#fringe rewatch 2023

[elialys]

don't be alarmed about my blog fully morphing back into a fringe shrine, i'm just losing my shit over here

[mikimeiko]

Fringe | Season 2 (2009-10), J.J. Abrams, Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci

[a-heart-of-kyber]

It is actually incredibly interesting when you consider Peter and forgiveness in that within the timeframe of the show...HE forgives Ridiculously easily for someone who has a laundry list of grievances regarding Both Walter and Olivia by the end of s2. And then Olivia essentially treats him like he's the perpetrator of his own SA in s3. Resulting in him being so incredibly skittish in s4 because of his own victimhood as someone who has been lied to, used and/or gaslit to some extent by literally Every Member of his 'family*' and/or their doppelgangers and blamed for that too.

Peter forgives Easily and yet is so rarely forgiven himself.

Wild.

*Astrid is exempt from this.

[imalittleredtorvette]

Here i am watching the You belong with me scene

wondering what did we do to deserve such an awesome scene and show even though it has been 10 years

MYBEAUTIFUL BABIES

[absolutebl]

Top 10 Best BLs on iQIYI

Love For Love's Sake

Korea 2024

This isekai KBL is about a man who must win a game by convincing a reserved teen outcast to fall in love with him. Of course, that teen represents himself and his own unhappiness. Like many queer narratives, this show is actually about self worth, trust, and found family, and it is VERY on the nose. But I don’t expect subtlety from my BL and I enjoyed it's truly lovely redemption arc and earnest performances. While I found the narrative a touch disjointed with overworked filming angles and poorer than average captions, this is certainly much better than early KBL in terms of consistency of tone, script, and immersion. Highly rewatchable and charming, which counts for a lot.

Blueming

Korea 2022

It’s a tiny bit dark and a tiny bit bittersweet, almost too honest to a university experience and first love for BL, but if you want your mind ever-so-slightly messed with and your intimacy hellishly sweet, this BL will do it for you in a coldly distant manner, while bitch slapping you with self worth issues. I wasn’t into it at first, but the leads are solid and by ep 5 it got really good, becoming a narrative about self discovery meets understanding and accepting others people’s flaws without hurting them. Ultimately we witnessed two characters maturing because of each other and their mutual affection, without that affection becoming the conflict point. Instead, tension was built around other aspects of identity, popularity, and self-worth. While production values were a touch lower than usual for Korea, Blueming included decent kisses and other forms of intimacy and a satisfying ending plus there’s judicious and very elegant use of tropes, this is a great BL.

Laws of Attraction

Thai 2023

This is a great gay suspense thriller with several solid couples, fun plot, killer characters, queer rep, and a happy ending. Charn may be my favorite lead character in all BL. However, this show is not entirely BL, more on the fringe, like Manner of Death. There are several "singing incidents" and this pair is a little weak in the chemistry arena, but it's tons of fun. All the triggers tho.

Love Tractor

Korea 2023

Most of this country-set BL had me feral for the beautiful broken city boy and his hot young farmer. Hyung romance, puppy/cat pairing, open frankness meets jaded reserve, language play, water hose frolicking, only one bed, just all my favorite tropes. This show was basically a light-weight Restart After Come Back Home and I’m not even slightly mad about that. But (and you knew there was a “but” coming) something about the cringe of the final 2 eps and the impermanence of the ending (both of which highlight the fact that ultimately these 2 are I’ll-suited: too different and too far apart) left me with the feeling that they probably won’t last as a couple. However, in this case, rare for me, I forgive it this finale for my love of the rest.

Unintentional Love Story

Korea 2023

A boy who just lost his job due to faked corruption charges accidentally discovers his ex-boss's favorite artist, now a recluse. Evil manager offers him his job back if he can convince the artist to rejoin society. Instead, they fall in love. I found the artist a bit stiff and reserved but Gongchan (maknae of B1A4) is a fucking GIFT - he carried this show (which I do not expect from the idol element). He was luminous with extraordinarily expressive eyes, just drown in the emoting abyss. The external conflict, social tension and pressure is complex and beautifully executed, plus Korea gave us legit side dishes (NOT a love triangle, hally-fucking-luya).

Bon Appetit

Korea 2023

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

My Only 12%

Thai 2022

Y-novel adaptation (author Afterday - Bad Buddy) and strong little BL romance (tailor made for SantaEarth) about holding onto first love and childhood, but it’s buried under waffling family drama and formless side characters so that it took a lot of digging to get to - still I recommend it for the killer softly domestic couple chemistry.

A Breeze of Love

Korea 2023

Tsundere insomniac grump reunited with his sunshine jock ex (human sleeping pill) who now hates him. Basketball is also involved. While the simplicity of a reunion plot makes this more cohesive than most KBLs, it is a tad stiff and slow, never managing to lift itself out of "pretty and pretty enjoyable" - I liked it but I don’t think I’m going to remember much about it.

Between Us

Thai 2023

Featuring the hugely popular side characters from 2019′s Until We Meet Again, WinTeam, adaptation of the y-novel Hemp Rope. It’s a serviceable series about hot swimmers flirting and dealing with family drama in a sweetly earnest manner, but ultimately it squanders the talent in play. I would’ve preferred a cleaner narrative arc, less angst and more plot, fewer couples, and a shorter series. That said, there’s nothing objectively wrong, sub-standard, or off-putting about this show. And it has lots of consent and other good qualities. It’s fine.

Dear Doctor I'm Coming for Your Soul

Thai 2022

This is a romance between a doctor trying to save his patients and a reaper who is both his enemy and (eventual) lover (basically the genius premise of a gay Doom at Your Service). High concept looks good on you, Thailand. It’s lovely to see KarnNat back on screen together and they are still great, and Karn is just as painfully beautiful as ever. I enjoyed this one more than it’s ending deserved, and the best I can say is that it’s not strictly HEA but if you’re okay with Life: Love on the Line, you’ll be okay with this BL.

(source)

This list updated Spring 2024, not responsible for cool stuff that aired on iQIYI (or was taken off the platform) after that date. Some stuff on iQIYI is also on other platforms and if I loved it, I listed it there not here.

This is part of a series continued here:

[im-immortal]

2023 Writing Wrap-Up

I'm a little late this time around since it's already 2024, but I haven't done a writing wrap-up since 2021 and I thought it would be fun to bring back!

So this year, I was on quite a roll for the first half of the year. And then July rolled around and I started slowing down until it came to a screeching halt. Not sure what happened. Maybe it's my ADHD and constantly shifting hyper-fixations to blame. But I gradually managed to come back around just in time to post something for Christmas, which I'm still working on finishing. However, my hiatus doesn't take away the pride I still have for what I was able to write during the year. And I look forward to writing more in 2024! So here's all I managed to finish/get a good start on and post during 2023.

A Kiss For A Drink: 6,740 words; one-shot I actually started writing this back in 2020 or 2021, intended to be posted on Valentine's Day. And then I got a point where I couldn't finish it and let it sit for about 2 years. I finally came back with some inspiration and motivation and finished it just in time to post for Valentine's Day 2023! I'm really happy with how it came out. It was a fun idea that turned into a fun fic with a few laughs included, even if it is one of my least-viewed fics lol I had fun writing it too, which is all that really matters!

Lunacy Fringe: 62,690 words; 8/8 chapters To say this fic suddenly came out of nowhere would be an understatement. I literally got inspired out of the blue while listening to an episode of the Therapy Gecko podcast and the next thing I knew, I was balls deep in a psychological thriller. I actually managed to write it in just over a month or so!! Which is really incredible for me, especially considering I didn't step away from it at all or lose inspiration before it was finished. I'm really proud of how it turned out, and I haven't really told anyone, but I am working on converting it into an original story and possibly self-publishing. It could end up being my very first original novel :) the feedback I got was far more positive than I'd expected, especially considering how I portrayed Beth. I'm overall so so happy with how it turned out!!

Longer Than A Heartbeat: 157,289 words; 29/29 chapters Now this... this fic is one of my proudest pieces by far. I'll never get over how happy I am with how it turned out, and how I was actually able to finish it. For the last few years, every time I rewatched "28 Days Later," I couldn't stop thinking about how it would make such a good Bethyl fic, and how I wanted to convert it into a Bethyl fic that included Rick and Judith. I finally did it!! Technically, I wrote it in 2022, but I didn't completely finish it and post it until 2023. When I say I write for myself... this fic really proves it, because I go back and read chapters from it all the time just because it's so fun and I love how I wrote it. I was also pleasantly surprised by the reception and how people who hadn't ever watched "28 Days Later" enjoyed it! Not to mention, @boltthrutheheart made some incredible custom manips for me that I can never get over!!

hot girl summer (playing by the rules); 167k+ words, 16/30 chapters Ah yes, here she is... the companion piece to the first 3 fics of "in for a penny, in for a pound" that I've been planning/contemplating ever since I did that first fic from Beth's POV for the series. I always wanted to show Beth's POV for all the major moments in the series, and then once I got started, I figured why not go all in and just do her POV for the entirety of the series thus far? It gives a little more insight into how she's feeling, why she does the things she does and says the things she says, and we also get to see exactly what she was doing all those times that Daryl couldn't help wondering about her (because I already knew in my head, but I thought it might be fun to share with everyone else). I also thought it would make the set-up for the next fic a little better, so we could try and understand Beth's motivations better and where she's at in her head. Of course, I got pretty into it and then hit a speed bump and then suddenly, lost all ability to write. It'll come back soon, though. I can't wait to finish this fic and move on to the next in the series, and eventually conclude Beth and Daryl's tumultuous journey in this fun little AU.

Small Miracles; 39k+ words, 6/10 chapters This is the fic that finally pushed me back into being able to write. I had no plans of writing for BHF 2023, and then I suddenly had this strike of inspiration for a very weird idea and decided to go with it and try and finish it in time to post for Christmas. I did manage to finish about 1/3rd of the fic in time, but I'm still writing it and haven't lost motivation yet, so that's a good sign! It's also just really fun and kind of cathartic to do a new exploration of Beth's journey through the eyes of an older Beth who survived Grady, with that fun little supernatural twist added to it. I can't wait to finish this one, because I've had a lot of fun writing it and really look forward to seeing what people think of her entire journey and the way it will conclude.

To everyone who's read my fics, left feedback, kudos, bookmarks, or even helped me bounce ideas off and come up with plans for fics... thank you so much! I appreciate everyone in this little fandom so, so much. Y'all mean the world to me, and I am so grateful that we have this wonderful community in our own little corner of the internet. Happy New Year to you all, and I hope 2024 brings you nothing but blessings!

[clara-maybe-ontheroad]

Current watchlist (September 25, 2023)

Outside of my consistent obsession for a certain show (ahem, guess which one), I haven't actually watched nearly as much stuff as usual, courtesy of the life roller coaster I guess ! which this month included organizing a whole music festival, job hunting, family drama and recovering from almost chopping off my finger, fun stuff. Oh look I've become like those cooking blog articles with way too much fluff about their life at the beginning lol So anyway !

Currently watching :

Only Friends (ep 7, as per the copious amount of shitposting and reblogging meta, I'm loving it, it's delivering the toxic mess it promised and it's about to get worse)

Hidden Agenda (ep 8, things are heating up and Zo and Joke have all the green flags ! Kinda don't want to continue if it means drama is coming)

Utsukushii Kare season 2 (technically just finished it haha, it was so beautiful and so was the movie, I really gained a new appreciation of Kiyoi and his struggles)

Love Me if You Dare (ep 11, I had tried watching years ago and had never made it past episode 1, but it does really get better and more interesting as it goes on and is a lot less polished than most Cdramas nowadays, in a good way)

Neon Genesis Evangelion (ep 25, it's getting really out there and I don't know where it's going but I'm enjoying it)

Love is Blind season 5 (ep 4, yeah I'm that person watching a reality show like that as it comes out, very glad Chris got himself out of it)

On pause :

The Warp Effect (ep 2, the story is cool but I have a hard time getting into it, the themes are very interesting like expected from P'Jojo)

A Boss and a Babe (ep 2, I was curious since discovering ForceBook in Only Friends but everything feels so fake, I don't find them credible in their roles, the lines feel forced, the pacing is weird, nothing is working for me so far)

Rewatching : The Vampire Diaries (they just put the show on Netflix and just like that I was screwed), UnReal (I need the balance with Love is Blind and the reminder of the heavy manipulation that goes into these shows), Fringe season 1 (my roommate is definitely hooked now haha)

Movies : none, except Utsukushii Kare Eternal. It's bad. I'm taking the plane to see my gf soon though so that means a movie binge ! Unless ... I just got Amazon Prime so I could finally watch season 2 of Good Omens and the documentary Shiny Happy People, so maybe there won't be as much movie watching as usual. We shall see

[spockvarietyhour]

Currently watching masterpost (January 2023)

Currently and actively watching:

Columbo (with @kiranerys), season 8 right now

Stargate Atlantis, Season 4 (rewatch)

UFO (1970)

Letterkenny (current season)

Star Wars: The Bad Batch

Casually watching:

The Rockford Files (season 4, maybe 1 or 2 times a month)

Sharpe (once a month)

Star Trek Enterprise (rewatch, season 3, once or twice a month)

The Newsreader (with @kiranerys)

Fringe (rewatch, with @kiranerys)

Veep (an extremely casual watch with @kiranerys who's seen it before)

Russian Doll (season 2, also kind of stalled, with @kiranerys but we will finish it)

Upcoming watches:

The Last of Us (on it now)

Alice in Borderland (Season 2)

That 90s Show (on it now )

Better Call Saul (On it now)

Sandman (did four episodes and just wasn't for me)

Doctor Who (season 10, The only one I haven't seen)

The upcoming stuff's always subject to change and how I feel, but this is how it's shaking up to be. Also have a vague intent of doing Hornblower after I finish Sharpe (which I've got 4 movies left give or take).

[mylifeincinema]

My Week(s) in Reviews: February 25, 2023

I’ve honestly just been forgetting to watch movies lately... I try to both watch and read a bit each night, and the past month or so most of my watching has been catching up on each evening’s television or rewatching Fringe on HBO Max. But, there was a new MCU film released this past week, so of course I headed out to catch that.

Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (Peyton Reed, 2023)

So here’s the thing... In a word, Quantumania is BAD. Very little ever works, there’s painful amounts of filler, god-awful effects, colorful but lifeless character and production design, messy action sequences that struggle to be anything more than boring, forced humor that rarely works, and ALL of the new/minor characters feel wasted and ultimately completely unnecessary. (Seriously, you bring in Bill Murray for THAT?!?)

Our returning/core cast isn’t even utilized well. Wasp is mostly wasted, only ever given a couple late moments that are unearned. Cassie (whose recasting was one of the few very smart moves, here... Kathryn Newton is great) is relegated to plot-fuel and some forced one-liners. Janet’s made an almost completely unnecessary guide, and Hank is thrown in the background to pilot a ship whose visual gag doesn’t work and then swoop in for a big, awkward moment in the final act. Seriously, what a waste, all around.

That being said, Jonathan Majors is fantastic. And while this Kang is ultimately weak (I mean, c’mon, Ant-Man should’ve been squashed like a bug in that ‘climactic’ face-off), he’s still an outrageously interesting character that’s completely different than - yet equally as interesting as - He Who Remains from Loki. (But let’s face it, He Who Remains was so much better, and I’m glad he was our actual introduction to Kang, rather than this guy.) And the initial meeting between Kang and Scott is an incredible exchange. Plus, his costume! It’s awesome!! SPOILER!! The credit scene with the council of Kangs was terrible. The post credit scene with Loki and Mobius investigating a Kang variant was amazing. Please, rest of Phase 5, give us a shit-ton more of the latter, and absolutely none of the former.

Sadly, though, that’s pretty much all there is of any worth in this film. I had some fun with it in the moment, but even then, only some fun in a film that should’ve had me feeling like a kid through the whole damn thing? What a bummer. - 3.5/10

Enjoy!

-Timothy Patrick Boyer.

[thehumanarkle]

All my Letterboxd Lists (as of Nov. 5th, 2024)

[elialys]

Let me say this. I just finished rewatching Peter. Yesterday I somehow got through Jacksonville. I've never been this slow watching Fringe. I used to average 5 episodes a day during my previous rewatches, easy. Often a lot more. It was like a sport. "How fast can I get through the first half of season 4 hahaha!"

But it's been SIX YEARS. I hadn't let myself feel the fringe feels in 6 years. And it's hitting me all over again. Most of the time right now, I finish the episodes in tears, and I just sit there crying for five minutes, absorbing it all, because it's liked I've received an emotional punch to the gut.

I'M ONLY MIDWAY THROUGH SEASON 2

[mikimeiko]

Fringe | Season 3 (2010-11), J.J. Abrams, Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci

[floatingbroccoli]

Nov 2023 Obessions

00's chinese songs

Teochew style grouper

Clip fringe before sleep

TTSH vegetarian stall hasbrown 2.0

Rewatching New Girl

Taobao plates

[jimalim]

Looking back on my 2023 low stakes goals, at first I thought I barely made any progress, but as I typed this post I remembered things I initially wasn't considering, so:

Money was tight this year so I unfortunately didn't get to support creatives as much as I wanted to, but I did join a couple patreon groups so that's something I suppose. Hopefully once I have my debt caught up I can make good on this for 2024

I didn't participate in any specific creative events, but I did write one of my longest and most ambitious fics ever with The Wild Traitors. (I'm about to do a reread to get me even more hype for the upcoming US and UK season 2s of The Traitors!)

I'm at 155 records (with a few more pre-orders on the way) so I did reach that! Would love to hit 200 by the end of 2024.

I did rewatch Survivor Panama in the off-season between 44 and 45. I'll be following along with Drop Your Buffs Nicaragua rewatch soon. I also watched the 12 hour Survivor recap video Jordan Fringe made which was a fantastic feat! Survivor 46 and Australian Survivor Totans vs Rebels starts in Feb so I'll be inundated with almost too much Survivor very soon!

I did go to 3 concerts this year! Paramore, jonas Brothers, and Emarosa. I also went to Party101 with Matt Bennett which was probably the most fun I had in 2023 lol however I do think I'm getting to the age where unless it's a specific artist or the vip is just too good to pass up, my concert days are probably dwindling. 😅

I can't quantify how many cats I pet this year, but I Def gave some love to any one that would let me! I also got a puppy who I've spoiled rotten so that more than makes up for any lack of cats.

Overall I'd say I did a decent job on my low stakes goals. Gonna think about what I want the new years ones to be. I'd like to shake it up a bit, as well as expanding on these.

2023 Resolutions

I like to make a list of very general, very achievable (but also hella low stakes) goals of things I’d like to do in the new year, and if I hit them or not, it’s all good. No pressure, pure fun. It’s just a way to set some intentions for things to look forward to.

Buy more art from creatives I find online. (Commission fan artists, buy from small businesses, tip artists who have kofis etc)

Take part in some kind of creative event (ie fandom events/exchanges, inktober, NaNoWriMo, etc)

Add more records to my vinyl collection (can I hit 150 by the end of the year?)

Start a Survivor full series rewatch. (I have till spring of 2026 to get through what will be 49 seasons by then, in anticipation for the event that should be season 50. fingers crossed we get there!)

Go to at least 3 concerts. (I already have tickets for Paramore in July so I’m a third of the way there! I also went to 6 shows this year so I feel like this is a low bar.)

And as always:

Pet more cats!!

[elialys]

me to my old ffnet subscribers in a couple of weeks when i start posting new P/O content after 6 years

[elialys]

fair warning, i'm about to spam some Marionette on your dash