#and in the OG storyline yes it's romantic whether i like it or not

[sapphire-weapon]

In your opinion, is the laugh from Leon at the end of the Ada and Leon encounter in the castle one of amusement, or more like frustration? People seem to interpret it as him being charmed by her which has lead to some butting of heads. I'm not really sure how to take it myself, but I feel like there's some lingering attachment there mixed with a lot of frustration... y'know, with her whole elusive, never explaining herself thing. Gets a little old for him, maybe.

I know you personally interpret Leon as being done with her shit, but I still wanted to know what you thought!

I think that "charmed" is a good word, but I don't think that people are using it the way that it should be used in that context. Leon isn't "charmed" by her in the sense that he just fell in love with her all over again; Leon is "charmed" by her in the sense that he found that particular interaction endearing.

I've seen people make the argument that Leon didn't actually know that Ada was alive until that very moment of reuniting in the castle, and he's just become so incredibly good at masking his emotions that it catches her off guard -- but I don't agree with that interpretation. For him to be so shocked at Krauser's introduction kind of disproves that theory, because -- remember, Krauser didn't even fake his death in this version of the story. And Leon is still so surprised to see him.

The way I interpreted their reunion was that Leon has seen unconfirmed reports of someone matching Ada's description running around doing shady shit in bioterror situations -- maybe even on missions he's personally run (RE4 was OG Leon's first federal mission but not Remake Leon's first federal mission; he's been doing this shit for a while already) -- so he's already been through the "what the... Ada???? I thought that bitch was fuckin dead!" (kudos to whoever gets that reference) song and dance in his head. But there was no hard and fast evidence that it actually was her -- until she finally tries to hold him up in the castle, and it all clicks into place as "confirmed" for him.

So, I think the smirk/pseudo-laugh following their reunion is born from a few different places:

Leon is genuinely happy to learn that she is, in fact, still alive. Being able to see her and confirm it with his own eyes was probably such a relief for him.

He's probably feeling at least a little bit smug that he was right about the aforementioned reports. So, not only was it relieving to know she's okay, it feels good to find that he was right.

She's not even trying to put up a front for him this time; he actually got to see and talk to the real Ada for perhaps the very first time ever (at least, in his mind; we as the audience know that Ada was being genuine with him at several different points in RE2, but Leon has no way of knowing that, himself). It's probably endearing for him to actually see her as her true self for a change.

The way that she exits the conversation (through the window after a tongue-in-cheek offering of sex??? LMAO) is so extra and over the top and so very Ada. It was very likely a very endearing "some things never change" moment for him.

I genuinely believe that their reunion was a feel-good moment for Leon for all four of those reasons -- and all of that can be true with it also being true that he's not willing to put up with her bullshit anymore.

The two of them don't speak again until the radio transmission where Ada tells Leon that she saw Verdugo carrying Ashley to the throne room. A lot happens between those two points (including "the fall [in love]" moment between him and Ashley, which, when juxtaposed beside the way that he fell for Ada, is striking in its contrast) and a lot of time passes in which Leon can let the enormity of his actual emotions re: seeing Ada again sink in -- and it also happens right after Ashley is taken from him, so that's why he snaps off with "I guess you're not completely heartless" in that conversation. (He's also probably still butthurt about the "leave the girl" remark, too, which only makes his reaction more volatile.)

And that kind of sets the tone for their interactions/relationship for the entire rest of the game. Leon cares about Ada (because lbr he cares about everyone), he's happy and relieved that she's alive and okay, and he's glad to see her again if only just for closure's sake -- but he's done with her shit, otherwise. He has nothing to prove to her anymore, he doesn't need validation from her anymore, whatever romantic attachments he had to her in RE2 are long-since dead, and he refuses to make the same mistakes twice.

All of these things can be true at the same time. And, in RE4make, they are.

[cakemoney]

okay this is very far from the real point but is the jurassic world dominion trailer telling me that ellie sattler and alan grant are no longer together? they broke up? they’re no longer close and in each other’s lives? son of a fucking bitch

[absolutebl]

This Week in BL

May 2021 Wk 3

Being a highly subjective assessment of one tiny corner of the interwebs.

It’s a cray cray Friday when Vietnam gets its eng subs up before GMMTV Thailand. What alter-reality are we in? Well, the Vietnamese offerings are better right now anyway. (Oooo, feel that burn.) 

Ongoing Series - Thai

Top Secret Together Ep 2 - pulping it up in the best possible way. Sure sound and production values are pants, and in classic Thai fashion the editing in post is exacerbating (rather than fixing) pacing issues, but it’s still CUTE AF. I don’t even mind the added university storyline, because they’ve got good chemistry (and a confident gay fresher after a panicked gay hazer is an old favorite... what can I say, SOTUS was my first love). We aren’t spending too much time with any one couple, so it’s weighted a lot better than Brothers was, but also character development is slow. 

Siew Sum Noi Ep 2 - Unfortunately, it’s just too hard to find, plus no subs. I’m dropping it in the hopes it comes back on my radar some day. 

Y-Destiny Ep 8 - (Thurs) It’s rough having a ghost boyfriend, half your friends are scared, the other half think you’re crazy, and kissing shortens your lifespan. This was a cute couple even if I wasn’t wild about the surrounding story. 

Close Friend Ep 5: (Dear My Star/JimmyTommy) - about high school penpals. It had to rely entirely on voice over work as the actors only meet face to face at the end. It’s a good thing they are appealing screen presences on their own, with good vocal control. It’s hard to imagine any other BL pair carrying this kinda plot. It’s by far my favorite of the series so far, and I’m not even a big JimmyTommy fan. 

Fish Upon The Sky Ep 7 - no subs. Do we care? Not really. Because we have... 

Nitiman Ep 3 - currently my favorite out of Thailand. It’s the university Thai BL i’ve been waiting for since... when was the last good one? My Engineer? Yowza. Anyway we got: head on my shoulder, baby is a floppy drunk (but still wants to be in control), proximity alert, boyfriend’s closet, seme gets seriously jelly, and a cute twist on feeding him. There’s something fun and complex about Jin’s character. He’s not a panicked bi. He knows exactly what’s going on, he just hasn’t decided if he wants Bb or not. He clearly enjoys being looked after, the compliments, and the attention, but he’s not sure if he’s going to like what happens if he gives in. I like that twist on the usual tsundere uke archetype a lot, cautious rather than willfully obtuse or freaked out. We can see Jin realizing in stages: I like this person, I like that they like me, I like the romantic attentiveness. But in the background is... do I actually want to f*k him? It’s a dynamic we don’t often see on BL. 

Ongoing Series - Not Thai

HIStory 4: Close To You (Taiwan) Ep 10 fin - the most ridiculous show using BLs worst tropes in a sort of weird smoothie of bitter greens and too ripe banana. The ending was the sappiest cheesiest thing ever, like cheese syrup tapped from the cheese tree. So of course I loved it, but I’m pretty sure I giggled through all the bits meant to be profound. Because, in the end, to tolerate this show at all, you just can’t take ANY of it seriously. RECOMMENDED (with some SERIOUS reservations and trigger warnings.) Full review here. 

Be Loved in House: I Do (Taiwan) Ep 1-2 - I don’t mind a damaged seme character but this one is a bit weird for me. Like creepy Cheese in the Trap level weird. On the bright side, the story has given our tsundere uke good motivation for his angst and great existing friendships, loyalty, and likability. Plus I’m invested in the cafe owner/innocent puppy side dishes. So if it’s only the seme character I’m not jiving with, and he’s the most established actor, it should all turn out fine. I believe in you, Taiwanese BL. 

Papa & Daddy (Taiwan) Ep 6 fin - speaking of belief. This such a good show but they gave us a cliffhanger ending. Now we must hope against hope for season two. That’s never guaranteed with Taiwan tho. So, I’m docking a few points and saying, RECOMMENDED so long as you realize it’s a cliffhanger. 

Love is Science? (Taiwan) Ep 1-9 (BL subplot) - this is a good het romance, but the fact that the BL subplot is a beautifully acted disaster bi + confident gay means you’re hearing about it whether you want to or not. Plus they just added in some GL! Come on! I gotta support Taiwan normalizing queer to this extent. They are fighting the good fight and if I also have to watch a career lady and her much younger softest straight boi get it on, too? Twist my arm with that service sub subtext. Go on Taiwan, TWIST IT. It’s on Viki. Join the revolution.   * Incidentally if you actually like the D/s het dynamic of this show, I highly recommend Japanese Kimi wa Petto - career woman keeps a hot young dancer boy as a pet. Oh yes, an actual pet, that IS the pitch. Never doubt Japan when kink is on the line. It’s also on Viki. Go get your kink on, thank me later. (If it helps: That was not a request.)  

Most Peaceful Place 2 (Vietnam) Ep 2 (AKA 5) - love triangles aren’t my thing, but if you’re gonna do it short form, by all means bring in the lead’s other BL pairing so the chemistry is on point. Now I've no idea who I want him to end up with. Can’t they just be in a poly triad? 

My Lascivious Boss (Vietnam) Ep 7 - I’m still enjoying it a lot. It’s still unabashedly queer and the tension is ramping up. We now have secret identity, blackmail, femme fatale, faen fatale, and incoming seme confrontation. Best of all, the series is still airing, which makes it longer than any other Vietnamese BL I’ve seen (aside from Tein Bromance - which is just too weird to count). 

Gossip - Thai BL 

SEVEN PROJECT TEASERS

No one is entirely sure what Studio Wabi Sabi’s Seven Project/7Project will entail. 

It might be like Close Friend (1 episode per couple, no linking), 

or Y-Destiny (2 episodes per couple, loosely linked), 

or The En of Love (4 episodes per couple, linked but independent consecutive stories). 

They’re giving the couple’s arcs separate titles. So each one would be what? Seven Project: Once Upon a Time or the like? We’re in Taiwanese title territory people and NO ONE WANTS TO GO THERE. Anygay... 

Once Upon a Time is the BounPrem (og UWMA) anchor story, and seems to be the most dramatic and likely saddest. These two can handle most of what’s thrown at them at this juncture, so it should be good. 

Vs Love is a BoomPeak (og Make it Right) university vehicle. Since I thought Boom was done with our nonsense, I couldn’t be more thrilled and surprised this pair is doing another show together. I don’t think either of them are the greatest actors but I find Peak very endearing and Boom charismatic on screen, so I’ll watch. 

Would You be My Love is the hotly anticipated SantaEarth launch. They’re a (cultivated) IRL ship and Earth is an established BL actor. They have great chemistry and high energy so this could be lots of fun. 

We are also getting a GL from this series from established BL actresses Samantha and Pineare. Nothing teased yet on that, but I’m looking forward to this installment the most. Also curious to see how the ladies handle the branding and promo side, not to mention the culture. (Thailand variety shows gonna force *girls* to play the Pepero game?) 

Secret Crush on You upcoming Thai BL with no release date, co-produced by and featuring (but NOT staring) Saint and directed by Cheewin (sigh) with all fresh faces. (Previously known as Stalker the series.) It looks like pure pulp and I’m not wild about the plot but could be better than expected as it’s adapted from a novel. Cheewin is an okay director when he has an actual story to follow. 

Don’t Say No the series. Coming from the producers of TharnType this is the JaFirst vehicle many have been waiting for. Friends to lovers + a good boy/bad boy pairing on a sports romance foundation. It’s basketball so they tapped Meen as well (he’s semi-pro). The bad news? You get one guess as to who is writing the darn thing? Yep it’s MAME. So, ya know, expect some slam dunk kidnapping, a light dribbling of rape, and me turning into a basketcase. AKA... 

Will I have to live blog this series in order to survive it? That seems to be the only way I can. So probably. Which means the bad sports puns will continue. Look, if I’m suffering, SO ARE YOU! 

Rumors of a new YinWar vehicle The Best Story (mini series) coming in July. Also rumors that their previously announced Love Mechanics (full length series) has either been delayed, is facing money issues, or is moving studios, or all three. 

Breaking News 

DELAYED (I’m talking these three off the watch list until we get new airing dates) 

Love Area’s release was pushed out but it got a trailer. 

Golden Blood was supposed to drop Weds but comments in MDL report that it is delayed due to C19.  

Love’s Outlet (Taiwan) is supposed to have started a 50 episode run (only 3-5 min each, what utter nonsense). Sadly, this delay is due to a surge in cases in Taiwan which was doing so well, but also doesn’t have many inoculations. 

Bad Buddy has started workshopping at GMMTV actual. 

Kang Insoo’s BTS for Nobleman Ryu’s Wedding is SO FLIPPING CUTE. You have to watch it. Trust me, I don’t rec behind the scenes stuff often. 

Next Week Looks Like This: 

Some shows may be listed later than actual air date for International accessibility reasons.

Upcoming 2021 BL master post here.

Links to watch are provided when possible, ask in a comment if I missed something.

[alexiaugustin]

"This season isn’t about toxic relationships please watch skam españa s3" i wanted to ask you what you thought of how skam españa handle that topic? I thought they did a rly good job but i'm interested in your opinion considering your experience (if you want to talk about it ofc!) thank you anyway, take care

Thank you so much for the ask actually, I always wanted to write a review for this season but wanted to wait until the end of the season and then just never did it so this is a great reason to do it now<33

Okay where do I start.. first of I loved this season like a lot. It's probably one of my favorite skam seasons ever it might even go hand in hand with skam france s3 as my two favourites. Nicole and the writers did an, in my opinion, amazing job at portraying a toxic relationship and the consequences of it in a really realistic and relatable way.

When I started watching this season I was pretty sure that they would go down a very different route than the other seasons and that Mikael would turn out to be trouble- maybe a mix of the og Nico and also the Willhelm character. But I told myself: watch this season and pretend that you don't know anything about the storyline and see how you'll feel about the characters and their relationships to have a "real" reaction to their actions

And what's shocking and very realistic at the same time is that I, too, would have probably fallen for Mikael the same way Nora did. I mean at the beginning everything was fine he was taking her out on romantic dates, they had a first rooftop kiss, he made efforts for her and so on. What I loved really just loved about this season was that they portrayed that everyone can fall into toxic relationships in such a realistic way. It can happen to everyone. It doesn't matter whether you're a feminist, it doesn't matter whether you could recognize such toxic behavior on tv shows or in other people's relationships,, it can still happen to yourself in real life.

You see I of all people who should have known better, who's been through shit like that for years would have still fallen for Mikael just the same in the beginning and that really hit me.

And why is that? Because you can't recognize such behavior from the beginning. Toxic people aren't just black and white. If the person would treat you badly from the beginning you wouldn't get yourself into a relationship/be friends with them. The problem is that toxic people are way more complex and the situation is more complicated than that. At first everything is fine, you're happy and you feel safe with that person, you trust them, you spend a lot of time with them and then slowly from time to time your abuser starts doing questionable things like in Nora's case Mikael blocking Alejandro's phone call when he was calling her, his facial expressions when he saw Nora talking to other guys... little moments like that but when it happens you you don't really think much about it.

So your abuser starts behaving toxic more and more, you get manipulated, you slowly start losing parts of yourself, do stuff just because your abuser wants you to and so on. I'm sure that looking back Nora wouldn't even be able to tell you at what point Mikael started to become toxic for her because that's always very tricky to tell and the lines are blurry. It's all those little things abusers do, turning you into someone you don't want to be at all, that add up to eachother at the end. And as soon as you realize what's happening to you it's too late and very hard to get out of there again.

And skam españa really did an amazing job at portraying that. Not just in the big scenes but in all those little moments too. I felt and understood Nora's feelings and pain like I've never understood any character ever before. When she started getting nervous whenever Mikael didn't respond to her texts and she started freaking out because she thought that he might be mad at her- I felt that. The way she panicked and felt like shit whenever they were actually fighting, that desperate need to make up with him so everything would be okay again, not just because she missed him but because you feel like absolute shit and are actually afraid of what your abuser is gonna do when you're not getting along well at the moment- I felt this. The way her hands were shaking, the way she cried and felt overpowered and helpless. The way Mikael always made sure to be above her, seem smarter and wiser, make her feel stupid so she would listen to him and agree with everything he says- I felt it all so so very much. There's no other show that ever made me feel as represented and understood than s3 of skam españa.

The scene that actually hurt watching the most was the scene when she and Mikael are lying next to eachother and she sits up and finally tells him that she wants to break up with him. I literally needed to pause the video several times while watching because this scene reminded me of everything I ever wanted to do. Seeing Nora being able to be brave enough and stand up for herself and saying all the things I desperately wanted to tell the toxic person in my life broke my heart because Nora did what I couldn't do and said exactly what I never managed to put into words myself.

This is my favorite quote from that scene and from this whole season in general because Nora put everything I've felt but never knew how to say perfectly into words here: "Look, do you want to know what's wrong? That you always turn things around, ok? And I always end up doing things I don't want to do. I've never forced you to do anything. Never. Well, no and yes. I don't know when it's me who decides or when I'm doing things because you want me to or because I think you want me to." This hit me and hurt the most while watching this season

Also I really really loved how they portrayed all of this in a hopeful way, how this show never did anything too over the top or from drama and shock value. It was representation of horrible and realistic things people experience every day and skam españa said: no matter what, you are not alone with this, you have a support system, Nora has her friends who will protect and help her as soon as Nora finds the courage to reach out for help. You should do the same, don't be afraid to ask for help there are always people who will support and help you in situations like this." They did that!! They made girls support girls while at the same time showing how it can be hard to reach out for help especially in the beginning when you're still manipulated by your abuser. They portrayed how hard it is to recognize what's going on when something like that happens to your friend/family and not knowing how to help the person at first (Eva and Emma who both noticed how Mikael changed her)

The ending gets me everytime because it's so simple yet so meaningful. It doesn't end eith a huge party or Nora getting back together with Alejandro and being happy and in love again like other shows would have done. The ending is really bittersweet, she is surrounded by her friends, yet she is still hurting, struggling and most of all healing because it's a progress and doesn't happen over night. She's getting better and is slowly getting back to the old Nora (13 M poster) but also knowing that she will never be able to fully get her old self, the Nora before Mikael back. But she is growing and healing and getting better every day a little more with the support of those around her and this was the perfect and most wonderful ending to her season

[stl29tide]

Sander is really making me feel a layer of protectiveness and sadness that I haven’t really felt since OG Season 3 and I think it’s because the situation surrounding his storyline regarding his mental illness is so different. Whether you like the Sonja character or not, her and Even did love each other. Did it become an unhealthy relationship for the both of them? Yes. Their relationship changed from one of romantic love to a caretaker/patient relationship that wasn’t beneficial for either one. Despite that, they were together for years. She was there for him for his first manic episode, the depression that came after, his diagnosis and everything beyond that.

Sander didn’t have that. He didn’t have a Sonja that was there for him throughout the scariest moment of his life. Like Even, did Sander try and end his life before as well? If so, he didn’t have someone who stuck by his side to see him through because of pure love. He was just....alone.

Even’s biggest fear wasn’t about love. His biggest fear was being by himself. It’s why he didn’t break up with Sonja until after kissing Isak. He had experienced real romantic, unconditional love with Sonja even though it later changed. Sander’s biggest fear? Not finding someone who will ever love him. Someone who will love him the way a person deserves to be loved. He’s never had that, and he knew when he made that comment to Robbe that he didn’t have it with Britt either.

Sander’s experience has been one of pure loneliness. Is it any wonder why he says things like “You and me. 100%. Forever.” or “I’m holding onto you and I’m never, ever letting you go.” It’s not just because he’s Even extra™️. It’s because Robbe is the first person to ever love him. To ever truly make him feel loved.

And then it got taken away again. It got taken away at the time when he’s feeling most vulnerable. Robbe might say he wants him now, but it might not be that easy for Sander to just accept that. Sunday’s text probably sent him straight back to that place of ‘no one will ever love me’. Robbe says he wants him, but Britt wants him too. Sander doesn’t want someone to want him though. He wants someone to love him. We know that Robbe does. We know that Robbe is the person Sander has been waiting for. We know that he’ll take care of him and give him all the unconditional love he could ever dream of. He is the one. Deep down Sander knows it too. He’s always known it. He just needs to believe in it again.

Basically, the character of Sander has me feeling like a hot ass mess and I can’t wait until O Helga Natt because I just really want Robbe to be there to hug him and let him know that he loves him and that, that love hasn’t changed. Plus, I think Robbe really needs a hug from Sander right about now as well.

[smilingoceanlover]

January 2020 - Fanfic Shoutout

My January 2020 fanfic shout out goes to @scapegrace74-blog.  I would be hard pressed to find a more appropriate way to start off a new year and a new decade of XF fic than by dedicating a post to this talented and entirely underrated gift to this fandom.  You guys, why is she not talked about all the time?!   

I’ve been reading fic since the OG, yet I discovered her entirely by accident – or was it fate? – via a reblog of a post that mentioned she was writing a character study about Mulder (it’s called Perushim and is a WIP) with a link to her Ao3. 

Someone is writing a character study of Fox William Mulder, FBI’s most flawlessly handsome unwanted?  Yes, please!   So I added her to my list of authors to check out.

In addition to achingly beautiful and melodic prose, smart in-character dialogue, and the ability to plot an interesting storyline (and then actually make it interesting while telling it!),  the aspect of her fic that I am most impressed by is her Mulder.  In an effort to highlight and make Scully more sympathetic, I find that many writers resort to emasculating, infantilizing, or dumbing Mulder down.  I don’t see Mulder like that, so it is such a joy to find an author who really gets Mulder in the way David Duchovny actually embodied him.  Thank you for bringing us fic that’s about Mulder, not some moronic overgrown child who looks like him and has the same name.

 At this point in my shout out I ordinarily quote my favorite lines, but a great many of my most favorites would be completely spoiler-y.  I’ve taken care to find lines that I wilted over for varying reasons, but shouldn’t spoil anything, and I will present them with zero context.  These lines certainly don’t do her work justice, not even in the slightest, but I loved how they were written and the context they were in within the narrative.   Thank you @scapegrace74-blog​ for sharing your talent, please, please, keep writing!

 The Second Side of Light

AU that takes place on the Oregon trail, and is, without question, one of the most classically “romantic” Mulder and Scully stories I’ve ever read.  Picture me with my hand over my heart under the covers in bed while the rain poured outside sighing “ooohhhhhh my goodness that is soooooo romantic!!!!”  I’ve read about 5 or 6 chapters of this one over and over half a dozen times already.  

“Miss Scully …”  he was at a loss how to deal with this headstrong behaviour.  If she were a man, he would simply tell her to go to hell and be done with it.  He was used to operating alone, without the fetters that friendship or comity required.  Their association was not getting off on the right foot.

“Mr. Mulder, let me put this to you plainly, so that there are no further misunderstandings.   I mean to purchase two horses today.   And as I will be spending roughly half of all that my sister and I own in the world for those two horses, and as our very lives will depend on the reliability of those two horses, and as, up until yesterday, I did not know you from Adam, I intend to ride with you to the Comanche camp.   Now, shall we go?”

Completely nonplussed, Fox Mulder did the only sensible thing one could do when faced with a force of nature.  He helped her onto the back of his horse.

* * *

She let out her breath.  “That is beautiful.”

“I had a feeling you would understand.”

“And why is that, Mr. Mulder?”

“Because, Miss Scully, you respect the journey as well as the destination.  It is a rare gift to see beyond one’s viewpoint, and to open one’s mind to extreme possibilities.   You appear to possess it.”

She blushed at this unexpected praise.  She had not considered whether Mr. Mulder had formed any particular opinion of her.  He was so inwardly focused, she assumed he barely noticed her existence, but apparently that was not the case.

 Black and White and Red

The attention to detail and how she has woven the characters and scenes from the series into this early 1950s AU is amazing.  I’m still trying to figure out how she did it and how it works so well.  I honestly spent a lot of this one with my mouth open going “how in the hell did she even think of this?”   I’m now hopelessly sold on trying other AUs, too.  

“He was reading The Invisible Man late at night, the radio muttering quietly in the background for company, when there was a sharp knock at the door.  At first glance he thought it was a homeless waif, begging for shelter from the heavy spring rain, but then the light from the stairwell caught a pair of enormous blue eyes framed by amber wisps of hair and he recognized her.

“Mr. Mulder, I don’t know if you remember me,” she began.

“Of course.  Miss Scully.   Come in before you drown.”

Instead of taking a chair this time, she sat on his couch, touching the open spine of his book with shaking fingers.  As before, she scanned the room anxiously, and he realized she was looking for signs of degeneracy.  Besides the fact that he hadn’t washed his dishes from supper, there were none visible. It was just a simple basement apartment: cheap, untidy and smelling of warm dust and coffee grinds.

She took a deep breath and released it as words.  “I’ve changed my mind. About the pictures.  I… I want you to take them.  Of me.”

“That’s…” He didn’t get a chance to finish whatever thought he meant to articulate, because just then she stood, unbelted her knee-length coat, and suddenly there was a scantily-clad woman in his apartment.

She wasn’t completely naked, and somehow that made it worse.

Seventeen

This is the story of all of Mulder’s past sexual relationships.  I do not read /other fic for a lot of reasons, primarily because I’m just not interested.  However, I broke my rule because of how she consistently wrote Mulder in the other fics I’d read.  I just needed to take a teeny tiny peek to satisfy my curiosity.  An hour later, I had zero regrets.  Again, this one is mind boggling to me at how well it works.  I think because fundamentally this shapes the character of the Mulder that Scully fell in love with, so imperfect, intense, desperate, lonely, and utterly male.  

 He didn’t expect her to believe.  It wasn’t her disbelief that stung.  It was her unwillingness to listen.  He spent more time at work, researching the alien abduction phenomenon, wandering further and further off into darkness with each case.  

It wasn’t infidelity or contempt or ambition that ended them, although all three stood in the wings, licking their hungry lips.  It was neglect.  He loved her, but he loved his all-consuming search for the truth more.   She loved him, but she could only love in a concrete, three-dimensional world that he had left behind.   One subdued conversation, some tears, and she was gone.

He didn’t take off his ring. Not even when he was fucking another woman.  It was proof that he’d made a place for himself in that three-dimensional world for a little while.   A reminder that he’d failed at even the easiest love that could ever have been asked of him.

 * * *

“A word of advice, Fox?  As someone who has hundreds of hours invested in your mental well-being: until you’re absolutely certain that your feelings for Scully are real, for the love of god please don’t fuck her.”

[brilliantfantasticgeronimo]

watched the emdt premiere a few days ago and slkdjaslkdjaS ya’ll i’m losing my mind this temporada will be amazing

here’s the candid unfiltered live-reactions for those interested:

@quantumtardis @siderumincaelo

ok... first off... what does gentrificación have to do with goverment locations.......... I am confución??? why would they have to relocate the ministry (a public building) because of gentrification?

it's wild to me that alonso and pacino (and lola ig) never met (?) in 3 years. did they leave in a bad place?

(a common thread on this is gonna be that, much as i love this show...let me be real with u but i do not remember any plot details of what has happened in it.  like at all. it’s all a confusing blur from “you’re spanish, improvise” to “yippokaye hideputas”)

the new intro is.... chef's kiss. the selfie stick joke is so simple but it always makes me smile :)

I LOVE THE NEW LOCATION SO MUCH WOW

i got SO!!! HYPED!!! UP!!! when they mentioned amelia...

(i just realized i might be having some unrealistic expectations for how much screentime she'll have this season however ): )

imo if you'd have to designate a main character for this story, i've always thought she'd be the one. i know they did the best they could with writting her out, but my interest on the show is [orders of magnitude] larger when she's in the main ensamble. i hope that's the case here...

(never kept up much with behind the scenes stuff so i have no idea) (EDIT: update on that at the end)

I really want to know how los “ingenieros se la ingeniaron" to get the doors to this new location. emdt's approach to metaphysics is always a polite handwave, and pherhaps that's better... let’s me imagine all the complicated metaphysics that could make it work.

it reminds me a bit of warehouse 13 actually... w13 also had some crazy metaphysics, but on that show they were more willing to commit to some explenations, which i’d be ok with them doing here as well (like how the warehouse was “sentient” and chose its keeper, and formed a mental link with them... imagine if that were the case for salvador and the doors / if the doors were sentient :o)

tldr; i’d love some more mythology this season

i love the new color schemes of things omg??? listen...... i 100% stan the “period drama look” of s1-s3 but.... this is so much better. yes@the emdt staff finally discovering there indeed exists more colors apart from browns and greys.

i understood the hombres de paco 100% only bc i knew they had a wlw storyline that is on youtube. that’s literally where my exposure to this cop show comes from.

i saw some ppl commenting that pacino / lola was just a trick of the writers to get rid of pacino / amelia and get to julian / amelia.....

and u know what..... .. . .

im julian / amelia trash since day 1 so. sorry but i aint even mad folks ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

but srsly sdñlskd i don’t see why someone would mind it much? tbh i dont remember much of s1-s3 details asdfg so I don't actually .... remember... how well pacino and lola got along.... and i'm mainly concerned about the whether they filed in pacino on the whole paradox aspect? because he was not around to meet OG Lola

but that’s why i think it’s a decision that makes sense: pacino and his romantic woes are a whole thing for his character arcs (el pobre se enamora muy facil!) as is the themes of “betrayal by loved ones”... i think it could be cool to see how their storyline parallels with things like OG Lola, Pacino’s evil gf, and even Irene betraying the ministry way back when in season 1 .

HOT THEORY: julian got fobwatched (break the glass, alonso!!!)

ohh shh Eugenio only takes soldier acting jobs....that’s meta :O

fobwatch'd!julian is a big hit with his male fans :) :)

(that's a clue ya'll)!

"la guerra es eso que provocan tres idiotas, y luego mueren mil inocentes"

side note maybe im too gay but i genuinely have a hard time fining any of these leads "galanes". alll the men in this show are...idk. estaria tan mal que se rasuren de vez en en cuando?

he's SHADY

fobwatch'd!Julian: "debo marcharme, pero volvere..." // the amelia/julian of that......... crying already

i'd die for soap opera fan alonso

"este ministerio se encarga de que la historia se quede tal y como esta" "ya- pero a veces la historia-" "LOLA! la historia es lo que es" SHIT isthis IT this is how lola becomes lola slkdfjslkdfj im !!

TIME TRAVEL ya''lllll

lmao pacino reacting to lola’s .... “spying”. I laughed

can't tell if that slap lola gives irene was fake or for real...

the  production of this episode is so gorgeous

noooo julian run run run

SHAPEFHISTERS???

??????????????

lola .....girl...u did not think this through

did franco really talk like that? or did they exaggerate it for cartoon effects?

them: "no sabe como nos alegra que este de vuelta" dicelo a tu cara, salvador.....

this episode is really flying by omg

amelia is gonna show up in this scene i can FEELIT shes' gonna come through that door and julian will remember everything and it will be cheesy and ai will cry HELL YEAH

...............

...ok maybe not

):

i was feeling it so much ya'll

paccino es tan enamoradizo jesus.

gurl,,,,,, lola ..... holy shit omg

no amelia this ep rip

FEDE!!!!!!!!!

that was, as they say... inpecable. i never imagined we would get this season so my expectations will probably low low low lol But, I'm very optimistic from this episode actually. In other seasons, I've felt a bit overwhelmed with all the multiple conspiracies and plots going on... and it feels sometimes like they both ran out of plot by the end and things were rushed? but not much happened this episode in terms of big shadow-y things, which is very promising, it tells me they're trying to do a more focused streamlined narrative and will take their time with everything. I’m hyped!

__

ps i later watched the videocast reunion where aurora says her character will be in only "a little bit" ( rip amelia doesnt even get scenes with irene ): ) so i am adjusting my exceptions...... imma still gonna yell at every scene that looks like it tho. imma still yell.

[totaltrauma]

I really hope there’s duncney growth here because they deserve to have a stable healthy relationship whether it’s romantic or not and I love that you’re giving us recovered duos like qweather and gwourtney it’s nice to see forgiveness like this. Also off topic will we see Geoff and Bridgette? Because I hope we get to see how they’re doing too being one of the few lasting og couples.

Ye that whole spiel I went on will probably be a comic later down the line, after my boy Duncy gets out of jail. Those two have a lot of feelings to work out. 

I’m working out some kinks with Bridgette’s storyline and still making some decisions about her, but she and Geoff will be showing up before the end of the volume.

[thoughtfulpaperback]

Charmed 2x12 Review SPOILERS!!!!!!

Okay let's do this. Sorry I skipped one but times are hectic. For entertainment I give it an 8/10. Same format. Dislikes, likes and highlights

Dislikes

1. Macy Kneeling to Abby.

Let's just get this one out the way. I can see where they might have been going with this.

They maybe are trying to move away from the ambiguous route with abby (trying to make her sympathetic with her whole patriarchy thing and her dead mom) I mean she is progressively becoming more predatory with Harry so with that in mind, this was possibly one of the "abby is really a bad person not a feminist as she is only out for her own gain and not the empowerment of all women". And I can get that maybe they were also trying to show "look Macy is willing to do the most degrading thing possible just for the chance at rebuilding that power of three/charmed bond with her sisters for the protection of the magical community".

But listen.....

We all know Abigael isnt a star feminist. We already know (although we dont exactly know) that she has some sort of plan up her sleeve to be weary of.

There has been too much attempted ambiguity and the main characters letting her get away with terrible things that the message isnt coming across.

Plus Maybe yes showing Macy being willing to do something that really probably hurt all of us (epecially those of us who are minorities) to watch, may have been to drive home the differences between her and Macy and play up Macy's love for her sisters

But like we know Macy and Abby arent similar (as much as you writers tried to play that up at first). And you know just adding more sister bonding moment and just the fact that Macy was willing to go to abby after all the previous stuff was enough to show she was desperate? Maybe just add more sister bonding moments so we can see how dedicated they are to each other?

Maybe? Just saying.

If the writers are finally going to commit to Abby being a full on villian then I guess the seen was worth cementing that she is horrible (sort of).

Here's my question though as I consider whether the scene was worth it. Who is this show for and what is it trying to show? I mean if it is for minorities and women then i can see how showing these historical and current issues (conflict of power and consideration among women where race is concerned) then I guess showing it and having that controversy makes sense. But like we live it.

As minorities we already know. I know I struggle between wanting my experience shown and also wanting to watch something where for once the minority characters arent subjected to that experience. Charmed did better at addressing controversy and women's issues in season 1. I dont care if it was "obvious" or "heavy handed" because when it is not you basically get the kneeling scene where you dont know what the point was, if it was necessary, and are left feeling hurt or bitter about it.

2. Hacy Kiss.

Listen Brenda/on, this is on my like and dislike list. I will mention what I dislike about it.

The first thing is that it was a fantasy. I mean yes I like that we get full on confirmation that Macy has romantic feelings for Harry and not just considering that she might have them, but I honestly hate the fact that they would tease us like that. Especially when Macy is at a low moment. Which I will get into.

They are kinda ruining Macy for me. Listen, at this point they havent given us enough insight into Macys feelings or thoughts to understand why she isnt pursuing Harry. We can speculate and infer based on previous seasons and some of what the writers or showrunners say on twitter, but this season itself hasnt done much in showing Macy's thought process and so it falls flat. It isnt her reluctance to let people in or not wanting to get involved with someone after Galvin since she does pursue Julian and gets serious relatively quickly. She, at least now we it is confirmed, has those feelings for Harry, but is still choosing to be with someone else inspite of those feelings. I hate that. Harry is obviously tempted by abby and is being naive with her, but he isnt pursuing her and has blocked her advances (except the kiss) so far which may change who knows, but the point is if Macy was just casually dating and enjoying Julian's company I would be like okay, still hate that she would lead someone on when she has feeling for someone else, but if its casual there is less of a chance of the other person being hurt.

I cant get behind Julian x Macy, not because of Julian (who so far is perfect and probably going to be a villian or some how connected to the villians because it is a common trope) but because of Macy. Julian x Macy isnt Healthy because Macy knows she has feelings for someone else. She is using him. That isnt to say she doesnt genuinely like or care about him, but at the end of the day she is using him. Which is crappy because Julian so far seems like a great guy and doesnt deserve being the "distraction". I mentioned this all the time but my least favorite love triangles are the ones where one person is using the other.

Healthy would be Macy and Julian being friends while she works through her feelings and then decides who she wants to be with. Not being with someone while having feelings for someone else.

Macy was shown in season 1 to be rational and could be rational to the point of compartmentalizing and coming off as cold. So maybe that is where they are drawing from, but again little effort has been made on the part of the writers to show what's going on in her brain other than that fantasy kiss. And again I am still like....okay so what does that mean in the long run you butts!!!

3. Helen's suicude

I am so iffy about how shows portray people completing suicide. Like on one hand I get that them showing her exercising free will, but suicide portrayed as a positive rather than a tragedy is just....ugh for me. I still am not sure how I feel overall about it.

Lore wise I hate that they use it to explain why Harry and jimmy couldnt kill each other, because in an interview rupert claimed Harry was immortal now because of the elder thing and the show said it in that first episode. So like are both true? So if harry tries to stab himself like Helen will he just end up back in the coffin and alive since she is immortal?

I mean we are 12 episodes in and have about 10 to go so we really should be working towards a cohesive lore and storyline not adding confusing or not well explained layers. The world building they did in the first half was a lot better which makes me wonder what they heck is going on in the writing room.

Likes

1. Parkerita

Let me explain. While I fancy Jordan x Maggie together. I'd prefer that be a slow burn and steady friendship first. Parker seems to be Maggie's first love. It makes sense that she is still grieving and holding on. While I kind of wanted to be done with Parkerita in fairness to all the season 1 romances that where tossed out, I like the nod to Phole. I felt the OG Phole relationship was not healthy, but I liked the tradgedy of it. I think if new Charmed wants to wrestle with that and do it better (although my faith in the writers is low right now) then I wouldnt be against it. I love a good tradgedy and I sat through Phole so I'll sit through this one.

2.Hacy kiss

I love that the writers finally did something to show us what is going on in Macys brain. I need more (not necessarily Harry fantasies but I wont complain if we get more of those). I do hope a real Hacy kiss is a bit different because one one hand the fact Macy wanted to kiss harry when she was feeling down says something to me about how she feels about him and that she still trusts him (but it could, If I wanted to be cynical, just be more evidence that Macy skews towards using people when she is repressing or feeling down although she didnt actually kiss him, if she had I think I would have not liked it in that particular moment given it would have felt more like using him that expressing feelings)

Highlights

1. Abby really thinks no means maybe 😒 . . .

2. Mel is a lesbian magnet and I'd be fine with her just casually dating while all this other crap is going on as long as she is happy

2. Helen

3. These horror movie vibes though!!

[signoraviolettavalery]

strategist-scientia replied to your post “I know Carina is bringing Malex into the light and I am infinitely...”

Kinda scared now tbh because Carina said "Yes" when someone suggested that Michael is probably reminded of Jesse Manes's hand in causing the deaths of his people whenever he looks at Alex. ������

I hope it’s ok that I use your response as the jumping-off point for some meta, because I’ve been wanting to write this since i saw Carina’s tweets, and the inevitable Malex panicking that ensued. There’s a couple tweets about Michael’s headspace that she made that I want to get into, as I consider where Michael’s character will go next season and what that might mean for Malex. 

Now, my immediate response to this is: Yes?? Good?? Carina is saying Michael is going to have a character arc next season, and this is a good thing. Characters need arcs, and frankly, I’ve been frustrated that most of his “arc” this season has just been taking care of other people. Equally frankly, I’m glad that this will be the arc, because Michael is completely traumatized right now. He not only lost his family right after finding them, but he’s witnessed the genocide of his race. I’m glad the show is going to deal with that instead of sweep it under the rug. That’s what Michael s a character deserves. And I know it sucks to put queer characters through trauma and misery and suffering, because it seems like that’s the only thing they ever get to experience in narratives. But in a well-written story, you can’t shield your characters from the world and have nothing bad ever happen to them. There need to be low points in order for there to be development, as long as there are high points. 

The other tweet that people have been worrying about is this one, about how Michael will react to Alex and how their relationship will changed, based on the fact that Alex’s family is responsible for literally all of the suffering of Michael’s: 

This is where people start worrying that Malex will crash and burn, or that Michael will blame Alex for what happened even though it’s not actually Alex’s fault. 

So, first of all, I’m going to point out the obvious: it doesn’t sound like English is this person’s first language (which isn’t a dig at them, but just the observation that there may be a language/communication barrier here). Carina’s “yes” is vague af, and twitter is a really shitty medium to sort-of-but-not-really hint at character motivations and what’s coming. 

Moving on from that, my  thoughts are that Michael isn’t going to outright blame Alex - after all, Alex didn’t do anything. In fact, Alex has literally shut down project Shepard and blackmailed his father to protect Michael, and if Michael knows about project shepard he knows this. Logically, he understands this. But I do think that Michael will pull away from Alex - just as he’ll pull away from Max, Isobel, Maria, and even Liz. He’s going to need space, and he might get self-destructive in all his relationships, not just the one with Alex, because he’s going to blame himself for what happened. It’ll be difficult to watch, but I think that Alex, who himself has extensive experience sabotaging his own relationship as a result of fear and trauma, will understand where he’s coming from and try to help. 

I do also think Michael will have a hard time with Alex specifically. Again, it’s not that he’ll blame Alex, because he clearly didn’t blame Alex for his hand, if his desire to rekindle a relationship ten years later is any indication. But Alex will be a living, breathing reminder of the Manes legacy, which has taken literally everything from Michael, starting with his hand and ending with his family. It’s going to get complicated, because just last episode, Michael was telling Max that he believes that there’s no place for him here (on Earth) - something that Jesse made him believe, and something of which his hand serves as a reminder. And now he has even more proof, painful, heartrending, visceral proof, that there is no place for him on this planet, in the sense that humanity as a whole does not accept him for what he is. And the Manes legacy is largely responsible for this. 

But. The irony is that while the Manes family has destroyed his family, his life, his home, and his hope, Alex has been all of those things for him. Alex offered him a home when he had none. Alex told him “you’re my family.” Alex, as Michael said in 1x11, made him believe there’s is a place for him here on earth. Home can be a person, and Alex has been his. 

And I think Michael will realize that. If Liz can get over the fact that Max covered up her sister’s murder and was responsible for her family suffering hate crimes for ten years, then Michael can get over Alex having a legacy that he has completely and utterly rejected. But it will take time, because trauma isn’t rational, and because Alex did enlist in the military and become a “Manes man” before he ultimately chose Michael. So Michael will have to reconcile those two things - what Alex’s family took from him, and the fact that Alex himself gave back all those things to him. Honestly, I think it’s going to be the culmination of the arc that they’ve been planting the seeds of this season - that home can be a person. Michael Vlamis also hinted that Micheal probably won’t be deciding whether to leave the planet this season, so perhaps this will be a decision he’ll have to make next season. Alex will give him the spaceship piece and set him free, understanding that Michael has never felt like he belongs on Earth and that now he feels like he belongs even less, and that his family is responsible for it. And Michael will have to realize that despite Alex’s legacy, which he has outright rejected, Alex is his home. 

It’ll be a long journey, but I honestly think it’ll be fine in the end. Think of it this way: ships, just like characters, need arcs. I know we all say we’d happily watch an entire season of them just cuddling in bed, but come on. None of us actually would. We’d like an actual story. That’s why we tuned in. We want to see characters facing challenges and overcoming them. And yes, just like with queer characters, we don’t want queer pairings to just keep suffering endlessly. But we do want them to have actual, meaningful storylines. And what Carina is hinting at above sounds like an actual storyline. It’s Michael working through legitimate trauma instead of sweeping it under the rug, and Alex learning to live with the legacy of his family. If done well, this is a good storyline. The alternative is either no storyline, or contrived relationship drama, and no one wants that. Remember when, on The Vampire Diaries, Damon and Elena finally got together and the writers had to come up with a dozen reasons to break them up (the sire bond, Katherine possessing Elena, Damon temporarily dying and Elena erasing her memories of him and about a dozen other “plots’)? We really, really don’t want that. We want an actual arc. 

Of course, how much you believe Carina and the writers will do justice to this arc depends on how much you trust them to actually meaningfully write it, and that’s up to each viewer to decide on their own. Based on my own personal experience, I think it’ll be fine, because whatever the various flaws of season 1 of Roswell (and they definitely exist), the emotional beats have rung true to me. I understand why characters behave the way they do, their fears, their traumas, and their progress (with some exceptions). So, I think we’ll be fine. 

Part of the reason I’m so confident is because every other time we panicked because of a tweet, a promo, or a promo photo, we turned out to be pretty wrong to panic. Let’s recap: 

1x09 This is the OG throwback episode, and when Shiri leaked that photo of Michael and Maria naked in the desert, we panicked. We thought Michael and Maria would have a full-blown romance and Michael would leave behind Alex and forget about him, or that Maria would sleep with Michael while knowing about Alex, or any number of worst-case scenarios. 

What actually happened: Alex ended things, with finality. Previously, he’d walked away - and we’re led to believe he’s done this multiple times, which means that he’s also come back multiple times, because to walk away again, he had to come back first. But now, for the first time ever in ten years, probably, he said “we’re definitely over.” The love of Michael’s life broke his fucking heart by making him believe they could never have a future together, and Michael’s response was literal suicidal ideation. That line about “I’m just wishing a meteor would strike me down and end my suffering”? That’s suicidal ideation, y’all. 

So yeah, he hooked up with Maria because he needed comfort and a connection with someone - but one that he was 100% certain wouldn’t get romantically complicated and messy. He picked Maria because he had a connection with her but thought there wasn’t a chance in the world that she’d catch feelings. 

And then Alex came back to him and he took him back and bared his fucking soul and revealed every single one of his deepest secrets. 

1x11 This was the UFO emporium re-opening episode, and everybody panicked that Michael and Maria would talk and kiss and/or hook up in the place of Malex’s first kiss. Come on, guys. Like, I get panic, but this was a bit much. 

What happened instead: Michael misses Maria, who was pretty much his only friend, and tries to get back onto the same page they were (flirty banter that meant nothing), but which is pretty hard to do once you’ve slept together. Michael believes he and Alex are completely over, and....he skips the Emporium reopening (probably because it’s too painful). Then, Maria, the person he pretty much considers his only friend, gets roofied and possessed by an alien serial killer. So yeah, he’s concerned, and he watches over her, because Michael Guerin is, at heart, a protector who takes care of people, and frankly, if he wasn’t worried about Maria, I’d like him slightly less as a person. Maria drunkenly indicates potential feelings for him, which he shows absolutely no indication of actually reciprocating (he looks concerned and frustrated at best). 

1x12 We all thought Malex was going to break up in this episode, despite the fact that they were already broken up and Michael thought they were “over.” We knew there was a tear-inducing Malex moment and we listened to Tyler’s song and I saw no end of posts going around saying Malex was going to break up. 

What happened instead: Alex confessed his love for Michael, called Michael family, stayed by him in the face of literal certain death, and physically and emotionally supported him during a moment of devastating heartbreak. 

So yes, I get the worry. I especially get the worry because apparently The Magicians fucked over their queer viewers just last night. Believe me, I understand, and I’m not a person to have faith easily. I’ve been through Supernatural fandom and the great Destiel queerbait that was season 8. I’ve been through Sherlock fandom and The Johnlock Conspiracy of seasons 3/4. I am intimately familiar with the nonsense shows pull on queer viewers, and I understand the context in which queer viewers are wary of trusting and investing emotionally. I’m a queer viewer as well, and I get it. I really do. But my personal experience of Roswell has been one of the fandom panicking (because we’ve been burned so many times), followed by us getting literal fanfiction on our screens, with actual love confessions and words like “cosmic” and all the tropes. So in this particular case, I choose to trust, because thus far, I think the show has done well by Malex for the most part, and because so far, almost all of our worries have turned out to be for nothing. And I’m also excited for Malex to have meaningful storylines and things to work through. 

That’s my two cents. Thanks for letting me ramble. Feel free to reblog if you think we could stand to spread some positivity. 

[locria-writes]

Do you mind posting a list of all the good otome games you've played or are really interested in? Or if that's too complicated, maybe a list of your top 10 favourites? I see you posting about them often and I've been wanting to try some of them because...hello hot guys galore...😱😱😱

you don’t know how much i love gushing about otome games and my harem of husbandos (also lmao i’ve outed my terrible tastes here)

pc games

steam prison // so so good, definitely recommend! my only complaint is that you can’t romance Good Boi finn (by proxy depriving us of that wonderful cyrus/sachsen banter), but i guess i can settle for adage lmao. hits a very good balance between humour and seriousness, but it’s a really long game to complete

nightshade // honestly, one of my absolute favourites ever. ost is kickass, sprites are gorgeous, and the plot is pretty good. they’re literally all such good beans ugh i love them all. depending on the play order you do, and whether you do the bad ends or not, it can be not-too-painful sad to wow-just-rip-my-heart-out-and-stomp-on-it sad. goemon is honestly the best though, just saying

hakuouki // i’d recommend both games, but if you can’t afford it, then get edo blossoms, since that’s where most of the romance is. also, they get their western uniforms in that one!!! hachiro is still my best boi (sorry okita, heisuke, harada, and everyone else). suuuuuper long to play through, i think it took me ~60 hrs to complete everything, but it’s a labour of love

amnesia // okay, i trashtalk this a lot, but it’s a solid game except for when they did my boi toma dirty >:c ikki is definitely best boi though. some routes are better than others (read: toma’s route is pretty meh while everyone else has pretty great ones), but ukyo arguably has the best and saddest one. i feel like this is almost an otome staple at this point lmao

nameless // another classic and favourite of mine! yandere galore, more than a little heartbreaking, and wow just wow overall. they’re all such sweet guys (yes, tei and ??? included), and the side characters are all fantastic and very memorable. it’s kinda long though, i think 50+ hrs to finish everything, but oh my god is it worth it. i teared up quite a few times

ozmafia!! // a controversial choice, but i loved all the characters in it, and in the end, the plot did pay off. it just feels like a very cramped and rushed game at times, but the characters make up for it, honestly. i’m just mad over how they did my boi hamelin so fricking dirty #JusticeForHamelin #HamelinDidNothingWrong yes i’m still salty about it

cinderella phenomenon // highly recommend this one since it’s free! it’s probably my favourite oelvn to date -- beautiful art, great storyline, and wonderful characters except when they did my boi varg so so dirty :c the last 2 routes are definitely more painful than the first 3, and way more important to the plot.

the rose of segunda //another oelvn i highly recommend! pretty, a great read, and lovable characters. there’s a secret romance too, and holy god it was so good! frederique and mc are so great together, and i honestly fell so hard for leopold because w o w  i love me an ambitious man like him

monochrome heaven* // i have so many feelings about this one, but i’ll still recommend it lol. it’s very...depressing and can get difficult to read at times. honestly, it says a lot when the worst boi turns out to be the best boi. i remember just feeling so hollow after finishing the game, but it was worth the hours i invested

‘till death do us part* // a very questionable addition to this list, but i really liked it. marcus and jack are probably the most ‘romantic’ of the bunch, but i guess it’s not really an otome game

boyfriend to death 1 & 2* // 2 more questionable choices a la the above, but i enjoyed them both. lawrence, damien, and strade were my favourite guys

mobile games

ikemen sengoku // l o o k, i’m a sucker for the sengoku era, beautiful art, and great casting choices for voices okay??? i like playing softer and more light-hearted games sometimes, and this is the perfect game for that. honestly, every single guy is likable and none of them treat mc terribly (yes, including the yandere, the snek, and the playboy).

ikemen revolution // honestly, the same as the above. a great light read, lovable cast, and beautiful art. also, super stoked for mousse atlas to get over here because i’ve already decided that i’m completely in love with him

ikemen vampire // yeah, i know this isn’t out yet in english, but from what i played of jpn and what i’ve read of translations, i love it already. kinda feels like fate meets otome, and i love all the character designs, voices, and concepts

samurai love ballad party // like ikemen sengoku, but angstier lmao. i don’t really like the art and the sprites, but the story and characters are great, so i don’t really mind. i just wish my faves would stop being such disasters (ieyasu, sakuya, nobuyuki, kotaro)

love and producer/mr love queen’s choice // HAVE I TOLD YOU ABOUT MY LORD AND SAVIOUR BAI QI/GAVIN???? if you’ve played love nikki, it’s the same kind of grind, but i don’t even care??? the cards are beautiful??? the bois are all so wonderful and cute and perfect (yes, even shady af scientist)???? have i told you how wonderful and perfect my husband bai gege is??? also, download the japanese voice pack, the eng dub is kinda crappy

mystic messenger // so time-consuming, but so addicting lol. very fun, surprisingly dark, and all the characters are great (except for rika, we all hate rika). 707 is my home boi, but saeran is fantastic and i demand a proper unknown route because i want to get terrified by this lovely edgy angsty kid

my last first kiss // i can sell this in 3 words -- childhood friend romance. like, that’s my jam right there. i love the guys and their relationships with mc (fussy ayato is so cute, and mako and taka are so so sweet with mc). super fun and sweet read

lust in terror manor* // an elusive horror otome! it’s too bad it never got properly completed, but i guess there’s some kind of closure? translation’s kinda crappy, but good enough to read. rui and naoto were kinda meh, but hayato was the best boi, sorry i don’t make the rules.

several shades of sadism* // okay i can explain -- i love trashmen, i love guys with serious emotional baggage, and i love guys with flaws that make them oh so very real. minato is my favourite trashbag and i actually almost cried during his route because even though he’s an asshole, he’s really trying his best

cinderella contract* // this is where you realize i have no taste/standards whatsoever. trashy, i know, but goddamn i’m so invested in this. yuri is the trashiest of them all, and therefore he’s my husband sorry i don’t make the rules

princess of the moon* // ah yes, the trashiest of the trashy and i’m so ashamed i read this, let alone enjoy it as much as i do. very very smutty but i’m disappointed my boi dean didn’t get released on the og app

(*) -- game contains dubcon/noncon and just very questionable content in general. not for the faint of heart at all

[sapphire-weapon]

since you're currently discussing the obvious romantic/fairytale nature of RE4R (there's no way all of these are accidental), in your opinion, why do you think capcom decided to keep it more as subtext? does it have anything to do with not upsetting the fandom (*cough* aeon shippers and dudebros who hate on ashley), or is it a way for them to create romantic dynamics without compromising the future of the characters so they're still mostly free to do whatever they want with them?

The second one, mostly.

I think that Capcom got it in their heads to make RE4make read/feel like a fairy tale in order to pay homage to how OG RE4 was so pivotal to so many people's childhoods. Like, that more than anything else was the goal.

The thing about fairy tales, though, is that -- not only are they romances -- but they usually end with "... and they lived happily ever after."

And we know that that can't be true for Leon. No matter what direction the Remake series goes in, his story can't end at RE4.

So, they had to try to balance what they wanted to do (create a fairy tale) with what they didn't want to have happen (lock Leon's character in place with an actual Happily Ever After).

As a result, they couldn't have a big, sweeping, dramatic kiss scene or something like that. To actually give Leon and Ashley an HEA, that would mean then taking it away from them in the future in order to continue to use Leon's character, and that creates a massive amount of headaches that just simply aren't worth it.

But also on a more meta level -- yes, this is to pay homage to people's childhoods, but RE4make also acknowledges that the kids who grew up playing OG RE4 are grown up now, and they know that fairy tales aren't real. As much as we might want our own HEAs and ones for the characters that we love, too, that's just not how life goes.

What's really interesting is that RE4make quietly tosses in Don Quixote on top of the fairy tale metaphor and has Luis follow that storyline all the way through. Spoilers for a 400 year old story, but Don Quixote acknowledges his wrongdoing and dies in the end.

But Leon and Ashley don't follow their fairy tale storyline all the way through. They both come back to reality in the ending, whether they like it or not.

It's almost like RE4make uses Luis to challenge the player: Are you really sure that you want this story to follow its metaphor all the way through to the end?

We might be rooting for Leon and Ashley, but what we're rooting for isn't real. Life doesn't turn out like it does in the stories -- or, if it does, not in the ways that you would hope. Eventually, we all grow up and look back on those stories from our childhood and realize that there is no such thing as a happily ever after; life continues on, and stories don't just end.

So, RE4make asks the question of whether an HEA is actually what you want. Are you really, truly, honestly sure that you want Leon's story to end here?

Well?

Are you?

[coronation-eyes]

not necessarily magicians related but what other shows would you personally recommend?

::cracks knuckles:: Ho boy have you come to the right place, anon. Here’s a smattering of faves across many genres.

(You can click on all of these to get plot info if you need it.)

Westworld - Honestly one of the most well-crafted pieces of storytelling I have ever encountered. Everyone who creates a show always says they want to make the best show ever, but these guys fucking mean it.  

Stranger Things - Worth the hype, frankly. Blends a lot of genres, but it’s ultimately a love letter to 80s Stephen King and Steven Spielberg.

Doctor Who - I’m talking about New Who (from 2005 onwards) but Classic Who deserves a look as well, obviously. Pick whichever Doctor you think you’ll like and give it a shot. If you fall in love with it, you can always go on a spree and watch the rest. 

Supernatural - Seasons 1-5 captures the original concepts, scope, and storyline the creator intended, but season six is a really good coda. Only watch after that if the show has imprinted on your soul (like it did mine). 

The West Wing - If our current political clusterfuck is driving you crazy, for the love of god watch one of the greatest shows ever written about good people working in the White House, doing their best as flawed humans in a hard world. I personally stop at 5x01 because that’s when then the writer and showrunner left, but your first time through needs to include all seven seasons.

Torchwood - Underrated, underrated, underrated spinoff of Doctor Who that has been largely forgotten. Gay as hell. It starts shaky, but culminates in a season three that I would put up against any season of television you can throw at me. (For the love of god, do not watch season four.)

Star Trek: The Original Series - If you ever wanted to know where 80% of modern sci fi tropes came from. Also if you ever wanted to know what gave birth to modern slash fandom. (Next Generation and Discovery are also fab.)

You Me Her - A polyamorous romantic comedy that’s well written, character driven, and doesn’t use polyamory as a gimmick. Yes, really. 

Revolution - Eric Kripke (Supernatural’s creator) started this show after he left SPN, and it grew into its own much like he first show did. But then it got canceled because it was on a major network, which was by definition too impatient to let things grow in the first place. I loved it to pieces, and they released a comic after season two to kind of wrap things up. 

BBC Merlin - It’s a family show, but definitely grows up as the seasons progress. A great take on the Arthurian legend even though “Arthur, but young” should have been a terrible idea.

BBC Sherlock - Seasons one and two are meticulous and clever as hell. Season three is a little wonky but still good. Season four is so widely reported as an embarrassing disaster that I haven’t even seen it yet. But those first two seasons are worth the hype.

Moonlighting - Forget Bones. Forget Castle. This is the OG will-they-or-wont-they crime solving couple, and they did it better. There are a lot of different aspects to the show (it has that in common with The Magicians). It has unique mysteries, purposefully silly and absurd chase scenes, some genuinely touching drama, and a lot of fun with the fourth wall, but what made this show golden was the romantic tension between David and Maddie. Their fights are legendary, both for how they’re written and how much sexual energy they can shoot across the room. It’s a master class in tension.

Starsky and Hutch - The gayest crime solving police detectives the 1970s ever saw. Season four is skippable.

House - One of two medical shows I ever gave a crap about, and one of the only “difficult asshole tolerated by others” tropes I can get behind (simply because they really dive deep into his psyche, flaws, and whether or not he’s ultimately redeemable). Seasons one through four are iconic. Do not watch past that. 

Daredevil - If you’re still into superheroes, season one of this show alone warrants a rec. Darker, a more realistic feel, and how the fuck did they get a cast that talented.

Voltron - This is one corner of the “kid’s show with enough worldbuilding and complexity to snag the adults.” The science fiction corner, as it were. Ignore the fandom about season eight, it’s a great end to the series.

Gravity Falls - This is the supernatural/fantasy/cosmic weirdness corner of the triad.

Avatar: The Last Airbender - This is the apex. 

The Night Manager - If you dig espionage, this is an adaptation of a hugely influential spy novel and also stars Tom Hiddleston, whom I am in rapturously in love with. 

Hannibal - I once saw this series described as “a psychopath falls in love with an empath and it goes about as well as you’d expect,” and frankly there’s no better way to describe it. Bonus points for giving Kacey Rohl a push into the next phase of her career. 

The Leftovers - A kind of shockingly realistic look at what would happen if a small percentage of the world’s population vanished into thin air. 

[illgiveyouahint]

bluebeetlechick-blog replied to your photo “thanks @kornrosen for reminding me about that skfkskjfjak”

i feel like season 2 had so many interesting and important themes, plots and aspects, but it sorta glossed over them and that the romantic plot took over, like f.ex. the sexual assault storyline, joneva, evak and yousana didn´t overshadow eva´s and isak´s and sana´s journies and storylines. yes the relationship arcs were important to the plot and their journey, especially for eva and isak, but the focus still was on their issues, while with noora the question of whether she should be william and their differences and misunderstandings that kept getting in the way of their relationship. it is cool and important to show noora learning to trust and open up in a relationship, after her last boyfriend left her with selfesteem and trust issues, but there were some other important and interesting stuff worth exploring like the sexual assault story line (which sort of just got disolved when nora found out she wasn´t raped, though nico still took her picture while she was sleeping naked.) and the affect it had on noora. also, vilde´s body issues and sana´s plot were not given enough focus (even though i know it is noora´s season, but still. and sana´s season barely touched on the aftermath by only giving us one jamilla/sana scene, and little mention of what went down afterwards)

yeah I agree. I saw someone saying they should just skip s2 but I disagree. I think s2 had some really good themes that just got unfortunately sidelined and swallowed by the relationship. I think the eating disorder and especially how it mirrored noora and vilde was really good and definitely important to talk about. The sexual assault storyline was also important but unfortunately, it was kind of clumsily ended. Sana's story was also important though I'd think druck will do something different with that. Amira is very different from Sana and I can't imagine it to go down the same way. Hell, even Noora's trouble of opening up and always trying to be perfect was important. And I think overall it was a good season for the girl squad as a whole. The first season was them getting to know each other and 2nd season really made the friendship shine (of course s4 then ruined that). I don't want all that to disappear. That's why I do want Mia's season. I just hope they'll deal with Alex/William better. Not to mentioned that it was confirmed by the creators that mia is bi and I'd love if they found a way to explore that as well. I trust druck because so far they managed to take the og and keep the story but also make it very much their own. I think we're gonna see a lot of changes during mia's season. (I've been hearing some rumours about a possible trans character). And then, of course, I am hoping for a matteo season 'cause I think that one might be very different from og as well.

[lizacstuff]

The ERs are having a meltdown cuz the show dared to pair their queen with villain. I’m not watching S7 but that pairing makes hell of a lot more sense than having Robin as a soulmate. What I find funnier is that L*na made it sound like this love interest was needed for AE to make the “hard” pitch for her to do S7! Ha! As if anything after “Jen will be gone and you’ll get top bill” was needed! Also nervous nellies are worried the series will end with a Reggie wedding. Who cares? She’s getting (1)

(2) A 10 episode “romance” tacked on at the end of a season that has so many plot holes and timeline issues and that has to wrap up everything to end the series. And it’s not as if there’s any buzz about this storyline. Literally all entertainment outlets can ask is whether the OG cast (and especially JMo) is returning. I mean if you can appreciate how delicious that is!

You make good points, and, yes, I’ve seen some of the twitter meltdown over Regina/Facilier. 

Personally, I saw a gif of the kiss and OUAT wardrobe once again styled Regina to look like an aging matron for her big kiss.  So bizarre.  It’s one of the reasons I couldn’t get into OQ, what was it 3x13 when they went on their "romantic adventure” in the EF? Regina as EQ in that ep could not have looked older or dowdier.  I don’t get the costume choices.  Of course, I’ve never thought Regina/EQ was remotely sexy (I was shocked to learn she was a sex symbol for some when I entered fandom) but they can do a lot better than dressing her as a 60-year-old woman going to a charity luncheon. 

Also what does that make... THREE romances this season where they’ve introduced the fully formed relationship and just told the audience they were together?  Shoe Believer, then Alice/Robin and now this.   Someone should really tell A&E that audiences need to see two people fall in love in order to invest in their romantic story. This trying to tell things backwards is NOT working out for them. Coming in at the end or the middle is not as compelling as they think it is.  However as my good friend @counttotwenty says A&E have been 100% tell, not show writers for awhile now.  Sometimes I can not believe they managed to do something as beautiful as Captain Swan.  

Anonymous said:The $Q's reaction to Regina/Facilier is amusingly predictable. Haven't seen Adams mentions get that much action since the (needed) backlash to 7x07/08.

At this point the show is cancelled and the finale has been written.  Talk about screaming into the void...  

Anonymous said:I was just reading through a bunch of complaints about the Regina/Facilier kiss and it hit me. I wonder if the Lana superfans realize that the constant bitching about how awful any romance for Regina is only implies to anyone who matters (aka people who care squat about shipwars) that their fave can’t carry or appropriately portray a love story. For those who tout her as the next Meryl Streep this seems counterproductive. They do love to shoot themselves in the foot, don’t they?

Heh, Lana certainly has not proven herself as a romantic lead. However, I think perhaps her stans are so far gone that they think their own sexual fantasies about her count as her portraying a successful love story.  

[meandmyechoes]

seriously fuck reylo go read dark disciple

I don’t believe I’m actually comparing them but reylos should read dark disciple for an actually good redemption arc. There’s an ex-dark-side murderer falling in love with the unorthodox Jedi and there’s even both emotional and physical abuse that you guys are so hyped about. Their duel was emotional and carried great meaning. Heck even one of them *beep for spoiler*. just spend your time on better things. *eyeroll*

Ventress/Vos (I wanna cry)

I think Dark Disciple is the very first arc where romance is in center stage as a tool to further character. (Obitine was more about their clash of ideologies and less about how they view their individual positions in their relationship, and there’s this whole mess with Clovis that I primly forgot about). I’ve browsed the internet, and while 90% of the readers love the book, there is a faction that finds a love interest for Ventress felt misplaced and some says she should be a lesbian. I’ve given a little bit of thought on that. and especially after reading Katie Lucas’s foreword, I believe in the potential of a romance to further Ventress’s character. Dark Disciple is a story about redemption, it’s about Ventress allowing herself to love again after all the loss in her life. It’s a healing process for her character and to have her love somebody like Quinlan Vos added to the chemistry of the story that I never thought I would love so much. I hadn’t even finished the book and I’ve already loved it so much. I kinda got spoiled but I’m still very excited reading every word.

I mean giving her a female love interest could work, I guess. and frankly Quinlan Vos is the not first guy I thought of given I had no knowledge about his EU storyline. But I wholeheartedly support this beautiful final outcome that the canon decided.

---

This latest pit I am in called dark disciple got me thinking about my shipping experience as a whole.

The meaning of the word has definitely evolved from when I first learnt about it. Scanning through my ships, I think I ship people mostly in a soulmate way, in the sense of you’re the person that understands me the most and my life would’ve never been the same had we not met, and that the two of them having a symbiotic vibe. And they can take it platonically or physically, either way I don’t really mind. 

I actually have a lot of family ships (re: all clones being brothers), and my favourite ships are soulmate ships. (no really they are master/apprentice ships i drink that) [Holly/Fowl, Val/Skul, Skyguy/Snips] You can see them in a romantic way (never for anisoka but the first 2 sticks… with a weird age gap…), but most times that word degrades the perfect match that they are. and I hate how people thinks romance is superior to friendship. Yes, a friendship that elevates into the exclusive romance is fascinating but friendship on its own is very valid too, thank you.

I mean there’s the OG ship of Booth/Brennan from Bones. (comes to think of it I think my very first active ship in life is Tai Nui Fa but l was like 6 and didn’t really have any thought except crying my eyes out at the finale) When they were introduced, I knew I loved the duo so much, especially when I can relate to Bones. I shipped them romantically (and frustratingly) for 3 seasons before I took a step back and examine the possibility of a show where the hero and heroine don’t have to fall in love. I kinda liked the idea. (and was hoping Castle to be that show. luckily, The Mentalist also came on air) I think it’s equally good to have your best friend fighting crimes along with you. And whether they get together or not actually wouldn’t make me enjoy their interaction any less. Well, eventually they did get together and I’m more than happy to see them FINALLY admit their love for each other and I legit CRIED at their wedding as if a dream came true. They are PERFECT for each other. 

And another ship that I value over my life is Yumi/Ulrich. I just smile like an idiot watching them (more so now that I’ve passed their age). However I’ve never really given much thought about their dynamic outside being a battle couple. To this date, I’ve never given a realistic look at what would happen between them when they actually get together and how would their relationship function outside Lyoko. They were the Samurai and Princess to me and represented a childhood’s image that cannot be broken. Their journey is so full of conflicts of both their headstrong but reserved personalities that it’s not the easiest thing for any of them to make the first move. They had a rough start, and perhaps deep down I know it would not be the fairy tale story I wanted. I guess that mirrors a little bit of my own parents and that’s why I feel such an urge to see Yumi/Ulrich finally overcome their stubbornness and JUST KISS ALREADY. 

(NOT GONNA MENTION TRAUGHT BECAUSE TIME CONSTRAINTS)

Now come Star Wars. I don’t think I have an active ship until Kanera, and that’s 2016, 7 years after I went into this franchise. An earlier one was Obitine but they were more of a missed opportunity case that I felt like I respected their wishes to not further pursue their relationship. It was done beautifully, but still only a sub-plot for the show.

My motivation for the Star Wars movies came from their necessity in understanding The Clone Wars, which I only started watching for Ahoska. There were no romantic subplots for Ahsoka, the protagonist in my eye, in the premise of the show. It was a simple show of space adventures (which was why I was absolutely stunned at Anidala just four episodes in WITH NO SET UP because I had NO IDEA who Padmé was). Romance was never an essential character development tool in Clone Wars, and I enjoyed it for the action and the story. The thing with shipping anyone with Ahsoka is the topic I want to address today (after all that chunk of history above).

I think I've made myself very clear that I'm opposed to the idea of Ahsoka being romantically involved with anyone at all. I just don't see that as part of her character. Sure relationships help people grow and it's a great character development tool, but the exclusiveness that a romance imply, that doesn't fit Ahsoka for me. She has a greater mission, and her arc was always about asserting, finding a place for yourself in the universe (both in tcw and later rebels). To her, it's not a place of domestic bliss, it's about stepping into the world and doing the right thing at the right time. I also don’t think romance as a concept was a big part of her upbringing. So exploring her side in a romance sounds like an irrelevant idea to me. Why fill in that void, when you can have her personality solidified? My argument here is more on a behind-the-scenes view for how to treat her character. But we have to keep in mind that if she did choose to involve herself in a romance, it would be a writer’s conscious choice. and maybe that’s the moment I will frown heavily upon. (A big reason I've put off reading the Ahsoka novel)

This comes around to the majority of this site saying Ahsoka is a lesbian. I've never hc anything related so it certainly surprised me. While this puts me off a little initially and sounds contradictory to what I believe, I have the self-respect to not go around berating people's opinions. Also it’s not entire implausible seeing how even I can see that it is possible to fit the interpretation into the show, especially in season 7 where there are potentials I downright see without being a shipper myself. So what really bothers me is people rooting for her to be in a certain relationship (instead of developing interesting characters around her and let the characters develop their own foundation as opposed to the single purpose of being a love interest), a course that I see as mistreatment to Ahsoka’s character when there are other more interesting aspects. (But really most people here are just rooting for her to be happy, which I want too, and they think if she ends up with a girl she would be happy. *dismissing smirk*)

I am aware that Rexsoka exists. I condemn it. They are family. Case closed.

---

In my original train of thought there was a piece on LGBT characters and ships so I'm putting it here too.

I don't have a lot of exposure to LGBT in media until recent years. I never gave a lot of thought about my gender or sexuality in puberty because I simply think that when the time comes to meet the right person, I will know. So it was never even a small part of my identity.

The point I'm trying to make is what draws me to a character is always their personality, not their sexuality. Of course, their experience as a minority is a sure part of their identity but that alone would not be reason enough for me to like a character right away. I need to see their personality through their decisions, whether it's showcased in their experience as a minority or any other generic conflict.

In 2018, I watched this Japanese mini-series called Joshi no Seikatsu (Life as A Girl, NHK). It's about a trans girl making her way through life when one day she couldn't help being kind and took in an old classmate. It was brought to my attention because I really liked the lead's previous works and he looked so cute as the protagonist. In its four episode, we learnt about Miki's career, romance, friendship and family and I couldn't stop admiring how strong this character is. She is determined, confident, mature, disciplined and compassionate. She has given a lot of thought about her way of life and had overcome many cold words and I'm on the floor worshiping this girl before the first episode ends. Although the lead is cis but the show make up for the realist decision by giving trans people a voice sharing their different experiences in love as a foil to Miki's. It opened my eye in more ways than I expected and gave me dilemmas that I never knew I could relate to. By writing about my experience with this show, I guess I just want to prove that I'm not discriminating anyone based on their sexuality, but who am I to judge?

I think Korra is a gold example of subverting expectations and success at selling an unconventional romance. At the beginning of Book 4, I was very worried about how the show's gonna wrap so many problems that Korra was facing, both internally and externally, that I worried there was not enough time if Mako/Korra will be endgame. And I wasn't wrong, they hardly reconcile them as a couple and just gave us the Korrasami ending. I didn't see that coming, but in retrospect reviewing the whole season's clues, it made sense! and I'm genuinely happy Korra finds somebody who understands her the way Asami does. That was an enlightening moment that only the right person matters, not the right gender. See this is how I want it be done if Ahsoka’s put in any relationship.

By saying a character is of a certain faction of LGBT is not going to immediately recruit me or disown me. If you sell the character well enough in the writing, and when their experiences move me, I think I will find myself treasuring that person very much.