#THE CHU EPISODE IS OUT I DIDN'T REALIZE

[suyahime]

Bonus chu~♡ under the cut

[ryllen]

and some extra unused stuff while they are in affectionate mood

[hellaarknight]

Only yours and yours only

⚜️⚜️⚜️⚜️⚜️⚜️⚜️⚜️⚜️⚜️⚜️⚜️⚜️⚜️⚜️⚜️⚜️⚜️⚜️⚜️⚜️⚜️⚜️⚜️⚜️⚜️⚜️

Genre: fluff Warnings: hint of self deprecating talk

⚜️⚜️⚜️⚜️⚜️⚜️⚜️⚜️⚜️⚜️⚜️⚜️⚜️⚜️⚜️⚜️⚜️⚜️⚜️⚜️⚜️⚜️⚜️⚜️⚜️⚜️⚜️

Chuuya was used to the stares he got when out in public. He knew that he was handsome, he knew that he looked good and that his eyes were indeed mesmerizing. But Chuuya did not pay attention to any of that. He was used to refusing any invitation that came his way from women. Why? Because he had you. He only had eyes for his girlfriend, soon to be fiancee and wife in his books, so any other attention he was receiving was unwanted from his part.

He always made sure to also show that to you so you wouldn't have any reason to doubt him or any concerns regarding where you were standing in his life. Although, he would be a liar if he said he didn't like when you got a bit jealous, on your good days. On the days when you were down and insecurities were eating you alive on the other hand, he would want nothing more than to print in your mind and heart that you had nothing to worry about.

"Chu, can I keep you locked up in your penthouse?"

Your voice purred, a slight tinge of annoyance present. He chuckled, taking a sip from his coffee. You two were out on a coffee date, not really to his liking, but you were eager to have some of the experiences you have missed in highschool or college so who was he to deny it?

" That, my love, is difficult to do. Mori would not allow it. But other than that, as long as I am with you I can stay in the bed, cuddling with you all my life for all I care. Why? "

" I don't particularly like how girls are ogling you today." You pouted and looked around, seeing some heads turning when they met your eyes. " I swear to God, it's like you're enchanting them and you're the only man they see. Not that I can totally blame them, but damn, I..." You stopped yourself before letting more of your frustration spill and just puffed.

Chuuya became serious, he would hate for you to suddenly become self-conscious about something because of others.

" If you want, we can take our coffee and go. But you do know I am only yours and even if they stare, it is not like I'm magically swapped away from you, right? I'm yours, doll face."

You scoffed, surprising Chuuya

"Of course you're mine. What bothers me is that they're totally ignoring the fact that you're with a girl besides you. I'm right fucking here and they look at you like they'd fuck you right here or at best in the bathroom. Even the waitress put her number on the fucking napkin"

Chuuya almost choked on his drink hearing you. This was a different reaction from what he expected. So you're feisty jealous today. He was still debating if he was going to like it, as it could still go horribly wrong and make you spiral in a self depreciating episode.

" Darling..."

" You know what, I've had enough." You suddenly got up, startling your boyfriend, surprising him when you just pulled him by the collar of his jacket and smashed your lips on his. His eyes wide open, he needed a few seconds until he reciprocated and with one hand cupped your cheek, the other one he put on your tight to make sure you would not fall over from losing your balance.

" That should teach them to stop staring at someone else's man." You huffed, sitting back in your place, leaving a flustered and surprised Chuuya to look at you. " What?!"

" Oh, absolutely nothing, I just realized how much I enjoy being yours and yours alone. Fuck, doll, you definitely look hot when you're jealous"

" If you plan to make me jealous on purpose, I'm breaking up with you, just so you know", you responded slightly embarrassed but your sudden possessiveness that took over you.

"I wouldn't dare to do something like that, you know damn well that I'm yours only. But you're really something else, aren't ya?"

You just gave your lover a side eye, making him laugh. God, he did love being yours and having you as his girlfriend. Maybe this coffee date wasn't such a terrible idea. And maybe, just maybe, you've grown just a little more reassured that he was too head over heels when it came about you, to have time to worry about the gazes he received from anyone else but you.

[st4rg4z3]

─── ᴡʜᴀᴛ’ꜱ ᴡʀᴏɴɢ, ᴅᴏʟʟ ꜰᴀᴄᴇ?

cw: just fluff + toji owning up to his mistakes

pairings : bf!toji x gfbimbo!reader

Toji scratched his head in frustration as he watched his girlfriend, Y/N, sulk in the corner of the room. Your pouty lips and crossed arms made it clear that you were angry with him. Yet, he couldn't quite wrap his mind around what he had done this time.

Y/N was a beautiful girl, infamous for your bimbo persona. Though you had a reputation for being hazy-brained, Toji had always looked beyond that. He just saw the gentle heart beneath all your misguided choices and was drawn to your carefree nature

He was always this cold hearted guy when you guys first met but after a while he just turned into this big puppy that goes wherever you go.

“What chu’ sighing over there for? Come here, what’s wrong doll face?" Toji patted his lap — asking you sit on it. He expected you to follow right away but got confused when you just looked at him, shaking your head no.

You gave him a disdainful look, your perfectly manicured nails tapping impatiently against your phone screen. "You should know what's wrong, Toji. You're not paying attention to me." you huffed, crossing your arms.

Confusion washed over Toji's face. "Baby, I’ been spending so much time with you lately. We even went to the movies yesterday and had dinner together." he said, scratching his head.

You rolled your eyes dramatically. "It's not about spending time, Toji. It's about the quality of the time."

Toji chuckled, realizing that this sulking episode was going to require him to dig deeper than usual. “Don’t laugh!” you said, sulking some more.

"’Kay don’t roll your eyes at me, sweetheart. I’m sorry, can you just explain what you mean, huh? pretty baby?” Toji said before standing up, walking towards you then sat criss-cross infront of you.

You huffed loudly. "I mean, you're not treating me like a princess anymore. You're not showering me with compliments or planning grand gestures of love. It's like you don't care about me anymore."

Toji was taken aback by your words. He thought back to their early days when he would surprise you with flowers, and shower you with affection. But as yiur relationship had progressed, he had assumed you didn't need such extravagant displays of love anymore.

"Doll, I thought you appreciated the simple moments, the everyday gestures," Toji said gently.

Toji stood up before pulling you up, carrying you in his arms. Your legs wrapped around his waist while you arms are wrapped around his neck, he then walked towards the couch to sit the both of you down.

"I’ been tryin’ to show my love in other ways, like spendin’ quality time with you and supporting you in your dreams and a’know you know that, baby.” Toji placed his hands on your cheeks, caressing it gently.

Your pout softened a little, but your eyes still held a trace of disappointment. Toji realized that he had made a grave mistake. He had unknowingly bought into the stereotype of who he thought you were. He had assumed that all you cared about were superficial things, failing to truly understand your desires and needs.

You continued, your voice softer now, Toji, I may enjoy being happy-go-lucky, but that doesn't mean I don't long for romance and appreciation.”

Toji reached out and gently took your hand in his. "I know and I'm sorry, doll. I never meant to overlook your emotions or needs. I promise to be more attentive and show you the love and appreciation you deserve, ‘kay?”

You smiled, your eyes sparkling with hope. "Thank you, Toji. I believe in us, and I know we can grow and learn together."

Toji smiled and nodded before pulling you in for a kiss. He was just always so used with you being so bubbly and so happy, he never wanted to make you sad ever again.

[dangermousie]

Finished.

God, what a glorious, glorious, glorious ride, a truly solid epic drama in a way I haven't seen in a very long time - there were two other flawless cdramas for me this year - Lost You Forever 1 and The Ingenuous One - but TIO was a smaller scale story and LYF ended in medias res. AJTL was the only complete, epic cdrama this year for me, but oh boy, was it beyond.

First, my two tiny niggles - this is a drama where the 40 episode limit fit badly, like tightly pinching shoes. You can tell how they had to speed and cram to get in the resolutions of dynastic struggles in An and Wu and the war with Beipan. This drama really needed to have been 50 eps. (The cramming also resulted in the sole plot arc that made me go huh - LTG random decision to try to marry Ruyi before he rides off to what he thinks is his last battle and his just as random decision to go "oh well" and agree to release NYZ and then when NYZ shows up before he can be released because he broke out and wreaks havoc, let them walk out. Maybe if they had more time, it would have made more sense, otherwise it felt like an aberration in a character arc that before and after was consistent and made sense.) Second niggle is not really one because it's clearly due to censorship - the last minute redemption of the Wu emperor etc - the writer made is as believable as she could but you could feel the censorship sticky hands all over it.

But those are minor complaints. Overall this was solid from beginning to end, very adult and with secondary characters who all felt real and complex and interesting. A few thoughts:

Our main OTP was incredible. So adult, so competent, so badass but still feeling human. I bought that those two were larger than life legends AND flesh and blood people. And that chemistry!

I loved that this drama allowed relationships to be messy. Yes, we have our epic main couple but I especially loved what happened with Chu Yue and Shisan and LTG and Ying. I loved that neither was an epic romance. With CY and Shisan, I loved that they didn't make him realize he loves her forever blah blah - he was an incredibly consistent character - charming, loyal and utterly clear he's incapable of permanent commitment to a single woman and she never could change that. And yet he died in large part to protect her, and it's in keeping with his character and it makes sense that this solidified her remembering him forever - he's not just the one who got away, but he DIED for her. It's very clear if they both lived, this would have gone nowhere and ended with him wandering off or her moving on wanting commitment from someone who is capable of it, but as it is, it froze the possibility of love in ember.

And I loved the narrative of LTG and Ying. They both come into marriage in love with someone they can never have (Ruyi and YL), they both have similar backgrounds (royals but neglected and looked down upon), they both share the same goals (power but to take care of people) and they really are friends. I love that when we last see them, they have what is a great period marriage - no love but respect and common goals. And she still mourns YL and he probably still thinks of Ruyi but the thing is, I love that the narrative leaves the possibility of them eventually falling in love with each other (or other people) because as she tells him - you think you will always love a particular person but life is long. (And it's so true - she will remember YL until she's old, once again in part because of the unfulfilled possibility of it - but it doesn't mean she won't be able to open her heart to someone again.) It's a surprisingly hopeful ending for them and I love it. I'd totally watch a show where they discover love with each other tbh.

I did love that no character (except possibly Prince Danyang) got everything they wanted even if they emerged alive. They got some and had to give up some.

I loved what it had to say about having to be worthy of your power and position - you are not owed fealty by birth but you have to earn it. It was a surprisingly anti-imperial show for a recent cdrama.

All the deaths of our faves gutted me, none as much as Yuan Lu's. Oooof.

As to the ending, I can tell people are gonna have fits but I like it. I love many an ending legendarily reviled in cdrama fandom (Princess Agents and Novoland Eagle Flag have perfect endings in my opinion; I realize that opinion, especially about PA is enough to get me throttled in certain quarters but it is what it is) and I came to cdramas back when pretty much every costume cdrama ended horrifically tragically - think of the endings of the Chinese Paladins, The Myth (for a long time my n1 drama even though it made me cry so hard I threw up, ending-wise), The Young Warriors, Little Fairy, even Lan Ling Wang, Glory of the Tang Dynasty and Bu Bu Jing Xin if we are going somewhat later. I mean, one of my favorite dramas ever is Royal Nirvana and that ending is like drinking a thermos full of depression. This is nothing.

Honestly, I would have been fine if the ending for our OTP really was them dying pretty much together, in their different battles. That hint that they are alive and living with their kids is lovely and welcome, but I'd have been fine without it and it raises a lot of questions (though if anyone could fake their deaths and survive that sort of thing, it would have been them so fair enough.)

Anyway, this is basically my love letter to this drama. It was amazing and I am so glad I watched it.

[pippin-pippout]

So I dragged myself kicking and screaming and, yes, mostly in denial, through the last episodes of A Journey to Love.

My thoughts can be summarized as follows:

Obviously this is mainly due to me being horrifically traumatized by Yuan Lu’s death. After all, they told us from the get go he wouldn’t live to 20. They made it clear he had a deadly heart disease. And then. They had the nerve. They had the audacity. They had the actual fucking bahoonga BALLS to follow through!?

But then I found myself sobbing at literally every good guy death scene, plus all of the mourning scenes. The latter was in large part thanks to Alen Fang's acting - deepest apologies to him for just referring to his character as 'the slutty one' for the majority of the show. Not that I was wrong. Also thanks to strong performances from He Lan Dou for Yuan Lu's death.

Anyway so I need to add this gif x4 for the Liudao Hall babies:

Qian Zhao, da ge, who made mistakes but always did right in the end

Sun Lang, who just wanted to hold something fluffy at the end, dying a hero

Yuan Lu, who died in his princess's arms after running to deliver a letter rendered useless by the Emperor of An's greed.

Yu Shisan, who lived as he lived and had such a happy moment with Chu Yue right before it all became irrevocable.

When they added Yu Shisan to the snowball fight, I just about lost it. Liu Yuning's acting there - having the realization about Shisan's death as he watched them play in real time was so well done. Really hurt.

Plus I'll make a couple of versions with edits.

For the Wu Emperor. I knew it was gonna happen from the spoilers but damn, him genuinely learning the value of friendship and brotherly love made me root for him. Dude did not deserve to go out like that. Thank goodness for the magic of CDramas where he lived just long enough to pass on his will to Ning Yuanzhou, and do one last act of good.

It also ensured Duke of Chu was able to pass on his command to his daughter, Chu Yue, before dying of the same (was not clear if her bro died or not, or if dad was always going to choose her).

And for Deng Hui. Started out thinking he was just a sexist bastard. Turns out he was one of the most principled characters in the show.

Their deaths didn't make me cry, but I respect them.

Also loved Chen Du Ling's (Empress of Wu) small part in this. I may not like all of her characters but she can deliver a scene and hold a room. It was a bit cathartic to see her put every man in their place, and basically decide the fate of two countries, even though her lament that she'd only ever have power through another held true.

Ah Ying, my baby girl. This is a character that could have turned people off from the beginning. Thanks to strong writing and stronger acting, it did not. I was super impressed with He Lan Dou. She can dial it up and dial it down in a single take, and can play big dramatic scenes with a subtlety that some older actors cannot grasp. This was the first thing I've seen her in, though for her and Chen You Wei (Yuan Lu) I might watch Tiger and Crane if someone tells me it's good.

I still think Li Tongguang is a perverted and creepy child, who never managed to learn (except in literally the last ep), but at least I trust that he will treat Ah Ying well. I don't hold it against him for screwing up the battle - he was trying to be benevolent but made a bad choice.

The main couple win it for me this year. What an inspired pairing. They beat out heavy hitters including Bai Lu x Everyone which was near impossible. Something to do with letting Liu Shi Shi use Liu Yuning's height against him at every possible moment. Also the 'if you die, I'll finish the job and then follow you' is my favorite dynamic. I swear when Ruyi threw those bombs, NOT NEEDING TO HAVING ALREADY SUCCEEDED AT KILLING THE KING AND PRINCE, just to join him, y'all I died. Good for whoever posthumously gave her the Marquis title on her own (not just furen) - couldn't tell if it was Li Tongguang acting as regent or Dayang (great shot of those two at the end).

The final episode was one of the best final cdrama episodes I've seen. I might have to make another post about that. In sum, despite losing a large portion of the well-loved cast, the remainder gave a world-class finale. The visuals were incredible (explosions are my favorite). The final scene was beautiful (though I'm a bit surprised they gave it to Chu Yue instead of Ah Ying who knew all 6 of them closely).

[mutsky]

century of love ep 5&6

-oh now he realizes thats his lover he just had to ALMOST DIE FIRST

-uncle is working with yis sexy dad

-comically large gps letters on the box

-this is so soapy

-into the water

-theres no way the big bad dies half way through this must be the small bad

-what a caring husband didnt know grandpa had it in him

-feeding him? who is this guy?

-i love when the family just peeks from behind a pole or something

-this is NOT the san of the past 4 episodes

-whats with the slow walk in for the doctor

-ah yes him!

-the goddess is playing with my guy

-bc the goddess wanted YAOI

-ohhh in all his dreams huh

-the possessiveness is crazy

-hes looked like this for the past 100 years so

-chu we love you

-lets get chu a girlfriend

-get him again for me

-yeah but fortunately for you san we tend to like bad boys who are mean to us

-loving the arguments

-between chu and the goddess our yaoi plots will prosper AMEN

-poor lead in a 100 dollar designer tshirt

-the looks the doctor is giving san are perfect

-ohhh mr doctor

-thats a shitty piece of art

-the grumpy dinosaur reminding him of his husbandndkdmfdkfmgmf

-do we think chu thought in a million years shed be her great great great grandfathers fag hag going to spy on his husband with him?

-i love how theyre such bad spies theyre in the background of all the photos

-its upside down

-crying theyre all so goofy

-i just realized its a grumpy RAINBOW dinosaur

-since high school?

-nongchai?

-now you wanna be his husband yeah ok

-oh how the tables turn

-whos forcing who into marriage now

-the goddess is working overtime

-look at their little smiles awww

-thats the fakest looking moon ive ever seen

onwards and upwards lads

-mother and daughter bonding activity: fujoing lut

-come on product placement

-grumbling old man... yeah that's true

-ahh youre so cute

-two tickets to an amusement park

-does he know what that is?

-grandpa please! were trying to set you up

-amusement park date classic

-the dinosaur motif is killing me

-what kind of amusement park has perfume making stations

-ok grandpa i didn't know you had game

-two dates with two different men in one day... vee living up to the promiscuous bisexual stereotype

-how did he find him?

-awww poor vee

-well you see

-poor third in every life time he will lose vee

-imagine if hes not actually in there

-ahh hes not

-say it again PLEASEEEEE

-nooooo

-FUCK

-ok grandpa chic outfit

-here he comes with his fag hag great great granddaughter in tow

-i wish dinner and dancing was still a thing

-i wish there was live music in restaurants

-oh so he did hear it all

-that shitty marriage proposal came back to bite huh

-ok redemption

-why would you say that

-100 year old and 25 year old average gay relationship age gap

-scent kink? pitbabe the damage youve done

-very nothing sex scene tbh

-oh

-on the left ring finger too

-mom grandpa please

-to be fair these people know everything every wet dream

-fujoing out yas

-but first a message from our sponsor

-jdent is the gayest toothpaste of all time

-aww so cute and theyre all so happy for him

-oh honey its ok for him

-oh no what does grandma know

-to be fair this guys looked the same for 100 years and hasnt hidden it

-hes had the same haircut for 100 years too

-brooooo look at this fucking shirt and he didnt think he was gay

-the girl looks like grandma woah

-i love how everyone in this show is accepting this bullshit

-grandma and grandson have a crush on the same guy

-is this still the dream?

-she looks so creepy

-cant we have a little longer in the honeymoon damn

this SUCKS

cant have a single good day around here

[myechoecho]

Love You Seven Times, eps 17 & 18

Episode 17 was a bit slow.

Prince guy your plans generally suck

Chu Kong doesn't directly confront Prince guy even though he knows he's interfering. It's more that he's waiting to see what he will do next and to figure out why.

I have to laugh at how hard prince guy is trying to get Xiangyun to remember him and be on his side but she is devoted to Chu Kong.

And yes, Prince guy has a point. Chu Kong could also be Xiangyun's medicine

Pair Practice, lol.

I love that Ren and Mou are match makers but Chu Kong did you really need to have him spanked?

Chu Kong saying he's happy that Xiangyun is not around while looking positively miserable.

I liked episode 18 more.

The skipping stone section was so cute. And Chu Kong got caught because he was so competitive.

Screamed a little at his heart beating fast, and her asking if it was because of her

Ren and Mou have to tell him that he's in love with her.

I'm going to guess Chu Kong and Xiangyun are going to fight to give the other the Linglong Heart

Though if she does end up getting Chu Kong's Linglong Heart, I don't think it will go the way that Prince guy thinks

When Chu Kong gave her the ball to throw at the one she was choosing to marry, I though it was dumb because what if she missed? Luckily Xiangyun thought of that and carried the ball directly to Chu Kong so there would be NO mistake

The anguish on Prince guy's face while Chu Kong and Xiangyun's little love story plays out pleases me so. Yes, I refuse to call him by whatever his proper name is. He annoys me that much. Even Bingchang didn't annoy me this much.

I love how Chu Kong, who was so determined to get Xiangyun's Linglogn Heart, is refusing to tell her the cure

And somehow, Prince Guy doesn't realize that Chu Kong is already in love with her???

If Chu Kong gives Xiangyun his Linglong Heart, how will that restore her primordial spirit? Wouldn't Chu Kong sacrificing himself for the one he loves restore his? Yes, I realize the whole original plan was to get Xiangyun to give her Linglong Heart to Chu Kong to restore his primordial spirit but the reasoning is flawed to me. I've probably forgetting something

Prince Guy doesn't really seem to love her that much. His attitude is oh well if you die you'll just go back to the heavenly realm. My guy, she'll also live with the trauma of freezing to death on a mountain peak??

Also, Prince Guy. What makes you think Xiangyun will go with you if she gets cured?

Chu Kong was very sweet in taking care of her.

He doesn't like snow - direct reference to their second tribulation where Xiangyun dies in his arms

It'll be interesting to see what happens when they get back to the heavenly realm. Now, in two separate tribulations, the one with the memories intact has fallen in love with the other. So it begs the question how real is it? What will the consequences be? And what will happen in the next tribulation?

[stereogeekspodcast]

[Transcript] Season 4, Episode 4. Quantum Leap 2022 Eulogy

Gone too soon! Quantum Leap (2022-2024) has been canceled and Ron and Mon aren't taking it well. We share our thoughts about the show, what we loved, what could have been improved, and we run through a list of our favourite episodes.

Listen to the episode on Spotify.

Hello, and welcome to a new episode of Stereo Geeks.

I'm Mon.

And I'm Ron.

This is our Eulogy to Quantum Leap 2022-2024.

Rest in Peace.

Can I just say, I did not see this coming, but I feel like you had an inkling that this would happen.

The first season was renewed almost immediately, and this one, it came, it went, no one talked about it.

And then I got that feeling, you know, it's like, you just know it's doomed.

And I was right.

I know that there are going to be no more seasons, we only got the two, but we still want people to watch it wherever they can find it, which is why we're doing this episode.

So a little bit about the show.

Quantum Leap is not exactly a remake, more like a half sequel to the 80s Quantum Leap show.

It was extremely popular.

2022, we heard about Quantum Leap.

We thought, let's give it a try.

We quite quickly fell in love with the show.

First season went absolutely brilliantly.

We were excited for the second season.

And yeah, now, alas.

So let's take a look at the cast.

We have Dr. Ben Song, played by Raymond Lee.

His fiancee, Addison Augustine, played by Caitlin Bassett.

Then we have the kind of tech genius, Ian Wright, played by Mason Alexander Park.

The security chief, Jen Chu, played by Nanrisa Lee.

The head of the Quantum Leap division is Magic, played by Ernie Hudson.

In season two, we had a recurring character, Hannah Carson, played by Eliza Taylor, and also Tom Westfall, played by Peter Gaddio.

I'm probably pronouncing that wrong.

We also have, throughout the two seasons, a few appearances by a character called Janice, played by Georgina Riley.

Not too much into her because spoilers.

I'll also shout out some notable guest stars.

We had Brandon Routh, aka Superman. Obviously not playing Superman here, but still.

Lou Diamond Phillips, a veteran of Hollywood.

Melissa Roxborough, who we recently saw in Manifest.

Justin Hartley, who's been in a lot of stuff, but I believe most people know him from This Is Us.

Jewel Staite, who most Canadians know because she's a Canadian actor.

Deborah Ann Woll, who's coming back as her character Karen in the Daredevil series.

Robert Picardo, who obviously we know very well because he was the doctor on Voyager.

And James Frain, who is in everything, like he's James Frain.

Season one had 18 episodes.

Good, solid season.

Season two had 13 episodes.

I guess the signs are already there.

I really think so.

I mean, we didn't realize it, but anyway, this is a celebratory episode.

We're never going to see these characters again.

But yeah, this is the goodest time of the year to just get in there, watch these two seasons, enjoy a really heartfelt, rousing show about finding the best in humanity.

Let's get into it.

We never got around to watching the original Quantum Leap.

They didn't show it where we were.

It's a bit hard to now get into it.

80s aesthetics, some of the sensibilities.

I hear that the original Quantum Leap was way ahead of its time.

You know, people are fans even now.

Even though we went in cold, one of the most exciting parts about Quantum Leap in general is time travel.

And this reboot, remake, reimagining definitely stuck to a lot of time travel.

Yeah, I love time travel in any of its forms.

I have seen some shockingly bad films because they were apparently about time travel.

Anyway, I think the reason why the Quantum Leap concept is so fun is because generally with time travel, you don't want to change the past.

That's a bad thing.

Butterfly effect and all that.

But in Quantum Leap, the whole purpose is to change the past because that's what's going to make things better.

Yeah, absolutely.

And it makes things a lot better for characters who are queer, especially in this show.

And that's actually one of the things that I really like about the show being made in 2022.

Love how all the show's characters are just unabashedly allies of the queer community.

It's like not even a second thought.

No one's fighting that battle.

And it's especially great because Ian, played by Mason Alexander Park, is a queer character, and they are queer in real life as well.

So this just feels so much more layered.

They don't go on and on about it, and all of Ian's storylines are not about them being queer, but they're definitely the center of it, when that's the episodic storyline.

I thought all the characters were really interesting.

It's a very diverse cast.

The dynamics among the characters are very interesting, but each character also has an arc of their own.

It wasn't just, you know, Ben and Addison's romance, but you know, in the background, you have Ian, Jen, and Magic.

Like they're this trio of heroes that are making things happen and trying to save Ben.

Speaking of Ben, this show lives and dies by the fact that he's not only played very carefully and sweetly, I would say, by Raymond Lee, but he's also really well written.

He's purposefully written as this very kind-hearted person.

He believes in the best of people.

He knows that, yes, sometimes you're in a situation that is absolutely terrible.

You've done something or you could be doing something, which is horrible, but there's something to redeem you.

I just love that so much.

And that plays into how each episode is structured, because it's all about the rousing speeches at the end that Ben gives.

He wins the heart of whoever he's talking to, but he also wins the heart of the viewer.

Absolutely.

Ben so easily sees the best in people, and that's why when he makes a sincere appeal to their humanity, they listen.

And we as the viewers are also listening.

And I feel like after every episode, we just felt like better people.

Yeah, if there's one major grouse with the show, it's that we only get two seasons of it.

Exactly.

I mean, we're definitely upset the show is canceled because Raymond Lee was so game to do anything in this show.

Like he was a flight stewardess in one episode.

He was a lady bounty hunter in another.

It could have gone so many different places.

And we probably would have seen more opportunities of him hanging out with his other teammates because they would have been the holograms instead of just Addison.

We got to see that a little bit, but season three, they kind of promised that that would actually happen.

And now we never get to see it.

Yeah, exactly.

The first few times that the others got to be holograms, it was a lot of fun.

Like Jen was singing about it, which was absolutely hilarious to watch.

Like when magic got to be a hologram, so much emotion, just so much emotion.

But yeah, now we'll never get to see that.

But is there anything that didn't work for you?

I think the one major thing that didn't work for me at all was the whole Janice plot line in season one.

I think it needed to be fleshed out a lot more.

They were trying to be very cagey and keep things under their hats, but I feel like maybe they went overboard.

Or if they'd been able to stretch it out a little bit more over two or three seasons, we would have really felt, I think, the stakes of exactly what was happening and why a little bit better.

For me, I think season two, the Addison-Tom relationship, it didn't work for me.

I couldn't really see the chemistry between them.

And for some bizarre reason, I just couldn't trust Tom.

I still don't trust him, and we'll never know if our concerns were warranted or not.

Since this is a celebration, let's chat about some of our favorite episodes.

It was really tempting to put all 18 of the first season and all 13 of the second, but you know what?

We need to be tempered in our view.

So if you are wondering if you want to invest so much time into the show, maybe start with just these faves.

Kicking off with season one, one of the episodes that I really found quite emotionally stunning was episode three, Somebody Up There Likes Ben.

First of all, there's a lot of physicality in this episode because Ben leaps into the body of a boxer.

There are a lot of stakes.

It's an emotional roller coaster, and it also has a really powerful message about mental health.

It was so lovely.

It will definitely have you quite emotional by the end of it.

The first two episodes of the first season got you hooked.

Episode three was when I realized this was a great show.

And they tried different things.

They weren't just formulaic or one-note.

With episode seven, for example, Oh Ye of Little Faith, it was a Halloween episode, and it was completely a horror genre.

And how they made it work and made it plausible within the context of the story was fantastic.

But this was so good.

This was…

It was hilarious.

It was kind of scary.

And Ben Song was an absolute delight in this one.

To make the horror elements work within the world, it was very impressive.

They could have done so much more.

And there was another genre episode that I was really impressed by.

That was the 10th episode of the first season, Paging Doctor Song.

It's a medical episode.

Generally, I don't like medical shows.

They make me feel ill.

But even though this episode is kind of gory at times, it's so unexpected and unpredictable plot-wise.

And again, the emotional beats, they just come out of nowhere.

Well, I think this particular episode for me was a reminder that the show is about people.

It's about how we interact and live with each other.

And that's what makes us come back for more.

And we would have come back for a season three if they hadn't canceled it.

And literally the next episode is probably one of the best.

It's called Leap Die Repeat.

Look, time loop episodes are a mainstay of the time travel genre.

They are also some of my favorite tropes.

I can't think of a single time loop episode that was bad.

But there is also so much danger in this episode.

The stakes are insanely high.

Ben could die at any time, but he's cycling through these time loops and he is actually running out of time as well.

There's always, you know, there's got to be some deadline to your obstacles.

Also Robert Picardo is in it.

It's a banger.

Yeah, I have to say that was edge of your seat stuff.

And the next episode after that is also our favorite.

This is odd.

All we can say is that middle part of season one was really good.

So episode 12, Let Them Play, it's a chance manifesto.

We won't get into the details, but it is so full of feels.

There's a lot more of the episode characters rather than the main characters, but also a focus on Ian and how they're bringing the queer perspective and the queer lived experience to what the story is about.

Mason Alexander Park really brings a lot of emotionality and depth to Ian's storyline there.

Some great scenes about being trans, about being queer.

It's really, really a very good episode and absolutely a joker.

Oh yeah, that one just, it really does bring so much emotion.

It's a really powerful story as well.

And also an interesting mystery.

And really relevant to the current situation, even two years on, in the US and the UK especially, and now maybe in Canada.

Well, moving on to episode 13 of season one, that middle bunch of episodes was just spectacular.

Family style, it's an Indian episode.

We gotta shout it out.

But there are so many lovely little moments about this episode that made it stand out for me.

Ben loves to cook.

Like in the previous episode, he is overjoyed because he gets to be a basketball coach and he's a basketball fan.

But he is in his element in the kitchen.

He is losing his mind because he gets to cook this amazing food.

And also there are all these family dynamics that you and I recognized.

It's a top favorite for me.

Yeah, this one had probably one of my favorite closing scenes.

It was just like all the fields, all the fields.

But you know what I really liked about this one?

We live in a multicultural society.

Like the whole world is multicultural right now.

You can't imagine a time when we were growing up where you would have watched something where the main character of an American TV show would just be super excited to be in an Indian restaurant trying out this amazing Indian food and getting deep into actually trying to cook it.

And here's Ben just enjoying himself.

Like he's just having the time of his life and this is food that he's familiar with and he likes.

It's just so good.

It was just, it was heartwarming.

And so on to season two, I will say I was a little bit concerned when it started.

The first two or three episodes were a little off and it really was because of Ben.

Story wise, it made sense why he wasn't himself, but it didn't pick up till Ben was kind of back to his usual self.

And I think the turning point was really episode five of season two, One Night in Koreatown.

This one had so many feels.

I did not know what to expect.

It was so layered and nuanced and said a lot about racism in the US especially.

Racism among communities, about other communities.

It's not something that a lot of people are comfortable talking about.

But I think also what made it special was the fact that magic got to be the hologram.

And he's part of an event that he originally experienced as well.

I just found that Ben and magic's relationship, their dynamic, along with the dynamic of the family that Ben is involved with in the story, it was so incredible.

This was my favorite episode of the entire show.

This was a real standout.

I had actually heard an entire podcast series about this particular event.

So when I saw the title, I was like, oh my gosh.

I have to say I was a bit nervous because I was like, this is an event that it's left a mark on people.

They still talk about it.

And I wasn't quite sure how the show was going to handle it.

I think they went in the right direction.

They went ground level.

They hyper-focused on one small family, and the result was very relatable and as you said, a real tear-jerker.

Great stuff.

So moving on to something else, which would you believe it, I had just listened to a podcast series about.

Episode 7 of season 2, A Kind of Magic.

It was all about witch trials.

And as I said, I heard a podcast series, and then I heard two separate episodes of two different podcasts, which were both about witch trials.

One of them was about the American witch trials.

Another was about the European ones.

So I had a lot of information in my head when I went into this.

Again, this show does such a great job.

It just goes ground level.

Ben is in the body of this young girl, who is of course accused of being a witch.

And a lot of the stuff that I was reading about, it was super accurate in this episode.

I was very impressed.

And despite the nightmare situation, somehow Ben finds the positivity to inspire the people around him.

I just love that about this character.

Yeah, witch trials for me, every time I come across any storylines like that, they just make me so angry.

And the writers of the show just know how to calm you down.

Because you can't do anything with that misplaced anger.

This happened years ago.

So this episode felt a little bit cathartic for those of us who just are needlessly angry about something that has nothing to do with us.

Cathartic is the word.

We are just living constantly with impotent rage.

When you watch something like Quantum Leap, and you see Ben going into these situations, and you know that you can't do anything, and all the horrible stuff has already happened, and we are living through a time when there is more horrible stuff happening, and you get to feel some amount of positivity because Ben can fix the situation.

That's why we need this show.

You are making me sad now that we don't get more.

Let's talk about another favorite.

Well, literally the next episode, episode 8, it's called Nomads Egypt.

It's set in Egypt.

Who doesn't love Egypt and spies?

That is a fantastic combo.

And what really worked was that they shot on location.

You feel that.

One of the things that a lot of people complain about, a lot of entertainment media nowadays, is that everything looks flat.

You can tell that they shot on VFX.

Now listen, VFX, when done right, looks great and looks seamless.

But the people who work behind the scenes on post-production need time.

Guess what a lot of people don't give them?

Time.

And the other thing nowadays, everybody wants to cut budgets.

Hence, no location shooting.

So, what do you get?

Everything looks the same.

Thankfully, this episode, I don't know how they had the money to do it, but there they were in Egypt and it looked great.

It has this really nice, old-timey, heist spy movie sort of feel to it.

I love that.

Love that episode.

And in a similar vein, we have episode 10, The Family Treasure.

This was a stellar episode.

It's essentially Indiana Jones.

But it focuses on three siblings.

Ben is one of them.

And they are so wildly different from one another and have very, very different relationships with their dearly departed parents.

And all this comes to the fore because they're on a treasure hunt.

I love treasure.

I love adventure.

And this was only part of what this story is about.

We won't even go into the rest again.

It was just so heartfelt.

Ben is the best ally in all of TV history as far as I'm concerned.

Truly, truly, like Ben brings people together and really helps them see perspectives because they can't.

I mean, he just goes out of his way to see the best in people, and he shows them the good things about themselves that they're missing, which is exemplified in the episode right after that, The Outsider.

Honestly, the end of the season just bangers one after the other.

So Ben's unwavering positivity changes a journalist's mind about her own abilities because she had a bad situation and she let it get to her head.

But Ben would not let her doubt herself.

Honestly, we all need a champion like Ben in our lives.

This episode was sort of going one way, and then it just hits you in the feels because Ben just is like a dog with a bone when it comes to redeeming a person.

I felt very heartened when I watched this episode.

And then on to the finale.

You know, finales can be hit and miss.

The first season finale I thought was one of the weaker episodes of that season.

And with season 2, I was really wondering, where are they going with this?

Lots of twists and turns, quite epic, very tense and intense as well.

But again, that cathartic feeling because Ben is appealing to the best of humanity, even when all seems lost.

You can't even imagine that this man is going to win.

How is he going to win?

There's no way.

Despite all these twists and turns, you can't predict what will happen next.

And somehow Ben is like hanging on and telling you to hang on.

Because yeah, humanity is worth saving.

Yeah, Ben just constantly believes that humanity is good and that when the chips are down, we will do our best.

Apparently, he did not live through the pandemic.

But yeah, this was an epic season finale.

Very, very tense moments.

Some really quite shocking plot twists.

But the biggest plot twist of course was that we couldn't have predicted that they would cancel the damn show.

We are not at all bitter.

Spoiler alert, we are very bitter.

Alright, so that's our episode on Quantum Leap.

I know that it's gone.

It only lasted two seasons, but it was two fantastic seasons.

I'm so glad we got to meet these characters, hang out with them, even though it was only for two years, but they made us feel so much better.

Tuning in every week sparked a little bit of joy in all our lives.

We're going to miss you, Quantum Leap.

Ron: You can find us on Twitter @Stereo_Geeks. Or send us an email stereogeekspodcast@gmail.com. We hope you enjoyed this episode. And see you next week!

Mon: The Stereo Geeks logo was created using Canva. The music for our podcast comes courtesy Audionautix.

[hesitationss]

gundam: the witch from mercury cour 2 ep 2/ep 14, spoilers ahead!

okay okay i did make a post freaking out about this episode, but i'm a bit normal again. if you haven't watched the prequel episode, i highly recommend doing that! my personal watch order was watching gwitch ep 1 season 1 and then doing the prequel, it made for a really cool experience and gave me much to think about and OH BOY ep 2 has me THINKING HARD.

we get more of prospera's evil schemes... is it evil? she wants to end all war... by the end of the ep... YEAH it's fucking evil lol.

i am so glad that the earth students aren't just being tossed aside for the main plot, they are being included as a part of the stakes. nika's involvement with shaddiq's plans and them all having personalities, it's so nice to see! martin is becoming more and more upset with nika and nika we are seeing both a bit of nika's backstory as well as her personal wants and dreams beyond the mask that she has put up for everyone. her story about her being in extreme poverty and working on machines and being really happy about being able to go to school, if viewers haven't picked up on war is bad themes yet... this episode for sure solidifies so much. even still, she wanted to bare the burden of everything after realizing how bad everything was turning out to be. even still, she didn't want her fellow earthians getting involved and wants them and suletta to have a normal school life... but nika is just a kid too 😭🥺

also lol...elan is so annoying oh my god.. i know he is like desperate to live, but damn lol 😭

also just a side note but lilique is so cute!! she's very sweet and was just trying to share goat milk with space ppl, they did not have to be so disgusted with it!! also one thing i appreciate is that there are characters with a variety of bodies. lilique is a plus size teenage girl and she even had normal teen boy troubles in season 1 when things were more normal... <3

okay onto the rumble ring: um another side note but lauda having a moment with petra while that other girl is like HUH...dat cold hearted boy is capable of having feelings?

anyway,.. the emotional beats of the rumble ring happening with like all of the pilots personal goals and thoughts coming together on a "mock" battle field while belmeria confront prospera is so chef's kiss. like ugh so much is happening and then chuchu in her usual anger at the elite/spacians is about to blast them in her machine, but it thwarted by flashbacks from the plant quetta incident... i really think that plant quetta is such a major turning point for all of the earthians. they have had to suffer the most already, and now they realities of war are starting to sink in. i'm also just assuming that chuchu's rage is mostly from experiencing the prejudice and aftermath of war as well as wealth inequality and being raised by her 9 dads who are amputees or disabled in other ways from warfare, but she herself has never experienced it first hand until plant quetta. all these earth kids are being haunted by the consequences of imperial and capitalist violence and they are the ones who must endure the most. it's such a noteworthy moment for me in this episode, especially after sophie and norea make their appearance and nearly kill lauda. chu, even after everything knows the reality of war violence and moves to protect them because she doesn't want to see anymore people die.

but chu isn't the only one in the aftermath of war, that's all of the earthians, including sophie and norea... when sophie gives her mini monologue about the things she wants, the things she will kill for "meals big enough to fill my stomach, a fluffy bed to sleep on, warm showers, [...] and also.. a family who will always love me" despite the killing, you can't help but feel for them too, they also took on the "GUNDAM curse" to pilot killing machines to hopefully change their lives. and they fully believe in what they're doing because they have no other choice. the fate of the witches from earth is tragic because children fighting wars in machines that kill them is tragic.

new elan clone doesn't want to die, so he is also fighting for his life, nika has been kidnapped, suletta is starting to realize the weight of taking a life. sophie and norea... i shan't go on... there is so much happening and at the centre of it all is prospera and truth about eri samaya... "creating a world where eri will be happy" AAAHHHHHH

any way i'm going to become a villain now 🚬🐀😭 we're really in it for real now... earth students PLS survive!!

[number1villainstan]

episode 32, nanami in the thumbnail again. starting this episode right after the last one (breaking my one-episode-a-day pattern) because i NEED TO KNOW WHAT HAPPENS NEXT OH MY GOD

mmmmmm the previews are. uh. "you tend to trust who you fall in love with" fuuuuuuck

it's called 'romance of the dancing girls', are the dancing girls utena and anthy?

i feel like now that i'm in the final quarter all the episodes are gonna feel awful to watch. like all the episodes are just gonna slowly drag on me mental health until i end up sobbing in a corner somewhere at the unfairness of it all

oh shit nanami still has touga's cellphone

"so, did you sleep well" i can assure you nanami most certainly did not sleep well. god, being in her position--having just found out something utterly horrific about your rival and the chairman of your school--and having to just. stuff it all down. act like everything's normal. because the chairman, the guy who's perpetuating it, is right there. and because if you try to bring it up you'll just get shut down. fuuuuuuck.

jam made from rose hips from anthy, and then brandy and sugar. anthy's flower, and then brandy (an alcoholic, adult drink) and sugar (to add sweetness, to mask the bitterness of alcohol?). and then probably mashed up into a paste and left to sit. why do i feel like the jam is a metaphor for anthy and akio's relationship

akio trying to make nanami seem unstable to the one person in the room who doesn't know what's going on, and also the person in the room he's trying to groom into letting him rape them

wait wait wait wait wait. if the jam represents akio and anthy's relationship. and nanami has seen what their relationship actually is. and nanami rejects the jam. then fundamentally she is rejecting the abusive idea of a sibling relationship that anthy and akio have shown her. oh yeah, it's all coming together

nanami offering to trade...maybe to push miki into realizing the truth as well? (she's sitting by a cello, at the edge of the light from the window, and miki's sitting at the piano to the side of the light. the light being understanding what's going on?)

"a nice guy like you would be eaten alive" she reconsidered. huh. because she doesn't think miki would realize. and because she doesn't want miki near akio. ✨character development✨

"that was just an act" jesus fuck touga. that's gotta be a lie though they've been living together for too long

IT'S KEIKO????

nanami's falling back into old mindsets and patterns :(

the faucet going from stopped up to suddenly pouring. to reflect nanami's emotions/sadness? yeah mood. oh wait shit anthy accidentally broke the handle off?? nanami's about to be Fundamentally Changed

they both consider blood more important than experience. and i still Don't Like That.

when she threw the phone it didn't break. i was kinda hoping she'd get angry and smash it

that shot of the apple with forks sticking out of it is. i don't know what it means but it looks a lot like something i know is going to show up in the last few episodes.

does kanae visit them a lot?

"oh i'm [scary]? think nothing of it" while holding the serrated knife. girl you are Strange and Offputting (and tbh i am loving it)

although is it possible that nanami picked up on anthy trying to protect utena from akio in that scene?

chu chu going up and down like a balloon. not sure what that would mean.

"that pervert brother and sister" i'm pretty sure only one of them is to blame for the perversion and it's not the sister

"don't compare us to those two" oh so nanami's being angry about being a parallel huh? also poor, innocent, naive, fourteen-year-old-jock utena, who has no goddamn idea what's going on

wait so which one of them was adopted? cuz context/circumstances suggest touga but touga's words suggest nanami

oh fuck akio set her up

really touga? calling the Akio Sex Car on your sister? although i guess since you're akio's apprentice, and akio is the Master Of Making Everything Incest, it does make sense

no one ever does the smart thing and refuses to get in the car

and now akio's gaslighting nanami! fucking wonderful! and with philosophy bullshit too. and like, i get it, i've felt the frustration of being a limited human with limited senses and limited time and yet still craving absolute truth and absolute certainty, but that doesn't change the fact that YOU WERE RAPING YOUR SISTER, AKIO.

these two are ACTIVELY CORRALLING NANAMI INTO A SEXUAL SITUATION SHE CAN'T ESCAPE. FUCK. OH MY FUCKING GOD. FUCK. NANAMI GET OUT OF THERE THROW YOURSELF OUT OF THE CAR IF YOU HAVE TO

keiko, yuuko, and aiko are doing to nanami what nanami, yuuko, and aiko did to keiko in the black rose arc. even though none of them remember the black rose arc. (probably? what they remember and what they don't and who remembers what is kinda up for debate)

damn nanami really just went brute force on her girl gang didn't she. i think what she 'learned' from End of the World was that the only way to get what you want is through force.

that shot of utena's face was the same as it was when she challenged saionji to a duel, isn't it

showing off ESP but the audience keeps claiming it's a trick. even though at this point it's clearly not. is it utena's refusal to see what akio's doing? is it nanami's refusal to realize that anthy's not to blame here?

been a while since we had a duel, i think. at least two episodes. although my sense of time is probably messed up by the fact that i'm only doing this on days when i'm free, rather than consistently one episode per day or binging

nanami posing on the hood of the car. instead of coming out like the other duelists. and she's posing in a blatantly sexual manner too.

"what I want is to surpass everything" well it's a step up from her fixation on her brother

does nanami have her dagger? did touga pull it out as well?

"my brother was a part of who I was" and now her sense of self is shaken, now she needs a new identity. but she's 13! your teenage years are for figuring out your identity! for figuring out who you are beyond your familial connections!

she lost but the car didn't hit her--if the car represents masculinity, and saionji getting hit with the car was like--him being betrayed by his own concept of masculinity and adulthood--and nanami didn't get hit by the car--she's rejecting the norms of adulthood and gender that are being imposed on her--GO GO NANAMI

oh so they were BOTH adopted. go fucking figure. but touga's not gonna tell her cuz he, what, wants to fuck her up? wants her to question her relationship? what the hell is up with you touga

Oh also, along with writing the December 2023 Monthly Short Piece today, I finally watched the first episode of Revolutionary Girl Utena after days of seeing a moot post about it and--

"I am the Rose Bride. From this day forward, I belong to you."

i am going to murder everyone in this damn school for anthy

[avaantares]

Me: /slaps every character in this scene/

(rant begins below cut)

Spoilers for episode 19 of Guardian (though at this point I think I'm the last C-drama fan on the internet to watch it)

.

Look, I realize this show didn't have a budget. I can handwave the """absolute zero laboratory""" with its five-foot-tall open ventilation fan, vinyl-covered medical exam table, shelves of uninsulated supplies, and several inbuilt LCD screens that would not survive hitting zero Fahrenheit, much less zero Kelvin. I can shrug off the fact that none of our heroes thought of removing the lift-out hinge pins that are clearly visible on the INSIDE of the door and just walking out of the room. It's a little harder to rationalize the choice not to block the relatively small hole through which the refrigerated air is blowing into the room, and it's kind of ridiculous that even though one of the people locked in the lab has the ability to produce flame at will, nobody attempted to build a fire out of any of the flammable materials lying around (like, say, the cotton ropes, or the gauze and alcohol in the first aid kit, or anything in the boxes of lab supplies) to stay warm. All those things are silly but largely forgivable, because constructing a more accurate set or adding in more fire SFX might cost money the production just didn't have.

But WHY. for the love of thermodynamics. did nobody bother to PULL UP GUO CHANGCHENG'S HOOD when he's supposed to be tragically freezing to death?! IT'S RIGHT THERE IN THE SHOT, GUYS. It doesn't cost extra!

Even a minute later when GCC passes out and Chu Shuzhi bundles him up in his own hooded coat, neither of the hoods are placed over his head. It's like they're purely decorative and absolutely not intended to be used for insulation.

[kdramacrybaby]

Semantic Error (2022)

Genre: Romance, LGBTQ+

Synopsis: Chu Sang-woo studies computer science, and he dreams of designing his own game. He looks to recruit a designer and comes across Jang Jae-yong. What Sang-woo doesn't realize, is that the two of them have previously worked together in a group, where Sang-woo - because of their different work ethics - ended up being the only one in the group who didn't fail. Jae-yong now has to retake a year, so he has made it his life's mission to make Sang-woo as miserable as possible.

Episode info: 8 episodes / Runtime around 25 minutes

Lead cast: Park Seo-ham (Jang Jae-yong), Park Jae-chan (Chu Sang-woo)

Link to watch: You can watch on Dramacool or Viki

Drama rec masterlist | Drama rant thread (beware of spoilers)

I went into this trying to not be spoiled, but ended up seeking out the manhwa adaptation and the (what I think) is the web novel everything is based on anyway. And... I did not like it.

There wasn't anything compelling about these two characters together, and it all felt too forced and not romantic at all. They didn't match at all, and I was honestly about to give up on the drama after that.

Still, I decided to give the drama one more chance, as I felt the actors had some chemistry that really helped highlight what their relationship could be.

That was about the only good thing about this drama though, if I have to be honest. The actors really carried this show through weird scripting and a somewhat boring storyline.

I hated the love triangle (as always) and really wished they had just given Sang-woo an actual friend. We only really get to see him be cold and calculating because he doesn't know how to deal with Jae-yong, so it would be nice to see him relax more around someone he was comfortable with. The last episode really felt like his whole personality just did a 180 turn, and it was a little sudden.

If you want to watch something similar to this with the whole hate-to-love scenario, I think Light On Me is the better choice. They both have this quiet protagonist (who, correct me if I'm wrong, but I think is supposed to be somewhat neurodiverse? idk, please do correct me if I'm wrong about this) who somehow managed to piss off one of the more popular guys, only for them to end up falling for each other in the end.

It had its cute moments and all, but this wasn't really the drama for me.

[smylealong]

Thoughts at the end of episodes 13 & 14 (minor spoilers ahead). The thoughts are a bit jumbled because I started jotting them from the middle of episode 14.

Man, I just don't trust Wu You Jue. Something is off about him.

I can't help but agree with Song Liang, odd as it may seem.

That scene between Wu Shen Xing and Yang Huan... yeah, didn't see that coming.

I have a feeling that grandma and grandson are playing a long con and are in this together. The whole "I'll appoint another Mr. Chu" is a front. The two are trying to weed out the mole.

Sets! The friggin sets!

If there is ever an Olympic for bad luck, Gao Bingzhu wins gold.

Shen Fei needs more things to do.

I don't want Hongyi to divorce Liu Ran.

I can't wait to unmask that masked killer.

That guy is a friggin snake! I wanted to see the good in him. I wanted to believe that he was desperate and that he wanted to help his people but was misguided. But when Gao Bingzhu gave him a peace offering, for him to turn and do that. No. Just, no. He crossed the line that should not be crossed.

Bai Lang is the bestest.

Come on, man, Hongyi. Stop being such a d*head to Liu Ran. You want a divorce from her, get it. But don't be rude to her.

I love that the crowd is real. The crowd is not CGI.

I have also realized that comparing Luoyang to Longest Day in Chang'an (the trailer did give the same vibes) or Joy of Life (because of the cast) is unfair. Luoyang is its own beast.

I like the music. Especially the background music.

Hey, Hongyi, look. If that ain't the consequences of your own actions.

I wonder is seeing him made Hongyi go, "Oh fuck!"

Exactly, Shen Fei. "What?"

Yuehua, you're pleading to the wrong guy here.

I love the relationship between Yuehua and Liu Ran. Can we have more of female friendships on screen please?

I'm glad he pulled Hongyi up. It was needed.

[okabehk]

So a couple of weeks ago I watched a drama called "Lucky With You" and absolutely loved it. I really liked the female lead #WangLiKun so I decided to check out one of her other dramas. I decided on #AcrossTheOceanToSeeYou. In Lucky With You she was really tough and quiet, also she was a bodyguard. In this drama she is a tough businesswoman but is also very vulnerable, feminine, hilarious, and cute. She is also pregnant and newly single after going to a sperm bank. I'm assuming this taboo in China because some people made a huge deal about it in the drama. One person who did not though was the male lead #ZhuYaWen who I thought was amazing, he was probably one of the warmest most caring people I've seen in a drama and way too funny as well. For the first half it was mostly the two of them growing closer and eventually falling in love, and then the family steps in 🤦‍♂️ then difficulty ensues, thank goodness Zheng Chu doesn't give up even when Su Mang tries to break it off with him. Actually all of that is pretty difficult to watch and actually lasts way too long. Now for the side characters, their are two other couples, one being Tang Guo Guo (#JuliaYeQing) and Su Mang's brother Su Chang played by #WangYanLin. Originally GuoGuo was pursuing Zheng Chu after his breakup with his ex at the beginning and actually she's pretty funny through the whole thing and quite adorable, a big difference from her character in Under the Power, actually I didn't even realize it was the same person who played both characters. That relationship was fun to watch unfold. Now for the last relationship between GuoGuo's brother and two sisters one of which was Zheng Chu's ex, yes it's complicated and unfortunately doesn't end well and is actually quite sad. Thankfully after all the serious drama in the later episodes it all turns out well and the ending is pretty fantastic. Honestly I really liked it though I wish there was less heartbreak throughout, still recommended 😁

[the-skull-breaker]

I may have a theory regarding this, I may be wrong but I think it's worth noting.

remember that conversation with Huang Chu in episode 2 ? the one when she told us that we shouldn't be forced to blindly obey our superior if their decision is morally questionable ? I think she wasn't referring only to us but to Lance as well. what I mean is that she realized Lance blindly trusts Huang Hua and she's worried about it, worried because if Huang Hua tells him to do something inherently wrong, he probably won't be able to question it due to his trust towards her and will accept without questioning it.

I didn't really post any of my doubt about Huang Hua being as honest than she pretend to be, but I think she's hiding something... sinister... about herself. I won't go into much details since I know there's already at least two threads about that theory (I don't remember who wrote them tho and I can't find them, so if any of you can link them I will greatly appreciate) but the fact that she refused to tell us about the gun bullet and that she purposely hidden Lance's presence to us seems rather fishy to me, along with other clues that many other users have pointed out much better than I would ever (if only I could find these posts and link them...) and the way this phrase seems to emphasize on the word "blind" might even another one of these clues.

now I'm not a 100% true as it's just a theory, I might be wrong even, but that's what I thought about when I read this.

A scene I found now TELL ME BEEMOOV THAT YOU WON'T DESTROY HIS CHARACTER!?