#i want to engage in fisticuffs with them

[unproduciblesmackdown]

everyone comically trades their affianced

hey this site does have summer stock (1950) i can find out for myself if everyone comically trades their affianced or they don't really bother b/c idk judy garland's role's sister tires of showbiz too much to marry gene kelly anyways, very conveniently, and orville keeps just wandering out of every scene looking lost after being shooed away

[princess-of-the-corner]

Remember that revised Butterfly we discussed?

Its hilarious tome how the first 3 seasons at least work perfectly with that and no Peacock cos like:

Season 1: Exactly the same but Plagg doesn't ignore the Peacock as there is no Peacock.

Season 2: Only changes during Heroes' Day, with a Familiar manifesting to protect Gabriel after he was beaten. It takes the form of Emilie's Familiar so he views it as a sign to keep fighting.

Season 3: The plot can still mostly be the same.

Gabriel creates Familiars to fight alongside Akuma, to replace Sentimonsters and Feast is a fully manifested Familiar that slipped the leash.

Nathalie as Catalyst can work.

She either enhances the Akuma so they are more dangerous & have powerful Familiars. Or she enhances Gabriel so he can make teams of Akuma, & she can still engage in fisticuffs with the heroes.

Nathalie can even end up with a wasting illness by snatching & using the Butterfly to try her Ladybug gambit. as the consequences of forcibly manifesting a Familiar like she did are immense.

The only major hurdle would be Lila's scheme.

It can be handled though.

Namely, with being made into Scarlet Moth so often putting a strain on Gabriel's body. Not lethal, but it adds up & hit at at the worst time.

This would also neatly explain why he sticks to smaller teams & Familiars after S2, & maybe even had a brief break between seasons.

Notes:

If it were me & my 12 Kwami lore, Kim would be Tiger King & Chat Blanc would be less "Visit the future" and more like "Vision Quest" done with Sass, but those are rather minor shifts.

Season 4 &5 however...

One could adapt the broad strokes, but more major changes would be needed, especially for the 12 Kwami's, but even just the Butterfly. Still, the broad stroke plot points are likely plausible.

That includes the Senti-kids being Akuma-Kids; with the Akumatized items being a weak spot if damaged that also allows a Butterfly user to influence behavior or more easily Akumatize them.

This is all great and I want to give more input but all I can think is 'thank you for reminding me that Plagg full on ignored the Peacock being in Gabe's safe'.

[askcarlislecullen]

When do you most feel like a 400 year old vampire and when do you most feel like a twenty-something year old man? Does one or the other feel more true more often?

This is a fascinating question; thank you for asking it. But also, I'll cheekily remind you that I am merely three hundred seventy-nine.

I feel the oldest when I am watching history repeat itself, which it does often. As I write this, the conflict in between Israel and Gaza is escalating, and every time I return to the news, there is more death and destruction. And yet this conflict is borne out of others, which were borne out of others, which were borne out of others. I have been alive for many of them; still more happened in the centuries before I lived. Genocide, resistance, death...we just do it over and over and over. Sometimes I've been on, or supported, the right side; oftentimes I haven't been, but it seems often that humanity is doomed to do the same things again and again and not learn from our own desperate failures. I see many things about which I want so badly to shout, "You fools; we've done this before and it had horrific outcomes that lasted for generations on." But I know that I am bound by my oath of secrecy, and I feel the most ancient when I consider how many, many years I still will witness in silence.

I feel most like I am twenty-three when I am spending time with my children, especially my sons. We engage in horseplay, and get into arguments about sports, and at times come to fisticuffs like any other pack of young men. I also feel young when I am with my daughter-in-law and my granddaughter. With Bella because her curiosity about the vampire world makes me see it anew and that brings me back to those days when I was as young in mind as I am in body. With Renesmee, it was because her curiosity about the whole world was, and still is, insatiable—she would ask questions about things I had long since forgotten were in any way remarkable. Seeing the world through her eyes is to see it anew.

And finally, since the moment I first met her, my wife has always had an uncanny ability to turn me into a young, sputtering fool. When I am around others, I am the experienced doctor, the wise friend, or the head of a large and gifted coven. But to her, I can show a joke I thought was rather clever, only to have her roll her eyes and explain as if to a small child, "Darling, drywall is 8x4."

I wouldn't have it any other way.

[kissesforsatoru]

Imagine in the housemate au darling already had a roomate but they were really unpleasant to be around (darling had to clean up after them, got disturbed by them) so when baji basically established himself as her roomate she basically refuses bc she don't wanna deal with anymore sloppy pigs.

Cue that roomate getting jumped and uncle phil'd out the window bc they decided to engage in fisticuffs with baji. After that whole debacle baji is actually a really good housemate (bar the insistence they sleep in the same room and finessing her clothes to snuggle) and when fuyu and tora move in he tells them straight up "if you dont clean up after yourselves and darling has to clean up after you, we're gonna have problems" not that they wouldn't bc they're considerate as well.

But imagine baji just getting onto darling for neglecting her health and prioritising others over her health like cleaning the place up despite being stressed. Taking on everyone's chores and then neglecting to eat or sleep bc others are more important then herself. I want to see baji catch darling and then toss her over his shoulder and then take her to his room and basically forcing her to relax. And then fuyu and tora come in so it just comes into a cuddle pile as they all shower her with praise for being so caring and daeling just cried bc she isn't used to it.

i saw this tiktok and it reminded me of this ask, so i thought i’d share it! 😭

but anyway! baji will walk into the house and see you cleaning, or see you looking utterly exhausted and famished, and he just,,, gets very angry. he literally will force you to relax, take a nap, have some food (healthy food), urge you to take a nice warm shower. baji will ever throw your towel in the dryer for you and get you a nice cold bottle of water so you can be comfy and hydrated once you get out. and once that is all said and done, baji and fuyu and tora will all pile into bed with you to watch a movie and cuddle.

and don’t think he’s gonna let you get off on doing this ofetn, no. if it happens too many times baji will be pissed and will nag you constantly like a worried mother nags at her child.

[adleryoung]

HA! His Majesty is back, and now that he's given me a list of names, heads will finally roll! He hasn't seen fit to remove my magick antler, probably because I'll need it for a disguise! Oh, and there is only one name on this list, but this is obviously the ring-leader. Once I find "Kathy-Slou Drew," everything will fall into place and these ungrateful yew-man traitors will finally feel an elf's justice! What's that, my liege? What do you mean by muttering "The horror, the horror" over and over? No no, your adoring subjects are right here, hanging on your every word. Tell them some more of your story while I go take care of this unpleasant business. It will help ease your troubled mind. And don't worry, Kathy-Slou can't hide from The Sisterhood. Not for long. . . .

"By Jove!" the dog lowfolk person exclaimed. "There he is! He was real all along!" "REALLY?" the fancy-dressed femme retorted. "One glimpse! That's all it took to convince you?" "Seeing is believing," he affirmed. "I was somewhat undecided all along, so this was enough to sway my opinion." "I cannot believe it!" the femme screeched. "Why then were you scoffing and naysaying the entire time?! Was that all just an act?!" "Miss Venatrix," the dog stated solemnly, "SOMEONE needs to keep you grounded and focused. You do have a habit of getting too excited and running off without a thought or a plan." "You are not my keeper! I am an adult, fully capable of taking care of myself!"

I was confused. Had they come here to find me, or had they merely stumbled upon the stone circle while in the midst of what looked like a lovers' quarrel? "Indeed," the dog said skeptically. "The only reason I'm still here is the oath your father made me swear on his deathbed. I promised to keep you out of trouble!" "Oh you're always bringing that up!" Miss Venatrix sighed in exasperation. "Father only trusted you because you were his favorite student!" "Is that a note of jealousy I detect?" the dog grinned. "You would have been his favorite student, my dear, had you actually bothered with your studies instead of fantasizing about elves all day. His own daughter, and such a disappointment." "Stick in the mud!" Venatrix shot back. "Flibbertyjibbet!" "Teacher's Pet!" "Harpy Queen!"

This looked like it was getting good. I sat down at the edge of the circle and watched the pair of lowfolk arguing just beyond the wall of underbrush. "ROGER BARKINGTHWAITE!!" Miss Venatrix yelled. "You INFURIATING mel! That is IT! I cannot put up with this anymore! I want you gone! I never want to see you again!" "Fine!" Barkingthwaite replied hotly. "Keeping you out of trouble has been a tremendous burden! I've put my career on hold just to follow you around and keep you from getting yourself killed in reckless adventures! No more! You can wander about in circles until you starve for all I care, solemn oath be damned!" "You seem to forget," Venatrix sneered, "I've saved you more than a few times! You would have died in that bog if I hadn't thrown you a rope of my own silk to pull you out!" "And why was I in that bog in the first place?" Barkingthwaite bellowed. "Following you on another of your mad capers! You would have been shot by that gang of thugs if I hadn't spent nearly my entire inheritance bribing them off! I've been well nigh reduced to beggary, and for what?" "They wouldn't have actually shot me!" Venatrix insisted. "What kind of mel can't call someone's bluff? Your current reduced circumstances are entirely your own fault. At any rate, you should be thanking me for getting you away from your mouldy old ancestral hall and out of that dusty library! I daresay you've spent every waking moment in there ever since we were both children." "The library was safe and predictable!" Barkingthwaite asserted. "That is the proper life of a scholar! Not running around, engaging in fisticuffs with thugs, like some whip-cracking grave robber! And you're the one who should be thanking me! I'm the only friend you've ever had because no one else could put up with your unbearable nonsense!" "WELL I -" Venatrix blurted, then paused. "Well… We two HAVE been stuck together for quite a long time…" "Indeed," Barkingthwaite nodded. "We've helped each other out rather a lot over the years." "And this journey getting here," Venatrix added quietly. "We've gotten each other out of quite a few scrapes." "I must admit," Barkingthwaite admitted, "we do make a jolly good team when the chips are down." He paused for a moment and puffed on his pipe.

"EGAD!" he barked suddenly. "The legend! Of course! The legend of the White Elf! It is said that those seeking the White Elf would face trials to test them, and that there would be a boon awaiting them at the end of their journey!" "What are you getting at?" Venatrix asked suspiciously. "What is the boon?" "Why, it's us!" Barkingthwaite exclaimed triumphantly. "Each other! How long have we been forced to work together while hating each other the whole time?" "I begin to understand," Venatrix murmured. "All those wasted years." "Our journey here was the trial and this is the boon! Do you see? Lord Randal the White Elf, sworn servant of the love goddess Fuma, knew of our plight and set in motion all the troubles we've had on this adventure!" "Forcing us to work together and realize how much we need each other!" Venatrix added excitedly. "Oh how blind we've been!" Barkingthwaite lamented. "We were the perfect team our entire lives and never realized it! But Lord Randal saw it and made all of this happen to teach us our folly!" "A perfect team, you say?" Venatrix asked coyly. "Perhaps not JUST a team," Barkingthwaite mused thoughtfully. "You know, Pellia, my dear, I've never noticed just how beautiful your eyes are…" "And I've never noticed how dashing you look…" "Sweetie!" Barkingthwaite sighed, enraptured. "Honey!" Venatrix sighed back. "Darling, let's never fight again!" Barkingthwaite suggested. "Oh Roger, my love," Venatrix cooed, "Lord Randal in his infinite wisdom has shown us that we were always meant to be soulmates!"

The two of them embraced and kissed passionately. I began to applaud. I had no idea what was going on, but it was the most entertaining thing I had seen in decades.

[aetherceuse]

If people can't be threatmantic, I don't want any antagonism. There is an art to engaging in verbal and physical fisticuffs with a villain and it is dying. Please keep this time honored tradition with me Rex. Let's throw vague threats, be chill and ruin regions. ❤️❤️❤️

I wanna be threatmantic enough all the weird anons just go the fuck away. 🎉✨✨✨

Thanks for this message Kei, I’ve been looking at it, while trying to avoid doom scrolling the dashboard all day, and I’ve finally gotten a moment to sit down and reply to it.

I’d like to clarify, that when I wrote my post about the frustrations of an antagonist writer, it wasn’t to stoke the flames or make it seem as if one group of writers has a more difficult time than another group of writers; problems on both sides can, and do, exist. I did want to bring light to some of the unique frustrations that coincide with people who heavily favor antagonist writing, however.

I write these characters, because I love these characters. And I love these characters because I’ve always been really passionate and really invested in crafting a believable, impactful villain; literally as far back as I can remember, into my earliest years, I was always much more invested in what the antagonists were doing in Disney movies, in old school anime and cartoons, in books, in games, in any sort of media that I was consuming. That is always how I have been. The bombastic energy, the stage presence, the dialogue, the body language, it was always so dramatic and captivating for me, and something that I wanted to replicate in my own art.

What I think a lot of younger people do not realize, is that early on, a lot of villains on television were queercoded, in order to emphasize how TERRIBLE AND AWFUL IT WAS TO BE GAY in the 60’s, 70’s, 80’s, 90’s, etc. You saw male antagonists who were effeminate, you saw female antagonist who were absolutely lesbian coded. All of these traits were projected onto antagonists. And as a lonely youngin in a household where being gay was considered a mortal sin, where else are you going to find representation? Visibly queer heroes were practically non-existent— and if they did exist, it wasn’t accessible for a child like me, growing up in a staunch Catholic household. Media where the gay men were the bad guys though? Media where the main female antagonist went against gender roles and societal standards? They were plentiful. Sure, there are far more queer heroes in media today, but, my niche has already been solidified.

I think that, along with the fact that my own personality and flavors of trauma and mental illness are— extremely difficult to deal with— influences my writing, and why I have wound up finding a niche in antagonists. At the end of the day, a lot of the psychology and themes that I enjoy writing have not been applicable to protagonists. The antagonists always wind up having the traits that I need to get invested in a muse.

That’s not to say that I do not want my characters to grow. I do. There is so much more to writing— and interacting with— an antagonistic character than putting them in a position to be beaten up, or the butt of a joke. Frankly, it makes me really sad when that is the only thing people want out of my villains. These are human beings, with a range of emotions, interests, backgrounds, and skills: frankly, all of us are more likely to be one step away from being a villain in somebody’s story (and yes, everybody has been the villain in a story at least once before in their lifetime), than a legendary hero. I want to be able to write a character that gets people thinking. However it just gets— more and more difficult to keep up with the pace of the community, especially as someone with characters that require a LOT of patience and time in order to open up. I write personalities and characters that are slow burns. And because of my busy life, my body pains, and other factors, it is difficult to achieve this lately. It is disheartening, to say the least. There is a lot I want to write, there are a lot of angles I want to explore, but it is hard when it feels as though I am not going fast enough— or having my muse open up fast enough— before interest is dropped.

There are people who do appreciate what I do, people who appreciate the nuances of my characters, people who see what I’m writing, nod, and fist bump me. It matters a lot, and those people are dear to me. I realize that my niche isn’t for everybody. I realize that my content can be disturbing. I realize that it can be difficult to interact with. I know these characters can make people uncomfortable, and I don’t take it personally when people SB or hard block my blogs due to the content. But I’m queer, I’m mentally ill, and I’m writing content for queer, mentally ill people to find catharsis in; sometimes, seeing yourself in a villain is what you need for introspection.

My ex told me that my content was “disturbing” and that I “needed help”, and essentially made me stop writing it. I’m not going to stop anymore. This is my passion, and, I hope you guys will see my name on the cover of a hardback novel one day. I despise that we are in an era of the internet where so many people deem you as “bad” if you happen to favor villains over heroes. I don’t see it much here in this community, but, I see it everywhere else on other social media. You can enjoy the themes of fiction, without condoning it. You can put evil on the table without romanticizing it. And you can write villains without being treated like one.

I’ve gone on a ramble, but, thanks for giving me the opportunity to talk about this.

[generic-cleric]

Session 47

Session doc

Whole folder

*Obligatory spoiler warning for Curse of Strahd*

Heard it Through The Grapevine

We kick session off with a good ole grift. The rest of the party works on distracting Lief while Bedlam tries his newly acquired key on the chests in the room. Successfully, he pops each one open and finds varying amounts of money and a manual of bodily health. Bedlam grabbed a handful of the coins, but left the manual out of respect for Lief. After more conversation, the accountant was happy to draw a map to a piece of treasure that has been lost to time. It was an extremely crude map, like it only showed the route from the castle to the treasure and provided no labels or landmarks. Okrin had the great idea to lay it over the map that they have and sure enough, it appears to lead to an area just outside of Berez. An area that Bedlam already suspected held something important. They bid their farewells to Lief and proceed to their points of interest.

They first wanted to check out the Parapets and Archery posts, where Sasha was said to have been seen being suspicious. After a thorough investigation of the area, they find a hand mirror. They cast Identify on it and find out it’s a magic mirror used for communication, as well as the activation word. They take the mirror for a spin and the face of Fiona Wachter appears in the reflection. They were careful to face the mirror away from themselves and disguised their voices. After some questions and a little deception, they find out that Fiona is the new Bugomistress of Ziedenburg and she is helping Sasha quarter her army of undead in exchange for sensitive information regarding Strahd and the castle and such. They were pleased with what they found and pretty eager to get out of that conversation so it wasn’t long before they were heading off to the next location.

As they head toward the courtyard, they notice a group of commoners with torches and pitchforks, cowering in the hallway. The party stops and gets their attention, asking them what they might be doing here. The three villagers explain that they stormed the castle in an effort to kill the vampire. This prompted lots of laughing in and out of game. 

Okrin scoffs, “What level are you guys? Yeah, that’s what I thought.”

The party kindly explains that the villagers probably only made it this far because Strahd let them, and that its very dangerous here and they should go back home. The villagers were insistent that they could handle it, so the party tells them: “Look, if you can’t beat us, you won’t be able to beat Strahd.” so they engage in a fisticuffs. 

Needless to say, the party EASILY took out the three commoners. Okrin was able to disarm one by taking his pitchfork and then pushed him down to the ground. Jander grappled one while Vondal brought on the hurt. The third was no match for Bedlam and Veledrel. All the damage was nonlethal, and the commoners were healed up by Ireena, Vel, and Okrin after the scrap. The villagers asked Ireena if she’d like to come with them back to the village. She politely declined, explaining that she felt much safer with the party. They parted ways after the villagers insisted that they knew the way out, though the party was skeptical.

They eventually find their way to the more familiar ground floor of the castle and make their way out into the courtyard. As they very casually stroll around, their notice someone messing with one of the stones in the wall. The party descends on the gentleman with no mercy. Two of them begin interrogating him and the others begin investigating the area around. They find a loose stone, and behind it a crumpled piece of paper containing an incriminating message written by Ludmilla. After asking many a pointed question, the man buckles and explains he’s just a messenger. He tells the party that Kiril and Emil had a disagreement over the way the werewolf pack should be run, which caused a schism. Kiril now does whatever Ludmilla wants because she removed Emil from the situation, which allowed Kiril to become the leader of the werewolf den. In return, Kiril will bring potential new brides for Srtrahd, the most recent one being Gertruda, and Ludmilla was pretty unhappy with. The party was very pleased with the juicy goss that they had just received, they brushed off their new acquaintance, told him to keep his nose clean and to be on his way. 

They made their way over to the carriagehouse to check out the lead they had on Volenta. The coast was clear, so their investigation began. They were displeased with the lack of horses here and were surprised to find that the carriage house really just houses the carriage. It's not a stable you guys. However, their digging around revealed an empty hidey hole. After talking and marveling for a bit, they noticed a cat creeping along the windowsill, and even stranger, this cat appeared to have a folded piece of paper in its mouth. The cat noticed the party staring at it, and then made a mad dash for safety. The cat was fast, but the party was faster. A skill challenge ensued where the cat was nabbed and the note was secured after some Entangling and Animal Handling. They find out that someone has been asking Volenta to give them scrying material. The party takes a moment to admire all the irons in the fire and move on to the garden.

They thought it would be easy to get to the garden from here, but they were wrong. They called for Helga, who took them through the castling ever-winding halls and brought them out to the gardens. They investigate and look around and find a few spots under some dead brush where it looks like a dog dug up the dirt in several spots. Jander explains to the party that he would send wolves to Escher with letters and poems, through which Escher would give him all the information he needed to create his evidence board that he burned before leaving with the party to the winery. Wow, what a throwback.

I explain to the table out of game that this would be another way for them to meet up with Jander, but since they absorbed him into the group when they did, he did not continue his conversations with Escher, so if they want evidence, Jander can give them some of the poems from their conversations, but as of right now, there is nothing to find in this area, because technically they already found it. They all thought that was pretty cool and liked seeing how their actions can affect the story.

With that behind them, they decide to go check the last location. They make their way back up to their room and climb out the window and very carefully make their way to a more flat part of the roof. Everyone was able to make it safely across without slipping and falling to their death, though a few of the shingles were not so lucky. They make it to a landing of sorts and get to snooping. Their search yields them a letter written in gibberish. An arcana check tells them that there is a presence of Illusion magic on this paper, and an Identify tells them its Illusory Script. Bedlam casts dispel magic on the note, catching a glimpse of the original text before the words fade altogether. The bit they happened to catch though was thanking Anastrasya for her contribution of literature and was asking for a pendant. The group pieced together that Anastrasya must have been the one to get the book out of the castle, and they must be asking for the Holy Symbol. 

We decided to end the session there, it was a lot of information and I wanted to give my players some time to mull it all over together.

[maverickservices]

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Imagine yourself strolling through the narrow streets of Delhi, surrounded with the symphony horns of relentless rickshaw-drivers and the delicious aromas of street foods. Imagine the same energy in a digital world where you will be weaving through hashtags and memes. My friends, it's going to be a wild ride. But fear not. I will be your social media Sherpa and guide you through this exciting journey.

Let's start with the basics. Your social media posts, like perfectly spiced golgappas, should make your audience want more. Be genuine, engaging and responsive. As Delhiites are always up for a lively discussion, you should encourage conversations, reply to comments and build relationships with followers. Remember that it's about creating connections. Just like the unbreakable bonds formed over steaming cups of chai.

Let's now shift gears to the do's and don'ts. Imagine you are at the Delhi Haat looking through handicrafts and someone suddenly appears, pushing a flyer into your face and shouting "Buy this! Buy this!" Annoying, right? The same goes for social media. Avoid spamming your followers' feeds or bombarding them with sales pitches. You can trust me, nobody likes a hawker online.

Then, be careful when you encounter Delhi's "Delhi Belly." This means avoiding contentious topics and engaging in online debates on social media. Delhiites enjoy a good debate, but as a marketer your goal should be to create an environment that is welcoming and promotes positivity. Keep your content inclusive and lighthearted. Avoid unnecessary drama. Let's avoid any pani puri-filled virtual fisticuffs.

Do not forget, my social media warriors. Stay up to date with the latest trends, and Delhi's constantly changing landscape. Social media platforms, like Delhi's traffic routes, are always changing. Be on the lookout for new features, platforms that are emerging, and viral sensations. Accept change, adapt and amaze your audience by your agility. You never know what surprises you will find in Delhi or on social media.

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[wh33zy]

After No Good Deed, will there be a fic on how Kotetsu became an Invisible Crusader (also because I crave so much for this lore for Kotetsu!)

OMG IT'S ANOTHER ASK AAAAAAAAH!! HOWDY!!! HIIIIIIIII! (I seriously squealed when I saw this come up)

So, I don't have plans currently in the works for an IC fic for Kotetsu, but I do have scenes and ideas in my noggin so...maybe? I'm not exactly sure, I think I'd have to sit down and write these ideas/scenes out, then see where it leads. That's how I usually start my writing progress because I want to make sure I can make a full story.

BUT I know that it will be about Kotetsu being a complete noob to heroism and how certain events shape his view of what heroism should be in the future. Because he'd get into fights in his youth in canon (to such a point he gained a reputation for being undefeated), he learns that being a hero is more than just fisticuffs, that it's far more complicated than that and it also involves a great deal of compassion/restraint (to civilians AND criminals).

Also getting used to the weight of being hero; how time consuming it is, how traumatizing it can be, and how physically taxing it is. I have this scene in my head of Kotetsu and Tomoe arguing because she's watching him struggle with the weight, seeing him become more serious/subdued and neglectful of himself and taking on injury after injury (because noob). She doesn't think it's good for him and at the very least, wants him to take a break and think about being a hero more. But, Kotetsu's too determined to push through and keep going because he's doing what he loves (but now also feels he's obligated to keep doing).

Another clash between them is when Kotetsu starts getting that tunnel vision of 'nothing else matters but helping people' to the point that he starts neglecting his personal life. So now he has to find balance which is really hard because having that tunnel vision is what is helping him deal with the weight.

As far as this lore would go, I think it would start with Kotetsu and Tomoe, engaged, and moving to Sternbild for the very first time. They want to leave Oriental Town mostly because of it being anti-NEXT/boring farm country and I've written that Tomoe's parents were against her being with him because he's a NEXT so all the more reason for them to start a new life together. Tomoe is attending University of Sternbild and works as an assistant kendo instructor or tutor for K-12 students to help pay for tuition/rent. Kotetsu applies for HeroTV, gets rejected, maybe works as a bored security guard, and while reading the newspaper, sees an article about the IC program. Then it would end after Kotetsu arrests Gas Mask and him FINALLY getting hired at HeroTV, meeting Ben for the first time.

In the next chapter of No Good Deed, I actually have written MORE past lore for Kotetsu that will also really help shape more context for an IC fic (and maybe some canon behaviours) so...IT'S POSSIBLE, IT'S DOABLE, I THINK.

I'm not sure WHEN I'd post it since I have written some things out for two other Tiger & Bunny fics that I hope will be in the editing phase once I've finished No Good Deed (and I'm VERY excited for both of them). But honestly, depending on how inspired I am, I could end up getting sucked into the IC fic instead so WHO KNOWS.

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE ASK, SORRY FOR ALL THE YAPPIN'.

[derkastellan]

Lessons from playing "Fallout 4"

So, I've been playing "Fallout 4" lately - certainly a time sink! FO4 keeps drawing me in even though I could take or leave its story or, let's say, its many design shortcomings. Still, FO4 is a big sandbox you can explore which is what I do most of the time when I play the game, and the level designers have more than a few tricks up their sleeve that might apply to tabletop RPGs as well.

The Journey is the Goal

So, you have a new quest. You get a marker on your map and your HUD to follow. You can even fast-travel to the nearest location. Easy-peasy, right?

What happens next is you finding your way towards your goal - navigating urban landscapes, trying to find a way to cross a river, going through places you might not have been before. As you do so, you inevitably stumble across more things - more of the game itself, interesting locations, little stories, and the leads to other quests, even.

This all has very little to do with the goal you set out for. Whether you fight the Mechanist's robotic minions (or watch them slug it out with various Wasteland denizens), run into the inevitable feral ghouls, or a raider gang, or come across a Supermutant fortress - none of this is actually related to your goal. But it's all part of playing the game. By playing the game, you come across more, well, game!

As you criss-cross the map, as you make your beeline to your actual goal, you will either follow a lot of side treks or ignore them, your choice.

Now, if your tabletop game is a sandbox, this is natural. As the players trek across your map, they come over the things you have seeded into your sandbox - which might have nothing to do with their goal of getting to a particular dungeon. But you can expose them to it and they can chose to interact with it, file it away for later, etc. It surely beats your two or three random encounters the GM rolled on a table.

But, let's say your game wasn't built like this. It still should have several theme threads you can weave to generate situations. If your setting is some world getting overrun by monsters from another dimension, let your encounters match that. Instead of just running into such monsters, generate situations where players might see such monsters attacking the people of the land - like a hamlet or small farmstead. While their choice might be obvious, it's still their choice to engage. Another monster encounter on the road might be entirely avoidable. But it might also be monsters clustering over something that might promise some reward - like the corpse of a high level knight. Or, taking a page from the ooold game "Pool of Radiance", you meet some weaker, local, intelligent monsters (kobolds, goblins, etc) who want to shake down the PCs for passage. The players can engage them, but it also costs resources, one way or another.

(Because if your game happens to be D&D, resources matter. But let's discuss that later.)

What I'm saying is that the payoff for setpiece encounters that you place in the players' way can be huge - in terms of making an immersive world. Encounters can obviously also be not hostile. It just so happens there's more going on in the world than the players' lives - or even the grand theme of the campaign. This can go from a broken wagon wheel of a wandering trader to a priest taking the local orphans for a hike near the forest border to whatever your mind can imagine in this world. Even if your world is grim-dark as fuck, there might be something you can think of - two farmers arguing over the damn boundary of their plots - that might even end up involving the players (if only to break up their fisticuffs). There's no end to rational or irrational behavior when it comes to people, after all.

Also, varying them is key, including the strategies required for dealing with them.

Resources, resources, resources

Now, this may not be a big issue in FO4 where the player is a pack mule full of gear eventually, but even there you don't have unlimited ammo, healing, and carrying capacity. You might eventually have the luxury of lugging around a lot of stuff, but you better bring stuff that helps you in your playing style. And leave space to lug things back.

As I said, in D&D resources matter. Now, most stuff that is not outright consumables (torches, healing potions, scrolls, etc) is not a concern in D&D, but you also have your daily allotment of spells and class powers. One of the reasons the discussion about the "15 minute adventuring day" never ends.

There are other constraints you can put on the players. Time limits, for example. (Use sparingly - else exploration and immersion go out of the window quickly. Must. Make. The. Deadline..!) Or the dungeon they're delving offers them no good resting options (except for maybe short rests - you should generally make room for a few of these to not break some classes), so a base camp is needed and trekking to their actual destination several times.

Remember those goblins asking for bribes? They might turn out to be a constant nuisance on the way to the actual dungeon unless the players manage to deal with them one way or another. They're no real threat, but they eat up - resources! (Or, nastier, they might be trading information with some dungeon denizens that might prepare an ambush.)

Or you can think of the approach to the dungeon as their own "dungeon rooms" of rather big proportion that the players have to go through and solve what's in them just the same. Just calculate it into their adventuring day/what the party can handle. And if you put obstacles on the way back, factor in what shape the party might be in at that point at your own discretion. Maybe the goblins see their pay-day when the players are exhausted and the wizard out of spells?

But back to FO4

Another thing you will do in FO4 a lot is looking for the actual location "on location." Where is that entrance to the sewers? Do you have to go through a full building to get to the actual location? Do you have to track back and forth over a location to get where you want to?

In a sense this is map design for RPGs as well. Blocked passages, for example, requiring backtracking. And the first layer of your dungeon might be an unrelated location to explore. The ruined house atop the mad wizard's laboratory might be a lower level challenge for your new party to gather experience before entering their goal proper.

There are a few differences, though. In FO4, "empty space" still needs to be traversed. Empty streets, locations you have cleared. These can still add suspense - as you might still run into some monsters. Or the game choses to place some of the scripted encounters there. Space can add a bit of quiet before the suspense.

Empty rooms, though... String enough of them in a dungeon and you get a lot of boredom. I mentioned this before, but "Swords & Wizardry" had modules released by its authors initially, but the dungeons - were plain uninteresting. Not much story weaving the rooms together, and way too many empty rooms. Nothing to discover, nothing to do. And by discover, I mean also no hidden things. This was quite the opposite to "Dungeon Crawl Classics" (very focused maps full of stuff) and "Lamentations of the Flame Princess" (some maps entirely woven with the story, others designed to screw players). So you can imagine why these games have gained popularity, while S&W is mostly useful for groups playing old material, for example, or to release material written for older editions with a rules set people have easy (and legal) access to.

Still, empty space is useful. It provides space for battles to spill over into. It's buffer between encounter zones that can help not every battle draw in every other monster in the vicinity. And empty space is - not empty!

"Empty rooms" should have served a purpose and hence contain furniture, left-over items, or have been used as the ever-elusive dungeon toilet. I'm not talking about rooms tied into an encounter area - like a monster's meat locker, making us aware that there's danger around. But even empty rooms should encourage exploration, and are chances to give minor loot, space to rest, and divulge the lore of a place. Some players might even try to break through to other places of the map from a seemingly unimportant location. (After all, in a tabletop the map need not be static. Just ensure that too much "tunneling" comes at a cost - noise, destabilizing the structure, etc.)

Clues and Lore

And I did mention lore in that list. FO4 locations do have details not pertaining to what you are trying to achieve - like graffiti from long ago, or files from the time before the bombs fell, etc. This is especially effective if paying attention to it helps the players do what they want to do.

Some players make their own clues, so beware. Has dust been disturbed - that's popular. Or wet footsteps if it rained outside. Players can be surprisingly resourceful, and sometimes that should be rewarded. Even if you have to do it on the spot.

Mix clues with noise with lore. Noise can be inspired by lore but is generally useless. Every environmentally hinted piece of lore is a piece of exposition the players discovered. The background of a painting, for example.

You can even devise whole stories that played out in the location, like a previous delving attempt that the players didn't know of, leading to a whole breadcrumb trail to follow. A great example happens in "Pool of Radiance" - another party went into the haunted graveyard and slew the vampire (which hence does not appear in the game, natch), but were too weakened after that to make it back out through the accursed location. So, one of the boss fights never happened, but the story added quite a bit to the mood of the place. (And is told as a one last diary entry - I'm sure the idea might have been lifted from Tolkien. Drums in the deep...)

These stories can inspire the presence of monsters as well: In one location in FO4 the monsters you fight are a raider gang trying to loot the location you're about to search - and you run into them as they are pinned down by a machine gun turret. By other agents in the world doing things you can credibly add surprising things to locations. You can even add allies to set up a bigger battle down the line.

At the same time, you can run into adversaries that, when bested, "drop" more clues and lore. Or you can listen in on them. Be prepared for rewarding sneaky characters!

Not very random

One final thought: FO4 may have a good deal of "more of the same." After all, if you want to have well-designed, good-looking adversaries, you have to limit how many types you make. So FO4 tries to use them a lot, and uses them in many different ways.

What it does not, however, is use them at random. Certain adversaries prefer certain locations and are planned into them - like ghouls rising after being mistaken for nearby corpses, mole rats and radscorpions bursting out of the ground, etc. Level designers placed a lot of your adversaries, and while they might eventually respawn, they are not there at random. Which makes it fun if some of the actual random or mobile elements crash into them - like your supply caravans or a wandering trader with guards running into someone raiders.

But in general, not a lot is random here. Many locations have their enemies placed and dispersed, and when triggered, they act according to their own logic. Some have their behaviors scripted initially before the fighting breaks out.

In this article I tried to highlight the value of all the design and scripting that went into FO4 and how similar approaches could enliven your game as well. In a sense, it's better to draw inspiration from a random encounter table than it is to use one, at times. It can tell you what can happen as a result of player actions. A tabletop RPG can be a very dynamic, smart environment, if you let it be.

It's up to you to find the mix of elements that makes it dynamic, responsive, and alive without becoming overwhelming. Good luck!

[norman891]

@sleightlyoffhand, sorry for the delay. My muse was on vacation.

As usual, Edward appeared about two bells in the afternoon with a large wooden bowl full of sweet biscuits filled with berries and walnuts and began distributing them to the men on deck, not forgetting those in the crows’ nest. He did not see Joe Haigh high up in the rigging, nor did he care to.  He would have thought that including the man on their last hunting excursion to the North end of the island, as Hook had wanted, would have improved relations between them – it most definitely had not.

The hunting expedition had gone quite well, more so than the first as now the crew knew the area better as well as what was expected of them. Hook had kept a watchful eye lest any man give their presence away be it through frightening game or firing a shot which he was sure would echo over the mountains and alert the redskins. Haigh had been brought along to help look for the indians secret tunnel through the impenetrably steep mountains that cut Neverland in two; if he had located such, the man had buttoned his lips and said nothing raising Hook’s ire. 

From what Edward had observed, Haigh became rather petulant that he would not relinquish the bow and quiver of arrows, but it had been made clear to the entire landing party that Edward did all of the hunting as Hook had yet to see him miss with the bow.  This was due in no small part to Edward’s youth when missing a rabbit or a bird might have meant the family had little or nothing to eat that evening. Edward did not miss. He brought down two large boars and a sow, four does, two turkeys, and a half dozen pheasants – enough to keep the crew in fresh meat for two months.

The rest of the party, save for Hook and Haigh, ferried field-dressed game back to the boats or burlap sacks full of fresh fruit, nuts, wild mushrooms, and eventually squashes and corn when the pirates discovered the natives’ secret fields. Edward had used his cleaver to hack off one doe’s foot and used it to make hoof prints around the edges of the fields to hide the pirates’ presence.

Some of the group took umbrage to Haigh being spared the hard work of carrying carcasses and loaded bags while they sweated under the heavy loads.  Someone had made a snide remark under his breath as he passed Haigh, Haigh had fired back something rude in French that was understood by the first man who was ready to engage in fisticuffs when Haigh did the u thinkable and pulled the pistol Edward had given him. The pistol he’d sworn not to turn on any member of the crew. For his misdeed Mr. Haigh received an arrow through sis forearm, forcing him to drop the cocked firearm. A sudden bang later and Haigh had found himself in the red-hot gaze of a furious Hook, bound, gagged and trundled back to the longboats as the shot ended the days’ hunting.

Edward had also received an I told you so look from his beloved captain and his heart sank, fearing he had lost the man’s trust. He rode back to the beach seated by Hook who had little to say, as he was still glaring at the disgraced Haigh and murmuring possible punishments for his infraction. Edward’s fears were unfounded, for after the errant Mr. Haigh was sent back to the Jolly Roger to be locked in the brig, Hook’s mood improved, watching from the comfort of his personal tent as his men quickly and efficiently begin their task of skinning and smoking game and setting out fruit, vegetables, and mushrooms to dry in the afternoon sun. He also made a special point to speak to Edward as he manned his meat smoking station. Whatever he said to his Cook/hunter/consort had made the man grin and Hook had left him with a sound pat on the shoulder and promises of attention to come later.

Upon returning to the ship, Hook had Mr. Haigh flogged once again, this time the kindness Edward had shown him before did not come. Meals were sent down to the brig prior to and following Haigh’s flogging, but Edward felt betrayed and ceased his attempts to make some sort of friend of the man. All that had happened was ed gained a new enemy.  He also refused to allow Haugh to sharpen his weapons, preferring to do the job himself. Edward had put his reputation with Hook and the crew on the line and Haigh had betrayed him. Fortunately, Hook had still showered Edward with attention, and he was expected in the captain’s state room later. As far as Ed was concerned, Haigh had made his bed and now he could sleep in it. He limped back below deck to help Mr. Koslov start dinner, happy in his work.

[darktober]

Have you ever had a dream that you, um, you had, your, you- you could, you’ll do, you- you wants, you, you could do so, you- you’ll do, you could- you, you want, you want them to do you so much you could do anything?

like the purge? 🔪🔪🔪🔪 i can engage in fisticuffs if need be i got a hard boston swing!

[theambivalentagender]

Who has a crush on your farmer? Is it obvious?

Right now Shane for sure, and it's pretty obvious to almost everyone except the two idiots at the center of it all.

In the beginning Emily did and probably still does haha don't worry about it she's fine. Abigail does as well but she's also fine and having a totally solid and healthy relationship with Emily right now don't worry.

Alex also does, sorta? haha don-

Who does your farmer have a crush on? Is it also obvious?

Zeke's pretty much only had feelings for Shane from, well, not quite the start but pretty close to the start.

Who does your farmer date/have a fling with?

No one yet.

Who do they end up with?

No one yet. Who knows where the story might go? (I do, Zeke gets down with their hot chicken loving neighbor because I HAVE WILLED IT)

Who is in the farmer’s inner circle? The closest people to them?

Shane and Emily are the two closest, followed very closely by Abigail. I like to think Zeke actually does text Seb and Sam a lot, since their work schedules don't line up as easily as Emily or Abigail to meet in person. Zeke is also fairly close with Marnie, though I haven't done as many comics with them yet.

Who does the farmer have a neutral relationship with?

Right now they're not all that close with Penny and Maru, though they do know something about them that no one else has picked up on yet.

I don't know if I would call Zeke and Harvey's relationship "neutral" but this is the best spot for it so on that front I can say Zeke enjoys Harvey's company and Harvey is terrified of Zeke.

Who HATES the farmer and does the farmer hate them back? Also does your farmer hate anyone at all?

I think the only person right now who could come close to hating Zeke is Haley, and even she doesn't *hate* Zeke. It's complicated.

Zeke definitely is not fond of Alex or Lewis though. And they tolerate Clint at most.

Zeke doesn't really hate Morris, they more pity him, for reasons.

Who has never met the farmer and likely never will?

Zeke has met pretty much everyone, I can't imagine who they wouldn't meet.

Bonus! Your farmer has become trapped in the mines with a group of townies! (Spin for 5 people)

Who are the townies? And is the situation anyone’s fault?

Elliott

Shane

Clint

Harvey

Haley

Oh nooooooooo

It was probably Clint's fault

The farmer was elected the leader, but would anyone try to take over?

I think Harvey would try to, briefly, as the resident Actual Town Doctor and Adult in the Room, but quickly cede to Zeke when he realized just how out of his depth he was

Zeke probably wouldn't want to be leader at first though.

Who the best person they could have asked to be trapped with? (Is it friendly? Romantic? Or skill driven?)

Well, Shane is an obvious one on multiple levels. Disregarding the whole crush thing he's the only other one in the group who knows what the fuck is going on.

Who is the most unbearable person in the group and who the one holding everyone together?

I'm still going back to Clint causing problems by panicking instead of listening to anyone. Funny enough I think Haley would be the one holding everyone together because dammit she wants to get out of this damp, smelly mine hanging out with these damp, smelly idiots so let's fucking go.

Who is the most likely to die if left unattended by the farmer? And who would likely survive alone?

Elliott is a beautiful delicate rose who would try to engage a small slime in fisticuffs and immediately get KO'd if he wandered off. Shane would probably do the best on his own, since he's had to do it before anyway.

Who is the one that loses their cool first?

Clint, for being the reason they're trapped in the first place. Followed by Elliott, who has an entire speech prepared. Haley would go through all five stages of grief in a minute. Harvey would stay level headed trying to take control until the first supernatural monster crosses his path. And of course Shane and Zeke themselves would not be all that bothered as they looked for the minecart on *this* level.

Maybe while wishing they were the only two who got trapped.

Who is one that will get eaten first?

Howdy farmer friends I have a question for you!! So I was taking a shower and started thinking about the relationships the farmer has and how romance works and all that sweet stuff. So I gotta ask, what are your farmer’s relationships in town?

———

Romantic: (can include any existing adult characters! Obviously no Jas, Vincent, and Leo ♥️)

Who has a crush on your farmer? Is it obvious?

Who does your farmer have a crush on? Is it also obvious?

Who does your farmer date/have a fling with?

Who do they end up with?

Platonic: (can include all characters 🥰)

Who is in the farmer’s inner circle? The closest people to them?

Who does the farmer have a neutral relationship with?

Who HATES the farmer and does the farmer hate them back? Also does your farmer hate anyone at all?

Who has never met the farmer and likely never will?

Bonus! Your farmer has become trapped in the mines with a group of townies! (Spin for 5 people)

Who are the townies? And is the situation anyone’s fault?

The farmer was elected the leader, but would anyone try to take over?

Who the best person they could have asked to be trapped with? (Is it friendly? Romantic? Or skill driven?)

Who is the most unbearable person in the group and who the one holding everyone together?

Who is the most likely to die if left unattended by the farmer? And who would likely survive alone?

Who is the one that loses their cool first?

Who is one that will get eaten first?

[thewuzzy]

[zayashmaya]

i have a headcanon that tagora was bullied when he was younger and didn’t have many friends. he’s always been physically weak but these circumstances forced him to develop his wit to get out of trouble, or at the very least figure out how to get revenge against trolls who wronged him. it could explain his ‘dog eat dog world’ mentality, his anxiety, his need to one-up people. 

[absolutebl]

This Week In BL - Japan is BRINGING IT

June 2022 Wk 2

Being a highly subjective assessment of one tiny corner of the interwebs. Organized by which ones (in each category) I’m enjoying the most.

Ongoing Series - Thai

Triage (AISplay Mon) Ep 7- This ep was mostly to give movement to the romance plot and since (oddly for me) that’s the bit I find the least engaging I wasn’t as wild about this installment. Next week looks VERY dramatic tho. 

Check Out (IQIYI Sat) Ep 1 - This season’s messy gays be messy series! I gotta say I love the intro credits on this one: character + actor names. I need that in all my BL. Our leads are Nine (Chahub) and Daonuea (Best). (My boy Plustor is coming too!) So Daonuea is pining for the boy who ghosted him after a hot fling AND a boss/ex/cheater that wants to date him again. Of course boss & fling turn out to know each other. Best is GOOD. I like an office setting but I’m not wild about the execution here. But the messy exes drama is relatable and fun/different. Captions are quite poor. 

KinnPorsche (iQIYI Sat) Ep 10 - Well KimChay moved fast. Meanwhile Kinn’s bodyguards are all pretty naff, letting Tawan get away. The traitor(s) = no particular surprise. Oo death! Also dumb crazy drama gay, but whatevs. I’m mad that everyone looked for Porsche but no one looks for Pete? I guess it’s good to be the boss’s f-toy. Oh, I’m salty abotu this show. Sigh. At least it was an exciting ep? 

Sky in Your Heart (Fri YouTube) Ep 2 - It’s perfectly serviceable. I’m not wowed by the chemistry but it’s fine. 

My Secret Love (YouTube Sat) Ep 3 - Fake relationship is a go and watching them lampoon BL tropes is kind of fun. No screen caps because, you know, fakel but they covered (deep breath): head in lap, picnic, feeding, back hug, movie date, sharing earbuds, and library assignation. Just because I am having a really hard time keeping this straight (pun intended) here is the character breakdown (aside from the leads): campus star = P’Tim (he comes with portable adorable bestie); pair in the 7 year relationship = P’Park & Lee (who switched departments) - they use rao/ter with each other (cutesy). Everyone else = unimportant. 

Ongoing Series - Not Thai

To My Star (Korea Viki) Ep 1-2 - YES FINE I’m watching it. I said I was gonna wait but... I CAN’T. OMG I’m so scared. The doorway being used for transition shots between past| |present was very clever. Also my goodness I almost forgot what really good acting looked like in BL! The year separation after a break up is a classic Korean drama plot point that usually comes at the end of a show, not the beginning. It’s going to be interesting and bumpy to watch them deal with this reverse plotting. They better come up with a really good justification for Ji Woo leaving and being that cruel or heads will ROLL. Also, that better be his sister and not an ex girlfriend, I have it up the here with faen fatales. Please don’t betray our trust Hwang Da Seul. 

Love in Spring (Korea grey) Ep 5-8 - I love to see a brushing hair trope (in a way I don’t love the usual hair dry trope we get in BL). I have no idea why. Also we had an example of the boy protecting “the girl’s” reputation with fisticuffs. This story reminds me a little of those girl disguised as a boy host club shows we got from Japan for a while – same kind of comedy that is a little beyond my ken and slightly jarring. At ep 7 it finally got good as the leads develop a genuine friendship. The snake thing was odd though. To be fair there’s a lot of odd in the show. I’m enjoying the tension and liking it more each ep. 

Plus & Minus (Taiwan Viki *rec* & GaGa Fri) Ep 10 - The dreaded unnecessary break up. At least we understand the bar owner’s motivations. I don’t know where I am with this show now, but I do like that its general assumption is that everyone is at least a little bit bi, and since I too like to give everyone the benefit of the doubt, I’m not opposed to seeing it on screen. 

Want to See You (Vietnam YouTube) Ep 1 - Boy likes his baths, that’s for certain. Standard psycho female character and a basic but uncommon servant/master set up. I’m getting Jane Eyre or something. Nice kisses already but this is no Mr. Cinderella. (The bar has been set, VBL, now I know what you can do.) 

Getaway (Singapore Mon YouTube) Ep 2-3 - Look, I’m the first to admit that there’s a lot of bad and awkward acting in this genre, but for some reason… it feels a lot worse in English. I like how unabashedly gay this show is but (how do I put this nicely?) if I’m gonna watch English language gay-vacay shizz – I’d rather watch Fire Island. Still, as one might expect, the heat execution is good (Taiwan still holds the crown, tho). 

BLs That Finished this week!

Dear Doctor, I'm Coming for Soul (iQIYI Weds) Ep 12fin - I was mixed over the sides, but in the end, they were a cute couple (weird kisses thing notwithstanding). This show had a very Korean style unnecessary-separation in the last ep. But I guess I’m used to that now. Are KarnNat the best Thai origin couple at domesticity? Seems like. The show’s ending reminded me A LOT of Love: Life on the Line (Director’s Cut) so if you like that you’ll like this one, but it’s not strictly HEA. I thought it suited the narrative so I’m not mad. But I’m not sure I’ll ever rewatch it either. Like Peach of Time, everything was set up for us, so the end wasn’t surprising and it managed to be substantially happier than Peach or Grey Rainbow (shudder). So maybe I rate it higher because it could have been a lot worse? ARGH. Decisions. 7/10 RECOMMENDED WITH RESERVATIONS Full review here. 

Close Friend 2 (Viki Thur) Ep 6fin - I liked the dealing with celebrityhood and fandom storyline, although I thought it was too generous to those fans. But in the end this is, like the first installment, fine but forgettable. I did like the breaking the fourth wall and mentioning each other‘s projects at the end. That was fun insider trading. (I guess we get a season 3 featuring DunBas, not my favorite. Shrug.) Anygay, both pairs did well but in terms of content and story, I wasn’t wowed. 6/10 WORTH WATCHING BUT FLAWED 

Fukou-kun wa Kiss Suru Shikanai! AKA Mr Unlucky Has No Choice But to Kiss! (Japan GaGa *rec*  & Viki Fri) Ep 8fin - since this is in the My Love Mix-Up vein of JBL, I was not expecting a final kiss. I consider us lucky that we got the launch kiss, quite frankly. That didn’t stop me from being a touch disappointed, but the final boyfriends cuteness wrestling in bed (VERY Cherry Magic of them) was perfectly serviceable. A solid little JBL. 8/10 RECOMMENDED 

Gossip

I still can’t believe they’re allowing it but it really does seem like Korea is bringing us A Shoulder To Cry On starring Jaehan (oldest) & Yechan (maknae) BOTH from Kpop group OMEGA X. Enemies to lovers, school set, 12 eps, due out in the fall. 

Also in Korea announced adaptation of Lily's comic Heesu in Class 2 . About a shy unpopular boy with a secret crush on best friend. Looks pretty pat but I’m always open to KBL school-set stuff. 

Japan announced BL adaptation of Minamoto Kazuki's comic: Kabesaa Doujin Sakka no Neko Yashiki-kun wa Shounin Yokkyuu wo Kojirasete iru starring Matsuoka Koudai (I know him from Five) and Nakao Masaki (Kakafukaka, Bow Then Kiss - he’s a BIG DEAL ya’ll) slated to be released in October. (source) The description from Crunchyroll is up on MDL but it’s incomprehensible. 

Cambodia released a trailer of upcoming Khmer BL មើលបានហាមសម្លឹង AKA Eye Contact. We are in “don’t bet on it happening (or finishing)” territory. 

New Thai drama My Coach seems to have a BL side plot. 

Art Adore En got a trailer. Country boy studying at a university in Bangkok catches the eye of his senior. 

2 Moons 3: The Ambassador announced a cast. That came out of nowhere. 

PRIDE! 

This is one of those times that I really wish I read Thai and could confirm it, but Thai BL actor Copter Panuwat seems to have come out as non-binary. Copter has always been super supportive since the 2 Moons days. Someone at MDL is ON IT and has updated Copter’s profile to they/them in the bio section, even if the MDL system doesn’t offer it as an option (someone oughta change the back end code on that). 

No matter what, happy pride! 

In Case You Missed It

Korean BL Blueming is getting a movie version. Since this aired on iQIYI not Viki, not sure if inter fans will get to see it. 

iQIYI has picked up SantaEarth’s friends-to-lovers (possibly sad) BL My Only 12% from Wabi Sabi, coming late summer. 

Japan is airing a BL comedy-drama adaptation of Naruko's Fudanshi Bartender no Tashinami AKA Accomplishment of Fudanshi Bartender streaming on FOD. About a fancy pants bartender who is secretly a nerdy BL fan. 

3 BLs have been submitted for consideration to the Seoul International Drama Awards 2022: Semantic Error (Korea), I Promised You The Moon (Thailand), and My Beautiful Man (Japan). 

The boys from Kissable Lips are pair branding. (They are rumored to have a new series The Circumstances Of Pungdeok Villa Room 304.) I mention this because it’s my first time seeing a Korean pair consciously use Thai techniques on their social media. 

Next Week Looks Like This: 

We’re hitting the Thai summer slow down season, thank heavens. There was too much for even me to keep up with for a while there. I could used some down time, except Japan won’t let me!

Monday: Japanese BL Old Fashion Cupcake adapted from the manga of the same name by by Sagan Sagan (trailer on FB). Seems to be a hyung romance: office set, employee/boss, age gap. About a subordinate with a crush on his boss - seems a bit Cherry Magic light? Only 5 episodes, coming to Viki! 

Thursday: Kimi no Koto Dake Mite Itai AKA I Only Want To See You only 4 eps, starts June 16, Hulu JP. Not sure on inter.  

Friday: Senpai, Danjite Koidewa! AKA Senpai, This Can’t be Love! is taking over Mr Unlucky’s time slot on Fridays, reported as picked up by GaGa for international although I’m showing it listed for Viki. 

Oh yeah and then also: Love Mechanics disaster muffins start Saturday on WeTV. 

This week’s best moments?

I didn’t pull any. Sheesh, I guess I was disappointed this week. 

(last week)