#because some of the stuff airing now was filmed in 2020

[silviakundera]

Me : Hasn't watched a single drama from 2024 because I was too busy

Me: Goes to mydramalist to find something romantic to watch and starts reading comments on all the stuff that seems interesting sees that for almost every one of these fall into one of two camps the first one which houses the majority of shows the comments are exclusively about the guy and how much of a simp or green flag he is (their words not mine) the second category is people are criticizing the show for portraying an uneven dynamic where the fl treats the ml like shit

Me: backs away slowly and goes back to my binge watch of star trek deep space nine

Idk what it is if it's the writing or the different type of fans or a combination of both all I know I'm very confused 🤔 have we fallen into a different timeline ? Parallel universe? Have screens cooked our brains completely?

my friend, your first mistake was raw dogging the comments section on MDL 🙈😂😭 gotta proceed with caution these days 🚧🚧🚧🚧

but I got you. If you want to dip your toes back into 2024 cdramas romances,

* Legend of Shen Li is almost universally liked. I don't know that I encountered a real hater. Don't turn that into sky high expectations that can't be met, though. It's simply a solid xanxia romance with a very strong landing - 1 full length episode dedicated to the happy ending, instead of the xanxia standard 1 minute. The most high god in the universe x demon general who is engaged to heaven's notorious playboy that's terrified of her. and who is temporarily a chicken. (just go with it) The main couple have chemistry & are very capable actors. Rarely do I make it thru a xanxia without ever being consumed with rage at some awful thing the plot has one of the main couple perpetrate on the other... but this one passed! The main actress is convincing as an immortal warrior.

* Blossoms in Adversity is NOT universally liked, tbh it got almost no traction on tumblr. But despite all its flaws I found myself watching it eagerly. I am a sucker for historical costume dramas with feminist themes - if you enjoyed Dream of Splendor, this one might appeal. After all the men in the family are exiled and they are stripped of their noble status, the main wives, concubines, children, and servants of a large official's household have to figure out a way to survive on their own. Without the guidance (and yoke) of men. The strength of the drama is that it isn't easy - these women are not all kind & smart & selfless. They're complicated people and a product of their environment. But watching them slowly come together was so satisfying, and how all the women begin to explore an identity beyond the strict roles they held in that manor. It's so direct about how much power men had over their wives in that era and what that means for these women. The main otp will appeal if you like ships of 2 mature adults who have their own goals and respect each other as equals, who are supportive but don't step on each other's independence. The FL's practicality was so pleasing to me. It just dropped it's final episodes via Express.

* The Spirealm available legally now on Viki, if your tastes run to censored gay romance. And if you like mystery/ horror and like fiction that asks, what is reality (and does the definition of 'real' matter). Like in korean bl Love for Love's Sake, the protagonist enters a game world and ends up caring about that world. (unlike LFLS, a distinct lack of kissing with tongue)

* In Blossom - Chinese het web novel vibes just exploding onto the screen. Childhood sweathearts torn apart years ago, now he's a rich noble while she's poor but he still wants to marry her as promised. (She is less sure about this.... then she gets her body swapped by this crazy chick who really REALLY wants to marry the ML. who, ooops gets murdered on their wedding night.) So now FL is in crazy chick's body and the #1 suspect for her gruesome murder is ML, that childhood sweetheart who showed up out of the blue to propose. and happens to be the top candidate in running to marry the crown princess 🤔🤔🤔 . She thinks he (tried to) kill her. He thinks she's dead and hates the lady she's stuck impersonating. Spoiler: they fall in love.

* Amidst a Snowstorm of Love - Slice of life soft cdrama, if you like that kind of thing. Developing relationship for like 30 episodes about 2 professional snooker players. Relaxing vibes, sweet romance. They're both kind, talented, and capable. They're good for each other and really humanly awkward about starting a relationship. You don't watch this kinda drama for dramatic tension, you just chill with it and wind down after a hard day. It's baked-in that they'll get married at the end.

[accio-victuuri]

11/19/23 updates cpn 🎂🍦🍪

for some reason, today, both of them decided to share on their social media. for wyb, it’s his douyin. for gg it’s weibo + douyin. xzs also posted on their weibo. they didn’t even bother splitting it up like one will post in the morning and the other afternoon/evening. nope. it’s all in the same afternoon.

we were hoping for some 24 hr relay, but these gremlins are like nope. we will just post very closely to each other. for wyb it’s definitely a part of his homework completion. lol. and the fact that he is wearing something evisu related again. how many things did he do during this shoot? 😂 as for ZZ, it seems like he is trying to catch up too? ( douyin stuff are from yuguyao promotion ) nonetheless, we are happy to get stock content.

doing this made them both go on HS. i love seeing their names on HS for stuff like this. (?FYI for wyb it’s more of the “cross dressing” meaning switching clothes.)

now let’s see what else is there….

1. The same use of emojis as captions on there douyin posts as if they really have no time to think of even a word or line to use. lol. tho this kind of caption is not exclusive to them, it’s just nice to see them matching like this on the same day.

2. There are a couple of guesses on what they are “celebrating” today ; what could possibly be the reason for doing this specifically on the 19th.

(p1) it’s wyb’s 105th post on douyin. 10.5 which represents zz’s birthday, so it’s special. that’s why they both posted today. (p2) the day zz shared his japan trip. i think this doesn’t need any more explanation, japan trip cpn is notorious on this fandom. (

(p3 and p4) this one is kind of reaching but it’s one of those 2020 candies that i love and it happened around this time too. 11/18 - 11/19 it was speculated that they spent time together. for those who were here during that time, WYB shared a video (11/20) of him skating and his caption was like i wish i could go skating everyday and then the three dots. WYB loves skateboarding and i don’t doubt that he wishes he can play everyday, but the cpn-colored glasses is wondering if what he is really talking about is skateboarding. or maybe, maybe he was wishing he could spend time with GG everyday or more often. and the three dots, which in turtledom means i miss you just adds fuel to this CPN. The penguin photo was shared by XZ on 11/18 and it’s a piece that people are adding, it is making the heart gesture and could be because XZ is happy to be with WYB.

There is a CPN timeline from that period in 2020 so lemme just refresh people’s memories even if it’s totally irrelevant ( probably ) to this post. I love myself some cpn archaeology. 🔍

11/17 was luoyang opening ceremony so he was kinda busy here but they still got to spend time together. In hindsight, this is very telling, cause there was some heavy speculation that GG was present during Luoyang presscon. If he was there during the opening ceremony for the filming, he might have been introduced to select cast and crew. So it was easier for him to tag along for the press con before the official release cause he knows the people. 11/19 was the release of the wolf and WYB attended the chanel x vogue event. 11/22 GG released a douyin video and we CPN about the curtains and how it’s similar to one of Bobo’s. Again, hotel curtains are not the most reliable measure, i know, but that’s how CPNs work.

11/25, YBO posted alluding to the douban issue of downvoting works. basically manipulating data — look at YBO calling out this practice years before, they know how unreliable DB is. everyone knows. the point is, around this time, The Wolf was getting downvoted by antis.

11/29, an episode of TTXS was aired where WYB said “i can’t give up what i like”. A sentiment that is true in everything he does, from dancing to his other hobbies. No matter how hard it is and even if it seems like everything is against him, he will not give up. The same is true (probably ) with his relationships. 🤍 this episode was filmed 11/22 which was very close to when they allegedly spent time together so the feeling is there ( and there is a whole different cpn for that day too lol ).

In 2019, GG’s Bazaar promo was release where he said that he saw his love in a dream ( i don’t think this needs any explanation ) and 2021 they also posted around the same time and both are transitions.

This is all guess work, they could be posting for the simple reason of KPI or their studios scrambling to get their bosses to be visible online 😂😂😂 BUT THE POINT IS, there seems to be significant things happening during this time and always including 11/19 between them. ✨ It fits the pattern we have been seeing for years.

3. WYB’s 105th post on Douyin and GG’s 1050 post on Weibo. 🤡🤡🤡

4. The use of a light in their hands as an element to their post. For WYB it’s a transition to change clothes and for GGs it’s more of a sunshine/light.

They share the same brain cell. Lol. and BXGs are so good cause there is already an art for it.

5. I love how XZ was like i don’t wanna be doing this while filming the Douyin. goes to show what happens behind the scenes and how similar he & WYB are. in the video, XZ was asking his staff “is this viral?” and they respond with “really viral” and he proceeds to make faces like he can’t believe 🤣🤣🤣 If he only knew, the most random things go viral. and he probably didn’t want to do it cause it had the cute vibe to it.

Similar to WYB, he prefers the cool transitions and he is someone who will not be willing to do a douyin trend. Both of them would rather share things they love like photos of places or their hobbies.

The lyrics for GG’s video is:

oh no oh no i haven’t talked to my baobei

baobei, what are you doing?

muah are you there? are you asleep?

baobei, what are you doing?

why aren’t you replying?”

Going by the theme of the song, missing someone, his baobei who is not replying lol is this a shout out to WYB? 😅

Anyway, it’s being linked to WYB’s post. The whole transition with the phone light he is doing was said to be popular in 2021. There is a couple version, which means two people are doing it and the BGM used is a song i will still miss you.

Looking at the lyrics, I understand why he didn’t use it and went with the cool tune instead. It’s a bittersweet song and about missing because the couple grew apart. WYB still wants to match the missing theme but probably scrapped it cause GG’s is more on the cute type of missing someone. 🙃

6. Going back to the Japan Trip, their posts seem to echo that time. 11/19/2018.

From WYB’s use of his phone and the shot. To XZ’s most obvious posting on the same day and SAME TIME 🤯🤯🤯

THIS IS WHY JAPAN CPN WILL FOREVER BE RELEVANT!!!!!! Happy 5th anniversary i guess! 💟 Dude I can’t fuckin believe Xiao Zhan did this the fuck he is insane for this.

7. In usual turtle clowning fashion, some of em commented xz or wyb’s photo on their douyin. These might be buried now cause solos are doing the most to make sure the top posts are theirs.

-END.

Disclaimer: this is all CPN. meaning, it is interpretation/speculation from a cpf’s perspective and uses lots of symbolism and past events that are known and understood by cpn-inclined turtles. this is not the place to wash things cause again, it’s all cpn anyway. I don’t make these posts to be picked apart, it is for fun and to enjoy. Okay? Okay. If you wanna complain, do it on your own blog.

[aboardthescheherazade]

Companion concept art for my collab with @professorcalculusstanaccount (which you can see here)! They needed reference for Marlene Katz's apartment, and then I tried my hand drawing some moments from their concept - her disguise, the finale, and helping give Tintin a makeover.

Extended notes below the cut:

With her apartment, I've always envisioned Marlene living with very kitschy decor. As I said to ProfCal, she's someone who decorates based on sentimentality, rather than keeping to a uniform style, so I tried to make her apartment have little bits and pieces of furniture and decor she's picked up throughout her travels. That doll on the mantle is based on a real Cuban doll I have in my home!

The placement of the evil eye wall ornament was also deliberate. When ProfCal described what they wanted to do with the shootout gif, I thought it would be cool to put in something that's both a sentimental piece of art and symbolic of Marlene's Jewish heritage. The evil eye took the hit for her in that scene.

Story planning assistance was also fun to do, since it ties into a lot of stuff I was planning for The Shattered Emblem...after the events of The Blue Lotus, Rastapopoulos goes to jail, but gets a lighter sentence after making a few bribes. He begins to worm his way into the more criminally-inclined celebrity class, mainly to rebuild connections, especially ones who can help him bend the law better this time. He even crosses paths with Castafiore thanks to his new links to the elites, but the one thing tethering him to his "old" life pre-arrest is Marlene. She's never given up hope on him, even after he got tried for running an actual fucking mob, but Rastapopoulos has only seen her as an air-headed bimbo, a product of being rich and famous and not someone who can actively make him money, so he unceremoniously dumps her.

Marlene is shattered. She goes back to America and she starts teaching ballet to kids in the Bronx, since dance was what she first got into stage productions for. Things actually go really well, and Marlene realizes she likes her new life and being self-sustaining. However, she still misses being in films, even though she's scared to really get back into the industry in case she sees him again. But then he comes to Marlene, now sporting different, ridiculous facial hair and claiming to be a businessman from Gorgonzola, like a character in a bad screenplay. Every nerve in Marlene refuses to trust Rastapopoulos now...it's not because he looks different, but something seems to have warped inside him. This isn't her "Robbie" anymore. She breathes a sigh of relief when all the newspapers declare the Marquis drowned during a standoff in the Red Sea.

(This is a way sillier version of this scene versus the one in my drafts)

And then, leading up to The Golden Palm - Marlene begins to realize she saw a lot of suspicious faces and activities during her time at Cosmos Pictures. It was all so mundane and inconspicuous that she never brought it up, and Rastapopoulos never seemed to hide anything from her, since he assumed - again - that she was an airhead and not to worry about her noticing. But Marlene was witness to a lot of connections that the people involved would kill to keep hidden...

For people new to my blog, this is the character Marlene is adapted from! She is super minor to the plot, but back in 2020 I kept getting ideas for what this random woman's story was, and the ball kept rolling from there:

Once again, huge thanks to ProfCal for inviting me to collab with them! It was a ton of fun, and also super humbling to know how helpful my blog has been for others over the years. To think that all of this started after a few shitposts about mobsters! Tintin belongs to the fans, and I'm so glad to have been part of a fan project like this!

[sizzlingpatrolfox]

I'm posting as a screenshot because I didn't want to show the name of the account.

Jimin already lived in nineone in 2020, tho. He was renting; then in 2021 he bought the apartment and has been an owner ever since.

As for the rest, I agree with everything. I've seen idols wearing the same stuff and using the same products for almost ten years... There's nothing more boring that idol rumours based on the same items. I know idols themselves have made fun of people making up rumours from that.

I don't even feel like listing all the reasons and proof of why I don't think it's true. For me, it's enough that I've never seen them together, and that's it. I don't know even know if they've ever met each other. How am I expected to just produce theories and a relationship out of thin air.

But for the record, he's also said multiple times this year that he spends a lot of time alone at his home. Well, not only this year but years ago too. When he was filming Vibe MV he said he couldn't order food because he'd get home late and delivery wouldn't be working anymore or something like that. If he's been living with a girlfriend, why wouldn't she leave a plate of food for him lmaodjkjs or at least get his delivery food at the door, I don't know. There's been a lot from where to infere that he lives alone. There haven't even been "mixed signals" from Jimin's side or anything, it's clear he lives alone. I think that's the craziest part for me, too. That it's not a thing of "he might be dating this girl" -no, they just jumped to the part where they're living together lmao.

All the rumours (or the passion with which people insist on them) have had a very precise timing, as well.

October 2021: Taehyung and paradise girl

November 2021: Jimin dating rumour

May 2022: Some taennie photos

June 2022: Jimin dating rumour

October 2023: Photos and videos of Jungkook with a woman

October 2023: people who have talked about Jimin dating a woman now get obsessed with the idea that he's living with a her

C'mon now.

While we're on it, I also remember talking on this blog about being suspicious of Jungkook's instagram activities twice: taennie photos were leaked, and Jungkook deleted all his photos and starts being super professional. Then, his video at the gym leaked and he deletes his account altogether. I thought, and I said it back then that there was a pattern there, that he might've been afraid of something about him leaking too, and well...

[acaplaya-musings]

Voiceplay Visuals - You're A Mean One, Mr Grinch

Jumping ahead by two years now into 2020 (figured I wouldn't have much to say about Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas, sue me), to when VoicePlay released their cover of You're A Mean One, Mr Grinch. This wasn't actually released in December, but in fact the 27th of November! (eh, close enough).

You might have heard at some point in your life that the original singer of You're A Mean One Mr Grinch was also the voice of Tony The Tiger, the Frosties Cereal mascot. Well that man was Thurl Ravenscroft, a name you should be at least somewhat familiar with if you know Geoff's solo content (see my post (linked here) on Headless Horseman for a little more info). And so who better to sing lead vocals on this than the modern-day Thurl Ravenscroft himself, Geoff Castellucci? Geoff was also in charge of both the song arrangement and the video for this! Good for him! And of course this features the lovely Adriana Arellano, in her second ever VP collaboration since the Frozen 2 Medley in December 2019.

There's a strong chance I may hit image limit for this one - so much to screenshot and talk about! But let's get started and see how I go!

Let's start off by acknowledging the obvious: The VoicePlay 'Who's'! I.e. the guys plus Adriana done up like residents of Whoville, just like in the movie! (Or movies, I suppose, since there are 3 film iterations of the Grinch movie now)

I've seen/heard a range of opinions on the "Whoville Look" from reactors. Some were like "aww how cute/cool! Just like the movie!" Whereas some think it's just a bit strange (myself included, lol rip). But regardless, it's very professionally done, and shoutout to Makeup and Creative Arts (which I believe includes Rick Underwood?) for it!

Also I'll leave my thoughts on clothing for later screenshots, but I happened to be looking at their footwear here, and it's a little amusing to me that I commented on Eli wearing black sneakers with thick white soles in Mission Jingle Bells (just like in Creep and In The Air Tonight), because guess what shoes he's wearing here!

(Also is it just me or does Geoff wear boots a lot? I'm gonna have to start paying more attention to his footwear in videos, lol)

"Hey Grinch, you're a triple-decker sauerkraut and toadstool sandwich... with arsenic sauce!!"

Not a visual thing but I couldn't help but call attention to the fact that J's line here is in fact lifted almost fully verbatim from the last line of the original version, from a verse that's not included in VoicePlay's cover (though they include all the rest of it, more than the live action movie does).

Okay I probably could grab some additional amusing screenshots from this opening banter bit, but eh, there's plenty of other stuff in this video to talk about anyway.

Okay, outfit talk time!

Layne: Not sure what the deal is with the pink and black shirt is but I don't totally hate it, and the white suit jacket is nice (and becomes especially fitting later in the video). And of course I have to mention the little carrot pin on the lapel! Carrot Lord for life! 🥕

Eli: I like the jumper! (Or "sweater" if you will). I kinda want it ngl, except I'm much more of a jacket person, and I wouldn't be able to wear it in December anyway - too hot!

Adriana: Am I only just now noticing that her top thing shows her midriff? Maybe. The makeup is cute (makes the 'Whoville' makeup stuff look a bit less weird), and the knee-high boots with the jeans are a Look ngl.

J None: Aqua/turquoise jumper (or sweater) with blue jeans and black boots. What can I say? Next!

Geoff: This dude loves wearing scarves, apparently! Wore one in Baby Its Cold Outside, in the Frozen 2 Medley, and also in his cover of White Christmas, which I'll be eventually be getting to! Also a green scarf over an orange shirt? This is colourful for him! 😁 (Oh and obligatory tick for both smartwatch and wristbands!)

(Also the fact that they didn't include the Welcome Christmas bit in the MP3 track or make it its own mini track is a crime ngl)

The big green man (creature...thing...) is here! Time for the actual song to begin!

Also Geoff looks so confused here pfft

From confused to scared? You good there Geoff? 😂

"Well you were flat! And... stinky!"

We have no clue who The Grinch is, just that he was "provided by Makeup And Creative Arts", and he's a hired actor or something? Whoever he is, he did so good in this video - utterly hilarious, absolutely nailed it!

That's a bit more like it!

Also Geoff wearing something red! Another rarity! (And like most times, he looks fantastic)

I love the grin that Geoff has for most of this video, makes me so happy 💜

That cake was real, apparently - there's a credit for it in the description, says it was provided by "Quarantine Dessert Company" (so a fairly young business then, given this video was made in 2020)

Apologies for the blur shot but I wanted to point out how The Grinch taps Adriana on the shoulder, and then very quickly his hands come up from the bottom of the frame and grab the cake, so quickly in fact that there's a few frames, like this one, where both The Grinch and his hands are in the shot at the same time! How? Is it editing trickery? Nope! It's actually just one of the VoicePlay guys (can't remember who - it might've even been Kathy) wearing "Grinch gloves" to do the stealing (the benefits of me now being a VP Patron! Access to BTS knowledge!)

Eli Eyebrow Raise! It's been a while <3

Also he's definitely worn that hat in a fair few videos - Top 10 Disney Villains, Frozen 2 Medley, Rich Man/Girl, just off the top of my head (new photo compilation idea - recent-ish appearances of Eli's bucket hat turned fedora /j )

ELI! Why would you smell it?? 🤣

When Mortius reacted to this video, he made a comparison between this scene and the "Dead Dove: Do Not Eat" scene (from Arrested Development??) that became a meme, and yeah that's pretty much it! What did you expect?

Aw, shoutout to Layne <3

(Also nope not doing a screenshot for the "termites in your smile" line, I don't care that they're fake!)

Pfft, Grinch looks so happy with himself!

Also give the rubiks cube to me! I'll solve it in like 2-3 minutes! Hell, I often solve a 5x5 Rubiks Cube for fun and relaxation while watching YouTube, and I can sometimes get it solved in under 7 minutes!

"More rapid than eagles his coursers they came, and they whistled and shouted and called them by name!" "..."

This bit is of course not from the original Grinch song, but actually part of the poem A Visit From St Nicholas, aka The Night Before Christmas. Given this was Geoff's arrangement, I have to assume this was Geoff's addition (and let's be honest, it's on brand, lol)

(Also I love how Eli and Adriana are looking to the left, in the Grinch's actual direction, but J and Layne are still looking ahead, and Geoff is looking to the right 😂)

Ayyyy

"Oh, erm, *ahem*, On Max!"

(Also if I had a nickel for everytime VoicePlay did a song from an animated movie where Geoff was on lead and Layne dressed up as the movie protagonist's dog, I'd have two nickels? Which isn't a lot, but it's weird that it happened twice)

"You need a baaaathhh! Yeah!"

Oh these idiots, god I love them 😂💜

"Your heart's a dead tomato, splashed with moldy purple spots" (yes, also lyrics from the original version)

(AND if I had a nickel for everytime Voiceplay released a video in 2020 where Layne pretended to be a silly chef/waiter, complete with silly French accent, I'd again have two nickels)

If you know my posts, you should know that I love when Geoff gets to belt out a line in a video, and well, I definitely do! 😁

Yes! Sing it!

Grinchy has had ENOUGH! 😝

(Also I only just realized when planning out the post in my head earlier today that Geoff is the only onethat The Grinch doesn't really mess with (despite him being the lead singer of the song!)

Ah bless <3

"Alright get off me... Too long!... This is embarassing."

(Grinch honey I would happily swap places with you in a heartbeat! Embrace the embrace!)

Okay, I just managed to scrape in underneath the maximum image limit for a post, with no need to "economize", thank goodness! More fun posts to come! Until next time!

[chuuuvi]

Chuang Asia Thailand Episode 1!

It’s been too long since I got into a survival show lol. I mean my last one was Girls Planet 999 and that was 2 years ago! So anyway I’ll be taking you all with me on this journey by posting the notes I took while watching the episode plus my current top 9. Spoilers ahead!!

•First off before you ask where I’m watching: it’s on the Tencent Video app and it’s free. Ooh and if you’re also watching pls let me know so we can talk about it together!

•I’m happy to see Nene as a mentor! I loved her when I watched Chuang 2020

•This is produced by Jackson Wang? They’ve got TEN??? Okay Chuang Asia I’m interested.

•Looking at the contestant list and of course there are 14 year olds. Don’t vote for the 14 year olds you guys. My personal age minimum for voting is gonna be 17 so I won’t consider anyone younger than that. Contestants that are over 18 get my preference though. The idol industry is bad enough for adults, I’d prefer if we didn’t debut minors as well. I know ironic coming from someone who ults Yeseo lol. (She was the youngest active kpop idol when she debuted in Busters.)

•Also they're really going hard with this being international. This makes Mnet look pathetic for what they did in Girls Planet lol.

•Oh the flirting part with Jasmine was so akwarrrrrrd. 100% secondhand embarrassment.

•I felt bad for Elyn when she was crying and said “No Filming!” But they proceeded to just zoom in on her crying face :( TURN THE CAMERA AWAY FROM HER!

•The trip.com ads are so funny to me because these survival show ads where they pretend to use a product are usually for stuff like snacks or beverages or makeup. But they’ve got these girls pretending to casually book a flight lmao

•The barbie group having only one member thats older than 16 and then proceeding to perform Barbie World where they say stuff like “that pussy so cold” and “he spank me when I get bad” -_- Someone should have made them pick another song.

•OOOH the Avex group’s performance of Left Right was great. Maybe the best of the episode although Mindy was really impressive too.

•Ilene’s little fan moment with Jackson was adorable!

•They announced the first top 9 but I feel like we’re still missing some performances?? Is that an editing thing to get that ranking in the first episode and we ares still going to get more next episode or did they just skip some people? Like I don’t think we saw Ruan and I was waiting for her. I could have sworn there were some CSR members too and I haven’t seen them perform either. I guess we’ll see.

• I watched the theme song on YouTube and it’s so cute!! Weird that it’s all about summer when this is airing in winter though. Is it summer in Thailand?? I thought they were above the equator. Okay yeah they are so idk why they’re singing a song about it being summer. Also I got spoiled for Ruan center! Now I know they wouldn’t just skip her. There’s got to be more intro round performances next episode.

•Okay so my Top 9 picks will be based on who performed in this first episode only so I’m sure it’ll change a lot after ep. 2.

1. R-Jing - She blew me away in the extra performance. Her singing was so pretty! She’s so cute too and apparently trained at SM?? I always latch onto a girl first episode and this is my girl!

2. Akina - Maybe it’s bc of her experience in her past group but she seems really comfortable on stage. I like her vibe and she’s clearly very talented. She seems really nice and down to earth.

3. Rinka - I looked back at her gp999 performances and I can see why I didn’t remember her. She seems to have improved so much though! Her voice stood out positively and she’s got some star power I didn’t see in her old performances. I’m excited to see more of this new Rinka!

4. Lissa - I don’t know how to feel about her strange vibe but I liked her performance. Lots of energy and a nice voice. I’m very intrigued by her at this point.

5. MingMing- such a clear and pretty voice!!! Her and Pangjang together were both the vocal highlights of their team’s performance but MingMing is the only one of the two thats over my voting age limit.

6. Mamcú - Really interesting and beautiful voice. Apparently she competed on the Voice?? We’ll need to wait and see how she does with dancing but she seems really earnest about her desire to he an idol not just a singer so I’ll put my faith in her!

7. Shye - We barely got to see her performance but I was intrigued by what we saw. I don’t know if she can dance yet but I’ll find out soon enough. And lets be real, I have a lil crush on her and thats enough to get you in the top 9 at this point in the game. I mean look at her in her leather jacket!

8. Emma - Her dancing was great and she choreographs her own stuff too! I was really impressed by her dance skills both in her extra performance and the dance battle!

9. Tegan - gorgeous gorgeous deep voice! She’s so pretty too! I really liked her but I have no idea if she can dance. I feel like if she could she would have shown it since she got two performances so I’m hesitant.

Honorable Mentions:

Krista Shim - I’m not voting for Krista because she’s under the age I decided on being my voting limit but honestly I’d put money on her making it to the final group. You can just tell with these shows. It's in the way they edit it.

Mao Xiu Ling & Mao Xiu Ting - Of course we have a pair of twins! I’ve always loved this survival show gimmick. I love their look and their dance together was really cool! 

Kaylen - The other half of the Hawaiian Duo! Kaylen pulling Jackson Wang up to the stage with her was such a power move. I didn’t like her solo performance as much as her partner Tegan’s though

Praew- I liked her energy when she introduced herself and then her dancing was insane! I will not be voting for her because she’s 15. She's just a baby.

[aberooski]

Because I've been enabled once again, I've returned to my bullshit.

Once again, thank you to my favorite enabler/mutual @chazz-is-a-zelda-fan 💜

Today I present, a full and comprehensive tier list of every fanfic I've written and posted as well as a sneak at some WIP's and such 👀

Whether you've read everything or just a few of these, I'm curious to hear your thoughts and whether you agree or disagree with any of my placements of these works 🤔

Now that we've seen said list, allow me to briefly voice some thoughts on my placements 😌

Firstly, I've gone on record several times saying that I firmly believe that Favorite and Best are not mutually exclusive things. Just because something may be the "best" doesn't mean it has to be your favorite, and conversely, just because something may be your favorite thing doesn't necessarily mean you think it's the best of that thing either. But in this instance it just so happens my favorite fic, OUAD, is also the one I think is the best aksks.

OUAD is just brilliant. The combination of 4 of my favorite things: my favorite movie, my favorite Disney couple and just individually favorite prince and princess, my favorite show, and my favorite ship. A loose yet still fairly faithful adaptation of the film that brings me so much joy while also tearing my soul into shreds. And the casting? Phenomenal on my part. When I clear some stuff from my plate, I swear I'll be working on a sequel 😤

Salt In The Wound also got to sneak up into Best because in my opinion it's my best one shot. And also I just legitimately like the actual writing in it, I think it's some of my best work. Also I just needed it. I emotionally need that aftermath to Zane and Syrus's duel, I needed the comfort of them caring for Sy and catharsis from airing frustrations with Zane and the show didn't give it to me, so it's kinda a fulfillment that's on a totally different level than anything else I've done before.

Now Sons of The Stars. The fully crafted from the ground up, fully designed wardrobe, 130k fantasyish au that all stemmed from a throwaway joke in Angel's Tears. I love this one, especially the new updated version, I fixed so many things and just improved it so much from how it was originally. But I have some beef with it that keeps it from Best but still at the very top. The execution of Jaden and Jesse's romance isn't my favorite and I wrote it under a time crunch originally so you could tell towards the end I was rushing. That's been fixed a bit now but I still have a lingering disappointment with the idea that if I waited to write it originally I could've just done a better job overall with it. But as it stands I still think that fic is fantastic and it's my pride and joy.

Deviating from GX quick, my FFXV fic. What Goes In, this is just a good ass fic imo. Taking a segment from the game and answering for myself questions both the main game and Prompto's dlc raised and didn't answer, incorporating a lot of twists and turns and my own spin on what happens in that segment of the game, while incorporating actual game dialog and moments and shit too GAH it's good 😭 Also indulging in Promptis and Gladnis on the DL In the middle of all the pain and angst 🤭 biggest problem is that I haven't posted in it since March of 2020 and there's only 1 chapter left 😭 I promise I'm working on revising it right now and I'm finishing it by the end of 2023 that's my goal!

Might be controversial placement, but I put Sustained By Hate in the "Good" category......

Listen I love it. Camula coming back for revenge is an S+ idea. My problems lie with some of the execution, also me not really having the characterization of my version of Chazz's mom on lock yet. There's a lot of revisions I wanna do to that fic bro. Nothing too drastic or anything but still. There's also just so much happening in that one it feels a little messy to me now going back and re reading it. But Lexi usurping the main character role towards the end is brilliant and I actually wrote a duel which was hard as shit and I'm so proud of it and myself so extra bonus points for that! Overall, I love that fic but still as it stands I only think it's good. Perhaps a revised version would get bumped up on my list 🤔

Traffic Lights, my 5Ds one shot that's just Carly sitting in her car trapped in traffic 😂 not a lot to gripe about or say here, it's just a cute little work. I like it, I think it's good, but I feel like most of what I've written is better, it's that simple. I still really like it a lot though!

Angel's Tears, the first GX fic I ever wrote....... listen I thought this was my magnum opus for the LONGEST time..... if you've read the original version, that's embarrassing for me to say. Now the revised version I did recently? That's less embarrassing. But still this fic's only alright in my opinion. It was good at the time, I was 18 when I first wrote it and like I said, it was the 1st GX fic I ever wrote. But I've just improved so much as a writer, the newer version supports that better now akaksk and well, it's just not my best work in my opinion. I also don't really like the title anymore but it's been too long I can't change it now. But this fic was what got me started with writing these kids so I owe it a debt of gratitude for that. We wouldn't have all the rest of these works without it.

A Friend In Need, my Bastion one shot. Like the Carly one, not much to say about it. I like it, but it's just old and I need to revise it. It's cute and appropriately upsetting and a good idea to address Bastion's feelings of invisibility and inadequacy in season 2, the execution just needs to be given a face lift in my opinion.

Before I sneak at my WIPS, I'm gonna jump down to Rewriting.

Alice was an old fic I did that was basically an episode rewrite for episode 80, you know. The filler episode after they get back from Domino. With Alice... hence the title.... well if you read that story before I deleted it to rewrite it well you're entitled to compensation of some sort. It wasn’t good if you ask me. And rereading it there were a couple moments in it that made even me uncomfortable now that didn't back then. Literally I lost the plot while I was writing it like I jumped off the deep end a few chapters in and it dips so hard in quality. I'm just redoing it from like chapter 2 or 3 on, It has to be done.

Anyway now a quick roll call of my current WIPS for you babies because I like you and they're all S+ concepts 😌

We ALL know about Chazerella. My stormshipping Cinderella au riding the coattails of OUAD. I'll be starting writing that once we cross into the new year 👍

My Stormshipping + Alexis crossover with Mario.... yeah that started as a joke but isn't a joke anymore. I've posted about that so much you all know akakaka Chazz hanging out in Bowser's dungeon with Peach while Atticus and Alexis traverse the Mushroom Kingdom with Mario and Luigi to go rescue them??? Yes please!!

The GX/Fatal Frame 5: Maiden of Black Water crossover, I said that would be the next one after OUAD but well it's just gonna happen whenever it happens, that one is purely for me. I have actually started writing it and once I get a little further I think I'll be posting that one as I write it 😌 it'll take as long as it takes and y'all will have to deal with the suspense and cliffhangers while Alexis teams up with Yuri and the camera crew to find Atticus and rescue him from ghosts aksks (also I'm actually using the Japanese names for once in this one be proud of me!!)

And finally, So Take Hold of Me, And Hang On 'Till The Hurt Is Gone. You guys remember that one little snippet excerpt whatever you wanna call it with Chazz and Atty I posted I believe in like November or something? Yeah, this is that 🤭 I haven't touched it really since then but I'll make a full thing out of it mark my words! (Also the title comes from one of my favorite Yellowcard songs, "The Hurt Is Gone", that was actually the initial inspiration for that work 😊 that song, and the word "stay")

Anyways y'all, that's my tier list of my fanfiction! This was actually really fun but also really hard to make I'm so indecisive I went back and forth on a lot of these for so long akakksksksksks

But anyways hope y'all had some mindless fun with me, and I'm curious to hear any thoughts if y'all have any thoughts to share!

Keep your chins up and smile! 💜

[kylesvariouslistsandstuff]

We're about a month away from the release of WISH...

Walt Disney Animation Studios, and by extension the whole dang company built on this cartoon bedrock, celebrated their 100th year yesterday... ABC aired ENCANTO, in addition to the world premiere of the short film ONCE UPON A STUDIO (which apparently has now been chopped off of WISH and will debut elsewhere), and an edited version of the WISH trailer... Nothing pertaining to the future was unveiled...

(By the by, I don't have cable, so... I didn't get to see ONCE UPON A STUDIO. Sadface.)

You'd think, for the company's 100th anniversary... That there'd be *some* word on what was coming up next from Walt Disney Animation Studios?

Their new movie is in theaters next month, and we don't know what the November 27, 2024 release from them is...

By now, we usually know what's next... For example:

WISH was first unveiled in September 2022 at the D23 Expo, which was a little over a year before the movie's target release date.

STRANGE WORLD, by contrast, was announced a little under a year before its release. That film was revealed to the public via the trades and Disney themselves on their socials.

ENCANTO was revealed in December 2020 during the company's Investors Day event, that less than a year before it came out.

RAYA AND THE LAST DRAGON was another D23 reveal, the August 2019 one to be exact. At the time, RAYA was set to be a Thanksgiving 2020 release until COVID-19 complications pushed it to March 2021.

This, of course, does not count the rumors and scoops. Sometimes, various sites get news on Disney animated movies before Disney themselves say anything. For example, long before Disney announced RAYA in August 2019 to the public, scooper sites were revealing info like "WDAS' next movie is DRAGON EMPIRE". I sometimes heard stuff from the trenches, which was always fun. I remember little snips of what ENCANTO was going to be maybe a year or two before announcement? STRANGE WORLD is interesting because not only were scoopers saying a movie called "Searcher Clade" was coming, but the Venture - the airship the Clade family and the explorers use to reach Avalonia's insides - was Easter Egged in the ENCANTO credits. ENCANTO debuted just a few weeks before the announcement, not even...

So yeah, I thought I'd look at the patterns of their recent releases. We're definitely well beyond the days where you'd hear about things 2-3 years in advance. Remember how ZOOTOPIA, a March 2016 release, was first unveiled at the 2013 D23 Expo? Fun times.

I'm guessing we'll hear about this new WDAS movie, reportedly an original fantasy story set in the Middle East (is this Suzi Yoonessi's film?), either right before WISH comes out... Or maybe a little after. Maybe current world events pertaining to the setting would make an imminent announcement seem a little insensitive?

After this movie, all we know about on the horizon are undated FROZEN and ZOOTOPIA sequels, with next to no info on who's attached.

There's also still the Disney+ shows that are in the works. We got none this year, despite earlier reports indicating otherwise. IWAJU, MOANA: The Series, and TIANA remain without firm release dates, but are all aiming for next year. IWAJU's absence is especially unusual, it's pretty far long as far as I know. Last year's D23, again - in September, gave us an image. Maybe it's been pulled back? Retooled? Maybe because it was outsourced to Cinesite and kinda resembles a Disney Junior show... Maybe it's been dropped as a WDAS project and is now a Disney TV Animation production? It's only speculation on my end, because that show is a collaboration with upstart Nigerian house Kugali, and that would be a partnership squandered if WDAS passed on the show.

Anyways, with Pixar... We got WIN OR LOSE around the corner, and next year ELIO and INSIDE OUT 2 have firm release dates. Both of those, by the way, officially revealed at the September 2022 D23 Expo. Pixar usually rolls 'em well before release, WDAS cuts it a lot closer these days for some reason. Like, are we gonna know what the summer 2025 Pixar movie is *before* the fall 2024 WDAS movie? (I'm being facetious here, haha.)

I'll keep trying to be patient, but I'm like burning to know... What is *this* movie?

Worth noting that a while back, Disney Animation CCO Jennifer Lee stated that Suzi Yoonessi, Josie Trinidad, and Marc Smith had movies in the works. At the time, Carlos Lopez Estrada had a movie in the works as well, but then he was pulled off of it (reportedly called FOSTER) to take over RAYA... and then he left Disney altogether not too long after RAYA came out. He was also set to direct a live-action/CGI ROBIN HOOD remake for the enterprise... So that leaves Yoonessi (whose Instagram bio still says "Director - Disney Animation"), Trinidad (who recently directed episodes of ZOOTOPIA+), and Smith (who was recently revealed to have come up with the idea for FROZEN III, he's probably directing that if Chris Buck is unavailable).

So yeah... This information, along with two sequels...

I said it before, but I don't think either ZOOTOPIA 2 or FROZEN III are next year's movie. If they were, I think we'd know who is directing/writing/etc. FROZEN III, given that Marc Smith came up with the idea, might be closer to us than ZOOTOPIA 2 is. Or not. FROZEN II came out 4 years ago, ZOOTOPIA is over 7 years old, one would think ZOOTOPIA 2 comes first. They're just very mum on who is involved. I'd like to think ZOOTOPIA 2 isn't being directed by Byron Howard, who is likely pursuing another original movie after ENCANTO, but maybe not? ZOOTOPIA 2 might reincorporate the whole movies' worth of ideas that were thrown out during its development (I particularly like that more James Bond-like story set on an island that it could've been), or maybe it'll go for an all-new story and idea. I have no idea where FROZEN III could go, I'm not as invested in those movies.

While WDAS usually does one-a-year, always settling for Thanksgiving, it'd be cool if they take a year where Pixar doesn't have two new movies, and release two movies that year. If they FEASIBLY CAN, that is. We don't want CRUNCH, now... But in the scenario that they could... Pixar has two for 2024, and two for 2026... Who's to say... WDAS can't slot in, maybe, ZOOTOPIA 2 in the spring of 2025, and have an original out for Thanksgiving? Just spitballing, here. ZOOTOPIA and MOANA both came out in 2016, so why the heck not?

Anyways, hope to know more soon about what's up with the studio that's literally why this whole damn company even exists in the first place.

[davisexplainableart]

On this day, 20 years ago, Cartoon Network broadcasted the very 1st episode of Cartoon Network's Fridays.

A block that was very controversial for the fact that it depicted segments with live action hosts in-between each show.

The block was hosted by Tommy Snider and Nzinga Blake, until she decided to leave and was replaced by Tara Sands.

While I never watched Fridays when it aired, it still holds a special place in my heart. Why, you ask?

Well, that's because in September 2014, a company called Great-5 Productions (which is associated with CN (but also not actually real)) brought Fridays back in the form of live-streaming online, as well as filming the show in the cartoon world instead of the real world. This era of Fridays lasted a long time, from September 12, 2014 - February 5, 2021.

And all this month, I'll be posting different moments from throughout the block's existence (both eras). Now, there isn't a set schedule for when these will come up (with a few exceptions), because I'm too busy with college to set up a full schedule for this.

I'll go into the revival era more throughout this month, but here's what you need to know for now.

With Fridays coming back, it was decided that the show would be filmed live, but still scripted. Tommy and Tara were also brought back for the block's return. Not only that, but in the beginning, they also brought on different CN characters to be in the background.

This included me, since I was a part of "PBS Kids GO!" (the series, not the PBS block), which aired on Fridays. Eventually, I became a co-host myself. However, let's just say that I sometimes acted a bit annoying and unprofessional when I started out (especially since I was only 10 when this era of Fridays began).

Now, you're probably wondering, "Davis, why didn't you guys ask Nzinga to come on to co-host?"

...........

(No seriously, why didn't I ever decide to bring her on?)

(I don't think I ever had an explanation. I mean, sure, she did have a cameo at some point in either 2017 or 2018, but-...)

(Oh wait, sorry, back to the history)

In the beginning, the lineup was filled with either reruns of old CN shows that were strangely listed as new episodes (i.e. Foster's and Billy & Mandy) or shows that were produced by Great-5 Productions (i.e. PBS Kids GO! and Wii Sports Resort when it premiered in November (the show was adapted from the Nintendo game of the same name)).

Another thing that occurred (at least in the 1st few years) was that the block would sometimes just not be broadcasted. This would happen for a number of reasons (scheduling issues, the cast being busy with other stuff, etc.). Fortunately, this stopped by the summer of 2018.

Okay, so about the picture above. The designs I've used for Tommy and Tara are based on how they looked around the time of the "Yes!" era, including Tara with her slightly-blonde hair, and Tommy with his Black hair and sideburns. These designs would also be used for the livestreams, starting with our January 3, 2020 show.

They're certainly more detailed than my very 1st designs for them (which they had from Sep. 2014 - early 2019). Tommy's hair was just a bunch of lines pointed upwards, and Tara's wasn't much different.

One more thing, if you're wondering why the Fridays logo looks slightly off, that's because it's an AI upscaling of the logo. I couldn't find a high quality picture of the CNF logo anywhere, not even a recreation of it.

Stay tuned this month for more Fridays content!

Okay, now go away, I'm busy studying for a test.

[apple-pecan]

Smiling Friends (Season 2) (2024)

SPOILERS FOR THE ENTIRE SEASON

smiling friends blindsided everyone back in 2020 when it's pilot episode premiered basically unannounced during adult swim's annual april fool's prank. the overwhelming success of this batshit insane cartoon made up of newgrounds animators guaranteed it was greenlit, and season 1 premiered in early 2022, with the entire season airing in one night for some reason. it had a bit of everything: murder mysteries, various little characters, a frog tv star, homicidal fast food mascots, the sinister nihilistic frowning friends, and of course, gilbert gottfried as God. it took a while, what with adult swim's limited budget, but season 2 premiered much the same as it's pilot: completely unannounced on april fool's night. season 2 had some ups and a few downs, but overall i loved it and it made me thirsty for more.

the first episode of this season involved gwimbly, a washed up former video game star who thrived back in the 90's, but has fallen upon hard times now that the game industry favors microtransaction laden live service trash instead of wacky mascot platformers. it totally isnt a metaphor for microsoft and banjo kazooie what are you talking about. this episode was amazing, both because it was really funny with many many good quotes, but also because of it's scathing commentary on the game industry. the way the episode ends, where gwimbly doesn't get a new game but instead settles on being a playable character in the next super smash bros game, probably hit too close to home for banjo fans. great episode, and my favorite of the entire series so far.

episode 2 was, uh, not as good sadly. in this one, the smiling friends are tasked with helping the incumbent but horrendously inept president to win the upcoming election against mr frog (from season 1). the episode has a basic but absolutely horrifying premise: what if chris chan were president? it's a little too successful in that goal; president jimble is repulsive, with a weird preoccupation for eating lamb, with stains all over his mouth and clothes, and even shits himself during a speech. i dont like him!!! that said i do like the scene where he broadcasts himself countrywide to announce that he's giving the populace a billion dollars each, only to take it back mere seconds later once pim states that would crash the economy. riots ensue nationwide. it has it's moments like that, but otherwise this is my least favorite of the season.

thankfully the next episode is better: allan goes on a mundane adventure to get paperclips for mr boss. things get out of hand pretty suddenly. this episode is basically an excuse to flex the animation budget. the action is intense and beautifully animated, and allan finally gets some much needed screen time after being mostly absent from season 1. the ending where mr boss gives allan a reward for his adventure (a miniature statue of mr boss) and then immediately doesnt want it and tries to pawn it off to someone else in FRONT of mr boss is golden too. a great episode; what other cartoon is gonna name drop burnout revenge for the ps2?

the next episode is another halloween episode and i liked it much better than season 1's. mr boss marries a hideous demon girl, who is also the daughter of satan. this isnt good obviously. my favorite scene has to be when pim, charlie and allan are looking up how to vanquish the demon, with a reference to that creepy old youtube video with the singing girl robot. shortly after that, doug walker (the nostalgia critic) cameos as daniel the demon slayer, who slays demons so YOU dont have to. after james rolfe (the angry video game nerd) cameoed in season 1, i always hoped his film equivalent would show up too, despite how much zach hadel and his friends rag on him on oneyplays. sure enough he did and this little addition made my night. the post credits scene is hilarious too. good good stuff.

im not really sure how to feel about episode 5, "brother's egg". pim and charlie are hired to be assistants to a mad scientist by the name of professor daniel psychotic, except the episode has nothing to do with science or experiments and they just have to help daniel's relationship issues with his brother instead. the jared fogle joke was great, if horrifying, and i liked that weird barely animated construction worker goblinesque creature, but it doesn't seem like they could put all they wanted to in the episode, and the plot resolves itself with pim and charlie basically having done nothing. maybe that's the joke, but oh well. i like charlie's rant at the end though, and the post credits scene was also funny in this one. overall, it was okay.

next episode brings it all back though; pim and charlie meet a UFO spotting crew, complete with some guy named bill, a flat earth believer named fillmore, and finally duncan who does nothing but vomit. unexpectedly (or, expectedly for how crazy this show is), a UFO abducts pim, charlie and bill and they have to find a way to escape and get back to earth. well, pim and charlie do at least; bill fucking dies. the ending to this episode might be the best ending in the series thus far; it's so insane and hilarious i dont even wanna spoil it here. simply put, you have to watch this one.

the second to last episode involves mr boss and pim going to the neighboring country of spamtopia, as allan and charlie watch over mr boss's """18 year old""" son jason. spamtopia is a place of completely unhinged chaos, devoid of any logic, kinda like wackyland from looney tunes or hell even greeny phatom. do people even know what greeny phatom is? whatever. everything involving spamtopia is like a horrific fever dream and i love it, but the B plot involving charlie and allan is a bit half baked. still though, it's an amazing episode and it's one i think i'll return to a lot, much like season 1's "frowning friends".

finally, it's another christmas special, and it's a really good one. it's a send up of frosty the snowman, except instead of a magic hat that brings a snowman to life, it's a radioactive flower. rotten the snowman, played by duino d duck's canonical voice actor dana snyder, is a happy go lucky snowman who just loves being alive. that is of course until pim accidentally teaches rotten about the concept of death, in which case he does nothing but scream. by far my favorite scene is when charlie hires bill nye the science guy to teach rotten that death is just a natural part of existence via a tacky song, only to have his hot air balloon get caught in a power line 10 seconds in and electrocutes him to death, making rotten scream even louder. this feels like a scene i would write. it's funny, but also a bit touching and deep as well, as rotten comes to terms with his own mortality, before being reincarnated as the entire ocean. happy end! until rotten lets his intrusive behaviors win, eats an entire boat and eventually dooms us all. eh, shit happens. this is one of my favorite episodes this season, second only to gwimbly. it was the perfect send off and i wouldnt be surprised if the entire budget went into this one episode. what an awesome season finale.

overall this season was good. i liked it. im tired of writing this now. and you must be tired of reading it. im going to bed now bye.

NOTE: ouuu ouuu ouuuuuuuu!

[scullys]

Top 10 OTPs and characters of all time?

i don't know that i've watched enough stuff to do this lmao also what are the guidelines like do i make my list based on how obsessed with them i am at the moment, or for how long i was obsessed or how well constructed (speaking of writing) they are etc. i have no idea this kind of pressure is insane

mulder and scully. simply because they are the one constant throughtout all of the shows and ships i've been into. mulder and scully are Thee pair

buffy and spike. stupid plus stupid equals my favorite ship dynamic. also all of these will have in common the background of a comfort show because the ships i've had where i ended up hating the show they were in ended up running so behind they might not even show up on this list. they'll also have in common that i deeply love and respect (sometimes) each character individually outside of the pairing

pacey and joey. this is the exception to the affirmation i just made right above this because dawson's creek as a show in itself was never really my type (doesn't mean i can't enjoy it tho just depends on my mood) and it really did decline in the later seasons (as most shows do EXCEPT FOR BUFFY) but pacey and joey are fucking god tier to me

anastasia and dimitri. yes from the anastasia (1997) film directed by don bluth and gary goldman. this pairing is only in the fourth place because it is a movie and i haven't spent enough time obsessing over them online to feel at peace putting it above the others. but just know that i'm thinking about them. all the time

from here on out the ships are just old ones that have marked my teenage years and have been fundamental to my development as a human being ksjndfkf delena goes here. damon and elena from the vampire diaries. i don't really think about them anymore except when i remember how much i hate ian somerhalder and how weird i think nina dobrev looks now, or when my sister rewatches tvd on the living room tv. but they were my first real fictional ship i think, like where i recognized it as a Ship (i clarify the fictional part bc i was obsessed with demi lovato and joe jonas before that. i was a child alright). i made my first account on tumblr just to look at them and talk about them, i also learned to make gifs for them. so i don't know what my teen years would've looked like if i hadn't gotten into this pairing. it's really weird to think about. also fuck julie plec

stiles and lydia. the euphoria of watching the seasons where they started getting together as it was airing is permanently etched into my brain and skin. as is the hatred i felt for the writers over their obvious indesicion when it came to PICKING A SIDE my goodness

i run out of real otps now time for the really honorable mentions of my favorite sitcom ships which are jeff and annie, nick and jess, jim and pam

also some other ships i've really screamed into my pillow about at one point or another like FLEABAG AND THE PRIEST!!!!, like magnus and alec from shadowhunters, kate and anthony from bridgerton, scott and mike from my own private idaho, elizabeth and darcy from pride and prejudice (2005), emma and knightley from emma (2020), madeleine and the abbe from quills (2000), catherine and heathcliff in almost any rendition except the 1992 film because there's something about the fiennes brothers that makes me want to punch them in the face

i can't make a list of characters though there's too many for too many reasons i can't handle that i already took this ask way too seriously bye bye BYE

[loveinterestcastiel]

Long post ahead, sorry, but I can’t be the only one who remembers this stuff, right?? i.e. the funko scenes from Atomic Monsters (15x04, Davy Perez wrote, Jensen directed)??

The first one came to pass on screen in the finale, when Sam and Dean discuss the mime-vampire case under the big tree.

The second came to fruition only partially. Upon Dean’s arrival at the Heaven Roadhouse, Bobby tells him only that “Cas helped”. However, the funko pops in 15x04 imply that Cas was supposed to be there. Not Bobby. So what happened?

Some seriously fucked up and suspicious shit is what happened. Take a look:

The water tower on Becky’s desk, also in 15x04, was a hint about a filming location for the finale, that we know they made it to and filmed at because of the SPN tapeball Instagram account. On August 29 2020, the tapeball account posted a picture of the real water tower and the tapeball with the caption “About to drown....in tears”.

Now this... this location, and the scenes shot there, never made it to air. We also know that there are 11 shots missing from episode 20 (if someone could dig out the chart plotting out what scenes fit where, I’d love to insert that here)

So here’s the thing about the SPN tapeball! It’s consistently colour-coded. Jensen is blue, Jared is red, and Misha is green. On the outside of the tapeball (therefore, the scenes most recently shot) we see red, blue, and a metric-ton of green on the left.

So where was Misha?? What happened to Cas?

Fuckery, my friends. He was there. (There’s a screenshot someone took of the view from his window when he was quarantined in Vancouver, don’t ask me how the fandom figured that one out bc it’s complicated but just go with it, Michael Sheen confirmed it during the SuperGood video thing, etc. there’s more but I don’t have time for that rn. Feel free to add on to the post if you have the receipts/pictures)

If I had to guess, even though I hate to do that, I’d say Misha shot his scenes, which were presumably set in Heaven, but they were cut, and he only found out as the show aired. Unfortunately, this sort of thing is not uncommon in the entertainment industry. What really stings is that he sat his kids down to watch the finale with him after never letting them watch the show before, only to see the absolutely frankensteined/chopped up/weak/VValker promoting nightmare of an ending that aired. Talk about a slap in the face (or being stabbed in the back...)

And so it goes- no closure. No resolution. And then the fandom divided itself (cult accusations, toxic discourse, etc. ensued from people I shall not name directed at people I shall not name). And now, non-polol and non-polol-adjacent people are starting to loudly question Why The Hell this was able to slide under the majority of the fandom’s noses in the first place after shaming the people who’ve tried to address it from the beginning, but I don’t really care about how we got here. (Full disclosure, I’m only polol-adjacent. Not in the server but I follow many of the people who are, and when I tell you that they’ve publically been addressing this stuff for ages now I mean it. They never really hid anything if you knew where to look, but some people hate inside jokes between friends, apparently. Not my business) All this crap happened for one reason: because network PR is a machine. It’s intentional, it’s calculated, and it doesn’t give a flying fuck about feelings, representation, or ethics. It’s a gaslighting, money-making game that’s up for anything; queerbaiting is only the tip of the iceberg of rampant industry-wide sexism, racism, homophobia, and ableism. But it FREQUENTLY fucks up. And they did with regards to SPN, many, many times. Like the C/W Philly account. Oopsies!

Now that we’re all finally on the same page, let’s not let this go. I know other people have had these ideas before me, but I needed to get all this written out in one place.

It’s not a conspiracy. It never was. It happened right in front of our eyes. And this is nowhere NEAR all of it.

[theartificialdane]

//

“How many dicks did you get?”

“None! And that ain’t a spoiler. I already got my dick, it’s waiting for me at home.” Vanjie grins. “Unless I get too blasted while we up in here.”

///

“Oh but you know they taking those taxes out. I learned that the hard way.”

“Because you won something?”

“No, but my husband found out my ass didn’t know how taxes work. That was a shit show day. He got so disappointed in me he made a powerpoint and everything while explaining. Don’t recommend the course, but the teacher’s real hot!”

///

“If y’all wanted me to come in full gear, I need financial compensation, learned that from Mama Ru. I love feeling cute and serving stunt, but gettin’ in drag takes time, and there ain’t no way I’m sitting down for an entire day of interviews with my dick crying for help. I didn’t even do that for the season 11 reunion.”

///

“What I got in this bag? Everything from the mini bar, this production put me in a nice hotel. You want some tiny vodka? I got plenty.”

///

“I don’t do nothing to anything but my face. The ass you seeing is home grown. I get the squads in, eating the good food, dancing on stage, going along on hikes. It all adds up!

///

“I think marriages one of the reasons Angelina and I get along so good. As far as I know, we were the only two people in the house with somebody at home, and bitch, I’m loyal as fuck.”

“And we recognised that in each other.”

“Fuck yeah. Wasn’t no way I was gonna be flirting with nobody, so we just lit up and got our dranks on to have a good time!”

///

“We was gone for three and a half week, and we were filming everyday. I ain’t saying drag race is easy, but you get time off when you do that. Here, we barely even had time to call home. I should’ve read the contract for real for real, cause I didn’t realise we would be going outside the United States till my manager asked if I knew where my passport was. Normally when me or Brock films stuff, we either in L.A or Canada, but with Marocco, the time difference was fully fucked up.”

///

“I bet the catering was fine for everybody else, but I’m picky as shit. I don’t like none of my food touching, I ain’t eating something if it’s hot when it’s ‘posed to be cold or the other way ‘round, the veggies needa be fresh, not frozen or from a can. I ain’t touching soup either, the only kinda liquid I fuck with, is if it’s alcohol og redbull.”

///

“I quit a few times. I try, but I don’t get the kinda motivation you need to not be a lil bitch when I don’t like what’s going on. If I’d been on this show in like, 2020 or 2019, I probably would’ve quit, cause back then, I didn’t have any of the discipline I do now. Angelina had’a talk me down a few times too.”

“And you also didn’t want to have to tell your husband that you quit a TV commitment.”

“That too! And if we honest, it’s the real reason I stayed on.”

///

“So, Vanjie, we know you’re on air right now, but do you have any other TV things lining up?”

“I do, or, it ain’t for me, but a production company reached out, wanting to do a documentary on Brooke Lynn.”

“Here we go again.”

“And that’s your husbands drag name.”

“Mmh! He’s one of the most decorated drag queens ever. Miss Continental, Drag Race winner, Miss Gay America, he was even an entertainer of the year runner up! And that’s besides the prices he’s got for hosting Canadas Drag Race!”

“The two of you met on the show right?”

“The American franchise! Season 11 baby. We the first ever onscreen romance, and we’re still going strong, so if anybody ever say you can’t find love in a hopeless place, they wrong.”

[mgsapphire]

My K-drama recommendation master list Part 2

You can find part 1 here

Look, you gave us relatively new recommendations, what about ones older than 10 years? I'll give you my top 5

Princess Hours (2006) Is a modern Cinderella story. It's 24 episodes long. Available on Viki.

Personal Taste (2010) Honestly, problematic plot if you put your mind into it, but entertaining nonetheless. It's 16 episodes long, each one lasting a little over an hour, available on Viki.

Cinderella's Sister (2010) You hate every character, but there's still something that makes you watch it. Available on Viki.

Thank You (2007) was ahead of its time, it's about a single mother with a daughter who has an HIV+ diagnosis. 16 episodes long, each one lasting a little over an hour. Available on Viki.

Stairway to Heaven (2003) for a good melodrama.

What about romantic fantasies involving fantastic beings?

Guardian: The lonely and Great God(2016) A classic of the genre. It tells the story of a God who was once a man, and is being punished by immortality, unless he meets his bride, who just so happens to be a high schooler centuries later. Available on viki. 16 episodes long with 3 specials, all lasting about 75 minutes.

Hotel Del Luna (2019) it would be unfair to talk about Goblin, without talking about this other masterpiece about a being cursed into immortality and granted special availabilities along with it, but a curse is still a curse, and she must run a hotel meant for ghosts, where after centuries of being, meets a young man who is alive. Availability on Viki, 16 episodes long and each one lastz about 75 minutes.

Tale of the Nine Tailed (2020) You get to see Lee Dong Wook as another mystical being, and Kim Bum is his half brother. 16 episodes long and one special, each one lasting about 65 minutes. Available on Viki.

My roommate is a Gumiho (2021) what's up with gumihos? It's still airing. The title is self explanatory. Available on Viki and Qiyi.

Angel's last mission: Love (2019) is a cute and sad story about an angel who is about to ascend and a ballerina who has a cynical view of the world. Available on Viki. Each episode averages 30 minutes, with 32 episodes.

Doom at your service (2021) About to finish airing. It tells the story of a dying woman who wishes doom upon the world, and the doom who answers her plea. Available on viki, 16 episodes long, each one lasting about an hour.

The Scholar Who walks the night (2015) another Lee Joon Gi entry, but I swear all of his works are great, it's a period drama that tells the story of a scholar who is a vampire and the young bookseller he meets. It's 20 episodes long, each one lasting about an hour. Available on viki. Also, if you've liked Lee Soo Hyuk in Doom at Your Service, I advise you check this one out.

Tale of Arang (2012) two Lee Joon Gi entries in a row? Girl, you have to stop. Anyways, this one is another period piece of a magistrate who can see ghosts and the ghost of a young woman who doesn't remember her life, nor the cause of her death. Available on viki, it's 20 episodes long, each one lasting a little over an hour.

Look, those are fine or whatever, but I started as a K-pop fan, where can I see some idol dramas? Don't worry, I came prepared

Full House (2004) with Rain as the main character is the og idol drama in my opinion. Available on Viki. 16 episodes long, each one lasting about 73 minutes.

Imitation (2021) is currently airing, and it's literally an idol drama about idols. You can find a looot of idols too: Jeong Yun Ho and Park Seong Hwa from Ateez, Chani and Hwi Young from SF9, Park Ji Yeon from T-ara, Lim Na Young from I.O.I and Pristin, and although Jeong Ji So is not an idol, she is the main lead, and I absolutely love her, she's also in Doom at your service. Available on Viki.

Miss Panda and Mr. Hedgehog (2012) features Donghae from Super Junior, and if I'm going to recommend a Super Junior drama, I would rather recommend one featuring him over Siwon.

At a Distance the Spring is Green (2021) is currently airing too, and only has four released episodes, but I've liked it so far. Featuring Park Ji Hoon, and Kwon Dun Bin. Also, I have a lot of opinions about this show. Available on Viki.

I was going to put an IU drama but, all her dramas are good, so go and watch them all, the woman has range.

Dream High (2011) is the king of idol dramas, in my opinion. It talksa about a high school for people who want to be idols. Another one with a long line up of idols, so let me start: Suzy, IU, Taecyeon, Nichkhun and Wooyoung from 2PM, Ham Eun Jung from T-ara. Leeteuk (SuJu and Chansung (2PM) make cameos. Similarly to Imitation, Kim Soo Hyun is not an idol, but he's the main lead. It's 16 episodes long, each one lasting about 65 minutes. Available on Viki.

Wow, quite a few, but they all seem rather popular, do you have some underrated gems? I'm going to have to go down memory lane, but I do

The Queen's Classroom (2013) This one feels like a fever dream, because I'm aware it exists, I watched it back when it first aired, but I can't find it anywhere now. It's based on a Japanese drama of the same name. It's about a strict but warm hearted teacher and her students' lives and struggles. 16 episodes long. DM me if you find anywhere to watch it.

1% of Something (2016) is a really cute drama, the chemistry is off the charts, and if you're looking for skinship, this one is the one for you, underrated arranged marriage kdrama, I'm telling you. It's 16 episodes long, averaging 45 minutes, and it's on Viki.

I'm not a Robot (2017) has a really cute plot, not underrated per se, but not hyped enough. It's 32 episodes long, each one averaging 30 minutes. Available on Viki.

Do you like Brahms? (2020) is a music themed kdrama, really cute and wholesome. If you like 2setviolin and watched their critique on their YouTube channel, let me tell you, the cast actually knows how to play violin and stuff, and there's an actual child prodigy in there. It got so much hate bc of that one yt video. It's 16 episode long, each one lasting about an hour. Available on Viki.

Solomon's Perjury (2016) a good reflection on youth and the pressure society has. 12 episodes long, lasting about 63 minutes each. Available on Viki.

The Greatest Love (2011) is a super entertaining TV show, and just supper funny and cute. 16 episodes long, each one lasting around 65 minutes. Available on Viki.

Two Cops (2017) if you like Kim Seon Ho, I think this was his TV acting debut. It's a hilarious action comedy TV show. 32 episodes long, lasting around 30 minutes. Available on viki.

Do you have any recommendations where time traveling or time is central to the story?

Alice (2020) look, I can't give you a full explanation because it's too mind bending. Let's leave it at detective meets his mother. Available on Viki.

Signal (2016) The premise is similar to that of the movie Frequency (2000) in which there's communication between the past and the present via technology. The plot is based on the real Hwaseong serial murders. Really interesting. Available on Netflix. If you like the premise of communicating with the past via technology Call (2020) is a Korean thriller movie available on Netflix.

Chicago Typewriter (2017) this one is about reincarnation but we get to see both timelines. Available on Netflix.

Tomorrow with you (2017) Time-traveling but make it ✨depressing ✨. The story of a man who time travels, and how that ability messes with his marriage. Available on Netflix.

What about historical dramas? I don't really watch those, but here are some I liked

The Moon Embracing the Sun (2012) is one of the few I've finished. It's really good, it follows the love story of a king. Available on viki. 20 episodes long, each one lasting about an hour.

Gunman in Joseon (2014) Am I recommending you this one because of Lee Joon Gi? Maybe. It has 22 episodes, each one lasting about an hour. Available on Viki.

The Crowned Clown (2019) a story of the Prince and the Pauper if I must give you a description that is relatable, but if you know the book titled Skogland, it's closer to that. It's 16 episodes long, each one lasting about 80 minutes. Available on Viki.

I'm a little ashamed to say this, but do you have any BL? I do, I do

To My Star (2021) is a story about an actor and a chef, and how they learn to cohabit after the actor is forced into hiding. You can watch either the movie version or the drama version, both available on viki.

Color Rush (2020) is a modern romance fantasy about people called Monos who can't see any color unless they meet their Probes, however this may turn dangerous as the Monos may experience obsessive behavior, so what happens when a young high schooler meets his probe?. You can either watch it on its drama or movie version. Both available on viki. By the way, if you're a long time deobi and was wandering what happened to Hwall, he's one of the main leads.

You Make Me Dance (2021) follows the story of a university dancer who is in debt and his debt collector. Available on viki in both versions. The movie is 107 minutes long.

Just Friends (2009) is a short film, but ahead of its time, if you can't tell by the year it was released on. It's a cute story about a man who visits his boyfriend in the military. I found it in dramacool.

That's all from me, if you have any specific genre or them you felt I didn't add in, do feel free to tell me.

[theloneliestshipper]

Why Was The Book of Boba Fett Like That: A Theory

Now that The Book of Boba Fett is over, who’s up for a little recreational conspiracy mongering? Please be advised that everything below is pure speculation on my part and will contain lots and lots of spoilers.

With that disclaimer out of the way let’s make some bullet points!

Seven episodes is sort of an odd number of episodes for a series, no? I’m just saying, both seasons of Mando had 8.

Robert Rodriguez was announced as the director, but if you’ve been keeping track, he only directed episodes 1, 3 & 7.

There was confusion right off the bat about whether TBOBF would be its own series or Mando Season 3. Jon Favreau insisted that it was a separate series with its own story.

A few weeks before the show premiered a leaked summary began circulating online that correctly predicted many of the cameos, but only ones that were part of the Mos Espa storyline.

The leak also claimed that Rex and Echo would appear in episode 5. The episode 5 that aired felt like it was yoinked directly from Mando Season 3.

In January Temuera Morrison casually mentioned in an interview that it would be “fresh and exciting” to play some of the other clones.

The leaked summary named Qi’ra and Crimson Dawn as the primary antagonists, which fit in with the summer comic series War of the Bounty Hunters.

Does anyone know what Emilia Clarke was doing between November 2020 and June 2021?

The first three episodes played a game of hot potato with the Big Bad. The Twins and the Mayor of Mos Espa took up a lot of screen time to play minor roles or no role in the final conflict.

With a few exceptions, all of the dialogue where the Pyke Syndicate is built up as the Big Bads are a)spoken by characters from the Mandoverse (Peli, Cobb), b)said by non-human characters (easily redubbed), c)said by holograms (cyborg dude) or d)said by Fennec while she’s facing away or off-camera.

One major exception to this is the dinner scene with the other crime bosses.

The same dinner scene also sets up a reason for non-Pyke characters to attack Boba and his allies, possibly allowing them to reuse footage from a much broader conflict.

It seems odd that Boba and Din don’t speak to one another in Episode 6 when Din arrives at the palace. But maybe Din wasn’t originally in that scene.

Disney Plus episodes can be as long or as short as they want, so why did we spend so little time in the Mos Espa storyline in episodes 1-4 and so much time on overlong shots of people walking?

Maybe it was COVID.

Maybe it was “creative differences.”

Maybe the plot interfered with another spin-off show.

Maybe it just wasn’t very good.

But maybe, for whatever reason, they ended up scrapping half of the story for TBOBF.

They then shortened the Mos Espa storyline to just be about a single conflict with the Pykes.

And because they needed more episodes, they had to pull in a bunch of stuff that had already been filmed for Mando Season 3 and add in Peli and Cobb.

Interestingly enough, Ming-Na Wen initially thought she was filming Mando Season 3 with Robert Rodriguez, even though in TBOBF, she shares very few scenes with Din.

Is it possible that I’m wrong and all of this was planned from the start? Absolutely.

But take a moment and recall all of the stuff that came out after The Rise of Skywalker about the constant rewrites, the voiceovers recorded in closets and the fact that John Boyega thought he had starred in a completely different movie.

Also it’s just more fun this way. Pull up a chair. Grab a tinfoil hat.

[thosch3i]

Hi hi! So the lost tombs and chronology all super confuse me. So tlt2 ended on a cliffhanger that was not resolved by tlt3 which is ultimate note, but now there is another tlt3 that I am guessing is made by the same studio as tlt2 (but not UN) that actually follows tlt2? And it has the same WPZ as tlt2 (but sadly different WX, ZQL though I’m sure these guys are great). You seem to know what you’re talking about so I’m hoping you can help!

UN also ended on a cliff hanger so I’m wondering if they’ll get a sequel from their studio that comes before tomb of the sea.

ahhh hello anon! yes ahaha the dmbj dramas are certainly very confusing--because they keep switching the screenwriters/entire production team between dramas. huanrui did tlt1 (2015), tlt2 (2019), and the sequel to tlt2 (2021). they're also technically the production company for un (2020), but linghe did like all the directing/casting/writing so its significantly different in tone and quality from the other dramas huanrui produced. npss (dmbj author) did sha hai (2018) and tltr (2020), with sha hai being in collab with linghe, so you can see lots of parallels with un and shared cast. (gonna add that i dont know much about the m9 because that’s not what im personally interested in, so i’m only going by stories with wu xie & the iron triangle.)

unfortunately, the dramas pretty have no continuity as a result of all the weird shit and multiple studios doing different dramas and messy stuff going on behind the scenes. the author's production company currently has all the rights back for filming future dramas, which is......imo, a good thing for book fans who love the author but a 😬 thing for book fans who like the original story more than what the author is now doing with it. I'll uh avoid saying too much opinion stuff though so no more on that 😅

that aside! yes 云顶天宫 “explore with the note” part 2......is the direct sequel to tlt2 and done by the same studio. unfortunately the writers are different and im not sure how much of the production team is the same either. idk how much you know about the novels so brief summary here--for the chinese version, the main story has 9 parts split among 8 books (though the official eng tls have each part being a different book) with some important content being as follows:

official eng title “cavern of blood zombies” (first time wx goes into a tomb, first t3j meeting)

official eng title “angry sea, hidden sands” (xisha seabed tomb, introduce a-ning)

official eng title “bronze tree of death” (bronze tree in qinling, wx & lao yang solo adventure)

official eng title “palace of doom” (heavenly palace on the clouds, introduce bronze gate)

official eng title “deadly desert winds” (golmud, introduce hei xiazi, desert, rainforest, tamutuo)

official eng title “graveyard of a queen” (the rest of that arc, wu sanxing & xie lianhuan reveal, jade meteorite, amnesiac xiaoge and escape, sanshu vanishes for good--also i think the official eng tl covers a couple chapters of the beginning of the next part too)

阴山古楼 (searching for xiaoge’s memories in banai, miluotuo cave, i think introduction of wu erbai)

邛笼石影 (auction/hotel iron triangle fight, introduce xiao hua & xiuxiu, wx & xh on the mountains alone while pz & xg go with granny huo)

finale (rescue from zhang family mansion, changbai mountain goodbye, 10 years promise)

after the main story are the main sequels:

zang hai hua (tibetan sea flower; unfinished & abandoned) covers wu xie a few years after xiaoge has entered the gate, searching to understand xiaoge’s past

sha hai (tomb of the sea; unfinished & abandoned) covers wu xie’s plan to wipe out the wang family, after zhh

chongqi (reunion: the sound of the providence) covers wu xie’s lung disease and how he recovers from that, set after they pick up xiaoge again from the bronze gate. thunder city and everything.

灯海寻尸&万山极夜 (still updating on wechat) don’t worry about this one since it’s still a WIP lol

btw between sha hai and chongqi there’s also ten years later (a short story) that covers how wu xie and pangzi pick up xiaoge from the bronze gate and take him home

the dramas Do Not Connect To Each Other At All, which the exception of tlt2 & tlt2 pt2 somewhat, but they go in this order:

盗墓笔记 / the lost tomb 1 (2015): covers part 1 but with major OCs and filler, and includes the auction scene from part 8 for some reason, so introduces xiao hua early.

怒海潜沙&秦岭神树 / the lost tomb 2 (2019) technically “explore with the note”: covers parts 2 & 3 but with major OCs and filler, introduces xiao hua & xiuxiu (and hei xiazi briefly) early. last couple episodes also cover the beginning of part 4. not a direct sequel to tlt1 despite being done by the same studio.

云顶天宫 / heavenly palace on the clouds (2021) technically also “explore with the note”: covers part 4 with major OCs and filler (and the same changes carrying over from tlt2). some episodes are identical to the last couple episodes of tlt2. works as a direct sequel only if you ignore the last couple episodes of tlt2 that take place in the snowy mountains. (those episodes of tlt2 were filmed after this drama was filmed, and im still not sure why they dragged the wu xie and xiaoge from tlt2 back to changbai mountain to film those episodes.)

终极笔记 / ultimate note (2020): covers parts 5-8 with minor OCs and minimal filler, also introduces xiao hua & xiuxiu early. the only adaptation that resembles its source material most of the time.

沙海 / tomb of the sea (2018): covers the second sequel with major OCs and filler. includes some bits from zhh and the short story “three days of silence”.

重启之极海听雷 / the lost tomb reboot (2020): covers third sequel with major OCs and filler.

in addition there is the prequel series mystic nine (2016) and side movies for the dramas that the author produced. there is also a single standalone movie--time raiders (2016) that is....well it’s. very strange. it’s fully subbed on youtube if you’re interested?

the best way to watch the dramas is to assume each one is its own self-contained AU set along different points of the dmbj timeline because even the dramas the author himself worked on don’t have continuity LOL (and with the exception of ultimate note & sha hai most of the time, also assume most characters are pretty OOC from the novels).

i uh regret to inform you though, that ultimate note will not be getting a sequel unless the author magically decides to not care about making money anymore and sells the rights to film the finale to linghe or something ^^;;;; it’s....unfortunate bc un is the most highly-rated dmbj adaptation on douban by A Lot, but it’s an adaptation that the author had literally nothing to do with whatsoever.

more information on some of the side movies/stage plays/manhua/donghua here.

summaries of the main novel stories (currently through zhh) here.

edited mtl (some of which has apparently been looked over by native cn speakers) of the novels following where official eng tls end here. (there are many scattered extras as well.)

you can get the official eng tl books/ebooks on amazon or elsewhere(?), but if you have problems purchasing them or like you just dont wanna support amazon or something, dm me off anon. (also i dont want to be mean but frankly the official tls are kinda bad too ^^;;;)

a rough timeline (spoilers galore) for the dmbj novels here. (fair warning im not 100% sure how accurate all of this is--they put three days of silence as 1991 but looking at the info in zhh, it seems like it should have been before the 1950s...but it’s more than fine as a general overview.)

anyway i hope that was helpful in some way? dmbj is a Very Confusing thing to get into ahahaha, one of my twitter mutuals has made a few carrds if you think they might be helpful: book, dramas (slightly out of date bc it says heavenly palace hasn’t aired yet), ultimate note (got its own carrd by virtue of being the only adaptation aside from sha hai sometimes that most og book fans acknowledge lol ^^;;;)

also anon if anything wasn’t clear or if you had more questions feel free to ask again sorry ahahaha im kinda tired rn @.@