#enough gay suffering!

[theside-b]

We really are living the Era of hustling gays on the BL-sphere. But who would’ve thought that Hwang Da Seul would be the one bringing duplicitous characters to KBLs?

The first half of the show plays all the expected beats from the director-writer: somber mood, grounded and realistic approach, intimate shots and this cold and harsh atmosphere, but I must say that when it comes to the craft this might be her best yet. Da Seul has technically never been better, the framing, angles, close-up shots, lighting, volume, you can tell she is doing the absolute most with very little she is given. The contrast between this and Where Your Eyes Lingers is striking, it’s amazing seeing how much she evolved since then.

Story wise, this is also a different one. Because while the first part could easily be taken as To My Star 2 depressed cousin the second half devolves into something entirely new and unique.

The moment Dohoe and Juyeong meet again something feels off, and not just because Dohoe vanished for twelve years. Yes, there is baggage between them, one dragging the past around and the other wanting nothing to do with it, but there is something more lurking around. Hints of what could be happening are slowly dropped along the way, other turns come without warning, the story being told here is still a novelty for KBLs.

Korean dramas as whole tend to depict perfect characters whose biggest flaws can be overcome or erased with the power of love. It’s not the case here. If anything, it’s the power of love that detonates the boys’ relationship and shows a different side of Dohoe that most didn’t see it coming when the series started. Juyeong was predictable for most of the run — the revelation that he knew everything about the scam was a nice curveball — and while we all expected Dohoe to change, seeing him take a dark turn was a (delicious) surprise.

He doesn’t make excuses, he has an evil side: Scamming his way to place where nobody bothers to look into his past, the series shows the many moments where he could’ve easily taken a different path, the openings to come clean with Juyeong, dragging Hyeon Ho with him and not letting go while knowing that he is just stringing him along. He could’ve cleared the mess he created, but as we know, he is committed to what he sets his mind to, it all boils down to him running from the past. None of that would’ve worked on the hands of a lesser actor; Nu Rim (in his first protagonist) and Seon (in his acting debut) are together another Da Seul staple: Couple oozing chemistry.

Whenever they meet in the first half the mood lifts, when they see each other in the second part the pressure rises and when Hyeon Ho is with them the tension skyrockets. Again, Da Seul has never been better behind the camera, she gets everything from them, every single emotion. But the show is not without it’s faults. My biggest gripe is with the time-jump, the twelve years gap felt like made mostly for shock value, could’ve been easily trimmed down, because such long spam of time required quite the suspension of disbelief in order for me to buy certain aspects and plot points. The show also tries to handle one particular storyline that doesn’t quite land for me.

Juyeong and Dahoe’s father relationship is very interesting. Abuser and victim find common ground and something changes, but we don’t see how that happens or how it come to happen, not fully. We get an idea, but that’s about it. Many saw it as some sort of redemption for the father. Personally, I didn’t read like that, there was no redemption for him, he was like that, violent, uncompassionate, desensitized and egoistical to the bitter end, the one element that left me curious was if he was really okay with having Juyeong as his son-in-law, they allude to this, the old bastard implies as much, but it’s left implicit, and then he dies. Oh well.

There is also the plot with the kid and the abusive parents. It was interesting having Dohoe dealing with that, but there is just so much happening that this particular storyline felt like an afterthought, so much so that it took me a bit by surprise when it resurfaced in the final moments.

That said, this one goes down the books as another solid entry in Da Seul’s filmography. That woman is always ready to put viewers through the wringer, and they will be happy to let her do so.

[ratbastarddotfuck]

if you're a white person taking pleasure in the idea that Trump voters of colour are experiencing racist violence from white trumpers because "they got what's coming to them" I don't think you're anti-racist at all, I think you were just waiting for an acceptable target, and you're also fucking weird.

Bad Person Deserves Punishment For Their Sins give me a fucking break and get yourself out of the fucking catholic church. you're all prison abolitionists until you see someone you don't like.

[kcsplace]

Top Gun Silliness

[fuji-sprouts]

✨my doomed yaoi in the same pose as my other doomed yaoi✨

[tiringwritings]

would sell my soul to the devil if he asked me to

[mondodisco]

(Spoilers for GOS2 / OFMD S1 / WWDITS S3)

CAN’T FUCKING DO THIS SHIT EVERY TIME I WATCH A GAY SERIES FUCK

[tarutaruga]

that scene from panty & stocking but madatobi

[muzsmocsing]

"You've been going through books so fast, how are those Chinese fantasy novels?"

They're good :)

[fryeswiththat]

Consider the "I'm the only one who cares about him" but in reverse. Will just being adamant about helping or protecting Mike

Or realizing with dawning horror that he's the "only" one that cares about Mike

[hayheadd]

I don't think people understand how well Pathologic 2 deals with the struggles of Artemy as someone who has to choose between the life he has built up in the shitstain assfuck circle that ruined his whole culture and the uncomfortable truths he has to face to heal the kin.

Wow you really like this character? Really really? It's your friend and you wanna give 'em a big ol' hug? Watch them spit a micro aggression two whole minutes later! That's life man.

You wanna revive your broken culture?

Choose! It's so easy. Leave literally everyone but your kin behind (except this one silly gal she can stick around) because at the end of the day, no matter how much you love them, no matter how much they love you, you are the colonised and they are the coloniser, they are destroying the land, the language, the traditions, and they live on that land at the expense of you... orrr.... give up. How about that?

[monaetheworldsdestroyer]

*drops this at your feet like a cat with a dead mouse* been chewing on Charles' childhood trauma again. here you go

[bumblingbabooshka]

[TUVOKTOBER: Day 15] At First Sight. [Patreon | Commissions]

[eightspringdays]

You know what has always seemed funny to me is that Mello has some kind of relation with fire (the explosion and then the fire in his death), and at the same time, his real name is the same one of the arcangel known for having a flaming sword (even tho never stated in the bible but he's represented with one in almost everywhere for interesting reasons but no one gives a shit about that)

which i totally think is a stretch of my part because based on platinum end, ohba's vision of religion is almost the equivalent to the opinion of a 15 yo edgy incel that likes reddit too much

but still funny to me. it's also funny considering the name literally means "who is like god?" because, technically speaking, michael will never be like god, he's the protector and fighter. his name is almost the statement "no one will be like god" which I think is funny considering that the one who tried to be like god was cast out to hell, like u know, the good-looking angel that in some depictions is actually a very manipulative entity that convinces some angels to get into his side and fight with him and was defeated by this said arcangel

that's very funny to me

[acutabovetherest]

I have prolonged my suffering for the people I love

I don’t know how much longer I can do that for

Please try to understand

[yutamayo]

U ever vaguely hear of a piece of popular gay media but you avoid it at all costs because you know your mental health could just not handle it like u can sense that it will fuck you sideways but it's so popular and so gay but you know you can't do it at this point in ur life?

[babyslutbuck]

Christopher video chats Eddie from Texas and refuses to come home unless Eddie shaves the caterpillar from his face

better yet he promises to come home IF eddie shaves off his mustache. win/win situation for everyone