#i was and still am so intrigued by this premise even if I've never watched it

[fakeyellow]

what exactly is the plot of the drama they're filming? if it's too spoilery, how about just a short description like you'd see when browsing netflix? and we already know it's historical, but is it more romance/court intrigue/melodrama?

It's going to be based on the actual kdrama The Red Sleeve, which admittedly I haven't watched haha. Long post ahead based on recaps I've read:

The title refers to the red sleeve cuff worn by court ladies to represent how they are the king's women. They are similar to ladies in waiting.

Essentially, it's the story of a Joseon dynasty king (Crown Prince Yi San who becomes King Jeongjo) and a court lady (Deok Im). It's based on historical records that mention how the court lady rejected the king twice, and how the king loved the court lady dearly. It has a mixture of romance, light-hearted shenanigans, melodrama, and courtly intrigue (i.e. everything you mentioned).

Deok Im is a smart and free-spirited orphan who was brought into the palace to become a court lady. As a child, she unknowingly rejects Yi San and when they coincidentally reunite as adults, she rejects his advances because she wants to live her life as freely as she can (while being a court lady) as opposed to the heavily restricted life of a royal concubine. The drama dives into the lives of court ladies by showing Deok Im's journey.

Yi San is the son of the allegedly mentally ill Prince Sado, who was ultimately executed by his own father, King Yeongjo (this is historically accurate). Because of this, Yi San faces difficulty with his own emotional trauma, his relationship with his grandfather, and trouble regarding whether he can inherit the throne or not.

Despite many barriers, they develop a strong relationship with each other and Deok Im struggles between choosing her love or her freedom.

SPOILERS FOR THE ENDING:

In the last few episodes of the drama, Deok Im eventually decides to be with Yi San, now King Jeongjo, and becomes his concubine. They no longer have to hide their love but now she is unable to leave the palace or hang out with her dear friends (fellow court ladies). She loves him but she's also lost a fundamental part of her identity. Her first child with the King falls ill and dies, and the resulting trauma of this leads to Deok Im dying while pregnant with her second child. Before she dies, she requests to see her friends but her wish is not granted. She then asks the king to please pass her by in their next lives so that she can live her life freely, and she dies.

Years later, the king (who's shown to never have fully recovered from her death) falls ill. He dreams of Deok Im and he decides to stay with her forever (and die) rather than wake up.

I'll be adapting the drama a lot more for Female Lee Seol than I will for Male Lee Seol.

[thegeminisage]

star trek update time!! last night we watched tng's "rightful heir" and ds9's "the forsaken."

rightful heir (tng):

they were high when they wrote this one. like worf on whatever he was on to try and make him hallucinate

what's really funny about this one is that we were both just complaining that, even though we both like worf, we found the klingon episodes a little rough/dry. and then what do they do. they have worf hallucinate clone jesus

actually, i was really surprised picard laid into him so hard for being late to work. i know it was a tough-love kind of deal bc toughness "speaks" to worf or whatever and it was supposed to seem "nice" because he let worf go on a little field trip afterward but also like. who yells.

i did like that they referenced the klingon prison camp episode. girl i'd still be feeling that one too

clone jesus as a plot is really insane. like, it's already insane that everybody bought into it and GOWRAN of all people was the one to be like "you chumps are getting snowed." but then he's just a CLONE? they grew jesus in a vat somewhere? in a little test tube? and then they crowned him emperor??

no, scratch that, worf threatened to KILL people if they DIDN'T crown him emperor even though he was just going to be a figurehead because this is somehow supposed to fix the amoral klingons who have fallen into decadence. horrific.

side note. s6 has had a LOT of single-character episodes. we had some picard centric eps some worf centric eps a deanna centric ep and a beverly centric ep...when do we get the fucking gang back together? i feel like i never see them all at once anymore. like don't get me wrong i loved beverly's little romp and i feel like this way allows slightly more of the character work i have been craving but the format change is so weird. can we not have a little character work without singling out one character at a time? pretty please?

the forsaken (ds9):

i am sighing the deepest longest sigh i have ever sighed. my mixed feelings...

ok, to start with, i hate when tng characters show up in ds9. it's like they bring the bad vibes with them. BUT this is the least i've ever hated lwaxana.

i think the version of lwaxana as presented IN THIS EPISODE ONLY is very nearly a likable character. unfortunately, i have context for her

the flirting has actually grown on me. like, when she's doing it harmlessly. y'all know isabela from da2? like that. what i have a problem with is her being so touchy-feely - leaning into peoples space or trying to snuggle up with them or take them by the arm. the flirting IN AND OF ITSELF is actually kind of cute/sweet if you divorce it from the context of a horrifically overbearing mother and a woman who is narcissistic and can't take no for an answer. "i can swim" like ok girl i admit you have game. i just wish she would do less TOUCHING.

ok, on to odo, the real star of this episode. odo my new best friend odo

i actually think trapping him in an elevator to force him to turn into goop in front of someone else is a VERY clever premise. and at first i really wished it hadn't been with lwaxana but the more i thought about it the more i realized no one else on ds9 would do. in order for it to work it would have to be both someone who is a little pushy/loud/not totally respectful of his private nature AND someone who could offer a similar vulnerability ie taking off the wig. anyone who's too tactful/respectful of odo/a grownup in general like sisko, kira, dax, obrien, etc would simply turn around and leave him be. anyone who's NOT respectful or a grownup in general (i'm thinking specifically of quark, but julian could probably also work for this) doesn't have a metaphorical wig to take off. like, it would have been great ship material for him to be in there with quark or kira (i know about odo/kira bc i got spoiled, i am a little skeptical but VERY intrigued), but neither of them would have had the same vibe. so i am forced to conclude against my will that lwaxana was the right choice after all.

unfortunately a stranger is also easier to tell crazy shit to...and i looooooved learning crazy shit about odo's past, by which i mean i gasped aloud and covered my mouth with both hands in horror. HE SPENT HIS CHILDHOOD IN A LAB EXCEPT HE DIDN'T EVEN HAVE A CHILDHOOD!!! he doesn't EAT. his mouth is an approximation of one, it doesn't actually work!!! lwaxana, do you know then what else must be a nonfunctional approximation? actually, maybe he doesn't even have any of that going on. maybe he's smooth like a ken doll and that's why he keeps expressing disinterest in sex/romance, or because he has disinterest in sex/romance he never bothered to figure out how to replicate a working set of equipment. anyway the point is i know my king is somewhere on the aro and/or ace spectrum i just have to get to know him better to figure out where

in conclusion, yes it had to be lwaxana, NO i'm not happy about it, but i could have been if she was just less touchy. also, side bar, i don't like that she brought up the ferengi rape episode like it was haha funny. girl it wasn't funny to you at the time and it was definitely not funny to ME

TONGIHT: tng's "second chances" (this one looks good...i'm so hopeful) and ds9's "dramatis personae" (i haven't seen a summary or thumbs for this one but i trust ds9)

[saintsenara]

subluxation is a need and i would like you to talk about it

also please god talk about gardener’s question time. i’m so serious

thank you, pal, for two exemplary choices from the work in progress tag game list!

very funny to me that - having once declared yourself to not be a rare pair girly - you have come out swinging in favour of the two rare pairs on the list. the corruption continues apace...

gardener's question time is the result of a prompt i saw last year for a rare pair fest - which i didn't have the time to dive into at the time but which has stayed gnawing at my brain ever since - for a post-war fic with severus snape/andromeda tonks as the pairing.

and you'd better believe i was intrigued...

we're still in the early stages with this one, but the basic idea is to bring these two together through the complexity of their grief. [cheerful...]

the struggle when writing things in which snape lives is, of course, how you approach the fact that he has been living according to a script which has now ended. for all the implication of canon that dumbledore expected him to survive [why does he tell harry at king's cross that he intended snape to be the true master of the elder wand, if he wasn't planning for his loyal spy to reveal his true loyalties by helping deliver voldemort's final death blow?], snape can be very easily viewed as having presumed - and maybe even hoped? - that he would die in the second war.

how he deals with - for the first time in his life - having no master and having the freedom to choose to live on his own terms is something i think is always interesting to explore.

but i think it's particularly interesting to mash into andromeda's own finished script - the fact that her war has ended so devastatingly, with her husband, daughter, and son-in-law all dead; that she has gone from being a grandmother to teddy's primary caregiver [and the resentments that brings up - as we've talked about before, i'm wedded to the idea that she doesn't really like harry and isn't thrilled that he's teddy's godfather]; and, most thorny of all, that her sister is dead and there is now absolutely no chance of bellatrix seeing the error of her ways and trying to make amends [which, while i loathe the common trope that andromeda and her sisters would reconcile easily, is something i believe it's entirely reasonable for her to have hoped could be possible, even if she recognised it's unlikely it ever would have been.]

snape's post-war relationship with the malfoys - presumably absolutely torpedoed by the reveal that he was a spy - also has parallels with andromeda's post-war reckoning with narcissa.

the title is because andromeda wanting to grow a kitchen garden of medicinal plants [and healing through it! omg, a metaphor!] was the premise which sprang to mind when i came up with this. i may have been watching gardener's world [i'd risk it all for monty don] at the time.

subluxation is obviously something we've talked about a lot, seeing as its development has definitely run alongside percy entering his post-war flop era in beasts.

for the uninitiated, it's - in the main - the story of what percy's year of working for the death eater-controlled ministry during deathly hallows looked like.

i think we've both been struck by the fact that pretty much every fic which deals with this question has percy offering some sort of behind-the-scenes resistance to voldemort's regime - maybe not as flashy as that offered by the order members in his family [although, let's be real, what the order actually does in that year is... debatable], but fundamentally aligned with the goodies against evil.

and, i want to be clear, all of the percy-the-resistance-fighter stories i've read have been amazing. but they've still never managed to shake me from my conviction that he probably... didn't do anything substantive against the regime at all. that he just fucked around and then, as the battle of hogwarts approach, began to find out...

and i am choosing to take 'fucking around' literally...

have a little snippet from this month's chapter:

Audrey's gripping his hand.

Her palm is clammy. His isn’t much better.

She was called back from her day off an hour ago. The Minister’s full support staff is assembled in a row against the wall in Meeting Room J. Biagio is crying. Clarice looks like she’s about to be sick.

Rookwood - Mr Rookwood, they have to call him now - is slithering up and down the line, snapping at anyone with wonky knots in their ties or lint on their robes. The hum of chatter rolls in from the Atrium. It sounds warm, the ordinary murmur of people greeting old friends or needling each other over Quidditch rivalries. The staff from the canteen mingle among them with platters of canapes - the Death Eaters have upped the usual standard of refreshments, but perhaps that’s part of pulling off a coup, Percy wouldn’t know - and champagne. 

Hands are being shaken, and partners and children are being asked after, and holiday plans are being discussed, and absolutely nobody - not a single, solitary member of the great and the good of wizarding Britain - seems shocked to discover that the entire world has been upended in a matter of hours, on this completely ordinary day.

It's this which is so terrifying, that the Minister didn’t see any of this coming, but everyone else did.

Agnes Skim, who presents the six o’clock news on the WWN, kissed Mr Yaxley on both cheeks and asked if he and his wife were still coming over on Sunday. Mr Selwyn was laughing uproariously at a joke told by one of the Wizengamot’s most distinguished members as he showed him to his seat. Half of the Hogwarts governors are milling around the place, making cheerful conversation with mass-murderers. There are representatives present from Gringotts and St Mungo’s and the Diagon Alley Shopkeepers Guild. The Prophet’s chief political correspondent breezed in five minutes ago, gabbing away to Travers - Mr Travers - like he was an old friend.

Which, Percy supposes, he probably is.

The Unspeakables have crawled out of their domain to greet Mr Rookwood like some conquering hero, miraculously returned from a mission all thought doomed. And, out of all the mundane horrors of that afternoon, it is the sight of Mr Croaker - who sends his father a card every Christmas and complimented his mother on her hat at the last staff party - thumping him on the back and saying ‘bloody wonderful to see you, Gus’ and Rookwood saying ‘likewise, Saul’ and Croaker grinning and saying ‘this is quite the event, isn’t it? I hope he’s paying you overtime’ and Rookwood winking at him and saying ‘I shall pretend not to have heard that’ and both of them collapsing into laughter, which makes tears start to slide down Percy’s face.

But not for long. There is no time to panic, because Rookwood clicks his fingers at them and tells them to line up on the dais in the Atrium, as a hundred camera bulbs flash and blind them. Banners are draped everywhere, and while they show the Ministry’s insignia and not the Dark Mark, the fact that so many people are walking around with rolled-up sleeves makes clear that they are one and the same now.

The only comfort, he thinks, the only comfort, is that - as he looks out at the sea of chairs, signs affixed to them reading Avery - Dolohov - Mulciber - Carrow in elegant calligraphy, he doesn't see one labelled The Dark Lord.

A hush falls over the room as Mr Thicknesse, in magnificent burgundy robes, his hair slicked back, displaying his high forehead, steps on to the dais and places a series of notecards on a lectern. It is so quiet you could hear a pin drop. Percy wonders if the hammering of his heart is echoing in the room.

‘Wizards and witches of Britain,’ says Thicknesse, and there is an outbreak of applause. He holds up his hands to still it.

‘Wizards and witches of Britain. My friends.

‘This afternoon, following a special meeting of the electors, in which they voted unanimously in my favour, I was invited by the Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot to accede to the office of Minister for Magic. It was my profound honour to accept the position. I am humbled by your trust in me to steer our great nation through this time of turmoil.’

There is another outbreak of applause, another barrage of camera flashes. And Percy notices that Lestrange is standing at the back of the room, talking to a man who greatly resembles him. Who must, he supposes, be his brother.

‘I have sworn before the court and swear before you now that I will uphold and defend the values - and the dignity - of the Ministry of Magic.’

In the years to come, he will look back and wonder whether he can pinpoint the exact moment when his life changed. If he can unravel a single thread from the tapestry of a hundred thousand ordinary days and follow it back to one pivotal second.

‘But I consider it my duty to go even further. I consider it my duty not only to defend the dignity of the Ministry, but to defend the dignity of magic itself.’

And he will conclude that he can. That he can trace all of it, every single bit of it, back to Rabastan Lestrange leaning forward, and accidentally brushing against Rodolphus Lestrange’s injured shoulder, and Rodolphus wincing - only slightly, but enough to make clear to Percy that he is not a monster at all - and revealing himself to be an ordinary man, who is tired after a long day and who aches.

‘Because are we not tired? Do we not grow weary at the sight of our traditions being torn down and soiled? Do we not feel crushed as more and more of our values are washed away, as the ordinary, hard-working witches and wizards of this country are told that they should be ashamed of themselves for their faith in the might of magic?

‘I will be a Minister for those people. I will be a Minister for those who are proud to be set apart by magic. I will rid them of the filth which pollutes their lives and forces them into compromise and shame.

‘I will bring them something clean and true and refreshing.

‘Something proud.

‘And pure.’

[if you think this speech is copied from succession... you would be one hundred percent correct.]

[howdidiendupshippingthispoll]

Round 1, Bracket 1, Side C, Third poll

Dirk Strider and Gamzee Makara [Gamzirk], Homestuck vs Clarke Griffin and Lexa [Clexa], the 100

Story of Gamzirk:

I found it in a fanfic but the only reason why I read it in the first place was the premise of the particular world they decided to create for the ship. They really wouldn't work out if it wasn't for that! Dirk is too self-restrictive to openly tell people what he's thinking or feeling at any given moment. HOWEVER- in this world, there are these shadow-like demon entities that people attach to themselves that are the most similar to themselves and Gamzee is the only one that can hear them without his shadow needing to touch theirs.

This means that while Hal (Dirk's amalgamation of a shadow) is poking fun at Dirk for whatever the guy is thinking and feeling, Gamzee can hear it! Dirk can't escape trying to hide his feelings from Gamzee because Hal just blabs about it, having fun revealing this shit to the guy! It works because Dirk can't just close himself off out of a fear of being too much to handle and Gamzee is just a lovable guy that can see the good in everyone and they NEED each other! I'm absolutely feral over this ship for JUST this world's version of them and the only reason why I ever gave it a chance in the first place was because of the strange shadow-binding thing!

Story of Clexa:

I had been looking for good F/F ships that had lots of fanfic and I came across a youtube video of Clexa that I thought was pretty intriguing. I really like F/F dynamics that are messy and complex, Clexa seemed perfect. I got a VPN and watched the show but, unfortunately, it was full of pretty much everything I hated: graphic violence, miscommunication as a major plot device, and overly stubborn characters that make you want to scream. I am pretty squeamish when it comes to any kind of on-screen violence but because I wanted to be able to read the fanfic so bad I persevered.

It got to the point where I was listening to the show with my eyes closed, feeling physically sick. There were various scenes that I had to skip through because I just couldn't watch them. I dreaded watching the show but made myself do it bit by bit until finally Lexa was introduced as a character. I watched a few episodes with her in, until Clexa's dynamic was set up, then decided I'd had enough and abandoned the show.

Since then, I've read loads of fan fiction about them. My favorite ongoing fanfic ((My) Destruction Within Your Mouth) is about Clexa. I still hate the source material and have never watched it since, but love the ship and find the premise and world-building engaging enough that I don't even really read AUs. I think I'm the ultimate rebuttal to the idea that fan fiction is always a love letter to the source material.

[gillianthecat]

Bees in my head, there are so many bees in my head today 🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝

Anyway, I watched the first two episodes of Unintentional Love Story. Which I quite liked! And I'm looking forward to finding out what happens next. It's humorous and tropey but still with depth. I love the sunshine boy (I can't remember anyone's name yet) and how he is both genuinely sunshiny, and simultaneously using that charm out of desperation. The actor is bring wonderful nuance to the role. I'm less sure about the ceramicist, there's an awkwardness to him that I can't tell if it's the character or the actor, but I'm willing to wait and see. And I quite like the character, so even if his actor isn't up to the level of the other one, i don't think it will ruin the show for me.

I also like that he's a ceramicist! I'm getting a little tired of so many of the creative/artist characters being chefs. (Although there have been some writers too.) Part of it is a me thing about my own issues, but also variety is nice! I loved the scene at the kiln—it gave us a glimpse of the ceramicist being more relaxed and himself, plus sunshine's heart pot! 😻

I literally knew nothing about this going in besides @heretherebedork's screenshots of that loom (which was indeed an amazing loom, even better than I expected), which always makes for an interesting time at the beginning as I figure out what the tone and direction of the story are going to be. The beginning felt quite rapid fire, getting the characters into place to set the story in motion, realism be damned, but I don't mind the contrivance of the premise. I love an ethical dilemma derailed by falling for someone.

This series somehow feels more leisurely and expansive than most Korean BL that I've seen? More like a Thai BL, or a bigger budget mainstream (het) Kdrama. I think a big part of that feeling is that we're getting TWO! whole couples (I'm assuming). And I love all four characters already. Two variations on enemies to lovers! And all four of them seem like compelling people. Even the older ceramicist seems interesting enough. I only hate the smarmy senior colleague.

I haven't even checked how many episodes there are, so maybe it is a short series after all, but so far it doesn't feel cramped and truncated. Thirty minutes seems to be about the dividing line between a full episode and a condensed one, and these fall just on the long enough side.

Anyways I may write more about what I love about these characters later, after I look up their names. This was actually supposed to be a really short post just to note that I watched it, but then I got carried away.

Because I meant to talk about the bees in my head and how I'm mentally jumping all over the place right now, and how my wildly fluctuating attention span led me to read a post about Death Note, and then decide I needed to go watch it. Which I did. And, shh, confession time: this is the very first anime I've ever intentionally watched. I've seen bits and pieces of stuff, and been in the room with my nephews as the watched Pokémon and Naruto, but I've never deliberately sought it out. Am I getting kicked off of Tumblr for this?

The post that got me looking was poking fun at people who talk about the age gap between the two shipped characters being problematic when it's least troubling thing about them, and I was like, hmm... I'm kinda intrigued. One Netflix renewal later (I needed it anyway to watch The Glory season two) and here I am.

I'm intrigued so far? I may or may not share my thoughts on it later, but I will probably watch more episodes.

[mushiemadarame]

↳ watch & rewatch drama list

@khaotunq tagged me, my sweet sweet bestie 💖

currently (actively) watching

609 Bedtime Story - technically on pause until I manage to find both final episodes. I was impressed at first and then it kind of lost me as it went on but I gotta know how it ends.

A Boss and A Babe - I hate this show's title but I love how surprising the second episode was for me. Wasn't super excited about it at first because most of the shows I've given up on halfway were by the same director but after episode two, I'm cautiously optimistic.

A Man Who Defies The World of BL - enjoying it a lot more than I thought I would! It's not my favourite, but I'm very curious about how it'll end now.

All The Liquors - Korea?!?! What is happening!!! I love how different this is so far, can't wait to see where it goes.

Bed Friend - this one came out of left field. I was NOT expecting it to go the places it's been going but I am not complaining, holy shit!

Chains of Heart - I understand nothing, I never know what's going on, I absolutely love it. I want it to stick the landing so bad.

Jack o'Frost - I love amnesia storylines, what can I say. Also it's intriguing so far.

Love Syndrome - Jesus Christ. Jesus Fucking Christ. I love garbage.

Midnight Museum - been LOOOOVING the early 2000s supernatural teen show vibes. Gun Atthaphan is always a win as far as I'm concerned and I'm doubly here for the queer vibes.

Once Again - also technically on pause. I took a break halfway 'cause I found out it doesn't have a super happy ending. Will finish it eventually.

Our Dating Sim - AAAAAHH!!!! just AAAAAAAAAAAAAHH! South Korean BLs have burned me so often right at the end, but I wanna believe in this one 'cause the mutual thing going on with neither (or more likely just one) of them not knowing has captivated me.

Past-Senger - too early to comment on quality, but I do love the premise! Let's hope it doesn't crash and burn.

The End of The World With You - why do I keep getting surprised by Japan putting out banger after banger is a mystery. I've been bracing for the emotional devastation of the finale for like five episodes. Can't wait to sob!

The Promise - this show inspires so much faith in me. I wanna believe in it, I wanna give it a million chances, and it hasn't disappointed me this far even though it hasn't been special either.

Tin Tem Jai - I don't want to be rude about it but this is bad. I don't know why I'm still watching.

As you can see, I'm watching an embarrassing amount of BLs at any given time.

rewatching

Love Mechanics

Not Me

Theory of Love

I don't really do rewatches but these three I'm always kind of in the middle of rewatching. And also,

KinnPorsche - I started a rewatch recently and I'm very very slowly working through it.

looking forward to

A Shoulder to Cry On - I saved this ages ago, I don't remember why but I'm excited all the same!

Cherry Magic (Thai version) - the one TayNew show I've seen I hated but somehow I'm unbelievably attached to them so this is exciting to me. Plus, I actually think Thailand could elevate this story which, for me, as far as the show is concerned, wasn't great.

Cooking Crush - I cried when they announced this 'cause I thought I'd missed my window to watch a new OffGun show as it aired. OFFGUN! OFFGUN! OFFGUN!

Last Twilight - I thought Vice Versa was a waste of the JimmySea chemistry, but I wanna believe in this one.

Laws of Attraction - I couldn't get through TSWL because it was too soap opera-y for me, but I heard wonderful things and this immediately caught my eye when I saw JamFilm would be working together again!

Middleman's Love - I was infinitely more excited when it was a Mii2 show but Yim has impressed me so much so far in Bed Friend that I'm looking forward to it again!

Only Friends - do I even need to say anything?? I think this is my most anticipated one this year, yes probably even more than Wuju Bakery.

Our Dining Table - I loved the manga this is adapted from so I'm excited.

Transplant - I believe this will come out eventually. I will believe it 'till my dying day.

Why R U - I loved the Thai version so I'm really curious about what Korea will do with it!

Wuju Bakery - the premise is so ridiculous to me but JeffCode so grhgarhagraghrahgarhgraghgrahgrah

TAGGING: @jeronnamo, @poisoneevie, @dirtygermi, @notme-rainbowfart, @nattawinlove :)

[eldritchsurveys]

1233.

Are you currently reading anything? Why did you choose to read it? >> I just started The Heart is Deceitful Above All Things. It was the first thing on my TBR when I opened the Storygraph app after DNF'ing a different book. I don't remember why I put it on there, though. Maybe I heard about it from a TikTok. I assume I was intrigued by its premise, either way.

Do you prefer water slides or roller coasters? Is there a reason? >> I can't swim, so I've never been on a water slide. Roller coasters win by default.

What did you do today? >> It's still morning, I haven't done much of anything except have a crying jag, eat breakfast, watch Veep, and do my Duolingo.

Do you like writing stories or reading them better? >> I can't really say I like one over the other. I do both in wildly varying amounts.

What, other than music, is your “outlet”? >> Why is music excluded? Anyway, I don't have "an outlet", I don't really know how to define that.

Are you one of the people who believes their iPod/music is their life? >> That's something I said when I was a teenager, I'm sure.

The last person you talked to on the phone and the last person you held hands with are in a burning building and you can only save one; who? .

Are there any keys on your keyboard that have letters fading away? >> The V and the M are chipped, and the A a little bit, but that's all. I don't think this keyboard is made with the kind of letters that fade the way you're talking about (otherwise they'd be all gone by now, lol).

Are you wasting your time with the person you like right now? .

Do you remember the exact words that were said to end your last relationship? .

What was the last song you had on repeat for more than 10 minutes? >> I don't know, this is a rare occasion. 10 minutes is only like two plays, but I really just never listen to songs on repeat. Even only twice. Is there anyone you used to have a crush on that you’d be embarrassed to admit to now? .

What was your favourite grade? Least favourite? . What grade did you have the best marks? The worst? .

Is your iPod always charged, or do you leave it dead for a while? .

Do you like long car rides, or do they bore you? >> I don't like them, but not because I find them boring, I just don't like being cooped up in a car. It's uncomfortable as fuck.

Are you hard to make conversation with? >> I suppose that depends on who is trying to make conversation with me, and if we have anything at all in common.

Do you read lots of magazines? >> I read no magazines.

In your opinion, who’s the best looking celebrity right now? . Would you rather go to a Taylor Swift or Kate Voegele concert? . What is one concert you’re not going to that you’d do anything to be at? .

Using a quote, say something to your most recent ex: .

Also using a quote, say something to your current bf/gf, or crush: .

What is a song you think is played on the radio way too often? .

Who was the last person you slow danced with, and to what song? . Who of your best friends have you not hung out with? .

Who have you hung out with the most? Why? .

Who was the last person to buy you something? >> Sparrow. What did you last eat? Did you make it for yourself? >> Yakisoba. I microwaved it, yeah.

Are you talking to anybody right now? What is your relationship with them? >> I am not.

As a child, did you ever go to camp? >> I went to Christian camp when I was 13. I keep forgetting about that. Do you remember who the first person you ever had a sleepover with was? >> I’ve never had a sleepover.

Who was the last person you had a sleepover with? .

How do you decide which surveys to take? >> It's not like there's a lot to choose from, so I just grab whatever one has enough questions I can answer. I try to avoid ones that have long stretches of questions I have to leave blank, but sometimes I don't skim well enough and you get what just happened a few questions ago in this one. -_-

If necessary, do you think you could go a whole week without eating? >> Whether I could or not is irrelevant; this would be awful and traumatising and I would really fucking rather not.

When was the last time you were in a hot tub? >> I put my feet in the one at the vacation rental in Orlando a couple of years ago. I can't actually fully get into a hot tub because the heat is too much.

What was the last movie you watched, and with who? >> Prometheus, with myself.

What is something that scares a lot of people that doesn’t bother you? >> Spiders.

What is something that doesn’t bother a lot of people, but scares you? .

Do you like all kinds of music, or are there some you won’t listen to? >> Obviously I don't listen to everything. I have preferences just like anyone. But I do have a very broad interest.

Who was the last person to have their arm around you? Why? .

What was the reason for you last being mad at your best friend? .

How often do you get mad at your best friend? . Do you feel bad for people easily? >> I do not.

Do you openly admit to your faults, or make up excuses for them? >> *shrug* End this survey with a random quote or random lyrics. .

[bronanlynch]

managed to keep most of the categories fairly concise this week, please clap (this is partially bc I was busy and not doing as much ~media consumption as usual but shhh)

listening (podcast): as usual I am keeping up with Palisade, which really does just keep being So Much. you would think things might calm down after disarming every single sun-destroying bomb and assassinating a god-emperor but no things have not calmed down and it's great

also continuing to make my way through the Great Gundam Project episodes on 0079, which is making me miss those characters and especially Sayla :( I miss my girl :(

listening (music): did a lot of driving this past weekend which means listening to car CDs which means no new music. shout out to classic staples like Animal I Have Become by Three Days Grace and All Signs Point to Lauderdale by A Day to Remember, which is a genuinely good song but also the first line is literally "I hate this town" so adjust your opinion of my music taste accordingly

reading: once again reading The Death I Gave Him (sci-fi Hamlet retelling by Em X. Liu) which continues to fucking rule. I'm enjoying that the Ophelia figure is getting a little bit of a Laertes arc, which is fun, love it when Ophelia gets to be a bit vengeful as a treat

also, I've started reading The Imperial Uncle, a court intrigue danmei novel by Da Feng Gua Guo (published in English by the same people who published/translated Golden Terrace/Golden Stage, which is how I found out about it). I'm having a lot of fun with it so far, I'm always a fan of political intrigue, especially political intrigue that is also a family drama, and the premise of it is that the main character has a reputation as scheming & untrustworthy that he's leaning into in order to prevent a coup that his friends are planning, all of which is catnip to me personally. also I enjoy that not only is the main character married, as someone in his position in this context would have been expected to be, but he's also textually slept with people who aren't the love interest. I think that's fun! I like when characters have histories and exist in contexts! and also I sometimes get bored when the main couple have never had a single relationship other than each other sorry

watching: still keeping up with Bakeoff. I'm sad that Rowan & Nicky are gone because I really liked both of them, even if I think it was fair that they're the ones who left two weeks ago. I was a bit surprised that is was Dana this past week though, like I get why she was in the running to leave but I didn't think she did that badly, y'know? anyway, absolutely loved the theme. as a guy who loves desserts that aren't too sweet and also floral flavors, I enjoyed that they were doing botanicals. although I think more of them could've afforded to be a little more daring tbh like come on, hibiscus is a flavor that plenty of them already use in other challenges, get weirder with it. I don't blame people for shying away from rose because the judges are always talking about how they hate it when someone puts "too much" rose in something, but I love rose flavor so I think they're all cowards

we have also been watching more ZZ Gundam. we've gotten to the new opening, and I've gotta say, the first one was a lot more of a bop, but alas. I don't have a whole lot that's new to say because it's mostly like, I'm having fun, I like Judau and his friends, I miss Kamille and Char, I wish there weren't so much weird misogyny sometimes, I love to see Haman, etc. actually the main new thing I have to say is that the set of episodes where they're lost in the desert is like, it feels like they're trying to make a point about how it's bad that these people trying to live their lives have gotten caught up in the fighting between two imperial powers neither of whom care about the collateral damage because they're too busy trying to kill each other in giant death machines, but the show doesn't let the characters or the audience sit with that or allow much interiority for the people living in the village (other than the woman who was in love with one of the soldiers and wants to die while vindicating his choice to also pilot a giant death machine which. we don't have time to unpack all that) so Imo it falls flat as a critique and ends up wrapping back around to being kinda orientalist

also saw a play that was a comedy retelling of Dracula which was. well. overall it was mostly fun, it was campy, the costuming was delightful, I mostly had a good time despite a couple of pretty odd adaptational choices. however. there were parts of it that I did not enjoy and those parts were the transmisogyny. I wish I could say I was surprised that something that was billed as "gender-bending" and "for the gays and the theys" had some pretty uhhh blatant transmisogyny in it but. unfortunately here we are, and unfortunately marketing yourself as queer-friendly doesn't prevent you from having a running "joke" about how a female character played by a man is ugly & unlovable. it's uncomfortable and bad and kinda soured me on the play as a whole which is a shame because it could have been so good otherwise. what if we as a society decided to tell jokes that are actually funny instead of relying on transmisogynistic caricatures. what if.

playing: still on Ace Attorney 5, and now that Pearl is back it really feels like the people making this game were not confident that people would be invested in the new characters so they have to keep bringing back the old ones. I like Pearl! but we've had multiple games with Pearl already and Trucy has barely been in AA5 at all, so why can't we have Trucy as the assistant for the rest of this case? tbh I think this case especially would be stronger if the points of view you got were Athena and Apollo like, you can investigate as Apollo, Trucy tags along and then gives information to Athena even though he doesn't want her to, and then you play as Athena for the trial with Phoenix there for moral support. please Capcom. please I love Phoenix but it doesn't really feel like they're doing much with him here so I would rather focus on the new characters who haven't gotten as a much screentime instead

making: we've gotten to back to assembling Miorine. she has two eyebrows and a torso now (picture taken before we did the torso)

alas, poor Mi-Yorick

drinking: according to the internet some recipes for an aviation leave out the creme de violette which I think is a crime. that's the whole point. anyway. had a very good aviation which did in fact include the violette and it fucked. shout out to gin drinks that don't include tonic water

writing: worked on a fic for a zine check-in, got rejected from a different zine that I was really interested in. the epic highs and lows of trying to get your writing read by more people than your roommate and maybe a mutual or two

[100hearteyes]

Here is my (very disorganized) analysis of Bienvenidos a Edén/Welcome to Eden. I usually avoid getting spoilery in these but this time it's unavoidable. I'll try to keep it to things either shown or implied in the first two episodes.

First things first, if you're watching BaE and suddenly wonder like, "wait, I feel like I've seen this before" – it's because you have. It's called The Wilds and it streams on Prime. The premise and a lot of the mechanics are pretty much the same. That said, BaE manages to keep it interesting (though not as well written) and inserts some verrrry pleasant variables.

Such as the very, very, very spoilery thing I shall yell about in the last paragraph of this analysis.

On the other hand, the story itself is paper-thin and some characters are either caricatures or badly built/written, and the writing stumbles on its own big brain-ness a couple of times.

I find it funny how Netflix Spanish shows always have an Argentinean actor (Alta Mar, Sky Rojo – Wendy ❤️ –, Élite, La Casa de Papel).

I managed to start and end BaE unspoiled and am very glad. Tbh I came for Bel's abs (I called her Abs at first) and the horses, stayed for a lot of other things. The first couple of episodes – first one especially – are the hardest ones to get through, but I genuinely think BaE is worth a watch: it has a diverse cast, the big baddie is a total MILF (we love evil women in this house); some characters are lovely – when Maika, Charly, or Bel smile, you smile; the love between the sisters, Zoa and Gaby, is beautiful to watch, even when they're apart; and the mystery surrounding Edén is intriguing.

The way they portray environmental awareness is dodgy at best. I get what they're trying to do: replicate The Wilds's Gretchen – "yeah she's evil, but is she wrong?". The thing is, as loath as I am to say this, there is a difference between putting kids in mortal danger to prove a point and actually killing them – even worse, having the kids you trust kill the ones who rebel, and making it part of a reward system. So when it's Erik and Astrid saying those things, it's worse. Also, Gretchen's is more the crazy, psychotic type than Astrid, who is calm, cold, analytical. Those things as well as its insulation from the main plot play a part in making BaE's portrayal of environmental awareness dodgier than the feminism in The Wilds, which weaves it directly into the character-oriented story it tells.

I like how BaE subverts some character expectations – Nico at the center of this –, but would oh so appreciate it if África stopped making googly eyes at Edén Dad. Bel is by far my favorite character, and not just for the abs or being a lesbian – yes, she has her flaws, and SPOILERS her recklessness has led to tragedy (she told Fran to wait though!), SPOILER OVER but she's selfless and compassionate and she is trying to effect lasting change, but still finds it in herself to pause her plans and help others.

Oh also I just realized Begoña Vargas (Bel) is also Verónica from Alta Mar and now that I've seen her freckles I need them to never be hidden again. Her freckles are beautiful.

Also love Zoa, Maika, Eloy, and Charly.

There is a surprising amount of mlm/wlw solidarity, even if I think it's not intentional. And you can really see the bond between some characters (Bel and Eloy, Maika and Charly, Zoa and Gaby, Cláudia and Fran, Astrid and Erik).

And also, HORSES. SO MANY HORSES. The horse lover in me was LOVING THE HORSES.

Despite the issues I really look forward to the second season, because I can't not know what happens next and I love some of the characters. However, I don't see this show having enough of a story to run for more than two seasons.

And finally, where this gets really spoilery.

SPOILERS BELOW

.

.

.

THE LESBIAN ACTIVITY 🙌❤️

For me it's the way it started out as Bel having an apparent straight girl crush and then she and Zoa actually became the main couple ❤️

And Nico being manipulative at first but actually liking Zoa but then turning out to be an irredeemable psycho? Fuck. Yes. This isn't a love triangle, my dudes. It's a lesbian romance with an evil psycho trying to get in the way.

And also- QUEER WOMEN STAY WINNING 🙌

That said, I fear the season finale painted a target on either Bel or Eloy (or both)'s back. I really really hope neither of them, least of all Bel, dies. I really hope the writers see Bel as key for the revolution and don't kill her 🥺 I think she's more useful alive than as a martyr.

[howdidiendupshippingthispoll]

Round 2, Bracket 2, Side C, Second poll

JarJar, Queen Julia and Commander Stone [CommanderQueenJar], Star Wars: Clone Wars Homestuck vs Clarke Griffin and Lexa [Clexa], the 100

Story of Clexa:

I had been looking for good F/F ships that had lots of fanfic and I came across a youtube video of Clexa that I thought was pretty intriguing. I really like F/F dynamics that are messy and complex, Clexa seemed perfect. I got a VPN and watched the show but, unfortunately, it was full of pretty much everything I hated: graphic violence, miscommunication as a major plot device, and overly stubborn characters that make you want to scream. I am pretty squeamish when it comes to any kind of on-screen violence but because I wanted to be able to read the fanfic so bad I persevered.

It got to the point where I was listening to the show with my eyes closed, feeling physically sick. There were various scenes that I had to skip through because I just couldn't watch them. I dreaded watching the show but made myself do it bit by bit until finally Lexa was introduced as a character. I watched a few episodes with her in, until Clexa's dynamic was set up, then decided I'd had enough and abandoned the show.

Since then, I've read loads of fan fiction about them. My favorite ongoing fanfic ((My) Destruction Within Your Mouth) is about Clexa. I still hate the source material and have never watched it since, but love the ship and find the premise and world-building engaging enough that I don't even really read AUs. I think I'm the ultimate rebuttal to the idea that fan fiction is always a love letter to the source material.