#and watched a nice ep of Travel Man

[magpie-to-the-morning]

One of the weirdest parts of depression, at least for me, is the narrow range of desire it leads to. I have a day off and I keep trying to ask myself what I want to do, and the answer is… nothing, particularly. Maybe go out and get a coffee? Maybe walk around a bookstore? But also, meh.

[cuttyclowngirl]

Daima EP.5 Spoiler Review/theories

• While Panzy's eye color means nothing in regards to her lineage, she does come from an important lineage as some of us suspected. Panzy, princess of machine otakus. Glorio not immediately recognizing her by name or appearance likely implies either 3rd world demons aren't interested in the royal family in general or Panzy's very existence is somewhat restricted to those who live/work at her castle. Could it be that she never actually received a collar as a result of that? Is that why she wears the scarf?

• Glorio very clearly doesn't want anyone outside of Goku's circle to join in regardless of any help they can offer. (Not part of Dr Arinsu's plan?) No choice now. Panzy's a helpful mechanic.

• Glorio did in fact speak to King Kadan, who did not in fact request that Glorio seek out those who defeated Majin Buu; implying that Glorio "snuck" into King Gohma's castle & gathered intel on Goku & crew in episode 1 before being "sent out" by King Kadan. Even a 3rd world demon who does "work" in the 1st world shouldn't be able to get anywhere near the castle of THE SUPREME KING of the DEMON REALM. He was let in. Dr Arinsu popped up unannounced in episode 1 & Glorio just happened to be spying behind a pillar? Nah.

• The 3rd demon world being the biggest, (yet worst off) world in the entire realm might just maybe imply worlds 1&2 have slightly lower gravity, but probably not.

• King Kadan is a man of seemingly righteous anger (Glorio describes him as an uncivilized Mafia boss) who wants to get rid of King Gohma & somehow assume the throne of Supreme King. For "peace". Is that actually possible? Was he perhaps promised that position by a manipulator in the shadows? (Dr Arinsu?) Panzy said her father "only steals from criminals & only kills bad people", which is usually a set up for a heartbreaking reveal that'll leave Panzy in tears. Or it could be nothing.

• Apparently those awful collars even function as tracking devices.

• They even have onigiri in the Demon Realm. Cute. Implies demon rice fields & unique demon ocean seaweed.

• Panzy has a knife she hasn't used yet. Judging from all that courtyard soldier training going on at her castle, she probably picked up a few moves from watching & learning.

• It was nice hearing Goku introduce himself with both his names. His interactions with Panzy are cute so far, as I'd hoped. Panzy herself is charmingly stubborn, insisting on getting her way without throwing tantrums/ throwing a fit.

• In the 3rd world at least, the inhabitants live up to a thousand years. This likely doesn't apply to the Glinds who live for a VERY long time.

• Every Majin (demon) can use at least one magic spell. So could magical enhancement explain Glorio's strength?

• Goku can canonically touch his nose with his tongue.

• Panzy implied that there are next to no Glinds in the Demon Realm due to the vast majority leaving ages ago, as many of us suspected. Though based on the passive aggressive conversation Shin had with Glorio episode 3, there might be a handful of Glinds somewhere in 2nd world.

• So the stick with blue cloth tied to it from the OP isn't a grave marker, but a path marker. Based on the sound of the wind (in the scene in this episode) & the direction the cloth was blowing, you're supposed to take the path the cloth points to. (In the OP the cloth is blowing to the right, then the camera pans to the right, where Goku & crew are seen traveling)

• Panzy confirms that Dabura was still a bad guy prior to the events of the Buu saga, so thankfully he hasn't been retconed as a good guy King. (Wouldn't make sense)

• Dende's caretaker (nanny?) is cute. Hope she gets a name. Much smarter of King Gohma planing on raising Dende so he can have his own personal set of dragon balls & probably get rid of Neva. (So it was probably Degesu's idea)

• I want to know what those demon onions have seen...

• The Tamagamis have never been defeated. Their poor win streak's about to be demolished.

• Smart of Shin (Supreme Kai) to bring up the pin number issue with King Kadan, who introduced us to a demon (of currently unspecified gender) named "Hybis" (Hibiscus flower?) who loves ballet & will head out to pick up/help Vegeta & crew. Hybis also shows off a device that's visually similar to the dragon radar, but also Babidi's energy reading device we saw Spopovich using when Gohan went SSJ2 at the tournament in the Buu saga. Just cooler. (Panzy is also seen holding a similar device in the ED) I swear, if the eyeball on Hybis' belt turns out to be the Tertian Oculus...

• Shin straight up drops "universe 7" in front of Goku, who doesn't register it & that's hilarious. Shin also finally shared his suspicions of Glorio with Goku, bringing up things we've been bringing up & such. Goku was Goku about it.

• I wasn't ready for the children's book art style bit when King Kadan ordered 3 men to steal a plane for Hybis from the "Nemophy Gang".

• Man, someone must've put a plane curse on Glorio, cuz bro has ZERO luck in that department. A 4 day trip & it breaks down in 2 minutes. (Guess Kai-Kai isn't an option)

• Hope we return to Kadan castle from time to time to introduce us to a few of those background characters like cool, pretty, buff red head with the silly ah chest plate.

• Wonder if Glorio actually has any of that liquor King Kadan offered to provide.

• Cute detail of Goku carrying luggage with his nyoibo.

• I super hope that axolotl tailed stuffed animal Panzy brought along will actually be sold IRL. I want.

[tatsugiriroll]

watched the first two eps of travel season!! I was going to make a nice pleasant informational post about what was in them but then I realized people are going to make up shit to get mad at anyway because That’s Online Activism, Right? so here’s what I bothered to put down, with a side of salt

“I don’t want to watch two guys eat food I’ll NEVER be able to afford!!!” the first two places they went to, they got fried chicken for two and four bucks respectively. Next fake outrage claim please

the sauces looked really good. I want to try cheese mustard..

I’ve never watched Andrew in other shows before. I enjoy his calm vibe.

their “brick” camera is fun and cute

i want the ceramic tiger from the flea market.

I didn’t know the magpie was the national bird Or that it was a “tooth fairy” of sorts. excellent because I love magpies

im not a big noodle guy but man those noodles looked very good

isn’t it so weird that Steven (the guy whose passion is food and cooking) gets so much hate for eating a bunch on his shows but when Shane and Ryan go to Knott’s Berry Farm (again) and eat themselves sick it’s so great and fun? 🤔 Weird I wonder what the difference is

gonna be real I like Steven and Andrew’s traveling show vibe more than Shane and Ryan’s. Shane and Ryan honestly feel like they’re always straining to be The Funny Guys™️ viewers Want them to be, making jokes and fucking around and only Sometimes getting to be genuine and insightful; Andrew and Steven have a much more laid back repertoire going. instead of just jokes they’re talking about what they love about traveling

I want to try hotteok so bad wtf…

OCTOPUS??? (Sadly) octopus… (REMEMBERS I ENJOY THE TASTE OF OCTOPUS) Octopus >:9

poor Steven spiceboy… doing Ryan’s I Am Not My Fear bit….

Andrew relatable about pets

I’ve also really been wanting to try tonkatsu. For someone with my (autistic, anxious) eating habits watching other ppl try this stuff can help get me excited

I LOVE places that let you put post-its on the walls

Andrew has the same outlook on spicy food as me like how annoying… stop being so spice already …

Steven’s wife bringing him homemade kimchi… sweet :’3

I enjoyed it. I want to see what else they do!! I hope there’s a dessert episode !!

[ageless-aislynn]

Aislynn's Absolute Screaming, Crying, Flailing Thinky Thoughts About Halo s2ep8

Under the cut since its the finale and I don't want to be That Person who spoils a finale for anybody if I can help it 💖

First thing: KAI, my baby, noooooooooo

Okay, do I love the Halo games? So much. So, so much. Did I know what actually adapting them would mean would happen in the live action show, especially since s2 clearly wanted to pull closer to the games? Yep.

Did I want to see characters I've come to love, appreciate or love to hate get infected by the Flood? HECK NO.

However, the fact that the Flood spores were much smaller than their game counterparts (Evil Cabbages with feet were my initial thought of them when I met them in Combat Evolved the first time 😂🤷‍♀️😉) was a definite win, IMO. Obviously they couldn't be germ-sized in game and you be able to shoot them. But just the visual of them being smaller and much more virus/germ-sized made them a bazillion times scarier because they felt more real in that way to me.

Why do I watch so many zombie things? Zombies FREAK ME OUT SO BAAAAAD, MAN. And the body horror, dude. Ohhhhh, I can't with the body horror and people getting mutated and... UGH. Yet I've made, like, half a dozen Alien/Prometheus vids. I AM A CONUNDRUM, what can I say? 🤷‍♀️😂

Now, ever since Vannak died, I've been trying to figure out how we can, you know, bring him back to the show. I still don't know how it could actually be done but one thing I do know is that KAI COULD TOTALLY BE FOUND INJURED BUT ALIVE. Her Mjolnir can protect her from deep space, so it could have totally protected her against a big KABOOM, too. Her body is intact, she wasn't vaporized or whatever, so that's my story and I'm sticking to it. *nodnods very seriously*

I think I'm going to have to either invent time travel or cloning to save Vannak, though. Give me a minute. 🤔😉

If we do get another season (or 2 or 5 😉), I'm wondering if they're really serious about Silver Team being gone, if we're going to get Blue Team, then? Mannnnn, I don't want Silver to be gone, though. I've fallen so in love with Kai, Riz and Vannak now, too!

I'm kinda glad that not-Thel!Arbiter wasn't Thel because that was a good ending to his storyline, with Chief's "I know what he said" and finishing him off. Obs, though, I don't want Thel to have met the same fate.

Makee's line about being a demon, too? That was a good one, yep. Still annoyed that John's first question to her last ep wasn't "Um, hi, nice to see you and how is it that you're alive?" That being unanswered was just one of those clearly "because we changed showrunners," things.

John and Cortana (now in his suit), together again, YESSSSS!!!

Hello, Guilty Spark! If this is Gravemind they're talking about, they NEED Dee Bradley Baker for the voice. Just, no question, don't even think of casting anybody else.

John doing that badass "fight through the smoke and haze to save the day" made my fangirl heart go pitter-pat, what can I say? I'm easy to please, lol!

In summary, I did love s2 in a different way than I loved s1 and I hope we'll get news of a renewal ASAP!

Also, Kai's fine, she's just having a little nap, no worries!

[absolutebl]

This Week in BL - just RELAX BL, you're stressing me out

Organized, in each category, by ones I'm enjoying most at the top. However, I've put quite a few on hold for travel reasons.

Oct 2023 Wk 3

Ongoing Series - Thai

Dangerous Romance (Fri YT) ep 10 of 12 - Boyfriends are cute boyfriends. Reconciliation with daddy and then major brother drama. How exciting. Gah but that closing scene, these two are such great actors! 

Naughty Babe (Sat YT) ep 8 fin - A perfectly serviceable final episode. I did love the red Chinese-style wedding to go with the “hia.” Also, just a little Thai 'poke poke poke' at China. 

Final thoughts?

This is a nice addendum to Cutie Pie, but it’s relatively incomprehensible even if you’ve watched that previous installment. I can’t imagine it will make any sense at all if you haven’t. Frankly, the most impressive thing about this show was the makeup team. MaxNat give excellent chemistry, all the high heat is well done, and the friendships are adorable, even if the story is nonsensical. It’s fine, I’m relieved it was only 8 eps. I enjoyed it for the pair but I will probably never rewatch. A weak 8/10

My Universe (Sun iQIYI) Lucky Love ep 9 of 24 -Heartbroken (drunk) gay boy meets (fights) sister’s new chef. I love the femme bestie. Adorbs. This one seems pretty good actually. I like all the shots of Bangkok’s actual traffic. POV is a bit of a sad sack tho. 

Absolute Zero (Thai Weds iQIYI) ep 4 of 12 - There is something clever about this narrative in the way that they are each each other’s first and second loves, but also age gap kinda creepy (Thailand maybe leave this one for Japan?)

Venus in the Sky (Tues iQIYI) 8 of 10 eps - So much whiny gay drama babies. However, it also manages to be painfully slow, through the simple act of having 90% of the show be boys sitting around staring at their phones. Then it suddenly got way higher heat than I expected. Honestly, this could’ve ended at 8 sps. I don’t see how extending the show is going to improve it in any way.

Only Friends (Sat YT) ep 11 of 12 (not a BL but I'm watching it anyway) - I don’t have faith in any couple. One of my favorite things about this show is watching how many boys Mark can kiss. I know everyone is focusing on Neo, but seriously baby boy got game. Meanwhile Boston’s dick must be made of self-lubing steal pipe; I remain entirely uninterested is TopMew; Mew’s fam demonstrate why a gay boy should never take advice from straight women; and the slut-shaming agenda continues. NO SINGING. No character in this show is happy when Boeing turns up, but the rest of us trash-loving muckrakers are thrilled.

Ongoing Series - Not Thai

If It’s With You AKA Even If I Fall In Love With You AKA Kimi to nara Koi wo Shite Mite mo’ (Japan Gaga) ep 3 of 5 - Oh it is so cute and so sweet and so aching. I really did not want the confession to happen, even though I knew it had to. There is an element of torture to this one that only Japan can execute with such precise softness.

You Are Mine (Taiwan Fri Viki) eps 7 of 10 - I remain charmed. But while the me of 2018 would have thought this one of the best BLs ever, the me of now is finding it a bit dated and nostalgic.

Bon Appetit (Korea Weds iQIYI) 7-8fin - Romance between an office worker and the man from his past next door who cooks well. It was a very sweet and cute tale of food as love in the All the Liquors family of KBL. I’m not wild about it, I did enjoy it, I was happy to have it show up on my dash, but ultimately it will simply become one of the KBL crowd. 8/10 

Kiseki: Dear to Me (Taiwan Tues Viki & iQIYI) ep 10 of 13(?) - another one where they are separated for most of the show. Although the sides are giving win. 

Bump Up Business (Korea Gaga) 1-2 of 8 - from Idol Romance staring OnlyOneOf's Nine & Mill, this released as a movie in July in SK but is now being recut/reissued as a series. Love story between a trainee who is about to debut and a celebrity plagued by scandal. After that OmegaX Shoulder bullshizz business I am very wary of this show, but this pair is already better cast.

Out of the mouths of OnlyOneOf (!!!) babes...

As to the show? I don’t know. I mean I love the idea, am nervous about Korea (with that bubble) doing a meta critique of the BL industry, with K-pop idols, using an existing group. It just seems like there’s a lot of mines in this small field, and it could go horribly horribly wrong. I am enjoying it, but also anxious the whole time I’m watching it for culture/market reasons. That said, I did pretty much ask for this exact show. So I can't complain, now can I?  

Mr Cinderella 2 (Vietnam Sat YT) ep 5 of ? - I honestly don’t entirely understand what is going on. But it all seems to be the Psychotic Pretty Kitty’s fault. Oo caught in the act of drug-induced cheating - DRAMA. Dung should cut his losses and leave - cute doctor husband or not. Lovely kiss from the sides. I gotta say, this cast is hella pretty. I’m not mad that this team is kind of turning into GMMTV Vietnam.

It's Airing But...

I Feel You Linger in the Air (Fri grey) ep 8 of 12 - I will try to watch 8-12 and do a series review when I get back in November but... not sure I will be able to. Fingers crossed.

Love in Translation (Sat iQIYI) ep 8fin - completed, my final thoughts in Nov.

What Did You Eat Yesterday Season 2 AKA Kinou Nani Tabeta? Season 2 (Japan Fri Gaga) ep 1 of 10 - I find this series more fun to binge, so I'm waiting until it completes its run.

I Cannot Reach You AKA I Can't Reach You AKA Kimi ni wa Todokanai (Japan Tues Netflix-Japan & ????) - in classic JBL fashion, I Cannot Reach You could not be reached. 

Can I Buy Your Love From A Vending Machine? AKA Sono Koi, Jihanki de Kaemasu ka? (Japan cinema release in-country only) - This one is a movie from Japan so in customary fashion who tf knows when (or if) it will get international distribution. Salaryman Ayumu Koiwai just can't tear his eyes away from the strong, muscular man as he checks on the stocks of the vending machine in his office.

One Room Angel (Japan Gaga) - Yukinori, a convenience store clerk was accidentally stabbed by a thug and nearly died. He returns home to find an angel waiting for him. The drama is an adaptation based on Harada’s manga of the same name (which I did not like). With only five episodes and a good chance this won’t end happily, I am going to wait and let you tell me how it goes. Binge it when it is complete if it's safe.

In Case You Missed It

GMMTV posted their initial 2024 line up, here's my round up of the BLs. It includes 2 JBL adaptations, 2 KBL adaptations (that they aren't admitting to) and vampires. If you want to know how I did on the predictions that's here and the answer is: very badly indeed.

I am watching the Y Journey: Stay Like a Local series. But they are essentially tourist board long-form advertisements. I enjoy the promo aspect with regards to the food. And seeing some of my favorite pairs do interesting other things is kinda fun. But the whole thing feels disingenuous when gay marriage is still not legal and it’s essentially the Thai government (making these ads) who is stopping that from happening. I have a similar feeling to iQIYI as a content provider. It’s not queerbaiting in the original sense of the term, but it’s pretty gross to use gay for advertising with a nationalistic propaganda agenda, when being gay is still not legal in your country. Yes I struggle to reconcile myself with this on the regular, and it’s an ongoing hypocritical struggle for my tiny withered tired old heart.

All that said, this week's installment, He’s Not Happy, did make me want to rewatch Make a Wish. There’s no kissing in this series but JudoFluke kiss beautifully, so If you haven’t seen Make a Wish, it’s very good and I recommend tracking it down.

Next Week Looks Like This

Upcoming October BL

10/26 My Dear Gangster Oppa (Thai iQIYI) 8 eps - nerd retreats from the world into an online game and makes friends with a little group, they meat in real life, one of them is hot, they fall in love, hottie turns out to be a gangster. Trailer

10/31 SHADOW (Thai Gaga) - this is a horror BL featuring ghosts and other paranormal elements in a high school setting. I'm not wild about Thai horror (or horror at all). It features Singto (who did paranormal BL He's Coming to Me) opposite Fluke N (who's done a couple horror's before). Also Fiat. Dan suffers from sleep paralysis, and in his dreams he sees a shadow that suffocates him. It gets worse when he transfers schools.

2023 forthcoming BL master post (see comments, some are inaccurate, NOT KEPT UPDATED).

THIS WEEK’S BEST MOMENTS

We stan consent and talking about sex during sex. Thank you Venus in the Sky.

I guess Ray's getting his 3some? Only Friends

Dangerous Romance hitting up some old school tropes.

Naughty Babe giving us our beloved domesticity and tiny gay families. @heretherebedork you happy?

(Last week)

[kachuuyaa]

BAY CITY ROMANCE 𖥻 005 𖥻 KITTY KITTY!

bcr masterlist ; prev ; next

synopsis. fyodor's sudden invitation, a cat, and a couple led you to uncertain circumstances.

warnings. HORRIBLE description of the surroundings.. so sorry... i wrote this while watching one piece, you and fyodor share a nice meal!! the cats love fyodor

notes. sorry!! i was really busy these past few weeks bc of school ahh I'm here now;.. maybe after ill be busy again HAHAHA my midterms r soso nhear. but here's a fyodor centric chapter to make up for my absence AND the final ep of bsd CUZZZ IT WAS SO SICK

Getting up from your bed, you allowed yourself to stretch before shortly heading over to your closet. Your dorm was relatively simple as the university provided minimal space to encompass your belongings. From the door, your bed was squeezed into the leftmost corner of the room. a large circular black carpet was sprawled underneath your furniture, below some potted plants and your work setup, which was to the rightmost corner of the room. Beside your bed, a simple coffee table that houses a figurine you bought a while back with your friends, and the traditional alarm clock that you perceive as a treasure amongst the sea of belongings inside your dorm. The space provided was wide enough to encompass a projector and a few shelves that house your books. Averting your eyes from the protruding stack of clothes nestled beside the closet, you continue your avid search in the clutter you call your closet to prepare for the events that ought to happen later. Fyodor doesn’t mind the style you choose-- at all, even complimenting your style on several occasions, so you do not have to think twice about choosing what to wear. Settling for a simple outfit, you grabbed your previous clothing to add to the heap of fabric on the side of the room. 

It took a bit to prepare for the outing, gathering your needed items in a sling bag you thought fit best for the occasion. Still, you admired your look for a bit before swinging your bag over your shoulder and grabbing your phone to type a reply back to Fyodor hastily. Panic intruded your body as his texts registered in your mind, and bolted to the door to leave as fast as possible. However, what you didn’t consider, was Fyodor’s presence behind the door; jumping as soon as you opened it, putting your hand over your heart and clenching it while heaving slightly. “Don’t ever do that ever again, Fyodor!” You punched him lightly, relieved that it was just him. Turning back, you muttered to yourself, stopping as you heard him chuckle faintly. “What? What do you want?” You spat, although not in an offensive manner, and he smiled at you. “Nothing, you look great.” He breathed out, albeit sweetly, before adding, “You also took your sweet time, didn’t you?” 

Flustered at his words, you cleared your throat, mumbling a compliment to him that he caught. He was straightforward in his approach, clothes representing the man very well; clad in an oversized black dress shirt with a few buttons loose, partially tucked in black dress pants, sleek leather shoes that you thought were fitting for a man like him, and finally, a brown trench coat that perfected the entire outfit. You must have been staring for too long, as he smiled at you knowingly, “Are you done staring, [Name]?” He adjusted the end of his sleeves, flicking his wrists every so often. 

He caught you. That was enough to make you avert your eyes immediately, earning a soft laugh from him. His chuckle was enough to land a familiar feeling in your stomach, embarrassment, maybe, you weren’t sure. The travel to the cafe was not long, but your insatiable curiosity about nature was enough to delay your arrival for a few minutes. Of course, Fyodor held his patience, smiling softly at everything you pointed at for him to see. First were the cicadas, then the small cat wobbling around, and finally, the pretty flowers that were exceptional to the eye. His gaze on you was inconspicuous, glancing at you every so often. You weren’t oblivious to the stares he was giving you, truth be told, you returned the looks he gave you. “Hey, we’re here.” You said in realization, Fyodor releasing his hands from his pockets to open the door for you. “After you,” he whispered, following suit after you entered. The slight tinkle of the bell alerted the staff; Oh, isn’t it Ranpo for today? You thought. Almost as if he heard you, he peeked from the cash register, smile widening in realization after seeing the both of you. “Fyodor! [Name]! It’s you!” He rushed over, waving in excitement. The soft chatter of the customers halted after he shouted, gazing over at him in mild annoyance, but it didn’t matter to him. The cafe wasn’t packed as it was normally, leaving a few vacant seats for you and Fyodor to take. After peering behind the door, your eyes landed briefly on the cats wandering aimlessly to customers. A select few, namely the most eccentric ones, in your opinion, lounged around their beds, scratching and nipping at their toys. Fyodor called out to you, which made you flicker your eyes to him in recognition. “I paid for your admission, so don’t worry about paying me back.” Said Fyodor, reassuring you. Ranpo was heard snickering from behind him, “Stop sounding like a gentleman, dumbass Fyo,” He joked, “I lowered the admission prices for you both. The total isn’t even worth the price of one undiscounted admission.” He revealed, making Fyodor deadpan. Fyodor turned to you, apologetic eyes meeting yours, as you walked over to him to pat his shoulder. Fyodor was uncharacteristically sweet to your group, paying for your meals every so often. The origins of his copious amounts of money were left lingering in your head, but you don’t bring the question up to him. “You didn’t tell me,” He reasoned, his voice enlaced with a hint of embarrassment, fingers glazing his credit card before handing it over to Ranpo, who accepted it gleefully. “Okay, since you’re so adamant about paying on their behalf!” He swiped the card, tapping on the monitor before stating, “You’re not getting that discount anymore!” Cheekily, he winked at both of you, making you wave your hands in protest at him, while Fyodor hummed in agreement. “Sure.” He responded curtly, which made you freeze, turning to him slowly. “Hey, you’re funny.” 

“Oh, really? You’re so kind! You’re paying for the entire menu too, Fyo!” 

You weren’t sure how you got into your position now. You poked your fork desultorily at your food, eyes flickering from Fyodor to the cats meowing at your feet. A smile was present on Fyodor’s face, sighing in contentment at the taste of the tea he ordered. A black cat was perched on his lap, tail moving as he leaned into Fyodor’s touch. “So, why did you bring me here?” You let the question slip before you could notice, genuinely curious about his motives. He gazed at you upon hearing that question, pausing his actions to face you. “Well, I just wanted to hang out with someone here,” he pursed his lips, locking his eyes with yours, and you found it hard to tear your gaze away from him. “I wanted to ask you and Sigma originally, but since she couldn’t go, I opted to ask you instead.” Admittedly, you looked away, feeling abashed, and focused on the cat rubbing itself on your leg. He was cute, in a way, a white cat with a scar on its left eye and gentle paws marked in black. Picking him up, you cooed, the cat meowing in return. “His name is Kolya, Fyo!” You shoved the cat in his face, making him scrunch his face in surprise as he took the cat from you. At this, the cat in his lap jumped off, which prompted Fyodor to sigh lightly, taking the cat for himself. Oh, Kolya. He thought, eyes blinking at the cat, to which the latter did the same, squinting his eyes in recognition. He looks exactly like Nikolai. He recalled his friend motioning towards a cat that looked exactly like him, but he paid no mind to his friend, but now that he studied his features, it looked exactly like him-- save for the humanistic characteristics and his signature white hair. Looking at it now, he held the cat closer to his face, before feeling the cat’s paws atop his nose. “Oh, he’s cute!” You leaned to the side to get a closer look at Fyodor and the cat; however, the former seemed to be frozen in place. Fyodor sighs before letting out an amused chuckle, gently placing the cat down beside him. “Yeah, it really is cute.”

A few hours passed-- although it felt like mere minutes to you and Fyodor, and both of you decided it was best to leave. Arranging the plates on your table, you carefully stood up; the cats walked past you to give you way. Muttering an apology to them, you took in the soft scenery the cafe provided, breathing out and walking towards the door. Fyodor greeted you and opened the door, thanking him softly as you walked out. He left you to wander outside as he settled the bill with Ranpo, which resulted in further delay; not that you minded, though, it allowed you to leave the cafe to observe the evening sky outside. 

The sky painted itself in gradient hues of orange and blue, fading into unique colors that marveled in the distance. It was peaceful, with the sound of cicadas chirping mixing with the sound of the wind, you found tranquility in this atmosphere. You breathed out, gaping at the clouds that blended with the sky’s colors. This wasn’t new to you, and once you heard the bell ring, you looked over the horizon to meet Fyodor’s eyes, and in response, blinked at the sudden eye contact. “Hi,” He said, and you waved at him enthusiastically. “Hi, Fyo!” You replied, making him nod; “I’m going to talk with Ranpo for a minute, if that’s okay.” He scanned your eyes in hopes of finding approval and smiled softly once he did. “Of course, Fyo! I can wait.” Smiling sincerely, you set your attention to the couple leaving the cafe, but once they opened the door, a certain white cat came rushing out. It seemed that the clamor alerted Ranpo from behind the cash register, and he shot up, before slamming his hand on the table to steady himself to properly observe the situation. “Kolya?!” He yelled, and the cat stared at him briefly before speeding out of the main door. You forgot to close it, so you stared at Ranpo in an apologetic manner, but he couldn’t quite notice it as he bolted for the entrance. 

“[Name], help me catch him!” He pointed at the cat, and Fyodor simply stared at the commotion. You sighed in exasperation, “I get to keep this cat, alright?!” And so, you ran for the cat with newfound determination-- it would be your new pet if you caught it, after all! The thought made you giggle silently, and you could slightly hear Ranpo fuming as he spat warnings towards the couple that allowed Kolya to get away. Yelling out countless apologies to the passersby that you ran past, your eyes locked on the cat that was slipping from your sight. After a bit of running, you found (supposedly) your cat in the hands of another. You halted your movements, your feet skidding to a stop in front of a foreign man. He, however, didn’t pay any attention to you, but to your cat. Nevertheless, once you caught your breath, he acknowledged your presence. “Oh, you were looking for him?” His voice had a playful lilt to it, which matched his appearance. His eyes were what captivated you most, heterochromia eyes with the shade of bluish grey and emerald boring right back at your own; his abnormally long braided white hair that coincidentally matched the fur of the cat he held. Your eyes trailed down toward his outfit, which consisted of a pair of oversized jeans and an equally oversized bomber jacket, zipped until his chest which revealed a bit of the shirt he was wearing. Kolya’s meow broke your train of thought, and the stranger giggled at this. 

You felt as if you had met this man before, but from where, you were clueless. “Did Kolya escape from the cafe again?” Cuddling up to the cat, he addressed his statement in a manner that made you think it was directed at Kolya instead of you. Crossing your arms, you let out an unamused sigh, which made the man’s attention drift towards you in response. “Ah, hi!” He called out to you, “Sorry, sorry! This cat’s a bit of a troublemaker,” He admitted, flustered, and looked at you apologetically. “Have I seen you before?” You questioned, and he blinked, before laughing. “Maybe! I mean,” He pets the cat in his hands, “Well, before anything, what’s your name?” Confused at the man’s sudden switch in tone, you answered him hesitantly, “It’s… [Name]...?” And at that, his eyes widened in realization, mumbling utterances to himself that you couldn’t quite hear. Okay, this guy was weird, sure, but he saved you the trouble of running after Kolya any farther than you originally had to. “Alright! Hi! I’m Nikolai, I hope that rings a bell, [Name]!” No honorifics, you noted-- but nodded at him regardless. You reflected back on his statement, however, despite racking your brain for anything that would relate to him, there was nothing that came to mind, so you settled for a smile. “It’s nice to meet you, Nikolai.” Your eyes darted to him and to the cat, and you realized how similar they looked. “See anything?” He brought the cat up to his face, and it meowed in return. “Holy shit! It looks exactly like you!” He chuckled loudly at your words, proud that you finally got the idea. “You know, when I first came to the cafe, I fell in love with this little guy!” He exclaimed, although the cat’s ceaseless meowing drowned out his statement. “I was with Fyo--” He shut his mouth, interrupting himself, “I was with a friend when I first saw him.” Embarrassed, he looked over to you, smiling at your delighted look. You tilted your head, feeling panic invade your body. You didn’t know why, but the answer came to you incredibly quickly. 

Oh shit, Fyodor! “It was great meeting you, Nikolai, but I really have to go.” You motioned to the cat, and he took the hint to give it to you. Disappointment washed over his features, and despite being in a hurry, you recognized the look on his face. You waved to him hurriedly before setting off, the cat in your hands wiggling at your hold. Gathering the contacts of Nikolai was out of the question, as you had to make it back to Fyodor quickly, glancing at the horizon, you figured that the sun setting was an indicator of how late it was. Nikolai was not too bad-- although a bit eccentric in his approach, you just thought it was in his nature to act as he did. He was conventionally attractive, you can admit, his graceful features nestled in your head as he talked to you. His gaze towards you was ever so soft, a gleam of appreciation present in his eyes as he talked to you; and as his eyes lingered in your head, all the while, you figured that meeting new people had never been so bad-- or maybe he was just simply an exception. You chuckled on the way back, at the interaction you had with the unique individual determining the course of events that presented itself in front of you. The narrative was writing itself, and while you cannot make out with certainty any possible occurrences from now on, you had an inkling that you were to embrace change.

Nikolai, you believe you would remember that name for a long time. 

trivia:

niko thought you were sooo interesting!! he just doesn't know why.

he went to the cafe straight after meeting you, but was surprised when he couldn't see kolya in sight

he knew you were fyodor's friend since fyodor kept talking about you and your friend group (in a good light, obviously!)

fyodor understood you, don't worry, he isn't mad. he can never be mad at you

while fyodor may say these things so carelessly, he does it with no romantic intentions. you are most aware of this fact, and he is thankful for that.

you were so unsure if fyodor really paid for the entire menu. but with ranpo's devilish smile, you knew it was a joke.

yes, you just realized that niko was the man in your comments the previous chapter

so seeing him there again made you smile a bit, he was eccentric, but he was a good person!

you knew he'd make a good friend!

dazai asked fyodor about what happened, and when he told him about you and niko meeting, he rushed to the latter to demand answers.

tg: @iruc @celestair

2023 © kachuuyaa. do not steal or claim my work as your own.

[salt-hag]

fall 2024 cdrama + kdrama check-in list

haven't done a check in/wrap up post of dramas watched in a while so wanted to do one before the end of the year ✨ hoping to have finished a lot of these and have a list of reviews at around new years

dramas watched

story of kunning palace (cdrama)

8.5/10 for me. This is my year of loving costume period cdramas and I kicked it off with sokp. Really enjoyed the time travel/redemption plot line and Bai Lu as a somewhat reformed evil empress.

the legend of shenli (cdrama)

9/10 for me. A little slow in places but this goes down in my list of fav drama romances. Badass and admirable female lead and quirky oddball male lead who simps for her (as he should). I found the fantasy somewhat goofy but lovably so. This is a *comfort* show for me now. Has the best happy ending/post finale last episode I've seen up to now.

the double (cdrama)

9.5/10 for me for the sheer melodrama. Is this technically a better drama than the legend of shenli? No, of course not. Is it entertaining as hell? Yes, so it's gets a .5 boost. Costume period one-woman's-revenge, absolutely delicious. Hilarious male lead who loves the drama of it all and is very handsome. I was telling a friend about this and she was confused. Weren't you just watching this earlier this year? No, dear reader, she had the revenge stuff confused with Story of Kunning Palace. I have a type, and that is conniving women getting what they want in beautiful period costumes while a handsome, competent man answers their beck and call and simps all the while.

currently watching

RIGHT NOW: Are You the One (cdrama) - ep 22/40

This started out as costume period brain popcorn for me but now there's intrigue and back-stabbing and a clever woman out-scheming men in power so. yeah i'm enjoying this i guess whatever...

RIGHT NOW: Cinderella at 2am (kdrama) - ep 3/10

I haven't watched a kdrama in a while and I wanted a comforting, brain-popcorn modern rom com. I think this will deliver.

My Journey to You (cdrama) - on ep 20/24

I am DETERMINED to finish the gorgeous scheming assassin ladies period drama. I WILL. It's just the main plotline made me snooze a bit at ep 20 so it's taking me a while.

The Princess Royal (cdrama) - ep 6/40

Snowfall (cdrama) - 17/24

dropped or on hold (I'm a mood watcher)

[on hold] Love Like the Galaxy part 2 (cdrama) - ep 12/29

[on hold] Meet you at the blossom (uncensored period BL, Thai) - ep 4/12

[on hold] Lost You Forever season one (cdrama) - ep 17/39

[on hold] In Blossom (cdrama) - ep 22/32

Another one I am DETERMINED to finish!! But I don't vibe with the main actress. I loved the one who played the female lead before the body swapping. Otherwise this drama has everything I would ever want: costume period murder mysteries, a very beautiful man who devotedly simps for his nice wife, a clever female lead with quirky interests, BODY SWAPPING AND IDENTITY SHENANIGANS.

[can't decide to drop or not] Only For Love (cdrama) - ep 21/36

I can't really stand modern-setting cdramas, I'm sorry. I was watching this one for Wang Hedi. I somehow made it to episode 21 despite the cringe. Might finish watching this while pmsing.

[can't decide] Tale of the Nine-tailed 1938 (kdrama) - ep 9/12

Idk why but I just found the plotline kind of boring?? I loved the extra character and world lore. But I had problems with the original TotNT too so.

[dropped] Till the End of the Moon (cdrama) - ep 20/40

This was gorgeous but I like sweet romance, I'm sorry. This was too dramatic for even me. I wanted Bai Lu to love her problematic malewife!!

[dropped] Miss Night and Day (kdrama) - ep 2/16

Loved the concept, found the show too painful to watch.

____

anyway hoping to get back into kdramas this fall or in 2025. we'll see!!

[ludinusdaleth]

You got any bear Artagan headcanons 👉👈

of course i do, anon 💚 thanks for the ask

-hes skinny as a twig until post-travelercon days. he never really "watches his figure" (as matt scoffed at the notion he would in a m9 ep), but something about taking in exandria with new eyes, and escaping the stress of being the traveler (and going on mai tai benders it seems), softens him. like a man truly becoming middle aged rather than suspended in youth, his body cues a slower metabolism, i suppose.

-he doesnt really notice it til a random day he doesnt fit into an older outfit of his, and hes surprised as thats never happened before, but it's easy enough to accept with a shrug and relief he didnt split his best party gear just now before he could get it refitted. his good old green cloak is a very oversized thing; he'll never have to change it.

-i like to imagine he and many other fae (barring whatever type ira & sammanar are) have always been relatively furry. he's lionlike. he can canonically grow a shitty chinbeard as of tales of exandria. it makes sense. his body hair is like a fauns fur-pattern, with normal chest hair & a happy trail as well as fur on the elbows and a back stripe. but as i said, when he really just relaxes post-tc, his body thinks, hey, you're kind of a bit older now, in a way, so he gets even hairier. he grows out a bit of a beard, patchy (his mustache is hopeless) but extremely soft. it grows down to about his adams apple. with the beard adding to his lions mane look, he seems like more of a big cat by the day.

-he has incredible love handles & a sloping, wide paunch, and pretty nice man tits too (which hes more than happy to show off in his low cut outfits and i am more than happy to imagine). his frame is predisposed to being skinny & sharp and so he always carries that vague look, but his body fights that a bit and wins in less than a decades time. he still has absolutely 0 ass though. this is important

-jester notices and doesnt really say anything, but she thinks hes so handsome, and is happy for him. when she runs to hug him, it's not just his cloak that pads her embrace. hes always been a good hugger but was bony before. now, it's perfect.

-he has always had irritatingly high charisma & charm. however he lately finds himself courted more than he has been in a long while. when he was a beanpole, it was easy to just look like another tall skinny stereotypical elf, if a striking one. but exandrians & fae alike have become very, very fond of elves of a bearish nature. elves of the dwendallian empire & graying wildlands are especially enraptured by him (i like to think hair on an elf is vital in cold regions and some societies begrudgingly have begun to accept it), and the feygrove which he helped create of course is in love with his new appearance, even influencing many of them to indulge to the point of being bigger. i feel he would not know what to do in a bear bar, nervous with the knowledge he wasn't always like this and nowhere near the size of an orc or bugbear, but any elf unafraid to show their hair & girth is welcomed gladly.

-he in all his ancient wisdom likes to assume being fat & bearded will mean no ex or court official will recognize him. he is recognized by quite literally everyone and is shocked every time (this is coming from the man who disguises himself as a ginger without fail. every. time)

-i dont think the fae ascribe to fatphobia anywhere like we do, and every fae is so unique i think beauty standards are fruitless to uphold, but i do think other archfey who see arti are often disgusted at him for how mortal he seems, and how he accepts aging & body changes without deigning to seem dignified. morrigan however is happy the old boy settled into himself; she'll never say if she plucked a few threads of fate for his body to allow this transformation. he needed it, she thinks, like a grandmother who refuses to let you go til you've eaten 6 meals in 1.

-sprinkle is canonically a bit chunky nowadays. i like to imagine the m9 conjecturing for a surprisingly long time over whether arti & sprinkle are one entity whose bodies change together or not.

-i think all the m9 would agree living to a time in life where you can get old & fat & content is a beautiful achievement. while not everyone thinks arti has exactly earned the right to be content, he seems very happy post travelercon, and the look suits him well. (though beau, veth, & yasha hold private discourse over if he should shave that terrible scruffy beard of his - obviously veth who married yeza sideburns brenatto finds it charming on him, beau finds it disgusting and makes him look half-feral, and yasha oscillates between the two as if in pain, not wanting to hurt either's or arti's feelings)

-in general i think he wouldn't mind this new look at all. he's canonically the type to sigh at his youth and how he peaked then, but when jester nuzzles under his scruffy chin he knows it's all worth it. he knows in some way his skinniest points were his most miserable, pacing around his domain of the feywild like a wild cat in a circus wagon, desperate for enrichment while laughed at under a panopticon of court eyes. now he's a big fat tomcat who rules the lavorre-stone household (especially when only fjord is home and he can terrorize him) and can get all the food & drink & experience all across exandria that he could ever want. life is good. if the man in the mirror is getting shaggier & softer & maybe, he thinks as he sees wrinkles and a gray in his hair, older, he's doing it in the best way possible.

[crystalskyz]

lore dump about ruby. I beg.

YES I WILL!!! (I just an evil little giggle XD ) this takes place in the tts universe. Vat7k is cannon to this au(?) too! Get ready for a whole ass novel!

She was born into a very financially well off family and lived in a nice neighborhood. They were actually nice people too and raised her well. Her dad taught her to fight and her mom how to sew and stuff like that. Her mom gave her the knife you see in her hair. It has her mom’s name, Rose, engraved on the blade. Her parents ended up dying in a carriage accident when she was 10. Without her parents she didn’t know what to do- so she ended up roaming the streets and steeling food. One day a man named José finds her and takes her in. José works for Donella (the “evil” lady from 7 kingdoms). He doesn’t rlly live in a house, he has one of those carts that carries hay and stuff and he lives in that lol. So he and Ruby travel around basically doing fetch quests for people but occasionally get smuggling and stealing jobs from Donella. After a few years they end up breaking away from Donella and go off to do their own thing. One day they get a job in Corona, their jobs are like, bring these crates of strawberries to this store in a different city, or, take these sheep to this farmer, and stuff like that. They’re in Corona for a few days and hear about a teen (or at least that’s what the papers say) that’s in prison. (Ruby is around 15 here btw.) she and José don’t think that someone who they are told is Ruby’s age should be in the kingdoms dungeons. That doesn’t seem fair to them. So- Ruby decides to break him out. Ruby, José, and now an on the run Varian start traveling again and doing jobs and stuff. While they’re in the road again I think they would prolly see Rapunzel and co a few times- Not interact yet tho. I don’t remember exactly why (I’ll figure it out later lol) but Ruby, José, and Varian come back to Corona. They are approached by the Saporian separatists who ask Varian to build stuff for them, and they’d pay him both in money and a reversal to the amber solution (that they don’t have) in return. He takes the deal but doesn’t fully trust them. Mainly to get on their good side. Throughout him working with the Saporians, he and Ruby confirm that they are not gonna do good things with the stuff Varian’s making. The Saporians do still wipe the king and queen memories (with a stolen potion) and take control over Corona. Varian and Ruby make a plan to get out of the deal and hopefully free Corona from the Saporians control. The night before they put their plan into action, Varian is working on his side project, an actual reversal to the amber solution. An accident happens and Varian gets ambered. Ruby got woken up at some point and tries to help but ends up with a shattered her knife and a lotta guilt. (Imma write a fic for that at some point) Ruby (José went back on the road on his own and Ruby stayed in Corona with Varian) ends up going to the Dark Kingdom via stolen hot air balloon to find Rapunzel. So instead of Raps and co finding Ulf and Shorty that take them home- it’s a very traumatized and angry Ruby XD. She convinces them to come help her and brings them back to Corona. Taos uses the Decay incantation to unamber Varian and his father. (I actually came up with that point before I got to that ep- so I was shocked that I accidentally predicted it when I watched it XD ) the rest of season 3 happens like normal but smack my oc in there lol.

and that’s all I feel like writing for today! I have lore for vat7k- and I didn’t even mention bourbon!! 😭 he’s my friends oc- they meet when Ruby, José, and Varian are on the road and Bourbon and Ruby become friends. I’ll def write all sorts of lore detail head cannon stuff for them more often on here :3

[booasaur]

Recently found the courage to go back and rewatch Kana I won’t say it didn’t hurt but I stopped before the you know what part and I’m choosing to believe they left together to go travelling.

Ah, man... The ending we could have so easily gotten and SHOULD have.

Sometimes I see notifications on old Kana posts and I look them up and read the tags and ahhhh, they were so good. Nothing can do it like soaps! You just don't get that time with characters outside of them. In fact, nowadays you can't even get 20 ep regular seasons or multiple seasons, your ship better be together by the end of 8 eps or that's it forever.

Actually, I wanted some comfort watching these last few weeks so I started watching the end of the second last Neighbours season, the one that was supposed to be the finale, because I knew they were going to reunite Chelly and I thought at least that'd be a nice ending, though I never did actually end up watching their original storyline. And it ended up being really touching and so amazing what they were able to do with all the cameos and wrapping what they thought were going to be forever endgames. Like, Mike and Jane, who were first together almost 40 years ago and getting a reunion so many years later? Played by the same actors? I adore that kind of thing.

But anyway, I ended up wanting to know more about Chelly and as it turns out, I had downloaded the full eps from the seasons they got together and have slowly been making my way through them and you truly get SO much with soaps! There are all these character and relationship building moments before the romance even starts. It's always been one of my regrets that Kana only got so much interaction before Rana's drunken kiss, but they definitely took their time after!

I was talking to my friend about Chelly and also that other Belgian soap I giffed a little while ago, Thuis, and we were discussing how rare it is that any soap couple gets the literal soulmate treatment Kana got. There are a lot of little moments I've forgotten but this one is burned in:

She was trying so hard not to give in but the mention of soulmate and she's helpless.

Sometimes I think about going back and watching and obviously also stopping before That happens, I might really do it at some point. I rewatch Otalia sometimes, the good stuff near the end of 2008, and it really isn't ruined by the trash that came later.

I also started watching this season of Ici Tout Commence, a French soap, after hearing of recent developments there, I'm still just on September but I'm enjoying the ride. Eastenders, I have all the eps downloaded from when Eve arrived but it seems too daunting a ride to get on at the moment. Keeping an eye on 4 Estrellas, I do actually love them but I tend to catch up in batches and I'd like to wait for them to get back together first. General Hospital, still not caught up at all. But yeah, it seems I'm a soap girl now, huh. :)

[half-truths-and-hyperbole-louk]

Louk's Bad Batch rewatch part 23 !!!

I'm back batchers rip my sleep schedule lmao but nothing can stop me from watching tbb

I've got my skittles and my tumblr and disney+ and I'm ready to go 🤟

The Bad Batch 2x03

this entire planet looks like it's made of spice

nervous imperial you're not fooling anyone my dude

Tawni Ames 👑 shoutout to the queen herself Tasia Valenza 💕

CORUSCANT !!!

CROSSHAIR 🥺🥲😭💕❤ I missed you sm (I watched s1 hours ago 🤫)

another Kallus parallel 👀

regs will always hate tbb lololol

Rampart 🔫😁(me, I hate his guts)

32 rotations... 32 ROTATIONS I- 😫

the empire are bitches and we don't negotiate with terrorists

the memorial wall 🥲 (we're gonna pretend it isn't a bunch of random letters hehe)

a few behind Crosshair literally say: sdflkphi, dkniihqaz, aweututn, qqhgouer ~ anyone know more aurebesh than me who can explain this pls ??

he called him by his name !!!

CODY CODY CODY CODY 💕💕💕💕👑👑👑👑

Cody's face when Crosshair mentions the jedi 😭

the only two without their helmets on !!!

FLASHBACK TO THE FIRST BAD BATCH APPEARANCE IN TCW 👀

"mmhmmmm" ~ battle droid, bro 💀

"Dooku was right in the end" real

"We always get shot down when we travel with regs" 👀

"How unfortunate... for you" ~ someone else said this and now I can't find it 🙃 anyway I'm pretty sure it was Crosshair idk

the droid high five lmaooo

clever boys 👑

Crosshair and Cody team up will never fail to make me happy 👌

"I've beaten clankers with far less" tbb mention 🥲💕

Cody trusting Crosshair 🥰 "you do make things interesting" I'd love to see early Cody + tbb missions pretty pretty please 🥺

my mans doesn't even flinch !!!!!

I can feel his smirk when he blows up the tank hehe

Cody has a jetpack and still went nah Ican make that jump 😂 I mean he did but still

Cody complimenting Crosshair 💕

WYLER AND NOVA OWN MY HEART FR

droidekas !!!

Wyler r.i.p my love 💔

There is just something about clones vs droids ya know

Crosshair and Nova silent communication I love it 👌

Cody screaming for Nova and Crosshair pulling him away 😭😭😭😭

r.i.p Nova my beloved 💔

Crosshair's discs !!!!

backflip !!!!

knife knife knife knife knife- 👀

Crosshair calling for Cody to help 🙃

KNIFE KNIFE KNIFE KNIFE KNIFE-

Crosshair putting the puck in Cody's hand - bro at first I thought mans was too injured to move the way he was like 'throw it for me I can do it from laying down in this spiral staircase' and he makes the shot and stands up 2 seconds later and is back to committing war crimes ?? Crosshair you dramatic bitch 💀

"nice throw" "nice shot" 🥰🥰🥰🥰

notice how the tk troopers got captured so they send clones to get them out.... 🙃

Mina Bonteri 💔

"peace was never an option" devastating

the clone music when Cody reasons with Tawni 😫🤧

Crosshair following orders but also saving Cody from having to kill Tawni

the Crosshair music 🥲

"so much for peace" 💔

"put her body in the square" but I can imagine how gentle he would have been with her body... do you think he left his helmet off so the people could see his face or did he cover his face for that

Ok I want to go full english teacher for a moment I'll do it in a few eps watch this space 👀

Crossy and his lil toothpick 💕 (he just murdered someone)

the clones did the dirty work now more tk troopers arrive 😡

Cody's whole speech 💔😭 "we make our own choices and we have to live with them too" knowing he's thinking about everything he's done and thinking he killed Obi-Wan... what if I screamed into the abyss ???

Crosshair not being able to sleep 😫

Rampart doesn't even know their names 😡

OKAY do we think "gone awol" means Cody has actually left or is he awol the same way Wilco is??

COME ON CROSSHAIR JUST LEAVE THE EMPIRE ALREADY 😫

hehe thank you for coming to my 2am tbb rewatch (again hehe) 💕 sorry it's late again if you saw any spelling miatakes no you didn't 🤟

[iamacolor]

At the end of the day this was an epic love story and I genuinely believed that these two people would and did do anything for each other however I still felt the show focused a lot more on sunjae being in love/romantic than sol, they gave him all the clinginess (that's not a word lol)/whipped "looser" in love behavior , all the sweeping romantic speeches and declarations (just in the last 2 eps he had at least 3 and we didn't get that from Sol) and I wanted more of that more Sol because sometimes it felt like it was 80% more focused on what he was doing in that regard. Their actions were offset by each other, she traveled time to save him and he loved her for decades and died for her multiple times but otherwise I wanted her to talk about her time spanning epic love for him like he did, I wanted her to be as clingy as him and as prone to dramatics sometimes when it came to their relationship, I wanted them to give her as much as they gave him.

hi anon! that's a really good point actually and i do think some of it is in part due to this specific story (which i liked) but some of it is also due to the genre (romance/kdrama) that has its limitation in how it portrays the dynamics between men and women and often has this imbalance between the leads (that often annoys me).

kdramas often tend to portray men as more proactive in their declaration while the women (who are often supposed to be more emotional because well...they're women :))) ) are reacting to these declarations or grand gestures - it might be because romance as a genre still mostly cater to a female audience and they're trying to make it "dreamier" for the women by having men saying swoony lines etc (which is a shame because as a viewer i love seeing a woman actively in love, loud about it and proactive, it's fun, it's touching. I support women being stupid in love. and being in love isn't just about having someone tell you romantic stuffs and kiss you in the rain it's also about feeling in love and getting to share that and to love someone anyway i'm getting sidetracked) and it might also be because a lot of the times women are "used" as a plot tool to chanel a man's journey and emotions. (same with "skinship" for which a similar dynamic is mixed with how korea seems to value a certain idea of modesty for women and how most of the time the man is the one initiating it no matter who fell first and the women tend to shy away from it in a lot of dramas and don't really get to show that they're excited about it...).

in regard to that i felt that lovely runner kind of was a nice change because although you can see these patterns of writing and storytelling in it like you said and how sunjae is definitely written to be dreamy and make people go "omg what an ideal bf who wouldn't want a man who's so devoted and so overwhelmed by his feelings he acts stupid", sol gets to be a very romantic lead with her own version of several grand gestures, her own sacrifice for the good of the man she loves, her love for him is driving the plot, she defends him from bullies directly and killers more indirectly, she has much more agency than a lot of female leads from the beginning to the end (a lot of the time the female lead's storyline just gets sidetracked or forgotten around ep12 lol), she literally writes an entire movie about him and once she's free from the fear of driving sunjae to his death she is actually much more like him in her behaviour (and also more proactive with physical touches!!). and the moments when sol is like that are some of my faves! i was watching ep16 like omg i love this sol so much why didn't we get more and well the answer is because before she thought if she did something as simple as talk to him he'd die so that kind of dampens the mood.

but then i would say there is an imbalance inherent to this very specific story that i don't mind since it makes up for more angst - and i love that - because a) sol was just his fan at first so it took a while for her to even get in that mindset while he was already crushing on her hard - like when he tried to confess when inhyuk threw the petals and she was like ok maybe we can't be fan and athlete anymore but we can be friends! because in her mind she was thinking about how to stay close to him so she could save him for sure while he was like sol please be my gf b) and then sol was never free from the burden of what she saw as her duty (ie. saving him) the whole time they interacted until ep16 and so she never could let herself be too clingy (clinginess is a word i think btw and if it's not it should be!) or super romantic (although she did allow herself some very cheesy puns) because most of the time she was either trying to make big changes in his life or trying to stay away from him as much as possible and so she had to show restraint constantly (and that's actually a very common trait in a male character in romance - not just kdramas but also like romance novels which i read a lot of lol - they're always like no i have to stay away because i could bring danger to my loved one, because i have a dark past or i'm not good enough for them, too dangerous or tainted to say i love you and to shackle them to me and my fate etc gosh life is so hard when you're a romance lead) while sunjae was literally just a guy standing in front of a girl he liked and trying to make it happen most of the time, he didn't really see anything else at stake lol and even once he did you could tell he was just a 19 yo trying to cheer his girlfriend up knowing she's also trying to save him and he kind of walks into his big gesture without really planning it.

and that to me is what truly created this imbalance because she did her sacrifice but unlike his that was very visible (he literally got stabbed in front of her and still made sure to not let go until she was safe) her own sacrifice was to make sure he never saw her (which obviously plays into the less proactive type of representation because her grand gesture is to walk away but also that makes it all so tragic because she choses to endure her pain knowing it's going to last rather than risk death which stops everything ). And all of that meant also she could only say she liked him - either "too late" (but thankfully not really because he still liked her) when they were already adults or "before it's too late" when she prepares to say goodbye to him at the seaside and she doesn't want him to feel too entangled with her, she doesn't want him to be too sad this time - or when she made speeches about her love for him, how big and strong it was, how steadfast she stood in her desire to see him safe before anything else, how much she loved him...(and especially in those last 2 eps - and to me that cound as declarations) but she had to say them indirectly by pretending she was either talking about her character or someone else because she couldn't tell the truth directly to sunjae. so technically sunjae heard her say (and also read her) that she loves him very much, that she's ready to sacrifice her own hapiness for his live etc but it was all retroactively which is quite bittersweet. i do wish we could've had her say these things directly to him but at the same time i understand that once he remembers everything and understands she was talking about him and they can finally be together, they prefer to focus on their future rather than on their multiple pasts.

also i like that by the end they both waited so many years before reuniting - because when it was just sunjae who had done the yearning from afar and who still had feelings it made him stand out in a way because wow look at the sheer size of his feelings no wonder he gets a little stupid when she comes back into his life and clearly he's the big romantic once between them. and now they both did the waiting, the yearning, the let me sacrifice my life (or at least life as we know it) for you, the "omg what do i do now that they're back!!!!" and that kind of eases the differences between them.

all this to say i mostly agree but also if it brings more romantic angst i quite like it dghjdfgqsjk

[twig-tea]

Absolute Zero Ep2 Hype

A few things about episode 2 that I want to capture (this is all just hype, sorry, I am not normal about this show):

I love so, so much that Suasoon is relatively clever about his time travel. Other than calling Ongsa's name, everything else he does after that is either fixing that mistake or getting himself settled in his new present. He realizes without having to try it that his bank cards won't work, and he doesn't interact directly with his younger self (we know that he will give himself a pep talk soon, but that he'll be careful to do it from the balcony/phone so that young!soon can't really see him.

I love that Suasoon goes back in time before ep 1 started so that we have time for him to get settled, establish relationships, and just spend time with Ongsa before Ongsa meets Young!Suasoon. It makes the emotional impact of this realization in ep2 feel so much more intense, and any knock on emotions eg when/if we're right Suasoon pushes Ongsa to date young! Suasoon more believable, and it also makes Ongsa's beginning with Suasoon so much more interesting!

I love that Suasoon is still clearly dealing with his grief and fears about Onga in the present while in the past; that it doesn't go away just because he's distracted by this other mystery. And I also appreciate that this situation gives a good narrative reason why Suasoon isn't trying harder to get back.

I also appreciate that he's thinking about his past self; there is a kindness to himself that he showed by going to the graveyard (so that he wasn't alone, even if he didn't know it) that I really appreciate.

Relatedly, I've said this elsewhere in tags but I love how this show is showing big emotions in small ways. Suasoon getting the flowers for his mom, crying while accepting the coffee, Ongsa insisting on making the coffee, the subtle smiles and glances between the friends, the way Suasoon's grip tightens on the movie ticket when he sees what seat it is the way Suasoon lights up when he sees the movie rental guy even though he doesn't go inside.

I love the way the show is handling a coma and waking up from a coma realistically; with the slow progress rather than sitting up in bed or whatever else! Just, hell yeah.

I am so excited for a linear timeline, it's my favourite time nonsense approach and it's so hard to do but so far it's going so well, I am so excited!

I also just want to get ahead of anything re: adult!Suasoon and Ongsa. It's pretty obvious that adult Suasoon looks at Ongsa and sees the boy he fell in love with and is reminiscing and enjoying being with any version of the man he loves, knowing there's a risk that will not be possible in the future. Ongsa is definitely developing an obvious crush, which is pretty normal for someone of his age to find a guy 10 years older who likes him, is nice, and is hot, attractive. As a person who dated (and yes had sex with) a 27 year old woman when I was 17 I don't want to hear it lol I am not interested in age gap drama especially while it seems pretty clear adult!Suasoon is not going to pursue anything sexual with teen!Ongsa so it's besides the point. But in any case I'm glad his friends just teased him about it.

I have to hype Teng's performance, too, he's been doing an amazing job with a pretty complicated set of emotions! And the chemistry he has with young Ongsa to match his chemistry with future!Ongsa is so impressive.

My questions at this point:

What does the video store guy know? (I am suspicious)

What does adult Suasoon tell Ongsa that makes him cry watching young Suasoon eat ice cream (ep1)?

How does Ongsa develop his relationship with young Suasoon so that it doesn't feel like transference or replacement of old! Suasoon? [Because I have faith the show will handle this]

How does Suasoon get the money for a month's deposit on the apartment next to young!Suasoon?

Does Suasoon disappear because he goes back to the future, and is that why Ongsa goes to find young Suasoon and tells him he misses him so brokenly?! (I need to rewatch EP 1 to see how that lines up)

So excited for more!

Tagging the cadre that's started to form for absolute zero (feel free to dm if you don't want to be tagged or if you want to be added to the list!) @bengiyo @neuroticbookworm @lurkingshan @littleragondin @waitmyturtles @wen-kexing-apologist @heretherebedork

[kaleidosouls]

im too lazy to put the vpn on to tweet so im gonna tumblr post; talk watch abt the amazing digital circus ep 3 (spoilers ofc) [Edit: i had more thoughts i guess il put it in the replies bc tumblr has those now? maybe itll be more accessible for my twitter generated yapping disorder)

finally some appreciation for my man and favourite character kingler like he goddamn DESERVES. i actually have not enjoyed tadc very much theres so much i rly dislike abt it but its like super well produced and indie so like you watch to be on the loop (i wish it was actually rendered closer to the quality of cd games from the 2000s that it seemed to be referencing but like, it looks how it looks and thats how it is), i rly disliked the script for the mpst part in the first 2 eps but ive loved kingler from day 1 so having an ep with mostly just him and pomni (i have mixed feelings on her too but w/e) was great great great and we had some lore n stuff but rly like i could smell a fellow traumatized man whos a bit wacky to cope from miles away and im glad to be proven Right

sorry im older man fucker so he rly hits all the boxes bc hes actually so sweet and helpful hes just mentally unstable (love him for that) and a lot of his endearing like caring nature comes thru in the physical aspect of the character and with less dialogue, rly the less dialogue the show has the better, idk who does the scripts and i dont wanna diss them but like oof i fucking hate it shkdh like its not like its never funny but its just, off, ive still not been able to properly explain to my wife the way that its off to me, and it bothers me to not be able to cohere those emotions! anyway

kingler so cute so very handsome and uwu so gentle and kind 💖💖💖 i love how gentle he is and good to pomni (ofc ppl are gonna call it fatherly or god forbid grandfatherly when hes like 40, and now if you ship them ppl will say its incesty when theyre two grown adults but w/e) like idk i just love a kind mentally unwell man!!! im simple!!! him just overexposing at the near end in dialogue was rly awkward in the writing like man they just, the dialogue is so not good. but in theory his character is so good and the thing abt the darkness and such was sweet. like hes just always been so endearing and the ep just gives a lot of free real estate kingler screentime to drink with my eyeballs, it doesnt change my opinion on the character at all bc ive always loved him this much

the rest was ok just the typical fare for the most part, like tadc rly often makes me so dissatisfied bc it has so So much potential but the ways it kinda just ends up like a dumbed down typical cartoon is really meh. i do love caine though and more proof that hes a non malicious (although maybe harmfully ignorant) ai. his gags almost land for me if they werent really Really lampshaded, i love how much he cares but is incapable (yet) of improving, i thought it was sweet zooble was so earnest with him. like, the whole tadc def improves the less mean spirited it is, for me. which is hard bc the most favoured character is rancid mean disney purple guy.

gghh why is this show so agdidhsifirh (gestures of anger) like its like, much worse ENA or smth but i know theres more that bothers me abt it than that, and i cant grasp it. im stil in hell irl so i cant cohere a lot in general so w/e, i need to chill and let go. i did like the horror trophy head designs of everyone that i could see (i wanted to get a better look at kinglers but i couldnt find a good frame from watching on my phone) like they were super over the top and fun. i wish the settings they travelled to still felt like, even remotely circusy? they truly feel like just we’re in a different cartoon. but its ok i only hate 749374947493 things abt the shows style choices

i want a framed photo of kingler so i could kiss it. or maybe i could trt to makena plush of him. he is my beloved to hurt/comfort. hes wacky and nice and traumatized and has memory issues and i wuv him

[dangermousie]

I watched ep 2 and I am dropping Welcome to Samdalri. There is nothing particularly wrong with it but there is nothing particularly right either.

Like with the director's past Forecasting Love and Weather, I can't really point towards anything massive I dislike but it just doesn't keep my attention at all. I don't dislike these people or this narrative but I don't in the least care either.

I find slice of life are rarely done in a way that appeals to me and I find romcoms are rarely done in a way that appeals to me. When you combine the two, it has every chance of ending my least favorite genre except slasher horror or similar. It's not that I can't like it when done to specs - Hometown Cha Cha Cha or When the Camelia Blooms were both favorites, and so were Worlds Within, Run On and Our Blues, though those latter three were melancholy slices of life, not romcoms.

But more often than not, that subgenre falls flat for me, and I am afraid WtS is joining those ranks.

One final gripe before I leave the tag - are we expected to believe that supposedly a well-adjusted attractive 38 year old man did not date anyone, not even once, for 8 years after his break up with his gf? WHUT!!! I can buy this from a character with incredible trauma or a very specific intense personality (Doctor Stranger or My Beautiful Bride or HCCC) or in some setting where dating is not really an easy option (supernatural being that can't date due to type of critter you are or time travel issues or w/e, period setting, prison whatever) or if he's so busy building a career/raising a kid but it seems utterly bizarre for a nice, decently-adjusted, good-looking, free-time-having man. I don't get it. I would have found this much more believable if they both had some relationships that did not work out.

Oh well, I am fond of the actors so I want the drama to do well. Just without me.

[floofz]

THANKS FOR TELLING ME YOUR THOUGHTS !!

i don't have many thoughts about the ep but it was. Something. to watch. i sorta knew what was about to happen because i saw you talking about it on the dash but My Fucking God. i don't know whats up with link click and their fifth eps but they sure do like putting all the strong topics into them. i did liked? enjoyed? a lot the realism it was treated with though

also my brain sort of died halfway n i spent a nice hour trying to figure out what was happening with lu guangs ability in this ep

that theory about one of the siblings taking control of him during that brief time period sounds very interesting?? i wonder if that's what happened or if the bad connection is due to lu guang's current health or a third secret thing

also another thing but i?? really like the way link click distracts you from the culprits. i spent the ending of ep4 n half of ep 5 thinking that the culprit was gonna be the cat ears dude n they also seemed to be playing onto it at first. i don't know. it's cool

wahh thanks for asking about my thoughts in turn newayz !! you're very cool

bro omg youre so right LINK CLICK AND THEIR FIFTH EPISODES. thanks for reminding of THAT one in s1 😭✌️ nah but fr it was A Lot. s1 ep5 was absolutely devastating made me cry like a baby and then we have s2 ep5 which is just. on a whole other level of hard to even watch.

I AGREE WITH THE CONFUSION ABOUT LU GUANGS ABILITY THOUGH. like its sooo... inconsistent. we dont know a lot about it from the get go anyway but i also sometimes wonder abt the logistics of the dives and if lu guang is surprised like cheng xiaoshi by what happens but then in other instances we see him knowing exactly what happens?? idk. suspension of disbelief ig. it is a time travel show after all so theres bound to be some inconsistencies. i try to just enjoy the show and not think too much abt the logistics of lu guangs ability.

also to your last point i knowwwww right?? the first time i saw this man and noticed the beard shadow i immediately thought it was that henchman guy from qian jin, just in the past. and thats also how the siblings have this connection in the present to him now. im still kinda sus abt him though. bet on link click to first make us think hes the bad guy, then the good guy, and then it turns out hes the bad guy again and actually that henchman dude. it is an interesting choice to give him the same beard shadow as him. link click, istg ur making my hairs turn grey.

anyway thank YOU for asking my thoughts on this ep too, i love talking about this show!!! tickles my brain in all the right ways GAHH. im so excited to see whats in store for us next week