#bts overall ships

[asgardian--angels]

BTS from Samba's baking class

Samba talked about a lot of cut scenes from ofmd s2 during his baking class today!!

First and foremost, the original concept for Calypso's birthday was for it to be Lucius and Pete's wedding crashed by Ned Low. Roach and Wee John were going to play matchmaker to get Ed and Stede to hook up because there was too much sexual tension on the ship. Ed and Stede WERE going to dance. Roach is a huge Ned Low fan and there's a cut scene where he says this to Ned and in return Ned gives him a little extra torture as a reward. Con was originally going to sing 'At Last' by Etta James

The thumb war was improvised, as well as Con's 'rude' in ep5, and the sandwich throw that hit Lucius was planned between Samba, Rhys, and Taika but no one else knew so that's why you can see Nate laughing in the background

There was a cut scene (or multiple) where Buttons kept trying to go feral and escape to the sea in ep1, this is why he has a rope tied around his waist

There was also a scene in ep 1 where they are first looking at their money jar and everyone pitches in what they were able to scrounge up or steal, and they imagine what their 'dream ship' would be like - Pete dreams of a ship where Lucius is alive, Roach dreams of a ship with a big kitchen

There was a cut scene that confirmed the polycule, with Olu, Archie, and Jim all coming out of the bedroom together wearing just boxers

The post-credit scene with Roach and Fang was going to be longer, and end with them drinking wine at Spanish Jackie's prior to the bar fight

Overall, a lot of Jim & Olu scenes were cut, and Ed & Stede material from ep 6 was shifted around and put in eps 7/8.

If I missed anything please add on to this!

[tevanbegins]

The only people thinking that Bucktommy's storyline is ruining the show are the B*ddie fanatics and the homophobic fans who are disappointed that Buck came out as queer. However, the rest of the viewers don't think that way at all. Even if you put aside the BT fandom, the general audiences still enjoy the show. The improved viewership ratings reflect that.

BoBs don't want Buck to end up with the first ever man he has dated (this only bc said man isn't Eddie); they believe he needs to 'explore' his bisexuality more. The GA, on the other hand, is happy to see that Buck is finally settling into a stable, healthy relationship with a caring partner who respects him and reciprocates his feelings equally. Apart from many queer fans who are celebrating this crucial LGBTQ+ representation, most of the GA probably doesn't even care that Buck is with a man and the queerness of it all. They just like seeing a beloved character finally finding true love, after seasons of stumbling through a series of failed relationships.

Buck and Tommy's love story not only sustained the existing viewership, but boosted it further by drawing in plenty more new viewers to the show. This is apparent through the impressive ratings, and the fact that the show's renewal for season 8 was confirmed not long after 'Buck, Bothered and Bewildered' aired.

Another thing that BoBs don't realise is that the GA also comprises casual watchers and people who might not care about Buck or Eddie at all. The show has an Oscar & Emmy-winning actress among its main cast - Angela Bassett. It also has another beloved veteran actor like Peter Krause. There are people who are watching this show for them. There are people who may be far more invested in Bobby-Athena, Maddie-Chimney, or the Hen-Karen storylines than whatever the hell's going on with Buck or Eddie. Or there may be audiences who appreciate the platonic friendship between Buck-Eddie the same way they like Hen-Chimney or Hen-Athena with zero expectation of it turning romantic.

The only reason why it seems that B*ddie is the most popular thing about 9-1-1 is that their fandom is a loud and hyperactive majority across social media. Other fandom stans and GA/casual viewers may not be as dominant on socials, but they exist in a lot higher numbers than BoBs can ever imagine. BoBs overestimate their clout.

Bucktommies obviously love Tommy Kinard with their whole hearts, adore how good he is with Buck, and so would love for them to be endgame. But BoBs don't realise that even the audiences that are not hugely invested in Tevan as us BTs, are not losing sleep over the fact that Buck is with Tommy and not Eddie. They watch the show for other characters and storylines and all the drama and action. Buck's love life doesn't hamper their enjoyment of the show; they may be neutral to it. Even if not all of them maybe loving Tommy, doesn't mean they hate him either.

Again, the reason why Buck or Eddie's past relationships with their female LIs weren't popular even among the GA the way Madney, Henren, or Bathena are, is not because they wanted Buck and Eddie to end up together. I believe it's because those romantic storylines were half-baked or poorly-written, not making the casual viewer care enough. If Buck ever had a female LI with as much potential as Tommy, or if Eddie could treat a partner decently, those hypothetical ships could become popular too. People enjoy Bucktommy because of how beautiful their love story is overall, not simply because it's a 'queer' love story. Their storyline has the potential to be long-term, and Tommy being well-integrated with the rest of the characters solidifies the possibility of him and Buck going a long way.

What excuse would the BoBs who want Buck to experiment have had if Buck hadn't come out last season and Tommy were a woman? What if that storyline would still show a positive romantic development for Buck where the new female LI put in an equal amount of effort into the relationship, like Tommy has? Yes, a lot of the initial hype around Bucktommy was because it's a queer love story, but even if you replaced Tommy with a female character and made her care about Buck the same way that Tommy does, or have Buck be as smitten with her as he is with Tommy, many audiences would still dig that.

The same-sex aspect of it is just icing on the cake; the cake would still have been delicious if baked well (but the icing is significant for queer fans who crave good representation on TV.) But integrating Buck's bisexuality arc into a thriving relationship with a pre-established character is a welcome development for queer fans and GA alike. The viewership stats prove that Bucktommy is definitely not damaging the show, but contributing to making it more successful if anything.

So the BoBs need to know that all their constant whining, cyberbullying and Tommy/LFJR slander is not going to scare ABC or the showrunner & writing staff into giving them what they want. B*ddie fanatics are too tiny a portion of this gigantic equation (that exists far beyond the confines of social media), and losing them is not going to affect the network or the people making the show.

Even in the unfortunate scenario that Bucktommy doesn't last, most of the GA/casual viewers will still not stop watching the show. We BTs will be heartbroken and cry for a few weeks and then move on, because the show's writers can do what they want and owe us nothing. But we're not going to spend years bullying and threatening them for not making our ship endgame. That's the power of GA and the show will continue for as long as it has the ratings and network support to back it up, regardless of who Buck ends up with.

And for now, the GA is enjoying Buck with Tommy, so luckily things aren't looking too shabby for the BT fandom and the storyline should stay its course unless the writers decide otherwise, which they don't really have a reason to given the largely positive response reflected through the ratings. Even though we can't predict what happens in the future, we'll cherish every small or big Bucktommy win that comes our way until then! BoBs can keep screaming into the void as usual, but things wouldn't change because they think they can make it happen. That's all.

___

[notfirehose]

Buddie who is going to be canon !!

I’ve seen a lot of people say that the show is queerbaiting us, and while I agree they are absolutely using buddie as a marketing tool, I can’t call it queerbaiting. Because the show isn’t over yet. And despite them playing us for fools again and again, I truly believe Buck and Eddie are going canon. They may not have given us the hint we deserved in the finale, but I think this is gonna end up as a long (at times frustrating) slowburn. I can’t call it queerbait because I know this is where the show is going, and I know they will get together eventually.

How am I so confident? Well, I think the biggest tells for me are the lack of barriers, alternatives, and ambiguity. 

If we’re talking technicals, there is nothing stopping buddie network wise. With the move to ABC, Buck was confirmed bisexual within four episodes, which Tim Minear said was blocked by FOX. If the writers’ room decided to put them together, there would be nothing to censor them. I mean, ABC let him kill Bobby. They have plenty of creative freedom. And, in my mind, by making Buck a boykisser they’ve already risked their homophobic viewers leaving the show. They have nothing to lose.

They’ve also written themselves into a corner. This is season eight. Every other main character was coupled up by the second season. And yet, two main characters are single. They have no viable love interests. You would think that the writers would at least try to come up with an endgame for them. But they don’t! They could have done their due diligence to make Tommy the perfect end partner for Buck, but they didn’t. They kept him to the corner of the show and didn’t give their relationship screentime to develop. The show broke them up and never let the relationship grow. Why? Why wouldn’t they? If buddie was never gonna happen, why not invest so that Buck could finally be coupled up? They didn’t dedicate solo time to them because they never planned Tommy to be the final partner. The fact Eddie is in half of their scenes together is very telling- they didn’t want to give Tommy too much solo time because he isn’t sticking around. They aren’t scrambling for alternatives because they have an end goal in sight. 

There will also never be a proper alternative because Buck and Eddie’s lives are so entwined that nobody could compete. They are paired up screen time wise, they share scenes together in the same way the other main couples do. And how do you beat their history? All of the main characters have gone through insane obstacles together. One of the benefits of getting relationships set early is that they have spent years fighting together. No late season love interest can match that.

And finally, what truly and fully convinces me buddie is happening is Eddie getting called straight. This alone is all the proof I need. Because I know this show. This show, which has always been intentionally vague about Buck and Eddie’s sexualities. This show, which has never fully shut down buddie in interviews. The writers know how insanely popular the ship is. They have absolutely zero incentive to say it will never happen. Why would they purposely turn away part of their audience? They have nothing to gain. So yeah, after years of them dancing around the question, I reject the notion this is them shutting it down. If you think the writers are saying Eddie is straight to set up bt endgame or tell the audience buddie is over… you aren’t paying attention. And you don’t know the show. Go read an interview from season three and then get back to me. That “well you never know where it’ll go…” answer would only change for one reason. And one reason only.

So, overall, this finale hurt me, and I get the frustration. But I’m not saying queerbait. Because someday… someway… buddie will be canon.

I’m sure of it.

[smolsleepyfox]

Okay so, I attended a VERY local event where Falk was a speaker. By very local I mean there were maybe 20 people in a refurbished bar and he hung out with us after the Q&A.

Things that he mentioned in no particular order:

- PW didn't have a crew on tour until around 2008 and it didn't include a sound tech, that came way later

- they used a refurbished truck they bought in ye olden days and one time Matthew said he smelled fire. They told him it was his croissant. It was not his croissant.

- Falk is the organizer and logistics guy for the tour because (my interpretation) he can't stand not knowing if everything is going okay. Including checking the weather constantly during festival season

- he's also super nervous about his keyboards not arriving when they take a flight. Apparently they have been hidden to prank him before.

- the band knows exactly how to push each other's buttons by now and it is being used lmao

- his favorite video shoot was We don't wanna be no saints because his slimy (his words) character was really fun to play and it was a great location

- the tennis video was just a spur of the moment thing. The biggest issue was actually getting a tennis ball because the location is in the middle of nowhere. Roel had to drive to several stores.

- Yes the staff broke, but they fixed it again lmao.

- Falk has murdered at least four harmoniums by now. Most of them were from eBay. One instrument he actually refurbished himself, he showed us photos it was great.

- Also, the guitars in the Sinners of the Seven Seas video were the original stage guitars. They had to have their entire wiring redone after.

- the water corpse pose in Sinners was something he made up because standing in the water, his legs couldn't move the way he wanted them to for his usual poses. Apparently the entire shoot was very physically demanding.

- rain scenes are fine but My Will Be Done was hard because they used water AND wind, and looking chill while being pelted in the face with artificial rain is rough. Also, there were just literally people standing on the sides throwing leaves into the wind for the scene, which is hilarious to me.

- Falk was HORRIBLY seasick during the filming of Sinners. The ship apparently didn't actually move much but the difference in motion patterns to modern ships and the slanted deck was not fun. He was however very appreciative of the ship itself and the crew that worked it.

- Falk forgot the name of Demons are a girl's best friend during the interview lmao

- when i said i liked his tattoos he got excited to show them and seemed almost annoyed that he started so late in life. He's planning a full sleeve apparently (good for him!)

- I was a bit surprised but even when speaking to people who did use heavy dialect, Falk didn't switch from standard German. Some phrases still slipped out certainly and some pronunciation struggles (ch pronounced as sch are an easy tell) but otherwise nope, nothing. I've heard Attila speak more dialect in BtS videos.

- Falk for his perspective on fandom especially in contrast with Ghost and Sleep Token (I answered an ask about that recently) since I was curious if he had an idea why three bands with similar themes have such a different type of fandom around it. His best guess was that Powerwolf are kind of approachable (case in point that I'm writing this) whereas Sleep Token and Tobias from Ghost are more at a distance.

And lastly, not only did I get a picture, I got the title page of my thesis signed (in green marker because I didn't find anything else at my brother's house). And Falk got a copy of my thesis, since he seemed genuinely happy to read it. I really do hope he likes it!

Overall he was an incredibly down to earth, funny, and kind person even four beers in and very very tired. He said bye to us with a hug as well 🥺

[satoruiasis]

Gojo Satoru Is Not a K-pop Idol (Mostly): How Akgae Culture Shaped Gojo-Only Fans and Their View of Shipping

I guess this is my first post on here lol. Here goes.

Prefacing this with not all Gojo stans, and not all kpop stans. I do not want to cause drama or discourse, and there are fans of characters other than Gojo who give their faves this same treatment. This is in fact a fandom-wide pattern overall that’s just brought to a head by the fact that Gojo is the it boy of the moment and is practically more famous than JJK itself, and has essentially developed a fandom of his own, and therefore this effect is particularly strong/noticeable in how certain corners of the fandom interact with Gojo. These are purely my own musings on things I’ve observed in the fandom, and I mean no ill will towards anyone. I’m just trying to explain why some Gojo fans seem to hate Geto despite shipping Gojo with Geto.

Ok so basically a lot of Gojo stans are also K-pop stans, who, before being into JJK were mostly involved in K-pop fandoms. More specifically, they’re akgaes, aka solo stans. Akgaes are fans of one specific member of the group, but not the whole group in general or the other members. Think of someone who likes Jungkook but not the rest of BTS. In a similar way, there are a lot of Gojo fans who aren’t fans of JJK, just Gojo.

These fans essentially treat Gojo as an idol they stan, and not as a fictional character. So they’re extremely aggressive about “defending” Gojo from anyone implying he has character flaws because they’re not defending a well-written and complex fictional character, they’re defending the reputation of their idol. The way they interact with fandom is extremely different. Pointing out nuances of the character, like saying Gojo is morally grey, is equivalent to calling their idol a bad person, as opposed to him being a complex character with diverse motives who doesn’t always make “pure” choices. Quite bluntly, he’s in charge of recruiting and training a bunch of child soldiers who he knowingly sends into physically dangerous situations, which is an intrinsically morally complicated position.

They also are fans of the character but not the work, so the idea of Gojo being a component of an overall story, as he is in JJK, is like their idol getting sidelined for the rest of the group. Hence why they’re outraged over Gojo having a “bad death,” because to them they weren’t reading the JJK manga, they were following Gojo’s career trajectory, and the idea that his “career” ending could be anything but horrible injustice is incompatible with the way they interact with fandom. 

To them, fandom is a competition to make their fave the most beloved, popular, and important character, the same way K-pop stans obsess over streaming numbers. It’s important that Gojo, as an idol and not a character, be seen as morally infallible, as opposed to the morally complex mentor he is, and that he be the most important character (member) of the series (group). This is why they were outraged that he was not, in fact, the protagonist who was going to defeat Sukuna, Yuji and the other students were, because anything else would totally decimate the themes of JJK.

As their bias, Gojo must also be universally beloved by all the other characters/members, as opposed to him being disliked for rational reasons by other characters (like him pissing them off on purpose because he finds it entertaining). Because they treat Gojo as an idol and not a character, saying people around their idol dislike their idol is seen as slandering them, as opposed to being a character element. So they get mad that the guy with bad social skills whose whole thing thematically is his inability to connect does not in fact have many close personal relationships.

This is why you’ll notice that this particular type of fan won’t really like Gojo’s students (especially Megumi) as anything other than props to prove how much Gojo is loved and what a good person he is, and they’ll even get mad at the students for not giving him enough attention/affection/ “giving him his flowers,” even if it’d be out of character for them, because they mostly see the rest of the cast as being there to reinforce how beloved their favorite idol is.

That’s why they’re typically so militant about dad!Gojo being canon, despite him very explicitly not being that in canon (at least not in the way they like to portray it, where Gojo is living with and raising Megumi and Tsukimi as though they’re his children). To them, Gojo must be seen as this perfect, doting father figure who raised Megumi with warmth and care, not as what he actually was: a mentor and benefactor with a complicated and somewhat distant relationship with him due to their respective personalities and traumas.

(To be clear, not all dadjo likers! I myself have enjoyed dadjo. But it’s fanon. It’s just people who have an intense need to argue that dad!jo is indisputably canon and that anything else is essentially Gojo slander.) Megumi actually having mixed feelings about Gojo is absolutely taboo to them, because it contradicts their idol fantasy where everyone in Gojo’s life adores him unconditionally. The reality, which is that Gojo saved Megumi from a worse fate but also left him to be primarily raised by Tsumiki, who was also a child at the time, is something they refuse to acknowledge. They try to paint Megumi’s more reserved attitude toward Gojo as just grumpy teen’s “tsundere” behavior towards a beloved and doting dad instead of what it actually is: the reaction of a kid who had a supportive but ultimately transactional relationship with a mentor figure who, despite their time together remained “untouchable,” not an uncomplicated and loving father-son bond.

To these fans, admitting that Gojo wasn’t a doting dad isn’t just a character discussion, it’s an attack on Gojo’s image, the same way an akgae would react if someone said their idol wasn’t acting as a perfect parent to the children in their care. That’s why they can’t stand people pointing out that Gojo was not Megumi’s father, didn’t raise him, and predominantly served as his benefactor and teacher. Because in their minds, saying that is like accusing Jungkook of neglecting foster kids or something. It’s slander against their perfect, universally beloved idol, and that is completely unacceptable to them.

(Prefacing again with not all bottom Gojo fans, not all multishippers, not all Gegos). While it may seem contradictory, akgaes will often ship their male bias with other members who they are not fans of because of this need to emphasize how loved, adored, and desired their idol is by the people surrounding them. These people ship their idol with other members, often multiple, in order to reinforce the desirability of their idol, despite not being fans of these members and wanting these members to be below their idol lest they threaten their favorite idol’s popularity.

So these people will ship Gojo with one or multiple other characters not because they like the other characters but to emphasize how desired and worshiped Gojo is. To them, it’s important to perceive him that way, because for people who see him as an idol and not a character, the idea of him being the “least favorite coworker” is slanderous and degrading and not just a part of the character.

It’s also very important that in all slash pairings like Sukugo, Nanago, and Gego, Gojo is the bottom because they don’t want to see him being active or desiring the other character. To them, the point of shipping is to emphasize how desired and loved he is, not any actual interest in the relationship with the other characters. Think of someone who’s like “Jungkook is so beautiful that all the other members are in love with him and want to fuck him” but still doesn’t stan the other members. It’s essential that the other character wants their bias, Gojo, more than he wants them.

Because of this, this specific genre of Gojo fan ships Geto with Gojo because they want Geto to be in love with Gojo, since to say otherwise would be reducing the desirability of their bias. Frankly, the material is all there. But it’s also important to make sure that Geto is not loved by Gojo as much as he loved Gojo, because that makes their bias into something other than a passive magnet of desire and into an active character, lest he be seen as anything other than pure and angelic. To balance this, Geto must be seen as though he was always secretly evil and is less popular or desired than Gojo, despite the opposite being explicitly stated to be true in canon. This fulfills their need to see Gojo as loved, cared for, and simped over, while making sure that Geto himself doesn’t get any love or appreciation as a character, and instead exists solely to validate how they perceive Gojo, like how a solo stan may ship another member with their bias, but also consider them a rival in terms of streams and therefore root against their success and even post hate about them so their bias isn’t surpassed.

This is why they crash out so intensely over fandom jokes about Gojo fumbling Geto, because it doesn’t mesh with how they perceive Gojo, which is as someone who is always desired but never desiring, (unless he’s begging for dick for fanfic purposes). Even then, it’s important that Geto/Nanami/Toji/Sukuna/Designated top of the day (I’ve seen this specific group ship Ichiji x Gojo. Yes in that order) desires him more. 

This is also why they’re typically militant about bottom Gojo and will often feel the need to “enforce” that Gojo must always be a bottom on any post that implies otherwise. To them, they’re defending their idol as the ultimate object of desire, and making him a top is slanderous because it contradicts their perception of him as a pretty (which to be clear he is), passive, and pure object. That doesn’t make for a very interesting character, but these are very much values projected onto idols.

(Again, not all Gegos! There are plenty of Gegos who also like Geto! I myself consider STSG a reversible couple. There are also people who give other characters in JJK the idol treatment, including Geto!). This means that for a lot of Gojo stans, the appeal of shipping Geto with Gojo is that they can write about Geto being obsessively in love with Gojo, and generally just write about Gojo being precious, pursued, and adored. At the same time, they don’t want Gojo to care about Geto all that much or continue to love him or desire him, because to them that makes Geto and not Gojo the object of love and desire, which reduces Gojo’s value as the most popular idol.

Thus, while they ship Geto and Gojo, it’s important to them that Geto is less important to Gojo than Gojo is to Geto. Hence why they’ll often say “Geto defected because of how Gojo was treated,” which is imo not really true. We see the reasons for his defection laid out very clearly, and Gojo’s main impact on Geto’s defection was Geto’s belief that Gojo had left him behind and no longer needed or valued him now that he couldn’t keep up with Gojo. Not saying there was absolutely zero impact at all, but we actually do see what thoughts Geto was having about Gojo that caused him to leave, and none of them were about how Gojo was a helpless victim of the system who he left in order to save. They were entirely about Geto feeling inferior and abandoned.

For stans like this, they vehemently are against Geto being a character outside of Gojo but hate the idea of Gojo being motivated by Geto, because to them it changes the dynamic of who desires and who is desired. To them, the whole purpose of shipping is to emphasize how desirable Gojo is, and any attention/importance Geto gets infringes on that.

That’s why this particular type of Gojo stan dislikes the idea that Geto is canonically attractive and desirable, because that directly threatens the way they need Gojo to be perceived. Gege has explicitly stated that Geto was more romantically popular and well-liked than Gojo, but this contradicts the way these fans want Gojo to be seen, so they work overtime to downplay it. That’s why there is such extreme hostility toward anything that associates Geto with softness, beauty, or femininity, because to them, those traits must belong exclusively to Gojo in order to maintain Gojo’s idol image.

This is why, despite Geto being shorter than Gojo and roughly the same size physically, Geto is often written as an over-masculinized brute while Gojo is hyper-feminized, with an obsessive focus on how pale, thin, and delicate he is. Gojo has to be the most beautiful, the most adored, and the most wanted, and to maintain that, Geto has to be rewritten into his opposite. That’s why fandom interpretations of Geto often make him twice as wide as Gojo, physically dominant over the now-dainty Gojo in ways that just aren’t canon, with exaggerated features that make him seem more rugged or threatening. 

His skin tone is frequently darkened far beyond what it actually is in canon, specifically to create a stark contrast with Gojo’s fairness, because in the colorist fandom beauty biases, pale equals delicate and beautiful, while darker skin is coded as masculine and less desirable. Even though both Gojo and Geto are fair-skinned. If you disagree, try showing someone a screenshot of Geto from the anime and call him ‘representation for darker skin tones.’ That is a beige man.

To be clear, I enjoy tanned Geto HCs, and it’s not only Gegos who have them, but there’s a pattern here that’s rooted in broader fandom trends where darker skin is equated with masculinity in a way that reinforces certain biases. See meme below.

This also ties into the way some fans call Geto "ugly" for having more typically East Asian features, despite the fact that he is literally an example of a well-known Japanese beauty standard. In Japan, Geto would be considered a salt-faced (sio-gao) ikemen, meaning he has a sharp, refined, and slightly serious-looking face rather than the sugar-faced (shioga-gao) ikemen look that Gojo has, which is rounder, softer, and more boyish. Both are recognized beauty types, but because Gojo has the more exaggerated "anime bishounen" look, some Gojo-only fans tend to dismiss Geto as being "plain" or even "ugly," and even resorting to racist insults about his features (ex. the recent drama about a Gojo fan posting a yellow-peril style racist caricature of Geto) They downplay or outright reject that Geto is canonically handsome because acknowledging it would put him on equal footing with Gojo, and that is something they cannot allow.

The hostility toward anything feminine being associated with Geto is a direct extension of this. To these fans, Gojo must always be the soft, adored, babygirl-coded one, and Geto must always be the one pursuing, protecting, or desiring him. Any suggestion that Geto himself could be pretty, soft, or cherished is treated as an attack, because in their minds, allowing him to share those traits with Gojo takes something away from Gojo’s image. That’s why jokes about "princess Geto" or "babygirl Geto" get met with outright vitriol from these fans. It’s not just that they disagree with it, it’s that they see it as stealing from Gojo’s rightful place as the fandom’s one and only precious, beautiful, feminine-coded object of desire.

(To be clear, they’re both my babygirl princess pookies. I’m completely correct about this and won’t hear any opinions to the contrary /j)

This is also why they insist so aggressively that Gojo must be the bottom in every ship and Geto must always be the dominant one. They need Gojo to be the passive, delicate one, and Geto to be the rough, hulking, obsessive force that worships him. If Geto is allowed to be beautiful in his own right, to be desired instead of just desiring, it throws off that entire dynamic. It makes Geto an equal instead of a tool to reinforce Gojo’s desirability, and that is unacceptable to them.

Ultimately, this isn’t about character analysis or ship preferences, it’s about maintaining a hierarchy where Gojo is always at the center. If Geto is acknowledged as attractive, as someone who could be soft, as someone who could be adored, then suddenly Gojo is not the sole object of everyone’s desire. That’s why they fight it so hard, because their version of Gojo cannot share that space with anyone else, because, again, he is their bias. 

TLDR: Gojo is not a member of a kpop boy group. A lot of the reason you see some Gojo fans being 1.) shocked by Gojo’s canon behaviors/the plot of JJK as being “OOC” or “disrespectful to Gojo”  and 2.) extremely hostile towards the character they “ship” Gojo with, is because a good chunk of his fandom thinks that he is.

Anyway that’s my rambling notesapp thesis I banged out on the subway. Love you all and thanks for reading! And again, not meant to hate whatsoever, just meant to explain a particular phenomenon (why do some gojo fans who ship satosugu hate geto)

[azaharinflames]

Okay, I need to rant. But can buddies please fucking stop with the dinosaur/disgusting old man/crypt keeper comments? For fucks sakes. As a gay man veering on the edge of 40, like Tommy, seeing those comments fucking hurt. Like idgaf if someone dislikes Tommy/BT, that's their feelings, they don't have to go about shipping them.

But the ageism that side of the fandom shows is fucking bs.

Ugh sorry for the rant. I'm just really tired of the ageism specifically

(I'm tired of buddies in general but I digress)

Hi, Nonnie! I love a good rant, and I'm so glad you felt safe to rant here <3

Yeah, their ageism is, honestly, fucking disgusting. I understand how those comments may have hurt you, and I am so very sorry you felt this way. Perhaps hot take, and please educate me if I'm wrong, but it is my perception that the majority of the people making these claims are overall rather young adults / old teens (the majority that I've seen women, though I'm sure it is not exclusive to them) that do not know how it is to be an adult and have adult relationships. Their take on Tommy's age is disturbing and upsetting, and does not make sense.

Also, isn't Eddie/RG like only two years-ish younger than him? Not to say I want them to attack him, but I am saying that they hide in ageism, just like they hide when they yell racism for a comment Tommy made twenty years back. Or how they pretend to be the Henren warriors to hate on BuckTommy, yet they are the first ones to hate on them if they have a storyline before Eddie does.

They hate because they are hateful, disgusting people, and try to 'justify' it by hiding in rather dangerous and harmful rhetoric that, ultimately, does not apply to what they are saying.

Once again, I'm so sorry they make you feel this way. Know that everything they say comes from a place of pure hate, and not truth.

My inbox is open for ranting, venting, giving your opinion (unpopular or popular, I'm happy to receive and discuss both), and even confessions! Though if you don't want yours posted, please make sure to say :)

Take care, dear Nonnie <3

[jimin-bangtan]

⏱️ BTS’s Long Overdue Conversation ⏱️

This post is NOT about the recent AMA situation. It was written long before the AMA controversy, both in my mind and in writing. I held onto it intentionally in order to post before June of BTS's return. Strangely, the AMA fandom revelation and meltdown made me realize that this post was also long overdue.

⏰ ⏰ ⏰ ⏰ ⏰ ⏰ ⏰ ⏰ ⏰ ⏰ ⏰ ⏰ ⏰ ⏰ ⏰ ⏰ ⏰ ⏰ ⏰ ⏰ ⏰ ⏰ ⏰ ⏰ ⏰

Others who speak and write much better than I do have already written on this topic, but I felt I needed to put my thoughts in the arena too.  I have been feeling this way for a long time and have gotten mixed reactions from those I have already shared my thoughts with in conversation. Most people realize that there is a problem but may have differing views on how it should be handled.

NOTE: It's a rather long one. Feel free to skip down past the "HISTORY & EXPLANATION" and "SHIPPING CONTRIBUTIONS" to my “HOPEFUL EXPECTATIONS FOR A SOLUTION" section at the end.

⏰ ⏰ ⏰ ⏰ ⏰ ⏰ ⏰ ⏰ ⏰ ⏰ ⏰ ⏰ ⏰ ⏰ ⏰ ⏰ ⏰ ⏰ ⏰ ⏰ ⏰ ⏰ ⏰ ⏰ ⏰

OVERALL REASON for a conversation

I feel it’s time for BigHit and BTS to directly address the atmosphere and behavior within the fandom.  Even if they cannot convince people to behave better, I feel they need to make clear where they stand on the present condition of their fandom.  A direct conversation could possibly influence a significant number of people to make better choices or to at least not tolerate those who are causing the disruptions and problems. If nothing else, I feel they need to make clear what their expectations are for their fans in regard to the words and actions that are considered acceptable toward other fans, each member, and the group as a whole.

HISTORY AND EXPLANATION of the situation

When BTS began, they were each assigned stage roles that were at times outside of who they genuinely were in personality and character.  For example, I feel it pained Jimin, who is now widely known to be a gentle, polite, thoughtful person, to have to arrogantly yell at fans “Who am I?!?” demanding that they holler out his name in return.  You could see on his face that he did not enjoy having to do that. He was embarrassed to watch replays of it, and he even later remarked that he would be okay never seeing that again, even though I feel he has since come to terms with the moment as part of his story.  

All the members were given some sort of role or situation to play out that gave the public an impression of who they were supposed to be. Jimin’s role happened to be one of the more contrasting to who he actually is, and it might have given the public the wrong idea of him when they believed that he really was that loud, arrogant character they saw. It started his career off by potentially rubbing some people the wrong way.

Along with these types of actions, early on, BTS also participated in some of the more cringy KPop behaviors and activities that I feel only serve to demean and humiliate the idols, even if it entertained some portion of the public.  I also feel much of the situations fostered more internal competitiveness and animosity rather than team building and unity. 

Since BTS was ostracized, ignored and mistreated, by the KPop community and Korean media, they eventually created their own platforms, shows, and content, then chose to drop the roles and much of the destructive behaviors in their own material. They modeled a better way of entertaining without the negative inclusions. They displayed more closeness and unity and chose to minimize actions that were as intentionally unpleasant or demoralizing.

With their immense talent and genuine charm, which could now be seen beyond the strange, less sincere facades, BTS outgrew the KPop industry as its fandom and success exploded. The industry noticed, but instead of determining what made BTS thrive then copying the formula, they often chose to attempt to minimize or erase BTS and their progress. The industry seemed to want to continue the antics, no matter how destructive they were to KPop, the idols, or society at large.

To the industry leaders, emotionally manipulating their fans seemed easier than actually developing sincere emotions and loyalty from their fans (as BTS did).  Exciting fans with strange, “amusing”, suggestive situations or inciting fights between one group or another was easier than creating exciting stages with challenging performances that continued to grow in creativity (as BTS did).  Also, as seen in politics, they felt it was easier to get rid of the opponent than to have to do the hard work of keeping up and surpassing the competition's obvious talent and rising power and achievements (or so they thought).

I have recently already written about some of the external forces that had designed a goal of infiltrating BTS’s fandom and creating discord and discontent from within the fandom by pretending to be fans. The imitators also would behave badly in public in order to give BTS’s protective, effective, and growing fandom a bad name in the public’s eyes.  (With the obvious attempts to make constant, negative noise around BTS/HYBE, especially during the hiatus, I feel we are underestimating the extent of these fake actors within the fandom.)

Too many of the fandom embraced the interference and engaged in the infighting and destruction. Due to immaturity and hatefulness, some fans initiated damaging interactions on their own. The actions were pitting fandom members against each other but also caused fans to disown and disrespect actual BTS members!!! 

I know.  I have been told that there is a whole "OT7" motto that was used in the fandom, which was supposed to mean that all 7 members were loved and supported equally. Well, based on what I have seen and experienced, it was either untrue from the start or the problems within the fandom destroyed that sentiment in large part. I am shocked and disappointed at the words and actions I’ve seen toward the group and specific members.

SIGNIFICANT CONTRIBUTOR to the problem

In addition to the forced roles that set incorrect interpretations of the members into motion, one of the other main contributors to the ongoing, negative, destructive aura that is permeating the fandom is shipping.  Shipping (for new fans) is a long accepted feature in KPop, where 2 members of a group are considered to be in a supposedly fictional, publicly-acknowledged union, which is often accompanied by a combined pet name, such as "VMin" for a V and Jimin relation“ship”. The short name for these unions is a ship.

Shipping can involve a degree of skinship in order to play along with the excited fans.  Skinship is a performative feature, where the 2 bandmates touch and flirt to titillate fans over the supposedly fake relationship. Interestingly, the ships can exist whether the people involved know about, agree with, or acknowledge the created ship at all. The establishment of said ships originated, I guess, to stir emotions and competition among the fans in order to gain attention and passion for the idols and for the group.  I guess being talented and entertaining weren’t enough.

The long overdue conversation that I feel is necessary would need to be centered in large part around shipping. A lot of the hostility within the fandom appears to be rooted in the shipping insanity.  The envy, hate, and misinformation seems to stem from shipping and the communities that shipping has created - especially those in BTS that involve the Maknae Line members (Taehyung, Jimin, & Jung Kook).

This is because the fans have become emotionally invested and connected to the point that the existence of these relationships have become entwined with their own identities.  Many almost hysterically believe their chosen ships are real and are being harmed by other members in the group or by the company.  It has become a script beyond soap opera (& K drama) proportions.  

BigHit and BTS are guilty of encouraging the shipping culture to varying degrees.  Some of the members (some more than others) did (do?) stoke the fires of shipping within the ARMY fandom for whatever reasons.  When BTS dropped the previously mentioned, disturbing KPop actions early on, I feel BTS did drop a degree of the shipping actions as well.  However, the members still remained close and still were physically affectionate with each other, which may have made it seem that the shipping circumstances were still fully in play.

There are people who confuse genuine physical affection with skinship. In life, some people’s love language is physical affection and with or without a public career, those types of people would choose to express themselves by giving and receiving physical touch.  Culturally, different groups and countries have varying levels of acceptable physical contact with other people, whether same sex or not.  So every affectionate physical touch is not skinship, nor fake, nor inciting shipping.  However, sometimes it is connected to the business purpose of shipping. The problem is often the public's ability to tell the difference.

Idols are entertainers after all, and their job is to entertain the public. Engaging playfully with each other entertains people.  BTS is very good at interacting with each other affectionately and playfully, and their natural camaraderie and appreciation for each other shows. It is one of the features that most people notice about the group, aside from their music.  

People, at times, confuse shipping for what could possibly be friendly interactions - or more controversially, a real relationship.  Shipping, in itself, is supposed to be a fictional pairing of two people. It is also a convenient cover for those who may be in a legitimate same sex relationship, while in the same industry or band, while in a very conservative country, but it can also be used to conveniently dismiss a real relationship that may exist. Thus, the controversy begins.

So the problem is that without any declaration or confirmation from the involved idols, many fans have chosen to declare some of the relationships as real and put an emotional stake in “defending and protecting” the existence of that relationship.  If the relationship appears challenged in any way, vicious words and actions are taken.  In addition to harassment and doxing, the reactions have, more so in recent times, risen to the harmful level of death threats toward the company owners and employees, other fans, family members, and some of the BTS members themselves.

Allowing the uncertainty to remain unchecked, about how BTS feels about shipping and about the reactions within the fandom, has allowed these intense feelings to grow in scope, depth, and intensity.  By there being no consequential responses or pushbacks, the dangerous actors have been silently given permission to continue in this way.

Over the years, there have been a few mild instances where a few BTS members individually attempted to clear up the shipping space, but those efforts were extremely rare and exceptionally mild.  I feel it’s time that the group altogether speaks directly to the fandom about shipping and any other problematic issues. 

Even if they cannot change the minds of those who choose to passionately believe in shipping, they at least should address their expectations for the vile, hateful, nasty comments and/or questions fans are expressing on social media, during their WeLives, in public events, to official government departments, etc. It’s gotten carried away.  It has become dangerous, dehumanizing, and destructive.   

When I first became engaged with BTS, I saw a comment (that I apologize for not being able to give credit to the owner) that said, “Let’s hope the government & media do not destroy BTS from the outside while the fandom destroys BTS from the inside.” At the time, I didn’t fully understand the sentiment, which seemed extreme, but unfortunately I now grasp the intensity of the thought.  How shameful that it’s come to this.

BTS’s fandom grew exponentially fast from the start and then again during the Covid quarantine. BTS were young men paving an unknown path and exceeding everyone’s expectations in the process, including their own. They were too busy, too tired, and too young to know how to manage all of that well, so I am not placing blame at their feet, but I do feel they now need to acknowledge it and provide input. The company was also in foreign territory, where it grew too fast to keep up with all that was happening as well.  However, they have allowed several balls to drop on many business decisions and circumstances, and this is one of them. It is also time for them to act.

MY HOPEFUL EXPECTATION for a solution

Although it may be complicated for BTS to denounce all ships within the group, they at least could firmly, clearly, and directly state their expectations about fandom behavior and the expectation of members’ privacy in the chats and social media conversations. (And by privacy, I don’t mean fun speculation about things that are publicly provided by the members or the company.)

If BTS members are unsure about how it could be done, I have been hugely encouraged by some idols and entertainers who have recently addressed their fandoms and made clear, very politely and professionally - but firmly, that they saw the bad behavior, and it was not what was expected - or they described what was expected.

One was KimWooSung from the band The Rose.

Credit: Posted by Seoul-Bros

Another was Bang Chan, the leader of Stray Kids.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Clakthv Jeon Tae (@clayoongi___jkookthv)

BTS can design their own way of having a collection of realistic conversations with fans about the situation. The coming time seems like the perfect opportunity for them to establish new expectations going forward from this new starting point, as they return from the military and reunite in the next form of BTS, the group. They will have the attention of presently-active fans as well as any people considering being fans as well as any people who left the Army fandom due to the hostility and aggression. 

BTS has graciously and abundantly thanked fans and has repeatedly expressed love and gratitude toward them. A healthy relationship should be honest about the concerns too.

Jung Kook has said on several occasions that he feels relationships should always include consideration, understanding, and respect.  This would be a good time for BTS to take heed to their youngest member’s wisdom and attempt to reset the relationships that they have with fans and that the fans have with each other.  

BTS has done so many exceptional, ground breaking things throughout their career.  I’m sure they could make a significant impact on helping to improve the atmosphere of their fandom - the fandom that they worked so hard to cultivate and grow.

After all, it is long overdue.

⏰

[bomber-grl]

Hiro + Fanfic reader/writer

Pairing(s): Hiro Hamada x Gn!Reader

He obviously knows what fanfiction is

He’s always online so it’d be a surprise if he didn’t

Hiro probably found out when you casually mention liking to write and how you have a blog

Either that, or you casually mention loving to read something from a specific blog

Hiro wasn’t suspicious and fanfic didn’t immediately come to mind, he was just curious and kept asking you about it

Honestly? You lied about it. But then you started to think about why you’d even bother to lie to him of all people

He’s literally an abomination and says the most rancid, cringe things that’d put bakudeku wattpad fanfics to shame

Either those or BTS shipping fics, those are truly another kind of atrocious ai could never replicate that

The only reason you tolerate him and his cringe ass way of speaking is because he says it purely ironically

After you thought about it, you finally decided to just tell him

And the look bro gave you…

He gave you the worst stink eye bruh

Yknow that “somebody smells like shit” trend? Yea that’s his reaction to you

Lil bro is horrified

To the point he pulled out the 100 yard stare /j

Nah but fr he’s a bit weirded out cuz of karmi and her weird self…

Overall he doesn’t rlly care unless you write about his superhero persona (if u don’t know) and Or about real ppl

If that’s the case, he will give u a side eye

If that’s not the case he’ll just laugh at you being nervous to tell him

Eventually tho, he really starts to get curious and begins to pester you about what your blog/ fanfics you read

The best thing you could think of was to just ignore him

But then one faithful day you get a notification that reads-

“Fnafl0v3r6 followed you”

The horror and dread you felt was beyond me

It was honestly too late to consider blocking him, he had already liked/ reposted your fanfics, and even reposted the ones you already had

Might as well consider committing because there’s truly no coming back from them

You ignored him for so long, his messages and calls alike until you quite literally couldn’t anymore.

So finally after awhile of not seeing hiro, you meet up with him

He doesn’t say much at first but then goes on a annoying ass rant about your fanfics and how could you ignore him and i don’t even know anymore

You started ignoring him after the first five minutes

Despite not rlly liking it because of the weirdo (aka karmi and I will not tolerate anyone denying it, I will die on this hill)

He eventually decides that maybe it’s not that bad as long as no one’s getting hurt and there’s nothing weird being written.

So if you’re a writer he immediately starts stalking your page

You even start to wonder if he’s constantly refreshing because he reblogs and likes all your work

He may or may not make some weird requests under the guise of being funny (ex: Trump x Biden, Shrek x Kermit)

Anyway, the worst thing about this (aside from him doing the above) is that he’ll sneak behind you like a gremlin-

It doesn’t matter where as long as there are people in ear shot and he asks, very loudly, what fic your reading

He’s so Loud bro it’s not even funny

If cass knows you wouldn’t even be surprised, hell, if everyone in that cafe knew you wouldn’t be surprised either

[musicalcompanions]

911 fan here and i liked your analysis of the current state of the show, but i wanted to ask if you think buddie can still happen or if you think bucktommy getting back together is more likely?

i dont want to lose hope of buddie happening but i don't feel like the show is going in that direction right now and i guess i wanted a more unbiased take

Hey anon,

Sorry for taking a while to reply, but I’m glad you liked my analysis. I was just trying to give an outsiders perspective on the show.

And I’ll be honest here with my impression. I could be totally off, because I am more of a casual viewer and I don’t engage much with shipping in this show so I probably don’t know every bts details and show history. What I can and will give you is a casual fan view of where the show is going with Buddie and Bucktommy.

Firstly, for Buddie, I think it’s complicated.

For Buddie to go canon, at least this season, I think the show would have had to lay more groundwork than they have done so far. As much as the fandom is aware of it, a considerable portion of GA probably doesn’t see it and the logical thing would be to take it slow, give hints here and there, and slowly build towards it. I don’t think they’ve put in that work so far, but, then again, Buck figuring out he’s bi and his relationship with Tommy was very fast passed so, maybe, they’ll fast track it again, which I don’t think would be the proper way to develop this ship.

What also does make it seem unlikely to me is that Eddie’s basically been reduced to a recurring role, if not guest star, in the second half of S8. I don’t think this would be the case if they were going in the Buddie direction.

I’m also not in the fandom enough to know if the actors are straightforward or if they like to mislead fans so the big reveals land more effectively, so this could be a wrong analysis, but I saw a Ryan interview (which I think is recent, pls correct me if I’m wrong) in which he basically called Buck a brother and I don’t think this would be the language he’d be using if he was aware of the intention of Buddie going canon.

I also don’t think this plot would be something that the actors would find out on the spot. There would certainly be talks beforehand so he’d have to know it for a while before it went canon. If the interview is recent and he’s being truthful, then I’d say no plans for Buddie canon rn.

Plus, 911 has never seem like a show that likes to hide things from it’s viewers or make grand plans, the show just is what it is and I think what’s shown on screen should be taken at face value. I don’t see some huge set up leading to Buddie canon rn tbh.

The whole Buck living in Eddie’s house thing is interesting and could lead somewhere, maybe it’s feelings realization maybe it’s not… maybe it’s just them as roommates until Buck finds somewhere new or Eddie leaves again. I’m really unsure of Eddie’s future. He’s got basically no storylines developing rn, he’s not even integrated in most of the other characters storylines.

Almost feels like a phase out for the character, but could also just be that the actor had less episodes this season for whatever reason (maybe another project) and will be back for s9. What I find weird is that if they wanted a mcd and Ryan wanted to leave then Eddie might’ve been the character to kill off from a conviniente standpoint or they thought the backlash would be worse if it was Eddie? Idk, the character is in a weird spot rn and I don’t think he’d be there if Buddie was going canon soon, you know?

Overall, I don’t see Buddie happening this season and, if it does, I think it will probably just be too rushed and not properly developed. So, I hope, that if the plan is that they start laying out the groundwork and build towards it in the next season.

That being said for Buddie, I think the show does have plans for Tommy/Bucktommy, I can’t say for sure what they are, but they’re there. They had the perfect way to write Tommy out after the breakup, but he’s come back and he’s been in like half (?) of the second part of S8 episodes so far. Why bring him back if there’s not a planned pay off? (Maybe I’m expecting too much coherence from the show).

Firstly, he slept with Buck, indicated interest in rekindling the relationship and then he left with some very clearly unresolved issues with Buck. I don’t know why that interaction would be there if it weren’t build up for another talk on their relationship (if for the good or the bad, I can’t tell). Then he came back for the lab rescue and that whole “I’m doing it for you” thing was very deliberately placed there…

All this leads me to think he and Buck will, at least, have a talk about their relationship and where they stand and where they want to go. If Bucktommy was truly over, there was no need for any of those interactions. All of those plots could’ve been achieved via other characters or maybe even new characters.

And, lastly, Tommy didn’t have to be in the funeral episode, but he was… and that opening emergency could’ve been anyone else saving Bobby, but they put Tommy there. That also feels deliberate and, for the first time in a while, Tommy’s character existed outside of Buck’s. Since they got together, Tommy’s character has basically revolved around Buck, but in that scene, it didn’t.

Maybe I’m looking too much into it, but it kind of feels like integrating him a bit more in the narrative? Reminding GA that he used to be in the 118. Idk why they’d do this if they didn’t have something in mind for the character… I don’t know exactly what is it that they want to do with Tommy. Could be good, could be bad (depending on where you stand in the fandom), but there’s something.

In the end, Io think they’ll tackle Bucktommy relationship status by the end of the season, I just don’t know exactly which way it will go. Maybe they’ll use it as building step for Buddie feeling realization, but I haven’t really gotten the vibe that’s where they’re heading so far. Again, I’m just a casual fan so this could be wrong.

What did confuse me a bit were the talks about Buck having feelings for Eddie, both with Tommy and Maddie. When I first saw it, I thought it could lead to Buddie feeling realization, but now, I think it could also just be the writers talking directly to the audience “why does everyone want me to be in love with my best friend?” as a way to indicate they’re not going there…

This is very long, but, basically, idk. I don’t think it’s heading in the Buddie direction rn and I do think there will be some Bucktommy resolution, which can go anyway tbh.

Hope that somewhat answered your question anon.

[qinduang]

DMD Friendship The Reality — Thoughts

The year is yet to end, and Your Sky is airing, so I think I still have the time to talk about Domundi Friendship The Reality.

Totally not a dating show, by the way, but kinda functions similarly, which is perfect for a bored aroace girl in a limbo during holiday break. I also have no idea who these people are, so that adds to the experience.

DMD Friendship The Reality is a reality show by Domundi where they have 8 of their talents live together for several days. They do missions, get rewards, bond, and search for a partner to potentially win the Best Couple Award and become the main leads to a new series. There are 6 episodes of the actual show, and 1 episode of them doing a Q&A. In retrospect, it's basically an acting, performing, and chemistry workshop, because the missions all revolve around the contestants honing their skills in the areas relevant to their careers as DMD artists.

The participants are as follows according to the introduction:

Keng (24)

FirstOne (23)

Namping (22)

Latte (23)

Teetee (18)

Kong (20)

Thomas (22)

Gems (19)

I honestly thought it was too calculated to have 8 contestants—an even number—when they are supposed to each choose a partner at the end, and DMD probably thought the same after awhile, because in episode 3, they introduced Tle (25). Overall, the show had 9 contestants.

First Impressions on the DMD Artists

FirstOne is the lovechild of Mix (GMMTV) and Seokjin (BTS). He has very soft, but manly features, and his mannerisms are very boyish.

He moves a lot during interviews. When he talks, he smirks and grins almost in a playful way. He looks like the popular naughty kid in school. He has a face of an it-boy.

Also, I don't know if it's him or Keng, but one of them kept saying "Annyeong!" and it was kinda funny.

I find Kong to be so cute. I adore his braces, but what really sold me was his fudanshi tendencies.

He knows more than me, because he obviously clocked KengNamping really early in the show. There was a conversation around the authenticity of the show, because Keng and Namping was fairly established upon entering, but more on that later.

It was so interesting for these celebrities to introduce themselves by their educational attainment, because I don't see that everyday. Most of the contestants are degree holders, and Kong, for example, is a sophomore taking up engineering. He balances work as a DMD artist and his studies. He even talks about it twice with Thomas later on.

I really enjoy the premise of the show. Just chill guys in a chill mansion doing chill missions. We don't often see a reality show that doesn't isolate or restrict its contestants from the world. I love to see them use their phones before going to bed.

KengNamping as Contestants in DMD Friendship The Reality

Starting this show with no background was confusing. Did KengNamping work together before entering the show? Did they have a project lined up together? I felt like being in a new friend group and I don't know the inside jokes, so I just have to go along.

So, starting off, I had to establish that:

Keng and Namping are KengNamping.

They are always together and making Tiktoks together. (Source: FirstOne)

They will be one of the couples by the end.

Kong is the captain of the KengNamping ship.

However, I did enjoy the drama in the first episode. Absolutely nothing prepared me for the shame and disappointment awaiting Namping, but I appreciated Keng's reasoning behind it.

Context for those who don't know or forgot: Keng won the first mission and was rewarded a fancy dinner with a partner of his choice. Everyone and their mothers expected him to choose Namping, but he ended up choosing Teetee, leaving Namping embarrassed and disappointed. Teetee was so shocked and confused, but nevertheless, grateful. In Keng's defense, Teetee is a new addition to the company, and the dinner was his attempt to get to know his junior (in this context, his nong.)

Although, I have to admit that I got "salty" over it. I wrote a long rant about it in my notes, and it goes a little something like:

"Keng and Namping entered the show with the contestants having this preconceived notion that they are the KengNamping. That's why it was a big deal when Keng chose Teetee over Namping for a dinner date, despite his good intentions, because they are expected, almost pressured to always choose the other when they win special awards. Otherwise, it's an act of betrayal."

All of their interactions after that, especially the one in the suite, to me, felt a little forced. I kind of felt bad for Namping, because I saw it as Keng feeling sorry for him. I'm sure they do care for each other, but the dynamic between them and the contestants was not a wise set-up. If Keng and Namping were given a little more independence; it would have been interesting to see them interact with other people, like how Keng dined with Teetee, before seeing them actively choose each other.

FirstLatte and ThomasKong Dinner Dates

May I introduce my favorite dinner "date" in the entire show?

Everything about this dinner was perfect—yes, even the mosquitoes! From the announcement, the arrangement, the editing, and the results. It was well-thought of, and underappreciated.

After Teetee departed to eat with Keng in episode 1, the remaining contestants are given the chance to also have a fancy dinner with a partner. But here's the catch.. the dinner can only happen if you choose each other mutually.

These were the results:

Thomas chose Kong.

Namping chose Kong.

Latte chose FirstOne.

Gems chose FirstOne.

Kong chose Thomas, and FirstOne chose Latte. They have dinner in the garden.

The editors did such a great job at this, because they didn't reveal Kong and FirstOne's choices until during the announcement. It was so well-thought of.

It was one of those moments where I was sure ThomasKong and FirstLatte was gonna be a thing. The aspect of the dinner happening because you both chose each other in secret is very romantic. No fancy dinner in a cruise or suite could ever match up to it.

At this point, it's obvious that I forgot to stop treating this as a dating show. I started to get delusional the moment FirstLatte declared that they'll choose each other as partners over and over again. I began kicking my feet when Thomas said that he found the partner he was looking for.

Althought FirstOne eventually ended up paired with Tle in the future, the moment he shared with Latte in this dinner remained special. FirstOne will go on ahead and choose to spend his next dinner rewards with Keng and Tle, but it is not a dinner that rewards you for choosing each other.

I Guess, I Really Like the Implication of Being Chosen (ThomasKong)

I lied. I actually had a surface level idea of who Thomas and Kong were, because I watched 6 episodes of Your Sky before watching DMD Friendship The Reality. In my defense, I only knew them as Muenfah and Teerak! So, I did not really lie about not knowing who they are as DMD artists.

But oh, ThomasKong. What a couple. Watching them in the reality show felt like watching two people in your friendgroup that are obviously dating, but didn't tell you.

I didn't know that they were close before the show (or off-camera). They don't really talk, even though you always see them sit beside each other. So, I was honestly surprised when Thomas sent his postcard to Kong, and Kong to Thomas.

Not only that—they constantly chose each other all throughout the show.

We talked about the perfect dinner™, where they had the cutest "date" that felt so spontaneous and earnest. Although they never really explicitly said that that they would choose each other as partners, the qualities they mentioned when describing an ideal partner ultimately referred to.. well, each other.

"I want someone I'm comfortable talking to, and someone who is older."

Kong said this while talking comfortably with Thomas, his Phi.

"Just someone I'm comfortable with. Someone I can be my true self and be happy with. I think I've found him."

Well, do we even need to discuss Thomas' response?

It is quite a popular comment in each episode that Thomas locked-in on Kong from the get-go, but I honestly believe that Kong is no better. Kong also sent Thomas the postcard, chose Thomas for dinner, and it's Kong who chose Thomas during the acting mission.

The acting mission was one of my favorite episodes, because I was thrilled to see a script interpreted in several ways. My best pick in acting from the show were Gems, FirstOne, and Thomas' performances.

Thomas and Kong won this mission, and I think it's a pretty significant win. While they still lack in the acting department, they were the only group that leaned into the romantic subtext of the script, and delivered. They delivered it so well that the judges (and I) were left giggling and blushing after the scene. They were capable of selling a character to you, and it was an immersive experience.

They were rewarded with a night together in a suite. Then the dinner, mosquito bite joke, and the exclusive video happened.

I am absolutely fond of how comfortable they are with each other. They gave us several swoon-worthy moments, but I am the most at awe when Thomas checks up on Kong, when Kong trusts Thomas with everything, and when they feel safe enough with each other to talk about personal topics.

Their conversation about choosing each other and being 200% certain is very important to me. They make a promise, and it's a promise for years and years to come.

Issues With DMD Friendship The Reality

I'm not surprised that there are scripted interactions. I honestly think the entirety of episode 5 is scripted, if not, orchestrated by the staff to happen.

They revealed quite a lot about it in DMD Friendship The Reality Last Ride, and it was kinda funny, because they weren't even hiding it.

Some of the confirmed orchestrated moments in DMD Friendship The Reality:

Teetee and Kong's conversation in the rooftop. The conversation (probably) was not scripted, but the location and the timing was decided by the staff.

Thomas' "jealous" reaction to Teetee calling Kong. Thomas admitted that he was curious, but the staff told him to act a certain way. He thought it was funny that it made him look mad.

Tle interrupting Latte and FirstOne's conversation.

Keng and Namping talking about being each other's partners by the pool.

Scenes that I think are either orchestrated or scripted, but not confirmed:

Teetee and Thomas talking about Kong.

Thomas and Kong talking about being each other's partners on a random deck. However, I don't think the polaroid joke was scripted, because that's something only Thomas can think of.

Thomas and Kong's exchange after the red string journey. The blockings and the "From now on, please, take care of me, Mr. Kongpob," "Please, take care of me, too, Mr. Teetut," felt too unnatural. Plus, Kong was obviously acting.

I also heard a rumor about KengNamping and ThomasKong being fixed from the very beginning, and that the show was made to make them sell, but I'm not entirely convinced. I just think it's a waste of time and money for DMD to conceptualize and create a whole reality show for that purpose. However, it's also not far-fetched. After all, both couple won Best Couple Award, because they apparently tied.

Anyway, In Conclusion..

I really enjoyed DMD Friendship The Reality. I think it did a great job at fostering healthy bonds between colleagues, and developing DMD artists in several departments. It also did a great job at presenting male friendship as something that shouldn't fear closeness and vulnerability. I enjoyed watching a bunch of friends go on dinner dates after missions, and share beds without being scared of it seeming inappropriate.

As an aroace person, I adore the exploration of profound connections between ThomasKong and KengNamping. Actors in partnerships like this got to be my favorite queerplatonic relationships.

[valeriecherishes]

i definitely understand the desire to doom and detach from the show, and i do think it makes sense to use this as an opportunity to get ourselves to a more "manage your expectations" mindset since this show is extremely.... not planned out to say the least, so they really can change course whenever.

but beyond that, i do think that this could actually be a good thing for bucktommy overall, if they are intended on keeping that thread open (which i believe they are). i think that they wanted these last few episodes to be bobby and grief focused, rightfully, so anything resembling a reconciliation for bt would have been rushed and possibly centered in grief, which may not have been particularly satisfying and people would use that as a way to devalue their reunion/feelings for each other.

as much as i find it sad that buck likely doesn't get a more personal "win" that is entirely his at the end of the season, i wouldn't be shocked if they are setting him up for potential captaincy and by proxy wanted to show the audience that he can rely on himself and trust his own value before eventually getting back to his love life next season, especially so his final arc this season would be all about bobby. i personally think this could have still been shown with tommy by his side, but i wouldn't be shocked if they wanted him to stand by the "learn how to be alone" idea from 8x11 for the rest of the season without going back on it in a handful of episodes. it allows him to have a reason to be single while still not closing the book on bucktommy.

but, i think the reality is that buck does not have any good longer term love interest options other than tommy. by far this is his canon love interest that has gotten the most love and investment from fans (and engagement from all the drama from bvddies), and that is VERY hard to achieve when a ship does not involve two main characters. it's rare to find that especially this late in the show. since buck does not have any main characters he can reasonably be paired with atm, i think after the fan reaction to their 8x06 breakup, they likely realized they had something with potential here that can be made into a longer term love interest.

i know a lot of people are confused about why they would re-open the thread by bringing tommy back for a few episodes and then not resolving it this season, but i would not be shocked if they realize they have genuine "will they/won't they" potential and didn't want to waste that reunion in an arc that is centered around grief. i think they intentionally brought him back to keep him in our memory, made their breakup seem much more fixable and less final, and re-open the thread with the intention to likely return to it. and on a social media engagement level, i wouldn't be shocked if they still wanted to play both sides by kicking the can to the next season to avoid the bvddie backlash of having bvddie not going canon again AND buck being in a relationship again in a finale and having them crash out all summer even more than they already will.

i think the last bucktommy scenes being positive and open-ended and tommy continuing to get more enmeshment into the lore of the show through the flashbacks at least likely shows an intention to continue that story next season, which can, if done right, involve a less rushed, more satisfying reunion and more potential for it to be long-lasting in the end by giving it the care of dragging it out beyond a rushed end-of-finale montage.

i definitely wanted the personal satisfaction of getting a reunion now, but i am very hopeful that this is a good sign. i think how lou spoke in his interview and how oliver is speaking in this interview implies, to me, that they are likely expecting more because it ultimately makes the most sense that they would go back to them based on their last interaction. anything can happen of course, they could change their minds at any moment and 8x16 could be tommy's last appearance forever, but as of now i think if they want buck to have any somewhat viable option for endgame that will be liked by fans (or at least a longer term love interest), tommy just makes sense and would be hard to replicate with another character this late in the game in terms of fan engagement and ability to be weaved into the dynamics of the show. and i think the writers know that by how they've ended them on a hopeful note.

[magenta-embers]

My Jikook Journey

Part 2 of my intro.

From "multi-shipper" to "...wait a goddamn minute."

This will be a messy and detail-lacking overview because I could easily do an individual post on each thing I mention here and delve deeper (AMA!).

When I became an ARMY in 2018, I was excited about the treasure trove of fanfics now available to me. The ship didn't really matter, but my bias was/is Jimin (bias wrecker Tae then) so the very first fic I read was a vmin camping one (there was only one sleeping bag, gasp!). For me, shipping meant I'd read fanfics or save fanart of certain pairs together because in a fictional sense/in another universe, they make a good couple. I think this is a healthy approach, keeping that boundary between reality and fiction.

When I mentioned to my k-pop fan step-sister that I was reading vmin, she gave me a weird look. She said taekook is THE ship of BTS, which confused me because vmin seemed to be closer and have better chemistry than Tae and JK. Turns out, she was right. Searching by most kudos on ao3, you get a shit ton of taekook. I accepted it readily and just thought I must be missing something since I was a baby ARMY, so I read those super popular fics and started to enjoy taekook too. I started to focus more on them because... it felt like that was what I was supposed to do.

It's a common problem, isn't it? Baby ARMY who are open to shipping are quickly found and "guided" to taekook before they have a chance to glance in another direction. If they try, taekookers, who are the majority in the shipping sphere, will convince them that taekook is THE ship. Even if they aren't ARMY (my step-sister), they know that much. As a new fan, you just want to fit in, so you'll go along with what's most popular. Some people eventually find their own way, but many don't. Asking questions is vital, but if you do it aloud, you risk getting attacked by a small but extremely aggressive portion of the most infamous fanbase.

Even back then while just innocently reading any well-written fic I could get my hands on, I noticed that Jungkook was usually portrayed as a lot edgier and darker than he really was (manifested the 2023 JK aesthetic) and Taehyung was constantly portrayed as... Jimin. Especially in fan art. For some reason, a lot of the time, the appearance/vibe/personality of Taehyung was truer to Jimin than to himself, and that confused me. "Why not just make it Jungkook x Jimin?" I kept seeing them trying to force Taehyung into the dynamic that Jimin has with Jungkook when their own dynamic was perfectly fine.

Slipping down the pipeline, I started to watch taekook moments/analysis videos because I thought gotta be missing something, right? That's how I found out people are convinced they're dating, and it wasn't just a fun fic/art thing. The videos themselves were... something. There were just way too many red circles, too much slow-mo, and too much mind-reading going on for me to take any of it seriously. Plus, the moments that weren't exaggerated were just close friend skinship. Hell, Taejin were doing more sus shit together than taekook.

And yet people insist on taekook even when taekook do nothing to insist on themselves.

At this point, it was deep into 2019. Jikook were wilding in 2019. Even I was noticing all the... little things that made me raise an eyebrow. The touches that lingered just too long in rather intimate areas, the fond/awed looks at each other, the shameless flirting, the complete lack of physical boundaries, and the normalness of it all between them. That's telling. Even though I was mainly a taekooker with a shit ton of fanart and fics saved to my phone, if you looked at my liked YouTube videos around that time, I had jikook moments videos saved, not taekook, because their moments were just more fun/juicier to watch overall. They just interacted differently than they did with other members.

A quick example would be a video compilation of taekook holding hands. Sure, they're holding hands, maybe even interlocking fingers, but they're usually standing side by side and looking in different directions or just having a neutral expression. But if you watch a jikook one, not only is it much longer, but it's just different. I feel like I'm interrupting sometimes. Even in such a simple action like holding hands, there's a softness, an intimacy there that doesn't exist in taekook. Jikook wouldn't just be holding hands (usually for absolutely no reason), they'd be looking into each other's eyes, smiling sweetly, fully turned toward each other, attention completely captured by the other. How can I explain the look in their eyes? It just doesn't exist with vmin, yoonmin, jihope, etc.

Sidebar: All of those pairs have flirty/sus moments as most really close friendship dynamics do, but they're lighthearted to me and never invoked a true sense of.... whoa whoa whoa, hang on. If Jungkook and Jimin were my close friends IRL and I saw the way they are together, my alarms would go off. As either, "Oh my god, they're fucking," or "Oh my god, they wanna fuck each other." People always say, "Oh, Jimin's like that with everyone." No. No, he's not. Pay attention. Really pay attention to the differences in the dynamics between members. None of them have the "same" relationship. Especially pay attention to how the rest of the members react to Jikook.

Anyway,

So here I was noticing this... deeper intimacy in simple interactions with those two (because I'm a human being with eyes and life experience), and yet my Twitter timeline would just dismiss them entirely. "I love their friendship," "Wow their brotherhood is so beautiful," and "They're all so close," and normally these statements wouldn't bother me because technically they're true, but I started noticing that taekook or yoonmin would brush shoulders and everyone would be like, "Omg taekook/yoonmin married/boyfriends/real," over nothing. Their moments are cute/sweet/funny, but never more than that. The blatant hypocrisy did frustrate me a little, but ultimately I didn't overthink it; I didn't want to be delulu or look too deeply into anything because I still thought I must be missing something. Taekook is the most popular for a reason, right? Right?

But Taekook died for me when Tae told Taekookers to get out of their imagination. I respected that from him and took it at face value. It was the most aggressive shutdown of shipping we've ever had. I couldn't brush him off. It's disrespectful. He's uncomfortable.

Meanwhile, over the next couple of years, Jungkook and Jimin only got more suspicious in the minor interactions and in the big staple moments. Rosebowl. Hickeygate. Etc. Everyone was bending over backward trying to explain away the things these two did with each other, and it's always the same excuses. I was also trying extremely hard to think of any reason other than the simplest one because I didn't want to be delulu.

Because there was no way two members of a boyband were actually in a long-term relationship together. Especially in a conservative country.

Ridiculous. Unrealistic. Delulu.

I was basically telling myself in a mirror that they were just extra super duper close friends with muddy boundaries that meant sucking ears and giving neck hickeys was okay. I did allow there to be the thought that, maybe they're friends with benefits and that unavoidable intimacy now bleeds through into their regular interactions.

That opinion carried until 2023.

Isn't that funny?

2023.

The year so many jikookers gave up and bemoaned that those two weren't close anymore or had broken up is the year that finally convinced me.

What tipped me over?

Jungkook's vlives.

The way he kept watching videos of Jimin when he could just phone him. It reminded me of me watching Jimin, but I'm just a fan; I watch those videos because it's the only way I can appease my yearning to be close to and connected to Jimin, and absorb everything that he does or says or is.

Jungkook doesn't have that limitation, so why's he sitting there like a lovesick puppy with the fondest/most loving eyes when he could have Jimin over with just a call? Why's he sitting there looking like he's also yearning for something he can't have like us, the fans, when he can have it? He has Jimin's number. You don't need to watch yourself tease Jimin. You can just go do it. Just text him, bro.

It felt like he just wanted to bask in Jimin without interruption, without distraction, without having to force his attention elsewhere. Beyond being incredibly sweet, it also felt like Jungkook was making a statement, a point, because he kept doing it. Why? Is he somehow obsessed with his friend and bandmate whom he's seen almost every day for over a decade? If it was to promote him, he really didn't have to do all that? He didn't do it for the others, not to that extent.

Watching Jimin, talking about Jimin, singing Jimin's songs, fkn playing Letter on guitar. (The naked vlive flirting session? Lord, what.)

The man kept having vlives with a significant Jimin focus. He insisted on it enough times that it felt like he was trying to slap some sense into me. His insistence bothered me enough for me to finally do a deep dive into jikook.

Down the rabbit hole, I went. The more I learned, the more my jaw dropped. Where the fuck was all this info on my timeline when these motherfuckers were celebrating the most basic kpop boy interactions as if they were wedding vows? I even ended up seeing pictures/info we as fans were never meant to see at the bottom of that hole. If you know, you know.

Eventually, I ended up on this video (bless this fucking channel).

I want everyone to understand that I had zero knowledge of established relationship timeline theories. I went into this video blind, just trying to find the point in time when JK started to warm up to Jimin. That's not what I found. I found something so much better.

Especially 2013-2015 had me in awe. I think I cried. Jimin and Jungkook had a fattest, cutest mutual crush on each other. Absolutely. And because they were young, not that famous, and still rookies with media and camera training, we get a lot of insight into those two that we wouldn't get in later years when they learned how to mask and behave more "idol"-like. Jimin was especially loud, almost sadly loud. If you haven't watched the timeline of at least those early years, I implore you to. It actually blew my mind and broke/healed my heart. It's really bittersweet to see two teenage boys with little to no experience in anything romantic trying to come to terms with themselves while also coming to terms with each other. It's like watching a coming-of-age romance movie.

I saw clear shifts from when the relationship hit turning points in certain years. I proposed a timeline in my head based on that. Imagine my fucking surprise when I found out other people have also come up with timelines, and more surprising yet, they were all unbelievably similar to mine, down to what changed in what half of the year. I, who had no previous knowledge that this was even a thing. I just noticed it all on my own. We were all seeing the same thing. The same changes. No red circles, no slow-mo, no mind reading. It's all in the body language.

I panicked a little because overall it seemed too good to be true, so I reached out to a taekooker friend to send me her best evidence videos and receipts because I just had to make sure I wasn't going totally delulu here. I needed to see that the other biggest ship had interactions and moments on the same level with that same consistency, maybe even their very own relationship timeline to bring me back down to Earth. But... there's nothing. Really, there's nothing between taekook. Not one moment where I was like, oh? You'll find hours-long jikook content videos that are absolutely jam-packed with content, significant content, but that sort of depth just doesn't exist for taekook. Instead, you get conspiracy theories.

I watched most of the videos on that best of jikook channel and several other staple channels. It wasn't as if I bought into everything presented. I still rolled my eyes at many things that were blown out of proportion by some creators, and jikook isn't free from red circles and slow-mo and bullshit. And yet, I was still overwhelmed by the mountain of crisp receipts dumped on my head.

Jikook have much, much more solid evidence supporting the theory that they are together than evidence against it. I took the facts as they are, took my social experiences for what they are, took my psychology background for what it is, and concluded that they are most likely together, probability-wise. At the very least, they are the ONLY pair in BTS that have ANY legitimate possibility of being romantically involved. If jikook isn't real, then none of the other ships have any hope whatsoever, let's not kid ourselves. It's them or none of them.

They also have much, much more evidence that they are together than with any random man or woman you wanna throw at them. There needs to be valuable evidence or a total shutdown for me to tip the scale. I'm going to need Jimin or Jungkook to state, "I am not dating anyone at all," or "Get out of your imagination," or a bighit relationship announcement, or a clear video of lip-on-lip action or very intimate interaction with someone else.

Frankly, I don't give a single fuck about a grainy pic/video when it's 2023 and there's no excuse for that. I don't give a fuck who owns the same vase or cooking pots. I don't give a fuck if either of them hugged a woman. These are not evidence. These aren't even as good as the worst Jikook evidence.

At this point in time, Jikook is still the only viable option with the information we currently have available to us. This is my opinion and I stand by it.

At the end of the day, the thing I want most is for Jimin to be happy. Currently, it seems that Jungkook makes Jimin the happiest (as Jungkook says). As long as that holds true, I'll be here. If that changes at some point in time, I'd accept it.

But until that day comes, what the fuck else am I supposed to think?

E.

[chevelleneech]

While I do not mind BuckTommy, I wish their shippers and anyone more partial to them than Buddie, would stop lying about what their relationship is.

Tommy does not prioritize Buck, he simply revolves around Buck. It is the whole reason why them having zero development this season was so stupid, because it left way too much room for fans to make their own decisions on what the relationship is or isn’t, and claim it as canon. It’s why people are already saying they’ll be mad of BT break up, because Tommy is Buck’s healthiest partner, when he’s not.

Tommy is not a character who has a storyline, let alone one who makes decisions that impact the overall story. Everything he does is a result of what the writers need Buck to feel or where they need Buck to be, and that does not make him a healthy partner. They just haven’t written any conflict for them, good or bad.

Thus far, their biggest issue was Buck stumbling through his first date with a man, where Tommy did in fact mock his nervousness then leave him standing in the curb alone. Now, I’m not hung up on that, because I can see why it happened. Buck was extremely nervous and being awkward and likely made Tommy feel bad a little bit, but at the same time, it was wrong of him and he didn’t apologize. And since snippy remarks is all we really know of Tommy, it does become canon that he isn’t actually that nice to Buck. No matter what Bobby said, because as I said before, I strongly disagree with the writers writing in their own cop-out as an excuse for failing to develop Tommy or BT during the season. So yes, Tommy is attracted to Buck and doesn’t treat him like shit, but none of Buck’s exes ever did either. Pretending otherwise is y’all trying to rewrite the show to uplift your ship.

All that to say, Buck and Tommy dating is canon, yes, but them choosing each other or making sacrifices for their relationship, is not. We have been shown quite literally nothing. Everything BT shippers claim for BT, does not actually exist in canon. Not a single bit about love, lust, infatuation, commitment, relationship goals. Nothing, and I wish more “on the fence” fans pointed that out instead of piggy backing as if it’s true. Y’all are hopeful, and that’s fine, I am too. I want Buck to be happy, but I also don't want to give Tim and co praise for doing less than bare minimum.

Buck coming out overshadowed the entire season this year in terms of press and social engagement, but the amount of story and screen time he got in comparison is abysmal. By lying about canon, y’all are giving credit where it is not due. I mean honestly, if someone were to put together a compilation of out!Buck, it would not amount to anything. More so, they’d have to pad it with Buddie scenes, which speaks for itself even if they never go canon.

Anyway, my point is, stop lying about canon, and stop hyping Tim, the writers, and ABC up for what is currently a pretty poorly written storyline. Be happy we got bi!Buck, but also want more for his queer relationship. Especially when his relationships with women came with various small scenes to build their foundation, and him talking to his loved ones about how much he liked them.

[notyoureve]

Well, what can I say about my feelings after LiS:DE...

First of all... I still believe in the Chaseprice supremacy, yay!!! Even tho I didn't get the same impression of flirting in their conversation in the comments as the others😅 But at least they talked! My faves since 1st game! What a blessing to a shipper!

2) Thanks for the Caulscott content — not in the ways we as the MxN shippers could ever expect, but still🤣🤝 I just knew one of the D9 crew is one of us since that little background scene in BTS — what can I say, hinting twice (if not thrice) is almost canon to me🤪😁🤭

3) Vinh, freaking, Lang... The moment I saw Vinh in the sneak-peak before the release I predicted him to be the male love interest😜 I'm so grateful I was right — their progressing relationship was so beautiful... Even though their kiss was shorter than the kiss with Amanda, but damn... butterflies in my stomach were enough to say it was one of the most romantic scenes in the whole franchise. And the way he didn't want her to leave? Oh, my man, she has a way with leaving her almost boyfriends after kisses😭 And how happy he is after the game events when he finally sees her? And their hug? I'll never recover... I also believe in the DE Langfield supremacy, their interactions were absolutely one of the best parts of the game for me!!!

4) The pretty barista I didn't expect to love❤ I liked Amanda somehow, but I don't see her with Max at all... I'll say a very controversial thing, but the girl deserves so much better than Max😃 I would rather ship Ms Thomas with Ms Chen, and yet — they have some very nice scenes together. But even as a die-hard Caulscott shipper I'll say that Pricefield>>>Caulmas, especially after the way D9 just pushed the romance with her from the very first scene... The pushing was so cringy that I literally thought I would never like Amanda🤔 But here we are! She is fun and I love her, so she's my girlfriend, not Max's, okay?

5) Safi and Moses!!! Ooh, I loved them so much💔 Didn't like what they did to Safi by the end of the game, but she's a very great character besides all the other shit. And Moses is simply one of the best characters in the franchise, beat me. And his friendship with Safi is sooo dear to me🥺 Tbh, I expected much more from his role in the game and I believed at some point that he was helplessly in love with Safi. Not sure if this is for the best it turned out absolutely differently... And IMO Max x Safi/Max x Moses still have a better chemistry (even as a friends) than she and Amanda romantically😅 But there were definitely some sparks with Safield, yeaaah (it's very funny btw that it's the only sounding acceptable name of their ship, lmao)

6) The plot... What plot? Was it there? I missed it? Ah, it was so little and hasty it didn't deserve to become a BIG game... And yet! The game was much better in some ways I didn't expect, and so much worse at the same time((( There were some great ideas I truly liked, because they resonate with some of mine, but all the same they were ruined by some plotholes and inconsistencies — ooh, disappointment is strong here. But overall I liked the game! The music — one of the best parts of the finished product indeed🔥 The narrative was very lazy in the start and too rushed in the end, and it was the main reason what ruined the full experience to me😟 As for the characters... Well, most of them were cool, but there are so few of them comparing to the previous games. I honestly expected more of them, or at least more interactions with them... But let's end here!) Even if the plot wasn't perfect, there were plenty of moments I truly enjoyed.

7) The whole Chloe thing. I didn't expect much from the start (and I mean announcement), but was quite surprised we didn't saw her in the game besides photos. Breakup wasn't unexpected for me, but I suppose I can understand the feelings of the die-hard MxC fans. I won't say that I'm fully on their side, but still I understand what it's like🙏 And btw I had no problem with revoicing her by Rhianna since announcement, but... um... Something went strongly wrong — I absolutely fell in love with her work in BtS, and was absolutely shocked with what I've heard in DE🤯 She doesn't even sounds like herself((( What they did with her..? And why did she sound so emotionless? It was the only disappointing thing with Chloe for me. But perhaps there was some reason, if some theories will turn out to be true, who knows... But her haunting the narrative in the start and in the end was delightful in some ways, I won't lie.

8) The whole NOTMYMAX thing. Well, I can agree with some statments, but I do not see anything contradictory in her actions or her design. Even if it's Max-fkn-Caulfield, it doesn't make her less human and does not forbid her to grow and change, and especially doesn't forbid to become more serious and pathetic at the same time😃😆 Aaaand... Jesus Christ, Hannah Telle gave a simply outstanding performance — I missed her so much💔💔💔 Her returning to Max is also one of the best parts of the game and it's so heart-warming that her voice hasn't change at all🥺 And in the end: the bisexual queen returned — Max still is so Max it made me involuntarily smile throughout the game)))

I can endlessly speak of everything I think about the game, but there's so much to say I won't say no more at all😆😆 But all cringe and weak plotlines aside, some sides of DE were really great to explore! And since I'm more of an optimist, I will not rate the game just to not upset myself🤣

[sunflowerdigs]

"Buddies are using evidence that Tim wouldn't even think of or that is too convoluted to support the ship going canon" and the evidence is Eddie being physically present for or brought up in conversation in nearly every scene between Buck and Tommy.

It's fine if you don't like Buddie or don't want it to happen. But don't try to convince people they're crazy for actually doing some analysis of the material instead of deliberately taking everything that happens at face value only. When Buck and Taylor toasted to restraint in Buck, Actually did you really think they were going to have a pleasant conversation and then go home alone? Or did you deduce from the lighting, their proximity to each other, Taylor's styling, and the overall themes of the episode that regardless of their stated intentions, they were going to fuck that night?

Visual media isn't just words on a page played straight for the audience, that would be boring as hell. TV shows communicate with the audience using lighting, costumes, blocking and colors, and yes, sometimes all of those things are used to contradict the characters' scripted words, or foreshadow future actions. Picking up on those things and theorizing based on them is not a hostile act nor is it unexpected by the folks bts, even if the theories aren't what people want to hear.

[azaharinflames]

Just wanted to make a short post to, first of all, wish you all an incredible 2025!! I hope next year brings you all everything you wish and more!

Personally, 2024 was a weird year so I am eager to see it end lmao. I hope 2025 it’s better than this year was, which is easy to accomplish, so we’ll see!

Now as for my post. Just a small remark, but I can’t help but dwell over it a little bit, and the easiest way to stop it from conquering my whole mind is to share it.

But it’s just. I find it so curious and a bit funny the difference between Buddie, Bucktommy, and the different publications that actively like them. Because for Buddie you will find a lot of publications very in favor of them, but if you look into it?

95% of these publications are from sites that are either a bit sketchy, have questionable professionalism (if any), and is self-funded and online based. The journalists who kiss Bobs’ asses on twitter are usually the ones who co-founded the publication, and they usually don’t fall into actual, serious media.

For Bucktommy, however? Sure, we have our fair share of self-founded publications taking about the ship as well, but they also get a fair lot of good publicity from publications like Entertainment Weekly. Which is normal, as BT is the only couple who actually is canon and not entirely fabricated by fans.

Overall, I just think it truly goes to show how the show is perceived outside the fandom bubble (outside the buddie bubble especially). EW is a publication intended for a wider audience - members of the fandom, sure, but also members of the wider audience who will occasionally check those things. To me, these publications are the ones that truly matter and that really reflect the message that wants to be told - and that, my friends, is incredibly BuckTommy positive.

Anyway, just a thought to end the year. Once more, happy new year! If 2024 was good for something in this fandom, then it was to bring us BuckTommy and this space!

Happy New Year 2025 ♥️✨