#(at most that the actor playing EP in some scenes didn't look much like him that was was jarring)

[buddiebeginz]

I know not everything the actors say in interviews is accurate but I’m pretty sure in the beginning of the season Oliver talked about how Buck was going to have to work for his next relationship. He talked very deliberately about how Buck has always had relationships come easy. In that he’ll like someone and then end up with them without having to really fight for them. He said Buck's next relationship was going to be different, yet things with T*mmy feel exactly the same as how it’s felt with most of the women Buck's been with. Where the relationship comes easy and it’s mostly based on sex and the person doesn’t really know who Buck is at his core.

I can’t help but wonder if Tim told Oliver that he was planning on making Buddie happen this season or at least moving them closer to happening and it got pushed into s8. In the beginning of this season we had a lot of joint Ryan and Oliver interviews more so than in previous years. Oliver also did a lot of posting/liking about Buddie and Ryan on insta. He also talked about Buddie in all his interviews more than in previous seasons. Given how Oliver has said multiple times in the past that he didn't want to lead people on about Buddie I can't help but feel like he thought things were going to play out differently.

If you watch the beginning of s7 it feels like we’re heading towards something important happening with Buddie. We had a lot of Buddie scenes including the locker room scene, the scene where Buddie talk about underlying sexual tension, the scene where Buck is showing how much he's like Chris' other dad, Buddie working together on multiple calls including rescuing Bobby together. Then of course there was 704 which was like a flashing neon sign saying Buck has feelings for Eddie and is scared Eddie is going to replace him.

Then in 705 it was Eddie who interrupts Buck's first date with a guy. It's Eddie that is the focus of the conversation where Buck comes out to Maddie, where she tells him that if he has something he needs to tell Eddie he will in his own time. Then we get a very intimate scene where Buck comes out to Eddie, including a lot of shared looks between them and a hug. Also of note that Buck only had two coming out scenes in the whole season and Eddie was chosen to be one of them. There was also the gym scene where they talked about Eddie's sex life.

To me it feels like Tim changed course around 706 when he cut a lot of Buddie stuff from the ep especially the karaoke scene. I know a lot of things were likely cut for time but still they shot a scene of Buddie being all touchy feely singing a karaoke love song for the Madney wedding ep. Karaoke was one of the first things Madney did when they were falling for one another it was too much of a parallel for it not to mean something.

I think 706 was really supposed to be a bigger Buddie episode than it turned out to be. This may also be why so much of the promo stuff was about Buddie. I think originally this was going to be the episode to start officially letting the audience know there was something there between them. You can also see parts of the original story where they had Buddie joined at the hip after the bachelor party (helping Maddie and looking for Chim) everything came off very coupley.

This may also explain why Abuela is at the wedding and Marisol isn't (more about Marisol later). I wonder if originally we were going to get some kind of scene with Abuela and Eddie where she says something about Buck. There's no way they brought her in to just stand in the background like an extra there had to have been a purpose for her character originally.

I think Tim changed course when he decided he wanted to do the Kim/Shannon Vertigo mess. Which I don’t get why someone didn’t step in and tell him how ridiculous this idea was especially in this short of a season. I feel like Tim wanted to do something artsy and also get Devin Kelley back on the show and this was how he chose to do that. Unfortunately though the story turned into a mess and worse I feel like parts of Eddie's emotional journey that deserved more focus were lost. Like even the general audience didn't know what to make of that scene where Kim was dressed up as Shannon.

The Vertigo story might also be a part of why there were rumours that Edy had finished filming prior to this storyline starting in 707. Maybe she thought she had but was brought back in for this storyline. Who knows? This season was basically being written almost as they were filming it and I'm pretty sure Tim was changing things left and right. You can see that more in some episodes vs others and definitely more the later the season goes on.

I also think that would explain why so little thought and time was put into both Eddie's relationship with Marisol and Buck's thing with T*mmy. I don't think either relationship was supposed to last the entire season. There was talk early on in s7 that Lou was only supposed to be around for something like four episodes definitely a short run. In interviews Oliver also made it seem like B/T wasn't going to last and that T*mmy eventually was going to be more of a mentor type figure for Buck.

Lou also used the word rom-com when referring to B/T. Although take that with a grain of salt because it may have been on one of his cameos and he said all kinds of stuff on there. But you can see rom-com love triangle type stuff being set up in 704/705/706 between Buck, Eddie, and T*mmy and then T*mmy just kind of disappears (until 709) and the Kim/Shannon thing happens.

This would explain why there is so little development in s7 for T*mmy and B/T's relationship to the point that they never even defined that relationship by the end of the season. They never even had Buck call him his boyfriend. Which I'm glad for that in a way but it just goes to show how bad the writing was this season. And as much as I want Buddie and as much as I dislike Lou and T*mmy I'm also really sad for Oliver because this is not the coming out storyline Buck deserved.

In 707 there was zero mention of T*mmy and this is also when the Kim/Shannon storyline started so I think this is when we see some significant changes to the storyline from wherever things were originally set to go. Though the scene with Buddie and Chris I think some of that was from whatever had been originally planned. It's too flirty to explain otherwise. Maybe originally it was going to be something where Eddie and Chris spend time at Buck's loft but because there was the Kim storyline they wrote it with Eddie leaving for the date.

The thing is Buck's feelings for Eddie throughout this whole season have been louder and more apparent than we've ever seen them be before. Oliver is clearly playing Buck as in love with Eddie. Go back and watch the scene in 704 where Eddie talks about clicking with T*mmy and see how Buck looks like his heart has broken into a million pieces. Or the way Buck watches Eddie in the coming out scene in 705. Or Buck's face in 709 after he said he was worried about Eddie. It's just so obvious that man loves Eddie and would do anything for him.

This is why I really thought there was a good probability of us getting an oh moment feelings realization from Buck in the finale or at the very least a moment where they hugged and consoled each other over losing their son. But we didn't even get that.

I'm honestly not surprised that Oliver went quiet on social media during the back half of s7. Throughout the whole season Oliver wasn't really showing support for B/T and he talked very little about the ship in his interviews. I think this was originally because the plan was for B/T only to be a short term thing and Oliver didn't want to lead anyone on about that ship. I also personally think Oliver has wanted to see Buddie happen for years so he's not going to be rooting for another ship.

I also get the vibe Oliver's not crazy about working with Lou. Anytime you see behind the scenes video and pics of the cast Lou isn't in them or if he is no one is interacting with him. You can also see in the one interview Oliver did with Lou that the chemistry between them just isn't there. They feel more like coworkers just doing their job vs how Ryan and Oliver always appear like giggling besties in every interview and behind the scenes thing we see them in.

Like others have said I'm just sad for Oliver. I think once Tim told Oliver about them wanting to do the bi Buck storyline he must have been so excited. He's talked in interviews about how he's always seen Buck as bi so he must have been thrilled when they said they were finally taking his character there. And for all the issues this season Buck's coming out is still an incredibly important storyline and has meant a lot to so many people. Oliver has even talked about all the people that have messaged him and how deeply they've been affected by a character like Buck coming out.

Still I'm sure Oliver wants more for Buck's love life than the lackluster relationship that he's been stuck with. You can tell in how he talks about Buddie that he wants to see that relationship happen and that he wants to make sure it's done right and doesn't play into stereotypes.

I just hate that T*mmy is the first guy they've stuck Buck with. I hate that Tim and the show have done nothing with this relationship. We don't even really know by the end of s7 how Buck feels about T*mmy or how he feels having been dating a guy for months. Some of that should have been revisited maybe with a talk between Buck and Maddie. But it's like others have said they made Buck bi and then just kind of forgot about him. I think though that's because like I said Tim pushed everything to the side to focus on the Vertigo plot and also all the stuff with Bobby to the detriment of everything else. Buddie was the original plan and Tim didn't really have much else for Buck to do so they left him in this nothing relationship.

I really hope s8 is better all around not just for Buddie but for Buck and Eddie as characters. I hope that Tim plans to follow through and actually make Buddie a reality not just because so many people ship them because of how important for queer representation a ship like Buddie becoming canon could be. I also want to see Oliver actually get to play Buck in a relationship he's proud to talk about.

[wanderlust-in-my-soul]

Currently Watching - April

aka The Masterlist

Because I love a good little list - in alphabetical order! 😊

Regularly updated during the month, latest update 30.04.2024

A little link to my favorite bl-tropes-collection 💙

I am happy about gif-requests 🌼

Here you can find all of my gifs.

Tracking: #josistag

At the end you can have a look at what we can expect in April with a MDL link and a link for a trailer (if avaible).

This is guaranteed to contain spoilers!

1. 25 Ju, Akasaka de 🇯🇵 (2/10)

They were fellow students and now they have to play in a BL together. One of them is two years older and popular. For the other one, this is his first big role and he needs it, so he is determined to to anything he needs to do, to be a good actor. Even when this means to find a partner and fall in love to be able to play the role perfectly. Why not try to be lovers with your co-star. All for the sake of the series of course.

2. Blue Boys 🇰🇷 (2/4)

This short series is quite good. I saw the first episode by chance and I was hooked, but lost it again, because I couldn't track it on MDL. Now it is up there. I hope these two can resolve their missunderstanding, with talking! But they are too hungry for each other...

3. Boys Be Brave! 🇰🇷 (2/8)

Enemies to lovers, but different. Jinwoo likes Kisub and Kisub knows this. But while Kisub gives his heart away to every person who hits on him and can't really say No to anyone, Jinwoo loves to build up his wall and hide behind a strong No. Their worlds collide, when Kisub moves in with Jinwoo, if he likes it or not. Great first episodes!

4. Cityboy_Log 🇰🇷 (12/?)

They are back and unhinged like before! Jihan and Jaejun met after a while because they were busy and it seems they had some catching up to do the night before. We get some daily vlogging, some cuteness and some jealousy, which wasn't that cute. But they are finally back and I am happy. The acting is still very good. There is no deeper story behind, just some idols, models and actors falling in love with each other and theit daily lifes.

5. Deep Night 🇹🇭 (3/8)

his is everything I was expecting, so it didn't disappoint, I guess. To be honest, I watch this for First. I guess he would have chemistry with a stick, soooo this is nice. And I hope the story, at least stays like this and won't get worse... Update: This show is a mess 😂 there is so much going on all at once and at the same time nothing really happens? It is so confusing, yet very entertaining. But Wela, my dear, it is totally okay to be pissed if one fucks with you, while you are so drunk you can't remember shit the next day... Just a thought.

6. Kare no Iru Seikatsu 🇯🇵 (3/8)

Kazuhito has no girlfriend and the ones he had, broke up with him, because they felt he likes someone else... Who might that be?... The story is simple, I guess? (But perhaps not that simple... The preview for ep 3 looks interesting.) Childhood friends are forced to move in together after spending time apart. One is a little bit naive and is trying to find out why girls breaking up with the most charming and handsome guy he knows and the latter is in love with the naive one and in the end they have their happy ending. I like it. I want to see their growth.

7. Love Is Like A Cat 🇰🇷 (10/12)

Who thought this was a good idea? Who wrote this? Who said cut at the end of scenes? Who thought this is be the way Mew should act? I cringe so hard and not in a funny way. This series is just bad. I keep watching because of this little bean. But I had to skip so many scenes in today's episodes, because it was just so bad! And I can't figure out if Mew just didn't want to be there and act or if that is the way the director wanted him to act... But the acting is bad. Bad choices everywhere. And the dialogues? Cringe... Why would a bean like Dae Byeol fall for Uno? Nope...

8. My Stand-In 🇹🇭 (1/12)

Okay, hear me out. I watch this for Poom and for Poom only. But the story lookes interesting, it was quite intriguing. I don't know why, but I cringed a bit too much at some scenes. But Poom is beautiful and that is all I care about. Yes, I can be this shallow!

9. Only Boo 🇹🇭 (4/12)

The cringe was so strong with this one this week! I had to pause multiple times, but at the same time I enjoyed it so much! Moo is so unhinged and I love him! But please! Don't let Moo's cousin become a possible love interest for Kang. I know we got this dream sequence this week, but there is something in the air between Shone and him... and I don't like it. The second couple... I felt really sad for them this week. Beeing in love with your best friend is never easy...

10. Unknown 🇹🇼 (12/12)

The story about found family, childhood trauma and struggling topped with a lovestory between "brothers". They aren't really brothers so I really don't care and just enjoy this forbidden and hurtful lovestory to the fullest. This is exactly what I hoped for! The longing, tension and hurting is so good! It is the aftermath of the shooting and Qian is still dealing with his emotions and his feelings for Yuan. The love between them is real and strong, but Qian is afraid and can't just let his heart decide over the head, yet. He loves Yuan, but is afraid what that means for them and especially for Yuan's future. And yet he held him back. He was the one reaching out in the end! I have said enough about them and this first part of ep 11 in my post. I love them. My heart belongs to them. I wish we had more developement between these two as a couple, but I still love them and I forgive this show the rush in the end, because I love it so much.

11. Word of Honor 🇨🇳 (20/36)

Those two flirt a lot and are a married couple. Everyone knows that. And I love and enjoy that! Overall this is such a fun watch and the different sects and intrigues are sometimes a little bit confusing, but interesting. I love this world of martial arts and I love how protective Wen Kexing is over Zhou Zishu.

Finished in April

Series

My Strawberry Film 🇯🇵

This is what I call a love triangle. And the fact that the screenwriters worked for Eien No Kinou or Jack o'Frost promised some heartbreak and teenage angst. And they delivered. I really like this series. And I felt so many emotions, especially for Ryo. And I really loved the ending. No fake relationship and no unrealistic confessions, just some teenagers in love and being friends. And I think Hiraku was such a sweet friend in this last episode. He apologized and he finally recognized Ryo's feelings for him. And I believe they stay friends in the future. It might be difficult, but a good friendship is worth fighting for. It has so much to do with respect and love for each other. It is a solid 8 out of 10 for me.

Koi wo Suru nara Nidome ga Joto 🇯🇵

The story about highschool sweethearts, who didn't have the chance to enjoy their young love, because of horrible family backgrounds. Their story is devastating and I am happy they found their way back to each other. The story was good, the acting was good, I am in love with Furuya Robin, which is nice, and the side characters were special (shoutout to Yuto!). I wish there was more "passion" from Miyata, but I guess it is due to his character. Overall it was a good watch and I enjoyed it! A good 8 out of 10 for me.

Jazz For Two 🇰🇷

I love bls about music and about traumatic pasts. The second couple has my heart. I just love them coming together. Usually I hate this bully-trope, but with them, I kinda enjoyed it. Perhaps because Jooha always looked like a hurting puppy. Overall the homophobia in this one is strong and I think it is interesting to see them deal with their own feelings. Internal and external homophobia is such a big thing in all their stories and I wish they had more time to show the developement from hating themselves to loving the other person and themselves. But in my opinion they made a good story and a good show. I like it very much. And what was that kiss in the end? Wow! A good 9 out of 10 for.

To Be Continued 🇹🇭

I really like this one! I read some comments that the reason they never got together was just stupid, but from their perspective I can understand why they reacted how they reacted. They were young and unsure what to do and what all of this meant for them and their friendship. What I liked about the show was the present and past scenes. We learned so much about their past and the scenes fitted perfectly. It was a really good series and I am glad I waited to binge it. Guess I come back to this one from time to time. Rewatch value is there. And those two have really good chemistry! A good 9 out of 10 for me.

Movie

Short Film

Dropped in April

We are 🇹🇭

I dropped this after the first half of the first episode. There are a few reasons for that. First, I need some shows to binge on lonely sundays. And second, I just don't feel like watching this one. It was so quirky for me. Not my kinf od humor right now.

Looking forward to in April

Love is like a cat - Trailer (Apr 1st)

We are - Trailer (Apr 3rd)

Memory in a letter - Trailer (Apr 6th)

Grey Shelter (Apr 11th)

Kare no Iru Seikatsu - Trailer (Apr 12th)

The Spirealm (Apr 15th)

Boys be brave! (Apr 25th)

25 Ji, Akasaka de (Apr 19th)

Kimi to Yukite Saku: Shinsengumi Seishunroku (Apr 25th)

My Stand-In - Trailer (Apr 26th)

Zettai BL ni Naru Sekai VS Zettai BL ni Naritakunai Otoko 2024

Knock Knock, Boys - Trailer

[mikuni14]

4 Minutes - Ep 1-2

I haven't had much free time to keep up with all the series lately, I was planning to catch up and influenced by @my-rose-tinted-glasses enthusiasm I decided to watch 4 Minutes first 😘

So, ok. I love it.

First of all, I'm writing this before diving into the 4 Minutes tag, so I have no idea about the most popular theories. I have a few of my own working theories, but I don't feel like writing about them right now hehe. I will write what I like tho!

very good execution, but it's BOC, so no surprises here

aesthetics, actors, everything is 💯💯

I really like the mystery, suspense, crime, ambiguity, confusion, slow discovery of new plots, a certain kind of darkness that already created the delicious vibe in DFF ✨ I also like the pleasure and satisfaction I feel as a viewer, when I see something that I suspect might happen, it happens and the series doesn't force the opposite, doing stupid, illogical or ooc things, just to shock and surprise me (looking at you GoT). For example, I knew that Title wasn't found dead in this field, and when it turned out that he was alive, it didn't take away my pleasure from guessing it in any way. I love it when a show lets viewers guess what's going to happen and respects their intelligence

no matter what universe, Jet plays a complete dick who is in conflict with Mio's character ✨

Mio, Mio, Mio, Mio!! 💖💖💖💖 I gasped when I saw him, I'm literally conditioned to love this guy. He's ruthless and uncompromising again, gosh, my heart 💖💖💖(fair warning: I'm going to be insufferable about him, so be prepared 🤡)

the sex scenes are as bold and high-quality as ever

traditionally for BOC we have a juxtaposition of rich and poor, corruption, tragic choices caused by poverty, exploitation, overworking, fulfilling the expectations of ruthless parents, wealth as well as poverty being the source of crime

Bible plays a poor rich boy, which I really like. I also like his pairing, which wasn't at all predictable and obvious, because I'm probably the only person in the world who can't stand his pairing in KP (please don't hate me)

luckily Bible is a Cat Person and it shows, because he uses a Special Voice to talk to the kitty. The cat is relaxed, which is an exception in BL series 😑 (isn't that his cat? they seemed close 🥺)

of course I must comment on the BL in the BL series. So… yes! It's good! Bible as Great is wonderful but then again I didn't expect anything else from him. Tbh I was worried about what his partner would be like, whom I didn't know. Jes turned out to be sensational, first of all you can see his experience, he's 32 years old (!), as Tyme he's an absolutely captivating mix of an intimidating professional at work and adorable baka when he's just some dude liking a guy 😄 I really liked how the series is serious for the whole 1st episode, most of the 2nd and then suddenly there's a scene of Tyme smoothing out his feathers in a peacock mode, emphasizing his figure and shapely butt to look nice for his crush, it was so funny and cute. Also when he awkwardly tried to flirt with Great, the faces he made when he realized how clumsy he was lmao. I love the kind of men in BL shows who are strong and masculine but who turn into fluffy, awkward teddy bears 🐻 in the presence of their loved ones. When I saw Tyme in ep1 I thought he was going to be a stereotypical seme and I'm so glad the show lets him be a normal person.

It's interesting that Great gets a second chance every time he does something wrong 🤔 And I wonder why he sees a future with Tyme? This kind of future? Hm.

Overall I love 4 Minutes, I'm officially hooked. It's very interesting, intriguing and spicy, there are a lot of plots that are starting to overlap and connect, the series has actors that I like (some I even like a lot! just seeing Mio and hearing Bible speak English accounts for like 74% of my enjoyment lol), it's not afraid of controversial topics, the series doesn't treat viewers like children, the execution is at a very high level, Jes and JJay show infatuation at first sight in a very convincing way, the romances started very interestingly and I've watched the Tyme/Great scenes a few times already.

That means 3 series to obsess over in a week! Lucky me! ✌

(I might edit this post by adding some gifs later)

[moononmyfloor]

My Year End C-drama Review (2023)

Last year, I did two Cdrama Wrapped posts for each half of the year. This year, I watched so much stuff right away I got arrogant and was about to do a January-February summary. And then life happened and handed me my entire ass, so here we are right back on the ground zero.

Well, not exactly. I watched lots of dramas I liked this year and would like to give nods to as many as possible, and before I start forgetting details I thought I better go ahead with the entrees that I'm sure of the answers.

My initial Cdrama reviews were inspired by anniedelavoye's this post 2 years ago, I've extrapolated a lot from there but some entrees remain same.

Part 2

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1. First drama I finished in 2023

Hi Venus. Modern workplace romcom isn't my go-to-genre, least of all if the ML is a CEO. If not for the unusual-for-the-genre setup of initial few eps and the strong recommendations of my friends, I might not have pressed play at all. And I'm so glad I did because it turned out to be one of the most refreshing takes of the genre, it was funny, the pacing nor the dialogues were ever draggy, the characters were intelligent and pleasant, and down to earth. It never leaned to the tropes of helpless/badass FL or tsundere/beta ML extremes, there was no dramatic villain arcs, down to the supporting characters everyone were so reasonable and mature and simply had the nicest time ever together. Now I put it like that, it sounds boring but trust me, it wasn't. Do give it a try. Your time won't be wasted.

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2. An actor who took my breath away

Jing Boran as Lan Jue/Peizhi from The League of Nobleman

I mean

Look at him. Instant KO.

I remember watching this scene (and every scene that followed after, especially when he had his hair down) and being in disbelief about how he's real. He's literally glowing out the screen! His performance as a model scholarly minister, the way he conducted his glance, his steps, his speech and temperament were nothing but enchanting and... look, I can write poetry about him for ages lol.

And then I watched every single work I could find of him and ended up even more in love, because his resume was nothing but diverse. A measured scholar, a bubbling-out-of-his-skin social butterfly, a ballerina in a tutu, a man pregnant with the cutest radish monster ever, there's nothing he cannot play. I'm definitely going to check out every single work of him that'll be coming out in the future as well. Even if the plot fails, his character will surely be interesting.

(Also, I was FINALLY lured into DMBJ fandom thanks to going down his profile as well, and now I'm here to stay🤭)

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3. Most relatable character

Bai Moxi from Gone With the Rain

She was street-smart and sassy, but never foolhardy. She wasn't a damsel nor was overly clever. She had her moments of daydreaming, but she knew what was and wasn't reasonable. She had a high sense of self-worth, she also knew when to make herself scarce. Despite being the most outgoing and energetic personality in the room, she didn't make everything to be about herself. In fact, she couldn't have been happier to be a background supporting character of the story, quietly minding her own business in her corner. In summary, she just felt very real, and exactly like how I love my FLs. Every decision she took felt like what I'd also have done in her situation. (Btw I hope noone messages me about loving Moxi but hating her sister because I don't. I think her character also made a lot of sense based on her circumstances even though she was bit more difficult to love than Moxi.)

Most of all, she was played to a tee by Zhang Nan, the young actress was allowed to shine to her true potential in this role, as she used to be quite stereotyped in either bubbly or petty mean girl roles. The drama horribly fell apart in the latter quarter (I'd like to pretend it all ended before that Great Seperation Scene), but I'm going to remember her charaacter for a long time to come.

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4. Most inspiring character

Li Lianhua from Mysterious Lotus Casebook

The tumblr tag for MLC is already filled with Grade A+ poetry, prose and analysis dedicated to him and I'm not capable of wording it any better than them. All I can say is he really touched a vulnerable corner of my heart, and gave it strength. He's just so very admirable and represents all I ever want to be, and his entire character design and all its metaphors and philosophy especially resonate with me as a Buddhist. Like Cheng Yi said at the end of MLC concert, "At the end of the day, if you have a lotus flower in your heart that you can call your own, that's what matters."

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5. Best Couple of the Year

Lu Zhaoxi and Ye Shilan (Zeng Shunxi and Liang Jie) in Hi Venus, Zhao Jian and Yuan Zhongxin (Zhou Yutong and Zhang Xincheng) in Young Blood 2

Here are two couples who were each others' equal match in every big, small and miscellaneous ways possible. Where their roles in their partnership did not have anything to do with society-determined gender or power dynamics, not about conforming to them nor about beating them. Everything about their relationships simply had to do with what they meant to each other their admiration, respect and love towards the other person, from beginning to end. In Hi Venus, it was never uncomfortable to watch Shilan being Zhaoxi's subordinate, for he always treated her like any good superior should in any healthy professional relationship. In Young Blood 2, Zhongxin would fully trust Zhao Jian with everyone else's and his own life, not because his head was in wishful romantic clouds but because he was 100% confident in her capabilities and would never disrespect her with "girls should be protected, you stay back and let me take the sword for you" nonsense.

I may check out like 50 dramas per year and may never come by such Het pairing dynamics in some years, yknow? I do not hate on any other kind of dynamic (plus I'd have next to nothing to watch in that case lol) but, THIS... this is so rare -for me to not be icked out by not even a single second of a fictional het couple's screentime lol- hence the gushing! (Though I know I'm not doing the greatest job of phrasing what I feel😆).

Following that note, though not a couple, honorable mentions to Chufeng (Bi Wenjun) and Robin (Zhu Zhengting) from Silence of the Monster who took Sui Yi (Sun Yihan) into their home not because they thought it'd be chivalrous to help a girl, but because it's the nice thing to do as a fellow human. For continuing onto integrating her into their world with ease and enthusiasm not because any of them had feelings for her but because they simply found her a good friend to hang out with.

Suffice to say I DIG ANY relationship where gender does not come into play, like, at all (or barely, if you must).

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6. Best harem of the year

Orchid and Lotus harems (from League of Nobleman and Mysterious Lotus Casebook)

(Only sharing the pics of Orchid Harem because it was from the earlier quarter of this year, whereas pics of Lotus Harem will be everywhere in the Cdrama scene for quite a while to come lol)

The support group of devout puppies, zhijis, friends-with-benefits and all sorts of other polycule postions, all centered around one precious babygirl enigma of a man is just my jam, and I love it when it happens because it brings forth the fandom's most unhinged high-art. 😌😌😌

(ALSO ME AND WHO WHEN!😭)

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7. Best ensemble of the year

Young Blood 2, I Am Nobody

For me a perfect ensemble is where the supporting characters are just or almost nearly as engaging and thoroughly written as the main leads, you'd love every second spent on any character just as much as you love that of any other. The ultimate relaxing experience where your brain doesn't have to pick favorites and you don't have to speed watch or fast forward or be antsy about who's going to appear next because you know it's gonna be enjoyable no matter whom.

And this year, it's Young Blood 2- with its Class 7 members who were all so different but all so compelling and equally contributing to the plot, complimented by the Class 8 and the unnervingly captivating villains.

And I Am Nobody- with its extensive spread of young and old heroes/antiheroes alike, all with dramatic backstories and individual charisma that were not second to another.

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8. Favorite posters/promos of the year

Mysterious Lotus Casebook, Young Blood 2, Sunshine By My Side

Really liked what MLC did with positioning the characters on various spots of the titular Lianhua Lou, the wind-sway choices for the wisps of hair and the skirts... idk the exact angles of it all were just right for each character and their vibes and appealed to me a lot.

The blending-into-painting style poster of Young Blood was so pretty too, plus these Suoyi raincoat posters.

The comic strip posters for Sunshine were also super cute, unique and perfect for the drama's themes.

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9. Best opening credit sequence

Love You Seven Times

The drama itself was a hot mess but the opening sequence was entirely worthy of being a parallelish-universe story to Love Between Fairy and Devil without a debate. IF ONLY they put the same effort to the story itself.

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10. Favorite Prop/Set designs

A League of Nobleman- Lan Jue's Tea Pavilion, Mysterious Lotus Casebook- Lotus House

I wish I could install a fixture in my home where me and my imaginary homies can chat over tea while being seductively separated by an active stream of freshwater, while my not so elegant period-style caravan is waiting outside in the yard for more cozily cramped get-together times. 🤧

.

11. Favorite lighting/color grading of the year

The Forbidden Flower, My Journey to You

The former, a kaleidoscopic explosion of colors, a celebration of fleeting life, youth, summer and nostalgia. It was a daring drama on so many fronts and nailed each of them as well, and the use of colors represented its bold soul perfectly.

The latter, a marvelous combination of mountains shrouded by mist, dark-toned wood pavilions and fur-lined robes, pale, dusty makeup with rosy lips and plump cheeks; all combined together on screen to bring a palpable ambience of a secluded glamorous hideout in a dystopian world and its ethereal residents. Seriously, how I especially loved to stare at the bride candidates in their white getups, it was like the light bounced off of the fabric to shine on their faces even more, and the skin and hair looked non-oily and baby soft. And it didn't feel over the top but convincing because the camerawork and editing conjured a believable image of an upcountry with dense and dewy forests, waterfalls and rivers, there's no sun, no heat no sweat, only cold air and pregnant humidity. OF COURSE you are going to look like THAT.

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12. A drama that taught me new things

Hi Producer

The infuriating thing about Yu Zheng's show-off genre of costume dramas is that the story may be a hit-or-miss, the "historical facts" provided in them may need to be taken with a grain of salt, but they almost always provide me with great entry points to do my own research 🥲. Most niche facts that take me by surprise and things I'd never have thought to look up on my own are randomly sprinkled all over the place and I run around like a headless chicken trying to collect them all.

.

13. Most exhilarating drama/scene

Three-Body

That scene in ep 5. The entire buildup to it and the resolution. The phenomenal acting bringing forth the exact emotion and exact tension required. The moment you start to understand at least a sliver of why exactly all the characters are making this much of a fuss about what's happening to them.

I cannot spoil, not even a bit. You'd have to see for yourself.

I Am Nobody

(lol Three Body and I Am Nobody. I swear that was an unintentional coincidence!)

The great V-match between certain two characters, I can't elaborate. (See the thing about exhilarating scenes is that you have to see it for yourself what's the big deal is about lol.) I really liked how both their biggest vulnerabilities and yearnings were pulled out mercilessly in public, how they both fought themselves through each other before actualizing the philosophy of what it was all about. It was beautiful to watch visually as well.

.

14. A drama location I'd love to visit

Yunnan province

I've seen glimpses of the prosperous and both naturally and culturally diverse Yunnan province through Bite of China Documentaries and Dianxi Xiaoge's vlogs, the beautiful bucolic backdrop of Meet Yourself only heightened the wish to experience it all in person.

.

15. A drama that was a pleasant surprise

I Am Nobody

Perfect casting job, earnest effort from everyone involved to bring out the 2D to live action in the bestest way possible, it was like a dream come true to see a genre that was previously limited into written media like comics and fanfics (modern cultivation) as a drama even if it meant labelling all the cultivators as aliens lol

It had a lil bit of a flavor of western coming-of-age/"teen gets powers and goes on an adventure in search of their origins" stories, a bit of Japanese anime presenting style and the chaotic-gaggle-of-youth-and-veterans-with-different-extreme-powers genre vibe. And then they incorporated Chinese wuxia philosophy into it and made it their own thing. I hope to see more of this in future, and definitely a season 2!

.

16. An old drama I watched in 2023

Shaolin Wendao (2017)

This is one of the best period dramas I have ever seen, but I don't recommend it unless you have a strong tolerance for angst. Like, worse than Royal Nirvana and Heroes (2022) level of angst.

HOWEVER, unlike those two, Shaolin Wendao will leave you feeling rewarded for your suffering. This drama achieved a number of things that very few other have managed to do, especially for a story with such a heavy and dark premise.

The characters remained true to their selves from beginning to the end. They grew up in various ways, at the same time remained consistent. The story made sure to make all the characters aware of their individual faults and address them.

The characters were put through immense wringer but also provided viewer with the resolution they deserved. It was SO exhilarating at times, I cried. It felt like a detox, sometimes.

They prioritized telling a realistic story about the changing nature of humans. The ending was blissful but not in the idolized, wrapped-in-a-bow-tie way one would imagine. They wanted to tell a story about tribulations and letting go, and did exactly that.

It will ignite the pain but will also make sure to thoroughly quench it. So there's that.

Oh and also, respect to all the actors. All those characters were so layered and had some quite difficult scenes. I do not understand how Guo Xiaoting didn't get any good roles matching of her caliber for years after this. She was magnificent.

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More Posts by Me

[theinfinitedivides]

2x8 was Jacob and Assad (& Delainey bc iirc this is the wrap-up to the trial

Delainey wasn't in 2.8, 2.7 ended with Claudia's death. And the scene (among multiple scenes that got a lot of attention) that the most people were talking about after 2.8 was the reunion scene. Look at how many of the end of the year write ups on the show talk about that scene. The reveal scene was also talked about extensively, and Assad was great, but 2.8's focus was as much Jacob and Sam as Jacob and Assad. It was honestly pretty Jacob and Eric too.

Also, we don't know what episodes the show is submitting for best drama or for the actors individually. The show submitted 2.5 for its writing and directing and 2.8 for directing to the guilds. They're not submitting 2.5 (that we know of) as the best overall episode of the show, since yes, that would feel noticeably odd to do that and not submit Assad.

I would like Assad to be submitted too. In a vacuum, I get why the show might only submit its two male leads and Delainey. But we're not in a vacuum, and I hate the thought that they'd be submitting Assad if the cultural climate were different right now. So I'm not disagreeing with you on his merit or the possibly ugly reasons for his exclusion. Just on how the episodes are being used/seen.

anon. i'm going to try and assume you meant to send this as neutrally and in good faith as possible and not go off on you as bad as i could have but let's be so fucking real rn. AMC could be casting lots and getting their fortunes read as backup plans before driving down to Sundown Town to submit their picks as FYCs i don't give a flying fuck about whatever's going on behind the scenes of the racism. the turning wheels of the slights the machinery behind the discrimination and all that i care that the racism exists. 'the scene (among multiple scenes that got a lot of attention) that the most people were talking about after 2.8 was the reunion scene. Look at how many of the end of the year write ups on the show talk about that scene' hmmmm yes ofc bc the minute people see the white man they start jumping for joy hello. where was their level of fucking enthusiasm for the rest of the season. why are they only crawling out of the woodwork to see Sam serve pathetic wet cat vamp energy and cling to his board and then reunite with Jacob (in a scene i will admit was intimate enough between the two of them for the staff to cut the mics. normalize letting the actors have little pieces of their characters to keep for themselves tyvm). why can't they crawl out of the woodwork to see the smile on Jacob's face as Louis when he's heading to NOLA bc he's heading back home. not home as in Lestat in NOLA necessarily but home as in the fucking city he grew up in and that he will carry for the rest of his immortal life. as for however the fuck they're using the eps to submit and say 'look pls give us a shiny star and some recognition pls we're doing so well' they're not doing it well enough, apparently, since everything they do has the pale, pale stamp of approval—and last i fucking checked they do not care about what's 'odd' to leave out. Jacob/Delainey didn't get nommed in one of the most recent rounds and AMC posted AI-generated content instead of idk. actually boosting their fucking actors. Assad still gets zero promo i think i've seen him more recently on the Only Fangs page than the actual account in charge of doing media play. we're putting too much faith in a shitty corporation with this take, tbh. call me back when they've submitted 2x5 as the best ep and they manage to give Assad half the stem of his flowers OR they've finally bribed one of the awards with enough money to squeeze Jacob in there or something since saying look at the titular fucking vamp isn't enough to get a man his dues in this economy, apparently. such are the days we live in

[rosyfingered-moon]

Sejak episode 14

He really went "guys, I think we should stop the king from interrogating people. I mean, think about the poor spy when he's caught 🥺" and they all just accepted this as a normal, not at all suspicious thing to say

The poison was on the yongpo!!! How very Count of Monte Cristo!

HE GETS CREEPIER FOR EVERY EPISODE AND I LOVE IT. Please let Lee Gyu-hoe play the villain in every sageuk from now on, he's so incredibly persuasive at this brand of delulu evil!! I love the long ass Rasputin beard fluttering after him whenever he storms off feeling that he has been Humiliated and must Seek Revenge

I'm so happy that this new and improved Mong-woo can read between the lines 🥰

But if she is gonna be as ride or die for Yi In as she claims, I think a good first step would be to tell him about this plot that she personally set in motion and is still ongoing behind his back, idk.

The devil works hard but the torture gnomes work harder!

Lol honestly very relatable that he forgot Master Chu's face. Finally some representation for the prosopagnosia community!

When I tell you I had goosebumps throughout this entire exchange. They are both such marvelous actors. Also wanna give a shoutout to the sound designer! The musical score has probably been great all along, but this was the first episode I watched with headphones on and my god

It's so funny to me that he seems to be genuinely impressed and delighted by how evil Minister Park is. He's like "I can only hope to be as evil as you one day daegam 😍 I served the others for personal gain, but you... I'm serving for love"

Very ooc for Myung-ha to even consider this cursed alliance. Like didn't you learn anything from trying to plot with other people?? Just do your own thing man! Get creative!!

Another terrific actor. I love her polished, arrogant diction that is so entirely at odds with the haunted look in her eyes.

My darling Dong!! If no one will protect you I will!!!

Sorry writernim for thinking there would be catty jealousy drama... I should never have doubted you. (Very amusing though when she stomps her little foot on Mong-woo's proffered handkerchief and Mong-woo looks shocked that her gentleman rizz has failed, lmaooo)

LIPSTICK POISON!!! Even better than the robe! But as always with this trope I wonder: how on earth can it kill the person being kissed and not the person wearing it? I assume this is a different poison from the one she used on the former king, since that was clearly more slow-working than this could be supposed to be... and simultaneously strong enough to seep through several layers of fabric which would reasonably then also cross through the protective barrier of Dong sanggung's plump and lovely lips. Much to think about.

There's manspreading and then there's this

I'll be honest I did experience a few bisexual emotions while watching this scene. I assume he's got her all figured out here and will shove her away with his virtue intact in the first seconds of ep 15, but the sexual tension between him and the Toxic Lipstick is pretty intense lol. I feel like he considered going for it, just for like 2 seconds. Not a bad way to go after all.

Also, remember what I said about the sound design because it really goes extremely hard in this scene!! Those ominous strings! A most excellent episode!

[sorryimlatecapt]

9-1-1 Tag Game

tagged by @hipsterdarcy, thank you!

Rules: answer your opinion on these nine topics, then tag nine other people to give their opinion as well

Favorite Character: while i started watching the show for angela bassett, i can't deny that buck is at the top of the list. i rotate the rest of them a lot but i do love hen a whole bunch and want more of her lore.

Character You Relate to the Most: i'm honestly so much like buck it's not even funny. especially the default setting of fixing things and others because he can't fix himself. and being a walking encyclopedia. and bisexual.

Favorite Episode: i know it's a bit cliché, but jinx is very special to me. i think the pacing is great and it showcases the family bond the mains have with each other. i think the humour is some of the best we've seen in the show and it's perfectly balanced in a way it has struggled to keep since. it also aired when i was going through some shit and i laughed out loud for the first time in days when i watched it. honourable mentions go to chimney begins because it's the best begins episode, tsunami eps, fight or flight, treasure hunt, survivors and may day. off the top of my head.

Hottest Take: don't know if this is a hot take or not but to me ryan guzman is not that great an actor. (why does he sigh after almost every line delivery. why.) however, i love eddie as a character and RG does deserve credit for bringing him to life, especially after i think the role was made for him? that said, i would expect more or less being handed a role would make you want to prove your worth as an actor more. he does great when playing eddie as angry or sarcastic or caught in action but in emotional scenes i feel like he's either doing too much or not enough and i end up cringing. a lot. *cough* speech to shannon in s7 *cough*. still love eddie though and i think he's been done a huge disservice after s5.

Favorite Lone Star Character: i've tried to watch but i just can't get into it. from the bits and pieces i have seen i think i like tommy (vega, that is) the most out of all of them, but idk.

Favorite Ship: to the surprise of absolutely no one, bucktommy. it's hilarious when i look back at my approach towards them mid-season 7 and i was like ”i think tommy is a great stepping stone for buck to realise his feelings for eddie!! he's here for a good time not for a long time!!” and then by the last episode they were sinking their teeth in and i can't see myself letting go of them any time soon. the shenanigans (to put it lightly) over the summer made me completely double down too because the amount of abuse i witnessed people be subjected to completely ruined any enjoyment of buddie i might have still had, and i didn't even see or get the worst of it. so bucktommy it is.

Most Underrated Character: Chimney! I think he's gotten the short end of the stick (especially in recent seasons) when it comes to his relationships with others and explorations of his inner life. There's a lot of depth to his character, but I feel like he's often relegated to comic relief. Let Kenny Choi use those acting chops! ← this is bekah's response and i fully agree so it's staying

Most Underrated Ship: Definitely HenRen, both in fandom and in the show. We still know so little about Karen and about what she and Hen like to do together that doesn't revolve around their children. ← yeah i'm stealing this answer too.

One Thing You’d Love to See: for the show to go back to its roots and follow through on its storylines properly. i'm genuinely so bored of the opening disasters being done for shock value rather than exploring the impact it may have on the characters, main or not, and us being told one thing but shown something comepletely different. i also want to see better writing overall but given circumstances hinted at by the crew i only hold tim minear and ryan murphy responsible for it becoming so all over the place. i personally don't ever want to see josh (or any other character for that matter) be used as a mouthpiece for murphy to kiss his own ass ever again. when i catch you ryan murphy when i catch you. you shall pay for your crimes. all this to say: i want to see the plots play out properly, i want the scenes to breathe and for them to stop coyping movies because they can't come up with anything original. and for gods sake tim PLAN AHEAD.

no pressure tagging: @apassingbird, @dadbodbuck, @violetchachkii, @comfortingevanbuckley, @setmeatopthepyre

@newtkelly, @rcmclachlan, @screamlet, @cjlouwho, @ohithankyou and anyone else who feels like doing this!

[talkingbl]

2024 Watchlist Wrapped

Dropped

My Love Mix-up (ep. 4) - as each episode aired, it became increasingly clear that GMMTV has lost the plot with Gem4th. I don't think they realized that Gem4th can be more than TinnGun.

Wandee Goodday (ep. 1) - nothing was really wrong here, I just got distracted in the middle of the episode and learned from cultural osmosis that nothing happened in the show that would have looped me back in.

Completed

My StandIn - watched purely off of hype, was not disappointed but was definitely confused at times.

Summer Night (JewelTan Cut) - because I only paid attention when Ryu and Java were on the screen...together, I'm sure I missed a lot. Though, given who their new partners are in the 2025 lineup of BLs, I think it's for the best GMMTV didn't continue on with them.

Century of Love - cute but there were many issues that could have been fixed. Offroad's improved acting, excellent lewks, and some of the more daring scenes (like with Road dressed as the kitsune) made it worth the watch.

4Minutes - Bas is really fucking good. Like I believed he was Korn at times. Fuaiz is a straight up star. While he's clearly doesn't have the lighter touch of say, Bas or Jes, he's still got a whole lot of career ahead of him, which means even more improvement. I thought the plot was cool but the best part was the execution. I could do a whole Good and Bad of on this one.

Lovesick 2024 - Progress has a very bright career ahead of him if he continues on as an actor. This is not to say that the other boys weren't good, but Progress really did outact, outperform, outsell. I will give credit to the other boys though, especially NJ, Krit, and Almond who all had standout scenes that showed me some serious potential for dramatic acting. Almond is already the king of pining and he's just a kid. Baby Toto was just charismatic the entire time (plus his singing voice is undeniably one of the best in the industry). For the rest of the mains, I know it must have been difficult to embody these characters who have been in the cultural zeitgeist almost as long as some of them have been alive, but I have hope that these actors will get the coaching they need to continue to nurture their talent (if they choose to continue with acting). I could do a Good and Bad of on this one as well.

Now Playing

Perfect 10Liners (YothaGun Cut) - So far, I'm loving the lore behind Gun's character. The way ep 9 (ep 1 of YothaGun's story) ended gave me soooo much hope for PerthSanta moving forward. The only questionable thing is Santa's acting here. But I still want to see where they take Gun.

The Heart Killers - So far, this show is a hot mess and has GMMTV written all over it. Just when I think the story is getting interesting, they hit us with some bullshit. The most interesting couple for me is whatever tf is going on with PepperJJ's characters? Like THAT is intriguing, especially given that the twins NEVER really do BL characters.

ThamePo: Heart That Skips A Beat - The budget on this one is INSANE. Like...not even for a GMMTV production but for a Thai BL production period. It's up there with the likes of BOC productions in terms of how much money they're putting into this. It's generally nice to look at, has lived-in set pieces, and the audio!!! It's a huge step up from what we usually get. Plus, WilliamEst are giving EarthMix vibes so far. I can't wait to see where the story goes.

Conclusion

All in all 2024 has been a very mid year for BLs for me. If anyone has any suggestions of other BLs to watched that were released in 2024, let me know! I think I might watch Love in the Big City before the year is over.

[buffyfan145]

Hello! Could you make a post of all the saurondriel spoilers for season two? I tried looking for spoilers and could only find Sauron and Galadriel spoilers separately, but not shippy spoilers!

Sure!!! 😀 There has been a lot about each character separately but some that seem to indicate their stories are still interconnected. Curious if we'll get anything from FOF on Christmas Eve with their latest batch but this is up to date as of December 2023 including from both Morfydd and Charlie in their interviews too. Hopefully with the new year coming we'll be getting more as the s2 promotion finally starts.

Morfydd mentioned in an interview back in the spring when she got an award at the CannesSeries event that she did film more scenes with Charlie as well as the other villains (likely Adar, Ameila Kenworthy's character that's been confirmed as a villain, etc). She had been asked about season 1 and all her scenes with him and then teased that for season 2 as well as her learning her new powers due to her ring Nenya.

Which also leads us to wonder if they'll have scenes together in the dreamscapes since they are apart for most of the season. FOF was asked on their Discord server if Morfydd and Charlie filmed together but they don't know for sure. All they knew was that they didn't on the outdoor sets (which would be the outdoors of Eregion, Mordor, Numenor, etc.) But they have a lot of indoor sets and the show likely kept this much under wraps so it doesn't leak out if they share scenes together. Same thing happened for some scenes in season 1 too.

There are also flashbacks scenes filmed too. Charlie talked about this when season 1 ended and they had just started filming season 2 leading most of us to think the season premiere will have flashbacks to Sauron's past and lead up to how he took on the Halbrand form. If this is the case there likely will be scenes from season 1 shown from his POV and maybe even scenes we didn't see in season 1 which Galadriel is also in.

The elves do rescue Celeborn (Calam) at some point and he and Galadriel are reunited. Not sure yet when this happens or where Celeborn has been this whole time. Also there's rumors Amelia's character and Halbrand/Sauron had a past relationship and she might also be with Sam's version of Adar now too, so there's a chance there could be a love pentagon between these 5 characters. LOL Amelia had a chemistry test with both Charlie and Sam, and Calam had one with Morfydd. Chemistry tests are done for all sorts of relationships now but even just a decade ago it was only for romantic relationships so there's a chance it was for that. Morfydd and Charlie did for s1 and the Haladriel ship happened so could be similar here.

Sauron is away from Eregion most of the season, as he recruits the dwarves and men, but he will go back in what FOF is calling his "original form" but it will be played by another actor and is the show's version of Annatar (possibly with a new name as the show likely can't use it with rights issues) for about eps 6-8 of s2. Charlie's talked about this in interviews and says we "the audience" will know the whole time it's him and that "we're in on his plans" now too.

While in Eregion this Annatar actor did film scenes with Galadriel, Celeborn (as he was back by this point), Elrond, Celebrimbor, and other elf actors. FOF also revealed there's a big moment too between Annatar, Galadriel, and Celeborn during the Battle of Eregion which a lot are speculating it's the reveal he's Sauron and possibly switches back to Halbrand then and Celeborn realizes what happened between Haladriel (as so far from what Charlie and Morfydd and FOF has gotten Galadriel doesn't tell anyone that Halbrand is Sauron before this).

Then during the Battle of Eregion, which is in both episode 2.7 and 8/the season 2 finale, Galadriel gets taken captive by Adar and is injured. It seems like they're doing similar to what happens to her daughter in the 3rd Age and that she will be separated from Celeborn in a cliffhanger ending, and possibly taken by Halbrand/Sauron to Mordor. There's been rumors that Adar will get killed off in the finale so him injuring Galadriel might be part of it as Halbrand/Sauron might've ordered him to take her but not injure.

There's also been teasing from FOF that Halbrand/Sauron might make the One Ring in the finale too and if he takes Galadriel that she will be there to witness this happen and it sets up season 3. This would change a lot from the books so I'm not sure how some fans will take it (and of course the purists will be upset) but I like this idea and it further intertwines their characters. FOF is also teasing this might be one of their scoops on Christmas Eve so again I'll update if there's more.

[bengiyo]

Moonlight Chicken Ep 4 Stray Thoughts

Yesterday, we delved deeper into the demolition plotline and considered the global impacts of gentrification and how they can turn people against each other as Wen and Gaipa are connected to the process. We met Jim's landlord, and I joined Li Ming in expressing disdain for him. Wen came clean about his role with the company, but not his relationship with Alan. Li Ming is failing school and wants to work abroad, but he's also falling for Heart in an adorable way. Finally, Alan appeared for all of ten seconds, and I was thrilled to see First.

Ah, yes, starting with the most endearing boys. Something terrible is going to happen this episode if they're trying to suck me in.

Okay, Fourth and Gemini are just too adorable. I'm so curious about the training they've been through in the last three years.

Chapter 4: The Midnight of Lifetime

Lol, the next scene, Aof? He said, "Let me use the overwhelming cuteness of Li Ming and Heart as direct comparison for how cold things are between Alan and Wen."

There's so much in this breakfast scene. Alan and Wen still share an apartment, and so have to talk about domestic concerns. They aren't together anymore, but I feel like Alan is still invested in the social cachet of their appearance as a couple. Alan can quickly pay a bill online, and some of their household items look like goods we might use in the West.

Gong is so correct.

I know Jim is worried, but he should respect his nephew's privacy.

Earth and Fourth played that fight so well. These two characters are both aching and so tired.

Important Chin Tickle Update: Gemini did it to Fourth when Heart was trying to cheer up Li Ming.

Ah, yes. The gays wrestling over a hose. A staple trope.

I love that Gemini has gotten to play cheesy and romantic twice. Putting his crush in a cute shirt that says "Touch me if you can" is sending me.

Crying over this birthday cake scene, because it takes a village, you know? Sometimes families have troubles, and it's their friends and neighbors who need to nudge them just enough to help them see each other properly.

Wen ain't shit for doing a surprise birthday party and excluding Gaipa.

Important Chin Tickle Update: Jim did it to Wen.

"When you decide on something for him, you think he's too young. But when you expect him to do something, you think he's old enough." Where is Wen from, because it takes other people a long time to learn this?

I like a personal shirt for Jim as a gift. Anything to fancy might have offended him. And of course, we can use it to make him take off his shirt.

Beam really did a number on Jim. I like that he won't touch Wen now that feelings are involved.

If I had a man hitting on me that pushed me to watch my favorite romantic movie that I can't seem to enjoy anymore, I would fold, especially if I was asked to describe it because the disk failed.

I need to know what Alan did that made Wen sneer like that. Also, I want to see what First and Mix look like when they're not at odds with each other.

First is a special actor, his physicality as Yok, Akk, and Alan have all been distinct. Alan seems to default to the seme stance.

Poor Gaipa. He's sweet, but it's just not what Jim wants.

You could see envy radiating off Alan when he recognized Jim, and then you saw him calculating because Jim didn't recognize him at all.

Gaipa and his mom seem to be doing okay, based on the house and clothes.

Add Gaipa's mom to the list of good parents. Saying she doesn't regret him being gay, but would regret if he didn't love anyone, and then demanding he get a boyfriend for her sake. She also asserts that parents always know. Oh, gay boys and their moms.

I don't think there are a lot of Christians in Thailand, but the Jesuits are just so persistent.

The teens are on the loose! Begin the gay date montage!

It's very sweet of Li Ming to bring Heart somewhere he can connect to other people.

Suddenly Ford. You better sing, boy!

The final sequences with the narration were lovely. First does a good job playing up Alan's increasing anger. There's just so much to love in the last couple of minutes about the complexity of life.

Um, what is this preview? Heart better not be hurt!

[letsrilakkusu-blog]

My favorite Going Seventeen episodes

In honor of the return of GoSe, my favorite past episodes!

2019 ep 5 Caratland Behind - Solely for DK and Jeonghan's recording of BRING IT. Jeonghan's lil "tu~rn left" was so cute but I was totally blown away by DK's angry rap. So much 'tude, possibly fiercer than the original. :0

2019 ep 17-18 Karaoke Escape Room - The moment Hoshi is dramatically drawing out the last lyrics to some random old song that they don't know and the 100 points shows up on screen and everyone absolutely loses their shit. Also, the members being relatable AF because they can't do math.

2020 ep 5-6 Past Life Destiny - Where do I even start? DK full on grinding the floor and getting up close and personal with the camera during his intro dance. JiHan's chaotic reenactment of a scene from "I'm Sorry I Love You" where Shua throws himself out of the car (not scripted). All the SeokSoon drama. As a bonus, Seungkwan sang DBSK's Hug while DK was choosing his partner and I squealed!

2020 ep 9 Insomnia Zero - Birth of Wonwoo's iconic ~tasty~ and when I learned that Woozi has no chill.

2020 ep 21-22 Kartrider - "Booster! Booster! Booster! YAH! BOOSTER!" - Hoshi failing to get a booster, 2020

2020 ep 23-24 Seventeen's Got Talent - Seventeen is so good at adlib humor, they just take the concept and go hard. Too many amazing characters! My favorites were diva judge Boo, sloth rapper Hoshi, musical actor Jun, angry ballad singer DK, robot Shua, and of course "Jun" aka mischievous Minghao.

2020 ep 25-26 The8 and the Shadows - Minghao wanted to be the leader for a day and the GoSe team gave him what he wanted... kinda lol. Favorite moments include the impromptu "We Will Rock You", DK's sogo dance, Jeonghan casually throwing water at Shua, and Shua getting everyone to imitate the voodoo doll he threw on the floor multiple times.

2020 ep 33 Mousebusters - Not so much for the actual Mousebusters part but the orange and grape games they did after. Seventeen takes games EXTREMELY SERIOUSLY.

2020 ep 40-41 Don't Lie II - Hoshi absolutely slayed this season of Don't Lie and he knows it. There's something so satisfying about seeing his chaotic thought process pan out to actually be correct.

2020 ep 44-45 TTT - I enjoy all of the TTTs but the focus on "hyperrealism" made this one even better because it seemed like the members were simultaneously more and less aware of the cameras and making content for the show. It had all of our favorite SVT pastimes - eating and drinking, badly played sports, games they've played a thousand times, and overly-enthusiastic karaoke.

2020 ep 46 Going Magazine - Minghao styled Hoshi sooooo well for the shoot, holy crap. Praise the denim crop top. And Mingyu was carrying this whole project so hard, this is when I first started to appreciate how hardworking and talented he is in other artistic ventures outside of just performing.

2021 ep 11 Ad Genius - Honestly too many meme-worthy moments to count, but my top are: Shua putting Shin Ramen in his hair, Jeonghan putting gochujang on his eyebrows, and Coups proposing to Dino with all kinds of products while Hoshi sings 2AM's "This Song" in the background.

2021 ep 24 Tribal Games - The Whispering in Silence game is probably my most rewatched Seventeen clip ever. Hoshi "epik"-ly screwing everything up makes me laugh every time.

2022 ep 37 How to Eat Rice - We must pay our respects to two members who threw away their idol image for this episode: 1) DK, the hungry rice monster, and 2) Shua, who poured a bucket of ice water over himself to prove that ramen tastes the best when you're cold. Double respects to Shua because he didn't even win after all of that lol.

2022 ep 50 GOING Radio Show - Dino going "look at my fit!" while Vernon is fighting for his life keeping his laughter in is one of the first clips I ever saw of Seventeen and it's still hilarious. The whole corner with Jeonghan and Dino learning English from Shua and Vernon was peak comedy.

Anyway, the two episodes that have been released so far have been really enjoyable! Lots of pun humor, member banter, and a surprise twist! I'm looking forward to Wednesdays now~

[judelijah]

This is going to be a somewhat chaotic PJOseries review so bare with me

I might do edits to add some of my observations I missed so... Yeah. Prepare for that. And it will def be spoilery

Okay I just watched the first two episodes of @percyseries and this is actually a fresh take and a great adaptation that is of its own just like The Lightning Thief Musical. Most of the decisions of changes they made actually make sense for a show adaptation.

Anyway possible spoilers alert ahead so

Don't say I didn't warn you!

Ep 1 : I Accidentally Vaporize My Pre-Algebra Teacher

Off to a good start. I love how they opened this with flashbacks when Percy was young and how he's struggling with ADHD.

Anyway like I said first and foremost, this isn't really a word by word (word for word? grammatically correct me, anyone, if I were wrong) adaptation. So there will be conversations which I've memorized from the book that will completely get cut, but will be replaced by lines that do not really stray away that much from the essence of the scenes.

Walker embodies Percy Jackson if he were to be born a Gen Z ( well I always considered Percy as a Milennial reading the book as I grew up so ). Obviously, he's still got that charm from his previous movies he starred in. No wonder at all why Uncle Rick entrusted him this role.

Tbh, I only had an issue with Mrs. Dodd's facial appearance. It looked like the CGI on her was unfinished. But the way she strut towards Percy while transforming into a Fury is *chef's kiss*

Even if it's unintentional messaging, I love how it's viewed that these people are also just so unaware and inattentive with their surroundings. (yeah the Mist does all that, Yada Yada but it kinda gave a spotlight on the perspective of an ADHD how they can also be frustrated when people around them don't notice what they see)

And I definitely think that they need to bring back the actor who played Nancy and cast her as Rachel in Season 3. I mean, no one would even notice she's the same actor as Nancy only appeared a brief amount of time.

Sally telling Percy that he's a Half-Blood was so unexpected but it made sense during that scene. The poor kid is going through an existential crisis. She's gotta give her son a break.

Also, I kinda see how that is the very reason why the minotaur found them as soon as he can, if it's still canon in here that the more a demigod know about their connection to Greek mythological stuff, the more monsters they attract and can sense them, and will come for them!

I dunno if it's just me, but the scene when the Minotaur was supposed to be chasing them kinda didn't leave an impression on me that there is some sort of danger looming? I guess part of that is because Pasiphae's son looked too cute? But the scene when Percy went for a bullride is definitely one heck of a heroic moment!

Ep 2 : I Become Supreme Lord of the Bathroom

Mr. D is... a troll. Lol. No. I mean, I def laughed when he played Percy like that. If Jason actually watched Stanley Tucci's take on this role in the Sea of Monsters movie, I think he's actually the continuation of that. It is nothing that I expected from Dionysus reading the book but I can love this take tho.

Chiron is too kind in here. I guess it's the actor's nature emanating in this role. I kinda expected him to be also somehow stern and disappointed at times, and not too cheerful. But with that said, he's definitely the camp director you'd be visiting much so making him more approachable along those reasoning made him a perfect fit!

Tbh, kinda missing a lot of Annabeth content since her role in introducing the camp to Percy has been filled mostly by Luke.

I guess we can see more of her in the episodes that follow which is why they took that direction. I mean, I def agree that we gotta give some more screen time to Luke.

Clarisse and her siblings are ... Probably how Gen Z bullies would act right now, I guess?

And focusing on Grover's whereabouts actually is the cherry I love from this show.

I definitely want the Capture the Flag to occur at night just like in the books (which is also one of the many complaints I have with the movies tbfh), because I feel the scene when Percy was claimed would've been more "atmospheric" with the glowing trident hovering above his head in the dark surroundings... but I guess there are some issues behind the camera that that will be a very tricky so I guess I'll just let this pass.

Prediction for that Ep 3 Preview

With the scene when Sally, and younger Percy talked about how not all who look like heroes are actually heroes, the same goes with monsters, whilst looking at the statue of his namesake holding Medusa's head;

Why do I think that Aunty Em wouldn't be viewed as antagonistic here? I mean, judging from the preview of the next ep, I kinda sense a vibe that she'll willingly offer her head to Percy and somehow tell a different tale from the story that we know about the gorgons?

This is just me, I'll definitely discard this once I'm proven wrong by the show (or not) but even so, I think that is actually a change I can accept also to further the message of

"Not those who look like monsters are amonsters"

Conclusion

Obviously there are complete changes they've done; from the casting alone, and also some specific conceptual description from the books that were somehow intentionally decided that they'd do the opposite, for instance: like what I've mentioned above, playing capture at day instead of night, Chiron's a black stallion from the waist down instead of white, Mr D not looking like a hubbub (erm cherub), Smelly Gabe not being that quite bald, and the fandom's issue with the hair and all that, those things considered that are superficial that even if you completely stray away from it, there won't be that much change at all...but like what I've also said, this is a fresh take and an adaptation that stands on its own just like The Lightning Thief Musical.

Tbh, if you're watching this show without having read the book at all, I'll say this that this is very distinguishable from it, judging by the two episodes alone. It is faithful with the essence but there are details that are only physically manifested from the book which they absolutely turn a 360. You can absolutely say that you're not required to read the series before watching this at all, but I will aso advise that you read it to know what I mean.

Also I can say that at times, I can also pick up some cinematic vibes similar with the hated Peter Johnson movies by most of the fandom, and I can't also help but cry over cartons of spilled milk with those movies are, because they definitely had the potential to be great, but it had all gone into waste!

Those movies could've been what this series is if only they honored the books faithfully beforehand. Such a waste for fans like me who have to wait for this day before getting this kind of adaptation but hey! What's important is now, and RIGHT NOW THANK di Immortales THAT uncle Rick is very much involved!

[mikuni14]

Laws of Attraction Ep 8

Actually, I could stop at reblogging @befuddledcinnamonroll post, which expresses my thoughts about the finale, but this is LoA, my beloved series, so I should also write something from myself 😊

I was a little afraid that Charn would actually completely go over to the light side, that he would do something stupid or naive based on his suddenly found faith in goodness and thus endanger his new found family. So I was relieved to see Charn take the bullets, because I knew he must be wearing a bulletproof vest, and I really enjoyed watching the creepy smile bloom on his face after meeting the senator. Yes, Tinn healed his heart, but it didn't make him blind to reality, gullible, and stupid. It was very satisfying. Actually, Tinn saying he doesn't want to change Charn and even affectionately calling him Bad Lawyer was super satisfying. 👍

The only thing Charn possibly did wrong is that he foresaw everything except for the explosive mix that is Nawin with Tinn. Although maybe he knew that the unpredictable Nawin combined with the determined Tinn must end up with the Tinn's escape, who would surely come to his rescue, what Charn maybe... subconsciously wanted? Who knows, it sounds nice, I want to believe it 🥺

I absolutely loved that the series quickly and casually ended the whole story and devoted the rest of the episode to fluff, wedding, Charn and Tinn in domestic situations, showing them madly in love with each other. I was smiling the whole time, the whole ep, this show is pure joy. Even when some guy in prison makes a knife out of a plastic bowl and starts stabbing with it 💀 This series is gold.

I know that Charn organized the entire wedding, because it was a small ceremony only for the closest and trusted people (Nawin was invited! he's a family too!), but perfectly organized down to the smallest detail. This is all Charn.

Nawin is one of the most interesting characters ever to appear in the BL series. He's a perfect character. He literally has no flaws. Dream job is to be Nawin's bodyguard, he provides a constant supply of entertainment. I thought I was going to die laughing when he had his bodyguards curse Tinn and when the bodyguard stood next to him with tissues. He is perfect. PERFECT.

It's good that Tanthai saved himself, and Thee couldn't help him, no matter how hard he tried.

LoA, despite having actors who PERFECTLY showed attraction and sexual tension, did not allow them much in this matter. Actually it didn't really let them do anything. The characters, especially Charn and Tinn, could drill holes in each other with hot stares but kiss like dead fish. And barely touch each other unless they're clothed. When Thee leaned over Tanthai to kiss him in the finale, when Charn looked at Tinn at the wedding with his bedroom eyes, with his mouth parted, I had to take a deep breath and stare at the wall thinking what the fuck a wasted potential this is. This is actually my only complaint about LoA. Because really, after all the pinning, longing, tension and passion sizzling between them, they should do it like rabbits at the first chance they get. (Ok, maybe I have one more complaint: I am once again asking for NO. GUITAR. NO. SINGING.)

Anyway. LoA is a great BL drama with great characters played by great actors. Film played outstandingly, at the highest level. But all of them performed brilliantly, including the villains. In addition, the series had interesting and colorful characters like Rose, Maya, Nawin. The series showed toxic, horrible families as well as good, supportive, loving families. As for a crime series with fake fire and exaggerated action scenes, it treated the victims of the crime in a surprisingly innovative and sensitive way, i.e. a little girl, but also Charn. We know why Charn became like this, the series showed exactly what happened to him. Just as it had shown Tonkhao all along, not only as a victim, but also as a lovely, bright girl - the way Tinn wanted her to be remembered. As a romance LoA also turned out to be sensational. From the beginning, as viewers, we see the characters' feelings, the new ones (Charn and Tinn) and the old ones (Thee and Tanthai), and the show knows exactly what BL and romance fans in general like and showered us with scenes furiously giffed by viewers, rewatched multiple times, that fed us for weeks ;) LoA made it clear what is good and bad, allowed Charn to heal and find hope and love again, but without cheaply moralizing and removing from Charn what we all liked him for. What else I like is that Charn was with Tinn so openly gay and flamboyant, flirty, such a little shit and Tinn liked it and Charn stayed like that. Same Tinn, with his jeans and converse and his beliefs and principles has not changed and Charn likes him that way. For me LoA is the Thai series of the year 👑 I want to thank the people who made it and the fans I enjoyed the series with 🥰

Hope to see more series with Jam and Film. And with Nat (NAWIN)!

Bad Lawyer and Crazy Dog are what Freeloader 3 and Group Leader were in Semantic Error 😎

[roccinan]

"He looks good in every situation from every angle, and is somehow always the most dominant person in the room even when naked and muzzled in a horny cage" EXACTLY LOL, the actor was born to play a vampire. His whole aura in every scene is simply perfect.

I keep rewatching that scene whenever I need a laugh, "I only let him win because he was my jUniOr... he must be looking at me from some dark corner now, mocking me" and Situ just standing right next to him XDDD But seriously, I loved the brothers backstory too! I think I know most of it by now, only 4 eps to go unless there's another reveal in the finale. And you were so right about the Andrés-Sergio age gap thing, and I also love that Shen Zhiheng is helping in his crazy plans (even going to prison again!) just for his lil bro's happiness :') Sure hope nothing bad happens to them. It's also very cute that the second the truth was out he keeps calling him "dage" <3 (and does Shen Zhiheng call him the equivalent of little brother? or is he only saying brother in general? the captions aren't too clear)

I did get to the part with Mr Mo and I didn't know that! never going to see him the same way now LMAO. I'm also kinda dreading finishing the show, I don't want it to end lol, I've grown attached!

Hard AGREE. He was perfect as a vampire, can't think of anyone else who'd fit the role so perfectly. It's not about the looks or the acting, it's about the #aura.

I've actually seen him in another drama before, but I didn't care too much about him. The character was pretty popular though irrc:

But he doesn't make me go ASDFASDF the way Shen Zhiheng does lol!

re: the rest: That scene lives rent free in my head, it just gets funnier and funnier over time. Shen Zhiheng was yelling for SO LONG too, just ranting in the void while Situ stands there like :) I should probably double check, but I remember in the original mandarin, the line goes, "he must be looking at me from some dark corner now, LAUGHING at me!!" XD

We sure are laughing.

Glad you liked the backstory as much as me :D The exact same age gap is insane asdasdf I had that exact same feeling when I got to the last four eps too, anon, ah. I didn't want it to end, but alas!! Fair warning: the finale is a mess, or at least the version they released was. But at least we now have each other to discuss it with :'D

SAME, I loved that so much- Shen Zhiheng acts so annoyed with him, but actually consistently loves and spoils him, and is once again going to jail with the people who swiss cheesed him twice because Situ asked him to. Andres core. The immediate switch to Dage was adorable too. I love Situ so much- he played that personality between adorable and cruel, and adorably cruel so well XD

(Shen Zhiheng usually just calls Situ by his name or a general "you" because he's the older brother, but there are some parts where he does literally refer to him as "little brother" Didi. While smiling and being very soft overall of course :D )

I didn't know that about Mr. Mo either LOL, and when I found out, I could not unsee it. I'm happy to have gotten you into this show, anon! It was a fun ride with lots of hits and misses, but enough hits to keep us strung along haha. At least we got attached to it together XD It's been a long time since I was so into the vibes of a show and this one really got my attention!

[oldsargasso]

4 Minutes ep 2 thoughts

stream of conscious thoughts under the cut

the ATMOSPHERE!!! the LIGHTING. perfect. don't remember who anyone is or what they look like so no idea who that is. not the best way to kill a man but I understand the need for brutality sometimes

I am kissing the camerawork on the head and tucking it into bed I love it SO much.

I love the way this actress delivers her lines with such believable weariness/exhaustion. she's at the end of her rope and you can feel it.

oohhh that LOOK still gets me. Great holding onto the papers slightly too long, he's useless just like us :)

hospital staff are powered by gossip so this scene is perfect. bisexual Tyme is canon and beautiful.

genuine question: should we recognise any of these people?

22% battery??? at 8.45AM god Great is a MESS.

okay so his school buddy is the dick from the previous scene. I like his dangly earring.

omg he killed her didn't he!! this is why you shouldn't date men

turquoise lockers was a bold choice but I love it

if I could eat cinematography I would be doing that rn. that noise in the background is 10/10. more flashes or just remembering?

GREAT HAS A LAVA LAMP 💀

"I have something fun for you to help with" at 11pm? girl that is not the way

Great was NOT concerned enough about his friend locking his girlfriend away for my liking. but I do enjoy that he's sometimes terrible.

let bible say fuck! 😔

I wanna live in tv world where being knocked unconscious for a while doesn't have any permnanent consequences

a bar fight? show us that please

is it a lighthouse? in the opening scene I thought like a guard tower. anyway the moving light works so well I want every scene lit like this

my one criticism…that's not the right noise for bashing someone's head in with a rock.

wow they're both terrible at punching you love to see it

omg Great's face. a poor little meow meow for SURE

that might be the most superfluous hood ever. the black scrubs are a Look imo

!! a little primping!! THE SHIRT TUCK. Bee clocked him immediately. this is gonna fuel night shift for hours (powered by gossip!) try a power pose Tyme my guy. the dude has a headwound he may see two of you

okAY. is this standard procedure mr doctor

omg the funky music. I need to consume the whole soundtrack immediately

Great is sooo useless I love him

why wouldn't you just say you saw his name on the chart Tyme my god

this nurse...my love…marry me

that pause was Tyme evaluating if Great's hot enough to combat the crazy

if he's dead does someone know where View (?) is and can free her!!

this is a stunning indictement of whoever processed the crime scene originally

god we're definitely supposed to recognise some of these dudes aren't we 😬 sorry your brother (?) died, whoever you are

well whatever cop has dead guy's phone knows who did it by now Great

oh thank god great got View out

the ticking clock as the soundtrack to this fight…chef's kiss

WAIT I THOUGHT HE WAS A HALLUCINATION WHO IS DEAD what is HAPPENING. has the good doctor being doing a little light stalking perhaps

Tyme's actor is the king of micro expressions. love the progression from "damn I should've been nice" to "well if he isn't going to be nice…"

smooth mr doctor smooth. although I thought he was gonna go for "just to be safe I'll walk you home"

also I'm just saying next episode Great should have serious bruIsing on his neck

oh no…such a shame….no online gambling….

ohhh it was THIS guy. okay. not showing us who the picture is I see! (idk if there's a guy missing that we've seen before or what because I can't remember anyone except the two leads) brutal. dump that guy! although I thought it was gonna be this guy involved in hacking the gambling sites idk

that shot through the wine glass omgggg. wasn't really paying attention to what else happened in this scene because I'm too busy psychically willing this woman to marry me

TYME with the secret business OKAY. so excited to see how this plays out!! I'm hoping ep 3 kick starts the plot a bit more

[wangjiclub]

Thoughts on the first ep of Laws of Attraction

After a terrible cgi "fight," when Tinn kicked the guy who tried to kill Charn, things got a little better. Of course, not for Tinn, but when it comes to the narrative, photography, direction, etc, it got better.

Tinn is a good man. He's a family guy, he loves his grandma and his niece so much, he's been taking care of them for years. He teaches karate to kids, he's handsome, he's funny. But oh man, his life is full of struggles and pain.

I got so chocked with the scene of the run over, much because I didn't expect it to look good but also because it was brutal and she was just a little girl. But with that we could see that the series will not hold back from the violence. At least I hope so. The story goes around what people with money and power can do against a poor family who only have each other and a couple of nice neighbors. It needs to go down and dirty.

Speaking of it, Charn is despicable. The actor who plays him, Film Thanapat, is so good at smiling in the most vile way. Actually, the ongoing smiling was kinda disturbing, it made me want to punch his face. Anyways, Charn looks like someone who's always planning, who's ready for anything. He's mischievous, almost devilish. He's the perfect example of people who have no compunction, who only sees money and power. The good thing is that he makes sure everyone knows who he is and what he's willing to do.

I'm curious to know how the both of them can work out. Of course there's some story about Charn's past that will make the audience understands and pity him, but maybe that'll not be enough to simply erase his recent attitudes. Charn will have to go whole redemption arc if he wants to be someone who's worthy of Tin. Again, at least I hope so. It's early to predict the path the series will take, but expectations is not something we can really control.

Also, I hope they do something with the music being played because oh lord that's awful.