#I needed more yinwar

[dramalove247]

Anyone Else

start Love Mechanics because they need more Yin and War?!

I just can't with these two. They were so amazing in Jack & Joker and I needed more. 😍

1st time for the Yinwar noob (me!) and rewatch for Mom #2 that has known how amazing they are for a while

[anpanman95]

no because he was so hot for this

i be like yes please threaten him to try and hurt your man see what happens holy fucking shit I’m losing it over here

[chansbabygirl]

The way Joke was genuinely mad at Jack but melted as soon as he saw tears in Jack's eyes.

[rafyki]

Btw not to be dramatic or anything but Jack and Joker really changed the standards for me

[yinwaryuri]

Can we appreciate the lighting over the bottle when Jack spins it being fully blue 💙

[puniyo]

Do you still want to get married?

Here is my take on a possible ending for Jack and Joker. Obviously very far-fetched but hey, the marker of a good series is the ability to keep someone coming up with theories and I do love an action-packed, dramatic finale.

I mentioned in a previous post of mine that I would love to see that gun on the teaser posters arrive at Jack's hands so here's my take on it (I'm buried to my neck with work and papers to write so why does my brain keep nurturing these plot bunnies??)

Carbon is at the bottom of the school, the same place where Toi Ting was. He is a fish out of water, flapping, almost dead, drowning though in a sea of blood. Karma never looked so majestic.

Joke is very tired from his fight with Carbon, resulting in a broken left arm. A lustrous, thin golden band adorns his finger, now devoid of any ability to move. Boss comes and holds Joke by the neck in a moment of distraction. They both have their backs on the railing of the mezzanine floor.

Boss taunts Joke, of how good Joke is at following orders and getting the dirty work done, but he (Boss) is better. He wants Joke to understand that they could have had the world for themselves if Joke was just a little smarter. He goes on with how weak Jack is, the poor angry lamb, easy to manipulate, all thanks for Joke.

Boss: “I really have to thank you, Joke.”

Joke tries to fight back only for Boss to stab him and telling the younger man to not interrupt him. Joke grunts but ends up screaming in pain. His crying voice leads Jack to their location.

Boss is both happy and angry that Jack came so soon. He wants Jack to work for him again, a lost and abandoned puppy under his leash. Joke tries to warn Jack to not listen to the stupidity being spilled but Boss hits his wound. Jack asks Joke to shut up.

Jack retrieves a gun given to him by P’Nang, a necessary gift foretold by her cards.  He points it at Boss. Joke asks Jack to put it down.

Joke: “Won’t you listen to me?”

Jack: “No.”

Joke: “You never listen to me.”

Boss taunts Jack to shoot him. Nothing would please him more than seeing Jack go insane. Joke begs him to put the weapon down since it’s not worth it.

Jack: “Not worth it? Why Joke? Aren’t you worth it?”

Boss is angered at Joke’s influence on Jack and plans to stab Joke again. Jack is quick to notice the violent intent and shoots.

Bang!

The echo in the school reverberates through the walls. The impact of the shooting makes Boss lose balance and fall over the ledge to the ground floor. The knife in his hand falls too and the clinking sound almost makes Jack deaf. The bullet hits Joke instead, who moved at the last moment to shield Boss from it. He falls forward, his shoulder bleeding, right at the time for Jack to catch him.

Jack notices how the bullet is lodged on the “J” of hearts on his shoulder. Joke smiles even in pain because he knows he has been successful. Jack didn’t kill. Jack is here with him. He protected Jack.

Jack: “Joke!”

Jack: “Don’t cry. I’m f-fine.”

He leans on Jack, his body losing energy and suddenly feeling very sleepy. His smile is still there. He tells Jack that he did good. That he is proud of Jack. That he is finally free.

Jack hugs him tighter. He begs for him to shut up.

Joke: “Do you still want to get married?”

[respectthepetty]

YinWar Hidden Gems Sorrows

It took me a bit to get to this because . . .

Backstory

War struggled (struggles?) with depression.

This interaction was filmed in 2021 for Yin's YouTube channel. War was explaining that he was struggling with depression because of the pandemic, lack of work, and, overall, feeling worthless. He was distant and withdrawn, but Yin checked in on him.

Yin commented that he struggled with figuring out what to do because he was worried that he was depending too much on War (like needing him too much and as a working relationship since they are a branded pair), and the way he deals with *feelings* is by throwing himself into work, but he noticed that was stressing War out more.

So even though he noticed War was growing more distant, he didn't want to flat out tell War he needed him in case it caused War even more stress.

And it boiled down to War, without work, didn't feel valuable, in life or his working relationship with Yin, but that caused him to not work at all, and he thought Yin would be better without him.

Yin, realizing how rough the conversation was for War, didn't want to continue to focus on it.

So that's why he said he wouldn't comfort him so they could move on because if he did, War would keep crying.

And that brings me back to the Aran x Tattoo scene.

I believe that all the guys are hiding parts of themselves in Jack and Joker, and if so, I read this scene not as Tattoo not wanting to deal with Aran's emotions, but as Tattoo not wanting to see Aran in pain over something he shouldn't be taking the blame for and clearly wasn't ready to discuss.

Aran is carrying a lot of guilt for not being the son his father wanted and missing his dad, so even though he shouldn't feel guilty,

He does.

And I think that's something Tattoo, a fictional character, and Yin, a real person, didn't want the other person to experience.

Which aligns with what Perth Nakhun just mentioned on his YouTube channel about branded pairs and the pressure of being responsible for another person's career.

So, yeah. That's it. That's the hidden gem sorrow.

Basically, shit's rough, but people shouldn't feel worse for things they can't control.

[theflagscene]

Let’s talk Jack and Joke’s perceived parental roles -

It’s laid out in plain words in episode ten so that there is absolutely no doubt whatsoever, Jack and Joke have taken Toi Ting in and have no plans on returning her to her deadbeat abusive bio-dad. I believe that it going to stay that way, so we’re going to keep to that assumption of her being adopted or fostered by them legally once everything is sorted.

Note: not looking for arguments about the legitimacy of blood relations verses found/chosen family. An adopted child is that person’s child, you do not need to have carried them in your body for them to be yours.

I adore that YinWar have been pushing back against the stereotypes around gay men and queer media in general about what roles a person takes in the relationship, they’ve mostly been focusing on the sexual aspect because that is the part that people tend to get the most hung up on.

Yet I find it wildly interesting how easily Jack and Joke fall into what would be considered the ‘heteronormative parental roles’ when it comes to Toi Ting. It’s not a bad thing! No, it’s actually quite nice to see. They’re not forcing any ‘husband/wife’ ideals into their relationship, they just naturally fall into the roles that are appropriate for them as a couple and a family unit.

Jack is very much in the ‘father’ role, remember, father does not instantly mean masculine or emotionally stunted. He is the protector, he is a trained martial artist and debt collector, he is physically intimidating. He is firm and chastising but also patient and forgiving, he is the one Toi Ting feels physically safe with the most, she runs to him for help, she learns her bravery and defiance from him. He absolutely will pat her back, smooth down her hair and allow himself be to dragged away by the hand to get ice cream. He is playing the role of not just a father figure, but a daddy. (stop giggling at that word, the internet has ruined us all 😝)

Meanwhile, Joke has one hundred percent filled the ‘mother’ role for Toi Ting. Again, not because he’s femme or whatever - side note, there’s nothing wrong with being femme! Joke is a natural carer, he wears his emotions on his sleeve because he never had anyone care about him before. He is gentle and a listener, both things that serve him well as a thief. When Toi Ting comes running to Jack for physical protection, it is Joke that offers emotional protection. He is the one that takes her into his arms and calms her down, he hugs her, reassures her and speaks with clam and loving words to bring her big scary emotions back down to a more manageable level. Joke can redirect her attention and is the one that sits and paints with her, Jack just ‘supervises’, aka is a big dope that’ll ruin the painting lol. But together Jack and Joke are able to offer Toi Ting what she needs, both a mother figure and a father figure, regardless of their genders.

Which leads me into the absolute heartbreak of a scene at the end of episode ten, where Jack and Joke find themselves in the one place no parent ever wants to find themselves. Stuck on the other side of those damnable white doors, unable to get to your child.

Joke has an emotional response, very much a mother’s response. Again, mothers tend to be the ‘emotional nurturers’ so them being more giving with their emotions is to be expected. And I would just like to point out how exceptional War plays that role, he is a mother waiting in terror to find out if his baby is dying or dead.

The blank horrified stare, the shaking hands and quivering movements, the fact that his legs fail him and he ends up curled up on the floor. Covering his mouth to keep the sobs in, yet unable to stop the silent flow of tears, barely even noticing when Hoy tries to comfort him. Joke doesn’t snap out of his shock until Jack shows up.

Jack on the other hand has a very ‘fatherly’ response, the pacing, the pinched expression, the heavy breathing and muttering before just exploding with anger, swearing loudly and looking for someone to blame. He can’t break down just yet, he’s too angry, too scared, he’s not the emotional support. He’s the protector, the provider and he hates himself for failing. Yin played that so well, how he kept moving to touch his head, putting his hands on his hips, fidgeting as he paced, forcing the camera to keep up with his near frantic movements.

Where Joke froze, Jack found movement.

Where Joke was quiet, Jack exclaimed loudly.

Where Joke allowed tears to flow, Jack held his pain tightly in.

Joke and Jack are Toi Ting’s mother and father, and that final hospital scene just proved it.

[my-rose-tinted-glasses]

It's december already which just feels insane to me. Christmas is coming which makes me happy but this year went by too fast. Anyway as usual, spoilers and opinions below, read at your own risk.

QL - Currently Watching

🇹🇭 Caged Again [4/10] - Junior is one of my favourite characters. He never learned to deceive so he just says what he feels like it's the most natural thing. And his confidence and optimism are contagious. I love him. And Sun is just smitten and terrible at hiding it so it's a good thing Junior is completely clueless about these things. I'm loving Jodd and Jeng and since they are also animals, I think we're getting more about them next episode. I can't wait. 🇹🇭 Fourever You [9/16] - I am so incredibly bored. They are stretching these two pairs for no reason. They should have just given us the four pairs in 16 eps cause this is torture. 🇯🇵Fragrance You Inherit [3/8] - It's lovely. I love Sakura. I really liked the scene in the restaurant. Sakura talking about being a single mom and Mone being supportive brought tears to my eyes. It was a beautiful moment. I love the relationship between the moms and the kids and I'm curious to see how Toki will react, if he in fact doesn't know already. It's also interesting to think about what exactly parents owe their kids or not, specially regarding something like that. Fansubs being provided by @isaksbestpillow. Thank you🧡 🇯🇵Love in the Air Koi [5/10] - The pacing is so much better here. I agree with @lurkingshan here and the kidnappings will probably be combined somehow. I like the second couple a bit better here than the thai version, but I'm still not the biggest fan of this storyline. Although Fuma is better than Prapai.

🇯🇵 Love is a Poison [11/12] - Shiba is so in love. I always believed, just like Shan, that Haruto was coming back, but it was painful watching Shiba hurt. Only one episode left where they will defeat the bad guy and live happily ever after. I will not accept anything else. 🇯🇵Miseinen [4/11] - Well at least they are 'friends' now. I can't with these two. That ice cream scene was insane and it's burned into my brain. This is a great adaptation and I need all the episodes like right now.

🇹🇭 Perfect 10 Liners [6/24] - PondSand are everything to me basically. I'm so over ArcArm and I need the next couple stat. It looks like this will be another parade of guest stars which is kinda fun and next week Sea will make an appearance along with the always fun jealousy plot which hopefully will end with them being boyfriends so we can move on to the next couple.

🇹🇼 See Your Love [7/13] - The contraste between the couples is hilarious to me. The sign language scenes were the cutest and they are adorable. And this must be a record number of the 'falling into each other's arms and almost kissing but not' trope. No one is that clumsy. The sides are bonkers.

🇹🇭 Spare Me Your Mercy [1/8] - Strong start. I'm reserving judgement but I like the setting a lot, so many MoD vibes, and I like this pair. They can act.

🇹🇭 The Heart Killers [2/12] - I'm watching quietly.

🇹🇭 Your Sky [3/12] - This might be too cute. Teerak is adorably clueless and Fah is so smitten. He came up with that nickname so fast, it's almost as if he's been calling him that in his head for a while. Also, the friend group is amazing at running interference. That scene in the lift was great. And I love the scenes with the Teerak and Babe.

QL - Finished

This is gonna be the quick-fire version cause I'm tired.

🇨🇳 Blue Canvas of Youthful Days - Great until episode 10. Unearned and unbelievable ending. Mostly forgiven because China. 🇰🇷🇹🇭 Eccentric Romance - What did I watch? was it bl? was it a crime drama? No idea, but it was not good.

🇹🇭 Every You, Every Me - Rushed ending but I really liked the bl inside the bl. I wanna see these two again.

🇹🇭 Jack & Joker - YinWar. On my screen. In 2024. Even if it was bad, it was good.

🇹🇭 Kidnap - Proof that Ohm will pretty much get me to watch anything.

🇰🇷 Let Free the Curse of Taekwondo - Pain and snow and happy endings.

🇰🇷 Love in the Big City - As close to perfection as anything I ever watched. Young will stay with me forever.

🇹🇭 Peaceful Property - A mess and also proof that TayNew will get me to watch anything.

🇰🇷My Damn Business - It was fine.

🇹🇼 The Nipple Talk - Mama was a gift.

Others - Watched

🇰🇷 Bad Guy | 🇯🇵Seoul Blues | 🇯🇵Blue Boys | 🇹🇼Marry My Dead Body | 🇯🇵Some Love Begins with Mistaken Identity | 🇰🇷Taming the Bad Boy | 🇰🇷Joseon Chefs | 🇰🇷The History of Us | 🇯🇵 Polyethylene Terephthalate 1 & 2

And continuing my YinWar agenda they just released a song and the video is hilarious.

As usual my ask box is open. Have a wonderful week💜

[waitmyturtles]

As I did last week, I have more constructive criticism for Jack & Joker, so, trigger warning again, please fly away if you can't deal with objective criticism of your faves.

What frustrates me about the construction of this show is that it's tripping on its own feet. And I shouldn't use the indefinite article; I should call out director Tee Bundit directly, because we saw him do this in spades in Step By Step. Tee did everything he could to avoid building a real narrative romance between the SBS leads, and the emotional beats that succeeded their late-series intimate breakthrough were not syncopated properly to match the development of a convincing relationship.

The incomplete beats at hand here are not as bad as they were in SBS. What's keeping me going on in Jack & Joker is that, at least, we are getting separate emotional development trajectories for Jack and Joke -- and a nice, hearty head-smack from Ah Mah at the end of the episode, towards Jack and his inclination to shut down and keep his shit internal. Ah Mah is trying to get Jack to know how to act as family, and she did the same with Joke's father earlier in the episode.

Like I said last week, I think this show has some really wonderful family-related thematic gems like the ones I just mentioned for this week's episode. Yin and War are acting these themes out with heart. Jack's in a really tough spot. The robber clowns will get together again next week to try to get him out of his tough spot.

And I know many of us are upset with Joke's dad, as I am, too, he's a real piece of shit, but his scenes with Joke struck me as very real to the experience of an insanely strict Asian dad. I've written about this too many times to count, but the ability of an Asian parent to cut their kids off like that is a concept that majority Western culture hasn't contemplated, except in instances of religion, sexism, bigotry, etc., but anyway -- that kind of cut-off doesn't exist as part of the everyday Western mentality about parenting, whereas in Asian parenting styles, to reject the patriarchal hierarchy could mean permanent separation, as Joke's dad has enacted to Joke. The fact that the motherfucker reconsidered AFTER EATING JOKE'S FOOD struck me as deeply sexist ("the way to a man's" blah blah, UGH), so I'm glad Ah Mah told that bitch off, but I did think those scenes were done well and realistically.

Anyway, where this series is absolutely lagging is in the EDITING. All these rich people games. I think there are many more concise narrative ways that we can be told that the rich play with the lives of the poor, than to give us bloated scene after bloated scene of literal gaming. Forget metaphors! Just give us some well-written, snappy dialogue about how these rich people are total assholes! We'll believe it!

And at the same time, I'm feeling bad for Rose, honestly. She likes Jack! She has no idea her crush on him is caught up in this Boss bullshit. She's gonna be hurt! And they're gonna rob her house now? I mean, I think what Tee is saying (I think?!?!?!) is that what comes to her, she deserves, because she's as scummy as the rest of the other scummy rich people (Ajahn Pichai, was that you?!). But like, this is her dad's shit?! So she gets automatically blamed because she's a nepo baby? I mean, I guess, if you're a reader of New York Magazine, that's reasonable thinking, but like, some of us are moral thinkers here!

This shit is complicated, and for an episode that was ONE HOUR. AND. 21. MINUTES. LONG., we could have a shorter AND clearer episode that could have scrubbed at the grout of these otherwise very interesting moral quandaries. But instead, we got video games from some dusty-ass rich boy who needs a goddamn bath.

I know, I know we haven't gotten the intimacy payoffs for any of the implied couples yet, and maybe this is part of YinWar's intention in having so much control over their script. But I did wonder if I was watching a Series Y/BL, or if I was watching a dramedy instead. I don't really care what genre it's in. But what I would like is for the themes to be crystal-clearly focused so that us, the viewers, can lean into what the cast and showmakers WANT us to care about -- which, thematically, I'm unclear on at this moment.

[thebluezoneofalonelygirl]

Unpopular opinion that might get me killed: I do not believe that YinWar have chemistry off cam. I’m sorry, I’ve said it.

And don’t get me wrong; I believe Yinwar are friends and their friendship is genuine. I believe that they care a lot about each other, and would be there for the other if they needed it. But I do not think that they are happy about being shipped together. I believe they are slowly growing tired of the industry. I notice it in the way they always behave lately. Especially War. War looks tired. He always has this “bitch resting face” lately. His smiles also feel really fake or as if he is forcing himself. And I do believe that the poor man rather be home doing pottery and his artsy stuff than being on those events.

I’ve been watching videos from them for a while and I noticed that as the years passed, their interactions also became more awkward. Whenever they have to do fanservice it feels really stiff and awkward and I can tell they are faking a smile. Especially War. I can tell he really isn’t a big fan of fanservice. And yes, this is something they spoke about before. That they do not want to do fanservice, that they want their interactions to be genuine. And that’s fine. I don’t care too much if they do or not do fanservice.

What bothers me is that fans keep posting clips of them and assuming that they are shy or enjoying their interactions. When most of the time they look uncomfortable. It makes me wonder, how do fams not see that? Why do they keep making them do fanservice when they have expressed time after time they do not want to? Sometimes I feel that fans would get more interactions between them if they stopped fussing about them. “Oh my god the way he looks at Yin”, “Oh War is jealous in this moment”, yada yada. I feel that when they make posts about every interaction, fans only make them feel more self conscious and now they even have to avoid each other’s eyes to not give the wrong impression.

I will not assume their sexuality, but I am 100% sure that they are not a couple. Now yall can come and bite me.

[wujixian]

yinwar were honestly so fucking perfect for each other in the roles of jack and joke i need more of them immediately

[buddhamethods]

10 BL Characters I Want Carnally

AKA I'm just a person with two keen eyes and dubious morals when it comes to enjoying media so don't take it seriously, I'm here for a good time.

Thank you @sndrys for tagging me! This was an eye opening experience putting this together. As it turns out I might have a type (ew).

1) Guy from Bake Me Please (2023)

The sole reason for me creating this list! Look, I dropped Bake Me Please almost immediately because it just wasn't for me BUT I've been lowkey watching through my dash. And let me tell you, my fingers gain consciousness and hit reblog everytime this baby's face pops up because...well...LOOK AT HIM. He is beautiful and he should get the guy (hehe get it) in the end idc.

2) Yok from Not Me (2021)

Yok is such a beloved character and for good reason! He is sexy, he is gay, he sets buildings on fire and steals cops' wallets on accident because HOW WAS HE SUPPOSED TO KNOW THAT GUY HE WAS STALKING WAS A COP??? I love you Yok, never change.

3) Palm from Never Let Me Go/ OurSkyy2 (2022-23)

The anger I felt for all the injustice and mistreatment our beautiful Palm had to face in this show took literal years off my life. It's rare for me to get this passionately protective over a character and yet here we are, in the Palm Protection Squad headquarters. Even Nueng is on the watchlist!

4) Tonhon from Tonhon Chonlatee (2020)

Not to out myself as an enjoyer of silly goofy times , but I did have fun watching Fish Upon The Sky and Secret Crush On You, so OFCOURSE I thought I would like this one too but GOD was it rough. Did I still finish it? Yes. Did I fawn over PoddKhao pairing and have been quietly praying for some kind of reunion ever since? Also yes. Was I foaming at the mouth barking everytime Tonhon AKA Podd was on my screen? I'm not gonna comment without lawyer present.

5) Tew from My Dear Gangster Oppa (2023)

Speaking of Tonhon Chonlatee...AH! Ai Long Nhai (TC's spiritual prequel of sorts) was sure...something. And by something I mean I saw Meen and decided I will never speak ill of men ever again, feminism quite literally left my body. And then a year later My Dear Gangster Oppa came out and guess what??! MEEN IS THE GANGSTER OPPA! Dreams really do come true, kids.

6) Wen from Moonlight Chicken (2023)

(or Tian from ATOATS or Mueang Nan fron FUTS). Mix...I will eat you. Always so dewy and healthy and sparkly-eyed. But Wen from Moonlight Chicken is something out of the realm of my imagination. The sex appeal? The maturity?? The gentleness??!! Somebody sedate me before I say something I will not be able to justify in court.

7) Vee from Love Mechanics (2022)

He is a pretty bisexual who makes the most abhorrent stupid decisions known to men and then weeps and suffers for them WHAT MORE DO YOU NEED? Once again, is the show flawless or even remotely coherent? Absolutely not. That being said Vee brought me so much joy by being stupid I'm forever grateful.

(also YinWar are so back GO WATCH JACK AND JOKER TRAILER)

8) Prapai from Love In The Air (2022)

To a certain extent I've enjoyed every MAME show I've watched. To do that you need to possess the rare ability called "I abandoned every shred of moral integrity to gawk at hot men". And Prapai? MAN is this bitch hot. Tall dark handsome? Check! Bisexual on a bike? Check! Stubborn and annoying? CHECK!

9) Xiang Hao Ting from HIStory3: Make Our Days Count (2019)

*incoherent wailing and sobbing* IM NOT EXPLAINING SHIT ABOUT HIM LEAVE ME ALONE

10) AlanJeff from Pit Babe (2023)

My newest obsession! I refuse to separate our local senior citizen and his favorite prophetic mechanic. Both of them are hot as shit in their own way. Alan is a sexy dilf with so much weight and responsibility on his shoulders it's a miracle he retained his optimism and youthful awkwardness. And Jeff is a prickly baby-cow-baby-deer eyed baby that is so touch starved it's actually a little funny. SO I GUESS ALANJEFF SANDWICH IT IS.

(don't be shy tag yourselves besties <3)

[nobitiiiinn]

yinwar here is ur next series golden idea stop wasting everyone’s time and get on with it

Why is War always the one pining after Yin while Yin is with someone else?? (You know, Love mechanics, that one other drama where Yin was cheating on him, some of their music videos, and even in jack and joker) I need to see Yin being pathetic and desperately pining after War okay, it's a need

[yinwaryuri]

Jack and Joker: The Bank Scene

Happy Monday my friends, we finally are getting our gay heist show! YinWar truly have outdone themselves with the level of quality they've put into it and I couldn't be more excited or more grateful.

I wanted to break down the scene where Joke robs the bank because, given my experience in banking, it's was scripted very purposefully in favor of suspending our belief. Admittedly, my experience is in the US, and not all financial institutions operate the same, but for safety and security measures they're pretty standard across the board.

I was really appreciative of the disclaimer given ahead of time. It speaks to the research that was done for the sake of how much they could accurately portray the events, and when that seemed impossible and they couldn't let go of the scene, they said fuck it - gay story over realism it is. This break down is certainly not to dig at the writing; it's more to buff my knowledge than anything.

We love you YinWar, thanks for having respect for bank employees. Now let's get to the employees I don't respect, and the non-employee that I do.

For the most part, security officers don't need to do more than greet customers, and if there is any suspicion he shouldn't immediately interrogate someone. He's there for when things get escalated, or if there are any faces he should be looking out for (anyone banned from a branch for any reason), then he can confront them. If Joke had made an attempt at another location and that one tipped off others, then he would have a reason to suspect him.

Joke's mistake here: Being seen. He is so identifiable throughout. The show didn't bother checking any CCTVs, but he makes no attempt to hide from them. Instant jail. Sorry my guy. He also chooses a very unusual method and time of day to strike.

Since the officer did confront him, Joke gives an excuse.

This was a good call. If someone from another location or office, or a third party contracted service is coming, the employees would be notified beforehand of whom they should be and during which times. And even if the person is easily recognizable physically, they will have company identification on them, and if the security measures are extra strict, a form of government ID would also need to be shown.

LOUD WRONG ANSWER BUZZER

So what Joke is going to look for is someone who appears less competent. He looks at the older woman who likely has years under her belt and knows he has no chances there. But the girl to her left....

TARGET ACQUIRED

And she's already in trouble.

Oh hon.

That's never a situation I'd want to be in. Calling customers to inform them that there's been a mistake made on their account is never fun and it often is hard to reach them. There are ways of simply correcting the error and informing the person after it's been done just so they know what to expect when they look at the activity on their statement. Whatever the case, she's new, inexperienced, and having a bad day.

The balls he has to say this. Bestie. Have you ever touched banking software.

He's just getting her out of the way. If she had received any proper training and meant to apply it at all, this would've been a red flag. She is trusting the judgement of the security officer. Joke hasn't introduced himself by name and if he meant to help fix the mistake he wouldn't make her leave. It would be her responsibility and a good training opportunity. Instead, this happens....

She's risking so many things! Security within the immediate premises, security of the bank's information, confidentiality of the customers' information (which is literally their government ID, home address, other contact info, ALL of their accounts and activity). Absolutely a bad move.

GIRRRLLLL. That is on you. I saw her hesitate, but in the end just knew it was bad. At least where I've been, that possibly means fines and/or jail time for her as well, depending on the severity (most likely fines though). This poor girl is gonna have the worst confidence about her ability on the job after learning she helped a guy embezzle money. Where's her story?

Joke sends the security guard away, gets behind the desk with Carbon's ID and is likely planning to simply empty his account and leave. Then who should show up but Jack! (Next time please direct him to wait in a queue, your "manager" is supposedly still fixing your little check blunder, remember?)

And even Joke is nervous for a moment because he definitely didn't want to get the cute bartender involved.

Nevertheless, he humors Jack and listens to the bittersweet story of his childhood and his dream of opening a school. I love Jack, I really hope that he is able to open that school someday too.

So this part of the loan process is called the interview. It's where the employee will get an idea of the customer's needs and see if the bank's service is what they're looking for or if there is any particular offers they can make at this time. It's an important process when dealing in person because it will hopefully help the customer know which steps they can take depending upon approval. It's also where documentation is asked to verify what can be approved.

For the most part, Joke's charisma would be fantastic for a banking career because he seems natural at facilitating a conversation that requires someone to open up about their financial needs. He loses marks for not checking actual information, not filing any copies of the information he has been given, not explaining any details about paying the loan down or how having an account works, not starting the account opening process, and the numbers they talk about are vague so we don't even know how much money is in question here (which is probably a writing choice and I'm fine with it).

Instead Joke pulls a Picard and decides to make it so. And flirts at the same time. There's no signage around the branch to speak of this program and he doesn't go into any details, he simply grabs the stamp and seals their fates together.

I do think it's a sweet little change of mind he has. He was simply going to inconvenience Carbon, but what better way to do it (in his mind) than to give the money to the guy who got snubbed because of him?

The office being truly empty does crack me up. Who is supposed to be there and why are they gone? Also, for a bank, that vault is incredibly small. That is a home safe, that is not for securing the assets of the public. Also, most places have updated their protocol to use two people when opening the vault because having two people present also ensures less opportunity for employee theft.

His ass is not wearing gloves!

And, in a final un-bankerly move, he does not count out even the bundles.

FLIRT

I also love that he goes by Joker, but is constantly pulling a Batman exit on Jack.

I feel bad for knowing that I would have absolutely apprehended this man by asking the simplest questions. But I no longer work in that capacity and couldn't give a fuck! Let him do what he wants!

[absolutebl]

Hi ABL! You've talked a little bit about how some actor pairs have set roles that they play no matter what series they are in (the first to come to mind is MaxNat, who always seem to play the sunshine uke and tsundere seme pair). Are there any actor pairs that you would like to see change it up, or ones that you think would really excel if they did let go of their typical characters?

Hum, interesting question, esp for me. Because in some cases I wanna see them change it up to test the pair's acting chops (Ossan's Love Thailand is gonna be HUGE for this). But in other cases I just wanna mess with the system.

I'm an avowed pair buster, I gleefully enjoy seeing boys with new partners and in new rolls.

But there are pairs who frankly just aren't strong actors and seem to be mostly "playing" gay versions of themselves (side-eyes MaxNat, ZeeNunew, JamFilm) and there's no point in switching it up because we all know it just would not work. (Although I think both Film and Nunew would be fine, if not better, with a different partner.)

BL pairs I'd like to see challenged

(because I think they could handle it)

Not technically a branded pair but Chains was a SHODDY script and I think these two had serious promise. Haii we already know can play both seme and uke but Boom? Also maybe something less serious? Or just better.

YinWar. Do I need to say more?

PerthLay, LayPerth. We never really got it. But Perth is such a natural sunshine and ... yeah, whatever, I just want them back together on my screen. Don't care how.

MaxTul. Always. You can'r say you don't wanna see Tul the sunshine seme chasing after Max. OF COURSE YOU DO.

I MISS THEM. Such a better pair than Perth and Chimon. So much more chemistry.

Joong can be sunshine and he's good at it. We all remember this form 2 Moons 2. I'd like to see him play that against Dunk for a change.