#The few movies I have seen are all top tier

[letmerambleplease]

Hmmm...

I wonder if it would be fun to watch the movies from these lists. I haven't seen most of them yet and I have wanted to watch "To Kill a Mockingbird" for ages now anyways... I could even give every villain and hero my own rating ^-^

[muffinpink02]

Co-Host part 4

Part 1 here

Part 2 here

Part 3 here

Warning - smut

The moment Lucy left, the girls had spoken non stop throughout the week. At first it was a stream of texts, until Leah decided that took too much effort and would rather see Lucy’s face. They had FaceTimed every day, mostly after training or before bed, talking about their days or not talking at all, sharing the calm silence between them.

The energy between them had shifted, it felt like it did that first night in the hotel room, when both girls dropped their guards. But it was even better then that, it felt like their relationship had jumped up a level, it felt like both girls could breath, like a heavy weight had disappeared, and a light air had settled between them.

——————

A week later and Lucy was on her way to pick up Leah for their first official date.

She had thought about it all week. She didn’t want to do anything too outlandish or over the top, she wanted to keep it simple and do something Leah would actually enjoy.

Then it came to her, cinema and bowling.

Classic.

It was the top tier first date for anyone, and it even involved a bit of a competition, that of course both girls loved.

Lucy knocked at Leah’s door, waiting for the blonde.

The door opened to a very cute looking Leah. She was wearing an over sized white shirt undone, with a loose white crop top, revealing her toned stomach. She finished it off with a pair of loose baggy jeans and brown converse. Her blonde hair in a pony tail.

Leah was nervous, she had been nervous the whole week, she was finally getting to go on a real date with Lucy. She had wondered what a date with the brunette would be like for a few years.

She stood at the door way looking at Lucy, who was also looking very cute. She was wearing a black over sized T shirt, with cream cargo trousers. Two thin gold chains sparkled on her neck, finishing it off with white Nikes. Her hair nearly parted in her famous bun to finish it off.

“Hey.” The blonde smiled sweetly at the brunette, closing the door behind her.

“Hi.” The brunette smiled shyly.

They embraced warmly, both girls holding on a second longer, just wanting to feel the others body.

Leah pulled back, her heart racing a little harder.

“So, where you taking me? I’m excited.”

“I was thinking cinema and bowling?”

Leah’s smile widened. “Oh I’m going to beat you, I’m amazing at bowling. You don’t know what you’re in for.”

Lucy laughed, it was nice to see Leah a lot more laid back, something she hadn’t got to experience face to face in a long time.

“Pshhh, yeah, yeah. You wish.” Lucy grinned ear to ear.

Both girls laughed, each catching small glances at each other.

Considering both girls had seen each other naked plenty of times, also having sex countless times, there was a nervous, shy exchange between them.

It was a weird feeling, going on a first date with someone after you had already seen their come face hundreds of times.

——————

In one of the rare occasions when they actually spoke after a night of sex, the girls had spoken about films and shows they liked. Lucy had remembered Leah mentioning that she was a marvel fan, and luckily enough, so was Lucy.

Marvel had a new film out, so of course Lucy got two tickets for them to watch. She also bought the largest popcorn for them to share, but even with such a big box they found themselves constantly touching hands.

Not that either girl minded.

During the film Lucy would find herself staring at Leah, it was mostly after a funny scene. She'd watch the blonde laugh, she loved how her her eyes wrinkled from her smile. Lucy couldn’t help but catch herself smiling at the sight.

The film came to an end and the credits rolled up, but of course neither girl moved. Leah scoffed as other movie goers got up to leave.

“Why don’t people know that there is a whole scene after the credits?��� She rolled her eyes.

Lucy chuckled softly at the girls annoyance.

“Maybe cos they’re not as nerdy as you?”

Leah faked a gasp. Throwing the end of the popcorn at Lucy.

“Erm no. Nothing about Marvel is nerdy, thank you. And neither am I.”

Both girls laughed loudly. As the credits finished Leah grabbed Lucy’s hand.

“Shhh it’s starting.”

Lucy had held Leah’s hands plenty of times, in many different ways. She had felt the majority of the girls body, but Leah’s hand in hers right now felt completely different, the butterfly’s were flying hard in her stomach.

Lucy smiled and whispered. “Nerd.”

Once the film was finished they made their way to the bowling alley next door.

Leah rubbed her hands, smirking at Lucy.

“I’m really good at bowling, so don’t be too upset when I beat you.”

Lucy laughed as she finished putting their names in the computer. She walked up close to Leah’s face.

“I actually can’t wait to beat you. Do you not know who you’re playing with? I don’t lose.” The older girls smirk was playful, showing off her pearly whites.

Leah wasn’t sure if it was the excitement of the competition or the excitement of having Lucy so close to her face that made her heart rate spike.

Either way she wanted to wipe that smirk right off of Lucy’s annoyingly gorgeous face.

The girls started their first round, both starting of strong, but neither hitting a strike. By the last round Leah was in the lead by only two points, but she was making sure to remind Lucy every five minutes.

And of course Lucy wasn’t happy, she was shocked at just how good Leah was. She never normally would have to interfere with any game or competition she was in, but Leah’s teasing was getting the better of her.

It was now Leah’s turn, she waited for the machine to release the dark green bowling ball she’d been playing with throughout the game. Just as the ball was released she felt a strong body behind her back, a familiar perfume taking over her senses.

“Thats not too heavy for you, is it?”

Lucy was pressed up against Leah’s back, breathing down her neck. She dipped her fingers into the dark green ball, trying to make a show.

Leah shivered, she watched Lucy’s dexterous fingers dip into the holes, giving her flashbacks of nights when Lucy had those exact fingers inside her.

“I don’t want you to hurt yourself Lee.” Her voice was deep and full of mischief.

Leah knew what she was doing, and annoyingly it was working, she let out a deep breath trying to gain some composure.

“No, it’s definitely not too heavy, thanks. You can go back on the bench now.” She smirked.

Lucy chuckled, she pressed her front a little deeper into Leah’s arse.

“No problem, just wanted to make sure you don’t hurt those precious fingers of yours. They’re important to me.”

She felt Lucy move away, but her presence still stuck to her. She turned around to see Lucy back on the bench, a wicked smile plastered on her face.

Fuck.

Leah walked over to take her turn, she tried to concentrate but Lucy was in her head.

She threw the ball, and before it even got half way it swerved to the side, hitting the gutter. All 9 skittles still standing.

She turned around to see a shit eating grin plastered on Lucy’s face.

“Ahh Leah, gutted for you.”

Lucy laughed as she stood to take her turn. 

“You cheated! At least I know I didn’t have to mess with you to win.”

Leah sat at the bench, her arms folded in annoyance.

Lucy couldn’t help but feel a little bad, but seeing Leah sulk like this was maybe the cutest things she’d ever seen, she even had her bottom lips sticking out.

Lucy walked up to take her go, she took the shot as she normally did but this time she striked.

She couldn’t hold back the grin on her face as she heard Leah behind her.

“Are you serious?”

The blonde stuck her tongue between her lip and teeth in annoyance.

Lucy gingerly walked over to the blonde, trying to hold back the laugh.

Leah wouldn’t look at her, she wanted to prove a point. Until Lucy bent down, her face close to hers once more.

“Ahh I’m sorry Lee.”

Leah kept her eyes purposefully off the brunette, standing her ground.

“You play dirty Bronze.”

Lucy’s smirk was devilish. She gently cupped Leah’s chin, making her face her, so she had nowhere else to look. She purred her next words.

“You love when I play dirty.” 

Leah couldn’t hide the shiver that ran up her spine. Hating that Lucy saw it for herself.

“How can I make it up you Lee?” Her voice was low and soft.

Lucy’s lips were inches from Leah’s, the brunettes eyes were staring at the blondes glossed lips. She looked like she wanted to devour her.

Leah couldn’t keep up the annoyance any longer, having Lucy this close to your face and not kissing her felt criminal.

She grabbed the brunette by her shirt and connected their lips together. Both girls moaning softly at the feeling of each other’s lips. It had been over three weeks since they last kissed, this was long overdue.

After a few minutes they reluctantly pulled back, they were in a public place after all.

“I’ve missed that.” Lucy bit her own lips, smiling at the girl in front of her.

“So have I.” Leah was a little breathless.

For a few seconds the girls stared at each other, just smiling, until their moment was interrupted by a group, cheering loudly a couple rows down, bringing them back to the room.

Lucy stood back up, a mischievous smile on her face.

“Right, next round.”

“Try not to cheat this time Bronze.”

They played one more round of bowling, with no distractions this time, Lucy kept her flirting to a minimum and Leah won the round by three points. Lucy being only slightly annoyed.

They wondered over to the arcade, both girls ready to show off their gaming skills. The pair were in their element.

Of course between two athletes and competitive gamers, they ended up winning an absurd amount of pink tokens. Lucy winning the most on the basket hoops, Leah secretly finding the sport sexy on the brunette.

Lucy used her winnings on a white teddy bear for Leah. It was the least she could do for her shenanigans at bowling.

Once they were all gamed out they made their way to an Italian restaurant Lucy had made reservations for. She knew Leah was picky, so she didn’t want to take her anywhere too spicy.

Throughout the meal they didn’t take their eyes off each other. The playful mood from earlier was turning into playful flirting. It was hot between them, the girls playing footsies throughout the meal.

They spoke about what happened between them these last few months. Both apologising every chance they could. It wasn’t too heavy, but it was needed. They both felt lighter, both gaining an understanding of the other’s point of view.

It was upsetting to now know if they had just spoken they wouldn’t have gone through all the heart break. But as they say, you live and you learn. They were just happy to be with each other now.

Their first date came to an end, Lucy paid the waiter and of course Leah tried to argue, but Lucy wasn’t having any of it.

Lucy hailed a black cab. The brunette mindlessly played with Leah’s hands as the spoke in the cab. Leah noticed the warmth in her cheeks from the touch, loving the feeling of Lucy’s soft side coming out. The side she had got a small glimpse of that first night.

The taxi pulled up to Leah’s house.

“Can you give me two minutes, I’ll be right back.” Lucy asked the cab driver.

“No worries.”

“Thanks,”

She walked Leah to her door, she really didn’t want to end it here but she knew she had to.

Both girls came to a stop, shy smiles plastered their faces. Leah broke the silence.

“I’ve had the best day. Thank you so much. And thank you for my bear” She held the toy close to her face.

Lucy smiled bashfully at the blonde. “You’re welcome. I’ve had such a good time.”

Leah pulled Lucy gently by her hands, closer to her face.

“Are you sure I can’t pay the taxi to leave now? And you and I finish this date off properly?”

Lucy bit her lip. It was very tempting.

“I want nothing more than to have my way with you, but I really want to give us time.”

Leah nodded, she knew Lucy was right, she wanted that too, she wanted more than what it was before. She just was so desperate to have Lucy.

“You’re right. Sorry, I know we agreed. I just…god I just want you so bad.”

Lucy chuckled. “I do too.”

Leah grabbed her hands kissing her softly.

“The next date is my turn.”

Lucy smiled. “Oh another date? I don’t remember agreeing to that.”

Leah laughed sarcastically, rolling her eyes.

“Okay, I’ll see if Ona’s about for a date. Im sure she’d appreciate me.”

Lucy laughed pulling Leah closer to her body.

“I’d love to go on another date.”

“Thats what I thought.”

They kissed once more, finding it hard to let go. Lucy made her way back to the cab. She waited until Leah was in her house before she got in the car.

She got her phone out texting Leah straight away. Also receiving an instant reply.

Lucy - God, that was hard

Leah - I know, I was close to dragging you inside

Leah - not in a creepy way 

Lucy chuckled.

Lucy - so what’s the next date?

Leah - you’ll have to wait and see

Lucy - hmmm I can’t wait

——————-

The girls ended up going on a series of dates, they had gone to gigs, comedy clubs, pottery class and even a football match. Each date was better than the last, they grew closer each time, constantly finding out new things about the other.

It was also becoming harder at the end of each date to say goodbye without finding themselves pressed against a wall, tongue’s down each other’s throats.

It had been 6 weeks, and they had kept to their no sex rule, keeping it PG. A few kisses and make out sessions here and there, but the desperation was starting to show.

——————

On their next date Leah planned for the pair to attend a cocktail making class.

The girls were standing around a C shape bar, with a few other participants and a cocktail teacher in the middle. There was a bunch of fresh ingredients laid out in front of them, with some fancy T ools Leah had never seen before.

The teacher walked through the instructions on how to make their cocktails, step by step. The girls were enjoying themselves, now and   again Leah was finding it a little hard to follow instructions and of course Lucy was making it look easy, and at times even sexy.

But it seemed Leah wasn’t the only one that had the same thought. A short blonde girl besides the brunette had been shamelessly checking Lucy out during the entire class.

Leah tried to not let it get to her, Lucy was beautiful. She was going to get people looking at her, Leah had actually already gotten used to women and annoyingly men, admiring Lucy, it happened a lot. But this girl was just a bit too bold for Leah’s liking.

The striker could hear the girl making unnecessary conversation with Lucy, Lucy of course was oblivious to the girls flirting or if she had noticed she didn’t lead on. She replied politely enough with a laugh or a one liner.

“Have you done this before? You seem to know what you’re doing. You definitely have the arms for it.” The blonde girl smiled.

“Oh, thanks.” Lucy smiled politely.

Lucy could feel Leah’s rage next her, watching as she cut the Lemon for her drink, gutting the poor fruit.

She knocked Leah gently, giving her a wink, she was happy to get a small smile from the girl.

By the third cocktail the blonde continued to flirt with Lucy, even though Lucy wasn’t giving her anything.

“Oh wow, your cocktail looks so good, do you think I could taste you? Sorry, I mean yours?”

The short blonde girl laughed, stepping a little close to Lucy.

Lucy was lost for words, she looked like a dear in head lights.

That was far enough for Leah.

Leah reached over to Lucys section, grabbing the cocktail and downing the glass in one go.

She smacked her lips loudly. “You’re right, that was delicious.”

Leah wiped the dribble from her chin. Going back to her own cocktail.

The blonde screwed up her face, muttering something under her breath, clearly pissed off. Leah looked back over at her smiling sweetly.

“But it didn’t taste as good as you.” She whispered it into Lucy’s ear but loud enough for the girl to hear.

Lucy gulped, she smiled wickedly at Leah, she was loving this jealous side to her.

That had shut the blonde up, she didn’t try and talk to Lucy again after that.

The class came to an end, so the girls made their way down to the bar part of the building, they ordered some drinks and found a small wooden booth lit by a candle.

Lucy was smiling at Leah, an amused smile Leah’s hadn’t seen before.

“Why are you smiling at me like that?”

Lucy chuckled. “I like jealous Leah. She’s cute.”

Leah ducked her head, playing with the beer mat, she couldn’t help but smirk. She was glad Lucy saw it as cute and not anything bad.

“Yeah, well. She was too much, she wouldn’t stop staring at you, talking to you. She was like a bitch in heat.”

Lucy really laughed then. She took Leah’s hands stroking it gently.

“Well, just so you know, I only have eyes for you.”

Leah felt her cheeks blush, thankful the table was lit by the low light of the candle.

“Good, glad to hear it.”

The girls spoke for a bit, they decided to stay at the bar as they were enjoying the vibe and drinks.

“Same again?”

Lucy nodded. “Please.”

Lucy watched Leah as she walked to the bar, she couldn’t help but feel a sense of pure happiness wash over her.

These last couple of weeks had been the happiest she’d been in a while. Every time she saw Leah, or got a text or call from her, she’d feel those dangerous butterflies in her stomach. She was all she thought about, her feelings were growing for the blonde more and more everyday, it was scary but she liked it.

Leah ordered their cocktails, she glanced over at Lucy, catching the brunette looking at her with a doppy smile on her face.

She looked over at Lucy every now and then, enjoying her view.

Like Lucy, Leah couldn’t help but notice just how happy she was in herself. She couldn’t deny it she was falling for Lucy, it was the happiest she’d ever been, she felt so comfortable around the brunette. She felt like she could be herself, no mask just her.

By the fifth glance Lucy was no longer alone.

Lucy looked up ready to see Leah, but the blonde from the class was now in front of her.

“Hey, I’m Erin. Let’s cut to the chase. I think you’re really fucking hot. I’m really fucking hot, so you should give me your number.”

Lucy had heard a few bad chat up lines, a few one liners that were even a bit bold, but that had to be one of the cringiest ones she’s ever heard.

“No, you’re alright. My girlfriend is hot enough.” She gestured towards Leah at the bar.

Even in this stupid conversation, Lucy liked the way she said girlfriend so easily.

Leah could tell from Lucy’s body language that she was uncomfortable but was being polite, it even looked like she nodded towards Leah, but that didn’t seem to deter the girl.

Erin didn’t bother to look at Leah, she clearly knew who she was talking about.

“Girlfriend? God, well I can be your friend surely? Aren’t you allowed friends? Friends that can fuck?”

Lucy felt herself physically back up in her seat.

Back at the bar Leah could feel the anger boiling up in her. Why did this girl not get the hint?

Just in time the drinks were made and Leah was back at the table in seconds. Lucy’s face brightened as she watched her marching over.

“Hey Lee. I was just telling Emily.”

The blonde cleared her throat “Its Erin.”

“Oh sorry. Erin that we a-hmm.”

Lucy couldn’t finish her sentence as Leah’s mouth was now on hers.

Leah held Lucy by the chin, sticking her tongue deep inside her mouth, licking and sucking every inch of her tongue, causing the brunette to moan.

Leah moved to straddle the brunette, she loved that Lucy wasn’t pushing her away, or stopping their kisses.

Lucy’s head was spinning, she was close to passing out from the lack of oxygen but she didn’t care, not when Leah was kissing her like this. She knew as soon as the blonde came over Leah was going to loose her shit and she couldn’t help but love this jealous side of her.

Leah pulled back, just slightly as she heard Lucy groan. She felt Lucy pulling her closer by her arse, she couldn’t hold back her own moan from the move.

She’d almost forgotten why she’d gone all out like this. She turned around to see the blonde still sitting there, she looked disgusted.

“Are you still here? Mate you’re not getting her, she’s mine. Fuck off.”

The girl looked shocked, she huffed, leaving the booth quickly.

Leah turned back around to face a very smug looking Lucy.

“I’m yours? Is that so?”

Lucy grinned from ear to ear, her lips swollen from Leah’s kissing.

“Well, I would have liked to ask you in a completely different way, but yeah. I do want you to be mine. I want you to be my girlfriend, if you want to be of course.”

It was the brightest smile Leah had ever seen on Lucy’s face. It made her heart race.

“I do. I definitely want to be your girlfriend. I just told her that you were my girlfriend, my very hot girlfriend.”

“Oh did you now?”

Leah’s smile was just as bright as Lucy’s, she leaned in to the defenders lips, kissing her softly. She continued.

“Shall we finish these drinks and head back to mine?”

Lucy nodded eagerly. “Please.”

They had just about finished their drinks by the time they started to drag each other out the bar. Leah couldn’t help but wink at the blonde while Lucy pulled her by the hand.

Her face was a picture.

—————

They tumbled into the back of a black cab, Lucy gave Leah’s address to the driver and within seconds her mouth was back on Leah’s lips. But it was over as quickly as it started. Both noticing the cab drivers eyes lingering in the rear view mirror, they kept their hands to themselves, not wanting to give the cab driver a show.

But Lucy couldn’t help herself, she glanced down at Leah’s beautiful bare thighs, thanking the gods the blonde had worn a skirt that day.

She traced her fingers slowly around Leah’s hot skin, watching the girl open her legs wider. Lucy couldn’t hold back the chuckle at Leah’s eagerness.

Leah’s breath caught in her throat, just this simple touch from Lucy was making her pussy throb. It had been so long since she last felt Lucy’s hands on her skin.

Lucy snaked her hand higher up the firm thigh, past the end of Leah’s skirt, she watched as Leah’s body reacted to her touch. She heard Leah make a small groan as she got a little higher, she felt her own pussy throb at the site.

Leah placed her coat over her lap, not wanting any wondering eyes to see what they were up to.

Her fingers hit the curve of Leah’s thigh, she could feel her lace underwear under her fingers, Lucy smiled to herself, she could tell Leah was wearing thongs.

She gently skirted her fingers across Leah’s lips, feeling the dampness of the fabric. Once again her smile grew, her beautiful, cocky smile plastered on her face. She whispered in a low voice.

“Is someone wet already?”

Leah felt her skin prickle with goosebumps, she hadn’t been touched by Lucy in so long, even the slightest touch made her feel completely on the edge.

“I’ve been wet since we met.”

Those words alone made Lucy want to rip Leah’s clothes off and take her how she wanted in the backseat of the cab, but she knew she couldn’t.

Well, she could if Leah could be quiet.

She pushed her fingers hard against Leah’s sex, knowing exactly where her clit was, causing the blonde to moan hard.

“Fuck Luce.” Leah gasped.

Lucy pushed harder, rubbing slowly against her sensitive clit.

Leah was in heaven, even if Lucy’s fingers wasn’t on her completely, it still felt amazing. But suddenly the feeling was gone, Lucy pulled her fingers back.

Leah blinked her eyes open in confusion, she looked at the brunette who had a mischievous smile on her face.

Fuck.

“You got to be quiet Lee, I’ll stop if you make another sound.”

“I won’t, please. Don’t stop.” Desperation stuck to her voice.

Lucy bit her lip, she got more comfortable and dipped her hand back in between Leah’s legs.

Leah bit her own lip, feeling Lucy rub against her again. She could handle this if she concentrated, she could keep quiet and not lose Lucy’s beautiful fingers.

But Lucy wanted more, she slipped her fingers under Leah’s wet fabric, sliding her fingers between Leah’s wet lips.

The gasp Leah let out was loud but she stopped herself quickly. She looked at the cab driver hoping he hadn’t noticed, and thankfully he didn’t. She chanced a look at Lucy, who had the audacity to be smiling at her.

But she didn’t stop her, she only opened her legs further, giving Lucy as much room as she needed.

Lucy watched as Leah bit her lip, holding in her whimpers, she looked amazing, she was concentrating so hard to not to make any noise.

“You’re doing so well Lee.”

Leah closed her eyes, she couldn’t look at Lucy, not now.

Then without warning, Lucy dipped a single digit into Leah’s cunt, her muscles tightened instantly around her finger.

The blonde let out a raspy groan, her eyes closing hard as she felt Lucy start to pump gently into her.

“Fuck, you’re so tight.” Lucy whispered.

Leah sunk down into her seat, wanting to feel Lucy as deep as possible. She felt a little self conscious considering she was in the back of someone’s car, but there was no way she could stop Lucy.

Lucy kept her pace slow, but deep. She watched as Leah’s face scrunched into a frown, still trying her hardest to be quiet. She could feel Leah’s cunt clenching around her, making Lucy’s own pussy wet.

She pushed in another finger, feeling some resistance, but it didn’t stop her, she pushed herself further inside Leah slowly pumping away.

Leah gasped, she gripped Lucy’s free hand, needing to feel the girl, she could feel Lucy stretching her.

Lucy kept her movements slow, she brought her thumb up, just barely rubbing small circles on her sensitive clit. She knew her slow movements wasn’t going to allow Leah to come, and that’s exactly what she wanted.

Leah let out a small high pitched whimper, as she felt Lucy barely touch her clit, it was painful how much she needed her.

She knew Lucy was teasing her, she knew she wasn’t going to let her come, but Leah was desperate. She pushed her hips up, trying to find the pressure that she needed, but of course Lucy pulled her thumb away.

“That’s naughty Lee, I didn’t say you could do that.”

“Please Lucy, please.” She hated begging so early on in their sexual activities but it had been so long and she was desperate.

Lucy looked hard at the girl, her green eyes were intense, only making Leah squirm more under her.

Before the blonde could say anything the older girl pushed perfectly on her clit, her fingers pumped harder, hitting at her g spot.

Leah’s head fell backwards, she let out a small moan, but Lucy was quick to remind her to be quiet.

“You need to be quiet Lee, you don’t want me to stop do you?”

Leah put her own hand over her mouth, in the best attempt to make it look natural. She  closed her eyes once more, letting Lucy take her as she pleased.

She could feel the cusp of her orgasm building, her stomach tightening, she just needed a little more. But before her body could get any further Lucy’s hand was gone.

“Anywhere here?” The cab driver pulled up.

Thankfully Lucy replied, Leah was caught completely off guard, not realising they were already outside her house.

“Yeah, here’s perfect, thank you.”

Lucy tapped her card on the reader, she opened the door, putting her hand out for Leah to take, knowing the girl was probably on wobbly legs.

Leah took Lucy’s hand, her head was a complete daze, one minute she was on the verge of a glorious orgasm, and the next minute she was being pulled out from the back of the cab, feeling a little uncomfortable from her drenched thongs.

Suddenly, she felt Lucy’s strong body against her back, almost holding her up. Lucy snaked her hands around her waist, her mouth against her ear, tickling her skin with her lips. She whispered.

“God, I can’t wait to have you. It’s been so long. I’ve missed you.” Her voice sounded desperate, like she was ready to have Leah right there, on the street.

Leah shivered, she grabbed Lucy’s hand, dragging her to her door, she tried to be quick with the keys but Lucy was once again behind her, breathing down Leah’s neck, in the most delicious way.

They fell in the door way, both girls grabbing each other in a mess of hands and mouths, kissing where they could. Leah grabbed Lucy by her shirt, pulling her in for a hard kiss.

Lucy was more than happy to have Leah against her lips, he pushed her tongue in desperately, needing to feel Leah’s mouth.

Leah whimpered, Lucy was everywhere, Leah’s pussy was throbbing to the point of painful.

The girls were hungry for each other, it had been nearly three months since they last had sex, both parties were desperate for the other.

Lucy easily picked Leah up by the waist, Leah instantly wrapped her legs around the brunette, kissing each other deeply. Lucy walked the pair to Leah’s room, smelling the familiar smells of Leah’s house.

She guided Leah to her dresser draws, placing her on top gently, never stopping their kissing. She removed Leah’s shirt, leaving her in her bra and skirt.

Lucy bit Leah’s bottom lip, loving the whimpers that came from the blonde. She soothed her lip gently with her own tongue, sucking the pink flesh once more.

The brunette held Leah by her sides, gliding her hands up and down Leah’s body, feeling her muscles flex under her hands. She’d missed this so much She pulled Leah in closer, so she was on the edge of the dresser.

She looked at the sight of Leah in her bra and skirt.

Her hair was tussled her cheeks a blush pink, her chest heaving hard, her lips swollen from Lucy’s harsh kisses. She looked amazing.

Lucy placed her hands on Leah’s thighs, pushing upwards, she grabbed her ruined, soaked thongs, pulling them down her thighs. She threw the ruined clothing over her shoulder.

“I want to fuck you with your skirt on.”

Leah nodded, whatever Lucy wanted, she would do.

Lucy slowly pushed Leah’s legs further apart, never taking her green eyes off of Leah’s blues.

Lucy guided her hand inbetween Leah’s legs, finally back at the spot she needed her most.

The hiss Leah let out was loud, she was extremely sensitive, Lucy’s little game in the cab had worked up her body. The slightest touch felt like it was going to make her explode.

Lucy let out her own moan, she was a little shocked at how wet Leah was, she had seen the girl wet hundreds of times before, but this may have been the wettest she’d ever felt her. But she wasn’t complaining.

She circled her fingers, watching Leah lose her grip on it all, her face in complete bliss. Her eyes were closed tightly the older girl pushed two fingers into Leah’s cunt, not giving her anytime to get used to the feeling. She drove her fingers deep and precise into Leah, she felt the blondes long legs wrap around her waist.

“Oh my god! Lucy!”

Lucy began to kiss Leah’s neck, sucking on her skin, she was definitely going to leave a colourful mark. She kissed up to Leah’s soft skin, closer to her ear.

“I’ve missed you.” Lucy whispered.

She pushed her thumb against Leah’s clit, loving the loud moans escaping her mouth. Lucy couldn’t get over how good Leah looked, how good this felt.

This felt different to every time before, it felt like it meant something more, like she was allowed to feel something. She could feel her own walls were breaking down, her feelings were heightened.

“I’ve missed you too.” Leah gasped.

Leah was going through her own feelings, it was hard to concentrate with Lucy doing what she does best. But just like Lucy, this felt different, there was a sense of different sense of excitement. It felt like both girls were holding each other a little longer, their kisses had a little more longing to them.

Lucy snaked her hand up to Leah’s neck, holding her firmly as she pumped, she wrapped her fingers gently around her throat. She could feel Leah’s heart beating beneath her fingers.

“I’m coming, I’m coming Luce!”

She came hard on Lucy’s fingers, she could feel Leah’s cunts muscles twitch around her fingers. Her head slumped forward on Lucy’s shoulder, trying to catch her breath.

Lucy slowly removed her fingers. She kissed Leah gently, pushing her hair back.

“Hey, you okay there?” Lucy smiled at the blonde.

Leah finally sat back, revealing a doppey smile, looking a little dazed.

“I’m sooo good. My girlfriend just made me come so hard, I can’t feel my legs.” 

Lucy laughed, she kissed Leah again.

“Glad to hear it. Do you think you could take the strap?”

“You have so much energy.” Leah laughed softly, still coming out of her pleasured daze. “You know I want the strap.”

“Good. You’re going to ride me, then before you come I want you to sit on my face.”

“Ergh Lucy, fuck. Please, please can we do that.”

Lucy helped Leah down from the draws, Leah could never get over just how strong Lucy was.

They helped each other get naked, stealing soft kisses inbetween each clothing that was removed. Constantly pulling each other closer.

Lucy got the harness ready, wearing one of Leah’s favourite 7 inch dildos, this dildo also gave the wearer pleasure, having a small vibrator that rubbed at your clit.

She rubbed a generous amount of lube and shuffled to the top of the bed, leaning her back against the head board.

Leah crawled after her, shimmying herself above the glistening dick, straddling Lucy.

Lucy leaned forward, sliding her hand behind Leah’s neck, pulling her in for a kiss. She loved having Leah like this, face to face, getting to see every detail of her face while she fucked her.

“You ready?”

Leah nodded, her concentration face was on. Her hands rested on Lucys shoulders as she slowly lowered herself on the head of the dick.

Lucy had one hand on the dick, the other on Leah’s waist, helping guide the blonde down.

Slowly, Leah pushed herself onto Lucy’s dick, feeling the slight stretch from the thickness of the toy.

She was thankful Lucy warmed her up before hand, it had been a while since she had anything this big in her.

Lucy stared in amazement, she watched as Leah’s cunt swallowed her dick, inch by inch, until her thighs were skin to skin with Lucy’s.

The younger girls shakey breath caught in her throat. Her frown line deepened as she tried to get used to the sensation inside her.

“Fuck.” Leah let out a shakey sigh.

Lucy’s hands lightly stroked up and down the blondes thighs, waiting patiently.

Leah gently moved her hips, a small whimper already escaping her mouth, she could feel her cunt twitching at the stretch.

Lucy snaked her hands up onto Leah’s hips, helping the blondes movements, not that she needed help but Lucy couldn’t keep her hands off of her girlfriend.

Leah started to move quicker, easing her hips upwards as she felt Lucy’s dick stroke her. She groaned hard, she kept her hands on Lucy’s shoulders, she could feel her strong muscles twitching under her hands.

“That’s it baby, you ride my dick so well.”

Leah got faster, completely used to the fullness inside her. She finally opened her eyes to a soft smiling Lucy. She felt her pussy squeeze at the sight of the brunette, the way Lucy was looking at Leah was almost overwhelming.

She moved her hips harder, moving forward to capture Lucy’s lips. She kissed her girlfriend gently, happy to have Lucy’s lips on hers again, she wanted nothing else just everything that was Lucy.

Lucy began to kiss Leah’s neck, her perfume drowning her senses. She began to move her own hips, making sure to keep in time with Leah’s.

She smiled against her skin, hearing the blonde moan from her movements, one of Lucy’s favourite sounds. She loved Leah like this, she loved her in most positions, but this one was intimate, having Leah’s face inches from hers, while she fucked herself with her dick. It was breathtaking.

Lucy pulled Leah closer to her, her hands on the strikers back. She ducked her head, capturing a perfectly perked nipple in her warm mouth.

Leah moaned louder, her hands gripping the back of Lucy’s head, both girls keeping up their movements of their hips.

Lucy moved on to the other nipple, swirling her tongue over the pink flesh, she could feel Leah’s back curve under her touch, pushing her closer to her chest.

Lucy let go of the nipple with a loud pop, she covered Leah’s chest with kisses, tasting her sweat that began to form of Leah’s skin.

Leah’s moaning got louder, her clit was begging to be touched.

“Luce.”

“Yeah baby?”

“Please.”

“What do you need Lee?”

“You.”

“You’ve got me.”

Fuck. Lucy loved doing this to Leah, making her beg or just making her talk before she gave her what she wanted, but Leah secretly loved it. It always made her orgasm more intense.

“No. I want to come, please.”

Lucy sucked on Leah’s pulse point, the girl was going to look like a Cheater tomorrow.

“Hmmm do you deserve it?”

“P-Please Lucy, give your g-girlfriend what she wants.”

That got Lucys attention, she smiled that beautiful smile that Leah loved.

“I like that. Say it again.”

Leah was sweating, her voice was raspy.

“Give your girlfriend what she w-w-wants. Ple…..Fuck. Lucy, fuck yes.”

Lucy had her skill full fingers on Leah’s clit, rubbing her just the way she liked.

“God Leah, you’re so beautiful.”

She captured Leah’s lips, swallowing a moan. Leah could just about form a kiss, she was going into over drive. Her thrust got harder, her hips grinding deeper as she felt Lucy’s magical fingers building up her orgasm.

Lucy hadn’t turned on the vibrator yet, but it had been rubbing at her clit throughout. She could feel her own orgasm slowly building in her stomach.

Lucy drover her hips hard, she could feel her own sweat on her skin. Her wetness between her legs started to drip down onto the sheets below.

She snaked her other hand into Leah’s hair, making her face the brunette.

“You got so jealous today. Do you know how hot it was, how fucking hot you are.”

Lucy’s accent was so deep and thick Leah nearly couldn’t understand her, something she noticed when Lucy was aroused.

“You’re mine Luce.”

Leah’s eyes rolled to the back of her head as Lucy’s fingers pushed harder on to her bundle of nerves, picking up the pace. The groan she let out was animalistic.

Lucy quickly switched on the vibrator. She wanted to come with Leah.

“I’m all yours Leah, no one else. Just yours.”

Leah nodded her head, she couldn’t form words right now. Her head tilted forward, her thighs shock as she felt her orgasm building.

Lucy rocked her hips hard, grunting as she chased her own climax, her clit was begging for release.

Lucy pushed Leah’s face to hers, needing to feel her lips. She smiled at the frazzled look on Leah’s face, it was absolute perfection.

And for Leah that’s what pushed her to her climax, a very hard and loud climax. Lucy’s beautiful smile, her mischievous gorgeous green eyes looking at her like she was everything and more.

She screamed Lucy’s name as she came.

Her orgasm nearly pushed her body to black out, it was one of the most intense orgasms she had ever had. She held on to Lucy’s shoulders, her head falling in her neck. She could feel her own juices gathering at the bottom of the strap.

Lucy watched her girlfriend come down from her orgasm, just barely slowing down her hips. She was close to her own orgasm she just needed a little more friction.

She knew Leah wouldn’t be able to hold herself up, she grabbed the younger girl by her hips, pushing them both over until Leah was flat on her back.

Lucy was still inside her, she laid over Leah’s body, driving her hips into the girl beneath her, so close to her own climax.

Leah’s body was in over drive.

“Luce.” She whimpered.

“I’m so close Lee.” Lucy husked.

Lucy grinded her hips, forcing Leah’s body hard into the mattress below her.

Leah gripped at Lucy’s back, holding on for dear life as Lucy fucked her into a mess of moans.

“Thats it baby. Just a little more, take it.” Lucy grunted in Leah’s ear.

Leah would take another hour of Lucy fucking her, if it meant Lucy would feel even a little bit of pleasure. She tilted her head back, whimpering from Lucy’s thrust.

Lucy sucked on the blondes neck, knowing it was a turn on for her.

“You- you’re so….so fucking go-good Lucy.”

She wrapped her legs around Lucy’s waist pulling her deeper, pushing Lucy into her own orgasm.

“Fuck. Leah!”

Her hips jerked into the girl below as her clit pulsated against the vibration. She pushed as hard she could, chasing her sweet climax.

She slowed her movements, still pumping into Leah, breathing hard into the younger girls neck, kissing her sticky skin. She could feel her own juices gathering at her thighs.

Her muscles felt heavy, as her body came down from the high, sinking into Leah’s hot skin.

“Oh my god.” Lucky chuckled with a slight rasp.

Leah laughed, kissing Lucy’s neck.

Both girls panted hard, trying to catch their breath. Lucy gently pulled out of Leah, quickly taking off her harness.

She crawled back on the mattress.

“I hope you’re ready to be eaten out.”

Leah bit her bottom lip, her eyes rolling into the back of her head, but she had a better idea.

“I hope you are too.”

Lucy raised her eyebrow, smirking at the blonde.

“Lay down.”

Lucy did what she was told, laying in the middle of the bed. She watched as Leah swung her leg over her body, sitting in a reverse cowgirl position.

She backed up, her knees either side of Lucy’s arms. Lucy instantly grabbing her waist, guiding her in the right spot.

“You’re dripping.”

Lucy licked her lips, eager to get her mouth on Leah’s pussy. She loved eating Leah out like this.

Leah chuckled as she felt Lucy pull her hips down, the girl was always so impatient. She looked down at Lucy’s abs, mindlessly stroking her hand on firm muscles.

She casted her eyes on Lucy’s pussy, still dripping from her last orgasm. She swiped her finger up through her lips, she felt Lucy jolt under her.

“Leah! Don’t tease.”

Leah giggled, she leaned forward her face inches from Lucy’s pussy. She lowered her own body so Lucy could reach what she needed most.

Lucy pulled Leah’s hips down, her tongue ready and waiting, she took a long broad stroke through her folds.

“Fuck, that feels so good.” Leah groaned.

Lucy started to lap at Leah, she was fully open for her. Every inch of her exposed for Lucy to have as she pleased.

Leah dipped her head, kissing on Lucy’s clit, she felt the girl buck again, she was clearly still sensitive from her previous orgasm.

Both girls were in heaven, the wet sucking sounds in the room were utterly filthy.

Leah started to grind her hips, as she felt Lucy suck on her clit, her juices dripped down Lucy’s chin as her climax started building.

Leah could tell Lucy was close, she pushed two fingers into Lucy’s cunt, pumping slowly, she knew Lucy loved coming like this, she loved having Leah’s fingers inside her when she came.

And the moan Lucy let out only spurred her on, she sucked and pumped hard into Lucy, in love with the moans that escaped Lucy’s mouth.

Lucy was finding it hard to keep her mouth on Leah, while she was fucking her like this.

“Lee, I can’t. I - I….can’t.”

“It’s okay Luce, let me take care of you.”

As Leah captured her lips back on Lucy’s swollen clit she felt Lucy’s hips thrust, her moans stuttering out. Leah pushed her fingers deep, hitting Lucy’s sweet spot.

The brunette squeezed Leah’s thighs, needing something to hold onto as her orgasm hit her hard, waves of pure bliss washed over her body.

Leah could hear Lucy coming, she smiled as she lapped at Lucy’s juices, swallowing what she could.

Lucy’s hips jolted, thrusting hard, pushing herself into Leah’s tongue, she moaned when she heard Leah slurping at her folds.

Lucy’s thrusting came to a slow stop. Her breathing escaping out in shorts burst, her limbs once more feeling heavy.

“God, your mouth is amazing.” Lucy’s voice was raspy and low.

The blonde smiled as she pressed light kisses to Lucy’s thighs, loving the way the girls body reacted to the touch.

Before Leah could respond her hips were being pulled down and her clit was being sucked by Lucy’s warm, wet mouth.

Leah bucked her hips into Lucy’s mouth, she was already feeling her orgasm build, it was already on the cusp. She could hear Lucy’s tongue, hear her swallowing Leah’s juices, it drove Leah into her own orgasm, it was fast but it was no less strong.

Leah screamed, grinding her hips, hard into Lucy’s face, at this point not caring if Lucy’s was struggling to breathe, her body needed Lucy’s tongue and she was going to get it.

She slowed her hips down, small shivers took over her body, she flopped to the left of Lucy, falling on the mattress.

“Don’t speak to me for an hour.” Leah blew back the hair out of her face, she was utterly wrecked.

Lucy laughed, she pushed herself on her elbows, she smiled as she looked over at the blonde. Leah was a beautiful site to see, her pussy and thighs glistening from her juices, her lips swollen and wet, from sucking on Lucy’s clit.

And this beautiful girl was now her girlfriend, Lucy had never been happier.

“Hey, do you fancy a shower? I’ll order us some food.”

Leah laid on her side, holding her head up by her hand. She looked over at Lucy, she couldn’t stop the smile that plastered her face. She couldn’t believe this gorgeous woman was officially her girlfriend, she actually got to call Lucy hers.

“Ohhh that sounds good, what do you fancy?”

Lucy smirked.

“You.”

Lucy dived forward, grabbing Leah, easily pulling her into her lap.

Leah laughed, she loved seeing this side of Lucy, it was a side many didn’t get to see.

Lucy captured Leah’s lips on her own, both humming happily.

“I fancy you, but I could also do with a burger.”

Leah chuckled and hummed in agreement.

“Same, burger sounds good. Just nothing with sauce or veg in mine, just a plain burger, with cheese.”

“Cool. I’ll order that now, you jump in the shower.”

“Okay, join me when you can.”

Lucy kissed Leah’s cheek as the blonde made her way to the shower.

Lucy glanced up, watching the blonde’s beautiful, perky arse walk out the door. She couldn’t help but bite her lip as the sight.

She jumped up, making her own way to the bathroom. Loving the squeak she got from

Leah as she grabbed her from behind

The burger could wait another 20 minutes.

[moutheyes]

A fond farewell to Miseinen, See Your Love, and Caged Again

It's actually insane how hot 2025 is coming in. Out of these three series, I was originally only watching Caged Again (hello, I'm moutheyes, and I'm a WeTV Originals acolyte), but thanks to the fine folks here who make nice gifs I gave in and jumped on the bandwagons for Miseinen and See Your Love.

Original script counter: 2 originals, 1 adaptation (a transnational one at that!).

For anyone still waiting to watch the Caged Again finale, I'll put that one behind the cut even though there aren't any spoilers. :)

Miseinen

Somehow both more quiet and more dramatic than I expected. Liked the confusion-separation-reconciliation of it all very much, the way the tumult of youth—feelings amplified by a lack of freedom, sense of suffocation, and the uncertainty of the future—smoothed out, giving way to more even ground where Jin and Haruki could restart their interrupted hearts. The beauty of their relationship was how they saw each other for who they really were, and accepted those initial rough draft versions, and that was enough.

At the same time, the commitment to realism resonated deeply: of course Haruki's trauma meant he needed time to heal away from everything else, and of course Jin's filial nature meant he'd always be torn between duty and desire. The way this extended to the special episode was especially poignant, showing the complex navigation of a now-stable relationship within their separate careers and semi-shared social lives. I also appreciated how they found outlets to express themselves when they couldn't find the right words to say face to face: the letters, the movie, the metaphors they both worked into their art. Both main actors had standout moments, and their chemistry was also top tier—the eyes and the hands! Also loved the moody palette with the constant contrast between cool and warm tones, and the opening song is a total earworm, absolutely unskippable.

Initial rating: 8.0

See Your Love

Okay, so 75% of this show was designed specifically to punch me in a soft and vulnerable place. Shaopeng—and his family—showcased some of the most thoughtful disability rep I've seen in Asian media, not just QL. His storyline was uplifting and affirming, but didn't shy away from his frustrations or hardships, either. The progression and deepening of Shaopeng and Zixiang's relationship is where I thought the script did great work with Zixiang in particular. His devotion to learning sign language and his commitment to doing everything possible to immerse himself in Shaopeng's world, ugh. For such a useless nepo baby, Zixiang was remarkably clear-headed about his own weaknesses, and even leaned into them—his cowardice, his lack of self-sufficiency—to bolster Shaopeng's own confidence. And in return, he gained strength from Shaopeng's resilience to face his own issues head-on. (Special shout-out to Shaopeng's dad, aka the taekwondo instructor the guys from LFCT needed...)

The show did a beautiful job with the central romance, but did leave a few crumbs on the table. The second pairing was deeply unserious and underdeveloped (very cute and appealing dynamic though, I guess there's always fic), and neither Jessica nor Zicheng posed real threats to the HEA. Zicheng in particular never felt like a major player; his local hired thugs were kind of just helpfully inept, and his eleventh-hour interference attempt needed more setup on the emotional front, although I did enjoy the actual confrontation scene.

Initial rating: 7.5

Caged Again

I don't know how they managed to infuse this wacky premise of a show—a panther and a penguin transform into teenage boys and fall in love—with the warmth of a big group hug, but the metaphorical storytelling was a wild success. All of the characters in the show have their own cage keeping them from what they truly desire, whether it's loneliness, trauma, neglect, grief, or pressure from parents and society. It's simple, it's universal, and that's why it works.

It didn't hurt that the cast was disarmingly endearing! Jay was a little ball of charm as Junior, our penguin, whose curiosity about life as a human was surpassed only by his audacity and sass. Ben played panther Sun with a lot of quiet restraint, which worked due to the character's backstory, and Nokia and Jaonine rounded out the main teenager group with a charming soft-bickering dynamic. Add in a colorful support cast featuring real-life couple Porsche and Arm as some needed father figures and queer role models, a Mole Goddess whose hobby was breaking the fourth wall, a school principal with an inner minx, and the world's most Done With Your Nonsense security guard, and every episode was a rollicking good time.

I thought the villains—a pair of animal traffickers—were afforded a bit too much screentime, since they also doubled as additional comic relief, but there was something genuinely heartbreaking about Junior's relationship with Son, the zookeeper whose betrayal leads to some real moments of pathos. (Is there anything to how close Son and Sun are in spelling/pronunciation?) Overall, though, this was an unexpected comfort show with careful character work and a great sense of humor—and another prime example of why I hunger for more original scripts!

Initial rating: 8.0

A very strong start to the year, hope the rest of 2025 can deliver like this.

[gemsofgreece]

speaking of greek films, do you have any recommendations? maybe even of the romcom variety? i've only seen zorba

And here's me whose ass still hasn't watched Zorba and even more embarrassingly I kinda thought it was a fully American movie adapting the Greek novel with some Greeks contributing, like actress Irene Papas and the music score by Mikis Theodorakis. It turns out you're right though, the film was directed, written and produced by the Greek filmmaker Michael Cacoyannis but then it was distributed by 20th Century Fox so it was a Greece - USA production.

I don't know if you can speak or are learning Greek though because Zorba was a co-production and it was mostly in English but a fully Greek production is in Greek and most don't get subtitled for international audiences. I will give you some personal recs but I can't guarantee you will find subtitles easily or you will have to do some severe digging. I have made the recs in an older answer so I am linking that post:

I will give a more updated rec list too:

Faves of mine:

From the link above the ones I would advice one to not miss are:

Η Κάλπικη Λίρα (The Counterfeit Coin, 1955). It's not only my favourite Greek movie but it's also in the All Time Top 100 Best Movies of International Cinema list of some very legit major institution that I am forgetting now XD It's a social dramedy with top tier comedians and drama actors co-starring and it's basically four different life stories connected through the same counterfeit coin.

Αχ, αυτή η γυναίκα μου! (Oh, that wife of mine!, 1967) It's a situational comedy. It's hilarious but if you don't know Greek, I don't know how well it translates to a different language. Man desperately wanting a promotion gets in a chaotic situation when his playboy boss first gets outraged and then obsessed with his wife, without knowing her true identity.

 5 λεπτά ακόμα (5 minutes more, 2006) I still think this movie is very underrated. It's a metaphysical philosophical dark dramedy with a great understated score. You can find it on youtube, obviously without English subtitles and with bad quality but hey at least it's on youtube! A morally neutral man with jealousy issues dies and is given five more minutes in the mortal world, which will determine his afterlife.

Το Τανγκό των Χριστουγέννων (Christmas Tango, 2011). Romantic drama. A soldier gets unintentionally entagled in the unrequited / forbidden romance of his mysterious aloof commander. Now this movie has a queer element. It does not have a queer happy end but it has both straight and queer themes and honestly it's a beautiful movie. You can find it on youtube.

Ρεμπέτικο (Rembetiko, 1983). Drama. The tragic life of a female singer of the then underground Rembetiko music scene, the music genre the Greeks of Asia Minor brought along after the Asia Minor Catastrophe and the population exchange between Turkey and Greece in the first half of the 20th century. Personally, I am not crazy about this movie but this doesn't mean necessarily anything because it gets good reviews in imdb even outside Greece. But I personally recommend it for its INSANE score and songs. These songs have become emblematic in the Greek music scene. The composer, Stavros Xarhakos, makes a cameo in the movie.

I still recommend the other recs in the old list too, especially the comedies. Also, like I have said, you can't go too wrong with Greek comedies of the 50s-60s in general. Since I said that, here's a list of faves and critics' choices of Greek movies from the 50s-70s.

Some other faves not in the old lists:

Το χώμα βάφτηκε κόκκινο (Blood on the Land, 1966). A Greek Western! Who would have thought but it is good! When I say western, I don't mean Cowboys vs Natives of course, but I mean land property disputes, rural, animosity gets out of hand, social class inequality etc etc and it is actually linked to Greek social history of the 20th century. And finally a Greek movie that takes good advantage of the Meteora. The movie was a nominee for best foreign film in the Oscars .

Strella, 2009. This is a strictly 18+ movie. It is a queer movie BUT it is also a very edgy movie, like, it can be perceived as extremely edgy no matter if you are a member of the LGBTQIA+ community or not. It's not the imagery that makes it edgy but the plot at some point takes a serious left turn. So, only watch if you're into weird cinema territory. I have warned you. Personally I am not into weird cinema but I liked this one. Man gets out of prison after years of incarceration for committing a murder. He befriends and soon gets into a relationship with a trans female sex worker. The protagonist, Mina Orfanou, is actually a trans woman and she was really praised for her performance in this.

Ιφιγένεια (Iphigenia, 1977). Directed by Michael Cacoyannis like Zorbas, this is a movie about the myth of the sacrifice of Iphigenia, Agamemnon's daugher, with an all-Greek cast. It is kind of those theater-to-movie films so don't expect Troy level of production. It has very minimal sets. Also, it's the 70s, the bible and sandal era, so the costumes are really anachronistic and inaccurate but other than that it is a good movie. It was nominated for the Oscar for foreign language film. And it's on youtube with English subtitles.

A few other recs:

Antigone (1961). Even more than Iphigenia, this is almost pure theatre filmed. The acting is theatrical, the staging is theatrical, it's all just theatre really. This is a very loyal adaptation of Euripides' Antigone. The acting is very good.

America America (1963). A movie by Greek American filmmaker Elia Kazan that I haven't watched yet but it is very famous. Biographical historical drama, inspired by Kazan's uncle. The struggles and feats of a Greek of Anatolia, Ottoman Empire (modern day Turkey) trying to secure a passage to America in the late 19th - early 20th century. It is an Academy Awards winner.

Πολίτικη Κουζίνα (A Touch of Spice, 2003). The life of a boy and his relationship to his beloved grandfather, who instilled in him the love for cooking and astronomy, as they part ways when the boy and his parents are deported from Turkey after the ongoing tensions started from the incidents of the Istanbul pogrom in 1955, while the grandfather is able to legally stay behind. I wouldn't put this movie in my faves but it is very aesthetically pleasing and has a wonderful score. It is also an introduction to the special historical bond Greeks have with Constantinople / Istanbul and the tragic story of it all.

Έτερος Εγώ (Heteros Ego / The Other Me, 2016). Crime Mystery. This movie is very popular. I think it's overrated but you can judge for yourself. It is on youtube. I personally liked more the TV series that was its continuation (the first two seasons only, because the third was horrible). It is suitable for 17+ audiences. An eccentric criminology professor is summoned to investigate murder cases where the murderer cites quotes by Pythagoras.

Man of God, 2021. If you are a Christian / religious, watch it. I would like this movie more if the director had not forced all the cast to perform in English in order to make an international screening. It takes away from their performance because it is so unnatural and illogical. But otherwise it is an interesting topic and the actors try their best despite that massive handicap. This is the true story of Saint Nektarios of Aegina island and his unfair defamation by the rest of the clergy.

Η Φόνισσα (The Murderess, 2023). Unfortunately this movie does not hold a candle to the original novel of Alexandros Papadiamantis written in 1903 - quite possibly the first feminist literary work written by a man - but it is your next best alternative unless you can read the book or a translation of it. In this case, totally skip the movie and read the book, which is excellent and my favourite Greek novel. But if you watch the movie, just know it took many liberties for the worse. It has good acting and cinematography though. The story explores the life and mind of Frankoyannou, a hardened peasant woman, as more and more female infants and young girls are found murdered in her village, including her own grand-daughter.

Miss Violence, 2013. This movie is incredibly disturbing and I wish I could forget what I saw. If you like disturbing cinema, obviously 18+, watch it. It sickens you to the core though. An ordinary 11 year old girl commits suicide the day her ordinary family celebrates her birthday. Minute by minute we learn more about the family though and minute by minute we realise this is not a regular family AT ALL.

More weirdness. If you actually do like weird cinema, then you can also explore Yorgos Lanthimos' old Greek movies. These are easier to find since Lanthimos is globally famous now. Dogtooth was his Greek movie that was a nominee in the Oscars. But he has a couple more. (By the way, Miss Violence makes Dogtooth seem like a My Little Pony episode.)

More length. Theo Angelopoulos was an acclaimed Greek director, famous for his slow lengthy movies that explore philosophical and other themes. Several movies of his are acclaimed internationally. His most awarded ones are Ο Θίασος (The Travelling Players, 1975), Ταξίδι στα Κύθηρα (Voyage to Cythera, 1984), Το βλέμμα του Οδυσσέα (Ulysses' Gaze, 1995), Μια Αιωνιότητα και μια Μέρα (Eternity and a Day, 1998), Τοπίο στην Ομίχλη (Landscape in the Mist, 1988).

More Kazantzakis. Since you have watched Zorba the Greek, a film based on the novel Life and Times of Alexis Zorbas by Nikos Kazantzakis, perhaps you will be interested in two more movies based on other novels of his, even if they are not purely Greek or Greek productions. The first one is the very famous The Last Temptation of Christ (1988) starring Willem Dafoe, directed by Martin Scorsese. The problem is that this movie is often very misunderstood as edgy / anti-Christian / atheist whereas Kazantzakis' intent with his book was kinda the exact opposite so he probably rolls nonstop in his grave with some readings I have seen being made of the movie, even here on tumblr. Scorcese obviously focused more on the edgy factor than Kazantzakis did, further encouraging such misinterpretations but you could still be able to understand the meaning of Kazantzakis' book through the movie, now that I told you that Kazantzakis was essentially a secular theological / Christian philosopher. The other one is Ο Χριστός Ξανασταυρώνεται (Christ Recrucified / He Who Must Die, 1957). A French / Italian production, also featuring the Greek actress Melina Mercuri. A Greek village in Anatolia in 1920 (Modern day Turkey) stages a Passion Play for Easter. Staging the play leads to them rebelling against their Turkish rulers in a way that mirrors Jesus's story. There is also a Greek TV series adapting the novel in 1975 - 1976, which is closer to the book and gets better reviews and you can watch it in the streaming platform I recommend below.

ERTFLIX. Ertflix is the state TV's OTT platform and it is entirely for free, while also available internationally. It has both desktop and app formats and you can also add it to several TV boxes, Chromecast, Roku etc For the free service that it is, it has an abundance of series, movies and documentaries so I can never stop praising it...! There you can find numerous Greek movies / series / documentaries to watch, plus even more foreign stuff with Greek subtitles if you're learning Greek and need to practice. Plus it has interviews, the invaulable archives of the state TV and so much more. In Greece it is not necessary but for using the platform abroad you will have to register as a user but it is entirely for free. Ertflix I love you. Below is a screenshot with some Greek movies available now:

Scroll to the Greek cinema option (or to the Greek series). The site is built in both Greek and English.

Where you can find ERTFLIX:

The aforementioned TV series based on Kazantzakis' novel.

Upcoming movies of Greek interest:

Maria. The biopic of Maria Callas, rather her last years, starring Angelina Jolie. Is Jolie a good casting choice for Callas? Well, no. People say she does a good job in it however. I don't know about that and I am going to be sceptical because I love Maria Callas and I don't think she can be easily (at all) imitated. I 'll watch it though. From the trailer I see Jolie did a very legit job with Callas' speaking manner and accent, this is hopeful. Part of the movie was filmed in Greece too.

The Return. Starring Ralph Fiennes and Juliette Binoche, this is a retelling of the last part of the Odyssey, once Odysseus has returned to Ithaca and has to reclaim his rule and home from Penelope's suitors. It is a realistic retelling, not featuring the gods, based on the trailer I saw. I had my reservations for this casting but Fiennes looks good as old Odysseus IMO and Binoche is a brunette French, of course she can pass easily as a Greek. They are also both good and serious actors and I am sure they give their best in the movie. The drawback is that it's like we return to the 70s with these poor and anachronistic costumes and sets. And also aside from the protagonists, who would have thought there was so much diversity in Ithaca / s, a REAL, TINY and REMOTE Greek island. Telemachus looks like the blondest of Swedes and then the Ithacians have apparently descent from Scandinavia to Southeast Asia to central Africa. Amazing. Ithaca, the New York of Bronze Age. At least Fiennes (in this) and Binoche do pass as Greeks... What makes the movie a little promising for me is the amazing physique Fiennes achieved for it: the parts half dead old beggar and parts godly warrior king. He nailed it. The scene with the bow, I know already I will get the chills.

From this alone I know Fiennes is doing a terrific job in this. He is always invested very seriously in his movies.

Anyway, one third of the movie is shot in Greece and ERT (the Greek State TV) is actually a co-producer (a rarity with international movies of Greek mythological interest nowadays), so once it's done from movie theaters, it is going to be available for free on ERTFLIX... apparently globally. I so hope this movie does not disappoint me.

A lot of these can be found in links in greek-movies.com but you didn't hear it from me.

[aszles]

since my first pinned post had a tierlist of csm characters, i decided to redo it as a tierlist of Fujimoto works instead! (i had only read csm when i made this sideblog) it's a lot less ever-changing so i feel a bit safer keeping something like this at the top of my blog lol...

within the tiers there is no specific order, they're just the things i happened to put in first. if you wanna make one here's the template! (made by yours truly)

because i'm a nerd you can read my opinions about each work below the cut~

S TIER

Chainsaw Man - i mean, csm is just awesome. in all honesty, this manga has changed my life. i KNOW that sounds silly and corny but it's genuinely true. i have been able to get past a lot of my struggles and develop so much as a person since starting this manga. as a fun bonus i feel like i've finally started improving my art again (or at least changing it enough to feel fresh) after like 3 years. i can't really describe how much csm has done for me, but if i had told myself from 2021 that this would happen i would never believe it (especially because i had written off this series for some personal reasons...lol) but yeah. i think i'll forever be grateful for what Chainsaw Man has done for me.

Look Back - i think Look Back is seriously the best piece of media i have ever experienced. i don't think i have ever seen a story so beautifully crafted as this manga, it made me sob when i read it. i remember having to move the manga away from myself so i wouldn't get tears on it. at the time of writing this i am SO SO excited to watch the movie, whenever that will be. i will cry and throw up watching that thing LOL.

Nayuta of the Prophecy - ok maybe i don't TECHNICALLY believe this is an S tier work, but Nayuta is just such a lovable character that i can't possibly rank her any lower. Fujimoto was right to adapt her into csm because she deserves it!! however despite that, this oneshot is the only one that i genuinely wish he would make a sequel to. i think oneshot Nayuta and csm Nayuta are pretty different, so they still don't feel like the same character - i would love to see oneshot Nayuta's personality and relationship with her brother continue to develop!

A TIER

Sisters - one of the few other works i had heard anything about before i started exploring Fujimoto's other stuff, and i definitely felt apprehensive about it. but wow, the fact that Fujimoto is able to take the concept of "girl non-consensually paints her sister naked and it gets displayed on the school wall for everyone to see" and NOT make it weird is crazy! a sweet oneshot that i enjoyed, and love the nuance that was able to be created in such a short amount of time.

Woke-Up-as-a-Girl Syndrome - a really cute take on a silly trope that can often be handled... oddly. i love how much the characters in this really feel like teenagers, doing stupid things but being completely earnest all the while. (Spoilers) i really like how it ends with Toshihide being adamant that he is still male, and also Rie still loving him as he is. very sweet!

Love is Blind - it's no wonder Fujimoto won an honourable mention for this, it's such an adorable and funny oneshot. i was giggling the whole time reading it! i don't really have much to say about it, but i definitely enjoyed it.

Fire Punch - i don't really know where to start with Fire Punch, but wow. it is seriously so impressive to me how good Fujimoto is at tackling such sensitive topics, not shying away from them while also clearly not glorifying them. i also think a big place where Fire Punch shines is character relationships, especially Agni and Togata. they fucked me UPPPPP. it goes off the rails a bit near the end, but i also never got the feeling that it WASN'T what Fujimoto intended with this series. i may not quite get the ending, but it didn't ruin anything for me and i think the rest of Fire Punch is really good at what it does. plus the art is AWESOME ?????

B TIER

Goodbye, Eri - ohhh people might not like me for this one... i'm sorry guys, i just honestly didn't get this manga. i'll definitely reread in the future (me and my sister still haven't finished our sticky notes to read it blurry/clear) but for now i can't rank it any higher. i didn't feel much reading it, and the ending definitely confused me a lot lol. love the art though!

Shikaku - this one's interesting! i thought the story was quite cute, and Shikaku herself is completely adorable. though Yugeru is ummm... not my type let's say. i also do wonder if Makima took any inspiration from Shikaku - she looks similar to her, which to be fair for Fujimoto works probably doesn't mean much (as a lot of his character's look similar to each other /pos), but a clearer comparison is both characters presenting eyeballs they stole from people. (also... if Makima is inspired by Shikaku, is Barem then inspired by Yugeru? yuck) anyways just my speculation, back to the point. the reason this doesn't make its way into A tier is because to me it doesn't really feel like a Fujimoto work? i'm not sure why, but yeah.

C TIER

Mermaid Rhapsody - this one's definitely cute, but as a result of Fujimoto trying to create a "normal story" it unfortunately loses all of the charm of Fujimoto works!! i want it to be weird and fucked up damnit!!!!! though he did succeed in his goal of creating a normal story, so i can't complain too much lol.

Sasaki Stopped a Bullet - i don't have anything against this oneshot, but i think it just doesn't particularly appeal to me. unfortunately nothing in this story grabbed me

D TIER

A Couple Clucking Chickens Were Still Kickin' in the Schoolyard - it's no real surprise this is here, considering it's Fujimoto's first work. overall it was pretty cute, but i'm not all that into aliens..? not much to say lol

if you read all this then thank you >_o

[hadesoftheladies]

FEMALE MOVIE/TV RECS (PART 8 / COMEDY & ROMCOMS)

got inspired from a recommendation post so decided to make a list of movies and shows with female-centric stories/female protagonists. since i can't post all of the genres in one post, i'll split it into multiple posts and y'all can save or add to the list as you wish. (disclaimer: i have watched most of these, but i only know about the existence of others. not every movie/show on these lists will be my recommendation. my recommendations will be beneath the list with reasons. also some of these are way better than others in terms of storytelling/performance--which is why i'll list my faves separately):

Common Themes/Tropes:

-Quirky girlfailures and losergirls being disastrous (and learning they're still loveable)

-Women causing carnage (sometimes) unintentionally

-Women getting into shenanigans with their friends/sisters

-Features many equally if not more dumbass male antagonists (or sidekicks)

-Financial struggle subplot

-BFFs and sisters > everything else (even the d)

-Lots of sex and money talk usually

-The Struggle of Dating TM

-I Still Feel 12 & Stupid TM

WHAT I'D RECOMMEND:

Abbott Elementary (9/10) (too many amazing female characters!)

Such Brave Girls (8/10) (Derry Girls as adults)

Kajillionaire (7/10) (the protagonist is so weird and loveable, top tier ending)

Isn't It Romantic (6.5/10) (fun and knows exactly what it needs to be)

Fleabag (?/10) (haven't watched but I know it's good)

Kevin Can F**k Himself (9.5/10) (genuinely so so so so good some of the most clever and sincere storytelling I've seen in a while)

Hacks (7.5/10) (the two female leads are hilarious in their own ways and so human!)

NOT LISTED BUT WORTH CHECKING OUT:

What Men Want

Little

Nobody's Fool

Girl's Trip

The Other Woman

Queenie

Legally Blonde

Miss Congeniality

The Devil Wears Prada

Pitch Perfect

PERSONAL NOTES

Playing House is about two friends raising a child together, which is a premise I love. High Desert is a detective comedy (way more comedy than detective, though) with a likeable protagonist who is also addicted to drugs (that isn't the punchline, don't worry).

The Hustle and Queenpins were produced by the same company (and you can tell).

Twenties is one of the few shows that feature a stud lesbian as a central character (and she's beautiful!). Insecure is probably the most famous of black female comedy shows, though.

[in1-nutshell]

Human Buddy's sleepover with Whirl

SFW, platonic, Human reader

MTMTE

To even have a sleepover with Whirl, Buddy needs to be on the top tier bestie list. Meaning it’s going to take time to even bring up the idea. When Buddy does get on Whirl’s good side there is a chance he might say yes.

Mainly because he is trying to be a little less threatening and get so friends thanks to a couple dozen sessions with Rung. The idea of a sleepover probably happened on one of Swerve’s Earth movie nights. There was a scene where Whirl nudges Buddy a bit and asks what the characters were doing on the beds with all the trinkets and stuff. Buddy quickly explains the concept of the sleepover before going back to the movie.

“So, this isn’t some murder coupe in disguise?”--Whirl

“Nope.”--Buddy

“…when are the guns going to come in?”--Whirl

“Whirl there are no guns in this movie.”--Buddy

“Then why am I even here?!”--Whirl

“Because you owe me a favor.”—Buddy

A few days after the movie, one evening, Whirl barges into Buddy’s room with all his sleep things proclaiming that they were going to have a sleepover. Buddy really doesn’t have much room to say anything and just goes with the flow.

“Sleepover time Fleshy!” --Whirl

It was a normal Tuesday evening on the Lost Light anyways.

Buddy introduces sleepover games to Whirl such as spin the Bottle, Truth or Dare and Never have I ever. Whirl takes a liking to Truth or Dare, mainly the Dare part. He knows Buddy can’t do certain things, so he won’t push things too badly.

“C’mon squishy climb the shelves even higher!”--Whirl

“Whirl if I fall and splat on the ground, I will haunt you till the end.”--Buddy

“Bold of you to assume I’d let you got splat on the ground.”--Whirl

“Aww you do care.”--Buddy

“Who else am I going to bother an shake like a rag doll?”--Whirl

“Wow, Whirl, I feel so loved.”--Buddy

“Yeah, yeah keep climbing, you still have another 2 shelves to go fleshy.” --Whirl

Soon enough it’s time to sleep.

Whirl gets a bit unsettled seeing Buddy sleeping a bit. He doesn’t know if slow breathing is a good sign. With what he knows slow breathing leads to no breathing meaning no Buddy.

So, he pokes Buddy from time to time. After the fifth time Buddy manages to find out the answer to Whirl’s poking.

“So, you just sleep? Don’t you need to keep that little pump of yours pumping?”--Whirl

“Yeah, but my body does it on its own.”--Buddy

“But what if it forgets or something?”--Whirl

“Then it’s been nice knowing you.”--Buddy

“…”--Whirl

That leads to a compromise.

Buddy sleeps in Whirl’s cockpit, that way Whirl can feel them, and they can both have a decent amount of sleep. Whirl’s cockpit is fit with tons of blankets and pillows. He doesn’t admit it, but he likes sleeping knowing Buddy is okay. They both sleep well.

When it’s time to wake up Whirl is groggy and just leaves the room thinking it’s his and goes about his day… meanwhile Buddy is still in the cockpit. They do wake up but decide to see where this goes, anyways they need a break from the reports. They had already filed a report saying they were going to take the day off yesterday.

Whirl doesn’t realize Buddy is still in him, Buddy just takes cat naps and plays on their phone from time to time with headphones on. He does realize soon though that Buddy is napping inside, but he can’t bring himself to kick them out… and wants to continue to watch some of the crew wonder where Buddy is at. He’ll tell where they are… eventually.

“Buddy? Have I seen them? Nope haven’t say I’ve seen them Eyebrows, not that I care anyways.”—Whirl to Rung

“Nope haven’t seen the today.”—Whirl to Drift

“What’s in my cockpit? Wouldn’t you like to know.”—Whirl to Cyclonus

For now he is watching chaos unfold slowly.

[gothicbarbie]

TOP 30 BL'S OF 2023

It's that time again! The end of 2023 is here, and 2024 is upon us! Once again, we were blessed with some truly amazing BL series and I have tried my hardest to rank them all. I could only narrow it down to 30 this time cuz there were so many good ones. If a BL is not listed, it probably means I haven't watched it yet, but it is likely on a "for later" list.

GOD TIER 10/10

1. The Eighth Sense (KOREA) Absolutely ADORE this series, it was so well done. Beautiful filming and locations, each episode felt very different in terms of setting, the pacing was nice, and the chemistry was really good too between the main pairing. It was great to get some nice kissing moments as well. Def. one of the best KBL's I've seen ever and easily fits into my top 5 BL's of all time.

2. I Cannot Reach You (JAPAN) One of Japan's best series imo. Very cute storyline, I found both characters extremely likable and fun. I love their cute friendship and subtle build up. I really enjoyed watching this one.

3. My Personal Weatherman (JAPAN) Another great one from Japan, with lots of high heat scenes. Parts of the storyline were a little confusing to me at times but I think a change of scenery could have benefited the series, but regardless, I still really enjoyed it week to week.

4. Kiseki Dear to Me (TAIWAN) Probably my favorite Tawain BL ever after We Best Love. I mainly just loved the chemistry between the two couples, they were both really fun to watch and had wonderful chemistry as well as lovely kissing scenes. Def excited to rewatch this one in the future.

5. Our Dating Sim (KOREA) It's hard to believe this was from 2023, but I recently rewatched the whole thing and it held up! It was a very fun and cute series, and the build up with the main pairing was so well done. It really felt like the writers took their time with this series.

TOP TIER 9/10

6. Stay With Me (CHINA) Shocking to see a chinese series on this list, but this is one of my all time favorite BL series. Some people might argue that it isn't BL, but I highly disagree. We got a few "cheek" kisses and most romantic scenes were heavily implied but for me, it was still worth the watch. The ending was rough to say the least, and I really hope we get a season 2 to sort of rectify that, but regardless, I really loved it.

7. My School President (THAILAND) Another series that feels like it was SO long ago, but is def. at the top of my list for Thailand. Gemini/Forth's chemistry was on point and I loved the cute moments and subtle build up in this one.

8. A Shoulder to Cry On (KOREA) My only critique with this series is the lack of a kissing scene. I know for some people that isn't important, but to me it is and I was a bit frustrated to get nothing after such incredible build up, but regardless, the series was really nice and I loved the tension between the main two characters.

9. City Boy Log (KOREA) This one is still ongoing and not quite a BL series technically, but its scripted, and we get lots of BL moments, so I will count it in my list. I am loving the web style filming of this series and both couples a lot. I hope the main pairing gets the opportunity to be in an actual series together.

GREAT 8/10

10. Utsukushii Kare 2 (JAPAN) Sadly haven't been able to see the movie just yet, but the 2nd series was pretty well done. Not as enjoyable for me as season 1 but I still really enjoyed watching the main pairing navigate their relationship.

11. Never Let me Go (THAILAND) One of the better series from Thailand this year imo. I really liked the chemistry between pondphuwin and the episodes were packed with some pretty interesting storylines and build up, it was very fun to watch.

12. Ameiro Paradox (JAPAN) I've seen some people hate on this series, but personally I loved it. I found the chemistry between the leads to be super strong and I loved the build up to them recognizing their feelings. The kissing scenes were great as well. There were a few blah plots but overall I really enjoyed it.

13. Moonlight Chicken (THAILAND) Something about this series felt a bit more mature to me and it was a nice change from some of the cheesier bl's that try so hard to be funny? I really loved all the pairings in this series and the storyline was nice.

14. Tokyo in April (JAPAN) For me this one started out great but then kinda lost me near the end. I did love most of the storyline but other parts were super frustrating to watch. I enjoyed the manga a bit more I think? But still, it was nice.

15. Bed Friend (THAILAND) Loved this one on first watch but on rewatch it was just okay for me. I think some of the plots were just over-dramatic and too depressing. But the friends with benefits plot was well done and the chemistry between the main two was really strong. It was fun.

16. A Breeze of Love (KOREA) I might have enjoyed this one a bit more had I seen the eps slower. Because I binged it's hard to get a good grasp on it but I did really like it. I liked the chemistry between the main couple and there was a sweetness to it I enjoyed.

17. Love Class 2 (KOREA) I think I slightly preferred the overall storyline of season 1, but in this one I preferred all the couples. For me that was the biggest draw. It was a tad bit confusing at first, but then it started to come together near the middle. Not the absolute best from Korea but enjoyable.

Good 7/10

18. Bump up Business (KOREA) Great chemistry between the leads but unfortunately the plot fell a bit flat for me. I feel like they could have done so much more with it. The kiss was also extremely weak, but that was expected. It was a nice series to binge, but not one of my favs this year.

19. Destiny Seeker (THAILAND) Parts of this one were really odd and I think part of my issue was having wonky subs, but regardless, I really enjoyed the series and especially the chemistry between the main pairing. Loved watching their story build, their banter was so fun. I also liked the side pairing but wish they had a bit more focus.

20. Why R U Korea (KOREA) This one did not remind me of the OG at all, which is fine, but overall I found this series to be a tad slow. There were good and bad moments.

21. Love Mate (KOREA) Some of the KBL's this year get a bit confusing and I mix them all together... this is one that sort of got lost in the shuffle for me and I would need to rewatch to give a better opinion on it but I know I did enjoy it.

DECENT 6/10

22. HiStory 5 (TAIWAN) Sadly didn't enjoy this season of HiStory as much as past seasons but it was okay. I think it had some good moments but overall left me a bit underwhelmed.

23. The New Employee (KOREA) Didn't love this one as much as others have seemed to. I didn't find the chemistry to be that strong and I also am not fond of office romances, but it was okay.

24. Dangerous Romance (THAILAND) This one was forgettable but again, had some enjoyable moments. I think I liked it more in the beginning rather than the end.

25. If It's With You (JAPAN) Sweet series that simply just fell flat for me because it just felt too short so I couldn't really get invested in it. But it was cute.

26. My Story (FILO) This one was good, I liked both pairings a lot and there were some decent kissing scenes, but there were also a lot of cringey moments and moments I had to fastforward. For The Philippines I think it was one of the better series this year, but it's not at the top of my list.

27. Sing My Crush (KOREA) Another KBL that is so quick that you can binge in one night... this one didn't deliver for me as much as it did for others. The chemistry was good and it was sweet but I just found myself a bit bored of it. Still cute tho.

28. The Director Who Buys Me Dinner (KOREA) The plot is weird AF and I am not a big fan of like historical past lives romance type of plots but I did enjoy the chemistry between the main two. It might be a bit higher if the ending wasn't so weird...

29. Starstruck (KOREA) Another KBL that is a bit forgettable to me but from what I remember I enjoyed it.

30. Bon Appetit (KOREA) See above. lol.

Honorary mentions: These were good but not quite good enough for my list. I liked them but had small issues with them. Either cheesey or boring plots, or the chemistry was lacking for me. Also they are in no particular order:

1. His Man 2 (KOREA) - Not BL at all, but a reality series which was AMAZING. LOVE LOVE LOVED the ending pair... but couldn't put it on the main list because it's not scripted.

2. Minato’s Laundry 2 (JAPAN) -season 1 was amazing, this one didn't hold up. Hated how awkward they were as a couple and it just felt too unrealistic to me. Regardless, i still love the chemistry between the main two and liked seeing them again.

3. Hidden Agenda (THAILAND) - love joondunk and wish they would get a better storyline. This plot was all over the place but the chemistry was there. The kisses were top tier!

4. Only Friends (THAILAND)- i did love the messiness of this one and there were some fun pairings with hot scenes, but overall I felt the SL was a bit chaotic and some characters never really grew. I wish they had leaned into the sexy/messiness of it a tad bit more tbh.

5. Stay by My Side (Taiwain) - cute but a bit forgettable. I did enjoy the chemistry a lot in this one tho.

6. You Are Mine (Tawiain) - same as above, except the pairing wasn't as exciting for me.

7. Our Dining Table (JAPAN) - i know everyone loves this one and it was very cute and sweet, but a bit too slow for my taste.

8. End of the World With You (JAPAN) - some interesting plots and fun to watch, but overall a bit messy and problematic at times? lol.

9. Til the World Ends (THAILAND) - see above.

10. Jack O Frost (JAPAN)- decently cute series but the tone of it was a bit too depressing for me.

11. The Day I Loved You (FILO) -started great but was too emotional/sad for me after a few eps in.

12. Unintentional Love Story (KOREA) - seems a lot of people loved this one but it wasn't really my cup of tea. I found the plot very slow and the main couple was kinda bland imo. But I am willing to rewatch it and give it another chance soon.

13. Between Us (THAILAND) - technically this started in 2022 but it finished in 2023, so I'll include it. It was okay but not great. Much better series for bounprem but still found myself a bit bored.

Watched these ones in 2023 but they didn't make much of an impact in me. They had good and bad bits but to me, mostly bad. lol (No particular order)

1. Jun and Jun

2. Past-tenger

3. Love Tractor

4. Egoist Movie

5. Happy Merry Ending

6. Be My Favorite

7. A Boss and a Babe

8. Step by Step

9. Naked Dinner

10. Wedding Plan

11. My Dear Gangster Oppa

12. Cutie Pie 2

These series were forgettable or annoying imo and and I wouldn’t necessarily recommend them to anyone. However, they might be worth skimming through like I did? Good luck! lol. (In no order)

1. Hit Bite Love

2. Naughty Babe

3. Laws of Attraction

4. Remember Me

5. Love Bill

6. 609 Bedtime Story

7. All the Liquors

8. Be Mine Superstar

9. House of Stars

10. La Pluie

11. Our Sky 2

12. Venus in the Sky

13. Tin Tem Jai

14. Middleman’s Love

15. Future the Series

16. Tie the Knot

17. Luminous Solution

18. Bake Me Please

19. Our Winter

20. Stay Still

Shows I watched in 2023 but that are from previous years:

1. Bad Buddy (loved it!)

2. Advance Bravely (weird but enjoyable)

3. Why You Y Me (good)

4. Ghost Host Ghost House (okay)

5. La Cuisine (meh)

6. Win Jamie’s Heart (forgettable)

7. Kabe Sa Doujin (blah)

8. Catch Me Baby (skimmed for netjames only)

9. 21 Days Theory (what is this again?)

10. Innocent the Series (already forgot it)

Tried and Quit: I just couldn't get into these at all... I will probably not watch these ever.

Crazy Handsome Rich

Dinosaur Love

Low Frequency

Love Syndrome 3

If a show is from 2023 and not listed above, then likely I plan to get to it later. Either I tried the premiere and it didn’t capture me at first, I couldn’t find the episode when I tried to look for it, or I simply just haven’t had time for it yet.

A few on my list that i plan to watch because I heard good things about them are: I Feel You Linger in the Air, Lost in Translation, Beyond the Star, Shadow, My Universe. Plus many others. Let me know if there is a show you really loved that I didn't mention so I can check it out!

Oh, and here are all previous lists since TUMBLR is being a little bitch and not saving the tags.

2022: https://gothicbarbie.tumblr.com/post/705139242020618240/my-top-20-bl-series-of-2022

2021: https://gothicbarbie.tumblr.com/post/705227666795741184/my-top-15-bl-series-of-2021

2020: https://gothicbarbie.tumblr.com/post/705674738528354304/my-top-15-bls-of-2020

2019 and earlier: https://gothicbarbie.tumblr.com/post/705678223200174080/my-top-bls-of-2019-and-earlier

[frankendykes-monster]

Countdown to Halloween 2024 ranked

54. The Willies (1990)

53. Hell High (1987)

52. Face of The Screaming Werewolf (1964)

51. Terrifier (2016)

50. The Last Halloween (1991)

49. Cathy's Curse (1977)

48. The Last Shark (1981)

47. Godzilla × Kong: The New Empire (2024)

46. Creepozoids (1987)

45. The Horror of Frankenstein (1970)

44. Frankenstein's Castle of Freaks (1974)

43. Man Beast (1956)

42. Tourist Trap (1979)

41. Daughter of Dr. Jekyll (1957)

40. Fiend (1980)

39. Vampyros Lesbos (1971)

38. Devil Girl From Mars (1954)

37. Halloween Hall o' Fame (1977)

36. Nightmare (1981)

35. The Lost Skeleton of Cadavra (2001)

34. Peeping Tom (1960)

33. Violent Shit (1989)

32. Invaders From Mars (1986)

31. Eggshells (1969)

30. Night of The Ghouls (1959)

29. Scream, Blacula, Scream (1973)

28. The Strange World of Planet X (1958)

27. The Colossus of New York (1958)

26. The Scooby-Doo Project (1999)

25. Night of The Living Doo (2001)

24. Scooby-Doo! and The Reluctant Werewolf (1988)

23. The Great Bear Scare (1983)

22. The Wasp Woman (1995)

21. The Cyclops (1957)

20. Frankenstein and The Monster from Hell (1974)

19. The Tingler (1959)

18. The Boogey Man (1980)

17. The Dragon Lives Again (1977)

16. Quatermass and The Pit (1967)

15. The Brain That Wouldn't Die (1962)

14. Mad Love (1935)

13. The Alien Factor (1978)

12. The Walking Dead (1935)

11. Dr. Caligari (1989)

10. The Deadly Spawn (1983)

9. Invaders From Mars (1953)

8. Alucarda (1977)

7. Uzumaki (2024)

6. Sole Survivor (1984)

5. Nosferatu the Vampyre (1979)

4. Shock Waves (1977)

3. Frankenhooker (1990)

2. Invasion of The Body Snatchers (1978)

1. Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla (1974)

What a productive year. October lasts all of 30 seconds which is why I have to start watching these in July if I want to make any decent headway (31 films is not enough). I desperately tried to make this a year of "have not seens" after last year's top spots being flooded with films I already loved; we mostly did it, mostly. Another top heavy year with relatively few abysmal entries, let's get started.

The Willies is the grand shitshow for this year. It feels like it's an evolutionary precursor to something like Goosebumps or Are You Afraid of The Dark?, but it mostly plays to gross out rather than scares. I don't normally care for anthology horror films to begin so to start off a film with brief segments like a woman eating a deep fried rat or a little white dog being microwave exploded and then doing extended stories on monsters hiding in the school bathroom does not do it for me. The most minimal points possible for some decent lighting and special effects but they are not enough by any means to make this worth watching. Stay away.

Onto the 1980's horror: Hell High is what happens when a film crew asks "what if we put a woman into a situation and didn't stop". I want to call it misogynistic torture porn, but I don't want to devalue that phrase for when I use it for a film later on here, but suffice to say a woman is tortured. Emotionally. For very little reason. Universal was right to block The Last Shark from US theatrical distribution. Not because it's a very blatant Jaws ripoff and they wanted to protect their copyright, but because it's abysmal and nobody should have to pay money to see this. I think the stock footage of sharks juxtaposed with the unmoving props between shots is funny, and some of the soundtrack elevates the experience, like the high shrill drones when the shark attacks a helicopter. Creepozoids is an odd one because 1987 was a bit late for a Mad Max/Escape from New York/Alien knockoff but also too early for some Full Moon tier/softcore porn adjacent 1990's production, so it loses out on both fronts. Fiend I'm struggling to even recall, I feel like Don Dohler had one movie in him (see: his plethora of alien invasion films) and him trying to branch out did him no favors. Nightmare is one I want to enjoy because it's beautifully shot but I feel like I've seen one too many slasher adjacent films at this point that include plot points like the killer having a troubled relationship with his mother or him moonlighting as a regular guy (still better than Pieces mind you). Same with Violent Shit. I feel like my tastes are pretty attuned to films that are just gore effects showcases but this one doesn't have any zany concepts to justify or compliment it, so it just falls flat.

The Boogey Man belongs to that tirade of Halloween knockoffs that flooded theaters up till about 1984 or so, but it puts in some extra effort like having a ghost be the main antagonist and a symbolic interest in mirrors, which is much more than could be asked of films like Terror Train which came out the same year. Dr. Caligari is the obligatory "this is what Tim Burton thinks he's doing" film of this year; its sets and its performances are perfectly otherworldly to a humorous degree. It's something of a quasi-sequel to the 1920 film but its relationship with logic is attuned to such a frequency that it's not a hindrance. Very hard to objectively quantify, you're either in the target audience or you aren't, so of all films here take its tier placement the least seriously. The Deadly Spawn is such a gloriously gross film. The house it's shot in isn't supposed to be disgusting on purpose, it's just one of those century's old buildings where I feel like I'd revulse if I had to touch any surface, and that's before fleshy alien monsters break in and start shredding people to bits. Sole Survivor is one of those magical "missing link" horror films, we've finally found what comes between Carnival of Souls and Final Destination. The actual scares in this film are incredibly minimal as it prioritizes atmosphere that balances between comfort and unease, something incredibly rare for films of virtually any genre. Don't go in expecting ghosts and you'll be pleasantly surprised.

Taking a brief-ish detour to the 1960's, Face of The Screaming Werewolf is one of those films I'm more angry at than anything because it's one of those films that's just the combined stray footage of multiple previous films. Rare for these to be produced in the western market (most of the examples I think of are from (south)east Asia) but it's infuriating nonetheless to see something only to discover it's a worse version of multiple better things you could be seeing. Peeping Tom is our "most overrated" entry winner, I don't know why so many people applaud this one, I feel like barely anything of substance happens to such a degree that any ounce of suspense you could draw from this just disappears, and what a shame with the concept at play here that feels as if it would take another decade for everyone else to catch up. Eggshells is the directorial debut of Tobe Hooper and while cohesive narrative is virtually nonexistent here, the amount of experimental editing keeps this going throughout the entire runtime, you can definitely see where The Texas Chainsaw Massacre came from down the line. I feel like I'm somewhat disappointed with Quatermass and The Pit (not sure what "The Pit" refers to now that I think of it) mostly becasue the first two Quatermass films are among the best 1950's science fiction films. All three are theatrical remakes of television mini-series and that's most felt here with how so much of the film takes place in the single location of an unearthed Martian ship in the heart of London. I do love that we have a science fiction film positing that humans are partly the genetic ancestors of aliens prior to people taking that seriously with books like Chariot of The Gods. The Brain That Wouldn't Die is magical, sometimes those oft hated 1950's/1960's science fiction films have something to give back to the rest of us. Here it's a man so obsessed with his own work that he sees his wife's death as an opportunity to try and kill other women so that he can use their bodies as grounds to bring her back. Which sounds like something else I watched...

...said film being Frankenhooker, which has largely the same plot but now functions as a dark comedy. God. I hate so much that the capitalist enclosure on the production and distribution of film prevented us from getting so much more from Frank Henenlotter. The man is one of the best to ever direct horror, and anyone who thinks this film or any of his other work are "bad movies" just flat out do not know what they're talking about. I think compared to Basket Case and Brain Damage however, Frankenhooker is the one that "keeps giving". You think you've seen everything the film has to offer and then something like a hotel room full of women combusts as they succumb to the effects of exploding crack or Elizabeth (the titular character) has her head punched back and starts spewing smoke and electricity everywhere. Film is a magical medium of art.

Terrifier is what I held onto "misogynistic torture porn" for. No narrative, no character work, just opportunities to show Art the Clown dismember and murder women in revolting ways. It's one of those films that vindicates everyone that doesn't like this genre and makes me wonder what I'm doing sitting side by side with people that like this shit. I think Art cutting off a woman's breasts and scalp and attaching them to his nude body to disguise himself as another prior female victim of his is when my mouth went agape and audibly asked what the fuck am I watching, cannot stress enough how much it takes to get that reaction out of me. There's an upfront showcase that Terrifier knows that it's trash and revels in it, I mean there's an early scene where we see Art has spelled out his name in his own shit, and I'm not sure how to interpret that other than I feel like I might be landing in a Duchamp's Urinal trap. For reasons that allude even me I am still eyeing the prospect of watching both sequels.

I think my overall reaction to Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire is one of "whatever". A passably bad film is a definite improvement from the abomination that was Godzilla vs. Kong but it's admittedly easy to rise up when you start from the bottom. Adam Wingard more or less sucked all the joy I could muster out of the Monsterverse, I truly do not care anymore. If anything can be gleaned from this film it's that this is a film made to reconfirm people's existing biases of "I hate the boring human scenes, I'm only watching this for the monsters." Kong is the best actor in this film because the special effects team have to have him actually emote in response to a given situation, which is more than could be asked of anyone actually on the set, apparently. It's a miracle that this came out in the shadow of Godzilla Minus One than on its own terms.

The glut of 1950's science fiction films are a perennial staple of the Halloween countdown but they don't have a huge showing this year. Man Beast is one I'm going to confuse with all the other yeti movies of the decade though having a main antagonist that's actually a human hybrid gets it some points for originality. Daughter of Dr. Jekyll infuriates me because women who become monsters in film never get to be "hideous" and "scary" like their male counterparts, I'm throwing tomatoes at this one. Devil Girl From Mars is mostly memorable for having a giant clunky robot a la Gort, but the actual titular antagonist doesn't "serve cunt" enough to warrant interest, she should have taken notes from The Astounding She-Monster. The Lost Skeleton of Cadavra is an honorable mention because it's a feature-length pastiche of the z-grade films of this era. I don't think it's particularly funny and I kind of wish they lampooned a "good" film of this type rather than make something that fits in line with the middling genre efforts. Night of The Ghouls is the last horror film directed by Ed Wood and I feel like I enjoy it slightly more than Plan 9 From Outer Space. It's far more competent in producing that lulling insomniac reaction than Wood's prior efforts but I still don't "get" the attention his work consistently gets. The Strange World of Planet X gets a special pass from me just because the finale has a bunch of giant bugs attacking stuff. Moving on.

The Colossus of New York is an oddball modern Frankenstein of sorts with a guy being transformed into a giant robot and struggling to maintain some attachment to his former life. It doesn't always work but once again giant clunky robots are giant clunky robots. I'm something of a Bert I. Gordon apologist so something like The Cyclops is going to hit harder for me than it does for most people. I just like people wandering around Bronson Cave and poor matte shots of giant animals moving in and out of frame, okay? The Tingler was the oddest revisit I've had in a while. I don't think I fully "get" William Castle's approach to film but what stuck out to me is how this one takes place in largely two locations and how Vincent Price's character is kind of the antagonist, experimenting on animals, himself, and other people (resulting in a murder) to get at the Tingler. Much like in House on Haunted Hill I'm not wholly sure how some of the spooky things in this film actually work and I don't think I'm meant to, adding to the bizarre nature of the entire series of affairs here.

Invaders From Mars...oh yes. One of the absolute best 1950's science fiction films is also the most lyrical and dreamlike. It reads at times like a Soviet parody of an American child's story would be like; a boy sees every institution designed to protect him as a child and as an American turn against him on account of some nefarious foreign invader, so his only course of action is to get the US military involved. It plays out so well because it's a POV piece from a young boy, which eases over any leaps in logic both in terms of form and content of this film. Which is more than can be said of the remake, part of the diminishing returns of Tobe Hooper's then contract with Cannon. The film largely follows the same plot structure but decenters the frame through which we see it unfold giving it a "the military is legit" vibe. It also is just a bit more mean-spirited in ways that are designed to taunt the audience versus the original film's more hardened edge to it. I think a great summation of the difference between the two is that the 1953 film had Martian bodyguards that are clearly guys in fuzzy green pajama suits, but they're more threatening than the ones in the 1986 film which are giant quadruped Stan Winston monsters. I digress. Had this come out 20 years later it would be classified as part of the wave of "why are they remaking everything?"

Speaking of remakes, briefly want to mention the 1995 Wasp Woman. It's The Wasp Woman for the 1990's, now with explosions and softcore sex scenes. I can't wholly defend the original 1959 film despite my affinity for it, so let's just say this one is of comparable quality.

The 1930's are a delightful treasure trove for horror but sadly we only have two up for offer. Mad Love makes me curious as to how other adaptations of The Hands of Orlac handle the material; I was convinced a guy got his head surgically reattached and with artificial hands to boot. Always good to see Colin Clive and Peter Lorre. The Walking Dead feels like a dry run for what Boris Karloff would do later that decade in the much better The Man They Could Not Hang, just with him as the victim here and not the mastermind. Truly some of his best work as an actor as he has to float through the world not being allowed to live or die, that shit sticks with you.

We watched a scant few Halloween specials proper, I always feel like I want to watch every Halloween special possible but sometimes the enthusiasm leaves me. The Last Halloween is trash, but that's on me for thinking something made for very small children would appeal to me as an adult. It crams far too much into its brief 22 minute runtime, so the only thing that manages to escape into the zone of interest is that the CGI aliens are actually very well done for a 1991 television production, had this been all about them (voiced by Hanna Barbara stalwarts such as Frank Welker and Don Messick, along with Paul Williams), this would have been far more tolerable. Halloween Hall o' Fame is the first of apparently several Disney television specials that repackaged their theatrical shorts inside a live-action framing device. It's quaint but this format would live and die by the quality of the shorts included; I'm not intimately familiar with Disney's back catalogue solely because they've barely released anything on home media but I absolutely adore the one where Pluto goes to Hell and is put in a kangaroo court with cats on the jury. I feel like the novelty of The Scooby-Doo Project and Night of The Living Doo have carried them along further than their actual quality have, stray artifacts from when Warner Bros was briefly testing to see if Scooby could be an adult property now, doomed to the same fate as Harvey Birdman: Attorney at Law. The latter of these two specials made me come to terms with the fact that David Cross was "a big deal" at some point. The Great Bear Scare is the winner here. How could you not like an animated special where bears have to stand up and be brave against an oncoming horde of Halloween monsters? What makes this an oddity (sort of an obligation for me and Halloween specials) is that this is animated 100% without in-betweens, so every character in every scene cross-dissolves in real time between their keyframes. Depending on who you are it could be ridiculously distracting or make you step back and appreciate how hard animation is.

Clearing out our remaining animated showings, I felt like I would really get back into Scooby-Doo and The Reluctant Werewolf. In the mid-late 2000's when Cartoon Network was desperately trying to excise showing anything from their backlogs, this is one of those films that was on repeat constantly as midday viewings especially over summer. It's just so far removed from what Scooby-Doo "proper" is that it's an enigma, I go to bat to defend each of the "red shirt Shaggy" movies but this is brain melting at times, there is no mystery to solve, monsters are real, Fred/Daphne/Velma are completely absent, half the film is dedicated to a drag race, it goes on and on and on that I feel numb after a bit. Uzumaki...it's good. I feel like the fact that this was in production hell for five years following the first trailer release made me stop caring so all the shenanigans regarding the reaction to the animation dropping off (the production team got screwed over, how the fuck do studios not have the money for FOUR EPISODES, David Zlasv strikes again) brushed off of me. Regardless of that I think the actual pacing would have restricted this given how much sequential material from the manga now has to occur concurrently. It gets by solely because it's Uzumaki and as such it channels such a foreboding sense of dread and despair that is unreal. This more than anything is the true epitome of cosmic horror because there is no "source" or "identity" behind the threat that is warping reality around you, there is nothing to oppose and be defiant against, which was true of the manga and it remains true here. Bravo.

The 1970's prove to be another sporadic decade for horror. Cathy's Curse proves that no matter how good technical effects are, do not watch any Carrie knockoffs. Blah. Frankenstein's Castle of Freaks...you took a movie where a Frankenstein monster fights a caveman and made it boring, congratulations. In the interim between 2021's viewing of Curse of Frankenstein and now, I've made the effort to watch the entirety of the Hammer Frankenstein series. They make for a brilliant reinterpretation of the source material with Frankenstein effectively being antagonist: he kills consistently for his experiments, which often time warp and alter people's identities along with their bodies. The "holy triumvirate" of the series as referred to by me would be The Revenge of Frankenstein, Frankenstein Created Woman, and Frankenstein Must Be Destroyed, all for showcasing new stuff that can be done with the character and any prior influences such as the Universal films being absent. Then comes The Horror of Frankenstein, a soft remake of Curse of Frankenstein, with Terence Fischer and Peter Cushing both absent. It's a dry and tedious affair that just rehashes what Curse already did, just now with a black comedic angle and no real consequences for Frankenstein himself. It's easily the worst of the series and why I'm glad Hammer backtracked for Frankenstein and The Monster From Hell. This is probably the first instance in film history where a sequel has consciously ignored a preceding remake, and while it's not wholly original either, it's comfort food for fans of this series, and now employs a darker more claustrophobic setting in an ~insane asylum~. Not the best ending for the series, but Hammer, along with Toho and Ray Harryhausen's efforts with Columbia, sort of represented the "old" styles of horror that were pretty quickly being replaced as the decade went on. This film specifically came out the same year as the likes of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, it was a transitional period where what horror once was was cast away. Still not sure why the monster in this film looks like a Neanderthal man but that's just me.

Tourist Trap desperately tries to be one part Psycho and one part Texas Chainsaw, and it admittedly starts off with a nice hook of animatronic puppets being the main focus of the film, but it falls through the cracks and just becomes another random 1970's horror film. Vampyros Lesbos makes me realize that my infatuation with Zombi 3 last year did not mean I'm suddenly infatuated with Lucio Fulci's overall filmography, exceptions are not the rule. Come to think I don't think I've seen a single lesbian vampire film that I'm smitten with, how do you make this boring and not sexy at all, fuck you. Scream, Blacula, Scream is the obligatory Blacula cash-in sequel, nothing worthwhile to see here and none of the charm and significance of the first film is carried forward here, sigh. "DEDICATED TO THE MILLIONS THAT LOVE BRUCE LEE," The Dragon Lives Again is one of the plethora of films featuring Lee impersonators following his death, showing Lee in Hell as he has to find a way back to Earth while also fighting off The Godfather, Dracula, The Man with No Name, Emanuele, Zatoichi, and James Bond while allying himself with Popeye and Dr. Who. No I am not making any of this up, yes, this film was made with very little money so it sounds far more interesting than it actually ends up being, but it's a cute film, I can't be mad at a film made for me, nor can a movie showing Popeye eat spinach to fight mummies or Bruce Lee knocking out Dracula with his "third leg" be something you don't go out of your way to watch.

The Alien Factor is Don Dohler's first and best film. I love the fact that a dozen people made a small scale alien invasion/slasher film in their backyards with actually solid special effects for something that was probably made on the weekends. You can't hate this film, it's made from pure love for what was already decades old genre material. Had some of the script and acting been tightened up this could have become one of the more widely recognized independent films of the decade. Oh...Alucarda. I hate when they make a lesbian devil worshiper film between girls coming to terms with theirs sexual orientation and then they aren't the heroes of the story. We've come a long way since then.

Given that the Eggers film is still a few months out, I'd say Nosferatu the Vampyre is my preferred interpretation of the story (not my favorite Dracula adaptation overall mind you). Let me say that I think remaking Nosferatu is ridiculous solely because you're just doing Dracula, again, just with some stylistic details brought on from a specific prior Dracula. But this film goes all out. It's one of those times where I'm reminded of why slowly paced films with shots that last minutes at a time are so great. It relies very little on narrative (the extent/nature of Dracula's power of the geographic barriers between Wismar and Transylvania go unexplained) but you get so thoroughly sucked into the setting and the characters that you can't complain. This has undeniably the best portrayal of Mina in any Dracula film, she's effectively the protagonist by the second half and each of her encounters with Dracula are on her terms, he's effectively powerless against her even if she ensures they both die in the end. Also, rats. So many rats. Everywhere. The plague is in town.

Shock Waves is just great 1970's horror. Shoot on location, hold the camera in hand the entire time, do it cheap, have a dreamy distant narrator, and make it grisly. I do find the concept of Nazis engineering platoons of super soldiers and we only seeing just the one in this film is probably the scariest thing about it, it invites you to think about what else is happening out of sight. My favorite first watch of the year.

1978's Invasion of The Body Snatchers is also a phenomenal remake. This one is difficult for me to talk about because it just pushes all my buttons, I felt like I wanted to cry throughout the duration of this viewing, it is an incredibly mean film. Someone you know just one day turns on you, and then everyone else follows suit. You think you know your surroundings and your city but everything is flipped upside down and you can't even describe why. From the very start when you see the premature pods land on Earth it's made immediately clear that no one is making it out of here, it was too late as soon as it started.

But there can only be one #1, and this year it's Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla. Another instance of "nothing is going to beat this" as soon as I rewatched it. I feel like I'm alone in considering this one of the absolute best in the series, I feel like between the espionage and exploration and blood and laser fights that this is just one of the films that reminds you of why we make and why we watch movies, you get to have some semblance of every possible human emotion watching this. There's not much more you can ask for.

[bigtreefest]

Chapter 2: Traitor Jim

From: The Banes of the Ball Series

Pairing: Jimmy Dobyne x Heiress! Reader

Summary: Jimmy’s good at keeping his own secrets, but can he keep yours?

Word count: 2,513

Content/warnings: institutional misogyny, 1920s debutante ball themes, southern speakeasy themes, alcohol consumption, mean!Jimmy (more like defensive, but still), secretive reader, allusions to a a want to disrupt the social structure, cross-dressing?

Author’s Note: So in my research, I found out that this movie universe occurs during the prohibition, so even when they drank in the movie, it was illegal. Therefore, I guess I made an illegal bar scene? Idk, I guess that there were gin distributors in Memphis during this time, so we’re gonna roll with that.

I’d love to hear you’d feedback in all forms! Comments, reblogs, and asks are so appreciated.

Dividers by

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Your invitation to Fisher had brought her back into the social circles, earning a few more opportunities for run-ins through the end of the debutante season. As you opened your ears and walked through the venues, you could tell not many wanted to entertain the young, socially exiled heiress, but from the apparent liking you took to her, they felt her inclusion was an obligation.

Outside of this environment, you were nowhere to be seen by the young men and women of town. That was by design, but for now, you walked through the ball, seeking your next hiding place. For this one, there was an upper level balcony pseudo cut off from the mingling areas by an appetizer table. It had already been picked through after you had made your first set of appearance rounds, making it perfectly unpopulated. You looked down upon the dance floor, counting the minutes, and the songs that would need to pass before you could acceptably leave, off to your more desired….obligations.

In your shroud of curtains and tiered food displays, your eyes wandered over the crowd below. New loves were being formed as men asked for a dance, secrets and gossip shared between spinsters-in-training along the sides, and jokes or plans to obtain the next jar of moonshine whispered amongst the men. Absolute fools. Everyone thought they were so sly, but you read their lips and body language easier than a book. It was almost as if they wanted their plans known, or better yet, spoiled. It wasn’t going to happen at your hand though. You didn’t have need for that right now, but should you, it would be easy to ruin any soul in this dated, yet fancy ballroom.

You turned around to find the punch bowl on the upstairs table. Perhaps if you were lucky, the boys had already spiked it and you wouldn’t have to pull from your own reserve tucked under your dress.

You knew they had gotten to it by taking a single step forward, the smell easily reaching your nose and burning the sensitive hairs. Perfect. You quickly made a cup before heading back to your balcony and looking down among the crowd. Hopefully it was good quality alcohol in the bowl and didn’t make you go blind. How ever could you properly interact in society then? Tragic.

As you sipped, you looked down at the crowd again, seeing the tops of heads flow and weave between each other. No one ever looked up; it was human nature. If you could find an exit route now, it would be your great escape.

As you moved to set down your cup, though, you saw something in the corner of your eye that didn’t fit the patterns and waves formed by the other party-goers. It was a man, stopped in the middle of the dance floor. His bright blue eyes looked up at you, piercing through the foliage and decor that often left you covered. He must have been searching specifically for you.

After your previous conversation with Jimmy Dobyne, you didn’t feel as though there was much to say. Based of the fact that he was looking to catch your gaze, you had figured that he was looking for a read on whether or not you had shared his secret. Evidently, you had not. You were never a fan of loose lips.

You lifted your skirt and ran down the back staircase to the rear door of the mansion. You had planned to leave through there and walk around the front of the house to your car as to not have to encounter anyone else, especially that certain farm boy.

Before you could reach the bottom of the steps, though, you were stopped in your tracks.

“Wonderful to see you this evening, miss.” The blue eyes had come to cut you off and pierce more harshly than before. His entire demeanor was in juxtaposition to his kind words, jaw clenched, gaze hard and unyielding with an unspoken demand. You maintained your formality, though, praying it would serve you well on your way.

“Good evening, James. I apologize, you have just caught me on my way out.” You hurriedly ducked past his shoulder just to be followed through the nearly hidden French doors at the rear of the house. Jimmy followed you out and down the stone steps and into the garden.

“That’s no problem, I was going to ask Fisher to leave soon, as well. I actually wanted to speak to you.”

You walked as fast as you could without reaching a run, getting into the front seat of your car and starting it. Luckily, your chauffeur had taken your bribe to leave you the vehicle, like most other nights, unbeknownst to your family.

“Perhaps another time, James. I really must be going.”

You could see the way his shoulders tensed forward in anger at your deflection of his statements and attempts to ignore. He began to run alongside the car as you weaved around the others in the driveway of the house.

“No. I demand that you stop and speak to me. I want you to never bring up what happened again. It was all fine. Fisher got her earrings back.”

Not from his command, but more due to shock, you slammed on the breaks of the car, causing you to lurch forward and Jimmy to skid to a stop in the gravel. He caught his footing quickly, though, taking the opportunity to open your car door and get in.

“You have no jurisdiction to demand anything of me, Mr. Dobyne. And you well know this is not about the earrings. Now I have somewhere to be, so either you go back to your fiancé, or you deal with me dropping you off in the middle of nowhere. What’ll it be?”

Jimmy closed the door to your car and settled into the passenger seat, looking straight forward. “Drive, go on.”

You rolled your eyes and huffed, continuing down the long road of the manor. You looked briefly over at him before you spoke up.

“I have no interest in becoming your next sexual encounter if that’s why you insist on being here. I’d never do that to Fisher and I most definitely have no desire to be the next Vinnie, who, speaking of which, just sent out invitations for an engagement party. Did you receive one?”

Jimmy’s jaw clenched again as he turned to face you in his seat. “Stop doing that!”

You feigned confusion. Men always believed you never quite understood what they were talking about, anyway. “Doing what?”

“Changing the subject and trying to make me feel bad.”

You simply shrugged, continuing to stare ahead. “I have no desire to make you feel bad. If that’s the way you feel, then I assure you it’s all self-inflicted. So tell me, James. Do you yourself feel bad for your actions? Maybe you ought to repent, or at least tell someone of your dirty little secret. I find it quite distasteful to take a woman’s hand and to not be honest with her. To keep things from her.”

Jimmy scoffed and rolled his eyes as he crossed his arms. “You have no place to speak about keeping secrets. I see the way you leave half of these events early. Never sticking around and never to be seen by anyone around town. I’m sure that’s a secret worse than my own.”

Your nostrils flared and your lips tightened. Sure, you taunted him on his private matters, but yours were to remain untouched. He didn’t know what was going on, or technically even if something was going on at all. “Careful where you step, James. I do not have another to care for. And what I do with my free time does not concern you, so I suggest you rethink your attempts at refutal when it comes to me.”

He huffed as you pulled to the side of the road to let him out. You were at the edge of town. Walking or finding a ride to wherever he needed to go shouldn’t be too difficult from here.

“We shouldn’t be too far that you can’t walk back to dear Fishy. Give her my best and do not come looking for trouble again. I am more than happy to greet you politely at gatherings, but your accusations leave a sour taste in my mouth. Good evening, James.”

You drove off and left Jimmy in a cloud of dust before heading to the other side of town. Right about now, the restaurants would be closing, making room for the nightly patrons and gangsters to move through. It was no place for a lady to remain after dark, but to them, you were no lady.

You pulled off near a corn field on the side of a rarely traversed road and opened the trunk of the car. Under a panel, you found your bag and pulled it out, grabbing the trousers and button-down shirt and laying them out over the door. You worked quickly to shuck off your dress before carefully folding it and placing it in the trunk, over the panel. You slipped into the trousers, followed by the leather boots. After shrugging on the shirt, you dug into the pants pocket to pull out a ribbon and pins. You pulled your hair up tightly and tucked it under a cap. Others would have a fit they they saw a woman in this wear, especially you. You were meant to be at a ball, sitting like an ornament of your father’s legacy, not in the slums of the city.

Now, although your family would have called it the slums, it was far from it. It was where the workers hung out. It was where savvy businessmen were making the most of the country’s prohibitory situation. It’s where you were learning everything it might take for your future plans to come to fruition.

You walked up the creaky wooden porch, your head on a swivel as you entered a pawn shop. At least, that’s what it was during the day. You made your way through the shelves and display cases to the curtain in the back, opening it to a bustling bar full of men both young and old.

With your makeup removed and a few light smudges of dirt here and there, your look matched theirs quite well. That was another benefit of staying out of the private eye as much as possible: none of them saw you enough to be able to identify you in this state. You just seemed like another farm worker.

You took your usual seat at the end of the bar, ducking your head to put your focus on the conversations going on around you. This environment gave you a completely different level of information than what your house maids would give you.

Usually, from here, you could catch anything from farmhands, to gin runners, to business men discussing what was going on. The true way the town was running. And that’s exactly what you wanted: an understanding of who was in control of business proceedings.

From your calm demeanor and regular appearance in this environment, you were known, but not much past a pseudonym you had fed them and the fact that you did odd jobs on your family’s estate. That was enough, though. Enough for you to seem unassuming and trust-worthy. Enough for their lips and morals to be loose around you. Enough for you to use very soon for your plans.

Men were stupid and again, you were in awe of it. None of them could recognize you. And for the ones that could? Well, they were already drunk off their asses. Problem solved. That’s how you were able to preserve your pub-dwelling Saturday nights for the foreseeable future.

As your drink was served, you felt a presence come up and sit in the stool next to you. You were used to that, men did anything to strike up a conversation and save themselves from the monotony of their lives. If only they knew how truly monotonous a life was when you weren’t allowed to perform half the duties that they’d spit upon when given the chance. They had so many options, but your empathy is what they wanted, not proof of their lack of hardships. Not yet, at least.

You put all those thoughts aside, though, taking a swallow of your drink before putting on your best smirk to strike up conversation. It was time to get to work.

Except when you turned your head to your left, you weren’t facing any old nobody. Well, to these guys, he would’ve been, but to you, it was someone starting to get on your nerves for invasion of privacy, someone with tumultuous, pained currents, not unlike the rivers run, for eyes: Jimmy Dobyne.

He opened his mouth to speak, but not before you slammed your hand over it while giving him a warning glare. “Careful with your mouth James. I know I wasn’t exceptionally stealthy tonight, but I thought you’d be smart enough to avoid a place like this.”

The bartender came over and you ordered a drink for Jimmy so he’d leave you alone to speak in privacy. “Now think before you speak. You’ve invaded my personal space and business already.”

Jimmy leaned in, speaking to you with anger that you knew came from your constant reminders of his wrongdoings. “You need to stop it with that and just tell me exactly what you know.”

You looked at him, keeping your face even bedsides the slight disbelief in his audacity. “I hold a keen eye, James. Keep your voice down and do be careful of who sees you and to whom you lend your trust.”

You turned back to the bartender to thank him for dropping off Jimmy’s drink.

His fists unclenched just for enough time for him to grab the glass and shove it away from himself.

“I ought to tell your father his daughter is out here disobeying him. A woman like you should not be in a place like this. Drinking much less!” The lowered volume didn’t make his voice any less cutting. You wouldn’t stand for that. You were trying to be nice. It seemed like neither your kind words, nor stern requests seemed to work on him. Perhaps threats were better.

“I ought to tell everyone you’re poor and loose with your belt buckle! But I won’t. Now accept a drink on my tab and sit to casually speak with me before you cause a scene. My my, James. One skill you do not have is subtlety.”

He scoffed before grabbing the glass and drinking it all down in one go, calling the bartender over for another.

“Good. Now listen closely because I’m not speaking above a whisper and you’ll only hear this once. I’ll let you in on some things, and by chance you could even help me, but first, you have to tell Fisher the truth.”

Next >

Bonus A/N: So sugars and carbohydrates are what yeast ferments to create alcohol. The alcohol we consume is ethanol (aka EtOH aka Ethyl Alcohol). Sometimes, though, when done improperly, a byproduct is methanol (aka methyl alcohol, which means it has one less carbon and four less hydrogen atoms, making a smaller and totally different molecule functionally). Methanol has actually been found to make you go permanently blind! That’s why it can be so risky to drink home-brewed alcohols and moonshines. I assume this risk was even higher back in the early 1920s when a lot was bootlegged and they didn’t have many ways to test for the methanol. And therefore, I assume they knew sometimes alcohol made you go blind, but not quite how, which is why I added it here.

Taglist: @hawkeyes-queen @ronearoundblindly

[seijorhi]

What possessed everyone (Miyans possessed everyone)because everyone on means to end. Not at all complaining though.(Maybe it's because of the spooky season?)

Completely unrelated, but have you seen the usual suspects ? I was reading the usual suspects (again for the nth time) and it just came to me that there's a movie by that name. Aghjbvnnn

take care and stay safe

Ilysmmm

🦜

Every few months people get excited about means to an end and settle/sea change again and I get a bunch of asks about em, which I actually think is kinda sweet tbh <33

Also no, I haven’t seen it. I know the big twist ending but I’ve never watched the whole thing. The title fit the fic but not the movie (exactly) hahaha

As for fave jjk girlies, it’s gotta be utahime and nobara, they are top tier and I love em to pieces 🥺🥺🥺

[loveisonlyforthebrave8]

you’re so sweet. thank you so much!! i’ve watched love in the air. i know boss but i didn’t know his partners name. i’ve also watched:

dead friend forever (it was so fun; tan was right and he should’ve been able to kill all of em. except my sweet sunshine bby white who didn’t deserve anything bad to happen to him ever)

two worlds (loved it)

cutie pie 1&2 (eh),

naughty babe (loved but i think i love the pairing),

not me (chefs kiss),

kinnporsche (the volume in which i screamed cousin fuckers and then sung sweet home alabama, 10/10 would recommend to a friend),

the sign (so ridiculous but like in a great fun way; i like police procedurals and i like fantasy)

only friends (i wish i had a toxic dramatic friend group :/),

between us (that jaw thing mr blond did was oddly attractive; can’t wait to see the pair in the vampire show!),

last twilight (my heart ached and baked and was made into a cake. that means i loved it),

kiseki: dear to me (ai di owns my heart forever; i like his big puppy chen yi too. i couldn’t get into the main pairing tbh),

together with me 1&2 (it was okay)

love in translation (cuuute)

do you have any more recs???

First of all can, this list is immaculate (bar cutie pie, did not vibe with that one bit)

Secondly, I see you with your insane taste in ships. Maxnat from Two Worlds/Naughty Babe? This is top tier shit. I found Naughty Babe awful and mostly unwatchable (I'm not domundi's- the company who produced naughty babe and cutie pie- biggest fan) but MAXNAT??? That pairing have me wrapped round their fingers. Especially Max. Goddamn.

Thirdly, did you like love in the air? Thoughts on the second half of the show in particular? Because the other main couple (fort and peat) are my precious fucking baby angels and I would die for them. And if you liked them then my first recommedation is the currently airing Love Sea the series, because they're tearing me limb from limb. Every week they do something that thrills, excites, and terrifies me all in equal standing.

In terms of other recs, I can definitely give you a few I enjoyed, because your list is very good already and I'm seeing that we have quite similar taste.

I want to throw the show Manner of Death at you. You've seen Together With Me, and if you liked our boys Max and Tul and managed to wade your way through that show plus it's sequel, based on their chemistry alone, then Manner Of Death will be refeshing change for you. Because their chemistry is even better and the story line actually has a very clever and exciting narrative. Plus, its a lot more mature than your average highschool drama bl.

Tale of 1000 Stars is another show I really enjoyed. Its bl pairing is Earth and Mix, they have fantastic chemistry and the show has a really interesting plot that kept me hooked. It's a bit more typical thai bl in certain aspects, and the intimate nc scenes are next to none, but their relationship is one I was hooked on and I enjoyed the story a lot.

I have also enjoyed: 4 Minutes is only one episode in, but I can already tell it's going to be a favourite, which says a lot. But I am also very biased towards the lead male, Bible Wichapas aka Vegas from Kinnporsche. Man Suang is a movie, not series, but its on Netflix and its Mileapo from Kinnporsche. It's historical, gritty, heart-hitting, and just generally very fucking well produced. Moonlight Chicken (the side couple had me hooked immediately) Ingredients (cute af mini series with a Jeff Satur-Kim from KP) My Stand-In (I endjoyed it for what it was, it was a bit ridiculous) Vice-Versa (If you liked JimmySea you'll probably enjoy this) Bad Buddy (Great chemistry between the main characters) And a Taiwanese bl I liked was: History 3: Trapped.

(Your kinnporsche review is EVERYTHING. No notes.

The Mr Blonde jaw thing had me chuckling. I too, very much enjoyed the jaw thing. Hope the vampire show is directed well. Bounprem deserve it.

Tan absolutely should have slain them all. Apart from bb White. Agreed. Wholeheartedly.

Ai Di x Chen Yi were the only reason I was watching that show. For real.

Last Twilight was fantastic. I just didn't vibe with the ending. If it had ended on that rock cliff? Perfection. Stunning. Show-stopping.)

I hope you enjoy some of these! Sorry this got SO LONG.

[magicpotatoobsession]

I was so happy to see you grace my tl again - if only for a few posts. I miss your given metas and would LOVE to hear your take on syh's Straight and Parade and any predictions you might have for Umi e!

Thanks for the ask! It has been a while! I was going to do a proper analysis of the songs once I've seen the mix movie but I thought I might share some initial observations for Straight!

EASTER EGGS in SYH's STRAIGHT

Mafuyu's key in C minor, the relative minor key. The song is in Eb major, the relative major key. It's also what I call the sunshine key (Uenoyama's key) ☀️ which is the same key as all the songs on the Given mini-album release.

Chorus 0:22 has the same chord progression as the first part of Fuyunohanashi, which can indicate that Hiiragi and Shizu are also trying their best to heal from Yuki. Seriously, try singing the chorus of Fuyunohanashi on top of Straight's first chorus, they literally layer perfectly on top of each other!!!

CHORDS ARE SO INTERESTING HERE

Chord progression diverges from Fuyunohanashi in the second part of the chorus 0:41 to go from VI -> VII -> I, which is the same tiers di picardie chordal progression as Kizuato's (Given OP) ending as well as Yorugaakeru!!! This chord progression finishes in major to show that the boys are healing from Yuki and trauma.

Lyrics in that chord progression are super meaningful here

Kizuato "Whatever you left behind has now become my life".

Also Yoorugaakeru lyrics are "Look this Dawn is about to break that's why it'll be ok"

Straight: "I will keep singing until it reaches you"

Doesn't that sound like Hiiragi/Yuki/Uenoyama talking directly to Mafuyu???!! 🥹😭❤️🙏

Guitar Solo by Uenoyama has a delicious easter egg

1:01 same as the lyrics "Time and Time again" in Given's mini album track stagekara kiminisasagu. Meaning that time and time again he'll be here for Mafuyu ❤️😭

I am almost 100% certain that every other part of that solo is a reference to lyrics in Given songs because all the other bits are so I'll have to have another proper listen.

That's it! Hope this made sense coming from a music nerd's ramblings! ____

My Given Metas

[seriousfic]

Okay, that's True Grit. That's entirely True Grit. Exact same plot, exact same tone, exact same Coen-wannabe dialogue (and Tom King is no Coen Brother)... all King did was transpose a bit of a by-now-generic high fantasy/space opera setting onto True fucking Grit. It's not even that obscure a work to rip off. There was a remake in 2010. Hailee Steinfeld debuted in that movie and she's still playing a 'Young' Avenger.

Oh, but hey, there's Supergirl in the Rooster Cogburn role. That's different, right? Because Supergirl is Supergirl and not a drunken, cynical badass type?

And if you've seen True Grit, either version, you pretty much know how it goes (aside from a shock value ending that is, surprise, deeply cynical and mean-spirited). King mercilessly mischaracterizes Kara into this very 90s bad grrl caricature--she calls Superman a little bitch at one point, because he's not as tuff as herrrr--and the bad guys all go "oh, you can't beat me, you're just a girl!" Aren't we past this?

I found the premise pretty unbelievable... I know comic writers have to know up with far-fetched scenarios, since the real top-tier superheroes are unbeatable otherwise... but Supergirl has turned 21 and wants to get drunk. She doesn't want to do this with any of her friends, apparently, so she takes a barely controllable starship to a sector of space with only red suns... she can't just borrow a red sun room in the Fortress of Solitude or wherever... and she lands on this world that's a hellish dictatorship where people are killed for laughing at jokes about the king... she brings Krypto along, who is also depowered... and she doesn't bring any kind of communication device so she can call a Green Lantern or someone for help... and she's gone for months, but no one thinks to look for her.

And the villain... this is another one of the very few changes from True Grit, where the killer is just a random thug, the kind of guy you'd expect to impulsively kill someone. Here, he's a criminal mastermind that can summon up magic that nearly kills Supergirl and he almost randomly hooks up with this gang of superpowered mass murderers (who indulge in ethnic cleansing so frequently that you'd think a Green Lantern or someone would go after them--seriously, they are depopulating planets on a weekly basis) so it takes more than five seconds for Kara to rout him.

There's also a super heavy-handed segregation/racism metaphor. I mean, it is TOS, "all his people are black on the left side and white on the right side!" blatant. Like, embarrassingly hamfisted.

And this comic is WORDY. Not only is OC donut steal Hailee Steinfeld doing her Coen act every time she speaks, but she also narrates, choking every panel with multiple paragraphs of PROSEPROSEPROSE. Everything is a speech, everything is a monologue. Mike Flanagan would read this and say "hey, buddy, don't you think you're overdoing it a tad?" And there's some good art here--that's the one real positive of the comic--but it is just drowned out by King not trusting his artist one iota to tell a story.

Supergirl is given this really stock "it sucks to be Superman" angst, which we're all tired of with Clark, right? Is it really fresh to just transpose him being broody and violent onto Kara? All the cursing and casual violence would be a little more appropriate for Power Girl, but I guess that wouldn't subvert expectations like making the main character an embittered Supergirl. Clearly, we're supposed to find all this shocking and edgy, but it just comes off risible. You're really going to have Krypto the Super-Dog and dead babies in the same exact story?

And since when does Supergirl hang out with Krypto? I thought her pet was Streaky. King goes all pre-Crisis with Comet the Super-Horse showing up and really being a man with a magic spell cast on him, but he doesn't know that Supergirl's pet is Streaky the Supercat? Boooooo.

[namtanlovesfilm]

Hey!! As a writer I want to know what's your take on confession scenes. Like best to worst? And personal faves!

hi hi! ooooooh, that's a good question! I'm gonna be honest, I don't think I remember a particularly bad confession lol, I think usually they're either basic & forgettable OR beyond iconic! here's the iconic ones that I literally adore beyond words, though:

SEANWHITE'S ROOFTOP CONFESSION

who is surprised this is the first confession I need to talk about? okay, okay no need to all raise your hand :'))) so one very special thing about not me is that there is no "I love you" or "I like you" said, yet both seanwhite & danyok are the most loving, strongest couples I know. seanwhite are literally the most lovey-dovey couple in existence, 100% written as soulmates, yet their love isn't expressed in the way we usually expect. in that respect, sean's confession on the rooftop which barely feels like one, is literally the most beautiful thing I've ever seen. "this is the goal that keeps me alive. and you are too." BITCH, THIS AIN'T A LOVE CONFESSION, THIS IS SEAN TELLING WHITE HE KEEPS HIM MOTHERFUCKING ALIVE!!! this is it, bruh. no other love scene hits this deep. I'm crying again. bye.

TEH & OH-AEW'S NIGHTLY CONFESSION

oh no, what a surprise that my other all time favorite bl is here too 😲 we were talking about confessions that aren't really one, and this falls in that category too! I just love how effortlessly the scene goes by, without ever saying "I like you", and the way oh-aew confronts teh about him liking him too in a way that is not attacking him but also not ignoring the reality of the feelings that they possess. a beautiful, calming scene that is burned in my heart forever, just like the entire show!

JACKZI'S STAIRS CONFESSION

there are very few scenes that make me cry bc of how heartfelt they are, and this is one of them! the acting is top tier, the writing absolutely beautiful & I cannot imagine this scene being more perfect than it is! it's not even a classic confession bc there's no "I love you" exchanged (very much a pattern for me atp lol), but simply zao zi saying "don't leave" is enough to convey how much these characters care for each other! this scene is beautiful despite it being incredibly sad, in a way that HITS so much bc they essentially have their most innocent, happy go-lucky character completely break down after a betrayal. it's, in my honest opinion, the actual saddest scene of the show bc it's so unexpected & cuts so deep. truly one of my all time favorite bl scenes & an absolutely amazing way to see these characters confirm their feelings for each other.

UNTWO'S MULTIPLE CONFESSIONS

so everyone must know that I'm the untwo queen, and it's truly bc both untwo confessions scenes are literally some of my favorite scenes EVER. the first one is a cinematic masterpiece! un is holding a door as he works on the decor for the student play, and two is the one to confront him about his feelings. this scene feels super raw & uncomfortable bc it truly IS for both characters, and ultimately, un, who wanted to escape from the situation, ends up professing his love for two who interrupts him bc he can't take it. this scene is pure tension & pain, just like I love them lol, and the metaphorical (and physical) door between un & two is an amazing concept for the shot!

the second confession is EVEN MORE ICONIC, though! theory of love is such a good show bc it's literally the best homage to movies I've ever seen, and after breaking things off with both un & linn, two finds a copy of 'the perks of being a wallflower' (a very good movie I love which makes this scene even more powerful imo) which is a movie he lent to p'un and the movie that unites them. realizing he can't let p'un move abroad, in perfect romcom cliche, two rushes to the pier where the last boat to the mainland has left, only for p'un to have already come there to confront two one last time. the scene that ensues is beautifully written, and the sentence "you know the answer" IS MAIN COUPLE IN AN ICONIC ROMCOM WORTHY!!! it hits so hard & is exactly why, despite untwo being only a side ship, they were my favorite ship for 3 years before seanwhite showed up lol.

ALSO kudos to tangmolove's confession where the acting is really good & phunnoh's confession that's so heartfelt!!! lmao this is truly just a list of some of my favorite ships :')

xxx

[limetameta]

Limeta, I have absolutely no clue how to successfully word this question, but do you, perhaps, have some book recommendations that are written in a style similar to yours? Because I'm obsessed with how you use words. Absolutely obsessed, and I need more. And that "more" even includes things that are at least similar to yours 🥰

Hello, this is a lovely question! Thank you. I don't read as often as I would like. Currently reading 'Mephisto' by Klaus Mann because i've read Dr Faustus by Thomas Mann and I want to see how he's going to break it apart given the change in setting he's doing. But to answer your question I can give you a few book titles and authors that I know influenced my writing:

Poison for Breakfast by Lemony Snicket - really charming book! When I was a kid I read his A series of Unfortunate events series and then watched the Netflix series. The Poison book isn't a part of that series and it sure uses words cleverly!

I really like Douglas Addams' writing in shows. I've never particularly read him. Always been something I was meaning to get around to.

Terry Pratchet (literally anyone that's followed me for more than two days knows Discworld is my go-to worldbuilding. Also guy's sense of humour is sooo good! - I started with the book Mort and then branched off, but there's a couple of reddit posts about a reading guide for Discworld that can put you in the right direction) - the way this man does transitions between scenes! be still my beating heart phenomenal skill.

Meša Selimović's fantastic philosophical questions in Death and the Dervish keep me up at night.

Krleža's Messrs Glembay is SUCH a decadent look into aristocracy. It's a drama all spanning one night. Chef's kiss, this drama. It's my favourite piece of writing.

It is unfortunate that Lalić's Wailing Mountain can't be found in English (Lelejska Gora) because this isn't really the one that's most similar to my writing, but it is the one that's most influenced the way i crawl into people's psyche and write the ugliest parts of them crawling back out. It's about a partisan soldier during wwii who's isolated and trying to get back to his team and, while he does so he avoids many dangers and the stress and isolation builds up until he has what i like to call, the most beautiful nervous breakdown i've seen written.

But okay, before I dissolve into giving more balkan books I've read (i don't know, reading in my own native language tends to haunt me a little longer than when i read in english - in english a book tends just pass through me 70% of the time) I have SHOW and film recommendations that while watching you can go: oh wait this is some limeta nonsense! I'm more of a watcher than a reader.

Grand Budapest Hotel - godtier sense of humour in this movie.

Monty Python

The Books of Knjige - the movie is on youtube. This is Montenegrin Monty Python so if you like MP check them out!

TBOK's two part series filmed abroad called 'One day, we'll all be buried in Europe' (actually a hilarious commentary on the diaspora from the balkans that goes abroad to work hoping for better work quality of life - additionally a commentary on how a lot of us here feel like the EU will dissolve by the time we actually enter it) ALSO FULLY ON YOUTUBE PART I PART II

For both of these if you toggle CC you get English captions.

I've been really into Dungeons and Dragons these past few years, so check Dimension 20 out on Youtube. They have Fantasy High completely for free on Youtube.

Derry Girls is top tier, too. (I'm on Netflix trying to figure out what I watched)

Gangubai! Excellent movie. Beautiful story. Really love the characterisation. Visually stunning, too.

This is becoming a little too long, so have at it!