#ep 27 really hits

[da-xiao-jie]

LU FREAKIN XUN Y'ALL

"You know nothing! I don't want the love that is obtained by courting and pleasing, but by mutual attraction. I hope she never finds out everything that I've done for her. I don't want her to say yes just because she is moved, or out of pity or sympathy, you know? What I want...what I want from her is visceral feelings, visceral love. If that's not what she feels, I'd rather not be with her."

***

"I've liked you for 10 years. I've finally accepted the fact that you don't love me. When we were in school, I was the opponent you wanted to defeat. At work, I'm your annoying boss. You've never smiled at me like that, you know? Never! You've never shed a tear for me or expected anything from me.

"Why do I feel like I've lost you a million times even though I never had you? Why?

"Qian Wei, you've won. I'm willing to let go of my pride now. I don't want it anymore. Even if you resign and leave tomorrow, I still want you to know that I was the one who collected the blood donation cards. I was the one who put up the notice. Cupid was behind the door you were going to open today.

"The piece to the void in my heart, and the desire of my heart has always been you.

"You've defeated me, okay? Qian Wei, you are a fool. And I'm a thousand times, even a million times more foolish than you. I've waited for you for 10 years! Do you have any idea what it's like to wait for 10 years?

"Tell me, what were your tears just now for? Is the story in your dream about me? Tell me everything, Qian Wei!"

***

"Qian Wei, when you didn't know, I've taken 9,999 steps towards you. As long as you can take a step forward, as long as you lift your foot, as long as you turn around, all my pride, ego, and stubbornness will crumble. Yet when you woke up, the one you hugged was still him. If you aren't destined to love me, why should I tell you these then? At least when I look at you, it won't make me look miserable."

[twig-tea]

GL Odds and Ends January 2025

I'm still trying to figure out what 2025 means for me in terms of where and how I spend my time, but one thing I am passionate about is making sure there is a record of GL media, so I'm going to try to prioritize keeping this up to at minimum monthly, though I might change up the format. Last one was end of December 2024. If you're interested in GL older than that, check out my GL rec list and my #gl recs tag for the other odds and ends posts. Series new to the roundup are marked with an asterisk*.

Currently airing (with thoughts up to 31 Jan):

Petrichor ep 9/10 (Thai, Saturdays, 10:00 AM ET, iQIYI) I've appreciated the struggle that Tul has gone through in terms of wanting to use her police powers to protect her family though that goes against her morals, and some of the procedural aspects I was grumbling about before have been explained by the plot. However, it still bothers me that she's not a very good detective. That being said, Engfa and Charlotte still have fantastic chemistry, and Na is having what seems like the time of his life.

*Us the series ep 2/12 (Thai, Saturdays, 8:00 AM ET, YouTube) I admit I think I have Chao Planoy fatigue. Age gap, both characters are lying to each other, there are abusive family members, and a guy who seems nice but I'm braced for a reveal about how he's actually awful. I'm feeling like I'm playing bingo. Honestly If someone gets hit by a car I might lose it. All my baggage aside, the pacing on this feels uneven and it doesn't feel like it has its feet yet.

*Call Me By No Name ep 4/8 (Japanese, Thursdays, 12:30 PM ET, GagaOOLala) Honestly I am not buying the romance between these two protagonists and I am finding them a little overwrought.

*Trunk Girl ep 1/? (Korean, possibly Thursdays, YouTube) This has just started, and the vibes are off. I am suspicious of the circumstances that led this runaway to stay with her friend, especially when she kissed her in her sleep (and I don't mean suspicious of sapphic feelings, those are already taken as given considering the genre).

*FirstLOVE ep 5/? (Korean, Mondays, YouTube) Toxic girlfriend gets replaced and then regrets letting her lover go. We'll see how this ends but this is another messy drama that feels pretty rough.

*I Am Devil ep 5/? (Thai, Saturdays, YouTube) Gonna be honest with y'all I watched ep1 and shelved the rest, it's a pulp in the style of high drama like Sastra and JPC below produce and just isn't my jam. If you're looking for high heat lakorn-style drama, give this a try.

[Note: Mate is still airing if you did not fast track, but since I did I've included it in the following section]

Recently Completed:

The Fragrance You inherit 8eps 25mins each (Japanese, 8 Nov 24-27 Dec 24, no official distribution but fansub on @isaksbestpillow's blog[thank you Siiri!] I loved this finale and wrote about it here. For those who don't want to click the link, in short this is not a romance but a really beautiful and sweet show about all kinds of interpersonal relationships.

Pluto 12eps 45 mins each (Thai, 19 Oct 24-04 Jan 25, YouTube) This series showcased the skills and chemistry of Namtan and Film, and had some of the most iconic product placement in a GL to date. The plot was messy but held together, and as much as I was unimpressed with their choices week to week, their choices made sense within the narrative (and genre) being told. I knew this one wasn't for me, but what it was doing, it did pretty well, and beautifully. The one real ding from me was the use of blindness as a metaphor that essentially got handwaved away; that and I think it was doing too much. But I am glad that before that, there was some great use of their platform to highlight the importance of universal design.

INTP 4eps 5 mins each (Korean, 27 Dec 24-22 Jan 25 YouTube) This is the latest short series from RedQ, who produced some of my favourite GL short series including More than or equal to 75 degrees C, and To the Ex who Hated Me. I said when this started that the setup of this one reminded me of Semantic Error if SangWoo realized he was attracted to JaeYoung at their first group assignment meeting, and I think that holds. These two fell for each other because they both care about the group project, and both protect each other. It's a bit short but I found it very sweet.

Mate, 12eps 50+ mins each (Thai, 26 Nov 24-28 Jan 25 fast-track or 4 Feb 25, WeTV (uncut version)) In the end this show remained a struggle for me. There were things it was doing that I really liked (the characters tried hard not to resort to noble idiocy, and when characters did resort to noble idiocy they were confronted with the consequences, for example), and things that I really did not, and there were parts that were really hard to watch and will haunt me. There are a lot of things I like about this show, so I don't want to discourage views. Just go into this one informed, and make the decision that's right for you.

*Adrenaline 4eps 15 mins each (Thai, 10 Jan-31 Jan 25, YouTube) This show is a cross between a travel ad and a lakorn. This is a major spoiler, but the main character has a secret condition where she forgets things that causes her to forget her first time with her girlfriend!? This show is so messy lol

Recent One-offs, Side Couples, etc.:

Fireworks of Yesteryear/When We Met has been made available on YouTube. A 35-minute Chinese GL that includes a makeout and as a result the production team have been working hard to get it in front of eyeballs. This is a moody piece with an open ending; there's an age gap too so YMMV (30s and 22).

GL microseries Your Name Engraved Herein (not to be confused with the BL feature film) has been subtitled by @douqi7s. Watch the original on Bilibili and enjoy the subs on YouTube. This one is also melancholy but it's some really tight storytelling in under 2 mins and manages to feel hopeful even though it's sad.

There is a lesbian side couple in Flirt Milk the series (airing now on iQIYI). This couple Noon and Praewa previously appeared as sides in Love Senior.

There is a new MV featuring a lesbian couple for the artist KnomJean on YouTube. This is one of those MVs that tells a story (TW for family violence) and after getting through the sad backstory, celebrates marriage equality in Thailand.

IdolFactory is re-running GAP the series on YouTube. If you've been putting off watching, now is a good time!

Speaking of re-runs, Yes Or No and the two sequel/spinoffs (Yes or No 2, and Yes or No 2.5) are all newly on GagaOOLala for streaming in some regions (I know for sure they're in North America, not sure about others)

Uranus2324 is starting to show up in particular places on the internet. I watched it and after all of the negative things I'd heard I actually liked it lol I'll see if I can write about it more this week

My suspected wlw sides in See Your Love ended up being implied only I was a little sad about this but at least I wasn't imagining the vibes.

Mom Ped Sawan is still airing but I still don't have a source for subs

Sastra film app YouTube channel has several short Cambodian GL series that come out weekly Honestly they are not to my taste but I don't like gatekeeping GL especially from smaller markets. I check in on these time to time and if there are any that I think are great I'll give them a shout-out

Ditto above with JPC media YouTube channel for Thai GL shorts if there are any that stand out to me I'll say so; that being said I haven't had time recently so if I've missed anything good let me know!

Starting soon:

Reverse With Me (sequel spinoff to Reverse 4 U), Thai, 5 Feb, iQIYI and Ch3+ app

Fragrance of the First Flower s2, Taiwanese, 18 February 2025, GagaOOLala ok this isn't that soon but I'm just so excited we're getting this second season after all!

As always, if I'm missing anything, please let me know!

[simply-whump]

Blossom (九重紫) - Whump List

Whumpee : Song Mo played by Li Yun Rui

Synopsis : After losing her mother, Dou Zhao became disillusioned with love and family, retreating to a remote village to study and protect her estate. One stormy night, she helped Song Mo protect the orphaned descendant of Duke Ding Guo. This fateful encounter led to their paths intertwining as they each faced personal struggles. Given a second chance, they slowly grow close, overcoming distrust and falling in love. (MDL)

Genres : Historical, Mystery, Romance, Fantasy

Warning! Possible spoilers below!

Song Mo

Ep 1 : (24:45) Unwell, coughing blood  — (32:00) Fighting a tough battle, stabbed, collapses, bloody, helped up, shot by an arrow, dies? (kinda travels back to the past)

Ep 2 : (09:10) Tied, whipped in stead of his father, bleeding, treated, in pain

Ep 3 : None

Ep 4 : (37:15) Hit by a fallen crate, knocked unconscious, concern for him, bleeding — (38:40) Wakes up, head bandaged 

Ep 5-6 : None

Ep 7 : (36:25) Finds someone he cares a lot about dead, emotional 

Ep 8 : (03:25) Restrained — (14:25) In prison, tied, whipped, weak, bruised

Ep 9 : None

Ep 10 : (05:00) Slapped — (16:30) Grazed by an arrow — (18:25) Injury bandaged — (37:35) Emotional, crying — (39:20) Bandages his hand

Ep 11 : None

Ep 12 : (30:30) Slapped, hit, accused unjustly — (32:00) Beaten really badly while being tied up, passes out, dragged, locked up, in a lot of pain (Gif Set) — (36:20) Wakes up, very weak, injury treated

Ep 13 : (01:00) Takes medicine that will allow him to fight while injured — (07:50) Fighting injured, spitting blood — (11:50) Witnesses his friend’s death, stumbling, concern for him — (25:40) Exhausted, passes out, concern for him — (29:15) Wakes up in bed, gets out of bed against everyone’s advice

Ep 14-17 : None

Ep 18 : (15:40) Concern for him, teary-eyed

Ep 19 : (09:35) Hand injured (burned), concern for him  — (11:20) Hand treated — (26:05) Pretends to be drunk

Ep 20 : (15:55) Hand bleeding, concern for him

Ep 21-22 : None

Ep 24 : (29:40) Concern for him, lightly hit, wincing, injury massaged, more injuries discovered

Ep 25 : (20:20) Angry, collapses on one knee (has been poisoned), bleeding from the mouth, collapses, concern for him — (24:45) In bed, delirious (talking in his sleep), feverish, concern for him

Ep 26 : (12:55) Teary-eyed (you can really see how sad he is and how he tries to hide it at first), crying — (20:10) Reveals to his loved one he only has 1 year to live (Finally a couple that communicates and don’t turn their back on each other, even during tough times!) — (31:25) Dizzy, collapses to his knees, nosebleed, passes out, concern for him

Ep 27 : None

Ep 28 : (08:05) Face lightly grazed — (09:30) Wound treated

Ep 29-30 : None

Ep 31 : (04:50) Crying — (24:35) Poison acting up, collapses on one knee, spitting blood, spits more blood, concern for him — (36:25) Emotional, teary-eyed, restrained, worried for someone 

Ep 32 : (05:15) In Prison, tied, bloody, made to breathe in some sort of drug, hallucinating, in a lot of pain, spitting blood — (09:15) Kinda hallucinating his loved one, passes out (difficult to explain, but it’s a beautiful scene) (Gif Set 1) (Gif Set 2)

Ep 33 : (20:10) Poison acting up, in pain, hands tied (to prevent him form hurting himself or others), spitting blood, concern for him, “given” medicine

Ep 34 : None

>> More Whump Lists

[darlingchronicles]

RHYTHM & REVELRY | SEASON 1 | EP 28

pairing; TALKSHOW HOST!FEM!READER X GUITARIST!JJ MAYBANK (SMAU)

summary; as a talk show co-host, topics such as gossip, rumors and scandals pop up left and right. when reader takes a small hit at the lead guitarist of 'surf junkies' in an episode, a whirlwind of events is gonna sweep her off her feet. that is...if the cameras don't catch it first

notes; inspired by @zyafics and her amazing SMAU

tags; SMAU, college au, fake-dating | masterlist

episodes; ep 27, ep 28, ep 29

darlinglore: ohhh jj...if only you KNEWWW if only you kneww (btw this is freshmen year and the present time is junior year SO LOTS of background leading to their little arrangement) see you next time at the front stage of MOSHPIT!

(analysis: i feel like canonically, if jj were to REALLY like someone or begin to have REAL feelings for someone or something along those lines, he'd get really flighty...more to come with this)

[dangermousie]

2023 End of Year Post - kdrama edition

Yes, we have a some of December left, and I want to check out Death's Game but whatever. I got time for this now and not sure if I will have later so here goes.

This is only going to cover kdramas that aired in 2023; if I watched it but it was made in a different year, it’s not on the list. This was an excellent kdrama year, the likes of which we hadn't had in a long time.

DRAMAS WATCHED

In order of liking from least to most as opposed to pure quality so pls don't come for me, fans of some popular dramas that are on my nope list. Also, I am including if I’ve seen enough to make up my mind; yes I realize that’s inaccurate, but that’s my list.

33. The Escape of the Seven - this is so aggressively stupid and mean that it feels like the makers are playing a practical joke seeing how much their audience will take. This has a season 2 coming, so the answer is a lot.

32. Behind Your Touch - the FL gets superpowers by touching people's and animals' butts. Yes, you read this right. Do I really need to add anything?

31. King the Land - yes, it was a hit. Yes, it stars popular actors. I HATED IT LIKE IT TOUCHED MY BUTT TO GET SUPERPOWERS!!! Plastic people in paint by the numbers story, with about as much genuineness or retability as a barbie aisle in walmart. I never expect much from Yoona so whatever, but to have LJH go from The Red Sleeve to this boggles the mind.

30. Mrs Durian - this is so dumb that I think I lost a few IQ points watching this, but its insanity becomes entertaining - I mean what kdrama can you name where a daughter in law declares her love and lust for her mother in law at a family dinner?

29. The Matchmakers - there is nothing offensive about this drama at all. But there is nothing in the least interesting either. If elevator music took drama shape, it would be this show.

28. Destined with You - sorry, Rowoon, I am still fond of you, but you are two for two in drama duds department this year. This is a drama where I loved ep 1, liked ep 2, was indifferent to 3 and...you get the point. Each ep was worse than the one before, and I bailed before I was dragged into a cosmic singularity.

27. Oasis - great first two episodes. Unfortunately it was not a two ep show. The performances are solid but the story is just not there - the effect is like a fancy chef making an amazing sauce to put on pig slop.

26. Boyhood - it's not you, it's me in action. I can see why people would like it but a 34-year old playing a high schooler in a Weak Hero Class 1 Slapstick Edition is no go for me.

25. Castaway Diva - it's so precious and kooky in the most annoying ways, with the most well-adjusted abused castaway in history. I like magic realism when done by Jorge Amado, but this ain't Amado.

24. Island - it had a good concept, good cast and fun visuals but the execution deserved one of ML's swords through the neck.

23. The Worst of Evil - if I wanted an American show, I'd watch one. Very solid performances though.

22. Song of the Bandits - period edition of what I said about The Worst of Evil.

21. Welcome to Samdalri - and goodbye to any hope of emotional involvement.

20. Joseon Attorney - I have yet to like a single sageuk centered around a profession and this was not an exception. I guess it could be worse but it also could have been so much better.

19. Twinkling Watermelon - everyone loved this drama. Everyone except for me. It's the kind of precious that sets my teeth on edge and I couldn't stand half the main characters we were supposed to root for. I guess I like my fruits to shine steadily.

18. Our Blooming Youth - probably the biggest disappointment on this list. This is not a bad drama by any means, but with that cast and that story (I loved the novel), I was hoping for a memorable sageuk not merely all right.

17. Vigilante - it has the emotional complexity and nuance of a punch to the throat but it gives us quasi-gay openly-murderous dudes going after psychos and Yoo Ji Tae holding feral Nam Joo Hyuk by his hoodie at his feet.

16. The Forbidden Marriage - expected nothing but it was a surprisingly enjoyable trifle of a costume drama that was also quite pretty.

15. Arthdal Chronicles: Sword of Aramun - a hot mess but such an entertaining epic one. And it gave us TWO Lee Jun Kis in period gear and who am I to cavil at the bounty of God?

14. The Story of Park's Marriage - it's a trifle, a souffle, so light it might blow away, but it keeps my attention and is so fun and sweet.

13. My Lovely Liar - a huge surprise, that manages to mix a murder mystery and a romcom, and shocked me by showing Hwang Minhyun can act.

12. Tale of the Nine Tailed 1938 - the original ToNT was my fave drama of its year and I did not think it needed a sequel. But this is not a sequel but more of a side-quel and is such a total delight with brotherly love, adventures, romance and hijinks. It's a joy.

11. Perfect Marriage Revenge - it's actually very hard to do a soap right but this slim 12 ep drama managed. So fun, so crazy, such a good ship!

10. My Lovely Boxer - not really about sports, but about two broken people finding salvation because of and in each other. Also, if you like age gap romances, this is delicious. Sort of loses steam by the end but c’est la vie.

9. The Secret Romantic Guesthouse - this was a sageuk that was not on my radar with a bunch of actors I was not familiar with but it took my heart away. A good plot that was perfectly paced, characters and ships I adored, a logical ending. This is one of the biggest positive surprises of the year for me.

8. Tell Me That You Love Me - a slice of life remake (sort of, it's more "inspired by") of my favorite jdrama of all time. It's not as good as the jdrama because nothing could be, but it's an aching lovely story with some incredible performances.

7. See You In My 19th Life - funny and romantic and haunting and hopeful and odd. This was one of my favorites of the year.

6. Alchemy of Souls: Light and Shadow - it's rare for me to like a (1) sequel (2) with FL actress change (3) that is a Hong Sisters drama. But this was such a gorgeous, surprisingly achy story of love and loss and love regained with some cool monster fighting in the middle. Between the two seasons, this is the first Hong Sisters' drama I enjoyed from beginning to end in well over a decade.

5. My Demon - so tropey (chaebols, supernaturals) but it proves that these tropes are popular for a reason. The chemistry is fire, the story is unpredictable and the whole thing is an addictive delight. A rare drama where I like each new ep more than the last one.

4. Goryeo Khitan War - an old school sageuk in every meaning of the term (no romance, no eye candy, lots of bearded men, battles and politics), this feels like watching an epic movie more than a drama. The vast cast all earns their place and the performances (mainly from character actors given a chance to shine) are incredible.

3. Call It Love - two very very damaged people finding love and healing with each other. This is a narrative very hard to do to my satisfaction but when it's done well, as here, there are few things that can hold a candle to it.

2. My Dearest - a masterpiece of cinematography, narrative, performances. This is an old-school epic romance in the best sense of the term. If it doesn't make you swoon or break your heart, there is something wrong with you. A story of two untraditional, strong-willed, flawed people who fall in love in the middle of the horrifying Qing invasion of Korea and have to deal with all that the world throws at them, this is a bona fide masterpiece.

1 - Moon in the Day - who knew my favorite kdrama of the year will star a store brand Domyoji from Extraordinary You and an actress I was never familiar with. But this part period/part modern fantasy tale of doomed cursed lovers is everything I knew I wanted and everything I didn't know I wanted but did. Two lovers where their love did not save them and in modern day it might not again, has got me obsessed the way I haven't been in years.

FAVORITE DRAMA

Moon in the Day - if there is such a thing as a drama made perfectly for me, this gorgeous, emotionally haunting, utterly romantic, twisty tale is it.

WORST DRAMA

The Escape of the Seven. This drama is proof that demons exist and not sexy ones like Song Kang but horrible nasty ones who delight in the torment this hot mess inflicted on its viewers.

FAVORITE MALE CHARACTER

Do Ha, Moon in the Day - a Silla general and a consummate killer who committed atrocities on the orders of his monster father and yearned to die for them, who found the meaning in life in loving his enemy but it did not make him better, a man so obsessed he literally was around for 1500 years of horrifying ghostly existence and still went "worth it" for a woman who killed him as long as he knew she loved him while she did it. He's intense and competent and beyond fucked up and has never had a normal day and I love him so so so very much from a safe distance.

FAVORITE FEMALE CHARACTER

Gil Chae, My Dearest - she starts out as vain and spoiled but the horrors that break so many others bring out all her fierce survivor potential and she becomes such a force of nature - capable of incredible love but also sacrifice and strength and compassion.

Runner Up: Shin Hye Sun's reincarnator in See You In My 19th Life - quirky, damaged, strong, so odd and so vulnerable at once.

NEEDS TO BE MURDERED

There are a lot of characters who fit that category (King Injo in My Dearest? My God) but the crown belongs to So Ri Bu from Moon in the Day. You think you've seen abusive parents but until you've seen a man abuse his son his whole life and then continue for 1500 years after his death, you ain't seen nothing!

FAVORITE SHIP

The doomed by the narrative OTP of Moon in The Day. Only thing that's better than enemies to lovers is enemies while lovers and their impossible relationship where her killing him is a supreme act of love and his refusing to let go is so strong that he stays around for 1500 years watching her, helpless as she dies over and over again, is everything you ever want.

Runner up: Jang Hyun/Gil Chae, My Dearest. They are so strong and so damaged and it takes them so long to figure out what they feel and what the other person feels but their love and sacrifice and complexities are perfect.

FAVORITE SECONDARY OTP

Kim Shi Yeol/Hong Joo, The Secret Romantic Guesthouse - an assassin bodyguard pretending to be a carefree scholar and a widow of the man he killed to protect his king (and whose life was destroyed as a result.) I enjoyed the main OTP of this drama but I was utterly and completely unhinged for the secondary couple.

I'd have probably picked Rang and his mermaid from TotNT 1938 even over them, but they really were the main OTP of that drama.

NOTP

King the Land couple seems like an easy target but honestly, they are both so terribly bland and antiseptic and marketing by committee, they kinda deserve each other. So I am gonna go with Destined with You, one half of which thinks supernaturally roofying someone into loving them is cute and the other half thinks dating one woman while wooing another is totally a-ok. Ugh.

FAVORITE SCENE

There is no competition for the scene in the slave market in My Dearest, where Jang Hyun finds Gil Chae - the way he screams and tries to clutch the hem of her skirt will live in my head forever.

And the scene where he 'wins' that horrifying bet, or the scene where she finds him in a pile of bodies - they are as good also. Or when he fights off a squad to protect her even though he's sick. That whole drama is perfect.

Runner up: the scene of Do Ha executing Ri Ta's family, covered in blood, as she looks at him from the crowd in Moon in the Day.

Or the scene where he talks about how he cannot live as a person but at least maybe she will kill him and he will die as one. Or when her confession in the past intercuts with his walking in the present, or when he comes home in his bloodied armor and she finds he has a fever and it's the first tender touch he's probably ever known. Her murdering So Ri Bu saying she knows she's going against filial piety in loving her parents' murderer, the way they hug, both bloody, as he says "let's live." The way she says she can't go on as she's hit rock bottom and he replies she cannot quit because she must accompany him to his rock bottom now. Honestly, the drama is a font of amazingness.

Also, the opening scene of Goryeo Khitan War or the scene of Yang Gyu ordering to shoot the captives and having to do so himself.

The OTP meeting again at the intersection at the end of ep 1 of Tell Me That You Love Me. SHS comforting ABH as he's having a traumatic breakdown in 19th Life. The love-making scene in Call It Love. There were a lot of great scenes this year.

BIGGEST CRUSH

Lee Jang Hyun, My Dearest - is that even a competition? He's flawed - vain, often emotionally closed off, not great at processing emotions, lashing out when hurt. He is also incredibly heroic in a real, knows the cost but bears it, kind of way. Whatever he does, he commits utterly but it's never without understanding the cost. He felt both larger than life and utterly real. He went through hell and maintained his soul and the way he loved Gil Chae was breath-taking to behold.

Runner Up: Yang Gyu, Goryeo Khitan War - an experienced military commander who wins an impossible victory even as it ravages his soul. Competence is sexy as fuck.

BEST SCENE STEALER CHARACTER

Rang, Tale of the Nine Tailed 1938 - 1938 really was Rang's chance to shine and he took it. For a character I started out disliking in the original, he really stole my entire heart in this drama. I am so glad he got his happy ending with his brother and his girl.

Runner Up: Crown Prince, My Dearest. He started out as a sheltered, spoiled aristocrat, convinced the world owed him for existing. He grew up slowly and painfully into an amazing man. And then was murdered for it and I cried.

NEEDS A SEQUEL

Arthdal - it leaves the story at a good stopping point but it's very much a "world in flux, adventures and conflicts continue" ending and I would love to see more of these characters. I know we won't but it would have been nice.

NEEDS SCISSORS TAKEN TO IT

Behind Your Touch - should have been snipped at birth.

TOO MANY SCISSORS TAKEN TO IT

Vigilante - I don't mean it had scissors taken to it because it's not cdrama and there is no NRTA, but this drama would have benefitted from being longer. I mean, I love fights and gay polycules as much as the next tumblr person but a bit more character development would not have come amiss. (ahaha - I said come. Leave me alone.)

TROPE THAT NEEDS TO DIE

I don't care about cops/doctors/trash collectors/whoever - workplace drama centering on their "cases" needs to die. I hate procedurals from any country and Korea is no exception.

FAVORITE TROPE WE’VE SEEN A LOT OF

Supernatural critter devoted to their OTP with all the power of their long life.

BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENT

Our Blooming Youth - it was far from terrible but it was a giant meh. I was so excited to see Park Hyung Sik in a sageuk (that wasn't the hot mess that was Hwarang) and I adored the source novel. It actually started well and then...it's like Revenge of the Beige!

BIGGEST GOOD SURPRISE

I want to say Moon in the Day but to be honest, I was excited by posters and trailers so it wasn't wholly a surprise despite not having much of an opinion on the actors before I saw them. So I am going to say My Demon. I was bored by the trailers, I can't remember the last time I enjoyed a Kim Yoo Jung drama and before this year I would have said Song Kang was an incredibly limited actor in everything I've seen him in and not appealing to me at all. And here I am rabidly rabiding for this drama!

If I am not limiting myself to dramas but can use this for actors - Hwang Minhyun in My Lovely Liar. I genuinely did not think the man could act and then he gave such a pitch-perfect, nuanced performance out of nowhere!

2023 DRAMAS I HAVEN’T SEEN THAT I MOST WANT TO WATCH

I have actually watched all the kdramas that aired this year that I wanted to check out except for Evilive. I am saving this for when I have time.

BEST NON-2023 DRAMA I’VE WATCHED IN 2023

I don't know if I'd say it's the best but Say You Love Me (2004) with Kim Rae Won as a quasi monk seduced away from his true love by an evil older woman was a hell of a ride.

MOST ANTICIPATED

Love Song for Illusion (Lady assassin falls for her royal target who has two personalities), Captivating the King (lady spy falls for her royal target who is tormented) - notice a theme? Also Flower that Blooms at Night because Honey Lee in a sageuk, The Life of Mrs Ock (Lim Ji Yeon in a sageuk), The Love Story of Chun Hwa (an "erotic" sageuk, hmmmm, what?!), Hong Rang (Lee Jae Wook in a super angst sageuk), Queen Woo (that cast and set in Goguryeo!), Wong Kyung (about Lee Bang Won's wife and I love the cast.) Basically, if it's period, I am there with bells on.

[kandadze]

Ep 27 loose thoughts

Well, that's one way of snapping someone shell-shocked out of making a drastic decision. I feel like PSJ snapped something in herself at this moment, too. Anyone else found the ancestor's commentary going on in the background while the girls are bawling their eyes out hilarious? Just me? Okay.

While I was waiting for the ever burning wood to activate or something, the moment WX opened the box to reveal dried flowers I choked. ZYC!!!

Baby!Yichen breaks my heart, so impressionable, so open to learn. It's interesting to see that the phrases about suffering we've seen him use as an adult might have come from WX... Not a fan of telling people in mourning to stop dwelling in misery and sadness like it's as simple as flipping a switch (not to mention, she apparently *just* met him for the first time? The heck?), but at least the rest of her words seem to have helped him... so much that he kept the flowers 😭 The irony of her snow metaphor contrasted with their current predicament is indeed exquisite, A+ for that.

Are they going to be saved by the power of lurrrrve??? (At least this time. Still holding out for how that's gonna play out in the finale.) I mean, what other way to sway an ancient creature who's seen pretty much everything there is to see, than to show them something new? What's that? A test for a future event? (I'm getting really paranoid about nothing we've seen so far being real. It's like Alice in Wonderland on a bigger scale. Or Finnegans Wake on a smaller scale. I don't know.)

Oooh Bingyi and Ying Long, our original doomed couple (of self-sacrificial idiots)! I would watch a whole drama just about them. And damn, I can definitely see where Zhao Yuanzhou got his masochism from. Stoppppp not "Just let me be the first star"! (Especially since I just remembered ZYZ's "I'll be the rain...") It's not supposed to be literal! 😭😭😭 Ahhhh this scene just broke me, also because it seems to reinforce the idea that ZYZ *has* to be killed for the greater good. The visualssss in the execution- sacrifice? What the heck do I even call it?- scene though, soooo good!

"Let me do it myself." LET ME DO IT MYSELF??? FUCKKKKKKK DAMNIT HE JUST- ::head in hands, crying forever::

"Remember. This is my choice, not yours. You don't have to bear any blame or guilt." That's not how that works. That's not how any of that works!

Again, we're dealing with choices. But the fact that ZYZ choice was the same as Ying Long's... the fact that YL says that neither he nor Bingyi had any regrets... oh this is going to hurt.

Oh? ZYZ's future is not what he wants? (And wouldn't that be funny, considering ZYZ's own words while schooling ZYC in the very first ep... 9 times out of 10, things don't go our way?)

"You two are really like us." 😭😭😭

I was wondering if they were going to show us what ZYC saw, and not only does the image of ZYZ's body on that dark floor mirror Ying Long's body floating in the water, both ZYZ and ZYC wear the same clothes as in the very few scenes from the trailer that didn't happen yet... These poor sods, they've been Going Through It for almost a decade now with the only end in sight being yet another tragedy (even if the drama seems to suggest that they don't see it that way at this point.) ::head in hands, crying continues::

"My friend is here. We'll go together." The *sound* I made. Everything else this drama has given me aside, the growth of these characters and their bonds is so well done, and absolutely precious to me.

I want Ying Long's hopes and wishes for them to become true. Seeing how there's hints everywhere in this drama, I hope the words of one of the most powerful beings in existence will count for *something* in the end! (Am I grasping at straws? Maybe. Let me be delusional for a bit longer.)

What do you mean, five, ZYC? What's Ying Lei, chopped liver?

Oof this *almost* hug before WX starts feebly hitting ZYZ. It's relief, it's anger, it's fear for the next time, it's all the feelings that became too big to contain. I feel her so much. (I would've started whacking both him and ZYC way earlier tbh 😅) And ZYZ allowing her that release before pulling her in for reassurance, patting her as if she was a scared child. 😭 Cut to PSJ, looking as if she wanted nothing more but to be the one offering the reassurance to WX. Cut to ZYC, remembering that willingly or not, he's going to hurt WX beyond reassurance. Once again, the bonds in this drama!

Wait hold up hold on what? You just removed Bingyi's blood from him, that should mean that ZYC will not have to become a demon, right? So what's that about developing the inner core? (Also, I just realized that so far all they got from this trip was "go east and ask for a dragon scale" lol) Thankfully him and ZYZ had their conversation(s) about titles and identities so being asked to make that particular choice was not completely out of left field at this point. And all he cares about is whether that means that the last trace of Ying Long will disappear! 😭 (I'm so with Bingyi on this one... I would hold onto that last shred of my friend's existence, too, *especially* if they offed themself via my goddamn sword.)

What's with that look after he says that he thinks he has it - the inner core - is there a joke here somewhere? (I *gotta* go back to learning the language, the things I'm undoubtedly missing on!) The only thing I can think of is - did they think he said he's pregnant??? ::dies:: "So what's your true form?" "Must be dragon." "I say you're a mule." "Better than being a monkey." "I'm a white ape!" ::dies again:: Nice to see we still get a friendly ribbing between all of them, and I can breathe after all the angst. Fingers crossed? There's still 5 minutes left...

Oh good, let's talk about getting Bai Jiu back! (I knew there was one more character from the opening credits that didn't show up yet... guess it's the rebel princess.) While Ao Yin is eavesdropping! Talk about good hearing. Sigh, here it comes, another goal they have that will conflict with Li Lun's; they want the scale to restore the sword, and LL not only doesn't want that to happen, the scale could potentially help him get rid of the poison.

Oh for fuck's sake, I think I was subconsciously waiting for Chongwu Camp to show up, knowing that they've eavesdropped on the gang earlier, and here they are. ZYZ should really think of putting up some sound barrier when they discuss important plans, everyone seems to know exactly what they'll be doing at any given moment!

Ahhhh we're getting a nod to that little cough and stumble WX had shortly before this trip. Something's wrong with Baize token? Or with her connection to it? We only have 7 episodes left, drama!

(ZYC is such a good little brother.) Oh great, it was the rebel princess who killed WX's dad? I repeat, we only have 7 episodes left!

Sigh... with only 7 episodes left, we *also* find out that the goddamn 3-face-mask has history with the princess? And has everyone and their mother sat on that little bridge???

This feels like the endless final scenes in Peter Jackson's "Return of the King," my head is spinning.

Note to self, *stop* looking at previews. Ying Lei, what the absolute fuck?

[amanda-519]

Malevolent Favorite Characters Results! 500 Milestone!!

I planned to post the Malevolent Favorite Character poll results at the 400 milestone. A few days ago, the poll had 320 responses, so I thought I'd have more time. I posted to boost the numbers, hitting 336 responses. Then Potato-lord-but-not and Percymawce-arts reblogged the link, and it blew up. Thanks to them and everyone who shared it!!!

When I first saw my notifications explode, we had 403 responses. After thanking Potato-lord-but-not and Percymawce-arts, it jumped to 413. Despite it being late, I started writing the 400 milestone post. While WRITING THE POST the number of responses jumped up 6 times! Making it tricky to keep up as I had to keep checking what the new response voted so I won’t miss their vote. 

I went to bed with 419 responses, thinking we'd stay under 500. But the next morning, after getting my birthday cake with my mom, I saw we had 478 responses! Yeah. I couldn’t post a 400 milestone list when I was so close to 500!

And then we hit 500! 500! Half of a THOUSAND!!! A number I considered would be an “end point” when I first made this poll! (Obviously it’s not going to be, I’m going to keep this poll up forever!) So! THANK YOU EVERYONE WHO PARTICIPATED IN THE POLL! FOR THOSE WHO STILL HAVEN’T AND WANT TO YOU STILL CAN!! Here’s the link! Your response will be in the 600 milestone post! (whenever that might be!)

Without further ado, let’s get into it! The results for the 500 milestone of the Malevolent favorite character poll! (Techinaly 502 responses, I wasn’t able to write it all done the moment we hit 500)

Who is your favorite character in Malevolent? (501 responses)

Arthur: 176

John:  130

Kayne: 81

Collins/ The Butcher: 24

Noel: 22

Oscar: 21

Yellow: 7

Parker: 5

Anna Stanzcyk: 5

Kellin: 5

The King In Yellow: 4

The Cab Drivers: 4

Yorick: 2

The Lighthouse Keeper: 2

Scratch: 1

Lily (animal): 1

Blinky: 1

Bella: 1

The Three Soldiers: 1

Faroe: 1

“Are you really making me choose between John and Arthur right now?”: 1 

“Both John and Arthur (don’t make me choose)”: 1

“Hard tie between arthur and john”: 1

“John and Arthur (package deal do not separate) (update: just saw this below and I completely agree)”: 1 

“I can’t separate John and Arthur”: 1 

“JARTHUR DO NOT SEPARATE”: 1

-

Who is your favorite side character in Malevolent? (499 responses)

Kayne: 170

Collins/ The Butcher: 75

Noel: 73

Oscar: 68

Yellow: 23

Parker: 15

Yorick: 14

Kellin: 12

Faroe: 12

The King In Yellow: 11

The Trader: 9

Daniel: 5

Marie: 6

Larson: 2

Scratch: 2

The Hag: 1

Blinky: 1

-

Who is your second favorite side character in Malevolent? (500 responses)

Kayne: 103

Noel: 100

Collins/ The Butcher: 86

Oscar: 68

Yellow: 25

The King In Yellow: 20

Parker: 17

Faroe: 17

Marie: 14

Larson: 12

Daniel: 9

Scratch: 6

Kellin: 4

The Trader: 2

Percy: 1

Yorick: 1

The Hag: 1

“Butcher”: 1 

“Arthur”: 1

“Alexander (Owl)”: 1

–

Who is your third favorite side character in Malevolent? (497 responses)

Noel: 75

Oscar: 73

Collins/ The Butcher: 59

Kayne: 59

Yellow: 41

Faroe: 27

Yorick: 24

Kellin: 23

Marie: 22

Parker: 22

Larson: 15

Scratch: 14

The Trader: 14

Daniel: 12

The King In Yellow: 12

Percy: 3

The Hag: 2

-

Who is your favorite minor character in Malevolent? (501 responses)

Lily (animal): 101

Anna Stanzcyk: 40

The Cab Drivers: 40

Bella: 36

The Canna: 31

The Lighthouse Keeper: 30

Lily (nurse): 30

Alexander (The owl. Aka, Owlexander): 27

Blinky: 23

Wraith: 19

Shub/Niggurath: 16

Michael Fuast: 13

The Three Soliders: 13

Adam Fry: 12

Uncle: 11

Amanda/Sarah: 9

Mathew: 8

Rafters: 8

Frank: 7

Armitage: 5

Henry: 5

Eddie: 5

The Vanguard: 5

James: 1

The Prince: 1

“woman on the train who gets offended at Arthur talking to himself”: 1

“Owlexander”: 1

“Kellin”: 1

“Scratch”: 1

“That one little creature thing from ep 16”: 1

-

Who is your second favorite minor character in Malevolent? (497 responses)

Lily (animal): 59

The Cab Drivers: 39

The Canna: 38

Bella: 33

The Lighthouse Keeper: 31

Lily (nurse): 28

Blinky: 27

Alexander (The owl. Aka, Owlexander): 26

Anna Stanzcyk: 22

The Three Soliders: 22

Uncle: 20

Amanda/Sarah: 18

Shub/Niggurath: 16

Frank: 15

Rafters: 14

The Vanguard:  11

Adam Fry: 10

Michael Fuast: 9

Eddie: 7

Armitage: 5

Mathew: 6

James: 4

Henry: 4

“I was honestly a massive fan of Faroe from the morsels we were fed of how she was/acted”: 1

“WHERE IS KELLAN”: 1

“Roland Cummings”: 1

“You misspelled Michael Faust”: 1

-

Who is your third favorite minor character in Malevolent? (484 responses)

Lily (animal): 59

The Cab Drivers: 43

The Lighthouse Keeper: 34

The Canna: 33

Wraith: 32

Lily (nurse): 31

Alexander (The owl. Aka, Owlexander): 27

Bella: 26

Blinky: 22

Shub/Niggurath: 22

Anna Stanzcyk: 19

The Three Soliders: 19

Amanda/Sarah: 17

Uncle: 15

Michael Fuast: 11

Rafters: 11

The Vanguard: 10

Frank: 9

Henry: 9

Mathew: 8

James: 7

Adam Fry: 6

Armitage: 5

Eddie: 4

“The woman behind Scratch/Lillith”: 1

“Im not fully through the show”: 1

“Marie:” 1

“Rollan Cummings”: 1

“cant choose!”:1

-

Now this question is purely for me, but who do you like better, John or Arthur?” (498 responses)

Arthur: 144

John: 121

I literally can't decide. This question is killing me I love both of them SO MUCH.They're equal to me. Linked. I can't pick one without the other. Do Not Separate: 233

-

And that’s all for now! I make reblog this post and add other bits, like maybe I’ll add the results for the other 100 milestones, or bits of what people wrote about their favorite characters. So keep an eye out for that if you’re interested! (also, since @percymawce-arts wanted to be tagged, here you go! I hope you find the results as fascinating as I do!)

[veiwryn]

Au where Sierra is obsessed with uncovering the "mystery man" himself (Noah), instead of being in love of Cody.

Anything is better than her canon plotline, but I feel like this works really well because of how the Canon set it up. Like, Noah being Chris' assistant and being incognito since s2 was highlighted a lot in the celebrity Manhunt episode (S2. Ep 27.) but nothing came from it. He remains a mystery and a background character despite the impact his actions could've been. (Y'know, with the trashy writing. I mean, he exposed Alejandro to Owen and the rest of the team but it doesn't come up until it's convenient to the plot!)

And what is Sierra? A HUGE fan of total Drama and knows too much of every other person in the cast. Everyone but Noah and Alejandro, but her not knowing anything about Noah hits harder cause he's an og.

Their dynamic and arcs could go so many ways.

[whateverisbeautiful]

♥️ Ranking Richonne

#27: To Replace The One You Lost (S7E10)

Ok the Richonne content in 7.10 was a feast. I loved every moment Rick and Michonne were on screen together. So honestly, this #27 spot can kinda go to all their moments in the ep, but if I have to single out one…it’s gotta be the cat moment. 😍 It’s a great 'anniversary' gift after going canon in 6.10 and meaningful in so many ways...

(Side note: seeing Jadis again in this 7.10 ep 😒…I very much hope Jadis and Michonne’s katana have a reunion in TOWL. Especially because I've always believed that Jadis saving Rick in 9.05 was just a secondary outcome of Jadis saving Jadis. She needed someone to give the CRM and it worked out for her to give them Rick. Had that helicopter demanded she be alone for the pick-up, Jadis' track record shows she would have acted in self-interest and left Rick behind.

And for Rick, I believe he'd feel that cruelly keeping him from his family for years is worse than leaving him to die by that river - so this one time, plz let Richonne's wrath prevail over their mercy whenever they confront Rick's captor Jadis) 

First, I adore Rick and Michonne's adorable hug after making a deal. I love how they get wrapped up in each other and seeing both their smiles. 🥰 Being in each other's arms is where they’re most meant to be, I’m just saying. 

And then to make the hug even better, Rick kisses Michonne's forehead and it’s just the sweetest. I love how they stay in the embrace as they walk off too. Before they leave the frame, you can visibly see Michonne's relief that her man made it out of this wild day, even if not completely unscathed. And it'll always be a nice touch that Rick is still so thoughtful to embrace Michonne without getting his bloodied hand on her.

And then there’s the cat sculpture. 🤩

I will forever love how despite all the eventful stuff of the day, Rick still had the mindset to notice that cat in the junkyard and recall the rainbow cat from season 3, and want to gift this sculpture to Michonne. 

So Rick and Michonne are standing by the trunk of the car - which reminds me of another scene by a trunk in Clear (that will certainly show up on this Top 30 list 😊) And their Richonne tones are so sweet as they lay out their plan together. Rick is so refreshingly hopeful saying how he doesn’t know where they’ll find guns but "that’s never stopped us before." And Michonne’s smile when he says that is precious. 

And it hit me that while there’s a general sense of how things have never stopped them before, it also could be a specific reference to Clear because back then they were similarly going out to look for guns and then there weren’t any at the station like they hoped but that didn't stop them because they still managed to find a ton when discovering Morgan’s arsenal. While that might be a more subtle Clear reference, the next cat reference is very clear. 

Rosita wants to go already but Rick says hold on and jogs over to the cat sculpture even despite his injury. As I’ve noted before, I’ll forever love this man turning the trash heap into Pottery Barn for his woman. The way Rick's romantic heart continuously courts her is perfection and I love that getting things for her and putting a smile on her face is always a priority. The cute way he walks over too - I know Michonne was appreciating that walk. 😋 

I love the way he hands it to her and how she asks, "why are you…?" in an amused smitten way. And I just noticed that Rick has this little laugh when Michonne asks this. He’s so happy, and it’s sweet how often Rick's happiness is Michonne-related throughout the series. 

It’s already so nice that Rick says he’s giving this to her "because we won." Like what a man to be like I don’t even want to leave this place before celebrating this win with my wife. And again, I have always felt that it’s the "we" moreso than the "won" that really has him on a high because they really defeated that Winslow walker as a team. 

And then because they always top themselves, Rick takes this to maximum heights of perfection when he says, "and to replace the one you lost."

It's just beyond meaningful. I love that he and Michonne are sentimental people and that he reveals that he remembers that rainbow cat from such a foundational time in the building of Richonne. Clear is so special to me so I love that it was referenced and that that time is clearly special to them too. 

Again, think about how much craziness they’ve gone through since Michonne took that 'too damn gorgeous' cat home back then, and yet it's still stored in Rick's memory. I love that this was written to imply Rick still remembers it. The rainbow cat had to do with her so it’s unforgettable.

And also just the line "to replace the one you lost" is powerful because those two lost so much but truly in finding each other Rick and Michonne replenished so much too.

Rick is man of the year every year to me. And I love that he says this knowing he just made his wife's day. It’s his proudest accomplishment of the day. 😊 And Michonne’s sweet little smile as she holds the cat statue is just heart-melting. I absolutely love seeing Michonne be loved on and courted and valued, and Rick is so good at doing that.

They’re both so good at loving each other cuz it’s what they’re made to do. And it’s great she gets this confirmation that she’s been important to Rick for a long time. Rick stays telling on himself, and I'm here for it.

I also love how content Rick is when he says, "let’s go" to the group before they leave the junkyard. Like only after this w with Michonne and most of all putting a smile on her face, that’s when Rick's officially like alright now we’ve done all the things we need to do. 😌

For Rick, this was an apocalyptic date basically. Like first a little wild walker game and then winning a carnival prize for his girl. I adore that it is that man’s mission to give Michonne whatever she likes and just restore anything she’s lost.

This cat moment is one of the sweetest and most couply moments between them, and I will forever be touched by it. All throughout this ep, it was so evident that a husband and wife were up in this place.

Rick and Michonne are so proud and honored to be together, and I appreciate that they expressed gratitude, adoration, and care for each other every chance they got. 😊

[the-conversation-pod]

Going High-Low with Taiwan

And we're back! It’s been awhile since we checked in on Taiwan, and the latest offerings have really run the gamut in terms of quality. Ben, NiNi, and Shan sat down to discuss the state of Taiwanese BL via two recent shows, Anti Reset and Unknown.

Timestamps

The timestamps will now correspond with chapters on Spotify for easier navigation.

00:00:00 - Welcome 00:01:15 - Intro 00:02:11 - Anti Reset and VBL 00:13:13 - Unknown the Series 00:20:16 Unknown: The Pseudo Incest Trope 00:27:53 Unknown: San Pang, Li Li, and Family in the Narrative 00:35:48 Unknown: The Ending Stumble 00:43:32 Unknown: Adapting the Da Ge Novel 00:46:15 Unknown: Final Thoughts and Ratings 00:51:53 - Whither Taiwanese BL?

The Conversation Transcripts!

Thanks to the continued efforts of @ginnymoonbeam as transcriber, and @lurkingshan as an editor and proofreader, we are able to bring you transcripts of the episodes.

We will endeavor to make the transcripts available when the episodes launch, and it is our goal to make them available for past episodes (Coming soon thanks to @wen-kexing-apologist). When transcripts are available, we will attach them to the episode post (like this one) and put the transcript behind a Read More cut to cut down on scrolling.

Please send our volunteers your thanks!

00:00:00 - Welcome

NiNi

Welcome to The Conversation About BL, aka The Brown Liquor Podcast.

Ben

And there it is. I’m Ben.

NiNi

I’m NiNi.

Ben

And we’re you’re drunk Caribbean uncle and auntie here sitting on the porch in the rocking chairs.

NiNi

Four times a year we pop in to talk about what’s going on in the BL world.

Ben

We shoot the shit about stories and all the drama going into them. I review from a queer media lens.

NiNi

And I review from a romance and drama lens.

Ben

So if you like cracked-out takes and really intense emotional analysis…

NiNi

If you like talking about artistry, industry, and the discourse…

Ben

And if you generally just love simping…

NiNi

There is a lot of simping on this podcast…

Ben

We are the show for you!

00:01:15 - Intro

Ben 

And we're back! This week we will be discussing the state of Taiwanese BL by highlighting two projects that recently finished for us. 

NiNi 

Shan is here with us. Say hi, Shan. 

Shan 

Hello people! 

NiNi 

Shan has to be here because y'all know I don't watch that much Taiwanese BL. [laughs]

Shan 

And I watch it all. 

Ben 

We're going to be talking about the sci-fi BL Anti Reset and we're going to be talking about the Priest adaptation Unknown the series, based on Priest’s novel Da Ge. 

NiNi 

I am unfamiliar with Anti Reset. I did not watch it. 

Ben 

NiNi: it's a Taiwanese BL. I don't like it! [Shan laughs] I didn't watch it. 

NiNi 

I did watch Unknown and I have thoughts about that. 

00:02:11 - Anti Reset and VBL

NiNi 

Maybe Shan, you could dig in here before we let Ben get into the recap on Anti Reset. 

Shan 

Anti Reset is part of a recent series of Taiwanese BLs that came from a company called VBL. Stay By My Side, You Are Mine, VIP Only, and then Anti Reset. This was a connected series, all these stories happened in the same universe. The characters did cameos in each other's shows and they all aired in the same time slot one right after the other, over the last several months. 

I was not particularly impressed with the quality of these shows and I thought that as the series went on, each show got a little bit worse. [laughs] By the time I was in VIP Only I had really lost interest in what these shows were doing. The stories were weak, the production values were low, they weren't really hitting the usual Taiwanese high watermarks for great casting, good couple chemistry, solid intimacy scenes… The things you can normally reliably count on Taiwan for, were not really showing up in these shows. 

So I was, had kind of already lost my faith in this series when Anti Reset started. I think I got two episodes into it and I just decided to just stop watching. It was givin’ me a weird vibe. I was like, “You know what? I don't know what this show is doing and I don't think I wanna find out.” 

That's where I think I should hand it off to Ben to talk more about what the show actually ended up doing.

Ben 

Oh, man. Trying to describe the premise of this show inherently gives it more credit than it deserves. [Shan and Ben laugh] The premise of the show is that Chu Yi Ping is some sort of humanities professor at a local college. His arm gets injured from pulling his shoulder and his uncle, who runs a experimental tech company, decides that to give him some assistance while he's recovering, they're going to send an experimental house assistant android to his house, which appears in the shape of a really hot guy named Ever 9. 

The show wants to go on to be this exploration about how misanthropy presents in people. How do you find humanity in artificial intelligences that are designed to befriend us? It wants to do this exploration of personhood—I don't think it does—and ends up fundamentally becoming a mail-order bride show that doesn't realize it is one. This show thinks it's doing deep analysis of AI personhood and romance, but it's not. It's just presenting things. It is kind of a mess and I ended up really not liking it. 

NiNi 

I'm a big sci-fi girl. I like these kinds of explorations of the human condition. It's what all the best sci-fi is about. So, basically what you're telling me is don't watch the show. [laughs]

Shan 

Ben, I feel like when I was observing discourse about this show, it did seem like it was working for some people, and I'm curious if you have thoughts about what parts of the show maybe did work better than others. 

Ben 

I think that if you found the leads attractive and you enjoyed the chemistry that the leads were going for—ignoring literally any of the context about what was going on around their interactions—you could enjoy that. But I don't think the show does a great job of addressing its own context. 

You've got this android living in your house who is doing your house chores and making your food for you, and otherwise taking care of you. So you basically have purchased a housewife. But then he decides he's in love with the housewife and wants to pursue the concept that the android has a personality and is capable of reciprocating his feelings and such. But they don't do a good job creating this crossover point where Ever 9 cares about Chu Yi Ping because of who Ever 9 is and not because of what Ever 9 was programmed to be. 

The issue, too, with Chu Yi Ping is he's got this fundamental misanthropy that isn't really addressed or challenged. What is it about Ever 9 that allows him to not hate him the way he hates other people? The fact that Ever 9 is programmed to put up with all of his shit all the time? That's kinda weird, particularly because they went for a multi-year separation at the end, and I'm like, he didn't grow from this. He's just a sad little weirdo the whole time. 

Shan 

They did a multi-year separation between… a man and a robot? 

Ben 

They did. 

NiNi 

I was about to say— [all laugh]

Shan

I mean! I’m like, what? But, like—, Did—, How—, But—, I—

NiNi

Hold on. Hold on. Hold on. I have another related question. 

Ben 

Please, go on. [Ben and Shan laugh]

NiNi 

This is not a story about an AI achieving self-awareness or sentience or crossing the human-digital divide in some way. 

Ben 

It wants to be that. It really wants to be a story about Ever 9 exceeding his programming. They very much think there's, like, a Pinocchio thing going on with him. 

Shan 

He's still a robot. 

NiNi 

Even Pinocchio turned into a real boy at the end. 

Shan

Right, this is what I don't understand. 

NiNi 

So what is the point, then? If nothing actually changes about Ever 9. 

Ben 

This is one of the fundamental questions I've been asking about BL lately. [all laugh] And here we are again. 

Shan 

What is the point? [laughs]

NiNi 

This is the thing that people don't get about sci-fi a lot. Sci-fi is more philosophy than science. It's a lot more about humanity and the things that humanity does to each other and how humanity evolves than it is about the cool things that the science can do. And whenever I see sci-fi that does not understand that, you can tell. 

Shan 

I think—and I wonder how you feel about this, Ben—one of the tension points here may be trying to take a narrative like this and turn it into a straightforward romance between a person and an object. When I've seen stories with this conceit done well, the romance is maybe not the primary point, and it's more about, like NiNi is saying, the philosophical questions underpinning it. I think about something like Lars and the Real Girl, which is more about the nature of loneliness and the nature of grief and how a community can come together to support somebody in finding a way to be happy. But it's not about the actual romance between the person and the thing. It feels like maybe what's difficult here is they want to examine those things, but at the same time they just want this to be a standard BL where they're just executing romance tropes. Those things don't go together that well. 

Ben 

I agree. I feel like Chu Yi Ping’s misanthropy and disconnectedness from other people should have been the crux of the storytelling, and they were more focused on making the android say hyung and oppa instead. 

NiNi 

For me, if you're gonna do a robot story like this, maybe you actually put somebody else into the story who the main character then falls in love with. The main character is able to interact with the robot to actually, themselves, become a real boy. But somebody in the story has to become a real boy! [laughs] That's the whole—you know what I mean?

Shan 

There's a kdrama that I really love called I'm Not a Robot. And that is pretty much how they handled that. There's a robot, there's a real girl. And in the end, the romance is with the real girl, not the robot. [laughs] 

It just feels like they tried to do that sort of story, but also somehow make the robot the main person without having them actually achieve personhood, and that just doesn't really work. 

NiNi 

It's either that or take it dystopian. Take it in the opposite direction. But then I guess that's not a BL. 

Shan 

Right. So you can also take it in the real fucked up direction, but yeah, you have to commit and it sounds like they just tried to do it all in some kind of weird blend that didn't come together. 

NiNi 

So, I'm guessing this one's a chop, Ben. 

Ben 

Oh, it's 100% a chop. I think I ended up giving it a 5? This is a show that I do not recommend at all. If you just want to see pretty decently attractive Taiwanese actors kind of moon at each other a little bit and make out a little bit, by all means! Go in and have a great time. But that's what you're getting out of it, at most. It's not good sci-fi, and I don't like it. At all. 

Shan 

I'm feeling happy with my choices. I'm gonna not return and finish this one. I think I'm gonna let it lie. It sounds like it was the right choice to not finish it for me. 

Ben 

What did we get out of the VBL project? My only positive takeaway from it is, I'm really glad that they got some money together to continue making small budget Taiwanese BL. I don't want small budget Taiwanese BL to give up, but also, these were not the best offerings that we've gotten out of that. 

Shan 

They need some better scripts. 

Ben 

We gotta do better. I really did not want to be super harsh about VBL and a bunch of their projects but, they're kind of really frustrating in a lot of ways. Stay By My Side ends abruptly. You Are Mine does not do the boss-employee romance any real justice. VIP Only ended up being kinda boring and wasn't really satisfying in its conclusion. And this one just really did not understand the expectations of sci-fi storytelling.

When we looked at the descriptions of all these shows ahead of time, we were like, there's a lot of ways that they could fuck this up royally, but these would actually be pretty good, or at least interesting and compelling in some ways. But they weren't. There's some sort epilogue episode or some shit they're gonna be releasing?

Shan 

A little special to try to sell merch, I think. 

NiNi 

I mean, you gotta do what you gotta do. 

Shan

Yeaaaaah. 

Ben 

Not impressed, and we are moving on. 

NiNi 

You're not even gonna rate it? 

Ben 

Oh, I gave it a 5. 

NiNi 

5 for Anti Reset from The Conversation. 

Ben 

And the 5 is, the leads were actually pretty solid with each other. 

NiNi 

Wow, that is damning with the faintest of praise. 

[all laugh]

Ben 

It's not good, y’all. 

00:13:13 - Unknown the Series

NiNi

Let's leave that behind and move on to something that all of us actually watched and I think liked a little bit more. Moving on to Unknown the series. 

Ben, give us the rundown, what is Unknown the series about?

Ben

Unknown is a found family narrative that has to deal with the way these relationships change as people grow up. This brother and sister end up deciding to adopt a homeless kid who's in their neighborhood. Wei Qian is like a high schooler trying to take care of his little sister ‘cause their parents are dead, and they decide to also take care of this kid, Xiao Yuan. Xiao Yuan is appreciative of this and is glad to become a brother to this family. But as he grows and matures, he ends up developing deep affection for Wei Qian, and we spend the bulk of the story dealing with Xiao Yuan struggling with his feelings for Wei Qian, and how this impacts the community around them. 

Beyond the three siblings, we have their neighbor San Pang, whose family has opted to never raise the rent on the Wei siblings to make sure that they have a place to stay. Wei Qian spends much of his adolescence when he's not in school working for the local gang: complications ensue as a result of this. 

Shan, further thoughts?

Shan

Really, at its heart, this is a relationship change narrative. So, it's all about how this family decide to take each other as family and then as they grow up, some of the relationships start to shift and change, not only between Wei Qian and Wei Yuan, but also between Wei Li Li and San Pang. Wei Qian really takes his responsibilities as the older brother—but also the default patriarch of this family—very seriously. He is a caretaker, he is the person providing financially for the family. San Pang is his best friend, someone who's known him his whole life, who completely understands his devotion to his siblings and also loves them, as well, as an older brother figure. 

There are some other characters in the mix. Qian and San Pang end up going into business with a third partner, named Lao Xiong. There's also the local gang—the lead gangster is called Le—and then there's Doctor Lin, played by our beloved Sam Lin, who's also in the mix as a side character who comes in and out of the story. 

I don't know, NiNi, if you wanted to add anything about your overall impressions of what the story is tackling, the themes.

NiNi

I came into this one later than you guys did, so I was catching up on kind of a binge. And also the rhythms of Taiwanese BL and Taiwanese drama are a little harder for me, so it takes me a while to get into things emotionally. So I was doing a little bit of an uphill climb? I understood where the story was going and what they were trying to do. I didn't all the way feel it? There were points that I would hit, definitely a point at the end or near the end that I felt it, but going through the pockets of the story as it was happening, I didn't get the depth of feeling about this that I would get about a story. That's not necessarily to do with it being a Taiwanese story, ‘cause there's Taiwanese stories that I have that depth of feeling about. Just this one didn't hit me in the exact same way that I think it hit you guys.

Shan

I felt this story deeply. I was very emotionally connected to the characters, very, very invested in this story and really did love it. I have, unfortunately, some serious critiques [laughs] for the way that the story ended up, but really loved it along the way, was super invested. And part of that might come from my relative comfort with the tropes that were at play.

NiNi

It might be, because I'm an eldest sibling and I understand the feelings of responsibility and wanting to be somebody who takes care of your siblings and an example for them and to be strong for them and all of that. If there is any character that I really glommed onto, it was Wei Qian. But then what that left me with was a disconnect from some of his thought processes and actions later down in the story? There were things that I wanted to understand more that I didn't understand about the way that he was processing certain things. That's my thing. That's not a problem with the story, I think that's my reaction to the story.

Ben

I think in the early parts of the story I was really with everything that it was doing. I got Wei Qian’s whole deal fairly quickly. He's, like, 13 to 15 and his mom is dead. His dad is dead or not in the picture. And he's got a little sister that he has to take care of. And the neighbors are willing to help accommodate this but he's gotta get money some sort of way, so he ends up wrapped up with the local gang. I also got the way they would feel sympathy for another kid who's on the street struggling as well. I totally get them adopting someone else who seems like he's going through some shit the way they are too. 

I got the way Yuan’s thankfulness about being saved from the street and the way Wei Qian was willing to sacrifice himself for Yuan, and I totally get that turning into a kind of devotion that shifts over time, and mingles with his latent queerness. I was able to follow Yuan down that route. And I liked the way the show treated all of those developments really seriously. From Wei Qian having some sort of sexual related trauma and being really resistant to advances from women… And I also got the way that that sort of blew up in their faces when Yuan's feelings became known to them. 

I really enjoyed the early parts of the story. I think Ray Jiang directed this? Ray’s tendency to use longer shots of characters working in the space together worked really well for me here, and the actors had really good timing for me to get a strong sense of the dynamics between their characters. So I was really able to pull a lot of the expected emotional beats out of a lot of little things in this show early on.

00:20:16 Unknown: The Pseudo Incest Trope

Ben

I actually waited until like week six, I think, Shan, was when you told me it was time to start watching? I have deep qualms with the stepbrothers trope. I don't usually connect to it or enjoy it.

NiNi

I don't have an issue with the stepbrothers trope, but this didn't feel like stepbrothers to me. The relationship between Wei Qian and Yuan felt almost paternalistic, and that was, I think, deliberately something that Wei Qian did put that distance between them. I did not see how Wei Qian overcame that, he did it so deliberately and he reinforced it so deliberately over and over throughout the years, and I feel like the turn into romance didn't quite work for me?

Ben

Why do you think the stepbrothers taboo doesn't normally bother you the way it might for other people?

NiNi

It depends on how long they've been raised together. A lot of times when we're getting these stepbrothers trope stories, they're new stepbrothers or they haven't been stepbrothers for very long, or they were close to adults when their parents got together. And so it's… doesn't feel like a sibling relationship to me.

Ben

Shan, you've watched a lot of dramas.

Shan

Sure have.

Ben

What's your read of the stepbrother stuff?

Shan

I wanted to talk about accurate categorization here, because this is not actually a stepbrothers trope. The stepbrothers trope is very popular in yaoi manga, and consequently in BL. But Unknown is more, I think, accurately categorized as a pseudo incest story. And that goes beyond BL. That is actually quite popular [laughs] in Asian dramas more broadly, and also shows up quite a lot in het romance. And it's more about people who are coming together in some kind of family arrangement, and then the point of the trope is that the relationship changes over time and we follow that relationship change. 

There's this impression, I think, that people like it mostly because, “Ooh, it's so titillating. It's so taboo.” For folks who enjoy the pseudo incest trope—and I count myself one of them, I've watched a lot of these kinds of dramas—the appeal of it is that a relationship change narrative is really interesting. It's a lot of deep emotional stuff when you are talking about someone who's really important to you in one specific way, and then trying to transform that relationship to have them be important to you in a different way. That can feel really risky and really dangerous, to put at threat the relationship that you already have for the relationship that you now want. That is not a dynamic that is exclusive to the pseudo incest trope!

NiNi

It feels like an extension of friends to lovers.

Shan

Exactly.

NiNi

A higher risk, higher degree of difficulty friends to lovers.

Shan

Exactly right, NiNi. I also love the friend to lovers trope. I also like enemies to lovers, which is maybe not as deep, but still revolves around that relationship change. I think for a lot of people, that's the appeal. It's a higher stakes version of the friends to lovers trope. 

I think Unknown did a fantastic job with this trope… for the first three quarters of its story. Unfortunately, where it fell down was in the most important part, which is that relationship turn. We followed Yuan through his relationship turn. We saw his feelings for Qian change over time. We saw him try his best to cope with them alone. We saw when he could no longer do that and the feelings poured out of him and that caused a huge rupture. We saw him take time away. We saw his devotion stay strong through a separation and through many years apart. We saw him come back as an adult and decide to pursue the relationship he wanted because he was so certain that he still wanted it. We saw that whole process for Yuan. 

Where the show really dropped the ball is that we didn't see that same deep process happen for Wei Qian. We saw it start, we saw him learn about his younger brother's feelings for him and have an initial response of shock and anger and some revulsion. We saw him push Yuan away. We saw him miss him terribly and regret pushing him away. We saw him start to change the way he saw him when he came back as an adult, and start to get more comfortable with seeking him out as a partner instead of as a younger brother. And then we just saw an abrupt flipped switch, where suddenly he was comfortable not only being in a romance, but in a sexual relationship. And I think that's where they really dropped the ball, is in that transition at the end. And unfortunately, that was the most important part of the story. [laughs] So it's a pretty shitty place to drop the ball, show! 

But, this show did so many of my favorite things—found family, intergenerational family trauma, a serious relationship change narrative. These are like three of my most favorite things in drama. The characters were struggling through poverty, that's another big thing that I love to see depicted well in drama, and the show took it seriously. This show, it felt like, was almost made in a lab to, like, hook me in the heart. And I still have a lot of warm feelings about it and love it, even though it kind of let me down in the end. 

But I'm curious, Ben, to hear you reflect, because I know versions of this trope have caused trouble for you before. I feel like you did better with this than you maybe thought you would, Ben.

Ben

So as someone who has had slurs thrown at him with real intent, I am particularly sensitive to narratives that wanna play with taboo that reflects some of the worst disingenuous presumptions about how queer people behave. I don't always enjoy these sort of narratives where they wanna deal with family members coming of age and developing feelings for each other and then wanting to pursue them. I often struggle with stepsibling relationships in particular because their parents had a romance. I don't usually enjoy the discord that the stepbrothers relationship is introducing to the genuine attempt by their parents to blend their families. 

I don't think this show prickled that because they're more akin to orphans than stepsiblings. I'm less perturbed by orphans who use familial terms to establish closeness and present themselves as a unit to other people, wanting to change that down the road. Also, a smart thing the show did was they used three actors to play Yuan to reflect his growth and change over time, which was a very good choice for this kind of story.

00:27:53 Unknown: San Pang, Li Li, and Family in the Narrative

Shan

The other piece of this trope—the pseudo incest trope—that adds a layer, is that the taboo associated with incest does become part of the story. The external community and their other loved ones become an important part of the decision-making around the relationship change. You're gonna see other people being uncomfortable with the change in the relationship, so it adds this layer of complexity. 

Here, the most important and main stand-in for that, we have San Pang, who has been raised alongside them as their neighbor, who also sees himself as an older brother to Yuan and Li Li, who is the first person to catch on to Yuan’s feelings. He is the one who puts it together and sees the way Yuan’s feelings are changing, and he's the one who tells Qian. In the wake of his coming out to Qian—admitting that he is gay, but not saying who he likes—San Pang is the one who says, “I'm pretty sure you're the person he likes, bro,” and he tries to interfere. He goes to Yuan on his own and he says,”I am seeing this. I want you to understand that it's not something you can pursue. You're going to put so much stress on your brother if you let him find out.” 

There are some great scenes between San Pang and Yuan where they have really important conversations about why it's quote unquote wrong for him to feel this way about Qian, why San Pang feels so uncomfortable with it. He tries to intervene. It doesn't work, and then San Pang’s the one who helps Qian come up with a plan to send Yuan abroad. He was a very important part of that storyline. 

He also is a very important part of the storyline when Yuan comes back as an adult, because he, in those intervening years, has gone through his own journey of his changing feelings for somebody that he also considered a quasi-sibling, and has maybe mellowed out a little bit about what it would mean for the two of them to be together. He sees that the feelings are still there, sees how miserable Qian was when Yuan was gone, and he kind of changes his tune and says, “Maybe I was wrong to try to get in the way of this. Maybe this is the thing that will make you, my best friend in the world who I love, happy, and maybe that's right.” He was such a crucial character in this narrative and I just really loved the way the show used his character as a stand-in for what you would normally see happen with parents in a drama like this.

NiNi

He just wanted to protect everybody. He wants to protect them individually, he wants to protect their family unit. It's very sweet.

Ben

He's like the big cousin who also doesn't know what to do. Wei Qian is stuck with this role, having to care for his sister and the brother that they adopted. That takes a huge amount of personal fortitude to choose to do all of that. San Pang clearly sees this from a young age, and he's always trying to help the best he can. But he's just as young as them and it’s not like he brings any special knowledge to the table. He has these instincts that are grounded in the expected orthodoxy of a family unit, and he's trying to help them replicate that, because he earnestly believes that maybe these things can help them. 

Like, he recognizes that Wei Qian is alone with this huge responsibility he's carrying, and reasonably decides that maybe if he gets a partner who can appreciate that, the mental load on Wei Qian would be better. And as far as he knows, Wei Qian likes girls, so he tries to find women who might be interested in him. That doesn't go well. It's the same thing with always showing up at the clinic when Wei Qian gets the shit beat out of him with the gangster stuff. And even with Yuan, Yuan's feelings come up and he tries to help them, and even when they suggest sending Yuan away, they just wanted him to get some room from Wei Qian to maybe feel something for someone else. Yuan being gay was not their biggest concern. Yuan having feelings for Wei Qian was their primary concern. 

I joked, when he came back sassier and even gayer, that he clearly found his people [laughs] while was in New York. 

Shan

[laughs] Mmhmm. 

Ben

And I ended up really loving San Pang for that. Despite his reticence about Wei Qian, he ends up developing feelings for Li Li, and I think it's because they had those big fights where he was forced to reckon with the nature of these taboos and the orthodoxy they enforce, and whether or not they applied here or not. I feel like San Pang ending up in a relationship with Li Li is intentional by the narrative to draw that line and say, “If this is okay, why not this?”

Shan 

We should talk more about Li Li. One of the things I do credit this show with is caring about the whole family as a unit, and not only about the romance. Her involvement in the story and her relationship with her brothers was just a really important aspect to drive that point home. 

I loved Li Li as a character. She's the little sister that everybody takes care of, including Yuan. She's the one who let him in. When he first followed Wei Qian home, she claimed him as her brother first and brought him into the family. She has a very close but also very different relationship with each of her brothers. And we saw how those bonds held and shifted over time. And when their relationship changed and they decided to be together romantically, Li Li accepted it.

I think she always knew that their relationship was different. What was interesting, I think, and such a good choice, is that she never seemed to feel threatened by that. She was comfortable and secure, knowing that they both loved her. Even though their relationship could maybe sometimes crowd her out. 

Ben 

I really liked that moment in episode 11. We got this little breakdown from her about how nobody cares about Qian. She started to really process, as an adult now, that Wei Qian hid a lot of his suffering from them. 

I actually really like that Li Li got to do teenage rebellion. It says a lot about how effectively Wei Qian did his role as provider that she got to be a bratty teen. 

NiNi 

I feel like as a family story this hits me more than as a romance. Wei Qian’s relationship with both Yuan and Li Li feels parental more than sibling. Li Li and Yuan feel like siblings. 

Shan 

One of the interesting choices that I really appreciate in the story—in the early stages—is that while Wei Qian, I think, was trying to be a parental figure to both of them, Yuan never really accepted that, even when he was younger. And we saw that theme repeat throughout the show of Yuan saying, “You don't have to do it alone. I'm here to help you.” He always, always, always wanted to be a partner to Wei Qian. 

NiNi 

That is true, but this is coming from Yuan’s side. I absolutely see how Yuan made sure, maybe not even consciously, he wanted it to be clear where the boundaries were and the boundary was that, “We are family, we love each other, but you are not my parent, you are not my brother, you are somebody that I am partnered with. We are doing this together in this way.” Yuan always made that distinction. Wei Qian [laughs] is my problem here.

00:35:48 Unknown: The Ending Stumble

Shan 

We should get into where the show stumbled hard, because that's what it all comes down to, right? This big stumble in episode 11. 

NiNi 

Yeah, it just kind of sits over everything and it sits over my entire perception of the story now. I feel like I can't even think of the rest of the story without thinking about how it didn't take me where it needed to go at the end. Yuan comes back to Taiwan and it feels like for Wei Qian, maybe some things have changed, but he's doing a lot to not let this thing happen. And it doesn't feel like a thing that he's fighting against—’cause if it felt like something that he was fighting against, I feel like I could buy it. If it's something that his heart really desires, but his brain is telling him he can't do, like, that works, right? But it doesn't feel like that. 

I don't get where he got shaken. Like, I got the emotional shake. When Yuan gets kidnapped, ‘cause that's a thing that happens, you feel that fear that he had in that moment that he would lose Yuan. I understood why in that moment he would accept that he maybe had these emotions, these feelings that he needed to interrogate for Yuan, and they were churning him up inside, and they got broken out by this thing that happened that shook him. The emotional turn, totally believed. The turn where that goes romantic and sexual, that's the part that—it didn't carry me there. 

Shan 

I do agree with that last bit of what you said. I don't see it the same way as you in terms of not seeing the arc of his feelings starting to change. I think that was very clearly the arc of episodes 7 through 10 for Qian. During their separation, we saw how not functional, frankly, he was without Yuan around. He survived, he got through every day, but he was deeply unhappy. Everybody in his life could see it. He was regretful, he was missing him all the time. And punishing himself and withholding himself from talking to Yuan.

When Yuan came back, he started to interact with him differently. We saw the way that his physical awareness of him was different. We saw him start to seek him out more. We did see him start letting him in on some adult problem solving like he wouldn't have before. He still had his walls up, of course, he was still trying to consciously deny that he was willing to change their relationship in that way. But I do think the show took us through and showed us some very clear moments where his feelings were starting to shift and he was still fighting it. And then, of course, the kidnapping incident really shook him up. 

I think where the failure for me happened was in the moment where this suddenly turned into a sexual desire that we hadn't seen build, at all. And so that is the missing piece for me. They needed a couple more beats in the story there, between him coming to this emotional realization of his desire to keep Yuan next to him forever, and for that to then build into a sexual attraction that he was comfortable acting on. And I think that latter part is where they really dropped the ball. They have him literally say, “I'm not ready yet. I haven't figured out what I'm comfortable with yet.” And then like, literally two minutes later, he's like, “Fuck it, never mind.” And they're just going to town on each other. 

That didn't work for me at all. It was a very strange choice. It was a mistake. The show just really fumbled, and it sucks because they fumbled at the most important part of the story after building it so beautifully for ten weeks to just drop the ball that hard. It's a little bit baffling to me? 

Ben 

Episode 10 ends at the huge emotional turn for Wei Qian. And it was really frustrating for the show to conflate the emotional turn and the sexual turn and try and follow that immediately with the sex in the next episode. That was not the right choice. If the show had done the emotional turn and then spent at least half the episode dealing with this building sexual tension, that would have been interesting. 

The show was obsessed with staying on Yuan's perspective the whole time. It would have been totally fine if Yuan was crackling with sexual energy at the knowledge that Wei Qian had finally hit the emotional turn. But instead they really wanted to have reward sex and then focus on this stupid health scare plot. The problem is, the sex scene isn't good because there's no arc to it. Yuan has been ready to fuck this man for ten years and Wei Qian hasn't been ready to fuck anyone for, like, 15 years. 

They brought up this whole notion that part of Wei Qian's closed-off nature about sex is because his mom possibly abused him. And I just really did not enjoy the show rushing into this sudden sexual comfortability with Wei Qian after showing us that he did not have a good relationship with sex, and I feel like that needed to be resolved before those two were going to be able to have that sort of moment. As a result, the sex scene doesn't create much of an emotional arc, and the show knows this too, because they fucking fill it with stupid Yuan flashbacks. This should be about the change in Wei Qian, not the culmination of Yuan's feelings. 

Wei Qian's reticence about sex is not handled by the story, whether it be discovering queerness in himself or processing the sexual trauma from his mom or getting over whatever blocks about the kid you see as your brother wants to be with you. That part of it was missing when they had set up for it with the end of episode 10, where Wei Qian let down whatever big emotional barrier was between, “I need to protect Yuan,” versus, “I don't wanna be without Yuan.” They were prepped for it, totally, to go into that next area. And then they just didn't, and decided to make it about Wei Qian having a blood clot. 

NiNi 

All the pieces were actually there, they're just in the wrong order. There's a scene after the fact where they're doing this dating SIM game or whatever at work and Wei Qian is having these flashbacks to the sex scene. Why did they not let him have that moment as a fantasy moment before—

Shan 

Yes! 

NiNi

—rather than a flashback moment after? 

Ben 

That's what I also thought at the time. But you know how angry I get on this podcast [Ben and Shan laugh] about having to mentally rejigger the show [NiNi laughs] to make it fucking work. I will not!

Shan 

Besties! That's what they do in the book! That is exactly what they do in the book! [laughs]

Ben 

That's so fuckin’ aggravating. [laughs] I’m so fucking mad! 

Shan 

It’s so aggravating! All the things we're saying they should have done, they fucking did in the book! And I don't [claps hands together] know why the show didn't do it. I'm so mad! 

Ben 

She clappin’, yo, she mad. 

[all laugh]

00:43:32 Unknown: Adapting the Da Ge Novel

Shan 

We haven't talked too much yet about the novel, but I do wanna talk a little bit about some of the adaptation choices that were made here. This show is an adaptation of the novel Da Ge by Priest, who is a very well known danmei author. Other live action adaptations of her books include Word of Honor, Guardian, Justice in the Dark... several others, a lot of them have now been shelved or didn't get to finish airing because of the ban in China. So, it was extremely exciting for fans of her works to see a Taiwanese production take up an adaptation of one of her books, because we know that we're not gonna get good adaptations of danmei anymore out of China, because they are banning queer content and censoring it all to hell—even more than other countries. 

They made a lot of really smart adaptation choices in the way that they structured the show. The book is a lot more complex, in the way that most Priest novels are. There's a lot more characters, the plots are far more intricate, there's a lot more going on. There's an additional member of the family in the book. There's another best friend in the building. There are, like, three different gangs [laughs] instead of one. There's this whole corporate real estate plot that's tied to Wei Qian's work. It's a lot more complex. 

The show did, I think, a fantastic job of making choices to streamline the story, to make it simple enough to fit into a 12 episode arc while still retaining the core themes and the core relationships. And it also did some really great work around the cultural pieces. Mainland China has a lot more deep homophobia, fatphobia, some real weirdness around the way, in media, that sex and gay sex in particular get discussed, and this show really smoothed all of that out. 

Where they really blew it on the adaptation is at this end arc. You see all these aspects of Wei Qian's emotional journey that we are lamenting the show missed. I don't really understand why the show decided to ignore that material in favor of doing what it did instead. A lot of the stuff in the final arc was not in the book at all. If you are someone who loved this story and is disappointed in the ending, I just can't recommend highly enough that you read that book. 

Ben 

That's the theme of this episode. [laughs] If you enjoyed these shows, go do something else. 

Shan 

[laughs] Do something else! No, but do watch Unknown. I do love this show. I don't wanna say that you shouldn’t watch it, but you should go read the book too, ‘cause it'll fill in some pieces that we're missing here.

00:46:15 Unknown: Final Thoughts and Ratings

Ben 

I totally get NiNi maybe not being super connected to what was goin’ on, and if they had not fucked up episode 11, it just would have been an interesting conversation about, where does this gap form? But now we're bogged down in the fact that it's easy to point to the lack of payoff. I watched episode 12 this morning before we're recording this session. And I was like, “Okay, I guess this is fine.” [Shan laugh] This is meant to feel like, almost, epilogue. And I enjoyed the big family hand hold. But I really feel like they really failed at the final steps of the “Yuan and Wei Qian are now a couple” turn, which is really annoying because there were so many things that it did great. 

In the very final episode, there's this really great sequence when we learn that Li Li is pregnant and they have the reaction in the hallway and everybody's coming out of different doors that you don't expect. 

Shan 

That is the funniest scene. 

Ben 

Every time Wei Qian wanted to kill San Pang? [Shan laughs] Some of the best scenes in this show. Like, fucking Yuan sitting on the couch eatin’ his tomatoes, he was enjoying the chaos. We got this other woman who might be with Wei Qian, “I can take care of my brother.”

[Ben and Shan laugh] 

Shan 

He's like, “Don't you worry about it.” I did love those moments of Yuan being like, “Oh, I'm not the family problem now, ha!” [laughs] He's just like sitting back and enjoying it. 

Even at the end, I was frustrated with the last two episodes, but I still had a lot of affection for these characters and this family. This isn't an ending that completely ruined the show, for me. 

Ben 

Shan has a bat she holds called coulda been a 10 that she bashes sh— 

Shan

Yes! [laughs] 

Ben

—bashes shows with.

Shan 

Goddammit! One of the pieces of my frustration here is that this was on track to possibly be the best Taiwanese BL ever made. 

NiNi

Okay, so ratings. Shan, let's have you go first. What do you rate Unknown?

Shan

I gave it a 9. I had to take out my coulda been a 10 bat. 

I think that the narrative and the character work was so strong through the first 10 episodes that I can't take it lower than that. It's sticking with me. It's been a while since I finished the show, and I still think about it every single day. I think about these characters all the time, and that's not gonna go away just because the last couple episodes were a little bit disappointing for me.

NiNi

Ben, how about you?

Ben

Because I am in the business of recommending things—it's my whole shtick—this is an 8.5. It sits between “BL fans should watch this” and “People who like romance should watch this,” for me. I can't give it a 9 because I feel really strongly about the episode 11/12 caveats. But I don't wanna pretend that I didn't think that this cast did a really great job capturing the nuances of their dynamics. And even if they're let down a little bit by some of the direction and writing choices towards the end, I think that the family portion of this is so good, genuinely. So I do think this show is worth watching for people who enjoy the kinds of narratives the show wants to play with. We just need to understand that it stumbles at the end. 

NiNi?

NiNi

I'm having a hard time with this one because in my head this isn't a BL. If I had to put it into a category in my head, it would get slotted near to something like a Moonlight Chicken or 180 D. But it doesn't have the queer bona fides that either of those have. It feels like a family drama that had a romance in it that happened to be this kid falling in love with somebody who is taking care of him. But the idea of it being a central romance, I just didn't buy. So it was a difficult one for me to rate in terms of how I felt about it as a romance. 

In the end, I ended up at an 8 for the show. I think as a family drama, it's excellent. As a family drama, I would probably give it a 9.5 and as a romance, I would probably give it a 7, and so I wind up somewhere in the middle, which for me is an 8. I feel like it's a solid 8 show.

Ben

It's an 8.5 from The Conversation, recommended with specific reservations!

NiNi

You gotta get that .5 in. It's fine.

Shan

We gotta get it in. We gotta—

Ben

That's just how math works!

Shan

—gotta get it in.

NiNi

I know, I'm allowing you to have math. It was a good show.

Ben

It could have been an excellent show, but hmph!

Shan

So close to being one of my all time favorite dramas. It's fine, I'm just gonna go cry about it.

Ben

You were mad about it, because Shan wasn't even buggin’ me on a Saturday, like, “Go watch this show, Ben. Go watch it right now. Wake up, gay boy! Go watch the show so I can talk.”

[Ben and NiNi laugh]

Shan

Ben knew I didn't like the final episodes ‘cause I was not asking him if he watched them yet. [laugh] I was like, I don't wanna talk about it!

00:51:53 - Whither Taiwanese BL?

NiNi 

I want us to talk a little bit about where Taiwanese BL is and what's been happening with it lately and whether it is making the leap in the same ways that other countries appear to be making the leap lately. Whatever that leap is for them. 

I feel in some ways like Taiwanese BL has been a bit stagnant. 

Ben 

Taiwan is a super small country and… politically, they have been a little distracted for a few years! They're not in a position to do a ton more with BL right now. I don't think that we're gonna see a huge sudden surge from Taiwan. The best thing about Unknown is that Taiwan is not out of the game altogether, ‘cause I was real worried! The HIStory franchise is in ruins, and we hadn't really seen something of this production caliber in a while. 

Shan 

I'm with you, Ben. Honestly, when Unknown started airing, I was like, “Oh, thank God, Taiwan can still do it.” I have always been a fan of Taiwanese BLs, which might feel a little bit discordant because [laughs] I am someone who cares a lot about writing and storytelling and story is usually, honestly, the weakest part of Taiwanese BL. They usually don't have good writing. But, what I've always connected to in Taiwanese BLs is, I feel like they have a really good handle on relationship dynamics. They're really good at building characters that connect well with each other emotionally, physically—they've always done really good physical intimacy work in their shows, they usually cast really well for chemistry—and so usually in Taiwanese BLs, it's the characters and the character dynamics that hook me, more than the story. 

So I was really excited to see the high quality Taiwanese production that I knew had a good story underpinning it. I hope to see more. I personally had a great time with Kiseki: Dear To Me, but it is not exactly high art. [laughs] And this run of VBL shows was so bad that I was really losing faith. I had made a commitment that I was going to at least try watching every single Taiwanese BL that comes out. I'm still sticking with that, but I was starting to flag a little bit because some of these shows were so bad. 

So I was so thrilled to see that they still were doing productions of this caliber. And Unknown has been quite successful and got them a lot of positive attention, and so I'm hopeful that they'll be able to continue putting together productions like this, drawing actors of the caliber that they got for this show. I'm more hopeful because this show happened than I was certainly at the end of the year. 

Ben 

I will say the way that the Taiwanese actors talk about the work remains one of my favorite things. I be deep in these cast interviews, seein’ what they have to say about this work, and these Taiwanese boys have really nuanced and complex feelings about the work they're doing playing queer characters. I feel the respect and sometimes the duty they feel to get it right in the way they talk about their characters and the work they're doing. That's why I remain very friendly to… even [laughs] some of the jankiest Taiwanese BLs. These boys take playing queerness seriously. It's really warming for me to know that these guys understand that they're portraying queer people and that queer people will be affected by their portrayals. 

NiNi 

I think I just don't have the connection to Taiwanese drama. I'm coming at this from kdrama, through jdrama, through Thai drama. Taiwan’s the last place that I landed, and I think that I just haven't made the leap yet in terms of style and rhythms and all those other things. Mostly because I don't get to see a lot of it, there is not much. And I think that that definitely impacts how I feel about Taiwanese drama and Taiwanese BL. There are some I love—you know, I'm a staunch lover of HIStory 2: Right or Wrong. You know how I feel about Make Our Days Count. You know how I feel about We Best Love. But none of those, except maybe Right or Wrong, as Shan pointed out, has really stellar writing. 

Ben 

Why would you mention Make Our Days Count? I'm so mad all of a sudden! [laughs]

Shan 

No! Don't go there, Ben. Earmuffs!

NiNi 

We're never gonna get out of a Taiwanese BL conversation without it coming up. It just [laughs] isn’t gonna happen. 

Ben 

[volume raising] Wanna talk about endings for Taiwanese—

Shan

No!

Ben

—BLs?! [laughs]

Shan 

No, we do not! Stop. Pause. NiNi, continue your point. 

NiNi 

What have I done? [laughs] 

Yeah, I agree with Shan that the writing isn't great, and that's maybe one of the reasons that I haven't latched on to Taiwanese BL in the way that I have to others, because I am also a writing person. I can get behind a story for other reasons, and I have. I've gotten behind stories that were not written well because there was some other element of them that really grabbed me, and that's what has happened to me in the Taiwanese BLs that I have liked. But just generally, I don't gravitate in this direction, and there hasn't really been anything yet that makes me wanna gravitate more in this direction?

I recognise the strength of character development. I recognise the fantastic acting in a lotta instances, some of these guys are amazing actors. I just, it hasn't moved me in the kind of ways that I've been moved from other things. And it kinda makes me sad in some ways. I'm still looking for that Taiwanese BL that's gonna grab me by the throat. I haven't found that one yet. I'll keep looking. 

Shan 

It's hard, too, ‘cause like Ben said, it's such a small industry. We don't get that many Taiwanese BLs and we certainly don't get that many of quality. But, I've always really loved the approach to BL that Taiwan brings. 

Ben 

I really feel like when they make BL, somebody in the room is asking how gay people might feel about some of the choices they're making. 

Shan 

I'm gonna keep showing up for Taiwanese BL. I'm gonna keep watching them. I really hope that we get to see more productions of this caliber. I hope that we get to see them working from strong source material, so that the storytelling can really live up to what the casts are bringing. I'm excited to see what comes out next. 

NiNi 

Ray Jiang can stay, though, I like his directorial style. He keeps doing stuff and he hits on something that really pops? I feel like that's the one that's gonna grab me. If I wasn't terrified of what Lin Pei Yu was capable of after Kiseki. If I could get Lin Pei Yu at her best plus Ray Jiang at his best, with basically any of the actors I've ever seen in Taiwanese BL, maybe we'll get something that will grab me by the throat. 

Anyway, that is going to wrap us up on… what's the name of this episode? 

Shan 

Have we decided yet? Hmm. 

Ben 

The State of Taiwan, Taiwanese BL episode, whatever. 

NiNi 

Okay. That is going to wrap us up on our Taiwan episode. We out!

Thank you for being here, Shan. Say bye to the people. 

Shan 

Thank you for having me. Bye, people! 

NiNi 

Say bye to the people, Ben. 

Ben 

Peace.

[hooked-on-elvis]

A lovely story of Elvis on set of "Paradise Hawaiian Style," by actress Irene Tsu.

Principal photography in Paradise, Hawaiian Style began in Hawaii on July 27, 1965 (with the working title of "Hawaiian Paradise") and finished on September 29, 1965 in Los Angeles.

"It was the very first day on set and I was so nervous. So I decided to go take a nap and if I was needed on set, they would call me. I went to my trailer and the air conditioner wasn’t working. I was just hysterical - really hysterical. I walked around the set when I discovered a big hut and thought there would be air conditioning inside.

All of a sudden, there was a hand stopping me. And I was told, 'That's Elvis' dressing room. You can't just go in. I’m going to have to ask if you're allowed.'

Security let me in and I ended up taking a nap on a couch in the cool area. Elvis was near me looking at me when I woke up. He was putting a cold compress on my face. He thought I must have passed out or something.

He was absolutely beautiful. I didn’t even know what to say because I was so shocked. And then he went, 'Don’t worry about it. I just want you to feel good. Are you hungry? Do you want something to eat? Are you thirsty?' I couldn’t even talk! I was overwhelmed by his presence. He smelled like baby powder and milk. And he kept insisting if I needed or wanted anything.

We became friends while working together. We were united by our admiration for martial arts and spiritual ideals."

Article: "Irene Tsu, Paradise Hawaiian Style co-star Remembers the King." Source: Fox News August 7, 2020. Credits for sharing this story: Elvis In The 70s Facebook group, article and pictures posted by fan Sarah Horsfield.

MY OPINION SECTION: If you remember the behind the scenes story on Elvis's personal life, he was miserable with the Hollywood contracts for a while... 1965/1966 weren't his best years emotionally. Elvis was feeling terrible with how his career was going at that time, musically and cinematographically. It's really cute to me how gracious and generous with his time and attention he was even when he was feeling terrible inside. Skeptical people would say "Oh she was a very attractive woman and he was just hitting on her." It could be, but do you really think he needed tactics to get girls? He was Elvis! Besides, there's reasons to believe he was just being genuinely worried about Irene. EP was a very caring man since always. That story reminded me of Elvis on August 11, 1956 in Jacksonville, Florida. There's pictures of him holding the hand of a fan who fainted after seeing him in person at the hotel he was staying in. If Elvis wasn't the huge music star he was - but still had the financial means to do so - I bet he would have been an excellent doctor or caregiver of any kind. That man had so much love to give!

[vestaclinicpod]

Audio Drama Sunday - 25th August ✨

I listened to so much good stuff this week. Highly recommend the lot! 🌈

🌲 @hellofromthehallowoods (164) Honestly, I think Nikignik just needs to meet *my* cat and he’d get over this silliness about felines. I listened to this episode on a night shift and just had to casually blink away tears a few times. I love my fave Yaretzi still having the goldest of hearts no matter what life has thrown at her and MY GOD Shelby Allen. What a woman!! I can’t believe how close they are to solving this case and I REALLY hope her brother isn’t hiding behind one of those masks! 

🧳 Travelling Light @monstrousproductions (32) MY HEART. OUGH. If only the Traveller could have heard the mental HOLLERING I was sending their way, they would never have let all that tension go unresolved. Oh, little Óli, I hope you look after yourself until your paths cross again. (Also there’s something quite romantic about thinking that their lives would entwine once again regardless of which ship the Traveller took… red string and all that 🧶❤️) 

🎙️WTNV (252) Deb!! What a fun episode! 

🖥️ The Magnus Protocol (27) What a fun way to be introduced to the big man himself. I actually think Alice needs to stay out of the Magnussing and keep herself safe!! 

🧋@hinaypod (16, 17) Ooh ep 16 actually had me a little spooked! Especially Laura and Murphy’s scenes (though maybe that’s because I know Mari can look after herself!). The bit with the handprint was such a classic horror vibe, I really enjoyed it. 

🦋 @remnantspod (6) Caught up with this show and there are just so many things I love about it. The stories’ backdrop of what I may be incorrectly assuming is WW2 is such an interesting time period for a show exploring mortality and mortality! And Sir . . . is . . . an angel?? Is that what’s going on here? The implication that this isn’t the first time that the Apprentice has seen Sir’s true form is very interesting indeed! 

🎩 @ethicstownpod Two new episodes this week and both intriguing! The actors did a great job and while I loved the tiny cast format of the first season, it’s also so fun to hear from other perspectives and get a glimpse of the wider Ethics community. 

🗺  @tales-from-the-low-city (10) Another fascinating instalment from the Low City. This episode about adjusting and thriving in a multi-cultural community hit a little hard after recent events in the UK. I think we could all do with a bit more of this quote: ‘if you understand your neighbour, if you know who they are on the inside and not just through your preconceived notions of their kind, you may well be less likely to raise a hand against them’.

Have a lovely week, everybody!!

[five-raccoons-in-a-trenchcoat]

watching supernatural, week 8 (24-30 III 2025)

eps watched: 10x21 - 11x10

24 III 2025:

10x21: mmm this is looking bad. although secrets make the tastiest kind of drama // OKAY FUCK NO FUCK FUCK FUUUUCK WHY LITERALLY MY FAV FEMALE CHARACTER, CHARLIE NO

10x22: I love Crowley // Deannnnn stop my guy you gotta chill out // THE SCENE BETWEEN CAS AND DEAN? OH MY GOODNESS? 😭😭

25 III 2025:

10x23: "Brother's keeper" as in im not my brothers keeper or sth? Cain and Abel? please? // ah not the musical version of "wayward son" // POLAND MENTIONED??? aaaa i was so confused when I understood lmao // Dean you might want to take a chill pill (dude no srsly get help, your anger issues are showing) // "the solution is not my death. its yours" damn // Dean, buddy, hate to break it to you but youre the one thinking only about yourself. at least just as much as Sam does. // so, as per usual, kickstarting another apocalypse because they want to save each other

Man I think I might be sick :c currently taking a study break cause my head hurts

11x01: hey how do you know that Darkness is evil :( she has feelings too you know :((( (jk) // oh my goodness, poor Castiel, nice move Crowley // imagine being given a baby and being like "oh great alright no problem" // Castiel :(( what are you doing //

27 III 2025:

11x02: currently suffering through this episode, seeing Sam infected and Castiel being tortured // oh man, the Empty mentioned, I have zero idea what it is but ive seen it mentioned in a lot of posts and stuff // leave Cas alone 😭 // nooo are those flashbacks from the cage 😭 // "exorcist" my ass // LEAVE THE ANGEL ALONE // LEAVE. HIM. ALONE. oh fuck whats happening // this episode is just made to hurt me in every possible way, right? // damn the fire thingy workedddd yessssss // "youre very maternal" he kinda is, in fact, but thats not the point // what is this funky music srsly // what is Crowley doing BRUH 😭😭😭

28 III 2025:

11x03: demon angel buddies catching up is always awesome // Crowley second guessing his decisions // "family relations are a speciality of mine" sure they are, Rowena // noooo not again // Dean not letting Cas heal him, ow :c //

11x04: wooooo Baby centered episode??? // he kinda has a right to be spooked? lmao? // you did NOT turn out okay, by whatever standard "okay" is, your life is not it // he reads. // I missed the jerk bitch thing so bad // I love Cas // cutting a head with the door? damn. And what was all that cleaning for. poor Baby // "we are home" AWWWW // what a truly beautiful episode, I have no words.

29 III 2025:

11x05: wooohooo an old style ghost hunting episode lets gooo // "working with family can be tough" // damn guess it aint a ghost issue // "there is no sensitive way to tell somebody their soul has been sucked out by a prehistoric tween" well. // see they always get jumped like that // Sam dont trauma dump on a random kid lmao

11x06: bro looks like anything but fine 😭 poor man binge watching anything and everything // okay I see, was the binge watching a coping mechanism cause it looks like my man can't do anything without having flashbacks 😭 poor Cas // woah Cas found Metatron // bro why she looking at memes 😭 // Crowley in his father era is so funny // well, he can and will hit you // Dean's face when Crowley says "bromance" is priceless // Metatron don't bully Cas, youre gonna get yourself in trouble // the whole thing finally backfiring at Crowley // damn this episode is such a disaster // Dean and Cas blaming each other for letting Metatron and Darkness go while Sam is having flashbacks from the Cage (get him help)

11x07: the hell is this easter bunny 😭😭 // LMAO IT LOOKS SO GOOFY AHAHAHA // ghost issue? // "damn social media" 😭 // aw I thought he would just pull out the plug // LMAO Sam living his nightmare // also like, how many people can be named Doug really

11x08: im genuinely upset, Sparkle seemed cool af // Dean, stop making up words, youre weirding out people // I love when they show us Sam's childhood // damn. ditching your imaginary friend like that. // this episode goes hard (I might have unhealed childhood trauma) // Sam no. youre not. end of disscussion. babe i know yall love sacrificing urselves. but no. this is not a healthy coping mechanism yk

30 III 2025:

11x09: oh hell naw // oh hell fucking no // lmao Rowena, girl, he's definitely not relationship material // oh hell naw // oh hell nah // dude became a unicorn (yes this is my reaction to a guy putting a blade through his head) // OH HELL FUCKING NAW OH FUCK NO //

11x10: rowena you bitch // babygirl, Cas not very important? Dean would kill for that angel. And much more. "not very important" my ass // "expendable" the hell Amara hes not // WHAT just happened // NOOOOO NO CASTIEL NOOO // well I expected that much

Im going to sleep guys. goodnight yall, dont cry too much and drink water. love yall. goodnight:)

[simply-whump]

Under The Skin Season 2 (猎罪图鉴2) - Whump List

Whumpees : Shen Yi played by Tor Tan Jian Ci and Du Cheng played by Jin Shi Jia

Synopsis : The second season will continue the core of the story of the first season of "Painting Color and Seeing People's Hearts", and understand the complexity of human nature through the outline of the portrait. The Beijiang squad, composed of simulation portraitist Shen Yi, criminal police captain Du Cheng and others, will continue to solve the human puzzle in the second season and chase the real culprit of the case. (MDL)

Genres : Thriller, Crime, Bromance

Note : I really loved this season even though there was no real whump. If you haven't seen season 1 go watch it! This is one of the best crime drama.

Warning! Possible spoilers below!

Shen Yi

Ep 1 : (02:35) Wakes up from nightmare

Ep 2 : None

Ep 3 : (27:15) Something is thrown at him, hit — (29:35) Falls asleep (he hasn’t been sleeping well)

Ep 4-5 : None

Ep 6 : (18:55) Almost falls from a cliff, saved by Du Cheng

Ep 7-11 : None

Ep 12 : (30:15) Phone snatched and thrown under an oven, tries to retrieve it, almost burns his hand

Ep 13 : (02:15) Trapped in a room full of hydrogen (might explode) — (10:35) Scolded by Du Cheng

Ep 14-18 : None

Ep 19 : (01:50) Sleeping on a desk (he hasn’t been sleeping well) 

Ep 20 : (06:25) Concern for him — (07:05) Zoning out, burn his hand with hot water, having some sort of vision/nightmare, looks kinda evil for a second (the whole sequence after that is just amazing, Tan Jian Ci acting is incredible here) — (33:25) Grabbed by the collar — (35:30) Looks exhausted

Ep 21-27 : None

Ep 28 : (25:10) Teary-eyed

Du Cheng

Ep 5 : (15:10) Slips while walking on a mountain path, hanging on while trying not to fall into a spiked animal trap, saved

Ep 13 : (08:20) Fighting, struggling — (10:15) Concern for him

Ep 28 : (41:20) Stabbed, collapses, bleeding out (cliffhanger)

>> More Whump Lists

[staydandy]

The Golden Eyes (2019) - 黄金瞳 - Whump List

List by StayDandy Synopsis : A simple pawn shop worker, Zhuang Rui, had his own eyes mutated after an accident during a robbery attempt of an ancient Jade carving. His mutated eyes subsequently brought many changes to his life in many unexpected ways he could ever imagined. (MDL)

Whumpees : Zhuang Rui played by Lay Zhang (center) • Peng Fei played by Meng A Sai (2 eps) (far right)

Country : 🇨🇳 China Genres : Adventure, Martial Arts, Fantasy, Tomb Raider

Notes : This is a Full Whump List • This is the a revision of my Partial List, which only had 4 episodes on it! It really deserved better than that. • My favorite episodes are pink : 00

Related List : The Golden Eyes (2019) - partial list

Episodes on List : 37 Total Episodes : 56

*Spoilers below*

01 : Glass gets into Zhuang Rui's eyes, knocked out … hospitalized, eyes bandaged … blurry vision, overwhelmed by new eyesight … unsteady, rubbing eyes

02 : Headache

04 : Attacked, hooded

05 : Handcuffed … falls through a trapdoor

06 : Protects someone from an explosion, knocked out … protects someone from a 2nd explosion, knocked out

09 : Rubbing his eyes

10 : (near end) Attacked, fight

11 : Shaking head in slight pain

13 : Fight, knocked out … dizzy, eye/head pain.. unsteady

14 : Car crash, knocked out … treated in hospital

17 : Drunk, unsteady, helped to walk

18 : Shaking head, pain.. unsteady, passes out, caught … nauseous … locked in a wine cellar

19 : … continued from previous ep. ... Locked in wine cellar, shivering

22 : While driving, shaking head, pain … revealed he's been shot in the leg, bleeding, limping … temporary amnesia, migraine, collapses.. leg infected, fever

23 : … continued from previous ep. ... Limping, exhausted, eye pain.. blurry vision, collapses, passes out … headache

24 : … continued from previous ep. ... Passes out, hospitalized

25 : Chased, rolls down a hill, migraine, unsteady, blurry vision, temporarily blind … blurry vision

26 : … continued from previous ep. ... Still partially blind … vision slowly returning, blurry … steps on a landmine

27 : Peng Fei is captured, tied up, whipped

28 : … continued from previous ep. ... Attempts escape, tied up again … Zhuang Rui is captured, tied up … Zhuang Rui & Peng Fei are knocked out with smoke bomb … Zhuang Rui nightmare.. headache, ear ringing

29 : Not feeling well, not eating, depressed

30 : Wrestling match, sore after … lightheaded

31 : Lightheaded … out of it, collapses against a pillar, barely conscious, helped to walk … blurry vision, migraine, helped to walk, saying he can't see or hear, writhing in pain, given a shot to sleep

32 : Unsteady, starts to collapses, supported … slightly unresponsive … headache … nightmare

33 : Hit with a shovel

35 : (near end) [flashbacks to eps 22, 25, 31] migraine, amnesia, blind, migraine, writhing … [present] drunk

36 : Admitting he's lost his sense of taste … eye strain, headache, exhausted … (@ 13:16 Huang Fu Yun looks so much better without the birdshit highlight in his hair) … drunk

37 : … continued from previous ep. ... Drunk … captured, hands tied

38 : Shock, dizzy, migraine, collapses, caught … briefly knocked out from explosion

42 : Eye strain … captured, hands tied.. hit with bats in a fight

43 : Drugged … tied up

44 : MIgraine

45 : Dizzy, collapses, migraine.. unsteady … starts to collapse, supported

50 : (at end) Tied up

53 : Attacked, knocked out … migraine … captured

55 : Headache, backhanded, falls & hits head on a pipe, barely conscious.. carried … unconscious … hospitalized

56 : … continued from previous ep. ... Hospitalized, drugged asleep … hospitalized for brain surgery.. seizure during surgery

More Whump Lists for this show: love-me-a-lotta-whump whumpetywhump

[blackdigitalrose]

Wed - Smile Pretty Cure! - EP 26 - 28

Must admit, keeping track of six at once is quite difficult.

EP 26

Colour coding! It's just to be expected surely? Yet some how still nice to see?

And while it has been bothering me what the difference is; as in what is Miyuki doing so differently to Nozomi and I think it's this. It's the way she addresses the rest of the group. Miyuki includes everyone, actually makes it feel more like a team effort, Nozomi gets an idea and runs with it because she decided so and everyone else just runs along with her.

Break card update!

XD Candy's hair/ears mean it doesn't fit, that's quite sneaky of the story owner really but Candy is a cheater herself? So fair is fair, is it?

Hold up, when did the parents all start knowing each other?

EP 27

Again with this? Another potential candidate for the Precure Bingo card.

Maybe this is a cultural thin, maybe it is something else or maybe it is sheer plot convenience of just having the whole team together in an ep but it just seems really weird to invite a bunch of random friends along, it isn't like they're friends of the family or something similar? This just seems like a really weird thing to do.

O.o? I didn't see that coming, the Elephant charm summoned an actual darn elephant... how do you hide something like that?

This ep is full of little surprises, Grandma is taking this well.

｡：ﾟﾟ(´∀｀)･｡ Good gravy, this second half is funny, didn't expect it to get thwarted in such a manner but once more, the Grandma is hitting with some wise words.

Good gravy, the mindset of this Grandma! It is actually quite inspiring!

Good gravy, does this writing team switch between tones so effortlessly (... although, that fish is still alive o.O'')

EP 28

I've lost count on the parallel strikes at this point.

Although, is hazing the right word to be using here? Isn't that like a type of initiation prank?

(>▽<) After everything she's been through, a ghost is still scarier than multiple NDE's?

Reika would be right at home in a horror with that demeanour, yes she's raionalising it out but it is just the way she says it and carries herself, it actually has an unsettling edge to it but this school has some crazy good rumours going about.

The spectrum of reactions! It would make sense Nao would recognise her, none of the others have seen this younger Majorina yet but I don't think any of the VA's suffered as bad as Rin's did in this ep.

XD Reika still telling them not to run in the hallways in the middle of the fight, as if that is really the biggest concern there.

(It may have been funnier if they were running away from Reika's report idea, despite it sounding like something Yayoi would be behind but it definitely suits the intended target audience.)

As funny as this horror like ep was, dare I say, I may actually have to give it to the Yes 5 lot on this occasion. They just aesthetically pulled it off better and it makes such a difference, this one was still too colourful which deters from the tone they were going for.