#There is no chemistry between the main characters at least I can’t feel it

[johnwalkerrrrr]

Archie Madekwe as Ivo in Heart of Stone

[bengiyo]

Ben’s Big BL Blurb 2: Fall is Finally Here

I am simply too busy with worth, family, other hobbies, and life to write about every show in real time anymore. I’m sorry to all the Stray Thoughts readers who’ve reached out about whether I would pick that back up, and I simply just do not have the time to do them anymore. Instead, I’ll try to do one of these as often as I can to catch up on things.

First, let’s go over some shows I finished recently that I don’t think I wrote much about.

First Note of Love

I was so happy to see Michael back on screen, and I was glad to see that he’s still able to get great chemistry with his co-star. Unfortunately, I don’t think this show was very coherent, so I didn’t get a lot out of it emotionally. It was a pretty inoffensive watch overall, and thus an easy show to put on without having to work through too much. I liked the work between everyone, and Mei Lei was such a fun character. Probably won’t return to this one, though. 

Let Free the Curse of Taekwondo

This is probably the show of the year for me. There’s so much I loved about this show. I loved that the characters had sex, but were neither rewarded nor punished for it; their sex didn’t solve any problems. I also really love how this show explored how childhood trauma expresses in two different kinds of boys, and I love that we got to see a bully reckon with his actions and get closure. I love that this show ended with them being kinda poor, but happy together. I love how messed up they both were about everything. I loved that Juyeong wasn’t stupid, and could read what was going on.

I clearly need to write a separate post to unpack everything I felt in this show.

Let’s move on to what I’m watching currently, in no particular order…starting with the lesbians, and then the worst BLs.

Apple My Love

Genuinely having fun with this GL. I like how quickly most of the drama plays out. It’s giving me quite a bit of secondhand embarrassment, but I like the characterizations in this show. This new production house brought us Knock Knock, Boys! and Monster Next Door this year. We need to keep an eyes on them. 

Haunted Hearts

I’m so fascinated by Oxin Films teaming up with Regal Entertainment. The leads are very attractive, but the cinematography is really boring. I’m trying to stay invested, but it’s kind of a sleepy watch. Also amused that they started airing a ghost romance right after Halloween ended. I’ve kind of moved on emotionally from the season.

My Damn Business

This show could be good, but it’s not. I struggled with episode 5 because our lead looked more relaxed and happier with his senior than the guy he’s getting into a romance with. There’s something missing here in this one, but I can’t exactly put my finger on it. I think it’s primarily a side effect of the short run time, but I think the boss’s interest isn’t landing properly for the employee to respond to. 

Eccentric Romance

This show could be good, but it’s not. Still, I am obsessed with a murder mystery being the primary source of confusion between our leads. I was willing to forgive this show a lot of its rough edges, but it failed to handle the turn from friendship to sexual/romance really well. I feel like our guys just started dating and having sex, and I’m a bit frustrated that they didn’t talk about it really at all, particularly since this show features two different languages spoken on screen. Genuinely looking forward to seeing how this one finishes. 

See Your Love

I’m not sure this show is exactly working that well, but everyone is very pretty and I’m having a decent time watching it. I like the way Shao Peng stands up for himself, and I like that nothing that’s happened has been totally unbelievable or unreasonable (at least with the mains). I’ll be curious how the hard of hearing and deaf viewers respond to this one once it’s complete. 

Love is Like a Poison

This show is actually so funny. I love that Shiba is in his own lawyer genre separate from everyone else, and I really like how the two of these guys have become a team. I’m curious how they manage to resolve the scamming next week, but this has been the most unexpected dynamic of the year. 

Love in the Air: Koi no Yukon

MAME won this year, y’all. We all have complicated feelings about her, but she’s secured a loving adaptation from a Japanese team that’s put solid effort into bringing her characters to life. Every character feels correct compared to their Thai counterpart we saw on screen, and that’s a strong sign that the writing behind MAME’s work is strong, even if we all have issues with the way she tackles certain themes. I’m really impressed with this adaptation, and really like this version of Rain.I also feel like this show is doing a better job blending the forthcoming couple focus shift.

Our Youth

We just got this show, but damn does it feel sharp! I’m always going to be a sucker for a cinephile character, and I’m so compelled by the way Minase is drawn to Hirukawa. The scene in episode 2 where Minase has to leave Hirukawa’s house might be one of the most impressive sequences we’ve had in a while, requiring a great deal of choreography and effort from the actors and the camera crew to pull off, and I’m excited to see how these characters split and then come back together. 

Smells Like Green Spirit

Let me just say that I need another Abe Alan appearance when he isn’t playing a character doing horrible things to his students. I’ve enjoyed meditating on the 90s with this show and what that era felt like. I’ve liked how the show has tried to focus on how different parents (especially the moms) have responded to their kids coming to terms with themselves. I’ve also really enjoyed the friendship that’s grown between Mishima and Kirino. I’m struggling with Yumeno a lot, because I’m really not a friend of bully romances. Still, I feel like this is one of those shows I’ll remember for a long time because of its focus on the 90s. 

Blue Canvas of Youthful Days

I think @lurkingshan covered reactions to episode 5 and episode 6 better than I could, and I loved @twig-tea giving context for the film history moment in episode 6. I remember screaming into the chat for friends to show up for this when I got to that moment. This show has two great pairs of dynamics going on that mirror well. It’s got such a strong handle on its characters’ motivations and how they would respond to the actions from each other. It’s probably the tightest thing I’m watching now, backed by extremely dialed-in performances. I will be thinking about Qi Lu organizing his potential first kiss with Qin Xiao, and how unapologetic he’s been about the entire affair. He’s being selfish here, but I kinda like it. I’m so thankful that we are somehow still getting this show, because goddamn do the Chinese actors deliver on chemistry sometimes.

Interview With the Vampire Season 2

I finished this with a friend last week, and holy fuck is this show still so, so good. We watch a lot of gay romance because of BL, and I am having so much fun watching the show about gay divorce. I loved the time we spent in Paris, Daniel’s shifting role in the narrative, and the new insights we got into Lestat this season. I will miss Claudia so much, and I have to give a standing ovation to Delainey Hayles stepping into the role of Claudia and doing the damn thing this season. I just love seeing my little fucked up gay people torment each other on screen.

I'm still thinking about Louis and Lestat reuniting in a hurricane after Claudia derided this as yet another chapter in their stormy romance.

Dropped Shows

Unfortunately, everyone can’t win. Some of these shows are just too long for me to keep up with them, and oftentimes I get bored. I’ve currently dropped:

Lovesick 2024 - I may go back. We’ll see

Jack & Joker - It’s just too long, and they just killed Jennie and a kid. I’m good.

Fourever You - I’m bored with Earth always playing this character type.

Pluto - Namtam and Film are beautiful, but this looks too messy right now.

Every You, Every Me - Wasn’t intrigued after episode 1, but the commentary may draw me back.

Kidnap - Ohm is not enough to keep me invested in this show. 

Uncle Unknown - How did they make a 6 minute show feel slow?

I’m genuinely not trying to be harsh to Thai shows out here, but I just do not have the time to keep up with all of them when they’re this long and dragging.

Thanks for stopping by, and let me know if there’s something I missed that I should check out.

[nice-and-accurate-fictions]

Season 3 and post season 2

So I am very, very picky about season 3 fics. The main feature I’m picky about is Aziraphale’s characterisation, said the girl who had bored everyone to death with her thoughts about why Aziraphale did what he did. You won’t find any fic in here where Aziraphale is the villain or needs to apologize for his choice. You will find some fictions that differ to my headcanon of Aziraphale knowing what he was doing (or at least having a good reason for doing it), rather than being tricked and naively flattered into accepting the position. Which means that those fictions are really incredibly good, if I enjoyed them in spite of that. But definitely no fics where Aziraphale is a villain, or an egoist, or doesn’t love Crowley enough. 

In general, when it comes to season 3, I generally prefer plotty stories, where I can find the vibes and humour that we have in canon, the implication that it is, after all, a comedy. But I won’t say no to some excellent post season 2 fix-its with all the right vibes!

Season 3:

The Beginning Of The End (Again), by AddledMongoose. Rated M, 78k.

One of my all time favourite season 3 fics. Amazing plot, perfect characterisation and chemistry between Crowley and Aziraphale, great humour, and a colourful array of side characters. Low angst and a happy ending. I can't begin to tell you how much I loved this story, and yet I really, really can’t stop telling you how much I love this story!

What Are You Doing Here, by Nebz_AlphaCentauri. Rated E, 68k. P. Feb 24.

Truly amazing season 3 fiction where our heroes have to stop the second coming. Plotty and sexy in equal measure. I will forever be grateful to the writer for not making God good.

My own  And I Did, rated E, 85k. P. Dec 24.

In my not-a-summary I say that this is a story about faith, about love, and about choices. Which is true. But I have come to think of it also as my apology dance to Crowley. My headcanon about Aziraphale has always been clear, but at first I wasn't sure about what Crowley would do after the final 15. I didn't see Crowley drinking himself oblivious or taking a road of self destruction. But I didn't know what he would do. Then it hit me, and that was when I started writing this fic. I knew what Crowley would do. Crowley would do what Crowley does. And what does Crowley do best? This is a story about faith, about love, and about choices. Aziraphale is Supreme Archangel, Crowley is Grand Duke Of Hell, and they have to bring about the Second Coming. And of course they're not talking.

Time Marches Forward by Bellisima_writes. Rated M, 129k. P. Feb 24.

Post season two story with an incredible plot! This story has multiple POVs, including Adam's, who's one of the main characters, and rightly so! Aziraphale is in heaven as supreme archangel, while on earth Adam and Crowley form a very strong bond. We follow their journey in the two years between the end of season two and the second coming. Lots of angst with a very happy ending!

Post season 2 and fix-its:

Multichapters:

My own  Second Chances And Second Choices. Rated T, 25K. P. Mar 24.

Not half as good as any of the others I'm recommending but it's my baby, so... Set after a failed second coming. Aziraphale is hoping this is the beginning of his life with Crowley, but Crowley seems to be of a different opinion. Until old enemies turn up at Aziraphale's door. Low angst, happy ending. I wish it had better humour, I wish some bits didn't feel as much of a stretch as they do but fair enough. Rated: Teen and up.

After The End (part one of Nice And Ominous: A Reluctant Eschatology Of The Second Attempt) by beardo. Rated T, 26k. P. Feb 24.

Crowley learns to cope after Aziraphale goes to heaven, with a little help.from his friends. And from the Bentley. I love the writer’s humour and the conversations between Crowley and the Bentley are hilarious.

Among The Stacks, by MeinirRhos. Not Rated, 65k. P. Nov 23.

This fiction made me feel things. Sometimes uncomfortable things. Which is what great writing should do, really, isn’t it? I’m so glad I stuck to it because the story is amazing, clever, and deep. A year after Aziraphale goes to heaven, Crowley feels that Aziraphale is no more and starts mourning him. Until he finds a human that looks and behave exactly like Aziraphale. This story has a happy ending and skippable explicit scenes. I highly recommend it.

One-shots:

Trial & Error, by fellshish. Rated E, 15k. P. Nov 23.

Fellshish’s unmatchable style and humour are at their best in this fix-it fic! Crowley is taken to heaven to face a trial for tempting the Supreme Archangel. The judge is, yes, you guessed it, the Supreme Archangel. Laughter and deep feelings all mixed up in this wonderful story.

We Only Said Goodbye With Words, I Died a Hundred Times, by ras_elased. Rated E, 9k. P. Sep 23.

Beautiful, incredibly angsty fix-it fic. It has a happy ending and it’s a short story, so know that the angst doesn’t last long. The feelings are so deep and visceral. I loved it.

Jesus, Etc. by fellshish. Rated G, 7k. P. Aug 23.

Funny and lighthearted fix-it fic. Aziraphale and Crowley show Jesus around on earth while Aziraphale tries to delay the second coming. Of course they are mad at each other. Someone might pick up on the reason why.

Series:

Bad Communication by Nebz_AlphaCentauri. Rated T. Total series words 14k. P. Sep 23.

This series has three season 3 works: Bad Advice (Up There With A Suggestion Box); Bad Management (Up There With Not Allowing Questions); Bad Communication (Almost Ineffably Bad But Not Quite).

The stories are set a week after Aziraphale goes to heaven. One is from Crowley's POV, one from Aziraphale's POV and in the third one they finally talk. Funny and Heartwarming.

[astridhoff03]

I finally gave in and also watched the third season of Bridgerton…

…And I think Colin gets me to laugh in some scenes were it’s not supposed to be, for example when he was portrayed as this hot guy who can woo every girl he looks at. Penelope was still good I think, I still really like her, she’s still very cute since we know she is Lady Whistledown. But sorry I can’t get behind their romance to some degree, they have a bit of Chemistry, but not very much I think. But I love her debut at the ball, she looked so beautiful in this dress in her little Cinderella moment. I would like if Colin and Penelope would have been more like this dorky couple romantic chemistry, I think this would also fit their characters more. But still I ship them, they are really cute together. Also Drama between these two, I love it. Kate and Anthony, which are my favorite couple of all Bridgerton Couples we get so far are still very good characters and they steal the show to some degree. Violet Bridgerton is maybe not perfect but she is still a good character and I really adore the performance of the actor. Also after seeing Queen Charlotte and seeing that Violet is interested in Lady Danburys Brother, make me go: oh boy! And last but not least Francesca, the best Character in this season and my favorite. Shes very relatable for me personally and so lovely. Such a loveable character. Francesca is so cute and her lovestory feels so natural. I hope she will have the role of the main character in some future seasons. And then we have Eloise, the best character in every season, Eloise is so great. She’s so fun but also a confident young woman. Her Friendship with Cressida could be more interesting in the next part of the third season. I hope we see more of it.

But I have to confess the Show is still very good, I still can enjoy it and have a good time with it. I regret nothing but I didn’t regre saying that Colin is the weakest part of this season so far but that could change.

[odetoalibrary]

End of Year DRAMA Wrap-Up for 2024

Yes, I’m late but here is my drama wrap-up for 2024! I look forward to these posts by other drama watchers every year so this is mine!

A couple of disclaimers! This is not a list of shows that were released in 2024 but the shows I watched in 2024. To make things easier. I will put the year next to the shows that were not released in 2024. Most of these shows are Chinese but there is a mixture of Chinese, Korean and English-language shows here.

My list will be in order of least favourite to most favourite. This is a very personal list and not a ranking of shows I thought were objectively good.

But first, let’s start with the shows I dropped. All of these were released in 2024.

DROPPED

Tale of the Rose cdrama

A beautifully short modern Chinese drama starring Liu Yifei that should have held my attention…but somehow didn’t. On paper it has a flawed and driven female lead and a cast of equally flawed and driven characters….but I just wasn’t interested. I thought this would be the first modern Chinese drama to hold my attention but it wasn’t.

In Blossom cdrama

Is Liu Xueyi cursed or something? I’ve been waiting for him to take the lead since he won my heart in Ancient Love Poetry and this gothic melodrama had everything going for him…until they replaced the female lead and all that wonderful romantic chemistry flapped like a cold fish on the floor. I was pretty ambivalent towards Ju Jingyi before this but I can’t watch another show with her in it. This actually pained me.

Snowfall cdrama

Ok this one physically hurt too. 20th century gothic vampire tale starring Gao Weiguang as a vampire. Vibes are immaculate, costumes are lush and beautiful and there is a haunting melancholy to the show. Unfortunately, storytelling is king to me and there is only so many times I can watch the circular plot of the lead being tortured in jail before I rage quit. Vibes can only get me through so much.

The Princess Royal cdrama

Meh, I was excited for this one too but one day I just stopped watching it…and never felt the need to go back. There wasn’t enough tension between the leads once we got past a certain point and (once again) storytelling matters more to me than vibes.

And now on to the list of shows I actually finished!

RANKING OF SHOWS I WATCHED IN 2024

Love Game in Eastern Fantasy cdrama

This show had such amazing potential. The tension at the start between the leads was delicious and the trust built up so slowly and perfectly until we got that smashing scene in the mirror world. Beautiful! And then the personal conflict of the characters wisped away and we got a series of big events happening which I felt no personal stake in. But the main reason this is at the bottom of the list is Esther Yu’s performance as the lead. I know she can act better than this but for some reason she was directed to act not just innocent like a child (not my favourite trope in the best of times) but innocent like an actual BABY. In some scenes her voice and behaviour were so childish it felt like a parody of the genre or a skit.

House of the Dragon Season Two

I think if you’ve been reading my posts this year, it was kind of obvious how I felt about this season of HOTD. I’m not a book purist but the writers are not even following the logic of their own character arcs in season one. What was supposed to be a story about a civil war within a family where nobody really wins, has turned into a show where one character is the chosen one and everyone else is wrong for going against her. What a waste of a story. What a waste of your actors! What a complete lack of understanding of the very story you are adapting!

A Journey to Love cdrama 2023

A solidly written intelligent story with an interesting cast of characters and brilliant directing. Why is it so far down on the list? Because other shows made me feel more. I felt mostly invested in the story of one of side characters, the Princess Yang Ying, and her portrayal by He Lan Dou. If the show and centred on her this would have been higher up the list but alas. I’m aware this is a firm favourite of many people for the year it was released!

Story of Kunning Palace cdrama 2020

I loved this hot mess of a show and it certainly kept me invested while I was watching it. Bai Lu is fast becoming my woman to watch with the kind of roles she chooses to star in. I felt that Zhang Linghe was slightly miscast in this role as his aggression felt slightly ridiculous and forced. He tends to do much better in more subtle pensive characters. But this was a great revenge drama and I had a blast watching it.

The Red Sleeve kdrama 2021

This show tackles something that I have never seen a show do before except for the 2011 Chinese drama, Scarlet Heart. Every time a character states how happy the crown prince (and then the king) is that the heroine is in his life, a question is asked; is she happy? Does her happiness even matter? Is not the crowning joy of any heroine to get the love of the male lead and live for him? There have been so many historical Korean dramas where the heroine has been absorbed into the male lead’s story and this feels very meta in the way the story doesn’t follow this. I even had to turn the Viki comments off because the heroine was criticised for not being happy with the love of the male lead, for being ungrateful for wanting something else. I wish more dramas took inspiration from this.

Fortune Writer cdrama

Sun Yun Qi took command of my heart much like she takes command of this show. This domineering character type is one we rarely see from a female lead and she was portrayed so well by Li Mu Chen. The worst thing this character could bear is being controlled by others and we see her fight remorselessly against this to the end. Magnificent! Unfortunately the male actor really didn’t have the acting chops to pull off the role of an angry tormented general and I couldn’t help snorting every time he scowled like a teenager throwing a tantrum. Still, this was a wonderfully intense little story and I will definitely check out more mini Chinese dramas this year.

The Double cdrama

The villains really made this show for me. As much as I loved the theatrical Duke Su and the vengeful Xue Fang Fei, Princess Wanning and Shen Yurong had me logging into tumblr every day to rave about their insane dynamics. Watching Shen Yurong, a righteous official, on his inevitable descent into the kind of man he always hated was PEAK television. Every time he and Xue Fang Fei went up against each other, I was screaming into my fist.

Lost You Forever Season Two cdrama

What happened here? The first ten episodes had the same magnetism of the first season but then something started to unravel. I don’t know if pivotal scenes were cut due to time constraints or censorship but the latter is definitely to blame for the it-was-all-a-dream sequence they shoehorned in at the end. The story still powerful enough to get us through but something magical was lost. The only character with a satisfying arc from beginning to end was Xiang Liu and his scenes were iconic until his tragic last battle.

Blossom cdrama

Beautifully shot, wonderful chemistry between the leads and non-typical side characters…until we devolved into yet another emperor-is-righteous-and-the-leads-must-help-save-the-country ending. Is the Chinese government in fear of opposition more than usual lately? This isn’t even censorship, it’s making every story a targeted propaganda tool. The only story that has made me care about saving the country and the emperor is Story of Ming Lan. Ironically this show shares a lot of similar beats but is still lovely in it’s characterisation. My heart was in a clench during many of the intimate scenes between friends, lovers, parents…parental figures. My favourite relationship was definitely between Song Mu and his uncle, General Mei Sun.

My Dearest kdrama 2023

A beautifully shot, beautifully written Gone with the Wind inspired drama set during the Qing invasion of Joseon. The first half had me by the throat as we followed Gil Chae and Jang Hyun deal with their inability to give up as everything falls around them. Once the story branches away from the major plot points of Scarlett and Rhett’s story, it fell apart a bit for me and the show falls into the familiar trap of putting the heroine’s story in the backburner to support the male protagonist. Still, a gorgeous historical drama that deals with difficult themes with sensitivity and intelligence.

Here are my top three. In other words, we are now in feral territory. I have already watched these multiple times.

Til the End of the Moon cdrama 2023

Instead of taking the one ring to Mordor, Frodo goes back in time and makes the Dark Lord his little meow meow. This story was epic, insane, glorious and unhinged. Other fantasy dramas wish they were even half as good. The fight scenes used such strong thematic imagery and choreography that it was pure theatre. The fight between Ming Ye and the Devil God with its use of celestial figures, constellations, and hellfire imagery has ruined me for other boss fights. And we haven’t even touched Tantai Jin with his necromancer-esque magic and his use of crows and puppets. Above all though is the love story and the suffering between Li SuSu and Tantai Jin and how everything is against them. I loved this. I loved the acting, and the epic soundtrack, the fight scenes, all the incredible side characters and the brilliant costumes. It fell apart at the end but this has secured itself as one of my favourite fantasy dramas of all time.

Lost You Forever cdrama 2023

Do you know what is better than watching the male lead suffer over the course of an amazing story? Watching the female lead suffer. Lost You Forever never forgets that the protagonist is Xiao Yao, the beating heart of every episode. This was my obsession of 2024. I watched the show, read the novel, watched the show again, wrote some fanfiction and it still wasn’t enough. The storytelling in this fantasy drama was so tight that it felt like a joy from start to finish. I loved the heroine, Xiao Yao, and her drive to find someone who won’t leave her even as she fears making herself vulnerable. Every character had a believable and devastating motivation that touched me and despite being a reverse harem (yes really) it was so much more than that.

Interview with the Vampire Season Two

I had taken 7000 souls by then. But Lestat was the only one that felt like murder.

Poetry in motion. Gothic romance. Vampirism meets colonialism. A literary love letter to Anne Rice while creating something so much more. From the first ten minutes, I was breathless watching this. The dialogue was sharp, romantic and devastating. I had close to a panic attack while watching the penultimate episode, I Could Not Prevent It. This is everything you hoped a show about vampires would be while also giving you what you didn’t even know you needed.

I’ve written nearly 2000 words but I can’t stop now. Here are some special awards!

Favourite Female Character

Xiao Yao from Lost You Forever

I was pretty neutral on Yang Zi as an actress before watching her as Xiao Yao but she has skyrocketed to an actress I need to watch out for. She made me cry multiple times with her performance as Xiao Yao, a lost princess living as a wandering doctor in a backwater town. Warm-hearted, charismatic and being fully believable as a poor doctor who has seen and cleaned up a multiple of human messes, Xiao Yao is compelled by her deep desire for companionship while being certain that anyone she loves will never stick around for long. A wonderful performance of a flawed and loveable heroine.

Runners up

Claudia from Interview with the Vampire

Despite replacing a beloved actress in season one, Delainey Hayles did the impossible and made me (and the rest of the fandom) adore her interpretation of the vampire Claudia, just as dearly. An old soul in a young girl and a tragedy fighting against her inevitable demise, Delainey’s Claudia was a firebrand. I loved her and I hope to see her memory torture Lestat in season three.

Li Su Su from Til the End of the Moon

A young idealist who is put under an absolutely insane amount of pressure right from the start of the show. Her naturally bubbly personality doesn’t prevent her from being ruthless to others and even more ruthless to herself. She suffers from bad-writing-syndrome a few (more than a few) times but Bai Lu’s depiction of a woman who is in way over her head is striking.

Favourite Male Character

Tantai Jin from Til the End of the Moon

There was no competition really. Tantai Jin is the most fascinating character I saw onscreen this year. The way Luo Yunxi portrayed a man who could be ruthless, cruel, tender, kind-hearted, honourable, courageous and incredibly vulnerable was incredible to me. He went above and beyond to portray a man who could equally turn out a villain or a hero and even went on to act as Ming Ye and the Devil God (two completely different characters) too. The show really made use of his ballet dancer training in the fight scenes and every one of them is thrill to watch. I think this really illustrates why sometimes you need an older actor with experience to take on these roles and you can really see the range that Luo Yunxi has built over the years. This was a magnetic performance from beginning to end.

Runners up

The Vampire Armand from Interview with the Vampire

Hauntingly tragic and horrifyingly manipulative, Armand proved to be just as magnetic an antagonist and lover as Lestat but in a way that creeps up on you until betrayal at the bitter end. I knew what was coming but he still captivated me. I can’t imagine any other actor but Assad Zaman as The Vampire Armand after watching this. He is the breakout star for me of 2024. Fans of the show were literally taking trips to the Louvre in Paris to see “Armand’s painting.”

Xiang Liu from Lost You Forever

A nine-headed snake and a demon general who signed his soul to a cause long before the show started and never betrays it. I wasn’t aware of Tan Jianci before this but he completely enchanted me with his portrayal of a monster with a steadfast human heart. The soundtrack with his song has been on repeat for me all year.

Favourite Love Story

Xiao Yao and Xiang Liu from Lost You Forever

A gothic doomed romance between two very flawed individuals on opposite side of a conflict. Dark, romantic and full of mutual longing, this was the romance of the year for me. Their fate was already sealed before the show even started thanks to Xiang Liu’s adopted father and Xiao Yao’s brother needing to take over the world but they also can’t let go of each other either so we get this beautiful tormented story.

Favourite Villain

Shen Yurong from The Double

Surprise! Of course it’s Shen Yurong. This man had me logging on here to froth at the mouth over his descent into depravity and wickedness. I never knew what he would do next but every one of his actions made sense for his character. Lang Yongqi performed this role with a subtle brilliance.

Best scene of 2024

The domestic showdown of Interview with the Vampire season two

There were so many amazing scenes I watched in 2024 but if I had to appoint the one that defined last year, it would be the fight between Louis and Armand in Interview with the Vampire season two; Don’t be Afraid, Just Start the Tape. This fight went viral and for good reason. So many of the lines were both comical and horrifying and the implications of the fight itself, forcibly buried and erased until then, were enough twist everything we thought we knew. Assad Zaman and Jacob Anderson may not get the recognition they deserve from the industry but new fans and old were quoting this fight for weeks all over social media for a reason.

[girl4music]

Finished Season 1 of CARMILLA. I didn’t expect this web series to be so plot heavy. But I can take plot heavy so long as the characterization doesn’t suffer. Which it definitely didn’t. Not only do the two main protagonists get their due with this, the side and recurring characters get some good representation and development too. Which, for a short series, is pretty impressive. Told you it can be done if intended.

There’s also (surprisingly) really good writing in this web series. Like the pacing is good, the execution of the plot lines and arcs are well-written. Obviously because they can’t have a lot of action (low budget web series, after all) a lot of what actually happens to evolve the plot has to be off-screen and explained. Which isn’t my favourite thing in the world because I do prefer interpretation over exposition. Still - as the theme song for the series goes - love will have its sacrifices. I simply have to accept and embrace this factor due to the format and nature of the content.

I wouldn’t say I’ve fallen in love with it by any means - at least not yet - but I did enjoy what I watched. And the slow burn progression for Hollstein was A++!

Really great chemistry between Carmilla and Laura. I liked the whole enemies-to-lovers vibe with them at first with Carmilla being the uninvited guest/roommate evolving into caring and loving friends, culminating in a romance in the end - which was the obvious and logical progression for their dynamic. And honestly, that’s all I want from WLW representation. Not just the depth and fleshing out of characterization for both characters in the relationship, but also the reason and logic for them to be lovers in the first place. Which you rarely ever get these days because of the whole representation anxiety/ticking boxes issue. Just like there’d be reason and logic for straight characters to be together, there also should be for gay/queer characters to be together too. Or any romantic/sexual relationships represented in TV art/entertainment. You can’t just put them in just because it ticks a box. Thankfully this web series knows how to provide all of that so their relationship makes far more sense and doesn’t feel like it comes out of nowhere.

Great stuff! I’ll continue on to Season 2 tomorrow.

[incangencence]

SHIPPING INFO

answer the following for your muse(s) so people know how shipping works on your blog.

tagged by: stole it from @fartemis-crock

what’s your OTP for your muse(s)?

Master x Gene all the way! Though I should say, I don’t auto-ship or expect it with EVERY Master/Missy I write with. The dynamics still have to be there, and I don’t ever want the other mun feeling forced into stuff. The MOST I will ever assume between the two of them is friendship (with an admittedly uneven power-dynamic… like a dark Doctor and Donna situation).

what are you willing to RP when it comes to shipping

Romance, angst, toxic or complicated dynamics… I’m down for MOST things honestly! I tend to be a Fade To Black kinda girlie, but short of that, I’m happy to discuss just about anything!

how large does the age gap have to be to make it uncomfortable?

Gene’s 28, so I don’t tend to go younger than 21 with her. Older… I hadn’t really thought about it? Because… timelords. Age. Wibbly-wobbly timey-wimey…

are you selective when shipping?

Soooort of? It’s a selective blog so like… by default, if I’m following you (via my main blog anywherexwhen) then I want to write with you. And if our characters have good chemistry then I’ve probably already considered it! For me, ships are one of the best excuses to really deep dive into the dynamics between two characters, so if I’m having a great time writing with you, I’ll probably want to ship so we can explore every possible facet. And I’m not married to every thread or every idea we throw at the wall. If we try a ship and discover “oh, they actually work better as friends” or some other dynamic — retconning exists. Like. We don’t have to be precious about this. It’s a game.

how far do steamy moments have to go before they’re considered NSFW?

I tag NSFW purely for other people’s comfort, not my own. Which means I tend to start tagging early when the steam starts rising, but I might not be consistent about it. It doesn’t bother me, but I know not everyone enjoys it, so it’s my way of being mindful. And like I said above, I prefer Fade To Black, so… I probably don’t really NEED to tag NSFW, but I’d rather be safe than sorry.

who are other muses you ship your muse with?

I made a joke the other day about how Gene’s type is “sentient red flags” and I stand by that! Her two developing types seem to be “Problematic Danger On Legs,” and “You’re Genuinely Too Good For Me, But I’m Going To Hold You For As Long As You’ll Let Me.” Gene’s very bisexual, and a nonstop flirt machine, so do with that what you will!

does one have to ask to ship with you?

I’ll put it this way: anyone who wants to is ALWAYS welcome to send shippy/nsfw memes ANY TIME, and I will consider that as you asking or wanting to test the waters. For the fuller ship dynamic, I’d prefer if we’ve already been writing together or at least chatting and such behind the scenes for a little while, so we know whether or not we’re a good writing fit and if the character dynamics are there and working!

how often do you like to ship?

Whenever it feels natural. Gene is a massive flirt, she will flirt with just about EVERYONE, but there’s a sort of electricity you can feel when the chemistry is there between two characters. And you can tell when it’s not clicking too. If it’s in the air, I usually wanna explore it, because it opens up opportunities for scenarios you can’t always get at with other types of muses… especially with Gene. She has a lot of secrets so emotional intimacy threads and such are going to be EXTREMELY different with her partner muses than with friends/companions/enemies…

are you ship obsessed or ship more-or-less?

Obsessed, not gonna lie. It’s obviously not the ONLY thing I want to rp, but I find it’s where I do my best writing and where the most interesting stories are. And I don’t mean the kissing bits (though WOW I will kick my little feet and squeal like a teenage girl over a good kiss drabble), it’s the Everything Else…

what is your favorite ship in your current fandom?

Ten x Rose and Thoschei, not even a competition

finally, how does one ship with you?

Toss a meme in my inbox or come DM me! Any time! If you ship it I WANNA KNOOOOOW!!! Please come smush your Barbie into mine 🥺

[domonicriley]

The Rise of Skywalker: A Sad Ending to the Sequel Trilogy

When I think of The Rise of Skywalker, I can’t really be as hard on this movie as I might. Yes, it’s bad, but it came off the back of something even worse, The Last Jedi. It had to try and fix that movie’s problems and bring the whole sequel trilogy to a close at the same time, which was no easy task. Looking back at it, it might have been better to make two movies rather than one, to have a better chance at steadying the ship.

Despite that small caveat, I can’t let the movie get off the hook. It is bad, and in ways that it doesn’t have to be. It did have a lot standing against it, but as a movie in its own right, it fails to deliver anything truly memorable. So let’s get into it and round of my retrospective on the Star Wars sequels.

To start with the main characters, we finally get Rey, Finn and Poe together, as they should have been in The Force Awakens and The Last Jedi. It’s too late at this stage to give the the kind of relationships that they need, but at least the three actors have some natural chemistry, and it would have been nice to see this in TFA. The big problem is that they don’t do much other than go on an endless series of side quests to find new MacGuffins in ever weirder settings.

They need to find a Sith Wayfinder (to find their way to the Dark Side, I guess). They travel to a planet. They find a dagger with a clue written on it. But the writing’s in Sith, which C-3PO can read but won’t translate. So they need to find a droidsmith and get the information. Now they have to go to Endor. There’s the Death Star wreckage. And finally, the Wayfinder. It’s all just a convoluted video game mess, and it starts to get boring pretty quickly.

The movie also does a lot of odd stuff with its characters. So Rey’s now feeling the Dark Side. OK, she did the same in TLJ when she was on Ahch-To, but why is she suddenly reaching for it now? Why not when Han died? Or during her confrontation with Snoke? Or when fighting the Praetorian Guard? Why only after Chewie is kidnapped?

Another thing I don’t like is the Force Dyad connection between Rey and Kylo Ren. There doesn’t seem to be any rational explanation for why this happens, and the idea that you can pass objects through the Force is a strange one. It all seems to come out of nowhere and doesn’t have the feeling of destiny that made a lot of Anakin’s particular skills more acceptable.

As for the other two heroes, Finn is once again just there to fill spaces. He does the odd bit of comedy, has a few hero moments, but his character development still remains stuck in a rut.

As for ace pilot Poe, he’s still an ace pilot. He does have to take command of the Resistance after Leia’s death, which is nice considering everything he’s gone through before, but it doesn’t really go anywhere.

The villains are much the same. Hux is made into a Resistance spy out of nowhere in one of the most contrived plot conveniences ever. There are so many ways he could have undermined Ren and sought his defeat without having to sell out the entire First Order, which he’s been fanatically devoted too all this time. It’s just ridiculous and makes his character into a complete joke.

Admiral Pryce is a welcome inclusion as an intelligent, competent officer, which has been lacking so far, but he’s mostly there just to fill the spot of enemy commander without actually contributing anything to the plot.

Kylo Ren spends most of the movie being whiny and irritating. I do wonder how the FO lasted even a week under his command. His eventual turn to Ben Solo is completely unearned. It worked with Vader because he sacrificed himself to save his son from the Emperor. Why does Ren turn good? Because he has a weird hallucination about Han Solo.

For some reason, this movie thought that it needed to introduce more characters, even though Rose Tico is barely even a cameo. For some reason, characters like Zori Bliss and Jannah come and go without any purpose. Which brings us to the real loss here: Lando Calrissian.

He’s the final character from the original trilogy to make an appearance and it’s such a waste. He’s barely here and doesn’t do anything onscreen, which makes him seem more like an insert to please fans who wanted to see him. This is sad because there were clearly moments earlier on in the sequels where he would have fit perfectly (master codebreaker, anyone?) but wasn’t included. Now it’s much too little, much too late.

Now for the big twist. Somehow, Palpatine returned! I really don’t know what to say about this particular development. It manages to be completely obvious and completely ridiculous at the same time. It feels like a last desperate act to bring in a genuinely good villain now the this trilogy has killed or assassinated all of its own supply. Kylo Ren clearly wasn’t going to cut it so time to bring back the big guns. I won’t believe that this was the whole purpose of the sequels, though, as it’s such a cheap twist, not worthy of two set up movies, and really is just a last cry now that Snoke is gone.

Now, regardless of that, Ian McDiarmid is still a brilliantly theatrical actor, and his performance in this movie is worth watching. The whole thing about him being Rey’s grandfather, though. Where did that come from? It’s yet another contrivance, and I wonder if when J.J. Abrams wrote the orphan backstory in TFA, he thought he’d come up with a really good reveal later on, then couldn’t think of anything and desperately grabbed the most unlikely answer.

Does the movie have any redeeming qualities? Not really. It’s a muddled, hyperactive mess that’s always jumping about all over the place. It’s not satisfying either as a standalone movie, or as the conclusion to a trilogy. The finale battle is OK, but the idea of an entire fleet of Star Destroyers equipped with planet killing superweapons is too far fetched to take seriously, or even to comprehend it as a realistic threat. If you just keep destroying planets, there won’t be any left. The point of the Death Star is that it was a nuclear bomb. Something that could be used once or twice to set an example, and once people knew of its power, they would never dare to resist, and the Empire would never need to use it again. Both Starkiller Base and this fleet are just too much to take in, and they don’t seem anywhere near as threatening as the original Death Star, going for the ‘bigger is obviously scarier’ approach.

I don’t think the The Force Awakens is a great film, but I think any attempt to make a good trilogy was scuppered by the outright ‘subversion’ of The Last Jedi, which left the finale movie with no base and nowhere clear to go. As a result, it failed, and failed hard. There’s no way it could have wrapped up the sequels in a truly satisfying way, but sadly it didn’t try that hard to fix the mistakes of its predecessors. I do wonder how future movies will deal with the problems of unfinished character arcs, poor world building, and badly thought out plot. What will Rey’s ‘New Jedi Order’ movies do to correct this? Finn being a Jedi would have fit perfectly here, if only the sequels had made an effort to develop it.

Sadly, The Rise of Skywalker is a what might have been, not just for itself, but for the entire Star Wars franchise as developed by Disney. It’s surely no coincidence that it’s been five years since they released a SW movie following the terrible reception to TROS (and the flop of Solo). Yes, they put a lot of effort into making Disney+ shows, but there won’t be another movie released until at least 2026. The attempt to make Star Wars into a TV brand has failed. It’s a cinematic franchise, and it needs to get back to the big screen.

This piece is shorter than my other posts on the sequels, and that’s really because I don’t feel as bothered about this movie. It’s the disappointing final act of a disappointing trilogy, and it’s really what you’d expect from this particular section of Star Wars. Somehow, The Rise of Skywalker happened…

[onethattwaddles]

Drama Twaddling: 'Queen of Tears'

WELL, well, well… That was quite a drama, huh?

Almost a week later and I’m still here nursing a clingy heart. I’m not ready to let go of BaekHong yeeeeeet. And I know I’m not alone on this one so here’s a little (not) drama talk from me. So sit back and grab a cup of coffee ‘coz this is going to be a looooong discussion.

Finally, after a long squiggly wiggly rollercoaster ride, we’ve reached the end. (Two special episodes coming, though. Weehee!) I can’t believe two months just flew by and starting this week, no more waiting for BaekHong weekend. Anyway, pat and applaud yourselves for making it through the rough journey. And as hard as it is, now we say bye-bye to our lovely (and we-emptied-your-tear-bags) royal couple, Baek Hyun-woo and Hong Hae-in.

First of all, this is definitely one of those I came in for the package, I stayed for the cast.

If there was one thing to be applauded about this drama, it’s the casting. They anchored the show. I’m serious–I'd give a hundred if the rating were out of ten. That much. Because I could NEVER imagine anyone else playing BaekHong’s roles as perfectly as Soohyun and Jiwon did. They were practically Hyun-woo and Hae-in acting themselves. They said they were a bit awkward in the beginning but where in the world do you find people just standing side by side screaming chemistry like, hello? The wedding photos? Hyun-woo said they probably only met twice when they shot those but it gives off legit pre-nups. In the drama, with every little touch, you get this small tingling feeling. It’s so natural that you don’t even notice they’re acting even if the camera angle screams “Look! He’s touching her!” The spark’s just… there. *chef’s kiss*

And speaking of the cast, of course we can’t leave out the rest of them. If the main leads were good the supporting cast did not fall short. From the Hong Family to the Baek Family, Queens Group to Yondu-ri folks, friendships to usurpers–everyone nailed their roles! Bruh, the Mother-Son duo never failed to make an eye roll every time they appeared on the screen. They had, not only BaekHong in chokehold but even the whole watch-nation. Park Sung-hoon portrayed Yoon Eun-sung so convincingly that I’m starting to think he’s getting hate messages from all his “You can hate the character but please not the person” talks. (Because if it is so, what is wrong with you people?! Edit: I just read about it and that seems to be the case. Seriously, people?! Can’t separate reality from fiction now?)

And if I have the most generous love for the cast, I’m sorry I can’t say so for the writing.

Storywise, uhh... there were a few that I think were a bit of a shame.

For example, the overly abused the stars-aligned-the-universe-is-on-our-side motif? I wish they just made it so that kid Eun-sung saved kid Hae-in, which would explain this abnormal obsession because, to quote him, he liked her first and he saved her from drowning. Like, at least give him a proper reason to obsess, Writer-nim.

Or I wish Hyun-woo knew it was Hae-in he met in high school and who owned that MP3 player, so there would be more meaning as to why he kept it all this time. Prior? No, that would defeat the whole thing. While dating or in their marriage maybe. I just hope they didn't make it seem like the stars aligned for them to meet, but that they're both fighting for the universe to be on their side like a real married couple would do (just like what our Queen did in that propose scene. Pfft!). Especially in their case where everything's not working out. I think we already got a lot of that universe-is-on-our-side with the Truck of Doom and notebook incident. (I think there were others but I can’t remember.)

One thing I loved about Park Ji-eun’s previous work (Crash Landing On You) is because of the memories in North Korea. Here, I would have loved to see more Yongdu-ri and less Seoul during their MIA era. And I mean more interaction between the villagers and the BaekHong family. Like Hae-in and Dahye hanging out with Mi-seon and her gang, or Mommy Hong and Mommy Baek hanging out with villagers, washing veggies, cooking, drinking, etc. like Daddy Hong and Daddy Baek did. (And where on earth did Hoyeol run off to, with four-something episodes left?)

Also (okay, at this point, it’s probably not a “few things”), I wish there was more something to our usurpers. You know, like what caused them to go a-la-Parasite on the Queens? Hello! Backstory? I know we got Eun-sung being a child out of wedlock but any more reasons how, what, why Moh Seul-hee exists and why she was so desperate to steal Queens? Why the Hongs in the first place? And who on earth is Grace? How did she connect with them? I feel like the time spent on the dragging scenes should have been spent on their backgrounds (Moh, Dahye, Grace), even for just a few seconds of flashback. But I guess the not-knowing-everything part adds to their mystery.

Finally, I did not sign up for the long-term residency in makjang alley, Writer-nim. I figured we'd have to step foot in but not that long. There were needless makjang moments just going round and round it got exhausting. RomCom suddenly logged out and was out of reach. (Can't deny the top-tier execution of our main leads, though. It was beautifully heart-breaking.) And those Germany honeymoon scenes in the BTS, where were they?! Hing~! TT

I love second-chance tropes, especially when it’s between married couples. That’s what intrigued me about this drama in the first place (of course, after seeing the cast). And I’m sad that this could have landed a spot on my number one list. The first half was good－pacing and all. I like how the usually slow and dragging scenes were cut short and compressed in a few minutes. However, as it advanced, some areas that didn’t need dragging got dragged whereas scenes that needed to be included did not make it which made it a little... and I’m just gonna shut my mouth. *zips*

By the way, I read someone on X saying Writer Park Ji-eun got this drama copyrighted in 2010－which explains why I got an early 2000s vibe from the premise (and the always-wrong turn of the second-half plot)－so I get it, this is from the treasure chest. But you had a 14-year chance to tweak it, Writer-nim! *wriggles her neck*

Hang it all! At least we got a “and they lived happily ever after” and that’s all that matters. (Also, Hong Soobin! We finally got to see you, girl! Welcome to the world! Huhuhu! Now give your papa and mama the best and long life.)

With all that said, it’s time to re-watch the whole thing… because why not? *winks*

(Update: I just finished rewatching and there’s only one thing I can say: you HAVE to rewatch it. It helps you see it in a bigger picture.

While rewatching and having long discussions with my sister who also just finished it, she was able to identify why I felt like the second half was dragging. The problem was really the last two episodes.

It suddenly felt like we were watching a different drama. The reason why we’re all ‘Queens (and Kings) of Tears’ is because we were watching Hae-in fighting to live, with her husband beside her through it all, going against the odds together. But in those last two episodes, I felt like a post-surgery Hae-in, suddenly lost and unaware of what was happening. I feel like if Hae-in survived the surgery and lost her memory, we didn’t need to see it anymore. The whole point of the show was to know if there was a cure for such an illness and if she survived it. But there was too much focus on the usurpers while so little information about their purpose.

Sis suggested something and I couldn’t agree more: end the show in episode 14 with the last scene of episode 16 just to show they lived happily ever lifetime. Honestly, the last two episodes were more of a fan service. While I have a few other minor comments (some mentioned above), let's just let go and move on. HAHAHA!)

[azure-firecracker]

ATLA Live Action Episode 7: Overall Thoughts.

Right so this episode was a mixed bag for me. On paper I should have loved it: it’s two big moments are Azula/Katara scenes and they parallel each other. Those are my two favorite characters and I love exploring how they mirror one another. But the actual execution of some of the scenes was…lacking.

Okay I legitimately forgot that Zhao tried to blow up Zuko’s boat in the original and it was funny bc I was reacting like it was something new this show did…nope lmao. Speaking of Zhao, I feel like this show can’t really decide what they want him to be. In the OG it was pretty clear: he was an asshole with lots of resources and therefore a threat, but he was also cocky and delusional and not very good at his job. Here I feel like this show is flip flopping between having him be legitimately threatening or a delusional idiot. Both are fine choices individually and honestly I don’t really care what they do since it’s not like he was a main character in the OG, but they do need to pick one. Like, objectively, from a writing standpoint.

I know some people disliked the changes to Yue and Sokka’s relationship, but I thought they were cute. I liked that they used the extended time at the North Pole pre-attack to flesh out their relationship more and give them some more bonding moments. It makes me buy into them more (I was never a love at first sight girlie). I agree that Yue’s character in the original was a really well written example of the good and bad things that come with being as loyal/dutiful as she is and that is missing here. But unlike our main cast, if you look at her without the lens of the original, she’s still a fleshed out, decently written character. I think she works (except for her hair of course).

Sokka on the other hand…I like that they’re allowing him to express his insecurities and trying to give him an arc, but I didn’t like Yue saying his heart was the most important thing about him. It’s such a generic line, and out of all of our main cast, it seems to suit him the least. It made it feel like they’re trying to give the whole main trio the same arc, which I…did not appreciate. But he does have good chemistry with Yue.

Speaking of generic arcs for the main trio…dear god I hate what they’re doing with Aang. It’s not offensive but it’s so overdone. Every fantasy protagonist in history has this conflict, and while it works for an episode of a cartoon, it does not work as Aang’s central conflict. Gordon’s doing his best with his lines, but I get bored watching his scenes. Also I didn’t love the stuff with Kuruk. Stay away from the Korra Spirit World stuff. Y’all can’t handle the material you have.

Okay onto my main girlies:

Azula’s arc definitely goes into the “it’s a different choice from the original but it works on its own category.” If you don’t compare her to OG Azula, these writing choices make sense. They work, and they go hand in hand with how this new Ozai is different from OG Ozai. OG Ozai really didn’t seem to care about his kids. They were tools in his play for power. We never got the sense that he’d really thought about either of them succeeding him, and or that he’d ever thought about his own death. This Ozai seems to be trying to turn both Azula and Zuko into younger versions of him (as we saw in the Agni Kai last episode), and he brings up the “heir to the throne” title a lot. This means he wants his kids to have a fighting spirit, a drive. It makes Azula’s defiance all the more twisted because it’s supposed to be this empowering moment for her…but really it’s exactly what Ozai wants. It’s objectively really good writing, and both Lizzy Yu and Daniel Dae Kim do a great job acting it out. At the same time, I feel a little loss of OG Azula. OG Azula was so busy fighting for Ozai’s love, being perfect, that she never had time to think about what she wanted because she was so stifled in the “golden child” role. That’s a type of abuse we don’t see depicted a lot in media, and I do wish the live action show had taken up that challenge. On the other hand, the arc we got was objectively good and I’m not sure they could have handled that subtlety. Overall, my feelings on these scenes are mostly good with some doubts in there. It does make me wonder what they’re going to do now that we know we’re getting a Book 3. Azula’s original Book 3 stuff with Ozai really wouldn’t work now that she’s already become so defiant.

Okay my girl Katara: FINALLY she got an episode to shine rather than being a side piece for Aang or Sokka’s arcs! Funny that all the filler episodes they cut were the Katara centric ones…but I digress. I understand not wanting to cut the stuff with NWT sexism, and I DON’T THINK THEY SHOULD HAVE. But with all their worries about Sokka’s sexism not translating well to a live action, they should have considered the fact that such heavy handed sexism might come off as cartoonish in a live action format. Most real sexism is more subtle, albeit just as frustrating and wrong, and I’m sad the show passed up their opportunity to portray that. I did like that Katara finally got to show both her anger and her hope. I felt like this was the first episode where she really felt in character. While some characters work while being different from the original (mostly FN characters), Katara’s changes made her an objectively more hollow character, so seeing sparks of OG Katara was awesome! She still felt a little flat, but it’s definitely a HUGE step in the right direction. (And Kiawentiio did awesome. Glad she’s finally getting to showcase her range). The end of the Katara/Pakku fight was a little weird but I’ll let it slide because she had that AWESOME line to Aang where she was like (I’m not going to get this exactly) “Fighting is my decision, not you or Pakku’s or anyone else’s.” I was CHEERING! This is the Katara we need more of.

I know I was largely critical in this review, but I really enjoyed this episode. This episode really solidified my belief that you have to think of these characters as totally new people. Different choices are being made, and that’s okay as long as they’re still good characters with ties to the original. Sometimes it works (Azula, Yue) and sometimes it doesn’t (main trio) but if you can enjoy it when it works, you’ll enjoy the whole show a lot more.

I’ll give this one an 8.5/10. Kind of the opposite of the last episode. With that one, there weren’t any great new choices they made (most of the best moments were straight out of the cartoon), but there was also nothing I really disliked. This episode made some great new choices that I thought were interesting and took some steps towards fixing some of the characters they butchered, but there was some stuff in here that I actively disliked (namely Aang and Zhao).

[review-anon]

Now I'm curious, who would you say are your favorite and least favorite oc characters from the different mods?

Alright a less negative ask!

I will only do the ones I know, so no Finalverse since I never got the chance to read it before Aliza deleted it.

A Student out of Time

Favourite: Kyoji Nakamura. I remember this guy from ATDK and I loved him back then and now with better writing he is even better. The fact I’m planning to do a character analysis on him at some point should tell you all. Probably the bits I like the most is how Kyoji is a complete inverse to the typical Author Avatar/Self Inserts where instead of making things better, he makes things worse. I have been trying to do that with Review Anon to a degree but she’s not as disaster prone as Kyoji, nobody can top him there.

Least Favourite: Maverick Storm. I used to like this guy but now he’s in a blog with better writing and he isn’t shielded by a bunch of stupid OCs, his flaws are really coming to the forth-front. My opinion of The Puppetmaster has also worsened since time went on, it’s certainly not S tier anymore I will tell you that. Again I don’t hate Maverick and he doesn’t piss me off, it’s just when compared to the other ASOOT OCs, he really is the weakest.

Despair To Future Arc

Favourite: Masa Esumi. As a Nikei fanboy it sounds sacrilege I know but if there’s one advantage reading DTFA has done, it’s made me appreciate the characters the blogs share. And Masa has really grown on me as a character. I already liked her in ASOOT but DTFA elevated it to new levels as I do like a character who despite being held down by many restrictions, finds ways to do the right thing and screw over the bad guys. And speaking of Nikei, while I might like him, I am not blind to his faults and Masa can put him in his place.

If you want me to go for someone not shared between the blogs then Naoyuki Harumaki. Guy is not the brightest spark but his heart is in the right place and yes I do ship him and Masa. Big time. Can’t wait for him to show up in ASOOT proper.

Least Favourite: Minoru Suzuki. Thought I was gonna have Monaca’s mother here did you? Well sorry but no, because as bad as Satoko is, she’s meant to be hated and despised as she’s basically the DTFA main original villain. But Minoru is just Arturo if he was born into this generation and yeah if you couldn’t tell I don’t like Arturo but who does? Aside from being a rude doctor, he is also a horrible brother to Sanae and there’s his treatment of Kikue, yep that got me raging. I’m also 100% convinced he’s Kikue’s original abusive husband from ASOOT. Worst part is he’s gonna receive no consequences and that’s why I despise him more then Satoko, she will in the end get her reckoning, Minoru won’t.

Survivor

Favourite: Kuripa Kufato. Now bear in mind I still have a backlog to go through so this might change in the future but right now Kuripa is the shining star of the OCs. Firstly as I mentioned in a previous ask, Kuripa is completely mad and psychotic and I love it. Yes he’s a good guy, but he’s also so much like the Punisher and really makes the villains. Which honestly can be quite cathartic as Hajime is way too nice and Nagi also is to an extend so having a MC who is a bit more willing to let loose is a breath of fresh air. That being said, I also know he is unsubstainable and he will die bloody and messy. But it won’t be quiet I tell you for that. He also has decent chemistry with the canon cast as everyone and I mean everyone has an opinion on the guy. He’s like marmite, you either love him or hate him.

Least Favourite: Matta Gyalusetsu. I don’t like Villain Sues and that’s what Matta is in spades. Something I feel is done on purpose by how Creeper is writing him. The worst part is while most of the villains in Survivor are either entertaining or you could make them suffer, you can’t do that to Matta as trying to torture him won’t work. But what really grinds my gears is the notion he is in the right and all his actions are ultimately justified. Is Kuripa a harbinger of doom? I don’t know. But finding out he has a literal Operation Phoenix? Yeah me no liekey. And while I suspect my favourite Survivor character will change, I doubt there is a OC in Survivor that will top Matta in how much I dislike him.

And that’s that. I’m not including A New Future because there isn’t many OCs on there yet and again no Finalverse because it got deleted before I got a chance to read it.

[yakerriah]

I'm going to start off by saying, my problems with this anime are problems I have with most shoujo anime, and it always painting our protagonist as these grown with who apparently the only person in their world that's been sheltered in a bubble. With 'A Sign of Affection', it's the exact same problem, except the anime stands out a little more because it has a deaf protagonist. Which I have no problem with, because even mediocre anime deserves some form of diversity.

OUR PROTAGONIST (ITOSE YUKI)

According to the first wiki I've seen, our protagonist is a shy, timid girl due to the limitations in how should could communicate with others. Despite her withdrawn nature, she is shown to be pure-hearted and honest individual. In other words, she has no personality outside of being innocent and ignorant about the world so the love interest can have a reason to be around or at least the story can pretend they have some sort of chemistry with him improving her with his multilinguist abilities and backpacking around the world.

One particular thing that really bothers me about this protagonist, more so than others, is how she spends a large part of her relationship with the love interest misunderstanding every single thing. It's like that's how the anime could only think of creating conflict, because usually without conflict there isn't much to tell. Let’s not mention how she ends up falling for ole dude based off “Love at First Sight”, which I don’t mind, if it wasn’t so boring and just feel with such lack of chemistry afterwards.

Overall, she’s like any other meek, “innocent”, and ignorant shoujo protagonist who needs to be “saved” by her love interest so she can see a bigger world. Though, as a nineteen year old with access to the internet she should not be this impressed where they pretend that count as chemistry for their relationship. The main selling point was her being deaf, which I don’t have any criticism against because again, even mediocrity needs diversity.

LOVE INTEREST (NAGI ITSUOMI)

The love interest is also quite typical for what is seen as attractive in a love interest in shoujo anime. He’s tall, broad shoulders, and for some reason people were saying he looked like Gojo Satoru, but he didn’t. Outside of being multilingual and having left Japan at six, Itsuomi also didn’t have much of a personality either. Also, I’m not sure if its just me, but it was odd how he seemed to have more hobbies and depth than the protagonist.

One thing I did not understand, was Yuki constantly misunderstanding everything when it came between their relationship. Simply because of plot, Itsuomi showed favoritism towards Yuki. Honestly, I don’t have much to say about Itsuomi, because how can he be so interesting, yet personality wise boring as hell.

CONCLUSION

Overall, because they did not have any personality or depth, the romance was killed because it was mainly forced by plot. Like, realistically they would not have been in a relationship, unless being boring is their common place to be boring. Wish the author would have done more to make them feel two-dimensional, instead of focusing on the fact a deaf protagonist would be their main selling point. It’s cute, but I suppose since I’m at a point where I have to be more interested in the characters rather than the warm feeling I can’t enjoy it as much.

[laminy]

I saw Unicorns today at TIFF! I don’t want to spoil anything (unless you message and ask, then I’ll tell you whatever you want), so this won’t be too in depth in terms of the actual story beats. I’ll put it behind a cut anyway just in terms of length.

The basic premise is that Luke (Ben’s character), a single father who works as a mechanic, ends up at an underground drag performance, and doesn’t realize that the performer, Aysha, is a drag queen. He thinks she’s a female dancer, and finds himself attracted to her. Then Aysha hires him to be her driver.

In general, I would say that I liked it, and am glad I saw it, but I didn’t love it. It is probably as tropey and cliche as you might imagine, based on the premise, which doesn’t necessarily make it bad, it just means that most of what happened probably isn’t much of a surprise (though a couple moments are). The main characters themselves are bordering-ish on stereotype. Ben’s in particular made me wince a few times. But obviously, I don’t think there are a lot of interracial gay romances out there, so this is successful in its differences (though I personally didn’t really buy into the chemistry between the leads and thought the hottest scene was a brief moment Ben had with another male character early on, though other reviews I’ve seen disagree and loved their chemistry).

It did get a few really big laughs from the audience, but I also heard someone say, as we were leaving, that the best part of it was the music, so that might not really be a great sign?

Not being part of either community represented in the film, I can’t speak to how successful that representation is. I definitely have my own thoughts about it, as a viewer, but they would be verging too close into spoiler territory. The story is mostly through Ben’s eyes, not Aysha’s, and it largely follows him, but James Krishna Floyd, who wrote and co-directed is Indian so I trust that at least parts of Aysha’s story ring true.

In terms of Ben (which is the reason I went) and his career, I think it is an interesting trajectory and does the make the future of his career more exciting. Even if something might not be great, at least he’s not afraid of taking chances. I think based on looks and body type (no judgment) producers are always going to want to stick him in a box of like, romantic leading man or blockbuster action. And I suspect he also has bills to pay so will continue to do those (no shame, I personally loved 6 Underground even if no one else did). But this at least says to me he’s not afraid of looking absolutely pathetic and unsexy on screen. His giant green eyes (a character described them as ~mysterious~ which is not at all accurate because I feel like his eyes constantly telegraph everything going on) spend the entire movie on the verge of tears, honestly the personification of 🥺🥺

He’s obviously doing films he enjoys and scripts that speak to him because this is going to go nowhere at the box office and probably fly totally under the radar.

In terms of trigger warnings, there are a couple I could give that would be spoilers but mainly I do not recommend this film if you’re affected by flashing or strobe lights, which are basically all of Aysha’s performance scenes.

[alyssalikestoreadbooks]

When Grumpy Met Sunshine - Charlotte Stein

"A steamy, opposites-attract romance with undeniable chemistry between a grumpy retired footballer and his fabulous and very sunshine-y ghostwriter. When grumpy ex-footballer Alfie Harding gets badgered into selling his memoirs, he knows he’s never going to be able to write them. He hates revealing a single thing about himself, is allergic to most emotions, and can’t imagine doing a good job of putting pen to paper. And so in walks curvy, cheery, cute as heck ghostwriter Mabel Willicker, who knows just how to sunshine and sass her way into getting every little detail out of Alfie. They banter and bicker their way to writing his life story, both of them sure they’ll never be anything other than at odds. But after their business arrangement is mistaken for a budding romance, the pair have to pretend to be an item for a public who’s ravenous for more of this Cinderella story. Or at least, it feels like it’s pretend―until each slow burn step in their fake relationship sparks a heat neither can control. Now they just have to is this sizzling chemistry just for show? Or something so real it might just give them their fairytale ending?"

Read Date - April 2024

Length - 336 pages

Genre - Romance, Contemporary, Sports Romance

Rating - 6/10

Stars - ★★★★☆

Notes - There was a LOT of smut in this book. At least 5 or 6 different scenes, which i’m not complaining about. It just feels, after awhile, you start to wish there was a little more to Alfie and Mabels relationship than just sex. But with the premise of this book being a “fake relationship” trope, it makes sense that the relationship part would be stunted. I love the subtle themes of abuse and trauma and how it’s woven into both characters story arcs so perfectly. It makes it so the ending of the book is believable-- that maybe they really did just miss the warning signs through passionate interactions. ON TOP of this, the main character is a plus size woman. Many other reviews will complain that they don’t like the self-hatred and fatphobia that comes with the territory, claiming that it was the “same old narrative” over and over. if you check my account, you’ll see that i haven’t read many books, so maybe this is just my problem. i haven’t SEEN any other plus size main characters who are perused by attractive and athletic men who are always seen out with models. Of course self doubt would come in with this. I felt, as a plus size AFAB myself, that this was a great representation of myself. Maybe it’s my own self hatred talking (and that would be saying a LOT, because i’m a pretty body positive, self loving person.) but i thought this book was perfect in terms of representation. I just wish it had a little bit more romance and a teeny teeny tiny bit less sex. 

[mariejordans]

Do you have any TV show recs with really good romances?

oh boy, do i! one thing about me? i’m gonna watch a show for the romance subplot. but also this is such a broad topic, i’ll try to narrow it down into two categories: show recs with romance as a main plot, or at least a good majority of the plot, and show recs with romantic subplots that aren’t the main focus! so without further ado…

starting with the former:

bridgerton. i know there’s a lot of mixed feelings about this show, a lot of them are definitely valid, and while the first season romance is kinda meh (and questionable), the second season makes up for it completely imo. i was obsessed with kanthony for a good few months after s2 came out, just because the chemistry between the actors was just so potent and explosive. it’s a true enemies to lovers trope if i’ve ever seen one and it’s just so well done imo

one tree hill. early 00s cheesy teen dramas are kind of my kryptonite and oth is probably the king teen drama of all imo. i wouldn’t say the romance is the main plot of most of the show (and not a lot of the romance is great 😭), but it is a major plot point of a lot of the seasons. i’m recommending this for one reason and one reason only: nathan and haley. it’s a classic popular guy x nerd girl and they get together after she starts tutoring him in secret and i just love what their relationship turned out to be. haley is a badass and i Love her and naley basically raised me, so that’s why it’s here :)

doom at your service. honestly, i could recommend quite a few kdramas, bc a lot of them do have what i consider “true” romantic main plots, but i thought i would narrow it down to one. it’s about this young woman who has an extremely shitty day and wishes on a shooting star for the world to end, not knowing that the spirit of Doom himself is actually listening. idk how else to describe this show honestly, the main couple between the young woman and Doom is just soooo so so so good, it’s so sweet and very romantic, i just really can’t recommend it enough.

as i was starting this list, i realized i didn’t have very many true romance shows so let’s move onto the next category, which are the romantic subplots 😭

marvel’s runaways. i think i would maybe recommend this show before everything else just because it has a lot of similarities to gen v and the romantic subplots are *chef’s kiss*. i LOVED karolina and nico, one of my favorite wlw ships, and i also really loved gert and chase as well. it did, unfortunately, get cancelled pretty early but still well worth the watch imo.

agents of shield. another marvel show, honestly one of their most underrated shows. i’ve never really been super interested in the mcu, but i loved some of the older, adjacent tv shows (aos, runaways, CLOAK & DAGGER.) my favorite romantic subplot in this show is fitzsimmons, one of my FAVORITE friends to lovers ships, i think the way they were developed was so perfect, had just the right amount of pining, angst, and slowburn. i also love mackelena and may and coulson!

the wilds. okay, so i have a complicated relationship with this tv show, but just know that s1 is AMAZING. shelby and toni are another one of my fave wlw ships and don’t even get me started on leah and fatin…they weren’t a crackship, it was real to ME. i don’t wanna talk about s2, but s1 is definitely worth the watch.

anne with an e. gilbert and anne. that’s all i have to say. if you liked the rivals to lovers aspect in limoreau, you’ll love shirbert. also, it’s just a very cozy and comforting watch.

the good place. this show had me fucked up but in a good way. the romance between eleanor and chidi isn’t the main focus, but i think it adds so much to the characters development and to the plot of the show. even the crackships are good, tahani and eleanor had great chemistry, and jason and janet were just hilarious.

alchemy of souls. another kdrama and i want to preface this by saying kdramas, especially costume dramas like this one, can be super hard to get into. they’re very long (episodes can go up to an hour and a half) and often veeeery slow, but it’s TOTALLY worth it in my opinion because this show has one of my favorite romances EVER. that first season ending? oh it’s so good. i binged this in like a week and i couldn’t watch anything for a while after because i couldn’t stop thinking about it.

mozart in the jungle. probably the most obscure show on this list, and FARRRR under appreciated. as a classical musician who is currently studying music in university, this show was right up my alley when it came out. the romance between hailey and rodrigo is slow and a bit subtle at first but they were such a fun and dysfunctional duo that somehow fit together perfectly. they just got each other perfectly, imo. the ending left me heartbroken a bit, but i’ve since come to realize it was the best possible ending they could’ve given us and i’ve made peace.

ALRIGHT THAT’S IT THAT’S THE LIST (pt. 3)

i had fun making this! anon, i hope you find that one of these shows works for you and also that you still think i have great taste after 😭

[ishreads]

The Unhoneymooners by Christina Lauren (SPOILERS)

A book review.

I’m going to be very honest, this book was not my cup of tea. It was a very easy and lighthearted read and I did enjoy the story it told. However, the other aspects of this book brought down my enjoyment quite a bit.

I went into this book being aware of the summary and I saw a bunch of people saying it was enemies to lovers and so I picked it up. Who doesn’t love enemies to lovers? Who doesn’t love when two characters see the worst in each other first and bring themselves around and fall in love against their own wishes? Who doesn’t love seeing those heated arguments when the characters are nose to nose, fighting like fire and water and suddenly, there’s a spark between them?

I don’t think I’ll ever stop loving that trope. However, this book is not an enemies to lovers at all. 

It is strangers to lovers at best. From the get-go, I realized that I was going to be told the emotions of the characters rather than shown, something that directly goes against the renowned writing rule: show, don’t tell. From Olive’s perspective, she tells us that Ethan is her hot enemy. Or at least we get that from the abundance of statements telling us how attractive he was. Do I remember a single thing about his appearance? No, he’s practically a blob. Do I know how hot he is to Olive? Abso-fucking-lutely. There is no way to see the hatred between them either, because Ethan is surprisingly sincere throughout the entirety of Ami and Dane’s wedding. 

As we know, the whole wedding fiasco ends in Ethan and Olive on a trip to Hawaii, which was supposed to be Ami and Dane’s honeymoon. Throughout this trip, it is clear that the authors are writing very surface-level content for the romance. They go snuba diving and they see each other naked. There is physical attraction from both sides, but that’s something that obviously had to be written because they are the love interests. It feels like reading a script for literally any Hallmark romcom where they’re just saying the right things to each other with no chemistry or attraction besides “he was hot”. There was nothing unique about either character that made me care about them or the reason they would want to pursue each toher. There was no actual spice, nothing that showed any connection or compatibility between the two. 

Their romance takes place over the ten day trip to Hawaii and they “really like” each other by the end of it, but there might be an issue with Ami and Dane’s marriage that Dane was trying to hide.

Olive is called out for being a pessimist who sees the worst in people when Ethan shuts down her claim of Dane trying to hit on her. Ethan wants to protect the image he has of his brother and doesn’t want to admit Dane might just be a shitty person. Now this pessimism thing is brought up maybe three times in the book. Each time, it is brought up to inform us that because of the bad luck she had throughout her life, she expects the worst from everything and everyone and let herself get into a rut and lost her job. Her growth doesn’t give us any under-the-surface internal monologue, even though the story is in first person. 

The only thing they tell us through the internal monologue are her actions and how angry she is. The job that she wanted had a constant mention of flu vaccines and the distribution of them the got her very into it. But we still don’t know why the hell she likes the idea of working in pharmaceuticals. I want to be a therapist because not only am I good at listening to people, I am also very good at understanding what people want to hear and figuring people out. This sentence has more reasoning why I want to be a therapist(which I actually don’t) than Olive tells us about her job the entire book. I can’t even.

I understand that usually book characters have one main fatal flaw that is brought up constantly, but this was only brought up when convenient and it frustrated me to no end that the backstory behind her pessimism was having bad luck. Her most horrible bad luck story is getting stuck in an arcade game when she was younger so i really don’t have that much pity for her. Especially because even though it makes sense, she never acts on it around Ethan and it’s never brought up properly. There isn’t a normal response to life-long bad luck like extra caution or anything. It’s just weird. 

The big subplot of Ami and Dane’s marriage is that Dane has been cheating on Ami their whole relationship and when Olive tries to get through to her and tell Ami, Ami lashes out and claims that Olive has always seen the worst in everything and everyone and she should stop trying to ruin everything. Sure. Fair, I guess. The issue I had with this is that this was the only well-written plot in the book. Which makes sense because we didn’t necessarily need this storyline and we didn’t learn about it firsthand. We should have been told how Ami feels. Not shown like Olive needs to show.

The ending resolution to Ethan and Olive’s romance is underwhelming, to say the least, just like their entire romance. Enemies to lovers is a top-tier trope that couples really have to live up to, even if it’s more of a rivals to lovers. Throughout their relationship, their “banter” is played up to tell us that Olive is quick-witted and snarky, which is not true at all. Their banter is bland and lacks the fire and snippy comments that people with equal intellect and sexual tension(or any kind of tension, really) have. The grand romantic gesture that Ethan makes to apologize and profess his feelings for Olive is lame and not at all romantic. He shows up to the restaurant she waitresses at and just tells her everything. Her reasoning to keep him at bay, is easily the worst sentence I have ever read during a makeup scene. 

The authors were unable to reach the potential this book had with the main “enemies to lovers” romance, and the side storylines of Ami and Dane’s marriage and Olive’s self-discovery. 

Overall, definitely not something I’d consider reading again. I may consider reading other books by Christina Lauren due to how many quotes I’ve seen floating around and how appealing other’s make their stories sound, but this particular book was not it for me.