#also i imagine the comedic potential of that is amazing

[starpros-sunshine]

i actually learned abt twisted wonderland because of lilia fanart. he is such a guy. not only is he centuries old, he’s also raised at least two children both of whom he goes to school with. one is the literal grandson of maleficent and the other talks about his cool dad all the time and none of their classmates have ever connected the dots. also he is a gamer and a very bad chef and likes heavy metal

Oh I like him he seems very fun. The phrase "he raised two children both of whom he goes to school with" is something I never thought I'd read but I am certainly intrigued

[blanceyblance]

Rise stuff I wish I saw more on fics/crossovers because the comedic potential is amazing:

The boys can glow. Imagine them being in a mission and one of their counterparts goes "We need a non-flammable light source" and either everyone turns to them or one of them goes "I got ya' fam" and starts glowing like a Christmas tree.

The Hamato Ghosts. You can't tell me these dramatic theater kids would not go "Need to scare a bad guy so hard they piss their pants and change their ways? Time to summon Grandpa." They start to do it because Big Mama does it and it looks cool.

Also imagine April doing this when someone questions her being a Hamato.

TODD. Let the turtles from the other universes meet Todd. He is the turtle's funny uncle that has a lemonade powered super mode.

The Brownie Clan. You think since Casey joined the fam, the Brownie clan became like a branch of the Hamatos? Imagine they use them for espionage missions and stuff.

They start calling CJ the Brownie Prince or something since he is the heir to Casey's empire

"We got our espionage team on the case" "How do you guys have a special team for that" Cue them showing the rabid girlscouts

Besides the missing turtle siblings we were robbed, the turtles also have sis Piebald and technically Sloppy Joseph

Shredder is their grandpa. Peepaw Shredder is canon.

The Hidden City's use of tiny pink unicorns as currency

And there is probably more and I just love how silly this show can be and if you have any fic recs pls tell me I'm starving

[vole-mon-amour]

i keep rewatching the boot room scene & can't help but to wish for it to be serious. like, Phil is such an amazing actor, drama included, he nailed this comedic relief where you feel bad for Jamie, but you also want to laugh. and while i'm incredibly grateful this scene exists—the sharing of his negative emotions (he seems to not want to burden Keeley with them as this point, but Roy is a safe space now.) the slow hug and interlinked fingers on Roy's back (he's not going anywhere, Jamie, I promise, it's alright). the full on wailing in the crook of Roy's neck and feeling like it's okay, he won't be judged, he can be a mess here and now.

but my goodness, if they excluded all that comedic screaming and made it a full on serious meltdown, can you imagine how wonderful it would've been? like, they could've even kept Will walking in the room, but Roy could've reacted differently. not sure it would've been in character but still.

i'm sure they did multiple takes and Phil had some amazing ones. i need to see them. all of them. all the backstage filming. because Roy holding wailing Jamie in his hands that is genuinely upset and he doesn't know what's wrong, he's just overwhelmed and not in control of his emotions at the moment. and he just needs a friend, he is not a joke to be laughed at, even for us as an audience.

he needs to be understood, and he needs to be held and comforted so he can wipe away his tears after, thanks Roy and feel just a little bit better. and maybe, just maybe, Roy not immediately rushing to Keeley but trying to help Jamie himself. trying to listen. trying to make it better for him because, after all, it's him who Jamie was spending all his free time for the past couple of months, not Keeley. it's him Jamie knew he can break down in front of and cling and melt into his arms.

the potential of Roy's growth and understanding his own feelings for Jamie through that as well. and I'm not talking romantic only. even a simple "you are my best friend & I do love and care about you." would be groundbreaking.

[rarepears]

But also Hannibal latching onto this child that reminds him of a time when he was an older brother to a wonderful little girl and and and and" yep this is my sibling and I'm going to teach it everything I know. "

---

Seeing this paragraph makes me remember how my dad tried to teach me things unprompted. One time, he called me upstairs and I saw him on the rooftop. Later he told me to get to the rooftop to and decided to teach me how to stand on rooftop. So when you're on the rooftop makes sure you stand on the gap between the tiles so you have some kind of friction to not slides off. Do not literally stand on the roof tiles unless you trust your feet's skin to grip the surface.

So now I cannot help but imagines Hannibal trying to become the Best Big Demon Brother of the Year by teaching Shen Jiu how to handle human/demons organs. Shen Jiu is there because he cannot escape Hannibal (Hannibal is Hannibal, that's the only explanation I can give rn)

Aaaa

Oh man, I just realized a great potential comedic situation:

Luo Binghe has AMAZING cooking skills. But the issue is that his main goal is to make meals that Shen Yuan finds delicious... which means Luo Binghe only caters to Shen Yuan's taste...

And Shen Yuan has some fucked up tastebuds, okay? After a lifetime of hospital-approved gruel (and quite a number of dietary restrictions because of his medical condition too), plus Qing Jing peak's tendency for bland mild food - of which he especially suffered from during the years Luo Binghe was in the Endless Abyss, Shen Yuan's tastebuds were.. interesting.

He didn't have a habit of eating spicy food - he couldn't handle it at all! His food was never salty enough to be flavorful, according to Shang Qinghua, and he still couldn't handle too much meat or oil without feeling nauseous. (Okay, that was more of a mental thing leftover from his first life.)

But as a result, Luo Binghe's cooking isn't... exactly the tastiest for people that weren't Shen Yuan. And Luo Binghe. Because of course Luo Binghe would be more than happy to get used to food that tasted exactly like how Shen Yuan liked it and then it was just a habit.

But for Hannibal? Hannibal, who's a masterchef in his own right??? (Bonus, Hannibal doesn't know the backstory to why Luo Binghe cooks what he cooks.)

Now Hannibal is OFFENDED by Luo Binghe's cooking. Where's the spices, the Unami, and the salt?! He has to make sure that his little brother doesn't have to also suffer from the travesty of their father's cooking!

[More in #hannibal lector reborn as Shen Yuan and Luo Binghe's firstborn son AU]

[mrs-johansson]

Strangers in the night - Scarlett Johansson x Fem!Reader

Part 17:

*third person pov*

Mid July, the sun shining on the pavement. People moving around with portable wardrobes, tents set up for hair and makeup, all this on the streets of Prague.

Cameras standing in a line, looking right at the center of the town. The buildings looked so bright but the picture just looked sad and empty of life.

Taika and Y/n stood behind the cameras, surrounded by monitors, talking over the next scene. Coffee in both their hands, headphones resting around Y/n’s neck as she said in her director chair. Hair tied back into a tight bun, trying to hide the hair that she wasn’t able to wash in a week. Although she looked fresh and very put together, she was exhausted. She covered up the dark circles under her eyes with light makeup and the smile was a constant on her face.

Scarlett was sitting in her makeup chair, getting the final touches from the makeup artist. Her eyes were on her girlfriend through the mirror watching as she was giving out orders to the set designers and camera men. Y/n was very different on set than she was at home. At work, she looked confident and sure of her voice and job, looking like a real professional who’s been doing this for years. But at home, in the safety of their little bubble, she was very insecure and fearful of the work she’s been doing. Scarlett couldn’t tell her enough how amazing she was at her job and that she had nothing to worry about. Sometimes Y/n just went with the flow and accepted her girlfriend’s praises and even believed them, which made her calmer at work. Mostly she just acted like she was putting up this front but in reality, she was scared of every little move she made on her own set.

“She’s doing pretty well so far,” the makeup artist’s voice brought Scarlett out of her daydream. “What?” “Y/n. She’s doing a great job,” repeated the woman. “Oh yeah, she’s awesome.” The actress hid her smile and the blush that crept up her cheeks.

Filming scene by scene, everyone knew that this movie was something that will be very well put together. Y/n has shown great potential at directing and producing, which she obviously didn’t feel but everyone else did.

Weeks went by and there was less and less filming needed and it all seemed very real for the young director. Taika was always there to remind Y/n that she has been doing incredible. But she always said, “We’ll see when it comes out.” She was right but so was Taika.

As the last two weeks of shooting rolled around, the marketing team organized an interview/behind-the-scenes video for the cast. The actors and directors each shared their thoughts on the filming and their cast mates and crew.

***

Inside Jojo Rabbit - Behind the scenesnes

“The first time we thought about the movie, we were sure we wanted this to be funny. And while writing the script, we didn’t know how far we should take this comedic relief, so we took it the furthest we could.” Shared Y/n Cole, director and writer of the movie.

Taika Waititi as Imaginary Adolf:

“Through the whole writing process, I always had Taika in mind for Hitler’s role. Of course not because they are so similar, but because I couldn’t imagine someone else being so… accepting of this role and taking it seriously, in an acting way. It’s a very complex character and Taika is the only one I think who understands the purpose of this figure. When you play a character so questionable or any kind of character, as an actor you have to lose any judgment to play them and he was able to create this whole other person with his acting but also be authentic towards the character,” said Y/n.

Scarlett Johansson as Rosie Betzler:

“Scarlett’s screen test was the only one I could not be present at because I was working, but Taika called me right after she was done. The only thing he said on the phone was, I think I just hired Scarlett Johansson as Rosie and you’re gonna love her so much. Okay, bye. I have to go. And he hung up. Then as pre-production rolled in, and then the table read, seeing Scarlett and Roman interact and act out the scenes, I was so happy that she was the one for this role because she’s the kind of person who takes the role and cherishes it with care and it fits her so well.”

“When we were talking about her role, it was clear that this type of comedic but also serious and responsible mother character was new in her career but not in her everyday life. And when at specific scenes the actors are free to improvise, she’s so quick and witty with her parts and I think that’s definitely a relief for us that we have actors who are incredibly professional but also able to contribute to the creative process if that makes sense.”

Roman Griffin Davis as Jojo Betzler.

“I was very excited about this role and the casting of it but also terrified. But when we met Roman, all my worries disappeared. The whole screen test was about 25 minutes, and he did not take his eyes off Taika. You know… it’s hard to have a character like his but also make the audience love him or to think about his point of view, not just go like oh gosh he’s supporting Hitler, he’s horrible. Finding Roman was a changing point. When you look at him, you only think that he’s the cutest and sweetest kid.”

“He is the kindest little human, an honest gentleman who is a complete professional and a kid blessed with amazing acting skills. Roman has such a fresh approach towards acting since this is his first time doing it, and he is willing to learn from anybody who gives him any advice. You know… being surrounded with actors like Scarlett, Taika or like Sam Rockwell, at the end he gained so much experience and just little secrets about acting.”

“But also he is such an appreciative boy. Whenever he wasn’t shooting and I had time off too, we’d rate the food and candy we had on set, and one time, I had a very bad day. I was tired and frustrated and he came to my trailer with a basket full of things that I liked so far and we watched cartoons for the rest of the day. The next day, he came up to me and said, thank you for choosing me for the role and I’m so happy to work with you. My heart melted. He has the biggest heart and besides that, he’s an amazing actor.”

Thomasin McKenzie as Elsa Korr:

“Taika was the one who suggested Thomasin for this part since he knew her prior. And as production was getting along, and we got to know each other better, I recognized so much of Thomasin in Elsa’s character and I find that so interesting. Working as an actor you don’t realize how much your co-stars are similar with their roles because you're so focused on how you would actualize your character, but seeing everyone from the third person’s view, it was easier to see these things.”

“I especially like the dynamic between Elsa and Rosie. Thomasin and Scarlett had this incredibly great chemistry and with Rosie being the mother figure to Elsa, I think they did such an amazing job with the scenes.”

Sam Rockwell as Captain Klenzendorf:

“Captain K has been one of my favorite characters since the beginning of the whole process. Whenever I wrote a scene with him, I just wanted to make him as sarcastic as possible. Him being a gay natzi I think was so ironic and drama-like so when Sam Rockwell came up as a possibility, I was pushing until he got the part.”

“His character has this similarity with Jojo, that you have to make the audience like him. But he also has these elements that make him more like someone who you’d love as a character. You can already see from the beginning that he is so done with this war and on top of that he has to train all these kids. Captain K is definitely one of the more chaotic comedic reliefs in the movie, which Sam did an amazing job doing.”

“While being a natzi captain, he is also a lowkey ally. In particular scenes you can see that he actually has other opinions about the whole natzi thing but rather goes with what is expected from him as a man and captain during this time, and I think it makes him a complex and mysterious character too.”

Y/n Coles as director, producer, screenwriter

Y/n:

“At first I was very nervous about playing the director’s part. I didn’t really think about doing it, I was just like… you know I wrote this with Taika, I'm sure he will do a great job with it. But he insisted that I direct it and produce it. Still, terrified. But here we are.”

“As the whole casting part was over and it started getting very real, I sat down with Taika and asked him, did we just ruin our career? He looked at me, took a deep breath, and said, I guess we’ll know when it’s in theaters. So yeah, that’s how we started filming.”

“When the script was finished, I didn’t know who to give it to read it first. I was very afraid of how people are gonna actually react with now the real thing in their hands. My dad was my first choice and I gave it to him, but he asked me to pitch him the idea. And I was like, you can’t be serious, there’s no way I will tell you a sentence about this movie that will make you want to watch it. He handed me back the pages and I had to give it to him when I had a pitch speech. But I kinda have one so…”

“Jojo Rabbit is about a boy, who lives in Natzi Germany and his imaginary friend/father figure is Hitler. But as the war continues he finds himself opening up his view about the world and what he has believed so far. Kind of… It’s still not perfect, just watch the movie.”

Taika:

“Working with Y/n was amazing. She has such a creative mind and just such a great approach toward her work. Actually, she’s the one who keeps me in line. She was the real boss around here while also being the most fun and loving person. I guess it was because she wasn’t dressed as Hitler while directing, that’s probably easier.”

“When we first thought about the idea of making a movie of this story, she was scared of the comedy part of it. I was like okay yeah, try to write something, write a scene then we’ll get back to it. A week later, she sent me the opening scene. The one you see in the beginning. Not a line has changed ever since she wrote it. The rest is history.”

“As an actor, she knew how to treat the actors while directing. Her attitude was just brilliant. She’s a genius. It was her first time directing and producing but she killed it, absolutely killed it. When she wanted to add an element we haven't discussed prior, she was really passionate about it. Her ideas are well thought over and amazing, but making it real was how I think she won over everyone.”

Scarlett:

“Y/n and I became friends before pre-production started and she voiced her concern about her directorial debut a lot of times. She was very scared about people not taking her seriously because of her age and “lack of experience”. But you know a woman like Y/n, she has that kind of posture that you don’t see in every director. She is an amazing actor and that definitely contributes to how she works as a director. Y/n has her own methods already on how to make her ideas real and how to speak with us to understand her vision.”

“The first time I read the script I was just so impressed with her writing skills. The dialogues she wrote are just so so good. And she is very shy about her work so whenever someone compliments her creation she's way too humble about it.”

“Y/n is a very approachable person and I think that is one of the reasons why it is so easy to work with her. She is direct with her words and thoughts which is always helpful for the actors, especially if there are kids involved. Y/n speaks their language so naturally and her connection with Roman definitely helped him to reach his best in the movie.”

Roman:

“Y/n is the best director I’ve ever worked with. Even if she’s the first one.”

“She is one of the funniest people I’ve ever met and she is very kind. She gives the best advice and I think she is easy to understand and doesn’t use these crazy words to explain what I have to do, so it was great to work with her.”

“But she’s also very fun when she’s not wearing the headphones and sits in her chair. Whenever she has free time she makes sure I’m okay and spends time with me. We often read lines together too, which is very cool.”

Thomasin:

“Y/n is the first female director I’ve worked with so far and she put the stakes very high for the next ones. She was just fantastic, truly.”

“When you first see her, you think she’s a beautiful young woman who is an actress. A lot of people actually don’t know how witty and how comedic her personality is. We always have fun with her on set.”

“I especially loved how Y/n gave us instructions. It was great because both she and Taika are actors and know what they need to understand a certain scene. Her instructions are always very straightforward but she’s also very flexible with how we play, which is I think very unique of her.”

Sam Rockwell:

“I’ve been following Y/n’s work for a while now and I think she’s a phenomenal actress. And because of that, I was very curious about her as a director.”

“On the first table read she was very reserved and observing, and I was very surprised that she’s so quiet and kinda lets Taika talk forever. But on the next one, she knew how all of us were and how to work with us, you know. She basically did a test run in her head on how this is going to work, oh Sam does this and Roman speaks like this, so she was just silently putting the whole picture together.”

“Although, what I was not expecting, is that she took her part in basically everything. She had ideas for the costumes, the buildings, and every type of artistic element. It is very important for her to not only show the darker ones of the time but like the light of it, which is very hard to find.”

***

It was done. The last scene has finished and everyone who worked in the film was standing in the room, looking at Taika and Y/n. The man gave his speech, making everyone laugh with his words, then looked at his directing partner who had tears in her eyes, holding them back with every strength in her body. Y/n got the mic and stepped forward.

“I don’t even know where to start…” She cleared her throat, scared to even look at her cast. “First of all I’d like to apologize for crying in the upcoming minutes, look past it please, I’m a mess as you can tell,” she chuckled tearfully.

She lifted her eyes to Scarlett who had the proudest smile on her face seeing her girl shine was something she’ll cherish forever.

The room was silent and everyone was listening to her words.

“Gosh uhm… I never thought that I would be here when I wrote this with Taika and it’s still surreal to me that we are standing here, with endless footage of the script. Firstly, I’d like to thank the crew who helped us create this amazing experience. The hair and makeup department, the costume department, the sound, camera, light crew, and our amazing set designers who made every little detail look incredible. Without all of you, we wouldn’t have a movie like this, our actors wouldn’t look like they just stepped out on the street in the 40s, and for that, I am so thankful,” she said and a round of applause filled the silence.

Y/n turned around and saw Taika standing with his hands in his pockets, also teary-eyed but with a big smile on his face.

“Without this man, I probably wouldn’t be crying here in front of you all. Taika, I will be forever and after that, grateful for you, that you pushed me and not saying that I was crazy for wanting to do a film about Nazis. You’ve been a mentor to me for years and I wouldn’t wish for anyone else. You did nothing but encourage me throughout the whole process so far and I adore you for that. I could not thank you enough for this,” the tears slid down her pink cheeks as Taika gave her a nod.

Then she looked at the cast. Her vision was slightly blurry from the tears but she saw every single one of them. Y/n could even see the tears in Scarlett’s eyes and that Roman was silently crying by her side.

“Oh gosh and you guys,” Y/n spoke but the knot in her throat made her stop for a second. “I don’t think I’ll ever have the words to express how much love I have for every single one of you. You made these characters alive, you gave them a voice, a face. Nobody would’ve done a better job than you and I wouldn’t wish for anyone else. You guys are incredible actors but mostly exceptional people. The work you all put into this project is everything we could’ve asked for and more. One day I hope we’ll work together again because I just love all of you with my whole heart.”

“This was an experience that I will never forget. You were the ones who helped me begin this amazing amazing journey. I don’t think I will ever be able to express the gratitude that I have for everyone in this room. Thank you for supporting me and believing in me despite my lack of experience. What I’m trying to say is that I love you and thank you for being a part of this amazing voyage.” She put her hands together like she was ready to pray but she bowed for their love.

y/ncole: and that’s a wrap on Jojo Rabbit!❤️ the love that was present on our set everyday was something I’ll never forget. Our cast and crew is filled with amazing people and I’ll be thanking you all for the rest of my life for making the start of this journey for me the best experience ever! Jojo Rabbit is something I can’t wait for everyone to see. The love this movie represents is something unique and special. I am biased but it truly is. Jojo Rabbit is coming to you next year, all love until then!❤️

[just-a-girl-that-likes-stuff]

I didn’t realize how much I missed the discourse around avatar the last airbender. It’s been so nice to get back into such an amazing show that will forever hold a special place in my heart.

Despite the changes, and its flaws, I actually liked the live action. And I like that it has reawakened my love for the animated show.

I do hope that it’s renewed for a second season! I’d love to see Toph in the live action but also I’d love to see how they develop the characters further. There were obvious changes to all the characters so I’m interested in seeing what their development will be like in future seasons.

Also, I think the actors all have great potential! I mean even just looking at their interviews you can see that they embody their characters in a way, so imagine how well they’d do with a good writing team!

I know alot of people have criticisms for the show, which I completely understand, and I do hope that Netflix actually takes these criticisms into consideration if a second season is green lit. And I hope we get more of the comedic vibe we all love from the original. I think the balance between comedy and the seriousness of the original is what makes it so great. There’s nothing wrong with a little filler episode, so Netflix don’t be shy!!

Either way, I actually enjoyed the show and I hope we get more content soon.

[derangedthots]

No cause you’re so real dear author. we are in dire need of more omega Jacaerys fics

If only for the duality that it means for Jace: the heir to the Iron Throne being an omega. He is both a leader figure and a mother figure. And screw it Jacaerys of House Targaryen, the First of his name, King of the Andals, the Rhoynar and the First Men, Protector Mother of the Realm, Shield of His People …like tell me it does not give cvnt.

Plus in the context of your own CFT universe, having Jace retaining his position as a leader and futur king yet leaning into his omegahood (unlike Aegon the Conqueror who will being an omega decided not to bear children which is not a bad thing at all btw), having children and all … it’s just so juicy.

And lastly I think Jace having to be the perfect eldest daughter brother and perfect heir has to take a tool on him so I quite imagined his omega being kind of like a safe place (you write beautifully btw in your latest chapter of CTF with his inner omega prowling around and opening his eyes when he thinks he can draw blood and/or smells an interesting potential husband).

We need more omega!Jacaerys

i will always have a special fondness in my heart for omega jace🥹 jace having all those titles you mentioned ABSOLUTELY serves cunt it's amazing😌🤭

i know i'm under anonymous for FMF+CTF but i actually don't typically write a/b/o (there's no hard feelings, i simply do other stuff), it's just that i happen to love omegaverse for asoiaf/hotd bc it makes the political intrigue all the more convoluted while also evening out some of the m/f gender dynamics and homophobia. the idea of princess rhaenyra's heir having to deal with being an omega on top of being widely regarded as a bastard is so *screams in gibberish* i could go into a whole spiel abt how it blurs gender roles and heteronormativity while complicating jace's position in westerosi society bc there's so many ways to take it and FMF/CTF is just one way. from what i understand, it also just goes so hand-in-hand with valyrian views on men and women vs. westerosi/andal/first men ones (at least bc rhaenys and visenya were able to exercise so much power despite being women and then all the targ women after them, barring dany, having only a fraction of the same autonomy). omegaverse has a way of complicating the traditional roles/expectations and in a medieval fantasy universe that's so steeped in that kind of limiting ideology, placing a/b/o dynamics into the setting throws a wrench into the system and allows for all kinds of exploration as to the effects. like don't get me wrong, the kinks are so much fun😏😂 but also everything else as well!!

that being said, i'm particularly partial to the idea of jace being an omega in an a/b/o universe bc of multiple reasons but to name a few it's

the fact that he can bear children, and the issues that follow from that, is another similarity btwn him and his mother (#jace as nyra's mini-me 5ever)

allows for ample exploration of how jace would handle 'motherhood' and what it would mean for him (while also getting the perks of being so, so spoiled and taken care of as he deserves)

solves the issue of aemond still gaining immediate proximity to the throne by becoming king consort (while exploring what being a father and patriarch looks like for him after his childhood/relationship to viserys)

also satisfies the fandom's agreed upon consensus that aemond has a breeding kink LMFAO (he's so comedic for me bc i truly believe he doesn't like children much but also would break the record for most kids if jace was amenable)

even if everyone else is against me, i will always be a proponent of omega jace! omega jace rights always!! (pls imagine me with a matching headband, t-shirt, and sign)

also i'm glad you like my writing and thank you for dropping by, dear anon♥️

[laney-rockin]

Okay so I just finished the TOS novel "The Vulcan Academy Murders" and it was amazing (and the author got her start working on fanzines which is so iconic of her). What really got my brain going was the Vulcan customs and traditions pertaining to matchmaking.

Because in the book Dr. Corrigan (the most esteemed human doctor on Vulcan) is constantly consulted by his close colleagues and friends on potentially finding a wife for him. Which, while being a cool worldbuilding thing, got my fanfiction brain going quick.

Imagine the Enterprise Gang™️ trying to matchmake Spock and Kirk while every Vulcan that is somewhat close to Spock is also trying to make the two a match. And every Vulcan or telepathic species the crew meets is just like "yep- those two should just fuck already."

But I also like the idea of a somewhat comedic fic starring a weird mash-up of Vulcans and the Enterprise Gang™️ trying various logical and illogical methods of getting the pair together before Spock and Kirk get together in the dumbest way possible that had nothing to do with either party.

I may not be making sense rn but matchmaking and somewhat scheming Vulcans trying to make up their family members and friends is such a cool thing to think about I love it sm.

[beevean]

Lets spread awareness around the fandom. Thoughts on Hevor ?

Finally, someone around asking the real important questions uwu

I think I said everything I could say about it? Hella underrated in my humble opinion. I understand that Trevor doesn't interact with Hector much in the game proper, but c'mon, all the ingredients for a solid enemies-to-rivals-to-friends-to-lovers/defrosting ice king arc are there!

First of all, I will be remiss if I don't point out the amazing tension between them during their first fight :P

My good man was very much enjoying whipping the silver haired pretty boy into submission :P and he's so damn sassy, "wow you're supposed to be the scary Devil Forgemaster I heard so much about? lol. lmao even." between him and isaac being a bitch in the first cutscene, poor hec getting bullied by his bfs :(

But then he accepts that Hector really is on his side and he had misjudged him before (and in Japanese this is the moment they both switch from kisama to omae, love when it does that), and he decides to whip him into submission again test his strength to deem if he's worth of helping him, you know much like he did with his friends in CV3! And this time Hector is a good match for him, and that's when Trevor turns... weirdly passionate. Like, I'm not the only one who thinks he sounds just a little too concerned, am I? Even more so in Japanese??

and then isaac stabs/molests him because how dare he touch his hector and we never see him again :D

Well, anyway. We're left to imagine what happens after the events of CoD, and we know that Trevor was left in Julia's care after being stabbed so Hector is bound to see him one last time at the very least, talk with him. Sure, maybe Hector decides that he's done with a life of fighting and he never sees Trevor again, but he could also become an ally of his as a way to make up for his mistakes.

As for their dynamic, you have Hector on one side who is relatively the only sane man and Tired of Everyone's Shit (especially now that he's not Cursed lol), and on the other you have the King of Slaying, Trevor who is very well aware of how charismatic he is and he's not afraid of showing off :P at least think of the comedic potential. A bit more seriously, in a hypothetical rewriting of CoD, the two might bump into each other more often, and we might learn that Trevor knew about the atrocities Hector committed under Dracula's name, maybe even saw him and Isaac personally, and that's why he didn't give him the benefit of the doubt unlike he did with, say, Alucard; and Hector could swear that he really regrets what he's done and he will do anything to atone for his sins, and maybe he'd help Trevor during their travels, and the two could learn to actually trust each other and see each other's best parts, Trevor's pure heart and Hector's more noble side. Also, they were both shunned from society due to their powers, but Hector could admire Trevor for never feeling resentment and immediately jumping to help the same people who hated him, while Trevor might sympathize with Hector and commend him for eventually finding the strenght to break free from Dracula's influence.

also yeah insert kinky jokes here one has a whip and the other goes around wearing chains and tight leather pants do i really have to spell out the obvious here

In short, you do have to kind of write a whole fanfiction by yourself, unlike say Isaactor where the proof that Isaac wanted Hector is all but text :P but I think they have potential! Either as different people growing closer, or simply as rivals with plenty of UST :P

[movedtodykedvonte]

Barnaby sings but you do think he plays any instruments?

I like the idea he’d play a trombone, it’s cliche but it has great comedic potential plus when someone can play the trombone it is surprisingly skill full and good. I can imagine the neighborhood readied for the worst joke playing combo before Barnaby knocks their socks off with the most amazing solo ever. Maybe better at it than jokes!!!

I also like the idea it’s the rule of funny that Barnaby can like play every instrument and is super talented in them but whenever he’s about to play it cuts to another brief segment before returning to whatever neighbor he wowed with his playing. You never will hear it but everything apparently sounds amazing.

[your-local-uwu-artist]

What Are your opinions on the amazing digital circus

-wasn't real into it at first but than brainrot randomly hit

-pretty vibrant and expressive for 3d

-sillyyyyyyy<333333

-kinger and gangle are iconic duo

-some of the visuals could use improvement, it's hard to focus on characters when the background is brighter than them, some of the attempts at more cartoony visuals could use a LOT more stylization and stretch and squash etc, they look to rigid at times. the character sizes are a little too vast,like ragatha and pomni look awkward next to each other because ragathas head is so much smaller than pomnis, it's like boss baby. while I ike caines design but the animation on the teeth is too distracting, your instinct is to look a character in the eye but the movement of the mouth makes it so some peoples focus goes everywhere.

-voice acting TOP TIER

-music wonderful

-i enjoy how silly it is

-silly

-i do think it's a little to blunt on the pschogological horror side of it's premise (instead of show and tell its more like show a little and tell lot) but i can excuse it sense it's a pilot and it does seem like it's leaning farther into the comedy side

-I really like the concept of a character having entered the circus as a child, I've seen some people hc that with jax and while I'm pretty sure all the characters canonically entered the circus as adults I just find the concept very compelling. also comedic potential: imagine a pair of like 10 year old twins entering but than one of them starts aging and the other doesnt fnajsdka

-I want it to lean more into found family so bad

-or i guess more like a play on found family like 'no i didn't choose these dumbasses to be my found family but too late i got attached'

-I like jax and kinger best i think

[adelle-ein]

lace's xenoblade 3 review/thoughts

So I finished Xenoblade 3's main story. I'm far from done with the game, but I did all the main character side stories and a lot of side quests, and I do have all the heroes. Most of them aren't ascended yet, and I have many other misc sidequests and places to explore on my list, but I'm going to be doing that here on out while enjoying the post game perks.

Overall it was really good despite some glaring issues. Spoilers, obviously!

Just to make thing clear: I have only played Xenoblade 1. 2's character designs, weird-ass grooming love triangle, treatment of women, fanservice, and obsession with sex and dirty jokes are such massive turn-offs that I refuse to pay money for it. If someone would like to give me a copy of 2 as well as the money for its allegedly amazing DLC then I'll play it, but that's literally the only circumstances I can see that happening in. Also, to be totally honest, the fandom tendency to bully and harass people who don't like 2 has ruined any interest I might have otherwise had. I am generally familiar with 2's lore and how it connects to 1, though, having read up on it while deciding whether to play 2 and in advance of playing 3 -  no expert, but I do know stuff.

My biggest issues with Xenoblade 1 were that a) it didn't seem to like its main cast very much and b) it absolutely hated women to a frankly comedic extent. 1 literally is just The Shulk Game, periodically featuring Melia and Dunban. Every significant scene, major moment, iconic line, act of bravery comes from Shulk. Every characters' thoughts, feelings, and motivations revolve entirely around Shulk. Every woman revolves around her love interest (who, uh, is generally Shulk.) Reyn effectively vanishes by midgame, Sharla really served no purpose in the plot whatsoever and was largely there to be a love triangle point, Dunban is pretty much just a mentor, and while Melia gets a lot of plot focus and characterization, it ultimately amounts to a lot of suffering and minimal payoff (slightly rectified in Future Connected.) But it could be worse - Fiora, despite all her setup as Shulk's foil, despite her arc setup about disability and mortality and a literal god in her chest, is nothing more than a love interest, who has no motivation beyond being at his side, who at the pivotal motivation-stating moment has nothing more to say than "Shulk!" And of course there's also Riki, who is literally just a comic relief character and is unceremoniously written out of the game every time a cutscene gets emotional or plot-significant (only to reappear shortly after asking for food at inappropriate moments.) If it weren't for the Heart-to-Heart unvoiced text convos — which take for-fucking-ever to unlock — that would literally be all there is to these characters, and even within the Heart-to-Hearts, there isn't that much to go on. Ultimately, I enjoyed 1 a lot more for its gameplay and potential than anything else. To me, a story that doesn't care about its characters is pretty much never an enjoyable one.

Long story short, Xenoblade and I have a tenuous relationship. I pretty much exclusively play turn-based games due to a variety of disabilities. Xenoblade's combat, however, is forgiving enough on easy mode that I can get by thanks to auto-attacks and not relying on button mashing, so it's pretty much the only one of its kind that I've ever played. I'm including all this context to make it clear going in that I do not consider myself a Xenoblade fan, or hardcore player, by any stretch of the imagination.

My point here is that 3 absolutely blew me out of the water. 3 loves its characters. It adores its characters. It wants the absolute best for its characters. Which, uh…is sometimes an impediment, but most of the time it's great. Every cast member actually plays a role, gets an arc, gets backstory and development, and most importantly of all, they maintain a consistent web of friendships that have nothing to do with Noah. Every duo of characters gets some kind of cute interaction once in awhile, even combos like Eunie and Mio that don't hang out much, and it not only makes things feel organic, it prevents both love-interest-trap and the Shulk Obsession effects that 1 suffered from. Everyone gets a side story, everyone gets big boss fights, everyone gets a big piece of the screentime pie even though Noah is the main focus, and it's the high point of the game. The characters are all, genuinely, really good — Eunie and Taion are far and away my favorites (duh…) but they all overall feel well fleshed out and well loved. Noah definitely gets preachy towards the end, but he doesn't get every single good one-liner the way Shulk did.

Sena, unfortunately, is the only real exception to this rule. The poor girl starts and ends the game as Mio's cute accessory that she sometimes lends to Lanz. While she still gets way more character work than, say, Sharla, and isn't reduced to a love interest, her ascension quest has absolutely nothing to do with her and her "development" makes  no impact on her behavior for the rest of the game. Taion changes visibly as a person after the events at Colony Lambda, but while Sena says a few things about being true to herself, every subsequent story scene still has her using her perky, happy-go-lucky persona and being Mio's hype girl. The writers clearly had an idea in mind for her, but really fell down in executing it. This shines in Mio's side story — apparently Miyabi also saved Sena before her death, and yet Sena has never really seemed affected by this the way Mio is. It's never even mentioned before this side story that Sena had any involvement in Colony Omega. I have no idea what went wrong with writing Sena, but it's pretty sad, honestly. All that being said, it's really not THAT bad — it just sticks out compared to how the other five are treated. More of a "five great, one mediocre" type situation, you know?

Honestly, gameplay is great. The combat is insanely confusing and overcomplicated and everyone is yelling constantly but like. That's a given. Xenoblade. If I hadn't played 1 I probably would have just had no idea what to do, but I was able to fumble through despite getting bombarded with "tips" such as "Celestial Arts are special Arts triggered by filling up the Star Gauge and properly timing your Moon Attacks. By triggering a Punch -> Fly -> Burst -> Shine combo, you can turn off the enemy's Rage Meter and Shatter them, thereby executing a Shattershimmer attack. Try it for yourself! Also half those moves don't actually work on most bosses, but we won't tell you that." That gives you an idea of how every single "helpful tip" that pops up in Xenoblade feels to me. Again, though — a lot of this is on me. I don't have the processing skills or memory to be Good At Xenoblade, and easy mode negates the need to know most of this anyway, but man is it silly sometimes. I have some nitpicks about smaller stuff, like how the class unlock system works (luckily the postgame options render this effectively obsolete, whee!) and steering the boats (sound of me getting stuck on a stray monster and crashing sideways into an island.) But the exploration is so much fun and the sidequests are a lot more engaging than 1, and that's what really matters to me in Xenoblade gameplay.

Plotwise, things really do just drop off after the chapter 6 opening. Everyone said so and I was skeptical. I am no longer skeptical. Not sure the writers had any idea what they were doing beyond that point. It's not as bad as some (TEAM ASANO) but it sort of feels like they might have run out of time a little — the last dungeon really just feels like padding, X and Y don't even get death cutscenes, and Z feels unfinished. The basic concept of Z being the personification of everyone's fear and inertia works really well, but — and I can't believe I'm saying this — it wasn't as well executed as the similar final boss in Persona 5. Just not enough time spent on Origin and what its whole deal is, and things stayed a bit too Noah-centric at the end for my tastes. Also that final boss needed to have skip options in the cutscenes, if I hadn't cleared it my first try I would have cried from sheer fatigue lol. I also think the "side stories" are pretty meh, with only Taion's and Lanz's really working for me — I actually quite liked Sena's, but it isn't remotely about Sena and really should have been just a Ghondor quest. Eunie's felt purposeless, Mio's just absolutely destroyed the very concept of death in the entire game, and Noah's was…terrible.

And this brings me to my biggest plot complaint: death has become absolutely meaningless. The rebirth thing, I could get behind. The execution of Taion's side story, for example — while Nimue is drawn to and admires Taion for the same qualities that led to her past self mentoring him, she never regains her memories, and things will never actually be the same again. But that's okay, because she gets to live her own new life now. That can work for me. I can get behind that. Similarly, Eunie found her old husk and remembered her previous death, but she doesn't gain all the life experience and memories of that version or anything, just lives with the burden of a trauma she didn't experience. Moebius recruits gain memories of all their past lives, but they also become evil and warped under the weight of repeated bitterness and loss. All of these approaches worked. Not perfectly, but they worked for me. And then Miyabi shows up and just ruins everything. She's the age she was when she died, she retains all of her memories, she's exactly as she was. She might as well have never died at all. So…what's the point? That sacrifice that shaped Mio's life and outlook — it was pointless, in the end. Miyabi gave nothing up to save Mio (and Sena.) So it wasn't even a sacrifice. These aren't as bad but: Why is goddamn MWAMBA back, that's the silliest thing in the world, he's the Tutorial Party Member and those should never come back (unless you do something cool a la Fiora, and that sure wasn't the case with him.) His Agnus equivalent from Mio's squad whose name I don't even know is back. Cammuravi is back, and while he seems to be retaining his amnesia, he acts exactly the same, he's back to his previous age, and he's ~naturally drawn~ to Ethel (which…their relationship wasn't explicitly romantic or anything but I do feel a little weird about him hanging out with her as a child in this life when they were equals and the same age with some romantic subtext in the past one…) I do know however that some future quest will age Ethel back up, but that was all very weird. I don't think anyone should be coming back at the age they were previously, but even if we're doing that, they DEFINITELY shouldn't be regaining their memories.

In a game that's literally supposed to be about life and death, the value of each cycle, of each life no matter how temporary, where the characters repeatedly insist that each of their lives have value no matter how many times they're reborn — "death" becomes less than a slap on the wrist. I also don't know why Nia revived — probably just a 2 reference, as I understand from the wiki, and if so that's totally fine, but the timing of that after Mio's side story just blew the concept of death off a cliff was really not ideal. Would have been better to have her not awaken until after D was killed, as it just adds to all the resurrection in Mio's story and makes things feel very silly and death extremely cheap. The one good thing is that so far Miyabi seems to be the only cartoonishly bad no-consequences-at-all example, but that could change in other side quests, and frankly, once is bad enough when the game's themes so heavily revolve around the value of life and death.

Moebius is insanely hammy. It got old really fast, and then got funny again when I realized that literally every single one of them is like that. There's a certain refuge in audacity there, imo. They're just all complete weirdos who won't stop chewing the scenery, I can respect that. Although D's "true identity" being treated as a big reveal ("wow! You're a serial killer that has literally never been mentioned in this game before!!") was pretty ridiculous. Also kinda disappointed that we didn't get E, T, L, and S alongside N and M…while it makes sense, and the implication is that this is the first life in which these six got together, I wanted evil Eunie :( N is kinda hilariously pathetic, which may not have been the intention. I got off so many daze->bursts on him during his last battle and he was just bouncing around like a fucked up plinko horse it was goddamn hilarious. Also his armor has a booty window. I can't take this guy seriously. The big M/Mio reveal is really well handled and great, though, and the absolute peak of the plot. I just laughed at N a little during it. Can you really blame me.

I will also say that M/N's story did, personally for me, ruin the idea of Noah/Mio as a romantic couple — seeing a version of them that reached the peak of codependency to the point of genocide taints every version of them. Even though the versions we play as can reach acceptance and part for the greater good, it's hard not to think of N and M and their arc. Again, that's for me — not judging people who do love the couple or anything, I'm just a little repulsed by them together now :') I will also say that while some of the "life cycle"/"yay babies" stuff feels a bit hamfisted, it's really not too bad, especially with the focus being more on babies and life than "everyone's purpose is to make babies." And the language seemed surprisingly non-heterosexual (I'm so glad that Lanz/Sena stayed platonic.) The game sort of glosses over N and M (or some other version of them, but I got the impression that was them)'s teen pregnancy as well as Monica's (Ghondor is 18 while Monica is 33 — easy to miss but Monica was a teen mom) and I do feel weird about that. Not the end of the world but the material sometimes teeters on the edge of…not so great?

Side note: Now that I think about it, why are Nopon entirely outside the cycle and just living their merry lives completely consequence free in whatever parts of the world they want. Why was there no Moebius nopon i am so disappointed. Not to mention they keep inventing shit that just completely shatters all of Z's plans. Nopon are canonically more powerful than Moebius this is a very funny concept to me

All of this being said, the ending itself actually works okay for me. I always have mixed feelings about "but then it never happened!" type endings, I always prefer "let's rebuild the world with the tools we have." I don't like it when "bad/flawed/noncanon" timelines get erased without a trace and become meaningless. This is why my favorite time travel game is Radiant Historia. Have I mentioned I fucking loathe act 3 of Dragon Quest XI, to this day have refused to play it, and actually regret buying it at all solely thanks to act 3's existence? It's a MASSIVE pet peeve. Anyway, the ending narrowly subverted pissing me off — it manages to stay bittersweet by treating the Agnus/Keves separation as a consequence of restarting the world. You could argue that the ongoing "oh, they'll meet again somehow" reassurances ruin this, but to me it just barely manages to work. It might, admittedly, undermine some of the messages about moving on and forward and avoiding the endless now — but I think it's okay, in the end. Even if baby Noah runs into that alley and immediately trips over baby Mio and they get every single memory back, I think the ending as a whole is well-constructed enough that it can work. It wasn't a huge, universal retcon — either the effects of what happened will linger (they'll regain their memories and have to live with that knowledge) or the consequences of their choice will (they'll never meet again, or they'll meet but not remember) and that ultimately works for me. Subjective, though, and I get why some are disappointed with it in one way or another -- I would also have personally preferred a "rebuilding the world together without any Flame Clocks" ending. It's better than "Fiora's just all better and a Homs again with no lingering effects at all" or "Pyra and Mythra just are alive and have separate bodies bc Reasons now" though. *JKR voice* You solved it, Ginny was perfectly happy again!

The characters are what really carry this game's writing as opposed to the plot, and that's generally okay with me. Really, my big outstanding complaints are the death thing, mostly as it applies to Miyabi, and that things are a real slog in the final fetch quest and then dungeon, with that classic "padding an already too long JRPG" vibe. Seriously, I finished at 62 hours as a fast reader with a whole ton of side content left to do — that dungeon could have been ¼ of the length and equally effective, guys. Why.

Miscellaneous commentary — the VA work is great/terrible in exactly the ways I wanted it to be, Nia and Melia's new designs are great (and Melia's really suits how her VA's voice has changed, which is a strong improvement over Future Connected - not anyone's fault, just a weird side effect of things being recorded a decade apart. Getting to properly see and hear adult Melia really feels like it fixes up those issues though.) The Nopon are way cuter than they've ever been, fluffy and big-eyed, and their speech is definitely my favorite from the three games (toning down the mehmehmeh was a very good call, especially since this world is supposed to be a mix of 1 and 2.) Giving Riku that extremely deep voice in the English dub is a hilarious choice and I have endless respect for them for that. The main cast all sounds great, Sena being an American stereotype is so funny, Noah's VA handled his multiple roles really well, and Eunie was just hilarious at all times. Seriously I adore her. Music sounded great, but I was mostly listening through switch speakers so that obviously affected the quality a lot — it sounds way better when I listened on the PC through headphones though so I'm slowly making my way through. Should have won at the game awards but we all knew it wouldn't lbr :') The character models are great and this is definitely my favorite artstyle from any of the Xenoblades — everyone is a LOT more expressive than 1 but not, well, ugly like in 2. Much more facial feature diversity too which is sorely appreciated. Jiggle physics were kind of ridiculous (Mio should not have those!! She's like a b cup!!! why) but at least the outfits and angles weren't too wild, and Monica is the only one who looks outright cartoonish proportions-wise imo. I really enjoy the class system and getting to do wild/fun stuff with it, but I also like that significant cutscenes have everyone using their "traditional" weapons — it strikes a nice balance between gameplay and character fun for me. In general all the fight cutscenes were really well choreographed and lively, with lots of cool touches that made them actually worth watching -- stuff like Lanz blocking a huge long hit while Eunie and Taion use an ongoing sustained heal to keep him alive longer, it's neat.

Also That Photo is so dumb and so poorly timed but hey that's why i'm not playing 2

Anyway, yeah, I have my gripes but it's overall a really good and heartfelt game that feels like a lot of love was put into it! Really good! I…will still be avoiding the larger xenoblade fandom bc What The Hell Is Going On In There. eunie's the boss. why is this so long i just wanted to write a few paragraphs not the fucking iliad sobs

[daysofourlivesrecaps]

Monday, 5 June 2023

If I didn’t know about this show’s insanely long production cycle, I could swear that they were addressing my specific concerns right now.

First: Chloe. Chloe has never been interesting to me. But I want her to be! The performer seems pretty capable! They just haven’t given her anything good to do since I started watching. And that’s partially because any time they have something potentially good for her, it happens offscreen. Like the confrontation she had with Gwen on her first day working at the Spectator.

WHY WOULD THEY NOT SHOW US THAT?

But the good part comes when Xander talks her down, cooks her a Scottish breakfast-for-dinner and then turns the charm up so far that the dial breaks off. This culminates in a little speech about how Scottish people have invented all kinds of important things, including kissing. “They didn’t invent kissing,” says Chloe. “Well, okay. But we did perfect it.” And then they kiss!

When these two moved in together, I could not have been less interested. But they have real chemistry and I completely bought this little mini-seduction.

Second: we’re finally moving forward with the “Nicole’s pregnancy” plot! Soaps are famous for dragging plots out unnecessarily, but honestly, Days does this so infrequently that I notice (and get bugged) when it does happen.

But now we have an answer! And the baby is… not Eric’s! Which means it’s EJ’s! Eric is dejected. EJ is thrilled and supportive. It’s all very cute, but this is not the last we’ll hear of this plot today. The rest was a proper DUN-DUN-DUUUUUN! (played on an old school pipe organ, natch) moment, so I’ll save it for the end.

While all of this is happening at the hospital, Jada visits Sloan’s apartment with a warrant (again) and tosses the place (again) looking for evidence of Colin. She finds none. The number of times the Salem PD hassles this poor women for the EXACTLY ZERO CRIMES she’s committed is insane to me, especially given that she’s a lawyer.

But Sloan is not defenseless. As Jada rifles through her stuff, she catches the detective up on current events. “Hey, remember when you were pregnant with Eric’s baby and Nicole talked you into having an abortion? Remember the awful, complicated web of emotions that created? Well now Nicole’s pregnant and it might be Eric’s!”

Just in case you doubted that Sloan plays fucking hardball.

Gwen has heard that Dimitri Von Leuschner (pictured here in an accurately terrible rendition of what I can only assume is his passport photo) is in town and tries to convince Leo to seek the guy out for a story. Leo passes (not before mentioning how much he’d like to kiss Dimitri and also fuck him), so Gwen decides to go after the story herself.

And speaking of Dimitri, we resume seeing what he’s up to right after he told his mother not to have a cow to cool her jets.

First, he reminds us that he’s met his Aunt Kristen before, in the Beyond Salem miniseries, where she had a gun pointed at his genitals for an entire scene. (This was actually an entirely different Kristen, but explaining what that means would only confuse matters.)

Then his mother presents her latest scheme: to marry them to one another. No, seriously.

They’re not blood relatives, she argues. And the Von Leuschner family has a bunch of money for Dimitri if he gets married before he turns 40. And he’s currently 39. (“39 and 3/4,” adds Megan in the most economically written piece of Overbearing Mom dialogue imaginable.)

Kristen and Dimitri both reject the idea. “But then who will my son marry?” she says, seconds before Gwen enters with the flawless comedic timing of these two.

“Giving Gwen something interesting to do” was very high on the aforementioned wish list and I could not be more thrilled by this direction. But wait. There’s one more beautiful Gift for AAl Specifically today.

Eric returns home and catches Sloan up about the Nicole situation. Sloan expresses sympathy for Eric, but also relief.

Then we get this amazing flashback where we find out that Sloan actually swabbed her own cheek so that the test would come back negative! So that baby could still be Eric’s after all!

DUN-DUN-DUUUUUN!

[danganronpaheadcanons]

Confession: I think Hajime, Mahiru and Nagito have an amazing platonic chemistry and should have been the main trio in SDR2! Initially I just paired them together because they're my top three characters in Danganronpa, but after thinking about it a bit they make so much sense to me... they struggle with similar problems but face it in different ways, it would be nice to see how their morals clash as they work together in investigations, class trials ecc ecc... they also have a lot of things in common & imo would bond over that too in someway,,, their palettes also kinda match, it's a shame there is practically no content of them together...also imagine the comedic potential of their interactions..

[agmapansa3008]

I probably shouldn't, but I find myself mostly comparing F4 Thailand 2022 to Hana Yori Dango 2005. Probably because it's the one I’m most familiar with, being one of my first ever Asian dramas and the one I have rewatched the most. But also, because compared to the comedic vibe of Boys Before Flowers 2009 and the clean, almost censored vibe of Meteor Garden 2018, it seems to adopt the Japanese vibe the most.

But what I noticed and where F4 Thailand sort of falls flat, is the slight difference in Gorya’s relationship with Ren. Don’t get me wrong, I really love the Thai version so far, I think they are making an excellent adaptation, but there is something that has been bugging me and that solidified in the recent episode, namely Gorya’s date with Ren.

In HanaDan 2005 the date is a mess. It is awkward, they barely have anything to talk about, Makino (Gorya) makes a fool of herself several times, and - and this is important - she really talks about Domyouji (Thyme) a whole bunch. Really, he is the only topic she and Rui (Ren) can talk about without it being weird. And then, of course, they run into Domyouji and the two of them start fighting/bickering again, as they do and we see Rui watching this interaction with an “Ooooh okay, I get it now”-expression.

That distinction is important. Because the whole balance of the show hinges on the fact, that Rui, as good and nice as he is, doesn’t have romantic chemistry with Makino. They are great friends and they can talk to each other really well, but when it gets romantic, something is off. Rui, in Makino’s eyes, is this perfect knight in shining armour, a fantasy, the peak romantic hero she can imagine. He’s on a pedestal, so when they are together, in a date setting, it doesn’t work. She’s too much in awe of him and he doesn’t know how to deal with that. It’s mutually unromantic.

The date in the Thai version, though, seemed completely fine. It was awkward for a moment, but then we get this really cute montage of them having fun together and enjoying each other’s company a lot. It looks like a genuinely good date. Then at the end, we get the conversation about the disastrous Zoo date, and then of course Gorya confronting Tesla in front of Ren, where we get the same “Ooooh okay, I get it now”-expression, but in a completely different context, with Thyme not even present.

Why does that feel wrong? Because, now, in the Thai version, I genuinely question why the fuck Gorya would like Thyme more than Ren. Why she ultimately chooses Thyme over Ren. Because she and Ren seemingly fit together amazingly. So what happens? We get the weird, outdated trope of a girl having a perfect potential boyfriend, that she has good chemistry with, but instead choosing the violent asshole, that annoys her for… reasons.

I quite honestly don’t remember the storyline from the Korean or Chinese version, but the Japanese one avoids this so well, by simply showing us that Makino and Rui don’t have romantic chemistry at all. While she and Domyouji, as cat and dog as it is, do. And I don’t remember the Korean or Chinese version giving me the same confusion as to why the Makino stand-in would choose the Domyouji stand-in over the Rui stand-in.

And again, this is absolutely no hate towards the show, I truly love it, the actors are amazing and they are doing a good job. But the balance is slightly off-kilter for me. They even try to rectify this, by having Ren speak Rui’s line of “She constantly talked about you.” when we didn’t see that at all during the montage. They told and didn’t show and I felt it. I felt it being weirdly forced towards the end. It felt wrong.

[gunsatthaphan]

~ BL/GL TAG GAME ~ 

I got tagged by @cherrymagicalboys thank you so much!! 💜 I love doing these! Also I changed a lot of the BL/GL to just BL since we all know this industry is GL-phobic djfhkdf

Your all time favorite bl character and why.

HECK. This is hard lol. If I dig deep enough, I’m sure I can think of a few but considering the more recent shows, I’m gonna have to go with Yok (Not Me). He had best boi written all over him, he was such a well-rounded character and First absolutely killed it. He was definitely my favorite from the show and also one of my favorites in general. 🥺 Others that I love as well are Haoting (MODC), Third (TOL) and Gene (Lovely Writer). 

What’s your one character from a bl you wanted to punt into the stratosphere (you only get one so choose wisely).

There are a few lmao but the first one that comes to mind is Aoey from Lovely Writer. He was the absolute worst. Toxic af, unhinged and ruthless. I despised him and still do lol. So off he goes djhkgd.  

The best music moment from a bl.

Third recreating the can’t take my eyes off you scene from 10 things I hate about you in TOL. (forgot the episode) Easily one of the most iconic moments in bl history djkghf.

What’s a popular heterosexual text that you would like to see adapted into a bl/gl?

Not sure what is meant by text but I’m assuming a novel? If so then I think I would love to see a bl or gl rendition of Perks of Being a Wallflower. It’s one of my favorites and I wanna see more coming of age bls and gls. 

A scene from a bl that always makes you laugh.

Out of all the bls I’ve seen, none has made me laugh as much as Love Stage did. I can’t think of one specific scene but the comedy in this show was absolutely on point. outstanding lol. 

Biggest disappointment.

The Tuxedo and GenY 2. I was very excited for both, The Tuxedo because the premise looked amazing and GenY 2 because I loved the first season and I was excited for more. But both were abysmal. Definitely the 2 biggest disappointments of the last few years lol. 

What two random bl/gl characters would make hilarious exes?

Boys: this is very random lol but I feel like Gene (LW) and Type (TT) would make a hilarious exes-duo because they both have a feisty and comedic nature that I enjoyed a lot while watching their respective shows. Also I know Up and Gulf are friends so this would definitely work lol. 

Girls: I always thought Miriam and Pang from TonhonChonlatee were a good combination, although they didn’t have many scenes together. But them as exes would be a lot of fun I think. What a wasted potential lol.  

Who would be the funniest person to person to watch a bl in its entirety and which one would you make them watch.

out of the tumblr squad I would totally love to watch something with @bl-recs-and-reviews , @leonpob , @danyokers , @german-bl-kpop-lover , @zeejade88 and @wanderlust-in-my-soul cuz I know we would have a blast lol. I know some have already seen it but I would make the others watch Love Stage because it needs to be seen lol.  

out of the ppl that I realistically will never watch a show with in this lifetime, I would pick Mix S. because he’s hilarious and I imagine him to be a fun watch-buddy lol. Additionally I wanna rewatch My Engineer with Talay and Perth because I love their reaction videos and I know we would have a good time lol. 

Best wardrobe moment/or character wardrobe from a bl.

that’s interesting but also difficult lol. Might be random but I always liked White’s fashion in Not Me. Not when he was dressing up as Black but when he was living his real life lol. Also Gun could wear a trash bag and make it look fashionable so 💁🏼‍♀️

An honorable mention goes out to Lian from Cutie Pie because those suits are just 😩👌🏻👌🏻👌🏻💕

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This was fun! Thank you for tagging me!! 💜 

I’m tagging @bl-recs-and-reviews @leonpob @danyokers @german-bl-kpop-lover @my-wandering-rabbit @wanderlust-in-my-soul @vegaspetes @emisfritish @patprans @tutontawans @shutupimnapping @mikatowelie @liankuea @zeejade88 and everyone else who’s in the mood! 💜 

xxx