Succesful Spinster Vibes

He was an eighteen-year-old on a trip with a group of white friends, and they left him on an island alone without his phone. And now he's gone.

And in the comment sections I've seen Black people sharing their own near-death experiences from being the only Black person in a group of white people, and even a group of non-Black people. They're rightfully warning each other not to be the only Black person or the only Black friend, because they so often end up dead if they do.

Those are the conversations Black people are having in order to survive. Because people who looked like me have spent hundreds of years inventing the concept of race and dehumanizing some to justify committing atrocities for profit.

Like, the whole concept of the show is that the six wives of Henry VIII are back and they're a girl group now, right? This is never really... explained. It's the nature of the show that it's never explained. They can talk about how they died onstage, but they don't really explain how they came back or why they're a girl group now or whatever.

Until you get to the song SIX. And it's like a weird... catch-22 paradoxical thing, but it clicks into place, right? This is the explanation. This song, where they make up fantasy versions of what their lives would be like if they had happy endings, culminates in them coming together as a girl band. This is the timeline we've been in for the whole show: the one where none of them had anything to do with Henry, and instead found their freedom through music, where they became a girl group instead of queens.

They, like, speak themselves into existence, basically? In the remix part of "I Don't Need Your Love," they literally say "It's not what went down in history, but tonight I'm singing this for me." It's like a... like this concept of... they reclaimed their story so hard that they created a new reality, one where they're all safe and happy in the modern world. And it doesn't make any sense, because on some level they know it's not true. They know that they only have this version of themselves for as long as they're onstage--they even say near the end, "for five more minutes, we're SIX." The magic of bringing fantasy to reality only lasts for as long as you're telling the story, and then reality comes back.

“my private insurance policy in the states was $300/mo and did not cover vision, prescription, or dental, and my deductible was $1000. i had to pay $6k out of pocket for lifesaving surgery. sorry, my dad had to pay it for me, actually, because i couldn’t afford rent”

“well i had to pay $40 for a non-essential ambulance ride and waited an hour for treatment this weekend, which was inconvenient to me personally. also people in the far north are dying without treatment because there aren’t enough doctors up there”

“of course that is a huge problem, i’m not trying to say canadian healthcare is perfect, but people are absolutely dying in the states, too. but they’re dying while doctors are right there*, perfectly capable of treating them. patients just can’t afford care.”

* they are also dying in rural areas where there are no doctors available to provide care

like. i just don’t know how to explain to people who have never experienced it the paralyzing fear of consenting to treatment you know you can’t afford because the alternative is either death or permanent disability.

Ok but you realize you're not hurting the corporation, right? You know they won't care or notice? Right?

You are, however, screwing over an employee that already makes poverty wages.

Stay with me here, this is midnight ramblings…

Thai BL is the CW!

They are the main entertainer, the trend starter, the cool kids on the block. They throw things at a wall and see what sticks. They will produce loads of average bls, but also some of the best series that have ever hit the screen. They will do teen/student drama but also supernatural but also crime. Iconic, sometimes problematic, always entertaining masterpieces. The same way Supernatural and TVD have made history and started trends, Kinnporshe did the same in the bl world.

Japanese BL is like HBO

Cream of the crop, kings of bl. Not as diverse as Thai, buy by god they are addictive. They know what they are doing. They don’t follow any trends, they create and let people follow them. You will see a lot of disturbing themes but you’ll also see peak bl cinema.

Taiwanese BL are FX

They are Thai BL’s cooler younger brother. Not as famous, they’re not loud or flashy, but when they’re good, they’re really, really good! Interesting plots, loads of character development. They are not afraid to explore darker taboo themes. They are also the kings of yearning. By far my fave.

Korean BL is Netflix

Cute, short, easy to watch but also very entertaining. Characters are fleshed out, it’s easy to follow. Most of it is lighthearted but in recent years more and more drama has been added. Directors have more freedom and darker themes are being explored. Excited about the future, think more like Netflix 10 years ago.

Chinese BL is like the AMC