and school, no one has found the time to finish unpacking. Michael has his new teaching post at the university while he works on his doctorate. Kyle has medical school. Jenna, a rookie cop, works crazy hours, and Rosa, their resident artist, has been using all her waking hours to work on a set of pieces she hopes will end up in the city’s next art exhibit. None of them have been particularly motivated to put boxes away, but Michael is starting to think he’s going to have to say something soon, or there’s a chance the boxes will become part of the décor.

“Guerin!” Jenna greets from the kitchen as he makes it into the living room. “Thai or Chinese for dinner?”

“Whatever Valenti doesn’t want,” he calls back out to her, smirking when he hears the man in question curse at him from the kitchen. He hears a chuckle and turns to find Rosa in her favorite spot of the house, the big bay windows. It was the selling point for Rosa when they decided to rent the place together.

“You have to start getting along with him eventually, Michael,” she says, not looking up from her sketching pad.

“Do I have to?” Michael questions as he drops his bag on the couch and walks over to her, lifting her legs to sit down. He leans over to sneak a peek at what she’s working on to find the drawing of a beagle.

“It would help,” Rosa says, a smirk on her face. “We did sign a one-year lease, you’re stuck until then.”

“Cute dog,” he points at her work, instead of acknowledging her comment.

“It belongs to the neighbor across the street, I saw them this morning,” she explains with a smile that turns into a frown moments later. “It sucks that we can’t have a pet here.”

Michael nods; he’s heard all three of his roommates complain about it. Their landlord had killed their hopes for a pet before they signed on the dotted line of their lease.

“I love that expression,” Michael points at the drawing, the beagle has an impressive resting bitch face.

Rosa laughs, nodding in agreement. “I only saw them for a second, but that face is memorable. I had to stop myself from running across the street to beg the owner to let me play with his dog, probably would have freaked the guy out.”

Michael chuckles at the comment, Rosa is the more impulsive one of them all, he could totally picture her on a puppy-high scaring some poor guy into thinking that he was going to get robbed for his dog.

“We just moved in, Rosa, can we maybe wait a few weeks before scaring off the neighbors?” he teases, laughing when she gives him an unimpressed look.

“You’re supposed to be the fun one, Michael,” Rosa pouts. “Kyle and Jenna are the strict, boring ones. You should be helping me plan a dog-nap.”

Michael opens his mouth, only to be interrupted by Kyle and Jenna walking into the living room.

“What’s this about a dog-napping?” Kyle questions, coming to sit down on the couch. Jenna sits next to him, leaning into his space. Her hair is messed up, and her lipstick smudged off, some of it transferred to Kyle’s white polo.

Michael and Rosa look at them, and then at each other, wrinkling their noses in distaste. This is what they get for moving in with a couple who can’t keep their hands off each other.

“Whatever you did in our kitchen, I hope you disinfected it,” Rosa comments still making a face. Michael nods in agreement, a part of him a little jealous of what Kyle and Jenna have. He wants someone to make out with in the kitchen, someone to smile at him the way Jenna and Kyle smile at each other. Something real, like what they have.

Kyle blushes under Rosa’s judging look, but Jenna just rolls her eyes, running her hand through Kyle's hair to settle him.

“Dog-napping, Rosa?” she questions, getting back on track.

“Oh!” Rosa lightens up at the mention, and Michael is starting to worry about just how serious she is. “The beagle across the street, it’s precious.”

“I saw it the other day,” Kyle says with a smile of his own. “Very cute dog.”

“Very cute owner, too,” Jenna comments, tugging on Kyle’s hair when he pouts, it says more than Michael needs to know about their relationship.

“True,” Rosa agrees after a moment, thinking about it. “But not so cute that I’m not totally willing to steal his dog.”

“We haven’t even been here a month,” Michael speaks before Rosa can really get going. “Let’s not commit a crime just yet.”

Rosa exhales loudly like she thinks he’s the biggest party-pooper ever, for not encouraging the stealing of an animal. “What do you suggest then? Because I need to cuddle that dog, bad.”

Michael thinks for a moment before his eyes light up with an idea. He pulls Rosa’s sketch pad and pencil out of her lap. “We can write the owner a note asking if we can meet his dog,” Michael suggests, quickly composing the letter when no one says no. “Dog people understand crazy dog love.”

“Tell them they have the best dog,” Rosa instructs him.

“Ask what treats it likes,” Kyle chips in, getting into it.

“We can take it for a walk if they’re too busy,” Jenna adds, just as excited.

He finishes the note, signing it with all their names and adding Rosa’s drawing. “There. I’ll drop it off in the morning,” he says satisfied, the others nod seemingly pleased themselves. “Now, about dinner…”

*

Michael doesn’t think about it the next day, he tapes the note to their neighbor’s front door and goes to the university where he spends the day teaching freshmen in his Engineering Physics class. It’s only when he gets back home and finds Rosa practically vibrating with excitement that he even remembers about their neighbor and their dog.

“They wrote back, Michael!” she shouts as soon as he walks through the door, waving a piece of paper in the air.

“Who?”

“Buffy Manes!” Rosa exclaims, rolling her eyes at him when he doesn’t answer. “That’s the beagle’s name, look they left a note.”

Michael takes the piece of paper, instantly charmed by the paw print on the back.

It starts:

‘To my new friends, Michael, Rosa, Kyle and Jenna’

Thank you for your nice letter! It made my tail wag all night. The drawing was so good, whoever drew it is very talented, a perfect likeness.

My name is Buffy Manes, and I’m 4-years-old. I love treats of any kind. I love playing catch, -tennis balls are my favorite- and digging holes.

I am the bestest girl! Thank you for noticing, my dad tells me that every day.

I would very much like to meet my new friends, so I’m giving you my dad’s number, call any time.

Sincerely,

Buffy and Alex Manes

505-718-2035

 “Okay,” Michael starts, a smile tugging at his face. “This is seriously fucking cute.”

“She liked my drawing,” Rosa says happily, which Michael finds hilarious. “And her name is Buffy, how adorable is that? If it’s for Buffy, the vampire slayer, this Alex guy is my new best friend. He has the cutest dog and good taste in 90’s tv shows, we need to call them, now.”

“What about Kyle and Jenna?”

Rosa waves his question away. “They went on a date,” she says, tugging at his shirt impatiently. “Let’s call.”

“Okay, okay,” he laughs as he pulls out his phone and dials the number, ringing a few times before someone picks up.

“Manes,” greets a deep voice that makes Michael stand up straighter as it sends a shiver up his spine. That is a very nice voice.

“Um, hi, Alex?” he starts, suddenly nervous. “This is Michael, your neighbor from across the street, my roommates and I left you a note about your dog, Buffy?”

“Right,” Alex says, letting out a soft chuckle. “With the drawing, it was really good.”

“Thanks,” Michael says, grunting when Rosa pokes him. “That was Rosa, she’s the artist, and she’s in love with your dog.”

“You’re not?” Alex questions, sounding a little offended.

“I’m actually the only one of my roommates that hasn’t seen Buffy,” he admits, as Alex makes an amused noise. “But I’m sure she’s great, her letter was perfect. Did it take long to teach her how to write?”

Alex laughs, making Michael feel pleased and oddly proud. “No, she’s a genius, it took no time at all.”

“Well you should be very proud,” he jokes getting another laugh out of Alex. “So anyway, we were hoping that we could arrange that meet-up with Buffy, and you, of course, any time you want,” he rushes to say, ignoring the way Rosa is looking at him.

“We’re home now,” Alex starts, a little hesitant. “If you want to come over.”

“Now?” Michael questions to which Rosa starts nodding vigorously. “It would just be Rosa and me, Kyle and Jenna are out, is that okay?”

“Yeah,” Alex breathes, sounding more at ease. “That’s probably better actually, I don’t do great with a lot of people. We’ll meet you two outside in 10?”

“Okay,” Michael says quickly. “See you guys in a few, thanks.”

“Not a problem, Michael,” Alex says before hanging up. He decides then and there that he likes the way Alex says his name.

“Were you really flirting with a stranger over the phone?” Rosa questions incredulously.

“No!” Michael denies, blushing when Rosa raises an eyebrow at him. “Maybe?”

Rosa shakes her head at him, amused more than anything else. “Keep your head in the game Guerin, we are in it for the dog. Let’s go.”

Michael follows Rosa out of their home, she’s practically shaking by the time they cross the street and open Alex’s gate.

“Don’t freak them out,” he warns. “Alex said he’s not the best with people.”

“I’ll behave,” she promises just as their neighbor’s door opens.

A robust beagle comes out first, followed by what has to be the most beautiful man Michael has ever seen. He has tousled dark hair, big deep brown eyes, cheekbones that could cut glass, and full pink lips quirked up into a hesitant smile. The rest of him is perfect too, strong shoulders and arms, wrapped in a soft-looking grey Henley, and he’s in a pair of black jeans that hug his legs nicely. As he takes a step forward, Michael notices the crutch in his left hand.

“Michael, Rosa?” he questions as he comes down two short steps, standing before them.

“Hi,” Michael breathes, if possible, Alex is even more gorgeous up close, especially when he smiles at Michael.

“Hi,” he greets back at him, before looking at Rosa to give her a smile of her own. “Well, you didn’t come to see me,” he says, looking down at his dog, who is standing faithfully at his side, waiting. “This is Buffy.”

Buffy looks up at him at her name.

“They’re here for you, baby girl,” he speaks to her. “Greet.”

The moment Alex says the command, Buffy leaves his side, making her way toward Rosa as she gets down to her knees to pet her. Buffy’s tail starts wagging excitedly the second Rosa starts to pet her.

“Who’s a good girl,” Rosa coos at Buffy. “You are, you’re such a good girl, so sweet.”

“She’s a therapy dog,” Alex tells them with a proud look on his face as he watches his dog. Michael bends down too, letting Buffy sniff his hand first, chuckling when she starts to lick it.

“She’s very friendly,” Michael comments, looking up at Alex, his breath catching when he finds Alex’s eyes on him.

Alex nods, his expression soft. “She likes to make friends.”

“We can be her friends,” Rosa says quickly, as she rubs the top of Buffy’s head, looking back at Alex. “Her name? Is it because of the show?”

“Yeah, when my friend Maria and I picked her at the shelter, she said that Buffy would slay my demons,” Alex says with a slight laugh. “It stuck, so I named her Buffy.”

Michael bites down on his lip as he stands up, he does it to keep from asking what Alex’s demons are, wanting to know everything about him.

The rest of the visit, they’re on Alex’s porch. Rosa plays with Buffy, while Michael stares at Alex like an idiot as he tells them cute anecdotes about his dog. He shares a little bit about himself with them, each tidbit Michael stores away for later. He learns that Alex was in the Air Force until he got hurt. Alex knocks on his leg, which Buffy responds by leaving the belly rubs Rosa is giving her to press her small head against her owner’s leg. The gesture obviously meant to comfort him, which going by the smile on Alex’s face it does. He still does military work but as a private contractor and mostly from home and has had Buffy since his enlistment ended, and he hasn’t been in town too long, only a few months.

“I don’t really know much around here,” he comments with a shrug. “The base, the market, and the dog park, but that’s pretty much it.”

“I can show you around,” Michael blurts out before he can stop himself, he feels himself go hot as he feels Rosa’s eyes burn into the side of his face. He knows the second they’re alone; she’s going to mock the hell out of him.

Alex starts to smile only to look over at Rosa. “Umm,” Alex begins nervously, and Michael realizes with surprising clarity that Alex thinks they’re together.

Luckily Rosa seems to notice too, jumping in before he can make a fool of himself. “You guys should go,” she says with a grin. “This loser barely goes out himself, it’s just home and the university for him. Sad, really.”

“You’re just as bad as me,” he argues, trying to defend himself. “When’s the last time you went out?”

“Last week,” Rosa says smugly. “I met up with that hot blonde who modeled for me a few weeks ago, she showed me her portfolio,” she continues, waggling her eyebrows which makes Alex laugh. “You guys could go get a bite, and I can stay and hang with Buffy.”

Alex smirks at her, his eyes dancing with amusement. “That’s really what you’re after, isn’t it?”

“I’ll be honest, you can turn out to be Dahmer and eat Guerin,” Rosa says bluntly, ignoring him when he makes a noise of protest. “I’m cool as long as I get to keep playing with your dog.”

Alex looks at her, letting out a low whistle.

“As you can see, I need better friends,” Michael says, shooting Rosa a glare. “Do you want to go get something to eat?”

Alex bites down on his bottom lip, and it takes everything in Michael not to lean in and do it for him. “Now?”

Michael nods. “No time like the present.”

Alex smiles softly at him, there is a slight rosy color on his cheeks that makes Michael’s heart skip a beat. “Okay, let me get my wallet.”

“And I get to watch Buffy?” Rosa asks hopefully, as he stands. “I’ll take real good care of her, give you picture updates and everything.”

Alex looks at Rosa for a moment before nodding, his amusement obvious. “Sure, she’s really mellow, so I don’t see it being a problem if you really want to watch her.”

“Alex, you’re my new best friend,” Rosa says with a serious expression on her face.

“I’m sure that would mean more to him if you hadn’t just offered your current best friend up to be eaten,” Michael grumbles at her.

Alex laughs as he heads inside.

“This is where you say thank you,” Rosa whispers at him.

Michael frowns at her.”You did nothing,” he answers, getting a snort back.

“I just wing-womaned the shit out of this,” Rosa gripes. “You were just staring at him like a smitten idiot.”

Michael hates that he can’t argue with the truth, and in a fit of childishness, sticks his tongue out at her.

“Mature,” Rosa laughs as Alex comes back.

He gives them a curious look as he closes his door, leash in hand. “We usually go for a walk at seven,” he says, handing Rosa the leash after attaching it to Buffy. “She likes the park two blocks away.”

Rosa nods as she starts walking towards the gate with Buffy. He and Alex follow behind them, crossing the street back to their place where his truck is parked.

“We’ll go for a lovely walk, don’t worry,” Rosa promises.

Alex kneels down to rub Buffy under her chin, getting a lick for his troubles.

“Be good Buffy, I’ll be back soon,” he says tenderly before pressing a kiss on the top of her head, it makes something inside Michael flutter behind his ribcage.

Standing back to his feet, he walks over to Michael, giving him a charmed look when Michael opens the door of his truck for him.

“Have fun you two,” Rosa tells them as Michael puts the car in drive. She picks up Buffy and heads inside.

“You just made her night,” he tells Alex as he starts to drive downtown.

“I’m glad,” Alex answers, flashing him a smile. “You said in your note that you guys can’t have pets?”

“Grumpy landlord,” Michael explains.

Alex makes a face. “That really sucks. I got lucky, my landlady didn’t seem big on pets either, I wasn’t even going to interview for the place, but I brought Buffy with me and explained that she’s my therapy dog and I guess Buffy won her over. It’s hard resisting her face.”

“Probably hard resisting yours too,” Michael blurts out, already cringing before the words are completely out of his mouth. He keeps his eyes on the road to avoid looking at Alex, but after a moment of silence, he can’t help but sneak a peek at him. There’s a shy smile on Alex’s face, and his eyes are welcoming as he looks back at Michael, making him feel more confident to continue. “It’s a very nice face.”

Alex’s smile grows until he’s laughing softly, shaking his head at Michael's boldness. “You have a very nice face too, Michael.”

Michael grins to himself, his heart beating faster with excitement. He parks the car outside his favorite Mexican restaurant. “Hope you like tacos,” he says as he gets out, going around the car to Alex’s door.

“Are you even allowed to live in New Mexico if you don’t like tacos?” he questions, passing Michael his crutch. He gets out, and Michael reaches out his hand at his waist to steady him, his body responding instantly when Alex lets out a small gasp at his touch.

Michael lifts his eyes to Alex’s face, finding his gaze already on him, eyes wide, lips slightly parted, and Mickael knows Alex just felt the same spark he did at their touch. He steps in closer, crowding Alex in the door, his pulse spiking when Alex’s eyes drift down to his mouth.

“Proposal,” he starts, his voice low.

Alex hums softly, his body seemed to sway, brushing against his, his eyes half-closed.

“We turn this into a date,” Michael suggests, smiling at the surprised but happy look Alex gives him.

“How does it differ?” Alex questions with a teasing glint in his eyes.

Michael squeezes the side of Alex, where his hand still rests. “I get to kiss you at the end of the night,” he answers, inhaling sharply when Alex closes the small space between them, brushing his lips against Michael’s.

Alex takes his crutch and Michael’s hand leading him into the restaurant.

“You should text Rosa,” he throws over his shoulder, giving Michael’s hand a squeeze.

“Why?” Michael asks, still a little dazed from the touch of Alex’s lips.

A couple of hours is too fast to fall in love, right?

Alex turns back to him, a beautiful smile on his even more beautiful face, and Michael decides that, no, a couple of hours is more than enough time to fall in love with Alex Manes.

“To tell her that starting tonight, she’s going to have plenty of opportunities to borrow Buffy if I get to borrow her roommate.”

Michael grins, pulling out his phone even as he pulls Alex back into another kiss, this one deeper and longer as he takes his time, enjoying the taste and the sounds Alex makes. Rosa will be pleased with the arrangement, and he’s good with it too.

#roswell nm #malex fic #malex #michael x alex #my writing #buffy manes

[allie1804-fan]

Malaise Chapter 6 (Getting to Know You)

Chapter 1,  2 ,  3,  4,  5

Warning Some mention of sexual acts

Once they were showered, Keanu loaned Celia a t shirt and they got dressed ready for their brunch out.  They would go separately as she was going to head home to catch up with her kids later on. He warned her that whilst where they were headed wasn’t a celebrity hang out or anything, being out in the day and on the weekend might draw more attention to them from fans and maybe even paparazzi.

“I know we work together so people wouldn’t necessarily gossip, but I just wanted to warn you, we don’t have to go out if you’re worried”

“Sure, I get it and I’m fine.  My family and friends don’t pay attention to gossip anyway – are YOU ok?, isn’t that more the point?”

 “Not at all, I’m used to it and I don’t pay attention either – I just don’t want them coming after you. You’ll just have to make sure you don’t make puppy dog eyes at me while we’re out” he teased making her punch him on the arm.

“You wish!”

Their brunch was long and leisurely down at the beach in Malibu and they mixed their time between talking about the movie and finding out a little more about each other including their families.  She had a girl and a boy (19 and 17)  - the two of them got on fairly well with their mother and each other but still fought like cat and dog occasionally.  She marvelled to hear how close Keanu was with his siblings, especially Kim.  He teared up a little talking about her especially as he had seen her so little recently after Covid restricted his travelling to see her in Italy for so long.

“Did you never want kids?” she asked

 “What?!” he said a little sharply

“Sorry, sorry I didn’t mean to pry”

“No it’s not that, it’s just, well I thought everyone knew that I did have a child” he said softly not wanting fellow diners to overhear.

“Oh God, I, I …” Celia stuttered not knowing where to put herself “I had no idea”

“Well you’re in a minority I think.  It was a long long time ago, 1999.  The girl I was dating fell pregnant, by accident she said, and by the time she knew, it was too late to think about not having it and she wanted the baby anyway and in the end I did too. But Ava, our daughter, she was stillborn. Christmas Eve 1999.”

“Oh God that’s awful, I’m so sorry”

 “One of those things I guess” he sighed and took a drag of his cigarette “that’s what they say huh? So after that, I never got close, to anyone really or to thinking about kids again.  Did you always want them?”

“Yes, from being a little girl it was in my path I guess and Jerry, my ex-husband felt the same so we started pretty young by today’s standards, in my mid 20s. And we were very lucky with the whole process, so, I know I am blessed even when they argue like idiots!”

He laughed then added, sincerely

“Don’t ever feel guilty around me talking about them or complaining about them, I wouldn’t want my past to make you awkward around me”

“Thanks” she touched his hand in sympathy and thanks then withdrew it quickly remembering their talk earlier making him laugh.

“It’s OK I think, I haven’t spotted any mobiles out or long lens cameras - for once everyone seems to be minding their own business!”

They carried on chatting til near 4pm when she realised she needed to get going. They parted ways in the carpark with a peck on the cheek, and a thank you with a wink for the “very nice time”! They would see each other on Monday on set.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The rest of the weekend, he found himself at a bit of a loose end and missing the company.  He kept sending her silly texts, making her giggle – the kids were curious about what had put a spring in her step and who was making her laugh – she lied and just said work was going well and she’d had fun in town the previous night with friends.

Once they were back in a work environment it was largely business as usual though she did get a certain new frisson every time he came over to look at a shot which meant he’d be physically close to her, often brushing her arm or shoulder as he did it.   Sometimes it would seem like she got a literal electric shock and she’d jump making him laugh and tease.

They still had long days sometimes so the Chinese was still a regular thing, only now it was usually followed by going back to one of their places for sex!  Her kids were sometimes away for the night and she lived close to Culver City so they went there if they could and usually up to his if it was a Friday night as then they could take a dip in his pool on the Saturday or go out for a bike ride.  Celia started to make sure she had clean panties and her toothbrush in her backpack every day, “just in case” she told herself.

It was a couple of months into this pattern when she fully realised just how much time they were spending together and how well they were getting to know each other.  She was lounging on his lovely big white sofa reading a book and he was reading a script out on the terrace while he smoked a cigarette.  As she’d got to know him better, she’d realised that sometimes he wanted company but also quiet so a book had been added to her backpack collection of things to have with her ‘just in case’.

That morning, they’d made love and she’d revelled in how well he knew her body.

“Ohhh you like that don’t you?” he’d murmured while circling the hood of her clit rolling his tongue around it repeatedly until she thrust her hips up into his face and let loose.

She also knew just where to stroke his neck or the indent at the top of his butt with soft downy hairs which would make him moan in delight.

She was reading “Bird Song” by Sebastian Faulks, mainly a book about World War 1 but there was also a section about a passionate pre war love affair in France.  The descriptions of love making and the intimacy immediately made her think of Keanu and  that gave her a moment’s pause.  “What are we doing?, behaving like a couple that’s what”. She hadn’t planned on leaving till later or maybe not at all but she made a decision then to go home and went out to the terrace to let him know.

“Hey, I think I’m going to make tracks”

“Oh? I thought you were keen on the Thai take out”

“Yeah I was but my mum just messaged me and needs a hand with her home admin – she’s just getting things like banking on line and it’s a trial!” she made a face and he laughed.

“OK, never mind – see you Monday then I guess” he stood and gave her a kiss.

“Have fun with the old lady!”

Luckily he’d swallowed her lie – she was able to deliver it well since it was partially true, only her sister was the one helping her mum as she’d cried off because of seeing Keanu. Realising that she’d been putting off family obligations because of a man didn’t sit comfortably with her. After the divorce she’d promised not to go down that road again.  It was time to put the brakes on this thing before it got out of hand.

 @penwieldingdreamer @fortheloveoffanfic @kindainlovewithkeanu @ladyreapermc @witty-wallflower @gatsbynouvel @bitchyslut99 @keanureevesisbae @omg-imagine @iworshipkeanureeves @fics-not-tragedies @ficsnroses @kindainlovewithkeanu @paperplanesandwallflowers

#keanu reeves fanfic #keanu reeves fanfiction #keanu #keanu reeves #keanu reeves ofc

[royal-shawn]

The Guitarist || nerd!shawn

anon said:  your writing is so good !!! I’m absolutely obsessed, you should really start posting on wattpad too if you aren’t already haha. Also can you please do a nerd/innocent Shawn imagine? That’s my weakness honestly🤤

The show was coming up and my role as Eliza Hamilton would be fulfilled to the greatest degree. To accomplish this, the music teacher and I had been having frequent meetings in her room. 

Today is different though when I walk into the corridor towards Ms. Kate’s room, there’s piano music along with an angelic voice. 

I creep to the noise and push open the heavy door to the music room. 

A boy I recognize from my English class is sitting at the piano, playing and singing. It’s a song from the musical, so my first response is to sing along. 

He realizes right away and stops, looking over at me. “E-Eliza!”  

“It’s Y/N.” I smile. “I’ve never seen you around before?” 

“Shawn.” He looks down at the piano. “You’re very talented.” 

“So are you, Do you have a role?” I ask. 

“I was going to audition for Lafayette, but I got anxious and backed out last minute.” He says, looking over at me, a red tint on his cheeks. “I play the guitar in the band though.” 

“I thought I recognized you from somewhere.” I smile.

“We have English together.” He smiles. “If it’s anywhere, it’s there.”

-

Thus began Shawn and I’s friendship, every Wednesday, I would go over to his studio apartment off-campus to study for English and practice for the musical. 

Slowly, Shawn opened up and he was actually really sweet, he always insisted on paying for Chinese, but I always paid my own. 

Today was different, Shawn wasn’t home, but the door was unlocked and it was December in Toronto so I wasn’t just going to wait outside.

The apartment was empty, the sound of silence eerie in a place I'd associated with music and laughter.

I sat on the couch, looking at the things on his coffee table. A picture of his mom, dad, and sister, who I'd heard so much about, his trigonometry book, and a plant.

I realize how odd it is that I'm sitting on the couch of a friend's, who's not even home, and get up to leave.

On my way to the door, it opens, revealing Shawn, with flushed cheeks and a bag.

"Oh, um, Shawn." I smile tightly. "I should've just left earlier, this is an invasion of privacy."

"Oh, no it's fine, rather you be here than walking back home alone in this weather." He grins. "I'm sorry, I forgot to text you and I had to go back to Pickering today."

"Why?" I tilt my head.

"I had an appointment and I forgot to tell you, I'm here now." He smiles, unwrapping the scarf from his neck.

I smile. "Should I put on some tea?"

"No, it's okay." Shawn murmurs. "I've gotta go to the bathroom."

I furrow my brows but take a seat on his couch, waiting for him to come back.

In a few moments, he comes back with his guitar, a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes on his face. "Ready to start?"

I nod, smiling softly.

-

Halfway into Helpless, Shawn starts quivering, his usually still fingers fidgeting across the strings, playing flats and sharps in the incorrect places.

I stop singing to ask. "Are you okay?"

He stops strumming and looks up. "Um, yeah of course."

I shake my head. "You aren't."

He bites his lip. "No, I am."

"Shawn, we're friends right?" I ask. He nods hesitantly. "If you want to be friends, you have to be honest with me."

"Okay.” Shawn takes a deep breath before speaking. “I went to my therapist today, usually they’re only once a week but I really needed an extra appointment and this was the only time that was open. She prescribed me with more medicine and I guess it makes me shake, which isn’t good so I’ll have to talk to her on Sunday when I go back.” 

“Why do you go all the way back to Pickering for therapy?” I ask

He shakes his head. “You wouldn’t get it.” 

I decide not to press and we go back to rehearsal. 

-

Two weeks until the performance and things are getting real, costumes are being fitted, makeup is being practiced and rehearsals are every other day. 

My time with Shawn is getting limited to English Class and an hour after school on Tuesdays, since Wednesday is a rehearsal day. 

During Rehearsal, I notice Shawn’s hands have stopped shaking, and he’s more outgoing, he talks a little bit more, and shows off his expertise on guitar. 

One day, during practice, Shawn is nowhere to be seen, but his guitar is leaning against his chair. 

The absence of guitar makes Ms. Kate growl in frustration. 

“Where’s Shawn?” She says, waving her hands at the actors of Hamilton, Lafayette, Burr, Laurens, and Mulligan, making them stop their performance. 

The pianist shrugs. “He left a little while ago.” 

“Well, where did he go?” 

The band shrugs. 

I pop out of the curtain. “Can I go look for him?” 

Ms. Kate pinches the bridge of her nose. “Yes, be quick.” 

I run out of the theater, blue Eliza dress flickering after me. The first place I check is Ms. Kate’s room, which is absent of his presence. I run the the men’s room and push open the door. 

Shawn stands in front of the sink, knuckles white gripping on the fake granite counter tops, his head ducked. 

“Shawn?” 

He looks up at me through the mirror. “This is the men’s bathroom.” 

I can help but notice the flushed cheeks and the teary eyes. “I don’t care.” 

He took a deep, shaky, breath. 

I move to him, my hand finding the midpoint between his shoulder blades. “Shawn, what’s wrong?” 

“I - uh - nothing.” He shrugs off my touch. “Let’s just get back out there.” 

I shake my head. “Shawn, you aren’t okay.” 

“We’re friends, right?” 

I nod. 

“Then leave it.” He spits, leaving me alone in the men’s room. 

-

Avoiding Shawn was harder than I thought, especially at this time. 

Ms. Kate was getting snarkier and snarkier as it went on. The pressure on the performers was surely not healthy, but we were just as nervous as she was. 

The big day rolled around and I was all dressed up in costume, looking oh-so Elizabeth Schuyler.

Shawn knocks on the dressing room door, and I turn to look. He was holding a bouquet of roses along with a little bear. 

“Come in.” I say, shutting the door behind him. 

He sets the gifts on the vanity before turning to look at you. “I came to apologize.” 

I watch him wring his hands nervously. 

“I can’t perform knowing you hate me, I’ll mess up.” He chuckles, his cheeks turning that pretty light pink color. “But this is both an apology, and a good luck.”

I smile softly, looking at the red roses. “Thanks Shawn.” 

“I really didn’t know what to get you, but Brian said girls like roses and since you’re a girl you must like roses, right?” 

“I love them.” I smile. “And I like the bear too.” 

“I saw him and he reminded me of you, I think it might be the sweater.” He says, pressing the bears sweater. “You always wear striped sweaters.” 

“I’ve worn a striped sweater to yours, like, twice.” I smile. “But, regardless, I love it.” 

He grins. “I already named him.” 

“Oh?” I ask. 

“Edgar Allen Pooh, because you really like Poe and Pooh’s the honey bear from that one show.” Shawn rambles, his pink cheeks heating up. 

I stand up, wrapping my arms around his shoulders. “I’m sorry for shunning you.” 

“It’s my fault, I was rude.” He smiles. “I would’ve shunned you, too.” 

I laugh, and Shawn’s arms tighten around my torso. 

“I wish that we never had to perform.” Shawn says, before quickly explaining. “Not like we aren’t ready but you had a reason to come see me and I had a reason to look forward to Wednesdays.” 

“You liked my visits?” I ask, pulling away to look him in the eyes. 

He nods. “You were the highlight of my week.” 

“We can still hang out.” I say, cupping his cheek. “But now we can do it more than just Wednesday.”

He blushes a deep red at the hand on his face. “You want to hang out with me?” 

I laugh. “Of course I do.” 

“I want to hang out with you too.” He smiles. “How about Saturday? We can go to that Thai place in campus, and then to the movies.” 

“Are you asking me on a date?” I smirk. 

“Uh, no- I mean, unless you want it to be.” Shawn sputters out. 

I smile. “Yes, Shawn, I would like to go on a date with you.” 

“R-really?” He grins. “That’s great!” 

There’s a soft knock on the door and Ms. Kate peeks her head in. “Show time, I hope you’re ready.” 

“I am.” I say, peeling away from Shawn and toward the door. “Good luck Shawn.” 

“Good luck, y/n.” 

-

Saturday rolls around, and I’m getting ready, A mid-length dress adorning my body, I pull on a grey cardigan over the blue dress, before waiting for Shawn. 

A few moments later, Shawn knocks on the door, wearing a sweater and nice jeans. 

“Am I overdressed?” I ask, looking down at my flats. 

“You look gorgeous.” He smiles. “Shall we go?” 

I nod, grabbing Shawn’s hand letting him lead me. 

The night was brisk, but wasn’t awful. It was the perfect temperature to walk too close to Shawn, warming up off his heat. 

It takes 15 minutes to get to the Thai Restaurant, and 15 minutes to get seated. 

The place was busy on a Saturday evening, which I guess I understand. 

“What are you ordering?” Shawn asks, looking at the menu. 

I pause, and look up at him. “I have no clue.” 

“What do you mean?” He asks, taking a look at the menu. “There’s a lot of good options like...” 

“Did you pay for reservations?” I ask. 

He shakes his head. “It’s mostly a walk in.” 

“I would have a lot more fun if we just got pizza instead, I’m not really up for trying new things today.” 

Shawn smiles. “Well, thanks for the honestly and I agree, we could just go back to mine and watch a movie and eat pizza.” 

“That sounds perfect.” I grin. “I’ll call an uber.” 

-

Shawn dialed the number of the pizza place while I changed into his Harry Potter shirt and a pair of his boxers. 

I walk into the living area from the bathroom, the TV switched to Netflix, Shawn changed into pajamas himself. 

He turns to look at me, a blush settling over his cheeks. “You look gorgeous, even more so in my clothes.” 

“Are you flirting with me, Mendes?” I smile, crossing the room to stand in front of him. 

“Well, I think, unless you don’t want me too, I can stop.” He blushes. 

“No, I like it.” I grin, standing on my tip-toes to press a kiss to his cheek. 

“You missed.” He smiles, ducking down to kiss my lips. 

I bury my hands in his hair, wondering where he got the confidence.

His hand is flat on my back the other wrapped around my shoulder.

After a few moments of kissing, he pulls away, looking down at me. “Wow.” 

I find myself blushing, looking down.

“I’m sorry, w-was that too much?” He nervously asks, his hands finding their way to my shoulders. 

“No, Shawn, it was great.” I smile. “You were great.” 

He blushes once again. 

The rest of the night is spent engrossed in pizza and Dr. Strange, but it’s the perfect first date, for me and this nerd.

#Shawn Mendes Imagine #shawn mendes #shawn mendes oneshot #shawn mendes fluff #shawn mendes angst #shawn mendes blurb #shawn mendes x reader #nerd!shawn #hamilton #nerd!shawn mendes #nerd #writeblr #royal-shawn

[luvknow]

under the cut is all 30-ish asks LOL i’ve tagged those who didn’t go on anon!! if i missed anyone, im sorry ;;;;;

1.  I think Lisa's fully thai and pretty sure Yeri (I'm assuming red velvet's) is fully korean, but I completely agree with you about Lana! I don't understand the support for a fully white person in kpop- like why??? Also I think Somi not being supported has to do more with 'oh look this popular girl was on sixteen/produce so lets just hate on her'- doesn't make sense. And your post on asian eyes is soo true!! Like got bullied over 'chinky' eyes but a white person having them is celebrated.

ahhh ok i thought lisa was half because her last name doesn’t sound thai, but i could just be ignorant! and yeri hm does she have a step parent? someone told me her dad was an actor or something but anyways!! and with somi yeah i think it could be that too :/ one time i saw a white person cosplay at this anime convention and they taped their eyes and i................ wanted to die...........LOL

2.  !!! I literally sent another an to someone about this (I don't know if my asks keep getting eaten or if no one wants to respond 😞) but like she's apparently gotten surgery to look more Korean 🙄🙄 however she doesn't look Korean at all in her music video. Also yeah she can kinda sing but it's not anything special at all. Also the dancing.. apparently she's "classically" trained... when I watched her dance I was so confused because I expected more - pt.1 soz /  But it didn't seem like she knew how to follow a simple routine at all. I'm classically trained and it's hard work so to me it's kinda insulting that she thinks she can lie about that??? Maybe she isn't but.. Also this song isn't catchy and the lyrics are ? V questionable. Anyways that my two cents, take it as you will. - pt.2

i hope the surgery thing isn’t true, i won’t believe it until i see evidence or something but......... thassa no.......................................... classically trained sounds like that takes yeeeaarrrss to do, i hope she didn’t lie about that cuz like what’s the point in lying skjdskjd

3.  Kpop is literally for asians.. It's an Asian genre catering to Asian people... Idk why white people decided to come in and why this Lana girl feels the need to debut as an idol. Honestly, kpop for me (as an Asian) was the one place I could go to and be surrounded by other Asians, who appreciate OTHER ASIANS and their music. I'm tired of white people coming in and taking things that don't belong to them... like just go debut in Russia or America if they want to debut so badly...

I FUCKING!!!!! I’m SAYING UGH LIKE I DON’T GET WHY IT HAS TO BE K-POP OUT OF ALL GENRES?????????????? couldn’t she have like.... debuted and then worked with k-pop artists like that’s a collaborative effort on both ends rather than her appropriating ugh i just.......... it does Not make sense.

4.  @miniwaves​ Who is this Lana and why are they letting a fully WHITE person debut in an ASIAN group??? As an Asian I feel very offended, this is something that is important to our culture and something we have that is separate from other countries... but sure go ahead and let someone not of that culture join just because it's "good publicity". Freaking heck...

i think she’s debuting as a soloist, i could be wrong, but even if it was a group i just.... don’t like it and it doesn’t make sense to me and yeah i agree i think it’s insulting to those who have a personal connection as an asian to have someone not asian take advantage of the rise in kpop like this.

5.  okay i looked up lana and watched her live and it was not pretty to see or listen to... as an asian i feel weird seeing a white person in a kpop/asian industry... it's very cringy to watch too...

it’s weird, i think it’s kinda gross, and yeah i bet it’s a lil cringey lol

6.  no offense to lana but i don’t think you’d wanna hear her sing,,,, there’s that one group (z-girls??) with all asians like thai, indonesian, indian, japanese, filipino, but people are mad bc they should classify as kpop bc they’re not korean. but ppl are supporting lana even tho she’s also not korean, because it gives them hope that they can also be kpop idols and be with their oppas

YES Z-GIRLS :(((( WHERE IS THERE ATTENTION?? a colorful group of beautiful ASIAN women trying to make it in an ASIAN industry but you never hear about them why???????? like none of this is fair lmao omfg your last statement Stop.... spill the tea sis...........

7.  as a run-of-the-mill white person... I don’t get why anyone who is white feels the need to perform in kpop or become a kpop artist because they have their own culture/country/industry/ whatever tf that they can make music and perform in?? That’s all music is, really, an industry and I can understand wanting to be involved in some way but just singing in Korean shouldn’t be enough for you to be deemed a “kpop artist”

“run of the mill white person” omg please lol and oooo i think your last statement is very interesting because what really constitutes as a kpop artist these days, especially if the idol is asian but not korean, you know? but yes, thank you for addressing that white people have their own music industry skjdalkjds

8.  YES EXACTLY like i have a Very Chinese name and i didn't start becoming cool with it until i got into exo m because yifan luhan zitao yixing!! so even though i'm into other groups too, exo will always have a special place in my heart. and same, i used to get made fun of for liking kpop but look at us now

that’s beautiful that kpop can really do that and make non-korean asians feel included in some form you know?? i love it!!

9.  everybody gave that alex reid girl TONS of shit for being a black kpop idol when she was in rania, but now that lana has debuted, she gets all of the love and support and i'm just like ????? freaking flabbergasted by this whole thing :'(

i had to look her up, but that’s so unfortunate and unfair that the backlash only happened to someone who was black, but wasn’t as severe for lana like.... pick a side, you either don’t want non-asians in kpop period or you do like don’t be colorist about it.

10. Yours and that last anon's message about being asian resonated so much

i couldn’t remember which one it was LOL but i’m glad you can relate to us!!

11. i'm kinda curious why lana didn't just stay in russia and start her career there instead of coming to korea, learning korean, and having to go through the whole training process when staying in her home country would have been easier but it's like she knows how popular kpop is now worldwide and is trying to profit and get famous off the hard work of the other groups who had to struggle in order to get kpop recognized in other countries but that's just my opinion

i don’t completely agree with the first part, simply because non-korean asians did all the training and learning korean to become a kpop artist rather than staying in china/thailand/america, BUT i fully agree with that last part like so many idols outside the big 3 and other well known companies are struggling right now.......... and then she swoops in and is getting more attention that most groups like ok..

12. @hnlix  i just think it's really funny how some non-asian people really just wanna talk abt how they feel abt having a full white kpop idol & how good it is .... like..... ok lol !!!!!

girl the way i eye rolled............ im pressed LMAO

13.  white people wanna be oppressed so bad lmaoooo

LIKE WHY THO LMAOOO

14. i hate how asian oppression is largely ignored but once we stand up for ourselves we're making a big deal or being sensitive if you're not asian don't tell us how to feel

LMAO omg it’s cuz we’re “submissive & too sensitive” LMAO like no bitch!!!!

15. Any white kpop fan who is trying to tell an Asian how they're supposed to feel about a music genre that is meant for Asians, created by asians, and catered to ASIAN people who go right f*** off

TELL EM SIS

16.  I think Lisa isn't half white just her stepfather is white I believe

AH OK!!! makes a lot of sense!

17. Lol I’m so sorry you’re getting these white Kpop fans coming here acting all oppressed and calling your opinion invalid. I also got a bunch of these yesterday when I voiced out my opinion- lost a bunch of followers but oh well. These are probably the same fans who low key also want to become idols- smh 🤦🏻‍♀️

losing followers over your feelings of oppression is just natural selection at its finest babie, we in dis together!!!!!!!!!!! that last sentence............ spill the tea sis..........

18. All ur saying is that white people dont belong in an Asian industry lmao idk what anon is getting so worked up about. You’re not even making fun of her ur just stating the facts. There’s a difference

thank you like i didn’t say white people deserve to die or that i called her ugly LOL i just don’t want her in this industry!!!!!!!!

19. @jisungs-veterinar  So i know about Rania she's mixed black but not asian. She is very cute and nice and she got into the industry without any type of talent she just liked songwriting and the agency scouted her without audition but things were good and there wasnt hate from what i saw. But Lana is just a white girl who likes kpop and knows how to dance(nothing special believe me)and just barely learned to sing.Just because daddy has money she got here because she appeared in some kshows.She has no right to be here /  Therefore i just wanna say i agree with you and it angers me so much that Lana is here in kpop ALLOWED to be and ugh

i see, well a lot of kpop artists get their songs from other non-asian artists too. i just don’t like the idea of non-asians considered as idols, even rania, but i’m confused cuz some people are saying she got a lot of hate and some are saying she didn’t but regardless it seems like lana is getting some special treatment and it’s not right. but it’s all heresay i suppose idk kasjdlka

20. okay wow that one anon basically saying that whites are being oppressed?? no. im mixed but i’m ridiculously white passing, most people don’t believe me when i tell them that i’m half chinese but once they hear it, all of the asian jokes come out and i’m reduced to the stereotype of one of my heritages. so please anon, be quiet. also it makes total sense for someone to not be for a white person, or any person who isn’t asian that means alex (i think it’s alex) as well and i’m running out of space /  im continuing lmao from that last ask. kpop/jpop/cpop are specific genres of music that originate from these countries and from the people in these countries. it’s one of the very few ways that asians get recognition and now it’s on a global scale that their effort are being seen so no imo i don’t think that non asians should be coming into the industry. if a nonasian wants to be an artist in a pop genre? please stick to just pop and if you want to show appreciation for these languages and -

one drop of blood that isn’t white and ppl reduce you to that thinking you are lower than they are but then once that drop of blood is popping and flourishing they wanna take advantage of that and it’s hurtful ugh!!! AND YES LIKE ASIANS ARE FINALLY GETTING SOME FORM OF RECOGNITION even if it is asian pop it’s a step forward imo like where else do we get recognized by the masses?

21. the thing is white people already have so much representation in western media. kpop is something uniquely asian and i feel like it would sort of ruin it if white people or other races started trying to debut as idols. i don’t know i don’t want to be exclusive or whatever you would call it, but it just doesn’t seem right in my opinion.

i agree!! it’s something that’s unique to asia/asians and by adding non-asians to the mix i feel like it reduces it’s authenticity and dilutes the pop culture to something other than kpop

22. I see where you’re coming from 100%. Like if some white person tried to enter the Mexican industry(?) I’d be like “wtf” too.

LOL thank you for agreeing jashdajh

23. *filipino/dark skinned kpop idol* KpOp iS oNlY fOr AsIaNs nOt FoR anYoNe ElsE *white asian lookin idol* hmm yea we nees the diversity y'all stop being racist 😏

LMAO PLEASE u tell em sis!!!!!!!!!!! the day a filipino makes it into kpop i will cry

24. Why did nobody back up exp edition as much as this chick?? The clowns y'all are 2day.......

LMFAO...................... it’s cuz she’s a girl and i’m sure most of these anons are girls and you know how it goes................................... lana gives them hope KLJDLKSJDSL

25. @virgolix hi mori 🐥 just wanted to join in as well. & i think i see where ur coming from. from my understanding, it has always been hard to for asians to have proper representation in western media. & that must be why a lot of people are having a hard time supporting lana. she (a non-asian) can make her debut in korea, but not it's not so easy vice versa. how many asian pop musicians do we see who are based in america? few & far between. that's why kpop is so valuable to the asian community 💞 -virgolix / also no pressure to answer that mori & if any bit sounded ignorant - please let me know. always willing to learn 🧸 - virgolix

no no you’re not ignorant at all miss neenz!!! i agree, it will be hard for her, and i hope she’s ready for all the hardships that come with being a non-asian in the kpop industry. and yes, asians don’t get many opportunities in the west for entertainment, and when they do show up it’s a great feeling and accomplishment and step forward for us!! for a long long time, kpop idols and kdrama actors were all i had to look up to, and i’m not even korean lol.

26. @jxsng people really be making discourse about this ??? it’s true though — like z girls and z boys ??? where’s the korean media about them ????? and other asian idols too — there’s a reason why there’s usually only chinese japanese and korean idols , but suddenly white people can come in and everyone fine just because ??? wasn’t there black idols who failed in the industry bc of racism in the past ?????

i didn’t know there was a zboys!!! zgirls weren’t my style, but it’s sad lie where is their attention ://// i’m not so sure about the last part? there was this one rapper who was half black half korean tho who got attention at one point but i dont think she made it big..... i cant remember her name!! :(

27. ok so im only here for that one ask talking abt black kpop idols and i might not know all black kpop idols but the one i know who is the first non asian person to debut in kpop, has said it herself that she wasnt opressed in anyway, glorified even. so idk what theyre talking abt? also i dont like lana not bc she debuted in kpop as a white person but bc its obv that she did it w koreaboo intentions? everything abt her screams koreaboo and im just speechless lol

ah that’s interesting!! idk her story tho. that’s what i think about her too, like why..... does she look like she passes for half asian.... but she isn’t.... and it rubs me the wrong way. but i just also don’t like that she’s white...

28. i honestly find it kinda stupid how ppl are treating this situation. i dont like lana but honestly other races being in kpop shouldnt be such a big issue? if a company wants to debut a nonasian person it shouldnt be our issue? i dont think its anything evil. i just dont like lana because she seems to be trying to look and force the idea that she is asian? if a nonasian person will debut in kpop they should at least have a character of their own yk

you give a really interesting point and i think a lot of my feelings DO stem from her looking asian when she’s not, rather than her just being non asian and trying to make it into kpop, but for a very long time i only had kpop idols to really feel like it was ok to be asian and idrk where i’m going with this LOL but idk i still don’t like the idea of non-asians in kpop, etc. so idk. am i ignorant for feeling this way?

29. people will never understand that white ppl can't be oppressed and poc can't b racist towards white ppl, we can discriminate and be Rude but that's It. fans only think about this One white girl trying to make it in an industry where she doesn't rly belong, but looking at this in terms of society as a whole, it Is a problem. when poc have something that belongs to Them, white people always want in.

UGH LIKE i feel like people are thinking that i legitimately hate this one girl and that’s it like no i don’t hate her, i hate that she and everyone who is supporting her don’t understand where people who are affected by this are coming from and it’s like no one is listening............................. 

30.  anon is kinda stupid ngl how r u gonna say we’re being racist to white people it’s not possible 😭😭😭 u guys really want everything don’t u 😭😭😭

LMAAAAAAAOOOOOO  KJFLKSFJ

31. lana is just a big kboo n all the ppl that support her are just wee little kboos in the making

KJDLKSJDSLKJSLDJ LOOOOOL

32. idk what’s going with this whole thing but, you’re totally right, i’m white and white people ARE NOT oppressed. why are people getting salty abt it?

i literally don’t know LMAO LIKE I’M BEING RACIST FOR DEFENDING SOMETHING THAT WHITE PEOPLE ARE TRYNA DIP THEIR FEET IN WHERE I THINK THEY DON’T BELONG????????? ok

33. either way lana is a whole ass kboo and can’t even perform soo

omg i have never watched her but ajksldjalksdjnasdnasnd

#sorry if this subject brought something negative to your dash #but thanks to those who sent in asks and had something to say!!! whether you agreed with me or not #idk i personally love discussions like this but i will admit i get carried away #discourse #ugh i feel cleansed

[cfalghul]

( NATASHA LIU BORDIZZO, CISFEMALE, SHE/HER ) — ✧ that looks like LEI AL-GHUL! they’re the TWENTY-FOUR YEAR OLD DAUGHTER of TALIA AL-GHUL. [ they are also a UNDERGRAD at paragon. ] i hear they’re BOLD & CLEVER, but tend to be OUTSPOKEN & REBELLIOUS. her file says that her ability is EXPERT ASSASSIN, EXPERT IN MARKSMANSHIP & SWORDSMANSHIP. 

basic info

name: lei al-ghul

age: twenty-four

gender: cisfemale

ethnicity: half chinese/half white

sexuality: pansexual

zodiac: aries

height: 5′6″

weight: 120 lbs

eye color: grey - glazed over

hair color: black

skin color: tan

marks/scars: various scars over body & a fresh scar through her left eye

tattoos/piercings: n/a

about her

lei was born to be an assassin. that was the only reason talia got pregnant, to create someone who would be malleable, someone who could take her place one day. 

her plans were derailed slightly because the doctors failed to notice during the tests and ultrasounds that lei was blind. this didn’t stop talia though. 

lei was taught how to see with touch, with vibrations, with her hearing. before she could even though a weapon, she was being tested to see how she navigate, how well she could sense things. at 4, she was able to walk around without the need of help or supervision. 

at 6, she was finally allowed to start real training. she was rigorously and mercilessly trained in every form of martial arts her mother new. she was taught over and over until the movements were engrained into her and a second nature. 

she was given her first sword at 9, which she still cherishes and saved even though it is too small for her now.

she was basically formed into the perfect assassin. her cover was too good for her not to be an assassin, no one suspected the blind ‘help-less’ girl especially when it came to murder. 

lei followed her mother around like a puppy, she was raised to be just like her and was always told growing up that they were so similar so she idolized her, until something happened. 

her mother tried to sell her off to a thai millionaire who was actually interested in talia but she offered lei instead. the millionaire agreed after seeing her work and she was sent to his home as a ‘mission’ but she quickly caught on and escaped. lei was distraught over the fact that her mother tried to sell her and attacked her. she was left with a large scar over her left eye where her mother retaliated. she was done blindly following orders and doing as she’s told. 

she contacted damian, her half brother and moved in with him after a large fight with her mother which resulted in a scar that goes through her left eye. 

she is currently attending paragon to try and get some normalcy in her life but she’s still adjusting since she spent the majority of her life just living as an assassin. 

she’s a big smart ass, if ur being an idiot - she will straight up tell you. if you underestimate her or try to tell her she’s weak especially if you mention her being blind, ur getting kicked in the balls or left with a broken wrist. she doesn’t take shit from anyone, doesn’t like to be bossed around and doesn’t deal well with authority. 

80% of the time she’s wearing sunglasses but you can still see part of the scar over her left eye & she uses a probing cane mostly so people don’t question why a blind woman can navigate perfectly through life. 

powers/abilities

advanced hand-to-hand combat

black belt in jiu-jitsu, krav maga, tae kwon do, karate, tai chi, akido, judo, muay thai & capoeira 

expert marksmanship

expert swordsmanship

skilled in espionage & assassination 

#sidekick.intro

[it-all-started-with-a-bigbang]

The same people shitting on Black K-POP fans or ignoring their issues are the same people who love to complain about how racist the industry is for not enjoying K-POP since it's in a different language. You can't just call out moments of prejudice when it affects people you love or yourself because the same people that you hate on now are the people you'll be looking for when you face persecution yourself.

I don't want to give the whole, "They love benefiting from our culture but don't love the people behind the culture," spiel even though it is completely applicable to the current (and reoccurring) predicament, however, what I will say is this, spreading around joyful and loving quotes from your oppa or unnie will not assist the situation at all unless you are using those quotes to start conversations. I am not saying have a revolt since that is not the way to handle things yet dancing around the problem and attempting to remain diplomatic will not solve anything either. Time and time again black stans have received hate and it's just a trending hashtag until only the ones who are truly affected or actually give a damn are left preaching to deaf ears.

A fandom should not be a place where one gets outcasted or ignored due to stupidity. I know it wasn't the majority calling names or attacking and threatening others but it appears as if it was the majority since instead of saying something progressive and addressing the problem head on, the majority says nothing. If one does not condemn bad behavior then they are condoning it.

As a black girl who grew up in a predominantly white neighborhood, I faced various difficulties. For example, me and my sister got reported once for walking home from school since we looked "suspicious". Two cop cars rolled up on us and one of them kept persisting and trying to investigate the two young girls walking in broad daylight with bright pink hoodies on. As an 11 year old girl I felt incredously scared and rarely walked around my neighborhood since. Additionally, once my dad was standing outside of our house and the police attempted to arrest him until realizing that he was "the wrong black guy" even though the suspect that they described did not match my father's physique at all. I thought he was going to either go to jail or die that day. My whole life I learned from a majority of white teachers who tried to make the age of Imperialism sound like fun but then drone on and on about how awful any war of your pick was since white lives where lost and they wouldn't even care to mention the POC casualties. Not to mention the fact that European history is a required class (aka "World History") and also an AP class when African American history is just an elective as if our culture isn't important enough to be taught to the masses. I watched a good friend of mine (she was Thai) who is extremely talented feel too afraid to try out for school plays since our entire drama department was white and she would constantly say things like, "Well Ariel wasn't Asian so why should I even try?" I sat through classes with discussion of slavery with students laughing through the show Roots or asking dumb questions like, "Why didn't they jump off the boats?" Furthermore, teachers would say that due to the Civil Rights movement schools were integrated but in my American History class one year there were only three Asians and two African Americans as minorities in the class. (That was the most amount of minorities in one class out of my entire grade that year) Two of the aforementioned boys (one Chinese and one Vietnamese) we're mistaken to be brothers since they transferred over the same year despite looking like polar opposites. Me myself people thought me and this girl were the same person though we looked and acted nothing alike and she wasn't even black just a tan Mexican girl. And these were just the small things.

I say all this to say that minorities have faced a lot and sometimes have no where to fit in no matter the race. As someone who is Hispanic, or Asian, or even another Black person you probably have your own experiences with struggles caused by your race so why are you going to treat people the way that you hated to be treated cause in the end no one wins. Your heart will be filled with hate and you will have hurt someone's feelings or have even caused them to take their own life in the end. Additionally even if you aren't a POC, why not listen to when people tell you their issues. I'm not saying you have to go and be some savior but if you ignore our words as well and don't attempt to speak up on our behalf, how will we ever be heard. Something you may have never felt is that what you say means nothing but globally many minorities are told that on a daily basis and called insignificant. Help someone spread their meaningful message not negativity.

I hear the people who didn't understand what I just said calling me a hypocrite already.

#music #kpop #black kpop fans #black army #racisim #prejudice #race relations #monsta x #twice #day6 #bts #what i think #life is hard #kpop fandom #unpopular thoughts #unpopularkpop #got7 #blackpride #blackpink #apink #wonder girls #bigbang #akmu #cnblue #block b #zico #exo #exo k #the rose #exid

[synthfolks]

well babe u asked for it!!!! Do them All!!!

1. Who was the last person you held hands with?prolly jude2. Are you outgoing or shy?depends on context3. Who are you looking forward to seeing?gf when break starts4. Are you easy to get along with?on some level but i dont think im easy to be friends w5. If you were drunk would the person you like take care of you?6. What kind of people are you attracted to?creative ppl w curly hair who make me laugh7. Do you think you’ll be in a relationship two months from now?idk8. Who from the opposite gender is on your mind?hh. my friend nick9. Does talking about sex make you uncomfortable?not rly honestly, i just worry about making others uncomfortable10. Who was the last person you had a deep conversation with?jude11. What does the most recent text that you sent say?“I can’t decide whether to tell you to do odds or evens12. What are your 5 favorite songs right now?get innocuous- lcd soundsystem, american guilt- unknown mortal orchestra, fear o the light- katie dey, kaputt- destroyer, nervous young inhumans- car seat headrest13. Do you like it when people play with your hair?yess14. Do you believe in luck and miracles?on some level15. What good thing happened this summer?spent a lot of time w friends and gf16. Would you kiss the last person you kissed again?ye17. Do you think there is life on other planets?somewhere yeah, not necessarily intelligent life tho18. Do you still talk to your first crush?first real crush occasionally yeah19. Do you like bubble baths?yeah20. Do you like your neighbors?i live in a dorm but yeah21. What are you bad habits?biting nails, talk too much, messy22. Where would you like to travel?south america23. Do you have trust issues?lol24. Favorite part of your daily routine?coffee25. What part of your body are you most uncomfortable with?thighs26. What do you do when you wake up?lay in bed forever, then get some coffee27. Do you wish your skin was lighter or darker?idc28. Who are you most comfortable around?jude rn29. Have any of your ex’s told you they regret breaking up?yeah30. Do you ever want to get married?it’s not like a goal but it’d be nice31. If your hair long enough for a pony tail?ya32. Which celebrities would you have a threesome with?beck (not rly)33. Spell your name with your chin.not gonna do this w my roommate sitting here34. Do you play sports? What sports?climbing obvs35. Would you rather live without TV or music?tv36. Have you ever liked someone and never told them?usually37. What do you say during awkward silences?idk fucking ramble or complain about something38. Describe your dream girl/guy?idk kind funny patient w me 39. What are your favorite stores to shop in?thrift stores, in terms of brands i like prana40. What do you want to do after high school?im in college!41. Do you believe everyone deserves a second chance?no42. If your being extremely quiet what does it mean?im bothered by smth, or im just chilling, or im out of it43. Do you smile at strangers?ya44. Trip to outer space or bottom of the ocean?ocean45. What makes you get out of bed in the morning?who knows46. What are you paranoid about?lol!47. Have you ever been high?ya48. Have you ever been drunk?ya49. Have you done anything recently that you hope nobody finds out about?i dont think so 50. What was the colour of the last hoodie you wore?no idea51. Ever wished you were someone else?always52. One thing you wish you could change about yourself?i wanna be better at making and having friends53. Favourite makeup brand?nyx dude idk54. Favourite store?idk55. Favourite blog?climbsbian56. Favourite colour?blue57. Favourite food?idk but i rly fucking love thai food ive eaten it 4 days this week58. Last thing you ate?chocolate59. First thing you ate this morning?some weird bougie candy 60. Ever won a competition? For what?climbing comps!61. Been suspended/expelled? For what?both for self harm62. Been arrested? For what?nah63. Ever been in love?yeah64. Tell us the story of your first kiss?rly liked this girl in 8th grade, spilled that i liked her during truth or dare, we both went to another friend’s house for a sleepover and in the middl of the night she kissed me and we made out for lke 30 min while our other friend was 6 inches away from us. we thought she was asleep but she wasnt65. Are you hungry right now?sorta66. Do you like your tumblr friends more than your real friends?sometimes67. Facebook or Twitter?neither but i use twitter even less than fb68. Twitter or Tumblr?tumblr69. Are you watching tv right now?no70. Names of your bestfriends?hanae, i’d say jude71. Craving something? What?titty72. What colour are your towels?white72. How many pillows do you sleep with?1 but i have a ton more on my bed73. Do you sleep with stuffed animals?no74. How many stuffed animals do you think you have?idk maybe 20 somewhere back home75. Favourite animal?dogs?76. What colour is your underwear?blue77. Chocolate or Vanilla?chocolate78. Favourite ice cream flavour?any sorta chocolate79. What colour shirt are you wearing?gray80. What colour pants?navy pajama pants81. Favourite tv show?idk probs the good place atm82. Favourite movie?idk83. Mean Girls or Mean Girls 2?mean girls84. Mean Girls or 21 Jump Street?ive only seen mean girls85. Favourite character from Mean Girls?the goth lesbian86. Favourite character from Finding Nemo?um87. First person you talked to today?barista88. Last person you talked to today?some person in the common room, texting jude tho89. Name a person you hate?zach90. Name a person you love?jude91. Is there anyone you want to punch in the face right now?honestly would love to punch my friend/boss. but then be cool after92. In a fight with someone?no93. How many sweatpants do you have??94. How many sweaters/hoodies do you have??95. Last movie you watched?i literally can’t even remember96. Favourite actress?idk man97. Favourite actor?“98. Do you tan a lot?not rly99. Have any pets?dog bodhie!100. How are you feeling?kinda overwhelmed101. Do you type fast?yeah102. Do you regret anything from your past?so many things!103. Can you spell well?yeah104. Do you miss anyone from your past?yeah105. Ever been to a bonfire party?yeah106. Ever broken someone’s heart?yeah107. Have you ever been on a horse?yeah108. What should you be doing?school project109. Is something irritating you right now?my relationship w 2 of my friends110. Have you ever liked someone so much it hurt?ya111. Do you have trust issues?ya112. Who was the last person you cried in front of?jude? almost cried in front of a psychiatrist today113. What was your childhood nickname?emenator or em114. Have you ever been out of your province/state?ya115. Do you play the Wii?used to116. Are you listening to music right now?yeah117. Do you like chicken noodle soup?yeah118. Do you like Chinese food?yeah119. Favourite book?hard question!120. Are you afraid of the dark?not rly121. Are you mean?sometimes122. Is cheating ever okay?sometimes123. Can you keep white shoes clean?no124. Do you believe in love at first sight?not rly125. Do you believe in true love?idk!126. Are you currently bored?kinda127. What makes you happy?climbing128. Would you change your name?mm idk129. What your zodiac sign?gemini130. Do you like subway?it’s fine131. Your bestfriend of the opposite sex likes you, what do you do? im lesbian and lets not get into this132. Who’s the last person you had a deep conversation with?prolly jude133. Favourite lyrics right now? h134. Can you count to one million?hypothetically bruh it takes literally days135. Dumbest lie you ever told?idk136. Do you sleep with your doors open or closed?closed137. How tall are you?5′6.5″138. Curly or Straight hair?wavy139. Brunette or Blonde?in between140. Summer or Winter?summer141. Night or Day?night142. Favourite month?june143. Are you a vegetarian?no144. Dark, milk or white chocolate?dark145. Tea or Coffee?coffee146. Was today a good day?it was fine147. Mars or Snickers?snickers148. What’s your favourite quote?idk it’s all the hard questions ig149. Do you believe in ghosts?sort of150. Get the closest book next to you, open it to page 42, what’s the first line on that page? an unfamiliar city and get home through the wilderness, in case

#clashbian #asks

[purplesurveys]

357

Did you ever have to take home a fake baby in health class? Wow, never. This happens? Do you have any friends of a different ethnicity than you? If Chinese-Filipinos count, I have a lot of those friends. The Chinese have long been a part of the Filipino population so there are a lot of them I go to school with. Are you part Irish? Not at all. I’m zero parts Western.

Would you rather wear ivory or white on your wedding day? What color will your bridesmaids wear? WHIIIIIITE. I don’t want a color scheme for my wedding so I’m imagining my guests will have to wear off-white. What does your first name rhyme with? Goblin.

Have you ever taken a poetry course? I never voluntarily would. I hate poetry, whether it’s reading it, analyzing it, or making my own. Would you ever take a college class just for fun? Nah, I’m too serious about college to take classes just for funsies. Every class I take is always related to things I want to be doing in my career. Do you like mowing the lawn? Philippine houses aren’t really lawn-heavy, so this isn’t a practice here. Would you rather have a swimming pool or trampoline? Swimming pool. What’s your favorite age for kids to be? 3-4, they are at their cutest and unconsciously wittiest at those ages. Do you think babies are cute? Yes. I’m crazy about babies, no matter how wrinkly they are. What would you name twin girls? I never got to think about this since neither Gab nor myself have twins in our families, but I’d like to think I’ll still name the first one Olivia, and any of my runner-up favorie names for the second one. Maybe Harper, Arden, or Mia? Are you named after anyone? My parents are really confusing, because one day they’ll tell me I was named after Dancing-On-My-Own Robyn, and another day they’ll say they just liked the sound of the name Robyn. So I never really found out. Who picked your name: your mom or your dad? My dad picked the first names for all three of us kids; my mom took charge over the second names. What is your birth order in the family? Eldest. Have you ever been in someone’s wedding? Sure, I’ve been to several especially as a kid. But I haven’t to one in a long while. Do you want to have a bachelorette party? I don’t think I’d want to have one. Bachelorettes sound so...heterosexual to me. Or maybe it’s just not a Filipino thing. What season do you want to get married in? We don’t have seasons, so I think in months. I’d want to get married somewhere from September to November, so that it’s colder. Do you dream about the future a lot? Maybe dream is not the word for it. More of I stress over it a lot haha. Do you think about your past a lot? I’ve removed and subsequently blocked most of it from my mind’s memory box. How good are you at living in the moment? I don’t really reflect on myself in this way. You’ll have to ask my friends. Would you be scared to meet God? Who? Have you ever questioned God’s existence? As early as when I was like 8 or 9. It all sounded so fairytale-ish to me when we were being taught the crucifixion and all of those events from when I was in second grade. Do you have a mirror in your room? Yep. Target or Walmart? Is there a Kmart in your town? Do you think Jasper sounds more like a girl’s name or a boy’s name? BOY. But it reminds me too much of Jasper Hale :/ Who are the cutest babies you know? I wish I knew any. Most of the babies I knew are small kids now. Do you enjoy seeing wedding and baby announcements on facebook? Sure thing, if they show up that is. My circle is composed of college students just like me so we’re too preoccupied with school to get married or pregnant lmao. Vanilla frosting or chocolate? Chocolate. I never really understood vanilla flavor. Do you keep up with trends? Some that I can ride with, sure. But if it’s anything like fucking Fortnite, I’d rather be a grumpy grandma 20 year old who gladly knows nothing about trends. Would you ever go to Montana? It never crossed my mind. What’s your favorite foreign cuisine? Japanese just for sushi, but overall I love INDIAN, Thai, and Korean. Where do you do your grocery shopping? My mom does it in SM, but when I grow up I wanna be one of the classy moms who do it in Rustan’s hahaha. Have you ever moved to another state? I’ve moved cities and along with that, provinces. We don’t have states. Do you have a drawer just for socks? Yeah, but it socks and underwear. Do you wear mismatched socks? If I was desperate, yes. But it’s highly bothersome. Do you enjoy garage sales? I do except these days they rarely pop up any more. When was the last time you prayed with someone? 3 years ago, bleck. WITH GABIE. I couldn’t even imagine. Favorite magazine? I don’t read magazines anymore, shame. How far away do you live from the nearest hospital? 10 minutes. Are there mansions in your town? There probably are, but I live in a suburban middle/middle-upper class neighborhood and I’m sure there are more mansions in the actual metro instead. Would you decorate for holidays if you had a big house of your own? Definitely.  What is your favorite planet besides earth? Saturn. Do you believe in aliens? Sure do. Have you ever won a costume contest? I don’t remember if I have. Pink or red? Pink. How late did you stay up last night and why? 10:45, I think? I was watching PewDiePie and fell asleep while doing it. Who were the last two people you texted? Hannah and my sister. What’s currently bothering you? Thingsssssss that I’m trying to avoid by taking surveys, so let’s not get into those bothers now. Have you ever liked someone you didn’t expect to? HAHAHHAHAAHHAHAHAHAHAHAAH. It’s a happy crush, but I definitely didn’t expect it. I hate that it ever happened. Do you and your last ex hate each other? No. Have you ever been called a slut? Nah. Is the person you last texted single? Sure. I’d like to think my sister would let me in on it if she gets into a relationship with someone. Have you thought about an ex today? She’s my girlfriend again so yeah I think of her every now and then. Do you know how it feels to be cheated on? Nope. What would you say if you found out your last ex was in a relationship? Then she would be cheating on me, cos the only person she’s supposed to be in a relationship with is me.  Did you do anything productive today? I did hobby stuff like coloring :) Would you ever get a tattoo? I planned to get so many but no way am I getting near a needle for the rest of this lifetime. Where was the last place you traveled? If I remember correctly, Batangas. Is someone on your mind right now? No. Can you say the alphabet backwards? I used to be able to flawlessly, but now I struggle. Would you go back in time if you were given the chance? For some events, yeah. But I wouldn’t for most of it. What’s irritating you right now? My food delivery is taking SO LONG and I’m starving.

#survey #surveys

[hardeepcox]

The Chronicles of Hardeep Cox - Bangkok pt 1

Intro

Hi my name is Hardeep Cox, I may or may not be a guy born to an Indian mom and a white guy from Boston in the DMV area. Then again I may or may not be just an extremely immature adult with a ridiculous sense of humor. Quick warning: if you are easily offended then I suggest you just exit this shit right now and idk go watch cable tv or something.

I am writing this as we prepare for our first legit night out in Bangkok, as I and a dude named Paper awkwardly wait for my dad to finish showering so we can head out. Tonight’s destination is Above Eleven, but I’ll explain more later on. Let’s begin with our arrival.

Flight and Night 1

After about 20 hours of flying we met up with Paper, our guide/family friend (on my dad’s side). Paper picked us up from the airport and helped us hail a cab. My first impression of Bangkok when I stepped outside of the airport was that it seemed so similar to Los Angeles, I guess because of the weather and vegetation. Anyways, the cab dropped us off at the Doubletree where an enormous wooden figure of a football (soccer) sat in the lobby. To my unbelievable surprise, it turned out that Paper was actually going to be staying in the hotel room with us because he lives outside of the city (my dad of course manages to leave out important details like this when planning trips). Because of the timezone change we were hungry upon arrival, at 3 in the damn morning. So we did what any idiot American tourist would do, we went to 7 Eleven. I had to accept the fact that chili and cheese quarter pounders would no longer be an option, so I went with the spicy basil rice and fish sauce. I gotta say that it was pretty good, even though it was spicy as hell. After crushing my first meal in Thailand, we did our best to sleep for the next couple of hours.

Day 1

Sleep deprived but feeling ready to roll, we got ready and headed downstairs for breakfast. The buffet included the usual American stuff, sushi, dim sum, and some freshly made Thai dishes.The dim sum was by far my favorite, and today it was Chinese egg tarts.

We went to some Buddhist temples, hundreds of years old. There were so many Chinese tourists, and so many lame pictures being taken by them (sitting down in lotus position next to a statue of the Buddha, a chick looking dramatically and diagonally down at the floor while her boyfriend takes a picture for her instagram and you KNOW she’s gonna add some kind of bullshit philosophical caption to it). It was hard to get into the spiritual groove with all these tourists, and the only places where I could feel peace was in the praying rooms where I wish that I could have stayed longer. The best part was the Wat Phra Ram, literally the place where they filmed one of my favorite childhood movies Mortal Kombat. It was totally unexpected and spontaneous, the most interesting part about it was the dog that had managed to sneak up into the actual ruins and seemed to be searching for something at a calm pace. My pathetic attempts to whistle loud enough for the dog to hear me led me to run around the ruins hoping to catch a glimpse of it. I heard it howl a couple of times after that and I’ll always wonder why, maybe its spirit led it to the ruins to discover a link to a past life. Who knew I would have accidentally stepped into the Netherealm, but too bad I couldn't meet Raiden, Shang Tsung, and Liu Kang's dead brother (if you don't get this reference please find a time machine and go back in time to 1995, break into a Hollywood video, steal a copy of Mortal Kombat, watch it, go back into the time machine, return to the present time, and punch yourself in the fucking face).

Tired as hell we walked around markets near the Chao Phra Ya river, they were pretty generic developing country markets and I was extremely tired so I just wanted to go back to the hotel and pass out. We tried some sticky rice dessert that was pretty good so we bought some, and my dumbass ate my entire portion in the cab and felt even more like a piece of shit after. We made a stop for some roadside Pad Thai, it was delicious but again I was exhausted. Back in the cab again I pretty much passed out from exhaustion.

Night 2

I woke maybe 45 minutes later still in the cab but the sun was setting and the nocturnal city was coming alive. Suddenly it dawned on me that we had to be in Chinatown and my street-mode immediately turned on. After driving us through some beautifully sketchy streets, our cab driver dropped us off at a main road. All the lights made it look like it was an attempt at giving it a times square feel. I was now totally awake and ready for more exploring, and after walking for a bit we walked by a Chinese restaurant (Chinatown in Bangkok is an extremely fast-paced environment full of beautiful chaos, if you can’t keep up you might as well stay in your comfy apartment and drink lattes or something). The menu had so many choices, but no combination fried rice, general tso’s chicken, or lo mein (at this point I realized that I should just forget about these options because I’m not gonna find this delicious diabetes-maximus anymore). I got the egg noodles with roasted duck for $2, and the portion was just right for me since I was still full from that sticky rice and exhausted from the jetlag. Before the food coma took over, we took a tuk tuk to the nearest metro train station and made our way back to the hotel. The metro was actually very organized and technologically advanced, the DC metro could learn a thing or two from it. Because of the timezone change, the beers, sticky rice, and random stuff that I had eaten, I hadn’t really used the bathroom all day. Walking from the metro to the hotel at some point became truly difficult and I had tell myself just breathe man don’t shit yourself on your first night in Bangkok goddammit.

Now back at the hotel and totally relieved, our night actually began.

Nocturnal Adventure

We started out at the Queen Bee, a little bar across the street with shitty mojitos but a damn good blues band. From there we went to a place that my dad would not stop mentioning, Above Eleven, a local Peruvian restaurant. Probably one of the coolest restaurants that I’ve honestly ever been to. This was some upper class bougie shit as the kids say, but the view of the city was breathtaking and the food was absolutely delicious (and I am a picky fuck when it comes to flavors). The Peruvian food was authentic, the Pisco Sour was legit, and we got to meet Chef Omar Frank Maruy. Chef Maruy is the Japanese-Peruvian chef in charge of keeping the food quality at Above Eleven at its exquisite level. After downing a few Pisco sours, and devouring a few dishes (ceviche, jalea, and anticucho) we made our way to Havana Social. I could tell this place was throwing a good party as we walked to the entrance which was a random door in an alley with working girls in the corner. Too bad some of us were wearing shorts so we were ultimately denied entrance. Bummed out we walked to the nearest bar, Oskar, and had Lavender Pisco Sours. Seriously so creative and surprisingly delicious!

After downing these drinks we basically gave up and made our way back to the hotel. Maybe like 5 minutes away from the hotel we walked past a really sketchy alley and I shit you not, my dad says “let’s go into a small street shithole bar!” He’s already walking towards it so Paper and I say fuck it and we join him, plus I mean come on I gotta watch my dad’s back since hookers have been flirting with him for the past 25 minutes. We walk in and of course all these chicks are so psyched to see us, a very pretty hostess welcomes us so we sit at the bar and get some Tiger beers. With Youtube as our DJ, we start sipping on beers and my dad is just having a blast with these two chicks. They try to flirt with me but I’m like meh, I’ve honestly seen hotter escorts in Lima. Then one of them says, “I’m gonna bring my sister for you.” I’m like ok cool whatever, totally unimpressed as I watch my dad party at this little bar. This chick brings the pretty hostess over and introduces her as her “sister”, and I notice dude this girl is actually super cute and obviously not an actual escort. Me and her are both like uhh… hi? She’s not sure how to interact with idiot foreigners, but I can tell and I am just my usual super chill self with her. She gets a jack and coke, and I continue sipping on my Tiger. Her name is May, I was like “is it pronounced like the month May, or is it Mai like my?” She looked at me like if I was a dumbass but she was playful about it, and I start crushing on this chick because I mean duh I am a fucking idiot and I do shit like this. This all ended with a bill of almost $200 USD, an escort angry at us for not taking her back to our hotel, and me DJ’ing some old school reggaeton on their Youtube. As we made our way back to the hotel we ran into into girls selling booze on the sidewalk in what seemed like the Mystery Machine from Scooby Doo but cut in half the long way, and the girls turned the bottom half of the car into a mini-bar. As I took a whiz on a street corner, Paper points out that dude there is a toilet at this mini-bar on the sidewalk! I look behind a little curtain next to the mini-bar and there is in fact a toilet there, I mean not connected to any plumbing or anything, just literally a tiny toilet placed on the sidewalk. Did I whiz into this tiny toilet like 20 minutes later? Yes. Did I drink a few too many rum and cokes at this sidewalk mini-bar? Yes. Did I have any idea of what the hell to expect the next day? Hell no.

Night 3 - Let’s try not to die tonight shall we?

I’m skipping to Night 3 because the highlight of Day 2 is just me holding a lemur (by the way lemurs are freakin adorable and they have actual fingers and thumbs!), and realizing that my dad should move to the Thai countryside cuz he is actually genuinely happy there (he greeted random people from a canoe, including a naked fat guy who was in the middle of a soapy bath in the river).

On Night 3 we make another attempt at Havana Social (if there ever is a place with reggaeton and Cuban rum then you’ll probably find me there). The entrance is the #1 coolest that I have seen in my life so far, some dude gives you a code and you punch it into an old phone-booth, this then unlocks an old door next to it which you push open and find a little piece of Havana hidden within Bangkok. So there I am doing my thing downing Cuba Libres, dancing, and laughing at tourists dancing like idiots when I notice three pretty cute chicks dancing near us. I am not the most extroverted dude, but when I hear Latin music the beast is then awakened and I just let it take me places. So I slither over to these girls and pull off some of my signature moves, including one borrowed from my grandpa which I call the Egyptian knife hands. One of the chicks starts dancing with me and my first thought is “wow my dad is watching me spit some legit game, now I AM THE MASTER!” But anyways yeah we dancin and shiet. Suddenly she asks if I wanna go with her and her friends to another club, I thought it was a bad idea but the rum and Daddy Yankee had me saying “yeah screw it let’s go.” The four of us leave the club and somehow fit into a tuk tuk that says VIP on the seat and one of the girls say it’s free! RED FLAG - free shit usually comes with a price later on, and these girls seemed way too excited to have me along. One of the girls pulls out a wrapper with a bunch of pills and puts one in my mouth, my first thought is oh fuck I’m about to get roofied, or flooried, dammit Zack Galifianakis! I pretend to swallow the pill, then I look over into the street and spit this shit out. The girl is like are you feeling okay? I’m like yeah I’m great (meanwhile internally trying to think of an escape plan without freaking out)! We get to this club called Mixx, and this party is poppin. Every tourist is dancing with a local, and I’m thinking wow is every girl at a club in Bangkok an escort… like every single damn one?! My phone only has internet if there is wifi, and I tell the girl that I wanna call my friends to come but I need the wifi password so she hooked me up with her hotspot. Instead of figuring out how to use the wifi to escape, I’m in the bathroom FB messaging my friends back in the states how I almost got roofied and that I’m probably gonna die cuz I mean that is a brilliant idea right? I go back out there and one of the girls goes “if you wanna hang out with me it’s gonna be 3000 baht (like almost $100 USD).” Since I don’t wanna die I go “okay sounds good, let’s hang out every day this week okay?” Her eyes brighten up and she has a huge smile on her face, she tells her friend who then makes a face like “we did it bitch!” I’m thinking okay thank god I’m not gonna wake up tomorrow in a tub full of ice with my internal organs missing because they wanna take all my money throughout the week. Suddenly the Thai DJ starts playing the cumbia song “Colegiala”, and it was at this exact moment that I knew that everything would be okay! I stopped freaking out and danced the night away, didn’t sleep that night, and somehow found a really nice cab driver to take me back to my hotel afterwards (he charged me 300 baht but had no change so I just gave him my 1000 baht bill, really nice guy and really grateful). Yep definitely not doing that again, from now on I will assume every chick at a club in Bangkok is an escort. If you are asking yourself if I hit up that girl again to hang out and continuously pay her $100 USD throughout the week, the answer is dude of course not wtf.

#bangkok #party #hangover #zack galifianikis

[livingcorner]

How to Stock an Indonesian Pantry

Depending on what and where you eat, you might mistake an Indonesian dish for an Indian curry, Chinese fried rice, or a Filipino stew. But nothing is quite like Indonesian cooking. And once you learn what goes into it, you’ll be able to recognize it anywhere.

A World of Influences

No doubt, Indonesia’s multifaceted cuisine has numerous influences: Arab and Indian traders brought spices, rose essence, and dishes like martabak (stuffed pancakes). The Spanish introduced chiles. Rijsttaffel (literally “rice table”) is the larger-than-life Dutch interpretation of the traditional Indonesian meal of rice plus several dishes. But the Chinese immigrants likely had the biggest impact, bringing noodles, soy sauce, and soybeans to the archipelago.

You're reading: How to Stock an Indonesian Pantry

Of course, cooking styles and ingredients vary according to region. The food found on Java and Sumatra are better recognized globally—think beef stew (rendang), chicken satay (sate ayam) and chicken turmeric soup (soto ayam). But branch further out to places like Sulawesi (Celebes) and you’ll find meat- and blood-stuffed bamboo tubes, and fresh-caught fish, grilled and served with a variety of dipping sauces (sambal).

But a Dark Horse in the U.S.

While Indonesian cuisine is revered both within the country and regionally in Southeast Asia, it isn’t as well-known as say, Thai or Vietnamese cuisine in the U.S. There could be any number of reasons, but chief among them is population. The 2010 U.S. Census counts only 95, 270 Indonesians in the country. Since Indonesia was a Dutch colony until 1949, it has had fewer political, economic, and cultural ties to the United States than many other Asian nations. For a comparison, that same census accounts for 3,416,840 Filipinos living in America.

Global cuisine is often promoted through restaurants. Unfortunately, the Indonesian Embassy knows of only 34 restaurants stateside. Not that I’m surprised. Many Indonesian dishes are laborious to prepare, and few Indonesians who migrate to the U.S. deign to open restaurants. (I speak from experience; my family ran one in Seattle from 2007 to 2012. It was popular but a lot of hard work. Let’s just say family cohesion won out in the end!)

The good news is Indonesian cuisine won’t be totally foreign to Americans already enjoying Southeast Asian food.

The Essentials

If you’ve cooked Indian and/or Thai food, you’ll find the ingredients familiar. Turmeric, cumin, cinnamon, and coriander are some of the most-used spices. Lemongrass, lime leaves, ginger, and galangal are ubiquitous. Nutmeg, native to Indonesia’s Banda Islands (part of the Maluku or original Spice Islands) is usually sprinkled into Dutch-influenced dishes like macaroni schotel and risoles. These spices and herbs are blended into spice pastes called bumbu, the very foundation of Indonesian cooking. Herbs like lemongrass, salam, and galangal (a trio I dub the Indonesian bouquet garni) are tossed in while cooking and removed prior to serving.

You can easily find Indonesian ingredients at an Asian market that caters to a Southeast Asian clientele, and maybe even at a specialty store. Any other ingredients, like some of the ones below, can be bought online. I have included my prefered brands but in all honesty, some ingredients are so hard to come by, I say take what you can get! Online sources include:

Indo Food Store

Indo Merchant

Ramayana Store

Import Food

Aromatic Ginger

A.K.A. kencur, zeodary

Used sparingly, aromatic ginger’s unique camphor-like flavor is a welcome addition to dishes like vegetables in coconut stew (sayur lodeh) and Balinese duck curry (bebek Betutu). This reddish-brown rhizome is probably one of the more obscure Indonesian herbs—even I only discovered it recently when my mom revealed the secret ingredient in her fried corn fritters. Sometimes mistakenly called lesser galangal, aromatic ginger is available in the U.S. dried or powdered.

Candlenut

A.K.A. kemiri Ingalls Photography

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Read more: What Color Should I Paint My Kitchen with White Cabinets? 7 Best Choices to Consider

Similar in size and texture to macadamias (which is a decent substitute), candlenuts must be cooked—usually pan-fried—first to remove toxins. These waxy, cream-colored nuts are usually ground with other herbs and spices to add body and texture to curries, sauces and braises. They are high in oil content and will go rancid quickly if not refrigerated. Frozen, they keep for up to a year.

Fried Shallots

Fried Shallots

Fried shallots are showered over everything from fried noodles to soups and sambals. My mom even adds it to spring roll fillings for flavor and crunch. Fried shallots aren’t difficult to make, just tedious and messy. My mom would slice shallots (and Asian shallots are tiny, mind you!), dry them in the sun, then deep-fry. When I came home from school as a little girl, I would often find my mom next to a mountain of fried shallots sitting on newspaper to soak up the oil.

For convenience, I buy fried shallots in big containers from the Asian market. These store-bought brands are usually imported from Vietnam and Thailand. My mom swears by the packages of fried shallots she stashes in her suitcase every time she returns from a trip to Indonesia.

Galangal

A.K.A. laos, lengkuas Penny de Los Santos

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A member of the ginger family, galangal has a distinctive fragrance and flavor. Look for the more tender young galangal that’s pinkish in color. In Indonesian cooking, it is used in braises, soups, and for fried chicken. Peel then chop the rhizome before adding it to a spice paste. Or cut into half-inch slices and toss into soups. If you can’t find fresh galangal, buy them dried and soak 10 minutes in hot water before using.

Indonesian Palm Sugar

A.K.A. gula jawa/merah Matt Taylor-Gross

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Indonesian palm sugar is sold in solid blocks or cylinders. Made from the sap of the arenga palm (and sometimes coconut palm), it tastes of molasses or caramel and is used to make sweets and to balance flavor in certain savory dishes. To measure, shave or grate pieces off the block. Granulated coconut sugar or dark brown sugar make good substitutes.

Indonesian Sweet Soy Sauce

A.K.A. kecap manis James Oseland

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The Chinese introduced Indonesians to soy sauce and they made it their own by adding sugar! The Indonesian version has the usual soybeans, wheat, and salt but also includes palm sugar and molasses. It is much thicker and sweeter than regular soy sauce which is called kecap asin or kecap Cina (salty or Chinese kecap). If you can’t find Indonesian sweet soy sauce (Cap Bango is my favorite brand), Chinese or Thai sweet soy sauce will suffice. Or you can make your own with this recipe.

The fried rice of my childhood is doused in sweet soy sauce, and when kitted out with chopped bird chilies and shallots, it makes a delightful dip for fried fish or fresh vegetables. I buy Cap Bango when I can find it, and Cap ABC is my second choice.

The kluwak “nut” is actually the seed of the kepayang tree, a tall tree native to the mangrove swamps of Southeast Asia. The oily, hard-shelled seeds contain hydrogen cyanide and must be boiled then buried in the ground to ferment and be rid of the toxin. W

hen cracked open, the chocolate-brown meat of the fermented kluwak nuts is ground up to prepare rawon, a thick, black stew made with beef or chicken. Kluwak is also made into sambal with garlic and chilies. Back in the day, my mom had to buy kluwak in the shell. She’d crack open each and every nut and scoop out the meat. It was a laborious process but the resulting dish was so tasty! Thankfully, now I can buy prepackaged dried, peeled kluwak even in the U.S.

Lime

A.K.A. jeruk

Limes are indispensable in Indonesian cooking. The juice and rind are both used, for drinks, to flavor marinades, and in soups.

Read more: What Is a Kitchen Hand?

With its wrinkled skin and limited amount of juice, the lime called jeruk purut (makrut, or what used to be known as kaffir), is almost impossible to find in the U.S. unless you grow your own. Back home, my mom used the juice and rind (she’d toss it into the marinade) to brighten the flavor of barbecue foods like grilled chicken (ayam panggang) and satay. The leaves are more commonplace, adding fragrance and flavor to coconut-based braises and soups like tripe soup (soto babat). Potent whether fresh or dried, the leaves can be ripped off the spine and crumpled to release its fragrance and flavor; or slice thinly into ribbons. Frozen leaves keep beautifully.

Jeruk limo (Nasnaran Mandarin) are small and very juicy. They are excellent in sambals and used to neutralize the “fishy” smell of seafood. My uncle has a jeruk limo tree in his Southern California garden and my mom receives care packages every few months. She freezes the limes and uses them sparingly.

Another lime, jeruk nipis, is very similar to key limes. Squeeze over sambals and noodle soups. I often use a combination of lime leaves, key limes and Meyer lemon to replicate the flavors.

Pandan

A.K.A. screwpine leaves Matt Taylor-Gross

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I’ve dubbed pandan the vanilla of Southeast Asia. This fragrant leaf imparts both aroma and color to many Indonesian dishes, both sweet and savory. Pandan leaves are often tied in a knot and steeped in a syrup that’s added to various drinks and desserts. It is also tossed into sweet snacks like sweet black rice porridge (bubur hitam), coconut rice and curries.

As a coloring agent, the leaves are crushed together with some water and squeezed to release their green juice. Bottled pandanus extract is available, but the artificial flavor puts me off and I’d rather go with frozen leaves instead. I still dream of the pandan chiffon cakes that my mom used to make.

Salam

A.K.A. daun salam

Salam leaves (Eugenia polyantha Wight.), a member of the cassia family, add a sweet, earthy flavor to many dishes. They are sometimes called Indonesian or Indian bay leaves. Indeed, they are used in the same way bay leaves are used in Western cooking, but the two are not interchangeable. Salam leaves are only available dried in the U.S. If you can’t find any at the Asian market, omit. It is one of three key ingredients in the Indonesian bouquet garni.

Shrimp Paste

A.K.A. trassi, terasi Matt Taylor-Gross

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As a little girl, I ran the other way whenever my mom started frying shrimp paste. Sometimes, she’d fry it in her gigantic steel wok; sometimes she would skewer a large chunk of it and stick it in the open flame of our gas stove. Thankfully, she always cooked in our outdoor kitchen. The blackened shrimp paste was then sauteed with chilies, shallots, bell peppers and palm sugar to make my mom’s famous chili-shrimp paste (sambal terasi). Raw Indonesian shrimp paste is sold in solid blocks (a pain to break up) as well as in a cooked, granulated form which is so much more convenient to use—buy it if you find it.

In Indonesian, asam literally means ‘sour,’ hence tamarind’s name, asam Jawa. Other sour fruit exist (including asam gelugur and asam kandis) but tamarind is the souring agent I use most often. I’ve seen both dried tamarind pods and “wet” tamarind (coffee-colored blocks in cellophane packaging) at the Asian market, but I prefer wet tamarind. And if I can help it, I never ever buy the ready-made tamarind paste or pulp. It is so lacking in flavor. Break off chunks of wet tamarind and soak in hot water. Sieve to retrieve the pulp.

When Indonesians were given soy beans, they made tempeh—fermented soybeans compressed into savory cakes with a distinct, nutty flavor. Rich in protein and other minerals, tempeh is a nutritional powerhouse and a staple food for many Indonesians, especially in rural areas where meat is scarce. In the U.S., it is a popular meat substitute and available at many mainstream grocery stores. To make Indonesian recipes, buy the plain ones and leave the marinated or smoked versions for next time.

Source: https://livingcorner.com.au Category: Kitchen

source https://livingcorner.com.au/how-to-stock-an-indonesian-pantry/

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[bangkokjacknews]

Asian countries where the women want foreign husbands

Western males who are reasonably well off and in decent health, with either a good job or plenty of money in savings for retirement are considered a prize “catch” by many single women in poorer countries.

It does not really matter what you look like, only that you are readily able to care for a wife, perhaps also for her children from a previous marriage, certainly for her parents, and perhaps for some members of an extended family. You are the lucky prize as long as you can afford to be it. Middle-aged western guys who visit these countries find themselves getting much more attention than they normally receive in their home countries and will find beautiful younger women showing plenty of attraction towards them. The main reason for such attraction is the lure of having a better life with financial security. This is also where we need to introduce a serious word of caution. Most of the countries that are popular sex tourist destinations are also the places where white guys are most desired. Unfortunately, this means that if a guy is looking for more than just sex, he may run into the many scams that plague guys searching for a good woman to marry or looking for a long-term relationship. This article focuses more on finding a long-term relationship and/or marriage, instead of just the sex trade, although the two somewhat go together if you are a middle age white male looking for the female company of a beautiful younger woman. If you plan to look for a life-partner, it is best to get away from the popular tourist areas, live for awhile in the country where you find attractive candidates, and get to know the local customs as well as some of the language. It is a mistake to go to a foreign country with the expectation of returning with the perfect soul mate in one week, even if you have months of email correspondence and video chats prior to coming to the country. Scammers know very well how to play on men’s emotions and teach the women that they represent the evil ways of luring men in so that the men spend lots of money using “translation” services and then pay a fee for an arranged visit to find a bride. Many men have spent a fortune using Internet-based marriage systems or websites and even have gone to visit the countries, only to return home alone, broke, and deeply hurt emotionally. Do yourself a favor and do not fall for the scams. It is easy to find plenty of potential life partners without using such online scam services. However, you must plan to go visit the countries you fancy and stay there for an extended period to meet a nice woman in person. It is so easy to meet people. To avoid bar girls and street prostitutes, meet the community elders, volunteer to help on community projects, and attend events in the community, at Buddhist temples, and churches. These are good places to socialize and to find a good wife. If you find someone attractive, first ask if they are married. If they are not married, just ask them to show you around the local area. You will have a better time if you go to the areas where there are fewer tourists and there you will get lots of nice attention from the local women. If you do plan to get married, it is a better idea to live in the country for a few years with your new wife rather than try to bring her back to your home country right away. The culture shock and homesickness is too much for many who get married and soon thereafter relocate. Make trial visits together and go back and forth instead, between her country and your home country, for the best results. Here are the fifteen countries where middle-aged white guys are very desirable and good bets to find a wife. THAILAND Besides being the number one sex tourist destination in the world, Thailand is a great place to find a lovely wife. The Thai people have a very laid back attitude about sex. Older men are considered highly desirable by the younger women. A muscle-bound young guy will have less success with the Thai younger women than a middle-aged white guy with a big belly. They will think your beer belly is cute because you look more like the Buddha. Thailand is almost exclusively a Buddhist country and that makes their general attitudes about life compassionate and tolerant of others. There are three official genders recognized by the Thai constitution, which includes male, female, and transgender. Thailand has the famous “ladyboys” who look more beautiful that biologically born girls, so when visiting Thailand be aware that a pretty girl who catches your eye might have once been a boy. Agencies such as Absolute Angels in Bangkok cater for all types of relationships from the holiday fling to the long-term commitment All white guys get lots of attention from women in Thailand. In fact, you can hardly escape it if you walk through the red light district of Patpong in Bangkok or stroll around Phuket Beach. In Thailand, it is easy for you to be mobbed by gorgeous young women wanting to fulfill your wildest fantasies. Maybe you will want to do your version of the movie Pretty Woman and take one of the cute ones away from the life of prostitution to take care of her. If you have enough money she will readily go along. If that is not your cup of tea, then go up to Chang Mai and get away from the city life to find a beautiful Thai woman living in the countryside. If you see a woman that you like, simply say hello. That is all it takes to get a relationship started. Take it easy and have fun. Take some time getting to know her, before asking a Thai woman to be your wife. To marry a decent Thai village woman you will have to pay a dowry to her parents of a few thousand U.S. dollars at a minimum. This is customary and expected. Many expats live in Thailand because the living is so easy there when the guy has a beautiful Thai wife to keep him very happy. CAMBODIA Cambodia went through nine hells under the Pol Pot regime during the Khmer Rouge. During this time, millions were killed. This genocide sent the country back to the dark ages in terms of development. Because of this devastation, it is still is one of the poorest countries in Asia. Cambodia is rebuilding itself. Cambodian women are genuinely interested in foreigners, especially white males because of the chance to have a better life with them as husbands. Prostitution is common in Cambodia, especially in the capital of Phnom Penh. Cambodia also has a serious problem with pedophilia and human trafficking, which includes the sale of children. The age of consent for consensual, non-paid sex in private is 16-years-old. It is common for a Cambodian woman to marry a foreign man that is around twenty years older than they are. If you met a woman you find attractive first ask if she is married. Learn the phrase in Khmer, the Cambodian language, which is “tae anak riebkear haey ry now.” Then learn how and when to say “I love you” in Khmer, which is “khnhom sralanh anak.” Do not say this phrase casually. It has a deep, serious meaning in Cambodia and is the equivalent of the western marriage proposal when you say this phrase. A “good” Cambodian woman will only be with a man and live with him if he marries her. In order to slow down the marriages by western men of “child” brides, there are now requirements in Cambodia that a foreign man must follow, to legally marry a Cambodian woman in that country. He must be under 50 years old and have proof of monthly income exceeding US$2,500 per month. Here are the rules for U.S. Citizens. If you are older than this, you can either have a “fake” wedding, which has no legal status, but is acceptable by the people or take your bride to another country such as Thailand, if she agrees, and marry her there. If you plan to get married in Cambodia, which is very important for your bride, expect to pay for the traditional wedding ceremony and you will be requested to pay a “dowry” to the family as well as make a payment to the local village elders. The amount can range from about US$1,000 for a village woman from a poor family up to US$20,000 for a refined, educated, young woman who speaks English well and comes from a wealthy family. This is considered a respectful way to pay back the family for raising your bride and to give back something to the community. You do not own your wife and this gift payment is not to buy her. You need to treat her with respect and kindness in order to have a happy marriage. You also need to make sure to send a monthly stipend of money to her family (usually US$100 to US$300 per month). If you treat your new wife well, she will be very dedicated to you as this is the traditional way in Cambodia. VIETNAM Vietnam is making a strong comeback from the devastation it experienced during the Vietnam War. In the capital of Saigon, it is very much like Bangkok, Thailand. There is lots of prostitution. Just like in Cambodia, human trafficking is a huge problem. Chinese men from remote areas pay up to US$3,200 to intermediaries to literally buy a bride and even a “child” bride around 14 years old and have her shipped to the man living in China. The woman or young girl is forced into marriage without ever meeting her husband in person except on the day they get married. Asia has a history of arranged marriages and Vietnam is no exception. Vietnamese women, especially the poorest ones, go along with an arranged marriage if they think it will improve their lives. If they go along with the marriage voluntarily, the may actually see an improvement their lives and not have to work so hard just to survive. However, some others who live near the border of Vietnam and China are drugged and kidnapped and then sold as brides against their will. It takes years for them to escape and some never do. One other problem for white males is that some Vietnamese women have figured out how to use the divorce laws in other countries to their advantage. If a Vietnamese woman marries a foreigner in another country and the marriage is not registered in Vietnam, it has no legal effect in Vietnam. If a foreign man pays a big price to get a Vietnamese bride and takes her to another country to get married, she can, after a short time, run back to Vietnam where the marriage has no meaning. She can repeat the process with a man from a different country. Now that you are warned about the dangers, avoid the online marriage services as they are almost all scams. The best bet to find a nice young woman to marry is to visit the country for an extended period. Get out of the city and visit the villages with a translator you trust. Go to a university and hire a student as your translator. Make sure the student is not associated with any marriage arranging service. Be aware that to have a Vietnamese bride, the arrangement is made with her parents who will expect to be paid something. It is also better to have the marriage in Vietnam and you will pay for this also. Vietnamese women are very beautiful, dedicated, and loyal if you treat them kindly, so it is possible to find a very nice Vietnamese wife if you avoid the scams. INDONESIA You will have a very pleasant time if you go to Bali to look for a wife. Bali, Indonesia is one of the nicest places in the world and the cost of living there is really low, which allows staying long enough to find an honest Indonesian woman who you want to marry. Guys from Australia frequently go to Bali to find a wife and many are successful in doing so and very happy. The Indonesia culture is patriarchal and men are elevated in status over women. There is a marriage procreation guarantee under the Indonesian laws. If a wife cannot birth children he is allowed to easily divorce her or to take a second wife. The Balinese want their daughters to get married as soon as possible in order to start a family and hopefully to have a son to carry on the family heritage. The Indonesian people are very accepting of large age differences between the bride and her husband as long as his financial condition is sound and he is able to take care of his bride. Unlike a son, a daughter, when she gets married, no longer has the requirement to support her family. She joins the new family of her husband. This is a different sentiment that those found in other Asian countries where the daughter is still obligated to help care for her parents even if she gets married. The Indonesian people are warm-hearted, friendly, and as a general rule, they like foreigners. To have the best luck in finding a good wife, look for a family that has many daughters and few or no sons. Befriend the parents of the young woman in such a family and they will probably be very happy for you to marry her to have one less daughter that they are responsible for. Indonesia has a strange rule that two people getting married should be of the same religion. If you are not the same religion as your bride, one of you needs to convert to the other’s religion, at least temporarily. Atheists and agnostics need to pretend to be affiliated with their bride’s religion; otherwise, the government will not issue marriage documents. TAIWAN Many western men, who visit Taiwan for the first time traveling alone, are shocked (hopefully pleasantly so) when beautiful girls knock on the hotel door in the evenings to officially offer their services as a government-licensed massage therapist and prostitute. They even have identification cards, which they happily show to prove this to foreigners. Taiwan is another male-dominated society and women are, in general, very subservient to men. It is considered perfectly normal under the Taiwanese culture for married men to enjoy prostitutes as long as they take good financial care of their wives and provide enough money for their children. Men typically go out at night with their other male friends for “business” dinners where the company pays the tab. They enjoy a night of getting drunk and carousing with women and return home with no recrimination from their wives for being out late or coming home drunk. This subservient nature is not 100% uniform and there are some more modern style Taiwanese women. However, for the most part, the male dominance in this culture is what attracts foreign men to come to Taiwan to look for a bride. If you are not stuck on having only a young woman as a bride and expand your search to include older women, you will find many nice women who are interested in having a foreign man as a husband. You can enjoy dating many of them to help make a good choice. CHINA China is a country of many contradictions. There is an average of 118 men for every 100 women. This came about because of the “one-child” policy that was enforced by the Chinese government. One very unfortunate and horrible thing about this policy is that it caused parents to kill their female offspring; either as abortions or right after the girl babies were born. Estimates are that up to five million Chinese baby girls were killed during the time that the one-child policy was enforced. This off-balance ratio of more Chinese men than women makes it difficult for the Chinese men to all find brides. In spite of this, foreign men still have a tremendous advantage. Chinese women see foreign men as a treasure and also appreciate their generous endowment in the private area compared to the size of an average Chinese male. Foreign men will be approached by many young women if they simply visit China. It may be difficult to get married, once you realize how many beautiful women are available for foreign men. Even five-star hotels sometimes contain a brothel on the premises as part of the services offered to male guests. This is something that shocks foreign males who never before saw such openness about the sex trade. Nevertheless, it is very easy to get used to this and “feel like a king.” These excellent, readily available sex services from beautiful young women make it more difficult to choose a certain woman to settle down with and marry. However, if you are able to find a Chinese wife of the traditional style, she will not have any problem with your continuing to visit prostitutes for a boy’s night out on the town, even after you are married. JAPAN Over 89% of the marriage visas for those entering the United States from Japan are issued to females. Japanese women like to marry Americans and Americans love Japanese women. They make a terrific wife and they rarely get fat as they get older. They also have a very cute youthful appearance that lasts until middle age. To most Western men’s eyes, a Japanese woman looks ten to twenty years younger than her actual age. She may be 35 and look 18. The population in Japan is getting older and the younger Japanese men are choosing not to get married because they cannot afford to take care of a wife and family. White guys from other countries who marry a Japanese woman can find a very pleasant lifestyle living in Japan. Japanese women are very sophisticated about international things and easily adapt to living in another country. They are, in general, very intelligent. Many speak English extremely well. If a Japanese woman marries a foreigner there is still a bit of prejudice against this from the older Japanese people, so it may be easier for her to live with you in your home country to avoid this noticeable bigotry she will experience in Japan. A woman from an elite, wealthy Japanese family would bring shame to her family if she married a foreigner, so look for a working class woman as your best option when dating with the intent to find a Japanese wife. If you want a beautiful “porcelain-like doll” for a wife, a Japanese woman is a perfect answer. She will be fiercely loyal and at the same time allow you plenty of freedom to do as you want as long as there is enough money for a nice house and to take care of the kids. Lots of G.I. men who were stationed in Okinawa (an island near Tokyo) on the U.S. military base there found wonderful wives when marrying a Japanese woman. PHILIPPINES The Philippines, like Thailand, is a major sex tourist destination. A female prostitute costs only about US$20 for the entire night. There are many clubs in Manila where you can visit, have a drink, and see a bevy of beautiful girls, all with numbers on their lapel. You simply tell the bartender which number girl you like, pay the exit fee for her to go with you and take as many with you as you want. Read the full article

[newstfionline]

Wednesday, April 28, 2021

Canadian beavers chomp down town’s internet (BBC) Beavers have been blamed after a town in the Canadian province of British Columbia lost their internet service for some 12 hours. The provider Telus said that parts of the underground cabling, servicing Tumbler Ridge, had been found in the beavers’ home. Some 900 internet users and 60 TV customers were affected, it said. Telus spokeswoman Liz Sauvé described it as a “very unusual and uniquely Canadian turn of events”.

US marks slowest population growth since the Depression (AP) U.S. population growth has slowed to the lowest rate since the Great Depression, the Census Bureau said Monday, as Americans continued their march to the South and West and one-time engines of growth, New York and California, lost political influence. Altogether, the U.S. population rose to 331,449,281 last year, the Census Bureau said, a 7.4% increase that was the second-slowest ever. Experts say that paltry pace reflects the combination of an aging population, slowing immigration and the scars of the Great Recession more than a decade ago, which led many young adults to delay marriage and families. The new allocation of congressional seats comes in the first release of data from last year’s headcount. The numbers generally chart familiar American migration patterns: Texas and Florida, two Republican Sunbelt giants, added enough population to gain congressional seats as chillier climes like New York and Ohio saw slow growth and lost political muscle. The report also confirms one historic marker: For the first time in 170 years of statehood, California is losing a congressional seat, a result of slowed migration to the nation’s most populous state, which was once a symbol of the country’s expansive frontier.

After Nearly a Year of Unrest, Portland Leaders Pursue a Crackdown (NYT) After the protests have concluded, sometimes in the early morning hours, Margaret Carter finds herself climbing into her gray Toyota Camry and cruising the streets of Portland so she can see the latest damage for herself. Carter, 85, has been downtown to the Oregon Historical Society, where demonstrators have twice smashed out the windows, recently scrawling “No More History” on the side of the building. She has driven past the local headquarters of the Democratic Party, where windows have also been shattered. Last week, she found herself at the Boys & Girls Club in her own neighborhood, nearing tears at the scene of costly window destruction at a place she has worked so hard to support. “Portland was a beautiful city,” said Carter, who was the first Black woman elected to the Oregon Legislative Assembly and is now retired. “Now you walk around and see all the graffiti, buildings being boarded up. I get sick to my stomach. And I get angry.” After almost a year of near-continuous protests since the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis, Portland’s city leaders are signaling that it may be time for a more aggressive crackdown on the most strident street actions. Mayor Ted Wheeler last week put into place a state of emergency that lasted six days and vowed to “unmask” those demonstrators who engaged in repeated acts of vandalism or arson. In his call for the public’s help, Wheeler urged people to report anything they might overhear about property destruction plans or boasts. He also called for residents to report protesters who appeared to be disguising their identity and to document their license plates for the police.

California recall has enough signatures to make ballot (AP) Organizers of the recall effort against California Gov. Gavin Newsom collected enough valid signatures to qualify for the ballot, state election officials said Monday, likely triggering just the second such election in state history. The recall against Newsom, a first-term Democrat seen as a possible White House hopeful someday, will be among the highest-profile political races in the country this year. An election is likely in the fall and voters would face two questions: Should Newsom be recalled and who should replace him? The votes on the second question will only be counted if more than half say yes to the first. Newsom won election in 2018 with support from more than 60% of the voters. Recalling him will be a tough sell in the heavily Democratic state where just a quarter of the state’s registered voters are Republicans, about the same number as those who identify as “no party preference.”

Under the sea, out of sight (Bloomberg) A 52-foot long, 8-foot wide submersible hauling 2,500 kilograms of cocaine was intercepted by U.S. authorities in the Caribbean about 150 miles north of South America. Since last October, the U.S. Caribbean Corridor Strike Force has seized a total of 17,000 kilograms of cocaine worth more than $510 million off the coast of Puerto Rico. Increased enforcement has pushed cartels to invest significant funds in transporting their wares under the sea.

Turkey announces “full lockdown” from April 29 to curb COVID spread (Reuters) Turks will be required to stay mostly at home under a nationwide “full lockdown” starting on Thursday and lasting until May 17 to curb a surge in coronavirus infections and deaths, President Tayyip Erdogan announced on Monday. Turkey logged 37,312 new COVID-19 infections and 353 deaths in the last 24 hours, health ministry data showed, sharply down from mid-April but still the world’s fourth highest number of cases and the worst on a per-capita basis among major nations. Announcing the new measures after a cabinet meeting, Erdogan said all intercity travel would require official approval, all schools would shut and move lessons online, and a strict capacity limit would be imposed for users of public transport. Turks will have to stay indoors except for essential shopping trips and urgent medical treatment.

Iran, US warships in first tense Mideast encounter in a year (AP) American and Iranian warships had a tense encounter in the Persian Gulf earlier this month, the first such incident in about a year amid wider turmoil in the region over Tehran’s tattered nuclear deal, the U.S. Navy said Tuesday. Footage released by the Navy showed a ship commanded by Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard cut in front of the USCGC Monomoy, causing the Coast Guard vessel to come to an abrupt stop with its engine smoking on April 2. The Guard also did the same with another Coast Guard vessel, the USCGC Wrangell, said Cmdr. Rebecca Rebarich, a spokeswoman for the Navy’s Mideast-based 5th Fleet. Such close passes risk the ships colliding at sea.

Israel is committing the crime of ‘apartheid,’ new report says (Washington Post) Israeli authorities are “committing the crimes against humanity of apartheid and persecution,” according to a major new 213-page report released Tuesday by global advocacy group Human Rights Watch. The organization argued that, in terms framed by existing international law, overarching Israeli policy toward Palestinians in the West Bank and East Jerusalem constituted an agenda to both maintain Jewish Israeli domination and systematically oppress Palestinians. Beyond the all-but-dead “peace process” of the past few decades, the organization pointed to the inescapable and unequal reality that defines life for everyone living between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea. “This is the most stark finding Human Rights Watch has ever reached on the conduct of Israeli authorities,” Omar Shakir, the organization’s Israel and Palestine director and the author of the report, told Today’s WorldView. “For too long, the international community has failed to recognize the reality on the ground for what it is.” Shakir added that HRW is hardly alone in arriving at this conclusion. For years, Palestinians have invoked apartheid in discussing the region’s status quo: where an Israeli military occupation governs over many aspects of their lives, where the security and political imperatives of the Israeli government curtail their own rights, and where the expansion of Jewish settlements inexorably entails further Palestinian dispossession.

Virus surge in crowded Gaza threatens to overwhelm hospitals (AP) More than a year into the coronavirus pandemic, some of the worst fears are coming true in the crowded Gaza Strip: A sudden surge in infections and deaths is threatening to overwhelm hospitals weakened by years of conflict and border closures. Gaza’s main treatment center for COVID-19 patients warns that oxygen supplies are dwindling fast. In another hospital, coronavirus patients are packed three to a room. For months, Gaza’s Hamas rulers seemed to have a handle on containing the pandemic. But their decision to lift most movement restrictions in February—coupled with the spread of a more aggressive virus variant and lack of vaccines—has led to a fierce second surge.

Fighting erupts in Myanmar; junta to ‘consider’ ASEAN plan (Reuters) Karen insurgents attacked a Myanmar army outpost near the Thai border on Tuesday in some of the most intense clashes since a military coup nearly three months ago threw the country into crisis. The Karen National Union (KNU), Myanmar’s oldest rebel force, said it had captured the army camp on the west bank of the Salween river, which forms the border with Thailand. The Myanmar military later hit back against the insurgents with air strikes, the KNU and Thai authorities said. The fighting took place as the junta, in a setback for diplomatic efforts by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), said it would “positively” consider the bloc’s suggestions to end the turmoil in Myanmar but only when stability was restored.

‘Red Tourism’ draws Chinese on centennial of Communist Party (AP) On the 100th anniversary of the Chinese Communist Party, tourists are flocking to historic sites and making pilgrimages to party landmarks. On a street where the Red Army once roamed, a group of retirees in historic pastel-blue army uniforms belt out tunes made famous through countless movies, television shows and other forms of propaganda. Historic locations in Jiangxi and Guizhou provinces—the sites of revolutionary leader Mao Zedong’s early battles, his escape from Chiang Kai-shek’s Nationalist forces in the Long March and the cementing of his leadership in Zunyi—are experiencing an influx of tourists this year as post-pandemic travel returns to China. In Guizhou, tourism in the first quarter of 2021 has already recovered to 2019 levels, local official Lu Yongzheng said. The province, among China’s top tourist destinations, received millions of tourists who brought in billions of dollars in revenue. The rise in tourism is also spurred by a campaign announced by President Xi Jinping in February to educate the Communist Party’s 91 million-plus members on its history and ideology.

Gunfire rocks Mogadishu (Foreign Policy) Violence erupted in the Somali capital Mogadishu on Sunday as anti-government fighters traded fire with troops loyal to Somali President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed over his decision to remain in power after his term expired. Mohamed, whose four-year term ended in February, extended his presidency for two years on April 14 after an election deadlock, drawing strong condemnation from, among others, the United States and the European Union, who have threatened to impose sanctions on the country.

Shipping Containers Plunge Overboard as Supply Race Raises Risks (Bloomberg) Containers piled high on giant vessels carrying everything from car tires to smartphones are toppling over at an alarming rate, sending millions of dollars of cargo sinking to the bottom of the ocean as pressure to speed deliveries raises the risk of safety errors. The shipping industry is seeing the biggest spike in lost containers in seven years. More than 3,000 boxes dropped into the sea last year, and more than 1,000 have fallen overboard so far in 2021. The accidents are disrupting supply chains for hundreds of U.S. retailers and manufacturers such as Amazon and Tesla. There are a host of reasons for the sudden rise in accidents. Weather is getting more unpredictable, while ships are growing bigger, allowing for containers to be stacked higher than ever before. But greatly exacerbating the situation is a surge in e-commerce after consumer demand exploded during the pandemic, increasing the urgency for shipping lines to deliver products as quickly as possible.

Ungrounding (Skift) Last year saw the mass grounding of commercial aircraft as airlines grappled with an utter collapse in demand for their services, and in the United States, those mothballed planes are getting ready to re-enter service. At American Airline’s Tulsa maintenance base, idled jets are getting revamped ahead of a summer when most of the carrier’s 1,400 jet fleet will re-enter the skies. Reactivating a single 737 takes 1,000 person-hours and costs about $39,340 in labor alone. That is, comparatively, cheap, at least stacked against the $10 million impairment charge taken for each of the 150 aircraft it retired last year.

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