#also would like it to be 16 eps instead of 10 :/

[mikrrokosmos]

started gyeongseong creature and FINALLY we’re getting a good drama this year

[absolutebl]

This Week in BL - Many Tiny Idiots, Some Irreverent Hotness & an Engagement

Organized, in each category, with ones I'm enjoying most at the top.

Oct 2024 Week 4

Ongoing Series - Thai

Fourever You (Thai Thurs YT) ep 4 of 16 - OK so Hill has really been trying to pick him up from the beginning? I don’t understand why there’s any doubt around girls at all. He Gay everyone. Why is Tatch (2 Moons Ambassador) the only seme in Thai BL history allowed to actually just say "I don’t date women.”

Why is that so hard?

This show is definitely frustrating me, but I must admit that it’s the one I look forward to the most each week.

Love Sick 2024 (Thai Sun iQIYI) ep 6 of 15 - I am now only watching the uncut version, and I gotta say it makes all the difference. Please don’t watch the cut version of this show if you can possibly help it. It’s like cliff's notes of cliff's notes. I love the tiny side couple of tough kid + the dork of the music club. Ah the beach sequence. Condenced WAY DOWN, I see. We lost one of the most iconic lines in all BL but i think everything is improved by how much tighter the plot is in the remake (6 episodes became 1!). So I’m enjoying it. Weirdly, I'm not sure I would be enjoying it, if I hadn’t seen the original.

Is anyone watching this on iQIYI who hasn't seen the original? Just out of curiosity. Tell me how it's going for you, would ya? 

I'm doing a face-off style watch along of this new version versus the original 2014-2015 version.

Kidnap (Fri YT) ep 8 of 12 - I don’t entirely get it. They were apart for approximately 11 minutes. I would’ve thought GMMTV would’ve drawn it out for longer and more angst. Smiley face kiss was cute, but the star of this ep was that gorgeous pale blue waffle sweater on Q. What a great color for Leng! 

Jack & Joker (Thai Mon IQIYI) ep 7 of 12 - I do like that we’re seeing an honest exploration of poverty and hopelessness. I’m not sure how I feel about it inside my BL, tho I’m willing to persavere for this pair.

Battle of the Writers (Sun YT) ep 12 end - Someone said recently "just imagine what TutorYim could do with an actual script." And you know what? I agree. Because they sure as shit haven’t gotten one yet. And it’s getting quite frustrating. I’m having JaFirst flashbacks. Frankly, 2024 has been a year of unmitigated BL nonsense narratives. And I’m tired of it. I know it’s bog standard for the genre, but it feels like there’s been more than normal faff this year.

Summary 

An incredibly convoluted, disjointed, and badly-paced drama that is about(?) some writers writing a thing and some boys who knew each other when they were kids, lots of pretty sexy times, and not much else. The visuals are gorgeous, the side couples are overly appealing (with little to no screen time), the dubbing and sound is absurdly bad, and the fantasy novel (play within a play) makes no sense whatsoever while also managing to be the show that we all actually wanted to see instead of what we were given. 6/10 

In conclusion, I have no interest in attempting to understand or revisit this show, and I certainly wouldn’t recommend it, but if you have nothing better to do…… the sex is good (frankly I have exes that satisfy all the same criteria). So there it is: this show is like a bad but still hot ex.  

Every You Every Me (Thai Mon Gaga) ep 3 of 10 - Nice to see Fiat in something again. Namping is very angel baby.  This episode made me think that this pair would do a great Thai remake of Love Tractor, and now that’s pretty much all I want in life. I enjoyed wardrobe in this episode. It looks like we get the same characters next week. Cool. 

Bad Guy My Boss (Thai Sun Gaga) ep 6 of 10 - I guess everyone is messy slutty bisexual in this show? Do I care? Not even slightly. BLabies, I don’t think I’m gonna make it. I might have to drop this one.

Ongoing Series - Not Thai

See Your Love (Taiwan Weds Gaga) ep 1-2 of 13 - I adore it, what a wonderful meet cute. I love a Taiwanese BL that starts with a gratuitous kidnapping, some chasing, and a bit of a fight sequence. We in OLD fashioned territory. 

Teenager Judge (Vietnam Sat YT) ep 5 of ? - I continue to enjoy it very much.

My Damn Business (Korea Sat YT) eps 4 of 7 - Oh! Is the sleazy boss gonna turn out to be actually a sleazy player? That would be an interesting twist.

Let Free the Curse of Taekwondo (Korea Thurs Gaga) eps 3 of 8 - I’m really not a big fan of my pain coming from Korea. I’m getting a whiff of To My Star 2 from this one. And that does not make me happy. I know: high quality high angst yada yada blah blah blah. But also unnecessary pain? No thank you. 

First Note Of Love (Taiwan Mon Gaga) ep 12 end - Of course, I love the part where Reese and Orca spoke each other’s languages.

Conclusion

Had this been produced a mere 3 or 4 years ago, I would’ve been quite enamored. But by comparison to what we’ve been getting, this is a lackluster offering. A has-been musician and a much younger composer meet, fall in love, and attempt to rectify his stalled musical career. Cute side couple of a Thai popstar + his Korean manager. Everyone is very fine and it was a fine show. I wasn’t disappointed, but I wasn’t impressed either. 8/10 

Love is Like a Poison AKA Doku Koi: Doku mo Sugireba Koi to Naru (Japan Tues Netflix?) 6 of 10 eps - It was a fun little confession and climax, there was crying, and a bridge kiss (been a while) all of this appeals to me even if they are tiny idiots (in the immortal words of @heretherebedork )

Eccentric Romance (Korea Weds Viki) eps 5-6 of 12 - More tiny idiot boyfriends who don’t realize they’re boyfriends. That’s it, that’s all that’s happening. Ostensibly there’s some kind of murder. But it seems to be acting more like set dressing than plot.

It's airing but...

The Hidden Moon (Sat WeTV) 10 eps - Supernatural romance (my ghost boyfriend trope) by Violet Rain (I Feel You Linger). A man is hired to write an article about an old mansion. He sees the ghosts of people who died at the mansion, falls in love with one of them. Was substantially recast. I loved IFYLITA except the ending so I think I'll let this one run it's course you can tell me if it's work tracking down... if they managed to land it. I have my doubts.

In case you missed it

Mew & Tul legit engaged.

Love in the Big City (Korea Viki) 8ep - Vicki dropped them all at once which means I did what I do under such circumstances and skipped to watch the final episode. (I am well aware that this makes me a monster. ) Anygay, that told me that I’m not gonna be bothering to watch the series. Now y'all can tell me how amazing it is and what I’ve missed and blah blah blah. But I’m comfortable with my choice. It’s ICRY 2.0 + HIV. And I’m not willing to play its literatti game. At some point I might watch it on fast-forward for the sex scenes, but I’m not at that point yet. 

Next Week Looks Like This:

Upcoming BLs for 2024 are listed here. This list is not kept updated, so please leave a comment if you know something new or RP with additions.

Still Coming:

10/27 Perfect 10 Liners (Thai Sun YouTube?) 24 eps! - New directing yet another university BL with engineers + their mentees. Based on a Jittirain novel. with a massive cast and massive run time. We will be watching this until APRIL of 2025!

ForceBook playing the same old characters = enemies to lovers tsunder/sunshine jock/nerd thing.

PerthChimonSanta are doing the cohabitation cool guy/dork trope.

JuniorMark are doing popular sunshine meets lonely sad boy (the only interesting pair IMHO).

I think Blue Canvas of Youthful Days has started on iQIYI but I only get it on Viki and that doesn't drop for a few days, plus...... CBL......? Not sure I'll report on this one unless it's really good.

THIS WEEK’S BEST MOMENTS

From Uncle Unknown which is truly terrible but this was so SO funny. I'm still chuckling when I think about it.

The first representation of shipping in a BL that I actually enjoyed. Also Dat's clear approval of being shipped didn't hurt. (Judge)

(lask week)

The tag BLigade: @doorajar @solitaryandwandering @my-rose-tinted-glasses @babymbbatinygirl @babymbbatinygirl @isisanna-blog @mmastertheone @pickletrip @aliceisathome @urikawa-miyuki @tokillamonger @sunflower-positiiivity @rocketturtle4 @blglplus @anythinggoesintheshire @everlightly @renafire @mestizashinrin @bl-bam-beyond @small-dark-and-delicious @saezurumurmurs

Sigh, Tumblr in its infinite wisdom doesn't like too many at-ings.

[danwhobrowses]

Since Critical Role's big endgame battle has begun (as of ep. 113) and looks to give us a fair handful of Lv. 20 combat across the board with VM and later the Nein - and also since the Omen Archive are yet to do a level up overview for Bell's Hells to Lv. 15 like I expected them to do after ep. 112 - I find myself optimistically and curiously wondering how Bells Hells would shape up should they reach Lv. 20.

Admittedly, I do remain worried about how underleveled they are; I know it's intended since the Hells are the 'underdogs not meant to be in this position' group but still, for comparison Essek debuted at Lv. 15 in C2 and Vox Machina ended their campaign at Lv. 18 when the stakes were slightly lower than what we have with Ludinus, the Vanguard, the Imperium, and Predathos. Still, with nothing we can do but pray they make it out alive - and I hope they do - I've decided to indulge that rare bout of optimism and deep dive into what would their Lv. 20 state look like? While also considering what they may add during this final arc should they level up in between like they did the last time they were on Ruidus.

We're gonna go through each character one by one for this, so I'll start with my favourite (aka the one I wanna talk/ramble the most about).

Ashton is perhaps the easiest endgame build to tell class-wise, it's likely Tal will have them go the full 20 since Grog has already done the Fighter dip and there's not many other multiclasses that can be of a greater benefit to them; the intrigue however with Ashton focuses on the ASI they get at levels 16 and 19, the first one particularly if there's still a level up mid-battle. The obvious route for the first ASI is to get back the CON they lost in the shard incident - which I still find an unfair penalty since they gained nothing from surviving the bold and deemed impossible action, 'your reward is you get to live' doesn't stick with me given that the 10 rolls (well, 9 plus the resurrection ring) are proof of survival anyway - and absorbing Dusk Hunger sadly didn't give back, adding to their DEX instead - which, also kinda stubborn of Matt, adding 1 AC isn't exactly worthy of absorbing a legendary item especially compared to what Orym got with Ishta, they were better off trying to dual wield it if Matt's not gonna give stats that'll suit Ashton's wheelhouse, STR and CON, and let the tank be a tank - so it will likely fall into Tal's hands to get Ashton's stats to where they want them to be. Either way, Ashton's STR and CON are going up if they hit Lv. 20 as pure Barbarian, Primal Champion adds 4 to both and increases their max to 24, so without ASI Ashton will have 22 STR and 20 CON by Lv. 20 anyway, with ASI however Ashton can go 24/22 in either direction - and we can't rule out more absorption in the future, since Legendary loot may be yielded from this endgame battle plus Otohan's Backpack, Zathuda's storage cloak and maybe any other armour from the two could be Legendary items just gathering dust among the group, but if Ashton were to take any of them they'd have to wait a day since the Harness only grants 1 permanent and 1 temporary buff per person, and each person who uses it on the same day risks it breaking by 20%. However, we also can't rule out Ashton taking a feat instead of ASI, it's a slim chance but there are some feats that can be of use for Ashton in general or specifically vs Ludinus; Mage Slayer, Strike of the Giants (Hill or Stone Strike, of the two I'd go for Hill because of it causing the prone condition, which will help Ashton and allies, like Orym with that 1d6 extra Force Damage, stack critical damage), and Great Weapon Master could be powerful if they don't focus on ASI. The Tough feat is always good for being tanky too, but such a feat would likely only be used at the Lv. 19 ASI/Feat domain to get the most out of it. The only other places Ashton can get major potential buffs - outside of any new enchanted items that aren't armour - are from Dunamancy and their Titan powers, but neither have provided a clear opening for improvement as of yet. Ashton hit their final Dunamancy path at Lv. 14, where they got Mark of the Messy End (which compared to Essek getting access to stuff like Reality Break doesn't seem to balance out but I guess Wizards are glass cannons so Dunamancy does more with them), but there is a quiet, lingering mystery over how Potions of Possibility and Luxon Beacons will behave if Ashton and their Dunamancy brain interacts with them, given how they have many potions on hand, in general and gifted to them by the Kryn Dynasty before they met with the Nein, and Ludinus using Luxon Beacons as power sources, there is potential for Ashton's Dunamancy to increase that way - or simply through Matt adding an extra Dunamancy path in place of an ASI/Feat, a Dunamancy-based feat, or swapping Primal Champion with something else. The Titan Form could also improve by level, and I kinda hope it does, it's powerful but given the time limit and Exhaustion it's still below the level of Grog's Titanstone Knuckles in terms of utility, if more power or less limitations are imposed the higher their level it could scale Ashton up further in a similar manner to having a Vestige or, in Orym's case, a Relic of the Red Solstice.

Speaking of Orym, you'd assume that he'll also go for the clean 20, but this is Liam O'Brien we're talking about - he gave Vax a Druid level for his love of Keyleth, so you can't put it past him to add a level in Bard for Dorian. Like Ashton, Orym has 2 ASI waiting for him at levels 16 and 19, due to maxing his DEX - and absorbing Ishta overclocking it (a DEX increase that actually makes sense as a Finesse blade Fighter, adding +1 to AC and attack rolls and a higher DC for enemies to save against superiority die attacks) - Orym has already dipped into feats a lot but could always find room for more. Great Weapon Master, Shield Master, Mage Slayer, and Tough again at level 19 are viable options for Orym and his build, but there's also a unique option of, instead of taking a level in Bard, Magic Initiate: Bard in lieu of Dorian; taking the feat lets him gain the 4th attack Lv. 20 Fighter yields while adding some handy Bard magic such as Friends, Thunderwave, Command, Bane or Cure Wounds - all of which are Level 1 Bard spells. While adding a level in Bard would be a nice gesture, the Magic Initiate feat would probably work better for Orym's build if he wanted to reference his connection to Dorian this way, since he doesn't need 4 extra 1st level spells and he already has a lot of proficiencies and bonuses to cover his rolls anyway, plus he still carries the sending stone if he doesn't want to do either. If he went for ASI, Orym could try to rival Ayden's passive perception by buffing his WIS, but I doubt anybody would hold it against him to be less perceptive than a god. Regardless of ASI and feats, a pure 20 in Fighter does up Orym's lethality immensely, getting a potential 12 attacks with two Action Surges - the second gained in Lv. 17 - in one round (16 attacks if hastened and 17 if hastened and a Time Rage Mark of the Messy End - which I believe allows you to attack with Bonus Actions - is used on an enemy), which would make him an extra efficient killer and protector for combat, which suits his character as well. While multiclassing is an uncommon trait to reference a partner, in Orym's case it's probably moreso cute but unnecessary flavouring.

Adding an element of their partner into their build is something Imogen has done already with decent effect, however. Imogen is another pure 20 likelihood; she has 2 ASI, a Metamagic choice, her final Origin Feature - Warping Implosion: essentially you teleport and anyone within 30 feet will be caught in a gravity fissure - and Sorcerous Restoration - 4 sorcery points restored per short rest - waiting for her at the full 20. As alluded, she already has Laudna influences in the Shadow Touched feat and a vial of her blood in her equipment so she needn't use a feat or a multiclass in further reference to her, which means it comes down to what options she chooses for her ASI/Feats and future skills. With her CHA maxed out already, the two ASI would need to go elsewhere or to feats; War Caster could be used to help her concentration spells, such as the reskinned Hunger of Hadar, Telekinesis, and Investiture of Lightning, unused spells such as her mother's Reverse Gravity, Hold Person, or Globe of Invulnerability, or future 8th-9th level spells such as Dominate Monster, Gate, and Mass Polymorph (turn them all into horses!). Otherwise using one of those ASI to add 1 to INT and WIS will add to saving throws of those stats (+1 for INT and +2 for WIS), she can also remove all her stat negatives by adding an ASI to her STR in place of a feat. Imogen also has options with choosing a final Metamagic from Sorcerer; she has Quickened, Distant, and Twinned Spell already, so the next one needs to also be helpful in combat; the potential of Extended and Transmuted Spell are decent, but Heightened Spell may be the best fit for her - spending 3 Sorcery points to impose disadvantage on a spell save can be very useful when using Imogen's spells such as Psychic Lance, especially against powerful magic users like Ludinus. Going a little extra meta with things, Imogen at Lv. 20 is only going to exist in one-shots or guest appearances - which means short rests aren't likely to faze her as much, also recovering 4 out of a total of 20 Sorcery Points per short rest isn't a lot when you get all of them back after a Long Rest. If Imogen were to pull a swerve and multiclass she could simply sacrifice an ASI for an 18/2 split or just take a 19/1 dip without it doing any negative effect to her current build. Of the multiclassing options, I find that the Tempest Cleric could gel pretty well with her build; connecting her lightning magic and her storm analogies (and her attempt to reach out to the Stormlord) from a narrative perspective, while combat-wise she'd get to use Wrath of the Storm to damage anyone that attacks her (as many times as her WIS, so 1-3 depending on her ASI usage) and, if she goes for the 18/2 split, she can use the class' Channel Divinity to max out a spell's lightning damage - which if used on a 9th Level Lightning Bolt is 76 damage without enhancements! - she also gets some minor healing to add to her repertoire, and with a group without a pure Cleric you can't really have a shortage of players who can heal even if it's a little bit. I can't see any other dip doing her as much benefit, so the full 20 is more likely, even if the maxed out Lightning Bolt would work wonders.

You know who also knows Lightning Bolt? Well, a fair amount of players and NPCs but also Dorian! Let's talk our Boy in Blue - no I did not say 'Blue in Boy' in my head when typing, shush! - he's our last PC likely to be a pure 20 of the group, also because the rest have already multiclassed, but like Imogen there is also the opening for a little bit of multiclassing. The ASI in levels 16 and 19 are probably best put into maxing his CHA stat that's currently at 16, DEX could also go up to 20 for additional Gambolcleft damage but the sword is pretty powerful as it is - it depends if Robbie wants Dorian to focus on Spell or Melee output for stats, but casting is probably the better way to go. Not many feats would help Dorian outside of maybe Tough and War Caster, perhaps Slasher but they do seem like minor additions he can go without, so ASI is likely the best route to take for him. Unlike with Orym where a dip in Bard wouldn't do much good mechanically, Dorian could easily take a dip in Fighter and have it be a solid investment; the Bard's Lv. 20 ability Superior Inspiration only helps if you've used up all of your Inspiration, and as said with Imogen that probably won't come up in a one-shot scenario where Lv. 20 Dorian would likely appear, but by Lv. 19 he will already have added spells from any magic class via his final dip into Magical Secrets - and honestly I have no clue what one he could take because like, all of the spells! Wish is probably the go-to one but Dorian doesn't want anything from the gods so maybe not? - and he'll already have a 9th level spell slot from earlier levels. A 1-level dip in Fighter can give Dorian Second Wind for some self-healing and another Fighting Style to choose from: either Superior Technique - like Orym has - or Duelist would suit best, and if Robbie sacrifices an ASI he can go up to a 2nd level for Action Surge, which is handy should he focus on melee. There aren't many other 1-level dips that would suit Dorian narratively, there was probably Warlock potential in EXU: Prime when the crown was in play but since, again, the group lacks a pure healer, Dorian is probably better off investing his stats and skills towards Bard spells - which in turn bolsters DPS as well as healing.

From one Bard/DPS healer to another, Braius debuted with some pretty high stats to begin with, with only WIS being a negative modifier. As a 12/3 multiclass he can go a few different directions - much like his character arc and selection of deity - but it leaves him at a crossroads - also like his character arc. The 12 levels in Oath of the Ancients Paladin means he's locked out of getting Bard's Magical Secrets, if he maxes out his remaining levels in Bard he gets 2 ASI, a College of Tragedy feature (make crits be at rolls 18, 19 and 20 after an ally is hit with a crit plus a '+10 on a roll but a -10 penalty on the next' skill), Countercharm, and his Bardic Inspiration dice will go up to 1d8, but all of those are kinda covered by Dorian's higher level Bard class and Ashton's Mark of the Messy End while in Luck Rage to a higher or better extent. The 3 levels in Bard however has locked Braius out of Paladin's Aura improvements and the big Elder Champion buff, which is a big loss, if maxed out in Paladin they'll get Cleansing Touch - end a spell on yourself or anyone you can touch as many times as your CHA, one ASI, a 5th level spell slot (handy for Banishing Smite, Circle of Power, Destructive Wave, and Summon Celestial), and Undying Sentinel - which is just a once-a-long-rest Relentless Rage with no CON save. Build-wise, it would be best for Braius to go one of three different paths; either go for a 15/5 split - so no 5th level spell but he gets 1 ASI, Undying Sentinel, and Font of Inspiration for the 1d8 inspiration - a 14/6 split - where we swap Undying Sentinel for the college feature, or go the unique path and add a third class - while the 5th level spell slot has powerful spells Braius' combat is much more melee-based so it is a less likely option. A 14/3/3 triple split sacrifices his ASI/feats but 3 levels in Fighter gives him another Fighting Style, Action Surge, Second Wind, and a Fighter subclass to add to his combat prowess. One unlikely Fighter subclass that could suit Braius is the Rune Knight; with 3 levels Braius will have access to 2 runes, which can be tied to his character's artistry, to add to his gear - the Fire and Cloud Runes being the most useful to him from what I see - they would also get Giant's Might as a skill for an extra 1d6 of damage once per turn. Fighter isn't the only class Braius can benefit from though; he would only need to dip 2 levels in Cleric or Druid to gain their subclass-based abilities; a Shepherd Druid would give the group a slight benefit with the Hawk Spirit skill, using a reaction to attack with advantage and having advantage on perception checks, but similar to Imogen he'd probably benefit a bit more from dipping into Cleric - particularly Grave, War, Ambition, and Peace Domain Clerics, who each have abilities that can further empower him. A dip in Barbarian would be handy for Danger Sense - not so much Rage because you can't use spells - maybe opting for the Zealot path subclass, which also suits narratively, for an extra 1d6 damage, or a dip in the Monster Hunter Ranger to aid in picking out weaknesses. A 12/4/4 split could also work, forgoing Cleansing Touch to grant Braius 2 ASI or feats if Sam wanted them; with that they can balance their WIS to 10 and then max out their CHA and another +1 elsewhere, or just do a feat like Fey Touched - since he was touched plenty by a Fey Hag all across her manor - to max the CHA and gain a spell like Hunter's Mark to aid in combat.

Speaking of Hunters, Chetney may not have been designed to survive the campaign but with Travis rolling the fatal 0 when playing as Grog that old man is still, somehow, kicking. If Travis doesn't pull a Bertrand and allows him to continue defying the odds and live to Lv. 20, Chetney would be in a similar position to Braius - having gone the Tealeaf route and locked himself out of the full 20 in Blood Hunter by having a dip in Rogue - in being in a crossroads of classes. If he invests his remaining levels in Blood Hunter to 19, he still gets a lot from the class; 2 Order Features (advantages on bloodlust saving throws and on any branded creature, then unlimited hybrid transformations on the next feature), 2 ASI, and an extra Blood Maledict. Chetney's 1-level dip in Rogue however means he could also invest into any Rogue subclass for a 17/3 split (or a 16/4 split if he sacrifices a Blood Maledict for 2 ASI over one) instead; Assassin would help his damage output especially since he likes going Invisible, but the Revived subclass would be funny implying that he died but miraculously came back and no longer needed to risk dying in his sleep because he doesn't need to sleep anymore. Chet could also triple class like we suggested with Braius; 3-5 levels in Artificer - since he's a toymaker his toys can be infused beyond the enchanted distractions, going for the Armorer subclass can also be handy for the Thunder Gauntlets ability too, 2 levels in Fighter - for Action Surge, 2-4 levels in Monk - which has decent potential if his chisel is made a dedicated weapon plus the possible boons from Kensei, Mercy, or Open Hand paths, or even 3 levels in Ranger - where Hunter, Gloom Stalker, and Monster Slayer subclasses each have skills that could help Chet in combat, can all be seen as options, but it can also run the risk of being overcomplicated. Despite a Feat sidestepping Chet losing control in his Hybrid Form, logic says that Chet would likely stick with the 19/1 route since the feat only imposes a disadvantage against losing control and he can still do collateral damage, character-wise he'd likely want to keep his Lycanthropy on lock as much as he can. Plus, going to 19 Blood Hunter levels yields unlimited transformations and the second ASI hits at Lv. 19; with the two ASI - which he cannot get from triple classing - he can max out his STR and buff up his CON, DEX, and/or CHA for any additional bonuses, he has no negative stats so any are fair game. I don't see any feats that'd be too helpful, but outside of AC or DC boosts from increasing CON or DEX, upping CHA could also help with persuasion and being persuasive and tricksy.

Persuasive and Tricksy are some of many words you can use to define Fearne, who is also a Rogue multiclass. Her current 10/5 with Wildfire Druid as the majority allows her some wiggle room for her to go a few different directions. The 5 levels in Rogue have locked her out of a second ASI in Druid, the timeless body (not really a big deal for a fey), additional Wild Shape perks, and the 9th Level Spell Slot though, but if she invests only into Druid levels for the full 15 she does still gain one ASI and her Wildfire Feature 'Blazing Revival' - where once per long rest Mister can sacrifice himself (I don't think it's a permadeath sacrifice just like an 'off the board until resummoned' sacrifice) to revive her to half HP if she's downed - alongside a 6th, 7th and 8th level spell slot. If she goes for an even spread of 10 levels each with Rogue's Arcane Trickster however, she gains 2 ASI, 2 more proficiencies, Evasion, Magical Ambush, and a few more lower level spells. Both have valid directions - and as much as Fearne is a 'collector' I think a third class probably won't suit her and will perplex Ashley further - for her character even with mixing the level splits; a 12/8 split will grant her 2 ASI and a 6th level spell slot, while a 14/6 split grants one ASI, a 6th and 7th level spell slot, the Blazing Revival, and 2 proficiencies. Since Fearne doesn't do many sneak attacks and uses her Rogue abilities more for pickpocketing, it would probably be sensible to lean more towards Druid; a 15/5 split if she wants that 8th level spell slot for Sunburst, Incendiary Cloud, or Feeblemind, but a 14/6 split if she can do without - Plane Shift could narratively be on her radar so she can travel to the Feywild as she pleases, but Fire Storm is still a mighty 7th level spell that can be additionally buffed by her titan form which as mentioned with Ashton could also potentially scale up with levels - would give her more stuff to work with, plus extra Druid Levels buffs up Mister's health so he could be looking at 75-80 total HP (5+(Druid Level x 5)) depending on whether Fearne goes level 14 or 15. Since Fearne took War Caster already from her last level and her WIS is already maxed out, ASI to CON could be looked into to add health, AC, and DC, while also improving her chances at holding concentration for her saving throws, alternatively she can up her DEX to improve her pickpocketing so she can finally claim one of those eggs, since she's tragically 0-2 on that. Feat-wise, there is still the Elemental Adept: Fire feat to bypass enemy resistances to Fire too, lots of enemies will have Fire Resistance after all, so if she doesn't want to use ASI there is still that to use it on. So level-wise there is some wiggle room but class-wise she is better off picking one to focus on.

Our final member of the Hells Laudna has already picked her focused class; on a 12/3 Sorlock with her patron bound to a soul anchor - get fucked Delilah - she has implied to go pure Sorcerer from herein. Marisha has previously stated that she saw no gain in any more Warlock levels even when Delilah was still active and while a 6th level in Warlock would grant her an ASI at Lv.4 and unlocks Grave Touched - change damage to Necrotic plus 1 extra damage die when in Form of Dread, which is pretty solid - it does indeed suit narratively for Laudna to avoid more Warlock levels. The 3 levels she has gained from Warlock though have (war)locked her out of her final Sorcery feature of Umbral Form - which would've made her resistant to everything but Force and Radiant Damage, so like Braius' Primal Champion it's quite the loss - but she still looks to get Shadow Walk which aids her mobility, providing that there's darkness or shadows in the vicinity, as well as one ASI and another Metamagic option by continuing the Sorcerer's path, not to mention a dangerous 9th level spell slot. Unlike Imogen, Laudna opted for Empowered Spell in her current Metamagics alongside Quickened and Twinned, doing Heightened or Transmuted probably wouldn't suit Laudna like it does her partner though. Instead, Careful Spell could be a good choice for Laudna since her CHA is maxed out, so she could pick 5 creatures to auto-succeed a saving throw to a spell she sends, but since she doesn't have many AoE spells Extended Spell may be the better fit to keep up concentration on spells like Animate Objects, Mirror Image, or any future powerful concentration spells she'll have access to like Eyebite, Globe of Invulnerability, Reverse Gravity, or Blade of Disaster - which Delilah used pretty effectively in Aeor - ongoing. Even so, the one ASI remains; the Amulet of Health puts her CON to a fixed 19 so if she added one CON it'd be 16 without attunement, which is still pretty good but worthless if she just keeps using the amulet, she could put +1 in her woeful STR so it's a -2 rather than -3, or opt for feats such as War Caster - for those powerful concentration spells - or another Eldritch Invocation with Eldritch Adept, such as Armor of Shadows or Eldritch Spear, which may be more fitting for her fun scary nature.

And that's all of them, for a TL/DR I expect Ashton, Orym, Dorian and Imogen to do the pure 20 for their classes, while Chetney will go 19/1, Braius and Fearne go 14/6, and Laudna goes 17/3. But if it were me, the only ones I'd adjust from those would be Dorian (19/1, adding Fighter), Imogen (18/2, adding Tempest Cleric), and Braius (14/3/3, adding Rune Knight Fighter) just from a meta/fun perspective. Either way I'll just be happy to see them make Level 20, so fingers and every other digit I have stay crossed for whichever route they choose.

[asoiaf-fancasts]

Jeyne Poole - Fancasts

Age: 10/11 - 13/14

Appearance: She’s pretty with brown eyes and dark hair. She is skinny with nice white teeth.

Character: Anne Boleyn [Younger]

Actress: Unknown

Show: Spanish Princess [2019] [Season 1 & Ep 7]

[Unknown Age, looks to be around 9 - 11 so around the right age for her at Kings Landing or Winterfell. She is pretty and skinny with brown eyes. She also has dark hair. She wears Tudor ish clothes.]

Character: Julana’la Beltraneja

Actress: Carmen Sanchez

Show: Isabella [2012] [Season 1 & 2]

[She was 10/11 - 11/12 during these seasons so the right age for Jeyne from when he first meet her till her marriage to Ramsay. She is skinny and pretty with brown eyes plus dark hair. She wears 15th century clothes.]

Character: Agatha Blackburn

Actress: Macy Drouin

Show: Reign [2013] [Season 3 & 4]

[Unknown Age, looks good be around 11 - 13 so the right age for Jeyne when we first meet her to her marriage to Ramsay. She is skinny and pretty with brown eyes plus dark hair. She wears vaguely 16th century clothes.]

Character[s]: Betsy Bell, Wendy Darling & Imogen Helhoughton

Actress: Rachel Hurd-Wood

Movie[s]: An American Haunting [2005], Peter Pan [2003] & Sherlock Holmes and the Case of the Silk Stocking [2004]

[She was 12/13 during Peter Pan so would be good for when she was forced into sex work. She is 13/14 in the Sherlock Holmes scene so good for her during/after her marriage to Ramsay. She is a slightly too old for Jeyne currently in an American Haunting at 14/15 but I think she would be good for her in TWOW. She is pretty and skinny but does not have brown eyes plus her hair isn’t that dark. She wears early 20th century plus fantasy clothes in Peter Pan. She wears early 20th century undergarments in her scene in Sherlock. She wears 19th century clothes in An American Haunting.]

Character[s]: Jade Butterfield & Violet

Actress: Brooke Shields

Movie: Endless Love [1981] & Pretty Baby [1978]

CW/TW: Child Nudity & Violence [Would recommend just using clips off YouTube instead of watching these disgusting movies]

[She was 12/13 during Pretty Baby so the right age for when she was forced into sex work and during her marrying Ramsay. She is 15/16 during Endless Love so too old for Jeyne but I only like this movie the scenes with the flowers in her hair. She is pretty and skinny with brown eyes and dark hair. She wears early 20th century clothes in Pretty Baby & modern in Endless Love.]

Character: Diana Barry

Actress: Dalila Bela

Show: Anne with an E [2017]

[She is far too old at 16 - 18 but her character is around the same age as Jeyne. She is skinny and pretty with brown eyes plus dark hair. She wears 19th century clothes.]

[djhashtageditz]

Has anyone noticed that when Hashtag had a flashback, instead of it being mandroid taunting her, it was her fight her siblings which means she was also fully aware of the damage she was causing. (The fact that Twitch and Thrash were fighting may have triggered it reminding her of how she fought her siblings)

(And yes I’m back, here were other things on my mind)

Hartop (and Brawl) ain’t getting their arms back.

The first control badge Grim has worked differently, Mandroid wasn’t the one completely controlling him (Thrash said time out and he stopped, this didn’t work for any other character who was controlled) and since it worked differently his eyes may have stayed blue and not turned white.

Hashtag being able to control the doors in the tunnel could be for different reasons (I know some will say that it’s near ghost and she can control ghost but I don’t think that’s the case, the lights are green and the tunnels were under the cave where the Terrans would recharge plus the fact that the tunnel lights did turn red for the other Terrans and didn’t react at all for the seekers). I mostly think it’s the fact that how distant she felt from her siblings, not being connected anymore and they didn’t get what she felt at that moment. At the end she said something of the lines of “we will get through this together”. And since she felt so distant, she would be the one being able to control these doors so all the Maltos would get through this together (oh and the fact that she doesn’t have weapons to defend herself might also play a role in this).

Mandroid may not be dead, of course we see him die but we saw all of the transformers die and then brought back, also he didn’t disintegrate like Karen Croft. Also the fact that we do see characters who may look like they’re dead but aren’t (nova storm in ep 17, starscream in ep 16 the flashback, mandroid in ep 10).

[cmyk-anaglyph-honeycomb]

Hazbin hotel Episode 6 Live Blogging

It's past midnight on a work day I'll see if I can get through this. I'm not editing this good luck to both of us.

SPOILERS

Okay to start, less than a minute in, Charlie wants to prove that a sinner can ve redeemed. But she has no proof. None of the hotel gang are acting that much better than when they started. Sure they get a long better,but that doesn't make them good people. War crimes are usually commited in groups. Comradery is neutral.

So much for Vaggie supporting Charlie, huh. I get not wanting to go to heaven for this meeting, but considering how badly the last one, excluding whether she knows about the contract thing, having support to help talking things out is a good thing. Especially, with Charlie being prone to singing her point instead of explaining it.

Cherry bomb...finally. I'm sorry but the way Angel announced her felt like a sitcom. Cue canned cheering.

He's been texting all day?? I thought he was working with Val for 16 hours straight. i don't care about breaks, its Val we're talking about.

The wall blowing up is going to a constant gag huh.

Charlie inserting her will in what Angel is doing is annoying at best, but a kick in the teeth after the shit she caused in Ep 4. It's not the same thing the wow did she not learn.

[Pen is hitting on cherry. Nevermind with this Im going to bed]

[11hrs later and im back]

First angel on screen, I didn't think the designs for them would be grand, bootleg christian tv special was not what i would've expected.

The static is back. this is going to drive me insane.

The book he's holding is pretty, can't wait to see it in the merch store.

Okay nevermind, only his design is boring. That's a lot of the same-ish color but I like the look of the two new angels.

the short one is Charlie too, I have hope for her- oh god song incoming.

It is literally only his design that's boring, that had to be on purpose. I like the way heaven looks, I like the designs of the residents. everything is good so far.

Buff angels

the song is like a 4/10. Visuals doing a lot of the heavy lifting.

Exorcist lady has a face!? I hope Adam is in this one scene only, there's already been too much of him.

The static glitter is everywhere and I hate it.

So the exterminations are a secret in heaven, interesting. Adam's the one pushing the exterminations!?!? And heaven's just letting him do it cuz he's the first dickbag or whatever, what?

Vaggie's a former exorcist!? That explains why she didn't want to go back to heaven. And the military thing in episode 3.

Okay i get the threat of adam telling Charlie Vaggie's secret, but like, sinners kill each other all the time. Angel goes on killing sprees with Cheery, per the pilot. Pen has had two war blimps. Husk was and overlord, Alastor is one currently. Vaggie killing sinners isn't that much different and if she confess why she she was left in hell Charlie going to forgive her.

Also, why are there children in hell? There's no answer to that that isn't horrifying.

I hate Adam but showing actual evidence should have been the first thing the prepared. Also, a bunch of dictionary definitions, really. At this point they're just incompetent.

Was worried we were going to have a redue of the news broadcast from the pilot but asking Adam how to get into heaven is a neat turn around.

Nevermind it us a redo of the pilot fuck. Why.

Husk- "you want to fick up all your progress-" What fucking progress!?! We as the audience have seen no change in any of them.

Why are the angels upset Charlie said fuck, Adam's been saying it and no one's cared.

Cherry's character is tanking early that's neat. And Pen's hitting on hesr again, ugh.

Great, Cherry's actions have directly pushed Angel towards his abuser who he was trying to avoid, wonderful. I hate this so much.

Why is angel the one getting niffty!?! I wouldn't call what happened with val a win, but it is a step forward

No one knows how to get into heaven, okay. My feelings on that are mixed.

Song #2

It's already been 5 months? so what, an episode per month?

The fire in the eyes of the angel is a neat shot.

thousands of demons, that’s kinda low isn't it. Considering no ine knows how to get into heaven, I'm thinking it might be closer to an even slit with heaven maybe having a bit more % wise.

I like this more than Ep 5.

Was looking forward to seeing cherry in the show, she was disappointing. Kinda a half assed friend. Because she was so pushy with Angel he not only had an encounter with Val, heaven was less persuaded by Charlie's bid for their redemption.

(wrote something else here but it got deleted and I don't remember so oops on that.)

[hughungrybear]

***Well, I am still mourning the lost of my Dangerous Romance Ep 9 post 😭😭😭***

Me while watching Only Friends Ep 10:

1. I'm still reeling from a surprise Mond appearance 😅 Also, this episode's title is quite intriguing. Who exactly will be redeemed by the end of this series??

2. I have it with Mew and his effing high horse 😅😅😅. After nine episodes, it's becoming irritating lol.

3. Ray still in denial that he is a raging alcoholic. I do hope Sand gets through to him. But I digress, I'm currently watching this episode with vodka mixed in my coffee, so who am I to talk? lol

4. Why do I feel like Boeing is intentionally pissing Mew? "You are so cute, like an upgraded version of me". WTF. 😅

5. Yeah, I have mentioned this in my missing Dangerous Romance post but it is crazy how much chemistry Papang has with every guy, girl, gay, MILF that they partner him with. What. The. Actual. Fvck.

6. I'm still on the fence with Dan. Office romance, imo, rarely works.

7. I still don't get how Atom can be so effing in love with Boston after just one night. I believe bestie @lost-my-sanity1 said that Boston probably has a magical d*ck that every guy he sleeps with just falls in love with him 😂😂😂😂

8. Ugh. Atom dishing out lies. C'mon, Cheaum. Boston might be an a**hole but he is an honest a**hole. In all the years that you knew him, Boston does not resort to blackmail to get somebody to sleep with him. Manipulation, yes. But downright blackmail ain't in his cards.

9. I mean, Boston has always let his d*ck do the thinking. I guess it's high time he gets some karma for it. I just don't want Atom to also get away with his smear campaign against Boston.

10. I think the reason why Mew irritates me so much is because he tends to act like a Jane Austen heroine. Just make up your darn mind lol.

11. Okay, whatever scenes were deleted, I would need that included on the DVD lol. It's pretty confusing to see Top's sudden change without the context that the deleted scenes could have given us.

12. Well, will you look at that - Ray making some mature decisions. Growth! 😊

13. <Me during the first question of the pub quiz> CANBERRA!!! Aussie residents represent! 😅😅 <Also me when they asked what is the capital of Brazil> BRASILIA!!!! (memories of the original I Know What You Did Last Summer creeps up lol).

14. Well, Boeing is pretty successful getting on Mew's nerves lol

15. Kinky head is a loveable and apt name for Mark though. 😄

16. The ghost of Boston just haunts poor Nick. Is Boston doing this because he is finally regretful or he just feels lonely with everyone leaving him?

17. Too sweet, Ray. Too effing sweet lol. 😅😅😅 Although, I have this ugly thought that Ray would end up dead by the end of this series.

18. I guess Boeing also just wants to see Top's (and Mew's) world burn 😂😂😂

19. There are still too many bottles of alcohol left on that shelf though 😭😭😭😭😭 Also, what is the deal with Sand and Ray's dad???

20. Oh, no. Sand. Well, if we are being honest, Ray had treated Sand like he is dispensable. He even called Sand "whore" - twice. However, Ray is deluding himself if he truly thinks that Sand did everything for money. Sand has already walked away. Ray was the one who chased after him.

21. Again, Mew is irritating me. He can break with Top cleanly. Instead, he chose to stay with somebody he clearly distrusts. Then proceed to play these useless games. It's all a waste of time, imo. Although, Top put himself in this position. By gods, at this point, Top and Mew truly deserve each other lol. 😂😂😂

22. I didn't expect to feel for Boston, but gods damn 😅. If Boston pulls through this and really repents, Boston and Nick might turn into the healthiest couple in this series. WTF. 😑

23. Well, it turns out, Ray's dad do care. What's with this series hitting me with all the feels 😭😭😭 First, it was Boston and Nick. Now, Ray. But really, Ray should work on himself before he goes and chases Sand. Again.

My irritation for Mew has reached new heights. Never thought I would ever symphatise with Boston, yet here we are. Also, Boeing (Mond, I still love you), please get back where you came from lol. I don't think he'll cause that much problem between Sand and Ray though. Arrrrgh! We are nearing the finale! But first, the dreaded episode 11 😓

[maystea]

— The houses of cards: the middle.

In the first part, we talked about the first house of cards shown in the series. Now, I would like to have this post of the ending for the house cards since the third and the last part is going to be about different cards.

　

— The second house of cards.

Let's start with the first one we see after the beginning of episode eleven. Just like in episode ten, Yo-Han builds it patiently; this time, though, we're unaware after which events this scene takes place.

But what we do know is that 1) the structure is different from the one shown in ep. 10 (back then it was a pyramid); 2) the top is temporarily absent but as Ga-On walks in and talks, Yo-Han carefully puts it on the peak of the building.

The most interesting part begins when we start to look into the meanings. It would be nice to read through each card (since it has many "spoilers" for what's going to happen next in the show) but just like previously, some cards are blurred while some are basically unseen. We see only a small part of what can be deciphered, but it's already enough to do some conclusions.

Returning to the main point — the top — we can see that the card Yo-Han puts when Ga-On talks about Doh Young-Chung on the right is different in the first and the following shortly scenes. It may be the house that fell and they had to rebuild it, but in both scenes where the top is shown properly, the structure doesn't change. At all. The same cards are on each floor in the same order.

Either way, the meaning behind the card we see first is intriguing, even though it's kind of a small card with the number Four of Hearts (description taken from here). But I do not want to focus on the card too much because 1) it's not accented on; 2) Yo-Han closes it with his hand (meaning the card changes); 3) we have a card more interesting to discuss.

Once again, according to this site and the photos of the deck, the one standing on the top the second time is Jack of Spades.

Once again taking the description from here, we see words that fit the end of episode eleven along with the next ones pretty well; even more, we see that Jack of Spades characterizes both Ga-On's personality and motive pretty well... or it doesn't?

Since it's a show where even directions of eyes are important, Ga-On not looking at the Four of Hearts not even once gives us a hint about him being the second card on the top: the hidden card, which neither number nor suit is known. Again, his role is yet to be discovered and may be interpeted wherever.

　

— The third and the last house of cards.

Repeating already something that was told one thousand times (and still will be repeated), but The Devil Judge is not a drama where something is happening just because. Everything has its reason, whether we, the viewers, know it or not.

That is why the last house of cards is shown in ep. 16 is... kind of odd. The structure is similar to the one in ep. 11, but... that's where all the similarities end.

All the times Yo-Han had played with the cards the only way he knew knows, we always could see at least half of the whole building with the cards. Here, all the floors are shown blurry and we can catch only a few ones. With previous houses, we could get a lot of information about the plot and the characters' inner thoughts and motives. That was before, and not now.

Before, we saw the top that consisted of two cards. Now, instead of reading into the roles of Yo-Han and Ga-On in the game they played, all we see is emptiness at the top... which also may be the answer: the game is over, and it's not going to continue ever again.

And apparently, as much as it saddens, it gives new opportunities for writers. Because "Every ending is a new beginning", there are many ways to begin the new page... which we will uncover in the next part.

[choco-bloop]

Kingoh ep 30 theory

Theory regarding episode 30 + Rita's eye as a whole under the cut

also includes spoilers from the episode 30 synopsis and preview

So episode 30's synopsis confirms that the fifth jester is the culprit of the Fury of the Gods which probably means it's not Corsus since in the preview he has this white marking on his face. And unless the other galatinsects put that mark on whoever helps them then it's probably someone else?

anyway that does make sense a bit more now because the updated pairings I assume will be Rita-culprit and Jeremie-Kamejim.

The jester vs king thing aside.

in the preview we see that Karras now has heterochromia just like Rita. It's the same colour. And in the same preview, Karras seems to have new powers as she's seen reaching out her hand before there's a flash of light. However since episode 16's flashback didn't have her with heterochromia, I think that Karras got it from her time with the culprit.

Which makes me think that Rita has faced and been the subject of illegal experimentation. Not only would that be interesting in a sense that the upholder of the law is technically an illegal experiment themself, it feels like the only plausible answer.

So my current theory is that Rita as a child was experimented on, giving them powers in the form of their heterochromia. They were rescued by Karras and Shiron when they were 5 and given position of aide/successor as a means of protecting them and a way for Karras to keep watch over Rita.

However when they were 10, the culprit managed to take them back and possibly used their power to start the FOTG. I say this because while watching ep 27 Rita's finisher felt a lot like the FOTG with how they summon a swarm of butterflies to obscure themselves to hit their enemy just like how the guy used the swam of Cicadas to hide himself. + the only times they use this finisher (based on my memory) has been when they revealed their eye.

So because Rita (who does not know they caused FOTG), by technicality, is also a culprit / accomplice to the fifth jester and is only 10 during this, Karras can't fully charge the jester for FOTG. Because that would mean charging a child with a crime they didn't even know they committed.

Possibly, the jester struck a deal with Karras. That she would take Rita's place instead, letting them continue to live on unaware. Which she does, not only to protect Rita but also as a way to cover up Rita's involvement in the FOTG. This results in the jester experimenting on her and giving her heterochromia as of episode 30, also granting her whatever powers we saw in the preview.

+ additional end of preview theory. but Himeno is hugging Rita to stop them from using their eye's power because their stance is the same as Karras'

[dramacorazon]

random concluding aos 2 thoughts: 

i enjoyed this show so much. it’s been a while since i’ve been so completely invested in a k-drama like this. it made me feel like a teenage fangirl all over again. i’m not a fantasy lover either so i never expected to love this show as much as i do. between episodes, this show was on my mind and i think it’ll continue to be for a while. 

overall, i loved alchemy of souls. it might be one of my favorite k-dramas ever. but the problem is that for me aos 2 had one major flaw, which i’ll talk about below. but first i want to talk about just some of things i liked. 

likes (this isn’t all of them, just ones that come to mind rn): 

uk + yeong!!! they are in LOVE!!!! and i love them!! i wish we got more of the playful bickering that was present in aos 1, but the chemistry here was off the charts!!!! watching them fall in love with each other (twice!) was a joy. they looked at each other with pure unconditional love. they also had some of the best kisses i’ve ever seen in a k-drama.

go yoonjung. we all adored jung somin’s portrayal of mudeok so deeply but yoonjung as yeong managed to capture my heart within the first episode. she did such an amazing job. 

lee jaewook. he’s so so so so so good in this. he was acting. he made me laugh and he broke my heart.

a happy ending????!!!!!! i got so attached to this show and the characters in it so i was genuinely sad that it had to end and was not ready for a sad ending at all. although perhaps rushed, i think it made sense. i’m glad that after all the suffering the characters have been through, they get to be happy. 

yeong. not gonna lie, i wanted to see naksu use her own sword just once. just one scene with the return of badass naksu and her killing jin mu but that’s not what we got. but surprisingly i’m fine with that. the last time she held her sword she killed the love of her life so i’m not surprised she doesn’t want to go back to that. instead yeong was able to grow without remembering any of her naksu trauma at first, allowing her the space to figure out who she truly is at her core. and after all the abuse she endured she is now able to choose what she wants to do with the person she loves. 

my main dislike: the pacing. 

all of my problems with this season all come down to how rushed the pacing is. this show would have been better as two seasons with 16 episodes each. 

i think the plot as a whole makes sense but they could only fit so much into 10 episodes which meant parts were rushed. nothing had time to breathe. there was an overload of information crammed into the final 2 episodes, to the point where i had to rewatch a few scenes because i didn’t get it the first time around. for example, i didn’t realise that jin seol ran gave yeong her soul back. i thought she was being beamed up into the afterlife and was gone forever.

the events of the final 2 episodes should have been spread out over 4. there was a 30 episode build up for the fire bird only for it to be almost... anticlimactic? idk, i feel like there should have been a huge epic fight that should have lasted 60% of the episode, with the four seasons combining their powers or something. in reality it was over super quickly. maybe that was supposed to happen but they had to cut it for time, who knows. perhaps some of the unanswered questions wouldn’t exist if they simply had 2 more eps to flesh it out more. for example, did uk ever find out why mudeok killed him? (or did i just miss that scene?)

the shortness of aos 2 also meant parts of season 1 that we loved weren’t present because they didn’t have the time to show it as they had to move the major plot points forward. 

i missed the uk/mudeok dynamic. we got hints of it but for me it wasn’t enough. we fell in love with the way uk and yeong fell in love in aos 1 because of their playfulness. so for us to watch them fall in love all over again in aos 2 and for the writers not to lean into that playfulness was a wasted opportunity. i like to think if they had more episodes, that dynamic would have developed naturally between them again. 

on a similar note, i missed the humor of aos 1 where i think i laughed out loud in every episode. obviously there was a big tonal shift between seasons which made sense with the plot. the characters went through a lot so it was inevitable that things weren’t going to be as lighthearted as before. so in aos 2 there wasn’t the time for the characters to have fun because there was evil ahead. but it would have been nice to have a few more funny parts in season 2. 

because of the lack of time, we didn’t get to see more of the four seasons. i loved seeing their interactions, they built up great friendship dynamics only to not show it in aos 2. we should have seen more of their powers/abilities. weren’t they supposed to be really powerful? we saw choyeon’s magic in s1 but in s2 we barely saw her! first she was angry at her father’s death and angry at danggu for not saving him. then she kissed him on the cheek. then we found out they fucked. then her mother almost died. now she’s married with twins. i was so ready for her to fuck shit up. at least we finally saw danggu in his katniss everdeen era. 

in the epilogue of aos 2 the hong sisters had to break a major screenwriting rule of “show don’t tell”: there wasn’t enough time to show so they were forced to tell. so much happened offscreen. i wanted to see uk find out yeong was still alive. i wanted to see everyone discover that park jin and maidservant kim were still alive. they mentioned that yeong has a screening process for potential brides for gowon. i wish we’d seen that, that would have been funny! 

all that being said, i think alchemy of souls is one of my favorites. of the hundreds of k-dramas i’ve watched, i’ve only given 6 of them a 10/10 and i’m tempted to make this the 7th. yes there were many flaws and it could have been executed better, but none of that takes away from how much i enjoyed watching it. 

i don’t get attached to fictional characters easily. i don’t fangirl. i don’t read theories. yet with this show, i did all of the above. i was fully immersed in every episode and i enjoyed every second. i think the characters and this show will stay with me for a while. 

[la-sopa]

do you happen to know how tall Ferus and Anakin were as padawans? i need to know for fic reasons.

I did math for this.

TinyTim, why are we doing math?

You might be thinking. Well simple answer to the methods of my madness. The we can use Anakins height to gauge(?) Ferus’ height and create a time table because idk how old they are in your fic :)

Anakin Skywalker

Let’s start from the begin

Jake Lloyd was 9 when he played anakin and was 4’5(135cm(this number was rounded)

Hayden Christiansen was 19 when playing Anakin in ep 2 no was 6’0(182cm)

Now why do we need this information? Basically we’re going to find the average growth (in cm) per year between ages 9-19.

We can take 135cm and divide it by age,9, to give us 15cm. Now this makes sense because you grow a lot from when you were an infant to a young kid but this rapidly growing doesn’t add up when you are older. ( I am not accounting for growth spurts I’m working with a fixed continúes growth) so we 15/2=7.5cm which does mathematically make more sense. So we can set up this equation 7.5x= y which basically means 7.5 times X years (because time is a constant) and Y is height.

Yes we can switch the variables to a different symbol but this makes sense to me, because in my mind, there’s a graph. Very blurry graph but still there :)

Also Give or Take a few cm because no one grows at a constant.

Now we can do the fun part 🤩

By setting up a chart.

9. 135 (4’5)

10. 142.4 (4’8)

11. 150 (4’11)

12. 157.5 (5’2)

13. 165 (5’4)

14. 172.5 (5’7.9 ( technical 5,8)

15. 180 (5’10)

16. 182 (technical 187.5 so 6’1) 6’0

17. 182

18. 182

19. 182

I don’t care that the chart is impractical

Let me explain a little bit also, most boys hit their growth spurt from 12-16 but the chart shows hit it early, good for him ig, Also most boys stop growing at 16 and start growing muscle mass instead of height :) science 🧬

I would make a graph online but I’m too stupid

Ferus Olin

Now the disclaimer I TinyTim am very biased and this is opinion based off of my own and other peoples opinion and my foggy memory.

I always just assumed he was about 2in taller than Anakin

And you can carry this on for when there adults and have him permanently taller. But I like to have fun with it and have him stop around 5’8-5’11 (because I think it’s funny and there’s no way all that stress didn’t do anything to stunt is height yk.)

Now I took 5’8 (177) and divided that by 16 (for already explained reasons) and got a scary number 11.0625 so I just then I divided it by 2= 5.5

So to do this logistically I worked backwards

Chart

16. 177 (5’8)

15. 171.5 (5’6)

14. 166 (5’4)

13. 160.5 (5’2-5’3)

12. 155 (5’0)

11. 149.5 (4’9)

10. 144 (4’7)

Also small thing to keep in mind, which I love to talk about for some reason. Is the 2-3 year age gap (I think it’s 2 but there’s a possibility it could be 3) so when Anakin is 12(5’2) Ferus is (5’4) making him taller ever though he caps at at a not so short short king. Anakin surpasses Ferus at 15 Anakin being 5’10 and Ferus at 5’8

Ok everyone clap now I did it.

[tuiyla]

so I was never really on the leighton/tatum train (they were cute and had great chemistry but I always liked the idea of leighton’s endgame love interest being someone who didn’t really come from her world, I guess, whether that’s alicia or a new girl — and I did have a soft spot for leighlicia’s banter) but I also have a lot of issues with how tatum’s character was written off and the pacing. you also brought up such a good point that it makes no sense how the “new” leighton wasn’t a little more empathetic and didn’t try to explain to tatum what she loved about the women’s center - the fact that she discarded her so quickly, paired with the fact that she didn’t return to or even think of her women’s center friends at all until ep9, did make it look like she just suddenly wanted alicia back after that text, which is not what I think the writers were going for lol. I do wonder if you think the 25 min, 10 episode season format is partially to blame, along with the decision to rush through the rest of freshman year? I feel like all the arcs this season, for the other girls too, had the potential to be good, but they were pretty much all rushed - I think the only storyline that really worked for me and felt satisfying/earned was whitney finding her major. I don’t know, I’m sorry to rant, but I’ve found your takes interesting & wanted to say that even as a leighlicia fan who kinda got what she want, I didn’t feel satisfied and tatum’s character did deserve better :(

I really appreciate you Anon because you get what I'm saying. I try to be clear that I don't care all that deeply about who it is Leighton is with and ultimately I just want her to be happy and have a good story behind that. So all my criticisms aren't because I'm a bitter Tatum stan, I just think this wasn't done well.

I wish there was an episode before ep 9 where Leighton mentioned the women's center or it came up in some context where Leighton acted more woke than anyone expected her to and she realized how much she learned from them and that she did miss them. Didn't even have to be an actual episode's storyline maybe just one scene. That would already have made it make more sense, but then on top of that have Tatum dismiss that and make Leighton uncomfortable with how much she's like s1 Leighton. But no, all we had was zero mentions of the women's center and Tatum being nothing but a good supportive understanding reassuring gf. Wtf how am I supposed to be fine with Leighton blowing up at her for one mistake after that? And really my main problem is that this way it seems like Leighton's just talking out of her ass and her development doesn't nearly have adequate weight behind it, therefore feeling empty. I wouldn't have even cared about throwing Tatum under the bus but do it properly.

I think the format is to blame, partially. I've heard it said before and I agree that Sex Lives is a show that would benefit from the more traditional 20-22 episode season structure, or at least 45 minute-hour long episodes. I get it, those minutes are mostly for dramas but there's only so much balancing the show can do between four leads and their pocket universe storylines. Maybe even just 16 episodes of the same length. But also the main issue is that they decided to rush freshman year, and more specifically with Leighton that for some reason they wanted to speedrun what could have been half a season's worth of development in a few scenes. I don't get it, because the other girls were all left on varying degrees of cliffhangers. Maybe at the end of this season we could have had Leighton return to the women's center but have that be an actual milestone instead of a throwaway decision as a result of wanting to see Alicia. Imo it could have had a much bigger impact and then the landing is automatically better. Really just many ways to improve the messy way in which they handled Leighton.

I think Kimberly's was a bit rushed but overall still better paced, and I'd straight up say Bela's arc was just good and well-timed. Which proves to me that they can do it, just maybe not four at the same time idk. Also just from a selfish point of view I'd kill to have longer seasons because I need more day in the life from these girls and I so wish this was a network comedy with a bunch of comfort episodes to just play on a loop.

Anyway, thanks for this Anon, thanks for reading my ramblings and thanks for stopping by. I love it when people actually hear what I'm saying haha. So by all means rant to me any time! TSLOCG is the most passionate I've been about a new show in a while and the more people reach out the less I have to will myself to go in the tags and subsequently block a bunch of people. And yeah I'm happy for your ship and I'm happy for Leighton's happiness but this is what I mean, bad writing makes even one's own ship taste bittersweet. I hope they don't just start season 3 by writing Alicia out immediately but we'll actually see a new dynamic.

[lemonhemlock]

The thing is if anyone says that Daemon and maybe Criston were possibly subjected to Alys' charms you will immediately be accused of being a misogynist. Just try suggesting that on Twitter or on Reddit, it will be like detonating a bomb in real time. Some will even lose their minds if you even dare to call her a witch. This is why nobody even tries to reason with those people anymore. Book readers who still remember the little that was being discussed online about all of this before the show know you could have a normal debate back then on what may have actually happened in the book with those two by analyzing every scenario the text implies but right now it's impossible to do so due to the fact that antis and crazies who only use the character to project onto her have hijacked this part of the fandom and everything they do is bully people with different opinions. As for Aemond's age, well, firstly I have to say I love how defensive they get when his young age is pointed out, be it 16 in the show which is the maximum he can be given the timeline (I also still believe they meant for him to be at least 18 and messed up, but alas, here we are) or 19 in the book. They'll just say it's two adults falling in love and end of story. This parallel was pointed out in the past by other anons I think but the relationship also reminds me of Nettles and Daemon. She is 16 years old when she first appears in the story (and yes, also an adult by Westerosi standards if I'm not mistaken?), but normally she would still also be way too young for Daemon and the whole affair is very icky, if she's indeed his lover and not his daughter, yet I don't see antis applying the same logic to them, instead they only use the relationship to point out that Daemon is a groomer. Not that it's not true, because it is, but you see the double standards. This teenager/barely adult young man x older adult woman ship? Good. The other one bad.

I myself had an anon at one point that I think was trying to suggest Alys being a witch is made up because of sexism, when I pointed out that this ship isn't viable, as Aemond cannot bring a literal representation of the supernatural with him back into the Red Keep.

I also believe they meant for him to be older, but messed up the maths or didn't realise the clownish implications it would have for future seasons, but, like you, I wish this debate would die already. Yes, Ryan specified the ages of 17-21 for them, but it's physically impossible for Aemond to be older than 16, with the time-jumps they themselves specified in the show - 10 years after ep. 5 and 6 years after Driftmark. I do not care what Ryan or anyone else says in this regard, confess that you don't know how to do basic algebra and just retcon it or whatever, but both cannot be true at the same time. This isn't Dark on Netflix, we're not time-travelling or in parallel universes ffs, Aemond cannot grow older when he has maximum 16 years of linear time to do so.

And even if we go by FB, where he's 19-20 and Alys is "at least 40 years old, that much is known", nobody would be peddling the argument that it's two adults falling in love. By all means, nobody is telling you not to ship it, just to stop insisting on this weird orwellian imposition that everything is fine and dandy between them.

In any case, this is a very complex discussion of power dynamics, as in this very specific case it is muddled enough that it's not entirely evident who abuses whom. On the one hand, Alys can be the manipulative older woman, who also taps into the paranormal and is empowered as a result of that, so not a person to be trifled with. On the other hand, Aemond, while younger, still has a tremendous amount of social, political and military power he can lord over Alys. He is a prince of the realm, he has Vhagar and he has the power to put her entire family to the sword.

Anyway, I expect that in future seasons daemyras and daettles* are going to go hard against alysmonds and throw the age argument right back in their faces. They're going to be warring over this aspect to the moon and back, when it's such a stupid hill to die on. Accept it as the problematic** ship that it is and live your life in peace. Glass houses/candles and all.

*or whatever the ship name is for daemon/nettles

**god, i h8 that word, but nothing better comes to mind rn

[bbboar]

@boogerwookiesugarcookie asked me to answer ALL of the end of year asks so here we go! Thanks Naja!

Going to put it under a readmore bcs long

1.Song of the year? Dream Girl Evil by Florence and the Machine So nice of Miss Florence to make a song thats not only a bop but also specifically the theme song for my oc Hydrangea

2.Album of the year? I don't listen to many full albums but for me it would have to be a tie between Give me the Future by Bastille and Impera by Ghost 3.Favorite musical artist / group you started listening to this year? Ghost 4.Movie of the year? Everything Everywhere All At Once! Like i don't even need to think about it. Unlike anything ive ever seen, so interesting and heartwearming. Excellent performances and costuming 5.TV show of the year? Oh man this one is touh bcs i had 3 shows ive been obsessed with this year…. Our Flag Means Death, Severance or Interview with the Vampire 6.Episode of tv or webisode that defined the year for you? Not defined the year but the best ep of anything ive seen this year was the the season finale ep of Severance. It was so excellent at keeping up the tension for the entirety of the ep. I was pacing and yelling and restless for the full length of it. Just amazing storytelling of everything coming to a head and the editing...my god!!!

7.Favorite actor of the year? I don't care that much about actors to have a fave of the year 8.Game of the year? I was a teenage exocolonist. Just finished my 4rth playthrough and i think i may have 2 more in me bc i want to see different outcomes/choices 9.Best month for you this year? Idk they sorta all blend into one? But December is when i have 2 weeks off work and also the weather is beautiful and sunny so im going to say that and not think about it too much.

10.Something that made you cry this year? A friend was never available to see me despite my multiple attempts to meet up and even though i didnt mind for a lot of it, eventually it started hurting my feelings. 11.Something you want to do again next year? Go on a mini vacation. I took a week off work to visit friends in Tasmania and i think i would be nice to visit some other place next year as well. 12.Talk about a new friend you made this year? I think we'd chatted a little on twitter and also possibly met irl once? But anyway yeah i formally met and befiended the partner of a friend and we rly got along! 13.How was your birthday this year? I went to this super expensive viking themed restaurant ive wanted to go to since 2019! Food, drinks, service, all excellent. I was dressed to the nines in my sequin dress and after i went for a little night walk around the city. It was gr8! 14.Favorite book you read this year? A nobleman's guide to scandals and shipwrecks by Mackenzi Lee. The Montague siblings series is such easy reading for me so i had a fun time! 15.What’s a bad habit you picked up this year? Forgetting to take my acne medication but i also took steps to prevent that so were good now 16.Post a picture from the beginning of the year Actually the first pic i took in 2022

17.Post a picture from the end of the year

Food from yesterday (27/12/22)

18.A memorable meal this year? Oh i already mentioned my birthday dinner so instead ill mention the brunch i made for my friends when i visited them in Tasmania.I was going to make eggs, bacon, homemade flatbread and some other stuff but my time management was off and it took me sooo long to make everything.In the end it was more like a lunch than brunch^^; But everyone was so patient with me and in the end the food was yummy and everyone liked it and we played dnd and had a great time :) 19.What’re you excited about for next year? Going to be getting a new phone and also....idk i havent made any big plans but i look forward to the little moments of joy and indulgence that will come. 20.What’s something you learned this year? Im sure theres life stuff i learned but what im psyched about is learning how to make scones. Its so freakin easy!!! 21.What’s something new about your place of residence (room, home, or general location) now vs the start of the year? After living here for about a year,i decided to finally put shit up on the walls of my room.Paintings and fairy lights and i plan on having a little colection of magpie prints too.It rly lifted my mood and brightened up the space. 22.Favorite place you visited this year? Oh man i was just stoked to visit Tasmania and see friends! I need to travel more bcs i love seeing new places. 23.If you could send a message to yourself back on the first day of the year, what would it be? Do not catastrophise when someone upsets you. Just sleep on it and then act. People sometimes are stupid and thoughtless,not secretly malicious. 24.Did you keep any New Year’s Resolutions? I usually have a few and some years i end up completing them, other years i dont. This year my only resolution is to comment on people's art more. Thats fucken it. 25.Did you create any characters (in games, art, or writing) this year? Describe one. Many actually bcs aside from various ocs, i run some trp games where i make 10+ npcs for. I guess one would be Winnie an npc i made for a game who i put so little thought in. Like i needed a character to fullfill a certain role so i recycled an old oc design and gave her like 2 personalty traits. Then though as we played, we all ended up liking her way more than id planned so anyway now she's in the queue to be an upcoming pc for a dnd campaign (with a slight redesign)

[voxartemis]

I posted 2,523 times in 2022

That's 1,017 more posts than 2021!

17 posts created (1%)

2,506 posts reblogged (99%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@bundibird

@og-fanofmyself

@sevendeadlyhomunculus

@peppergnocchi

@gingerest-ale

I tagged 422 of my posts in 2022

#spoilers - 42 posts

#writing - 18 posts

#critical role - 15 posts

#the locked tomb - 13 posts

#critical role spoilers - 12 posts

#dracula daily - 10 posts

#moon knight spoilers - 8 posts

#exu calamity - 7 posts

#cr spoilers - 7 posts

#moon knight - 7 posts

Longest Tag: 140 characters

#they’re all over instagram and my mom always send them to me like wow this place is amazing and i’m always like mom …that is not a real plac

My Top Posts in 2022:

#5

The great thing about the legends of vox machina series is while the story will be the same it wont be verbatim the live stream. Like how when you finish a book series that’s it, there’s never a new scene with those characters, you never learn anything new about them, theres nothing new to experience with them. But this will be like we get to see our fav characters again in a brand new story but also we know how the story will go.

Or I guess it’s like a book to tv series adaptation if the book was written by multiple authors who are also playing the characters in the tv series.

What I’m saying is I’m VERY excited

29 notes - Posted January 14, 2022

#4

Me, reading the new Dracula daily for may 16th: oh my god, tumblr is gonna have a field day with this

46 notes - Posted May 16, 2022

#3

Kudos to Brennans acting cause in the second episode when they visit the oracles and Zerxus has that conversation with Asmodeus and Z says “promise you won’t forget me” and Asmodeus responds “oh, I won’t forget you”. Brennan had just enough of an edge in his tone I had a red flag pop up like, wait was that a threat..? But then he played Asmodeus as going back to soft and gentle and in awe of Zerxus. Lulled us right back to where he wanted us.

He really had me thinking this betrayer god might be misunderstood but he left a nice bit of foreshadowing to lead right up to that reveal with the line “and I did nothing wrong” *chefs kiss*

107 notes - Posted July 7, 2022

#2

I cannot get the “if you look down and see the stars, what will you see if you look up” line out of my head. What a beautifully terrifying, dream-horror moment. Just *chefs kiss* I aspire to be able to write something so perfect, so on theme, and the TIMING followed by “you see the ground. And it is fast approaching” just chills, bravo

276 notes - Posted May 31, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

I’ve realized what it is about Brennan Lee Mulligans DMing style that I like so much. Its the way he handles exposition. He is a master at showing, not telling and he does that with all his lore drop exposition moments. Best example so far is…

Spoilers for EXU Calamity Ep 2 here

When Xerxus gets that nat 20 religion check on Vespins body. Brennan could have just said “you realize he’s a cleric of a betrayer god and he was used to death by that god”. Nice, to the point exposition.

No, instead he tells a story, first setting down the logic behind a cleric slowly gaining more power, and that it would be bad if a god gave a cleric too much at once. Then he describes the logic behind the betrayer gods choices, that the betrayer god might not care about their followers so much. And that allows his players to add those two things together to realize and really understand exactly what happened to Vespin to be in the state he is.

Its just perfectly done! What an amazing story teller he is to be able to provide a lore drop with so much emotion behind it. And to provide his players that experience of dawning realization and horror that your character, if they were a real person, would experience on having that same epiphany.

How does he do that? Is that all off the cuff, improv? Does he write or at least plan some of this stuff out beforehand? How do I do that, cause man oh man I want to do that. That’s so much fun as a DM and as a player.

1,127 notes - Posted June 12, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

[simzbabe]

mynthe berry __ pt 1

started _ august 16 2024 _ lilsimie's not so berry rules _ my main nsb playlist _ nsb side stories ( one off episodes that aren't important to the challenge but super cute gameplay )

name _ mynthe berry traits _ vegetarian , jealous , materialistic aspiration _ chief of mischief career _ scientist residence _ strangerville , san sequoia

i don't have all of my mint gen screenies anymore .. so i'll include what i can 🥲

ep 1 & 2 _ mynthe decided to go meet her neighbour kyle who works in the military

ep 3 _ mynthe spent her friday night at the local diner & bowling alley and bumped into her neighbour kyle ! they had a drink together and did some bowling .. however towards the end of the night after she gave him a friendly hug goodbye , mynthe started to feel that was she was doing was wrong since she DID have a boyfriend .. mitchell

ep 4 _ mynthe's guilt about her friendly hangout with kyle was really eating at her , so she decided to come clean to mitchell , they'd already been getting distant since mynthe was really busy with her new job and stayed late until 9pm most nights , mitchell also lived in oasis springs .. they hadn't really had much time for each other . the argument escalated unintentionally and they decided to take a break from the relationship ...

ep 5 _ after her and mitchell deciding to take a break , mynthe decided to take some time for herself , she maxed her mischief skill and got promoted at work !

ep 6 _ on a tuesday night , mynthe was really wanting to get out of the house and take a break from what was going on between her and mitchell . she pulled up to kyle's porch with some beer and decided to try and get to know him a bit more . on friday mynthe invited kyle to a friendly hangout at the strangerville diner , she decided to tell him about her relationship situation and she confided in him , they ended the hangout with another hug but .. in the back of mynthe's mind she knew she was digging her own grave by hanging out and confiding in the 'cause' of her relationship problems ..

ep 7 _ mynthe's actions were catching up to her . her relationship was practically bordering the line of an emotional affair if it hadn't already crossed that line . she didn't want to stop hanging out with kyle as they'd gotten really close and kyle let her confide in him . it also appeared that kyle didn't have many friends , and the only person mitchell was really close with was his baby mama lauren and their daughter skyla ( 😭 ) . at the end of the day mynthe chose for kyle to not be alone over fixing her relationship with mitchell .. she knew the right thing to do was tell mitchell everything and end things for good .

ep 9 _ aside from being abducted AGAIN .. mynthe had been working herself and trying to redeem herself for how she did mitchell . she turned to her roots of mischief and broke into a home for the first time 👀 she now maxed her logic skill and mischief skill and she was only two elements away from completing her elements collection . things were looking up for her in everyway .

ep _ 10 life was catching up to mynthe and she did NOT want to let it get to her , mynthe got herself a potion of youth and celebrated her reverse birthday instead of aging up . ( yeasss that's kyle doing the keg stand w her ..👀 )

side stories & ep 11 _ mynthe and kyle had been getting a lot closer over the past while .. there was news of a meteor shower happening and sims in strangerville would be able to see it ! as a scientist , of course mynthe would be watching out . she didn't have a good view from her apartment and she didn't want to spend such a special moment to her alone . she decided to ask kyle if he'd like to watch the meteor shower with her and she took some beer over to his place ( a mynthe classic ) . mynthe was a lightweight and the beer hit her quickly , they watched the meteor shower and kyle left mynthe alone for just a second and game back to her being passed out , he didn't want to disturb her so kyle put mynthe to bed at his place .. he shared the bed with her but made sure to keep space , but in the morning he woke up to mynthe cuddling him .. 👀

find the rest of my mint gen posts here & other nsb gens here !