#no one in trc has a grandma | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

mikeshanlon · 5 years

Photo

Happy Pride! .... Like... more than halfway through the month lmao sorry, better late than never ig! I’ve compiled a list of some of my fave LGBT+ books, as well as a few I’m planning to read for pride/in the near future. Please feel free to reblog and add some of your own recs, especially for the sexual and gender identities that are lacking in my list!!!!!

Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Sáenz: This beautiful, wholesome coming of age novel is pretty popular on tumblr and with good reason! It’s set in the 1980′s and follows Aristotle, aka "Ari”, as he grows up an tackles with his identity-- he feels like his story is written by someone else, that his path is not up to his control. Whether this is due to his complex relationship with his family, or societal expectations/stereotypes of Latinx men, or the fact that maybe his friendship with Dante might be more than that, and that kinda terrifies him. (Rep: Gay, Latinx, (I believe this is own voices) Warnings: it’s been a minute since i’ve read this but i believe some racism, internalized homophobia, and an instance of violent transphobia)

Red, White, and Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston: LGKNLKNGRG okay this is truly one of my favorite books of the year so far and part of the whole reason i wanted to make this. This is a New Adult Contemporary romance set in sort of a like... parallel America where a woman won the presidential election. We follow The First Son, Alex Claremont-Diaz, who’s charming, smart ass, genius icon. Him, his sister June, and their best friend Nora are easily marketable and loved by the public for the most part, but when Alex and his rival Prince Henry of England get into a public spat at a Royal Wedding, Alex and Henry must pretend to be friends to patch up relations and public image for his mother’s re-election campaign. Eventually their fake friendship turns real, and then becomes more as they get to know each other, Alex and Henry begin a secret romance that we follow over the course of the re-election year. This book is fucking HILARIOUS (like I have so many tabs for funny moments and i was trying to be restrained), but it’s just so. Like full of love and hope and it’s so beautiful???? It’s definitely political escapism from our current situation in America but still deals with current issues such as racism and homopboia, etc, but gives the reader hope for future progress. Alex and Henry’s relationship is so fun, and sexy, and beautiful and the friendships are so iconic and Alex’s journey with sexuality is... chefs kiss. Also like. Casey McQuiston mentioned that she listened to Texas Reznikoff by Mitski a lot while writing this in the acknowledgments so. what more do you need... (Rep: Bisexual (Own Voices), Gay, Biracial-- Mexican/White (Own Voices), Warnings: Racism, homophobia, mentions of a past sexual harrassment/assault. Since this is a New Adult, there are smut scenes. I wouldn’t say it’s like. Super explicit or anything but there is sex, though it’s often during Important Moments of their relationships so it doesn’t feel like p*rn-- again the sex is happening but its not in hella explicit detail or anything or for the same goal as say an erotica. P much proceed with caution if it’s not ur thing but it’s not too wild!)

Blanca y Roja by Anna-Marie McLemore: This is sort of a Snow White/Rose Red and Ugly Duckling retelling following two sisters, Blanca and Roja, who’s family curse destines that one of the sisters will be trapped into a swan’s body, never to be seen again. (So this is magical realism lmao). We also follow two boys, Page and Yearling, who were wrapped up in the magic of the nearby woods, but have returned to society. Page is a gender queer trans male, and his whole arc that was so beautiful and made me cry, but in a good way (also warning that I’m cis so like. I would love to hear what gender queer trans individuals think about the rep in this book bc I cannot really attest to it.) This book is really about sisterly love and love in general, with all the complexities that come with it. (also wlw grandma’s who grow apple’s it’s p iconic) (Rep: Latinx-- colorism plays a huge role in the story as well (Own Voices), Gender Queer Trans, Queer (Own Voices) Warnings: Some transphobia, racism, and abuse). (I believe most of Anna-Marie McLemore’s books are magical realism and have some Latinx and queer elements to them as well)

The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller: god..... This (gay ass) novelization of The Illiad is just so tragically romantic and beautiful... We follow Achilles and Patroclus as they grow up and grow closer, and eventually fight the Trojan War. There are so many beautiful quotes and scenes but like. You will most likely cry so keep that in mind eklrgerg. (Rep: Gay Warnings: Violence, there’s like..... a weird r*pe/homophobic scene)

Girls of Paper and Fire by Natasha Ngan: YA Fantasy set in a world where there are three castes: Moon-- the highest caste, demons with animalistic features in a humanoid form, Steel-- humans with part demon physical features and abilities, and Paper-- fully human, the lowest caste. We follow our protaganist Lei, who despite being a Paper caste, has beautiful golden glowing eyes that end up garnering attention from the Demon King. She’s stolen from her home and forced to join The Paper Girls-- a group of paper caste concubines in training at the palace. As she tries to find a way to escape, she ends up falling for one of the other paper girls, Wren, who might be just the key to freedom. I love Lei and Wren’s relationship and I’m excited to see it play out in the sequel! (which i believe ngan said will introduce more LGBT characters) (Rep: Asian (Own Voices), WLW (I believe this is Own Voices as well). Warnings: As their role as concubines suggest, a large part of this book revolves around the patriarchy using women for power and sexual assualt/rape. There are no explicit rape scenes-- though they do occur ‘off screen’, however there are a couple attempted sexual assault scenes that I believe could be p triggering. This book is also largely about the Paper Girls taking back their power, and I don’t believe these scenes are done for shock value, however please proceed with caution. Subsequently, sexist and patriarchial views are present within the authority, though shunned by Lei, however there’s a lot of internalized sexism and objectification among some of the other Paper Girls.)

Carry On by Rainbow Rowell: I probably don’t have to talk about this one much since it’s super popular, but in what is like essentially Harry Potter but like gay and wholesome, we follow Simon Snow, the Chosen One who’s actually not that good at magic, his best friend Penelope, and his roommate and arch nemesis that’s totally a vampire but won’t admit it, Baz. (Except Baz is, like, totally in love with Simon and Simon’s just too dumb and wrapped up in his own shit to realize it). Truly just,... an iconic enemies to friends to lovers story that unfolds as the three of them try to uncover a mystery surrounding Baz’s late mother. Ik some people have found it confusing bc it’s sort of like starting the Harry Potter story off at book 7 and only getting some background info along the way but honestly I really enjoyed that lmao. Also there’s a sequel coming out this fall, Wayward Son. (Rep: Gay, Some POC rep. Warnings: not rlly any i dont think??? There’s like. some Homophobia lmao bc we can’t have a gay book without it.)

Her Royal Highness by Rachel Hawkins: This is a cute YA contemporary following Millie Quint who, post being cheated on by her best friend and wanting to have a fresh start, flies to Scotland to finish off her senior year at her Dream prestigous boarding school, joining a handful of other girls as the first female class in the institution’s history. Plus like. Cool Rocks and Scotland. Only problem is that her roomate is sort of a bitch and also the Princess of Scotland who she totally just told off. So yeah yet another royal gay enemies to friends to lovers with a dash of and they were roomates LMAO. This book could be like.... a bit cheesy and rushed but overall it was cute and like...... The Cover.... (Rep: Bisexual, Lesbian, Warnings: Some homophobia. Also this is a companion novel to Prince Charming but you don’t have to read that first, there’s just some references to the couple in that book as the Prince is well.... The Princess’ brother and where they end up so if you don’t wanna be spoiled read that first ig!)

The Devouring Gray by Christine Lynn Herman: I talked about this some in this post, but I feel like I did kinda a shitty job so. A YA fantasy/paranormal series about the descendant’s of the town’s four founding families-- Violet Saunders, Justin Hawthorne, Harper Carlisle, and Isaac Sullivan (the most iconic one). The latter three have lived in Four Paths their whole lives, protecting the town from The Gray-- p much the Upside Down from Stranger Things lmao, using powers specific to each of their families. Violet and her mother move back after Violet’s sister died in a car accident, and she’s thrust into helping save the town as the Gray grows more restless and having to uncover the secrets of her family as well as all the history brewing between the other three. The Stranger Things and Riverdale comparisons are p valid, (but like. Riverdale in the sense of small town secrets and a bunch of tense history that the kids don’t really understand and must uncover, and some like love triangle but..... not Rlly Love triangles just a mess of ppl being like oh shit i like this person and this person.... Bisexual Chaos if u will... not like. The I’m cuckoo bananas for u let’s go get high and play dungeons and dragons and smash in a bunker LRGKJRLKGJ), the Raven Cycle comparison’s are kind of a stretch, I can see the abstract comparison’s if i squint but like. Don’t go into this expecting TRC lmao. I really enjoyed the theme of grief throughout this book and seeing the powers unfold (and one of the dynamics a lot) and while not perfect the series has a lot of potential and like. Bisexuals. So. (Rep: Bisexual (two mc’s are bi and say the word!!!!!!!! As well as some secondary characters), Disabled (one of the mc’s is missing one arm from the elbow down). Warnings: Grief, Violence)

The Gentlemen’s Guide to Vice and Virtue by Mackenzi Lee: Also talked about this in this post and did a better job there, but to sum it up it’s essentially a friends to lovers, bed sharing, road trip au with a dash of magic but set in the 1700′s! There’s also a sequel/companion, The Lady’s Guide to Petticoats and Piracy that I have yet to read but it follows Monty’s sister, Felicity, and I believe goes more in depth with her identity. (Rep: Gay, Black, Disabled, Aromantic, Asexual, Warnings: Period typical homophobia/biphobia, racism, ableism, sexism)

Simon vs. The Homosapien’s Agenda by Becky Albertalli: Like. I don’t think i really have to explain this one LRKGJJRG but added it just in case. YA contemporary following Simon as he e-mails another gay student at his school and falls in love. (Rep: Gay, Black, Jewish, Warnings: Homophobia)

All For the Game Trilogy (The Foxhole Court, The Raven King, The King’s Men) by Nora Sakavic: If y’all have been on my blog at all you know i’m back in aftg hyperfixation mode after another reread lmao. Is it a lil messy is it a lil dramatic... yes. but i love it!!! We follow our protagonist Neil Josten, who’s been on the run from his crime lord father, The Butcher of Baltimore, since he was young. After his mother dies on the run, Neil finds a new place and adopts yet another identity, and ends up playing high school exy (a made up sport but like we’re barely here for the sports lmao), something he used to play as a child. Despite playing a new position, he attracts the attention of the PSU Foxes, who’s coach David Wymack specifically recruits players with a troubled past to give them a second chance. Neil really shouldn’t sign-- it goes against everything his mother told him, it puts him at risk of being in the spotlight for his father’s men to find him, and puts him on the same team as Kevin Day, someone from his past that knows his true identity. Still, something draws Neil to joining the team, to finally try to live instead of just survive. UGHHHH like truly this book just makes u fall in love with all the characters and the beautiful and broken found family that develops over three books and one of the most iconic and amazing (ha....) slowburn relationships ever.... Also if i recall they’re super cheap on iBooks (at least when i bought them, the first book was free and the other two were $1.99). (Rep: Gay, Demisexual, POC, Warnings: MAJOR trigger warnings for like. everything bc all the foxes have fucked up pasts. But the biggest ones are probably rape, abuse/torture, and substance abuse)

Six of Crows Duology (Six of Crows, Crooked Kingdom) by Leigh Bardugo: Idk how much I really have to talk about this bc it’s popular but I am physically unably not to reccomend this duology bc its just. So. AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH. The most barebones summary is that this is a YA Fantasy about six people coming together to perform an impossible heist. This is truly like...... a masterclass in developing characters and has one of the best m/f ships i’ve ever read... But also since it’s on here there is some gay shit going on, 3/6 mains are Not Straight and there’s a cute m/m couple! Also you don’t have to read the Grisha Trilogy to read this but u can if u want (I have yet to). (Rep: Bisexual, Gay, Disabled, POC, Warnings: Again these ppl have fucked up pasts, biggest are PTSD, past sexual abuse)

The Raven Cycle Series (The Raven Boys, The Dream Theives, Blue Lily Lily Blue, The Raven King) by Maggie Steifvater: Again i don’t think I really have to explain this one but like. In case you haven’t read this series it’s truly iconic..... Idk even how to explain this LKGJLJRG just like magical realism wonderfulness and found family and amazing relationships and shit.... (Rep: Gay, Bisexual, Disabled, Warnings: Abuse)

The following are books I plan to read for pride/in the near future. I can’t wholeheartedly reccomend them obviously, or fully detail all the rep/warnings, but I’ve heard some great things about these books and a lot of them have representation that the first part of the list is lacking, so I figured I would add them! (Also if I use ‘queer’ that’s because that’s the only label I have been given by the authors or reviewers, or the characters identify as queer)

Radio Silence by Alice Oseman: To my knowledge this is a really emotional YA coming of age/college story that has to do with like. A podcast? Idk a lot of people love it and side note I’ll be suing B&N bc they NEVER have it relkj (Rep: Bisexual, Demisexual, I belive Latinx.)

Sawkill Girls by Claire Legrand: I believe this is a YA horror-ish novel where there’s a monster stealing girls on and island. (Rep: I believe all three main girls are queer Warnings: Since this is horror im assuming. Horror stuff LMAO)

I Wish You all The Best by Mason Deaver: A YA contemporary romance about Ben who comes out as non-binary to their parents and gets kicked out, and moves in with their estranged sister. They soon are taken under the wing of a senior named Nathan Allan and begin to fall. (Rep: Non-Binary (Own Voices), MLM/Queer, Black (im assuming from the gorgeous cover lmao. Warnings: Misgendering, homophobia, anxiety, depression)

Summer of Salt by Katrina Leno: YA Magical Realism about Georgina, who has yet to inherit the magical powers that have been passed down her family, including her twin sister Mary who, unlike Georgina, is coming into her powers. (Rep: Lesbian, Queer, Aro/Ace, Warnings: Rape and sexual assault, underage drinking, animal death, drug use.)

#books #lgbt #pride #lgbt books #idk what else to tag lmao pls feel free to add ur own yall!!! or correct anything i got wrong lmao

200 notes · View notes

trcent · 6 years

Photo

It’s six in the morning on Wednesday, the 5th of September, and a tall woman stands in front of the gym. She’s wearing a dark suit and holds onto a clipboard. Her eyes only leave it when a trainee walks by so she can stare them down before they enter the room behind her. After they’ve all arrived for their regular schedule, she walks inside as well. Her heels are loud and the sound of everyone and their equipment almost mutes it.

She approaches only a total of nine different trainees and asks them to follow her without making too much of a scene. They walk through long hallways and go up the elevator until they arrive inside a meeting room. There’s a different woman inside, seated at the end of the table. She wears pretty but professional clothing and lowers her glasses to ask the trainees to take a seat. The one with a suit keeps standing beside her.

“Hello, girls.” The nine trainees in the room are only the female trainees that TRC currently has, including the most recent additions. “My name is Kang Hayoon and I’m, basically, the creative mind behind what I’ll be presenting to you today, as well as who’ll assist on judging your abilities and relaying the opinions from my superiors, including our CEO.” She stops to stare at the girls before looking down at the files in front of her. “No, he will not be joining us.”

She takes the files and hands them to the woman beside her who starts to walk around the table and places one in front of each girl. “That is Kim Yumi, my assistant, and what she’s giving you is an important and extremely confidential file regarding your future.” Hayoon opens the one in front of herself and can’t help but raise one of the corners of her lips. “There were already rumors about TRC planning a girl group, which I’m sure you’ve all read about and, well, it is true. You are our most prominent female trainees currently and that’s why you’re here.”

The woman twists her head to one side and lets out a short laugh. The smirk on her lips isn’t very telling of what it means. “Before you get any ideas, we aren’t here to announce your debut or, at least, not exactly it.” She takes her file and turns it towards the girls, pointing at what’s written on it. “As you can see it here, it’s written as a ‘Debut Project’ and not a ‘Debut Plan.’ Not to cut the fun after it just started or anything.”

Her fingers take the glasses away from her face and she lets them hang by the cord around her neck. She already knew the entire project by heart; there was no need to read it. “Two other companies under the Big 5 are already debuting their own girl groups, so we want to make sure we are debuting an even better group with only the best of our trainees... which means not all of you will make the cut.” The woman presses her lips together and gives them a nod. She was sure that if her plans worked correctly then those who got to debut would make it big. Whoever was dropped along the way was for the sake of a greater cause.

“Now, before anyone loses hope, you’ll have a lot of opportunities to show your worth and, most importantly, to improve on what you lack.” Hayoon turns the page on her file, prompting the rest of the girls to do so as well. “You’ll be evaluated through four different performances every month. Due to this, you won’t be taking part on the usual monthly evaluations assigned to trainees. These four performances are divided into three group performances and one solo performance. The group performances consist of one vocal performance, one dance performance, and then a full cover mixing both vocals and dancing, all of which will be assigned to you by me. As for the solo performance, you’ll get to choose a song by yourself to show any performance skill you’d like. Although, this is your future on the line, so think about it well.”

She leans forward towards the table and gives each girl a moment of her stare. “From the nine of you here today, we — and that includes me, your coaches, some of the company’s executives and shareholders, as well as your CEO — could only agree on two of you as being ready to debut.” Her eyes land on the first girl, “Kim Yubin,” and then on the second, “and Park Sooyoung. This doesn’t mean your spot in this group is 100% certain, but it’s as close to that as it can be in this point of the game.” Hayoon raises a hand and then settles it back down next to her file.

“I’m certain you want to know what the future group concept will be and everything that comes with it but, for now, that’ll remain a secret. The group name is still under discussion. We want to choose the best and most fitting one for not only the chosen concept, but that also matches the final members of the group. During the duration of this project, you’ll be referred to as TRC/G, which stands for TRC Girls.”

She skims through the page to make sure she’s mentioned everything vital before turning it to the next one. There are a few pages stuck together by a black binder clip and separated from the rest of the file. “These are your evaluation songs for the month of September. All lines were already distributed by us, as well as formations for the dances. These were arranged based on what we observed of your skills so far. If you think you got too few lines, or that you aren’t at the center enough, then do a good job this month and maybe you’ll get more for the next one.” The woman pulls out a small stack of paper from the file and sets it aside. With her other hand, she motions for the girls to do the same.

“Your schedules will remain the same, but with a bit of a twist. All of your vocal and dance lessons should be done together as a group in the same practice room. You’ll use these to practice for your group evaluations. Your free practice sessions and independent study will continue to be a free time for you to use as you wish. Though, we do recommend focusing on your evaluation since it’s what’ll decide your future.”

Hayoon then turns to the final page where all the words are written in bolded, red text. “All the information shared in this room is to be kept in extreme secrecy. If anyone asks what happened here, throw the typical TRC card and say we were scolding you or something. People will always believe that.” She shrugs. “I don’t want to see you telling any of your friends, if you have them, and not even your family. If a grandma starts talking about how her granddaughter is training for debut while buying food in a street market I will find out about it, and I will discover whose grandma that is. If I hear the words ‘TRC Girls’ or ‘debut’ anywhere I will find who shared confidential information and she’ll be immediately excluded from the project. If this appears anywhere near social media you can be at risk of leaving TRC entirely.”

The woman then closes her file and motions in Yumi’s direction. The other quickly starts to move and the sound of her heels follow her wherever she goes. “We’ll be taking these files back to avoid any leaking, but you may keep that pile regarding this month’s evaluations.” Hayoon gets up from her seat before Yumi is even done. She places her glasses back on the bridge of her nose and nods to the ones looking at her. “Hopefully you got a general idea of the project. Yumi here will be taking you back to the gym. Of course, please keep everything secret when you arrive. If anyone asks, everything is a big punishment and you’ve never met someone more evil than Yumi here, okay?” The taller woman giggles at the comment, showing her eyesmile.

“Well, if you have any questions, your coaches will probably know how to answer them. Just don’t ask about it in front of others. They’ll also help you with your evaluations and practicing. We’ll meet again soon.” Hayoon gives everyone a last nod and says a goodbye before leaving the room. The female trainees are left behind inside the silent room. All eyes rest on Yumi now, who lets out a sigh. “Well, let’s go!”

OOC: Congratulations for being chosen for this special debut project. The nine trainees were chosen from all TRC female trainees, meaning that NPC trainees are excluded. This project evaluation will substitute for the general trainee monthly evaluation so TRC/G will no longer take part in those unless otherwise specified. From now on, TRC/G are to practice together as a group, as well as show individual growth over time. Not every trainee will make the cut to the final group, so everyone should work hard to show off the best of their skills.

There will be a total of four different performances to be done at the end of the month, by September 30th. Three of those will be group performances, consisting of one vocal performance, one dance performance, and a full cover including both vocals and dance. The fourth one will be a solo performance that the trainee will get to choose by themselves to showcase any performance skill they’d like. For this month’s evaluations, the chosen group songs are as seen below:

Vocals: I Hate This Part by The Pussycat Girls (line distribution)

Dance: Bitch Better Have My Money (Remix) by Rihanna (center distribution)

Full: Gotta Be You by Global Icon (line distribution)

The nine girls (Kim Yubin, Park Sooyoung, Ahn Sohee, Lee Siyeon, Kim Sojung, Kim Sejeong, Jeon Somi, Jung Jinsoul, and Kim Doyeon) will enter into special training to help them better their skills in order to increase their chances of debut.

Kim Yumi will appear unannounced from time to time to record the girls’ progress and then leave. On September 30th, Yumi will return by herself to record all evaluation performances. These will be taken for her superiors (including Hayoon and Tiger JK) who will then discuss the results in secrecy. Feedback and the new evaluation will be given on the following month.

Confidentiality is of extreme importance and sharing information with any other person IC may result in that girl’s exclusion from the project and/or complete contract termination with TRC. It would also leave her with a bad reputation which could make other companies think twice before signing her.

To earn +2 POINTS TO DISTRIBUTE AS YOU WISH and +2 DEBUT POINTS, write a 250+ words solo or a four post thread with another TRC/G member about practicing for the evaluation. For +3 POINTS TO DISTRIBUTE AS YOU WISH, +1WK RELEVANT ACHIEVEMENT and +2 DEBUT POINTS, write a 350+ words solo about your muse’s solo evaluation performance. Unlike regular trainee evaluations, not writing about the group project will give your muse a bad view IC, so please keep that in mind. Please tag all your posts as #trcg:sepeval and them up by midnight EST at the end of September 30th.

TRC/G SEPTEMBER EVALUATION (for the October 3rd verification form)

[ link to thread or solo about preparations ] +2 ___ POINTS +2 DEBUT POINTS NEW DEBUT POINTS TOTAL:

[ link to solo performance solo ] +3 ___ POINTS +1WK ___ ACHIEVEMENT +2 DEBUT POINTS NEW DEBUT POINTS TOTAL:

#trcg:sepeval

16 notes · View notes

tsubasachroniclemonth · 6 years

Text

Hello hello!

Good morning, day, or evening to you all in your many many timezones! Tsubasa Month is drawing to its inevitable close and we must say this year as been incredible! We saw so many new faces joining us along with our wonderful returning friends, and you all brought you A-game to this event. We also want to thank all of you who follow and reblog the submissions all of us work so hard to put together, you’re just as important as the writers, artists, and editors who make the content you enjoy.

For those who were with us last year, you might remember that at the end of the event we invited everyone to post a picture of themselves and a short bio so that the fans could get to know each other better. We plan on doing the same this year! Post your mini-bios and selfies in the #tsubasachroniclemonth tag like you’ve been doing all month on June 1st whether you created content or reblogged your heart out.

Let’s lay some ground rules:

don’t give away sensitive information like addresses, phone numbers, last names, and the like. This blog is still a public domain and we have no control over who comes and goes. Be smart, especially you kids.

don’t tease, mock, or otherwise put anyone down for any reason. This includes, but is not limited to, negative comments about appearances, insisting on posting a photo if the user is unwilling, taking the shared selfie and posting it elsewhere, giving “pointers” or “advice” that is not being asked for. Think before you speak, and be kind.

don’t reblog the post if someone has added to their mini-bio that they only want the Tsubasa Month blog reblogging it. Respect their wishes.

don’t post revealing or sexually explicit selfies. This should go without saying but better safe than sorry. This goes double for minors as doing so would be illegal. All pictures must be SFW. If you wouldn’t show it to your spouse’s grandma, don’t show us.

Now, you can say whatever you like in your mini-bios about yourself and about how you feel about TRC, CLAMP, and/or their characters and works. If you want some guidance, however, you can look at the posts from last year at this link or you can use these sample questions below:

I’ve been in the TRC/CLAMP fandom for ___ years

Other CLAMP works I like are...

Fun facts about myself...

Who is my favorite character/who do I relate to the most and why?

My favorite prompt from this year/any year of TRC Month has been...

So this one time at band camp...

If you want a more immediate connection with your fellow fans we have a discord server all about TRC you are welcome to join. Read the guidelines, and have fun.

#Tsubasa RESERVOIR CHRONICLE #tsubasa world chronicle #clamplove #CLAMP #tsubasachroniclemonth #mod post #fellow fans

12 notes · View notes

vanhinkoch · 6 years

Text

Second Week Report: Getting Acquainted...

Hello Family and Friends!

I don't this email will be nearly as long as the last, because things are starting to get into a routine now. It's been really wonderful though, being here for 15 days now! I still reaffirm that I love being here at the Missionary Training Center so much, I don't understand why some people think of the MTC like a prison that they can't wait to leave! Elder Halverson wants to be in the mission field already; and while I understand being in Finland is going to amazing, I want to relish every moment I can here at the MTC. 1/12th of my mission experience is going to be here in Provo, I'll have the other 22 months to enjoy in Finland. For now, I'll be learning all I can about the gospel and language.

I'll start off by sharing some of the more secular/not gospel related stuff that has happened within these past 7 days.

Two things that I absolutely LOVE about my lifestyle right now: Exercise Time and Food.

Hahaha, it's so true!! My favorite part of the day is exercise time by far. Our zone predominately plays two games, Spikeball and Kill. Spikeball is alright, it's mostly a Utah kind of sport I guess, but nah; it's all about KILL >:D. Most of you already know this game, but the premise is that all the players stand in a circle and attempt to juggle a soccer ball to 3 to 4 times, then catch the ball after the 3rd or 4th hit and nail somebody to get them out. This is where I as an individual can have my talents shine, as I looove soccer, and nobody else in our zone has quite as much experience as I do. Everybody loves to play, and it's always a bundle of laughs. Another reason why I'm in no rush to leave the MTC, I'm going to miss exercise time with our zone and district.

And yes, I personally love how they feed us here at the MTC. I know some people who don't love it, but you have to a special kind of ungrateful to not love the food and effort they put into it. Every single meal is basically a buffet. You can have as much food as you want, there is a huge variety in drink options (I usually drink a glass of water + a glass of chocolate milk/coke for lunch and dinner) as well as meals scheduled, there's a nice salad/fruit bar, as well as the trusty left-over bar. They have a really awesome system here, and it's amazing how much they really care about all the missionaries. Best cafeteria experience I've ever had! Every single day I have a whole fruit, like an apple/orange/pineapple, as well as a salad. Plus the meals they prep everyday are very well rounded! It feels great to be so well nourished and taken care of. But don't worry Grandma and Grandpa, I still appreciate the "Pantry o' Plenty" experience I shared with you all when we lived together prior to this ;).

Now onto the more spiritual side of my week, and there's so much to cover, but I'll try and prioritize best I can.

Last Sunday was super great. It was sooo busy, it's funny how our "day of rest" is the one where we're running around to so many different meeting and workshops, Haha. I taught the lesson in priesthood class, alongside Vanhin Tracy, and we taught over The Creation, The Fall of Adam&Eve, and Agency. We prepared well, and led really good discussion! 1st counselor of our branch presidency commented on how he thought that was one of, if not the, best discussions he's ever witnessed during his 2 years at the MTC. So that's cool! Since I was assigned to be district leader, I led our district meeting, and I have to say I really enjoy doing that. I never thought of myself as a "natural" leader, but if I can be confident over a subject, and receive support from the people I'm with, it inspires me to believe that I am capable of being one. One thing I have certainly noticed is that I am certainly one of the least "knowledgeable" within our district; especially if we're talking about academics. I'm surrounded by a lot of bright and learned souls, sometimes it feels strange to be a "leader" over them.

A lot of my gospel knowledge has come through the Book of Mormon and the witness of the Holy Ghost, but a lot of the other district members are much more knowledgeable on the bible and deeper doctrines/history of our church. However, I have felt my relationship with the Holy Ghost become immensely strengthened since being here. I try to say more of my general prayers in Finnish, and it's the coolest thing feeling the spirit when speaking and thinking in a different language!!! But I've had some very profound experiences through prayer where I offered up the total desires of my heart in English, especially in the temple. Having this close companionship with the Holy Ghost has allowed me to keep up with the other missionaries, and teach with power. It's kind of really nice not being the smartest elder here, more many reasons, but most importantly it forces me to rely on the promptings of the Spirit. If I am to become a successful and effective missionary, I'm going to have to be worthy of the companionship of the Holy Ghost; I'll never be able to wing it based solely upon my gospel/language knowledge. I've had some fabulous teaching experiences, both in Finnish and English, and I give all the credit to the influence of the Spirit. Blessings come from being meek like unto a child, being humble and submissive, and keeping God's commandments. I can personally testify of this!

Last Tuesday, our devotional speaker was Sharon E. Eubanks, 1st counselor in the general Relief Society. She served her mission in Finland!!! She immediately became the coolest women's general authority ever. One really fascinating experience: She was speaking of how she knew an elder who grew up in Germany, spoke German, and had a German Father. He so badly wanted to serve his mission somewhere he could speak German, but got called to Finland. The Elder was initially livid to be speaking such an insignificant language, and felt that it was his destiny to serve German speaking. However, he ended up loving his mission and everything about Finland after he left the MTC. I'm not even making this up! You could imagine how I felt hearing this, having Sister Eubanks tell a story where it almost felt like I was her protagonist. After she told this story, I felt a surge to answer the next question she would address the missionary audience, which was composed of some 750+ Elders and SIsters! I chickened out on the first one, but I was on the edge of my seat so I could be first to raise my hand. Next question came, and I shot up, standing tall with my hand extended. Another Elder on the opposite side of the room did the same. It was a matter of who would have a mic ran to them first. Unfortunately, the mic runner on the other side of the hall was double stepping it, while my guy was just ambling his way up to me. I lost out, and didn't get to answer her question. She moved onto her next point, and I prayed that one more opportunity could present itself, and that I could share my thoughts and say something that would inspire the congregation. That opportunity never came. Family and friends, let me tell you, when you are denied the opportunity to speak and release the spirit that has so strongly filled your vessel, it is a truly awful feeling. There is a difference between disappointment from excitement, and disappointment from being robbed of sharing spiritually inspired thoughts. This was situation where both of these gauges were maxed out. I felt so terrible after that.

After the devotional, we were to have a district discussion over what insights and thoughts we had from the speakers. Me, being the district leader, was in charge of leading this discussion. Hahaha, family and friends, I could hardly look at my fellow elders and sisters without fighting off tears. The branch president was also there, and asked me to share any thoughts I had first. Haha, oh my goodness, I retold them of the experience I had where I was denied the opportunity to share the spirit, and I cried through telling the entire story. My moral of the story was that it isn't about us as missionaries. It isn't about us looking cool, or where we come from, and how we feel; it's about others. We are here to lose ourselves in the service of others, and the service of God. So perhaps God wanted me to realize that through this experience. Funnily enough, there was an immense spirit in the room as I spoke, and perhaps it was wisdom in the Lord that I share my thoughts personally with my district. It would've been so cool to be the German who got called to Finland, where Sister Eubanks served, in front of her and all the other missionaries; but I think that I was denied that opportunity so that I could bear profound testimony to my district. It isn't about me. It is about the people whom I am serving. It is about God and His plan for my progression on Earth. It felt wonderful to release the powerful spiritual feelings built up inside me with my district. Being worthy of the companionship of the Holy Ghost is so critical for me to have experiences like these. I hope that I am never found unworthy, and never grow content in my knowledge, but continually seek to be guided and led by the promptings of the Spirit of the Lord.

I want to try and make a habit of including Finnish in my emails, so I'll try and recite the Missionary purpose in Finnish (without cheating!).

Meidan Lähetyssarnaaja Tarkoitus:

Kutsua muita Kristuksen luokse autamalla heita ottamaan vastaan Palauttetu Evankeliumi, uskomalla Jeesuksen Kristuksen ja Hänen sovituksensa, tekemällä paranneus, ottamalla vastaan kaste ja Pyhen Hengen lahja, ja kestamalla loppun asti.

Moroni 10:5

"Ja Pyhen Hengen voimalla, sina voit tietää totuuden kaikesta"

I would like to extend a commitment to each of you this week, that you share a scripture that speaks to you with a friend (whether they be a member or not), and bear your testimony on why you like that scripture. I was able to share a scripture of my own, 2 Nephi 31:20, during TRC (basically teach a member fluent in your mission language a lesson), and while my Finnish was very poor, it magnified the spirit as I attempted to bear my testimony. Love and faith means is what pierces hearts, not clever words and logic. I invite each of you to do this and report back to me how it went. I expect 47 emails back ;) so do your part :P xD

I hope that all of you have a wonderful week :) It is always a joy to share my experiences with you all. Perhaps this email wasn't as short as I had originally thought it out to be! I hope to hear back from anybody who enjoyed the things I've shared, it means a lot! Also special shout out to last week's sponsors: Mom for the EUROPEAN FANTA she sent, as well as the Grandma and Grandpa for the huge sheet of delicious brownies!!! Letters from Mom, Dad, Saren/Donnie, and my Grandparents, were also wonderful. Thank you all so much for the overwhelming support! I love you all so much, I'm excited for the adventures of this next week, and to report back to all of you about it.

Until then,

Vanhin Koch

1 note · View note

deadparrish · 6 years

Text

BOOKS READ IN 2017

total count: 78

goodreads: punknicole

i’m going to give a rating and a brief review of each book— just a sentence or two, depending on how much i remember about the book. this is mostly for fun, but I hope someone gets some use out of this! happy new year and happy reading! and, of course, possible spoilers ahead.

I’ll Give You the Sun by Jandy Nelson: 5/5. Everyone and their mother has read this, so I’ll keep it short and sweet. I really enjoyed this book because I found it difficult to support just one specific character— everyone had flaws and they were all multi-dimensional. I appreciated the fact that each part of the story eventually matched up with the others.

Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon: 4/5. This was a cute book. I didn’t have too many strong feelings about it when I first read it, but it was enjoyable in a passing way. I thought the diversity was really wonderful but it was a bit overhyped.

The Dream Thieves by Maggie Stiefvater: 5/5. I was rereading this and I loved it even more than the first time I read it. I feel like if you follow me you’ve probably read this, since this is a mostly trc blog, so I won’t go too deep into this. It’s wonderful.

The Color Purple by Alice Walker: 5/5. I loved this a lot!!!! I think that the style it was written in is really interesting and the fact that it’s about a black lesbian is wonderful. It’s also a classic so I’d say that this should be on everyone’s reading list!!

The Foxhole Court by Nora Sakavik: 4/5. I never got as into these as everyone else seemed to. It was good and I read it really quickly, but it isn’t something I’d want to read again? I only read it because it had lgbt+ representation and honestly I think that’s all it has going for it.

The Raven King by Nora Sakavik: 4/5. Again, I read this really quickly. I can’t really remember what happens. I think this is the book that triggered me a bit— there was some pretty awful sexual assault.

The King’s Men by Nora Sakavik: 4/5. I remember being really disappointed in the ending, but I’m not sure why. I think I expected something a little more dramatic. Again, I read the whole trilogy over the span of two days, so it all kind of blended together. I’d suggest reading these so you can understand what all the tumblr posts are about, but they aren't my favorite.

The Elements of Style by William Strunk JR. and E. B. White: 4/5. Ah, the first book that I finished that was for school! This was basically a mini textbook, and I found it really informative if a bit dry at times. I’d recommend reading it if English is something that you’re passionate about.

Another Day by David Levithan: 2/5. This was awful. I had high hopes for it, because I really liked Every Day, but this just gives you insight into how awful the main character is. It’s completely unnecessary, and I wish I hadn’t read it.

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald: 5/5. I LOVED THIS!!! I read it for school and I absolutely fell in love. It’s extremely heavy handed on symbolism, but the language is so beautiful. I have a twitter thread about how I think that Nick is in love with Gatsby here.

We Are the Ants by Shaun David Hutchinson: 5/5. I really liked this too, and I recently gave this to my mom and grandma to read and they loved it too!! I think that the storyline was really interesting and it dealt with some really existential issues about life, which I always really enjoy.

You Know Me Well by David Levithan and Nina LaCour: 5/5. This was really cute!! I remember really enjoying the wlw representation in this, because most lgbt books focus on white guys, so this was refreshing.

Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes: 5/5. I bawled my eyes out reading this. I can’t even explain it but it is... so fucking good.

The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway: 2/5. Ugh. I didn’t even finish this. I know it’s a classic, but I just really couldn’t get into it. I might try again in a few years but it just didn’t work for me.

Deathless by Catherynne M. Valente: 5/5. I tried to find this books in stores for at least a year before I finally took the leap and ordered it online. I love it so much— it’s one of the first books on my reread list. The language is really beautiful and I love the aesthetic, but it is a bit dark.

Where the Red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawls: 5/5. A book straight out of my childhood! I love it just as much as I did when I was a kid, and I cried even more than I did the last time I read it, which had to have been at least ten years ago. It’s timeless and beautiful and I think it’s a must-read!

Milk and Honey by Rupi Kaur: 4/5. Honestly, I think this book is a bit overhyped. I enjoyed some of the poems but it didn’t leave a huge lasting impact.

Beauty Queens by Libba Bray: 3/5. This was a really fast read for me, and I sort of liked it? It was lighthearted and kind of funny and had incredible representation, but it wasn’t a favorite for me.

The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde: 4/5. I love Oscar Wilde, so I’m a bit biased, but I thought this was enjoyable. It was clever and passingly funny, but I think it would be better to see it performed live.

The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini: 5/5. This was my second time reading this, and I loved it even more than I did the first time I read it. I read this for school the first time and I’d definitely recommend that everyone read it at least once! It’s an incredible story and it really touches your heart.

The Black Swan by Mercedes Lackey: 4/5. I consider this a guilty pleasure book but I’m not exactly sure why. I read it when I was really young, which might be part of the reason why, since it has some really mature themes, but it’s a good read.

The May Queen Murders by Sarah Jude: 2/5. I remember seeing a lot of posts on here about this book, so I was disappointed when it ended up being really boring. I just didn’t like it, and I wouldn’t recommend it.

The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck: 4/5. I read this for school, and I’ll probably never pick it up again. I didn’t hate it, but it definitely wasn’t a favorite. I would recommend it, though, just because it’s a classic and it’s something that you Have To Read at least once.

Tell Me Again How a Crush Should Feel by Sara Farizan: 4/5. This was another book that I had really high expectations for because I saw a lot of hype for it on tumblr. I did like it, but it wasn’t life changing like I expected it to be.

The Uncensored Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde: 5/5. This is probably my favorite book of all time. I can’t say enough good things about it, so just read it.

The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison: 5/5. This was incredible! It really makes you think about American standards of beauty and how that affects your day-to-day life.

The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros: 4/5. I’ll be honest, I feel like I missed a huge part of this book because I read it really quickly, but I still liked it.

1984 by George Orwell: 5/5. Everyone needs to read this, especially in our current political climate. There are quite a few parallels between what happens in the novel an what’s happening today, and it’s really helpful when it comes to trying to understand what people on the news are talking about when they say we’re “living in 1984.”

This is Where it Ends by Marieke Nijkamp: 4/5. I remember being a little disappointed in this, but I still really liked it! I think I cried but I’m not super sure? I guess it didn’t leave as lasting of an impact as I thought it did, but I remember liking it as I read it.

Vampirates: Tide of Terror by Justin Somper: 4/5. This is definitely a guilty pleasure book and I’m not ashamed to admit it. My cousin recommended them to me at least ten years ago and every so often I get into a phase where I want to reread them. The title is pretty self-explanatory— vampire pirates.

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak: 5/5. One of my favorite reads of the year! The narrative style is really interesting and it’s really beautifully written. I absolutely recommend it!!

The Strange Case Of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson: 2/5. Ugh. Again, I couldn’t even finish this, and I’m not sure why. It just seemed so boring! I’ll try to reread it at some point but definitely not any time soon.

The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath: 5/5. I really enjoyed this!! It also got me into the good graces of my english teacher this year (she saw me carrying it around school and talked to me about it) so I’d recommend it!

Animal Farm by George Orwell: 5/5. I first read this in middle school and really liked it, so I figured I’d reread it and see if it held up, and it did. It’s another classic that I think should be on everyone’s read list!

The Mysterious Benedict Society and the Prisoner’s Dilemma by Trenton Lee Stewart: 5/5. These are really fun books that I’d recommend you read if you have a free afternoon! They’re clever, engaging, and easy to read.

Peter Pan by J. M. Barrie: 3/5. I didn’t like this and I can’t remember exactly why. I think that it was a bit dry for my liking, although it might have just been because I didn’t like all the talk about mothers. Either way, I wouldn’t recommend it.

Brain on Fire: My Month of Madness by Susannah Calahan: 5/5. This was really interesting! I don’t usually read memoirs, but my mom gave this to me to read and I actually really liked it.

The Scorch Trials by James Dashner: 4/5. I’ve tried to get into the Maze Runner series a few times, but it never quite manages to get me interested enough. I liked this well enough but it didn’t leave me invested enough to go out and buy the next book in the series, so it’ll probably be another year (at least) before I revisit this series. Oh well.

The Phantom of the Opera by Gaston Leroux: 4/5. The movie with Gerald Butler is yet another guilty pleasure of mine, so I really wanted to like this, but it kind of fell short. It was decent, but it took me a while to read, which always means that I’m not loving it.

The Holy Bible: 1611 Edition, King James Version by Hendrickson Bibles (compiler): I can’t write a real review for this because I only read certain parts of it for school, but I counted it on my goodreads because I wanted it to count towards my 2017 reading challenge. It was interesting, I guess?

The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett: 4/5. I didn’t expect to like this as much as I did! The characters were really sweet and I enjoyed their growth, and the plot was interesting.

Howl and Other Poems by Allen Ginsberg: 4/5. I picked this up because I had just watched Kill Your Darlings and I wasn't as impressed as I wanted to be. There were some good poems but nothing that stuck with me.

The Bad Beginning by Lemony Snicket: 5/5. The beginning of my series of unfortunate events reread! I love these books a lot and they were a huge part of my childhood. Everyone should read these books! I don’t have much to say about each individual book but I’ll try to make a comment or two on each one.

The Reptile Room by Lemony Snicket: 5/5. I love snakes so this is one of my favorites out of the series!

The Wide Window by Lemony Snicket: 5/5. This book helped create my tentative fear of heights. I always remember being horrified of the image of Aunt Josephines house.

The Miserable Mill by Lemony Snicket: 5/5. Nothing about this one really ever stood out to me besides my own outrage at child labor.

The Austere Academy by Lemony Snicket: 5/5. This is my favorite of all the books!! I think it’s because I’ve always been obsessed with the idea of boarding school.

The Ersatz Elevator by Lemony Snicket: 5/5. Climbing an elevator shaft would suck.

The Vile Village by Lemony Snicket: 5/5. I would love to live in a village filled with crows.

Mythology by Edith Hamilton: 5/5. I read this for school and it was really fascinating! I already knew a bit about Greek and Roman mythology (mostly because of Percy Jackson) but it was cool to learn more about it and Norse mythology.

A Clash of Kings by George R. R. Martin: 5/5. All I have to say is that A Song of Ice and Fire is so much better than Game of Thrones.

Witch & Wizard by James Patterson and Gabrielle Charbonnet: 3/5. I had found this in a box and wanted to reread it, and it wasn’t as good as I remember it being. It was a really fast read and fairly interesting, though, simply because of the magic.

The Hostile Hospital by Lemony Snicket: 5/5. I feel like this is when the books really take a dark turn, which makes them really interesting to read.

Blockade Billy by Stephen King: 5/5. I listen to this in the car with my dad whenever we take a long trip, and I always really enjoy it. There’s nothing super special about it, and I’ve never been super interested in books about sports, but this story is cool because it’s also about murder.

The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood: 5/5. This is amazing! It’s another book that’s been in the news a lot due to the Trump presidency, so I’d say give it a read simply because of that, but it’s incredible and should be read in its own right. A total cliffhanger ending.

Witch & Wizard: The Gift by James Patterson and Ned Rust: 3/5. Honestly, I can’t remember what this was about.

The Carnivorous Carnival by Lemony Snicket: 5/5. Those lions deserved better.

Holes by Louis Sachar: 4/5. This is one of those books that you’re supposed to read as a kid that I never got around to. I did like it, but I think I would have liked it a lot better if I had read it ten years ago.

How to Read Literature Like a Professor by Thomas Foster: 5/5. Another really awesome pseudo-textbook! It really teaches you a lot about certain aspects of literature that you’ve probably never thought about before, and it’ll really change the way you read!

Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass by Lewis Carroll: 3/5. This was really boring for me to read and I’m not sure why. I think I just expected it to be something else, and I didn't really like it.

Medea by Euripides, translated by Rex Warner: 4/5. My World Mythology class read this out-loud and it was really entertaining. It’s not a necessary read but it’s kind of fun.

The Rime of the Ancient Mariner by Samuel Taylor Coleridge: 5/5. This is super hard to read so I’d definitely recommend paraphrasing it as you go, but it’s a classic, so you definitely need to read it at least once.

The Turn of the Screw by Henry James: 3/5. Again, this was a book that I really wanted to like, but just couldn’t force myself to. I think I ended up skim-reading at least three-fourths of it.

The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks: 4/5. I think this is probably the first straight up romance novel that I’ve ever read, and I actually kind of liked it. It wasn’t my favorite, but it was cute and I cried a little bit at the end.

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon: 5/5. This was excellent! I’d never read anything like this before, and the format was super unique as well, and it was all around a good read. It was also really sad and made me really uncomfortable at times, which I think speaks to how well it’s written.

Frankenstein by Mary Shelley: 5/5. Super good. I read this for class and I’m really thankful for that, since I think there’s a lot of deeper meaning to the book that I was able to examine thanks to class discussions.

All the Crooked Saints by Maggie Stiefvater: 4/5. I liked this okay, but it’s definitely not on the same level as The Raven Cycle. I really enjoyed the characters in this— they were all extremely different from one another, and that was refreshing.

The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins: 5/5. This started a minor obsession with murder/thriller novels!!! It was extremely well written and had me guessing until the end (I didn’t see the final twist coming!) I actually leant this to my mom and she also loved it!

The Fellowship of the Ring by J. R. R. Tolkien: 4/5. I was desperate to like this more than I actually did. There were parts of it that I really liked, and parts of it that had me literally falling asleep.

Bridget Jones’s Diary by Helen Fielding: 3/5. Ugh. I didn’t like this at all. It’s only redeeming factor was that it’s a really fast read.

The Secret Life of Walter Mitty by James Thurber: 3/5. Extremely underwhelming.

The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien: 5/5. I wasn’t super into this in the beginning, because I don’t like war books, but I had to read it for class and I ended up loving it by the end. There’s definitely some triggering content but the book mainly focuses on the idea of truth and storytelling, and it’s really fascinating!

Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson: 4/5. This was okay. I found myself getting annoyed with how dramatic everything was, but it’s a story about overcoming odds and finding strength within yourself, which I know some people are into.

The Catcher in the Rye by J. D. Salinger: 3/5. Yikes. The narrator is so fucking annoying in this that I couldn’t take it seriously. I know it’s a classic, but I really didn’t like it.

The Giver by Lois Lowry: 4/5. This is another book that I wish I had read in a classroom setting when I was a little younger because I feel like I missed out on a lot of the deeper meaning because I sped through it in an hour or two. I did really enjoy it, though.

The Martian by Andy Weir: 4/5. This is one of the rare instances where I prefer the movie to the book. I liked this book okay, but there were big lengthy descriptions of the “science” that I found really tedious.

Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn: 5/5. I wish I had read this before I watched the movie, though I still really enjoyed it. It’s another book that leaves you guessing about what’s going to happen until the very end, and it leaves you feeling really unsettled.

Misery by Stephen King: 5/5. This is my first Stephen King book that I actually read (aka didn’t listen to)! I’m glad I picked this as my first book of his to read, because it’s shorter than some of his other stuff without being boring. It’s more violent and gory than I usually go for, but I still really liked it!

And that’s it! Happy new year, everyone!

#mine #books #books read in 2017 #books read #book recommendations #book rec #2017 books

9 notes · View notes

xrkdoyoung · 7 years

Text

ꜰʀᴀɢᴍᴇɴᴛ

everything gets too hard and things start to blur together. from the muscles in his body that begin to ache. to his voice that threatens to give out. a body that reaches its limits. but bodies weren’t made to work like machines. trainees weren’t meant to act as robots. it’s not as simple as implementing a chip to download all the necessary data to dance and sing.

trainees are only humans. seokmin was only human after all.

it’s a night when practice becomes too hard. he’s offbeat while dancing and his voice doesn’t quite project the right notes as they usually do. he looks beaten down and rough and it’s showing in his practice. he’s told a quick and succinct ‘get it together or get out’ by one of the trainers. seokmin doesn’t talk to anyone else after that.

when it’s time to go, he quickly gathers his things, tosses a black cap on his head and dons a face mask. his shorts rustle from the breeze, but it feels cool on his bare legs. his body felt hot from all the moving around he did, so it’s nice to finally get out.

he tightens his hold on the strap of his backpack and hoists it up higher on his shoulders. he wanders street by street, illuminated by the lights of stores and restaurants and huge billboards nearby. he has his head downcast as he makes his way through, carefully weaving himself through different bodies. he doesn’t feel like going back home tonight. not yet.

if he went home now, his mind overthinks and he gets really emotional. at least when seokmin occupies himself, he doesn’t have to think whatsoever. he doesn’t have to worry. he hates worrying the most. if only things could be easier. if only he was just good enough, then he wouldn’t have to try ten times more.

he lands himself at his favorite chinese restaurant. the owner recognizes him since he’s always coming and ordering food from here. it felt a lot like home and the food was comforting too. seokmin pulls down his facemask and smiles before walking over to his usual booth in the back.

the owner knows his usual order by now and seokmin’s thankful for that. he gets a pot of tea placed on the table as well and a glass of water as custom. he places his phone face up on the table.

she’s a kind older woman. owns the restaurant by herself. built it up with her own two hands. has two kids who are off doing their own thing. her grandson works here, too. something about building character from what seokmin remembers from the last time. his name was taeho and honestly he and seokmin got along pretty well and sometimes when it wasn’t busy, like nights like tonight, he’d come sit and chat for awhile.

“seokmin hyung!”

“taeho. hey.”

taeho seems to sense something before he sits down in the seat opposite seokmin and stares intensely at him. under the heavy gaze, seokmin tries to steel himself away to not look directly in the other’s eyes. clearing his throat, he quietly begins tapping his fingers on the table.

“something’s wrong.”

it wasn’t a question from taeho, but a statement. yet how is seokmin supposed to just agree and say there’s a problem. he himself can’t even directly pinpoint what that something is anyways.

“i mean nothing’s terrible... it’s just hard.”

taeho pauses and seokmin continues. “so i’m a trainee for trc.”

“oh congrats, hyung! you like performing so much. good job!”

seokmin gently nods his head with a slight smile before explaining some more.

“it’s a lot hard than i thought it would be. like it was fun at first, but today was just absolutely horrible for me. my mind and body just wasn’t in it at all. i wasn’t dancing on time and i kept getting scolded. while practicing my singing, my voice just kept cracking. got scolded some more. had to clean and mop as punishment for doing so poorly in training. i just...”

seokmin didn’t even realize that tears start streaming down his face and his hands on the table had been shaking the entire time.

“i want to debut so badly. i just want to sing, but i feel like at the rate i’m going, i won’t even make it.”

he sniffles some and taeho looks like he’s deep in thought. seokmin seldom cries, so they must definitely come as a shock to his younger friend. he wipes at his tears with the back of his sleeve and inhales deeply.

“hyung, do you think maybe you want to quit?”

“what?”

“you seem quite unhappy, hyung. all this training and stress. you don’t seem like you’re enjoying it like you once used to enjoy singing and performing. but maybe that’s just me.”

seokmin frowns. if he quits now, everything he ever worked for will be thrown aside.

“personally, i think you’re lost. and that’s okay. you just need to find yourself again and find the reason why you’re even training this hard. find what will make it worth it in the end. so what if you had one bad day? you’ll have more good days to counter it. trust me. trc, right? isn’t that a big deal? think about it before you act.”

seokmin stares shocked at taeho before dumbly nodding his head. the stress and practicing was getting to him and he couldn’t let any of that affect his actions. he chewed on his bottom lip.

“whatever your choice is, hyung, know that i will support you. me and grandma, of course.”

said woman comes over with his plate of food and a gentle smile on her face. she didn’t need to say anything before she knew seokmin was crying just previously. she leaves and taeho gets up to follow him before resting his hand on seokmin’s shoulder, affectionately rubbing it.

“you’ll figure things out. you’re meant for great things, hyung.”

#( ` solo )#( ` the crown's road )#sad beanstalk seokmin #but moments of realization happen as well

4 notes · View notes

greenmantle · 7 years

Text

assorted tdt notes, part 1

trb notes | tdt pt 2

i’m back with random notes of things that appealed specifically to me in the dream thieves! i’m writing these notes as i read (hooray for structure!) so..enjoy!

i still don’t understand the secrets at the beginning. it all sounds like nonsense to me. i do love that the second secret is framed as like a song, that’s cute

“probably not pleasant at all,” the gray man describes declan waiting to have his door kicked in, while at the same time describing declan’s whole entire life

old people make ronan anxious

“at night, [gansey] looked particularly small” gansey is tiny #confirmed by ronan

“and [in ronan’s dreams] the trees speak [latin].” “like in cabeswater.” wow maggie was really. heavy handed in directly linking cabeswater to ronan from the start

sullen and elegant and fluently disdainful of dream-ronan’s clumsy attempts to communicate. page 39 is how early it was being made evident that ronan had a big embarrassing crush

the puzzle box: “rainbow-striped grain of the wood” idk what that means but i like the concept #rainbowsforronan

“and it’s been dating your girlfriend,” ronan says to blue, about the puzzle box, further confirming that blue sargent likes girls, thank you

i love how much all the gang hate kavinsky but i’m particularly tickled by adam’s complete and utter refusal to acknowledge him beyond saying he was a prick at the beginning of the book. goals

i feel like noah telling ronan he knew why he was mad and then saying “it’s not my job to tell other people’s secrets” should have tipped me off a little more when i first read this, but it did not

rather than focus on that whole “the devil showed niall lynch his genitals” thing i’m gonna focus on how the lynches had “an enormous number of guns of all sizes” and say i hope someone had the forethought to get rid of at least 90% of those guns

“gansey belonged to some religion that only required church attendance on christmas” gansey is #NotRonansChristian (is that a bad joke)

MATTHEW LYNCH: A BEAR OF A BOY, SQUARE AND SOLID AND EARNEST

matthew is fat this is canon

ronan and ashley hate each other and i deserve scenes of them being rude to each other @ maggie where are they

“he hid the insatiable wanting well, but now that she’d seen it once, she couldn’t stop seeing it. but he wouldn’t be able to explain it to maura. and he would never really have to explain it to blue. it was his something more.” i just...love bluesey. those kids get each other

“she’s a lovely woman, i suppose. if you like them bald and racist.” is gansey’s most iconic line and it’s about his grandmother. poetic

speaking of grandmothers, blue refers to her grandmothers, plural, as both being dead. blue’s grandmas confirmed lesbians

pg. 118: gansey, dangling his arm outside, patted the side of the car as if it were a horse. “that’ll do, pig. that’ll do.”

nerd

adam thought that he couldn’t trust his own eyes and then two chapters later ronan dreams about adam strangling him

“ronan could not kill him, no matter how much orphan girl begged. it was adam.”

the raven king was just..full of call backs

ronan knocked over a bookshelf to keep the night horror in his room but he stopped to pile the books up. cute

gansey uses a box cutter to fight off the night horror. does he always get his murder weapons at home depot? god, he’s butch

does anyone get this reference

“she wore a dress ronan thought looked like a lampshade. whatever sort of lamp it belonged on, gansey clearly wished he had one. ronan wasn’t a fan of lamps.” 1 most iconic passage in any piece of literature 2 ronan knew about gansey’s big crush on blue and stayed in his own lane

ronan calls adam einstein and in return adam reminds ronan that there must be a shovel somewhere in one of the barns at ronan’s house

ronan’s response: oh, yeah.

blue goes with ronan when he sees aurora for the first time since he left the barns - there’s something to be said about ronan and blue and mothers. will revisit at a later time

ronan is angry when everyone else isn’t but is so calm when everyone else is angry that it makes blue angrier

calla has four coyotes tattooed on her spine

declan’s middle name starts with a ‘t’ what do you think it is. i bet it’s tiberius #thelynchfamilywasastartrekfamily

ronan owns at least one cowboy boot. yee haw.

while i’m gone dream me the world. something new for every night. still gets to me so hard. that whole substance party chapter just. gets. to. me. good gansey/ronan content

ronan sarcastically blows gansey a kiss as he, helen, and adam fly away in the helicopter

helen gansey, about vegan food: you have to use olive oil instead of butter because cows make butter and italians make olive oil

vegans vote, too!

gansey has a vinyl lp that is “too clever to interest” blue and noah, hipster gansey lives

next paragraph: gansey wrote beatles lyrics on his giant printout of henrietta hipster gansey cancelled annoying music snob gansey activated

or are they one in the same?

this post is almost the length of my first trc reread notes post and considering i’m only halfway done with the book..i had to stop. i’ll be back with part 2 eventually!! please share with me your thoughts and feelings about anything and everything mentioned above

#trc #trc reread #tdt liveblog #mine: text

125 notes · View notes

thetruthofyourdespair-blog · 7 years

Text

SO MANY QUESTIONS

Rules: answer all questions (that you can), add one question of your own and then tag as many people as there are questions (yeaaaaaaah, not gonna do that)

………..

I was tagged by @1stlieutenant-riza-hawkeye Thank you!

………..

1. coke or pepsi: Either, tbh

2. disney or dreamworks: I like SOME Disney films (mostly Pixar) and Disney is (in my opinion) way too overrated. I absolutely love Dreamworks because they blessed us with Kung Fu Panda, which I one of my all-time favourite films

3. coffe or tea: Tea! (so stereotypically British)

4. books or movies: Both. Just both. I love both too much

5. windows or mac: Windows. Hate Mac

6. dc or marvel: Marvel

7. x-box or playstation: … Neither, but I’ll just pretend Nintendo was an option. I grew up with Pokemon and Mario (getting my first DS and Pokemon Pearl for my seventh Christmas- the year Pearl came out)

8. dragon age or mass effect: Neither. I’ve never played those kind of games

9. night owl or early riser: Night owl

10. Cards or chess: Cards. I like pontoon

11. chocolate or vanilla: Chocolate

12. vans or converse: Converse. I’ve never owned a pair of Vans

13. avellan, Trevelyan, Cadash, or Adaar: The who, the what, the when, the where, the why?

14. fluff or angst: BOTH SLAY ME. I’LL TAKE EITHER ANY DAY

15. beach or forest: Both again. But only forest if it’s sunny, and beach if it’s abroad (like Spain)

16. dogs or cats: Cats, because dogs are too jumpy. Although, I have a Miniature Schnauzer and I love her to bits

17. clear skies or rain: Clear sky. It feels so much better than rain

18. cooking or eating out: Eating out. The food is always better

19. spicy food or mild food: Mild, because I can’t stomach anything hotter than chilli Doritos

20. halloween/samhain or solstice/yule/christmas: Christmas, although I’m not much of a large celebration fan. I don’t see the hype over Halloween either :/

21. would you rather forever be a little too cold or a little too hot: This always bothers me. I prefer to be cold so then I can wrap myself in warm blankets and have cups of tea. So I’ll go with a little too cold

22. if you could have a superpower, what would it be: Shapeshifting, like Tonks in Harry Potter

23. animation or live action: Both. Definitely.

24. paragon or renegade: ????????????

25. baths or showers: Baths, but I always spend too long in them

26. team cap or team ironman: Iron Man, because RDJ is my spirit animal

27. fantasy or sci-fi: Fantasy

28. do you have three or four favorite quotes, if so what are they: (not in order)

I have way too many, but my favourites follow: * “Never doubt your significance in the eyes of history”- FMA * “We’re only as good as the promises we keep”- Fargo (TV show) * “When I, who am called weapon or monster, fight a real monster then I can realise that I’m just human”- FMA * “Made weak by time and fate, but strong in will”- the poem Ulysses by Alfred Lord Tennyson

29. youtube or netflix: I don’t own Netflix unlike everybody else I know, and I kind of grew up with YouTube watching LPers like Chuggaaconroy (my absolute fave) and Marriland (also my fave)

30. harry potter or percy jackson: Harry Potter!!!!

31. when you feel accomplished: I don’t usually get this feeling

32. star wars or star trek: Neither. Not my bag.

33. paperback books or hardback books: Both again! I hate it when people hate on hardbacks :(

34. to live in a world without literature or without music?: I’d rather die along with the both of them

35. who was the last person to make you laugh?: My magnificent and hilarious grandma. I love her so.

36. sour or sweet candy: Sweet

37. dawn or dusk: Dusk (gotta love those sunsets)

38. piercings or tattoos: Either. I’d love to get a tattoo and I already have my ears pierced

39. girls? HOT?????: Most are and most slay, but not me. I’m a potato who tries her best and never succeeds *thumbs up*

40. snow or fog: Either, but fog brings back the haunting memories of my Belgium/France battlefields trip last October

41. do you sleep facing the wall or the room? My bed is in the middle of the room, but I face the window (laying on my leg side)

42. TRC or AFTG: dafuq??

43. horror or drama: Drama. I’d rather gouge out my eyes than watch a horror movie

44. ocarina of time or majora’s mask?: Haven’t played either. But I’ve watched a few Let’s Plays on both.

45. would you rather live in an area of more nature or city?: nature. Where I live is more nature-y but is in the town.

46. what’s your addiction right now?: Anything that includes the words ‘Royai’ and 'fic’. I just can’t live without thinking about them all day every day. Somebody give me more Royai fics??? I’ll give you cookies???

47. what languages can you speak?: English, and broken Welsh, German, Spanish, and French

48. If you could live anywhere in the world where would it be?: America, Belgium, or Japan

49. sun or moon?: Either. I don’t like too much sunlight and the moon ain’t bright enough

50. potato bread or banana bread?: What the hell is potato bread?? And I’ve never tried banana bread

51. are horses good?: Very good. Very helpful. Very beautiful.

52. Edward Elric or Alphonse Elric?: This is like asking whether I prefer to keep my arms or my legs (sorry FMA fans, reference not intended), but if I had to choose I’d say Edward

53. Logan or Deadpool?: Logan bae. Love a bit of Hugh Jackman

54. Pokémon or Digimon?: POKEMON. IT’S LITERALLY MY CHILDHOOD SUMMED UP IN ONE WORD. I was brought up with Diamond and Pearl, but HeartGold and SoulSilver are my favourites!

55. One-shots or lengthy fics?

I tag (and I have no clue who has done this before, so sorry in advance): @ificecanburn @queenxolivier @purplemaple-xoxo @serendipitous-fate @psycho-alchemist @the-alexandrian-alchemist @didsomeonesayroyai @rizaandthehawkeyes @toomuchfreetyme2 @lovesfma @fightforwhatubelievein @lonepiper5758 @icameheretowinry @ishvallas @tea-withjamandbread

#tag #tag meme #so many questions #thetruthofyourdespair

14 notes · View notes