#a heartbreak in remission

[idontmindittakestime]

I'm doing better. I made it to September.

[ribbonsinurhair]

happy i wake up and it's october, the loss is yours to those who celebrate <3

[gwynlain]

Credits: @kloartz (@mayreadsbook27 & @bookishembers)

[malpractice-morale]

friendship and therapy are not interchangeable and one can’t replace the other.

[bugunlikeanangel]

i feel like im glowing with joy nowadays

[w0nderland]

in there it goes it is "A heartbreak in remission" or "NO heartbreak in remission" ???? i always thought it was the former but now im seeing it quoted as the latter??

[safeandsound]

but did y'all know: there are sunflowers in the kitchen, a heartbreak in remission, the universe is shifting? and it's all for me???

[alltimefail]

Okay gang, I noticed something super intriguing in my recent weekend rewatch of Dead Boy Detectives!

In Episode 4 when the night nurse goes into Charles' mind there's a consistent detail in his memories that I haven't seen anyone point out: not all of Charles' five schoolmates throw stones at him when he's in the lake.

Two boys are positioned slightly off to the left side of the screen, watching and making no move to stop the others, but they do not directly harm Charles at any point.

I know this doesn't seem particularly interesting in and of itself, but it quickly becomes more interesting when the Night Nurse asks Charles "What could possibly have made [his] friends turn on [him] like this," and we flash forward to the next memory, a visual response to her question. In this memory, we see Charles standing up to all of his so-called "friends" who are senselessly beating up on a boy from Pakistan and...

Wait - actually, no - not all of his friends...

Yet again, two boys have been intentionally set apart from the group and yes, it is the same two boys who stood off to the side and watched Charles be harmed (ultimately killed) in the previous scene. The juxtaposition of these scenes begins to feel even more intentional when the perspective flips and we see the scene how Charles was seeing it, with the passive boys on the left and the boys engaging in violence on the right.

This scene is much brighter so we get a really good look at their faces here, but both of them go through a myriad of facial expressions/reactions in quick succession that are challenging to discern with 100% certainty. But with the blocking for the group being the same in both shots and the roles the boys play being the same in both shots, I feel like this had to be an intentional choice made to convey something implicitly to the audience.

That leaves me to wonder - did these boys know, deep down, that what was happening was wrong? Did they want to resist, walk away, or try to stop the violence like Charles did earlier but felt powerless to do so? It would be remiss of me not to acknowledge how one of the two "passive" boys was black: did that otherness, the same otherness that Charles felt and that boy from Pakistan surely felt, keep him from speaking up out of fear for his own safety (a valid fear, considering what we know).

Whatever the purpose, it's a really sad detail to me. Heartbreaking, actually. Edwin is 100% right when he says that the living are messy, and Crystal is right when she says that she and the boys lost their lives to boys who went too far (hers temporarily in the form of her memories, the boys completely in the form of their literal lives) because that's just it, isn't it? This show is full of moral and ethical conversations surrounding the limitations of labels like "good" and "bad" people; about capability and willingness to change; and about how our actions, whether rooted in good or bad intentions, can lead to unintended or undesired outcomes. Perhaps none of Charles' "friends" believed they would kill Charles that night; perhaps they just wanted to "rough him up" or "teach him a lesson." Perhaps none of Edwin's bullies could have anticipated that the ritual sacrifice "prank" would do anything more than scare a boy they perceived as different, effeminate ("Mary Ann"), and they certainly couldn't have known it would lead to years of torture and suffering in hell for not just Edwin, but for themselves as well. But it doesn't matter, and it doesn't excuse what they did. The boys who stood to the side and watched Charles die, and who watched their fellow "mates" beat on another boy prior to that, may not have thrown a single punch, but it didn't matter - the damage was done. They still were complicit in that violence, and therefore played just as much a role in Charles' death as the boys who were throwing stones and punches. To be alive is to deal with mess, complications, baggage...to insinuate otherwise is to diminish the nuance and intention put into every choice not only in this show, but in some ways, the world at large as well. It may be a small moment, but it struck me as something that said so much without having to explicitly say anything at all. Art is a good mirror on society in this way; it makes us face the reflections of messy, complex characters and situations that we could just as likely find ourselves a part of (maybe as the "good" guy, the vicim; maybe as the "bad" guy, the bully; or maybe as the guys who just... did nothing at all. The ones who watched, who were complicit in the suffering of others for what could be a multitude of selfish or self-preserving reasons).

All that being said, the TLDR here is: considering it's the same two boys who behave the same way in both instances it feels like an intentional detail. I wonder if there's potential for one (or both) of these boys to reappear in Charles' (after)life in the future? They are likely both still alive today, in their 50s, just as Charles would be had he not been murdered. Perhaps one of these boys could die and come to the agency with regrets or unfinished business (directly involving Charles or regarding something unrelated). Maybe Charles will run into them, alive, through a different case or just on the streets of London and be overwhelmed with a sense of "That should be me, too. I should have gotten to live." I imagine he would recognize them, even in older bodies, and it would understandably affect him to have to face anyone who played a role in his death, whether they threw stones or just watched.

Orrrrrrer it could be a totally pointless detail! 😂 I'm always open-minded to the fact that after 30+ rewatches I could be overanalyzing at this point. Either way, it confounds me nonetheless and I so desperately hope we will get to explore Charles' trauma more in season 2 (🤞)... so I thought I would share my thoughts! 🖤

(Last note: please excuse the bad photo quality!! I searched meticulously for the exact screencaps I needed but couldn't find anything, so I just took pictures of my tv screen with my phone lol.)

[graciehart]

okay but did you know a new home, a swan dive, a blank page, a rewrite, a black cat in the streetlights, an open door, the comedown of closure, the girls and I do yoga, I wake up and it’s October, THE! LOSS! IS! YOURS!!!! Brick lane in the brisk cold, red wine on his hipbone, the witching hours of Stockholm that you won’t see, sunflowers in the kitchen, a heartbreak in remission, the universe is shifting and it’s ALL FOR ME!!!!

[tastefullyoffensive]

Man Made Heartbreaking Decision To Give Up Dog Due To Terminal Diagnosis, Goes Into Remission And Was Filmed Adopting Her Again

[cottoncandywhispers]

a new home, a swan dive!!! a blank page, a rewrite!!!!!!! a black cat in the streetlights!!!!! an open door!!!!! the comedown of closure!!!!!!! the girls and I do yoga!!!!!! i wake up and it's october!!! the loss is yours!!! brick lane in the brisk cold and red wine on his hip bone!!! the witching hours of stockholm that you won't see!!! sunflowers in the kitchen, no heartbreak in remission!!!! the universe is shifting and it's all for me, all for me!!!!

[starlit-girl]

A NEW HOME A SWAN DIVE A BLANK PAGE A REWRITE A BLACK CAT IN THE STREETLIGHTS AN OPEN DOOR THE COMEDOWN OF CLOSURE THE GIRLS AND I DO YOGA I WAKE UP AND IT’S OCTOBER THE LOSS IS YOURS BRICK LANE IN THE BRISK COLD AND RED WINE ON HIS HIP BONE THE WITCHING HOURS OF STOCKHOLM THAT YOU WON’T SEE SUNFLOWERS IN THE KITCHEN A HEARTBREAK IN REMISSION THE UNIVERSE IS SHIFTING AND IT’S ALL FOR ME. btw. if you even care.

[userwitchy]

i don't think you guys understand it's:

A NEW HOME 🏡 A SWAN 🦢 DIVE A BLANK PAGE 🗒 A REWRITE 📝 A BLACK CAT 🐈‍⬛ IN THE STREETLIGHTS AN OPEN DOOR 🚪 THE COME DOWN ⬇️ OF CLOSURE THE GIRLS 👩👩‍🦰👱‍♀️ AND I DO YOGA 🧘🏼‍♀️ I WAKE UP ⏰️ AND IT'S OCTOBER 🎃 THE LOSS IS YOURS 🤭 THE BRICK 🧱 LANE IN THE BRISK COLD 🥶 THE RED WINE 🍷 ON HIS HIP BONE 🦴 THE WITCHING 🔮 HOURS OF STOCKHOLM THAT YOU 👤 WON'T SEE 😑 SUNFLOWERS 🌻 IN THE KITCHEN A HEARTBREAK 💔 IN REMISSION 💝 THE UNIVERSE 🌌 IS SHIFTING AND IT'S ALL FOR ME 😌 ALL FOR ME 🤩 !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[damonalbarnsgf]

do you ever think about.. a new HOME 💒 a swan 🦢 DIVE a blank PAGE 📄 a REWRITE ✍️ A black cat 🐈‍⬛ in the streetlights 🌙 an open door 🚪the comedown of c l o s u r e the girls and i do yoga 🧘‍♀️ i wake up and it’s.. October 🌫️ … the LOSS IS YOURS XXXXXX. brick lane in the brisk cold and RED WINE 🍷 ON HIS HIP BONE! 🐈‍⬛ the witching hours of stockholm 🚬 that you won’t see 🔮 SUNFLOWERS 🌻 IN THE KITCHEN A HEARTBREAK IN REMISSION ❣️ … 🥁 THE UNIVERSE IS SHIFTING AND ITS ALL FOR ME . 🖤 ALL FOR ME..

[monstress]

favorite 2023 korean album releases

episode1: love — soyoon

i loved her first solo album and i have been ecstatic by how much love this album has received because her skills as a songwriter just grew exponentially. what a suave, confident and powerful album. 'till the sun goes up' and 'canada' - the duality of a woman...i'm in love.

dipuc — cacophony

if you're not up to cacophony discography, i would highly recommend this album. from the first track, it was like she's immediately tucking you into her coat - crooning you an intimate sonic odyssey. the run from 'Lean Your Body On Me' to 'End' had me screaminggg. for the season, the track 'Christmas' is gorgeous.

notwitzki — beenzino

dammit...he's still good. beenzino's technical prowess has not slipped since his last release and while i was ready to be punched in the gut, this was a surprisingly tranquil listen. truly just an album perfect for a relaxing night drive with the boys, the girls, and the theys. 'Travel Again' and 'Change' are standouts to me.

pat pat — risso

if you don't find one track you can't groove to on this, you may be entitled to legal compensation. a citypop album i can't get enough of during the summer. the disco track 'SPF' and smooth r&b 'daydreamer' should've hit them to the mainstream stratosphere. it's soooo unfair how they don't have a romance kdrama ost under their belt already.

love pt. 2 — colde

starting out with my number one spotify wrapped artist. what else is there to stay...impeccably engineered k-r&b album with solid bops, an underrated featuring track ('heartbreak club' is the best track of the year to me - the reggae influence, the smoothest beat switch of the album, chan hyuk's 2000s flare rap line delivery), and a surprise cover of a korean indie classic.

sichimi — sumin

a chill, downbeat album to wind down after a long day with an ending that makes you wanna go back to the start. listen to this album just for 'Closet' where sumin and uhm jung hwa are just trying to out queen each other. obsessed.

zip — zion.t

it's been 5 years since his last release that i actually yelled when i saw the notification he released a music video because i wasn't expecting it all. as a long time fan, i loved the evolution you can see from 'oo' with the detour at 'zzz' culminating on this album. witty, eccentric and earworms galore, it's so solid. the lil ditty 'stranger' and the sweeping 'the things i love' (kim hae sol, you don't give me both a jazz solo and a choir in a track and expect it not being my immediate favorite) are gorgeous.

machine boy — silica gel

amazingggg rock album - i was blown away by the first track alone. you know they'd go so hard at concerts. also shoutout to 'machineboygong' for being a nine minute masterpiece which i recommend for you to listen at least once. it'd be remissed not to mention their latest album 'power andre 99' is astonishingly excellent as well.

no one can hunt me — joonie

my favorite experimental album of the year. if you're into electronic, this is a great listen. moody, dystopian, warped tracks that only spiral downwards to isolating madness. it's only four tracks and my fave constantly changes.

____

honorable mentions: yukika's "time lapse", ashmute's 'this place no longer exists', suzanne's "new life, new mind", dpr ian's "dear insanity...", epik high's 'screen time', code kunst's 'archive 01', voyeur's 'same dream, huh yunjin's 'blessing in disguise', thmoon's 'dormant'

[cascadeoceanwave]

a new home 🏠 a swan dive 🦢 a blank page 📄 a rewrite 📝 a black cat 🐈‍⬛ in the streetlight💡 an open door🚪 the comedown ⬇️ of closure the girls 👯‍♀️ and i do yoga 🧘🏼‍♀️ i wake up 🥱 and it’s october 🗓️ the loss is yours 🫵 brick lane 🧱 in the brisk cold 🥶 and red wine 🍷 on his hip bone 🦴 the witching 🧙🏼‍♀️ hours of stockholm 🇸🇪 that you won’t see 👀 sunflowers 🌻 in the kitchen 🥘 a heartbreak 💔 in remission ❤️‍🩹 the universe 🌌 is shifting 🔁 and it’s all for me 😌