#now we’re thinking maybe (big maybe) september or october
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the unhinged younger brother
series masterlist
SEPTEMBER 2019
rhys jones YOU WROTE A SONG FOR SID? WHERE'S THE SONG FOR ME?
mae jones you don't deserve one pipsqueak.
daphne jones listen to the song first rhys, then we can talk.
rhys jones WHY IS THE SONG GOING TO CHANGE HOW I FEEL?
mae jones please just listen to the song.
5 MINUTES LATER
rhys jones well now i feel like an a-hole.
rhys jones please give max my apologies and a happy birthday.
rhys jones do not tell anyone that i cried.
OCTOBER 2019
rhys jones must you add him?
daphne jones rhys, we’re engaged now. he's going to be a jones.
mae jones you have to be nice to him rhys.
rhys jones i'm 10, i don't have to do anything.
mae jones remider, stop using the voice to text, we know you're a horrible writer, you're 10.
rhys jones i'm telling mom!
daphne jones added one person
rhys jones WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?! THIS IS TREASON!
daniel ricciardo still as dramatic as ever i see
rhys jones your a bully. i'm 10.
daniel ricciardo *you're
rhys jones this is why they replaced you with pierre...
daphne jones RHYS!
daniel ricciardo i left the team
rhys jones yeah, for renault. who does that?
mae jones this may have been a mistake
rhys jones a mistake was daph dumping tom hiddleston for daniel...
daniel ricciardo stay pressed pint size.
JANUARY 2020
rhys jones can i fight the entire internet? can i?
mae jones no, you can't buddy.
rhys jones it's not fair. not again.
daphne jones you were a baby in 2016, you have no memories of that time.
rhys jones the internet exists daphne! i have seen everything!
daphne jones well now i'm telling mom to restrict your time on the internet.
rhys jones you can't protect me forever!
daniel ricciardo we can fucking try stinker!
rhys jones it's not fair. it's not nice. it's not cool.
daniel ricciardo the internet is never kind kiddo.
mae jones just ignore it, it'll go away after a few weeks
rhys jones what if it doesn't?
mae jones you ignore it. this isn't something you should concern yourself with. they're my problems, i'll handle it.
rhys jones how can i ignore it when they're tell you to go kill yourself? all for falling in love? it's not fair.
mae jones rhys. please. i'll deal with it.
rhys jones fine.
daniel ricciardo and now he's pissed. great.
rhys jones not mad at her. mad at the internet. bunch of poopy-brains.
MAY 2020
rhys jones mclaren? you're moving to mclaren?
daniel ricciardo yes?
rhys jones why?
daniel ricciardo because?
rhys jones big mistake. mark my words.
daphne jones please leave him alone.
rhys jones he agreed to this when he asked you to marry him!
rhys jones mistake because he's driving with a younger driver again! this is why you left red bull!
daniel ricciardo how do you know that?
rhys jones I WATCHED DRIVE TO SURVIVE NERD!
daniel ricciardo keep him away from drive to survive.
rhys jones never! how else will i be able to make fun of you?
daniel ricciardo here's a thought? maybe don't?
rhys jones no. you agreed to this. to be apart of this family. these are the consequences of your actions
daniel ricciardo eh, your sister is worth dealing with you.
rhys jones ew gross. love.
SEPTEMBER 2021
rhys jones still don't like you but CONGRATS ON THE MONZA WIN BIG STINK!
daniel ricciardo THANKS LITTLE STINK!
mae jones they definitely like each other. they have nicknames for each other.
rhys jones I DO NOT! (i still think mclaren is a mistake) BUT CONGRATS!
daphne jones just admit you like him and we'll let this go.
rhys jones i don't like him!
daniel ricciardo you so like me little stink.
rhys jones i tolerate you at best.
daniel ricciardo nah, you totally like me.
rhys jones I DO NOT!
DECEMBER 2021
rhys jones SOMEONE ADD SID! I HAVE TO CONGRATULATE HIM
mae jones added one person
max verstappen what the fuck?
rhys jones CONGRATS SID VERSTAPPEN! WORLD CHAMPION!
rhys jones i still hate you for breaking my sister's heart BUT CONGRATS!
max verstappen thanks?
rhys jones TAKE THE COMPLIMENT SID!
daniel ricciardo okay little stink, calm down.
max verstappen i did timon
daniel ricciardo timon?
max verstappen he calls me sid, i call him timon. like from the lion king.
daniel ricciardo i know where it's from max!
rhys jones he's not the one with the broken childhood.
daphne jones okay, you've spent way too much time with ryan. i'm cutting you off.
rhys jones NO! IT'S NOT FAIR! I'M HAVING A GOOD TIME AND YOU PUSH IT AWAY!
max verstappen ENOUGH WITH THE INCHIDENT JOKES! I ALREADY HAVE TO DEAL WITH IT FROM THE OTHER NERDS NOW YOU TOO?
rhys jones WORLD CHAMPIONS HAVE NO SAY IN THE GROUP CHAT!
AUGUST 2022
rhys jones i hate to be the one to say it...
daniel ricciardo go ahead.
rhys jones FUCK MCLAREN!
daphne jones RHYS!
mae jones RHYS!
daniel ricciardo not where i thought this conversation was going to go.
rhys jones HE GAVE ME PERMISSION!
daniel ricciardo i thought you were going to say i told you so...
max verstappen glad we agree on something. come back to red bull nerd.
rhys jones yeah! i'll get rid of checo for you.
max verstappen woah. let's not resort to murder
rhys jones pfft. who said anything about murder? i meant kidnapping.
mae jones that's not any better buddy.
daphne jones please stay away from ryan.
rhys jones this is your fault because you told me to audition for his movie!
APRIL 2023
rhys jones YOU BOOGERS GOT MARRIED? WITHOUT ME THERE? HOW COULD YOU?
mae jones I'M SORRY! IT JUST HAPPENED!
rhys jones I'M STEALING YOUR CATS!
max verstappen LEAVE MY CHILDREN OUT OF THIS RHYS!
rhys jones I SWEAR TO GOD VERSTAPPEN IF YOU DO TO MY SISTER WHAT OUR DAD DID TO OUR MOM I WILL END YOU!
max verstappen i would never do that. ever. i love her too much to do that.
rhys jones good. would hate to murder the current world champion.
max verstappen did daniel also get threatened or was it just me?
rhys jones i plead the fifth...
daniel jones-ricciardo he threatened to cut my nutsack off
daphne jones-ricciardo RHYS!
rhys jones i didn't do it! i want nieces and nephews daph! i want to be a cool uncle!
max verstappen yeah, according to lando, lewis is set to be the cool uncle.
rhys jones great i lost the title to some guy who’s not even related to us. is this what lewis felt after abu dhabi 2021?
max verstappen oh you’ve got jokes now?
rhys jones i’m available all year!
AUGUST 2023
rhys jones i'm not panicking. i don't like him. BUT IS HE OKAY?
daniel jones-ricciardo i'm okay!
max jones-verstappen a few broken bones but yeah, he's fine.
rhys jones you know, watching that happen live is much worse than people think it is.
rhys jones WHAT DO YOU MEAN BROKEN BONES?!
daniel jones-ricciardo i'll be fine, nothing surgery can't fix. i'll be out for a little while but i'll probably be back by texas.
mae jones-verstappen realistically, that's the race that's more important to danny
rhys jones does this mean you'll go back to being a trophy husband?
daniel jones-ricciardo yes.
daphne jones-ricciardo great, someone can babysit rhys for mom.
rhys jones oh great. i get stuck with him?
rhys jones AND I'M 14! I DON'T NEED A BABYSITTER!
max jones-verstappen we watched you grow up timon, you need a babysitter.
mae jones-verstappen just last week, you tried jumping off the roof of sophie's house because lando dared, you need a babysitter
daphne jones-ricciardo HE DID WHAT?
rhys jones I AM PERCY JACKSON! I AM INVINCIBLE!
daphne jones-ricciardo RHYS WHEN I GET MY HANDS ON YOU! YOU IDIOT YOU COULD'VE BEEN HURT!
daniel jones-ricciardo at least i would've had a friend in the hospital with me.
daphne jones-ricciardo you two idiots are lucky i love you and i'm in mexico city or i would've hurt you both
rhys jones defeats the whole purpose of keeping me safe no?
max jones-verstappen glad to know that even in the face of certain death rhys still has his sass.
rhys jones i am persassy!
OCTOBER 2023
rhys jones someone tell charles that i'll be personally throttling everyone at the FIA headquarters.
rhys jones this is bull-crap.
max jones-verstappen i will gladly pass the message along rhys.
daniel jones-ricciardo glad to know someone agrees with me
mae jones-verstappen we ride at dawn.
daphne jones-ricciardo well glad to know we're all in agreement the group chat is currently in flames.
rhys jones if i had a nickel for everytime carlos sainz got handed a podium after a dsq, i'd have two nickels, which isn't a lot but it's weird that it happened twice.
rhys jones it's me and my sword against the FIA
max jones-verstappen your sword isn't real rhys.
rhys jones it is because i say so.
rhys jones say that again and i'll steal your cats. i swear it max.
max jones-verstappen LEAVE MY CHILDREN OUT OF THIS TIMON!
AN INTERVIEW WITH RYAN REYNOLDS AND RHYS JONES
comments
user my brain refuses to believe that this boy is related to daphne.
↳ user daphne wrote the lyrics, "i’ll tell them you’re gay" in the og picture to burn. are you really having a hard time believing they're related?
↳ user ngl, that completely flew over my head.
user love this kid. he’s great.
user knowing that ryan basically watched this kid grow up and decided yup, he can play the younger version of me in a movie is something so special to me.
user i don't know what's funnier that dig at griffin or that dig at max?
↳ user definitely the one at griffin.
user daphne and mae not letting him meet charles or seb is so funny, she knows he's about to reign chaos on the paddock.
↳ user let him meet isabella and lando and it's over for them.
user he's a tifosi? max must be so upset
↳ user why would he? he's not dating mae anymore
↳ user it's a joke, watch the video and you'll see he made a similar joke
user did ryan just call max mae's boyfriend? are they back together?
↳ user i think it was more as an umbrella term. rhys jokes about griffin too
↳ user i got my hopes up for nothing.
user love how rhys doesn't even mention griffin and everyone assumes that stingy joke was about him.
↳ user well, he did only joke about mae's boyfriends. safe to assume that joke was about him.
↳ user personally i always saw george russell as stingy, but that's just me.
user i love this kid, best choice to play a young ryan reynolds. get this kid to play him in deadpool 3.
taglist: @burningcupcakefire @arkhammaid @sunflower-golden-vol6 @applopie @lorarri @mypage-myfandoms @bb-swift @thewannabewriter @you-bleed-just-toknowyouarealive @stopeatread @hobiismyhopeu @lilsiz @alessioayla @niniluvsainz @au-ghosttype @cowboylikemets1989 @justtprachisblog @rmeddar123 @nichmeddar @landonorizzz @unluckyyoshi @Mimolovescookies @brekkers-whore @natcha888 @camdensreg @mycenterfold @dear-fifi @prongsvault @kaa212 @anxxiousaries @julesbabey1 @julesbabey @georgeparisole @Smnthnclj
strikethrough means i couldn't tag you
¡leclerc-s speaks!
i'm adding to the jones sisters lore! this was mostly because i watched the pjo show and i loved walker's performance in the adam project with ryan. i also just wanted to give max and daniel someone who constantly bickered with them, hence the little brother for mae and daphne. this part needed to come out before the fruitcake part because i did mention rhys there and i didn't want anyone to be confused on who he was.
¡disclaimer!
this is in no way making assumptions about the people involved in this story, this is all fake. it is a fanfiction please don't take any of what is said seriously. this is all for entertainment purposes and as a creative outlet for me. enjoy!
#leclerc-s#the honest series#max verstappen#max verstappen x female oc#daniel ricciardo#daniel ricciardo x female oc#formula 1#formula 1 fic#fanfic#fanfiction#f1#f1 smau#f1 social media au#f1 instagram au#f1 fic
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which albums do you think took the shortest amount of time to put together? i think that evermore was very quick (only two or three months?), am i right in thinking that lover and folklore were pretty quick too?
evermore was super quick! there were about five songs written from october-december, but about 12 songs were written in about a month, between mid august and mid september. which is just crazy. like that’s more songs than the standard edition of debut like that’s insane
the bulk of folklore was written in two months, between may and june, though the jack songs were mostly written between march and april, with some pre pandemic songs (my tears in dec 2019 and trying in jan/feb 2020)
midnights was a bit more spread out— high infidelity and would’ve could’ve should’ve were written in march 2021, i believe bigger than the whole sky and snow on the beach were in early 2022– but still the bulk of it came together in november/december 2021, making it a year in total but mostly done in two months.
rep took almost exactly a year— she starts writing it in september 2016 and finishes in september 2017. the bulk of the album was likely finished by july 2017 though, so it goes was just a super last minute addition.
lover was recorded in about four months— the bulk of the album was between november 2018 and february 2019. there are some exceptions, like death by a thousand cuts in late april and likely london boy in early june, and maybe a few jack songs throughout 2018, but we don’t know for sure which. she was also probably stockpiling songs a bit before jumping into the studio, but we don’t know for sure.
1989 was another stockpiling album— she did this love in 2012, a couple songs jan 2013, and then that aforementioned stockpiling period while she’s on tour, and then a big rush in oct/nov 2013, and then another rush in jan/feb 2014. it sounds like now that we don’t talk came fairly late in the process though, possibly as late as fall 2014, which would make it a two year long writing period, but as far as the original album goes, about a year and a half.
red was also about a year and a half— we have all too well being finalized in march 2011 (after being started in dec 2010), and then 22 and i knew you were trouble in june 2012. there are probably some outliers— stay stay stay might’ve been as early as summer 2010, some stuff on the vault might’ve gone up until september 2012– but that’s at most about two years of consistent writing and recording.
if we’re counting sparks fly (halloween 2006) then it took four years to write speak now, but excluding sparks fly georg the earliest song we know for sure was if this was a movie in april 2009, and then it ended with the story of us in june 2010, which is a little over a year. she was likely writing songs for speak now earlier in 2009 though, making it her standard year and a half, but we just don’t know for sure. the recording process was also spread out throughout both years— the first session for the album was in march 2009, and the orchestra sections were the last thing recorded, in july 2010.
fearless had two big recording sessions, in december 2007 and march 2008, so recording wise the album came together super quickly. that being said, if we just take the first and last songs written for the album, fearless has a pretty big stretch— she had stuff from the vault from like 2005, and then come in with the rain in september 2006, and white horse in december 2006. and then the last song is similarly up for interpretation, with forever and always in late september 2008, and mr perfectly fine in march 2009. so even though it came together very quickly once she got in the studio, counting the vault it was four years to write it, making it one of the longest timeframes, but standard edition is still a fairly long two years.
and then debut! i’m a bit more hazy on debut’s timeline, but a perfectly good heart was written sometime in 2003, and should’ve said no was the last thing written and recorded, on august 10, 2006, making it about three years.
so it’s pretty much an exercise in counting— the earlier and album came in her career, the longer it took her to make it, until we get to post pandemic where she’s busting out almost complete albums in two month periods (ts11 looks like it’s bucking that trend though, so let’s see!!)
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PJM2 + Solo Music Timeline Theory pt2
So I already did my big desperate timeline prediction post, but now that we got RPWP and another possible PJM2 hint with MMM, I do have some updated thoughts. So here’s a pt2.
I’m going to stick with my prediction that PJM2 could be a summer album, and if so I think that a July release would make a lot of sense considering the album release pattern that has sort of emerged (although one time is definitely not enough to establish a pattern lol).
Basically there was exactly two months between the release of HOTS (march 29th) and RPWP (may 24th), and exactly one month between HOTS release and RPWP preorders. That means if we keep the same pattern the next album will come out at the end of July with preorders opening end of June.
This would actually be perfect considering the first half of June is going to be dedicated to Jin’s return and FESTA. What better way to cap off FESTA celebrations than an album announcement? And this schedule is the perfect way to keep content flowing without gaps or too much overlap.
We know for FESTA content we’re getting Jin’s return, RPWP MV #4 (iirc), and my guess would be possibly Jikook show teaser/announcement, maybe a group single from the vault like Take Two? There might be some more subunit variety content like MMM too. I’m sure they have some stuff planned. Plus Jin returning will be huge.
Also this album release order would follow another pattern (that might be unintentional) but basically it would be following their debut album release order: JITB -> Indigo -> FACE, HOTS -> RPWP -> PJM2
If JK releases a single after PJM2 it would also somewhat follow this pattern considering Seven came after FACE, and I don’t think Yoongi is going to be dropping music if he’s really keeping an extra low profile because of alternative enlistment. Although Fri(end)s would be the outlier here, so maybe I’m overthinking this part lol.
I still think the Jikook show could come out during the summer and be used to promote both of Jikook’s music releases. JK also hinted that he had something big in the summer so I’m still assuming it’s going to be a single (unless he’s the one with an album).
I somehow forgot about JKs documentary when I made my last post. I can’t remember if there was any actual information about when it would be released? But if we don’t have any idea, I could see September working really well if they use his birthday month like Jimin did for the Production Diary.
If JK has a single in August it would flow perfectly into Golden documentary and bonus documentary content in September. If he’s the one to release music in July I could also see it being released for Seven anniversary too.
But there’s definitely enough time for Jikook to both release music between June - August if one of them is releasing a single and the other an album, although that would be crazy considering Jikook are probably going to have the most intense releases as far as charting goes. I could see either of them releasing in September/October too. I won’t survive if we have to wait until 2025 for PJM2 so I’m not going to entertain that train of thought just yet, and JK said summer for himself so.
I guess we’ll have to wait and see. I really have no idea! This is definitely probably way too much speculation based on absolutely nothing substantial 😭 but this is how I keep myself sane while the fandom implodes.
But yeah, my current prediction timeline is
First half of June - Jin return, FESTA content, RPWP MV, maybe Jikook show teaser
2nd half of June - PJM2 announcement and preorders
1st half of July - possible PJM2 prerelease and content, maybe Jikook show starts
2nd half of July - PJM2, MMM mini edition
August - JK releases a single or EP + Jikook show could start if it hasn’t yet
September - possible JK documentary with extra content and rollout similar to Jimin’s Production Diary, or once again Jikook show if it hasn't started yet
October - Hobi returns, maybe Jin album announcement? (if we were following previous pattern it would be an album at the end of the month, but that's probably way too soon)
And then obviously the rest of the year will be mostly Jin album, maybe also a single, and various promotions and activities + not sure how soon Hobi will start releasing content but he did say he had plans post-enlistment so we’ll definitely see something. And I do think a mini tour in 2025 seems crazy but possible. That would absolutely fill up the beginning of the year with something big and exciting to tide ARMYs over until June.
I can’t remember if Namjoon or Taehyung mentioned documentaries for their albums? But that could happen too, and I’m sure that the enlisted members have more surprises outside of their major music releases considering MMM came out of nowhere, so maybe some mini subunit variety content, or some more singles and collabs.
Still I hope this timeline is right. I don’t think I could handle a much longer wait for PJM2 or the travel show tbh 😭
#jimin#pjm2#bts#well i was wrong about jkk show for festa#BUT#jkk show could still be summer#and I still think PJM2 for summer#but i could be wrong 🤡#this is just for fun#because i make lists when im stressed#also i just wanted this documented somewhere in case i was right lmao#but no one come at me if im wrong 😭#sometimes their schedules make NO sense#also i'm a pessimist so I'm not 100% JM is releasing an album#but i really hope so 🫠
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Something cute for Choso because I never write him enough🫶🏾
Choso slowly put his hand in between the book you were reading out loud for the both of you and you gave him an amused look.
“Marry me.”
That wasn’t what you were expecting. “Well that didn’t really sound like a question.”
“You have the right to say no, of course. I don’t think I would ever recover though.”
“What brought this on?”
He smoothed his hands over your legs, coaxing you to sit on his lap. He took off your glasses and placed them on top of his head, then rubbed small circles into your back.
“We’ve already made a routine for ourselves. I love you, my brothers love you, yuji slips up and calls you ‘mom’ sometimes,” he shrugged. “We have the perfect life right now. Perfect for us.”
“What about the farm? I don’t want a big wedding, but I do want to plan it myself. The best option would be to have it here actually, maybe in September or October, you know that sweet spot for weather. And how about my parents? If we fly them out here they’ll never want to leave. Remember how my dad was naming the baby goats? He still asks to see them on FaceTime. And yuji?! Do you really think he likes me?” A million concerns flew from your mouth but Choso just smiled.
“Of course he does. He loves you.”
“I love him too,” you said softly. “And I love you.”
“So that’s a yes?”
“Not so fast. We really have to plan this out Choso. This is marriage we’re talking about. ‘Till death do us part’?”
“So when we grow old and wrinkly together I want matching coffins.”
“What if I want to be cremated?”
“You don’t want to get cremated.”
“You’re right, I don’t,” you groan.
“Have you seriously considered this?”
“I seriously consider you my wife.”
“Okay! Okay,” you hide your face in his neck and blush. “Where’s my ring?”
“Who says I don’t have it already? But I’m going to surprise you.”
“You just can’t tell me that! Now it’ll be the only thing that’s on my mind!”
“Maybe I’ll finally consume your thoughts just as much as you do mine.”
“No need to go all wax poetic on me.”
“It’s true though,” Choso pouted.
“I don’t doubt it. Not even for a second.”
“So that’s a yes?”
“My lips are sealed until I see a ring.”
“Now I’m nervous.”
“Imagine how I feel! We just two balls of nervousness looking for solace within each other.”
“Now look who’s going all poetic on me.”
“I’m not, it’s the truth,” you said, wrapping your arms around his neck and pressed a kiss onto his lips, but you were no longer nervous. It was the most calming thing in the world.
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Review: Babel, or The Necessity of Violence: An Arcane History of the Oxford Translators' Revolution by RF Kuang
Book 15 of 2022
Start Reading Time: 22 September 2022
Finish reading Time: 7 October 2022
Page Count: 545 pages
TRIGGER WARNINGS: COLONIZATION, VIOLENCE, DEATH, BLOOD, MURDER, SUICIDE, RACISM, MISOGYNY
This is the spoiler-free part of the review. I will put up a spoiler alert before going into the review that contains spoilers.
Hello there! If you've been reading this blog for a while, you must have already know that I'm a die hard RF Kuang stan, since I seem to be unable to stop babbling (pun intended) on and on about The Poppy War (I'm serious, it seems that I mention TPW in every other book review in this blog). I mean, If there's anything you need to know about me, and if we're meeting for the very first time, I will tell you that:
I love books that make me cry,
RF Kuang is one of my favorite authors of all time, and
The Poppy War is the best trilogy ever written
My obsession with TPW is borderline concerning. I mean, I created a whole ass Spotify playlist for this trilogy, consisting of songs dedicated to each of TPW characters, I had daydreams about the TV series adaptation of it, who would play who, what the soundtracks and theme songs would be, etc. I'm telling you, it's kinda creepy how much I think of this book series, that's how obsessed I was with it, and still am.
I also have to mention that this trilogy is what kick-started my book review career. Because I started chronicling my reactions while reading the 1st book in this series with my Instagram stories. I have all of my breakdowns, highs and lows while reading The Poppy War captured and published on my IG stories, and now it's all been well documented in my IG stories' archive, and I am so glad for that. Because you very rarely get to really re-experience that special moment when you found something or someone so special that will stay with you for the rest of your life (I mean how many people have documented the exact moment they fell in love with the love of their lives? Well maybe the people who go to those reality dating shows, but even The Bachelors and all of its franchises only have so few lasting marriages). But I have those IG stories that have perfectly captured that special moment that I can now visit and relive whenever I want to. And from there, I've been making more book contents, which then turned into book reviews, and book ramblings, which then gave birth to this tumblr blog. And here we are now.
I mean, I have always been a book lover ever since I learned to read, I read all the time, and I feel like I have always been overly dramatic. But it took the amazing RF Kuang to ignite my will to publicize all of that to the internet and make it my whole ass personality in the internet, because TPW is just that freaking awesome AND I NEED EVERYONE TO BE AS OBSESSED WITH IT AS I AM. I have by now influenced a few people to read The Poppy War and got them to be obsessed with it and turned them into raging RF Kuang's stans like myself (you're welcome, guys 😉).
Having stated all of that, for me to say that this review will be unbiased, would be a big fucking lie. And I appreciate you and the time you're taking out of your day to read this review too much to lie to you about it.
I do have some criticisms about this book, but I started reading this book already knowing that I will like it, because it's RF Kuang's book, and it just checks all of the boxes in terms of the things I like to read about. I just simply can NOT make an unbiased review of Babel, when RF Kuang has impacted my life so much in the last 2 years, and I have been waiting for this book since the end of 2020, after I finished The Burning God. I had been digitally stalking RF Kuang, from which I first heard about this book. I saw every one of her Instagram posts, watched almost all of her Instagram lives, read her tweets, listened to every podcast episodes, watched every Youtube videos, and read every blog posts, articles and interviews she had ever been in and/or made herself. Every time she mentions any updates regarding this book before its release date, my anticipation grows bigger, because with every update she gives, the book seems to be getting better and better for me personally, like she just keeps hitting all the right spots for me.
I mean, she teased her readers with updates like: it's a dark academia book (oh my God, I'm obsessed with dark academia), but also a historical-fantasy book (fuck yeah, after TPW, I need more books of this genre from her), it's inspired by The Secret History by Donna Tartt which is also RF Kuang's favorite book (ARE YOU KIDDING ME, I enjoyed the fuck out of that book, even if I hate the ending, but I fucking love the whole dark academia vibes in it, this book is like the poster child of Dark Academia, and just imagine, a The Secret History-inspired historical-fantasy book written by THE RF Kuang??? At this point, my will to live if only just to be able to read this book went 📈📈📈), and finally when the cover design was published (WOULD YOU LOOK AT THAT MASTERPIECE OF A COVER!! LOOK AT HOW FREAKING GORGEOUS IT IS!! LOOK AT ITTT!!!! GOOD GOD, I FELL IN LOVE WITH IT AT FIRST SIGHT, IT LITERALLY GAVE ME GOOSEBUMPS WHEN I FIRST SAW IT).
To say that I was so excited to read this book would be an understatement, as my expectation for it to be the next best thing, and my new obsession since the Poppy War (and Beartown trilogy and Stormlight Archive series and Mistborn trilogy, yes I'm obsessed with a lot of book series), continues to grow. But here's the thing with expectation, people say that it's just premeditated resentments, or that it often leads to disappointment. And so, I was also nervous and scared that Ms. Kuang will fail to deliver with this book what's gotten me so freaking hyped these last two years, and/or that she has lost that particular quality in her writing that has gotten me so in love with her works. I mean, I was sure that I would like it no matter what, but there was a little part of me that's scared that I would have to lie and convince myself into liking it, if the book turns out to be bad.
Now, having read this book, I can safely say, THE BOOK IS ACTUALLY SO FREAKING GOOD. RF Kuang has truly gotten better and better with each book she releases. I mean, DAMN, GIRL. I should have never doubted her. But then again, I have trust issues, so that might be why.
I didn't know what I was expecting this book to be like, but whatever it is, this book exceeded it all, and more. I'd forgotten what it feels like reading Rebecca's writing after 2 whole years without reading her books, but this book reminded me of how masterful Rebecca is of her craft and she had improved so much since The Burning God. I mean, the prose is just so freaking good (you'll see from the quotes I include in this review), the magic system is one of the most brilliant I have ever read so far, the thorough research she'd done is obvious, and she efficiently utilized the footnote feature of the book (which I absolutely love, it makes the whole dark academia vibe even more apparent). And what's more, she perfectly captures the ✨Dark Academia vibes✨ and she successfully transported me to 1830's Oxford, and got me to fall madly in love with the awesome foursome that is Robin, Ramy, Victoire and Letty but then broke my heart into million pieces in the latter chapters. Oh, also, let's not forget one of the main reasons why I love Rebecca's writing so freaking much: nobody, and I mean, NOBODY writes rage, angst and fury so raw and beautifully like Rebecca. That shit is just 🤌🏻🤌🏻🤌🏻.
Also, I have not yet read anything to represent my frustrations about racism quite like her writing, she just eloquently puts to words all of these frustrations and desperation and make it into something a lot of people can understand, relate to and sympathize with.
Once again, Rebecca tackles such a heavy, intense and important topic such as the one in this book, with such care and thoughtfulness that I'm sure the readers, like me, will be left deep in thoughts, to question and reevaluate all of the values they have ever held. I'm hopeful that this book will definitely spark important discussions regarding the impacts of colonialism in our education, and our languages, also regarding white privilege and racism in the academic sphere, among other important topics.
And once again, Ms. RF Kuang has given me a new obsession in life, new characters to daydream about and make a new Spotify playlist for, and for that I'm so grateful. My biggest complaint of this book is that it's a standalone book and it's only 545 pages long, and even though I tried to prolong the reading time to make it last longer, I still finished it in only 2 weeks' time, I mean, if you're gonna give us a standalone book this good, couldn't you at least pull a Brandon Sanderson and make it 1000+ pages at least, for God's sake but it's fine, whatever.
Nope, I lied, it is NOT okay. The truth is I WISH THERE WERE MORE OF THIS STORY TO READ, BECAUSE I NEED SO MUCH MORE OF IT. Just give me one more book about Babel and I will die happy. But, you know what, I'm glad that at least her 5th book, Yellowface, will soon be published too, so I don't have to wait so long to read more of her work. One simply does not NOT crave more of RF Kuang's books after having read any of her previous books, it has now become sort of an addiction for me. Even now, I'm still in a sort of book hangover from it. Other readers who had finished reading this book, please tell me how to move on from this book, because it has been a week and I can't even start to read a new book because my mind keeps lingering on Robin, Victoire, Letty, and Ramy (oh my God, Ramy, my dearest, most brilliantly clever and funny and charming Ramy 😭).
That's enough dramatic babbling from me, now let me give you a not so brief synopsis of this book.
In 1829, the plague that later became known as Asiatic Cholera came to Canton, China, and took many lives. A little boy watched his mother die in front of him, while he himself was helpless, unable to help his mother in any way because he also caught the sickness and is in critical condition. He's the only one left alive in his house. Just when he thought he's about to die, a mysterious man he didn't recognize came and kicked down the door to the boy's house and found him lying on the bed beside his mother's lifeless body. The boy thought the man came to reap his soul. But then, the man put a silver bar on the boy's bare chest, and spoke two words: Triacle (French)/Treacle (English). The bar then glows white, and there's an eerie sound from nowhere, like a singing or a ringing. The boy whined and curled to his side, the man told him to bear with it and to swallow what's in his mouth. The boy does as he's told, and says that it tasted so sweet. The man says that it's good and that it's working, and he puts the bar back into his pocket. Seconds later, the boy's breathing steadied, and he could see the man's face clearly. He's a white foreigner man whom the boy has never seen before.
The man has healed the boy with his silver bar and magic. The man asks if there's anyone else still alive, to which the boy says there's no one else, and the man asks if there's anything the boy can't leave behind. The boy wanted to take his mother's body with him, but the man said he couldn't take her body. So, the boy said his books, and the man took the books and the boy, and they left the boy's place.
The man informed the boy that he wants to take the boy as his ward, provides him with a comfortable life in England, and all he asks the boy to do in return is to focus on his study and to study hard, because eventually the boy will be studying languages in the Royal Institute of Translation, in Oxford, where the man teaches. The man is Professor Richard Lovell, an Oxford professor, teaching languages in Babel, with a particular interest in Mandarin. The boy agreed to his proposal, thinking he has no family left in Canton and a life in England seems so much better than living a lonely life as a street urchin in Canton.
Prof. Lovell told him to pick an English name since no one in England will be able to pronounce his Chinese name. Inspired by his favorite book and its author, the boy picks the name Robin Swift.
Robin is bilingual, fluent in English and Mandarin, and his Cantonese is passably good. The boy had received parcels of books written in English twice a year since he turned 4 years old, and an English woman named Miss Elizabeth Slate, whom the boy had called Miss Betty, had lived with his household for as long as he could remember, and she taught him how to read and speak in English. The boy realizes Prof. Lovell was the one who sent the books and hired Miss Betty, though he doesn't know why he did all of that. When the Professor tested him with a silver bar with two engravings on it: one in English and one in Chinese, Robin was able to make the silver bar hum and work its magic on him. He has passed Prof. Lovell's test, and that's why he wanted to take Robin as his ward.
In England, Robin was set up to study Latin with Mr. Felton and Greek with Mr. Chester almost immediately, so he could catch up with his peers. He's also set up to study Mandarin with Prof. Lovell. There's a bookshelf full of books, the kinds that Robin likes. When Prof. Lovell was away for weeks in Oxford, Robin went to London and traveled by himself and read everything, even things he didn't understand. He learns the origins of some words and rhyming components of some of the names and words, he even comes up with some of his own. Mrs. Piper, the housekeeper, cooks him so many delicious foods that he has never eaten before.
He's enjoying his new life in England. But one day, he'd lost track of time while reading the new adventure book that Prof. Lovel bought him, he didn't notice that Mr. Chester had been waiting for 1 hour for him. Prof. Lovell comes home to this and immediately confronts Robin who's startled. Robin was about to go see Mr. Chester when Lovell suddenly punches him on the side of the face, thrusting him down to the ground. The Professor then beats him on the side of his torso with the poker from the fireplace. Robin was too stunned to even cry, and Lovell said that it's good that he didn't cry when he got hit. Lovell threatens to send Robin back to Canton where he doesn't have any family, or know anyone, or have any money to support himself, and that he won't get the same opportunities he had in England, nor go to Oxford. Lovell made Robin choose, whether to study hard as they agreed that day back in Canton, so he can stay in England and go to Oxford, or go back to Canton where he'll live and die alone. Robin chooses to stay. This satisfies Lovell, and he tells Robin to go downstairs to begin his study with Mr. Chester that day. Robin does as he's told, while still reeling from the pain on his face and torso. The next day, Lovell acts as if nothing had happened.
One night, after Robin crashed one of Prof. Lovell's gatherings with some of his friends, one of them had remarked on how Robin looks more like Prof. Lovell than the previous one, which sparked confusion in Robin's mind. Does he really look like the Professor? He always knew that his hair and eye colors were a softer shade of brown than the indigo-black that the rest of his family have, but he never even thought that he might not be full-blooded Chinese. Is the Professor his biological father? But why didn't he claim him as his son, but as a ward instead? However, in the end, Robin decided to never confront the Professor about this, as he's too scared to lose his comfortable life in England and lose his chances to study in Oxford.
Finally, the day came when Robin finally went to Oxford as a proper student. While he's studying there, he will be living in a lodging located in Number 4, Magpie Lane. He said his awkward farewell to Prof. Lovell, and meets his first new friend, a charming young man named Ramiz Rafi Mirza, or Ramy for short. He's a Muslim and is from Calcutta, India, and just like Robin, he came to England as a ward of a rich English man. He had left the rest of his family back in Calcutta. Robin felt an immediate connection to Ramy as they have so many things in common. Robin really likes Ramy, and he realizes that he wants to impress Ramy, and Ramy seems to like him back, as he already lovingly gave Robin a nickname of "Birdie". Robin realizes he will make a life there with Ramy, living close to him, and he thinks it wouldn't be so bad.
Robin and Ramy gleefully explore Oxford together as the classes won't start until a few days later. The night before their first day of classes, Ramy left his important notebook in the Bodleian. Robin offered to get it himself, as Ramy almost got into a fight earlier when a group of drunk racist Oxford students confronted Ramy. Robin suggested Ramy go back to their lodgings ahead and he'll return there as soon as he'd retrieved Ramy's notebook. However, just when Robin was leaving the Bodleian after he found Ramy's notebook, in the middle of Holywell Street, he heard a voice furiously saying something in Mandarin, which attracted Robin's attention. Robin then found out the voice belongs to someone who looks almost identical to himself, and there are also two other people with the guy who looks like him. Robin finally realizes that they're actually thieves, as they were struggling with a trunk filled with silver bars, and they were running away and hiding from the constable, who's looking for those thieves. Robin's doppelgänger begged for him to help them and Robin put his hand on the silver bar and said "Wúxíng", which is the word that his doppelgänger has been trying desperately to say, and then "Invisible". Then, the four of them became invisible, and the constable couldn't see them and went to look somewhere else. Robin then threw the bar away and the four of them re-materialized back into the physical world. The three thieves left hurriedly after gathering the scattered silver bars on the ground, and Robin's doppelgänger tells Robin to find him in The Twisted Root. Robin was so shocked, overwhelmed and confused by the whole thing, he's terrified because he had assisted in the theft of silver bars, which is a very serious criminal offence. Robin didn't tell Ramy about it when he got back to his lodging.
The next day, Robin and Ramy meet the other two people in their class, two girls named Victoire Desgraves and Letitia Price. Victoire is Haitian, she speaks French and Kreyòl, and English with a faint french accent. Letitia, or Letty, is English, born and raised in Brighton, England, she speaks French and German, and is an admiral’s daughter. Robin and Ramy were so shocked that their classmates are girls, and they acted awkwardly at first towards the girls, but the four of them would soon hit it off. An older student named Anthony then came and took them for the tour of Babel, the tower where they'll be studying in for the foreseeable future, and if they work hard and are lucky enough, one day they'll be working in it, too.
After their classes for the day, Robin and Ramy walked the girls back to their lodgings that's located outside of the college area, which is pretty far from the tower, due to the fear of the girls corrupting the boy students. Victoire casually mentions that there's a pub called Twisted Roots near their lodging. Robin remembered that name, as it was the name of the place his doppelganger told him to go to meet him, so he asks her where it is, and Victoire gives him the location of the pub. After Robin and Ramy said goodbye to the girls, Robin lied to Ramy about going to Prof. Lovell's house in Jericho, which is closer to the girls' lodgings, to visit the Professor and Mrs. Piper, and told Ramy to go back first, and Ramy does as requested.
Robin met his doppelgänger in the pub, and demanded information regarding who he is, and why they look alike, and why he's stealing silver bars. What his doppelgänger told him and the proposal he gave Robin that evening lay the foundations for the events that will unfold during Robin's years in Oxford.
Family drama, secret societies, betrayal, power struggle, violence. Babel is the tallest and safest building in England, guarding the knowledge the people working in it has collected from all over the world, and the magic that's keeping the British empire together. But it's going to be brought down by the very people it has enslaved to enrich itself. Revolution looms ahead for the British Empire.
🚨SPOILER ALERT🚨
From this point forward in the review, I will mention spoilers, plot twist and the ending. So, if you don’t wish to be spoiled, you can skip the rest of the review and come back to this review once you’ve finished reading this book.
There are so many things I love in this book, but here are the very best things about it for me:
THE FRIENDSHIP. There are so many things I love about this book, but the one thing I love the most would definitely be the friendship between Robin, Ramy, Victoire and Letty. I don't even know how to even begin to to tell you about my love for their friendship. I feel like I always mention in every book review of the books that have some kind of friendship between the characters in it, that I found the friendship to be the best thing about the book. Because I think that friendships are such a magical thing, and this book, through the bond of friendship of Robin, Ramy, Victoire and Letty, just reminded me how true that is. As Hanya Yanagihara brilliantly wrote in A Little Life, "Wasn’t friendship its own miracle, the finding of another person who made the entire lonely world seem somehow less lonely?” I find one of the most magical things in this book is that these four individuals, who were born and raised in such vastly different cultures, thousands of miles away from each other, could find their ways into each other's lives and become such an irreplaceable part in them. How many people can say, "I would die for you," to you and you believe them 100%? And this person has no legal obligations that bind them to you, nor sexually attracted to you, nor has any genetic relations with you. This is a whole different separate individual who was raised with different values, rules and principles, yet they still choose to love and care for you, and they choose to be in your life, even though they have no obligation to. If that's not magical, I don't know what is.
This friendship that the four of them have, I feel like it's special among any other friendships that I have read and have come to love in other books, because it feels like they're each other's first loves. It might be because they're all each other has in Oxford, so no wonder they clung to each other like they do in the book. They're became a family, and it's like them VS the world. They were the outcasts, as Oxford at that time is reserved for the education of White Men only, and they find that only each other can truly understand them, and they find peace, happiness and solace in each other, by simply being together. I used to think that I understood how much they must love and care for one another, but I really didn't. Because I never really had that kind of friends, as I am lucky enough to have never got to be in their positions. But RF Kuang has written it so brilliantly that I can feel how much they love and care for one another, it exceeded the bounds of friendship, that at times I feel like they're even more than just friends and lovers, and it made it hurt so much more when the betrayal happened.
The one quote by Fredrik Backman (one of my favorite authors of all time) in Us Against You immediately came to mind when I was sobbing while reading THAT betrayal scene, "The best friends of our childhoods are the loves of our lives, and they break our hearts in worse ways." That quote had never resonated with me more than at this exact moment, with these four characters. I remember hearing in a really great episode of an awesome podcast called Dear Sugars, that the heartbreak from the breakup of a friendship is so much worse than the heartbreak from a breakup of a romantic relationship, because people in romantic relationships breakup all the time (there are millions and millions of breakup songs, and thousands of books about marriage and romantic relationships, but how many songs and books about friendship breakups are there in this world?), but we think that friendships are supposed to last forever, and so the pain that comes with that is soul crushing. People cheat in romantic relationships all the time, but when friends do the act of betrayal, I feel like it's so shocking and disorienting because we almost never see it coming.
But these betrayals do happen, and friendships do breakup often in real life, even to the strongest ones that people thought would and should have lasted a lifetime. I love how RF Kuang depicted the conflicts that often happen in friendships, especially friendships between a group of people with such vastly different backgrounds, because conflicts happen all the time even in friendships between people with similar backgrounds. I felt the frustrations that Robin, Ramy and Victoire felt when they explained to Letty about the racism that they face for the millionth times, and Letty still not getting it, to the very end. How could she love them, as they did her, when she didn't even understand the very present racism that they faced? It hurts, but friends do hurt each other, sometimes.
However, while it lasted, before that betrayal happened, their friendship was so beautiful and magical, it was such a joy to read. I remember my school days and the friends I had from those days. There's something very special in that friendship where we get to be present in each other's lives almost everyday, bearing witness to their highs and lows, and then motivating and cheering them on their long and hard days, and the happiness that's multiplied when we're celebrating each other's successes, or even the mundane everyday dialogues and silences, it's all very precious and special to me, now. But the thing is, I took it for granted when it happened, and now I wish I had cherished those moments more, taken more pictures and videos with them, and made more effort to actually keep in touch with them after those school days are over. And so, I love that scene where they took a group picture of themselves, even though Robin, Ramy and Victoire hated the picture, in the end it's the only remaining proof of their happier days in Oxford.
(art by Kimberly McDonald)
To quote Andy Bernard from The Office, I wish there's a way to know you're in the good old days before you've actually left them. Maybe that's why I love reading about friendships in books. Because maybe, in a way, I'm reliving those days through these characters in their stories, maybe it's my way of making those days last longer and cherishing it, like I should have done back then. So yes, I will always have a soft spot for beautiful friendships in books, and Robin, Ramy, Victoire and Letty's friendship has a special place in my heart.
MY PRECIOUS SON, ROBIN. I think it's fair to say that, at this point in my life, I have read many fantasy books, and I have fallen in love many times with the main characters of those books. But the things is, the main characters of those books are often times described to be a powerful brave knight who's also often times a natural born leader, and even though their initial situation may be tragic and incredibly hard, by the middle to end of the book they will have overcame it all and they heroically lead the fight against evil. Some might say, these are Mary Sue characters. Now Robin Swift, is a very unique main character, and by no means a Mary Sue, in my opinion. He is a scholar, and in no way a fighter, at least in 80% of the book. He literally ran away to avoid a fight, and he was so scared that he would lose an opportunity to study and have a good life in England, that he told his own brother to not involve him with anymore of Hermes business, even though he knew it's the only way he could take a stand against this powerful evil institution that is about to go to war with his home country, China (though he would later learn from his mistakes and rejoin The Hermes Society). All of this is to say, Robin is an unconventional fantasy book heroine, and that is so refreshing and that's one of the reasons I love him so much. Don't get me wrong, him being a scholar and not as heroic as other fantasy book heroines doesn't make him any less interesting or boring, quite the contrary actually, it's so interesting to read about him growing and changing over time as the story progresses. It almost feels like he went from one end of the spectrum to the other end, because even though he was so docile and non confrontational by the beginning of the book, he was so furious and hungry for revenge by the end of the book, but it was written in such a brilliant way that it doesn't feel forced or unnatural for him to change so drastically.
True, in the end, Robin took the charge and led the Babel students' strike against the British government, but there's absolutely no way it's his initial choice of action. Because it took many tragic deaths of some of the most important figures in Robin's lives, and the betrayal of one of the people he loved the most in this world, to get him to finally be so unhinged that he chose violence, and blew up an entire tower, and himself, along with some other willing characters. He was pushed so far beyond his limits, that by the end of the book, he was so unhinged, I even think that Rin from TPW would be impressed by the amount of destruction that Robin caused, and it was so hard to read. It definitely gave me flashbacks to the ending of The Burning God, and knowing Rebecca, I knew for sure by then that Robin will die in the end. Because homegirl simply does not write the easy happy endings, no.
Rebecca writes the hard and heartbreaking endings, because they're the right endings to the stories and the characters in it. One thing for sure, RF Kuang is NOT afraid of killing her darlings, and it's the quality that I have come to highly respect and appreciate of hers. Because it must not be easy for her. Fredrik Backman said in his events when asked about how he makes his writing so good to the point that it made so many people cry, he said that people crying while reading his books is the extension of him crying while writing his books, because to write something so profound and poignant that so many people were able to relate and cry to, it took so much out of the author, and that Backman even wrote himself into depression at one point. Now, I don't know if Rebecca agrees to that sentiment, and I don't know if she cried when she was writing this book, but I can definitely imagine her sobbing while writing this book, because I was sobbing while reading it. I don't know how these incredible authors do it, to make people you don't even know cry and be so impacted by the pieces of art you created... It's wizardry. These authors are wizards. I highly appreciate the emotional labor they put into their books.
Anyway, Robin be robbin' my heart in this book. It was such a journey reading his story. My guy has one of the most tragic life stories, but my God, is it inspiring and impactful for me personally. I really love reading his inner turmoil about wanting to stay to study in Oxford and make Prof. Lovell proud of him, but also knowing that what Lovell's done is NOT right and wanting to do something about it. I also love his character arc, his character growth is incredible, heartbreaking though, it was. I felt his heartbreak when he realizes that no matter how hard he tries, he will never ever be seen as a fellow human being by Lovell, let alone be a son he can proudly claim for the world to know, much less be a son he can ever love, all because he's half Chinese. I think, from Robin's story, we can all learn how critical it is for us to take a stand for what is right, in anyway we could, and to not be trapped in the comfort of our everyday lives. To comfort the disturbed and disturb the comfortable, I think it's one of the most important message this book has. Although, granted, by the end, Robin was so blinded by rage and fury, and he was also so broken from all the tragic deaths of his loved ones, that the actions Robin took in the end is very extreme, that I hope that we would never be put in positions where we have to do anything even remotely close to it. But I think the message is very well delivered. It evokes the question if violence is really necessary to break free from oppressive systems? With all of these reckonings happening all over the world, be it about injustice, oppression, or even global warming, one thing for sure, we should all take a part to help make a good change in this world.
Also, I gotta say, I can relate so much to Robin. I can also see my precious late son Kitay in him, and in a perfect world, these two precious characters never had to die and live long and fulfilling lives, but alas, the world is too rotten for these two angels, and now they're in heavens, where they belong. As I have mentioned before, I would very much like to read more of Babel, and if Rebecca ever graciously decides to make more books about it, if it's a sequel, I hope we get to find out how the British Empire is impacted by the explosion of Babel, and how Robin's legacy is being honored, and about Robin's and Griffin's other half siblings (since in his letter to Robin, he said there are more of them), or if it's a prequel, I hope it's about Griffin and The Hermes Society.
I wish we got to know Robin's real Chinese name.
MY SWEETHEART, RAMY. Ah, so we've arrived at the point where I have to relive the biggest heartbreak I experienced while reading this book. Okay, first let me tell you the reasons why, to me, Ramy's the brightest star of this book:
He's the first muslim character in a fantasy book that I've ever read, and RF Kuang excellently, respectfully and accurately depicts him as a muslim. Because Ramy is so well written, he's multi dimensional and complicated and overall, such a joy to read. And, if you haven't notice even from the hijab I wore in my profile picture, I, myself, am a muslim. I was taken aback when I read about him doing prayers, saying Inna lillahi wa inna ilayhi Raji’un when a character dies, and Rebecca even remembers to not make Ramy drink any alcohol, because those are the things that I do too. I feel so close to Ramy due to this, I feel like he could be one of my classmates, except for him being exceptionally bright with an exceptional talent for languages. I had to keep reminding myself that I'm reading a dark academia fantasy book, because it just seems so unbelievable to me to be reading about a muslim character in a book of this genre, but I am so grateful and incredibly ecstatic to have that representation. And yes, I am aware that I need to read more, as there are A LOT of muslim characters in fantasy books already existed before Ramy, especially in the ones written by muslim authors. Trust me, they are now added to my TBR list and I am so excited to read those books.
The book doesn't mention it outright, but I think it did insinuated that Ramy is gay. I mean, tell me you disagree with me after reading this scene:
"‘Why won’t you dance with Letty?’
‘I’m not looking to start a row.’
‘No, really.’
‘Please, Birdie.’ Ramy sighed. ‘You know how it is.’
‘She wants you,’ Robin said. He’d only just realized this, and now that he said it out loud, it seemed so obvious that he felt stupid for not seeing it earlier. ‘Very badly. So why—’
‘Don’t you know why?’
Their eyes met. Robin felt a prickle at the back of his neck. The space between them felt very charged, like the moment between lightning and thunder, and Robin had no idea what was going on or what would happen next, only that it all felt very strange and terrifying, like teetering over the edge of a windy, roaring cliff."
RIGHT?!!! Also, I think Robin might also be gay or bi, because it seems that he was having a gay panic in that scene above. Also, take a look at this scene:
"Ramy gesticulated wildly as he spoke. It was clear he wasn’t truly angry, just passionate and clearly brilliant, so invested in the truth he needed the whole world to know. Robin leaned back and watched Ramy’s lovely, agitated face, both amazed and delighted.
He could have cried then. He’d been so desperately lonely, and had only now realized it, and now he wasn’t, and this felt so good he didn’t know what to do with himself."
And I love that for them. I mean, this is just my theory though, I don't think that Rebecca has ever commented about the characters' sexual orientations, so this is all just my personal assumption. And so, that makes Ramy a complicated character, since we know from how he's depicted in the book, that he's a pretty devout muslim, and Islam doesn't look kindly upon anything LGBTQIA+, not at all. I can only imagine Ramy having multiple complex inner conflicts about this, and I wish we'd gotten that being explored in this book, because queerness in Islam is a topic not being discussed enough, and to have Ramy be proudly gay and a muslim would have been an important representation to have. Especially for young queer muslims who would've felt represented had it was explored more in the book, instead of just being a subtext. But I understand that Rebecca may think that she's not well equipped to be tackling such complicated topic, since she's not a muslim herself, also the book's setting is in 1830s England, which is not a great time and place for queer people.
Ramy's very sarcastic and funny, and I know he might be using sarcasm and humor as coping mechanisms since he had to deal with the gross racism almost everyday while living in England, and that behind the funny and sarcastic facade is a whole lot of hurt, but that's one of the reasons why I love him, because I can relate. Who among us doesn't use humor and sarcasm as coping mechanisms? Well, not me. I am completely fine, and I don't have nor need any coping mechanism whatsoever.
His background story made me cry more than the others'. Again, it must be because I'm a muslim, but reading about his childhood in Calcutta, his family and his father, oh my God, it just gets to me. When his father was being humiliated by those rotten racists in front of Ramy, his own son. And when his father was saying goodbye to him when he was to board the ship to England. Those remain one of the most heartbreaking scenes in this book.
Okay, now, let's talk about THAT scene. When he was shot and then died, I almost threw my phone across the room (because I was reading the ebook on my phone). That scene fucking broke me, because Ramy was one of the best things about this book, to me. And he was killed??!!!! By Letty, no less. Oh God, I can't even begin to tell you the overwhelming anger, shock, and devastation I felt. Just know that I was ready to throw hands, and sue RF Kuang for emotional damage. I wasn't even in denial, like I usually was when I first read about the sudden deaths of my favorite characters (SPOILERS AHEAD FOR THE POPPY WAR, MISTBORN, A LITTLE LIFE AND CROOKED KINGDOM!!) (Altan of TPW, Kelsier of Mistborn, Willem of ALL, Matthias of SoC, etc.), I fucking knew that Ramy was really dead, and that he's not coming back. Because if there's anything I know about Rebecca, it's that she likes to make her readers suffer. While I understand that his death is instrumental in moving the story into its climax, it still hurts, Rebecca. It hurts so much reading about the murder of your favorite character.
MY QUEEN, VICTOIRE. Queen of surviving, or survivor queen(?). I truly hope we get more of her, because I feel like we got so very little of her in the book, but she was actually a fascinating character with a lot of depth, which we only find out in the end of the book. I get that maybe she's more of a quiet type, and I can relate to that, so maybe that is why we don't get more of her in the book. I feel like every friend group has that one quiet friend who would rather be a wallflower to the group's more extroverted friends' lively discussions and shenanigans. Maybe you yourselves have or even have been that one quiet friend. However, it almost feels like I was robbed of more scenes where Victoire and her personality shines before shit hits the fan.
I was so glad that she didn't die. Listen, when Robin was becoming unhinged and I realized that he will have to die by the end of the book, I was TERRIFIED that Rebecca's gonna kill Victoire too, because one of the most heartbreaking thing about The Burning God is that (SPOILERS AHEAD FOR THE BURNING GOD!!) Kitay died along with Rin in the end. So, when I had that realization that Robin will die in the end, I was like, OH HELL NOOO!!! I was still reeling from Ramy's death, and while I was already slowly accepting Robin's inevitable death, I was in no way ready for Victoire's death. And that is why I was so happy that in the end, she chose to leave and continue to live. And I truly think that it's such a brave choice for her to make, such a radical one too, in her position.
It's a radical choice because I think people would expect her to die along with Robin, you know, because best friends are supposed to die for one another and be each other's ride or die, which is actually unhealthy. While yes, people in friendship should ideally care about their friends, and in some cases if they're lucky enough maybe those friends even love each other, but we should never expect anyone to die for us. I mean, loving our friends means respecting the fact that they are individuals with their own lives and free will, and they should be able to make choices regarding their own lives. So maybe we should stop this belief that friends should want to die for one another. Call me crazy but you should be able to love your friends without giving them your whole life and death. This applies for romantic partners too, IMO.
Also, because in Robin's case, while yes, he died in an effort to prevent the British Empire from attacking China, and thus, saving many innocent civilian lives, but it's also because he's been so broken that he didn't have the will to live anymore, so he wanted to kill himself, which is, as Ramy and Victoire told him, an escape for him, as it is the easy way out. As Victoire said, the evil and injustice doesn't end with Babel, and there is still so much they have to do to stop the colonization of the British Empire in the world, to accomplish what the Hermes Society was made for. Their fight is so far from being over but they have to be alive to actually fight it. And so, to continue living and continue the fight is actually much harder than dying by blowing up Babel. But Robin said that he couldn't go on, and in the end he chose what he chose. I really love the fact that he respected Victoire's wishes to leave and live on, and so did Victoire towards Robin's final wishes. What's heartbreaking though is that, in the end, she thought she was being selfish, because she really wasn't.
WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT LETTY. Do I hate the bitch? Yes. Oh, believe me, yes I really do hate her. But oh God, is she hurting too. It feels like everything she loves, she hurts. She's also suffering, even if it's in a different way than Robin and Victoire are suffering. Imagine having to live with the knowledge that you killed the man you loved, who's also one of your best friends. She must also blame herself for the death of her brother, and then Robin and Victoire's (even though Victoire is actually still alive, but Letty would never know that). These are the people she had loved dearly. I cannot even begin to imagine what a miserable life that is. RF Kuang did a great job making me care for Letty too, even after everything, she really is the queen of writing morally grey characters.
Gosh, I really should have known better because Letty was already exposing herself from the beginning, anytime Robin, Ramy or Victoire show any sign of not being happy with Babel due to its racism, Letty was all, "Why aren't you happy? you should be grateful." Reminds me of somebody (Lovell). But when I was reading it, I brushed it aside, I thought she would come around soon enough, but then she did it again, and I was like "Pooja Letty, what is this behaviour?!!"
But still, I trusted that she will eventually understand and support her friends. I really suck at detecting toxic people, huh? But I was able to sense that something is wrong with her when she wanted to walk around by herself around the Old Library. When she pointed the gun to Robin, Ramy and Victoire, I still thought she was just bluffing. So when she actually shot Ramy, I realized what I was this whole time...
And when we got to the 2nd interlude which was about Letty's back story, I was like NOPE. Not giving you a chance to make me feel sorry for this bitch, Rebecca. But, I was too scared that it would include something important that would be pertinent to the remainder of the story, so I did read her interlude. And now, here we are. Feeling sorry for Letty.
Oh, and that scene when she tried to convince Robin and Victoire to give up before the army attacks them, I hate that I still feel sad for her. I kept reminding myself that she's Ramy's murderer, but I'm too soft, I can't help but feel sorry for her. Maybe being so lonely and full of regrets for killing someone as precious as Ramy and losing amazing friends like Robin and Victoire is punishment enough for her. I can't imagine having to live with such pains.
POOR BRAVE GRIFFIN. Another character that I hoped to get more of in the book, but didn't. I initially didn't trust him, I thought he was just using Robin to sell those silver and use the money himself or other nefarious things, but he didn't, he was actually doing the most for The Hermes Society. He really hated the British Empire and did his darndest best to help bring it down. By the few final chapters I regretted ever not trusting him so much. His life is so tragic, maybe arguably even more tragic than Robin's, although it's not a competition. I wish we get more of his story and the missions he did for the Hermes Society.
THE BEAUTY OF LANGUAGES. I'm so grateful to be bilingual (English is my second language, Bahasa Indonesia is my mother tongue), and I have always been interested in so many other languages. Being a lover of books, I understand the beauty of words and so I have also come to love the languages of the books I loved. Last year I briefly learned Swedish in Duolingo, in an effort to be able to read the third and final book of one of my favorite trilogy of all time, The Winners, of the Beartown trilogy, by Fredrik Backman. The book is originally written in Swedish and it's released in October last year, while the English version has just been released this month in the US. My study of the Swedish language on Duolingo came to an abrupt end when I realized there's no way I would be fluent enough to read and fully understand the book without actually translating every other word with google translate, so I accepted my defeat and waited a whole ass year for the English version of the book. But, when I was only 2 chapters into Babel, it has reignited my will to study Swedish. I'm happy to announce that I will soon resume my study of the Swedish language, not that anyone cares. Who knows, maybe by the time Backman releases a new book in Swedish, I would be fluent enough to actually read and understand it, though I hope it wouldn't take Backman that long to release another book. I love that my whole motivation for studying a whole new language is books.
My whole point is that Babel has that effect on its readers. It really showcases the beauty of languages and the magic that they have. Because languages really are magical, there are literally sayings in one language that can't be properly translated or explained in any other language, but there's so many people who spoke that language and have it as their mother tongue who understands that saying and so it's like some kind of the biggest inside joke ever. Isn't that so magical? Languages open doors to new knowledge, and new treasures that are written in books from all over the world. As Anthony pointed out in the book,
"‘Languages aren’t just made of words. They’re modes of looking at the world. They’re the keys to civilization. And that’s knowledge worth killing for.’"
THE BRILLIANT MAGIC SYSTEM. I think it's so brilliant of RF Kuang to use the translation-based magic, where translation is deconstructed and attached to a magic effect, using silver and a person who has mastered a minimum of two different languages. I think it's so smart and brilliant and unique. I love it so much. Of all things in this world that she can imagine having magical powers to use in her book, she chose translation, and silver. I understand that it must be because Rebecca loves languages and is passionate about translation, but I mean, using it in a fantasy book might be the best thing she ever did, in terms of writing magic systems for her books. I'm so excited to find out what's her next best idea for her books would be.
THE REFRESHING TAKE ON DARK ACADEMIA. It has been known that Dark Academia lacks diversity. In most cases, almost all of the characters in Dark Academia books and movies are all white (The Secret History, Kill Your Darlings, Dead Poet Society, etc.), and if you look up dark academia fashion inspo, it's almost always white people in those pictures, wearing Dark Academia inspired outfits (although now more and more POC make Dark Academia fashion inspo too, via social media, which is awesome). So it feels like Dark Academia is reserved for white people only, and for the longest time I felt guilty for liking it. That is why it feels so refreshing to have 3 of the 4 main characters of the book to be people of colour, and the main conflict of the story to be about racism in the academia world and colonialism. It's like RF Kuang is saying fuck your white dominance in the world of Dark Academia, here's the diversity it has been lacking. She's showing that POC belong in the academic world just as much as everyone else, and it's high time we depict that in our media. What a power move. For that I will always stan this woman.
As much as I love this book, I do have some criticisms…
I find it a little hard to believe that Griffin regains his ability to make silver bars with mandarin engraving works ever since he heard Robin say something in mandarin, because isn't he supposed to be traveling abroad often, why didn't he just go to China and regain that ability back years before he met Robin?
I need to know SO MUCH more about the Hermes Society, I feel like the book should have given us more about it in order to make us root for it more. It's very hard to make people root for something they don't really know about.
I wish we get multiple POVs (Ramy's, Victoire's and Letty's, and even Griffin's and Lovell's) instead of only Robin's. I truly believe it would make this book even better than it already is, since it will undoubtedly give more life to the other 3 main characters, and probably even give them more depth. I'd also like to get more out of these three characters.
THIS BOOK IS WAAAYYYYYYY TOO SHORT FOR ME, I NEED MORE OF THESE DELICIOUSLY AWESOME CAST OF CHARACTERS. I'm thinking of starting a petition for RF Kuang to make more books or novellas with these awesome characters. Give me prequels, sequels, anything, PLEASE.
Here are my favourite moments from the book:
Those first days when Robin and Ramy were exploring Oxford for the first time and they had a picnic just the two of them.
When the four of them were laughing themselves silly in Victoire's room looking for the ripe pears that the stench must be coming from but there's no pears.
When Griffin gave Robin the three-volume set of Oliver Twist because Robin mentioned to Griffin that he likes Dickens.
When Robin impressed that snobby Pendennis and his snobby friends, who were undermining him, at that wine party.
That ball scene in the Babel tower, thrown by Babel students.
That night in the old library when they had dinner, when they were scheming to defy the British empire.
And finally, here are my favorite quotes from the book:
"He felt a sharp ache in his chest as Canton disappeared over the horizon, and then a raw emptiness, as if a grappling hook had yanked his heart out of his body. It had not registered until now that he would not step foot on his native shore again for many years, if ever. He wasn’t sure what to make of this fact. The word loss was inadequate. Loss just meant a lack, meant something was missing, but it did not encompass the totality of this severance, this terrifying un-anchoring from all that he’d ever known."
"He had no right to be resentful. Professor Lovell had promised him everything, and owed him nothing. Robin did not yet fully understand the rules of this world he was about to enter, but he understood the necessity of gratitude. Of deference. One did not spite one’s saviours."
"He quashed his memories too. His life in Canton – his mother, his grandparents, a decade of running about the docks – it all proved surprisingly easy to shed, perhaps because this passage was so jarring, the break so complete. He’d left behind everything he’d known. There was nothing to cling to, nothing to escape back to. His world now was Professor Lovell, Mrs Piper, and the promise of a country on the other side of the ocean. He buried his past life, not because it was so terrible but because abandoning it was the only way to survive. He pulled on his English accent like a new coat, adjusted everything he could about himself to make it fit, and, within weeks, wore it with comfort. In weeks, no one was asking him to speak a few words in Chinese for their entertainment. In weeks, no one seemed to remember he was Chinese at all."
"‘But that’s the beauty of learning a new language. It should feel like an enormous undertaking. It ought to intimidate you. It makes you appreciate the complexity of the ones you know already.’"
"But even then, Robin was not too young to understand there were some truths that could not be uttered, that life as normal was only possible if they were never acknowledged. He had a roof over his head, three guaranteed meals a day, and access to more books than he could read in a lifetime. He did not, he knew, have the right to demand anything more.
He made a decision then. He would never question Professor Lovell, never probe at the empty space where the truth belonged. As long as Professor Lovell did not accept him as a son, Robin would not attempt to claim him as a father. A lie was not a lie if it was never uttered; questions that were never asked did not need answers. They would both remain perfectly content to linger in the liminal, endless space between truth and denial."
"Inside, the heady wood-dust smell of freshly printed books was overwhelming. If tobacco smelled like this, Robin thought, he’d huff it every day. He stepped towards the closest shelf, hand lifted tentatively towards the books on display, too afraid to touch them – they seemed so new and crisp; their spines were uncracked, their pages smooth and bright. Robin was used to well-worn, waterlogged tomes; even his Classics grammars were decades old. These shiny, freshly bound things seemed like a different class of object, things to be admired from a distance rather than handled and read.
‘Pick one,’ said Professor Lovell. ‘You ought to know the feeling of acquiring your first book.’
Pick one? Just one, of all these treasures?"
"He cocked his head. ‘Do you wish to return to Canton?’
Robin swallowed. ‘No.’
He meant it. Even after this, even after the miseries of his classes, he could not imagine an alternate future for himself. Canton meant poverty, insignificance, and ignorance. Canton meant the plague. Canton meant no more books. London meant all the material comforts he could ask for. London meant, someday, Oxford."
"‘I’ve always just tried to blend in,’ said Robin.
‘But that’s impossible for me,’ said Ramy. ‘I have to play a part. Back in Calcutta, we all tell the story of Sake Dean Mahomed, the first Muslim from Bengal to become a rich man in England. He has a white Irish wife. He owns property in London. And you know how he did it? He opened a restaurant, which failed; and then he tried to be hired as a butler or valet, which also failed. And then he had the brilliant idea of opening a shampoo house in Brighton.’ Ramy chuckled. ‘Come and get your healing vapours! Be massaged with Indian oils! It cures asthma and rheumatism; it heals paralysis. Of course, we don’t believe that at home. But all Dean Mahomed had to do was give himself some medical credentials, convince the world of this magical Oriental cure, and then he had them eating out of the palm of his hand. So what does that tell you, Birdie? If they’re going to tell stories about you, use it to your advantage. The English are never going to think I’m posh, but if I fit into their fantasy, then they’ll at least think I’m royalty.’"
"They stood looking at each other in silence.
There was no question about what had happened. They were both shaken by the sudden realization that they did not belong in this place, that despite their affiliation with the Translation Institute and despite their gowns and pretensions, their bodies were not safe on the streets. They were men at Oxford; they were not Oxford men. But the enormity of this knowledge was so devastating, such a vicious antithesis to the three golden days they’d blindly enjoyed, that neither of them could say it out loud.
And they never would say it out loud. It hurt too much to consider the truth. It was so much easier to pretend; to keep spinning the fantasy for as long as they could."
"‘But academics by nature are a solitary, sedentary lot. Travel sounds fun until you realize what you really want is to stay at home with a cup of tea and a stack of books by a warm fire.’"
"‘Translation, from time immemorial, has been the facilitator of peace. Translation makes possible communication, which in turn makes possible the kind of diplomacy, trade, and cooperation between foreign peoples that brings wealth and prosperity to all."
"And then they were laughing again.
Soon it became apparent that no topics were off limits. They could talk about anything, share all the indescribable humiliations they felt being in a place they were not supposed to be, all the lurking unease that until now they’d kept to themselves. They offered up everything about themselves because they had, at last, found the only group of people for whom their experiences were not so unique or baffling."
"One thing united them all – without Babel, they had nowhere in this country to go. They’d been chosen for privileges they couldn’t have ever imagined, funded by powerful and wealthy men whose motives they did not fully understand, and they were acutely aware these could be lost at any moment. That precariousness made them simultaneously bold and terrified. They had the keys to the kingdom; they did not want to give them back."
"‘Babel collects foreign languages and foreign talent the same way it hoards silver and uses them to produce translation magic that benefits England and England only. The vast majority of all silver bars in use in the world are in London. The newest, most powerful bars in use rely on Chinese, Sanskrit, and Arabic to work, but you’ll count less than a thousand bars in the countries where those languages are widely spoken, and then only in the homes of the wealthy and powerful. And that’s wrong. That’s predatory. That’s fundamentally unjust.’"
"So you see, translators do not so much deliver a message as they rewrite the original. And herein lies the difficulty – rewriting is still writing, and writing always reflects the author’s ideology and biases. After all, the Latin translatio means “to carry across”. Translation involves a spatial dimension – a literal transportation of texts across conquered territory, words delivered like spices from an alien land. Words mean something quite different when they journey from the palaces of Rome to the tearooms of today’s Britain."
"And he wondered at the contradiction: that he despised them, that he knew they could be up to no good, and that still he wanted to be respected by them enough to be included in their ranks. It was a very strange mix of emotions. He hadn’t the faintest idea how to sort through them."
"Then he blinked, because he’d just registered what this most mundane and extraordinary moment meant – that in the space of several weeks, they had become what he’d never found in Hampstead, what he thought he’d never have again after Canton: a circle of people he loved so fiercely his chest hurt when he thought about them.
A family."
"He felt a crush of guilt then for loving them, and Oxford, as much as he did.
He adored it here; he really did. For all the daily slights he suffered, walking through campus delighted him. He simply could not maintain, as Griffin did, an attitude of constant suspicion or rebellion; he could not acquire Griffin’s hatred of this place.
Yet didn’t he have a right to be happy? He had never felt such warmth in his chest until now, had never looked forward to getting up in the morning as he did now. Babel, his friends, and Oxford – they had unlocked a part of him, a place of sunshine and belonging, that he never thought he’d feel again. The world felt less dark.
He was a child starved of affection, which he now had in abundance – and was it so wrong for him to cling to what he had?
He was not ready to commit fully to Hermes. But by God, he would have killed for any of his cohort."
"‘Which seems right to you? Do we try our hardest, as translators, to render ourselves invisible? Or do we remind our reader that what they are reading was not written in their native language?’
‘That’s an impossible question,’ said Victoire. ‘Either you situate the text in its time and place, or you bring it to where you are, here and now. You’re always giving something up.’
‘Is faithful translation impossible, then?’ Professor Playfair challenged. ‘Can we never communicate with integrity across time, across space?’
‘I suppose not,’ Victoire said reluctantly.
‘But what is the opposite of fidelity?’ asked Professor Playfair. He was approaching the end of this dialectic; now he needed only to draw it to a close with a punch. ‘Betrayal. Translation means doing violence upon the original, means warping and distorting it for foreign, unintended eyes. So then where does that leave us? How can we conclude, except by acknowledging that an act of translation is then necessarily always an act of betrayal?’"
"‘Languages aren’t just made of words. They’re modes of looking at the world. They’re the keys to civilization. And that’s knowledge worth killing for.’"
"English did not just borrow words from other languages; it was stuffed to the brim with foreign influences, a Frankenstein vernacular. And Robin found it incredible, how this country, whose citizens prided themselves so much on being better than the rest of the world, could not make it through an afternoon tea without borrowed goods."
"'History isn’t a premade tapestry that we’ve got to suffer, a closed world with no exit. We can form it. Make it. We just have to choose to make it.’"
"Come back with me, he almost said when they parted. Come to hall. Come back and have Christmas dinner.
But that was impossible. Robin’s life was split into two, and Griffin existed in the shadow world, hidden from sight. Robin could never bring him back to Magpie Lane. Could never introduce him to his friends. Could never, in daylight, call him brother."
"‘You have such a great fear of freedom, brother. It’s shackling you. You’ve identified so hard with the colonizer, you think any threat to them is a threat to you. When are you going to realize you can’t be one of them?’"
"At last, Griffin shook his head and said, ‘You’re lost, brother. You’re a ship adrift, searching for familiar shores. I understand what it is you want. I sought it too. But there is no homeland. It’s gone.’ He paused beside Robin on his way to the door. His fingers landed on Robin’s shoulder, squeezed so hard they hurt. ‘But realize this, brother. You fly no one’s flag. You’re free to seek your own harbour. And you can do so much more than tread water.’"
"A hundred arguments swam through Robin’s head – that he had not requested these privileges of Oxford, had not chosen to be spirited out of Canton at all, that the generosities of the university should not demand his constant, unswerving loyalty to the Crown and its colonial projects, and if it did, then that was a peculiar form of bondage he had never agreed to. That he had not wished for this fate until it was thrust upon him, decided for him. That he didn’t know what life he would have chosen – this one, or a life in which he’d grown up in Canton, among people who looked and spoke like him.
But what did it matter? Professor Lovell would hardly sympathize. All that mattered was that Robin was guilty."
"‘You drink the champagne, Robin. You take your allowance. You live in your furnished room on Magpie Lane, you parade down the streets in your robes and tailored clothes, all paid for by the school, and yet you say all this money comes from blood. This does not bother you?’
And that was the heart of it all, wasn’t it? Robin had always been willing, in theory, to give up only some things for a revolution he halfway believed in. He was fine with resistance as long as it didn’t hurt him. And the contradiction was fine, as long as he didn’t think too hard about it, or look too closely. But spelled out like this, in such bleak terms, it seemed inarguable that far from being a revolutionary, Robin, in fact, had no convictions whatsoever."
"Mr Trevelyan turned back to the other guests. ‘Consider this boy and his father. Both of similar ability, both of a similar background and education. The father begins with even more of an advantage, I would say, as his father, I’m told, belonged to a wealthier merchant class. But so fortunes rise and fall. Despite his natural talents, Mr Mirza here can attain no better than a posting as a domestic servant. Don’t you agree, Mr Mirza?’
Ramy saw the most peculiar expression then on his father’s face. He looked as if he were holding something in, as if he’d swallowed a very bitter seed but was unable to spit it out.
Suddenly this game did not seem such fun. He felt nervous now for showing off, but couldn’t quite put his finger on why.
‘Come now, Mr Mirza,’ said Mr Trevelyan. ‘You can’t claim that you wanted to be a footman.’
Mr Mirza gave a nervous chuckle. ‘It’s a great honour to serve Sir Horace Wilson.’
‘Oh, come off it – no need to be polite, we all know how he farts.’
Ramy stared at his father; the man he still thought was as tall as a mountain, the man who had taught him all his scripts: Roman, Arabic, and Nastaliq. The man who taught him salah. The man who taught him the meaning of respect. His hafiz."
"His father stood a little way back, observing his wife and children, blinking hard as if trying to commit everything to memory. At last, when the boarding call sounded, he hugged his son to his chest and whispered, ‘Allah hafiz.* Write to your mother.’
‘Yes, Abbu.’
‘Forget not who you are, Ramiz.’
‘Yes, Abbu.’
Ramy was fourteen then, and old enough to understand the meaning of pride. Ramy intended to do more than remember. For he understood now why his father had smiled that day in the sitting room – not out of weakness or submission, and not out of fear of reprisal. He’d been playing a part. He’d been showing Ramy how it was done.
Lie, Ramiz. This was the lesson, the most important lesson he’d ever been taught. Hide, Ramiz. Show the world what they want; contort yourself into the image they want to see, because seizing control of the story is how you in turn control them. Hide your faith, hide your prayers, for Allah will still know your heart."
"‘I’m not a traitor,’ Robin pleaded. ‘I’m just trying to survive.’
‘Survival’s not that difficult, Birdie.’ Ramy’s eyes were very hard. ‘But you’ve got to maintain some dignity while you’re at it.’"
"‘It’s called yánghuò,’ said Robin. ‘That’s what she called the opium. Yáng means “foreign”, huò means “goods”. Yánghuò means “foreign goods”. That’s how they refer to everything here. Yáng people. Yáng guilds. Yánghuòre – an obsession with foreign goods, with opium. And that’s me. That’s coming from me. I’m yáng.’
They paused over a bridge, beneath which fishermen and sampans went back and forth. The din of it, the cacophony of a language he’d spent so much time away from and now had to focus on to decipher, made Robin want to press his hands against his ears, to block out a soundscape that should have but did not feel like home."
"Robin saw a great spider’s web in his mind then. Cotton from India to Britain, opium from India to China, silver becoming tea and porcelain in China, and everything flowing back to Britain. It sounded so abstract – just categories of use, exchange, and value – until it wasn’t; until you realized the web you lived in and the exploitations your lifestyle demanded, until you saw looming above it all the spectre of colonial labour and colonial pain.
‘It’s sick,’ he whispered. ‘It’s sick, it’s so sick . . .’"
"What he wanted, Robin thought, was for Professor Lovell to admit what he’d done. That it was unnatural, this entire arrangement; that children were not stock to be experimented on, judged for their blood, spirited away from their homeland in service of Crown and country. That Robin was more than a talking dictionary, and that his motherland was more than a fat golden goose. But he knew these were acknowledgments that Professor Lovell would never make. The truth between them was not buried because it was painful, but because it was inconvenient, and because Professor Lovell simply refused to address it.
It was so obvious now that he was not, and could never be, a person in his father’s eyes. No, personhood demanded the blood purity of the European man, the racial status that would make him Professor Lovell’s equal. Little Dick and Philippa were persons. Robin Swift was an asset, and assets should be undyingly grateful that they were treated well at all."
"He had become so good at holding two truths in his head at once. That he was an Englishman and not. That Professor Lovell was his father and not. That the Chinese were a stupid, backwards people, and that he was also one of them. That he hated Babel, and wanted to live forever in its embrace. He had danced for years on the razor’s edge of these truths, had remained there as a means of survival, a way to cope, unable to accept either side fully because an unflinching examination of the truth was so frightening that the contradictions threatened to break him.
But he could not go on like this. He could not exist a split man, his psyche constantly erasing and re-erasing the truth. He felt a great pressure in the back of his mind. He felt like he would quite literally burst, unless he stopped being double. Unless he chose."
"The origins of the word anger were tied closely to physical suffering. Anger was first an ‘affliction’, as meant by the Old Icelandic angr, and then a ‘painful, cruel, narrow’ state, as meant by the Old English enge, which in turn came from the Latin angor, which meant ‘strangling, anguish, distress’. Anger was a chokehold. Anger did not empower you. It sat on your chest; it squeezed your ribs until you felt trapped, suffocated, out of options. Anger simmered, then exploded. Anger was constriction, and the consequent rage a desperate attempt to breathe.
And rage, of course, came from madness."
"‘Diē?’
He did not know what made him say it, the word for father. Perhaps he thought it would stun Professor Lovell, that the shock alone would bring him back to life, that he could yank his father’s soul back to his body by naming the one thing that they had never named. But Professor Lovell was limp, gone, and no matter how hard Robin shook him the blood would not stop pouring.
‘Diē,’ he said again. Then a laugh escaped his throat; hysterical, helpless, because it was so very funny, so apt that the romanization of father contained the same letters for death in English. And Professor Lovell was so clearly, incontrovertibly dead. There was no walking back from this. There could be no more pretending."
"‘It’s just – you’re all signed up to help me conceal a murder?’ Robin couldn’t help all his statements becoming questions. The whole world right then seemed like one great, unanswerable question. ‘And you’re not even going to ask how, or why?’
Ramy and Victoire exchanged a look. But it was Letty who answered first. ‘I think we all understand why.’"
"How could they tell her she was being delusional? That it was insane to imagine that the British legal system was truly neutral, that they would receive a fair trial, that people who looked like Robin, Ramy, and Victoire might kill a white Oxford professor, throw his body overboard, lie about it for weeks, and then walk away unscathed? That the fact that she clearly believed all this was only evidence of the starkly different worlds they lived in?"
"‘You want to do the right thing,’ said Ramy, bullish. ‘You always do. But you think the right thing is martyrdom. You think if you suffer enough for whatever sins you’ve committed, then you’re absolved.’
‘I do not—’
‘That’s why you took the fall for us that night. Every time you come up against something difficult, you just want to make it go away, and you think the way to do that is self-flagellation. You’re obsessed with punishment. But that’s not how this works, Birdie. You going to prison fixes nothing. You hanging from the gallows fixes nothing. The world’s still broken. A war’s still coming. The only way to properly make amends is to stop it, which you don’t want to do, because really what this is about is your being afraid.’"
"‘What do you mean?’ Letty cried. ‘Of course I’m with you. You’re my friends, I’m with you until the end.’
Then she flung her arms around Victoire and began to weep stormily. Victoire stiffened, looking baffled, but after a moment she raised her arms and cautiously hugged Letty back.
‘I’m sorry.’ Letty sniffled between sobs. ‘I’m sorry, I’m so sorry . . .’
...
Still, something did not seem right, and Robin could tell from Victoire’s and Ramy’s faces that they thought so too. It took him a moment to realize what it was that grated on him, and when he did, it would bother him constantly, now and thereafter; it would seem a great paradox, the fact that after everything they had told Letty, all the pain they had shared, she was the one who needed comfort."
"‘There are no kind masters, Letty,’ Anthony continued. ‘It doesn’t matter how lenient, how gracious, how invested in your education they make out to be. Masters are masters in the end.’"
"‘The thing about violence, see, is that the Empire has a lot more to lose than we do. Violence disrupts the extractive economy. You wreak havoc on one supply line, and there’s a dip in prices across the Atlantic. Their entire system of trade is high-strung and vulnerable to shocks because they’ve made it thus, because the rapacious greed of capitalism is punishing. It’s why slave revolts succeed. They can’t fire on their own source of labour – it’d be like killing their own golden geese.'"
"‘Violence shows them how much we’re willing to give up,’ said Griffin. ‘Violence is the only language they understand, because their system of extraction is inherently violent. Violence shocks the system. And the system cannot survive the shock. You have no idea what you’re capable of, truly. You can’t imagine how the world might shift unless you pull the trigger.’"
"‘But that’s the problem, you see. No one’s focused on how we’re all connected. We only think about how we suffer, individually. The poor and middle-class of this country don’t realize they have more in common with us than they do with Westminster.’"
"One day Robin would ask himself how his shock had turned so easily to rage; why his first reaction was not disbelief at this betrayal but black, consuming hatred. And the answer would elude and disturb him, for it tiptoed around a complicated tangle of love and jealousy that ensnared them all, for which they had no name or explanation, a truth they’d only been starting to wake up to and now, after this, would never acknowledge.
But just then, all he knew was red blurring out the edges of his vision, crowding out everything but Letty. He knew now how it felt to truly want a person dead, to want to tear them apart limb by limb, to hear them scream, to make them hurt. He understood now how murder felt, how rage felt, for this was it, the intent to kill he ought to have felt when he killed his father."
"Grief suffocated. Grief paralysed. Grief was a cruel, heavy boot pressed so hard against his chest that he could not breathe. Grief took him out of his body, made his injuries theoretical."
"‘The university doesn’t own me.’
‘Bah. The university gave you everything.’
‘The university ripped us from our homes and made us believe that our futures could only consist of serving the Crown,’ said Robin. ‘The university tells us we are special, chosen, selected, when really we are severed from our motherlands and raised within spitting distance of a class we can never truly become a part of. The university turned us against our own and made us believe our only options were complicity or the streets. That was no favour, Sterling. It was cruelty. Don’t ask me to love my master.’"
"She had chosen to let him die. This did not hurt as much as it should have. Rather, it clarified things; the stakes before them, the insignificance of their lives against the cause they’d chosen. He saw her begin to apologize, and then catch herself – good, he thought; she had nothing to be sorry for, for between them only one had refused to break."
"And Oxford at night was still so serene, still seemed like a place where they were safe, where arrest was impossible. It still looked like a city carved out of the past; of ancient spires, pinnacles, and turrets; of soft moonlight on old stones and worn, cobbled roads. Its buildings were still so reassuringly heavy, solid, ancient and eternal. The lights that shone through arched windows still promised warmth, old books, and hot tea within; still suggested an idyllic scholar’s life, where ideas were abstract entertainments that could be bandied about without consequences.
But the dream was shattered. That dream had always been founded on a lie. None of them had ever stood a chance of truly belonging here, for Oxford wanted only one kind of scholar, the kind born and bred to cycle through posts of power it had created for itself. Everyone else it chewed up and discarded. These towering edifices were built with coin from the sale of slaves, and the silver that kept them running came blood-stained from the mines of Potosí. It was smelted in choking forges where native labourers were paid a pittance, before making its way on ships across the Atlantic to where it was shaped by translators ripped from their countries, stolen to this faraway land and never truly allowed to go home.
He’d been so foolish ever to think he could build a life here. There was no straddling the line; he knew that now. No stepping back and forth between two worlds, no seeing and not seeing, no holding a hand over one eye or the other like a child playing a game. You were either a part of this institution, one of the bricks that held it up, or you weren’t."
"Power did not lie in the tip of a pen. Power did not work against its own interests. Power could only be brought to heel by acts of defiance it could not ignore. With brute, unflinching force. With violence."
"‘Oh, don’t you judge me.’ His lip curled. ‘Righteous Letty, brilliant Letty, should have been at Oxford except for the gap between her legs—’
‘You disgust me.’
Lincoln only laughed and turned away.
‘Don’t come home,’ she shouted after him. ‘You’re better off gone. You’re better off dead.’
The next morning a constable knocked at their door and asked if this was the residence of Admiral Price, and if he would come with them, please, to identify a body. The driver never saw him, they said. Didn’t even know he was under the cart until this morning, when the horses had a fright. It was dark, it was raining, and Lincoln had been drunk, traipsing across the road – the admiral could sue, as was his right, but they doubted the court would be on his side. It was an accident."
"‘They’re just lying there – Anthony, Vimal, Ramy—’
They hadn’t carted them to the morgue. Hadn’t even covered them. They’d simply left the dead where they’d fallen, bleeding across the bricks and pages, were simply stepping around them on their way to excavate the library. Was this their petty revenge, retribution for a lifetime of inconvenience? Or did they simply not care?
The world has to break, he thought. Someone has to answer for this. Someone has to bleed."
"‘They can’t touch us. No one can touch us. They need us too badly.’
And that, the key to Griffin’s theory of violence, was why they might win. They’d finally worked it out. It was why Griffin and Anthony had been so confident in their struggle, why they were convinced the colonies could take on the Empire. Empire needed extraction. Violence shocked the system, because the system could not cannibalize itself and survive. The hands of the Empire were tied, because it could not raze that from which it profited. And like those sugar fields, like those markets, like those bodies of unwilling labour, Babel was an asset. Britain needed Chinese, needed Arabic and Sanskrit and all the languages of colonized territories to function. Britain could not hurt Babel without hurting itself. And so Babel alone, an asset denied, could grind the Empire to a halt."
"How slender, how fragile, the foundations of an empire. Take away the centre, and what’s left? A gasping periphery, baseless, powerless, cut down at the roots."
"Privately, Robin did not want this to end. He would never confess it to the others, but deep down, where the ghosts of Griffin and Ramy resided, he did not want a speedy resolution, a nominal settlement that only papered over decades of exploitation.
He wanted to see how far he could take this. He wanted to see Oxford broken down to its foundations, wanted its fat, golden opulence to slough away; for its pale, elegant bricks to crumble to pieces; for its turrets to smash against cobblestones; for its bookshelves to collapse like dominoes. He wanted the whole place dismantled so thoroughly that it would be as if it had never been built. All those buildings assembled by slaves, paid for by slaves, and stuffed with artefacts stolen from conquered lands, those buildings which had no right to exist, whose ongoing existence demanded continuous extraction and violence – destroyed, undone."
"Robin put the bar back into his pocket, took a deep breath, and wondered at the hammering in his veins. He wanted a fight. He wanted to jump down there and bloody their faces with his fists. Wanted them to know exactly what he was, which was their worst nightmare – uncivilized, brutal, violent."
"And if the oppressed came together, if they rallied around a common cause – here, now, was one of the impossible pivot points Griffin had spoken of so often. Here was their chance to push history off its course."
"‘Only it builds up, doesn’t it? It doesn’t just disappear. And one day you start prodding at what you’ve suppressed. And it’s a mass of black rot, and it’s endless, horrifying, and you can’t look away.’"
"‘But that’s precisely the devil’s trick,’ Robin insisted. ‘This is how colonialism works. It convinces us that the fallout from resistance is entirely our fault, that the immoral choice is resistance itself rather than the circumstances that demanded it.’"
"Robin thought he understood now the way that Griffin had once looked at him. This was a failure of nerve. A refusal to push things to the limit. Violence was the only thing that brought the colonizer to the table; violence was the only option. The gun was right there, lying on the table, waiting for them to pick it up. Why were they so afraid to even look at it?"
"‘It was like an exercise in hope,’ she said after a pause. ‘Loving her, I mean. Sometimes I’d think she’d come around. Sometimes I’d look her in the eyes and think that I was looking at a true friend. Then she’d say something, make some off-the-cuff comment, and the whole cycle would begin all over again. It was like pouring sand into a sieve. Nothing stuck.’"
"‘We look so young.’ He marvelled at their expressions. It seemed like a lifetime had passed since they’d posed for that daguerreotype. ‘We look like children.’
‘We were happy then.’ Victoire glanced down, fingers tracing their fading faces."
"There was no future without Ramy, without Griffin, without Anthony and Cathy and Ilse and Vimal. As far as he was concerned, time had stopped when Letty’s bullet had left the chamber. All there was now was the fallout. What happened after was for someone else to struggle through. Robin only wanted it all to end."
"But it was so hard to look at her now and not see a friend. How could you love someone who had hurt you so badly? Up close, staring her in the eyes, he had trouble believing that this Letty, their Letty, had done the things she had."
"For a moment the three of them only looked at each other. They stood uncertain in the middle of the lobby, an unbalanced triangle. It felt so fundamentally wrong. There had always been four of them; they had always come in pairs, an even set, and all Robin could think of was the acute absence of Ramy among them. They were not themselves without him; without his laughter, his quick, easy wit, his sudden turns of conversation that made them feel like they were spinning plates. They were no longer a cohort. Now they were only a wake."
"She blinked, and suddenly tears traced two thin, clear lines down her face. This was not an act; they knew Letty could not act. She was heartbroken, truly heartbroken. She loved them; Robin did not doubt it; at least she really believed that she loved them. She wanted them safe and sound, only her version of a successful resolution was to put them behind bars.
‘I didn’t want any of this,’ she said. ‘I just want things to go back to the way they were. We had a future together, all of us.’
Robin bit back a laugh. ‘What did you imagine?’ he asked quietly. ‘That we would keep eating lemon biscuits together while this country declared war on our motherlands?’
‘They’re not your motherlands,’ said Letty. ‘They don’t have to be.’
‘They do have to be,’ said Victoire. ‘Because we’ll never be British. How can you still not understand? That identity is foreclosed to us. We are foreign because this nation has marked us so, and as long as we’re punished daily for our ties to our homelands, we might as well defend them. No, Letty, we can’t maintain this fantasy. The only one who can do that is you.’
Letty’s face tightened.
The truce was over; the walls were up; they had reminded her why she’d abandoned them, which was that she could never really, properly, be one of them. And Letty, if she could not belong to a place, would rather tear the whole thing down."
"‘Guilty,’ he repeated. ‘Guilty, that’s exactly what I am. Ramy told me once that I didn’t care about doing the right thing, that I just wanted to take the easy way out.’
‘He was right,’ she said fiercely. ‘It’s the coward’s way, you know it—’
‘No, listen.’ He gripped her hands. They were trembling. She tried to pull away, but he squeezed her fingers between his. He needed her with him. Needed to make her understand, before she hated him forever for abandoning her to the dark. ‘He’s right. You’re right. I know it, I’m trying to say it – he was right. I’m so sorry. But I don’t know how to go on.’
‘Day by day, Birdie.’ Her eyes filled with tears. ‘You go on, day by day. Just as we’ve been doing. It’s not hard.’
‘No, it’s – Victoire, I can’t.’ He didn’t want to cry; if he started crying, then all his words would disappear and he would never manage to say what he needed to. He ploughed through before his tears could catch up. ‘I want to believe in the future we’re fighting for, but it’s not there, it’s just not there, and I can’t take things day by day when I’m too horrified by the thought of tomorrow. I’m underwater. And I’ve been underwater for so long, and I wanted a way out, but couldn’t find one that didn’t feel like some – some great abdication of responsibility. But this – this is my way out.’"
"‘We have to die to get their pity,’ said Victoire. ‘We have to die for them to find us noble. Our deaths are thus great acts of rebellion, a wretched lament that highlights their inhumanity. Our deaths become their battle cry. But I don’t want to die, Robin.’ Her throat hitched. ‘I don’t want to die. I don’t want to be their Imoinda, their Oroonoko. I don’t want to be their tragic, lovely lacquer figure. I want to live.’
She fell against his shoulder. He wrapped his arms around her and held her tight, rocking back and forth.
‘I want to live,’ she repeated, ‘and live, and thrive, and survive them. I want a future. I don’t think death is a reprieve. I think it’s – it’s just the end. It forecloses everything – a future where I might be happy, and free. And it’s not about being brave. It’s about wanting another chance. Even if all I did was run away, even if I never lifted a finger to help anyone else as long as I lived – at least I would get to be happy. At least the world might be all right, just for a day, just for me. Is that selfish?’
Her shoulders crumpled. Robin held her tight against him. What an anchor she was, he thought, an anchor he did not deserve. She was his rock, his light, the sole presence that had kept him going. And he wished, he wished, that was enough for him to hold on to.
‘Be selfish,’ he whispered. ‘Be brave.’"
"Often, he had thought of death as a reprieve. He had not stopped dreaming of it since the day Letty shot Ramy. He entertained himself with ideas of heaven as paradise, of green hills and brilliant skies where he and Ramy could sit and talk and watch an eternal sunset. But such fantasies did not comfort him so much as the idea that all death meant was nothingness, that everything would just stop: the pain, the anguish, the awful, suffocating grief. If nothing else, surely, death meant peace.
Still, facing the moment, he was terrified."
"Tears streamed down Ibrahim’s face.
‘I don’t want to die,’ he whispered. ‘There must be some other – I don’t want to die.’
They all felt the same, a desperate hope for some chance of escape. In these last moments, the seconds weren’t enough. In theory this decision they’d made was something beautiful. In theory they would be martyrs, heroes, the ones who’d pushed history off its path. But none of that was a comfort. In the moment, all that mattered was that death was painful and frightening and permanent, and none of them wanted to die.
But even as they trembled, not one of them broke. It was only a wish, after all. And the Army was on its way."
"One minute to six.
He loosed a shaky breath. His thoughts flew about, casting desperately for anything to think about that was not this. He landed not on coherent memories but on hyperspecific details – the salty weight of the air at sea, the length of Victoire’s eyelashes, the hitch in Ramy’s voice just before he burst out into full-bellied laughter. He clung to them, lingered there as long as he could, refused to let his mind go anywhere else."
"Five.
Ramy, smiling. Ramy, reaching.
Robin placed his hand on the nearest pyramid, closed his eyes, and breathed, ‘Fānyì. Translate.’"
"He thought he’d be scared.
He thought he’d be fixated on the pain; on how it might feel when eight thousand tons of rubble collapsed on him at once; on whether death might be instant, or whether it might come in horribly small increments when his hands and limbs were crushed, when his lungs struggled to expand in an ever-tinier space.
But what struck him most just then was the beauty. The bars were singing, shaking; trying, he thought, to express some unutterable truth about themselves, which was that translation was impossible, that the realm of pure meaning they captured and manifested would and could not ever be known, that the enterprise of this tower had been impossible from inception.
For how could there ever be an Adamic language? The thought now made him laugh. There was no innate, perfectly comprehensible language; there was no candidate, not English, not French, that could bully and absorb enough to become one. Language was just difference. A thousand different ways of seeing, of moving through the world. No; a thousand worlds within one. And translation – a necessary endeavour, however futile, to move between them."
"‘It’s so odd,’ Robin said. Back then they’d already passed the point of honesty; they spoke to one another unfiltered, unafraid of the consequences. ‘It’s like I’ve known you forever.’
‘Me too,’ Ramy said.
‘And that makes no sense,’ said Robin, drunk already, though there was no alcohol in the cordial. ‘Because I’ve known you for less than a day, and yet . . .’
‘I think,’ said Ramy, ‘it’s because when I speak, you listen.’
‘Because you’re fascinating.’
‘Because you’re a good translator.’ Ramy leaned back on his elbows. ‘That’s just what translation is, I think. That’s all speaking is. Listening to the other and trying to see past your own biases to glimpse what they’re trying to say. Showing yourself to the world, and hoping someone else understands.’"
"But he’d waited for death to come before. He remembered this now - he knew death. Not so abruptly, no, not so violently. But the memory of waiting to fade was still locked in his bones; memories of a stale, hot room, of paralysis, of dreaming about the end. He remembered the stillness. The peace. As the windows smashed in, Robin shut his eyes and imagined his mother’s face.
She smiles. She says his name."
"Victoire Desgraves has always been good at surviving.
The key, she has learned, is refusing to look back."
"She learned revolution is, in fact, always unimaginable. It shatters the world you know. The future is unwritten, brimming with potential. The colonizers have no idea what is coming, and that makes them panic. It terrifies them.
Good. It should."
"She won’t let herself grieve that friendship, as true and terrible and abusive as it was. There will come a time for grief. There will come many nights on the voyage when the sadness is so great it threatens to tear her apart; when she regrets her decision to live; when she curses Robin for placing this burden on her, because he was right: he was not being brave, he was not choosing sacrifice. Death is seductive. Victoire resists."
"Anthony called victory an inevitability. Anthony believed the material contradictions of England would tear it apart, that their movement would succeed because the revels of the Empire were simply unsustainable. This, he argued, was why they had a chance.
Victoire knows better.
Victory is not assured. Victory may be in the portents, but it must be urged there by violence, by suffering, by martyrs, by blood. Victory is wrought by ingenuity, persistence, and sacrifice. Victory is a game of inches, of historical contingencies where everything goes right because they have made it go right."
To conclude this exhaustively long review, if you have not yet read this book, I 100% recommend it (and The Poppy War trilogy, obviously). Yes, I am biased but trust me, it will be 100% worth your time, there's a reason why I'm biased in the first place. These books have brought so much happiness which is weird because TPW is a grim-dark fantasy book and Babel is a dark academia fantasy book with emphasis on the DARK part into my life, and made my heart so full. Even though it IS a heavy read due to the dark content, topics and themes, and even though they DID make me hysterically cry, sob, and throw up, don't let that discourage you from reading these amazing books. They're truly some of the best books I have ever read.
PLOT - ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
WRITING STYLE - ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
PAIN ENTERTAINMENT LEVEL- ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
BOOK COVER DESIGN - ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
OVERALL BOOK RATING - ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
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I know I’ve been focusing a lot on the foster hams lately so here is a comprehensive update post on all my pets
Reptiles & Amphibians
Meryt is doing great, I want to do some revamping in his terrarium soon once I have more time and money but it’s not crucial
Lucky is in her “not eating for breeding season” phase of the year but is otherwise in good health and very active
Boots has forgotten that people exist because she rarely sees them at my mom’s but is otherwise doing well. Still need to plan if I’m moving her to my apartment this year or waiting till next June when we move. I’d prefer to have her with me, but her viv is such a pain to move.
Niobe is doing great and took her first quail recently, and then back to a rat for her next feeding. This is great news, many are worried about giving variety to their ball pythons in case they get picky and only want one prey source but she had no qualms about going back to rats. I’m planning a rat for her next feeding and then either a quail or a soft fur :-)
Ricearoni is growing for sure!! He’s been active recently and I think I may need to size up to larger pinkies for him. He’s not quite fuzzy size though.
Freak is also doing well. I dug him up the other day to check on him and he looks healthy. He swam in his pool for a bit not too long ago, as evidenced by the dirt I found in there. I want to get him a bigger swimming area.
Rodents
Clover, Cardamom, Dracula, & Mick are still their happy energetic little selves. The soft furs (so all but Mick) have developed papillomas on their tummies and tails but so far they aren’t affecting their quality of life. Fingers crossed it’ll be a long time before I need to consider euthanasia. They’re not quite a year old yet. But papilloma growths are exceedingly common in soft furs.
Panko and Badger are also doing well. I split Dog off from them (more on that later in the post) and they seem content enough just the two of them but I may introduce Trowel to them when he arrives, we’ll see.
Miquella, Melania, Harrowhark, and Palamedes are getting so big and so crazy. I am planning to upgrade them in the near future since four soft furs in a 100qt bin is starting to feel cramped! Worst case scenario, I’ll split off two of them into their own 100qt bin.
The ladies (Wonder, Rowe, Mooncake, Mochi, Vendrick, Gwyndolyn, Butter, and Goose the soft fur boy) are overall doing pretty well. Wonder is on her way out, unfortunately, but she’s still getting around okay and snuggles with her friends. It won’t be long now, though. Rowe is pretty old, nearly two- I got her last September and her and Rix (now deceased) were christmas gifts- but she’s still bright and active so I am hopeful she’ll have a few more months in her at the very least. Mooncake and Mochi will turn two at the end of October, so I don’t expect them to see next spring but they’re both in great health so I am hoping they’ll make it to two years old and maybe even through the end of the year. Vendrick, Gwyndolyn, and Butter are all under a year and in great health. Hopefully they will stay that way, but who knows what’s going on in their genetics. Goose is about a year now but still in good health and soft furs can live 3-4 so I’m not worried about him. When my lady colony decreases in size I may swap them into a 100qt bin and put the soft fur quartet into their 200qt bin if I don’t get them their own 200qt bin.
Florian is shockingly still alive and doing fairly well. He gets pain meds and antibiotics and essentially is in hospice. He’s two years old now. He gets around okay, but his bad eye is very swollen. Pain meds are helping. If they stop helping, it’ll be time for euthanasia. For now, though... I’m hoping he’ll pass quietly on his own.
Dog is also not doing too well and I suspect on his way out. We’re not sure exactly what’s going on but no one else is affected so likely something isolated or opportunistic. We’re trying some meds, if they don’t work we’ll try something else. He’s over a year and a half and came from really truly filthy conditions so I suspect this may just be his time. Mouse lifespans are shit.
Katie Hamster is about a year old now and still acting the same as the day I got her, full of life and happy to burrow all day and all night.
Rat & Yoshi the foster hamsters are both doing great. Rat is so sweet and friendly, I can’t believe she hasn’t had an application yet! Yoshi I am planning to look into an elimination diet for to see if his allergies are dietary rather than environmental. And I’m hoping I can hand tame him so he will be more adoptable.
Also, Cecil & Holly my cats are both doing fantastic :-)
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#omggggg happy birthday asia kate dillon!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ='] 🙌🙌🙌🙌🙌🙌🙌🙌🙌🙌🙌🙌🙌🙌🙌🙌🙌🙌🙌🙌🙌🙌🙌🙌🙌🙌🙌🙌🙌🙌🙌🙌🙌🙌🙌🙌🙌🙌🙌
My Top Posts in 2022:
#5
what’s important in marble hornets is that entry 23 has the classic scooby doo hallway doors gag
77 notes - Posted May 26, 2022
#4
🏳️🌈 🐠 🌈 finphasis
105 notes - Posted October 29, 2022
#3
See the full post
137 notes - Posted September 10, 2022
#2
i love the bmc bway decision for jeremy’s look. they were like hey cmere. put on this oversized sweater it’s so big on you and goes past your wrists. here fluff up your hair. he looks like he’s like fourteen when he’s supposed to be all of sixteen. they were like you’re baby. we’re putting jere bear in the damn script. tysm
148 notes - Posted May 30, 2022
My #1 post of 2022
ummmm princess tutu post here where the starting point / inspiration is “romance doesn’t particularly matter here lbr” which honestly is further inspired as a counterpoint re seeing occasional mention of like oh it’s Thematically Relevant that ahiru realizes she’s Not actually in love w/mytho b/c like, tl;dr it’s not really imo, when her having a crush at the start of things was always Kind Of beside the point. bring your mytho appreciation and/or willingness for that perspex to be illuminated & know that this will have plenty of tangents b/c it’s me & b/c already it’s like, this has to build on how there’s that essential theme throughout the series of Hope vs Despair as opposites. in fact, spoilers, idk this post is me getting down things i was just Thinking Through while trying to fall back asleep earlier, it’s like, the Hope overlaps with Love so much that it’s like, it might be Essentially the same around here. and i don’t know, maybe in actual life too, see you next week for poetry hour, but for now here’s a cut where i just really start going off on Ideas
anyways like whenever people are going like “people’s roles in pt are subverted and changed & they have to fight against them sometimes” it’s like Yeah but then when an example given is like “ahiru being In Love w/The Prince was Assigned to her & her Questioning that is a key part of the self acceptance & defiance needed to avoid tragedy” like No, again it really never mattered how much she was or wasn’t in love with him in like, a [becoming the princess] endgame romance soulmates way, b/c it was always about her having this genuine love for him that really didn’t hinge on that. and Questioning whether she wants to be with him is really more a matter of drosselmeyer having this shallow understanding / disinterest in the feelings & motivations of his own characters, when a) those characters are Real People (in their world. of course in Real Reality these are all fictional characters) and b) he just wants One Conclusion that’s as tragic as possible for fun, so saying like oh the princess marries the prince, the knight protects the prince, etc, as these simple but high stakes asserted goals for everyone’s roles, is conducive to that
like it’s right there in the first scene like, ahiru’s talking about wanting to dance a pas de deux with the prince, which is certainly potentially romantic, and it’s not like a secret once she’s human that she does Like him, but even then, once she does Sort Of get such a moment when mytho dances with her in the Fire Festival episode deal, she’s excited about having danced with him herself but a) is more substantially excited that Mytho Wanted To Do Something and did it, and then later b) isn’t bothered about him dancing with rue instead. and in that first scene, although she originally says she’d give her life for the chance to dance w/the prince, she also says he looks sad/lonely, and that’s what she repeats later and builds on to say that she’d give her life just to help him on that front in some way, which makes drosselmeyer appear again. drosselmeyer needs princess tutu to also want to restore mytho’s heart so that the story can reach a conclusion, rather than kraehe being fine with him having no heart if it means she can have him, while he wants tutu to also confess her love so that there can be that tragic ending for her, so wanting to generally help but also be with the prince would seem like the key elements to who should get to be tutu out here, while of course for ahiru she does actually want to help him more than she wants to Be With Him in the first place. it’s evident again in the season one finale wherein she does For Intents And Purposes confess her love through dance, but that love is also tied to, again, just wanting him to have his heart back and be Able to dance with her or do anything else, whereas kraehe’s love can’t reach mytho because her approach is a destructive and controlling one about trying to possess him as a Concept of the prince who should be with her as the princess. whereas tutu is like yeah i want you to have your heart back, and then if that meant you wanted to dance with me that’d be cool. and that when they Do dance together afterwards it’s sure Able to serve as an ending, but doesn’t need anyone to really more directly declare Love or eternal togetherness or anything, it’s all good b/c mytho has his heart back (i mean, he doesn’t, but only when there’s Definitely a season two, b/c otherwise you could believe that Love was the final piece. and even if you don’t you could just presume tutu kept doing her thing until he was good to go)
anyways and then season two when there’s like more blatant will they won’t they with her and fakir which, maybe unsurprising disclaimer that that just falls flat for me lmfao b/c a) i think their unfolding dynamic is fun re being friends and a team but everything else just feels kind of tacked on to that wherein also b) idk it never really seems to affect what ahiru does in any especial way lol which would potentially make it more interesting if she did. but otherwise it’s like well great job morally supporting each other out here, fakir’s having antics on his end, but other implications of like “ooh...romance???” are like idk, it just doesn’t do anything for me, and in the end, Again we don’t need any unambiguous answer when it’s like, we’re talking about accepting True Selves and not needing to worry about being alone and then that means hanging out with a duck on a lake, doesn’t really Need to be asked like, is this guy in Love with that duck? when again the love is There between all these characters and drives them already and any potential for romance is, if anything, just kinda like the bonus layer after everything else has already served as adequate motivation all around
anyways i have to go ahead and link it to Hope wherein like. it ends up firmly established that tutu is literally this embodiment of hope, which saves the day in the series finale, so that’s Relevant. and then the raven is embodying despair, but beyond like wanting to destroy the prince and all, that involves people not being able to be themselves, and having to give up on getting to be themselves, and we see from the raven himself and from the people who stand in for the raven / as that antagonist (so kraehe and/or raven mytho) that the general approach to interactions that aren’t just “im gonna kill you” are about trying to control someone, and possibly also still being like “im gonna kill you” but as a less imminent threat, or even “haha yeah you should also kill me, go for it” possibly, re mytho when his jumping in for episodic antagonist lets kraehe’s material become more about her as rue again, and her obviously feeling pretty hopeless with this new context like oh, also, she thinks the prince and kind of also the raven are the only people who even Could possibly love her, b/c of the raven.
meanwhile there’s also drosselmeyer who wants characters to have enough hope to continue the story and to provide Setup for the later tragedy, but also wants them to be able to despair at the Correct time (namely, the Ending, when tragedy is great / players dropping out of the narrative is fine) and all these characters are dealing with their stories being controlled by someone who does want to push things towards more tragedy. which like, surely Not Very Coincidental overlap of tragedy, despair, and control there. drosselmeyer has a degree of control over everything, though it seems More direct the more people are getting into the “staged” zones, or say, being in his clockwork puppets behind the scenes world, whereas edel’s function was to try to exist within the world and direct the story the way drosselmeyer wanted it to go, rather than him just being able to do it himself (or necessarily Wanting to do it himself, since he’s just here to be entertained, and even if he Could write it all into reality, seems he might instead be letting it play out w/o more interference b/c that’s more fun for him), but we see even through edel, who’s entirely a puppet rather than a person and definitely has never had a heart in the first place, that she still manages to become interested in and understand more about emotions and arguably have them herself, since she ends up having motivations in conflict with drosselmeyer’s and takes actions he didn’t direct, and if that goes for her, it has to go for his created characters turned real people, too, even when, say, they don’t have their heart
which idk i’m making up segues as we go here, but at the start, you have people who see mytho as a Concept and how he has a role in whatever role they imagine for themselves. like rue seeing him as the prince to her princess, or fakir being threatened by his being the prince to his knight, and their sort of begrudging alliance when neither of them want mytho to have his heart restored b/c rue knows he could wind up with someone else and fakir knows if the story could possibly resume, as the knight, he’d have to die. yet they both see mytho as enough of a person to also want to protect him, which is sure a manifestation of love that we see around here. but that protection also involves control: they both control what mytho gets to do, when they know that otherwise anyone Else could potentially direct him around, b/c mytho can’t know what he wants or doesn’t want to do, but he would if he had his heart. which they Can’t return, b/c apparently only tutu can do that, and evidently drosselmeyer hasn’t tried to give either of them the ability to return it, but even before it’s started to be returned they’re both decidedly Against that happening. and when they do realize it’s being returned, you have rue taking that role as kraehe and doing everything she does trying to stop tutu or tell mytho about how he Has to be with her, and just kind of shove fakir out of the way if he’s trying to interfere with the latter, while he’ll Also get in on trying to stop tutu, and while when push comes to shove he won’t really try to oppose mytho once mytho tells him what he does or doesn’t want, it takes a minute to get there, and his approaches to trying to stop mytho from regaining his heart are the classics like, tell him he sucks all the time, lashing out like hitting him that once, the “if i lock him in a dark room forever that’ll be so depressing it’ll just make him stop having feelings” effort lmao like it’s not gonna work....instances of the connection drawn between control & despair like, thinking of someone acting out of despair as, say, despairing of their being any other options for themself. which someone else can try to push them into by telling them there’s no other option / trying to put them in a situation where they seemingly have no other options
and it’s interesting how it’s not only like oh Despair / thinking you have no options is only something antagonists engage in, because we can say it’s in the choice to Self Sacrifice as a way to protect others, which comes up a lot, for example, mytho’s drive to protect defenseless things as a quality that motivates him even when he has no emotions. and you have the finales where, in both cases, fakir has to figure out how to fight anyways (and the second time around is inspired to risk tapping into his Author Powers again b/c he’s aware of how everyone’s been protecting him, like mytho managing to stop his dramatic Evil Self from just killing fakir w/a sword lol), and the first time around tutu’s supposed to see no other option but to save mytho by confessing her love and thus vanishing into a point of light, but she trusts in her own feelings and thus herself and refuses to give up, in the series finale, it’s rue who sacrifices herself by confessing love (which now manifests as her desperate to save mytho from the raven rather than her standing in for the raven, when she was willing to control him just so she could possess him, whereas now it’s been made entirely obvious to her where that approach wound up) and ahiru has to again face down despair, but then brings in Hope in the end for everyone else’s sake even when it seems she has no options b/c she seemingly can’t do anything. fakir won’t give up writing even when it seems he can’t do anything (and is told that), mytho won’t give up by shattering his heart again and figuring he can only die in the end even after defeating the raven, and ahiru’s apparently like summoned some form of the original tutu via all this Hope, wherein it’s sure interesting how original tutu apparently Also self sacrificed but did successfully give the prince hope in the process, because people are considering the self sacrifices in the first place to protect others, who in turn might try to stop them from doing that to protect Them, and that means creating other options / convincing them of other options
so tutu is out here sure creating options for mytho by returning his heart, and the reward in this for her is all about helping him and seeing him getting to be more of himself again and exercise his agency. which is so genuinely important to her that she also was ready to give up returning his heart / being tutu at all when she thought she was only hurting him and that he might not even want his heart returned; and that returns again in the next season when she again can’t know if he wants his heart back b/c he again can’t be his full self to communicate the answer one way or another, but she’s realized that she’s had a piece of his heart with her all along and that that being the source of her power to return his heart means that regaining his heart was always a genuine desire of mytho’s and why they should risk everything now to restore his heart in full when they don’t know that’ll go great. and at that point it’s obvious that rue no longer acts on her love through the Despair angle of thinking that her only option is him loving her, so she can only accept his loving her being His only option too, thus trying to control what he does so she can own him; now rue is acting out of hope, encouraged by tutu, where even if she can’t see it working out she knows that acting on that despair Isn’t The Way and is now trying, even as distantly as this, to work with mytho’s genuine self and what he wants, even just trying to let him exist again, really
and it feels like all the Birds all over the place might have to do with the freedom and creation in hope vs stifling and limitations via despair, what with flying and all, not to mention one intro being about the fairy tale with someone who wants their Magical Winged Lover to be guaranteed to stay with them, so magically removes her wings, but the wings were the source of her life, so she dies. it’s like kraehe with mytho in season one, where by trying to control him / remove his freedom she can technically be with him by virtue of like, yes, he’s physically present, but she can’t actually engage with him as a person nor he with her in turn because, as i’ve just remembered, her ripping away his feeling of Love while kissing him just shuts down his access to his emotions again, which is sure Something, tap into some [metaphorical trauma response?] if you want maybe....she can’t truly be with him as a person, with any actual relationship, when her efforts at getting there via the despair/control route are incompatible with him getting to actual exist and live as his full self, even if he’s technically physically there, she can’t truly just Have Him like that....meanwhile, mytho has this affinity for / connection with birds, he saves that canary chick who’s trying to fly in the first episode (and Does manage to fly when tutu also steps in to save them both), and ahiru is also actually a bird (who can fly a bit but seems to struggle with that) while tutu appears to others as either a swan or a figure with wings for arms (which might be tutu’s Original form as well), and ahiru as a girl is already out here supporting mytho as a person so that in that moment that’s just like, Scream, there’s that instance in the first episode of season two where he says that ahiru is like his bff and the person he feels he can trust most? or i think what he says is she’s the one person he feels he can tell anything. and then never knowingly interacts with her again lmao like scream....but the fact that Relationship is established even without him knowing she’s tutu where he still feels like yeah i can trust this person with my heart too, in essence. and to tie this back to the Ostensible premise of all this lmfao, it’s clearly not particularly outright Romantic, but that really doesn’t matter, and when he eventually at least realizes tutu is like, a duck, obviously he has no negative reaction to that whatsoever like yknow what, sure, who Isn’t kind of a bird, god bless you
anyways i think it’s sure neat how like. sure maybe only a few people know mytho’s literally a fairytale prince with literally no heart, and everyone else just thinks he’s like kind of weird / mysterious, but ahiru notes he doesn’t seem to be happy / seems lonely and she hopes(tm) she can help change that, and soon embraces knowingly returning his heart, even though she could’ve taken the route of going yeah oh since he Can’t want anything, why both returning it, if his current experiences Can’t upset him, why try to give him anything else.....she sees him as a person from the start, and wants him to have as much ability to want and enjoy things as possible, whatever he chooses to do with that. Couldn’t Be Me when ppl think mytho’s just boring or he’s basically not a person like, well again in reality none of them are people b/c they’re characters, but in that world like, even with yes him being technically a character There, drosselmeyer’s creations Are just real people, where even the actual puppets can gain autonomy and have wants and feelings of their own, and ahiru was sure always able to treat edel like a person, too
running out of steam here lmfao & i always of course take long pauses in writing these so remembering what was going on takes even more effort lol but as a fun postscript like galaxy brain of autistic appreciators of mytho lmao like, that’s me, it’s Fascinating like again i don’t think [oh boring] about him not having feelings, i think that’s interesting & fun of him lmfao. and of course it’s not about like oh autistic people Can’t feel anything, or that they even feel any less, any more than it’s about autistic people all being fictional princes who can summon a swan sword and defeat the raven or anything. but it’s like, thinking of people being seen as Not Expressive Enough and how that must mean they don’t have feelings (and the fact like also mytho sure does Have the capacity for those feelings, and there’s even some ambiguity about whether those feelings are still Active while separated from him / affected by things that are happening to him, but he just can’t draw from that at all until its returned) or those feelings are like, diminished / deficient. also thinking of, i forget the word for it, difficulty identifying what you’re feeling, wherein you know it’s like, being autistic where people misinterpret how you’re expressing yourself or a lack of some particular expected/desired manifestation of expression, and react (negatively) to that misinterpretation (thinking of like. all the times people around mytho are reacting to misinterpretations about him and his intentions and feelings. second episode where mytho hasn’t had a single heart shard returned yet, but already is getting hit by someone b/c while he’s giving No Reaction and expressing No Emotion b/c he can’t feel anything yet, she’s reading this like desire to sabotage her / disdain for her into it) and people being left to wonder if They’re the one misinterpreting their own emotions / ways they’re expressing it when nobody else is recognizing this or responding to that, and rather asserting they must be acting on some xyz other emotion actually....and all this pushback as mytho Is exploring his own genuine emotions and trying to act on his own genuine wants and interests even while other people are like what no, that’s ridiculous, cut it out, etc, and being shocked & surprised when he does show some open expression of [whatever emotion] like, king of not masking lmao. thinking of how i could surprise ppl with the most mundane things like “i think basketball is fun” like i have a zillion opinions & things i can talk abt & i’m fairly spontaneous & excitable & theatrical & talkative as hell but like the “default” or safe approach i have has none of that and people will then just assume like oh if it’s not being shared with me in a way that seems obvious enough or expressed Naturally / Correctly Enough, it must not be there at all. and ahiru just seeing mytho as a person in the first place and gaining the ability to Help Him Be Himself because of that. i think it’s soooo neat and i love that funky little guy, again s/o to the wisdom of autistically enjoying mytho as a character
and you know i think that’s ahiru of course acting as this force of Love by supporting mytho’s personhood & autonomy & wanting him to have options and the ability to actually choose b/w them, and Hopefully i connected that to Hope b/c you know, it’d be Despairing to figure actually no she’s not going to try to help him and there’s nothing anyone can do and this is the only way it can be. where people’s love for each other in all ways and all combinations around here is about not giving up, wanting to give the other person hope / getting hope from that person. the heart shart tutu gets is hope, wherein even interacting with her lets mytho feel hope, and where in turn there’s that line in the season one finale about her wanting to protect him and that the way she feels when she sees him is what lets her become tutu, wherein clearly also that is powered by the hope heart shard, so another love / hope link, wherein does it even seem like that love being Romantic was what really mattered, vs just that it’s a more general love for him as a person, where Liking him sure can fall under that, but it’s clearly never really that big a deal, like, even recognizing rue as a rival doesn’t introduce any conflict when instead ahiru’s like wow i love rue she’s the best yeah if she was with mytho that’d be cool, she’s my best friend now, i want the best for her too....there’s no like, “oh she Liked mytho at the start b/c she was Supposed to, it was an imposition of her Role” like that might be more of drosselmeyer’s assumption but what Really mattered from the start was simply wanting to help him, and Everyone Wanting To Help Each Other keeps being what wins....ahiru gets to be tutu for that reason, not b/c she’s determined to be with him romantically, which, you know, it’s also pointed out that tutu’s role being so Tragically Fated means you’d have to accept not getting to be with him anyways, in theory....and what motivates her re: mytho was never imposed, it’s love powered by hope & vice versa, and even when season two is all will they won’t they abt her and fakir that never like gets in the way of her main goal still being helping / protecting mytho, b/c again, that was never Just All About Liking(tm) Him anyways, so if she ever wonders about Liking(tm) anyone else it’s like yeah okay that actually is not that related lmao, her crush on mytho in the first place is mostly just like, funny and lively lmao. Wish the would they wouldn’t they material in season two was that way also b/c then it might’ve been engaging / interesting to me lol, but if it’s enjoyable like cool then, it’s just not really in conflict with anything actually lmao or that glorious defiance. all the climactic moments of the like ultimate Hope and Love saving people isn’t outright about romance. b/c this is all about any forms of relationships really, it’s not like oh yeah this way of treating people is good for Romance, but not other kinds of love, or vice versa
170 notes - Posted May 28, 2022
Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →
#tumblr2022#year in review#my 2022 tumblr year in review#your tumblr year in review#false#lmao#it loves a maxed out tag with a lot of raised hands emoticons#it didn't include the read more in that top post and i'm not putting it back in. That's Right#three top posts from may twenty sixth to may thirtieth? evidently had a powerful posting energy going on there
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New KITTIE Music In 2024 'Would Be Really Cool', Says MORGAN LANDER
During an appearance on the latest episode of "The MetalSucks Podcast", guitarist/vocalist Morgan Lander of reactivated Canadian metallers KITTIE spoke about the possibility of following up the band's upcoming shows with some new music. She said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I have a whole phone full of riffs that I'm, like, 'I think I could probably use these.' And preparing for these shows has obviously opened up that door a little more and sort of motivated me to do that stuff — be more creative and write. But I don't have a deadline."
She continued: "I feel like it's tough to focus on getting back up to speed with the tour and then also write at the same time. Everybody's navigating their jobs and family stuff and all that, so that's always tough. So I feel like it's kind of like one focus at a time. But we definitely won't stop playing shows. I think we'll be really choosy about doing some festivals and things like that. But I do have maybe kind of a skeleton timeline I'd like to have some of these ideas put forth by. I think new music in 2024 would be really cool."
Morgan added: "I know I've said this a few times, and maybe if I continue to put it out into the ether it'll actually happen, but the idea of maybe re-recording the first album for, like, the 25th anniversary — something like that — T-Swifting it up, it's kind of a really interesting idea. And I think with the musicianship now and how we all kind of sound and jell, I think it could be a really interesting exercise. That's something I thought about as well."
Morgan and her sister Mercedes, who plays drums in KITTIE, held their first rehearsal together since 2017 in April. A month earlier, Morgan confirmed to Anne Erickson of Audio Ink Radio that KITTIE will play more shows beyond the already announced appearances at the Blue Ridge Rock Festival in September and at the When We Were Young festival in October. "That's it for this year," Morgan said. "But next year, we definitely will. But I think those opportunities will come later on.
"We don't have anything set in stone, but I think it's something that, like I said before, once these doors are open, I think we can expect to feel comfortable doing a few more little things here and there and hopefully we'll be able to do some more one-offs in the States and Europe and that type of thing," she explained. "So the possibilities are endless."
Joining Morgan, Mercedes and Ivy at the above-mentioned shows in the fall will be guitarist Tara McLeod.
Asked in an interview with the "Talk Toomey" podcast what led to Vujic returning to KITTIE for the upcoming dates, Morgan said: "Ivy played on two of our albums, the last two albums that we did. She left the band right before the very last big tour that we ended up doing; she did the Soundwave Festival [in Australia] with us in 2012, and those were the last shows that we did with her. And she just kind of settled into her life, started a family, got married, and so that's sort of been what she's been up to. But Ivy's a metal girl at heart and she's always been super, super easygoing about stuff. I just sent her a message and I was, like, 'Hey, can we talk?' And we had a really, really great phone call and I just sort of explained the situation, explained what was going on. I asked her if she'd be into doing it, and she was, like, 'Yeah. Sounds great.' … It's very much one of those things where you don't talk that often anymore, you don't see each other that often, but then, when you all get together again, that chemistry and that vibe is always there."
Morgan continued: "I feel like that lineup of KITTIE in particular was always very super pro, super chill — no stress, no drama. Just, like, 'You know what? We're gonna go out there and we're gonna sound amazing.'
"She's an incredible bass player. I don't think that Ivy gets enough credit. She is absolutely incredible. So it's gonna be great."
Vujic joined KITTIE in 2008 and appeared on the band's fifth studio CD, 2009's "In The Black". She also wrote and recorded bass for KITTIE's sixth album, 2011's "I've Failed You".
When We Were Young will be held on the Las Vegas Festival Grounds on the Strip on October 22, October 23 and October 29.
KITTIE has not performed since its reunion show at London Music Hall in the band's native London, Ontario in 2017, celebrating the group's documentary "Kittie: Origins/Evolutions".
In January, the original lineup of KITTIE — Morgan, Mercedes, Fallon Bowman (guitar) and Tanya Candler (bass) — reunited for an online chat to celebrate the 22nd anniversary of its gold-certified 2000 debut album, "Spit".
Candler left KITTIE after the release of "Spit" in order to finish high school and was replaced by Talena Atfield.
Bowman exited KITTIE in 2001 and started her own industrial/electronic project, AMPHIBIOUS ASSAULT.
After KITTIE completed the touring cycle for 2011's "I've Failed You" album, the band entered a long period of inactivity during which Morgan focused on a marketing job for a chain of fitness clubs while Mercedes worked in real estate and more recently at a software company. The group also began work on a career-spanning documentary, "Origins/Evolutions", which finally saw the light of day in 2018 via Lightyear Entertainment in North America.
"I've Failed You" sold 3,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 178 on The Billboard 200 chart.
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May
- Taking very first PTO vacation for boys trip to Cali! Wasn’t always smooth some misunderstandings but ended up getting a lot closer with everyone and resolving things towards the end of the trip..
- Got to meet someone I had been talking to for a bit in Cali. Thought we may be compatible but I wasn’t ready to commit to a LDR. Trying to figure out what I really want in a relationship.. Starting to think there’s something wrong with me…
- Finally got to see John Mayer in concert.. thankful that I didn’t have to go alone.,..,
- Isaac graduated! We’re all out of college now crazy
- More fun YA hangouts~~ optimistic maybe this can be more of a regular occurrence
- Jen graduated Stony!!!!
- Spontaneously decided to sell 3/4 of my furniture and reorganize and start new?? (This isn’t what it looks like anymore) Struggled to move couches w Chaewon…
June
- First Coldplay concert the best kind of weather a surreal experience.. hearing Charlie Brown live was one of my bucket lists.. but Sparks ended up being the highlight of the show.
- More people started coming out to play volleyball but started to miss the old core group we started with kind of starting to miss how it used to be but got closer with certain people and hanging out outside of volleyball! Haven’t really felt this feeling of big group friends since maybe early college? Combining two of my favorite things— big groups and volleyball! Started to play more regularly and felt really carefree and young
- Went to NY for Chaewons first birthday in Boston!! Six flags and spa and the city
July
- Playing a lot more volleyball but starting to get crowded with more and more people and started to feel less intimate? But good days felt really good. These are probably two of my favorite sessions— competitive boys vs girls and wentworth session with fun and good people a good crowd
- Started hanging out with volleyball friends a lot more and felt like maybe this could be something that lasts long? Feels different than YA friends but something feels so carefree here. One of my favorite days this summer— went for picnic and then first rooftop session w everyone afterwards that night
- Maybe one of my favorite pictures from this summer. Nostalgic..
- Cut my hair off short again… I think still trying to figure out myself..
August
- Found out my parents were separating.. went home to help with move in and move out. Was a huge reality check that I was missing out a lot of what was going on at home. A lot of heart ache to leave back to Boston.. very hard month.
- Back to playing volleyball and friends to keep distracted but still sad.
- Took long awaited Poconos boys trip with high school friends
- Appa got sick in the hospital on the last day before I flew back to Boston.. Hard family stuff trying to balance being a good son to both my mom and dad. (Found this old picture while moving and almost cried)
- Started hanging out with Kiele separately— trying to figure out feelings and potential relationship
- Lost my best friend.
September
- Started officially dating Kiele. Went on dates and hanging out together w volleyball people
- Big Volleyball Tourney that I had been looking forward to for a month! Had a lot of fun~
- Went home to be more present with family stuff. Appa is finally out of the hospital
October
- More spontaneous late nights at Kiele’s rooftop with friends and some drinks. Will miss this..
- Took a kind of spontaneous overnight trip to NH with Kiele-- turns out appearance is not everything in sushi.. and laid under the most stars I’ve ever seen my whole life. A lot of carefree moments here had a lot of fun
- Got a raise at work!
November
- Went home to celebrate my mom’s 50th birthday early and for a childhood friend’s wedding. My mom got sick the weekend I came home to visit so we couldn’t do much for birthday celebration but when it was her real birthday two weeks later I had the option to go home but waited too long and didnt go. Facetiming my mom and Jen that night made me really really sad.. I should’ve went and I regret it a lot.
- Feels like I’m a little more emotional these days not really the type to be emotional during weddings-- not that I’ve been to many but this time I was literally welling with tears...... Maybe I’m like my dad.
- Had a friendsgiving potluck with friends
- Decided that it was the right decision to end things with Kiele.. love is never really black or white.. Love is hard but I think when I finally find what I’m looking for I think I’ll know for sure.
2022 was a year of a lot of change for me.. I think i’m still learning what it means to grow up and what it means to love somebody.. I think I still have a long way to go for both.. Hoping 2023 is better to me.
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I talked to my mom at 5 o’clock last night at the hospital to see how he was doing. And to let her know that her other spawn was on his way to be with her for a few days. Then I called her at 8:30 because I know that’s when she gets home from visiting hours. She mentioned nothing of it. She mentioned having a glass of wine with her other spawn. Then I get a phone call this morning, and she asked me, “just calling to see how you guys are handling the news” she didn’t even remember she had told me yet. Her short-term memory is bad enough, but when she stressed out or upset tired it’s really bad. She totally forgot, telling me last night that he passed away. Didn’t even say anything. Like that’s kind of a big piece of information even though you have short-term memory loss. You know what I mean? I’ve kind of been walking around in days all day. We were literally going down to see him tomorrow and visit because we knew maybe there was a chance. What if he had another stroke and passed away. We didn’t know that things were that dire. And I really hope that his daughter didn’t know how bad it was he didn’t tell us. I’ll never forgive her for that. The first thing that my youngest said was, “I didn’t get a chance to say goodbye. Those two were like to be in the pot ever since she was born. She hasn’t seen him since November. Ashley, I think it might be October or September. he couldn’t drive anymore with his dementia, he was not having very many good days where mom could bring him in without him, having an episode and us seeing it. She’s been dealing with a lot the past two years. All on her own. No one care, no family members, knowing how bad it was, nothing. I don’t know how she did it. Because the house was left in his sons. I’m not sure how long they’ll let her stay in the house before they tell her they want to put her up for sale. Not that she can afford to say they’re on her own regardless. Then with me on disability, I’ll get cut from disability if she moves in with me. And because I’m disabled, I wouldn’t be able to really care for her anyway. I don’t have the means or the vehicle or the physical ability. If anything happens God forbid. She doesn’t want to live with her other spawn eight hours away because she wants to be close to me. And she doesn’t want to move to Newfoundland because that’s really too far away. Although, I think it would be great. However, None of her family has even mentioned anything about it. No one has offered. Can you believe that shit? They assume she’ll be fine or being in a home or something. Meanwhile, they won’t accept her home because she’s physically in fantastic shape. It’s just shorter memory issues. That’s it. She can’t afford to be home anyway. She doesn’t have the money neither I. So I’m not sure what’s gonna happen for now we’re just trying to figure out how to get through the upcoming view at the end of the week or this weekend. And then I’m gonna have to put some kind of plan in order so she doesn’t feel so alone in the weeks afterwards. Ppl say those are the hardest. I wish I could ff to July or August. That’s 5 family members in 4 years. It’s been a lot.
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24 November 2023
Ah, our friend Rami Shmuel has popped up again to do some serious PR for Bibi.
I think we should not be dealing with politics now, I think there was a big underlying error in analyzing the information about the attack from Hamas on October 7th by the Israeli government and Israeli Defense Force, but I think right now Israel is in the middle of war and this is not the time to deal with politics.
Full transcript below the cut.
Rami Shmuel, an organizer of the Nova Music Festival that was attacked by Hamas terrorists on October 7th, speaks with PULS 24 Anchor Thomas Mohr about what he has witnessed on this very day and why he believes, that there will be times when "we're going to dance again".
Thomas Mohr: Starting today, up to 50 hostages out of 240 in custody are being released. Do you have information about who the people are, that finally can be handed over to their loved ones? Forty hostages have been taken alone from the music festival area.
Rami Shmuel: I know who’s going to be released today are only little babies, children and a couple of women. Maybe also some Thai workers, that were working on the fields. This is all I know about the civilians and the hostages that are going to be released in the next hours. [How does he know this?]
The festival area is, of course, the largest crime scene in Israel's history. Bodies of more than 360 young people, guests, personnel - all gathered for a peaceful and joyful day - were found dead. Many got raped, shot, slaughtered on their escape, running for their lives, and some could hide for hours and uncertain if they ever would survive that horror. You have been on the premises until minutes before the attack and then returned afterward. What did you witness when you arrived again at the festival area?
When I arrived back to the festival area, I saw an unforgivable sin. Human bodies all over the place, on the ground, on the field. Naked women, butchered, slaughtered, executed. Young people, that had their head cut off. Burned up, like a torch – like garbage. Women that have been abused by monsters. I saw burned up cars with people inside. Safe zones, that turned out to be a death zone. After these monsters showed up, everybody that tried to escape from this safe zone got shot immediately.
They came with one purpose and one purpose only: to butcher and to kill. To kidnap, to rape, to humiliate young people whose only crime was, that they wanted to dance and to be happy for a couple of hours. What my eyes saw, the whole world should know. The whole world should be shocked by this act of terror by the Hamas organization. There were hundreds of bodies, you know we searched the ground for around thirteen days after the first attack on October 7th until we manage to bring back as many as we found - of our friends, colleagues and the audience.
Mr Shmuel, did you or do you personally know victims of that horrific attack?
There were friends of mine, festival security guards that have been working with us for years, DJs and audience members from all over Israel.
You know, this act of terror caught us off guard. Nobody could expect that there are monsters living among us that would kidnap little babies, the elderly, women... To negotiate a release of these monsters that took lives is unbelievable. The world should stand united with Israel against those monsters because this is not only our fight. The world should know that. And the world should realize that these monsters should not exist anymore. Because on October 7th, Israel took the attack. But let's go back in history. What happened in the other parts of the world? The United States took a horrible attack by a terrorist organization on September 11th with the twin towers. History teaches us, this kind of organization, this terror of radical Islam, should not have a place between us, and we should hunt them down.
After October 7th, Israel is conducting a large scale offensive to destroy Hamas. And since then, Israel is criticized for the deaths of many thousands of civilians in the Gaza Strip. Is this criticism in your eyes valid? Given the huge number of civilian Palestinian casualties there?
No, I tell you one thing: I don’t think there is any army more humane than the Israeli Defense Force. Hamas is targeting its own people by taking them and making them a human shield. Even if though we are at war, still, the Israeli government is sending them supplies and making a humane effort to help them. And making the humanitarian effort to help the civilians, warning them to clear an area that is going to be attacked. And what Hamas is doing is standing between the civilians that want to escape from the area that Israel is attacking now. When civilians tried to escape from the North to the South, as the Israeli government asked the civilians of Gaza to do, the Hamas organization hunted them down and painted them as victims of the Israeli Defense Force.
Mr. Shmuel, what is the political situation in Israel right now? Benjamin Netanyahu has been under political pressure before. Right now, he is prime minister of a joint war cabinet including the opposition. Is the pressure on Netanyahu growing, what is your assessment?
The civilians will not forget October 7th. And we will come demanding answers from everybody, including our Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. I think we should now let go of politics and give them courage and support to win this war, to provide the citizens with what we need and what we want.
I think we should not be dealing with politics now, I think there was a big underlying error in analyzing the information about the attack from Hamas on October 7th by the Israeli government and Israeli Defense Force, but I think right now Israel is in the middle of war and this is not the time to deal with politics.
Will there ever be a new, a joyful, a fantastic music festival like it was before October 7th?
I want to believe that what Hamas did on October 7th is only making us stronger, only unites us, and only motivates us to do bigger festivals, bigger shows – we’re going to dance again, nobody can stop that, not even Hamas. And I think the main cause is to bring back all the hostages, all the civilians, all the soldiers that Hamas kidnapped from Israel. And I think after that and after the return of our kidnapped, Hamas will realize that they deal with the wrong people.
Zusammenfassung [Summary]
Rami Shmuel, an organizer of the Nova Music Festival that was targeted by Hamas terrorists on October 7th, speaks with PULS 24 Anchor Thomas Mohr about the tragic attack and the release of hostages.
Quelle: Redaktion / poz
#rami shmuel#unity festival#nova tribe#tribe of nova#supernova sukkot gathering#supernova festival#nova festival#seems there's a kind of media push going on right now...#Thomas Mohr
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I posted 768 times in 2022
238 posts created (31%)
530 posts reblogged (69%)
Blogs I reblogged the most:
@tragicfaggots
@renchanters
@enderspawn
@the-king-of-lemons
@colestyle
I tagged 412 of my posts in 2022
Only 46% of my posts had no tags
#jrwi spoilers - 52 posts
#jrwi - 46 posts
#jrwilb - 34 posts
#jrwi liveblog spoilers - 20 posts
#jrwi liveblog - 17 posts
#double life spoilers - 13 posts
#jay ferin - 12 posts
#dsmp spoilers - 7 posts
#jrwi apotheosis - 6 posts
#dream smp spoilers - 5 posts
Longest Tag: 136 characters
#this is to say my first ever thought abt charlie slimecicle (a man who’s work i admire so much) was “oh he’s like an offbrand joe hills”
My Top Posts in 2022:
#5
i’m actually inconsolable about chip by the way. it’s way too late at night to analyse but he fucking thinks he shouldn’t have been born and that he can’t be who arlin would have raised and is unable to value himself by his own terms when he stopped coasting on denial he himself only half believed he just fucking crumpled
33 notes - Posted September 22, 2022
#4
no ok lizzies ending is like. getting me. because she’s lived a full life in the ocean kingdom, she had a brother and a husband and she made things and she discovered herself and she made enemies and allies and she had plans and then the ocean washed away & everything about her that made her the ocean queen dried up and then she was just. lizzie. and she left having no idea who and what she left behind
57 notes - Posted January 30, 2022
#3
big fan of the fact that we’re gonna have a horny old man on the ship again. it’s what the riptide pirates need
77 notes - Posted October 13, 2022
#2
i really do love how for the last two seasons, scott and cleo have wanted to team so badly, but both times fate and circumstance have pulled them apart - then this time when fate explicitly says ”no, you two aren’t meant to be together“ they actively turn their back on it.
84 notes - Posted June 18, 2022
My #1 post of 2022
i love how purpled and slimecicle both have an open sort of end to their stories:
slime obviously takes his revenge on both purpled and quackity because they took advantage of his nature and hoped he wouldn’t catch on, but overlayed as he does is “is it ever worth it/no” from when quackity tells him about revenge, so you don’t know how he feels about either afterwards, what sort of guilt he carries now, and he remains an entirely changed person due to both experiences. and clearly he goes on to live as himself but what he does as himself is a mystery since we never truly saw him independent
- and purpled does what he’s done before, he has an agenda and as much as he wants to complete it alone he agrees under duress to try and achieve it with someone else, but this time his attempt to manipulate someone falls through and he reaches the exact same fate as quackity, the very person he was trying to get revenge upon. and he’s not permadead after that, it wasn’t his last canon death but where does he possibly go now? it’s unlikely dream has any use for him and he’s proved useless to purpled actually achieving his goals, and now he’s got no legacy no revenge nothing to even plot in his cave. maybe he tries to be himself this time? maybe he leaves the server entirely? maybe he gets pulled into someone else’s scheme again and meets the same fate he has before.
you don’t know, because it’s quackity’s story, so all you get that is their futures don’t have him in it.
94 notes - Posted September 11, 2022
Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →
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WHATS THE TREAT
This is going to be a brain dump of sorts, because I’ve started writing like three blogs in the last 2 weeks but stress and sick and nothing sticks.
First of all, I know EXACTLY why I always forget about September as a whole (kind of like how I forget about Alabama as a state)--it’s because CULTURE AT LARGE freaks out about FALL at like midnight on August 31st. Honestly, it’s a more jarring shift than it is from new years eve to new years day. One day its summer, the next its chunky sweaters and pumpkin spice lattes. I think September needs its OWN identity, the lines are getting too blurred. If we start with pumpkin recipes NOW I am going to be BURNT by October, I’m telling you.
We’re also in a massive scorcher of a heatwave, so visions of popsicles and splash pads are still ripe in my mind.
I'm doing some things because I want to live until I'm 100 years old. One of those things is not drinking like I used to and the other is intermittent fasting. So drinks are not a reward food is not a reward, were looking at the big picture. But the last few weeks have been stressful - Tim has been traveling for work and Desmond is THREE. That's it, that's the sentence. My threenager becomes more clingy in his father's absence; throw in a couple illnesses (not COVID, but mystery fevers?) and he is EXTRA EXTRA clingy. Recently he's had tantrums over the following:
Me going pee before picking him up
The lack of chocolate in the car on a hot afternoon
The cat setting foot in his bathroom
Not being able to tear a perfect square of toilet paper
Four yoga blocks not being a good chair
Me putting on pants
Me not eating the other half of his banana
A block tower he built not staying that way "forever"
The cat looking at him from outside the bathroom while he's in the bath
Drinking water in his bottle not being "medium" enough
He had maybe four tantrums during his not at all terrible twos. On the day of writing this blog, it was four IN ONE DAY, starting at 5AM. You see those mommy reminders on IG being like "taking a shower is not self care" - YES I understand the bar has to be higher, but I would still like to TAKE ONE without my supposedly sleeping kid startling me from the other side of the shower curtain, demanding to "HOLD MY HAND"
At work there's a project in development whose premise feels... limiting. I'm excited about the MEDIUM but I'm snagging on the topic. I've been given more responsibilities since someone from our team left and it was something I enthusiastically gave AWAY nine years ago. Getting back into it feels clunky. I don’t have the contacts. I had my schmooze turned off. I like to show my work, and sometimes it feels like hours of searching and pitching with nothing to show. I'm grateful to have a few wonderful freelancers, but I fear having a few writers who kind of mindmeld with me makes me a less good editor for the rest. At least one of my shows, Setlist Insider, is off the ground. I LOVE doing the research for the series.
I sort of forced myself into undue stress trying to change Des to a different, closer preschool. On paper, it was hundreds of dollars cheaper, provided hot lunch and was less than a mile away so better for the environment! I would get 45ish minutes of my day back. They had longer hours, and supposedly used an app to keep parents updated. But on our visit day there was a new kid who cried for the entire hour, asking to go home, without so much as a pat on the back for comfort. I came home and cried for an hour myself, then composed an email asking our current preschool to take us back.
I started a meditation practice. It always seems fruitless to me. Like I said earlier, I like to show my work. This particular work is about unclenching my jaw.
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New Interview & Photo Shoot! Alex photographed by Johan Sandberg and interviewed by Timothy Small for L’Uomo Vogue (October 2020)!
Alexander Skarsgård: the photo shoot and interview for L'Uomo
BY TIMOTHY SMALL, JOHAN SANDBERG
25 SEPTEMBER 2020
Alexander Skarsgård is a really, really nice man. A Swede through and through, Alexander, or Alex, is a very down-to-earth gentleman who could definitely act as more of a big shot, considering he is also one of the most interesting actors in Hollywood right now, a town that, in true Swedish style, he once defined as “kind of silly”. After getting his first big break as the lead in David Simon's excellent Iraq War mini-series for HBO, Generation Kill, Skarsgård exploded in our collective imaginations as Eric Northman in True Blood, while also acting for Lars von Trier in the wonderful Melancholia.
Since then, he has been a very buff Tarzan in The Legend of Tarzan, a mute bartender in future Berlin in Mute, a very dark killer in Hold the Dark, and a hilarious Canadian Prime Minister in Long Shot, as well as giving an Emmy- and Golden Globe-winning turn in HBO's Big Little Lies. The self-defined “restless” 43-year-old is set to star in The Northman, Robert Eggers's highly anticipated third film, a “Viking revenge story” that Skarsgård himself was crucial in bringing to production – and, by all accounts, it seems like it could have all the right pieces to become a future cult classic. It certainly has that kind of hype.
L'Uomo Vogue: The Northman is such an interesting project. I know it's important to you. It's also part of a growing resurgence of interest in the Viking era and Norse mythology and that sort of epic Scandinavian adventure. How did it all begin?
Alex: It all started seven or eight years ago. As a Swede living in America, I realised there was a certain level of fascination with the Viking era and Viking culture – and this was before any of the Viking shows that have since happened. It made me realise that there basically had never been a real great epic Viking movie made, and I thought that that's what I wanted to do.
LV: So how did the project kick off?
Alex: I started having conversations with a studio back then, trying to crack the best story. All I knew at the time is that I wanted to make a big Viking movie. We had a couple of potential different starting points: we had a story about two brothers, and then one about the Viking travels down to Constantinople with the Viking siege of the city. We were looking for the right story, but I never really felt we were there. I knew the scope I wanted it to exist in. But what was the story?
LV: And that's when you met Robert Eggers.
Alex: Yes, like three or four years ago. We met about something else. I can't remember how, but we started talking about Vikings. And he was, like me, a huge fan of Viking culture and of that historical era, and I immediately felt he would be the perfect guy to direct this movie. And then we found an author and poet in Iceland, Sjón, who came onboard to write the screenplay – and they did a fantastic job, just cracking the story and the essence of it.
LV: Sounds great.
Alex: It's a real adventure movie, but it's much more. It taps into the culture, and the mysticism of the Vikings, it becomes more intimate and more personal. I didn't want it to be a generic “swords-and-sandals” movie. Robert is one of the best filmmakers out there. And the whole process is so much more gratifying than when you're quote-unquote “just an actor”. It's been truly extraordinary.
LV: But then you had to halt production.
Alex: Yeah. I was in Belfast, Northern Ireland, three months into prep on The Northman about seven days away from principal photography. Just gearing up, you know, getting ready to start a very long, very intense shoot -- a shoot that we were scheduled to wrap in July – and that's when the virus hit.
LV: What did you do then?
Alex: I normally live in New York, while my family lives in Stockholm. When the first wave came, I was on the fence: nobody really knew how long it would be, or what precisely was going on. So we shut down production for six weeks. The idea was to then see what would happen. I basically moved to Stockholm for four months.
LV: How do you feel about this forced break from work?
Alex: I had not been home for this long in... more than 20 years. It was strange. We were in a bubble; we were all healthy and safe. In a lot of ways, I had moments when I felt being surrounded by my loving family, feeling safe and loved, and taking a break from work, but then also feeling very guilty because I was, for the lack of a better term, being spared.
LV: In the past, you've described yourself as being a nomad. Did you miss Sweden and the North?
Alex: I realised how much I have been missing it. I go to Sweden regularly, but usually only for three or four days, maybe a week, tops. My father and two of my brothers are actors, so we're used to never being in the same city. We all travel all over the world. Maybe we'd get back together for Christmas. And I can really say that I had missed spring in Sweden.
LV: Do you think we will change the way movies are produced?
Alex: We're going to have to figure out how to shoot movies with dozens of crew members and hundreds of extras while still respecting social distancing rules. It's an unprecedented situation and everyone is scrambling to figure out the best approach. My brother was one of the first people who worked in our industry during the pandemic. He shot a movie in Iceland in the middle of the lockdown. The way they solved it is they split the crew into colour sections. So, hair and make-up had yellow armbands and the camera department had blue, and they had a “Corona appointee” on set who would call out, “Now blue go in!” and then “Blue, out! And yellow, in!” And then they would all do their job in turns. It was very military-like. Productions are already complicated, so we'll just have to add another layer.
LV: How did you become an ambassador to the Clarks brand?
Alex: To me, authenticity is very important. I don't want to endorse products I don't genuinely like. That's why I was excited when Clarks reached out. I've been wearing Desert Boots for 25 years. Also, I like to travel a lot. I like to explore new cities by foot. I want to be able to walk around comfortably in a classic, iconic shoe. I travel from movie set to movie set, and I often live out of a suitcase. And this teaches you to be frugal. Whatever fits in that suitcase, that's all I can bring.
LV: Is that the Swede in you?
Alex: Maybe. But we consume way too many things in this society. Also, you give things more meaning when you live with them, and when you go on adventures with them. Like, these are my boots. I've been places with them. And when they fall apart, I'll buy a new pair. If you have the right stuff to begin with, you don't need more.
LV: Going back to The Northman, that really sounds like a dream project.
Alex: It is. It will be a rollercoaster ride. I can't wait to get back to Northern Ireland and get back to the production. It's also a very physically demanding project, so I have been training for, well, since a few months before production stopped.
LV: In a way, getting into a role, getting on a movie set, acting through it, the whole process of making a movie is a bit like a little adventure. You have to prep, you have to travel, often with people you don't know, and you have to push boundaries.
Alex: Absolutely! A huge part of the appeal of this profession is you get to travel, and you meet amazing, interesting people from all over. And the uncertainty, you know? What was it, 12 years ago, I was in New York, and I'd never heard of Generation Kill. And then two days later I was on a plane to the Kalahari Desert to be out there for seven months to shoot the series. And I'll never forget the feeling, sitting on that plane, thinking, “Two days ago I didn't even know about this project, and here I am on my way to Southern Africa to spend seven months in the desert with 200 strangers.” It's very exciting.
LV: What a feeling that must be!
Alex: And every single job is like that. Every movie is different. Your part, the tone, the energy, the people – it's always different. And for someone like myself, who has that kind of wanderlust, who's always looking on the horizon, it's very attractive to never know just what the next adventure might be.
October 14, 2020: Updated with the full interview courtesy of our friends at the ASkarsLibrary (x).
Fashion credits:
Photographs by Johan Sandberg
Styling by Martin Persson
Grooming Karin Westerlund @ Lundlund
Hair Amanda Lund @ Lundlund
Stylist’s assistant Isabelle Larsson
Digital Daniel Lindgren
Production Madeleine Mårtensson and Olle Öman @ Lundlund
Read the full interview by Timothy Small and see the photo shoot by Johan Sandberg in the October issue of L'Uomo, on newsstands from September 22nd.
Sources/Thanks: Interview: Timothy Small for L’Uomo Vogue (x), Photos: Johan Sandberg for L’Uomo Vogue (x), artlistparis.com (x) via artlistparisnewyork instagram (x), luomovogue instagram (x) & atomomanagement.com (x) via atomomanagement instagram (x), our caps from artlistparisnewyork’s September 23, 2020 insta story (x, x)
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Almost
AN: Hello everyone, I am fairly new to posting on this app, so therefore I am still learning how to use it. Hehe :) Anyways, I hope you are having a great day!
Warning: Nothing really, maybe a little bit of angst?
Zayn and Y/n broke up and all he’s left with are the videos she took during their senior year of high school.
September 1st, 2010:
The camera was set up in her hand as she was slightly fixing her hair, a huge smile plastered on her makeup covered face. He always thought she looked better without makeup, but sometimes you couldn’t beat the insecurities.
“Here we are, the first day of senior year! How are we feeling, Zayn?”
Next to her stood himself, a much younger version of himself. Two years to be exact. He was almost unrecognizabel, with his usual high school attire adoring his body. A white tee-shirt, black skinny jeans, and not to mention his varsity football jacket hanging off of his shoulders. She looked lovingly at her boyfriend, her eyelashes beating against the softness of her rounded cheeks.
“I’m ready to get out of here, the last three years were the upmost worst years of my life.” Zayn spoke truthfully, he hadn’t expected to make it past the ninth grade, but with the help of Y/n, he managed to make it all the way to his graduating year. Y/n gave him an offended look before responding, “Hey! If it weren’t for these last three years, you would’ve never met me, let alone had the courage to talk to me. Am I really that bad?”
She laughed out while speaking, all so he knows that she is joking and would never accuse him of thinking such things. Though, he was already two steps ahead of her and was laughing along at her sad attempt of looking offended. “Of course not, baby. You are what kept me going.” With that, Zayn kissed her temple and she let out a small giggle before stopping the camera.
September 5th, 2010:
Random small talk was heard on the computer sitting in front of Zayn, before her face showed with a bright glow. She was so beautiful it almost hurt. She was laughing at something her friend Emery said, though it was completely inaudible, he just let the smile take over his face hearing her laugh again.
“I don’t exactly know why I turned this on, but hello! We successfully made it through the first week of school, and let me just say, it was not fun. The teachers still hate me.” Again, Y/n laughed towards the camera.
“I remember this one time last year when Mr. Lambert threw me out of class because I wouldn’t stop laughing. In my defence, he was talking about the safety of condoms and Zayn kept mocking him. That was a detention worth going to.” Zayn remembered that day clearly. He sat to the left of Y/n, Mr. Lambert’s first mistake, and would whisper in her ear how he would show her the proper way to wear a condom when they got to her house that night. To say he did end up showing her was an understatement.
The camera then turned to her friend before she continued on with what she was saying, “Anyways, Emery here, has informed me about this back to school party for seniors at Anthony Stilettos house. So, we are heading to the mall so we can get a nice looking outfit for tonight. I’ll see you guys later!” And with that the camera switched off.
He thought that was the end of the video, but when she popped back on his screen, he was pleasantly surprised. She wore a black dress that just reached her knees, the end of it rippled and flew each time she took a step. Her hair and makeup was done, and her shoes matched her dress, she really was the most beautiful person he has ever met.
Without saying anything, Y/n moved the camera to where the view was now on Emery. She wore a simple tight red dress that fit her like a glove, she was placing bobby pins in her hair before realising a camera was watching her every move. Emery turned away from the mirror Y/n had in her room, and started making random poses into the camera. The video finally ended with Y/n facing the camera back to herself while laughing at it.
October 7th, 2010:
It was homecoming. Their final homecoming, and of course, Zayn asked her to be his date. He didn’t go all out like the previous years, this particular year was asked right after they finished giving each other their all. They were bunched up together, all sweaty and breathless, and that is when Zayn asked her to go to homecoming with him. He thought it was gross because of their previous activities, but Y/n thought it was sweet, endearing even. It was personal and intimate, she wouldn’t have had it any other way. Plus, she was tired of all the attention that comes with getting asked to homecoming.
Her dress was a beautiful shade of baby yellow, Zayn wore his usual black suit but with a yellow tie and a yellow rose pinned to his coat pocket. The night couldn’t have been anymore magical.
“Z, are you ready to go? Emmy and Dallas are waiting in the car.” Her soft voice echoed through the speakers, she was worried about being late. But more so, excited about what the night had planned for the couple. Zayn was fixing his hair, like he does any other day, however today, he wanted to look his absolute best. “Just one more second, love. Gotta look perfect before leaving these four secured walls.”
Y/n rolled her eyes into the camera before another smile took over her face. It only got wider as he finally announced that he was ready.
“Baby, you look handsome! You don’t need all that hair gel, make one wrong move and we’re calling you Uncle Jesse.” Zayn scoffed, his hands finding their place on her hips, him being pressed up against her back. His chin resting on her shoulder, they looked so in love. They were so in love.
October 31st, 2010:
Fall was Y/n’s favorite season, meaning Halloween was by far her favorite holiday. She squealed into the camera when Zayn walked out in his Peter Pan costume. “Baby, you look so fucking adorable!” She cooed, though Zayn was having none of it. “Do we have to go to this party? Can’t we just stay in and watch scary movies, I promise I will protect you if you get too scared!”
He knew it was no use, Y/n had been going on and on about Anthony’s costume party for the past week, so when she started laughing, Zayn internally groaned. “Brave of you to assume I will get scared during a horror movie. How about we go for just an hour, then you and I can come back here and watch whatever movie you want?”
At that, his ears perked, he could go for an hour. That gives him all the more time alone with his love. “Hocus Pocus? That’s my favorite.”
“Yes baby, we can watch Hocus Pocus, do this for me, and I’m all yours for the rest of the night.” A grin was stretched across his face as she leaned up and gave a peck to his lips. Adoration shining brightly in her eyes as she looked up at him. “You are so lucky I love you, Y/n.”
“I love you, Zayn. More than you will ever know.”
December 31st, 2010:
“Hola, my favorite people! Happy New Years Eve, I hope you guys are having a good day. My family is having a little party to bring in the new year, even though you won’t be watching this until later when I decide to post it, I hope you guys have an amazing holiday. Be safe now. Bye!”
Christmas and New Year’s was hard for Y/n. She had major separation anxiety for everyone she grows close to, so not being able to see the people she loves for a whole two weeks was taking a toll on her. Not to mention, Zayn went back to Bradford for the holidays, so he wasn’t there to keep her calm. All she had was the emails and messages he would send her.
However, that night was different. She didn’t know what it was, but the air felt more intoxicating. There was something she was missing and the young girl couldn’t put her finger on it.
Emery got ahold of Y/n’s camera without her noticing, pressing the ‘record’ button and smiling.
“Hi, as many of you may know, my name is Emery White. Before questions start racing through your head about where Y/n is, she is currently in the kitchen talking to one of her neighbors, and she knows nothing about this so, shhh!” Emery held her index finger up to her mouth, even though she is talking to a camera.
“So, the time is now 11:58, meaning it is almost New Year’s and I got a message from a good friend of mine to get her camera and start recording. Oh wait, she’s coming over! Act normal!”
“Emmy? Why do you have my camera, wait no, when did you get my camera?” Emery turned her neck to look at Y/n, and smiled while looking at her friends confused face. “It’s almost midnight, I figured we could record the big moment for your journal thing.”
Y/n looked at her watch and sure enough, it was 12:59, and the people around her were counting down. By the time Y/n looked back at her friend, Emery had switched her position to behind the camera, her smile now stretching to her eyes. She gave a confused smile towards the camera before shaking her head.
10..
9..
8..
A tap was felt on Y/n’s shoulder making her turn around, not believing her eyes, she had to do a double take. There he was in all of his glory. Zayn stood in front of her with a bouquet of random flowers, her eyes widening in complete shock.
3..
2..
1!
Before she could fully process his presence, Zayn had planted his lips against hers in what he would call, one of their best kisses. His arms went around her waist while hers were around his neck, keeping him as close as humanly possible. She was the first to pull away from the kiss, tears forming at the bottom of her eyes but never fell. Zayn pulled her back, this time her face went into his neck as he whispered out a small, “Happy New Years, baby.”
May 22nd, 2011:
Senior prom, a day Y/n has waited her entire life for. Getting all dolled up for one night of perfection sounded glorious. Unlike most people, her dress doesn’t reach the floor but goes a little ways past her knees. It was a light shade of green, she wasn’t usually one for the cliche pink and blue, and her stomach was laced over showing her belly button peircing. She felt on top of the world, the most gorgeous she has ever felt in her entire life.
Zayn was in a nude tuxedo, a lightish green tie tucked into the blazer. “It’s prom day, baby, how do you feel?” The now well-known camera placed in front of his face, though he paid no attention to it, but really the girl behind it. “Like I have the most beautiful girlfriend in the world. How did I get so lucky, hm?”
The blush was evident on her face, he could see it perfectly now even with the camera facing him and not herself. He could still see the light in her eyes. Looking back on it, he couldn’t imagine living his life without her, how could he let her go?
It wasn’t like they got in a fight or anything, Zayn and Y/n were going to different colleges and he didn’t want to do the whole long distance thing. He felt she deserved better than that. So even though the breakup was absolutely not a mutual agreement, Y/n somewhat understood and let him walk away.
“You’re such the charmer, Zayn. Always got me blushing for no good reason.”
“I would be a bad boyfriend if I didn’t.”
Now turning the camera to face both of them, Zayn placed a kiss on her lips before turning off the camera and letting their night go on as best as it could, for it would be one of the last good memories they have. Except at the time, neither of them knew the last time would actually be the last time.
June 4th, 2011:
“Hey everyone, I just want to start off by saying congratulations, we made it. Graduating today was the most amazing feelings, and I’m sure you all can agree with me. The past four years have really taught me a lot, I know I sound like the Mallory Barnes, our valedictorian that gave the speech today, but I’m serious, you all have been amazing. Teachers included.”
Y/n wasn’t in her usual attire. She was in a comfortable baggy hoodie, and that’s all you could see as her camera was propped on the desk in the corner of the room. Her hair was in a messy bun, no makeup, and her glasses were sat perfectly on her nose. What no one could notice was the slight puffiness to her eyes, the way they were red and tired. But Zayn noticed, however. When Y/n first uploaded this to her instagram, Zayn couldn’t bare to watch it, so seeing it now definitely brought back a feeling he tried too hard to push away.
“In the past four years I have learned about friendships, I learned about love, and I learned about heartbreak. I have got to say, high school brought me some really great friendships that I will cherish forever. I am finding it very difficult to say goodbye, but we are bound to go off and do bigger and better things. The future awaits for us.”
“I just want to thank you guys for the amazing memories, and I hope you guys make your dreams come true.” Y/n sighed into the camera, she was really bad at saying goodbye, though you would think it would be easier considering no one likes high school. However, Y/n loved every single second of it, maybe not the learning but the memories made.
“Now, I am going to get really sappy for a minute and say a massive thank you to the man who has loved me for the past four years. Zayn, I know we haven’t talked in a few weeks, and you’re probably not even watching this, but just know that I am so proud of you. I don’t know how I could not be. I really hope you make something wonderful of yourself. You were by far my favorite part of this journey. Thank you for sticking with me and for loving me. And even though we aren’t together anymore, I love you.”
“We almost had it all, didn’t we?”
AN: Yeah, I don't think I like this babahahah. Love the concept but someone out there could definitely write it better.
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LT2 masterpost
If it was up to me, we would get an autumn or winter EP. Since it’s not up to me at all, here, enjoy this post with everything we know so far of LT2, which is to say, not much at all. Everything here is hypothetical. I’ll be updating every time I see something relevant. A little disclaimer that while this is a masterpost (kinda), it could be read as discourse (duh, it’s also a theory), AND it’s also by me, and you shouldn’t expect me to be serious at this point.
Due to me restraining myself, there’s no reference to any of the times he’s mentioned his guitar skills and him improving but I hope you know I cried every single time.
I’m also linking my old pinned here. It was written before AFHF and around the free merch thing that didn’t lead to much, but I still think I made some good points.
Possible tracks:
Copy of a Copy of a Copy
Change
Faith in the future??
369??
Possible names:
369
Faith in the future
When is the album coming out?
Your guess is as good as mine
Friday 28th of January 2022. Almost two years after Walls. It’s a Friday. It’s a 28th. What else can I say?
Here you can find @want-to-be-loved timelines for every month.
Here you can find @berlinini’s timeline of what Louis has been up to this year (2021).
The rest is under the cut. And here you can find a PDF version where Tumblr can't tell me how many pictures I can add.
2020
He said back on May 2th 2020 he wasn’t writing anything new yet.
(x)(x)(x)
Interestingly enough, he’s said many times after that that the album’s not ready cause he has no new experiences to drawn from. I won’t call him out because he does it himself.
May 4th. He liked a tweet from DMA’s Johnny Took saying they had to go write together again. Louis has been credited as an influence for them and (kind of) participated in their previous record, so I’m assuming he meant for their music and not his, but you never know.
Nothing(literally nothing??? how did we survive) until 11th of July. We all know what happened that day. We all celebrated it. Nonetheless, that’s not what I’m talking about here.
(x) So, by the beginning of July 2020 he was working on concepts and ideas for the new album. That was fifteen months ago. I know perfection takes time but…
Brief summary of important things that happened from then until the next mention of new music:
Louis left Syco!!!! 10 days later he rescheduled the tour for the first time. He followed Matt Vines on Twitter, probably so we could publicly shame him into doing something. Also, the 10thanniversary. He followed more people I wish he hadn’t.
Then more nothing until September. Not even a single tweet. The first merch drop was on the 28th of August but he just RT’ed the tweet. He first mentioned Free my Meal on the 25th of September. Then on October 1st Walls hit #1 on a lot of countries and Louis was incredibly happy and excited about it ^^
And then, that same day, October 1st, 2020, he dropped this bomb:
(x)
He also said it was too soon to be sharing new lyrics with us (x)
And, obviously, this tweet which is actually what made me start this whole post. I would hope you know mate.
(x)
He also told us he was cooking "banger after banger" and that he was incorporating more social themes into his music (x)(x) (I believe any social issue is a political issue but that’s not the point rn).
COPY OF A COPY OF A COPY?!?!
These next paragraphs are brought to you by my mind not remembering things and me not having any links. I’m assuming COACOAC came from those writing sessions that supposedly happened in October. Or in LA but I have no idea if he actually was in LA at any point other than a Daily Mail article putting him there on December which would have been too late, but I do remember that someone said he was in the studio in LA last autumn???? A rumor. Maybe. IDK. Did I mention already all of this is very hypothetical?? Well, this is it. I can’t even remember if this was October or November or what. So, take this with a grain of salt.
I’m also… taking the liberty to assume, if you must, that Copy wasn’t meant to be a Walls reject because it sounds more mature and darker and it has a vastly different tone that Walls songs. I know he’s said that song probably isn’t getting into the album, but I want to have faith (in the future) that I’m getting a studio version. (But also, Louis, if you’re reading this, first of all GET OUT OF MY BLOG second of all, please don’t ever feel pressured again to add a song to the album because we have already heard it before. It’s your art and it should always be under your own terms).
So yeah, I believe that Copy is either one of those four songs (then imagine the other three??!!) or was written around the 1st of October date.
---End of the Intermission---
Then not much important (other than sharing more about Marcus Rashford fight against food poverty and the 2nd merch drop) until he announced the livestream on the 24th of November. (x)
It wasn’t until a few days before the livestream date we even thought again about new music (jk, I know we’re always thinking about new Louis’ music). So, December 9th/10th, 2020. Nine months ago. We got our first taste of new music!
He made sure we knew Copy of a Copy of a Copy isn't a cover! (x) (x)
(x)
Ok, so that’s it for 2020. (I feel like I’m missing something from September 17th because tweet was deleted but maybe he was still talking about cucumbers. We might never know. Unless I understand how Tumblr tags work). Expected, cause Walls was released in 2020. We needed to let it sit for a while.
2021
Another Summary: Louis third tweet of the year was telling the UK government off. So was the fifth. What a good beginning. On the 26th of January, he said he prefers pancakes over waffles. I hope he meant pancakes other than his own. More importantly, he tweeted the infamous “you lot read into things too much”. Don’t get me started, Tomlinson. Don’t. Then the 31st came around and Walls was one. He tweeted this. How wise. And Project Defenceless happened!!
15th of February!! Who cares about Valentine Day when the next day we got this? ♥
(x)
(x)
So…AN EP?? AN EP?? PLEASE RELEASE AN EP.
“I’m sure I will have something out this year but unlikely that will be the album”. Unlikely but not impossible. Also. A single would be good. This is the second time he mentions releasing something in 2021 and he sounds surer about it than the first time around.
He also said that he isn’t sure we will get a studio version of Copy. And that the best bridges from Walls to LT2 are Walls, OTB, KMM and Copy. Can’t wait!
Then we jump to March 6th when he announced he was going to create his own management company. “Sometimes action is needed first to encourage the motivation and belief”. As we can tell he was already manifesting some stuff which will lead us to the numerology stuff/Tesla… kidding. Or not. We might never know.
On the 22nd of March he answered some questions:
He told us music was still his main focus ♥ mwha. (x) I included this tweet to guilt-trip him into giving us music in case he’s reading this even after I told him to leave. ILY.
(x) I’d love to get a visual EP this autumn. Just saying. It sounds like a lovely concept.
(x)
…next (I will get into it, I promise. I’m just mad).
On the 25th he left for Mexico until April 10th. You could assume it was just for the documentary where we got ten seconds of footage or admit the obvious: LT2 its a Mexican baby!!
On the 26th (so, not so far apart from that first 369) we got the first Faith in the Future mention: (x)
Back then we were innocent people who had no idea what was coming upon us. We still have no idea because what the fuck does he mean with these. Please explain. I have one braincell and I don’t use it enough for this. I’m linking some theories.
On the 30th of March he confirmed he was already working on the documentary. So AFHF was already on the works. Will it take this long for us to get the Veeps numbers? We also got this tweet: "Got a decent chorus idea down" (x).
Same person that got the “something out this year” exclusive. If you know something share with the class. Also. Is this Change? I feel like this could be Change but I also assume he wrote Change after hanging out with his friends or being in Doncaster. But who knows.
(x) And the second mention to 369.
(x) 15th of April. The second "Faith in the future".
On the 19th of April he announced that he had something BIG for us later on the year which turned out to be the Away From Home Festival ♥♥ (x) I love him so much.
Then on the 28th he announced the 369 merch drop (which it’s probably the Walls drop? Except that the TOU and KMM ones were “drop 1 and drop 2” and this was drop 369 which, again, makes no sense) but we still don’t know what 369 means.
Into May’ 21 we go.
He rescheduled tour again. And dropped another bomb (x).
He announced he has signed with BMG as an independent artist by RTing this tweet on May 10th. The article also says that he’s already working on writing and recording LT2. The timing… we don’t know. What this deal involves… we don’t know either. Bear with me here because I have a lot to say about this.
I think the deal is only a distribution one, but that BMG are interested in Louis and what he (us) could bring to the table. They were either present at the festival or watching it, but officially they had no involvement at all with it (everything is credited either to Louis own company, 78 Productions, or Charlie Lightening’s company). That’s the case for both giveaways too; the vinyl one and the tickets for the festival.
I think it would be an unbelievably bad move not to test the waters with BMG now or soon-ish. At least a single, to see how it performs. Due to the circumstances, it’s obvious there’re certain limitations on place but I want to see how they push it, whether the radio play exist this time around and if the song is playlisted and promoted and all that… I would also love to know, since it says he signed with BMG UK, but it also states it’s a global deal, how things are going to go on the US and other countries.
Yes, yes. I know those are all questions and no answers. But I know the same as you, sadly. If any of you know more than you’re letting on… again, share with the class.
Where was I? Yes, on the 25th of May Louis had a great day writing (x). Since the first time he had mentioned he was officially writing to this date there’s almost eight months. And I believe he was writing before October’ 20.
He followed Robert Harvey that day and, on the 28th of May (why is it always the 28th???) he was spotted at the studio for the first time.
June was an interesting month for the fandom ♥. Lots of LHL content which I will love and cherish for the rest of times. On June 4th, June 9th, and June 10th he was spotted at the studio, but I believe he was there more days.
(x)
This was posted on June 6th and captioned Studio. Charlie also shared it with “Mega tunes being put down, can’t wait for this @louist91 #louistomlinson #LT2” as the caption. This gives me 2019 (Elton-Joint) vibes. I like it. Feels like we’re getting closer to something.
He added the Milano date on the 9th too which I’m mentioning because I’m going alone. Anyone wanna go with me please? I’m nice and I never eat anything before a concert so you can have my food. On other news. It didn’t come home.
During July he was at the studio at least three days too. Probably more. Feels like more with all the fan pictures we got. Or was that June? Anyway, July 1st and 9th we got some videos from Robert Harvey and wearesuperhi, which is who Louis has been working with the most, that we know of. I don’t know for sure they’re from that day. And on July 5th we got an article and lots of pictures of Louis looking really good outside the studio.
On the 12th of July the first fans started getting the free, 369 bucket hat and print. We still don’t know what the purpose was other than to thanks fans. Maybe that was it. I want answers and I still think it relates to a future project (see theories above), but it could also just be a bridge with the Walls breaking.
He didn’t tweet about anything interesting for a while, mostly because he lost his phone (he either throwed it in the air or smashed it who knows). Then on the 29th of July he announced the festival!
I’m glossing over it because there’s already been a lot of talk about it (rightfully) and while it was a wonderful thing, it doesn’t have much to do with LT2.
Let’s talk Change!
On August 3rd he tweeted this about the setlist.
(x)
And this (x) on the 28th! I can’t stand him.
We didn’t get it, obviously. Because who was going to get that. But we read too much into things. Alright.
On the 16thof August Dave Gibson shared this post tagged #LT2 with the eyes emojis 👀👀👀. I believe this has to do both with Change but also with whatever else came out of that Mexico trip.
(x) Last relevant tweet related to LT2 is this one.
So, on the 30th of August we got Change and we cried, and we know that Change is going in the new album. He said it. With those exact words. He also said he was “getting a feeling for it”. This has to meant he already has a general idea of the vibe of the new album and what’s going in it!!!!!! (Right? RIGHT?).
Anyway, let’s go back a few weeks because some other things happened on August. He was at the studio a few more times. Or it was suggested that he was there. On the 17th and the 18th. (Why was it so time-pressing to be at the studio instead of rehearsing for the festival? There was no studio at all on the documentary. Which makes sense, but again, then why?).
On the day of the festival we got another mention of Faith in The Future that made me feel part of a cult ngl. The words were flashing on the screen for less than a second. Okay.
And then he tweeted those words again after watching the livestream/documentary on the 4th of September (x). This is what makes me suspect it's either the name of the album or of the single.
On the same day, we got some interesting quotes about LT2 on the documentary.
“Soon I’ll have to think about me second album, which in my head I’ll get the tour out of the way and then I’ll address that. So, I hadn’t really given it much thought, to be honest”.
“When every day is the same is hard to feel creative and it’s hard to have any kind of proper inspiration”.
“As season started to come back, I started writing again and it was great and some of these songs turned out alright”.
And I think this is it. I might be overlooking some important details but that’s what we know and what we don’t know.
So. Conclusions. That’s what you missed on Glee. I do believe the album is, if not mostly done, partially there. And yes, this post is pointless and never-ending but it’s all in here if you need to tell Louis “Hey, you said this, mate”.
#LT2#Louis Tomlinson#Faith in The future#369#Louis#LT#new music#idk what this is#but it's long#pinned
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