#He's more of a romantic in that sense lol

[scrumptiousstuffs]

Hey, I've been following you for a long time now and I've never seen you complain or rant about literally anything but I genuinely wanted to ask your honest opinion about how you felt about episode 11 of thk like yes it was emotional but I'm asking you in terms of writing and directing side like Idk why it felt rushed and I'm a firstkhao fan so for me specially their scenes felt cut short with no problem dialogues given to them and that child intercepting them was it really needed?? It was the last 2nd episode more than that the whole day was really meaningful for them considering they will literally get to spend time together after 5 freaking years !! I know I'm sounding like a child complaining about such things but we have only an episode left and I feel like we still need 3-4 episodes considering the teaser they showed for the next episode!! Okay okay I'm done with my rant but really tell me how do you stay this positive regarding fk specially

Hello Anon, Welcome to my humble abode of me fangirling over FirstKhaotung, I guess? I am quite bemused that you (or anyone really) can follow my rambling mess.

Anyway, getting back to your asked – I can see you are somehow frustrated and perhaps a tad disappointed with the “lesser screen time” for KantBison compared to FadelStyle?

Writing and Directing for THK Ep 11 (and THK in general)

I won’t pretend I know anything about what is considered good screenwriting/script or directing. I will also admit that there are several things that I am puzzled by in THK. Certainly, there are some weak characterisations and general plot lines that sometimes doesn’t make sense. E.g – Captain Christ being able to promise only 5 years in prison sentence (my eyebrows shot up when he said that lol). And what about the whole Kant having Madam Lilly on tape doing villainy-stuffs – how? Did she really keep her own villainous act on tape – because I am assuming those evidence was the one Keen got for the boys at the beginning of the episode). Or perhaps we are just meant to use our media literacy skills and connect the dots that the tape is likely from Ruerat (which the brothers have successfully hidden him somewhere for the last few days until he is conveniently needed as a leeway for Captain Christ to “help” our besties). Plus, Captain Christ just letting Kant/Style getting away when they are complicit in helping our pair of hitmen.

So, like I say, plot holes. And let’s be honest, The Heart Killers as a series were never going to be an award-winning show per se (unlike P’Aof series that has now won his 3rd? consecutive best BL series in award shows. And judging from fan reactions of Gem4th upcoming series with him, he will have another winner on hand). But see, P’Aof shows have never quite hit the mark for me (I liked ATOS, Bad Buddy enough – we don’t speak about Last Twilight in my blog lol – as far as I am aware, that show ended in Ep 10).

However, what I am feeling when I watched Jojo’s series… is me being entertained every week (even when I am crying buckets in some scenes). And this is especially true with The Heart Killers. From the start, he has made it clear the genre is romantic comedy. He also made it clear the show is the “fantasy of how gay hitmen lives”. Just from that, I know the show will not take itself too seriously.  

Plus, if you know P’ Jojo CVs, you kinda know what to expect with his series – and I will sum it up as expect the unexpected and plot twists. 3WBF – Jennie’ partner died at the end. OF – Sand kissing Nick/Top. So, I was prepared for anything when the official THK trailer drop. When I saw the BDSM scene for example – many people were disappointed it wasn’t a “true” BDSM scene. But I personally think it added to the narrative because it showed the distrust between the 2 of them. Of course, it will be amazing for us to have another scene that will show what a BDSM with 2 partner who trust each other will be like. However, I am already impressed by how Jojo (and FirstKhaotung) successfully introduced the concept of safe word/basic BDSM etiquette to the largely conservative Thai audience (and while THK won legions of international fans, I am again reminding people when directors/Thai production houses produced BL shows, it is first and foremost catered for Thai audiences). Or what about the way the safe word is later used in a different, non-sexual manner between KantBison – this to me, gives depth (and again, unexpected twist!) to the writing of the show.

As for Ep 11 specifically – I think there were again some parts that can be improved but overall, it is a wonderful episode that contrast beautifully between our 2 couples while also highlighting how our 4 boys have stayed true to their characters. If there is one thing I am impressed about the script, it is how our 4 main characters stayed true to their inner personality even as we see them blossom once they fall in love. You talked about how KantBison scenes appear truncated, and they didn’t have in depth “problems” dialogues when compared to FadelStyle scenes. See, part of the “problems dialogues” as you mentioned have already been addressed during their stay in Bison’s island – in fact, I will argue Ep 8-9 were particularly focusing on those – from Kant/Bison talking about their trauma and fear, their family members/ the past and what they wished for their futures. However, we didn’t get this from FadelStyle Ep 8-9 (their scenes took a comedic tone to off set the heaviness in KantBison scenes). By end of Ep 9, Fadel’s past remains a mystery (we don’t even know much about his parents/past beyond he had an ex, which he finally told Style about).

So, I am not surprised the scenes for Fadelstyle in Ep 10-11 appears “heavier” when compared to KantBison who are now largely on the same page. We still got amazing scenes like KantBison sweet date in the rock/space museum (and again them continuing to learn about each other – Bison is into astronomy while Kant loves history and archaeology – and isn’t it poetic one loves the sky & stars while the other is rooted to the ground?). The “almost proposal scene” was sweet and yes, it is slightly irritating we have our young interloper (Oskar, you are doing great honey!) killing the mood – I think Jojo meant it as the comedic tone to cut the heaviness in FadelStyle scenes who is finally opening up to Style about how he felt about himself (the self-loathing from Fadel, the way he calmly just told Style – ‘that’s my headstone when I die’ or him telling Style why he goes to the support group meetings etc.)

And it stays true to the boys’ nature – Kant choosing Bison’s date to be lighter and fun because out of the 4 of them, Bison is the more childlike and naïve (him being hitman doesn’t change that). Similarly, it stays true to Fadel’s nature that he chooses to bring Style to his pre-dug graveyard and support group place (or being more physical – like the paintball scene, which is also a nod to the scene in 10 Things I hate about You).

And let me bring even more parallel between the 2 couples:

KantBison heartfelt conversation when Bison talked about the MilkyWay followed by Kant saying he will name a star for Bison so that the latter will be reminded of him. While Bison then softly said he just wants to be in Kant’s heart followed by the scene of them exchanging tattoos (plus Kant saying – The story of you and me will be etched on my skin forever) – that is the equivalent of them exchanging wedding vows and rings (the rings being the penguin/puffins tattoos – did you know penguin/puffins mate for life? I only learn of this fact 😂, and I find it romantic the boys chose them as their matching tattoos. Plus penguin is the safe word for Kant, I’m sure he has also associated it with home)

Similarly, the FadelStyle scene of them cooking together (with Fadel professing he wants to do something he loves with Style) and them having their last dinner meal together through tears – with Style stating he will never forget the taste of the burger. Style narrating the things he will never forget about Fadel – from being shot on the run together to them kissing each other in the sea (doesn’t that read to you like wedding vows a spouse will say before saying “I do”?). Them feeding each other their burgers is the equivalent of them feeding each other wedding cake.

And while you didn’t specifically mention this, I am also very appreciative of the scenes we have of Kant and Style – it really highlights how they are not just besties, but also brothers. The way they beautifully cornered Lilly (Kant/Style looked flawless in those outfits) to them both finding ways to have the upper hand of Captain Christ as a backup plan (Style by making the fake passports while Kant staying true to his nature – slyly obtaining blackmailed material of the captain – and it’s quite telling isn’t it even with them asking for the Captain’s help, both of them instinctively do not trust him, hehe).  Personally, my favourite scene for the whole episode is Style breaking apart in Kant’s arms while Kant is trying hard to hold it together when his heart is also shattered into pieces while their loves ones are taken to prison.

Teaser for Finale/Ep 12 and what I expect to see

Also, anon – we still have EP 12. Not only are we getting our unhinged besties volunteering in prison (unexpected twist by Jojo again!) – I am hoping we will have sex scenes from all 4 boys (or at least heavy make out scenes lol), but one of the assistant director that usually post BTS of the show actually mentioned there are so many BTS photos of FK he wants to put but he could only do so during the finale (which kind of hint that we are getting good scenes from them!)

Plus, Khaotung mentioned in the recent fanmeet, he/First will be slow dancing on stage (and don’t we have the BTS footage of our couples slow dancing in the series)?

Also, don’t forget, we still haven’t got the “sweet scene” of our boys (in their boxers) in Kant’s bed (both Jojo and First confirmed there is another scene on that bed)

Bonus if I can get actual proposals/weddings but otherwise, I will take what we have from Ep 11 as them being married, and they just need to make it official once they are out of prison.

As for your comment on THK will benefit from another 3-4 episodes – look, in general, I think most Thai BLs can benefit from more episodes (The Eclipse was meant to have 14 episodes but due to budget constraint, they had to make do with 12). That’s the reality, while the quality of Thai BLs are improving over time – compared to mainstream media in Thai (we won’t even mentioned Western media), the budgets for Thai BLs/queer media in general are limited. Even more so for the show that Jojo tends to produce. Did you realise his shows doesn’t have or very limited sponsors? (for example, we don’t see Lay chips/Oishi Teas or the boys blatantly putting on sunscreens to “promote” the sponsors of the shows?). And for that, I will forgive some inconsistencies, sloppiness and plot holes because they don’t have bottomless budgets.

***I am going to put here – when Cat for Cash starts airing – see people start complaining about the “ads/sponsors” being on blatant displays during the show when its those ads that supplement the budget for the show

Staying positive regarding FK (and BL world in general)

So, I’m not sure your last sentence has more meaning than just FK general presence in THK? Are you perhaps alluding to fans in Twitter crying war with how jobless FK is when compared to other GMTMV CPs? Or how they don’t have a reality TV show of their own? Or brand sponsorships? Or how Somsoms are not pulling their weight on trending on Twitter? (if you are, well – I have my own thoughts/views of this particular matter, which I am not going to elaborate in this ask).

But, if you are asking how I stay positive in general, I made a promise to myself – if I really dislikes something, I will give myself 24 hours before writing/saying anything I will regret🫣. And most of the time, the things I am angry about just seems trivial after that. I also block a lot of users who are just blatantly prejudice against Thai BL (ok, in general, GMMTV productions) – if you have been in the tumblr long enough, you will know a specific group that should not be named (they are my Voldemort) who prided themselves as unbiased “academics” and write long meta essays that frankly highlights their biases even more.

I also work in the medical field – and well, having to deal with anxious (sometimes very angry) patients/family members means I have abundance of patience (and when I ran out of them, I know it times for me take a holiday 😅)

Anyway, I am always reminded that we consume media for fun – don’t take things so seriously. And personally, FK being their lovely self on social media is enough to make me happy. They have never expressed any hatred/criticism towards their work/GMMTV. I also think it is quite telling that none of the Thai fans have mentioned any dissatisfaction with the scenes we have of FK or series, so far?

(Can’t resist putting up our KantBison pictures hehe)

[pinkocowboy]

omg yes ! i think orin’s wanting validation by validating people he doesn’t actually care about is so interesting when we think about avril. i never considered them being linked wherein that orin’s affirmation mirrors avril’s affirming her own morality but it makes a lot of sense. i like how you’ve interpreted orin’s selfishness as a justification for the lack of control he’s had in his formative years due in part to the moms (unless i misinterpreted what you’ve said; highlight likely), but it’s also interesting because he was a prick even as a kid LOL, for example picking on mario or the s. johnson incident. in these cases, i believe he may have wanted validation in a way that actually punished him. btw, you’re totally right about hal and orin both fundamentally needing to sort of prove themselves, just in different ways. joelle is a really heartbreaking character and i also wish we got more of that !

the paragraph after the one i quoted says:

“(This is why, maybe, one Subject is never enough, why hand after hand must descend to pull him back from the endless fall. For were there for him just one, now, special and only, the One would be not he or she but what was between them, the obliterating trinity of You and I into We. Orin felt that once and has never recovered, and will never again.)”

pleasing women saves him from an “endless fall.” god they’re so tragic. </3 i think it’s cool here that orin doesn’t really love people so much as he loves what’s “between them.” following this paragraph it says he needs the model, therefore he fears her and hates her because he hates feeling like he must please her. circling back to the whole punishment thing and what you’ve said about paradoxes, orin is, like, both validating and torturing himself at the same time. when i was reading your reblog (thank you for this !!!) i was wondering why orin actually broke up with joelle. i mean, he knew there was nothing going on with her and JOI, and i don’t think it was because of her physical disfigurement (still ambiguous) as the quote above shows he doesn’t really value physicality over bonding, so maybe it’s just because she was unhappy, ergo he was unhappy because he didn’t know how to validate her. idk. it was SUCH an interesting break from the pattern and thank you for pointing that out but i guess the book’s whole deal is that you don’t break patterns, ya just internalize them and hate yourself. :P

i also really like what you’ve said about sex in general, because now that i think about it, you’re right; sex in infinite jest is never really erotic or romantic, even. it’s mostly violent and vomit-inducing (not to mention incestuous more times than i can count lol). makes me ponder more of the structural aspects of the book.

i also don’t remember infinite jest very well even though i literally read it in the past year, so yeah, don’t sweat it… maybe everything i’m saying is completely wrong but i wouldn’t know. thank you for the reblog ! :-))))))) <3 if you or someone else wants to jump in and tell me i should read the book again because i clearly wasn’t paying attention the first time through, please do—i take no offense !

“They have shifted into a sexual mode. Her lids flutter; his close. There's a concentrated tactile languor. She is left-handed. It is not about consolation. They start the thing with each other's buttons. It is not about conquest or forced capture. It is not about glands or instincts or the split-second shiver and clench of leaving yourself; nor about love or about whose love you deep-down desire, by whom you feel betrayed. Not and never love, which kills what needs it. It feels to the punter rather to be about hope, an immense, wide-as-the-sky hope of finding a something in each Subject's fluttering face, a something the same that will propitiate hope, somehow, pay its tribute, the need to be assured that for a moment he has her, now has won her as if from someone or something else, something other than he, but that he has her and is what she sees and all she sees, that it is not conquest but surrender, that he is both offense and defense…”

[sysig]

Horti-cultural differences (Patreon)

[turtleblogatlast]

Don’t think I ever quite said what my LGBTQ+ headcanons are for the boys, so these are my current thoughts! Always changing of course but this is what I feel most strongly right now.

[swanoel-art]

oh benefactor~

[aroaessidhe]

2024 reads / storygraph

Asunder

slow-paced high fantasy

a woman who has a contract with an eldritch entity allowing her to see the dead & survives by taking various jobs

when a job searching for stranded smugglers in a cave goes wrong, she ends up with the soul of a dying stranger bound to her shadow

along with a scholar and her old childhood friend, they travel to his home country to find a way to unbind him and save them both

dark fantasy world with gods, demonic entities, arcane magic, and semi-sentient beasts used as transport

[luckiestplant]

do you guys understand the vision

[insufferablemod]

hmm realizing that the ship i like properly Ship the most is probably arasol...

[alfhildr-the-word-weaver]

I got thinking too much about Marwa from What We Do in the Shadows again and how she was canonically making observations of Jupiter and Saturn in the 1200s. Then I thought about how Elena took Damon to go watch a meteor shower, and I decided that Marwa and Elena should get away from all the vampire drama B.S. in their lives and go nerd out about astronomy together, and this moodboard sort of happened. I also thought about how Elena becomes a doctor and went ah, they are both women in STEM! So I ran with that as a theme too.

But yeah, Marwa needs a friend who will actually support her interests and engage with her intellectually (no shade to Nadja and the Guide, I'm glad they had a fun weekend watching Mamma Mia together which was literally the only time we got to actually see Marwa happy onscreen, but they have never demonstrated much interest in science that I can recall and I want Marwa to have an astronomy buddy), and I think Elena would be fascinated by her and her perspectives on astronomy from centuries ago, and they could learn about modern astronomical advances together. If I find the time and energy I might even write fic about it, but for now, here is a moodboard so that we can all bask in the vibes of my beautiful crossover vision together.

Image sources: x x x / x (the first frame of x gif + a screenshot from x) x / x + x x x

[essekthelysssideblog]

My hot take is I don't think Essek realized he had any kind of attraction Caleb until the Traveller Con arc, and even then I don't think he necessarily would have thought of it as romantic. I think this because Essek hanging around the ship in episodes 98-99 does not react in any specific way with Caleb, but by the time we see him again at the outpost he can't make eye contact with Caleb.

I think part of his processing between those times was developing a sense of shame and a desire to be better-- other people have talked about how much Essek shifted between those two appearances-- and part of those realizations was also the realization that Caleb did something remarkable in reaching out to him that day. Remarkable in a way that enhances the shame, hence no eye contact next time they meet, but also made him realize that Caleb was special to him.

[billdenbrough]

i’m not personally interested in any romantic combination of the kevin-thea-jean situation (but i do think thea makes the most sense in terms of canon endings with kevin) but i am so completely fascinated by the three of them as like. this is someone who lived through a hivemind with me. this is someone who understands what this life was. here is someone who knows ravens, knows the nest, knows the person i once was and will never fully shake. here is someone who was forged in that fire with me, even if beat with a different hammer, made into a different shape, held onto a different thing to get through. and now, here is someone i can’t look at directly, not always. or maybe i can, but i don’t recognise them completely anymore.

like. there is something so completely captivating about them as a trio of people making life after the ravens, after riko, after all their entirely different experiences of the same place, but the same core truths recognised by all of them. kevin was not at risk from riko (until he was), but he could see it in both of them. thea was not inner circle, but she understood the threat of riko and the master. jean did not have the same ability to walk out—to live long enough to graduate, to have someone to run to—but he knew them (individually and together), no matter the difference in all their circumstances.

they all made it. you know? thea clawed herself to the top in a team that made it twice as hard for her to be anything, and she made herself the best. kevin walked out in the wake of losing everything, and he’s the ultimate comeback kid of exy, the son who reclaimed his title no matter all the things done to destroy that dream. jean was told he was a thing before he was a person, and the one friend he had for free, no strings, walked into that nightmare and pulled him out. thea shows up when kevin says he’s never been skiing. jean can’t look at kevin, but he goes to the trojans in the end. and that’s the best gift kevin can give him: the team he loves, captain he admires, sunshine and ocean air and a thousand miles away from the court that tried to make jean into broken bones and blood in the shape of a backliner.

they made it! they made it. and i just. i don’t know. i just think it’s so fascinating to think about, all three of them, all the things they’ve seen and more that they haven’t, truths shared and truths hidden, and how at the end of it all, they might not be the same people they were back in the nest, but they’re never going to scrub those people from their skin. and maybe thea doesn’t want to, and maybe jean doesn’t know how to, and maybe kevin slips back into that person when he’s on the court and frustrated beyond belief. whatever. that’s part of the appeal. i want to look at all their sharp teeth, bared over each other’s necks and grazing it but not closed over it, and point at those sharp teeth. let me look. let me look

[aq2003]

romeo of romeo and juliet fame is hardly my all timer shakespeare blorbo but i feel like in all the productions i've watched/listened to no one has really . Gotten his Vibes. except of course for dt's romeo essay which understands romeo so perfectly it's scary

[danidoesathing]

am i the only one who feels like alex(the world ender guy) was kind of a missed oportunity in vide noir? like, he was set up by johnnie to be a badass gang leader just for him to never even appear in the end, we just got a close up to his face scar

i feel like buck's encounter with the psychic would've been way more powerful if it was alex instead. its implied that johnnie and moonbeam had a relationship ig, but its barely even hinted at, and he never even mentions her. but with johnnie and alex, johnnie actually mentions him and speaks highly of his brother, and says alex will help buck if he sees the red cloth that belonged to johnnie

the fact that all that build up led to buck not even TALKING to alex kinda irks me. imagine how much better the payoff would be if alex had received the cloth instead of moonbeam? if we had seen his reaction to johnnie's death? if he would've helped buck like johnnie said he would? if we saw what johnnie implied alex would do to the guys who black brained his brother? idk man i think we were robbed

im new to the fanbase, so im gonna be very embarassed if this is a topic that already came up here LOLL but i still wanted to get it off my chest💀sry if this ask is messy, i suck at writing down my thoughts lmao

No I gotta agree on that. Like I LOVED seeing Moonbeam and getting know her as her and having all this new information about her (her being part of the World Enders is still wild to me and I love it) and it’s a good scene and all, but I’m still confused as to why they built up Alex so much, especially since this is the first time we’re hearing about him, and he never even got the chance to speak. If it were Dale I’d be a bit more understanding as we know him already (tho not by much cause I would have loved to see more of Dale). But it’s Alex, whose not only the leader of the World Enders but also Johnnie’s (and Dale’s) brother. I would’ve have loved to, you know, actually meet the guy. Especially with how much build up he got. And I GET IT Lord Huron’s lore is meant to be weird and vague and hard to pin down but like. Didn’t need to tease me like that come on

The only reason I could think of was maybe they needed to get Buck on his own again? Like having this the beginning of a war between the World Enders and Z’Oieasu shown or having Buck work with them consistently might have thrown off the tone. It is supposed to be Buck’s story and his own descent into madness. The whole album has this isolated vibe to me, like being alone in a city of people Hard to get that when there’s other people around, especially a group as lively as the world enders. Or maybe they just wanted to include Moonbeam back into the story again lol

GOD I would have loved to see Moonbeam’s scene with Buck done with Alex. I can only imagine how that scene would’ve played out and his reaction to Johnnie’s death. Contrasting Buck’s scene with Johnnie with Alex’s own personality, the possible dynamics, the anger and grief that could arise…..ough

[phantajam]

my hot take about descendants is that NONE of the core four were ready for a relationship until maybe like, the third movie (rant in tags)

[xmicrophonyx]

How are you guys feeling after episode 4? Cause I’m feeling great :’D

[castelobyers]

Hey, let's have some fun?

So... I'm gonna put you in a situation that the characters had been and you are going to tell me how you would proceed, okay?

So now you are William Byers. You are in your bedroom in Lenora with Mike. He just told you that Hawkins isn't the same without you, that he wants to be best friends again. You answer with "cool" and he says it back. You are looking into each other's eyes, smiling. Suddenly Mike seems to pay attention in something else. He got up from the bed, catch the painting and says "Oh, is this the painting El told me you made for a girl? Can I see it?". Before you can stop him, he opens it. When he sees the painting, he looks confused for a while but then he seems to realize something. He turns to you...

How do you proceed?

I'm not the best fanfic writer you're putting me in a rough situation lmao but I'll try

"El said it was for a girl?"

"yes, in her last letter, she said you're acting weird and was probably liking some girl..."

"this is not for a girl Mike... i made it... For you"

"me?"

"yes! I was willing to give it to when you arrived but..."

"Oh! Oh... I'm sorry... I'm sorry i was- i was being an idiot"

"it's okay, don't worry. It's yours now! You're allowed to open it"

He open the painting just like in the van scene

"Wow! This is amazing! Did you paint this?"

"yeah! yeah I did"

"this is really cool! You're the most talented person i know! And i know that this is nothing because i don't know any real artist beside you but you understand... I'm trying to say that you're an amazing artist and-"

"i think got it, thank you Mike"

Thank you for the ask 🤍🤍