#Thai cave rescue

[loveisactivated]

Beam Papangkorn in Thai Cave Rescue 💚

[rainymovies]

Thai Cave Rescue (2022)

[whywouldyouaskthatpod]

These are some of the infamous "pedo" tweets that came from Elon Musk in 2018 when the Thai Cave disaster was happening. Because one of the cave diver rescuers - someone who is a world famous diver, mind you - criticized his tiny sub, Elon dived head first into accusing him of trying to save children's lives because he was clearing "a pedo." He was not. We talk about this in more detail on the episode.

To get to our resource page for more about this or hear us talk about it on the episode, click this!

The Dunk Tank: Elon Musk pt 2

[dilebe06]

Aggiornamento drama

Thai Cave Rescue e Racket Boys

Aggiornamento veloce veloce sulle serie che mi sono rimaste più impresse in questo periodo per un motivo o per un altro. Non ci sarà It's Ok not Be Ok e non perché non sia bella...anzi. Ma purtroppo non è riuscita - nonostante la sua bellezza - ad appassionarmi così tanto. Ma è sicuramente una serie da vedere.

Parto dunque da Thai Cave Rescue su Netflix.

Serie che tratta una storia vera di qualche anno fa, Thai Cave narra la vicenda ambientata in Tailandia di 13 ragazzini + il loro allenatore rimasti bloccati in una grotta per diversi giorni a causa delle intemperie e dell'incredibile lavoro fatto per tirarli tutti fuori da lì.

La storia ha del favoloso di per sè: i ragazzini di non più di 16 anni rimasero bloccati senza cibo per più di 10 giorni prima che venissero trovati. E anche una volta scoperti la situazione ambientale era così pessima che tirarli fuori sembrava un impresa impossibile.

La serie - a differenza dei tantissimi documentari che si trovano su You Tube - tratta il tema anche emotivo dei genitori, dei ragazzi, dei volontari, del Governatore dell'area, dell'allenatore e così via...permettendo allo spettatore di calarsi perfettamente nelle dinamiche sensibili della storia. E' impossibile non sentirsi coinvolti.

Un grande plauso - ma proprio nella vita vera - devo farlo ai volontari e ai soldati [anche stranieri ]che hanno rischiato le loro vite per questa rischiosissima operazione come un applauso va fatto all'operazioni logiche che via via sono state improntate per salvare i ragazzi.

Una bella serie che mostra come nonostante il mondo sia pieno di stronzi e merda, sia anche piena di persone disposte a tutto per aiutare chi è in difficoltà travalicando i confini geografici o culturali perché di fronte alle difficoltà e alle tragedie...uniti si vince.

La cosa che comunque mi ha colpito di più è stato vedere come i ragazzi non si siano mai persi d'animo: sarà che erano insieme, sarà che erano giovani... vederli quasi sempre con l'umore alto nonostante la situazione mi ha davvero colpito.

Ed a proposito di ragazzi:

Sull'onda dei minorenni mi sono approcciata a Racket Boys senza aspettarmi niente. Non sapevo neppure il cast o che fosse stato scritto dagli stessi autori di Prison Playbook. (e si vede)

Racket Boys mi è piaciuto tantissimo. Carino, adolescenziale e leggero senza mai essere stupido.

La trama parla di una squadra di Badminton delle medie collocata nella campagna coreana che affronta le sfide sul campo e fuori nella vita di tutti i giorni: rapporti genitoriali, primi amori e rivalità, fiducia in sé stessi, il concetto di famiglia e l'amore per lo sport.

Mi sono trovata in difficoltà nel fare le gif per i personaggi preferiti perché li ho amati fondalmentalmente tutti. I ragazzini in particolar modo: insicuri, gradassi...alla disperata ricerca di amicizia e affetto. Le relazioni tra loro sono una delle cose più belle della serie. Avrei voluto essere lì!

Ma se devo votare per uno solo la mia preferenza va al capitano Bang: a lui va la responsabilità più grande di tutte e riesce a portarla sulle spalle rimanendo un ragazzo normale e semplice, che vuole un gran bene alla squadra e con una grande grinta dentro al campo. Ho amato il suo rapporto con il Lupo Bianco, simbolo di un rispetto allievo/coach che fa bene ad entrambi: pochi guardano al Lupo Bianco con gli occhi di Bang. Come ho amato la sua relazione con Han Sol. Dolce, adolescenziale - tipica delle prime cotte - e supportiva per entrambi.

Tenerello invece In Sol che mi ha fatto sciogliere più volte: la sua imbaranzantella ricerca di amici e compagni e la sua sconfitta volontaria per amicizia lo rendono un personaggio davvero morbido e cucciolino. Senza contare che è un genio della strategia. Mi è piaciuto anche il padre che prima ostacola il figlio ma poi cambia idea diventando il fan più sfegatato del ragazzo.

Woo Chan e Yong Tae li metto assieme. Woo Chan non mi diceva molto all'inizio - se non la questione con il padre che viene a guardare le sue partite di nascosto - ma con il finale e la sua incredibile difesa, l'ho decisamente rivalutato. E ammetto che ho pianto anche io quando il padre gli dà il permesso di giocare a badminton. T_T Yong Tae è invece la mascotte del gruppo ed è incredibile che stia con i ragazzi più grandi anziché con i bambini della sua età. Oltre ad essere bravo a badminton Yong Tae è vitale come "uomo spogliatoio": è il legame dei ragazzi, quello che li unisce e li risolleva di morale quando c'è bisogno. E poi è adorabile.

In ultimo Yoon Hae Kang: sbruffone come piace a me ed allo stesso tempo fragile ed imprevedibile. Credo poi che la recitazione dell'attore poi sia stata perfetta. Hae Kang è un cazzone della peggior specie ma è quella persona così carica di fiducia in sè stesso che non puoi fare a meno di ammirare. Mi è anche piaciuto perché è un terribile Tsundere cosa che io amo alla follia: chiamava i ragazzi "parassiti" ma alla fine ha davvero legato con loro.

Infine le due signorine: allora, all'inizio non mi hanno fatto morire nessuna di loro. Comprendo il grande lavoro fatto dagli sceneggiatori - soprattutto nel personaggio di Se Yoon - di mostrare il peso e la pressione dell'essere la migliore ma il suo personaggio ci ha messo un pò nell'entrare nel mio cuore. E l'ha fatto con la storia dell'amicizia con Han Sol più che altro. Purtroppo Se Yoon paga - per me - il peso di aver un carattere chiuso, silenzioso ed introverso e raramente questi personaggi mi colpiscono. Han Sol invece, più aperta e "normale" mi è piaciuta subito...ma l'amore per lei è sbocciato nella sua relazione con Bang e nella finale dove vince contro ogni pronostico.

Accanto a questi ragazzini poi ci sono molti altri minorenni: alcuni carini altri che carini lo diventeranno in seguito e altri che ho sopportato poco, tipo Park.

Poi ci sono gli adulti: metto le mani avanti... sono confusa per quanto riguarda i due allenatori marito e moglie. Mentre Yoon Hyun Jong lo abbiamo visto ricoprire d'affetto - pure troppo - la sua squadra e poche volte elaborare strategie di gioco ( se non verso la fine ) Ra Young Ja credo che sia stata anche peggiore. Mai in 16 puntate - se non si conta la partita che Han Sol ha vinto - l'ho vista allenare o seguire altre ragazze che non fossero la sua prediletta. E questo non lo dico io ma la serie stessa, tanto che piange e si dispera. E fa bene.

Un allenatrice che non ha nessuna fiducia nelle sue giocatrici perché non le ha mai cagate di pezza e spera che torni la sua protetta per vincere non è una buona allenatrice.

Se a questo si aggiunge che non è mai stata presente come madre si comprende come, al di là del suo essere una rinomata coach abbia enormi carenze. Ma forse è questo il bello del suo personaggio: chiaramente la scena della sua mancanza di fiducia nelle sue ragazze è stata fatta apposta per richiamare questo fatto. Una sorta di.. non si smette mai di imparare e crescere. E nessuno è perfetto.

Carini poi anche l'allenatore Fang e il Lupo Bianco, così come il suo figlioccio: hanno una bella storia e spero che magari con una seconda stagione essa venga esplorata. Tra l'altro sono contenta che abbia vinto lui contro Hae Kang perché rende la cosa più realistica.

La serie poi ha altri personaggi meno carini e più stronzi: allenatori, senior, compagni...una massa di imbecilli che menano i ragazzi più giovani e li trattano come merde. Il lato brutto dello sport diciamo.

A fare da contorno a questa storia ci sono poi le vicende di paese. I personaggi che abitano questa landa desolata in mezzo al nulla sono molto simpatici e particolari anche se devo ammettere che non mi abbiano preso così tanto poiché ero più concentrata sui ragazzi. Ma ho apprezzato la storia della coppia venuta al villaggio per ammazzarsi e che poi sono diventati famiglia. <3

E adesso che ho costruito ponti d'oro veniamo alla cosa che mi ha lasciato un pò meh:

La narrazione certe volte sembrava saltare. Tralasciando i flashback per i colpi di scena, certe volte la storia mostrava eventi o fatti di difficile collocazione temporale per me. Alcune volte ho avuto il pensiero che ci fossero stati dei problemi di montaggio con scene che non s'incastravano nella narrazione corrente...ma probabilmente è una cosa solo mia.

Detto questo, Racket Boys è una serie da vedere. Perfetta per giornate di leggerezza e risate quando ti vuoi godere qualcosa che ti coccoli il cuore tra amicizia e sport con personaggi credibili e davvero carini.

Voto: 8,2

[crumb]

Damon Herriman in Thai Cave Rescue 1x5

[iirulancorrino]

imagine being this guy, holy shit

[mass-convergence]

Decided to look up the chloroform knock out trope for my own curiosity…

(And would really really like people to know: this was for my own curiosity. Please do not try to knock anyone out with chloroform - that is extremely dangerous and also probably assault which is illegal. This is not meant as a guide to try this IRL - just ramblings of a curious writer)

From what I’ve read there hasn’t really been any studies where people tried to like knock someone out using a rag soaked in chloroform. Going to guess something about scientific ethics on that one.

However - kinda like alcohol, chloroform is very volatile and really wants to be a gas at room temperature. So the effectiveness of it being poured onto a rag and shoved against your mouth and nose is a little in question as a lot of it probably evaporated before you can dose someone with that method. Also even if you somehow did dose them with the correct amount … it would take like five minutes (theoretically - again there’s no actual studies for this but apparently a lancet article mentioned this with no source cited so ¯\_(ツ)_/¯). (By you I mean the hypothetical villain in this situation and not you the reader)

So if you’re trying to discretely and quickly knock someone out to drag them into a waiting van or do some nefarious things … be prepared to bear hug a struggling human from behind for five minutes while holding a cloth to their mouth.

Sounds like the sedative effect could take up to 20 minutes to a couple hours. And like most anesthesias, chloroform’s “side effects” involve: lowering your body temp, confusion upon waking up, grogginess, nausea/vomiting, some cardiac issues, and a hell of a headache. So if you knocked them out to like get information - be sure to have a bucket and a warm blanket ready … and probably also be prepared for them to just not tell you anything because they probably can’t think beyond the hangover you just gave them.

And if you accidentally overdosed them - you’re going to need to have a body bag handy because it’s lethal in high enough concentrations. Causes all sorts of heart and respiratory problems. I mean have the bag handy even if you just knocked them out temporarily - apparently renal failure can be an delayed complication.

I mean there’s a reason you have an anesthesiologist and a whole team of doctors and nurses on hand when you’re out under for surgery. Turns out - knocking someone out is a lot harder and more dangerous than the movies make it look like.

So probably taser to the back and then quickly subduing them with rope, zip ties, whatever would be a better way to write out that scene. Granted tasers have their own issues.

But I cannot stress this enough: PLEASE DO NOT CHLOROFORM PEOPLE IRL. I DO NOT CONDONE THIS.

[lilislegacy]

Percy doing a little bit (or a lot) of everything

i know everyone won’t agree with this future for him, but humor me

percy in college figuring out that he doesn’t want to be stuck in a lab, but he wants to make a difference. he can talk to animals. he wants to use that ability for good. he wants to help animals in some way

percy wanting to become a veterinarian for aquatic animals. he doubts himself, becasue it takes someone smart and hard-working, but annabeth has full faith in him. and he finds he actually really likes learning about how sea animals function, and how to help them. once he’s a vet, he knows he made the right choice. he loves going to work every day, wherever that is. an aquarium, a marine clinic, the ocean, it doesn’t matter. he listens to the animals and helps them in a way that no other vet on earth can. his co-workers call him the animal whisperer. (which he finds funny, because he’s not whispering, just having a normal semi-telepathic conversation)

while he’s preparing for vet school, percy has an experience that makes him begin to take notice of people and animals dying in fires. he figures “i’m fire resistant. i can control water. im strong. i think quick on my feet… i can help.” so throughout vet school, he’s a firefighter. he loves it. he gets to save people every day. he gets action. he thrives. he saves so many lives. he even takes ownership of the fire house’s new dog - a dalmatian-shepherd mix. he says it’s just for a bit, but the dog ends up as his and annabeth’s family pet (which annabeth totally knew would happen). but he loves being a firefighter. it makes him feel like he’s using his abilities to help people, not just kill endless amounts of monsters. he actually feels like a real hero this way.

percy becoming certified as a professional diver so he can do deep sea rescues, for animals mainly, but he ends up doing human rescues too. in tragedies like the thai cave rescue, he’s there. he’s the pro diver on call for an emergency - human or animal related. he’ll dive any depth to save a life. he’ll even just do it to help researchers, or historians, or anyone, really. and he never charges much, if anything at all.

percy volunteering as a marine wildlife rescuer. he’ll answer a call, day or night. he’ll help get a shark off the beach, cut rope off of a whale, save sea turtles caught in a net. it doesn’t matter, he’s there. and it’s nothing new for him.

percy maybe even writhing a book or two over the course of his life.

percy going on some boat expeditions, which he always leads.

percy maybe even one day teaching, when he’s older and his kids are grown. whether it’s 12 year olds with dyslexia or whether he’s teaching a college class on aquatic animals or greek history. he’d be good at it. he’s patient.

percy doing multiple great things throughout his life. percy using his experiences and abilities for good. percy not letting his past - being kicked out of every school, making bad grades, being thought of as stupid - define him. not letting his past stop him.

percy doing a little bit (or a lot) of everything. becasue he can. becasue he’s alive. becasue he’s talented. becasue he’s intelligent. and because he has a huge heart.

and he has the most supportive partner in the whole world.

percy thriving in life.

[succubusdaydream]

By The Grace of The Moon || Astarion x Werewolf!Selunite!Tav || PT4

AN: Finally! I've been stuck on how to write this part for days now. This chapter does feel rushed and I wanted to right more but was unsure how to keep it flowing nicely so this is mostly a filler. Enjoy my loves <3

Masterlist || Word count: 2440

PT1 || PT2 || PT3 ||

---

                “Sorry to disappoint you, Darling.” Your body whipped around, and your eyes met Astarion’s red ones. You were certain the whole camp could hear your heartbeat as he stepped out of the tree line. There were specks of blood on the color of his shirt, and you could smell it from where you were standing. A smile spread across your face as you stepped forward.

                “Astarion! You’re alright.” Your eyes went to his arm, where you grabbed him the other night to fight him off. “Y-you are alright, yes? You’re not hurt, are you?” You wanted to go to him. To check him over for any injuries that you may have caused. But you couldn’t move any closer after just a step.

                He scoffed and joined the three of you where you were standing. “Oh please. I’m fine. I think your bark is worse than your bite.” He chuckled before crossing his arms. “And you owe me a new shirt. Your blood soaked my other one last night.” My blood soaked his shirt? “I carried you back here after finding you laying in a pool of your own blood.”

                He carried me back? He... he held me? Wait. If he found me after our… run in together, does that mean- “Astarion… did you carry me back to camp naked?” Your face felt hot and you’re sure that it was a bright red.

                Astarion simply nodded. “Yes, but don’t worry. I was more worried about the gushing wound you had rather than your nakedness. And I do apologize for the whole ‘gushing wound’ thing.” He pointed to your stomach as he spoke before changing the subject. “Now that you’re all better, what’s out next step on our little adventure.”

                Shadowheart speaks up, a reminder that both her and Gale are still there. “Well, we promised Zevlor and his people a party, so I think we’ll be continuing our journey either tomorrow or within the next few days. And although your wound is healed, I think it’s to make sure we’re all well rested and replenished before we continue.” You nodded to her words. Your wound was closed but you could still feel the sting of it.

                “That settles it then. We’ll pack up the non-essentials and move out within a few days. Until then, we recover and look for more supplies. There is that village near the Grove that we haven’t fully checked out. We’ll take a look around before tonight.” With that, your group changed and made their way to the main part of the Grove. You spoke to Zevlor and informed him that the party was still on for that night.

                Using the gold you had looted from all those goblins; you were also able to buy better gear and camp supplies. And with better gear, you and the others made your way to the abandoned village nearby. There were only a few goblins left that you quickly took out, rescuing a deepgnome, Barcus, that they had tied to windmill. He offered his pack, even after you told him you didn’t want anything in return, and ran off, stating he had set out to save a friend of his.

                The rest of the village had a few more thing you had found. A cave full of spiders that held a large hole in the middle. A beautiful amethyst stone was also found near a skeleton. In another home, you found a cellar with a hidden work room. And behind a cell door was a book. The Necromancy of Thay. The cover looked like a stretched face and the mouth was wide open. Shadowheart had urged you not to open the ‘creepy book.’ The stone you had found in the spider cave seemed to fit in the mouth hole and with a word from Astarion, you handed the book over to him for ‘save keeping.’ Much to Gale’s distaste.

---

                With your packs full of more loot and supplies, you made your way back to camp to settle before Zevlor and the rest of the Tieflings arrived. You had decided to help Gale make a larger pot of food in hopes that everyone would be able to eat at this party. With the meat and herbs you found, the scent of it filled the camp as it slowly simmered. Although as you nearly drooled over the thought of eating, another thought crossed your mind. What would Astarion eat tonight?

                Standing up after a few minutes, you glanced in his direction before walking over. Your footsteps caught his attention as you approached, and a smirk crossed his face. “It’s always a pleasure to see you sauntering over.” His words turned your face red, and you nearly choked on your spit as you tried to speak.

                You stuttered before taking a breath and clearing your throat. “Ahem. I just wanted to ask, or talk about, your umm…vampirism.” You help wrung your fingers together, nervous that you would upset him by asking. “I umm, I just want to know how we’ll keep you fed and up in the future.”  That all seemed to get his full attention.

                “I can assure you; I will not be feeding on any of you without permission. There’s plenty of wildlife out there to keep me up. And maybe if we come across some rude bandits… well, I’m sure no one will miss them.”  He glanced at your eyes before stepping closer, “Was there something else? You have a look in your eyes that says you have more to say.”

                With his closer to you, you averted your eyes as you felt your face heat up even more. “I-I mean, I don’t mind you… feeding off me, but I can’t promise that I’ll taste good. I’m sure I’ll taste like dog and that doesn’t really sound good.” You chuckled and stepped back to give yourself some air. “If you really do need more energy than an animal provides, let me know and I’ll try my best to help.”

                He once again smirked and waved his hand around. “Quite the contrary, you smell rather sweet. I’m sure you’d taste just as good. The others, maybe not as nice. But if you are so generous to offer, I will gladly take you up on it.” His voice was low and sultry, you’re sure by now your face was like an apple with how hot it felt. “Now, was there anything else?”

                “Yea actually. And you don’t have to answer, but… how did you become a vampire? I haven’t heard much about them other than rumors in my village.” His face immediately fell, and you were quick to repeat that he didn’t have to tell you.

                “No. No you deserve to know. I had overheard your story so; I suppose it’s only fair I tell you mine.” He took a deep breath and his tone changed to a serious one. “Cazador Szarr is a vampire lord in Baldur’s Gate. He’s the one that turned me. The patriarch of his coven and a monster obsessed with power. Not political power or military power- I mean power over people. The power to control them completely.”

                His story made your blood boil, and you wanted nothing more than to rip Cazador’s head off. He talked about being a puppet. How his master would torture him and other spawns or have them torture themselves. How he was found after a gang of thugs attacked him, angry about a ruling he made a magistrate. He hadn’t realized how much ‘eternity’ was when Cazador offered to save him with ‘eternal life.’

                You stepped forward again and reached for his hand, holding it in between yours. “Astarion, I promise to watch your back and help you take back your freedom when we reach the city. You’re free from Cazador and I won’t let him, or his spawns, hurt you again.” Your voice was determined, and your eyes pierced his.

                He chuckled and nodded. “What more could I ask? Now, what that all?” You nodded back and stepped away, dropping his hand before walking back to the fire and sat next to Gale continuing to help with the food until it was time to unwind.

---

                The party was in full swing. Tieflings filled your camp, and the smell of alcohol accompanied the sound of banter and music. Zevlor had once again thanked you and was happy to finally relax, encouraging you to do the same. You had spoken to almost all the refugees, joining in song with the few bards that had grouped up, clapping as a wizard, Rolan, showed his siblings a simple spell, and downed wine with anyone else who asked to share a drink with you.

                After a few rounds, you decided to check on your friends. Shadowheart didn’t have much to say other than she was happy to have a night to chill with just a bottle of wine. Gale, however, had more to walk about. As you approached him, he smiled and set down a book he was holding.

                “Ahh, there you are. I trust you’re enjoying your evening. You definitely deserve it after everything you’ve done to help these people.” He cleared his throat before moving on to ask you questions about Lycanthropy. Can you only shift on full moons? Can you bite others and give them the curse as well? How much did it turn your senses up? And finally, “What about mates? I’ve read that some Lycans have soulmates. Have you met yours yet?”

                It caught you off guard and you stuttered over your words again. “Oh. Uh, well. Some Lycans have mates. Those who have been blessed by Selune and choose to worship with her moon are gifted one by her. Most of the times it’s other Lycans, mainly if they’re in the same pack.” Your eyes glanced over at Astarion, only for a second before looking back at Gale. “And no. I haven’t found my mate yet. I was never in a pack. The one that bit me was chased off before he could take me, so I grew up alone. It’s easier for us to find our mates when with other Lycans.”

                “I see. I’m sure you’ll find them on this journey. Afterall, we have a long road ahead of us, who knows who we’ll meet on it.” He nodded before bidding you goodnight and returned to his book. You smiled and turned away, looking towards Astarion who had glanced your way. A goblet of wine was held in his hands as his gaze flittered between you and Gale.

                Giving him a small wave, you once again approached him. “Evening Astarion. Enjoying your wine?”

                He scoffed. “I’ve had better. Enjoy your little conversation with Gale?” His brow raised as he took another sip from his cup. You glanced back at Gale who’s face was still lost in his book.

                “I suppose. He wanted to know a bit more about Lycanthropy.”

                “So I heard.” He was listening? I’m glad I told Gale I hadn’t met my mate. I don’t think I can tell him yet. “You know. I never picture myself as a hero. Never thought I’d be the one they toast got saving so many lives. And, now that I’m here” Another sip, “I hate it. It’s awful”

                You cocked your head to the side and raised your own brow. “Really? Saving lives is awful? I’m quite glad we helped. These people deserve to live their lives without fear.”

                “Please. We killed some goblins to save some Tieflings. The tally of lives doesn’t change much.” He waves his hands around. “But what do I get for all my hard work? A pat on the head and some vinegar for wine. Pff.”

                You softly chuckled and crossed your arms. “Yea. I’m sure the goblins would have thrown a much wilder party.” If he had heard your joking tone, he didn’t say anything of it.

                “All I want is a little fun. Is that so much to ask?” His voice was husk like earlier as his eyes properly met yours.

                Your face, once again, began to heat up. “Oh? And what exactly is your definition of a little fun?” You leaned in, raising your brow. Might as well take my chance. It’s not necessarily lying to him if I never told him he’s my mate, right?

                He scoffs once again, shaking his head. “By the hells. Sex, my dear. A night of passion. Why don’t we… wait until things quiet down. Once the others are asleep, we’ll find each other.” He downed the rest of his goblet and grabbed a fresh bottle of wine before retreating to the woods.

                Your breath hitched as you walked away. Oh gods. This is happening. Am I truly spending the night with my mate?  Your thoughts ran wild as the party continued. You kept yourself busy with the others, drinking to try and get your nerves under control. Slowly, the refugees started making their way back to the grove. Some had fallen asleep in your camp, but you didn’t mind much. And finally, when everyone was gone or asleep, you followed your mate’s scent through the woods.

---

                It was dark, the only light coming from the freshly waning moon and stars through the tree branches. The scent of your mate led you a ways away from camp. Away from any leering eyes. The spot his scent was heaviest was a clearing in the trees. Looking around, footsteps caught your attention as Astarion stepped out form behind a large tree, his shirt nowhere to be found. Gods he's beautiful.

                “There you are. I’ve been waiting. Waiting since the moment I first set eyes on you. Waiting to have you.” His voice was like honey to your ears as he stepped ever closer. From the moment he first set eyes on me? So has he felt the pull? He’s wanted me for that long? You didn’t speak. You couldn’t find the words and just let him kiss you. His hands found place on your hips and he dragged you back, lifting you up against the three he had appeared from.

                Your legs situated around his waist and arms around his neck. He tasted like wine and his already beautiful scent was mixed with lust. You had trusted him. You just wanted to be close to your mate. Besides, the bond wouldn’t form unless he accepted you as a mate so he wouldn’t find out about that till then. For now, you trusted your vampire mate not to bite you and let yourself enjoy a night in shared ecstasy. After all, everyone had been saying you deserved it.  

---

Masterlist

PT1 || PT2 || PT3

Taglist: @saturns-angel || @bdudette || @simon-e-mallory || @caskyywrites || @emo-with-headphones || @ophelias-flowerss || @sarawithasword || @stonedstargazer666 ||

[telomeke]

THE SIGN EPISODE 8 – WANWISA'S WARNING

We've been told before in The Sign that the 15th day of the 11th waxing moon is a date that is especially significant and powerful for the nagas.

The last day of the Buddhist Rains Retreat (also called Buddhist Lent by some), this date (Wan Ok Phansa) is mentioned by nagini Wansarut to Phaya's previous garuda incarnation at Ep.8 [3‌/4] 8.37 as the date when the Buddha returned to the human world "from the second heaven where Indra dwells", and the nagas and naginis breathed out fireballs in his honor.

And this is why the Naga Fireball Festival is also held around the time of Wan Ok Phansa.

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Separately, at Ep.3 [3‌/4] 12.26 (when Tharn and Phaya explore the Dinphiang Cave) Sand's voiceover also recounts the legend of the naga princess who is compelled to return to her watery homeland underground on the date of Wan Ok Phansa (the 15th day of the 11th waxing moon, or the last day of Buddhist Lent), and loses her human lover in the process.

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So Chalothorn must have been biding his time for this particularly auspicious date to come around, when he would finally be empowered to take back his betrothed nagini princess, and break the connection once and for all between garuda Phaya and naga Tharn/Wansarut (and is the gist of Wansarut's golden nagini sister Wanwisa's warning).

Chalothorn must have been attempting to kill Phaya from early on in order to prevent him from obstructing the greater scheme of reclaiming Wansarut/Tharn from the reincarnation cycle and reinstating his nagini's semi-divine status, away from the garuda.

But of course all attempts on Phaya's life by Chalothorn were futile, as he was under the protection of Tharn's nagini-soul amulet (that the Thai subtitles also call a naga gem, akin to Wansarut's heart) – the physical embodiment of Wansarut's dying vow to protect her beloved garuda throughout all future reincarnations:

Wansarut's vow here also reveals the supernatural impetus behind all the times Tharn saved Phaya's life earlier, e.g., during the Ep.1 mock-hostage rescue and open water challenge, the encounter with the masked Molotov knife-man in Ep.4, and the battle with the tattooed serial killer in Ep.5. 😢

It's consistently been the bigger, macho Phaya being saved by the smaller, slighter Tharn/Wansarut. And this is just one of the many ways that The Sign has been bucking expectations of a Thai BL series. 🤩 But come the next Wan Ok Phansa it will be time for Phaya to prove his worth in return, and battle to save his fated lover Tharn/Wansarut from the clutches of the possessive naga Chalothorn instead. 😔

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[lumsel]

You know, we wouldn't be hearing about this whole Oceangate thing if the guys involved weren't rich. Like, imagine is instead of a handfulof white billionaires being trapped on a submarine, it was, like a soccer team of Thai children trapped in a flooded cave. You wouldn't hear about that on the TV. It certainly wouldn't dominate the news cycle for a period of several weeks while they meticulously detailed how the rescue efforts would go down. Oh hold on my assistant is giving me a note, let me drink a biiig gulp of coffee while I

[sirfrogsworth]

Finally watched Thirteen Lives about the divers rescuing the Thai soccer kids.

Humans are capable of such compassion and bravery. It's clear we can do great acts of good. 5000 people worked for weeks to get those kids out safely.

And it boggles my mind that so many suffer because humans are also capable of such apathy and evil.

I have this weird feeling where my heart is warmed and I am also pissed off. Why can't we just... approach everything like kids are trapped in a cave?

I'm really tired. I don't know if I'm making any sense.

[lightyaoigami]

i just saw an allusion to pre-twitter el*n's worst transgression being giving his kid a stupid name and i just want everyone to know that he has always been a villain, he was never an eccentric funky nerdy guy, he is an IP thief, profiteer of environmental destruction, transphobe, union buster, antisemite, covid denier, and eugenicist. to say nothing of his interference in the thai cave rescue which was utterly out of pocket. he has always sucked i hope that helps

[chaos0pikachu]

tldr: bitches want gay shit, not het shit, with data and numbers to back it up; bonus Bible’s booty

so thinking about @discluded​‘s essay on Mile and Apo’s upcoming historical drama, and Thailand’s bid for soft power got my brain thinking thoughts. I’ve talked about Thailand noticing the soft power of their BL media before along with why I think Chinese, South Korean, and other East Asian media (from television to novels, etc) are popping off in popularity in the last 5 years or so. Idk where those posts are and I’m to lazy to link them thus is life

The point! The point is tho reading discluded’s post made me think about F4 Thailand. Ironic, I know, since F4 is a het drama based off Boys Over Flowers a shojo manga from Japan that was released in 1992 and ended serialization in 2008. 

Firstly, Boys Over Flowers FACINATES me b/c the god damn chokehold this series has on various Asian countries. I told a friend it’s comparable to like, Romeo and Juliet, in that it’s been adapted, remade, re-adapted, re-booted, re-imagined, and so on over and over and over again. Like there’s audio dramas, there’s films, there’s multiple live action TV shows, there’s an anime. Japan’s made two feature films, and two seasons of a TV. Taiwan had two seasons of a TV show, Korea had a tv show, China had two versions of the same show (one was a remake), Indonesia had two tv shows, India had a tv show, and finally Thailand was the latest to adapt it into a TV show in 2021 - 2022. The legacy of this story can’t be denied. 

Now, my point? Okay so my point is I witnessed online the marketing for F4 Thailand in real time. It was interesting to me b/c I very rarely - and have not since - seen a ton of talk about a Thai drama that wasn’t BL or a horror or action film. 

When it comes to the Thai film industry, the three genres I see discussed are: BL, Action, Horror. You can see this in what Netflix (America) offers in regards to Thai series specifically what ones they dub which shows like: Girl From Nowhere (which Netflix invested in a s2 and is a thriller/horror drama), The Whole Truth (a horror film), and Thai Cave Rescue (which they also have a documentary based on). Netflix is still (STUPIDLY) reluctant to purchase a license for any SK or Thai BL content (I know Semantic Error would blow the FUCK up on Netflix you idiots!!!) probably b/c investors are like, hmmmm but would gays of color sell? I would say they also have Your Name Engraved Herein but that’s an easier sell b/c its a drama and has more of that classic gay Oscars vibe (this isn’t an inherent bad thing don’t come for me). 

Okay back to my point I s2g I have one. 

So marketing for F4 Thailand was interesting b/c I actually saw it. I don’t see marketing cross over into my international waters for Thai het dramas. What helped this, and I fully believe this was done purposely, is the casting of Bright and Win who gained international popularity from 2Gether. Like, it seemed pretty obvious to me that casting Bright and Win was a bid to peak the interest of the international market, combined with casting them specifically in an adaption of one of the most famous and well known Asian romantic dramas of the last 30 years or so. This show was set-up to be A Hit. 

But I don’t think it really worked internationally; bare with me, numbers time. 

Now, ratings for F4 averaged at .441% on Thai TV, higher than Bad Buddy (which aired on the same network) which averaged at .121% and Kinnporsche which averaged at .314%. 

I compared F4 to these two shows specifically b/c they aired in a similar timeframe (all three shows aired over the course of 2021 - 2022 except KP which only aired in 2022) and arguably Bad Buddy and Kinnporsche were the biggest BL shows in Thailand in those respective years. 

F4 also did well in the Philippines, and ended up dubbed into Filipino, and it’s scheduled for re-broadcast in 2023. Honestly, it’s difficult to see how well F4 did internationally as there’s not a ton of information available on it. When I google “F4 Thailand reception” there’s not a lot of results, if I google “boys over flowers Thailand reception” I get this: 

ngl I think it’s pretty funny that one of the top four most asked questions is if F4 is BL and again, it’s def b/c of Bright and Win’s casting. But given that there’s not a ton of information available, I glean that F4 didn’t do great in the western (American/Latin American/European) market. Not to say it didn’t do well. 

On Google ratings: F4 Thailand lands at a 4.9 rating with 2619 reviews/ratings and Bad Buddy stands at a 5.0 with 1085 reviews/ratings

On MyDramaList F4 has a rating of 8.5/10 from 11,982 users, and Bad Buddy has a 8.5/10 from 26,445 users

On IMDb: F4 has a rating of 7.8/10 from 2.3k users, and Bad Buddy has 8.8/10 rating from 5k users

This isn’t a comparison about quality, but activity. I’m not here to make judgements on either shows quality, but rather international impact and relevancy. Outside of Google, Bad Buddy has more active users who left a rating or review on the website than F4, almost double in fact. 

If you go to GMMTV’s official Youtube page and look at the most popular videos on the channel it’s majority....2Gether. Like my god so much 2Gether the CHOKEHOLD this show had on y’all:

More date and a comparison of F4 and Bad Buddy’s international numbers below, we’re getting into the meat now. 

Now the actual F4 official trailer has 3.7 million views on GMMTV’s channel. Bad Buddy official trailer, also on GMMTV’s official channel, has 2.7 million views. Both are set at 1 year ago so they’re within the same or similar time frames for comparison. 

To throw in there, the Kinnporsche official trailer was released 10 months ago and has clocked 7.1 million views total on Be On Cloud’s official channel. To keep up with the comparison, F4′s OST Who Am I clocked 21 million views at 1 year, while KP/Jeff Satur’s OST Why Don’t You Stay has clocked 36 million views at 8 months. 

(completely unrelated sidenote but Vegas/Bible’s ass has 3.4 million views and I just find that fucking hilarious, the man’s booty got more youtube views than other studios episodes. The power of Bible booty) 

You can watch episode 1 of F4 on GMMTV’s official youtube channel, but only episode 1 the rest are just previews for other episodes. Idk why, other series whether het or BL they have all the episodes available. There’s apparently 80 videos that are hidden, I’m wondering if you have to pay Youtube premium to access those. Since I only have episode 1 to compare, for comparisons sake, we can look at those numbers of F4′s ep01 and Bad Buddy’s, both of which are clocked at 1 year each, are as follows:

Bad Buddy ep01 [1/4]: 9.6 million

Bad Buddy ep01 [2/4]: 5.4 million 

Bad Buddy ep01 [3/4]: 4.9 million

Bad Buddy ep01 [4/4]: 5 million

F4 Thailand Begins ep01 [1/4]: 1.7 million

F4 Thailand Begins ep01 [2/4]: 848k 

F4 Thailand Begins ep01 [3/4]: 3.3 million 

F4 Thailand Begins ep01 [4/4]: 747k 

If you crunch these numbers, Bad Buddy’s total view count for episode 1 is around 25 million views. F4′s total view count is around 7 million views (if I’m doing my math correctly a bitch doesn’t work in maths). 

Now, I don’t know what the premiere numbers for either of these series was. BUT, this shows that one series, Bad Buddy, has legs and the other, F4, didn’t. 

Either way that’s a pretty sizable gap and a lot of international fans use Youtube as a means to legally watch and support these shows as shown in the availability of subtitles.

F4 has subtitle options in: English, Korean, Chinese (Taiwan), Portuguese, Turkish and Spanish

Bad Buddy has subtitle options in: English, Turkish, French, Indonesian, Spanish, Chinese (Hong Kong), Korean, Chinese (Taiwan), Vietnamese, Arabic, Portuguese, Polish, Italian, Burmese, Chinese (Simplified) and Bulgarian.

Bro, BULGARIAN.

As far as I can tell, IQIYI doesn’t release streaming data that I could find, so idk what the numbers are for Kinnporsche. I do know that Kinnporsche, since airing, has never let the sites Top 10 list which is an impressive feat after ending months ago. 

So like, what does all this information mean~ exactly? Am I saying F4 Thailand was a flop? No, not even a little bit lol I don’t have enough data to really say definitively F4 was a flop nor is that really the point here. 

The point here is about international impact, and the fact that in my humble ass opinion, Thailand’s het shows ain’t hitting internationally all THAT much. Not as much as their BL shows are and have been. 

Objectively, going by Thai ratings, F4 did a lot better than Bad Buddy, but internationally? Internationally there’s a pretty visible gap from everything I’ve seen. 

I think what GMMTV was hoping was by casting Bright and Win they’re pull in that international audience they had cultivated with the 2gether series. But het dramas are high key a dime a dozen in American/European/Latin American audiences. Folks go to Kdramas or Cdramas for het dramas (and I have theories on why those hit, namely Cdramas for the high fantasy aspects that Europe and America doesn’t deliver on and kdramas for being unashamedly high quality produced romances. Also the one-and-done factor). 

Given the juggernaut success of Kinnporsche, not just in the west but also in other Asian countries I imagine that’ll influence other studios to try to follow suit even more to gain even a half-slice of that visibility and profitability. Kinnporsche, imo, is an outlier, it’s success is sorta like 2gether and TharnType in that there were a lot of factors outside of the show itself that led to it’s individual success. 

Like, flat, argue with the wall, 2gether is NOT a good series. But, it was released right when lockdown began (literally, ep01 aired Feb 21, 2020), in a way 2gether was like Animal Crossing, GMMTV didn’t expect it to do THAT well especially internationally but it did partially b/c what the fuck else we people gonna do in lockdown? Watch a simple but cute gay romcom which there was a gap for - Love, Victor wouldn’t air it’s first episode until June 17th, 2020, and that was marketed less as a queer romcom and more as a queer coming of age story. There’s also the factor of The Untamed having ended - final episode August 20th, 2019 - and folks catching on to the growing and active existence of international queer media that wasn’t boxed in and tied down by American conventions. 

I think what we’re going to see is the “next era” of BL. We saw the uptick in overall content post 2019/2020 with the success of 2Gether and TharnType, following the success of series like Why R U, Love By Chance, 1000 Stars, Lovely Writer, etc along with other countries getting in more on the game (namely South Korea) and the overall uptick in the amount of BL (and now GL!) shows across the board. 

After 2gether we saw more BL shows, I think after Kinnporsche we’re going to see higher quality BL/GL shows. And I think we’re already seeing that. Semantic Error was a nice change of pace for SK b/c it was longer than 15mins, I think going forward given the success of SE we’re going to see SK branch out slowly into developing longer shows (no longer than 30 to 35mins tho to keep costs down) and better workshopping (some kisses in KBLs...my guys). While for Thailand I think we’re gonna see better quality shows. Not Me dropped the ball in some regards but visually the show was great. Cutie Pie’s story was incoherent sure but visually? Hot damn that was a good looking show. We’re also getting more interesting concepts out of Thailand too; like that Prince/bodyguard show coming out, the fact Kinnporsche did eventually get made and MileApo’s upcoming historical film. 

this all got away from me but whatever, bitches want gay shit, peace

[mediamixs]

Terror Tuesday: Extreme, horror from Thailand

Terror Tuesday: Extreme, an eight-episode anthology series inspired by true stories from the popular Thai radio show "Angkhan Khlumpong" (Terror Tuesday), is set to premiere on Netflix on Tuesday, August 20, 2024. The series will feature haunting dramatizations of horror tales, with each episode helmed by a different director and an impressive cast.

Episode Synopses

The series will keep viewers on the edge of their seats with visually haunting stories about:

Cursed houses

Haunted bridal gowns

Disturbing family secrets

Vengeful spirits

Although based on real-life accounts, the stories have been reimagined to bring an "extreme horror experience" . Cast

The series features an ensemble cast, including:

Nat Kitcharit

Piglet Charada Imraporn

Gee Sutthirak Subvijitra

Smile Parada Thitawachira

Cherprang Areekul

Music Praewa Suthamphong Trailer

The haunting trailer for Terror Tuesday: Extreme, released recently, shares glimpses of the eight stories that will be released one episode at a time every Tuesday.

Terror Tuesday: Extreme is part of Netflix's growing Thai catalog, which includes popular titles like Master of the House and Thai Cave Rescue. The series is expected to keep horror fans entertained with its unique blend of true stories and extreme horror elements.

[dearjohnnyz]