#I LOVED EP 1!! I’M SO EXCITED FOR MORE!!

[karebear923]

Peaceful Property ep 1 was everything!!!

^Those two comments are me thirsting over adorable Tay and playboy New

It was so fun! I’m fully invested in poor little rich boy Home who will learn the true meaning of his name by learning to care about others and form real lasting bonds with them, and poor traumatized Peach who will learn to turn his curse into a gift and help spirits move on as he regains his confidence and love of cooking!

And this show is hilarious! At one point I had to pause the video and just sit there and cackle out loud cause I was having such a good time! 😄

Catch me tuning in every Wednesday for more!!

GMMTV sometimes start their shows off strong then have bad endings 📉 but this show took *forever* to film so I’m really hoping that won’t be the case with this one! Fingers crossed they took their time to do it well!! 🤞🏽

[charliemac]

Being so fucking brave and watching season 15 again before the fateful day of june 7

[absolutebl]

This Week in BL - Lesbians WIN & I'm excited about a Thai BL again!

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

April 2024 Wk 4

Ongoing Series - Thai

My Stand-In (Thai Fri iQIYI) ep 1 of 12 eps - Adaptation of Chinese novel Professional Body Double by Shui Qiang Cheng. Stars Up (Lovely Writer) and Poom (Bake Me Please) directed by the same team as KP (not a recommendation IMHO - my biggest criticism of KP was the clashing directing styles). The MDL description made it sound complicated af but actually it's not so bad. In fact it's GOOD.

Stuntman Joe dies on the job and wakes up in the body of another Joe who has an entirely different life. But our Joe just gets his new body right back into his old existence, full of friends, enemies, and one troublesome ex. Poom is absolutely killing it in the lead. Mek is perfectly cast as the Actor du Jerk. I’m not sold on Up’s bratty brokenhearted rich kid... yet. The show though, I like it. I like a one (two) night stand starting things off and I like a lot of morally gray characters. Fun fun!

Deep Night (Thurs iQiyi) ep 8fin - The lesbian moms are the cutest thing in the world and my favorite thing this week. Bar none.

Summation:

It's about a host club and all the gay boys in it and some stuff that's not important because... PEOPLE OF EARTH WE HAVE A HONEST REP OF POLY IN A BL. Stand up and raise your hands in prayer to the Thai BL gods because sure as shit no one else was ever going to give this to us. For that alone this show gets 8/10 from me. Bonus Lesbian moms and great kisses.

Two Worlds (Thurs iQIYI) ep 7 of 10 - Say what you want about MaxNat all these years that they've been paired makes them great onscreen boyfriends. And you know me, I'm a total sucker for linguistic negotiation. Makes my heart go all mushy. That said, now that the leads are together, I’m really uninterested in all the drama around the ex-boyfriend/triangle. I'm glad this is only 10 eps.

1000 Years Old (Thurs iQIYI) ep 11 of 12 - They gave me the tiniest teaser for the kinky vampire BL that I have wanted my whole life. And now I'm just fucking annoyed with the rest of the show. 

We Are (Weds iQIYI) ep 3-4 of 16 - Q & Toey are the only interesting thing going on. I actually didn’t like this pair in My School President, but I’m enjoying them here. The others are all fine but these two have my heart. I have questions like: did Phum ever get his shopping bags back? And why is Phum driving a different colored car half way through the ep?

Only Boo! (Sun YouTube) ep 3 of 12 - The quality is good (it’s GMMTV) but the acting is... not. Still I loved that Moo just made the confession for both of them. Very in character. Does this plot remind anyone else of Footloose? Just me? Side couple was cute but now a bit too stalker for me. 

Ongoing Series - Not Thai

Unknown (Taiwan Tues YouTube & Viki) ep 10 of 12 - It’s fantastic. Such a great show. We are so lucky. This is basically Taiwan’s The Eights Sense. I didn’t know they had it in them, but I’m really glad that they did.

Living With Him AKA Kare no Iru Seikatsu (Japan Thurs Gaga) ep 3 of 10 - As JBL’s go this is way more my speed (than Alaska). It’s just so sweet and awkward but charming about it. The confession was so earnest. 

Blue Boys (Korea YouTube) 2 of ? No MDL link - It’s very sexy this one. Not sure what Korea thinks it's doing, but I’m not mad about it. 

Gray Shelter (Korea Thurs iQIYI) ep 5fin - summation: About a slacker nursing a crush on the (brief) older stepbrother who abandoned him. Upon finding him again he moves in with him, upends the mans lost suffering life. A dark gritty piece with confusing subs making it too chewy to really grok. It's trying to do too much for its length. The tension is real and the acting is good, it's just everything else stymied clean execution of the core concept. Frankly I spent this show expecting (and wanting them) to just fall into bed together - in a kind of desperate fight sex. It didn’t happen, and I’m disappointed by the non-ending we got. (Whether it’s going to have more in the series or not.) 7/10 I'm open to changing the rank if a part two fixes this one's flaws.

Boys Be Brave AKA Roommates (Korea Thurs Viki) ep 1-2 of 8 - Oh dear. Terrible hair. Jock nerd pairing. OCD baby cakes. Cohabitation trope. Killer side couple. Def unhinged. 

At 25:00 in Alaska AKA 25 Ji Akasaka de (Japan Thurs Gaga) ep 2 of 10 - I’m still genuinely not sure about this one. It’s just a little too awkward for me in the wrong way. I expect all Japanese BL to have a certain aura of awkwardness so I don’t know what it is about this one turnign me off. I do enjoy that we’re getting both stories, the one between the actors, and a little bit of the roles that they’re playing on screen but... yeah

Love is like a Cat (Korea Mon Viki) eps 7-8 of 12 - The leads finally had a moment but there is negative chemistry. Why am I watching this? 

It's airing but...

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.

Memory in the Letter (Thai WeTV) - 6 eps, when it's done, tell me if I should bother?

In case you missed it

Kiseki Chapter 2 (Sun iQIYI) 6 eps - finished its run but I won't be finishing it. Stays dropped.

GMMTV announced the second half of their 2024 line up. I got excited and picked my favorites, details + trailers here. Basically my ranking is:

The Heart Killers

ThamePo

Revamp

Sweet Tooth

Perfect 10 Liners

The Ex-Morning

Ossan’s Love Thailand

Next Week Looks Like This:

What happened?

Knock-Knock Boys (Thai WeTV) - 4 college friends conspire to help their friend lose his virginity. Familiar faces like Seng (yes, Billy's previous pairing) and Best, news here. But will it actually air this month?

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.

THIS WEEK’S BEST MOMENT

I have adopted him. He is MINE. I love him, your honor. (The Stand In)

I love them SO MUCH. (Deep Night)

(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 a pain.

The tag BLigade: @doorajar @solitaryandwandering @my-rose-tinted-glasses @babymbbatinygirl @babymbbatinygirl @isisanna-blog @mmastertheone @pickletrip @aliceisathome @urikawa-miyuki @tokillamonger @rocketturtle4 @blglplus @anythinggoesintheshire @everlightly @renafire

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

[my-secret-shame-but-fanfiction]

How Much Do Turtles Weigh?

Steven Grant x GN!Reader x Marc Spector • Rating: PG •Masterlist•��ao3• want to be tagged? | request info • MK Bingo 2024 Masterlist • ko-fi •

Summary: You visit the aquarium with Steven and Marc.

🌛For @moonknight-events MK Bingo Spring 2024 Event🌜

A/N: I got so excited when I remembered the lighting in ep 4 because I thought, 'Ahhhh, possible aquarium lighting?'

Warnings: TURTLES, London (ew, jk I live in this country), Steven's been feeling a little low, reader doing some mental maths, Marc and Steven not knowing how to convert kg to pounds, Marc admitting he doesn't understand currency conversion, swearing, typos, please let me know if I've missed a warning!

Word Count: 618

“Oh my god!” Steven giggled, eyes wide as the turtle swam right in front of you. “She’s so pretty!” 

You grinned, taking some quick (and blurry) photos before leaning to the side to try to see further into the tank. 

“I think she’s gone behind those rocks,” Steven said, still smiling from ear to ear. 

You nod, “she's massive! Like, I know they’re big, but wow, they’re big!” 

“And their fins!” He chimes in.

“Like dinosaurs!”

He laughs and wraps his arm around you, squeezing you tight. “Thank you for bringing me here, love.” 

You hug him back. “Of course, well, really I had an ulterior motive.” You say playfully. 

Steven immediately plays along, giving you a look of mock shock. “Really?” 

“Hmm,” you nod, all conspiratorial. “Well, two actually, first,” you lean a little closer. “I wanted to go to the aquarium.” 

He chuckles. “And the second?” 

You smile at him and kiss his cheek. “I love seeing you happy.” 

The tips of his ears blush a rosy pink and he hugs you fully this time, wrapping his arms around your shoulders and squeezing you tightly. 

Normally, you weren’t a massive fan of public displays of affection. But the bonus of going out in the middle of a weekday in February meant that for the London Seaslife Centre, it was actually quite quiet. 

But you would have hugged him back even if the place was full to the brim. That was one of the many special things about Steven, he always made you feel like you were the only person in the room. 

He kisses your cheek, only loosening his grip and whispering in your ear, “she’s back.” He pointed to the glass and you smile as you both watched the turtle swim past again. 

You noticed the small twitch in his hands, his grip changing for a moment, tightening before relaxing. 

Marc kisses your temple. “Thank you for taking Steven out baby.” 

You nuzzle against his jaw. 

“He’s been feeling a bit down lately,” Marc speaks close to your skin, “I know you know that but…”

“Yeah.” You nod, you understand what he means.

“Holy shit,” Marc laughs, “that turtle is amazing! What the fuck are they feeding it?”

You giggle in his arms.

“160kg?” Marc frowns, looking at his reflection in the glass, “what’s that mean?” 

“About 350 pounds,” you answer, doing some very dodgy mental maths.

“Fuck me.” He chuckles, “also thank you, Steven had no idea what the conversion rate was.” He paused. “And neither do I.”

“It’s about 0.45 I think.”

He gave you a look. A mixture of suspicious and impressed. “How do you know that?”

You shrug. “No idea.”

He nodded. “Yeah, alright.” 

You both turn back to the tank.

“You’ve lived here for long enough Spector, I would have thought you’ve got the hang of kg and stone by now.” You tease. 

Marc pulls a face. “I still get confused when I’m paying in pounds.” 

“What?” You laugh. 

“Yeah,” he gives you a sheepish smile. “I always forget that $1 isn’t £1. So I’ll go ‘wow, things are so much cheaper here.’” 

“Idiot.” You giggle. 

“Fair.” 

“Give it another 6 months though, I’m sure the pound will fall some more.” 

Marc snorted. “You’ll be thankful for my strong, American dollars then.” 

“Oh, definitely.” 

“I’m really upset love,” Steven said, his tone making it clear he was playing, “I told Marc to make an absolutely brilliant innuendo about ‘strong, American currency’.”

“Yeah?” 

“Yeah! And he won’t say it!”

You giggle. “No?” 

“No.” 

“I’m shocked.”

“Appalled,” Steven added, keeping his arm around your shoulders as you both began to walk to the next part. “I’m gonna have to tell you instead…” 

____________________________________

Thank you for reading!

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If you'd like to be taken off the tag list please let me know here

[kazumist]

EPISODE 22 ✿ IT CAN'T HAPPEN

YOU + ME = LOVE — A DILUC SMAU

masterlist / prev ep / next ep / wc: 526.

“stop following me.”

“(name), if you could please just let me explain," he reaches out to you, trailing behind you hastily.

you stopped in your tracks and faced him, fighting and praying for your voice not to crack. “explain what? explain that you’re leaving the country in, like, what? three weeks?”

“i was going to tell you," he says, attempting to gently grab your arm but you pull yourself back out of his reach. “and when would that be? when you’re about to board that goddamn plane? when you’re about to take your first step into another country? when, diluc?” this is precisely why you didn’t want to fall in love. the attachment that comes with it is enough to make you go insane.

“i—”

he was speechless. for once in his life, diluc was speechless. he always knew what to say; there was never a moment where he would be found hesitating in his words. but for some reason, ever since he met you, this is the first time he actually didn’t know what to say. he knew that if he said another word, it would hurt you—the both of you—more.

“thought so.” your words were cold enough to feel like bullets on his skin.

he calls out your name, unsure if he’s making the right decision right now. but you ignored him, taking this as your chance to speak up.

“you know? i knew it was a bad decision. to let myself fall for you, that is. i should’ve kept my balance before succumbing to whatever the hell this pit is, because fucking hell, diluc ragnvindr—i love you. there, i said it. i love you, diluc ragnvindr. even when i don’t want to, i do.”

silence.

say something—do something, anything, diluc. you thought.

he swallowed. “i can’t, (name). we both have bright futures ahead of us and i’m not sure if i’m ready to juggle a relationship with that. you deserve someone who’s willing to take risks for you, and i’m just not that person. i’m a coward. i’m no risk taker. i’m too scared to even take that leap of faith—even if it means that i get to be with you.”

another moment of silence.

diluc continues, moving closer. his steps were cautious, trying to read if you’d let him (which you did). he grabs your arms on both sides at first, then a hand travels to your face, caressing your cheek ever so gently. “i can still help you and continue being your tutor until the semester ends, but this… us…” a deep breath.

“it can’t happen, (name).”

tears started to sting your eyes when you pulled away from him.

“you know what? let's just end it. finals are over, the semester is ending and you'll be graduating soon. thank you for your help, diluc. i really couldn’t have done this without you.”

you walked past him, not even sparing him another glance back. diluc wants to say something—to do something—but no words come out of his mouth and his feet are glued hard to the ground.

so he just watches you leave, lowering his head down after you leave his sight.

extra notes.

i wrote this chapter when i was still working on ep 9. and this is literally ep 22. i was wayyyyy too excited LOL

anyways this is actually one of my favorite parts. hope you guys liked it as well, happy valentine's <3

taglist (open): @ryuryuryuyurboat @g4bbyyy @kizakiss @quackimilktea @mochiboo123 @thystarsshine @cerisescherries @jamieexistss @the-ghost-0f-t0m0 @aethion @dottoreworld-page @naishite @sleepyeri @staaarhin @eroxotckv @kiyiiaarchived @fallenssun @lolmeowing @dorryx @astolary @kissingkzuha @axerrri @a1-ic3 @lottierulez @livelaughlovekuni @sorcerersseestars @whipped-for-fictionals @morganadorodo @briluvspnk @venderretta @xiaosoneandonly @angeilix @morgyyyyyyy @kazioli @the-massive-simp @qtange @tiredjxnna @yuminako @acheronie @sn1perz @akitokisser @siu-ssi @artri-ad @hyeinszn @saeskiss @bubblegum-angelquartz @boomie-123 @moni11032 @sandwichmyonetruelove @cherrybb-ily @itztaki @dontmindtheevie @hotgirlshit5 [1/2]

[thestarlightforge]

On a separate but related note, I can’t wait to rewatch WandaVision with all this juicy context in mind. Both for Billy and the foundations of his character, the Darkhold and its wider implications, the reveal of Agatha’s true (and deeper) motivations… But also, for this.

A quote about the WV finale from Jac Schaeffer.

I’d read this interview before, but kind of shrugged it off, to be honest. I figured they only got away with Vision because he’s a trans metaphor (and played by a white guy), with Wanda because she got whitewashed (Elizabeth Olsen owns my heart but it’s unfortunately true), with the boys because they vanished as young enough kids that the MCU didn’t have to mention their leading Marvel Pride every year, and with Agatha because (even in comics) she has a lot of queer coding that was never confirmed up to that point (as far as I’m aware). Like, “Sure, it’s fine to say this, it’s interesting, I love your writing and ALL these characters have strong queer backgrounds, so I won’t rage to the tune of queerbaiting—but still, not consequential enough news for me to really be excited.” Even once eps. 1-2 happened, I wasn’t fully sold. (I was sold on the show because of Billy—BILLY 😭—but remained unconvinced that Agatha’s or anybody’s queerness would ever be addressed or of consequence.) And ep. 3 was lovely, but more related to Nicholas backstory.

And THEN, EPISODE 4 OCCURRED 🥹

I hoped the show would be fun, spooky, and tie up a few loose ends. Much like with WandaVision. And also like with WandaVision, it has instead left me awestruck in ways I’d never imagined 🥰

[d3pressed-caffiene-addict]

Hazbin Hotel Ep 5&6 Oh My God (Major Spoilers)

I am having so many thoughts, this is just a brain dump

-LUCIFER. He’s so pathetic I love him

-Jeremy Jordan you fucking legend. I’m a big fan of a lot of his work and was excited to see him in this but I was slightly unsure if he was the right casting since I expected Lucifer to be more of a high and mighty/snobby figure, but with the way they characterised him HE IS PERFECT.

-“TAKE THAT DEPRESSION”

-The Lucifer vs Alastor rivalry is beautiful

-“Ha ha, fuck you.”

-Father figure Alastor

-HIS EARS GO BACK LIKE A CAT WHEN HES ANGRY I CANT

-MIMZY’S ARRIVAL. I know most of us know the lore about her and Alastor being developed as a couple before it was scrapped but I really like how they are in the show

-Even if it’s just crumbs I’m so excited to be getting snippets of Alastor’s lore. It’s wild to keep going back and forth between “aw he actually cares for and protects his friends” and “oh my god he’s a fucking psycho”

-Speaking of that the scene with Husk holy shit. Poor man looked terrified

-The confirmation that Alastor’s also stuck working for someone, it has to be Lilith surely. I know some people will call it predictable because a lot of theories are coming true but personally I think it’s from good worldbuilding/foreshadowing

-ALASTOR IN FULL DEMON FORM JUST ANNIHILATING EVERYONE and then he just goes “Ah that was fun, now back to it”

-I kinda like the parallel between Al and Mimzy & Angel and Cherri where they invite their friends to join them if they want to, even if neither of them take it up initially maybe we’ll see them join the hotel in the future?

-BABY CHARLIE

-I really expected Lucifer to be a dickhead and a shitty dad, but he seems to be an overall better guy than most people in hell

-CHERRI BOMB ARRIVAL! And she’s Aussie now fuck yeah represent

-I still love her and Angel’s friendship even if she is a terrible influence. Everyone’s got that friend who’s solution to a bad day is just self-destruction but they mean well at least

-DARREN CHRIS TOO, THE MUSICAL THEATRE/BROADWAY ACTOR CASTING IS STACKED

-Emily is so sweet I love her

-The Molly cameo is so sweet, I was waiting for her to appear somewhere but lowkey forgot she was in heaven. Honestly though how did she get there when the rest of her and Angel’s family got condemned for what they did together? Maybe she left the mob or something idk I just hope we get to meet her properly at some point

-Heaven’s real fucked up? Yeah not shocked

-VAGGIE?? FALLEN ANGEL REVEAL?? AND SHE WAS AN EXTERMINATOR???? I know most of us called it but holy shit I didn’t expect it to be confirmed this soon

-Adam is such a dick but he’s so much fun

-I love that Charlie was gonna start her court presentation with definitions like a high school essay

-“Consent is a good name for a sex club” the gentleman Husk truthers gonna have fun with this one

-Pentious hitting on Cherri is hilarious and totally not the same level of subtlety I flirt with when I’m drunk

-Hearing more and more about how Val treats Angel is so sad especially with how casually he talks about it since it’s just another day for him

-Him parenting drunk Nifty is beautiful

-“You wanna play with the kitty?”

-Valentino is my #1 enemy

-Seeing Angel stand up to him to protect his friends is making me feel feelings. Like he knows that he’s gonna be treated even worse for it but I think he’s reaching his tipping point and shits gonna go down soon

-Also I know there’s a popular theory that he’s gonna die soon and a lot of the theories are coming true so I am scared. I kind of don’t think this one’ll happen though since he’s the fan favourite and its just too soon to take that much of a risk. Plus Vivsie’s admitted he’s the best written character and it’d be such a waste of all that development

-More sweet moments between him and Husk, they’ve gotten me so invested in this ship so fast

-The fact that most of heaven didn’t know about the extermination?? Wild

-Idk how I feel about the timeskip between Ep 4&5, they’re only a month away from the extermination now. Yes it’s making the stakes feel higher but I do wish we’d been able to see more of that time for the relationship development, all the characters seem much closer than before and we’ve only seen bits of how they got there

-I really wish they’d greenlit more than 8 episodes to pace things a little better but I’m glad we have season 2 confirmed

-That last minute ‘reveal Vaggie’s past to Charlie, boot them out of heaven and then cut to credits before she can react’ is gonna torture me until next week

-I don’t disagree with past criticism that Vivzie’s female characters can feel a bit underwritten but I think it’s getting better

-“We’re coming to the hotel first” plus all the theories that someone’s gonna die are fucking stressing me out man

Anyway hope you enjoy the brain dump, this show has once again consumed my thoughts

[restwellsoon]

Nothing in Particular | 1 - Thoughtless Behavior & Tender Hearts

Pairing: Omota Uramichi x F!Reader

Summary: A series of unexpected encounters and misunderstandings causes you to fill a large and gaping hole in Uramichi's love life.

“Now remember, kids, it’s important to take responsibility for one’s actions. You may not realize that your thoughtless behavior has consequences, especially when it involves the hearts of others!”

Minors and blank blogs DNI! You will be blocked!

What a waste of time, Uramichi thought, as Usahara finished off his last beer of the night, slurring his words as he passed the near-empty pitcher to one of the guys who worked on sound mixing. Yet again, he was dragged to another after-shoot party. He forgot what their excuse for celebrating was this time–the last ep before their pathetic winter break (which naturally was actually in the peak of summer)?–but whatever it was, was reason enough to go out and stay out for as long as possible. The studio would be closed for a shocking week straight. 

Swirling the leftover foam in his cup around, he thought of all the things he could be doing. All of the fulfilling, exciting, better things he could be doing aside from getting drinks with his co-workers. First, there was the gym. Second, there was… His mind turned black as he drew a blank. Second, there was… He took a sip of foam.

Surely there had to be something better than this.

And yet!

He thought of everything he had going on in his life–a job that constantly asked too much of him, an apartment he lived in alone, no pets, no partner, no family.

Well, shit.

Maybe he got too ahead of himself.

“I’m going out for a smoke,” he excused himself, hoping that he could make a quick escape after. It was easy to shake off the half-hearted ‘stay for another round’s’ and ‘just one more drink’s when he was determined to get home.

“Hey Uramichi!” A voice called out from the booth right before the exit.

He sighed, pausing for a second as he tried to decide on whether or not he should act as if he didn’t hear her. He could find something better to do once he was home.

“I know you’re deciding on if you should ignore me or not!”

He turned around to be greeted by a shit-faced Utano. He vaguely remembered her wailing about her boyfriend going on a short comedy circuit around Chiba Prefecture and how he thought it would be best if he went alone (with her wallet, of course).

“Have you met my friend?”

From the corner seat, you gave him a wave.

He gave you a curt nod. “Well, I did now, so I’ll take my leave.”

You weren’t sure what possessed you to finally take Utano up on her offer of grabbing after work drinks. Maybe today’s work was tougher than you thought. You’d gotten so used to the monotony of a 9-5 (more like a 6-5 since you also dealt with overseas clients) that not much phased you–or maybe you stopped caring and just clocked in every day for your paycheck. You weren’t sure when your life got so boring, but when you saw Utano’s text, you couldn’t help but think it was exactly what you needed to make life a little more interesting.

What you weren’t expecting was for her to invite you to after work drinks with the rest of her co-workers.

You thought of yourself as relatively outgoing and fun, but now under the pressure of making a good impression on your friend’s co-workers, you were stressed by the nuances of social interaction. Which meant you had more drinks than you intended.

“Whoa, whoa, whoa~” Utano sung. “So rude! Hey Uramichi, how bout you keep my dear friend company while I make a veeeeeery important phone call. Who knows! Maybe I’ll come back as an engaged woman!”

Per usual, Uramichi didn’t have enough time to decline the whims of others, and she pushed him into the booth beside you, skipping out with her phone in her hand, quickly searching for her boyfriend’s name. She was humming the tune of a common wedding song.

The space between you was awkward, too close for strangers but if he moved to the space opposite of you, surely you’d see it as an insult. Instead, Uramichi chose to pour himself a shot of sake.

When you were certain Utano was out of earshot, you turned to him and said, “We both know that won’t be the case.” Uramichi was already on his second shot to kill this uncomfortable situation. He set his cup down. Right. You were talking about Utano. “So should we leave before she comes back in a bad mood?”

Finally, someone here was being sensible!

Without a thought, he dragged you along with him lest he get stopped again.

–

The night air brought him back to his senses as he realized how tightly he gripped your wrist. You were slightly breathless with your hair in disarray, reminding him to tone down on his athleticism when dragging others around. You were patting your hair down in an attempt to tame it, and it was under the streetlights that he finally took a good look at you. Damn, you were cute. Really cute. Quickly, he let go of your wrist as his ears burnt up in embarrassment.

“I, uhh, sorry,” he mumbled, quickly realizing he didn’t catch your name. He gave you a slight bow.

“Nice to meet you. I’m Uramichi. Uramichi Omota.”

You couldn’t help but laugh. The man had dragged you out of the izakaya without a second thought, pushing past the rest of his co-workers, griping about how he dreads it when he hears his name since that usually meant that someone wanted something from him. So you knew his name since you heard it at least twenty times before escaping.

Matching his manners, you gave him your name.

“I’m headed towards the convenience store a few blocks away,” you told him, pointing out the way, “so I guess this is where we part ways.” All that running had killed your buzz, but you wouldn’t tell him that directly.

“Unless maybe you’d like to go with me?” Okay, maybe your buzz wasn’t completely dead.

Normally you wouldn’t make such an offer to a stranger, but there was something about this man that made you want to put him in your pocket and take him with you as you ran errands. He was handsome, yes, but more than that, he seemed… Not quite pitiful, no. If anything, you’d describe him as a doll that was never played with–pretty and pristine yet there was an air of loneliness that wouldn’t go away. Okay, maybe he was a bit pitiful but you also thought that it wouldn’t be too bad if you spent more time together.

Uramichi didn’t even glance at you as you spoke, and you wondered if it was a bad idea to even make such a suggestion until finally he spoke, agreeing with nonchalance.

Rather than letting your walk be filled with the sound of your footsteps as you walked side-by-side, you talked. He seemed like the type that wouldn’t mind.

“I really like this convenience store,” you said, “since they let you drink alcohol in their outdoor seating. Not many places let you do that nowadays, so I was happy to find one near me.”

You were right. It was a rare find nowadays. During the summer months when he stayed late at the studio, sometimes Uramichi craved a drink outdoors instead of his lonely apartment. This konbini didn’t seem too far from his place either. He wondered if you lived in the same neighborhood.

“What, no way!” You exclaimed as you eyed the drink aisle. A bright bold poster hung above the fridge, stating that there was a buy one get one free sale on Strong Zero. Making your way towards the back, you hoped that they had your favorite flavor.

Going at a slower pace, Uramichi walked through the aisles. The sign out front was deceiving. The convenience store was called Law & Sons with an inverted color scheme of the chain konbini Lawson’s. The goods inside were typical of a convenience store though, and he made his way towards you.

Armed with a small basket, it was filled with six cans of the shochu highball. Noticing his gaze, you explained, “Since this place is independently owned, the owner’s nice enough to order exactly what you want if you put in a request. This is the closest konbini that sells my favorite flavor, and I like to stock up on ‘em... I wasn’t gonna drink them all right now.”

“I’m not really one to judge,” was all he said. But wasn’t he just looking at your basket with judgment right now?

–

Sitting down with your drinks and some snacks, you told Uramichi that now was where you’d part ways for real. But he was giving you that look again, like he didn’t want to go home quite yet. It’s funny how his face never matched his words. How could you abandon him?

“Have you ever had one of these before?” You asked, pushing your open can towards him. You took it as a no since he sat down across from you and took a sip.

“I wasn’t really planning on drinking today,” you said, glugging down a good third of a new can, “but here I am!” You wiped your mouth with the back of your hand. “Sometimes it’s easier to just have a few drinks instead of reflecting on how I’ve disappointed the little kid with big dreams that I once was.”

It was unnerving how you could say something so dark with a smile on your face. Was this how others felt around him?

“It can be hard,” he finally said, “dealing with the disappointment of how our lives have ended up. Sometimes, I like to think that our past selves are okay with our decisions though, that they understand every decision we had to make in order to see tomorrow.”

Those earthen eyes of his looked honey sweet under the glow of night’s lights, or maybe the Strong Zero finally hit you. He seemed so earnest about his words, and it was cute, if not a bit too serious of a conversation with a stranger you were just sharing a drink with.

“Thanks! Your words were very…”

Uramichi tried to mentally finish your sentence before you–dark, disturbing, odd. 

“Kind.”

Oh? Oh, oh, oh. The unexpected compliment pushed its way past Uramichi’s walls and kicked down the door to his heart.

Rifling through your bag, you pulled out two more of the alcoholic beverages.

“So should we drink to them?” You asked. “Our past selves and us who are out here surviving?”

–

Several hours of idle chatter and salty snacks later, Uramichi walked beside you despite your protests.

“I’m hardly even buzzed now,” you whined, “which means I’m perfectly capable of walking myself home.”

In the hours you spent together, you realized the man had a strong sense of responsibility and wouldn’t take no for an answer. You used all of your best excuses too–you were in your 30s and a fully grown and independent woman. Even if it was out of duty, it was still sweet that he came with you.

After telling him your address, he mentioned that it was only a couple of blocks west of his. You weren’t sure if this was a lie to make you feel better about his detour home. He seemed like the honest type though.

At least he didn’t have to drag you up any stairs since you lived on the first floor.

Walking up to your building, Uramichi assessed the area as you pointed out your place as the one in the back corner. It was quiet but dark, peaceful but lonely. Would this be a good place for him to move to? It seemed like this area wouldn’t get that many door-to-door marketers. He was tired of getting woken up early on his days off.

So lost in his thoughts was Uramichi, that your voice startled him.

“I said thank you,” you repeated yourself.

And now it wasn’t your voice that startled him but your lips on his.

Was it pathetic that he couldn’t even remember the last time he kissed someone, let alone fucked? It’s not like he was trying–and he definitely wasn’t trying as hard as Usahara–but damn, the reality of his unpopularity was starting to settle in.

Even though his memory was faulty and his thoughts were dark, at the very least, his body remembered what to do. One hand snaked down to your lower back, pressing your body to his while the other braced himself on your door. He felt more than his heart beat when you pulled him closer, making sure the kiss wouldn’t break.

And as suddenly as it started, it stopped at the sound of something rustling at the other end of the corridor. You pulled apart and hastily tried to make yourself presentable. Until you realized that the noise came from a stray cat.

You both took it as your sign to part.

“See you around, Michi.”

And with that, your door slammed shut, leaving behind a flustered man.

–

Let’s go out to dinner! On me! As an apology for ditching you the other night!!! (✿◦’ᴗ˘◦)♡

The stars must have aligned that night to work out in your favor. Utano had apparently run off after her phone call with her boyfriend didn’t go as planned, meaning you didn’t have to explain why you left with Uramichi and what had happened after.

Meet me at my workplace! Should be getting off early ✰

You grimaced. She was really taking advantage of your flexible schedule since you worked partially remote. But still, you texted her back, asking for her address.

After you closed the door on Uramichi that night, you’ve died a bit every day since as you replayed your mortifying behavior. Who just randomly kisses someone for being nice to them?! And doesn’t even have the courtesy to speak to them after?! A part you half-hoped that maybe Uramichi just shrugged off the kiss. He was good-looking enough that maybe this might not have been an uncommon event for him. As your brain tried to lessen your impending meltdown, you might have grown somewhat delusional.

–

“Hey, sorry! Seems like the director wants me on standby for a bit,” Utano apologized as she led you on the set.

You knew she worked on a children’s educational program but you never really looked into it aside from what the show was called. It seemed overstimulating with the lights, music, and children running around. This chaotic environment suited her though.

“We just have to hang back until Uramichi’s segment is done,” she explained. A tall, younger man who was dressed in an equally bright fashion stood on her other side. She introduced him as Iketeru, the other song leader.

It was surprising how chipper and musical Uramichi’s voice could be as he interacted with the children guests. Everyone had a work voice, you reasoned, remembering how some of your overseas clients mentioned how happy you sounded over the phone.

“Now do some backflips!” The director barked.

“But that has nothing to do with this segment…”

You turned to Utano and Ikeru who were unphased by their boss’s orders, deciding to stay quiet instead of asking if this was a normal request.

To your surprise, Uramichi complied despite his comment of protest, and your jaw dropped at his athleticism. He had mentioned being an exercise leader, but was it normal for them to do stunts like these on kids shows?

When he landed, Uramichi noticed an unexpected visitor on set and was grateful that he only noticed you now. 

The kiss had been bothering him the entire week that he was off. He was torn over texting Utano for your number and didn’t want to bother her during their precious time off work. It would have been creepy if he showed up at your place unannounced. The thought of frequenting that konbini you went to seemed even weirder.

Most of all, he was hurt that you didn’t seem intent on reaching out to him after. Did that kiss even mean anything to you? Was he just some guy? Usahara had mentioned how frightening city girls could be, but Uramichi didn’t realize how out of touch he’d been with the dating scene.

Like the professional he was, he turned towards the children who were giving him varying degrees of attention.

“Now remember, kids, it’s important to take responsibility for one’s actions. You may not realize that your thoughtless behavior has consequences, especially when it involves the hearts of others!”

“Whoa, did he get dumped?” One of the children asked.

“No way, I don’t think girls like him like that.”

“Isn’t he too old to date? I thought people just gave up and accepted singlehood after a certain age.”

His shoulders drooped. This group was extra critical today.

“Is he talking about me?” You whispered to Utano.

“What?” She asked in total confusion. “No, he’s always like that. Why would he be talking about you?”

“Um, he was looking directly at me as he was saying that…”

She looked at you knowingly, and you were nervous about her figuring out the truth. She nodded. “I forgot that you’re unfamiliar with the entertainment business. We’re standing behind the camera. It might seem like Uramichi is looking at you, but he’s looking at the camera. Besides, he always looks like that–with that dead-eyed fish stare.”

You made the mistake of fessing up to the truth despite knowing how loud she could get.

“Wait, what?! How can I be a matchmaker when I can’t even finalize my own perfect match?” She ranted. It seemed like she cared more about her own position rather than the situation you had gotten yourself into. “If I have one more friend that gets married before I do…!” 

“Uramichi oniisan?” One of the children asked. “Is this what you meant about thoughtless behavior having consequences?

Iketeru and some other set members had to usher Utano back to her dressing room to settle her down. You were left awkwardly standing alone.

“Not quite,” he smiled at them before catching your eyes.

Oh, he was definitely talking about you.

A/N: So I just binged Life Lessons with Uramichi Oniisan (both the anime and manga!) and the moment Uramichi came on screen, this man has bewitched me body and soul. This series is so relatable for all the burnt out working adults out there and had me laughing at every moment. Naturally, I had to turn my maladaptive daydreams of Uramichi into written word.

Return to

the Main Masterlist

[avelera]

I admittedly haven’t seen much OFMD S2 criticism but I did masochistically go looking to see what the major complaints were.

I’m not all that interested in addressing individual critiques. Some of them made sense to me. Some of them were a bit silly. Some were clearly based on the show not being the fanfic people had written in their heads after they watched S1. Some were mad for the inevitable shipping reasons.

But what I think is the most important thing for OFMD fans and fans of any ongoing story to remember is this:

The sequel will never be able to match the fact you watched the first part without preconceived expectations.

No second season of OFMD could ever match the fact that no one was expecting Season 1. They weren’t expecting the kiss. They can’t recapture the uncertainty and euphoria of that relationship becoming canon. They can’t recreate the audience discovering its unique mix of Muppet humor and heartfelt drama with glancing moments of historical accuracy, all awash in stageplay level special effects as a love letter to old-school pirate plays and musicals. You can’t ever experience that again for the first time.

If these two seasons had aired back to back, far from seeing a decrease in quality or change in tone, I think you’d find they match one another very closely and seamlessly throughout. It was only the long break that allowed people to imagine certain story beats or characterizations or threads like historical accuracy as being more important than they were.

If Season 1 had ended, say, with the, “Never left.” beat while “The Chain” played as the last thing we saw before the credits rolled and the wait for S2 began, the fandom landscape and expectations would have been wildly different. But then, every OFMD episode adds wildly new elements, they’re all very different from each other, and anyone who thought any one those elements would be the new constant tone of the show going forward would be wrong. And yet, that’s what happened inevitably after the last episode of S1.

Honestly, I thought it was a bit of a shame, from a fanfic writer perspective only, that S1 ended on such a dark note because it was so out of keeping with 90% of the rest of the show but inevitably, I knew the fandom and fan writers would latch onto that dark thread in an effort to continue the story, since it’s where S1 left off. But OFMD was always going to resolve that separation quickly then return to humor and hijinks (albeit with notes of drama and more serious emotions, as it always has) , it’s right there in the romcom plot structure, a structure which owes much more to OFMD’s DNA than any historical pirate drama.

*Sigh* Anyway, I’m excited for the season finale. And truly I haven’t seen much criticism, but I’ve been chewing on these thoughts since I woke up to critiques of ep 6-7 last week and was then baffled by it once I saw the episodes myself. So there it is.

[percabethluv]

am i the only one who thinks the percabeth cheek kiss is SO cute in the book but will not really work on screen…? (before you cancel me hear me out okkk)

book percabeth and show percabeth are different (not in a bad way, just something that factors into this conversation), and based on how it went in season 1, i don’t think the momentum will ultimately lead to this.

but first lets do a light retrospective on season 1 percabeth:

i don’t personally believe the show percabeth slow burn is speeding up, paraphrasing Liam Crowley on the Seaweed Brain podcast who said that in season 1 they were forced to be put in high stakes situations that caused their emotions and feelings towards each other to be dialed up to 10, (aka the tunnel of love scene iykyk) and they always have to deal with the aftermath and their relationship in between those moments almost like it never happened (ie the weirdness after she hugged him in ep 5 even though he just sacrificed himself for her)

so based on this new but still-complimentary-to-book-percabeth percabeth dynamic in the show, i just don’t think a cheek kiss makes sense. for one it’s kinda cheesy (DOESNT MEAN ITS NOT CUTE) and the show has in my opinion strayed away from that kind of campiness, but also they are still young and awkward but in my mind they’re relationship is slightly past that stage (i feel like the cheek kiss is equivalent to the cute little hug in ep 8)

and not only that, unlike the book leah is shorter than walker, and i think visually it just might not work or even fit into the scene of the chariot races. we obviously don’t know how the chariot race scene will play out (or anything really this is all speculation cause i’m delusional lol) but based on how s1 went and their style i have a feeling the chariot race will have more bearing on the plot and therefore be a little more suspenseful and heavy, and a cute little cheek kiss will feel out of place.

i believe the cast and crew could 100% eat it up and if they knew it could work they would do it, but i was just thinking of this recently while reflecting on why i am not as excited to see the cheek kiss on screen as i am to see, say, the siren scene or circes island scene, which are technically more emotional and seems like will be a bigger moment in the show based on what the crew placed importance on in season 1.

thank you very much for coming to my tedtalk on show percabeth’s dynamic and the cheek kiss have a wonderful day :)

[absolutebl]

This Week in BL - Well... at lease we have Wandee & Stand-in?

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

May 2024 Wk 4

Ongoing Series - Thai

Wandee Godday (Sat YT) ep 4 of 12 - The geept is strong with this one AKA Yak CAN flirt. Wandee now knows he isn’t the only one with a crush on someone else. AND YET they are SO DAMN CUTE together. I do wonder sometime if Yak is running a counter con with Dee pretending to have a crush on Taem. Meanwhile, mad props on the HPV vax public service! Good for them!!! Now that's my kind of product placement. I do have a feeling the sad bit with these two is gonna be VERY sad and last longer than we like. 

My Stand-In (Thai Fri iQIYI) ep 5 of 12 eps - It’s a riveting show. Pleasant? No. Riveting? Yes. Tiny crumbs for Ming’s assistant. Joe is best boy. That is all. I LOVE this show.

We Are (Weds iQIYI) ep 8 of 16 - TOO MANY SOUND EFFECTS. Omg get your fingers off those buttons you computer wanking sound dude (you know it’s a dude) what tf do you think this is? Lovely Writer? Also, they left ALL their drinks! Can you not walk and drink at the same time in a BL? Meanwhile not much happened that hadn’t already happened AKA bit of a filler ep. That said, the friendship group stuff is glorious!!! Also this brand of super gentle flirting suits PondPhuwin better than any of their prior rolls. It reminds me of how much I think they suit a historical. There is a gentle dignity to these two. 

Only Boo! (Sun YouTube) ep 7 of 12 - I love how kindly the turn down was. But most of the dancing stuff was dull. I don’t know I just find the actor playing Kang pretty vacant of appeal I guess. 

Ongoing Series - Not Thai

At 25:00 in Akasaka AKA 25 Ji Akasaka de (Japan Thurs Gaga) ep 6 of 10 - As is not uncommon with JBL I’m being to get frustrated with Yuki the Uke. Sigh. I’m probably gonna stay that way for several episodes given the pacing of this show. 

Living With Him AKA Kare no Iru Seikatsu (Japan Thurs Gaga) ep 7 of 10 - Also frustrating. Willful misunderstanding. We got us some running of the gays but boy is this drawn out. 

Blossom Campus (Korea Thurs Gaga & iQIYI) ep 3-4 of 6 - The puppy is a bit too much sunshine innocent for me. And the professor is a bit creepy. I don't know, I'm not loving this one like I want to.

It's airing but...

You Made My Day (Thai YT) ep 1 of 5 - mini series staring the I Will Knock You couple Tar & Bom, started but I couldn't find it. I also didn't try very hard.

The Time of Fever AKA Unintentional Love Story 2 (Korea movie) trailer released to Korean theaters 5/25. HoTae & DongHee, side couple from Unintentional Love Story are back! Same actors, same character names. I love them. I NEED TO SEE THIS. How?

OMG Vampire (Thai Sun ????) ep 2 of 10 - yeah I can't find it.

In case you missed it

Crossing my fandoms moment, major Kpop blog ran the following: OMEGA X Hangyeom Talks Jazz For Two, Brotherhood, And More With KpopStarz

Tis the season of remakes? Both Addicted Heroin (August, my love!) and My Love Mix-Up (G4!) are coming from Thailand. I am very excited to see both. I love a Thai remake, often more than the original.

Next Week Looks Like This:

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.

May Releases

VBL (Taiwan) is releasing 4 'Special Episode' epilogues to their 4 2023 shows every Friday this month on Gagaoolala, Viki & Viu. Not sure on search terms or how to find these. (Or, frankly, if we need them.)

5/10 – You Are Mine

5/17 – VIP Only

5/24 – Stay By My Side

5/31 – Anti Reset

5/28 My Biker 2 (Thai movie YT?) - trailer

5/30 Knock Knock Boys (Thai Thurs WeTV & Gaga) - I do love Best and I'm interested in seeing him in a new pairing. That said, I'm not wild about Seng. Still, this looks like a chaotic pulpy mess, I'm looking forward to wallowing in it one way or another.

5/31 The Time of Huannan (Taiwan movie) - May not be BL

THIS WEEK’S BEST MOMENTS

All Wandee Gooday.

Icky no longer allows screen shots or there would have been a bunch from Stand-in.

(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 a pain.

The tag BLigade: @doorajar @solitaryandwandering @my-rose-tinted-glasses @babymbbatinygirl @babymbbatinygirl @isisanna-blog @mmastertheone @pickletrip @aliceisathome @urikawa-miyuki @tokillamonger @sunflower-positiiivity

@rocketturtle4 @blglplus @anythinggoesintheshire @everlightly @renafire @mestizashinrin @bl-bam-beyond @small-dark-and-delicious @saezurumurmurs

Sigh, Tumblr in it's infinate wisdom doesn't like too many tags.

There's these tricks, remember:

[cecilysass]

Hello! You once told me that I could always ask you for fic recs so here I am! I’ve only seen up to S2E17 so idk if you have anything that doesn’t deal too heavily after that. Minor spoilers/references are okay, just nothing major. I’m also not a smut person generally. If you can’t think of anything that fits those criteria, feel free to ignore this! I hope you have a lovely day:)

Okay, I am SO EXCITED about this question, but also nervous, because I don’t want to accidentally include something that will spoil you. I am going to throw a few recs out, and maybe others will think of more?

Universal Invariants by syntax6 This is so, so good. It’s a classic. A novel-length casefile, plus an AU riff on season 1 and 2 through the abduction arc, so I think you are entirely good with spoilers. The big change from canon is that Scully is still with her boyfriend, Ethan. (If you don't know Ethan, he is a character that was originally in the Pilot but cut from the actual show.) There are... other changes from canon, but you’ll see. There's some smut, but it’s not the focus. And there's a sequel to this, too, which you will definitely eventually want to read, but you're going to have to finish season 5 first.

the progression (and regression) of first names by skuls Scully works through some early identity issues in relation to Mulder. This author (skuls) is always delightful, always recommended.

Center Mass by kateyes224 This fic provides a painful, in character explanation for what might have happened between them after the Pilot that could have resulted in so much subsequent slow burn. Hot and angsty, but not really smutty.

Early On by sunflowerseedsandscience This is also an AU season 1 with Ethan, but this one is more focused on Scully slowly feeling her attention stray from Ethan as her relationship with Mulder develops. It's a series with ten (short) parts. It's very engaging. There are some smutty parts.

Eight Things That Could Have Happened In Oregon by Stephen Greenwood No spoilers here, only things that didn't happen but might sound like spoilers. This is wistful, a little sad, beautiful, odd. The First Year by mldrgrl Their first New Year's Eve, not long after the Pilot. I love the hesitant vibe here.

Still Feeling My Father Ascend - cecily_sass This is my own fic, so I am being kind of a self promoter recommending it to you. But it’s a Beyond the Sea post ep, and I know my own work pretty well lol, so I know there’s no later spoilers, or only really minor things that won’t be meaningful until later. It was written for a prompt for an early season fic exchange.

And I'm not going to recommend it exactly, but I do want to mention that one of the first works of XF fanfic was actually written in 1993 and published online in 1994, so during season one. It's called The Sound of Windchimes by Sarah Stegall. It's got some serious CW (noncon) and some pretty wild content (I've read it), but if you're brave or curious and interested in fan history, you can check it out. Here's the fanlore page, which includes links.

***

Obviously I can come up with SO MANY MORE fics as you get further along. So just let me know. I would say most XF fic is probably written about seasons 5 / 6 / 7 for whatever reason, so once you're in that range, everyone can give you tons. Anyone have any other favorite early season fic they can recommend? It's sometimes tricky because sometimes early MSR has later details embedded in it...

[ecoterrorist-katara]

hello hello! can i just say, i love your takes so much. it feels like you’ve read my mind on how katara would actually react in certain situations. currently myself, im rewriting the structure of the show in a way that makes more sense (aka, getting rid of kataang altogether and focusing on actual growth for each character including aang!) and im struggling a bit on aang actually!

we know how brykke basically stunted aang’s growth because of their weirdness. but what if aang never had a crush on katara? what if he sees katara as the big sister he always wanted instead, making their relationship more wholesome than weird? i think he’s such a centralized character, but when i develop the others beyond the show, aang feels like he’s left behind.

maybe that’s part of it too! he is a boy out of time, and now more of a concept than a person as far as anyone else outside of his immediate group knows. in this au where i intend to age everyone up, i’m just curious to see what kind of man aang would grow up into if his motivations for katara was never there. i see him as trying to hold onto his lost childhood and then having to come to terms with the fact he can’t. but i’d love to hear your thoughts. who is aang outside of that? his journey has the opportunity to be so fascinating, but brykke kind of said hey! let’s not get into that! let’s make him a creepy god boy who gets whatever he wants!

(also to note, this version of aang is meant to be with azula and while i love the meta ive seen about taang i do personally hc her as a lesbian but i do like them but yeah!)

also sorry if this is too rambly i’m just very excited!

hi! This is such a nice message, and please never apologize for rambling! My blog is a safe space for all ramblers. Your fic sounds like a very exciting project!

I definitely agree with you that he’d try to hold onto his childhood & have a hard time with his grief; coming to terms with the depth of his loss would be an exceptionally interesting arc. His people were victims of genocide: his culture and his loved ones were brutally murdered. Nobody can replace that community, not even his chosen family of the Gaang, and certainly not a romantic partner.

But Aang certainly is somebody outside of all that tragedy too. I think his cheerfulness and optimism, his playfulness, his resilience, his reluctance to assume responsibility, and his prodigiousness are all important facets of his personality.

Here's my piping hot take: Aang is James Potter with a more tragic backstory and less of a cruel streak. Think about it: mischievous, funny, adventurous, brave, enjoys attention, popular, devoted to friends, prodigious, entitled when it comes to love interests, morally inflexible, dedicated to Good, can be too arrogant to recognize his own faults. We hear that James became a pretty decent guy, so there's plenty of potential for growth for Aang, especially if he doesn't get his forever girl at age twelve.

Aang has a big heart and stringent morals, but is still a bit of a trickster. Not in a malicious way, but in a “I have a zest for life way” that gives him a little bit of an edge beyond just being a sunshine boy. You can see this even in ep 1, when he sacrifices himself so that the village would be left alone, only to haul ass out of the Fire Nation ship as soon as they’re safe. You can also see it in The Great Divide, where he straight up just fabricates history lmao. Lying is not an issue for him at all, which indicates it’s not really part of his moral code.

On the other hand, he obviously feels very strongly about taking life, which indicates a black and white approach towards morality that is not uncommon in kids. I could see an older, more mature Aang being led to question his own approach to morality, particularly by someone like Zuko, who probably finds violence a lot more palatable than lying. I think there are very interesting cultural differences that can be explored here, which doesn’t necessarily mean that Aang will change his opinions, only that he’ll have greater respect for how other cultures see right and wrong, and that he can keep Air Nomad culture alive without taking on the burden of being the manifestation of that culture. He has the innate impulse to try to see the best in people, which is at odds with his black and white morals sometimes. Related to that, he really struggles with morally grey characteristics in his friends. I think that if he had a fleshed out opportunity to properly disagree with his friends, he may not necessarily change his own mind, but he might grow to value his friends' freedom of choice over imposing his own values on them, since one of the cornerstones of Air Nomad philosophy is apparently about freedom. I think his pacifist voice is an important contribution to their ragtag group of overpowered pre-teens and teens and I love it when that aspect is explored in fics.

I've seen some really good depictions of Aang-not-obsessed-with-Katara in fanfiction (Southern Lights has my favourite one; in fact it's my fave characterization of basically everyone except for Mai). I see most of his flaws as things he can grow out of, but only if he encounters difficult situations and learns to grow. Have fun with your fic, and please do share in any relevant tags once you start posting!

[mathmodder]

hey!! i’ve been enjoying playing around with your get wild mods, i did some poking around the files and omg, the amount of work you put into this!! just finding the images of all the animals and masking them is a huge job in itself!!

i have 2 questions - 1. are there meant to be audio files? i didn’t see any in the packages and don’t hear anything in game, but it seemed like you had sound effects in some of your videos

2. would you be open to collaborating with me to create a mod that spawns specific animals in a specific place? (kinda similar to the mods that bakiegaming has for ts4) i think i could write the code for it, i’d just need your permissions and maybe some small changes to the effects.

the effects themselves are incredible, tho i’d love to have some more control over where things go! let me know what you think :)

Hi! I'm really glad to hear you're enjoying the Get Wild & Ocean Life Mod, and I truly appreciate the recognition of the work that went into it. It actually took me about a year to gather everything and get the mod to its current state, so hearing feedback like this means a lot!

As for the audio files, yes, the original plan was to have custom sounds for the animals. However, I ran into some bugs with the tool I was using, where the sounds would loop endlessly or play out of sync, and the volume was often off. To avoid these issues, I decided to release the mod with just the base game and expansion pack sounds, like frogs, birds (from the PETS EP), seagulls, bats (from the Supernatural EP), and a few others. To fix the custom sound issue, I'll probably need to consult with Denton47, who created the TS3 VFX Sound BETA tool, to see if we can resolve these bugs.

I'd absolutely love to collaborate with you on making the animals spawn in specific places! On my end, I could actually manage this solo using the FOG EMITTER from the Buydebug menu, where I can create unique effects to spawn animals in specific spots. But ideally, it would be better to spawn animals as actual objects from the Buy Mode in TS3. Let's definitely talk more about how we can make this happen!

Thanks again for reaching out, and I’m excited to work together!

[bengiyo]

Marahuyo Project Eps 1 & 2 Stray Thoughts

I am so excited about this show! Anima Studios was behind Gaya sa Pelikula (Like in the Movies), and JP Habac is back directing. They even got Adrian Lindayag from The Boy Foretold by the Stars and Love Beneath the Stars, and they got Tommy Alejandrino from The Day I Loved You. I am so ready.

Episode 1 – Amihan

I do like opening with a quick queer history lesson reminding that much of our modern homophobic experience is a byproduct of imperialism.

Look at them!! I missed you, boys!

Hold on, I’m already ascending over these two giving each other the signal to kiss in front of the dean.

Homophobe down!

I wonder if we’ll see the macho dad later. I’m looking forward to the mom drama.

Not the fish going flying during a Crash Into You moment.

Points to grandma for knowing more terms, but you can’t just ask this boy that kinda stuff!

I think the actress playing the mom is Sue Prado, who also played Cairo’s mom in Gameboys.

Okay, I love his internal monologue and that he chides himself with feminine pronouns. Good shout out on that @lurkingshan

OOF. It’s missing my grandmothers hours.

Oh hey we’re gonna keep going with the spectrum. Very relieved to be outside of the bubble again.

Oh, I like the name Venice.

That reaction to the extended LGBTQIA+ was really elegant. Sometimes it’s easy to get caught up in some of the internal politics, but folks away from major population centers are so isolated that the specific terminology is just not their priority, and they don’t get the updates.

Lovi Poe mentioned!! Everyone go watch Sleep With Me on GagaOOlala!!

I want you all to know that @yankeebastard and I call each other “sis” all the time. I’m having a great time.

Oh no they’re gonna throw my boy into the pool.

There it is.

You win this round, President Fish Boy.

Episode 2 – Dios Buhawi

Oh, that was too aggressive, King, but I feel you.

Yes! Call your friends! I was worried they’d be out of the picture after the expulsion.

Damn, it really be your own people dragging you. Juvy called out King’s crush so fast.

It’s really refreshing to watch a show wearing its politics on its sleeves.

I’m really intrigued by the way this show breaks the fourth wall. I’m going to have to think about what role we fill in King’s existence.

Okay, the gibberish bit was funny.

Lorena Gomez, are you family?

About to cry about this dress scene.

Lorena and Lili, are you two best friends in love with each other in an unexpressed way??

Yes, drag his ass. Shut the fuck up, Marco.

Venice suffering in the heat should not be this funny.

I am curious what “friendly recruiter” King looks like.

Yes, what is the tea on Archie?

I do love King. Reminds me of a boy who protected me when I was a refugee. I watched him fight four boys on a stairwell and win.

Crash Into You again??? And in front of everyone!

Now, Marco, what the fuck was that look?

Ino, you ain’t fooling me trying to suss out how much King likes you, or if he has a boyfriend back in Manila.

Ino, you ain’t gotta stand that close to King.

Interesting. I think Archie was warning Venice to hide after the dean showed up.

Thankfully the front of his mullet blends in with the background.

BESTIES, WE ARE SO FUCKING BACK! This is so good right out of the gate. I love that King is such a warrior. He’s not passive at all, and everyone clocks him so quickly. I’m so ready to see what Ino is going to do since he can’t help but flirt with King. I have big hopes for Lorena and Lili. It feels so good to be back in a well-produced show from the Philippines with a huge heart and a lot to say. I feel restored.

[iguessitsjustme]

The On1y One Ep 1 Thoughts

This show won my liveblog poll so here I am. I am dead tired and brain fried from work and procrastinating cleaning my apartment (I have until Friday when my mom is visiting…well kind of visiting? She’s here on business. Sort of. That business is a charity walk. I’m getting off topic). I’ve heard nothing but good things about this show so my expectations are high. I don’t actually know anything about this show except that it’s good. As always, under the cut:

Wait, wait. I can’t start yet. I need my song to finish. God the FMA Brotherhood soundtrack goes so hard. God bless.

Y’all will not believe how many people at once have just walked into my building to be LOUD in a row. I am TRYING to start this show god damn.

Okay already obsessed with this soundtrack.

I already love Jiang Tian. Took 2 seconds. This surprises no one.

Even this tiny little height difference makes me very happy. More of this.

The fact that Wang stopped Jiang Tian from leaving just so he could leave first? Comedy gold. I love him.

How often has this poor baby’s dad actually talked to him about his late mother? How often has he talked to him about his new wife(?)...significant other? How often does this poor baby’s father tell him anything at all? Or does he just move him around and expect him to behave and get good grades and be silent don’t cause trouble? As someone who spent a good chunk of my childhood moving a lot, that affects a person in unexpected ways. I had a good support system and loving family and I’m still a little messed up from it. What does this poor baby have? Does he have any adult he can talk to about anything?

Well, obviously I’m obsessed.

I want this boy to beat Jiang Tian in the test so bad. Just for fun. Plus I like that they’re showing he is smart but he still needs to study and he works hard.

Okay so he didn’t do better than Jiang Tian but I’ll settle for this. His hard work wasn’t for nothing. That cram session really came in clutch.

GLASSES SPOTTED *makes note*

Holy shit look at this little guy. I need to pet this cat. I need to pet this cat RIGHT NOW.

Okay yeah I’m obsessed with this show now. Unfortunately, I do have to work tomorrow and also probably can’t watch tomorrow but I am excited to keep watching this. It’s everything I want and need.