!¡Dyschronicles¡!

We shall never disappear.

Let me level with you, reader. The world is a horrible place to be in right now. Senile men who have somehow found their way into power seem hell-bent on taking away our rights, multiple wars are actively happening, I$r4e1 still exists, and I have to pay a monthly subscription to breathe. All terrible things, of course. (Of varying degrees) However, we keep going; but why? Why do we keep living in such an exhausting and dystopian world? How have we not simply just given up yet?

I think the world, despite having so many flaws, has a certain grace in it. If you manage to look through the grim aspects in it, you’ll see the love, the community, and the hope that lingers even in the worst times. It’s so easy to give up, to just lie in bed watching Reddit stories for hours on end that don’t have a second part, to believe nothing truly matters.

The world is terrible, yes—but there will always be amazing things in it.

I’ll relay a personal example, When I was 12, my family was evicted, and we had to move into my aunt’s house. I felt hopeless. I felt as if the world didn’t have a place for me; I didn’t have an education, I had issues concentrating, I was terrible at socializing, and I was in a chaotic, messy household. And then... I met a friend. Someone who made me realize that I had something, a future! Even in a world that didn’t want me to, I could live and carve my own path. For the first time in so many years, I managed to see a future where I wasn’t homeless or in a graveyard, because for the first time, I saw that even with the world having so many issues, I felt resilience.

Even in a grim world, I ask that you find something to hold onto, a future, friends, even something as simple as outliving Sam Altman.

People, no matter what situation they may be in, can still smile. Allow me to give another example—I was in a taxi ride, and we were stuck in traffic, so I decided, why the hell not? I’ll converse with the driver. He told me that he came here two years ago and hasn’t seen his family since then. Of course, I asked, “Don’t you miss them? ” He said he did, to a painful amount, but simply calling them every few days gave him the strength to keep going to support his children and wife, to one day give them a better life than he has. He was... happy, even in a system that abused him; he was able to enjoy his life and carry on despite everything seemingly being against him. That driver made me realize even more that we don’t need a perfect world to have a reason to keep going.

My point is–I’m not asking you to delude yourself into seeing the world as pure bliss and blind yourself to the horrors, reader. I ask you to see that even in this bleak world, solace still exists, and it flourishes everywhere. It’s in the stubborn choices to get up in the morning, holding the door open for a stranger, or even simply seeing someone you love. Don’t look for a perfect world, look for those defiant acts of joy, no matter how small. Prove that no matter how bad things get, you will survive and not give up. Find your anchor, whatever it is, and hold onto it with all the strength you have. (PS. A major inspiration for this article is a game called Disco Elysium, and the main character’s ability to carry on despite everything he’s lost affected my perspective on the world a lot, because even when you lose everything, you can still find your way. The game is really good, seriously, play it!)

do we really need to get smarter

The human desire for knowledge acquisition is always a treasure, particularly as it fills the gaps that experience does not, but has it always been encouraged?

“You are free to eat from any tree in the garden, but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it, you will certainly die. ”.

Thanks for reading! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.

Genesis 2:16-17, NIV.

The Abrahamic God is unhappy with the first man on earth, Adam, and Eve’s decision to indulge in the ‘fruit of knowledge’ following his prior warning.

The fruit led Adam and Eve out of Eden and into physical and emotional turmoil, for instance, Adam’s need for treacherous labor and Eve’s pain of childbirth, both pertaining to survival.

But that doesn’t entice me as much; the emotional turmoil does. “Disconcerted by nudity” would imply that gaining human consciousness is an impediment?

Despite your beliefs, the Lord in all forms of mythology and religious dogma represents an authority providing the perfect cookie-cutter advice to help the average layman achieve a happy and fulfilling life.

The Myth of Pandora’s Box (Fun fact: Actually a jar!, A mistranslation error that stuck around.)

Refers to Pandora, the woman created by the Greek gods as instructed by Zeus to “punish” the titan Prometheus and mankind, as the titan had stolen fire and given it to the people.

The gods, during creation, “gifted” her with four gifts: beauty from Aphrodite, skills and craftsmanship from Hermes, and curiosity and a tricky nature.

Pandora, due to her curiosity although warned by Zeus, opens the jar/box/pithos

Lo and behold, evil spirits that contain the struggles of mankind!

Disease and illness

Pain and suffering

Death and mortality (or awareness of it)

Hard labor and exhaustion

Misery, grief, and sorrow

Chaos and misfortune

Curiousity is treated as naive and with inevitable negative consequences.

Daoism is an ancient Chinese philosophical spiritual system that centers on living in harmony with the “dao,” or “the way,” which is understood as the natural flow and order of the universe.

At the heart of Daoist thought is the idea that reality works best when left in its natural state.

The Tao Te Ching argues that human beings often create problems and disparities by trying too hard to control life, define it rigidly, or force outcomes through planning and ambition. From this perspective, “ignorance” is not praised as stupidity, but rather as choosing a happier life.

A person who is too focused on categorizing, judging, and manipulating everything may lose touch with the natural flow of life, while someone who lives simply and intuitively is closer to harmony. This can be combatted with ‘’Wu Wei,’‘ directly translating to non-action or effortless action in which a person responds to life with a natural balance without striving for too much to avoid disturbance.

Common trope?

The concept “Wu Wei” appears in early Daoist texts like the Tao Te Ching (6th–4th century BCE) and was fully developed and expanded later in texts like the Zhuangzi (4th–3rd century BCE). The myth of Pandora’s Box appears in the Greek poet Hesiod in the late 7th or 8th century BCE in his epic poems Theogony (c. 750-700 BCE) and Works and Days (c. 700 BCE). Proponents argue that the first mention of Adam and Eve was when Moses wrote the Exodus from Egypt, roughly in 1450-1400 BCE. Conversely, post-exilic biblical scholars believe that it was written prior to the proponent’s assumption, in the 5th or 6th century BCE.

Whatever view you subscribe to, the common themes between the three tales linger throughout society and how we as a populace navigate through life.

So why does every way of life advise you to avoid the constant strive for knowledge you do not need?

I reckon that an overconsumption of knowledge leads to an unfulfillment in life because of multiple factors.

“Don’t place temptation in someone’s path if you wouldn’t want them to fall.” Nothing seems to satisfy them anymore…no matter how far they go, thickening their greed for unattainable goals.

A study published in the journal “High intelligence: A risk factor for psychological and physiological overexcitabilities” (Karpinski et al., 2016) examines the correlation between high intelligence and higher reporting of mental health conditions (anxiety, depression, ADHD, etc.) and physical conditions (allergies, autoimmune issues, and asthma).

The study was a survey-based study with a sample of 3,715 members of American Mensa

(people with IQ 130+, so very high intelligence), which was then compared with the average population.

The results revealed that highly intelligent people had reported the following:

higher rates of anxiety and mood disorders (RR 1.20 - 223.08).

increased likelihood of ADHD and autism-related traits

More physical health issues like allergies and autoimmune diseases (RR 1.84 - 4.33).

The study concluded with an “explanation” asserted by the researchers.

Hyperbody and Hyperbrain theory

The theory suggested by Karpinski proposes the idea that individuals with high intelligence may have a more reactive and sensitive brain, piggybacking on the key concept of “overexciteabilities” (originally from Kazimierz Dabrowski’s theory), which refers to heightened intensity of how some individuals process and interpret the world around them.

These overexcitabilities can often be intellectual, such as overanalysis, which is aggravated by supporting ones such as emotional (strong and intense feelings), sensory (heightened sensitivity to sounds, sights, or physical stimuli), and sometimes imaginational (rich and vivid mental activity); meaning their minds are more active, reflective, and prone to overthinking, which can contribute to anxiety or rumination, therefore leading to depression.

In the Bhagavad Gita a common mention is an individual’s “dharma,” which translates to duties in a large cosmic order. Dharma emphasizes stability and continuity, meaning individuals are encouraged to act within existing structures rather than challenge them. I argue that as a person is more aware of his dharma or duties in correlation with injustices and inequalities in life, it may lead to him feeling helpless or pathetic within a structural context where he lacks individual agency—much like a rock thrown into a pond is unlikely to cause erosion.

This is apparent in the contemporary global reaction to political instabilities,

Research supports the assumption that socio-political awareness may have negative effects on mental well-being only when people perceive themselves as having no influence on the situation. For instance, Xue Yang et al. (2020) conducted a population-based study involving 420 adults from Hong Kong, whose perceptions regarding political and social situations as well as emotional and depressive symptoms were assessed using a questionnaire. As a result, the authors discovered that respondents expecting socio-political conditions such as increased inequalities, instabilities, and even conflicts were prone to experience greater symptoms of depression as well as lower levels of life satisfaction. However, it is important to note that this link between variables was indirect, as it could be explained by psychological mediators such as frustration, emotional distress, insecurity, and inability to change the socio-political situation due to lack of self-efficacy. Thus, being aware of problems in society did not lead to psychological problems per se but rather when coupled with an inability to do anything about them.

Throughout different cultures and societies, there persists an ambiguity surrounding whether knowledge serves to either free or oppress the human mind. In myths, philosophy, and even contemporary psychology, knowledge is consistently portrayed as something that offers insight and yet at the same time causes unease. Instead of asking if ignorance is happiness, perhaps the issue should be if humans are capable of bearing the burden of knowledge.

Maybe we should stop reading and put our phones down.

Brainrot AI slop for everybody!

Dunces are happier after all.

Would you kill for pride?

20-year-old Banaz Mahmod, an Iraqi Kurdish woman, was raped and strangled by her father and uncle.

Her crime? Leaving an abusive arranged marriage and seeking out divorce.

16-year-old Jordanian Kifaya Husayn, raped by her brother resulting in pregnancy and later married off to a man 34 years her senior, was killed by her brother after her husband divorced her to cleanse family “honour”.

And 16-year-old Pakistani Sumaira was murdered with a kitchen knife by her brother for being caught in the act of talking to a boy over the phone.

The cases above are classified as honour-based violence.

What distinguishes them from traditional domestic violence is the intentional targeting, planning, and justifying of the murder of the teenage or adult women victims by the family of origin. The motive behind the murder also involves a deep acquaintance with the family’s “honour,” to uphold and regulate female behaviour. It is through this subsequent purge that the family’s honor may be finally restored.

In instances like Arab society, this may be understood through the concept of sharaf, the honour of an entire social unit, and ird, the honour of a woman through her chastity and purity.

“A woman is like an olive tree. When its branch catches woodworm, it has to be chopped off so that society stays clean and pure.”

- Tarrad Fayiz, a Jordanian tribal leader

Honour has two distinct dimensions.

The first being the subjective honour, which is how an individual feels in relation to their entitlement to respect, compared to objective honour, which involves societal interpretation by a community of an individual’s worth. Honour can be defined through virtue, which is usually upheld in these communities by women, and can also be defined through dominance, which is upheld, of course, by the men in the community.

What follows a breach of these honour codes, is often a deep shame. This is different from the traditional sense of shame, in that it is felt publicly and relationally throughout the community rather than just by an individual. Honour and shame both constitute social phenomena that depend on the perception of others to function and facilitate the intention of murder to cleanse.

Honour killings usually operate on a combination of principles of sexual anxiety, masculine fragility, narcissistic injury, and the shame-based identity structures introduced above. What usually transpires is that a deviation from a woman’s sexual chastity is interpreted as a psychological assault on male authority in the community, which inherently causes a breach in the male’s own sense of “honour” in the community as he interprets it through others.

The threat is seen as damaging to family identity and causing deep public humiliation. This blow to the identity, narcissistic injury, then prompts the man, and indeed compels him, to use violence to cleanse this damaged self-image through necessity. The perpetrators often recognize that murder is wrong; however, they frame the nature of honour killings in particular as being different from the norm and hence, acceptable to do.

Rumors and suspicions are oftentimes enough for the family to take action.

66% of honour-based killings are done by the family of origin and often involve multiple perpetrators acting together to fulfill community expectations and enforce shared belief systems and also due to a fear of social exclusion.

Additionally, victims often fall into two distinct age groups: younger women and girls that average 17 years of age and older women that average 36. More than half the women in the analysis cited are tortured before execution. Fathers are responsible for all honour murders of the youngest victims. Common reasons for the murders include choosing their own partner, seeking education, refusing dressing norms, or asserting autonomy or any form of independence.

Another explanation is the Norm-Enforcement Model. Honour killings often persist in areas where laws are lenient, in close-knit communities where reputation being damaged may be damning, and where communal cohesion is seen. Additionally, an inverse U-shaped model is seen where, contrary to expectation, violence is not the highest where norms are stricter but rather is higher where norms are contested, oftentimes the bridge between modern and traditional environments.

Lenient legal structures also perpetuated such honour-based violence through legal shielding. Some of which have since been repealed and are often cited to reduce capital punishment to years or prison sentences to nothing at all.

For instance, in the Jordan Penal Code Article 340, a man who discovers his wife or one of his mahrams (a female relative not permitted to marry him) committing adultery and kills or commits violence on either member found partaking may be exempt from all penalty.

Or, Article 98 is where he who commits a crime due to extreme anger caused by illegal or dangerous acts by the victim benefits from a reduction in penalty.

Syria’s article 548 rewards catching female relatives in adultery, whilst Lebanon’s article 562 functions similarly to excuse murder done in a “fit of fury” upon discovery of the adultery of those of female relation.

Despite this alleged “fit of fury” explanation by courts, most cases of honour killing appear to be premeditated, instructed beforehand by the family of origin, and carefully planned.

Although many have since been repealed, judicial leniency still persists. Courts see “honour” as mitigating in many cases.

Another instance is honour based killing in Pakistan, where family honour (izzat) is tied to female sexuality, marriage choice, and ability to obey, supported in foundation by a patriarchal social structure with male dominance of the utmost importance in households and decision-making, women’s decisions, and of course, women’s chastity.

These are further compounded by illiteracy and a lack of understanding of legal consequences to follow, or where legal reach is very limited.

Qisas (retaliation) and Diyat (blood money/compensation) laws enforced the right to demand an execution in return for intentional murder, or alternatively financial compensation with the right of the family of those murdered to forgive the perpetrator.

It is clear that in honour based killings where the perpetrators are fathers, brothers, uncles, and husbands, the perpetrators would be of the same family and lineage as the victim. In other words, a structural loophole allowed a formal “forgiveness” of the killer and a symbolic “compensation.” This would prevent any legal action against the murderers.

After reforms in 2016, murder was no longer a compoundable offense and can now be tried by the state; this does not solve many problems. Since honour killings usually take a community, evidence collection, witness intimidation, and intentional sabotaging of investigations still persist, and honour killings are still allowed to continue.

Social beliefs also reinforce the murder of innocent individuals.

“Whether we like it or not, women are not equal to men in Islam. Adulterous women are much worse than adulterous men because women determine the lineage.”

-Islamic politician Abd al Baqi Qammu of the Jordanian senate, who endorsed honor crimes by the Jordanian Islamic movement.

Furthermore, a possible explanation for men policing women’s sexuality, particularly in politically unstable and impoverished countries, is the exercising of masculine identity they were raised with but not allowed to exercise.

Men raised with entitlement to dominance as men and the promise of policing female chastity,

When they realize they cannot express this dominance and only face political or economic insecurity, they often turn to their promised form of expressing this entitlement, which is over women’s purity and allows them to lessen this humiliation.

P.S... I didn’t include the debate about whether we should call them honour killings, because I agree with the label, and I do think they constitute a unique kind of murder, and we should distinguish them as such, and anyone who thinks otherwise can just fight it out with me. No, I’m not reading your article, Rochelle L. Terman.

Sources:

Worldwide Trends in Honor Killings

By Phyllis Chesler

Making Sense of Honor Killings: American Sociological Review

By Ozan Aksoya and Aron Szekelyb

Honor Killings in Modern Societies: A Sociological Perspective

By Alina Zvinkliene

The Dynamics of Honor Killings and the Perpetrators’ Experiences

By Recep Doğan¹”

Sex, Honor, Murder: A Psychology of “Honor Killing”

By Reza Barmaki

Honor Killing Phenomena in Pakistan

By Qian Hongdao¹, Muhammad Bilawal Khaskheli², Hafiz Abdul Rehman Saleem², Jonathan Gsell Mapa²

How to successfully larp as a pttp fan: constantly ask them whether it’s “porteetee” or “teeteepor.”

It was a fine day in December when I opened my timeline to the news that the Thai BL couple pairing consisting of the actors Teetee Wanpichit Nimitparkpoom and Por Suppakarn Jirachotikul had officially stopped rotating their ship name and had switched to using only TeeteePor from then on. Seems extremely silly and irrelevant, but this simple change is far deeper than what's seen on the surface. 

To understand the significance of this change, one must understand how ship names are utilized in queer fandom spaces, particularly when it comes to East Asian queer media. Typically the order of a ship name is used to indicate the positions of the characters, where the name of the top is put first and the bottom is put second. 

This naming convention has then in turn been used to refer to on-screen couple pairings where the actor who always plays the top will have their name before the actor who always plays the bottom; this just goes to show how ingrained top and bottom culture really is in queer media. It makes sense to a certain extent, as these positions are a significant part of queer dynamics and sex. However, it certainly is weird to place such high emphasis on sex positions, especially when these positions impact characterization. The way most people treat these positions is extremely strange; it's important to note that although there are queer people that stick to only one position, there is also a large proportion of queer people who are, in fact, switches, and utilizing strict top and bottom positions limits these characters and doesn’t reflect true queer experiences. I don't see an issue with a very feminine bottom with a very macho top. I don't agree with people that say that these types of ships reinforce gender roles because saying a character cannot be effeminate is also placing high emphasis on gender roles and does nothing to deconstruct them. It does get to a point, though... Usually the bottom characters are used as a self-insert for the straight women that watch BL; as a result, the character behaves in a stereotypical manner, with the fandom often referring to them as the “wife” of the relationship, which just feels very heteronormative. Like, why does one of them HAVE to be the wife and the other have to be the husband? The bottom is also often treated as lesser than, which is clearly rooted in misogyny. With this in mind, when Por and TeeTee became a couple pairing, they had both openly expressed that they wished to act together as a switch pairing and didn’t want to conform to traditional top and bottom roles. As a result, they stated that they would alternate between ship names and hashtags using #ป๋อตี๋ตี๋ (porteetee) in Thai, #teeteepor in English, and even porteeteepor to reflect their versatility. 

I was pretty content hearing about this; having a switch couple in an industry so fixated on rigid positions felt like the start of something new. This decision had been what the both of them wanted, and they were both happy with it; they wanted to pick acting roles based on what suited them best and not be restricted to typical top and bottom dynamics. That was until their “fans” ruined it all. In February 2025, the pilot trailer for their first series, where they play the roles of the main couple, Duang with You, came out. It was around this time that TeeTee and Por announced their decision officially. Many fans were quite upset with this choice, criticizing them for not picking one and creating discourse between fans that preferred porteetee and fans that preferred teeteepor, causing both of the actors to publicly apologize the very next day after announcing it. I have attached images and links to the translations of their tweets below in case anyone wishes to read them in their entirety, but I find it so incredibly stupid that they had to apologize for this. They did absolutely nothing wrong, and instead of celebrating the fact that they would begin working on their first series together, these losers chose to focus on top and bottom discourse and behave disrespectfully towards the actors. 

No one looks at a straight ship and begins discussing how they would be in bed. This just shows how prominent homophobia is within an industry meant to represent queer people. It's like these fans see gay people solely as a trope that should fit into their prescribed boxes rather than actual people; queer men are nothing but a product of entertainment to them, and reducing queer characters to simply their sex positions is extremely reductionist and objectifying.

As Por himself said (excuse the silly translation), “I believe that in the end, the left and right positions aren’t as important as the final is Por and TeeTee. I think this is the most important thing, right? ”. Regardless of the criticisms they received, they stuck out with their choice. 

That was until December 2025. 

The criticisms they received only worsened as time passed, with all discussions surrounding the pairing being about whether it was teeteepor or porteetee, and people going as far as to constantly comment on the livestreams of other artists/actors under the company. 

Due to this, they had decided to settle on Teeteepor instead of alternating their ship name. Teetee states that, “This decision truly came from our own discomfort and difficulty, but we believe it is a solution that will help reduce confusion and arguments, at least to some extent.” I truly don’t understand why fans of BL are so set on reinforcing outdated and heteronormative archetypes. I can't believe people can call themselves fans of these actors after harassing them to this extent and continue to consume media surrounding queerness while still pushing homophobic rhetoric. 

I don’t have an issue with a ship complying with traditional top and bottom roles, as I mentioned previously; my issue is when narrow-minded people are so set on implementing these roles on EVERY single ship. 

Although this decision would help boost their engagement and would assist in the promotion of their show (which just started airing with new episodes coming out every Saturday!!!), it is important to recognize the manner in which this decision came about. These actors did not deserve the harassment they experienced, especially as they had just freshly started their acting careers and are very new to the industry. I hope the way top and bottom roles are treated within fandom spaces changes eventually because a straight ship would never experience this level of discourse around ship names. 

Unfamiliar terms you might encounter in the tweets: 

phi/’p’—used when referring to someone older

nong/’n’—used when referring to someone younger 

# ป๋อตี๋ตี๋—porteetee in thai script 

#ตี๋ตี๋ป๋อ - teeteepor in thai script

Your Sky—a series they had previously acted as the side couple in.

Written By Sam

Tweet Translations

TeeTee’s apology : https://x.com/fymyfav_/status/1892831809488167133

Por’s apology : https://x.com/fymyfav_/status/1892836483582874010

Announcement of the primary use of TeeTeePor : https://x.com/minestarryglow/status/1999806973475496122

C-drama with the most breedable characters; special shout-out: Zhou Yichen.

This is the most well-written drama I’ve seen this year (I wrote this in November 2024).

‘’During the Zhenyuan era, the accidental death of the Bai Ze goddess, who governed the realms of humans and demons, causes the disappearance of the Bai Ze Order, leading to chaos from rampant demon beasts. In response, the demon leader, Zhu Yan, disguised as Zhao Yuan Zhou, volunteers to help form a demon-hunting bureau.

Wen Xiao, suspicious of Zhao Yuan Zhou, joins the bureau alongside her childhood friend Zhuo Yi Chen, a skilled detective and swordsman, the aloof archer Pei Si Jing, and the timid doctor Bai Jiu. Together, they confront demon beasts from “The Classic of Mountains and Seas” and uncover the truth behind their violent actions. As they face great responsibility and personal loss, will their friendship and the love between the top demon beast and the goddess overcome the challenges they face?’‘

(Source: MyDramaList)

This is the first time I’ve watched the wuxia genre. [Wuxia is a genre of Chinese fiction that features itinerant warriors with almost supernatural martial arts skills in ancient China (J. F. Lee, What Is Wuxia?)].

This show did not disappoint.

Yayy (Things I liked):

1. World-building

As this was the first time watching this genre, I was afraid I wouldn’t understand anything, but even though this show didn’t have an opening explaining all the lore, the characters explained the world to other characters that didn’t know, which informed us, the viewers, which I really appreciated, which really showed the effort the writers put into the world-building of this show, and also how much they respected the viewer to let us figure it out, and by the end of the show, I was really immersed in the world they built over the period the show aired.

2. Cohesiveness

Everything in this show fit together really well; the costuming fit every character really well and showed their personality without seeming out of place. Something that I also liked is that the outfits repeated; in some dramas they would be changing the characters’ clothes every scene, but the repeating of outfits further shows that there is a bit of realism in this unrealistic world.

Another thing that made the show a masterpiece is the OST and score; these were so well done the show wouldn’t feel whole without them. In some dramas the music doesn’t fit the emotion or scene, but in this show they put so much effort into the score, making it the OST’s instrumental, and also it fits every important and even the insignificant beat of the story. The OST also brought out all the emotional parts of the story and amplified them, making me go back and rewatch some scenes.

3. Direction/Cinematography

This show is so beautiful to look at; I was speechless.

The scenes in the wilderness were breathtaking, and the way the show was directed is so well done. The crew did such a good job, and it shows throughout the entire body of work. (I’m trying to keep this review spoiler-free, so I won’t go into too much detail on this).

4. The Characters/Plot

Every character was well thought out, and all the motives of every character were clear, and the most important thing for me when watching a drama is the character development because I hate it when a character remains stagnant throughout the whole show and then suddenly they change in the last ep. To do it well, the growth has to be slow but apparent. I saw this in the second lead, Pei Si Jing.

The development throughout the show was so well written. and imo the best written character is zhou yi chen if you watch the show you see how much he changes and develops and a person, moreover the motives of the villains where clear and you as the viewer understand them its not like they were doing evil because the show needed and antagonist we knew the reason why they were doing these evil acts and we could anticipate them too which i liked, also on the topic of villains i liked that not everything was black and white and there where some grey characters like li lun who i understood why he did what he did and his character development throughout the show was so well-done you can see the confliction in him every time he did anything to zhao yuan zhuo.

The supporting/background characters were also well written; every time they showed a story, the writers wrote them so well that you could even cry over them and also understand their motives too, and the show all connected in the end in a way where everything shown contributed to the ending, so nothing was unimportant to the story.

5. The Pacing

Even though I saw many people say that the pacing of this story was slow-paced, I think that was the right decision because I think that the pacing fit the story, because if it was any faster, I think that I would have trouble following it, and the pacing made the important beats of the story more impactful.

6. The consistency

The biggest problem when watching comedy genres in dramas is that they always are super funny at first, but when the climax of the story comes, they become super melancholy and lose the show’s initial charm, but in this show they didn’t; the comedy remained throughout the show even after the sad parts, and I very much liked that. and the found family and the dynamics between the characters were also consistent; nothing happened that was out of character for them, which I also really liked.

BOOO (things I did not like):

1. Female Representation

The female lead’s character was a little neglected, I could tell in the beginning of the show, and I thought I should give the show more time, and they did try to flesh her out a little more, but I think they could have done a better job with her because I felt that the supporting characters were written better than her, which is sad because she is the main lead.

2. The romance was lacking

I know some people would disagree with me, but the main leads didn’t have enough screen time together.

I felt the love between them, but we didn’t have enough time with them. And something else is that everybody has so much chemistry with everybody; I was getting confused at times. Like, if you watched the show, you could see it.

Overall, this may be the best drama I’ve seen this year.

The way it was created felt so well thought out, and some people may not have liked the ending, but I’m pretty content with it.

Ultimately, I wanted you, the reader, to be able to relish the essence of Zhou Yichen’s beauty.

Sam Reviews : Spirit Fingers

Spirit fingers, adapted from a webtoon of the same name, is a kdrama centered around an awkward teenage girl named Song U Yeon. The show follows her as she expands her circle of people by joining an art club named, you guessed it.. spirit fingers. It serves as a character study on the many unique characters within the show, delving into various emotional and romance plots with the main one being between U Yeon and Nam Gijeong, the popular and silly guy that grows increasingly fond of her as the show progresses. 

Thematic analysis  1. Insecurity and physical appearance

The show began by delving headfirst into Song U Yeon’s lack of self-confidence. Her entire personality was built with careful precision, shaped by the constant belittling she experiences at home and past experiences with trying new things, which enabled the viewer to understand exactly where her insecurity and anxiety stem from. She didn't feel like a fictional character, she felt real.

Additionally, I enjoyed the lack of significance put on physical appearances. Song U Yeon was “average” in appearance, she wore glasses, minimal/no makeup, and didn't dress “stylishly”, which overall would deem her as ugly in the standards for most dramas. When you watch a drama with an “unattractive” lead character, it typically ends with them drastically changing their appearance by the end, and the attractive lead confessing that they liked them before they changed up their look. The point most of these shows try to sell is that looks don't matter, but then they completely contradict this by making the “unattractive” character change almost every aspect of their physical appearance. What I like about this show is that it never puts large significance on changing her appearance, even when she did dress up and take off her glasses, it was never a huge thing because she was never “unattractive” when she didn't. I also liked how it switches the typical trope of ‘majestic girl x average guy’, it really detaches from the conventional need to portray women constantly being “pretty” and made their dynamic far more appealing to me. It was also nice to see how insecurity manifested into resentment, which happened with both Jo Mirae towards her friends and Song U Yeon towards Nam Gijeong.

I know a lot of people were not happy to see U Yeon say she was starting to hate Gijeong, but it shows how her feelings of inferiority won't just disappear overnight so I personally felt it was necessary. Nam Gijeong also feels a sense of inferiority, pushing him towards believing that U Yeon did not have feelings for him. I feel as though his insecurities are overlooked due to his popularity but it is important to recognise that he is just a teenager regardless of the extremely high pedestal he is put on and that he also gets insecure. 

2. Female friendships

Speaking of insecurity brings me to the next theme. I was so quick to hate Jo Mirae in the earlier episodes. She was constantly talking down on U Yeon and it drove me crazy because U Yeon was already struggling with her self image. However her redemption was genuinely so beautiful. She was just an insecure teenage girl herself and it made sense for her to feel the way she did when both her friends did really well in school and had guys that liked them. When you're a teenager, something like that is bound to make you feel inferior and like you're falling behind. The fact that Mirae and U Yeon had a falling out made me like their bond far more than if they had a perfect friendship from the get go because it adds nuance and a more in-depth perspective to their friendship. I also enjoyed how the friendship between Jo Miirae and An Yerim wasn't centered around U Yeon and that they both had a bond of their own, making them feel less like characters that existed merely to support U Yeon’s development and more like complex characters of their own.

​3. Having your own color

The characters in the club all had their own colors, a symbol to represent how each one of them was unique in their own way. This drama really did an excellent job at portraying eccentric characters from Geurin having mint hair to black finger and her alternative fashion sense, each character had their own idiosyncrasies. This was further reflected in the art created by each character, as all of them had their own distinctive styles and varying skill sets, which made their art stray from traditional, picture-perfect art pieces. Overall I liked how this drama promoted individuality and how these characters made U yeon find her own identity. 

4. Family

U Yeon served, in a sense, as a catalyst to quicken the collapse of her family. Her mother’s treatment towards her was significantly worse than her treatment towards U Yeon’s brothers. U Yeon’s family had a terrible power imbalance, with the hot-headed father being seen as the “head” of the family while the stay at home mother does all the heavy lifting. Her fathers behaviour was described accurately by U Dol, he gets treated terribly at work by his higher ups and then comes home and takes his anger out on his family in order to repair his ego and assert his dominance. Her mother’s behaviour was not any better, she was a typical narcissistic mother that lived through her children.

I personally believe she was harsher on U Yeon because she saw herself in her, especially after it was revealed that U Yeon wished to pursue an artistic career. However, I don’t believe this was the sole reason for her behaviour and I feel as though the patriarchy played a larger role in U Yeon’s mistreatment.

As a girl, she was held at higher standards than her brothers ever were and this becomes increasingly evident when U Yeon’s mother defends her brothers from the father but does not behave the same way towards U Yeon. The sons were “precious” and “hardworking” while the daughter was “disappointing” and “rebellious”, their behaviours were not drastically different in fact there were many parallels in how they acted, but the same behaviour was received differently according to who did it. She had a very traditional family dynamic, enabling the patriarchy to wedge itself into her homelife and be repackaged as "discipline”. A minor but consistent way her mother’s mistreatment manifested was through the kimchi fridge. It seems insignificant but the kimchi fridge being in her room was a motif for how her mother didn’t respect her as a person.

She wouldn’t be okay with putting a kimchi fridge in U Dol’s room or her own room yet she was okay with putting it in U Yeon’s room and made no effort to address it when U Yeon asked her to take it out. As a result of how she was being treated her family fell apart, for the better. U Yeon was the only one brave enough to act out and voice her opinions, this eventually led to both her brothers falling apart and doing the same.

They needed to break in order to see eachother for who they truly were, not the perfect facade that each of them put up. This allowed them to put the pieces back together and resolve their issues, U Yeon destroying her family ended up saving them. 

5. Art and third spaces 

With U Yeon’s home being anything but a home, she needed a place where she could breathe, this is where the club begins to play its part. It gave U Yeon an escape from her home and her studies, it was a place where she could begin learning to express herself and rebuilding her confidence. The act of gathering for art was also helpful, it acted as a form of therapy and allowed her to process her emotions in a way that was both healing and productive. Doing croquis helped with her perfectionism, it made sure she didn't spend too much time hyperfocused on one drawing and instead learnt how to let loose a little. The need for live modelling further helped her, she clearly expressed discomfort in following the themes at the very beginning but as time passed, dressing up in these elaborated costumes helped heal her self-confidence issues and allowed her to be comfortable with being the center of attention. Not only did she find a chosen family through the club members but she also began healing by finding peace in her third place and art. 

Production value 

1. Visual storytelling

The aesthetics of this show fit the themes and vibes of the drama so accurately. The concept of the club having a new theme each week was so cool, it was a way to have interesting costumes, makeup, and hairstyles every week, emphasising self expression and the eccentric vibe of the show. The set and props were also carefully constructed to match the whimsical aspect of the drama. Moreover, the cafe was a great tool to exude a sense of mystery, how many rooms did it have? Who owned it? How did the rooms somehow manage to fit their themes every time? It might feel like a lazy way to tackle the settings required but I enjoyed the mystery around it, it stayed true to the webtoon and made U Yeon’s third place feel magical. 

2. Cinematography

the show was filmed so beautifully. I loved how the color grading was more cool toned during Geurin and Seonho’s parts because, it suited their more mature relationship while the brighter colors for U Yeon and Gijeong emphasized their youth. The cinematography was also matched each time they had a different theme, I remember their vintage and horror themes were especially cool and I really enjoyed watching those episodes. 

Critiques 

1. Pacing

I personally had no issue with this since this drama was lowkey just a feel-good drama for me and i didnt really want long periods of angst but this is still a valid critique and so i decided to include it regardless. Most of the conflict and resolution was pushed towards the last two episodes, especially the conflict within U Yeon's family. It was resolved far too easily which feels highly unrealistic like in no universe would anyone be able to change their parents behaviour THAT quickly even U Dol running away would never be enough in real life to change how her parents behaved but honestly i really didnt care about that. As i said before this show felt very magical and I didn't mind the conflict being resolved that quickly.

2. Screentime distribution

Honestly I felt like Geurin and Seonho’s relationship was a little repetitive and that they had far too much screentime for the little development their relationship went through. This is genuinely my only complaint with this show I really wished they gave black finger and khaki finger more screentime because I found their relationship way more interesting. 

In conclusion, I rated this show a 10/10. This is genuinely one of the best kdramas to release in recent years, it feels like a breath of fresh air after seeing many overproduced and highly polished dramas get released. The production of this show felt natural and authentic, it really reminded me of weightlifting fairy kim bok joo. Anyway I 100% recommend this show to anyone, it's a cute romance drama with very meaningful messages.

When Tragedy struck the Friends of Dorothy

When Tragedy struck the Friends of Dorothy

Last week, following an excruciatingly monotonous mass (as one does on the Sabbath), one of the closing announcements stood out to me.

The wrinkly, close-to-senile priest read off of his sheet with no true compassion in his tone.

‘On the 24th of November the grotto will be adorned with banners and stalls dedicated to HIV awareness, accompanied by group prayer for HIV survivors preceding December 1st, which marks “World AIDS Day.”’.

The HIV epidemic of the 1980s served as a precedent for LGBT rights in contemporary society, marking the beginning of a devastating but also transformative period in queer American history and exposing the state and its people for neglect, homophobia, and the fragility of queer livelihood.

At the time the virus was disproportionately effective, the ‘‘Four H club’’ describes the four social criteria that made an individual highly susceptible to the virus.

H-Heroin users

H- Haitian

H - Haemophiliacs

H - Homosexual

The disproportionate number of homosexual carriers of the disease is linked to the underdevelopment, or rather deferred development, of medical treatment and the study of the disease.

The Discovery

Mysterious illness turned into “Gay cancer,” as referred to by numerous activists and journalists prior to sourcing out the true nature of the disease (that being the autoimmune nature). This is because the epidemic was followed by the established American fear of cancer, therefore equating the two.

Some of the notable symptoms of AIDS acknowledged at the time were KS (Kaposi Sarcoma), a type of cancer that developed on the lining of the blood and lymph vessels, and PCP (Pneumocystis Pneumonia), both being opportunistic diseases, which are basically diseases spread by pathogens that do not normally infect or cause disease in the average layman; however, when exposed to a compromised immune system, they do.

AIDS tore down the cities filled with love, the sudden flood of obituaries of gay men in newspapers becoming a haunting attestation of the lives claimed by the virus, reaching highs of 75,457 in 1992. (CDC)

Silence=Death was more than a mere political slogan; it was a declaration of the populace’s disappointment in the state now more than ever. Failure of education, silence in delayed funding and media, and slow approval of appropriate care fed into the structural problem and led to the inevitable blaming of the victims and mobilizing their suffering as incompetence or impurity in ‘sodomy.’

Churches played a significant role in the moral panic, targeting homosexuals as folk devils through public moral condemnation, directly contributing to the delay and disregard of the fatal syndrome.

The media had no problem in quoting and giving bigots the time of day.

Church doors closed, funerals denied, hospital wards refusing care out of fear of contagion or visitations.

35 For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36 I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’ 37 “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38 When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39 When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’ 40 “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’ Matthew 25:35-40

For I was hungry, and you refused me sustenance.

For I was thirsty and you refused me drink.

For I was cold, and you refused me warmth.

Why must evangelicals withhold from victims of pestilence?

At the height of fear, a nationally renowned evangelical Pastor Fawell declared that

“AIDS is not just God’s punishment for homosexuals; it is God’s punishment for the society that tolerates homosexuals.”

State: Useless! (Go figure!)

Ronnie…

Ronnie…

Ronnie…

On the 15th of October 1982, a press debriefing involving Rev. Lester Kinsolving interviews Deputy Press Secretary Larry Speakes; the first query about the administration’s input on the AIDS epidemic.

RL: Larry (.) does the president have any reaction to the announcement by the Center for Disease control in Atlanta that AIDS is now an epidemic in over 600 cases LS: A-I-D-S (.) I haven’t got anything on it RL: Over a third of them have died(3) It’s known as Gay Plague // [external press pool laughter] RL: It is (.) its a pretty serious thing (2) One in every three people that get this have died (.) and I wonder if the President is aware of this LS: I don’t have it(1)are you(.)do you [Transcription done personally so please do excuse the amatuer work; the rest of the video for reference , so so much worse.]

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) took minimal action and declined to develop a p‍reventative strategy due to the absence of treatments and vaccinations for those affected, given thi‍s was before PrEP (pre-exposure prophylaxis). They openly ridiculed the victims, and the CDC’s insti‍tutional response was heavily influenced by the Reagan administration. This is evident in the appoin‍tment of the CDC head, directly chosen by Reagan, which resulted in the propagation of moral conserv‍atism and an unwillingness to address issues related to homosexuality. Consequently, discussions ali‍gned with Reagan’s personal biases, resembling a self-serving echo chamber. (political circle jerk)

Ronnie and Larry ova here

Therefore, the institut‍ional silence was not merely bureaucratic inadequacy but a result of a politicized health system. Federal leadership prioritized moral ideology and public image over clear disease prevention.

Are we really surprised?

The same guy linked to the ‘War on Drugs,’ more like ‘War on immigrants’ Oh, and the Monkeys scandal!

Community care and Social Activism

One of the most impactful, yet underappreciated, aspects of the AIDS epidemic is the essential role p‍layed by lesbian nurses, caregivers, and women’s health professionals.

YOLO (You Only Lesbian Once) was most likely their motto.

In cities such as San Francis‍co and New York, they went beyond clinical care by transforming hospitals, wards, and makeshift comm‍unity houses into safe havens of dignity. They treated relentless infections, managed transfusions u‍nder extreme shortages, and vigilantly monitored opportunistic illnesses, often in conditions that t‍errified or repelled other staff. Their work extended beyond the physical, as they sat through endle‍ss nights beside the dying, held trembling hands as lives slipped away, whispered words of comfort w‍hen families had abandoned them, and challenged hospital policies that treated patients as problems ‍rather than human beings.

Their caregiving was a quiet act of defiance, refusing the dehumanizing so‍cial scripts that painted gay men as “undeserving,” making resistance tangible and lifesaving. Prac‍tical demonstrations of their commitment were extraordinary.

When gay men were barred from donating ‍blood, hospitals scrambled to find compatible supplies; lesbian nurses and volunteers organized bloo‍d drives, advocated fiercely for patient access, and donated their time and labor without hesitation‍. Oral histories and documentaries reveal women who constructed home-care networks in the shadows, s‍taffed hospice projects when hospitals faltered, and fought to ensure that those dying from AIDS received not only medical care but humanity, comfort, and respect. Many risked their careers, endured w‍orkplace hostility, and faced societal scorn, yet they persisted. Their courage, dedication, and emp‍athy became a lifeline for a community left abandoned by institutions and governments.

They were then on referred to as “blood sisters,” and this passion and altruism is honoured through the position of “L” being first in the acronym ‘LGBTQIA+’ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans, Queer, Intersex, Asexual).

The community being left to fend for itself wasn’t all bad. Amidst government neglect and violent homophobia, grassroots organizations emerged, such as ACT UP (AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power) and the GMHC (Gay Men’s Health Crisis). The GMHC provided hotlines to assist vulnerable gay men looking for both emotional and medical support and legal aid and helped them access healthcare the state had denied them.

Similarly, ACT UP, established in 1987, took activism a step further; rather than just humanitarian work, they prioritised active destruction of the structural issues, focusing on the perpetrator with theatrical and organised protesting and disrupting government debriefings to pressure them into finally taking a step. For instance, the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) was successfully pressured into accelerating drug approvals

The “Ashes Action” protest is documented by the ACT UP Oral History Project — in that protest,. Activists reportedly dumped ashes and. Bone chips of people who had died of AIDS onto the White House grounds as a political statement

Moreover, they devised the infamous political activist slogan ‘Silence = Death’ accompanied by a signature right-side-up pink triangle to deliberately make a reference to the pink upside-down triangle badge of shame used in concentration camps in Nazi Germany to shame and identify homosexuals; however, they reclaimed the right-side-up triangle to symbolize deconstruction and dismantling of bigotry, oppression, and marginalization of homosexual men by making an appearance in multiple forms of activism and art.

[Photograph taken in 1935, Aushwitz]

[Silence=Death, Keith Haring]

As always, art depicts stories and the soul infinitely better than words could.

Figures like Keith Haring used graphic and vibrational imagery to depict urgency, sexuality, and the fluidity of life in his art.

When Haring was diagnosed with HIV, his work shifted towards a series of social commentary-esque art promoting safe sex, memorializing those lost, and calling for community activism.

[Unfinished Painting, Keith Haring]

This painting was purposefully left unfinished by Haring to represent his life being cut short by AIDS. It has sometimes been described as a self-portrait, with the incomplete nature of the piece representing Haring’s unfinished career and the art he would not be able to create. This painting has also been described as a statement on the AIDS epidemic‘s destruction of the gay community and culture, with the sudden shift into blank canvas indicating the sudden onset of the pandemic. -Smithsonian Institution

Likewise, Felix Gonzalez‑Torres’s “Untitled (Portrait of Ross in L.A.),” often referred to as the “Candy Pile,” is an installation of 175 pounds (45.36 kilograms) of multi-colored little wrapped pieces of candy in a corner piled up, representing the body weight of the artists’ partner. Whilst the visitors are encouraged to consume one piece per visit, the gradual depletion of the candy represents the shrinking of Laycock (his partner), who unfortunately passed due to complications tied in with HIV. The restoration of the candy by the museum when it runs out serves as a metaphor for keeping Laycock’s memory and the victims like him alive.

[Portrait of Ross in L.A]

The AIDS epidemic ripped up families and communities with immense suffering and exposed societal hardship, but it also forced unprecedented solidarity.

By the 1990s, advances in medicine such as antiretroviral therapies and improved HIV treatments and protocols such as PrEP were discovered—transforming AIDS from a death sentence to a feasible, controlled disease.

The Rainbow flag, once a symbol of pride, transformed into a banner that yarns the stories of resilience, healing, and remembrance.

— Andrea Gonsalves [Dirth]

Subscribe to Dyschron1cle!

Did you enjoy this post?

The first coming of Dyschron1cle

We’re Dyschron1cle, eight friends compiling our work together on one big fat commonplace (this account!), representing the multifaceted nature of the female identity from politics, media analysis (following AO1, AO2, and AO3), and shitposting!

Our goat members:

Dirth (F , 18)

Yuyu (F, 18)

Sam (F , 17)

Liz (F, 18) (unc)

Lulu (F, 18)

Ash (F, 17) (you are the youngest person ever)

Aiz (F, 17)