#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 - Whole Lotta Nothing

Organized, in each category, with ones I'm enjoying most at the top. (Which frankly, was only really Your Sky this week.)

Jan 2025 Week 3

Ongoing Series - Thai

Your Sky (Sun iQIYI) ep 9 of 12 - Them just flirting and being boyfriends at Fah’s fancypants condo is the world’s greatest music video ever. These two gave us a lovely sensual sex scene, for which I forgive the magically reappearing pants.

ThamePo (Fri YT) ep 6 of 12 - Ooo plot thickens. Pepper has a faen. The conversation about walking speed is one of the most ridiculous things I’ve ever heard in a BL. BL boys all walk incredibly slowly, slower than dirt really. Why draw attention to this fact? We better get more Po character dev soon!

The Boy Next World (Sun IQIYI) ep 2 of 10 - Language play already and we’re just on episode two? Your spoiling me Mame. You shouldn’t have. Phu may not be boyfriend babygirl yet, but he already knows how to manipulate like one. I’m enjoying this. Despite myself.

The Heart Killers (Weds Gaga) ep 8 of 12 - This ep just swapped between being boring and bizarre.

Fourever You (Thurs YT) ep 16 end - All the backstory in this one and it was fine.

Perfect 10 Liners (Sun YT) ep 12 of 24 - I like the actor pair, but I really don’t like the secondary couple as characters, in this installment. The relationship is just too unhealthy for me.

GMMTV always does shocked face good tho.

Sangmin Dinneaw (Sun iQIYI) ep 3 of 10 - Has gotten unexpectedly extremely racy. And also sort of a travel ad? I’m confused. Why the random hotel bellhop fetish thing? What’s going on? Also is this a cancer story. No thank you. 

Ossan‘s Love Thailand (Mon YouTube) ep 2 of 12 - Look I just think that EarthMix are better at serious drama. I think they’re not suited to this piece - even if I liked the original IP.

Ongoing Series - Not Thai

Eternal Butler (Taiwan Fri Gaga) eps 6 of 12 - So sappy. Not a whole lot happened in this installment. I do like the sides, I wish we got a little bit more of them. It’s fine I guess.

Impression of Youth (Taiwan Weds Viki) eps 1-2 of 9 - Lots of familiar faces, country+city match up. Basically about a bunch of artists of different ilks who meet in a countryside hotel. It's okay. 

Teenager Judge (Vietnam Sat YT) ep 15 of 16 - Am I warped that I liked the traumatized after kidnapping bit? Finally consequences in a BL. Also the acting was good. But then we go right BACK TO SQUARE ONE. Omg pleaseendnow! 

When it Rains it Pours (Japan Thurs Gaga) ep 2 of 10 - No eng subs for me.

It's airing but......

Winter Is Not The Death of Summer (Thai) - It's done. Did anyway watch it? Thoughts?

In Case You Missed it

End of year wraps are here!

2024 Trend Report

MY BEST & WORST BLs of 2024

Best Kisses (and sex scenes) of 2024

BL's 2024 Quirky Awards

2024 Awards - Quick Picks

Next Week Looks Like This:

2025 Line Up

BL Announced for 2025 - PART 1

BL Announced for 2025 - PART 2

20 BLs Announced for 2025 That I'm Really Excited About

GMMTV 2025 Line Up - My Totally Biased and Wildly Flawed Feels

THIS WEEK’S BEST MOMENT

The one bright point in a dull week.

Just give them their own series now. (Perfect 10)

(last week)

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

[fitzjamesbulletwound]

if you ever wanted to hear my every thought on fitzier you're in luck because here it is! this is extremely long so it's going under the cut and if you read it all, i love you

fitzier- shame, performance, and the freeing ordeal of being known 

oh man okay here we go everyone, if this sucks or is too stupid or too anything feel free to kill me

essentially what i want to try to convey here is that the reason crozier and fitzjames go from enemies to friends to lovers is because they both see each other and see themselves in each other in a way that frightens and compels them, hence the early enmity with a tinge of familiarity and desperation to connect thrown in. with the inevitable evolution of their relationship i really think it becomes about learning to be vulnerable with one another, to give each other space to be who they need to be, both to each other and their subordinates, and finally coming to a point where fitzjames, the most performative insecure character in the story (to me), bares his entire soul to crozier, whose own character development allows him to give james the gift of acceptance and compassion in that moment. i’m not going to go episode by episode like i did with my joplittle post but this is more or less in chronological order with maybe a few exceptions idk i get possessed when i write this stuff

the first scene we’ve got to look at is of course the dinner scene. james is absolutely showboating like no other in this scene but in his body language you can see he isn’t confident at all- fidgeting, gesturing, exaggerating, the voice he tends to put on in early episodes prevalent. but when crozier interrupts him you can see for a split second that james was actually excited to get attention from him until he realizes what he’s saying. in the early episodes james craves crozier’s attention and approval so badly because he knows that crozier doesn’t bullshit and he sees things for what they are and isn’t afraid to voice that either and despite the fact that this sometimes makes james uncomfortable as it is not in line with victorian ideals of emotional expression and masculinity, i think james, given the kind of man he is at the start of the story, craves the recognition of a man who he knows would see everything in him. early early early foreshadowing and story weaving for the cairn scene where he realizes “he can tell this man anything. it is possible”

what i also find fascinating about early james and francis is that they still refer to one another in a very familiar way despite the fact that they openly dislike each other- it’s always first name basis even when they’re arguing. also interesting to note that crozier in the beginning will often call him “fitzjames” in front of others when he’s discussing him when he’s not in the room, but later on he makes sure to always use his proper title when he’s talking about him in front of the men- showing james respect even when he dislikes him. i think he doesn’t understand at the time that james’s familiarity with him is an attempt at respect as well (the whole ‘don’t ever call me francis again’ scene). it might be a stretch but i do get the sense that from the very beginning they both tried at being friendly, even just for the sake of maintaining order in command.

when francis says “here technology still bends the knee to luck james” in ep 1 he says it with almost a mentor-like cadence. like yeah they’re both being a little bitchy here but god knows franklin wasn’t giving fitzjames any real or pertinent advice about surviving and navigating the fucking arctic so i find it interesting that crozier almost gently reminds him that yeah they’re making decent progress but that it would be foolish to let their guard down

one of my favorite early fitzier scenes is after dinner when crozier, franklin, and fitzjames are all on deck and fitzjames like sidles up to crozier and looks him up and down and just goes “goodnight francis” with that smirk on his face- he was trying so hard to flirt with him while also being an insufferable bitch with “try to shake the brown study”. but also james lingers so long waiting for francis to say something to him and then shakes his head and walks away to go bitch to franklin about him- i think he is truly hurt in this instance along with being angry and annoyed. and i love that complication because on one hand, i do think that fitzjames thinks that crozier owes him friendship or at the very least recognition because of who james believes himself to be, or at least who he’s trying to be- like he DOES probably see crozier as being beneath him as an irishman but i do think he genuinely wants his friendship and approval as well, for self serving reasons but not entirely. it’s about fitzjames and his desire to be seen by everyone around him in a certain light but also about his desire to be seen specifically by crozier because of who crozier is and how he acts in contrast to everyone else around them

next on the agenda is “dramatic opening shot”... fitzjames girl you are the most dramatic man in the fucking room. the projection is crazy. what this scene reveals most importantly i think is that another thing about francis that james is secretly very envious of is his ability to openly disagree with franklin. there are so many moments later on where you can see that james doesn’t fully believe in what franklin is saying or commanding (the way he looks at him when they realize they are trapped in the pack, the ways he looks at him when he tells fitzjames to escort silna off of erebus right after her father has died) and i think that he envies francis’s ability to challenge franklin and not care what the consequences are. anyway the staredown during this scene is crazy, the tension??

moving on… beginning of ep 1 crozier says “not if fitzjames is with us” in reference to jop saying dinner will be over before he knows it, and at the beginning of ep 2 fitzjames says “do you think francis will honor us with his presence today”- for two people who allegedly hate each other they sure do think about each other and find reasons to bring each other up in conversation a lot! 

ahh the scene with silna’s father- fitzjames is so interesting to me in this scene and really illustrates one of my favorite things about him in the earlier episodes which is that when he goes silent his face journeys are amazing and really convey his true feelings that he won’t say out loud for various reasons. he watches crozier so much in this scene and looks to him for understanding and guidance which is also interesting because i do think that in this scene he’s watching silna, a woman who he probably sees as subhuman and alien, reacting with such grief and tenderness to her father’s death and probably thinking of his relationship with his own father. i know a lot of people speculate that he was just feeling empathy for her there and i do think that’s part of it but i think that to show that in his mind would be to out himself as being “not fully english”. i think i make this point later on in the story too but fitzjames really does that classic white supremacist thing of distancing yourself from “otherness” in order to align yourself with imperialist beliefs and status- he does it with silna and he does it with crozier. sorry this is also turning into my fitzjames character study lol.

the scene where crozier walks out after his big blow up with franklin… i get that james really didn’t have any place to try to hide the fact that he was eavesdropping but i find it so interesting that he decides to turn to face francis and look him directly in the eye. from what we can see of his expression i personally think there was at least a small amount of sympathy there. another attempt to extend friendship and familiarity while actively participating in crozier’s humiliation… god i hate him lol. and the face that james is making when francis first walks out before he turns around is contemplative, not like smug or triumphant or anything like we might expect given how much he seems to dislike crozier at this point. and francis looking back at him… there’s no anger there, just sadness and humiliation and it sucks. i would truly do anything to be able to see james’s face there, in the script it says that crozier can tell how much james heard from the look on his face which like??? could mean so much.

okay the face journey when francis walks into the erebus wardroom after sir john dies… his eyes stay on fitzjames who’s obviously extremely distraught and i wonder if crozier has ever seen fitzjames show genuine emotion up until this point? crozier then looks to blanky, who also looks to fitzjames almost as if to say “look at him, attend to him” and the sorrow and vulnerability on francis’s face when he looks again to james who is of course also showing a vulnerability we haven’t seen from him before. i love the note in the script that fitzjames isn’t used to being this candid or vulnerable in front of a man he doesn’t respect but he does it anyway. and i don’t think he knows how much sympathy crozier does have for him despite how callous he may come across when he says to send out the rescue parties. they both just fail so spectacularly at communication and expression early on, it’s crazy to see

when francis begins reading from the eulogy and stumbles over his words fitzjames gives him a very sharp look… i think he clocks his alcoholism starting to really affect him right away but may also be looking to see if the stumble is due to emotion or the alcohol. ugh and the look he gives him at the end too… it’s so piercing and there’s an anger to it as well. almost a “please prove me wrong but i don’t believe at this point that you will”. because for better or worse now they are linked, intertwined, married and they have to find a way to make it work.

ohhhh the fitzier dinner scene my beloved… “as i climbed the ridge” is such a parallel to james’s chinese sniper story scene!! AND this time it’s fitzjames who derisively interrupts crozier. The parallels, the callbacks… the look he gives fitzjames is crazy when fitzjames says “you should curb that for now” but what i find the most interesting about this scene is that the script makes a point to say that fitzjames was being sincere when he said that to crozier- there is care and concern there underneath the frustration and anger. and then it’s also wild that in that moment, fitzjames clearly reminds crozier of sophia. the way the narrative almost shifts to replace crozier’s love interest (sophia) with his burgeoning relationship with fitzjames is soooooo. i just love this scene because they are both trying so hard to be vulnerable and open with one another but they are both failing so spectacularly just like in the scene after sir john dies. they don’t have the respect and rapport between them yet to back up what they desperately want from each other- a connection. a camaraderie. leadership and capability. fitzjames tries to be sincere in his concern for francis but it is overshadowed by his frustration and anger towards what he views to be a sour outlook from crozier, and crozier attempts to be vulnerable with james by sharing about sophia only to be met with the knowledge that franklin has humiliated him yet again by discussing that topic with other people aboard the ship. and i think fitzjames does truly pity francis in that moment but it also frustrates him that that is the reason he’s here, for love, not for a yearning for adventure or glory- which i would venture to say is why fitzjames is there. fitzjames went on the expedition to prove his worth and francis went for love and they both ended up finding exactly those things from one another i’m dead.

oh and also why the fuck does fitzjames arch his slutty back against the wall when francis walks out of the room like that one scene in hannibal y’all know what i’m talking about. okay and i forgot about the way fitzjames jabs his finger at francis all up in his personal space which is just so unlike him. it is also worth noting that francis doesn’t get angry at this- he actually stills for a second and then continues to tell james what he was going to tell him. again there’s that strange familiarity they have despite the fact that they hate each other at this point. and that’s to say nothing of how they’re sitting in the first place which is so close to each other idk it just seems a little crazy to me?

i also find it so so interesting how james chooses to be honest with francis once he accidentally reveals that franklin discussed the whole sophia thing with him- he could’ve deflected and said like “oh yeah he mentioned it in passing’ or something like that but he chose to tell francis the truth of the conversation! francis really brings out an honest and candid side to james that we don’t see him put on for anyone else and i think it’s because deep down he knows that no matter how shitty, francis is always going to respect being told the truth vs. all of the obfuscating language that is so typical of the time. i think this is also why in the next episode francis insists that everyone leaves after he punches fitzjames and fitzjames is very resigned to it as well- they both know that it’s going to be ugly but they both want to hash out the truth of the situation for better or worse- like yeah they are at each other’s throats and they want the catharsis of screaming at each other because they’re so mad at each other here but i also think they crave honesty and candidness in their interactions- james because he feels like a fake and francis because it’s his nature- but both because it’s what they want from each other. and back to the dinner scene- just another look of genuine hurt from fitzjames when crozier says “keep your pity” plus the whole reason crozier even says that- i don’t think he expects pity from anyone at this point and doesn’t know how to respond to it.

in the scene where fitzjames says they should question silna about the creature crozier makes a point to say he agrees with him- he does this a couple of different times throughout the show and i think it’s a very small but important detail about how even when they aren’t on the best terms he makes sure to show james respect in front of the officers. and like yeah they end up yelling at each other here but i think that’s more james’s grief showing (again he shows emotion in front of/because of francis) and francis’s stress showing as well- that “we’re all exhausted” is very aimed at james but also an attempt to explain his own state of mind. they’re trying!!!!

the lashing scene- i don’t think we’ve ever seen fitzjames actually afraid of crozier but he definitely is here. he’s clenching his hands so hard throughout the whole scene and he keeps glancing at crozier as he allows the lashing to go on and even nervously gulps at one point. i think this along with crozier’s worsening addiction is a huge catalyst for where we find them and their dynamic in ep 5.

and speaking of which- at the beginning of the episode you can really see how their communication has just completely broken down. edward is basically bridging the gap between them and the resentment is growing. i know that the alcoholism is part of it, we can only assume that fitzjames started to keep his distance once he could tell it was getting bad, but i also think a lot of this is fall out from the lashing and how it affected the way fitzjames felt about crozier as stated earlier. and another aspect of the widening gap between fitzjames and crozier is how erebus is the very picture of order while terror is literally and figuratively falling apart 

the fact that fitzjames told collins to watch out for crozier running out of alcohol on terror is further evidence that fitzjames was around a bit to witness crozier’s alcoholism getting really bad and isolated himself after that. he’s angry but he knows it was coming

ugh man the fight scene- the fact that james came himself, alone, to terror to talk to francis as a friend (straight from his own mouth in the script of their argument) about the alcohol issue. even though james is furious and stressed and shouldering the whole expedition, he still attempts to care for francis, it just ends up blowing up in his face and that’s when he lashes out. the way he says “francis” at first before crozier freaks out on him is in such a sincere and gentle tone and just the fucking genuine hurt in his face and his tone of voice when francis tells him to never call him by his first name again. fitzjames cared when francis was at his fucking lowest but still held him responsible and that’s love baby.

the body language is crazy when they’re yelling at each other or i guess when fitzjames is reading francis lol- and the way crozier can’t take his eyes off fitzjames when he’s telling everyone to get out. he’s so ready for this fucking throw down because both of them have been holding this in for so long. crozier is amped up but fitzjames is resigned to finally getting it all out in the open. he wants it to happen and he knows it needs to. even after getting punched in the mouth by him (i don’t think it’s any accident that fitzjames literally bears a scar from that punch and that it comes back open when he’s dying of scurvy) fitzjames still calmly tells everyone yes get out and says what he needs to say. i love the transcript of their argument because it’s so brutal but it really illustrates a kind of fucked up intimacy that we aren’t 100% privy to between them. crozier knows exactly what to say to james to hurt him- telling him he doesn’t have friends, he has admirers and that james has always been mad that he isn’t one, that james is a coward despite the fact that james is facing this down no matter what it takes in order to literally save crozier’s life; and james knows that all he can do is soldier through and lay the truth of what is happening on francis in a way no one else has dared to except for silna minutes before. james really goes out of his comfort zone- being honest and sincere and vulnerable for the sake of the expedition but also for francis. and i’m reading this back and wondering if i’m being too generous to james here but tbh he had every right to be this angry at francis at this point in the story! 

ha fitzjames walks into the “i need to dry out meeting” looking all submissive and contrite… but for real his face is so open and entreating in this scene. he’s still annoyed but he wants so badly for things to go right. and you can see in francis’s expression that he is so ashamed to have to ask him 

mmm and part of fitzjames coming to love and respect crozier is seeing jopson’s devotion to him in this scene… he’s never seen crozier be admired the way franklin was and i think this is a whole new way for him to see him. and just in general here i think that james “reshuffles everything he thought about the man” and he admires crozier for the way he put his humility and vulnerability in front of him finally and admitted to his wrongs, something i also don’t think franklin would ever do and didn’t ever do, to his and the entire crew’s demise. fitzjames followed franklin and looked up to him in the pursuit of his own vanity and the narrative he tells himself to cover the shame, but he learns to respect and love francis because he watches his evolution as a captain and as a man without any of the obfuscating that he’s used to from authority figures. he watches francis claw his way out of his own shame, the shame that drives him forward and i wonder what kind of ideas that gave fitzjames and how it influenced his own decision to share everything about his past with francis later

what i love about the opening scene of ep 6 is that we see how fitzjames’s leadership has been influenced by franklin and francis but specifically how he is acting more like francis- he does do a little bit of the whole “how dare you bring up anything unpleasant” thing when he yells at jirv for mentioning the number of men and when he does the whole “oh it’s just winter, we’ll feel better with the first sunrise, encourage the men with that” thing but it’s interesting because although we’re hearing echoes of franklin here, fitzjames is still trying to be more honest and open to feedback than franklin was. he doesn’t exactly take jirv’s advice on rationing but he does ration a bit. he is doing the whole toxic positivity thing with his “use that to encourage the men” line but he is also recognizing how hard everything has been for everyone and using an actual tangible event to lift spirits rather than referring to meaningless bullshit about god and country. and the simple fact that he seeks blanky’s advice and knowledge is more than sir john would ever have done in a scenario like this. he understands from blanky’s story about ross that he himself hasn’t been doing enough to combat the horror of their situation for the men, he understands that he must do more. even the way he asks ‘what do you mean’ when blanky says ross had no sympathy for the ill. to not care for the ill is an alien concept to him. tt’s so interesting because fitzjames occupies a space not dissimilar to francis’s- he has access and power in the hierarchy of the discovery service but, within his own mind, he is still an outsider. crozier on the other hand is a visible and tangible outsider due to his birth and his nationality. everyone can see it and i think that’s also part of why fitzjames is so antagonistic towards francis in the beginning- the projection goes crazy and in the true spirit of colonialism and white supremacy, james believes that if he can make himself as far apart from someone like francis as possible and align himself with men like franklin and barrow despite sharing way more similarities with francis than he does with them, he can succeed in upholding himself as the vision of victorian masculinity and social worthiness that he so desperately tries to emulate- this is what i was thinking about during the scene with silna’s father where he’s reluctant to fully show his (partial) sympathy to her

the line from the script that kills me is when it says a clock has begun for fitzjames once he discovers the blood in his hair… god it kills me, he knew he was dying for months. for literal months and who knows if he even told anyone but… i do think he had to have told francis at some point. it makes me so sick, it’s literally why the cairn walk scene happens- he knew he was dying, he knew it and one of the last things he wanted before he died was for someone to see him, truly see him flaws and mistakes and vanity and all before he died. and he wanted that person to be francis

gotta include the scene where james tells edward that francis was right about walking out- this is a huge turning point from ep 1

it’s so funny that when crozier and fitzjames see each other at carnival you can tell james is like “oh shit i’m in trouble” but crozier is just slightly amused seeing him like that and even though he finds the carnival strange and sees how reckless it was, he doesn’t chide james or the men about it even though that’s cleary what james is expecting. crozier empathizes with their longing for home and their need to do something happy and uses that momentum to tell the men about walking out and doing his best to reassure them about their chances. the way fitzjames looks up at him and nods along with him- i don’t think we’ve seen fitzjames look at him like that yet up until this point. he is seeing francis for who he can be as a competent captain and we are seeing crozier really step into that role. i also think that francis was relieved that fitzjames saw the urgency in walking out and that he wasn’t going to have to convince him the way he would’ve had to convince franklin. their leadership is finally syncing up here, built on humility (francis admitting he had an addiction and choosing to do something about it, fitzjames admitting how wrong he was about francis and his use of caution and logic) and respect (i do think crozier respected fitzjames for trying to build morale to the best of his ability and i think fitzjames respected francis finally behaving like the captain he needed him to be) 

during the fire there’s a small moment where james is frozen- no doubt from ptsd which he deserves- and francis sends him ahead to look for an exit, telling him to go. he fucking loves him!!!!

poor fitzjames.. like yes the ghosts of his colonial past and all that of course which i will never not fully support him being subjected to but damn. and i don’t think he shrugs francis off because it’s francis or because he’s angry with them, he is punishing himself and francis sees that and lets him do what will help ease his own guilt and pain. tt is a moment of understanding between them i believe- fitzjames showing vulnerability in front of a man he now respects while adding another failure to his own personal checklist he keeps against himself (i can only imagine he does anyway). francis’s attempt to show him care and understanding while not undercutting his usefulness is also such an inspired choice for what he knows of fitzjames. you can really see the care starting to sprout between them here. i can only imagine what the rest of the winter was like but i feel like by episode 7, their dynamic has just completely changed, their entire vibe is different. and their love couldn’t have happened until they left the ships so it came at the worst and best time. 

and by ep 7 their dynamic has just so completely shifted. even the fact that they are supervising the packing for the walk together and this may be real delusional hours but sending edward ahead to make the first camp instead of one of them going is a little interesting to me. i believe he’s technically the next in line for leadership after fitzjames but like did francis and james want to spend time together? with crozier finally dried out and knowing james’s time is almost up? them finally in a comfortable and friendly place? i love their conversation during the packing scene because fitzjames is voicing a concern to francis who calmly explains his reasoning and when fitzjames continues to press his own doubts they remain civil, familiar, acknowledge one another’s thought processes etc. a scene like this could NEVER have happened in episode 1 or 2. i looooong to know what they were like together during the winter after carnival 

you all know i am INSANE about the fitzier hand holding scene, no one can match my freak on this. tt makes my stomach flutter every time i see it. it is my pride and prejudice hand clenching scene. first i want to acknowledge the quote from the script- “at one point, the only thing keeping fitzjames from sliding back into oblivion is crozier’s hand, but half the importance about the act is that fitzjames reached for it.” this KILLS me more than anything else from the script. and honestly at this point in the story i am becoming convinced that james told crozier about the scurvy, they knew the whole fucking time, they knew. they are literally marching to their deaths, against all odds still going, still trying and they are falling in love. the way james gazes up at francis in awe when he sees the offered hand and doesn’t stop looking at francis when he is up on the ridge. crozier doesn’t even turn to look at james, but he does make sure to stop and wait for him and extend the hand that he knows that james needs. Based on honestly even just this alone i am convinced that crozier knew about the scurvy already. there’s no fucking way he didn’t. and then the way james grabs francis’s jacket and holds on while they stare at each other, crozier smiling- it’s so interesting to me because it very much tells of finding an excuse to touch crozier again, as if he was so in awe of the touch that crozier initiated a few minutes before that he needed it again. he was trying to find a way to touch him again in that “this has to be acceptable by victorian standards of emotional and loving expression” way. and crozier accepts it! he smiles, he meets his gaze. there’s triumph there. and don’t think i didn’t fucking notice that the hand that francis keeps is the hand that held fitzjames’s hand and that also held his face when he was dying.

in the scene with morfin, as soon as crozier notices that james is there he makes sure to maneuver over to james so he can place himself between james and the gun despite the fact that he is unarmed and james has his pistol with him. i don’t necessarily doubt that francis would do this earlier in the story but i can say that he does this here as a selfless act of love and protection 

and then the jop promotion scene yay the way james looks at francis with admiration and curiosity when he hands him the promotion letter to sign and the way james smiles at him when he reads it but not just because of that- but because of the words francis uses and the way francis is looking at him, saying someone “has earned our respect (looks to james), trust” and fitzjames smiles and nods- it’s not just about agreeing with him about jopson. this is how fitzjames feels about crozier now and the fact that crozier even in this small subtle way acknowledges that he  DID need to prove himself to james after his behavior during the winter. their dynamic is just so much different now! at the end when everyone is shaking jopson’s hand, fitzjames gives crozier like… the most insane loving soft look… he looks so so happy. i don’t think we’ve ever seen him look like that before.

and now we are at the cairn walk. i again have to say how during this rewatch i become convinced of the knowledge that crozier has to know that fitzjames is dying. there’s just no way he doesn’t. the conversation they have about it does not convey that james is telling him this for the first time. tt more so implies that they both know but don’t speak of it often and james is updating francis with the vital information, the stages he’s at. what made fitzier happen was them leaving the boats, james dying, crozier getting sober, them both laying it all out on the table in different moments of vulnerability- crozier with his addiction, james with his heritage. the way those scenes parallel each other is actually crazy. james is fucking dying, they are all marching to their deaths and the knowledge that they are doing so is slowly sinking in, and all james wanted before he died was for crozier to see him, all of him. even the parts he was afraid to tell anyone, even himself. and francis isn’t even granting him a mercy, he isn’t sparing his feelings. he truly and genuinely accepts james for who he is, how he came to be a part of the expedition. they have both known from the start that beginnings and heritage don’t matter, it’s the actions that people take that makes them who they are. in different ways they both knew that and i think it’s part of what aligned them eventually. and from the script- james realizes he can say anything to this man. it is possible. crozier gives him the space to do it. and just the way they’re laughing and joking and being light with each other- another thing we never would’ve seen in the earlier episodes. okay focusing on some details now- when crozier says “that’s not how i see you” james literally stumbles as if he can’t believe crozier would say that to him. in the beginning of the scene francis gives james space and privacy when he sees him getting emotional about graham and franklin’s deaths and struggling to remember the date of sir john’s death. they communicate with a single glance there, james asking for a moment and crozier giving it to him. the grief on francis’s face when james tells him his latest symptoms. when crozier initially tries to comfort and encourage james… and james can’t accept it because he hasn’t told him everything yet. he doesn’t know if he can. i don’t want to get personal but that feeling that if you only tell part of your hidden sorrow to someone and they comfort and accept you and show you kindness, that feeling you then get that no no no you don’t know the whole of it and if you did you wouldn’t be showing me this kindness, you wouldn’t love me, you wouldn’t respect me. you wouldn’t see me. i genuinely can’t imagine the relief that fitzjames felt when he told francis it all, he told him everything and all francis gave back was love. also we can finally start to really see the bruise that francis gave fitzjames in ep 5. i love when fitzjames literally and metaphorically closes the gap between them. and francis waits for him until he is by his side again. “are we brothers francis” the tears, the attempt to laugh/smile them away until he sees that crozier is with him in this moment and taking it as seriously as it deserves to be. again the joining of the hands, the one that crozier keeps. they look at each other’s mouths, into each other’s eyes, the way francis dips his head to look at fitzjames when fitzjames ducks his emotionally. it’s insanity

when they get back to camp and listen to hodgson’s story and then go to see jirv’s body, they exchange a lot of glances, specifically around the times that hodgson mentions hickey- they are of one mind on him and on how the situation actually played out. james also watches francis a lot in the scene where they go to see jirv’s body. he looks to him for leadership now and doesn’t become irritated by his anger or his candor. this really persists for the rest of the episode - in the scene where crozier is yelling at edward about supplementing the marines all james has to say is “francis” and then basically talks him down from yelling at edward more, another scene i don’t think could have ever happened between them earlier in the story but james knows how to quell francis now. and this is such an interesting parallel to ep 5 when everyone was taking their shit out on edward; this time fitzjames protects him. but anyway- james and francis are just so in sync in every scene in this episode- they back each other up, communicate through glances, emphasize each other’s words and authority. yay<3 

all right you’re all going to have to bear with me on ep 9 because it makes me crazy.

we gotta start with the fucking grief and pain in both of their expressions when they’re taking care of pocock and how this scene itself foreshadows the assisted suicide later

the look of absolute love and faith from fitzjames when crozier is telling them they will keep marching south and the “more than god loves them” scene- this is francis at his most captainly- and james is echoing his hollow vanity stricken words about franklin but really really meaning them about crozier- he says them to no one but himself, there is no performance here and crozier’s words aren’t a false display of empathy and care like franklin’s were for david young and fitzjames sees this. 

fitzjame and crozier are hauling in front side by side- it makes a point to mention that in the script too.

when fitzjames falls… ugh. he hauled until he couldn’t anymore, direct call back to when blanky said ross sat atop the sledges- oh and when francis and fitzjames were caring for pocock together vs ross having no sympathy for illness. when james falls he reaches for crozier without even looking at him at first and you can hear crozier saying “it’s all right, it’s all right” when james is saying he can’t stand the heat. dundy and bridgens are lifting fitzjames up too but when he stumbles, when he reveals his wound, when he stumbles again, he is only looking at crozier the whole time. and the look on crozier’s face is one i don’t think we’ve seen from him yet. i noticed too that he’s holding onto fitzjames with his left arm and rubbing his back with the other before he takes the rope off of him. 

i want to say about the following scene where james is laid up in the boat that i made a joke once to my friend about when crozier reaches into the boat and how it looks like they’re holding hands- but they actually are, it’s in the script. there’s just something about crozier’s face when he talks to fitzjames in later episodes, there’s such a softening of the edges to him, his expression is less guarded and more attentive and earnest. and the call back to their first scene together with the chinese sniper story…. the fucking fondness in both of their eyes as they laugh together, which was probably james’s last time laughing. when crozier says “there’s time” but that’s the tragedy of this show- there’s never enough time. everything happens too late.

james screaming in pain and crozier running to him and barely letting bridgens finish his sentence before he tells them to camp here also in the script during the officer’s meeting right after, they can hear fitzjames screaming in his tent :( i’m honestly kinda glad they left that out.

and here we are at THE fitzier scene. i could talk for hours about this scene. francis is holding james’s hand, rubbing his shoulder. james looks so young and frail and scared here and he uses some of his last words to tell francis he wanted him to live because he knew he wouldn’t be around to tell him that anymore soon. francis shaking his head when he says it as if to say “not without you”. in the script, when bridgens leaves it says ‘he looks at crozier. he looks at fitzjames. he understands”... and later during james’s funeral when crozier says that he had a service with james, just the two of them, peglar and bridgens exchange a very interesting, knowing look. to choose those two to react that way? idk man. fitzier real. but back to the scene- god okay crozier taps james’s chest twice in question and then just barely audible fitzjames says “please”. ugh the sad smile crozier gives fitzjames before he gives him the drug… then he places his hand, the one that crozier doesn’t lose, so gently and lovingly on james’s face, and even in his current state james looks almost taken aback at the gesture. when crozier tips the drug into his mouth his expression softens. i will never ever in my life forget the way james looks at crozier in that moment, the look of gratitude, love, farewell, of pain, longing, childlike fear. (nobody is doing it like tobias). crozier ever so lightly brushing james’s lips with both of his thumbs before he begins to massage it down and carefully wiping the excess away. they never stop looking at each other. dave k said that the service that crozier mentions happened before fitzjames dies and after crozier gives him the drug.

the last thing i want to say about the james death scene is that i was never that invested in the concept of cannibalism as a metaphor for love but fitzjames asking crozier to eat his body and live really really stuck in my brain- just their entire insane journey that i’ve been sitting here thinking about for months- acquaintances to enemies to allies to friends to lovers for it all to culminate in this final scene of fitzjames begging crozier to eat from his body and begging him to give him the final kiss of death all as crozier never once looks away or lets go of him. fitzjames loved him so much he was willing for crozier to desecrate his corpse if it meant francis would live, even without him next to him but crozier loved him so much that he couldn’t do it, he couldn’t add that act to his already impossibly devoted actions.

and the action of hiding james’s body because crozier doesn’t want tuunbaq to destroy it but then it turns out that someone at the very funeral ends up leading the mutineers to tear fitzjames’s body apart themselves. just like jirv not getting to keep the final gift of the seal meat even in death, crozier couldn’t do james this one last mercy even though he tried desperately to. 

and this last part is a bit of a stretch but okay-along with the shirt and the gloves of fitzjames’s that crozier is wearing after his death i think he might be wearing his little neck thing too, so sorry y’all i do not know what it’s called and i’m locked in trying to finish this and i’m not googling it lol. but we see fitzjames wear it a lot throughout the show and francis does sometimes but it’s very much a fitzjames piece so i think it might be his too. and with the funeral scene and the blanky scene, we see the mismatched gloves clearly for the first time but i’m pretty sure the first glimpse is earlier in the episode when they’re hauling before fitzjames collapses. dave k still confirmed they had switched gloves but it really seems that this happened before james died, likely when they left terror camp. i still contend that crozier and fitzjames both knew james was dying and this may have been why they did it. 

and on to the last episode and closing thoughts- in the last ep i was really keeping track of the gloves- he loses them at some point and i wanted to see when and it’s between the scene where he talks to hickey and when he’s chained back up in the tent with diggle. i hope he somehow hung on to them.

i will never forget how my stomach dropped out when i saw hickey wearing fitzjames’s boots on my first watch- the fucking sorrow in crozier’s face. he doesn’t understand the meaning just yet  but when goodsir is cleaning his wounds and tells him they ate gibson, you can see crozier put it together that that’s why hickey has fitzjames’s boots. his expression turns from shock and grief to rage.

hickey really clocked crozier with the shame comment and you can see how it triggers crozier. this is a great confirmation because it really pervades the story and fitzjames’s story as well. they are both driven by shame, by a need to prove themselves but go about it in completely different ways. fitzjames is all bravado, flowery empty words and boasting to cover his origins, his feelings of inadequacy. he aligns himself with the empire and with those in power and distances himself from anyone he knows will be deemed lesser than in the hierarchy in which he exists and specifically pits himself against someone like crozier in order to bolster his own social standing. crozier on the other hand is hardened to his station, he has no way to hide his nationality or his origins no matter how capable he is and how long he’s been going to sea. crozier feels the shame of things like sophia’s rejection and not having straights that they sail named after him but hides it with his bluntness and his lack of decorum when pointing out the truth of a situation. james has everything crozier wishes he did, but crozier is something that james wishes he could be- just himself, despite his societal ineptitudes and barriers. i believe that this basis and the way it melds and breaks down and comes to a way of understanding between them is why fitzier is so strong, and so real and so visceral, especially at the end. honestly there is so much more i could say but i think i’m going to leave it there and just saw that i hope crozier thinks of james from time to time in his new life. i find it hard to believe he doesn’t.

[scrumptiousstuffs]

hiii scrumptious!! i miss sending u asks

can i ask for a analysis of firstkhaotung’s kisses we’ve got so far? which is your favourite and why is your favourite, we need tongueeee

Anon!!!! Why must you torture me with this ask??? 😫😫😫 (torture me more, I love talking about FK and their kisses 🙂‍↕️🙂‍↕️🙂‍↕️)

But, how do you expect me to choose my favourite FK kisses?? Do you know how challenging this asked was? And I can’t possibly do an analysis of all their kisses - Our Skyy 2 alone had more than 20 kisses? (I think)… I will have to write a thesis if I want to analyse every single kisses. I was this close 🤏 to binge watch all their series but alas…I have bills to pay and a fur-baby to feed.

So….instead, I think back to their kisses that sticks in my mind ? - it must make me feel something emotionally when I watched them (and that’s difficult cause FK is so damn good with their intimacy and NC scenes I had to think hard to narrow down my choices)

Without further ado, my top 5 list (list is only current as of The Heart Killers EP9):

No 5: Only Friends EP 2 smoky kiss plus Sand kissing Ray’s left hip tattoo

- Do I like people who smoke? No. But this was cinematic anyway. It was artistic (to me) and you could feel the sexual tension screaming from miles away. And when they gave in to their attraction, the chemistry was off the chart and Sand worshipping Ray’s tattoo was just pure magic 🪄

No 4: Only Friends EP 9 caravan scene (especially the soft, soft kiss Ray bestowed on Sand’s cheek after they have done their tango in bed 🤸)

- The softness of the whole scene was beautiful to watch. There was something pure and personal as we watch these 2 finally coming to terms about their feelings for each other.

No 3: Our Skyy 2 x The Eclipse bridge scene

-The whole scene had me giggling and kicking my legs in excitement. The boys kissing with the sun setting behind them was just.....😍😍😍

-And people talking about tongue involvement? - I am sure there were some tongue action here (also, tell me anon, why are people so invested in tongue-action? I mean i don't mind them but I am not going to fuss if FK's characters don't do them each time!)

No 2: The Eclipse Finale with Akk bestowing the soft pecks/kisses on Aye’s face

- I will always have a soft spot for my babies. As much as I adore all of FirstKhaotung characters, AkkAye have a special place in my heart. And because I can, I’m putting the whole video clip of the scene rather than gifs or screenshots 🥰

- There is something special about this scene where Akk was finally the one that made the first move; initiating the hug followed by the soft kisses. The awe and disbelief in Aye’s eyes before it shifted to soft delight and slight mischievous as he then reciprocate Akk’s gesture. I think we often forget that Aye is just as young and vulnerable like Akk. And to see Akk finally reaching out to Aye just made my heart melt 🫠

No 1: The Heart Killers EP 8 swing scene

-I love the whole damn thing - from the nuzzling to Kant sniffing Bison’s hair like he wants to imprint him to his soul to Kant gently biting Bison’s nose before they continued their heady make out session.

- This whole thing was just peak intimacy 👌. Nobody does it better than them. Their feelings laid bare, Kant is now free to be as disgustingly affectionate and loving like he always wanted to be. It’s just so so good. Also, let’s be honest, we know KantBison would continue to make out for hours on that swing.

Honourable mentions:

The Eclipse EP6 Akk fantasy kiss

*I remember watching this scene and thought - oh, Aye finally made the move. But then to find out it was all in Akk's mind???? It flipped the narrative and it made me realised that this was likely the first time we saw from Akk's perspective that he is stupidly horny for the irritating boy who keeps him on his toes

Only Friends EP9 angry-lust driven kiss in the music room

*This was just a good kiss because you can feel the anger from Sand but he was so in love with Ray that he can't help but give it. Ray as usual, clocked it and he pounced! And the sheer amount of lust pouring out of these 2....I cursed when Top stepped into the room

The Heart Killers Ep 9 KantBison sweet pecks in the sea

*KantBison making sweet memories to replace Kant's nightmare and phobia will hold something special to my heart (does it make sense for Kant to completely forget his fear? - not really, but I will forgive the narrative because I get my domestic KantBison!)

Plus…..

FirstKhaotung sweet kisses in My Fuel MV (because we didn’t get Alan/Gaipa or Alone/Kaitong kissing - I’m going to substitute with the clip we got from First’s MV and just think it’s Alan/Gaipa in them, ok?)

*Those jubi jubi kisses are giving me butterflies and I can't stop smiling every time I rewatch the MV!

[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

[negrowhat]

Eboni! I’m so excited for you to watch LITA Koi as my fellow LITA enthusiast, I think they nailed it

Hey Shan! I literally just finished ep 1 and I have a few thoughts. But my overall thought of LITA Koi ep 1 was that it was cute. It was almost shot for shot with some minor changes so I didn't have to focus too hard on the dialogue or the happenings and really just ingest the ep as a whole.

The sound is wayyyyyyyyyyy better in Koi because the actors aren't mic'd up (they're not right?). At times the OG LITA felt so silent like we were waiting for a laugh track to come in. I also think the overall tone of ep 1 is very bright. Love the colors lol. I think some of the fashion choices were questionable...Arashi's pants and Rei's sweater vests...I HATE Rei's car lol.

I liked ArashiRei's meet cute but it didn't hit anywhere near as good at PayuRain's meet cute. Fuma looks older than Prapai but I slick think it's the middle part and hair color combo. I love that he's very much a popular guy as he should be. I think Kai captures Sky's outward attitude really well. I truly enjoyed his scenes with Rei. Overall I think they're painting Rei to be more of a klutzy silly guy vs. being a few cards short of a full deck like Rain was. I think Arashi seems more reserved than Payu too and it feels a bit more appropriate in response to Rei's protests.

I do feel like ArashiRei are going to be all about the eye contact vs. PayuRain's hands focus. I like it. I think Shoma was perfectly cast for this series. I feel like he embodies that energy like Boss embodied Payu.

I think I liked how the bed scene played out in Koi better than the OG. It felt less...idk creepy? I think Rei's physical response to Arashi's advances felt a bit more natural. The soft neck kisses had me gagged ngl. And Rei leaned into Arashi more.

I also noticed the absences of a couple of brothers. Ple had a brother and of course Payu's twin. I don't think we'll be seeing either character. They might have gone as far as made Arashi an only child. Or maybe his brother will pop up later or be mentioned. All in all it was ok. It was cute. I hope they don't diminish FumaKai's storyline. I'm still worried about that.

What did you think about it Shan???

[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

[writefullyrobin]

Season 2 Final Thoughts  

I loved this season so much. It was a really good mix of drama and humour and it all worked so well together. Ocean’s 9-1-1 is my ultimate favourite episode of the series so far!

One point, we have now had Bobby, Hen and Chimney ‘Begins’ episodes. I really, really hope we get some more for Athena and Buck! And maybe Eddie too? I assume they won’t do Maddie as we know a lot of her story thanks to this season with Doug. This show is a great ensemble cast but seeing a deep dive into the characters backgrounds is so much fun.

Chimney – I loved his evolving relationship with Maddie. They’re so freakin’ cute together! I’ve been cheering them on all season! I’m gad he managed to find some self-esteem after all he went through last season with his injury and his ex-girlfriend. He felt much more authentic. His backstory sort of came out of nowhere considering how big it was to effectively lose his brother and it could’ve done with some more emotional build up to it but it was nice to have all the same.

Hen – I’m super glad her and Karen are past their rocky patches from last season with Eve. I loved seeing her past in the Hen Begins ep this season. All the actors can carry their own plotlines and episodes but there really is something so charismatic about Hen. I think what I love the most about her though is you can put her with any other character and she works with all of them so well.

Athena and Bobby – I have to take these two together. I wasn’t expecting them at the end of the first season and I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed them. Seeing “older” characters get second chances at love and family is always so inspiring and I’m definitely happy they went down this route with them. I’m ecstatic they went so far as to marry them too. They had some good individual and joint plots this season. They found a good balance with them.

Buck – I love Buck to pieces. He’s one of my favourite characters. He’s a real scene stealer. But he did feel like he was adrift this season, despite being given more connections in Maddie and Eddie. Which is not bad! I just get the feeling after his relationship with Abby, he’s looking for something more permanent now so I’m excited to see where that journey takes him. And hey, it took him two seasons but he has his own apartment! I love his friendship with Eddie, finally he has a partner he can pair off with on rescues and they’re both ridiculous dorks. Buck and Maddie were a brilliant combo too. Their sibling banter was wonderfully engaging and despite not seeing each other for years, they fit well together.

Eddie – He has the most adorable son in the world! His season felt the most complete plot arc wise which I assume was on purpose just in case things didn’t work out with his actor. I’ll admit during the first half of the season, I thought they might’ve been setting him up as Buck’s potential new love interest. The whatta man song, the elf at Christmas commenting on their family unit and Maddie calling out Buck’s boy crush felt like it might have been building to something. Because this is TV. They only have so many minutes an episode and every minute has to mean something. The second half of the season focused more on his relationship with Shannon and Buck ended up in liaisons with Taylor and Ali but I’m secretly wishing this gets picked up again in season 3. 

Maddie – her domestic abuse plotline was gut wrenching but also very inspiring. I’m glad she found the strength to break out of that relationship. I hope next season they don’t just sweep the whole thing under the rug as last season’s plot because domestic violence can have long lasting consequences and it would be good to see some follow through with it. Surviving doesn’t just stop because the abuser is dead. Her budding relationship with Chim was absolutely adorable and I am so here for it! I am so glad they got Jennifer Love Hewitt for this role. She’s one of my favourite actors.

[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.

[kie-kois]

MAJOR XO KITTY S2 SPOILERS I’M YAPPING

prepare for an extra long reaction post :3

ok so i’ve only watched 1 and 2 as of now but this will update as i continue

guys i actually might frow up OKAY OMFG DUDE THE FIRST FUCKING EP “but you did smile” DO U WANT ME TO JUMP? DO U WANT ME TO JUMP DAWGGDHDJFJNGMDHSH 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭

second ep dude juliana is SOOOO messy and honestly i think her and yuri might break up 😭😭😭 i can’t even be mad at her tho it makes her rlly rlly interesting. also i was so excited to see q and jin i’m soooo so excited to see how that develops BC JIN IS ALSO MESSYYYYY 😭😭😭

i also am not even upset abt stella/minho honestly bc while i don’t ship them like whatsoever IJBOL iiiii think stella is also rlly interesting i can’t wait to find out more abt her and i’m also just so strong (read: crazy) in my belief abt kitty/minho endgame so i’m believing that stella/minho won’t deter that LMFAOAO BC GUESS WHAT!!!! THE THROWBACK TO THE FIRST MOVIE AND MINHO GOING TO SEE IF SHE’S OKAY BOOOYYYY oh my god he never ever hesitates to go check up on if she’s okay it hurts so bad she’s always first in his heart i’m so serious… sob

also i was not expecting to like praveena as much as i do my 3rd favorite ship for kitty! i just do rlly appreciate how she’s someone who can sorta kinda be stress free for kitty bc like established she is outside of the immediate friend group

end of ep 2 BITCH WHAT THE FUCKKKKK

i’m like halfway thru ep 3 rn kitty and minho banter welcome back return of the king. also i rlly love how dae can sing it’s so good he’ll find someone thru that i’m sure

finished ep 3 and 4 during school here is everything i thought while watching

KITTY AND YURI KISS WE ALL CHEERED THANK U LORD ok yea i think yuri and juliana r breaking up bc DAWGGDFMSKDFJ

i'm sorry it's just killing me how minho is still subtly always looking out for kitty he always has her back no matter how much he likes to act like he doesn't he covers for her w no hesitation and IT HURTS SO BAD

ALSO GUUYYYSSS EUNICE AND DAE????!?!?!?! THANK U THANK U THANK U I WANTED DAE TO BE HAPPY EVEN AFTER KITTY i'm so glad he's able to move on sob sob sob

MY POOR MINHO 💔 i'm sorry when ppl around him r all like "give ur dad a chance!" i'm like yall u should know DAMN well 😭 FACK HIS DAD BRAH

i'm sorry praveena deserves better FACKCMFSLDK kitty i love u but please u know damn well u're not over yuri please do not play w this girl's heart she was supposed to be completely uninvolved

BITBCHCHCHCH I FIGURED SOMEONE WAS GONNA FIND THE LETTER BUT AN ENTIRE GROUP??????? OF PPL BITCH

DAE AND EUNICE R SO CUTEEEE I LOVE THEM GUYS I'M SO HAPPY FOR HTEM

KITTY 😭 KITTTTYYYYY UR FACKING LETTER no this is so humiliating it's being read out loud i'm so serious i would have to kill myself KITTY q in the back stressing bc he knows exactly who wrote it and who it was addressed to OMFG 😭

minho and dae r so funny abt jin omfg guys tbh i get mindae however i just also think abt it in the same way i do abt kittyuri halp

WE ALL NEED TO DIE RIGHT NOW MINHO PLEASE GAWWDWDWFDW U R ALWAYS LOOKING OUT FOR KITTY AND THE THROW BACK TO THE HOT TUB AT THE SKIING TRIP BITCH PELASESAEJEJASLKDF THEY HAVE TO BE ENDGAME I'M GONNA FUCKING VOMIT i'm actually going to throw up and cry dude we all need to jump

he got into the hot tub clothed for her guys. guys my fucking stomach u cannot fawking tell me they will not be endgame the thousands and thousands of parallels to lara jean and peter i'm actually gonna vomit GUYS 😭 minho is just so sacrificial for her in a way we do not see for anyone else oh my god my fucking stomach

THE FUCKING HUG R U KIDDING ME THNAK U THANK U THANK U THANK U JESUS FUCKING CHRIST TEARING OUT MY HAIR

ok sorry idc that stella saw them LMFAOAOAO

yea i’m sorry dae deserves to be mad LMFAOAOA like yes him and kitty were broken up already but dudeeee it was so fresh and minho rlly did just confess when he wanted to

AAWWW YURI TALKING TO ALEX 😿😿😿😿 THE HAN SIBLINGS

UGH GUYSSSS. GUUUUYYYYSSSSS MY MINHOKITTY 😭😭😭😭😭😭 i like how we got a moment where minho’s there to witness kitty finding out things abt her family bc those r always important events to her

i’m laughing at how they definitely amped up the minho calling kitty “covey” thing bc he is DEADASSSSS the only person who calls her that and it is almost every single time he calls out her name like GAWWDDD 😭😭😭

OHHHH MY POOR KITTY 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭 guys every time minho is there to comfort her i am just the most glad i ever am 😿 he always picks her up when she is down he treats her so dearly it hurts i’m so happy she has him

he want that cookie so effing bad yall…

DAE’S DAD????? NOOOO NO OMFG

PETER’S HEERRREEEE YAYAYAYAYAYAAASS AAUAUUUUAUAUAUU 😭😭😭😭😭😭

U’RE FACKIMG LYINGNGNHSJSNDJJFJJDNSHHEH MINHO RUNNING INTO KITTY AND PETER YES YES EYYEYESSSSS RIGHT EXACTLY RIGHT BC THEY’RE ENDGAME YAYAYAYAASSSSS MEETING THE BROTHER IN LAW

that’s actually so funny that peter and minho beef (/lh) i should’ve seen that coming entirely

“he totally still likes you he calls you by your last name” CLOCK IT PETEEEEEERRR

YAAAAYYYY DAE AND MINHO MADE UP YAAAAYYYYYYYY

yuri and kitty too thank god 🥹🥹🥹🥹 guys they mean so much to me

STELLA WE ALL KNEW LMFAOOO but honestly i can’t even be mad at her u go girl! also bc this gets kitty and minho tgt LMFAOAOAO

ok no BUT NO I DON’T WANT THEM TO GET TGT THIS SEASON i rlly do want to see kitty’s feelings for him develop more AND IF THEY GET TGT THIS SEASON AND IF THERE’A A S3 I DON’T WANT TO RISK A BREAKUP PLEASE

ok nvm it was kitty’s dream HAHAJFAJ YESSSS THIS IS PERFECT

guys so much happened i screamed every time minho came on screen w the music ALSO THE RAIN SCENE BITCCHHHHHH 😭😭😭😭😭💔💔💔💔 OH I WANTED TO SOB MINHOOOOO AND I GOT TO THE END OF EP 7 MINHOOOO U WANT THAT COOKIE SO EFFING BAD “if you touch kitty—” BOYYYY

AND HOW THEY BROUGHT BACK THE “a little bit. or, a lot.” LIKE GEYEYEYAYAYAYAASSSS GUYS THEY WERE MEANT TO BE 😭😭😭😭😭😭

guys. oh guys that was a wonderful ending oh god it ended exactly like i wanted it to the slow burn is killing me but i’m glad it’s there i LOVEEEE slow burn

actually the only part in this season i rlly rlly cried at was when the grandmas reunited 🥹🥹 that was such a sweet part of the plot also the margot return that was so good

MINHO 😭😭😭😭😭 LETTING KITTY USE HIS DAD’S PRIVATE JET 😭😭😭😭😭 GAAAWWWDDDD

i’m actually heartbroken abt yuri SHE got her heartbroken AND NOW SHE’S BROKE TOO? WHAT DID MY DARLING GIRL DO TO DESERVE THIS if things don’t look up for her in s3 i’m gonna kms for real

[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.

[jenyifer]

Heart killer Initial Reaction Ep 1

I haven’t posted a reaction since the trainee aka lesbians are craft assholes and 10 mins of offgun but I’m back baby!!! Ready for some Thai BL let’s go

So haven’t looked up anything about the show ahead of time no background stuff. Heartkiller looks like Jojo has a decent budget. Sound track is bopping. I am a little nervous about the intelligence level of the characters but maybe that will be revealed later. All in all was an exciting ep.

Let’s get into the photo review

Taming of the shrew???? More like training of the brat. It’s first’s pingeon hold role in The Eclipse, Only Friends, and HeartKiller anyways.

Okay surprise relatable fave in Style he’s a mechanic taking over his dad’s business. I enjoy his manic “I spend too much time with myself attitude”

Me looking at other people’s kpop and or Danmei collection. 🤤🤤 let me break in and take your limited edition BTS seasons greeting for 2016? This is true envy

Also you should see the moves I pull in the car

Okay so Fadel needs to reevaluate things because idk why he feels like he owes Bison something but… bison is like a newborn dumbass… I’m not really digging it TBH. I’m hoping maybe it’s a… act but he just seems to be a whiny little brain empty human with a magnet dick.

I hope so because good lord bison is dumb.

But awwwwwww how cute!!!!!!! Side note styling on both Kant and Bison is very sexy I guess!!! I don’t love First’s fake tattoos but maybe it’s just me so don’t worry. I hope that Kant’s character will be a smarter version of Porsche. Big brother being forced into fucking someone to protect the little bro.

I probably will get shot being near him. Is how I’m interrupting this. ALSO KANT?! You sending your bro in there blind? Sending him to flirt with A KNOWN DEADLY MAN?! I was hoping Kant could be smart but nope… or maybe he doesn’t care????

I really thought Fadel was getting Style drunk so that he could stab him to death easier being thrown out is a good thing really. Fadel seems to be too smart for the other characters. However he’s tied to Bison so I can’t see this going well.

Anyways I’m excited to see where we go next!!!!

[emmatcha]

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 :)