„Ça ira trotz alledem“

(*Je sais que ce résultat est sujet à controverse du fait de la nette influence des tumblrinas non-francophones sur ce dernier vote, mais à moins que vous n'insistiez, je n'ai pas l'intention de faire un rematch)

my partner was a TA for an intro-to-subject course in grad school. finals week rolls around and the students are required to submit this big module assignment they've had like a month to do for a decent chunk of their grade. if you've submitted everything, you'll see a summary screen with a star beside each module name showing it's been completed.

an hour before the assignment deadline, he receives an email from a student claiming they completed the assignment, but the system is not allowing them to submit. there's an image attached to the email. partner goes to open what he assumes is a screenshot of that summary page.

instead, he sees that the student has taken a photo of their laptop from about 2 feet away, with that page open. strange, but it wouldn't be the first time a college freshman has lacked the tech literacy to take a screenshot. he almost doesn't look twice at it, but he realizes something about it just feels a little bit...off. so he zooms in.

the student had CUT STARS OUT OF CONSTRUCTION PAPER and TAPED THEM TO THEIR LAPTOP SCREEN BESIDE EACH MODULE NAME. you could see where they actually had completed the first couple of modules, but the stars for all the subsequent ones were like, double the size of the first two and exactly as uneven/irregular as you'd expect if you were freehanding them with scissors.

I’m in my mid-thirties and I have never had sex. I’ve thought about it and could have had one or two opportunities if I put in more effort, but I always decided against it because I just wasn’t into it at the time.

I can safely say that I do not feel I have missed out on anything. I was perfectly capable, by myself, of learning about my own body and boundaries without anyone else there to muddy the waters. The immense pressure that was there in my teens/twenties to Have Sex Just Do It is basically gone. I’m vibing. I’ve got my routine by myself in bed that I enjoy, and that’s enough for me.

And in the unlikely event that I ever decide to have sex with someone in the future, I don’t feel at all like I’m lacking some essential Knowledge or Skill that would “make it good” for someone else. I fully expect to ask my partner out loud what they like and to receive an answer clearly communicated and to relax and have fun. And if it’s a disappointing experience, I’m fine with that too. It is what it is.

Whether you're watching a sageuk, a taiga, or a Thai period lakorn, you can immediately pick up on the social hierarchy just through how they talk and how polite they are to one another. I always love that nuance, whether it’s subtle or completely obvious. Coming from an English background, these are the exact kinds of things that get lost in translation if you don't at least know a little bit of the language.

I'm putting together a breakdown of the royal titles and forms of address in The Edge of Horizon, because the way Phob speaks to Thin is honestly giving me butterflies. I’m such a sucker for the "reverent lover" trope (purely fictionally speaking, of course; I'm no royalist, lol!). Phob isn't just being polite; he consistently uses the highest court register, so every line sounds like a literal act of devotion. In Thai, this level of speech can actually feel intensely intimate in a way that gets lost in English translation, simply because the grammar itself is built on reverence.

1. กระหม่อม (krà-mòm): Often shortened from longer expressions involving หม่อม, this is one of the most recognizable humble, first-person pronouns found in Thai period dramas. Visually and literally, กระหม่อม refers to the crown (top) of the head. In royal court language, it became a deeply self-effacing way to refer to oneself before a monarch, symbolizing the act of bowing one's head beneath royal authority. In practice, it functions as an extremely deferential register meaning "I, your humble servant" or simply a highly respectful "I."

2. ฝ่าพระบาท (fàa phrá bàat): This is a classic royal honorific used when addressing a high-ranking member of the royal family. It literally means "the soles of the royal feet," a poetic metaphor expressing absolute reverence. While it functions exactly like "Your Majesty" or "Your Royal Highness," the specific imagery highlights a cultural sense of humility, positioning the speaker symbolically below the royal's feet.

3. พ่ะย่ะค่ะ (phâ-yâ-khâ) / พ่ะย่ะข้า (phâ-yâ-khâa): Traditional court response particles used when addressing royalty or superiors in formal registers. They translate functionally to "Yes, Your Majesty," "At your command," or "As you wish." Rather than carrying a specific literal definition, their primary purpose is to signal complete obedience and respect.

Now let's break down their royal titles.

Mom Chao Thinnakon is the son of Phra Chao Worawong Thoe Wasin. His father's title, พระเจ้าวรวงศ์เธอ (Phra Chao Worawong Thoe), indicates a very senior prince from a high-ranking branch of the royal family. Thinnakon, however, holds the title of หม่อมเจ้า (Mom Chao), which is the lowest princely rank in the Thai hierarchy. This reflects a key rule of the Thai royal system: royal status generally steps down with each generation unless the King chooses to elevate it. Since Thinnakon is the next generation down, he inherits the lower rank of Mom Chao.

Despite being the lowest rank within the princely hierarchy, a Mom Chao is still legally and culturally recognized as royalty. They continue to receive all formal royal forms of address, with the title commonly rendered in English as His/Her Serene Highness Prince/Princess.

The generational step-down progresses as follows:

Mom Chao (หม่อมเจ้า / M.C.)

Mom Rajawongse (หม่อมราชวงศ์ / M.R.W.) — offspring of a Mom Chao.

Mom Luang (หม่อมหลวง / M.L.) — offspring of a Mom Rajawongse.

After the Mom Luang generation, the royal status effectively ends. Descendants are considered commoners and no longer receive hereditary titles, though they remain part of the extended royal family tree.

Another point that frequently causes confusion is the senior title, "Phra Chao Worawong Thoe." In formal court usage, it is typically paired with the specific princely rank "Phra Ong Chao," resulting in the full style "Phra Chao Worawong Thoe Phra Ong Chao..." In this compound title, Phra Chao Worawong Thoe denotes the prince's specific royal class within the dynasty, while Phra Ong Chao is the actual princely rank. Because of this intricate hierarchy, titles matter down the lineage. Addressing his son as "Than Chai Thinnakon" (ท่านชายทินกร) is not merely an affectionate nickname; it is the customary and respectful form of address reserved for a male Mom Chao. This title acknowledges that he is still a prince and a direct member of the royal family. It also explicitly distinguishes him from subsequent generations, such as a Mom Rajawongse (M.R.W.) or Mom Luang (M.L.), who no longer hold princely status.

In the traditional Thai royal hierarchy, royal titles carry distinct degrees of seniority.

เจ้าฟ้า (Chao Fa): The highest rank of prince or princess, typically reserved for the children of a reigning King and Queen, or those specifically elevated by decree.

พระองค์เจ้า (Phra Ong Chao): The next highest princely rank, generally held by a king's children or grandchildren, depending on maternal lineage and royal status.

Funiculaire de Montmartre, RATP, Paris, France

various dentists

hotel housekeeping staff

the kid who works late shifts at the drugstore where Ilya buys condoms (often) and lube (less often)

cleaners and laundry service employees

a kid on vacation with his parents in Vegas bored out of his mind because he's 14 and not allowed in the bars or casinos at their hotel and he's really hitting the grumpy teenager phase so he's pissed at his parents because he wanted to go birdwatching in the desert and instead he's on the hotel roof at night pointing his sick-ass binoculars (which he bought himself with money he earned by mowing their neighbours' lawns for a year) at the surrounding buildings and oh look there's two people making out on that rooftop terrace—wait, isn't that the guy from the Rolex ads?

Janice at the grocery store closest to the Hollander cottages who knows damn well that "David's boy" doesn't eat Nutella

the Voyageurs' nutritionist knows Hollander is fucking someone working for the Bears because he might not log it as sex but even Hollander doesn't actually do extra cardio after a game

employee at an airport phone repair kiosk in Chicago who was checking Ilya’s battery specs when "Jane" texted him "If I win you suck my dick first"

one of the parents at Game Changers Hockey Camp who is a couple's counsellor and a bit too good at her job

Gerry (78) three doors down from the Hollanders who has lived in his house since he was born and has made it his solemn duty to know everything that goes on in his neighbourhood

the owner of the bespoke jeweller's shop once Shane Hollander purchases the second ring, which is identical to the first, and a plain gold chain

Don't get me wrong, he did not react well to The Whole Thing. I'm not absolving him of ANYTHING there. But deciding that he's irredeemable, deciding he's a bad person, deciding that he's as bad as every other MTL player (save Hayden) is incredibly reductive and, honestly, I hate to say it, but it's pretty fucking immature.

Because in the real world people fuck up. In the real world, people react poorly in highly emotional situations. And it is pretty fucking important, actually if a loved one has had a bad/negative reaction, has done and said hurtful things, but then COMES BACK AND TRIES TO FIX IT, after he has had time to examine why he reacted that way. That is fucking huge. It's huge and it's RARE, and it's so, so good.

J.J. showing up on Shane's doorstep to talk it out is so fucking brave. Shane letting him in (physically and emotionally) and allowing him the opportunity to talk it out is ALSO so fucking brave. And it is truly beautiful and valuable and GOOD that the ten year friendship they have is important enough -- on both sides-- for them to do the hard work to mend it.

Repairing something that has been broken is an important aspect of any long term relationship. It's important for J.J. to see why he was wrong, and for him to be the one to reach out . It's ALSO important for Shane to understand how his secrecy (no matter how well-justified it is) and hiding and lying has impacted ALL of his personal relationships, because a huge theme of the book is that Hollanov don't exist in a vacuum, and cannot live in a vacuum!!!!!

Which is great experimental archaeology and all, but the latest thing I've rediscovered is that gambesons are actually, like.... necessary.... not because you need the padding (my chestplate does just fine with the foam glued inside it) but because you need arming points. My elbows have to be held up somehow, and every way I've found of attaching them to the shoulder results in reduced arm mobility. If they attach to my sleeve then nothing can go wrong

But I don't want to die of heatstroke. Which I will, if I add a gambeson into my current kit

here's mickey, goofy, donald, and chip & dale. yeah they turned mickey & friends into anime boys. they're an idol unit or something. they're technically not anime boy versions of the source characters, they have different names. mickey's guy is "Neo Michel". not michael, michel, like he's french. chip & dale are "Ruska Moncrief" and "Ranka Monk", they have different last names, they're not brothers anymore so that they can be yaoibait instead, anyways this post isn't actually about these guys I'm just setting the stage for the actual humanizations I wanted to show you

They also did monsters inc. And. Well it's obvious from the designs who mike and sully are. but you will also notice. the blonde one on the left. with glasses. monsters inc is kind of famously about just the two guys so they didn't really have a lot of other non-villain characters to take anime boys inspiration from, I guess, so, well,

I am a raccoon biologist and one of the few people in the state allowed to take in captive bred raccoons that had been possessed illegally. The raccoon in the photos is Moonshine, but she is currently at the animal sanctuary where I work as I had been quarantining multiple new intakes from an abuse case. I still have two males (Rum Tum Tugger and Electra) left in my home enclosure as we are getting them neutered and then hopefully sending them to an AZA accredited zoo.