#5 8 10 and 12 have a lot very close to each other in ranking

[charmac]

What are some of your favorite Sunny episodes?

My pinned post is my favourite episodes from each season, so I'll give you a list of my second favourite episodes from each season:

Charlie Has Cancer

Mac Bangs Dennis' Mom

Dennis and Dee's Mom is Dead

Mac's Banging the Waitress

Mac and Dennis Break Up

Mac Fights Gay Marriage

The Gang Gets Trapped

Charlie and Dee Find Love

Mac Day

The Gang Misses the Boat

McPoyle vs. Ponderosa: The Trial of the Century

Dennis’ Double Life

The Gang Gets New Wheels

The Gang Texts

The Gang Carries a Corpse Up a Mountain

Frank Vs Russia

[absolutebl]

This Week in BL - The Industry is Having Issues But the Spice Spicy Must Flow

Organized, in each category, with ones I'm enjoying most at the top.

March 2024 Wk 4

Ongoing Series - Thai

Two Worlds (Thurs IQIYI) eps 1-2 of 10 - One of those "he's dead Jim so time travel" thingames starring MaxNat. I'm over this concept but I do enjoy MaxNat. Phupha (Gun) and Khram (Nat) love each other but Phupha is murdered. Then Khram is pulled to a parallel world where, years ago, Khram and Tai (Max) were in love. However, Khram was killed by Tai’s dad. Now Tai finds alter-Khram. But then there is ALSO an alter-Phupha to deal with. (Phupha is played by Gun Thanawat who was Khom, the repressed butler bodyguard from Unforgotten Night. We like this, but we scared of the love triangle aspect.) Did that make sense? Yeah, okay, see what I mean?

Initial thoughts?

The subs are troubling but I’m enjoying this show a lot. It’s nice to see MaxNat get something meaty to sink their teeth into - that’s not just each other. Also it’s so smart of them to give us a fully fleshed out entire episode developing the alter romance rather than just a separation + death. It makes Khram’s grief and motivation that much more believable. Also it’s really nice to see Nat have good chemistry with other actors. 

Deep Night (Thurs iQiyi) ep 3 of 8 (10?) - I'm still enjoying it. But Two Worlds is objectively better. So this one has lost ranking. Also, unexpectedly chili (the name of my heavy metal Thai cover band).

Lovey switchy and verse main couple too.

This is all quite pleasing.

The bit where the hosts pretend to be a BL couple actor ship was epic on so many levels.

Also unsettling.

All sex work is performative, and in a way there is something more honest about this depiction, in this setting, than what BL actors are made to do on the promo circuit. Which then begs the question, how different is BL from sex work? That's the unsettling bit, for me anyway. Not to slam on sex work AT ALL, we pro-the-true-pros on this damn blog, but actors have been shaded by association with True Professionals for a very long time and BL has already had one epic shut down in this regard. (See the PerthSaint scandal around Love By Chance, no I will not explain.) Where was I? Oh yes, so anyway, see the Gossip section for the part where they better be paid either way!

Also, since I'm a warped fucker, I found this scene funny.

And then hilarious when all of those BL tropes were just trotted out. Like a greatest hits reel.

Truly beyond meta. (How Absolute BL of them.)

Note he’s even standing in yaoi's patented "hands in pocket with the shoulders back"? 

Meanwhile, the gayest bridge in Thailand made its quarterly appearance:

And lip serviced was paid to the most touristy romantic things you can do in Bangkok.

And I mean lip service literally. 

To Be Continued (Thai C3 Thailand grey) ep 5 of 8 - I’m still enjoying it but getting more and more nervous. We getting too close to Promise territory for comfort. EXPLAIN Ji’s reticence well and do it now or risk audience mistrust. We have to be given a GOOD reason for Ji's behavior, or he'll be irredeemable.

City of Stars (Fri iQIYI) ep 8 of 12 - NO SINGING. Yes smiley kisses and good communication and a nice healthy relationship. But no singing!

1000 Years Old ep 6 of 12 - Dropping in the ranks. I’m sorry it’s just gotten boring. It has, however, inspired me to invest in my own ridiculous cream fuzzy sweater. Which I plan to wear with leather trousers and huge stumpy boots, like the Kpop queer I truly am. Or do I mean vampire? 

Kiseki Chapter 2 (Sun iQIYI) ep 1 of 6 - Seems to be an excuse for a small posse of Thai actors to wander around Tokyo playing tourist and sing in public . Someone stop them?

“Most people think this kind of thing is bad manners .”

Anyway, it’s v boring. I’ll give it one more ep but I suspect I’ll DNF.

Close Friend Season 3: Soju Bomb! (Weds iQIYI) eps 1-2 of 6 - Meh. This is also looking suspiciously DNF-a-licious.  

Ongoing Series - Not Thai

Unknown (Taiwan Tues Youku YouTube & Viki) ep 5 of 11 - It's brilliant. I love it. I'm ready to hurt. Let’s do this thing. 

Distribution note: This one has been picked up and is also airing on Viki now, so it may lose YT distribution in soem territories. I like Youku's hard subs better than Viki's subs, but that's a matter of preference not information since I don't speak Mandarin.

Love is Better the Second Time Around AKA Koi wo Suru nara Nidome ga Joto (Japan Weds Gaga) ep 3 of 6 - It is good. Every week I like this show a little more. I'm enjoying a reunion romance explored in Japan's quintessentially contemplative yet slightly surreal way. The juxtaposition of the tenderness of the sex scene with this Japanese brand of authenticity was oddly elegant - for lack of a better way of putting it. All in all, this is a good show. Thought provoking. Stylish.

AntiReset (Taiwan Fri Viki/Gaga) ep 9 of 10 - It remains lovely but they sure are reusing a lot of footage. Also, this was a classic penultimate doom episode. I do wonder how they are going to resolve this show ethically.

My Strawberry Film (Japan Thurs Gaga) ep 6 of 8 - It is what it is, and it isn’t my style of show no matter what country of origin. Oddly that's one of the reasons I don't like it. Anyone could have made this, it's not as Japanese as I want it to be, it's just indie film club high school angst. Yawn.

I watched it, finally

The Servant and the Young Master (Vietnam YouTube) 7 eps - I dislike vertical filming, but I kind of enjoyed this show as a BL. I like class conflict romances. For me the rich kid is a bit too dictatorial (edges into bulling), but it’s kinda works. It’s sparse and underdeveloped and a bit plotless, but mildly entertaining. If you're missing Vietnamese BL you might give it a try. 6/10 

Began Beginning (Myanmar YouTube) 8eps - A Burmese BL that I had thoughts about but actually ended up recommending. Read the saga here:

It's done, ready to binge, but I suck

What Did You Eat Yesterday Season 2 AKA Kinou Nani Tabeta? Season 2 (Japan Gaga) 10 eps

It's airing but...

Graduation Countdown (Taiwan YouTube) ep 1 of ? - on one hand it's micro-installment vertical, on the other it's adorable and from Taiwan. I blame @heretherebedork entirely for my conundrum. As indeed, I did for My Type back in the day. (That was Nat Chen's first BL, yes of Kiseki: Dear To Me fame.) So I think I will also simply lean on Here to let me know when it's done and binge all at once. It's just too much to ask me to keep up with 2 minute pieces, I don't have that kind of endurance training, not even for BL.

Time the series (Tue Gaga/YT) 10 eps - it's finished now, I dropped it at ep 4. Should I bother?

A Secretly Love (Thai Sat WeTV grey) 10 eps - I watched the first ep but grey is too much work for this inferior of a show. I may pick up and binge if it gets distribution but for now, it gets a DNF from me. KimCop might have held this crap together but Kim without Cop? No thank you.

Lady Boy Friends (Thai WeTV grey) 16 eps - reminds me a bit too much of Diary of Tootsies only high school. Not my thing. DNF unless it turns a corner and is truly amazing for some reason.

Man Suang that MileApo vehicle from last year is coming to Netflix in the USA. I haven't heard much about it and since the KP stans would have lost their tiny minds if it was any good at all, I'm assuming it's not good at all.

Gossip

Thai BL actor Yoon breaks with his former company and talks about some very very VERY shady goings on in the Thai BL industry. Including not being paid.

And whacha know, same thing happening in Korean BL.

Have I mentioned recently how much I hate the film industry?

Next Week Looks Like This:

Starting Soon

3/31 Only Boo! (Thai GMMTV YouTube) 12 eps - New main couple for GMMTV in an idol romance about a boy who dances good and a food stand vendor. Other side of the tracks grumpy/sunshine pair who fall deeply in love but, of course, baby boy idol can't date. Boyband but from GMMTV? Control your singing and I'm game.

4/1 Love is like a Cat (Korea ????) 12 eps - This completed filming Aug 2022(!) which means there have been serious problems with post-production. This is another of Silkwood's Korean+Thai colab projects. Mew Suppasit plays a rookie film star, called the Cat Prince (for his cold arrogance) who goes up against a charismatic puppyish animal daycare director (JM of JUST B). There is also a side romance (love triangle?) with a veterinarian. Geonu of JUST B is also in the cast.

I wonder if this was part of the hold up, with Geonu on Build Up right now, they might have tried to muffle this one. Or maybe it's just that bad...

4/3 We Are (Thai GMMTV YouTube) 12 eps - University ensemble BL featuring PondPhuwin, WinnySatang, AouBoom, MarcPawinPoon - basically the good kind of messy gay friendship group (so more My Engineer and less Only Friends). Looks a bit like the Kiss series but everyone is queer. I'm IN!

Knock-Knock Boys (Thai WeTV?) - 4 college friends conspire to help their friend lose his virginity. Familiar faces like Seng (yes, Billy's previous partner), Best and frest face, news here.

Upcoming BLs for 2024 are listed here. This list is not kept updated, so please leave a comment if you know something new or RP with additions.

NOTE: It looks like one of my personal favorites of last year Unintentional Love Story is getting a spin off!

THIS WEEK’S BEST MOMENTS

Without ghost girl.

With ghost girl.

I think she may be my favorite part of 1000 Years.

CLASSIC tsundere seme description of a sunshine uke. Like classic'est of classic. (Two Worlds)

Is there such a thing as a tired trope in a BL? Since it is a genre that is made up entirely of tropes quilted together? Your philosophical question for today brought to you by Deep Night's kabedon (Japanese trope) + punishment threat (Thai trope).

Love me a lap sit moment. (City of Stars)

(Last week)

Streaming services are listed by how I (usually) watch, which is with a USA based IP, and often offset by a day because time zones are too much work.

The tag BLigade: @doorajar @solitaryandwandering @my-rose-tinted-glasses @babymbbatinygirl @babymbbatinygirl @isisanna-blog @mmastertheone

If ya wanna be tagged each week leave a comment and I will add you to the template. Easy peesy.

[ywpd-translations]

Ride 783: Advancing ranks

Pag 1

1: “Friends”....

2: “People who trust each other and treat each other as equal”

“People who hang out and chat together”

4: Funatsu-kuun

Huh!? Me... me!? What

You and Kiriya-kun are friends?

5: Ye-yeah, we've been together for three years, so of course

And last year and this year we worked hard together and participated in the Inter High....right?

Yeah

And what about me?

Huh!?

Pag 2

1: What about me?

2: Are we friends!?

3: Uhm, well

4: We also were together for three years with this guy and we practiced and participated in the Inter High together

Uh.... well

What shoud I say? How should I answer this question

But this guy doesn't talk about anything but bikes

5: There they are, Midosuji's “cryptic questions”!!

Thank god this time his target is Funatsu

6: What's the correct answer!!

Ahh, dammit... I'm suddenly shaking

Midosuji!!

7: I'm sorry, Funatsu!! Do your best!! Funatsu!!

Pag 3

1: Of course!!

We've been running together for three years!! You're a great friend!!

How about this!!

3: Fr... iends...

Me and.... you?

6: He's satisfied!? Yes!! It was the correct answer!?

Pag 4

1: What, did you misunderstand?

Me and you are not equal in the slightest!?

Pag 5

1: Our efforts, tenacity, our attitude and readiness, and even our imagination!!

Uwaaahiiii!!

2: Didn't you think about it?

Ah.. was there even a moment when you felt like we were equal!? Surely

Dammit so this is what it was!!

3: You that in your zeal for goodness became nothing?

Puku

4: What's this!? This time

Ahh, dammit, don't spout nonsense!!

This time even my parents came to see me

5: Midosuji-san

More importantly

Pag 6

1: The course is changing

Turning west along the flat seaside road

Pag 7

1: it's entering a hill

4: The Kyoto Pass

It's a hill with a 3.5km climb with an incline of 4%, about 250m above sea level

Pag 8

1: According to my plan....!! Alright....!!

Let's move on....!!

2: Heading for the next phase!!

Yeah!!

Yes!!

Yes!!

4: Kyoto Fushimi are assembling and moving up

5: They didn't move in the first half, Kyofushi is saving their legs

Yet on this short climb they're spontaneously moving up their group's position

Pag 9

1: They're moving up!!

3: Seeing him this up close, this Midosuji really is amazing

His body's thickness is completely different from other people's, and his limbs are so long!!

4: He has such an aura that it makes me feel like there's no way I could win!!

5: I broke out into a cold sweat but at the same time I can't help but laugh a little!!

Pag 10

1: They really are amazing, Onoda, Imaizumi... and Naruko, they fought against him last year and the year before!?

3: Sugimoto-san

Sugimoto-san

4: Ah, sorry, is everything alright?

I was just thinking a little about something, just a little

5: That's right, I'm in the “selected team”!! I need to focus more on bringing these guys together!!

Pag 11

2: Huh

3: The two sprinters who went ahead

4: have turned back!!

We're back... we're back!!

5: Sugimoto-san!!

Yeah!! Kobayashi!! Uchikawa!!

Pag 12

1: We somehow managed to catch up to the lead

Is that so!!

But the remaining 3km... too fast!!

I see!!

2: That guy from Hiroshima let us know a lot of things

I see!!

They're so sweaty and their jerseys are all torn out too

3: They worked hard, I'm glad...!!

4: I couldn't last until the very end, but Kobayashi-san was there too

There were four people in front of me so I pushed as hard as I could in fifth place

5: And I placed ninth

Oh you're in the top ten, amazing, amazing!

Waaa, Sugimoto-san praised me, I'm so happy

Pag 13

1: Hahaha

Ah, that's my line....

I'm feeling so proud, somehow

2: Ninth place is amazing

Well... Ichikawa pulled me

Was the lead amazing?

It was!!

3: I'm aiming for the top ten for the mountain line too!!

Really? Do your best!

5: We're an impromptu team and we still have a long way to go in terms of skill, but with our mutual interest and cheerfulness

Pag 14

1: Maybe we could go far!!

3: It's all thanks to Sugimoto-san

No no, I only asked Doubashi

Doubashi-san also helped us a lot!!

4: That's right, next time we meet him

Pag 15

1: I'll have to thank Doubashi

3: Dammit!!

Sorry, it's my fault!!

4: With opponents like that, if I had gone myself we would have placed even lower

This just shows how hard it is to carry out your words in road racing

Pag 16

1: As I told you, you needed to be careful about that guy

3: The race goes went a low pass and passe through a tunnel

Pag 17

1: They went downhill in a line

2: Waa... this is the place for “three seconds”...!!

Kiji-saan!! Fou!!

3: Looking at the limestone quarry that is the raw material for cement

4: the passed through the coal mining factory that supported the growth of Kitakyushu

Pag 18

1: The ranks went south along the riverside in the inland areas of Kyushu

2: Ah....

Oi, Issa, how long....

3: How long are you gonna feel down!?

Pag 19

1: Naruko-san

2: Stop with the depressing sighs

You'll just have to use your frustration as a springboard to keep moving!!

3: Naruko-san, you don't know what it feels like to lose a sprint!!

5: I've matured, I've matured, I've matured.... or I should have

Naruko chanting magic words to suppress his anger

Two people who feel so sorry for him they have no words

6: What's wrong? You're shivering and peeing your pants?

I wanna kill him...!!

7: Hotshot, gimme permission to kill him!!

I don't have that license

8: Ah!!

I see it!!

Pag 20

1: It's the mountain!!

The first day's..... this Inter High's very first....

2: mountain!!

[gizkasparadise]

2023 wrapped: cdrama edition!

taking a page from @dangermousie and doing an overview of all the cdramas i watched this year (i'll do one for kdramas later)! listed in order of least favorite to most favorite. favorite =/= objectively best/most well-made. just the ones i had the most fun watching.

15 have a crush on you. oh dear lord. this drama should be a case study for what happens when a bad drama has charismatic actors and they keep you trapped hostage. i watched this whole damn thing hating every minute of it on behalf of the poor female lead who definitely deserved better. the ending? absolutely batshit, and not in a fun way. one of the weirdest, worst endings ive seen since with you

14 back from the brink. too kitschy for me, i didn't last long on this one (i think 2 eps lol).

13 gone with the rain. i wanted to like this one because i love sean sun and troll general is exactly what i want out of life. but i didn't like the weird daydream asides, constant animal noise sound effects, and i found everyone kind of off-putting in a non-watchable way, so i peaced out really quick--ep 4ish

12 here we meet again. i love janice wu. i continue to try out her dramas hoping for something to grab me again. this one was pretty boring/too focused on the work element and not the rest of it.

11 exclusive fairytale. i have a secret weakness for youth-to-working-life dramas, so tried this one out. flat, not a lot of chemistry, and very color-by-numbers. the show was clearly made to vehicle jun, and that's okay, but not my thing

10 the starry love. i wanted to like this one because the side characters were fun and i loved the male lead/prince of heaven and all his awkward "please leave by 9" energy. but it bored me overall and unlike most folks i had no interest in the demon secondary ship. i dropped around ep 10

9 my journey to you. it kills me to rank this one so low because it was my most anticipated cdrama this year, but i just couldn't get into it. the pacing was too slow for me, and i couldn't stand how everyone talked to each other (long. pauses. and then. staring. and then. whispers. always the. whispers). i dropped this around midway

8 the love you give me. the chemistry between the leads was cute and it was a decent modern romance. started losing me around the midpoint when the paternity reveal hit and the ML got way into boundary crossing because of it

7 circle of love. objectively not a good drama. in fact, a toxic and batshit drama that has probably made me a worse person for watching it. but gd did my messy ass enjoy the trainwreck.

6 road home. you really got to be in the mood for this one, but it's a nice, understated and slow melo romance. but def not a bingeable show since it takes its time with everything

5 wonderland of love. another drama that i dont think is objectively great, but two competent schemers/martial artists trying to one-up each other is like ship catnip for me and this was a show that lived or died by its ship. surprisingly tame for the screenwriter, and had a happy ending! popcorn watch.

4 till the end of the moon. me and this drama were in a bad romance, which i suppose is thematically appropriate. i hated parts of it, i was super invested in others. the post-dream human arc was giving wuthering heights tragic obsession incredibleness. even with its flaws, i think most of cdramaland is in agreement that lyx/tantai jin stole the ML competition this year. great gowns, beautiful gowns

3 story of kunning palace. i adored the characters in this drama! even when the plot was losing my interest, everyone was cast so well and had so much charisma that i stayed pretty hooked from ep 10ish on. absolutely loved the mean high school theatre director wreck that was xie wei, as well as the other (imo) true love interest of the show, princess leyang. the desperate speech about being like iron is gonna live rent-free in my head

& then 1&2 are way ahead of the others for me this year/a very close race between them!

2 a journey to love. i love this drama so much!!! i have not skipped or speed watched a single scene which for me is a huge feat! great character work across the board -- even the side characters have a lot of nuance and interesting dynamics between them. beautiful fight scenes. great ost. one of the best, most balanced main couples ive seen in a show. it's gonna break my heart in a few eps when it ends, but i'll be happy about it

1 lost you forever (s1). this drama came out of NOWHERE and the vicegrip it had on me while it was airing!!! my favorite FL this year (although a journey to love's ruyi is a close second), and just a ton of fun while also being quietly devastating in parts. i loved how lived in and tired the FL felt, enjoyed the various flavors of mess from her love interests, and enjoyed how extra it could go while still giving us really grounded and complicated characters. this drama gets extra points for converting me on several actors i did not think that highly of before the show.

overall, despite how many i dropped (lol writing it out made me realize i dropped so, so many), cdramas delivered for me this year! my top two are on my short list for favorite dramas, period. everyone go watch a journey to love and lost you forever if you havent yet!!!

AWARDS

Favorite ship: definitely goes to ruyi and yuanzhou from a journey to love. it's just nice to see a couple that mutually supports each other's murders

Favorite FL: xiaoyao from lost you forever with ruyi from journey to love as a very close runner-up. i am here for this year's theme of competent, jaded ladies trying to reclaim their lives

Favorite ML: objectively, tantai jin from till the end of the moon should win this, but story of kunning palace's xie wei was just so entertainingly grumpy, petty, and unhinged which is a winning combo for me.

Favorite 2FL: princess yang ying from a journey to love. she's doing amazing and im proud of her!!

Favorite 2ML: technically third male lead, but xiang liu from lost you forever was my favorite to watch and had the best tuxedo mask exits

Best Cast: a journey to love, i literally adore all of them, even the ones i hate

Best Blood Cough: tantai jin, you beautiful bastard who needs a bib

[animehusbandharem]

I’m curious of other’s opinions on this: out of all the suitors, who is the most believable and least believable for “Belle” to actually fall in love with? Basically, how realistic would it actually be for her to fall in love with one of them?

I based my rankings based off a mix of Belle’s personality and the actual story and how it plays out - i tried to be as least biased as i possibly could lol

My ranking would be:

1. Leon: i picked Leon as most believable because of how quickly she warmed up to him and how compatible their communication styles are. They’re honestly almost too perfect that it makes me wanna gag (sorry Leon lovers lol)

2. Keith: He comes in 2nd similarly to Leon, the nice Keith and Belle get along so well and it seems like she has a soft spot for him from the get-go. It’s believable to me also because of how his story was written and i could definitely see MC ending up with him.

3. Rio: The boy next door has to be believable. Poor Rio lol. I put him 3rd because she has to get past seeing him as a friend which is a small obstacle, but it is totally believable because theyre already super close and it would make sense.

4. Chevalier: the “true” route. I love their story, and given their personalities, i think it was very well written for both of them to compliment each other. They have just enough in common to keep the stability, but also love languages to help learned and keep the spark alive.

5. Gilbert: the “bad boy”. He is believable to me because the slow progression makes sense, and you can see how both of them compliment each other and pique their interest of the other as well. It seems like a natural progression, and it’s one that we can see coming.

6. Clavis: the class clown. One of my favorite routes 🥰. I think the dynamic between Belle and Clavis are so quirky, that it works. It makes sense once she learns more about Clavis that she would fall for him.

7. Licht: Sweet emo baby. My first love. I put him lower on the list because he’s harder to actually get to know, so the likelihood of her truly being interested in him at first is likely low, but once she finds out he’s a sweet baby - she will be smitten and will fall.

8. Sariel: Daddy issues. I actually really like his route and i genuinely believe this could happen, the only reason hes lower on the list is because i think it would be less likely that Belle would sacrifice her “professionalism” but i do still think it’s a believable story!

9. Silvio: Loveable asshole. Okay, listen - i’m sorry Silvio stans… i ranked Silvio lower because it would take a lot longer for her to warm up to him… especially the way he talks to her - and quite frankly, with all the other options around, why would she fall for him when theres so many other princes?? BUT… i do think his route is very believable for what it is and i did enjoy it personally

10. Nokto: emo playboy. Let’s be real, she would be so turned off by his bullshit, i find it hard to believe she would even think twice about wanting to get to know him. When she does, i don’t think she would want to be more than friends.

11. Luke: Baby bear. I cant picture them together because of how young he seems honestly 😣

12. Jin: Titty idiot. His route felt so wrong and weird to me… it felt forced and awkward. This just doesn’t feel like a good match and it doesn’t seem like a natural progression to me. He doesn’t have much of a personality, and they both just don’t seem to fit

13. Yves: Baby girl. I cant take him seriously as a lover when even the game suggested that Belle questioned he may be queer. (Nothing wrong with this at all, just doesnt fit the narrative they are selling). I LOVE YVES and everyone needs one in their life, but he’s not believable as a lover… and we all know why 🙃

[ladygwyndolin]

You're clearly a great fan of Murcielago's villain protagonists, but what are your opinions on the antagonists?

well you can't send me an ask like this an expect me not to rate each of them individually, but i assume you knew this. crafty, glasses! I'm gonna rate the primaries here but I'll rate the secondaries next. Only up to Silver Scent.

Arc 0: Unnamed Serial Killer

Cringe loser, no swag, no style, unmemorable, no standards. Died in an accident. 0/5.

Arc 1: Tasuku Iimura

Just kind of a big brute, somewhat sad backstory but doesn't really bring anything to the table. This arc isn't really about him though. 1/5.

Arc 2: Hyoue Satori

Total patsy. Basically irrelevant as his only real contribution was bankrolling a cooler, sexier villain. 1/5.

Arc 3: Takeru Asagi

We're starting to get somewhere. He's still fairly meh, but his MO and backstory are way more interesting than the previous villains and his genuine care for his daughter gives him a bit of heart. OFC, he pales in comparison to how amazing a character said daughter is, but I'll give him a point for trying. 2/5.

Arc 4: Gold Marie

LET'S FUCKING GOOOOOOO!!!!!! I LOVE GOLD MARIE. Absolutely horrible and irredeemable monster, twisted in fun and unique ways, tragic backstory, gay, disgusting, and, well. Y'know. She's got. uh. well. Anyway, one of the best in the series, no question. 5/5.

Arc 5: The Rainy Day Killer

Hands down the most terrifying villain in the entire series and it's not even close. I get the creeps just looking at him. It takes a lot to be a monster in a world as monstrous as Murcielago's, but boy oh boy does he do it. Great backstory, too. Gonna give him a 4/5 just because of how SCARY he is.

Arc 6: Marie Misaka

Meh. This arc is more about Kuroko herself being the villain rather than this chick, so she barely gets any screentime and doesn't have much to offer. 2/5 cuz there's some implied gay shit at least.

Arc 7: Toukichirou Higaki

Mostly a vehicle for more interesting side characters. His fighting style is cool, but his ultimate goal of dying in battle doesn't have any real weight to it. Pretty forgettable. 2/5.

Arc 8: Shin Tatewaki

Boring villain from a boring arc. 1/5 cuz i think his scar looks cool.

Arc 9: Cobalt Conrad

A very solid mad scientist archetype. I think his relatively friendly and calm demeanor persisting throughout both arcs he's in is great and I like that he came back as a villain in the first place. His ultimately plan is pretty simple and I feel like more could be done with him, but given that we haven't seen the last of him I think there's a chance we'll get new stuff from him too. 4/5.

Arc 10: Kurono

YEAH BABY YEAH BABY LET'S GO!!!!!!!!! I LOVE KURONO!!!! Cool split personality ghost with probably the best fight in the entire series (due to the fact that Kuroko is hilarious throughout it) and sympathetic motivation make her extremely memorable. A lot of people rank Master Swordsman as their favorite arc, and while it's not my personal pick, scenes with Kurono make me understand exactly why so many people love it. 5/5.

Arc 11: Rose Marie

Best boy with one of the best arcs. I looooove TTDUP and how fucked up it is, and this weird conjoined cannibal queen is what makes it work. The second most unsettling villain after the rainy day killer as well. Easy 6/5, I would love if we got more villains like him in the future.

Arc 12: Comedy Writer

Easily the least threatening major villain and thus one of the least interesting. This is another arc where Kuroko eclipses the actual antagonist by a significant margin, so his only real noteworthy moment is when Kuroko kills the shit out of him. 1/5.

Arc 13: Hazuki Sendou

Gross. Loser. Doesn't deserve Zenpachi. Keep that in your pants, loser. 1/5.

Arc 14: Yuusuke Arima

A deeply tragic and sympathetic villain, and one who we get to know as a person far more than most other villains. Serial killer or not, I just felt really fucking bad for this guy. Not huge on his sudden double evil turn at the very end so I've gotta dock him a point for that, but I'm overall a fan. 3/5.

Arc 15: Mineko and Ayako

Honestly it was tough for me to decide which one of these two was the "main" villain so I ultimately decided to just go with both of them because hey, it's my list. My verdict is that they did literally nothing wrong and should not be held accountable for any crimes whatsoever. 5/5.

Hopefully that answers your question!

[thisselflovecamebacktome]

So I'm stealing this from @tayloralisonswift and you should definitely check out their version, but I'm going to listen to and rank all of Taylor's songs album by album (and then maybe her non album songs at the end).

Some minor changes: I'm going to be doing all of each album in one post (so 11 - 12 posts all up), I will be adding the Beautiful Eyes EP to debut (because truth be told I think it'll be part of debut's vault tracks anyway), I will be starting at debut and going forward in Taylor's discography, and I will be ranking them out of 10 not 13. I'm also making note here that I am ranking the versions I like best. So for example, I hate Girl At Home (Taylor's Version) but love the original, so the original is the one being ranked because that is what I listen to (noting that I own all the CDs so don't @ me about that). Anyway with that in mind, let's get started with debut.

Tim McGraw: Does this song get nostalgia points? Yes, yes it does. It was the first song I listened to given debut had not even come out yet at the time and was the one time I remember really bonding with my maternal grandfather over something (country music). But even outside of that nostalgia, it genuinely is a great song and great business move to have this be her first single. 9/10.

Picture To Burn: I understand the controversy of the changed lyrics, but honestly despite not being straight, they never bugged me and just felt very teenagery 'If you tell everyone I'm undateable, I'll do the same'. Ultimately a bop but one I don't listen to all that much. 7/10.

Teardrops On My Guitar: God have I never felt older than at Eras Melbourne night three when most of the people in my section were giving me weird looks for knowing this song. I swear it used to be one of her most known songs. I do prefer the RED tour version of this song but overall a great song that I feel is one of her most universal. 9/10.

A Place In This World: I know this is (or at least was during Taylor's earlier days, I feel it's less so nowadays) a fan favourite but it just never hit for me, sorry. Like there's nothing wrong with it, but realistically I can't tell you the last time I listened to it and it's never been a song I've been drawn to. 5/10.

Cold As You: The OG track five! I can't call her underrated because I feel a lot of people love her, but it's deserved. By far one of the debut songs I have listened to over time, even if I don't as much anymore. 8/10.

The Outside: So this is one of those songs I feel like I should relate to more because I was an 'unpopular' kid and had a falling out with one 'popular' group. But Imma be real, at my school, all of the 'unpopular' kids formed a big group plus I had friends in other years so yeah... Again another song I couldn't tell you the last time I listened to (despite it being a fan fave at one point) and just really one I'm not fussed on. 4/10.

Tied Together With A Smile: To be honest, I feel very similarly about this as Cold As You. I know it's a fan fave, but it deserves all the praise it gets and has arguably been the debut song that's gotten me through the most so I just love it. I don't listen to it as much nowadays, but it'll probably always have a fond place in my heart. 8/10.

Stay Beautiful: It's a cute song. I like it, but it's not a favourite. 6/10.

Should've Said No: A bop. The live version with "whoa oh, you shoulda said no baby, now everybody knows!" lives rent free in my head as one of my favourite live performances. 7/10.

Mary's Song: My OG stan song. My favourite debut song to this day. Did you all know she wrote this about me and my first partner; she left out the part where I head butted him in between daring him to kiss me and running when he tried though (joking). But yeah from the minute I heard that line, let alone the rest of the song, it was over for 11 year old me who had a crush on her brother's best friend (later becoming my first partner). We're still super close to say the least and are raising a child together, so yeah, the song just means a lot to me and probably always will. 10/10.

Our Song: This is one of those songs I feel everyone else likes more than I do. Like it's fun, it hits sometimes, but it's never been a favourite of mine. 6/10.

I'm Only Me When I'm With You: Another cute bop. Not something I listen to often but a good time when I do. 6.5/10.

Invisible: I feel like this song gets outshone by Teardrops On My Guitar having similar themes and being on the same album, but I still love it dearly. Taylor dedicating it to a fan who has a queer reading of it is still one of my favourite things she's done. I genuinely feel like this is the most underrated track on this album and I hope it gets the love it deserves one day. 8/10.

A Perfectly Good Heart: This is and always has been the song I'm most excited for the rerecording for because god are the vocals the worst part of this song as it stands. It just sounds very grating to me, and while I don't think it ever would have been a favourite of mine, it definitely would have had more of a fighting chance had the vocals been better. 3/10.

Beautiful Eyes: To be honest, I don't remember the last time I listened to this, but I like it now more than I remember liking it before (not a high bar but still). It's nice. 6/10.

I Heart ?: I yearn for the day this is on spotify because I have so many playlists I want to add it to. A bop through and through. 7/10.

Final Score: 109.5/160 - 68.4%

[regina-del-cielo]

Fic 20 questions

I was tagged by @bewires, thank you!

1 - How many works do you have on AO3?

13, lucky number.

2 - What's your total AO3 count?

67,881 words. Not bad.

3 - What fandoms do you write for?

Right now, only for The Old Guard (2020). I'm a "one hyperfixation at a time" type of person.

4 - What are your top five fics by kudos?

Celebrated for Their Frankness (P&P)

Kissing a Stranger (P&P)

Galeotto Fu'l Cane (P&P)

hand in hand, we stumble and we fall (then we stand, once and for all) (TOG)

seems like happiness is just a thing called Joe (TOG)

5 - Do you respond to comments?

99.9% of the time, yes, even if it's just to write "thank you for reading" thirty times in a row

6 - What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

Uuuuuh I don't actually write angsty endings? Even the sadder ones always have a vision of hope in the end

7 - What's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

Again, difficult to say. Probably c'est lui pour moi, moi pour lui (dans la vie) because it's Reunion and Fluff Galore. Or A Marriage of True Minds, because of Wedding Fluff and Feelings.

8 - Do you get hate on fics?

Thankfully not, and I hope it never happens

9 - Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

No, not really. Love reading it, but I don't think I'll go that far myself.

10 - Do you write crossovers? What's the craziest one you've written?

No I don't. The thought never really crossed my mind

11 - Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Never, thank goodness

12 - Have you ever had a fic translated?

No - although one could say that I already am doing my own mental translation since English is not my first language lol - but if someone wanted to I wouldn't mind, as long as they asked me first

13 - Have you ever co-written a fic before?

No, never happened

14 - What's your all time favourite ship?

Why are you asking me to rank my children?! Darcy/Elizabeth has been around longer, but Joe/Nicky really Hit Different. So I say it's a tie.

15 - What's a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

All of them? There's a reason I don't post WIPs - inspiration is flighty and cruel. I never say 'never', but knowing myself if I haven't worked on something for longer than a year it's unlikely I'll ever start again

16 - What are your writing strengths?

I'm the wrong person to ask this - Maybe plot coherency and world building? I tend to take a lot of time to make sure that the plot flows well and that things are as accurate I can get them. Also, clearly, writing soft and fluffy things.

17 - What are your writing weaknesses?

I always have the feeling of my writing being clunky and too detail-filled, because I want the readers to see the scene as I see it in my mind. And I've never been able to stay within the number of words I expected to - my one-shots get stupidly long.

18 - Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic?

I literally make Nicky speak in Italian as much as I can get away with it all the time. But also, if it's a language you don't know well and unless you have a human who speaks it that can check it, I wouldn't just trust a translation software. I have seen enough of glaring Italian errors in fic to make me want to go "please just say that they spoke in another language in the dialogue tag I beg of you."

19 - First fandom you wrote for?

Winx Club, a long long time ago, and not in English

20 - Favourite fic you've written?

I think it's a tie between hand in hand and We're Meant to Find Each Other - they're more team-focused than the others; hand in hand was the first I wrote for TOG fandom and a true stroke of inspiration. Meant to Find Each Other is the only multi-chaptered fic I ever managed to finish, it spans through multiple time periods, and the AU it's set in is very close to my heart.

I don't know who has already done this, but I'll tag @ellynneversweet @raedear @gallifreyburning @nicolos @nicolodigenovas and anyone else who feels like it!

[nonotnolan]

No Not Nolan's Year in Review

This worked out really well for me last year, so-- here’s the stories of 2022, ranked by the number of likes.  And since I can, here’s a link to 2021′s year in review.  I may not be the most prolific author... but limiting myself to one story a month helps me to be consistent, while the low expectations help me to avoid burnout.  This is one of my hobbies, and I’m not planning to try and make it into a career anytime soon.  I’d much rather keep things low stress for my sanity.

12) The Better Body - 116 notes - January 2022 I’m not surprised that this one didn’t do well, given the photos and the overall tone... but content wise, it’s still one of my favorites.  Deconstructing the fantasy can go in multiple directions, and in this case it does not go well for the protagonist.

11) SwapBnS: A Weekend Vacation - 188 notes - March 2022 This one was pretty ambitious, in that I made sure to get permission to use everyone’s likeness for this story.  At the time, I had an idea that it might be fun to turn this into a series, hence the prefix... but that would involve having more people in the community who are willing to post and share photos.  And as someone who doesn’t post my own photo... no judgment.

10) Cooperation - 214 notes - December 2022 The story of a man who is seduced out of his own body... and decides that he’s fine with this outcome, actually.

9) Cuerpo Inc: The Internship - 225 notes - April 2022 I haven’t had the right story idea for this series in several months, but I do really love the concept.  It’s intern season at the premiere bodyswap technology firm, and they do things a bit differently.

8) Fiverr Warlock: Saturdays are for Recovery - 233 notes - October 2022 It’s been awhile since I’ve had a Fiverr Warlock story, and I really enjoy the idea of a world where magic is benign and regulated for sale.  Gus wakes up in his roommate’s body, and the two men just decide to roll with it.  It turns out there’s a reason the swap occurred...

7) All-Staff Meeting - 269 notes - July 2022 I find this one to be pretty adorable.  Two guys who have nothing in common with each other end up swapping bodies, and they decide to live life as each other while they figure out what happened.  Although, it turns out that there’s a third person involved...

6) Cuerpo Inc: Water Cooler Talk - 297 notes - June 2022 It’s the flipside of the Internship story-- a handful of young men find themselves in bodies that are 20+ years older than their original bodies.  They may not think of themselves as sexy, but their coworkers disagree.

5) The Best of Both - 338 notes - February 2022 Here’s the story I wrote for my boyfriend, @mergeman.  Bennett’s been going to the gym for a few weeks, but one of the local muscle studs reminds him a lot of one of his former geeky friends.  But they couldn’t possibly be the same person... could they?

4) Our Deal - 340 notes - November 2022 Two roommates have fallen into a routine that involves swapping bodies to handle chores, and each person is convinced that they have the better end of the deal.

3) Overbearing - 424 notes - May 2022 I don’t really like writing family body swaps, so this is about as close as I might ever get to the concept.  Brandon’s stepfather keeps trying to use bodyswapping as a form of punishment, but it’s not quite working out like he might have hoped.

2) Gym Merchandise - 436 notes - September 2022 It turns out that there is a very good reason everyone that Wyatt talked to recommended Friday’s Gym to him.  The merchandise that they sell on the side is absolutely worth it.

1) Soulmate Swap - 539 notes - August 2022 By far the most successful story I’ve written thus far-- the notes for this piece skyrocketed compared to any other story I’ve written.  It wasn’t my first story to break 500 notes-- it was at 498 when Finals Week broke that barrier-- but given that it needed 14 fewer months... “skyrocketed” might even be an understatement.  Pedro had planned to console his friend Roy after a rough breakup, but instead he finds himself helping out with an odd scheme to find Roy’s soulmate.

Special Mentions-

A Warlock Tale - 83 notes - February 2022 Here’s the story that my boyfriend @mergeman wrote in exchange, which takes place in the Fiverr Warlock universe.  I enjoy it, but I’m quite biased. ;)  He writes merging stories rather than swapping stories, but I feel like most people in our community have a wide net of transformational interests.

Cuerpo Inc: Maintenance - 172 notes - June 2022 The third part of the Internship experience-- the people working behind the scenes to make sure that everything goes smoothly.  Written by @deviantknight25, who is currently on hiatus, but still lurks around the community.  He’s a great writer, and I encourage you explore his archive if you’ve not done so before.

Finals Week - 520 notes - May 2021 Okay, so this one is cheating... but until Soulmate Swap, this was my flagship story.  I can sort of justify putting it here, since it was my first story to hit 500 notes, which happened in September 2022.  Soulmate Swap hit that mark not even a day later, and has since overtaken the “most notes” category.  Anyway, if you’ve not read this one before, I highly recommend it.  In a world where people can easily switch bodies for short periods of time, teachers have it rough. Coach Phillips tries to make it through his day without losing his sanity.

[rolkstone]

In the OTP scenarios ask...

Skinner X Fat Tony

1 Who most initiates PDA? Fat Tony. He usually kisses and hugs other men anyway, but he goes above and beyond with Skinner, even in public. He defies anyone to give them shit about it.

2 Any sleep habits either had to get used to? Both. Skinner had to get used to Tony getting up late at night for missions. And Seymour would at times wake Tony from his night terrors.

3 Hot and Steamy or Soft and Tender? A mix of both, leaning towards hot and steamy. Tony is naturally sadistic and Seymour is excited by this but can only handle so much.

4 How did they first meet? Way back when Fat Tony tried to muscle in on the school. They were very antagonistic at first.

5 What is their love language? Sweet words and sayings and pet names

6 When did they realize they loved each other? Both felt attraction very early on, but both were reserved into falling in love. As time went on they gradually became more fond and then passionate about each other.

7 Who is more sentimental? Seymour

8 What’s one way their personalities complement one another? Tony is aggressive and makes a bee-line for the target; Seymour can calm him down and lead him correctly. Meanwhile Seymour can get into mental rabbit holes and Tony can help direct him onto something more concrete.

9 How are their personalities different? Tony: very aggressive, soft spoken but quick to take violent action, holds grudges, very romantic and spontenoue

Seymour: more methodical, takes care in things, prefers itineraries, avoids conflict and violence at all costs, loves romance but is very rigid

10 What are some non-sexual activities they do together?  A lot of appreciation for the arts, like opera and art museums and happenings. They also spend a lot of time going over logistical details for the crew. They also help raise and be there for Michael.

11 Which member is more physically affectionate? Tony. It's just in his nature.

12 Which member is more verbally affectionate? Tony

13 Which member steals borrows the other ones clothing? Seymour has stolen a few coats from Tony but otherwise they don't really borrow from each other, as their sizes are quite different. That coat was swimming on Seymour, btw.

14 Are they an introverted couple or an extroverted one—AKA would they prefer to go out to a party or event together or would they rather stay in? Tony is a lot more extroverted. Plus his work requires him to attend parties and functions held by higher ranking or equal ranking mobsters. Sometimes he'll even attend a lower ranking mobster's party just to show his face, and he will drag Seymour along. Seymour would rather, usually, have a quiet night in of movies and snacks and possibly calming paintings or music.

15 Who is more likely to make an impulsive decision and who is the voice of reason? Tony; Seymour (he is his counselor, after all)

16 Who stays up way too late and who tries to drag them to bed? Seymour; Tony

17 Who fell in love first? Tony; Seymour followed very soon after. Tony at first thought it was puppy love

18 What song fits them perfectly?

19 How do they deal with being away from each other for a long time? They have to deal with this a lot actually. Tony's job has him away almost every night and many days. He is fine, as he's busy with missions, though he does think of Seymour a lot. Seymour tries to busy himself with his hobbies, but he gets really sick with anxiety over what Tony must be going through.

20 Who holds a grudge the longest? Tony

21 Which of the two is quick to speak and which one is quick to listen? Tony; Seymour

22 Who gets more easily embarrassed? Seymour

23 Who overthinks the most? Seymour

24 Which of the two is the most competitive? Tony; though Seymour has been getting competitive with his motorcycle racing

25 Who’s the most stubborn? Tony; though it's a very close race

26 How do they comfort each other? Tony will use physical affection like kissing, massages, hugging, while Seymour will say encouraging things to Tony to remind him of his power and strength

27 What random everyday object/activity makes them think of each other? Notebooks and texbooks will remind Tony of Seymour; guns, weapons of any kind, baseball bats and the opera will remind Seymour of Tony

28 Do they get along with each other’s friends and family? speaking of only biological family; not really. Tony has not introduced Seymour to his relatives. Seymour doesn't have any besides his adopted mother, and she has long since abandoned them.

29 What is their sex life like? Hard and steamy and passionate, but also tender and reciprocal. They are very in-tuned to each other by now.

30 What is their favorite place to kiss the other? (Cheek, hand, closed eyelid, neck, nose, etc.) Tony: neck. Seymour: lips and hand

31 What’s the relationship like? Smooth? Rocky? A mix. they love each other passionately but are often fighting; they deeply disagree on some very key things

32 How do they resolve their arguments? Tony will usually use money; he'll donate to some cause Seymour cares about, or get him some expensive gift. Seymour will be extra affectionate and give a speech as to why he should be forgiven, which usually gets Tony grinning half-way through

33 Who has the most nightmares and how do they deal with them? Seymour, usually about his military experience. Usually he would just ride them out but now Tony is right by his side and will hold him and get him water or whatever else he needs when it happens.

34 Do they give each other nicknames? Tony likes to use Italian names for Seymour like tesorio mio. Seymour almost always calls Tony "Tony." However he's known to let a "darling" slip now and then

35 What movies do they enjoy watching most? Rom coms mostly or documentaries. Tony loves true crime and mafia movies but Seymour gets irritated by those.

36 How’d they meet each other’s families? Tony met Agnes some time ago (refer to the fic)

37 What do they like the least about each other? Tony dislikes how spineless Seymour can be sometimes, how hard it is to push him to stand up for himself

Seymour dislikes how reckless and quick to violence Tony can be

38 What was their most memorable date? perhaps when they went to the miniature golf course and had sex in one of the holes (surrounded by a large model of a windmill)

39 What other couple would your otp get along with the best? any other that is based heavily on the Mafia maybe; perhaps Fernando and Joey the Scar

40 Who makes the other smile with almost no effort at all? Seymour; he often says things that get a smile, grin, or laugh from Tony, without even trying

[news4usonline]

UCLA gymnastics is flying high

Selena Harris, the UCLA sophomore, scored her second consecutive perfect score on vault but it was still not enough to defeat Utah. "It’s about time, that’s how I feel,” said Harris the Las Vegas native. “It feels great that like how I’m getting consistent with that so like can almost be an expectation.” Harris, who is ranked No. 7 in the all-around in the country and No. 8 on vault, gave UCLA fans something to cheer for when she popped out a 10 on the vault exercise against the Utes. UCLA came into their meet against No. 4 Utah as the No. 8 gymnastics team in the nation.

UCLA gymnast Nya Reed is getting into a flow on the floor exercise. Photo credit: Carlos Jones/News4usonline After their close defeat (197.300-196.975) to Utah on Feb. 19 at the Pauley Pavilion, the Bruins slipped to the No. 9 spot, according to Gymnastics Now and USA Gymnastics. The defeat to Utah on their home floor didn't damper the excitement coming from the Bruins after their near upset of the Utes. “This season has been amazing,” said Nya Reed the recent graduate transfer from the University of Florida. “During the five years doing gymnastics being here has been the most amazing experience and they welcomed me so much, I feel like a family.” The Bruins will be hosting the California Golden Bears at the Pauley Pavilion on Sunday, Feb. 25 at 2 p.m. In the meantime, the team expressed that their training has been very relaxed and that they have been able to communicate well with each other. “We are just so relaxed when we are training,” Harris said during the post-meet press conference. “I think the biggest thing which is really good is that we talk to each other so I think that was very helpful like just communicating with what we’re seeing with each other because we’re all doing the same vault.” UCLA's head coach Janelle McDonald has two decades of coaching experience.  She was tapped to lead the UCLA women's gymnastics team in 2022. In her first season as head coach, McDonald guided the Bruins to a fifth-place finish at the NCAA gymnastics championships. UCLA placed as the runner-up to Utah in the Pac-12 Conference championship in 2023. The Bruins entered this season as the No. 5 in the country in a preseason poll by USA Gymnastics. “I'm really proud of what we accomplished last year, you know, I was excited to not just you know, in our competition results and how we finished the year getting back to Nationals and our final ranking,” McDonald said in a Zoom press conference on Feb. 7.

UCLA head coach Janelle McDonald goes over details with Margzetta Frazier against Utah on Feb. 19, 2024. Photo credit: Dennis J. Freeman/News4usonline During her first season as the Bruins head coach, McDonald was named the 2023 Women’s Collegiate Gymnastics Association West Region Coach of the Year. The Bruins finished the season ranking No. 4 nationally. Before joining the Bruins, McDonald helped coach the University of California and led the Golden Bears to their first-ever Pac-12 Conference regular season title in 2022. The Golden Bears finished seventh at the NCAA championships in 2021. McDonald feels excited about this season saying that every year feels different. “This season. It's fun because every year feels a little bit different. But we have great energy on our team,” McDonald said about this season. “You know, a lot of our newcomers have brought this zest for life and for their sport and into the practices every single day. And it's just created a really fun environment.” Read the full article

[absolutebl]

This Week in BL - I'm finding rankings difficult, there's a lot of middle of the pack action and some serious top contenders

Organized, in each category, by ones I'm enjoying most at the top.

Dec 2023 Wk 1

Ongoing Series - Thai

Last Twilight (Fri YT) ep 5 of 12 -  I love how they’re slowly revealing bits of their past to each other. It parallels the slow burn of them falling in love with each other. Knowledge + understanding = affection. I cried during the part with his doubles partner, of course I did. As has been mentioned many times in this blog, I am a sap. Also I’m realizing that there is something particularly clever about this show: Because Day is blind, there must be a ton of physical touch. And physical touch is something that Thai BL does really well. 

(I gotta say, while I ADORE JimmySea in these roles, a small part of me wonders how JoongDunk would have handled these parts.)

The Sign (Sat YT) ep 3 of 10 - Phaya is SO DAMN SMITTEN. It’s great. Have I mentioned recently how glad I am Billy got this role? This was the: “it’s not a date” date ep. 

I gotta say these 2 BLs are neck and neck favorites right now.

Cherry Magic (Sat YouTube) ep 1 of 12 - Uh oh. I like it a lot. I think I was always going to because I have a soft spot for TayNew on screen. It is such funny to watch Tay play such a stiff character. I like it. This is very fast paced for a Thai BL I wonder where they’ll take it with this speed, are they’ll following the manga more closely? 

My Dear Gangster Oppa (Thurs iQIYI) ep 7 of 8 - Wait, no. Wahl you’re such a problem. The pacing of this is very KBL. I’m not mad about it but it feels odd in Thai. Still enjoying this one the most as my "early in the week" offering.

For Him (Thurs iQIYI) ep 2 of 10 - The booty call flirting is next level with these two. Like Bed Friends but with less pain. I love that Nail is such needy evil wild child - the story gets all its tension from that.

Baby boy gives off so many danger signals I wouldn't tap that with a 10 ft… pole. Him is a braver queer than I. I do like how the high heat is being used to drive the story. It stands in stark contrast to Playboyy. Which is using high heat to drive, well... piles apparently.

Twins the series (Fri GaGa) ep 6 of 10 - I'm enjoying it again, the main couple is getting more BLish. 

Bake Me Please (Mon Gaga) ep 3 of 6 - Shin and Peach flirting is very cute. Although they got into that sack swiftly. Guy leaving was contrived and reactions overwrought but okay babies. 

Absolute Zero (Weds iQIYI) ep 11 of 12 - Now I'm mostly just confused.

Which timeline are we in?

Do they know each other in this one's past or not?

Have they met yet?

Who has which memories of what?

I feel like I’ve been through a lot for the show.

I’m not saying the reunion scene in the theater was worth it, but it was a really spectacular reunion scene. I’m terrified that there’s one more episode. I wish it had ended here.

Cooking Crush (Sun YT) 2 of 12 - I’m just not that into it. 

Pit Babe (Fri iQIYI) ep 4 of 14 - A new ship has been set afloat, we are now Team #WayKim / #KimWay and if you're not with us, you're against us. Trash watch happening here.

Middleman’s Love (Fri YT & iQIYI ep 5 of 8 - oh look, it’s everybody’s favorite big brother!

That was a kind (and kind of lovely) coming out sequence. KingUea being the worst best Gay Advice Dads is awesome. Mai is SO SWEET. And we end on some good old miscommunication / misinterpretation, so that Jade can behave in an even more unhinged manner next ep. Our brief respite from absurdity has ended. 

My Universe (Sun iQIYI) Fake Love ep 16 of 24 - They cute fake bf but it’s oddly unappealing. I mean most us queers have slept with each others exes, that’s swimming in a small pool, for ya. In my experience, only hets get butt hurt about it. (Hets never use enoug lube, they butt hurt about everything.) So the whole drama just felt confusing to me. Or maybe that's just my experience with swimming in lube? 4/10 whatever... not recommended

Playboyy (Thurs Gaga) 4 of 14 eps - I’m seriously considering dropping this. 

Ongoing Series - Not Thai

VIP Only (Taiwan Fri Gaga) ep 4 of 10 - They cute. Are aquariums now gay? That’s not the definition of fish that I grew up with. 

Sahara-sensei to Toki-kun (Japan Fri Gaga) ep 2 of 8 - I'm suffering from terrible second lead syndrome. Glasses guy is new Best Boy. Also, Rise is trying to earn the Namgoong Award for Best Wingman. 

It Finished But...

SHADOW (Thai Gaga) 14 eps - completed it's run. Reports are:

It's pretty good horror but not BL. Ending is unresolved.

Given that info and this review here, it's not for me. DNF

It's Airing But...

Behind the Shadows (Korea movie) - a historical I'm interested in (if it's BL) but have no idea how to find.

The Whisperer (Sun ????) 10 eps - Thai horror BL that ALSO involves cheating (what joy is mine). I don't think even the perfect single dimple can motivate me to watch. Word is... it's terrible.

7 Days Before Valentine (Weds WeTV) 10 eps - Giving me Luminous Solution vibes. I'm waiting to binge if it's safe.

Beyond The Star (Weds iQIYI) 8 eps - House of Stars meets Boyband. I was NOT impressed with ep 1. Been told I shouldn't bother.

What Did You Eat Yesterday Season 2 AKA Kinou Nani Tabeta? Season 2 (Japan Gaga) 10 eps - I find this series more fun to binge, so I'm waiting until after it completes its run next week.

Next Week Looks Like This

12/14 Dear Kitakyushu (Thai/Japan movie) in theaters in country only, I know nothing about distribution.

Still coming:

12/23 Dead Friend Forever (Thai horror) iQIYI

Original 2023 forthcoming BL master post (see comments, some are inaccurate, NOT KEPT UPDATED). With the end of the year upon us I'll do an "announced for 2023 but never happened list" soon.

THIS WEEK’S BEST MOMENTS

Of course I loved all the little language moments. I am here for the kinkification of phi.

That request for a shirt was v sexy phi+na. Thank you Jimmy.

Last Twilight bringing the pronoun and particle game to play hard.

It was a nice kiss. (Absolute Zero)

This as a perfunctory flirting kiss, I anticipate we still have The Kiss to come.

I love that Phaya's personality seems to be spin doctor, just accuse the boy of doing that you are already doing to him (or want him to do to you).

Boyfriend shirts!

And a meta reference.

The Sign is basically made for me.

(Last week)

[ninjastudioart]

50 Facts: Ninjago Au

1. The ninja are all college students, with their ages between 19-21. All of them aged normally as well

2. Wu, Garmadon, Misako, and Lloyd are all shinobi, not ninja. Ninja refer to the others, who are (in lack of better words) inaccurate and not based on much historical accuracy. Shinobi are based on actual ninja. The name difference is just there for viewers sake mostly. Shinobi are far better trained, but far less available then ninja

3. While Ninjago is largely based in Japanese culture, it is actually quite diverse, especially in Ninjago City. The main spoken language is actually english, but 70% of the population of the city can speak at least one other language

4. Elements are either passed down from parents, or gained when a master with no heir chooses someone before they die. If they die before choosing, the element will be passed on to a person deemed worthy

5. Of the main six, two are not full humans. One being Zane, who is a nindroid. The other is Lloyd, who is only 1/3 human, with the other parts equally split between Oni & Dragon

6. The drinking, smoking, driving, and consenting age in Ninjago is 18.

7. Despite its modern standing, Ninjago has an emperor and empress who control everything

8. Police officers are just low ranking samurai/retired samurai

9. Guns, bombs, and likewise weapons do not exist in Ninjago, at least not really. The only fire arms and bombs are based on real weapons available in fuedal Japan, as Ninjago puts little energy into designing weapons

10. Many diseases are either completely eradicated in Ninjago, or are curable.

11. The average lifespan for a human in Ninjago is 160-180. Once they reach 18 the aging slows down physically and you can have someone who's 100 looking like someone whos 50 in our world. This is due to both different versions of humans brought to the realm, and the magical undertone in Ninjago as a whole.

12. As a society, Ninjago is actually very open. Racism, sexism and homophobia were never allowed to become normalized, and the way things are made is very showing. This obviously doesn't apply everywhere, but it is largely the norm.

13. The separate areas in Ninjago are called districts, and they are less comparable to states and far more like countries. Ninjago itself is far more like a continent then a country. The emperial family rules over them all, but each place has some form of personal government

14. In terms of power, Ninjago has a hierarchy system: from top to bottom

Emperor & Empress

High-ranking officials(Shinobi/shogun)

Emperial Children/Family

Shogun

Shinobi

Samurai

District Leaders

Government Officials

15. To be a shinobi, shogun or samurai, you have to have started official training around the age of 2 (or whenever the child is able to walk independently.) Most members of these groups are born as the children of other members

16. As a shinobi, Lloyd directly kills enemies and villains. This is quite different from the other ninja, who usually just aim to harm

17. Shinobi typically function in clans, or shinobi raised closely together as a sort of family.

18. Ninjago is home to a variety of species, some from our world, some not. Some normal, some magic

19. The most common inhuman features in humans in Ninjago are pointed ears, fangs, deformed limbs (especially legs), and even small tails.

20. There are lots of "unnatural" hair and eyecolors in Ninjago that are perfectly normal in the realm

21. Despite being a society far in the future, nearly all the ninja fashion based in the past. 4 of them have 80s fashion, Nya has 90s, and Kai has a more vague look

22. None of the ninja are straight, and half of them are not cisgendered

23. The ninja are or will be in the following relationships

Lloyd x Kai

Nya x Jay

Cole x Seliel

Zane x Pixal

24. Shinobi work directly for the imperial family. While they can accept tasks for payment from other people, they serve the empire first. They cannot accept jobs that go against the empire, and are required to arrest/eradicate any who ask this of them

25. Shinobi may function as protectors or guardians, but they are trained as spies and assassins to work for the imperial families and usually function as such. They aren't paid by the empire, but get some nice job benefits so- They will use their skills for others for a high enough price

26. The "main" focus character for my au is Lloyd, at least at first lol. My au is literally called "The Son Of Garmadon", and it focuses alot on Lloyd and how he becomes one of the ninja (and their friend) and what that journey looked like

27. Garmadon was turned by the venom after managing to fight it off for years.

28. In my au Lloyd inherited some of the venom. Not enough to be like Garmadon, but enough to cause issues. Garmadon finding out 2 year old Lloyd had the venom is what made him feel the need to leave, which ended up weakening his mind enough to lose control.

29. Despite being 1/3 human, Lloyd largely acts more like his inhuman ancestors, as it sorta cancels out his human side

30. The ninja (minus Lloyd) were all friends, growing up together. Lloyd has only negative interactions with them leading up to him discovering he's the green ninja

31. Lloyd was bullied, harassed, and even "killed" due to mostly his father's actions. It was also due to him being in the wrong places, terrible luck, work as a shinobi, or even people thinking he was some monster

32. The "start" of the au's timeline happens during what I call the Revenge Arc. This time is when Lloyd stops letting people harm him and decides to essentially become what they fear. It was mostly a way for him to get people to leave him alone though, as fighting back and being an asshole meant less people hurt him

33. The first ninja to really try and make Lloyd one of the team was Kai, who regretted never standing up for Lloyd despite wanting to be his friend

34. Lloyd has more then one element, but in reality its more due to him having the golden power. He can use destruction, creation, and energy

35. Energy in my au is not truly a separate element despite being called so. Its really just a weakened and more controlled version of the Golden Power.

36. All the ninja have a variety of mental health issues, some they inherited and others they gained through trauma

37. Jay is transgender, and has had both bottom and top surgery. He was really depressed before transitioning, but doesn't have gender dysmorphia

38. Prostitution is legal in Ninjago, and the term pimp has far less negative connotations. They are basically just employers- (This is based on my own personal views, if you don't agree that's fine but don't be an ass)

39. Despite its modern stance humans do most jobs across Ninjago, with nindroids only being there if they work alongside humans

40. Mystake is a college professor who teaches history, and she owns a magic tea shop

41. Lloyd doesn't know Mystake when she starts working at the university he attends, but Mystake knows him :)

42. The ninja have the following jobs

•Lloyd: Bar/restaurant Waiter

•Kai: Stripper, prostitute, porn actor, drag queen

•Nya: Swim instructor, lifeguard, competitive swimmer

•Jay: Inventor(more of a hobby), gamer, streamer

•Zane: Professional chef, competitive snowboarder

•Cole: Personal trainer, competitive rock climber, Dj

43. While Nya lives with her parents, Kai lives in an apartment somewhere in Ninjago City. Only Skylor, his boss, and eventually Lloyd know where he lives.

44. The ninja are all in the same grades, Kai and Cole just joined school later on

45. Most of the ninja used to bully Lloyd, and they were pretty upset when Lloyd joined at first. Lloyd and Nya especially had issues, with Nya being the meanest to him and Lloyd hating her the most

46. Zane is the nurse/healer of the ninja, always having a first aid kit in his possession

47. At 17 Lloyd fell into the venoms control and joined his father, working with him for over six months. The ninja would learn his identity, as well as him learning theres.

48. At 18 the ninja blackmailed Lloyd with the fact he had worked for his father, and he spent his senior year being absolutely harrassed. The ninja would still reveal his identity before school ended, and Lloyd would end up jumping off the school roof on the last day.

49. Koko was not only the first non-elemental to work with the First Spinjitzu Master, but she was also the first non-elemental who became a shinobi

50. Koko was 20 when she started daying Garmadon, and they were 21 when they first married. She had Lloyd when she was 22, making her 41 at the start of the au's story line

[cocochannel00]

The Azoff Family: A Case Study on one of the Music Industry’s Most Connected Families

(ft. a breakdown of the Grammy voting process and problems)

This is very long so I will try and split it up into categories for everyone (sorry I got carried away- I spent like 2 hours writing this) but enjoy!

*Disclaimer: I want to preface while the majority of this is based in research, some parts may be speculation. I don’t know the family personally so I can’t tell you what goes on behind closed doors but I can tell you how parts of the entertainment/music industry work. I’ve had 5 internships in the industry (one in marketing at one of the big record labels) and the rest of my work is publicity (what I enjoy) and events and a former advisor used to run in the same circles as Irving Azoff (and he spilled some tea last year) I’m not out here to diminish the hard work of any artists or their teams, I’m simply here to showcase parts of the industry that aren’t always shown.*

Please also see: Story Time: How Fan Pages Directly Impact Columbia Records Decisions and Harry Styles Image

IRVING AZOFF: NEVER STOP THE GRIND

Let’s begin with the great business man himself Mr. Irving Azoff Irving Azoff is the literal posture child for connections and power in the music industry (he was also inducted into the 2020 rock and roll hall of fame class which is like a huge fucking deal for a manager to be inducted so you know he's the real deal)

In conclusion, I love Irving Azoff and his drive.

Irving Azoff: Early Years Run Down:

He came up middle class (dad was a pharmacist, mom a bookkeeper) in Danville, Illinois

He dropped out of college to run a small Midwestern concert-booking empire and managed local acts in the era

Opportunity came knocking and he got the chance to manage the Eagles and the rest is history

He's one of the best negotiators and has negotiated business on behalf of stars like Stevie Nicks, the Eagles, and Jimmy Buffet

Azoff has been an incredible manager and his drive to always advocate for his clients while basically not giving two sh*ts about what people think of him has gotten him the incredible reputation he has today.

All of Irving Azoff’s Major Job Positions:

Former President MCA (major label)

Former CEO of Ticketmaster and executive chairman of Live Nation Entertainment, the behemoth formed from Ticketmaster’s merger with Live Nation.

In 2013 he and Cablevision Systems Corp. CEO and New York Knicks owner James Dolan formed a partnership, Azoff MSG Entertainment (Currently still CEO)

----> Azoff also ran the Forum in Inglewood under Azoff MSG Entertainment after MSG purchased it in 2012 (it was sold in 2020 to the owner of the Clippers) — why do you think Harry played the forum for the Fine Line show? Azoff connection

Azoff MSG Entertainment encompasses all of the other companies including Full Stop Management, Global Music Rights (performance-rights org), and the Oak View Group (arena developing company)

He also is the co-founder and manager of the lobbying group Music Artists Coalition, a group that helps lobby for artists-rights issues such as royalty rates, copyright issue and healthcare insurance (see he's not all bad)

Essentially what I'm getting at is this man knows anybody who's anybody. He's the man you want on your team to help promote your music, plan your tour, and get you on that Grammy nom list.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

JEFFREY AZOFF: THE CHILD OF NEPOTISM

So for those of you that don't know, Jeffery Azoff is Harry's current manager and the son of Irving Azoff (the third of four kids). He's currently a partner at Full Stop Management, the company owned by Irving and the one artists such as Harry, Haim, the Eagles, Kings of Leon, and Meghan Trainer are signed to.

Jeffrey graduated from the University of Colorado's Leeds School of Business and started working fresh out of college at his father's old Management company (Frontline Management) working under Maroon 5's manager Jordan Feldstein (the only way you get that kind of internship/job as a 21 year old fresh out of college is if your family or family friends gives it to you). He worked here for 5 years.

Direct Quote from Irving Azoff to Jeffrey (really tells you a lot): "Listen carefully, because I’m going to say this one time. You have a phone and you have my last name. If you can’t figure it out, you’re not my son."

After working for his father, Jeffrey moved on to the talent agency CAA (Creative Artist Agency) where he worked for roughly 3 and half years before joining his dad in forming Full Stop Management in 2016.

While he was at CAA, Irving moved over clients like Christina Aguilera and the Eagles to the talent agency to help with tour booking instead of doing it internally through LiveNation (he was CEO).

Even though I'm sure Jeff has had to work somewhat hard to get to where he is (or at least to mess up his dad's work as he doesn't seem like the type to take laziness well), the door into the industry and every job was basically handed to him on a silver platter.

Not to mention if you watch episodes of keeping up with the  kardashians (like myself) you can actually see Jeff hanging out with kendall and the rest of the fam at their Palm Springs house (you know you're a nepotism kid if you have an in with the Kardashian crew). Invite me next time Jeffrey!!!

Think of the Azoff's as the mafia family of the music industry, you don't mess with the mafia

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

THE GRAMMY AWARDS: STUDENT COUNCIL ELECTIONS ON STEROIDS

Ok so here's where we’re going to get into a bit more of the speculation/grey area. I don't need to tell you that award shows are corrupt (See the Golden Globes Emily in Paris scandal) and the Grammys are not an exception. Think of the Grammys as one big student council/government elections where despite the fact the teachers tell you six times to vote for the best candidate, you're still going to vote for your friends even if they aren't the best.

A simplified break-down of Grammy voting:

1) Recording Academy voting members (artists, producers, musicians- anyone involved first hand with the creation of music; All voting members must have been producers, performers or engineers on six or more tracks of a commercially released album (or 12 or more digital tracks) and record labels will submit nominations in various categories to the grammys (songs need to be released commercially between October 1 of the previous year and September 30th of this year). You can also become a voting member by either winning a grammy or being endorsed by a current voting member (hint hint)

2) Once received, the recording academy with have the academy of trustees and its reviewers organize them and approve any changes to the 30 categories/fields (aka they can add new categories or remove old ones; so no best ukulele album of the year -- this is where things get funky)

There's speculation that during this stage when these special groups of 8-10 people are organizing genres, there's an "unwritten rule" that you need to be careful what album you green light (especially for famous artists) if you don't want them to win) (Rob Kenner said this- he used to be on one of these committees). Famous people tend to get more votes from clueless or lay Academy members that don't know the specialized categories or don't care enough to listen to songs that aren't radio trending.

3) After the nominations occur, Voting members begin their first voting. Members can vote for the four general categories of record of the year, album of the year, song of the year and best new artist and a maximum of 15 categories, all within their areas of expertise. Now the interesting thing is that while these are the guidelines there is literally nothing stopping them from voting in whatever categories they want (i.g. a rapper voting in the opera category despite not listening to opera). Theses ballots are all tallied and the top 20 entries are determined in each category (funky moment #2)

In 12 of the 84 categories those top 20 go to the ballot and it's done; for the rest it’s not like that. 59 categories including the big four go to a "nomination review committees" (identities are protected so they can't get lobbied... sure) who take a look at the top 20 and narrow it down to 7 or 8. (these are the special committees the Weekend talked about when he was snubbed). They're supposed to choose the nominees "based solely on the artistic and technical merits of the eligible recordings" which lets be real if that was the case Watermelon Sugar (along with most of the others in the category) I don't think would have been nomimated as they are very generic pop (none of them are special... sorry to the WM lovers out there).

This committee is basically held to THE HONOR CODE SYSTEM... I mean tell me when the last time the honor code system worked in literally any scenario (literally wtf). Don't take my word for it though the former CEO of the Academy Deborah Dugan (a queen) filed a complaint against the Recording Academy basically claiming that the nomination review process was rigged (she was fired after 5 months on the job).

Quote from Deborah Dugan "Members of the board [of trustees] and the secret committees chose artists with whom they have personal or business relationships... It is not unusual for artists who have relationships with Board members and who ranked at the bottom of the initial 20-artist list to end up receiving nominations."

These review committees can also exploit there power by adding up to two nominees that don't appear on the top 20 list to the final voting ballot (except in the 4 big categories - which watermelon sugar that one wasn't nominated for)

They also have craft committees for like non performance stuff (like album notes, engineering and arranging) that don't even get voted on by the academy voting members

4) After all of that fucked up mess, the grammy's decided is ok, the ballots go back to the voting members for the final vote. Deloitte (an accounting firm) then counts all of them, seals them in envelopes, and delivers them to the Grammy award show.

** The Grammy's just announced this year they're removing the "secret committees" so let's see how things shift in the next couple of years**

So obviously I'm not saying this to discredit Harry's nomination or his win as Fine Line was in the US top 20 albums for the majority of 2020, however, we must acknowledge privilege. Harry has a big name to him and a huge following, and while all of that shouldn't be taken into account, it does. He also has the Azoffs, a very well connected family with friends in lots of places that would be able to put in a good word here and there to get support behind Harry. Harry won best pop solo performance for Watermelon Sugar in a category with Doja Cat, Justin Bieber, Billie Eilish, Taylor Swift, and Dua Lipa. Look at the names there, the songs (ya'll can try and remember them cause I'm too lazy to write it out) and tell me that those top names with all of the music produced didn't get there through some connections.

Do with all this information what you will and if you are interested in learning more about the entertainment industry on your own Endeavor (owners of WME, a big talent agency like CAA) is hosting a free online program called the Excellence Program to help guide the future generation of industry executives. The program is a-synchronous and starts on July 12th. Highly recommend giving it a go if you're interested!!!

Alright ya'll that's it. Feel free to message me with your thoughts!

Extra Sources if you'd like to read:

https://www.vice.com/en/article/pkdndn/how-grammys-voting-actually-works-and-where-the-alleged-corruption-lies

https://www.grammy.com/grammys/awards/voting-process

https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/music/story/2020-11-05/irving-azoff-eagles-manager

https://celebrityaccess.com/caarchive/jeffrey-azoff-exits-caa-to-launch-new-management-company/

https://www.rollingstone.com/pro/features/grammy-awards-secret-committees-945532/

https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/grammy-awards-eliminate-secret-committees-voting-changes-1163887/

[cinlat]

Get to know the blogger

I was tagged by @starknstarwars and so sorry that I’m just now getting around to this.

No pressure tags for: @dimigex @kunoichi-ume @jlsigman @chaosandwonder @rainofaugustsith  and anyone else who would like to join in!

1. Why did you choose your url?

Cinlat was the name of a character that I created back in highschool, a side character with no real weight to the plot. After multiple attempts at clever names while joining swtor, I got annoyed and tossed her name in and it was accepted. Afterward, I used it for everything else because it’s always available. THEN she became a prominent character in my main fic mostly by accident.

2. Any sideblogs?

I have one dedicated solely to reblogging writing tips. It has 7 followers. That’s probably including me. Then I also run Reignbow’s blog because she still too young for social media, but her art is too good not to share. So if interested, you can find her @reignbow

3. How long have you been on tumblr?

*goes to ask @dimigex* She says 2016, so we’ll go with that since it’s her fault that I’m here.

4. Why did you originally start your blog?

Because Dimi dragged me here, kicking and screaming. But legit, she suggested that I share my writing projects with people other than just her, and that’s how Fynta blasted her way into the hearts of all of you fine people.

5. Why did you choose your icon?

Those boys are the two most important people in Fynta’s life, and I think @dingoat did an amazing job capturing each of their personalities. It’s such a pure and wholesome representation of my favorite people.

6. Why did you choose your header?

It’s funny that this question comes right after I changed it from the group portrait of Fynta and her family. I’ve been back into ffxiv for a while now, and while Isashi has been my main since 2015, I had to make a final fantasy version of Fynta because, well, it’s Fynta. Naturally, Fynta started adopting people the moment she set foot in Eorzea. She decided that Isashi needed to lighten up, which dragged Kirin into the group, and Lukos is mostly there unwillingly but has no where else to go. Thus, they are now The Gang, because Final Fynta said so. Anyway, I spend about two hours putting that shot together and it turned out too good not to share.

7. What is your post with the most notes?

I genuinely have no idea how to find this information. Feel free to teach me in the replies.

8. How many mutuals do you have?

This questionnaire has taken a turn towards math and I’m not sure how I feel about that.

9. How many followers do you have?

Okay, this one I know how to find. 422. Look at me knowing things.

10. How many blogs do you follow?

303...I legit thought it was more than that.

11. Have you ever made a shitpost?

Not intentionally.

12. How many times do you use tumblr a day?

Given that this is basically the only social media site that I visit....a lot....I’m not even sorry.

13. Have you ever fought another blog?

Nope.

14. How do you feel about “need to reblog” posts?

I am not great about reblogging, ngl. If it’s a close friend/mutual I’m more likely to. Or if it’s something I think my mutuals will find as amusing as I do. Otherwise I mostly just yell about my ocs/gaming/writing with my friends and then yell about theirs too. I very rarely, if ever, reblog political/religious stuff simply because that’s just not what I’m on this site for specifically.

15. Do you like tag games?

I definitely do, though I’m terrible about getting them done in a timely manner. But, thankfully, people keep tagging me. Thanks all!

16. Do you like ask games?

I definitely enjoy those too, with the same results as above.

17. Which of your mutuals do you think are tumblr famous?

That’s really tough, actually. I follow so many talented authors and artists. I’ve got to agree with @starknstarwars about @sleepswithvillains being one of them. Also @riajade01 thievinghippo, moonlitalien, thegarbagechute and @dingoat is starting to climb those ranks too. Just off the top of my head. (I’m not going to tag them all because I don’t actively talk with several and have no idea how they feel about random tagging, but you should absolutely check out their blogs.)

18. Do you have a crush on a mutual?

Nah, I’m too old for crushes. XD. I’ve made some genuine friendships though.

[eveningstar1516]

Rise of the Demon King ~ Chapter 2

Rise of the Demon King

Fic: Multi Chapter Paring: MC x Everyone (Mostly Lucifer) Type: Angst with a Happy Ending Total Word Count: 26,758 TW: Major Character Death, Reader gets stabbed with a sword through their chest so..., Abusive Parents, Past Child Abuse, Demon Hunters, Loss of Control Summary: You’ve done it. You’ve finally done it. You’ve managed to anger the demon king. Now you hold your head high as he hands down your sentence.

AO3 Portal: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27065362

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Previously:

“Alright. Sorry, Solomon, I’ll see you tonight right?”

“Of course. See you tonight.”

With that, he said his goodbyes to both Barbatos and I, then left. I took a deep breath and followed Barb into the palace.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

CHAPTER 2 - Meeting the King (1,626 words)

“Barb?”

“Yes?”

“Why does the king want to see me?”

“Honestly I’m not sure..”

“Umm, what’s he like? I’m a little scared of meeting him.”

Barbatos turns to me cupping my cheek gently as if to reassure me.

“Honestly, he looks scarier than he really is. You don’t have any reason to be nervous. He may not be like Lord Diavolo but all he requires is for you to be respectful. I have the utmost confidence that you will be just fine. It’s not just you by yourself either, the brothers, as well as my Lord and I, will also be present.”

“Thank you Barb” I gently leaned into his hand cupping it with my own.

“As long as the rest of you are with me, I’ll be fine.” A small smile formed on my face as he let go and continued walking. We stopped in front of the west sitting room. After knocking twice Barbatos let us in. The king sat on a raised dais. Diavolo was kneeling on a cushion to his right. Lucifer was on his right with the brothers sitting in accordance to their rank with a spot free in the center. Not really knowing what to do, I decided to bow from the waist and address the king.

“Your Highness”

“Sit”

“Thank you your Highness” I walked over and knelt down mimicking the brothers' postures best I could with my gaze respectfully lowered as the king began speaking.

“Y/N, correct?”

“Yes my king.”

“I have heard a great deal about you from both my son and his Lords. Tell me Y/N, what makes you, a human with little talent for magic so special?”

Taking a breath, I thought about it for a little. Thought about how the brothers were when we first met. How overtime each one of them started to warm up to me. I thought about Mammon and the schemes we pulled off together. The all-nighters Levi and I would pull when he found a new game or anime to binge. The countless hours I would spend reading with Satan and the book talks we had afterwards. The spa days I’d have with Asmo. The number of times I’d try to stop Beel from raiding the fridge only to join him instead. The strange places I’d find Belphie napping and trying to get him to move, only to end up being pulled down and start napping alongside him. The endless genuinely terrible but always-proved-to-be-a-fun-time ideas I humoured Dia with. The times where Barb would make time to teach me how to make different Devildom desserts. How Lu started out being so cold. Only caring about me because I was Diavolo’s exchange student. Now though, he learned to accept me into his family. The late-night talks we had in his study, watching the fire and talking about everything and nothing. Our time to unwind. Away from his brothers. Away from Diavolo’s crazy ideas. Away from our responsibilities. Just Lucifer the demon and me, Y/N, the human who managed to wind their way into the hearts of 9 of the most powerful demons in the Devildom. Meeting the eyes of each of the demons in the room, I turned to the king.

“I’m not. I’m not special because of any abilities that I may have, or how strong I am as the weaker species. I’m nothing more than a human who was thrust into the world of demons, over time connecting with them and accepting them as the demons they are. As a family I never had and over time, they accepted me as well. Not as a weak human, but as the human that accepted them not for their status or power but for their personalities and love for each other. I’m not special, I just accepted them for who they are, flaws and all.” After I finished speaking I looked at each of the brothers noticing that some of them had tears in their eyes. Asmo who was seated next to me threw his arms around my shoulders in a hug. Dia looked so happy I thought he’d jump up and hug me at any moment, and Barb had the most genuine smile I’ve ever seen on him. I then turned back to the king.

“It seems you’ve made quite the impact here during your short time in the Devildom. I can’t say I approve of my strongest demons turning soft for a human, although it seems I can’t do much about that seeing as how you are pacted with 7 of them correct?” The king questioned with a hard look in his eyes.

“Y-yes that is true. I have made pacts with the 7 brothers.” I replied tentatively. At once, the atmosphere in the room seemed to change. The temperature dropped and the king was emitting a very strong aura. Had I not been used to Lucifers or Diavolo's aura’s whenever they would get upset I might have fainted from the king’s. Instead, I just felt a cold shiver and the gravity alter ever so slightly. Looking at the brothers, I realized they all had a look between fear and dread for what might happen next.

“Tell me Y/N, why should I allow you, a mere human to hold such power over 7 of my most powerful demons?”

“Father, there is no need for this. Those pacts were made with the consent of the brothers. They weren’t forced into them and Y/N has never abused them. They serve as protection for them and the symbol of a deep bond between them and the brothers. There isn’t a reason to -”

“Silence Diavolo. I have humoured you by allowing this program of yours. However, we are still demons. It doesn’t matter how things are now, humans have no place here nor do they have a right to hold this much power over this many powerful individuals. It doesn’t matter to me how close this human is to you or the Lords. In my eyes, the power they have pose a threat to the crown and the Devildom. I did not raise you to be soft hearted to something so weak!”

My face paled and I started feeling lightheaded at the implications of the king's words. Diavolo visibly winced at those words. Asmo held onto my hand a little tighter and before the king could continue, Mammon spoke up with a look of disdain on his face.

“With all due respect your Highness, none of that is true! Y/N may just be a human but that doesn’t mean they're a threat!” Lucifer immediately interjected, reeling Mammon in trying to save his brother before he dug the hole even deeper.

“My apologies your Highness. Mammon can get quite protective over Y/N. I assure you he won’t speak out of turn again.” The king narrowed his eyes at Lucifer then Mammon as if he was debating whether or whether not to punish them both here and now. Eventually, he turned back to me.

“Your pacts with the brothers will be dissolved and you will not be allowed back into the Devildom. I am showing you mercy and allowing you to keep one pact as the brothers have claimed your soul and they are entitled to at least that much. Be grateful that I’m allowing you to leave with your life at all.” He stared right through me as he said those words watching my expression change with his words. It’s as if a switch got flipped and every brother lost it while Diavolo and Barbatos looked at the scene then each other in what can only be described as impending horror.

“ABSOLUTELY NOT!”

“YOU CAN’T DO THAT!”

“WE MADE THOSE PACTS, YOU CAN’T TAKE THEM AWAY!”

“THEY CAN’T LEAVE!”

“NO WAY!”

Each of the brothers save for Lucifer who’s also looking at the scene in shock started yelling out trying to protect me.

“My Liege, the bonds we made with Y/N were our choice and we trust them with it. They have helped all of us time and time again. We cannot ju-”

“Enough” I activated my pacts and silenced him and the rest of the brothers with a whisper. I looked directly into the king's eyes.

“I won’t be dissolving my pacts. They were forged out of love and loyalty. I will not let them go unless they do first. They may be your Lords but they are my family. I will not be leaving them nor will I choose one over the rest. These bonds are our choice and not once have I ever abused them. It is as Lord Diavolo said, they represent the deep bonds I have made with each of them and no one can get rid of them!” I stared at the king with the most hardened gaze I could muster as I protected the brothers. “They are my family and you can not separate us!”

“Y/N…” Asmo said in disbelief as he wrapped his arms around me burying his face into my neck as the rest of the brothers slowly made their way over to me.

“Y/N is right. They became a part of our family. The pacts symbolize our deep bonds, ones that we will never break.” Satan said calmly though anyone who knew him would know he was anything but. The king smiled though it was anything but comforting as he slowly stood. Diavolo and Barbatos slowly backed up in shock.

“It seems you 7 forgot that you don’t dictate what goes on here. You are but a guest to the Devildom and the Sins, my subjects. MAKE NO MISTAKE! I AM YOUR KING AND YOU LOT ARE NOTHING!”