#Who'll Stop the Rain (2023)

[lightspeedrigmarole]

Who’ll Stop the Rain ‘青春並不溫柔’ (2023) dir. Yi-Hsuan Su

[unstablebeing]

青春並不溫柔 - Who'll stop the rain (2023) dir. Su I-hsuan

[respectthepetty]

Who'll Stop the Rain (2023) | 青春並不溫柔

[ql-of-all-time-bracket]

QL of All Time - Round 1: Who'll Stop the Rain (2023) vs Advance Bravely (2017-2018)

[drowningparty]

Who'll Stop the Rain / 青春並不溫柔 (2023)

[librathefangirl]

One Day This Will Be Over (One Day This Will End)

ao3 (500; One-Shot)

Meliodas hadn’t said a word since Merlin had found him. He was sitting by the grave – and had been for who knew how long. The rain poured down, but he didn’t seem to notice. He didn’t even react as Merlin approached him. His eyes stuck on the cross but unseeing. Dirt and blood covered him. Febuwhump 2023 Day 16 (Alt. 7): Immortality.

Warnings: Blood, Suicidal Thoughts/Ideation, Mentions of Canonical Character Deaths (Elizabeth's reincarnations).

Just a little short something today (a quintuple drabble, actually).

Read on ao3 or under the cut!

Meliodas hadn’t said a word since Merlin had found him.

He was sitting by the grave – and had been for who knew how long. The rain poured down, but he didn’t seem to notice. He didn’t even react as Merlin approached him. His eyes stuck on the cross but unseeing. Dirt and blood covered him. It colored his clothes. It smudged across his skin. It stuck in his hair, giving him a frantic appearance.

Merlin didn’t ask. She didn’t need to. What she saw was enough. It painted enough of the unpleasant picture for her to not want the rest of the answers. At least, despite how hard it was seeing Meliodas like this, it could have been worse. It had been a lot worse before.

Slowly, Merlin got Meliodas away from the grave and out of the cold. Meliodas barely reacted – silent and still, he let her guide him. Merlin tried to not be discouraged. It could have been worse. This she could deal with. So, she focused on her task: first, the wet clothes; then, the dried blood.

Meliodas didn’t even wince as she scrubbed at the dried-in blood and dirt, rubbing at the skin of his cheeks. Eventually, all that was left was his hair. It was a mess. No, it was worse than a mess. By the gods, how long had Meliodas been sitting like that?

Little by little, his hair looked blonde again. Merlin dried it off and began combing through it. Partly, because he really needed it, partly because it gave her something to do. She wasn’t quite ready to leave him on his own just yet. Still, she wanted to give him the time he needed. That was, after all, all they had. The clock had been reset once more.

“Merlin?” It was the first time either of them had spoken for what felt like hours. The first time Meliodas spoke since she found him. His voice was hoarse and barely audible.

“Yes?” Merlin hummed, continuing her work. At first, it seemed like he wouldn’t continue. Then he spoke up once more.

“Would you kill me?”

Merlin paused. She met his gaze in the mirror. His eyes were red and puffy, fresh tears making them all shiny. She sighed softly.

“I will not.”

“Please?”

Merlin avoided his gaze at the pleading tone. She focused on her combing as she shook her head.

“No.”

There was another beat of silence. Then,

“It hurts.”

“I know.”

“I just-” He seemed to struggle with his words. “I just want it to stop.”

Merlin faltered once more. She felt helpless at his pain. After all these years, after all these Elizabeths, even with Merlin and Meliodas joining together to find a solution, it almost seemed pointless. So far, all their ideas and attempts had been failures.

“I know,” Merlin repeated. For now, that was all the comfort she had to offer. “But we will end this. Maybe not today, but it will stop. I promise you that.”

---

For those who might have noticed, yeah, there is kind of a reference to Chapter 2 of Who'll Hug the Prince of Hell? in this one.

[olafsings]

Music History Today: March 7, 2023

March 7, 1970: Creedence Clearwater Revival peaked at Number two on the Billboard Hot 100 Singles Chart with the double A-side sing "Who'll Stop the Rain"/"Travelin' Band." It was one of three double-sided singles from CCR's Cosmo's Factory album. The record was the first of two to reach the 2nd spot on the American charts, alongside "Lookin' Out My Back Door"/"Long As I Can See the Light." In 2004, Rolling Stone ranked No. 188 on its "500 Greatest Songs of All Time" list.

[arguablyunhinged]

has anyone watched Who'll stop the rain 2023?

i wanna watch it but can't find it on my usual sites

[lightspeedrigmarole]

Who’ll Stop the Rain ‘青春並不溫柔’ (2023) dir. Yi-Hsuan Su

[lightspeedrigmarole]

Who’ll Stop the Rain ‘青春並不溫柔’ (2023) dir. Yi-Hsuan Su

[lightspeedrigmarole]

Who’ll Stop the Rain ‘青春並不溫柔’ (2023) dir. Yi-Hsuan Su

[ql-of-all-time-bracket]

QL of All Time - Round 1 (Loser's Bracket): Oh Boarding House (2022) vs Who'll Stop the Rain (2023)

[twig-tea]

Incredible work OP! Thank you for gathering all of this together.

While we're here I had to add on the GL Taiwanese film I've been waiting for since December, Who'll Stop the Rain (trailer here). It hit the Taiwanese festival circuit 2023 but I haven't been able to find an international release yet. Manifesting we get it in 2024!

[This is also my sneaky way of saying, if you hear about this film, please tell me!]

Upcoming Taiwanese BLs

We are over halfway through 2024, and as usual, I've only had two Taiwanese BLs (Unknown, Anti Reset), so even though I'm sitting on a stack of BLs to watch every single week from other countries, call me Smaug because I need MORE!

Honorary Korean BL: Uncovering the Curse of Taekwondo (2024)

Former friends (and possibly lovers) reunite at a funeral after going their separate ways for over a decade, but, honestly, I don't care about the plot because this comes from Hwang Da Seul who was behind Blueming, To My Star, and Where Your Eyes Linger, so I know it's going to be amazing. There is a movie and a series version, and the movie already premiered at the Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival in South Korea at the beginning of July. The runtime was 154 minutes, but the series is eight episodes around thirty minutes each and is currently seeking distribution.

First Note of Love (August 2024)

My most beloved, Charles Tu, from my favorite BL HIStory 4: Close to You is finally returning to me in the form of a washed-up singer who stepped away from the spotlight due to a tragic event only to be dragged back in by an up-and-coming composer who is also a longtime fan. It is a joint production with Thailand's Star Hunter Entertainment (the company behind Big Dragon, Love Senior, City of Stars, and Sunset x Vibes) and features a side couple of a Thai singer and a Taiwanese agent. It will involve singing, but I'm already too comfortable in my seat with my snacks to care.

Fragrance of the First Flower Season 2 (2024)

The lone GL holding down this list finished filming late last year and Gagaoolala has been releasing BTS images since filming began, so it'll likely land there once it is released. The series is a continuation of the 2021 first season, which people were not thrilled about because of the ending, so this season should solve some of the angst we were left with by exploring the two women actually coming together to navigate life as a couple.

The Only One (Filming Complete)

Directed by Liu Kuang Hui, who directed Your Name Engraved Herein, written by the same folks behind The Untamed, and based on Mu Su Li's novel A Certain Someone which is about two boys who parents are dating and move in together, so the mains go from enemies-to-??? and the only reason for the question marks on a Taiwanese BL is because the word on these BL streets (and his MDL page) is one of the actors works heavily in China, so this might be the reason this one has been in limbo even though filming finished earlier this year, but the socials are still posting it's coming this year.

See Your Love (Filming Complete)

This co-production with Japan is about a rich man who falls in love with his hearing-impaired caregiver. It finished filming at the end of May and will have those sweet sweet Taiwanese BL cameos from some Be Loved in House: I Do and Plus and Minus folks PLUS it will be the first cameos for the Kiseki: Dear to Me guys since the company that produced their show is the same one for this show.

Impression of Youth (Filming Complete)

Very little is known about the plot of this teacher-student romance, but it comes from the same folks who produced DNA Says Love You and one of the mains, Muji Hsu, was also the lead in 2020's Because of You. Filming finished at the end of May, and the company stated it would be out before the end of the year.

Islanders (late 2024/early 2025)

This is based on a novel, Islands, by Lolita Hu, features some well known Taiwanese actors, and for a bit was under the name Sea of Intimacy. It's being presented as an 'older BL' but the MDL summary is sparse of the BL-plot: Hung, a successful entrepreneur, has three intimate relationships: his wife, his mistress, and his girlfriend. The lives of these individuals in their 20s, 30s, 40s, and 50s are intertwined because of romance, but their story extends beyond that. When Hung faces criticism on social media and loses everything, the way they react tells us how they see the world.

Wishing Upon the Shooting Star & The Young Gangster (2025)

These two deal with completely different plots but are together because of one reason: Ray Jiang. He is the director for these two and was the director for Unknown, My Tooth Your Love, and We Best Love. The companies behind them have stated the series are coming next year, but the guess is Ray's busy schedule is part of the hold up since he has a Netflix series in the works and apparently a film featuring Sam Lin (We Best Love) on the way. The Young Gangster is based on a novel and deals with a research assistant gathering information on the mafia (and we know how the mafia works in BLs), while Shooting Star deals with a man wishing that nobody notices him once he returns to his hometown after being fired. The wish backfires and nobody recognizes him, not even his dad or the boy he confessed to in high school! BL Mafia, Sideways Wishes, and Ray Ray are my favorite types of snacks!

Pray in Love (2025?)

A police officer falls in love with a man only to realize that man is the son of a prominent leader on the day of his arranged wedding in which he was hired as security for the event. The series already released a short film of the basic premise for fundraising efforts and festival rounds. Apparently, filming has started on the series, but there is no concrete confirmation from the production company.

Eternal Butler (2025)

Edited to add thanks to @cankersoregirl! This is a sequel to VBL's Anti Reset and began filming in early July. It focuses on Ever 4 who is sent to be a bodyguard for a young rich man only to encounter a rebellious man.

That Year, 162 Rainfalls (In Production?)

Is this a movie? Is it a series? Is it happening?! Who knows, but last year, it finally got funding and a director attached to it, but the real kicker is Lin Pei Yu is the screenwriter, and she is the writer behind all of my favorite Taiwanese BLs: We Best Love, HIStory 3: Trapped, My Tooth Your Love, Kiseki: Dear to Me, and so much more. Basically, the company struck gold getting her for this story about two archers and best friends. One gets confessed to but admits he actually is in love with his best friend, but before love can happen, the best friend has an accident and falls into a coma. It is based on a novel of the same name, and the plot is way more hefty than this, but I know Lin Pei Yu will make it work!

Four Seasons (Pre, Pre, PRE-Production?)

This is supposed to be four different stories focusing on different seasons, and is rumored to be VBL's next group of shows since the company has stated it wants to continue its formula from last year of releasing slightly connected shows. VBL/Vidol was behind Stay by My Side, VIP Only, You Are Mine, and Anti Reset. Winter is about a scrooge CEO and a florist who is hired to decorate for the CEO's Christmas event. Spring is about two boys meeting on a bus and falling in love over music. Summer is about a market owner and a chef falling in love over food. Autumn is about two former best friends seeing each other ten years after graduating and exploring their hometown together.

Connecting to You (Pre-Production?)

It seems to have gotten funding, but it's been quiet since which isn't surprising because when it comes to Taiwanese BLs, nothing is really heard until filming begins or even after it ends. I still have my hopes high because this is *THE* BL for me as it deals with a man who can see colored threads connecting people and one day runs into a policeman whose thread connects to him. The thread between them begins to change color, from silver-grey to yellow, representing friendship, and even to red, representing love. If I have to sell an organ or two to fund this myself, I. Will. Do. It. I NEED THIS!

And this wouldn't be a Petty Post if I didn't include this final one:

HIStory 15: Freed (GIVE IT TO ME!)

I don't care if this a long shot. I don't care if I seem crazy always asking for this. I. Deserve. It. HIStory 3: Trapped ended with our best mafia boy in prison, and it's time he got out! The HIStory franchise has not had a series since 2022's HIStory 5: Love in the Future, and although there have been rumors that a HERstory story might be next, I think bringing back a popular story would be just as good. I will ask for this every chance I can until I get it, and I plan on living a long life, so I got time!