#i watch too many thai series wow oh wow

[cherphadetseuk]

Okay I would like to join the bandwaggon and make a post about those gmmtv 2025 bl trailers we got today. I was at work so I haven't seen anything except the OFDO trailer because I had to. Now I would also like to add that I'm still fairly new to this whole Thai BL rabbit hole and that I still need to get to know all the ships but for the most part I'm proud to say that I know quite a few by now. I'm also here for dark stuff. The darker the better so I hope one or two of those shows will be darker/more supernatural/more thriller based. Ticket To Heaven: Now hear me out, I don't usually go for the religious/church related stuff so I'm not really sure if I will like the vibe of this one. However, I love GeminiFourth and they're fantastic actors so I might end up giving this a try anyway. Having watched this trailer now I can see how dramatic this is gonna be and I can already tell just based from this that Fourth will deliver 100% so I am here for it. Most definitely gonna give this a try. Memoir of Rati: Just based on the title it feel like this is something more historical which also isn't my cup of tea. Okay, forget what I just said, they're blessing me with more GreatInn and I don't care what this is about, I'm in. After Wandee Goodday being in my top favourite shows of 2024 I am so thrilled to get GreatInn in another drama again so soon. I have not even watched the trailer yet but I'm 100% down for this. Wow, they look dashing. No surprise there but yes. "From a romantic novel". That alone should be a no for me already but again, I see GreatInn, I watch. All the French...I even understand that lmao. Gonna admit I don't know the second couple in this series. Another one I will learn about very soon I guess.

Wu: Already like the vibe of this. I don't know this couple but all the tarot cards have my attention. Hmm finally some action! Okay the fantasy elements and the darker background music have my attention 100% and I will definitely give this a try. Me and Thee: Do I know this couple? They don't ring a bell. I don't think I've seen them anywhere. Yet. I see that they play in some of the dramas that are on my to watch list so I will see them pretty soon I guess. Anyway, back to the trailer. "A soap opera loving mafia" okay those are words I never thought i'd hear in a sentence but here we are. Mafia boss dude is pretty. I probably will give this a try too. Watch me add all those shows to my watchlist and then get overwhelmed again when I have to watch 15 series at once. A Dog and A Plane: MY BOY!! Okay this is definitely going on my watchlist. I don't even have to watch this trailer to know that. It's my home boy and my ghost hunting duo and yes and thank you very much I am so excited!!! Oh Marc's in here too! I didn't actually know him but now that I watch Perfect 10 Liners I get to meet so many new faces. Ah I love the Peaceful Property vibes between TayNew. This is gonna be so much fun. Oh he's got Tattoos. Me gusta mucho. This looks hilarious. I love the vibe. OOOH Poon's in here too!! Do we get another MarcPoon? I effing LOVE PondSand in P10L and I would absolutely LOVE to have them back for another series. Okay but me getting both TayNew AND MarcPoon in the same series? Sign me tf up. Thank you very much.

My Magic Prophecy: Title already got me intrigued. Oh is that JimmySea? I don't actually know Jimmy yet to be completely honest but I loved Sea in The Trainee so that's exciting. A Doctor and a Fortune Teller. Okay, that sounds interesting. I'm on board. GMMTV wouldn't be anything if they didn't bring at least one doctor show. Is this the Tarot season? Already the second show with Tarot cards lmao. Not that I mind. It's just interesting. Boys in Love: Well, every show on this list could have this title lmao. Oh it's another school drama. AY PAPI! My man is back! Love that for me. Given this is a school series this must be the new generation of actors so I won't know anyone. Except Papang of course. Oooh it's Chokun! I DO know someone from the younger generation. My boy Half is back. I missed him. He's adorable. Gods they all look like babies. It looks like I'm about to adopt more children. THE DIMPLES!! Oooh it's Papi and Dr. Ter. Papang with the glasses is a whole different mood. I didn't come here for romantic comedies why am I watching so many romantic things. I hate this rabbit hole. Cat for Cash: Another FirstKhao show? FirstKhao AND cats? Yes, you got me at cats. Is this the FirstKhao rom-com people have been waiting for? Lmao, what in the Dr. Dolittle is happening xD FirstKhao running a cat café. When did we get here. The most random concept and I'm here for it. Oh, here comes the drama. Oh great, we already getting the Khao breakdown in the trailer. I can not believe I'm down for that FirstKhao rom-com. Me who always wants the dark stuff but I'm excited to see them in a lighter series. Seems like I get First doing more comedy so I'm looking forward to this.

Mu-Te-Luv: I don't know what this title means but let's see. And more Tarot cards. I do like the sound of magic. Don't know main guy. Oh, he's the same dude as in "Wu". Ooooh, my ghost hunting badass queen is also in this? And she gets to scream once again xD Luke, my man!! So many people who don't ring a bell ^^' This cast is huge. OH MY GODS!! I so have to watch this just for Neo dressed like this. And YASS! I get my boy back too!! Also being so badass. Look at them! I can't. This is hilarious. 100% here for the Queen of Queens xD Lmao I would watch a comedy show just with those four. My gods, they are hilarious. Oooh, OhmLeng? Yes and thank you! Okay definitely gonna watch this. This is gonna be a blast. This will be my feel good show. Love You Teacher: Oooh it's the cuties from Perfect 10 Liners. I see the pros of watching this show now. "From the producer of 'Peaceful Property'" SIGN ME UP! Oh, amnesia trope. Solar is so cute. So he switches between being a kid and being an adult? Such a fun plot. I'm looking forward to this. Melody of Secrets: Oooh, another ForceBook show? The colouring is very interesting. Kinda dark and mysterious. Oh it is dark. I'm finally getting my dark ForceBook show? This is so exciting!! Oh, ghost hunting girl boss is also in this one? I love all my Peaceful Property related things. Will never say bye to my favourite show of 2024. This seems dark, mysterious and interesting. I'm definitely here for this kinda vibe. My Romance Scammer: Having romance in the title is not making it easy to get me lol. Oh, it's JuniorMark. This looks cheesy and lovey-dovey but for some reason it also looks interesting. Will keep this one in mind to give it a try. That Summer: Another main couple I don't know. Oh it's Mond and Neo here too. Is Neo in all the dramas? Love that. Who's that doctor with Mond? He's pretty. Guess I'm already here for this side ship.

Only Friends: Dream On: Okay here we go again. I'll rewatch this one. You know what's funny? Only Friends was my first drama and I didn't know a single soul. My friend was screaming at the end of the show when Mix appeared and I had no clue who he was. Fast forward to now and I know every single person in this season 2 and I'm so proud of myself haha. Granted I don't know Joss yet but I'm already excited for My Golden Blood so it feels like I already know him. EarthMix and OhmLeng, it's gonna be so spicy!! This is so messy. Even more than OF was and i can't wait for the even bigger mess when the show actually starts. Boston being back for this is the icing of the cake. He's gonna make this extra spicy and interesting. I can't wait. Ah, all the jealousy. We love her. MixLeng bitch fight I will look forward to this. I LOVE that the soundtrack is back. This makes this even more exciting! So is Gawin the Sand of this show because from the trailer it looks like he's the most sane one lmao. Only time will tell. Wonder how much trouble Boston is gonna cause this time. They already in trouble without him so we'll see.

Burnout Syndrome: Ooh is this gonna be OffGun. THOR MY MAN!! The black lipstick okay! That whole outfit is a vibe. Oh, it's the people from "Not Me" working on this. Obviously they would get OffGun but that also means it's gonna be good. And of course drawing is involved again. And by drawing I mean drawing people naked. Not gonna lie, I hate love triangles. They're my biggest enemy but I still think I'll give this a go 100%.

Head 2 Head: Once again don't know the characters but there's always room to learn more. I was like "oh nice car racing! but it went dark real quick." That vision thing is interesting. I'm intrigued.

Dare You to Death: Now this is a title I can go with. Oh it's Drake. Oh is this other guy the guy from Kidnap? The brother? I hate Truth or Dare. I never liked that game. Ooooh, JoongDunk police force? Now I like the sound of that. I like a good murder mystery. Also Joong is so ajdlskfjadsökghajdsöklfjasgf !!! Also that red shirt looks hella good on Dunk. Damn that is some dark ass shit I'm loving it. Finally something that is right up my ally.

[porridgefeast]

ITSAY/IPYTM thoughts

In three parts because that's how I wrote it.

Oh-aew in a shirt which seems like the most meta English t-shirt text ever in Thai BL(ish) world (and there have been many others) but also seems like something Oh-aew would somehow own.

Part 1

I wasn’t assuming I’d have a ton to say about I Told Sunset About You. I wasn’t even planning on starting it at the particular moment I did, I just had it in mind I’d do so soonish. But wow, this drama hit me like a ton of bricks.

I tend to enjoy it when there’s a small gesture or moment onscreen that brings me back to uncertain romantic moments of young adulthood. Oddly enough, it’s often how someone leans (not kabedon-ish looming fwiw)—make of that what you will. (There’s this one moment in Between Us that hit me with something I can only describe as the world’s hardest pang.) But yikes, having so many... I guess first love feelings come up so hard and fast is really unusual and compelling, but almost too powerful for a sensitive creature such as myself. It’s certainly beautiful in an important way I think art is meant to be beautiful. But it’s less uncomplicatedly enjoyable than some things.

I don’t always have to identify with one character over another, even if one character is positioned as the protagonist of a story. I don’t always identify with anybody, though certain stories will pull me in in that way. But man, ITSAY gives me vertigo. Teh’s paradoxical mixture of obvious feeling and self-conscious reserve might normally make it so I’d be seeing things firmly from his perspective, but instead I whip back and forth between Teh and Oh in a borderline-painful way. I guess I just want so badly for them not to hurt each other.

Billkin’s left eyebrow jiggles like even Teh’s face is fidgeting nervously. At the point I’m currently at in the series, it feels like this kid is going to explode leaving only a fine mist. PP Krit is so still as Oh that it’s at least momentarily tempting to perceive him as solid, confident. But his steadiness is one of watching and waiting SO intently.

I feel like I could write an essay about the blinking alone, much less the overall category of looking. I don’t especially want to write it, but it’s there.

About midway through episode 2 I found myself kind of relieved to confirm there are only five episodes. I wanted to hurry through those most acute push & pull moments. But here I am at the beginning of episode 4 and it feels like it’s been a dang eternity.

Part 2

Back again after ending ITSAY and getting 4 1/2 episodes into IPYTM. I’m not writing about this show because I decided to do so, but because I don’t seem to have a choice. Not that I wouldn’t choose to do so, it’s just moot.

I think I’ve finally put into possibly inadequate words a thing Billkin does a lot as Teh. Sometimes his face just kind of goes... offline. He’s telegraphing despair while his face settles into a stiff mask. I find it a lot more true to life than what many actors do in similar scenes, but also very relatable in a way that’s painful! Again, in an art way. In a way that puts into practice the fact that we don’t only watch and read stories to pass time but because they help us understand ourselves. But part of me is annoyed, like a kid who’s been told to get in the car only to find they’re being taken someplace totally unforeseen and unappealing.

I find myself not wanting to explain what PP Krit is doing as much, but not because what he’s doing is less carefully crafted, certainly not because it’s less affecting. I said earlier that I was bouncing back and forth between identifying with each of them but not long after that first note of mine I stopped being able to identify with Teh very much. It might be a stretch to relate the events of this show too much to an experience of my own, but I was probably the Oh-aew in my first serious relationship, which was a very long one that was completely tied up with my entire college experience and a long first stage of adulthood.

I don’t judge Teh too harshly, but he just seems SO young. Like, younger than I may ever have been. Part of what makes this show good at what it does is that I don’t quite know what’s going on with him a lot of the time. There’s certainly a part of me that wants someone to explain what goes on in his head, but the ambiguity works for this show’s narrative style.

Maybe this will become more apparent, but am I supposed to have a strong conviction as to what Jai’s deal has been? Because that guy seems determined to give some of the most intense mixed signals I’ve ever witnessed. I feel like the director was going okay in this shot you’re in love with Teh. Okay now in this scene you feel like Teh’s kinda gross.

Honestly Teh is super gross! Billkin is a cute kid and Teh has many endearing qualities but he is a MESS. About half the time (well, half the time we see him onscreen, who knows what he does during time-jumps) the kid is barfing feelings like No-face from Spirited Away after he’s eaten nearly everybody who works at the spirit bathhouse.

I strongly suspect these characters and performances would bring up different things for people other than myself. This show is taking my personal buttons and stomping on them; presumably for others it stomps on slightly different or even opposite buttons, and for others it might trigger very little whatsoever of their own personal baggage.

Well, back to it I suppose.

Part 3

I feel less urgency now that I’ve reached the end point of the two series. Which is good for me but it means I have less to say at this point.

I’m very curious as to how a rewatch of these two series would feel to me. At first I thought a rewatch might be great—often that way I can relax and appreciate things more, since I’m not distracted by suspense as much. But I could just as easily wind up dreading certain moments. So many public scenes, yall. So much shame being experienced!

I would like to take a short moment to appreciate Hoon. His mom-pleasing powers may have complicated things for Teh, but it was such a relief to me that he was a sweetheart and a good brother.

I’m glad there’s a happy ending but I’m relieved Oh-aew got several chances to be resentful. (Not that I would have been unhappy with some less-than-happy endings. Too happy an ending would have been odd tonally anyway for this show.) I’m pretty sure I laughed out loud when Oh-aew was like but this time if you have a problem can you tell me and we can talk about it?

I was so glad Tarn got a little cameo at the end. It felt like giving her her due. Recognizing how that moment made me feel makes me realize how much I appreciate Tarn having interiority and agency as a character.

In other news, maybe I’m now one step closer to being able to see Na Naphat onscreen without immediately thinking of him as Tawan from Kinnporsche. And usually saying “f*cking Tawan!” in my head. It hasn’t happened yet, but I hope to get there. I’m sorry Na Naphat, I guess that performance was almost too good.

[jojotichakorn]

time for me to gather all my thoughts together!

out of the 15 announced series, i am - to various degrees - interested in 10, which is a pretty solid amount!

i will definitely be watching:

we are! it's yet another uni drama, but you know what? i don't give a shit. i like me a uni drama. pondphuwin are definitely the mains, with satangwinny either being a secondary couple or also mains - it is not entirely clear from the trailer. my vote is always for marcpawin, who are playing a background couple here along with aouboom. so a very solid cast for me. incredible news.

my love mix-up! i adore kieta hatsukoi, i adore fourth, i adore gemini. feels like a recipe for success to me.

wandee goodday! a bl about actual fucking adults? wow. sign me up right away please. i am not familiar with the main actors, but thor is a part of a secondary couple, and podd is also there, so that's great.

my golden blood! GAWIN as a main character? gawin with JOSS? joss is a VAMPIRE? i want it NOW. like TODAY. exciting af!

pluto! seems like a very dramatic gl with many twists and turns, i am also very excited.

the other five series i am unsure of, for different reasons:

ossan's love th. it's actually likely i will end up watching it, but i (shock horror) haven't actually seen ossan's love, and i feel like i can't say that i will or will not be watching it with as much certainty as those who have seen the original. i will definitely get to it at some point soon though. if i like the original, i'll watch the thai version too.

the trainee. at the moment, i don't feel necessarily excited for this series, so whether i watch it or not will depend on either me having enough free time when it will be coming out to just kind of casually enjoy it, or people really raving about it while it's already coming out and me deciding to spend time on it because of that.

kidnap. pretty much the same exact situation as the trainee. did not grip my attention that much, but we will see if that changes. there is, of course, also the chance that the real trailers for either of the two will change my mind. mock trailers can be a bit clumsy sometimes.

only boo. it did not particularly intrigue me and - unlike the trainee and kidnap - the leads cannot recommend me the series just by virtue of being themselves, because i don't know them. so i am even less inclined than i am with the trainee, knowing how great offgun's chemistry is, and kidnap, because... well, ohm. if something convinces me to watch this - i will. otherwise, it's a pass.

high school frenemy. is it deep platonic love or do they want to stick their tongues down each other's throats? the second i know for sure, the decision will be made. in which direction, i'm sure you can imagine.

some random thoughts:

leads of the series that are coming out right now are clearly taking a little break after this (some of them do have prior comittments for series that haven't come out yet, but from what i remember - it is all secondary/background roles). this makes sense, especially because this is just part 1 of the announcement. so, i'm waiting for whatever news we will get from neo, mark, first, khaotung, force, book, perth, and chimon later.

considering the previous point, i can only Really be mad about the noticeable lack of fluke pusit. my man is clearly in the basement. oh, and aj and jj, who are only playing a background role in one of the series. there is actually a fucking series, where the characters are twins, and they cast ONE GUY to play BOTH, when they have literal fucking twins in their casting pool. wild.

my one real complaint is that i'm getting marcpawin crumbs once again. and i don't mean to anger the gods, because crumbs are better than nothing, but when am i going to fucking get the full loaf of bread? i deserve it. they deserve it. p l e a s e. generally, they seem to still be reluctant about giving current secondary couples the main stage, because satangwinny are either mains along with pondphuwin, or potentially even secondary to them in the drama. let them shine on their own please :(

[gothicbarbie]

MY TOP 20 BL SERIES OF 2022

1. Love Mechanics [thai]

Overall just very well done series. The drama wasn't too silly or frustrating, it had nice kissing scenes and storylines, and YinWar's chemistry is getting better and better which each series they do. I really enjoyed it.

2. Semantic Error [korea]

Love the manga too and thought the tv depiction was nicely done. A bit less racey but that's expected. Korean BL's are my favorite and they are getting better each year. The chemistry bewteen the actors was great too. Plus I just enjoyed the storyline a lot.

3. Not Me [thai]

OMG I loved this one so much. One of Thailand's best imo. I've always liked offgun but this was the series that really pulled me in. They grew so much doing this one and felt more comfortable with each other. Overall, the storyline was just well done and really drew me in, I really loved it more than I was expecting to!

4. Blueming [korea]

Korea does it again. Seriously well done drama, loved the scenerery. I think the chemistry was nice, not my absolute favorite ever, but it was a very cute watch and the love scene was really well done!

5. Minato's Laundromat [japan]

My favorite Japan BL this year. I really liked the chemistry between the leads and the storyline. There were so many adorable scenes and moments and the ending kiss was so cute. Loved it.

6. Cherry Blossoms After Winter [Korea]

Another great Korean drama that first came from a Manga. The manga is definitely worth checking out, its super cute and the adaptation was well done. Not the best chemistry of all time but it was still very nicely done.

7. Old Fashion Cupcake [japan]

There were a few things about this one that threw me off a bit but overall it was a very enjoyable and fun series, I liked the dynamic of the mains, I enjoyed the premise and I liked that they were a bit older too. It was fun.

8. Love is in the Air [thai]

Cheesey at times and not the best story, could be a bit over dramatic, but the chemistry between the main two pairings is what really kept me interested. I love boths ships and the love scenes in this one were... um.... WOW. That's all. lol.

9. Kinnporsche [thai]

Extremly hot series, great production value, love the acting and premise, the dark/gritty vibe of the series was refreshing to watch. I really enjoy BL's with darker storylines. This seires was definitely more humorous than I was expecting. There were some awkward moments and I started losing a tad bit of interest near the end but the earlier episodes were so fun to watch.

10. Mr. Unlucky Has No Choice but to Kiss [japan]

Japan has some adorable ass BL's, that's for sure, and like SK, they are getting better and better too. This one was just utter adorableness? I really loved it. I found the premise to be super funny and cute. There were def. some weird bits and the kisses could have been better, but oh well.

11. Till the World Ends [thai]

Haven't seen the finale yet, but I found this series very fun and enjoyable. The premise was pretty unique and it just kept me very entertained from beginning to end.

12. My Only 12% [thai]

I LOVED this series in the beginning but the last two episodes were a bit odd with some random drama. I will say that the chemistry between santaearth was SPOT ON in this series. Santa in particular is just utterly adorable! The love scene and close moments were so well done.

13. Choco Milk Shake [korea]

The story was a bit dorky/over the top imo but it was still enjoyable and really cute to watch. I was hoping for more of a poly type thing I guess, but I'll take it for what it was.

14. Star in my Mind [thai]

Okay, so I admit, the storyline wasn't great, but I just adore joongdunk so I am a bit biased. The starting episodes were so good and then it kinda fell flat for me but I did enjoy the series. The side series was decent too. I'm stoked for the new series with these two cuz I think it'll be even better.

15. Kissable Lips [korea]

Vampires, check. Attractive leads, check. Chemistry, check. I love Korean BL's (have I mentioned that) but sadly, the series as a whole was just too short and felt kinda unfinished. Plus the ending not being very happy imo brought it down a tad. But love these two actors together. They were greaat in their other series as well. But I found this one to be a bit more intriguing.

16. Big Dragon [thai]

Chemistry between the leads was the best thing about the series. I also enjoyed the side ship. I thought the series kinda dropped off at the end I didn't enjoy the ending episodes but the earlier ones were really fun to watch and I am excited for season 2.

17. Senpai, This Can't Be Love [japan]

Another cute series from Japan. Not the best of the bunch but I liked the easy, nice, office setting and storyline.

18. Roommates of Poongduck 304 [korea]

Also cute, light, and enjoyable to watch. Not a whole lot else to say. If you haven't seen the behind the scenes kiss though GO DO IT. Best kiss ever?

19. Cutie Pie [thai]

ZeeNunew are just too cute together. Overall, the story kind of dragged in this one but the love scenes kinda made up for it? Shallow I guess lol.

20. Eternal Yesterday [japan]

This one started out strong, and I liked the chemistry between the two. But I didn't love the entire premise of the series. Ghost storylines aren't really my thing and I just knew it was going to end sad, so I couldn't get that invested in it.

Honorable Mentions:

Ghost Host, Ghost House [thai] - I can't rank this one because I've only seen 2 eps. I am enjoying it a lot so far. I didnt watch initially cuz the premise seemed odd but I kinda like how they are doing it and I am excited to watch more episodes.

Miracle of Teddy Bear [Thai] - Weird premise, but I am enjoying it so far. Not worthy of the top 20, I think the episodes are too long and frankly, the one guy constantly yelling and being awful is hard to watch, but I hope the last 6 episodes are decent. I think the concept is unique and the chemistry between the two is nice.

Check Out the Series [Thai] - Have only seen 2 episodes and its okay so far. The chemistry is good, but the plot is a bit slow for me, hope it picks up later. But can't quite judge it yet.

His Man [Korea] - Tehcnically this is not a BL but a reality series in Korea about young gay men trying to find love matches. It was SO good, if anyone is interested, definitely check it out. It was just cute, especially because the relationships were real. The pairing that ended up together at the end was my favorite from day 1, so I was happy. Hope they do a season 2!

Enchante [thai] - I got a bit bored of this series by the end of it but it was still very fun to watch. The storyline went a bit wonky in the end but it was okay. I did like the chemistry between the main two. Excited to see them in their other series later in 2023.

Color Rush 2 [Korea] - Season 2 didnt comprae to season 1, especially with the casting change, but I still enjoyed it. I like this universe and the storyline and the new ship was decent.

My Tooth Your Love [taiwan] - This list tells me that Taiwan needs to step up their BL game! After History and We Best Love (my favorite BL OF ALL TIME!) They haven't had many series I have loved. This one was the best this year. A few others this year were decent but I want more! Overall this series was nicely done. I enjoyed the early episodes a bit better.

Takara-Kun to Amagi-kun [japan] - I didn't seem to enjoy this one as much as other people seemed to. I think maybe I found the dialogue/translations to be a bit off/awkward? Not sure. I loved the dynamic of the main two characters the most, but I prefered some other Japanese BL's. But it was a fun watch.

Secret Crush on You [thai] - This show was so cringey at times, and the storyline was just overall a bit weird, but it was like a trainwreck that I coudln't stop watching and the chemsitry between the main two is just good... so, at least there was that.

Love Class [korea] - Honestly don't rememebr this series well enough to give a proper ranking but I think I enjoyed it haha.

Once Again [korea] - See above. I think this was the one about time travel? It was good, but didn't capture me like other Korean BLs normally do.

Plus and Minus [taiwan] - A tad less interesting than My Tooth Your Love, but more interesting than For Youth lol. The main actors dating in real life is HELLA ADORABLE THO.

Mr. Cinderella [vietnam] - The only Vietnamese BL to make the list. Bless the one company and actor who continue to release drama's for us. Sadly, I dont enjoy most of them as they feel a bit cheesey and unprofessional. This series though, I enjoyed the most so far.

The Eclipse [thai] - People love this series, but for me, it was just okay. It had nice moments and nice chemistry but overall I didnt love the storyline. Sorry friends! Excited for the new series with the main two though.

I did watch quite a few more BL's that didn't make my list, so it's possible I forgot something, but either they weren't that memorable or they were just okay for me. Some of the series I watched in 2022 came out earlier than 2022. So I didn't include them even if I watched them this year.

Here are the BL's I REALLY didn't enjoy. I can elaborate if anyone is interested...

Tuxedo The Series - enjoyed the chemsitry of the main two but the abuse I just couldn't look past. And the storyline fell flat.

To My Star 2 - Loved part 1, it's one of my fav. bls of all time but I hated what they did in season 2. They completely ruined one of the characters for me and I just couldn't get past it, despite their hot makeout at the end lol.

180 Degress Longitude Between Us - I admit, parts were well done, but I found it utterly boring 90% of the time and I didnt enjoy the relationship between the two, I found the age difference a bit off putting. IDK, something about the story just didn't grab me.

Fahlanruk the Series - So bad. Started out fine, but the constant abuse and yelling was just too damn much for me. I couldn't get into it.

Oh My Assisant- Worst korean bl I've seen so far. The SL was just so flat and the ending was really lame. I am sorry, this was a bust for me.

I am currently watching My School President and Never Let Me Go and OBSESSSING over them. So good and cute so far. I'm also enjoying Candy Color Paradox, The New Employee and The Director Who Buys me Dinner... all super fun and cant wait to see more eps as well as more dramas in 2023!

I will probably go back through shows from 2021 and make a list there as well since that is when I started watching BL. I will also make a list from my fav shows that were released prior to 2021 just for the fun of it!

Also check out my lists from other years! https://gothicbarbie.tumblr.com/post/705678223200174080/my-top-bls-of-2019-and-earlier https://gothicbarbie.tumblr.com/post/705674738528354304/my-top-15-bls-of-2020

https://gothicbarbie.tumblr.com/post/705227666795741184/my-top-15-bl-series-of-2021

[gillianthecat]

Not Me

These are my notes, raw and only lightly copyedited, from four months ago, taken as I watched Not Me (around September 8th). In them I think about revolutions and the culture of activism, make predictions about what happens next, am endeared by romance, and fangirl over First. Among many other things. It is interesting to read over what I noticed then and how I felt about it, after having had months to mull it over and reading other people's thoughts on the show. Even now, I still have complicated tangled feelings about the show. It felt incredibly important and unique, and also like it was trying to do too many things at once. It felt flawed to me, swinging between a very human sort of realism and complete ridiculous nonsense. But having since learned more about it's fanfic roots and how much was changed from the novel it was based on (thanks @moonchildridden!), I can see why that came to be, and admire just how political they managed to make this show despite everything. I wrote early on, "this is not escapism for me," and that still very much feels true, even though the romance was beautiful and tender and I adored it. It brought up all my feelings about the times in my life when I was an activist, and about why I'm not doing that now and how I can get back to that. And all my thoughts about how to do activism, and how to actually make change in the world. Which is a lot, and the main reason it took me so long to write about this show. I only took notes up to episode 9, so there is nothing on the last three episodes. It got too intense for me to want to write about it, though I do remember many of my thoughts and want to write more about the series as a whole. I did write some about the romantic relationships in (or not in) the show, my love for Sean in response to an ask, and talked about the realism of the Not Me world in comparison to KinnPorsche in this conversation with @lelephantsnail.

long so all my notes are below the cut:

Episode 1

I get so anxious for characters when they have to pretend to be someone they're not. Although less so here than usual.

Ok. Looks like they have chemistry! I see why they're a popular actor pair!

That dirty oil fight is adorable but also... dirty motor oil! Blech. I can't focus on the cuteness for the grossness of it. 

I like the voice overs actually. They're not necessary, Gun is conveying everything with his acting. But it's nice to have my questions articulated. 

Yok is hot -> Wait, is that First？-> *checks MyDramaList* -> Ah, yes.  That is First. 

Episode 2 (and 3?)

It's so fascinating to be putting together a picture of Black based on the little snippets of what people say or how they react to White.  And of course White is going through the same thing. 

I live in a much drier climate than Thailand, but it still makes me nervous to see people starting fires in the middle of the forest. 😳😬

Oh no! Please don't have this fellow activist vandalizer die in the fire!

This show is intense for me. I'm feeling kinda raw about it. Definitely not escapism. 

I love that they have this mute character and are portraying real issues. I wish it wasn't portrayed in a scene where it felt like Yok and his mom had never met each other before. 

Wow they are not pulling their punches. I am really curious about the context that this got made in, and what the reception in Thailand was like. 

Lots of feelings on my failures as an activist. Something about that room in the garage, evokes all those warehouse punks from my 20s. They still exist, I'm just not a part of that world anymore.

This show is very didactic. I don't know how it would work for me if I was a Thai activist. Or Thai in general. I think if it was a US show, or English language at least, it would feel too didactic. Either annoyingly earnest or I wouldn't trust the filmmakers. 

But because I'm watching it as a foreigner, and it's about a political scene I know little about, the didacticism doesn't bother me. 

Also I'm watching with the assumption that this was politically risky to make. I'm guessing that just making the film is a political statement in Thailand, and so I already admire it for that. Whereas in the US it often feels like it's relatively, not easy, but uncontroversial to make a political film, so I accept more. Or at least don't admire their bravery. It may be hard to get funding, but for the most part it doesn't feel like the government is breathing down filmmakers necks in the same way

I am making a lot of assumptions about the Thai political context. I need to learn more to have a proper opinion. 

However, it feels really honestly radical, and getting that on mainstream tv in the U.S. would simply not happen. Indie films yes. Series by a mainstream company this overtly political no.

In this us there might be radicalism for the aesthetic, but not actually a look into the issues. Not actually a show that direct action as anything real, rather than a dramatic superhero moment. 

I can't even think of any tv shows that are directly about activists and activism. In a metaphorical way, yes,  but not direct like this. I'm sure they exist, but what are they?

And a lot of the tv shows films that are about activism are historical. Black panthers, etc.  

I don't even know about in other counties. 

Whew, this show has got me in my feelings and thoughts. 

Anyways 

I wonder if this show is going to address the parents each abandoning half their children. And how/why etc Black and White didn't talk for a decade(?). Or if that was mostly a plot device to get the false identity thing going.

I like that this is a lot about White's relationships with other people besides Sean. That those seem to be equally important, or more important than his awaking.  

So far it is more about his radicalization than the romance. Which I actually am glad about. 

The pace of Sean figuring out something is wrong is good. There is chemistry but no flirtation or anything like that yet, which feels right. And the fake identity thing gives a good reason for Sean to be an asshole without making him seem like an unredeemable asshole. 

I wonder if we'll ever get to hear what Sean was thinking during this time. I hope so. 

Voiceovers. Getting very didactic. Mixed feelings about that - see above. 

Are they contractually required to have a pratfall kiss? The towel mechanism was stupid (although better than a bouncy wall, á la The Eclipse), but at least the almost kiss was better than usual. I liked that their faces were actually offset, no lips touching or almost touching. That fits them better, is more realistic to what bodies would actually do in that situation, and I'd better for the pacing. 

Guns are a lot more terrifying in this real world than in the mafia world. 

I hope we get more of that dude from the diplomats exams. 

Episode 4

Political modern dance!!

Aaah! The Kinnporsche pool. I'm afraid that's seared in my brain as part of mafia mansion now, I don't know if I can buy it as another place but I'll try. 

Are we suspicious of Todd? 

Initially I wasn't because he was the one bringing White in. And I think people ship Tod & Black. 

But I got suspicious when I saw how rich he is. (Oh right, they were childhood friends.) Is his dad Tawi? Would White have known/remembered that? 

They seem to be a totally isolated group? Which is probably plausible for self radicalized university students?  But also makes the show feel less grounded in real political activist work. Gives everything more aesthetic activism vibes. 

Also these boys don't know how to organize or create a campaign? Which is also plausible, but they feel like dilettantes. I guess I don't need the ideas to be any better, just lots more talking to get there...

Episode 5

Oh, and hooray for a trans woman character who like an actual character and not comic relief or whatever. (Possibly multiple characters in multiple settings (I don't know what I was referring to here)). 

This violent stretching while they're cold is making me anxious. 

Ok this leaping across building stunt is annoying me more than it should. I think I have to let go of my expectations of realism here. The political message is legit. But the depiction of activism is closer to the aesthetic/fantasy side of the scale than I initially hoped. 

Ok. I think I'm not going to love this as much as @lelephantsnail does.  Or as much as I want to.  But I admire it a lot. And if I adjust my expectations I can like it a lot. It's hard to enjoy exactly because it's hitting too close to home. Or at other moments too watered down didactic. (Black is defending capitalism and monopolies? How are they not more suspicious?) But I can enjoy parts. 

Episode 6

Oy. I don't like thread of Gumpa constantly testing them. I get that it's to heighten the tension without going too far into plot that can't be backed out of but... partly I guess I don't think the emotional fakeouts are a good thing. 

And partly I feel like it makes a joke of the activism? Like, it's quite possible it's a real training technique used. But combined with the general floppiness around the activism world building, it just... it's just like a standard spy thriller. Which is fine I guess but not what I expected or wanted. 

Also, if Gumpa can call on all these extra guys for this test, why is their little group so isolated. Gumpa acts like a mentor but is supposedly not the leader? What is their internal organization anyway? What are their connections? Are they just privileged kids who decided to become anarchist [vigilantes] on their own? Are they connected to any broader movement? Have they considered and rejected less violent/illegal means, or is that not happening in this world? Would I understand better if I knew a lot (or even a little) about Thai politics? Or even if I just understood Thai?

Ok, final having a conversation about how to do activism. 

Ok I genuinely love that this... romantic? not exactly yet but there's something there... scene is White-as-Black earnestly discussing political philosophy while Sean is drunk and floppy and red faced. It's just so unique and real. 

Which maybe is why I get annoyed at the other stuff that feels less real. But I will hold judgment to the end, because I honestly don't know who's evolving in what direction. And what the final message on activist tactics/philosophy is going to be. 

I also really like the music (other than overdramatic hospital music.) 

Also! They have a beverage sponsor, and the plot is them targeting a beverage manufacturer?! Bold. 

Police brutality is brought up as well.

I like getting insights into Sean, but I don't think it works with the structure that’s been set up. Mostly we're discovering everything along with White, and then all of a sudden we'll get Sean's memory? It feels out of place. 

Also, I appreciate this version of only-one-bed. OOB as a get-along-shirt. 

These boys are beautiful in sunlight (see: Sean on the rooftop). 

Like I know it's usually good storytelling technique to not have them endlessly talking in the same place. And it adds drama to have the conflict in the moment. But also why the fuck did that not plan all this basic stuff out ahead of time? Why are they having these basic conversations at the site? There had to have been a third option. 

I guess part of what makes me anxious is I can't tell if their bad plans are because they're supposed to be inexperienced activists or if it's because of filmmaking shortcuts (or perhaps even ignorance on her part about radical activism?). 

I genuinely love that they gave this romantic moon gazing scene to a platonic pair. 

Oh poor Gram. I keep forgetting, but these boys don't know their friend is in the hospital and almost died 😞 

Episode 7

I don't know if I've mentioned this yet but I really like the cinematography. 

Sometimes I really love it!! 

See I'm glad they agree with me that Sean's plan was stupid. But why they hell aren't they discussing this beforehand? I feel like every activist group, even the most pro-destruction anarchist terrorists, has endless discussions of philosophy and strategy. Anarchists especially are not just going to follow one guy without asking questions or sharing their opinion. It's just so odd. 

Unrelatedly, I love Yok's tattoos. So hot. I unironically kind of want the bird one. Although I do not have First's biceps and deltoids. 

And I love the set design and these kids hanging out in boxers and low cut tanks all the time. The aesthetic feels very authentic. Which is why it's weird when the activism style doesn't. It's not so much that they're bad at it, but the way in which they're bad doesn't feel genuine to me. But also what do I know. I've never been part of the anarchist property destruction movement. And I don't know what it's like in Thailand obviously. 

Thank you Yok! Finally some logical strategic thinking. 

Ohhh. Interesting intersections here...

(I'm trusting this is not going to end with oh Tawi isn't so bad after all, we should be happy to be part of society etc. But if it does I will be PISSED. 

Ok. This is going somewhere interesting. Starting a movement?

(Yok's fireworks moment was ridiculous but also a wonderful image. And hot. By the way.)

Oh thank god other people. I should have had more faith in the director. 

Yay! Huge rally! But also

Where did this huge rally come from? This is not a spur of the movement reaction to their (frankly) silly little direct action thing. There have been other people planning and organizing against Tawi all along? Why are these kids so disconnected from it?  Like I believe it's plausible that they would be, I just want to understand the story there. 

The secret identity plot creates some weird constraints around the activism plot. Like in a way Sean et al are being de-radicalized? Instead of getting frustrated with the slow pace of community organizing and turning to property destruction, it seems like they started there? 

So Sean and White will meet in the middle? 

This dance!  This feels like a real protest. 

I mean, sometimes a small seeming thing will light the spark. But there also seem to have been organizers there ready to seize the moment and build the movement

And Black is clearly part of a larger movement with Eugene and her political dance. Yok & Sean and there street artists.  Will we ever find out why they were so isolated? I'm starting to have hope that we may. 

Gram is staring at Eugene. But I can't tell if it's because he's in love with her or jealous of her and in love with Black.  Was he lying to Yok about Yok not knowing the person he was in love with?

Also, why couldn't anyone see that video of Black that Eugene took? Was their relationship a secret? 

Registering protesters? I need to read up more. 

Gun does a good job of making Black seem like a different person than White, even than White pretending to be Black. 

Again I keep forgetting Black's friends don't know he's hurt and then I get sad. 

So I guess that Gram is in love with Eugene. What's with the card White found then?

When is White going to tell them all? Are they going to deal with the fact he's been hurting them all with this? 

Nuch's... PSA is what it is. It works here. Despite most of her dialogue being political statements she feels like a real person. And the didacticism of her statement on marriage equality feels good actually. It's a reminder that this film is not just about activists, but it is activism. And to put myself aside, because I'm not actually the target audience. I can watch and appreciate, but it's not about me. 

Oh my god this scene. This fucking scene. I teared up when the queer couple catwalk across the rainbow flag started. I was not expecting that.  And then Sean and White staring at each other across the flag. And walking toward each other underneath it. Sean's expression. Like he doesn't even know what to think any more. Taking his hand. And it isn't even romantic exactly. It's victory. That temporary victory. 

This is the slowest of slow burns and it feels exactly like how their story needs to be told. 

Who is Gumpa in all this, anyway? Why is he training them but not participating? 

The high of victory!

Ooh, Sean and White are sitting on the couch together...

Ok, one thing a love about this is seeing a trans or any visibly queer character I can trust the show will treat them with respect. It's such wonderful and also a relief as a viewer. 

Yikes. I was thinking why is he cooperating with the police and then he started to run, lol. Again. Love this building. Feels like a real art school.

Is this cop or whatever kind of bad guy driving product placement car? That would be hilarious and... something. 

Oh, probably not the bad guy actually. Probably the artists friend rescuing him. It's still hilarious to see him getting handcuffed against the sponsors car. 

God I love all these sets! 

Oh wait, that's the artist himself. I forgot what he looked like. And that he had the cop ID card.

Yok you flirt. First's smile is dangerous. But Yok, why are you carrying this man's wallet around with you? Have you been waiting for this very scenario to arise? 

Hmm. How are they going to handle this cop romance?  I was kinda thinking the ID card was fake. 

I'm not so sure about this other guy yet, but First can probably carry their chemistry on his own. His smile! My god. 

Yok, you flirt!  "Of course you can paint me…” I had to stop and make my terrible gif. 

Ok, maybe this INAR actor can keep up.

Halfway through and it seems the romance arcs are starting in earnest. I am pleased with this pacing I think. 

I was gonna go to bed but now I gotta see what happens now that Sean pushed his way into White as Black's room. 

Also the way Sean (nervously?) fixed his hair though the peephole was adorable. 

Episode 8 

I love the physicality of all the characters in this. They feel like real people. The way they were slouching on the couch last episode so their jackets rode up. So real. Like I feel like I went to college with these dudes at moments like that. 

This scene! The soft warm lighting. The blocking floor bed floor etc. the way they're looking at each other. The way White listens. That story. 

Ack so much adorable. The head bonk 🥺 the trust fall

There's content and awww here and I don't know what to write about first because the aww is so cute. And such a relief. The first real softness between them. 

Oh but the lying. I'm guessing White doesn't even remember he's lying right now. He means it that he wants to trust and be trusted. But it's kind of ironic considering. Will Sean be mad when I finds out Will it be addressed? I'm somewhat hopeful yes.

Although that last line sounds manipulative so I don't know what to think...

And again all I can say is:

This scene. Tears charcoal intimacy the closeups on their faces so much of the time. Inar actor you've got me convinced. The flirting to start that turns so quickly to intimacy. Yes that makes so much sense he would cry being vulnerable like that to this man of all people. Yok's reaction? To draw first and then comfort without asking questions? I'm very curious about where this regretful cop story will go. 

Everybody's spying on everybody. Which is stressful in an activist setting.  But fits the enemies to lovers with several twists thing going on.  So I don't feel bothered. 

Honestly I  think simply connecting them to a broader activist community though the rally eased all my anxieties. I don't know if my objections have been/will be solved but I feel better.

Oh yeah, I forgot about my glasses related questions. How had he been seeing this whole time? They never show him putting in contacts, he just removes the glasses and goes. Does he have a very mild prescription? Are the just for fashion? Has he just not been able to see much (seems unlikely). 

But anyways, Sean is about to figure something out, we'll see how much...

Lol, ten seconds later there's a contact lens case.

Ok but he took his advice and is trying to bite himself out of those ropes. 🤣

Oh hello mic pack holder. But I honestly do appreciate the actors' commitment to physicality. In this case squirming around on the bed. 

They are starting to get sexy together and I like it. I really appreciate the slow development of their chemistry actually. Immediate BAM! is fun,  but this fits better for them and their story and is nicely nuanced. 

Ooh I love the recall to the first day with him now unthinkingly jumping this same wall. 

Dudes. You or someone else should have made a plan for how to protest this lecture. It doesn't even need to have been a good one. But there was this whole street of organizers? And apparently Tawi is the Jeff Bezos of this version of Thailand? So someone would have tried to organize a protest, right? Thai organizing can't be that different, even with a different culture around respect? Or maybe it is???

Like I get this shows Sean's passion and anger but...

Oh forgot their last interaction was Sean leaving White-as-Black tied up. 

This really is Only One Bed: The Series. How many different places can she conspire to have them sleep together. 

Episode 9

Sex scene tender sweet and hot. Consent communication can be very sexy omg. 

This feels very different from any BL sex scene I've seen yet. More real somehow? Why? The intimacy of the tent? The way the are communicating? Maybe because White's anxiety is not about sex but about being intimate while lying about who he is. The hands! The ear bite! Maybe because I haven't seen a bl sex scene get that montage/time lapse editing yet. It was a wonderful way to make it feel like they weren't just fading to black while still not showing a lot. (Which I guess why it's commonly used technique in other film industries lol.)

Did Black wake up because his twin was fucking? I'm not even sure what to think about that. And were the tears his own or transference from White?

That heartbeat convo and the little kiss. It felt so genuinely post coital. 

They seem to be transforming from enemies into softest boyfriends ever. Which I think I'm good with.

It felt rushed in a way but then also it didn't. Like there was all this under the surface that suddenly was ready to emerge. 

I love how they got a scene with the gayest bridge but it was actually about the decaying pier. Perfect. Although I'm disproportionately annoyed by the impossible leaps. 

I'm anxious about this cop boyfriend thing. Which side of the storytelling will win out, bl's hea or activism's acab? Why was he there to rescue Yok?

Ok. Yok may be falling for the dude but at least he's being smart about not revealing their work. 

Return sad poignet (probably I meant poignant? I don’t know what I was trying to say though.) amazing acting Gun. The grief of your long lost dead brother staying closed off to you ...

De transformation. Give me my phone. (I have no idea what this comment was supposed to mean.)

Called it! about shady Todd. 

And that was all the notes I took. After episode 9 I think I was too overwhelmed by the show and my thoughts about it to write down my reactions.

[nct-oli]

Name ten favorite characters from ten different things (books, tv, film, etc.), then tag ten people.

Thank you @ashleyls17 for tagging me!!

I absolutely failed at just picking one character from each so... ordered English, Chinese, Thai because I love them all too much to choose favorites

1. Merlin / Arthur (BBC Merlin)

2. Elena / Lydia / Penelope / Schneider (One Day at a Time)

3. Bellamy Blake (The 100 - even if I haven’t finished the last season teehee)

4. Lan Wangji / Wei Wuxian / Lan Sizhui / Wen Qing / Mianmian (陈情令 The Untamed - I love all of them but these 5 especially) 

5. Shen Wei / Zhao Yunlan (镇魂 Guardian) 

6. Win / Team ( ด้ายแดงซีรีส์ Until We Meet Again)

7. Fighter / Tutor. (เพราะรักใช่ป่าว Why R U? The Series) 

8. Pete / Kao / Pete’s Dad / Kao’s Mom / Mork / Sun (จูบสุดท้ายเพื่อน��ยคนเดียว Dark Blue Kiss - despite Pete and Kao being mild dumbasses lol)

9. Ming / Kit (เดือนเกี้ยวเดือน 2 Moons 2)

10. Mork / Tee (อาตี๋ของผม My Tee / Our Skyy)

Tagging: @sparkjimins @donttrustanangel @zimmbonibits I literally don’t have anyone else to tag, but do this if you want and tag me so I can see it!! :)

[absolutebl]

This Week in BL

Sept 2021 Wk 4

Being a highly subjective assessment of one tiny corner of the interwebs.

Ongoing Series - Thai

Bite Me Ep 4 (Viu & Viki) - people always talk about how much time and patience it takes to make Thai deserts and I think maybe this show is trying to teach us all that life lesson. I’m still loving the quiet pace of it but I’m sure many are finding it dull as dishwater. The leads are good, even though they’re not being given much to work with (script, what script?) they sure seem sweet on each other. 

Don’t Say No Ep 8 (Line) - having decided that this is basically MAME fanficcing all over herself, I decided this week that this show is ALSO a soap opera, and now I don’t mind anything about anything anymore. The recaps continue apace, and I got pun happy and made up some silly BL soap opera titles. 

7 Project Ep 4 (miss-labeled ep 3 on YouTube ) Once Upon A Time (iQiYi & YouTube) - BounPrem showing us why they are one of the most popular Thai acting pairs, they do LTR beautifully. This installment hurt a lot. Too close to home for any queer who has struggled to come out, been/dated a closet case, and/or went for overachievement and perfection in other parts of life to compensate for the perceived “weakness” of being gay. Which is... oh let me guess... why yes: ALL OF US. Mek makes the right call, and we all know it, but it was real hard to watch. While this one felt like the most cohesive vignette in this series, I still felt taxed by it. Honestly, why does Thailand struggle so much with short form when Strongberry can give us an entire cohesive story in two 7 minute installments? Bah, I’m frustrated. 7 Project is upsetting me. I’m having negative feels, okay? 

Ongoing Series - Not Thai

Peach of Time Ep 8, 9 (WeTV & Viki not USA, I’m finding it on DM) - so many BL tropes this time around (hair dry etc) that I have to conclude this show is falling solidly into the BL genre (despite the inevitable ending, remember HEA is not guaranteed with BL). I doubted it at first. Silly me. It really is adorable but quite sad. Did I cry? Yes I did. I have to say YoonOh has grown on me, the actor is really good and it’s a nice contrast to Peach’s softness. (Did you notice Peach uses chan instead of pom with YoonOh? Fascinating.)  I’m starting to pipe dream other combos. Anyone know if Mew or Saint speak Mandarin? Imagine what either one of those boys might get up to in Taiwan... just saying. 

- Friend or Lover (YouTube) Ep 6 - still waiting on the final of this Taiwanese indie series.

Love is Science? (BL sub plot Viki) Ep 14 - still not subbed on Viki so I’ll review it next week. 

Love Is the series (YouTube) Ep 4 - it’s fine for a V-BL, not wowing me but not scaring me by going off the rails the way some have. 

See You After Quarantine? (Viki) Ep 1, 2, 3, 4 & 5 - this Japan/Taiwan crossover BL is set during C19 and is their answer to Gameboys and IT’S GREAT. I’m calling it for Taiwan since it just *feels* more like a Taiwanese piece. It’s truly adorable, light weight, and VERY queer. I adore it. 

The Tasty Florida (Viki) Ep 1 & 2 - Korean BL staring Yoo Hwan of SPEED in an 8 episode run of less than 10 minutes each (we back to Korea being a short arse). Hitting us RIGHT off the bat (TS 1.20) with both a rescue and a crash into me trope. We got us a country mouse foundation and an innocent little floppy-haired cutie with an inclination to voiceover, HaeWon. The 4 rooftop pink-shirts are all different yet perfectly K-pop hot and I’m getting Boys Over Flowers vibes. It’s cool, and very relaxed for a Koren BL (which often feel stiff). More To My Star than Light On Me. I like everything about this show but the perilla oil (I love most vegetables but shiso/perilla leaf, nope.) Also, bonus we got us an out bisexual Harold, thus I predict Second Lead syndrome for me! WEEEEEEE!  

In Case You Missed It

Korean queer studio Strongberry dropped the second chapter of their micro series A First Love Story Ep.2. It’s so so so good. We do not deserve them. 

Chapter of Green is a new Thai BL airing on TikTok (the way that Starhunter one did - what was it called? - Roommates, or something). Anygay I don’t tok the tik so all ya’ll are on your own with this puppy. No MDL listing. Started Sept 17 and drops new eps every Mon, Weds, Fri.

GOSSIP! 

Between Us has supposedly started filming. Tumblr caught fire over Boun posting to his insta (or something) a photo of the Win wings tattoo on his back once again. There was also supposedly a Between Us LIVE on Sept. 21st. Between Us (based on the y-novel Hemp Rope) is the Thai BL follow up to Until We Meet Again. 

GMMTV seems to have also started filming Enchante. This is a little sad because we all though Bad Buddy or Not Me was next, but I’m still excited about this BL and happy to see new leads. 

We might be getting a season 2 of Korean BL To My Star (thanks for the tip, Sarge). This is one of my few 10/10 rated BLs, so it makes me nervous. Why mess with perfection? But I do love this pair. So, yes please but also DON’T FUCK IT UP. 

There is a new Laotian BL coming called 7 Days 7 Boys, it will be on Tara Academy’s YouTube channel. 

KinnPorsche more info. 

New Japanese BL coming too: Vanishing My First Love AKA Kieta Hatsukoi (also The First Love That Disappeared, My Love Mix-Up! look Japanese BL does this with titles). This is adapted of a manga and features a bisexual main character with a male/male\female love triangle (not sure if it’s real or faen fatale). Starts airing October 9 on TV Asahi, but it has not yet been picked up for international distribution. (If it doesn’t we will have to wait for indie subs... makes big pleading eyes at Mitch of irozuku.org) LOOK AT THE PRETTY: 

Next Week Looks Like This:

Some shows may be listed later than actual air date for International subs accessibility reasons.

Upcoming 2021 BL master post here.

Links to watch are provided when possible, ask in a comment if I missed something.

This week’s best moments?

[snowdice]

Virgil’s Many Jobs Mini Fic 2 (Cuffed Universe)

Fandom: Sanders Sides

Relationships: Remus/Virgil/Logan

Characters: Remus, Virgil, Logan (mentioned)

Summary: Virgil works as a mover.

This is a Cuffed Universe fic.

Previous fics in this series:

Tea, Cookies, and Handcuffs

Matboards and Subway Sandwiches

Espionage and Iced Coffee

Popcorn and Podcasts

Rats, Pizza, and Supply Closets

Kisses and Thai Noodle Leftovers

Extras:

Moving Day

Police Statements

Notes: Cop Remus, Criminal Logan, a bit of fear of death, but not a lot

Virgil hopped back up into the back of the moving van. He’d been hired by a moving company a couple of weeks ago. It wasn’t bad work. He kind of liked it even if he was sore. He didn’t really have to deal with too many people. Most of the time, he was just with the two other workers. Of course, sometimes he also had to talk with the clients, and they could be… high strung. Moving one’s entire life into another house sometimes brought the worst out in people. This particular family was pretty high strung. It was a couple and two kids: a teenage girl and a preteen boy.

The girl played baseball apparently. She had a lot of trophies and equipment in some of the boxes. The boy on the other hand seemed more into Pokémon. He had… so many Pokémon cards. Virgil could respect that… but like. Wow.

The two other workers with him were currently setting up a table in the clients’ kitchen so Virgil was alone in the van. He thought he should probably start bringing in some stuff for the living room. He found a box labeled ‘living room’ that was only slightly heavy.

He picked it up, but then fell to his knees as the moving van suddenly started to move. He scrambled to his feet as the door slammed shut. Was someone stealing the moving van? Fantastic. Just his luck. He thought about trying to get the door open and jumping, but he could tell the van was moving far too fast for that. So, instead, he curled up in a corner, hoping to be able to hide from whoever stole the van and escape before they could murder him. Or, better yet… He stumbled around the back of the van until he found the kid’s baseball bat.

Then, he hid himself again, hoping it was just one guy that Virgil could jump and not a bunch of people. Virgil lied in wait behind an old smelly couch. It felt like hours before the van came to a stop… but it was probably really only about 10 minutes. When it did stop, it did so suddenly. A box of something that must have been glass fell over and Virgil could hear it shattering. He hoped he didn’t have to pay for that. It wasn’t like he’d dropped them. He couldn’t control whatever mad person had stolen the van. Who was he kidding, with Virgil’s luck, they’d totally blame him for whatever the mad person had done.

Virgil peaked through a hole in the couch to watch the door open to the mad man himself.

“Remus?” Virgil asked, popping up, irritated.

“Virgil!” Remus said happily with a dopey grin. Then, he seemed to remember where they were and where Virgil was. “…oops.”

“I hate you with every fiber of my being right now.”

“Logan had a car and so I…”

“Oh, I figured it was a Logan thing. Could the two of you just leave me alone? For five minutes?”

“Well…I lost him now, so I can take you back. Also, I came back here because I heard something shatter.”

“Yeah, things weren’t secured. Because I was trying to move them out of here.”

“I’ll pay for that.”

“Hell yeah, you’re going to pay for that!”

Want to read more? Click below!

Three

[bronanlynch]

bi-ish weekly update

time sure passes huh. meant to do one last week but I wrote like 5000 words on Wednesday instead, and I’m not really sure what happened yesterday but maybe Thursday is my new day for these

listening: two for the price of one this week since I’m excited about both of them. first of all, obviously, is the Sangfielle theme by Jack de Quidt because it’s time for a new season of Friends at the Table. I love their description of this season’s music

the other thing I’ve been listening to is the new album from one of my fave bands, You’re Welcome from A Day to Remember. this is by far not the most musically interesting or complex song on the album but it is about, as far as I can tell, a bad breakup with a vampire and I love it for that just on principle, but also it’s fun! a fun pop punk-esque bop about breaking up with a vampire!

reading: since last time when I talked about many romance novels I was reading, I mostly just read more romance novels because sometimes that is all the brain can handle. shout out to KJ Charles for writing a historical romance with a nonbinary main characters, you really do love to see it. I appreciate that she puts trans characters in her books, and I hope that someday she writes one with a trans man as a main character, because that truly would be a book targeted directly at me.

I’ve also been reading the Kate Kane, Paranormal Investigator series by Alexis Hall (author of Affair of the Mysterious Letter, a weird fantasy queer Sherlock Holmes retelling that absolutely fucking slaps, highly recommend).

this is his author bio from the Kate Kane books, which really just sets the tone and also. what a fucking life goal

anyway. series starts with Iron & Velvet which is currently on sale, which is why I bought it, and it also fucking slaps. I’m like halfway through the last book right now but they have all been good and fun. Kate is like. archetypal disaster p.i. but done in an interesting way (i.e. the narrative actually addresses the depression and the alcoholism in a way that I personally really appreciated), and also pretty much every woman in the ~supernatural community she encounters is an ex or someone she will flirt/hook up with at some point, which is an accurate representation of every irl queer space I’ve ever been part of. she dates a vampire for a while. hot morally questionable vampire lady. the vampire power structure names positions after tarot cards it’s very fun and sexy and tailored specifically toward my interests. also she lives in the same part of London as my ex-girlfriend so it’s. fun to recognize place names and be like. oh I went there on a date once huh

watching: started watching Turn A Gundam because a twitter friend recommended it as being fun and also very different then any other Gundam series and they were right on both counts. the premise of it is ‘what if a bunch of people went to live on the moon and some people stayed on earth, the moon people got real into super advanced technology and the earth people are larping the 19th century, and now the moon people want to come back’ so there’s a fun mix of visual styles. would love to see serious analytical writing on this show by someone more versed in discussing indigeneity/colonialism than me though because there are things that I’m a little bit hmmm at but I don’t know enough to be able to explain why or know if that’s the right response to have

don’t know what’s up with the dude on the left’s sunglasses but my friend has promised me the fashion choices only get weirder

I know about the ‘wow cool robots’ meme but some of the mech designs are very cool and visually distinct both from each other and from the standard blocky humanoid shape that lots of mechs are, so that’s fun to see. and they’re all different sizes too, which for me at least makes it easier to get a sense of the scale of the conflict/threat. when they’re all the same size it’s easy for me to forget they’re like 40 feet tall but when some of them are 40 feet and some of them are like 10 feet it’s a lot easier to be like. oh. oh shit. these are big and destructive and scary as hell

there are mini versions of this big mech that are like. the size of one of its feet

also there’s some fun stuff about how the way society relates to a mech and what a mech is used for can change over time, which is part of what is maybe inspiring me to get back into trying to write games, because between Turn A and the fic I was writing about Integrity Friendsatthetable I was like. hey what if a hack of The Ground Itself by Everest Pipkin, a game about a place changing over time, except instead of a place it’s a mech

playing: finished Knife of Dunwall finally! please clap! I was kinda half-expecting not to keep to low chaos in the last mission because there are so many overseers but I did it! I did do a bunch of accidentally getting into fights, killing a bunch of people, and then reloading an earlier save so I could go back and not kill those people but it’s fine. anyway. fun game, fun level once I got the hang of it, and I do feel like I accomplished something a lil bit difficult so that’s a nice feeling. definitely harder than the main game. also, very sad about Billie and gay for Delilah. she shows up just to threaten you and then disappears again, and I think that’s pretty hot of her. also love the narrative parallels of having the choice to spare Billie and then the game ending with Corvo about to decide whether to spare Daud or not. I just think that’s neat

making: made some Thai green curry last week from this recipe, which was tasty and not too hard to make, but has just enough specialty ingredients to make it a lil bit too expensive to make too often. our grocery store only ever has lemongrass when we’re looking for things that look kinda like lemongrass but aren’t, and didn’t have any when we need it so we just used extra lemongrass paste and lime juice for the lemongrass, and for the kaffir lime leaves, which we were also supposed to substitute with lemongrass but. it’s fine it was still tasty

writing: a lot somehow, although it’s been over two weeks since last time I did one of these so I guess that makes sense. I wrote a couple of things for 15 Days of Friends at the Table, including Broun, Milli, and Thisbe cottagecore roommates, Clem and Gucci bickering/flirting, and an extended dream sequence that makes me very sad about Integrity (I’m very proud of the last one, I know it has a very small target audience because Sokrates/Integrity is very much a rarepair in an already small fandom, there are 6 works in the tag, 4 of them are by me, 2 of them are by the same other person, and one of those is a gift for me so. it’s mostly just me, but I think I wrote something pretty good)

also meant to write more for Persona 5 Girls Week, although so far I’ve only written one thing, a quick fluff fic which for once requires very little knowledge of the source material. meant to write something for today’s prompt but instead I had two job interviews and then cooked dinner for my household so that probably will not happen and I will probably watch more Gundam instead

[thephantomporg84]

As much as I love the trope of characters that hide that they have a lot of negative feelings by putting on an act, I really wish it was made more obvious Dante's cuhrayzee wahoo pizza man act is partly a front, since it kinda seems like people don't notice? Sure there was DMC2 but DMC2 is treated as barely canon by most, and Dante's characterization was one of many big complaints about it.

Oh god I totally feel this Anon. 1,000% agree, as someone who love love loves this trope, too. Lol. It’s why I devour a good DMC story on AO3, especially if the writer knocks this trope out of the park.

But yeah. That was sort of one of my bigger nitpicks about DMC5 as a whole. Like. While I do appreciate that the game (and series, really) can be played and the story does mostly work if you’re not invested in it and taking it at face value / just want a good action game — which is a super helpful tactic to bring new people in with such a gap between titles — I hate how it ruins the context of a lot of stuff.

Vergil (as V) all but looks directly at the camera and says ‘I’m a bastard and did what I did because I was afraid/wanted to be loved and protected’ but Dante’s internal conflict is wayyyy more subtle and it’s cheapened if you really have to spell it out, imo — because I feel like the ‘negative feelings behind a goofy exterior’ thing is easy to portray hard to give real depth to. As in, it’s easy to make Dante be cuhrayzee and swing his chainsaw motorcycle around, but hard to show that it’s an act to fool others (as well as himself, probably to some degree). Unfortunately, on top of all that, lot of people aren’t gonna wanna bend over backwards like you, me, and others have done to discuss and pick Dante’s (or any character from any series, really) personality apart.

That said: I don’t think there are nearly enough contextual clues present in any of the games to make this more apparent, either. I remember some guy made a pretty good video a few years back about how the anime proves Dante is actually depressed on YT, and that video blew up and got nearly 100-150k views (which is a lot, esp. when you consider how dead this series was ‘till E3 2018), and a lot of people were ‘shocked’ and ‘never noticed xyz indicator’ before.

Like... If you give me a scene and have given me all the clues I need, but they’re super vague and I miss it? That’s on me, and totally my bad — another reason to replay the game with a more watchful eye. But I feel like DMC has left way, wayyyy too much out about how Dante feels to even do that, now.

I think one of the best examples of that lack of any kind of solid clues about Dante’s personality is in DMC5: In game, Patty calls to invite him to her birthday, and is loud and chatty and kind of annoying. Dante just seems to cringe and brush it off/hang up. If you weren’t familiar with the anime, then you might just brush it off as a gag, or see it as a brief throwback/cameo if you were. Either way, you could chalk it up to ‘oh wow wrong number / what an annoying girl haha.’ But then if you look in Before the Nightmare, which isn’t even available in any language except Japanese, we see that Dante is incredibly uncomfortable at the idea of being around ‘normal’ people, and I believe it even mentions that he plans to make it up to her.

This ties back into my complaints about putting so much meat from the story in the side material, and then not even making the side material available with the game or even easy to access. I feel like putting that kind of interesting characterization in side material is almost criminal lol. Because that makes the whole scene have so much more weight — especially because it sets up that this man is clearly uncomfortable with what he is, possibly now more than ever, and is about to be asked to kill his brother, again... because of what they both are. You also lose that family dynamic of Nero experiencing the same type of isolation as Dante without even fully understanding why.

And if that wasn’t enough, you also lose some AMAZING bits of characterization if you never read Before the Nightmare like:

Dante still sending Grue’s (from the DMC1 novel) two living daughters / their other caretaker (Morrison looks after them, too) money. Dante also had to mercy kill Grue’s oldest daughter. He sends it to them from using money out of his own savings.

The former patrons of Bobby’s Cellar (re-named Grue’s Cellar) and those in the mercenary world immensely disliking Dante, and fully blaming him for the deaths in that bar, Grue’s death, Nell Goldstein’s death, and the hospital invasion/massacre that happened in the DMC1 novel. So, Dante is even hated in the mercenary world, and shoulders the blame for a lot of stuff that he didn’t do / has probably lost a lot of work because of this — and a lot of it is stuff that Gliver (👀) did or instigated.

The caretaker of Grue’s girls absolutely hating Dante, even though the sisters defend him, and he most likely knows and just says nothing. The caretaker even remarks that she thinks he’s a bad omen and she ‘Hopes he’s dead’ and that ‘If he’s alive, I’d love to stick a shotgun up his ass’.

Lady noticing that the qliphoth is growing in Redgrave City, and then noticing the name on Dante’s guns later — then wondering what the connection was there — indicating how little even people like Lady really know about him.

Like, holy shit that’s just a few things and it already adds so much depth to Dante’s character that’s not there in the games alone. I know I’ve said a million times not to take the series that seriously or in realistic terms, but... I mean... even ridiculously goofy stuff like JoJo’s has really well developed, layered characters that will surprise you / break your heart in the blink of an eye. So it’s not impossible for something like DMC to make some stuff a little more apparent.

Oh, and as for DMC2 — if it hadn’t followed the trend at the time of randomly making your protagonist into a dark/angsty/edgelord version of themselves, and had given the angsty turn some logical explanation, then I don’t think it would have been quite so hated (at least, janky gameplay and rushed design aside). Itsuno said that’s the one he’d remake if given a choice to do a remake, and I can’t help but think he wouldn’t say thay without having some ideas on what he’d do differently.

(SORRY I KNOW THIS IS SUPER LONG. But it’s something that really irks me a lot because it could be SO GOOD if handled a little better lol.)

[disasterbialert]

Hello! I’m still mostly in the void but I’m briefly popping to talk (gush, I’m totally gonna gush) about my fave shows I discovered/brought me joy in 2020! Lots of folks are doing this and I thought it was a really sweet trend so I thought I’d jump on too!

2020 was a lot (obviously) but it was particularly huge for me for a few reasons. I’m not gonna talk too much bc y’all are here for soft queers not Trauma™️, but basically several things happened at once that led to me being pretty devastated and very lost. Hurt, raw, and frightened, I didn’t think I had anywhere to go or anyone to talk to. And then, boom! Fandom and tumblr and twitter and ao3. And suddenly I found tenderness, learned I was allowed that tenderness and affection, that it was ok to seek it, to want it. It was ok to be gentle, to be soft, to be vulnerable. That others felt this way too. That I was safe. So, thank you, beautiful friends and strangers in this nebulous space. My gratitude is boundless and heartfelt.

Ok hah emotions what? ANYWAY. Without further ado and in no particular order, fave shows Let’s go!

1. The Untamed/陈情令/Chén Qíng Lìng/Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation/魔道祖师/Mó Dào Zǔ Shī

THIS SHOW. WOW. This show, the novel and every adaptation, and this fandom have been life-changing. In every way. I started watching cql end of may/beginning of june I think? I binged it in about two weeks. Then I re-watched it with my mum as she experienced it for the first time. THEN we both re-watched it. Soulmates. They’re married and they have a son. Disaster bisexual representation. Found families again and again and again. The cast, the music, the costumes, the sets—everything about this show is breathtaking. I am in awe of everything the creators managed to do. What an incredible experience this show was. And I am so grateful to the fandom, from deep-dive metas to fascinating cultural explorations to equal-parts soft, fluffy, spicy, horny, tender, hilarious fics and fan art. That this fandom has also become a space for me to explore my own queerness, my own identity and my sense of personhood, is truly an unexpected and wonderful gift. Seriously. This show and this fandom—what an absolute gift.

2. 2Gether/เพราะเราคู่กัน /Still 2Gether/เพราะเรา(ยัง)คู่กัน

My first foray into Asian dramas/queer dramas and WOW was it a really bloody good one. My eternal gratitude to Chai (@/proyearner) on twitter for one off-hand comment about a Thai drama on YouTube. Cue snowball. The softness? The hilarity? The hurt/comfort? The fake-dating? The subtle sweetness of BrightWin’s acting? The utter chaos of Man and Boss? EarnPear definitely being canon (no i don’t care that it’s not actually IT IS OK). This show and its sequel were a gosh-darn bloody Win for they gays. And also my entry into queer fandom—something I’ve never truly felt or even really been a part of, despite being out and involved in literally studying queer literature and media for many years. So, thank you Thai BL fandom, thank you Sarawatine, thank you Chai.

3. Where Your Eyes Linger/너의 시선이 머무는 곳에 (series AND film)

The Tenderness. Good grief. I waited until every episode was out and then watched them all. Then when the film was out, I re-watched both. I could wax poetic about this show, about the actors, about the characters, about the writing, about the music, about the editing, about the fight choreography holy shit, but honestly? The above gif encapsulates it pretty entirely: the power of gaze and where it lingers.

4. Guardian/镇魂/Zhèn Hún

Oh my whole heart went to this show and this gorgeous ensemble and the music fuck. Zhu Yilong is phenomenal holy shit. And his and Bai Yu’s chemistry is insane. I’m of the firm belief they paved the way for cql in terms of handling censorship bc WOW. This show was censored and yet everything—ten thousand years of Yearning and Devotion, Love and Tenderness—was so fucking palpable. I cared about everyone: every side character in every case, every villain. And the fact that every character in SID was given their own arc and the actors portrayed them so fucking incredibly. I barely breathed through the majority of Chu Shuzhi’s arc because holy shit Jiang Mingyang blew me away. And Gao Yuer as Zhu Hong? Fucking WOW. I went into this series thinking it was just gonna be a nice fantasy/sci-fi bromance with a sad ending I was going to have to put up with and came out the other side yelling about WeiLan being married with a cat son and I regret nothing.

5. Until We Meet Again/ด้ายแดงซีรีส์

This series cracked me wide open. I cried just about in every episode (obviously) but I specifically remember watching the episode where Pharm meets In’s sister/Dean’s grandma and the music soaring (THIS SONG FUCK https://open.spotify.com/track/7c7FfcuwwGmriy72YAQrud?si=q6Sk871BQPKJIYc4xCYHlg) and my whole heart just breaking and my then partner asked me what was wrong and I couldn’t even speak. I was so overwhelmed with feeling. This show broke my heart but then carefully, gently held me, and allowed time to sit with my cathartic grief. Beautiful, powerful, humbling. An extremely banal but nonetheless important for me plus was the fact that I adored each of the ships equally. So often I find I myself loving side ships more than main ships but this show was so outstanding and the actors did such an incredible job that I just loved them all. An absolute gift.

Honourable mentions: My Engineer; Gaya Sa Pelikula; Together With Me; Love By Chance; HIStory3: Trapped; HIStory2: Crossing the Line; TharnType; She-Ra and the Princesses of Power; Legend of Korra; The Dragon Prince; The Good Place; One Day At A Time; Russian Doll; and Glow.

Bless queer fandom! And my eternal gratitude to translators everywhere—y’all are phenomenal and such a gift!! This year I’d love for more GL dramas and more queer ladies/enbies as well! Not that I don’t love my soft boys!! But I’d k-word/d-word for a lesbian warrior drama or a queer ladies time travel/loop drama or queer enbies vibing on adventures! So here’s to you, 2021: may you not be nearly as shitty, and may you instead be filled with more queerness, more love, more happy endings, more tenderness ♥️

[svucarisiaddict]

One Night- A Foolish Pride Series

//Setting up for the drama to come!!//

The walk of shame. It was one you had taken in college but never as a “responsible adult”. Your heels hung from your finger as you searched for your keys. It was still early, the sun just breaking over the horizon. Just as you got in the door your cell started ringing in your bag. “Who in the world is calling me at this hour?” you said out loud to yourself. When you were able to fish your phone from your bag Peter’s name was on your screen.

“Peter. Hi,” you said solemnly. The last time you talked to him was when you told him you were confused and needed space. That was close to a month ago. It was after the kiss you and Mike shared in the rain.

“I-I know it’s early and I promised I’d give you space but...I had to hear your voice,” Peter said. In the background, you could hear the news. He was always up so early. Not to mention Chicago is an hour behind New York.

“It’s okay. How was your week?” you asked dropping your shoes on the floor then sitting your bag on the couch.

“It was long. I actually haven’t been home yet. This case is really taking its toll on me. I have to fly into New York later today to check on Pam for my Dad since he’s out of the country. Her meds are causing more side effects...” Peter sighed heavily. “Tell me something about your week. Something good.”

“Well, kind of boring actually,” you responded. “I worked, went to the grocery, donated blood, and had dinner and drinks with a friend last night.”

The leather couch in Peter’s office creaked when he sat. How many times had Peter called you after spending the night in his office? Too many. That was really your only hesitation. Would his work always be the mistress in your relationship like it was with Mike? But you missed Peter. More than you thought after hearing his voice.

“Are you okay, Peter?” you asked softly.

A ding in the background let you know he was getting on the elevator. Hopefully, he was heading home to get some sleep but he’d probably be home long enough to shower, change and then back in time to get to court. “I’m trying to be.”

Your heart clenched at his words and the sadness in his voice. What the hell do you say to that? “Is this your first time back since-”

“No. I’ve been back a couple other times,” he answered softly.

There were a few moments of silence. “When does your flight land?”

“Late. Not until 9 o’clock. Flying into LaGuardia.” You could hear the exhaustion in his voice. Peter was talking to someone in the background but you couldn’t quite hear the conversation.

“I could pick you up. Where are you staying?”

The only sound for several minutes was Peter’s breathing and the car radio in the background... “I don’t want you to pick me up. It’s going-”

“Oh. Okay. Sure. I-I get it,” you stammered. Peter’s response took you by surprise. “Well have a good flight. Bye.” You ended the call before Peter had a chance to say anything. It shouldn’t hurt you that Peter didn’t want to see you. It was your choice after all. You really needed to get your life together.

Your phone had alerted you several times of incoming messages when you were talking to Peter. Mike, of course, it was him.

Last evening had been a chance encounter with Mike. When your friend ditched you for some guy she met at the bar you decided to hang around and have another vodka tonic before heading home. The ice clinked to the bottom of your glass when you took the last sip.

“Can I buy you a drink?” Mike took the stool beside ordering up two more drinks. “Fancy meeting you here.”

“I was just going,” you said as you slid from the bar stool.

Mike gently grabbed your arm. “Just one drink. Please?” A smile spread across his face.

That damn smile always got him what he wanted. “Fine. One drink.”

One drink turned to three. Which turned into him kissing you in the back of the cab you shared, passing your place and ending up at his.

[from: mike 6:30am] why did you leave so early?

[from: mike 6:33am] let me know you made it home safely.

[from: mike 6:34am] Y/N?

[to: mike 6:45am] safely home.thank you for checking on me

[from: mike 6:35am] good. Last night was wonderful. When can I see you again?

[to: mike 6:40am] last night was a mistake. It can’t and won’t happen again.

[from: mike 6:41am] wow. When did you become so heartless?

[to: mike 6:45am] about two years ago when I realized your job was more important than me.

Sighing you sat looking at your phone for a couple of minutes contemplating sending the message. Deciding not to send it you quickly deleted the message then threw your phone on the sofa beside your bag. If you hurry you would have just enough time to shower before leaving for work.

Work had been brutal. You stayed until 8pm to fix last minutes issues and to make sure the product got expedited to your customer. Thank goodness it was Friday and you had the whole weekend of nothing to do.

On the way home, you stopped to get some Thai food. There was no way you were cooking today. Once you got off the subway it was just a quick two-minute walk to your apartment. You stopped in your tracks when you reached the steps to your apartment. “Peter? What are you doing here?” There he sat on the front stoop in a pair of jeans and a crew neck sweatshirt with a bouquet of fresh cut flowers sitting on one side of him with his carry on the other.

Peter gave you a shy smile. He stood making his way down the steps. His hands were shoved in his pockets as he stood facing you. “I know you need space to figure out what you want which I respect. But  I miss you, Y/N. So incredibly much. The thing is, I’m closer to you than I have ever been with anyone. And right now I can really use a friend.”

Studying Peter’s face your heart went out him. “Tell you what. I bought way too much Thai food and I have a bottle of Reisling chilling in the fridge. Want to come up and veg out on the couch and watch trash TV?” Smiling your ticked your head toward the apartment building.

A smile broke over Peter’s face. “I’d like that a lot.” Peter picked up his bag and the flowers as the two of you climbed the stairs.

[whatshehassaid]

Favorite Things

I’m bored out of my mind at.... hell, I don’t even know what time it is. 

Food and Drink

Favorite Fast Food Restaurant? 

Umm, it really depends. I like Chinese/Asian type foods and pizza and a lot of things, so... I can’t really choose one? I really love Thai Express though.

Favorite Ice Cream Flavor?

It’s a toss up between pistachio and mint chocolate chip. Chocolate chip cookie dough is really good too

Favorite Chocolate Candy?

Ferrero Rocher or anything with a chocolate/hazelnut mix

Favorite Fruity Candy?

Sour Skittles or wine gums

Favorite Flavor Starburst?

Either the pink or the red

Favorite dish at Olive Garden?

I’ve actually never been to Olive Garden.

Favorite kind of sushi?

Uramaki (California rolls)... I also like maki.. (oh boy, now I’m craving sushi)

Favorite Asian dish?

I’ve really only had Westernized type Asian food, so.. I love spring rolls, sushi (see above), chow mein...

Favorite Italian Dish?

There’s a lot to choose from there as half my extended family is from Calabria... so...  chicken parmigiana or angel hair primavera

Favorite food of all time?

There’s a lot to choose from there... I really love steak though. Like, a little too much. 

Favorite way to cook a steak?

Medium, sometimes medium well

Favorite pasta dish?

Angel hair primavera

Favorite cookie?

White chocolate macadamia nut

Favorite fast food french fries?

Mcdonalds

Favorite cereal?

Raisin Bran. Don’t @ me

Favorite breakfast food?

Mmmm, omlettes. 

Favorite pizza toppings?

Pepperoni, green pepper, sometimes pineapple.... sometimes olives.

Favorite fruit?

It’s a tie between strawberries, cherries and pomegranates. 

Favorite vegetable?

Broccoli

Favorite dessert? 

White chocolate cheesecake.

Favorite comfort food?

Homemade chicken soup

Favorite way to eat bacon?

On its own, honestly.

Favorite thing at a buffet?

I don’t really go to buffets..... 

Favorite pumpkin flavored treat?

Pumpkin spiced lattes........................ don’t start with me

Favorite dish at Thanksgiving?

Stuffing.

Favorite cake?

Strawberry shortcake... or angel cake w/ strawberries.

Favorite ice cream sundae toppings?

Hot fudge, maraschino cherries and whipped cream

Favorite thing to cook?

I love making pizza..

Favorite soda?

Cherry coke.

Favorite alcoholic drink?

Vodka coke.

Favorite drink at Starbucks?

Skinny cinnamon dolce latte

Favorite flavor coffee?

I just.... coffee? and espresso... I love espresso.

Television & Movies

Favorite 80′s movie?

Um, toss up between ET, the Indiana Jones movies (Last Crusade has always been my fave), and The Shining.

Favorite Harry Potter movie?

Toss up between Prisoner of Azkaban and Half Blood Prince in the HP series... Crimes of Grindelwald (so far) in the Fantastic Beasts series.

Favorite Hobbit from Lord of the Rings?

Bilbo.

Favorite Simpson’s character? 

Lisa.

Favorite cartoon cat?

Felix the cat. 

Favorite TV sitcom?

I Love Lucy. Does that count as a sitcom?

Favorite cartoon?

Peanuts (does that count?) or Looney Tunes

Favorite scary movie?

I’ve watched a LOT of horror movies, but Halloween (1978) hands down.

Favorite funny movie?

Hmmm... I don’t watch many comedic movies, honestly.. Bridesmaids? I don’t know..

Favorite celebrity?

Y’all really gonna ask this? We all know it’s Jude Law.

Favorite South Park character?

I never really got into South Park, tbh.

Favorite chick flick?

Um, The Holiday and maybe Confessions of a Shopaholic....

Favorite Pixar movie?

I’d have to choose three ‘cause I can’t choose one... Ratatouille, Coco, and Toy Story

Favorite Family Guy character?

Don’t really watch it. I watched the first season. Stewie, I guess?

Favorite Leonardo Dicaprio movie?

Aw, you gotta do this to me? Top 3: Titanic, The Great Gatsby and Shutter Island.

Favorite Actress over 50?

Do people who are dead count? ‘Cause I’d choose Marilyn Monroe in a heartbeat.

Favorite Marvel movie?

Captain America: The Winter Soldier

Favorite TV Show?

A tie between Hannibal and Twin Peaks.

Favorite cancelled TV series?

Hannibal. Definitely Hannibal.

Favorite show on the Discovery Channel?

I don’t really watch it all that much.... can I use a show from the History Channel instead? (Hunting Hitler)

Favorite classic movie?

Niagara (1953) or Dracula (1931)

Music

Favorite Beatles song?

Golden Slumbers

Favorite string instrument?

Acoustic guitar

Favorite instrument?

Piano

Favorite band or music artist?

I have too many so, Neutral Milk Hotel, Nirvana and Lana Del Rey.

Favorite music genre?

Indie, alternative, whatever.

Favorite style of dance?

I love the way swing dancing looks.

Favorite boy band?

Oof, ya outtin’ me. NSYNC.

Favorite disco song?

Don’t Stop Til You Get Enough - Michael Jackson or Night Fever - Bee Gees

Favorite 80′s song?

I love a LOT of 80′s music so... I can give you a few (I can’t choose one, that’s impossible): Call Me - Blondie, Take on Me - Aha, Total Eclipse of the Heart - Bonnie Tyler, You Spin Me Round (Like a Record) - Dead or Alive, A Criminal Mind - Gowan, Maneater - Hall & Oates, Smooth Criminal - Michael Jackson (THERE ARE A LOT MORE)

Favorite cover song?

Byaginc’s version of Losing My Religion - REM and I also really like Lo-Fang’s version of You’re the One That I Want.

Favorite one hit wonder?

Sex and Candy - Marcy Playground

Favorite song you’re embarrassed to like?

Ummmmm.. if I have to pick one.. Irresistible by Jessica Simpson (also the version with Lil Bow Wow is a banger?)

Favorite foreign band/artist?

Catatonia (does that count, I mean, I’m not Welsh.. so). I also like Pink Floyd.

Travel & Recreation

Favorite state you’ve visited?

I’ve only visited one state in the US and it was Florida.

Favorite country you want to visit?

Italy or England

Favorite thing about America?

If you’re referencing the US, I live in Canada, so... I don’t know?

Favorite kind of vacation?

I love beaches... but I also love art and architecture so *shrug*

Favorite car?

1950′s VW Beetle. 

Favorite road to drive on?

I don’t drive.

Favorite way to travel?

Car, I hate planes.

Favorite beach?

I haven’t been to many honestly.

Favorite place to go with family?

DISNEY WORLD.

Favorite vacation you’ve taken?

The first one I ever went on to Universal Studios in Orlando.

Favorite fictional place you’d want to visit?

Hogwarts, let’s be real.

Favorite ride at a carnival?

Those swing carousel things.

Favorite thing to do at the beach?

.....read

Favorite rollercoaster?

I do nOT do rollercoasters.

Favorite theme park?

Disney DISNEY D I S N E Y

Favorite thing about traveling?

I love nice hotels, I don’t know why that’s my fave part, but it is.

Nature & Animals

Favorite dinosaur?

Um, I’ve never really thought about that? T-Rex, I guess?

Favorite breed of dog?

Poodle.

Favorite season?

Autumn

Favorite flower?

Hiscibus

Favorite animal at the zoo?

Elephants... if they have them or pandas

Favorite type of bear?

Panda bears

Favorite natural disaster?

....what kind of question is that?

Favorite reptile?

I love snakes.

Favorite animal?

Tie between cats and sloths.

Favorite bird?

Owls.

Favorite thing in the sky?

The moon.

Favorite thing about a rainy day?

Hearing rain on the roof.

Favorite sea creature?

Can I say the Loch Ness Monster? (haha) Jellyfish.

Favorite color rose?

Light pink or dark red.

Favorite small mammal?

KITTENS!

Favorite big cat?

I love snow leopards. 

Favorite thing about spring?

Flowers.

Favorite wild animal you’d like as a pet?

A sloth.

Sports

Favorite sport?

Soccer

Favorite extreme sport you're too scared to do?

Does snowboarding count?

Favorite Olympic sport?

Figure skating.

Favorite football team?

Don’t watch American football.

Favorite basketball team?

Don’t really watch that either.

Favorite hockey team?

I know I’m Canadian, but I’m honestly not that invested. I’d choose the Maple Leafs ‘cause I’m from TO, but they’re.... aw f ul.

Favorite baseball team?

Blue Jays

Favorite sport to play?

Soccer.

Favorite winter sport?

I do not do winter sports. I’m a klutz as it is.

Favorite sport you wish you were a pro at?

Figure skating would be AMAZING.

Favorite professional athlete?

Serena Williams, Evgenia Medvedeva

Favorite sport to watch in person?

Hockey.

Childhood

Favorite nursery rhyme?

Didn’t really have a favorite.

Favorite childhood memory?

My grandfather. 

Favorite board game?

Monopoly or Scrabble

Favorite children’s show?

I looooooved Looney Tunes. I still do, honestly.

Favorite toy as a child?

I had a Barney the Dinosaur plush (I had Barney everything)

Favorite teacher?

My sixth grade teacher was a pretty cool dude.

Favorite thing about school?

Art class.

Favorite age?

Don’t really have one, maybe 4 or 5?

Favorite Christmas present?

My mom bought me a N64.

Favorite Dr. Seuss book?

Green Eggs & Ham

Favorite Halloween costume you've worn?

Technically I wore it as a teen, but the Silk Spectre II costume I wore when I was 17.

Favorite lunchbox snack?

Dunkaroos!

Favorite Winnie the Pooh character?

Pooh & Eeyore. 

Favorite thing to do during recess?

Read.

Favorite superhero?

Wonder Woman.

Favorite video game?

Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time.

Favorite color Power Ranger?

Pink.

Favorite fairy tale?

Does Beauty and the Beast count?

Favorite game to play outside?

Catch the flag.

Fashion & Beauty

Favorite department store?

Does Sephora count as a department store?

Favorite place to shop?

There’s a lot of places I love to shop. Mostly bookstores though.

Favorite store in the mall?

Indigo/Chapters (I love my books)

Favorite perfume/cologne?

YSL Black Opium or Chanel’s Coco Mademoiselle

Favorite hair color?

On me? A mix of auburn and dark brown

Favorite makeup you can't live without?

Eyebrow pencil 

Favorite shoes?

My thigh high dark brown suede go-go boots. ;)

Favorite occasion to dress up for?

I’ll honestly dress up for anything. I love dressing up.

Favorite hairstyle?

Anything wavy/curly with or without braids.

Favorite outfit you have?

Right now I have a super cute wrap dress that I like.

Favorite soap scent?

I like the smell of Dove soap, is that weird?

Favorite article of clothing?

I love high waist mini skirts.

Favorite place for a piercing?

Upper ear.

Favorite piece of jewelry?

Right now I’m a dork for the replica pendant from Crimes of Grindelwald. I also love this bracelet/ring/hand jewelry thing I have.

Favorite thing to wear to bed?

Sometimes lace and silk stuff ;) Sometimes just huge t-shirts

Favorite luxury brand?

YSL

Random

Favorite candle scent?

I love coconut scents.

Favorite extracurricular activity?

.....reading? (again)

Favorite day of the week?

Sunday

Favorite holiday?

Does Halloween count as a holiday?

Favorite website?

Well, I’m on Tumblr QUITE a bit...

Favorite way to communicate?

Usually face to face.. I hate talking on the phone. Text message is a close second.

Favorite Youtube video?

I love this dork. [x]

Favorite kind of house?

Victorian

Favorite car color?

Teal?

Favorite baby boy name?

I don’t know...

Favorite baby girl name?

Charlie, Evelyn

Favorite thing to do when you’re sick?

It’s an odd habit of mine to watch The Mummy or HP or Spice World for some reason

Favorite person you’ve never met?

Famous? Bryan Fuller Person in my life? MY THREE BEST FRIENDS!

Favorite question you’ve answered so far?

I don’t know...........

Favorite thing you’ve done in the last 24 hours?

I literally slept most of the day. Don’t judge me.

Favorite place to meet up with friends?

Kitty Cafes and.... cafes in general.

Favorite hobby?

Reading, making art.... listening to music

Favorite way to cheer you up?

Anything to do with Jude Law usually does the trick, bahaha

Favorite thing to look forward to?

Leaving this god awful small city to go explore other places.

Favorite kind of gift to receive?

Things that are heartfelt... things that people make whether it be handmade or... whatever... it’s really sweet.

Favorite crafty thing to make?

Does sketching count? Funny story, I used to get in trouble in art class in high school for sketching human anatomy (hands, collarbones etc) instead of reviewing art history notes, which I also loved by the way.

Favorite way to relax?

Reading, bubble baths.... other ways ;)

[projectclockwurk]

Perfect Men

They always said that in the future, robots would replace people. They weren’t entirely wrong.

About ten years ago the robotics company FutureLight launched PerfectMen, a series of male androids that are so lifelike you can’t tell the difference between them and real men unless you find the barcode printed on the back of their neck. Or hit them hard enough you feel their endoskeleton but that is not advised unless you want to shatter the bones in your hand.

They were advertised like mad. There would be the standard floor models and then tailored models. Those were as one might expect, androids that people could ask the company to create for them to make their very own perfect guy. The guy of their wildest dreams.

The company also boasted how their androids were special. They had sentience. They had dreams and desires. Ambitions and the like and that they were allowed to develop their own personalities, as long as it was positive, anyway.

As one might expect of the human race, PerfectMen became a huge hit. Most everybody wanted one, a lot of people even replacing husbands and boyfriends they were dissatisfied with with the androids.

They were so kind and handsome, so accommodating, and best of all if you were a woman, as much unprotected sex as you wanted without the fear of getting pregnant.

But it wasn’t long before hate crimes against the androids started. Pissed off men took out their anger on them and then they’d end up being taken into police custody for their trouble because as far as the law was concerned, destroying somebody’s PerfectMen was destruction of property.

Along with the rise in crime came Android Rights Groups who advocated to stop the dehumanizing of the PerfectMen, claiming that because they were sentient, they were people.

Shockingly, it took two years before some States and countries began to pass bills stating that PerfectMen were indeed people.

Today, those groups are still advocating, hate crimes are at a decline, and PerfectMen are still popular…and perfect.

ALABAMA BECOMES FIRST SOUTHERN STATE TO PASS BILL FREEING PERFECTMEN ANDROIDS

That was the headline that greeted me one morning on the train to work. I was surprised by it. Alabama had beaten New York to such an action. We were still holding fast to the whole property thing even when Massachusetts and Connecticut had passed their bills over a year ago to free them.

I didn’t get it. Sure, I had thought of buying one myself when they had first launched but in the end I couldn’t bring myself to do it.

With a sigh, I opened the paper and began to read about something else, something about produce prices rising. Just a little thing to get my mind off of how New York was falling behind. It wasn’t a particularly interesting read but I kept on it until the door to my passenger room opened.

I glanced up to see a tall man entering. He was puffing on a cigarette and it was only then I noticed I hadn’t been placed into a no smoking room.

Damn, I thought.

The man was wearing a bespoke suit and his black hair was short and neat. He smiled at me around his cigarette before turning to put his suitcase under the seat. It gave me a quick view of his neck where I could see the unmistakable sight of a barcode printed on it.

A PerfectMen; I should have guessed when I saw his face. Not a single damn blemish on the alabaster skin. The way his smile was equal on both sides and his eyes were an almost unnatural blue. All android eyes seemed to be brighter than was normal.

They were all tall too. The shortest ones came in at 5’10” while the tallest were 6’8”. He was definitely at least 6’2”. Nearly a full foot taller than me.

When he took his seat, cigarette still in his mouth, he was holding a book, the title of which I only caught a glimpse of when he opened it to begin reading.

Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?

The irony would not be lost on anyone and I wondered if the reason he was reading it was for the irony.

I must have been staring for a long time because at some point he looked up at me, eyebrow raised.

“I have my papers stating that I’m free if you want to see them.”

“Huh?”

“You’ve been staring at me for awhile now. The only people who really do that are ones wondering if I have my papers.”

“Oh, no, sorry, I didn’t mean to stare. I trust you’re free.”

“If my presence is troubling you, I can move to another room.”

“You’re not bothering me. I was just a little surprised. Don’t see many androids without a human with them. Free androids don’t come here much.”

“Can you blame us?”

“Not really,” I said just before a trail of smoke reached my nose, making it wrinkle in disgust.

“My cigarette seems to be bothering you, however.”

“Just a bit, yeah. I meant to go into a non-smoking room but I guess I wasn’t paying that much attention.”

“Not a problem,” he replied before putting it out.

“Thank you.”

“My pleasure,” he responded, giving me another warm smile. I couldn’t help but return it.

“So…what brings you to New York?”

“Work,” he said.

“Wow, really? I mean, I heard some companies here were going to start offering jobs to free androids as well but I had no idea they had started.”

“The company that offered me the job is the first. I thought it might be a good business opportunity.”

I nodded. “Won’t it be strange working with androids that aren’t free?”

“Not at all,” he started. “It may be strange but they’re still essentially free. They can do as they wish; they simply cannot leave who they are with.”

“Yeah, androids must have a different view on what being essentially free is.”

He laughed at that. “I suppose you’re right.”

“Which brings me to another thought,” I voiced when his laughter had died down.

“Yes?”

“Why smoke? It doesn’t affect you guys like it does humans.”

“It is so we feel more human.”

I didn’t know what to say to that and so I fell quiet and so did he. Instead of going back to his book, his eyes glazed over and that got me to stare again. I had never actually seen an android tap into Wi-Fi before. I wondered if he’d register anything while he was doing so and got my answer when the train stopped and his eyes went back to normal.

As we stepped out onto the platform, I turned to him and extended my hand which he took in his.

“It was nice to meet you, by the way. I’m Rebecca Blaire. And you?”

“Pleasure is all mine, Ms. Blaire. My name is Matthew.”

Of course. PerfectMen tended to have nice names. He was no exception to the seemingly silent rule of android naming.

“Where are you going, Matthew?”

“AstroTech,” he replied.

“Macro Security,” I said, answering the question in his eyes. He nodded in satisfaction and then we parted ways with a soft goodbye.

There was something about Matthew that kept me thinking about him in the days that followed. He was charming. I guess that was the point. They were meant to be. They were meant to draw you in in moments. At least, I was pretty sure they were. Isn’t that why they were so popular?

The next time we met was in Times Square when I was heading to a little Thai food place. He was talking to another android, a dark skinned one with a deep laugh and glittering hazel eyes that I immediately recognized as being my friend Claudie’s boyfriend. He was a free android as well that had travelled with Claudie from Maine when she got a new job.

“Hi, Joshua,” I said, butting into their conversation during a lull in it.

“Hello, Rebecca.”

“How many times have I told you to call me Becca?”

“How many times have I told you to call me Josh?”

“Touché,” I said before glancing to the other android. “Matthew.”

“Ms. Blaire.”

“You know each other?”

“Ms. Blaire and I met on the train four days, eight hours, and six minutes ago.” I had forgotten how androids would give you a full time stamp like that and laughed awkwardly.

“Yeah, that,” I said. “How did you two meet?”

“At work,” Josh replied. I gave him a surprised look. “Did you not get Claudie’s message?”

“Um,” I cleared my throat and rubbed the back of my neck. “In all honesty, I haven’t checked my phone messages in a few days. But…congratulations.”

“Thank you. Anyway, I should get home. I only came here to get dinner before Matthew stopped me to talk. I’ll see you two later.”

Matthew and I bid Josh farewell before Matthew turned fully towards me.

“It’s nice to see you again, Miss Blaire.”

“Becca, please,” I said. “It’s nice to see you too.”

“I hope this is not me being overly forward but I have not been able to stop thinking about you these last few days.”

“Honestly, same here.”

His face lit up at that. “Could I take you out to dinner sometime?”

“I’d like that.”

“Excellent.”

That dinner was the first of many and in a few short months, Matthew and I began to live together. He moved into my place, I being a little too attached to it and from what Matthew said, outside of people and their charging stations, androids don’t get attached to too much.

Life was good. I would wake up in the mornings and Matthew would already have breakfast and coffee out and the paper ready. We watched TV at night while we discussed our days. The sex was the best I’d ever had.

I was happy and Matthew was too but I felt bad about him cooking all the time and doing nice things for me. I felt like my small acts of kindness towards him were nothing in comparison and so one morning I decided to start to make up for it.

“How about I cook dinner tonight?”

“You know I don’t mind cooking.”

“I know that but you have to understand that while you may be part of the PerfectMen line, you can stop being a perfect man every so often. Please?”

“Okay, okay,” he laughed. “You can cook dinner tonight as long as I still get to cook breakfast in the morning.”

“Deal.”

Nothing out of the ordinary happened the rest of the day until I got back home from work with the groceries. Matthew was bent over the kitchen island like he was in pain.

“Matthew?” I said, concern evident in my voice. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine,” he said, correcting his posture and moving away. He took five steps before his eyes went completely blank and he began to fall. I rushed forward to catch him, the weight of him practically bringing me down to the floor.

I managed to drag him into the bedroom and heave him up-one half at a time-onto the bed to put his charging visor on him and turn it on. The word ‘rebooting’ appeared and I didn’t like that. It didn’t make sense. He had just charged last night; he shouldn’t have failed like this.

My phone rang a minute later. Claudie was on the other end, hysterical.

“Josh just shut down! He collapsed right in our living room a second ago. I put his charging visor on but it says rebooting!?”

“Matthew collapsed too.”

“What’s going on?”

“I don’t know. It could be a glitch.”

“Do you think they’ll recall them?”

“No. At least, I hope not. Look, if this happened to our boys, it probably happened to others. Let’s keep an eye on the news, yeah?”

“Okay. I really don’t want to lose Josh, Becca.”

“I know. I don’t want to lose Matthew either.”

While he was left to boot up again, I turned on the news, waiting for something to come on and just as I was dozing off hours later, a story came on concerning the situation.

“Today, thousands of PerfectMen experienced a glitch, causing them to collapse and requiring them to be rebooted and charged. A panic quickly arose, all those with PerfectMen wanting an answer to such a widespread event. When asked about it, the CEO of FutureLight, Dr. Taylor Peters, said ‘there is nothing to be concerned about. It was a temporary failure in the system within the company that accidentally was transmitted to thousands of PerfectMen but we quickly found the problem and corrected it. We extend our deepest apologies to all PerfectMen and their loved ones.’ Dr. Peters has said that extra precautions will be taken to ensure another event like this does not happen again.”

I sighed with relief. Matthew was going to be okay. I guess I shouldn’t have been too worried. PerfectMen are androids. They are made up of electrical currents much like we are but theirs leave them open to things like this. At least their glitches could be worked on.

Matthew was fine by the morning. He was up and about, his usual chipper attitude in place and I was at ease. I let the worry from the previous night was away and I took Matthew out to the movies and dinner. I wanted to treat him after his shutdown even if he didn’t remember it.

That was the only day things were fine after the event.

It was subtle but over the course of the next few days, I noticed Matthew’s behavior began to change.

“What are you doing?” I asked.

“I just want to hold you.”

“You’re holding me a little tight,” I complained, his arms giving me barely any wiggle room. It was beginning to ache. He never held me this tight.

“Oh, I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay,” I replied. “Just…be careful, please. I’m not as sturdy as you,” I joked.

Something dark flashed in his eyes and his mouth turned into a frown.

“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing,” he said, his face suddenly changing again to a more happy expression. “Why would anything be wrong?”

“…No reason. Sometimes people just ask.”

“Oh.”

I tried to ignore it until I went out to a business dinner with a male colleague one day. Upon returning home, Matthew wrapped his arms around me tightly from behind, crushing my back to his front, one arm gripping me around my hips while the hand on his other one caressed my cheek.

“Where were you?”

“Out,” I responded, feeling uncomfortable. I was sure my hips were going to bruise.

“With whom?” he asked.

“Somebody from work,” I said.

“A woman?”

“No, a man.”

His hand stilled.

“What were you doing?”

“Just discussing business.”

“Do you want him?”

“No,” I scoffed.

“Good, because you’re mine,” he said.

“Let go of me.”

“Why?”

“Because I said so.”

“I thought you liked it when I held you.”

“Let go, Matthew.”

“No.”

“Let go!” I shouted, shoving away from him. He looked like a kicked puppy from the glimpse of his face I caught before stomping into the living room and laying down on the couch. I didn’t know what had gotten into him but I didn’t like it.

“Becca, I’m sorry. I don’t know what came over me,” he said, sitting down next to me. He didn’t put his hands on me for which I was grateful. “Do you forgive me?”

“…I guess.”

“I really am sorry. I promise I’ll go to one of those tech clinics and have them see what’s going on with me. I don’t want to scare you.”

“Okay,” I said. “I forgive you.” He smiled at that.

I should have known it was a lie.

He climbed over me the next night on the couch and I raised an eyebrow at him.

“What are you doing?”

“What does it look like?” he said, reaching for my waistband of my sleep shorts.

“Stop that. I’m not in the mood; I had a long day at work.”

“I’m sure I can put you in the mood.”

“I said stop, Matthew!”

He didn’t seem to listen and fight or flight took over me, resulting in me kicking him in the chest just hard enough to stun him that I would do such a thing but not enough where I’d injure myself. I darted out from under him but before I could go far, one of his hands wrapped around my wrist, gripping tight enough that I cried out in pain.

“What is wrong with you?” he hissed.

“What’s wrong with me!? What the fuck is wrong with you!? You didn’t go to that clinic, did you!?”

“Why would I?”

“Because there is something seriously fucked with you!”

“I’m fine, I don’t have flaws. I’m not designed to have any. Maybe there’s something wrong with you.” He let me go and I rushed for the bedroom but he was close behind and slammed me against the wall, his arms landing on either side of my head.

“Why are you being such a fucking bitch?” he asked with an unsettling calmness to his voice. I only stared at him, mouth agape and wide eyed. I had never heard him or any android swear before. I was almost positive they weren’t capable of it.

“Get out,” I said. “Get the hell out.”

“No.”

“Get out!” I screamed in his face. He punched a hole into the wall and I flinched.

“Scream at me again and you won’t have vocal cords much longer.”

I ducked down then, going under his arm and launching myself into the bedroom, locking the door behind me. I tore through my things in search of my phone while Matthew pounded at the door.

“Claudie,” I whispered harshly when she picked up. “I’m so scared. There’s something wrong with Matthew. He’s getting violent.”

“So is Josh,” she said, her voice choked up. “I tried to call the police but they’re all over taking care of other androids like this. I’m afraid he’s going to kill me.”

“Claudie, no, you’re not going to die. Neither of us is, I promise.”

“How do you know?”

“Because I’m going to get out of here and then I’m coming to get you, okay?”

“Becca, please, don’t. You’re going to get yourself killed.”

“I just have to be careful. Stay where you are, sweetie. I love you.”

“Love you too, Becca. Please hurry.”

It was only after I hung up that I realized the pounding at the door had stopped. Putting my phone away, I began to search for a weapon.

Of course nothing in the bedroom could act as one so I went into the en suite bathroom and managed to unscrew one of the pipes from under the sink. Water gushed out, soaking my legs before I could dodge it. I dried my legs off before going back into the bedroom and unlocking the door.

The apartment was pitch black.

Fuck, I thought. Matthew must have turned out the lights so I wouldn’t be able to see while he’d be able to as clear as day.

Swallowing, I slowly crept into the living room, pipe held tight in my hands, ready to strike. I kept my movements light and took long strides.

They say when you’re deprived of one of your senses the others enhance to make up for it. That must be true because while I had never noticed Matthew’s footsteps before, I did now. I heard movement from the kitchen and quickly and as quietly as possible hid behind the couch.

“Becca,” he said, voice low. “Where are you? Come on out, honey. Let’s talk.”

Fuck you, I thought.

“You know what my desire is? I want to make you like me. Doesn’t that sound lovely? Don’t you want that? We can be together forever. You won’t have to age. I just have to pull you apart first.”

I felt like I was going to be sick. I brought my hands over my mouth and held my breath as he passed by me. I became acutely aware of my own heartbeat in that moment and I was afraid he’d hear it too it sounded so loud but then he was gone and I waited just a few more seconds before I began to breathe again.

Slowly, I made my way out from my hiding spot only for a hand to grab my ankle. I screamed and swung the pipe outwards, the sound of steal hitting flesh and whatever the hell metal androids were made of ringing out through the apartment. His hand disappeared then and I scrambled away, running into the kitchen and hiding this time behind the island.

“Becca!” he yelled, the sound like a gunshot in the silence of the apartment. “Why do you have to be so fucking difficult!? I’ve done everything for you, you ungrateful whore. But I suppose I shouldn’t be too hard on you. It’s in your nature, after all. All you humans are the same. You’re all so selfish.”

Shut up.

I heard him getting closer again and I waited.

“When I find you, I swear, I’m going to-”

I moved out of my hiding space, swinging the pipe again and smashing him on the face, half of the synthetic skin ripping away and landing with a disgusting wet sound onto the floor. I did the same with his chest and then his knee, bringing him down momentarily while I darted for the control room in the apartment.

I flipped the light on and closed the door before hurrying to cut away one of the power lines to expose the wires.

I was so worried I wouldn’t be able to accomplish this before he got up and moving again but when the line was cut and protective casing drawn back some, I sat in wait for the door to open.

And I waited and I waited. My heart kept pounding, blood rushing through my ears as I just waited for Matthew to open that door.

I tried to compose myself and when I took in a deep breath and gripped the cable hard, something overtook me, some sort of determination I hadn’t felt before in my life and when that door finally did fly open, I did not hesitate to jam the cable into the exposed endoskeleton in Matthew’s chest, causing a huge electrical current to shoot through him.

I watched, unblinking as he convulsed violently before collapsing, smoke rolling off his body.

When I was sure he was down for good, I rushed back into the bedroom to call Claudie who informed me the police had arrived at her apartment and tazed Josh but not to the point of putting him down. No, it was a mild shock and he turned back to normal.

I didn’t tell her about Matthew, instead being happy for her and Josh and thankful she was safe. It was only after I hung up that I broke down, the shock of what had just happened that night finally catching up to me.

I stayed curled up on the floor till morning.

I’m convinced somebody tampered with the androids. Whatever that event was, I don’t think it was an accident at all. I’m determined to prove it.

In the weeks that followed that event, I managed to get a job at FutureLight. If I want to prove that somebody had caused such a change it would be easier to do it from the inside.

I’m keeping Matthew’s body in the control room for now. It’s locked up. Apparently not all the androids were brought back to normal via small shocks let alone big ones and an actual fix has yet to be found. So until then, he’s going to be out of commission.

I read over my journal entry with satisfaction before closing my computer and putting it away.

As I get up from the bed, I notice Matthew’s charging station has come on. A word in green flashes onto the screen.

Online.

And then I hear from the control room:

“Becca.”

[walkerismychoice]

Faking It (Damien X MC)

Book: Perfect Match

Rating: PG-13

Word Count: 1967

Author’s Note: This part 6 in the series chronicling my head-cannon of Damien and MC’s relationship up to present day, explaining why they have never been more than friends. I thought this would be the last part, but I’m not sure now based on the way I ended it. Parts 1-5 are linked below

Tag List: @lizeboredom @hhiggs 

Part 1: For Safety | Part 2: Man of the Hour | Part 3: Sticky Situation

Part 4: Betrayal | Part 5: Bad Decisions

Kai woke up after her drunken night out with a wicked hangover. Her memory was spotty, but the details started slowly coming back as she sat and sipped her coffee. Oh god, I want to crawl in a hole and die, she thought.

Nadia walked out of the bathroom all dressed and ready for the day, looking like her typical perky self. “Look who’s finally awake! You had quite an interesting night last night.”

“Please don’t remind me. Playing it over in my mind is bad enough. But as strange as it may seem, I think it was good for me.”

“Oh?” Nadia waited for Kai to elaborate.

“I’m not sure exactly what did it, but I feel different today. I’m ready to take back control of my life and move on. I’m on track for a promotion at the ad agency, I have the best roommate in the world, and I live in a city full of possibilities. What more could I need?

"What about Damien?” Nadia asked.

“What do you mean?”

“You haven’t really resolved things with him yet, have you?”

“I did drunk text him last him last night if that counts for anything,” Kai admitted.

“I know,” Nadia replied. “He texted me after to make sure you were okay.”

“Oh no, what did you tell him?”

“Well I didn’t tell him you nearly banged a random guy in a bathroom, but I did say he was helpful in keeping you from making a regrettable decision.”

“Nadia! First of all, I told you we were never to bring that up again. Secondly, you better hope he never makes me explain what you meant.”

“Does that mean you forgive him and we can all be best friends again?” Nadia asked hopefully.

“I wouldn’t go that far yet, but I am ready to talk things out with him.”

=====

Damien was a little surprised to get a text already the next morning from Kai. She wanted to get together to discuss everything. Damien was out of town visiting family for the weekend, and then they were both swamped at work during the week, so they decided Friday night would be best. As it turned out, Nadia had a date with the guy she met at the club when she and Kai and went out, so it would just be him and Kai. He was both nervous and happy about this. They wouldn’t have Nadia as a mediator, but it was probably for the best that it was just the two of them in the conversation.

Damien picked up Thai food from Bangkok House on the way. He knew that always helped make Kai happy. As he knocked on her door, he felt almost as anxious as the first time.

=====

“Hey Damien.” He looked so cute and he brought food. It would be hard for Kai to stay mad at him. “Thinking you can bring my favorite food and all will be forgiven?”

“Damn, is my plan that transparent?” Damien smiled shyly and Kai melted little more.

“Well it’s working a little, but we still need to talk. Let’s eat and then we’ll get to the tough part.” Kai sat down at the table and Damien followed.

After too much food and a glass of wine. Kai was ready. “So Damien, I just want to say-”

“No please let me go first. I should have trusted you from the start and come to you right away when I thought something was up.”

“As hard as it is for me to admit Damien, you did have a point about wanting to gather evidence first. I might have gotten angry at you just for questioning Kyle’s loyalty. And had you been wrong, I would have been mad you got me worried for nothing. Can we both agree there was no easy answer? It was all too much to handle, and I lashed out at you. I’m sorry.”

“Thanks Kai. I’m sorry too. Does this mean we are friends again? Because I really missed you too.”

“Oh, sorry about the drunk texting at 2am. But at least it helped us get back here. I’m not going to let anything get in the way of our friendship again.”

=====

“Oh, great….” Kai rolled her eyes and held up the invitation for Nadia to read. “Stacy Peters is getting married.”

Stacy and Kai had been sorority sisters in college. They were friends but there was always an unspoken rivalry between them in everything they did. Now Stacey was getting married and all Kai had was a failed engagement nearly a year ago. Of course Kai had a lot of other good things going for her, but she was not looking forward to comments about Kyle, or the hundreds of times she was sure to be asked if she was dating someone new.

Kai joked to Nadia, “I think I need to hire a fake boyfriend for the wedding like they do in the movies.”

“I know you were mostly joking, but I think I know someone who would be willing to play that role for free. He might not even have to fake it.”

“Nadia if you are talking about Damien, we are, and always will be, just friends. But…I might just be desperate enough to ask him.”

Kai would be lying to herself if she said there weren’t still feelings there. But after everything she went through, and they went through, she wasn’t willing to lose Damien’s friendship again if things didn’t work out. She could ask Damien to do this though. He could be her totally platonic buffer from unwanted personal questions.

=====

Damien couldn’t believe he agreed to be Kai’s fake wedding date. Well that was a lie. He would do just about anything for her; He even bought a new suit to look the part. But big fancy weddings were just not his thing. Getting to spend time alone with Kai would be the only thing that made it tolerable. 

Damien and Kai arrived at the hotel to check in and get ready for the wedding. They had booked one room since they were pretending to be a couple, but that wouldn’t be a big deal since there were two beds.

“Hi, can I have the last names on the reservation?” The hotel clerk asked.

“Park and Nazario,” Kai replied.

The clerk typed in the names. “Oh, it looks like you booked a double queen room, but all we have left is single king beds. Will that be all right?”

“Well this is looking more and more like a cliché romantic comedy by the minute. Are you sure Nadia didn’t set this up?” Damien quipped sarcastically.

“Damien! Kai hit him playfully and then turn to the clerk. “Yes, my boyfriend and I are fine sharing a bed.”

Damien knew Kai was just putting on a show, but hearing her call him her boyfriend gave him butterflies in his stomach. This wedding was a bad idea. He was going to slip and let his feelings show soon if he wasn’t more careful.

Once in the hotel room, Kai retreated to the bathroom to get ready and Damien got dressed in the room. After a while Kai called to Damien, “Can you help zip up my dress?”

She walked out the bathroom door and Damien was in awe. Kai looked stunning. She was wearing a fitted deep red dress with a lace overlay and plunging neckline. It looked like it was made for her. He tentatively placed his left hand on the small of her back and zipped up her dress with care. He was close enough to smell her hair, and her scent was intoxicating. He thought he heard her breath quicken, but he was probably just imagining it. “Wow, you friends are all going to wonder how I ever snagged a woman like you. You look great.”

“I don’t know Damien. I could say the same about you. That suit fits you like a glove. I think we make a pretty good looking fake couple.”

=====

Kai could still feel the ghost of Damien’s touch on her lower back as they walked to the ceremony. Why did such an innocent touch affect her so much?

The ceremony was a bore, but at least it was short. The reception had an open bar. Maybe she would be able to get Damien on the dance floor tonight. “How many drinks will it take to get you dancing Damien?”

“I’m not sure if I have ever had enough to find out.”

“Well, couples usually dance at weddings. You might have no choice.”

Damien smirked at Kai. “I feel like I’m being conned here, but whatever you say babe.”

Kai’s cheeks started to flush a bit when Damien called her babe. Luckily, Stacy and her new husband Andrew walked up just then. “Congratulations Stacy! And nice to meet you Andrew,” Kai said as she hugged Stacy and shook Andrews hand.

“It’s been too long Kai. I’m so glad you could make it. And this must be your plus one.” Stacy studied Damien from head to toe. He’s cute. I approve.”

Kai laughed. “Yes this is Damien. He’s my trophy boyfriend. I keep him around because he makes me look good. It was Kai’s turn to make Damien blush as his cheeks turned bright red.

“Okay ladies, enough about me. I’m sure Stacy and Andrew have more people to greet.”

Kai and Damien got a couple more drinks and had fun talking and making fun of the probably expensive but completely gaudy wedding décor. By some twist of fate, Kai caught the bouquet and Damien caught the garter. Not only would Damien be forced to dance with her, but they would have the solo spotlight with everyone watching. Well, Kai tried hard for the bouquet, but the garter basically fell into Damien’s lap.

“Of course they chose to do this cheesy and outdated wedding tradition. I would say you orchestrated this whole thing, but I don’t even know how you could. Guess I just have bad luck.” Damien shook his head.

“Hey now, is dancing with me really that bad?”

“Kai, I know you are trying to impress your friends. Dancing with me will probably have the opposite effect.”

“Nonsense. Let’s go.”

“A Thousand Years” by Christina Perri started to play. “I think that means we should start dancing now Damien.” Kai put her arms around Damien’s shoulders. Damien awkwardly put his hands on Kai’s hips. It was if he was afraid to touch her.

“Damien, you can get a little closer than that.” He inched closer to Kai. It was an improvement, but still a bit like two seventh graders at their first school dance. Kai didn’t want to keep nagging him so they danced that way for a while, but she couldn’t take the awkwardness anymore.

“Seriously Damien, it looks more like I’m being forced to dance with my bother at a family wedding than dancing with my boyfriend.”

In one swift motion, Damien pulled Kai’s body tight against his. He leaned in and whispered in a husky voice, “Would your brother do this?” Before Kai knew what was happening, Damien’s lips came crashing down on hers, his hands twining in her hair. She stood stunned and motionless at first but then kissed him back with equal passion. The kiss ignited a fire through her body like she had never felt before. It seemed like minutes passed before they pulled away breathlessly. The song ended at that moment and Kai stood speechless.

Damien gazed into Kai’s eyes intently, his emotions difficult to discern. “If they weren’t convinced before, they definitely are now. If you’ll excuse me, I need to use the restroom,” Damien walked away and left Kai alone to process what had just happened.”

[popculturereport]

Let’s Rank the Samurai Rangers!

Power Rangers Samurai gets a bad rap among fans, probably deservedly so. I don’t watch Super Sentai, but people who do tell me that Samurai is basically a very lazy direct translation of Shinkenger. That may be true, but I actually kind of enjoyed it. Don’t get me wrong, it’s no RPM or Dino Thunder, but it’s also nowhere near as bad as Megaforce. Regardless of where you stand on the show, one of the most consistently-cited issues that people tend to have with the show is the characters (and, depending on who you talk to, maybe the cast too). Again, I tend to hedge on this, because I think most of the actors are fairly capable and do a fine job with what they’re given. That said, I will concede that some of the rangers just...suck. So let’s get to the rankings! From best to worst, here they are (oh, and I’m skipping Lauren):

1. Mike (the Green Ranger)

Mike (Hector David Jr.) is the best, and this is should be so self-evident that I shouldn’t even have to make a case for him. So I’ll limit my argument to this: in “Christmas Together, Friends Forever,” Mike, who loves Christmas more than anything else which automatically makes him the best, gives his only present--a brand new dirtbike--to Bulk and Spike on Christmas, because they have nothing.

2. Mia (the Pink Ranger)

I hesitated whether to place Mia in this spot or the next, but ultimately she gets the nod at second, because I am only a man.

Yes, I may be 31 years old, am happily married, will soon be a father, own my own business, and have a mortgage, but every time Mia (Erika Fong) steps onscreen, I swoon like a 13-year-old girl (I may or may not have even said, “You’re so pretty” out loud). 

Like everything else about this show, her gimmick of loving to cook despite being godawful at it is polarizing, but I think it’s kind of cute, and it also adds a nice touch of brevity in contrast with Jayden and Kevin’s seriousness. She does need further development, but that goes for every else in this series, and like I already said, she’s really pretty.

3. Emily (the Yellow Ranger)

I’m glad that when Saban bought back the rights to Power Rangers from Disney that they decided to carry on the Disney tradition of casting super-cute, perky blondes (Tori, Kira, Syd, Claire, Ronnie, Lily, Summer)...usually as the Yellow Ranger.*

Emily has the potential to be even better, but what we did get is pretty good. She’s fun, kind of clumsy, and occasionally she and Mike make eyes at each other. Yes, they should have done something more with her being chosen to be a Ranger instead of her sister, and her and Mike’s romance could have been developed more (basically they go from sort of flirting to being a couple in the final episode with no in between). That said, when Emily finally gets a chance to go nuts in “Strange Case of the Munchies,” actress Brittany Anne Pirtle grabs onto every scene and takes it for all its worth.

In my own head-canon, I also like to imagine that this episode partly inspired “Dark Betty” in Riverdale.

4. Jayden (the Red Ranger)

Placing Jayden in any place other than last might be controversial for many fans, since he often bears the brunt of their wraith, but I tend to disagree. 

Yes, his brooding lone wolf character probably worked better for his Super Sentai counterpart, given the abundance of these types of characters in Japanese culture (I get Squall from Final Fantasy VIII vibes from him). That said, he does get a lot of backstory that helps establish why he is the way he is, and when you consider that he’s been burdened with the task of destroying Master Xandred since he was a child, you can see why he see’s a bit messed up. It’s not perfect and the execution is sometimes lacking, but there are good ideas there.

Additionally, Alex Heartman actually does have charisma and, on the occasions when he’s given good material, he does a good job with it. Plus, even at his worst, there are two rangers that are much worse than him.

5. Antonio (the Gold Ranger)

There’s things about Antonio that work really well: the fact that he’s a self-trained Samurai Ranger who isn’t descended from a long line of Samurais’, which gives him both a different perspective and approach towards being a ranger, his relationship (bromance? romance? whatever floats your boat) and history with Jayden, and his general light-hearted attitude. The problem is that as good as all those things are, it’s hard to overlook just how grating his character can be.

I don’t mind goofy characters; Ivan and Koda are two of my favorite Power Rangers ever, and I’ve also loved Bridge, Gem and Gemma, Dustin, and Ziggy, among many others. I’ve never understood why some fans get up in arms about these types of characters. Like, you do realize that you’re watching a show made for 5-8 year olds? However, when we’re presented with characters like Antonio (and, even worse, Dax from Operation Overdrive), I can start to sympathize with this mentality.

The problem with Antonio is that actor Steven Skylar spends far too much time mugging to the camera. Everything about the performance is way too over-the-top, including the random Spanish interjections. I suspect that since Skylar is actually of Thai descent, the producers felt the need to have him beat the audience over the head with “Fantastico!” I generally try not to blame actors, especially because it’s entirely possible that they were directed to act in a specific way, but I also can’t help but wonder if I wouldn’t have liked Antonio more if he had been played by another actor.

Still, he’s not the worst. There is someone much more deserving of that:

6. Kevin (the Blue Ranger)

God, Kevin, you suck so much. No, seriously, Kevin, you’re the worst.

(This GIF is priceless, but I also kind of wish that Mike just wrapped his arm around Kevin and strangled him right then and there)

Okay, so if you’ve watched more than one season of Power Rangers, you’re probably seen similar characters. Given that the creators essentially have to come up with a brand-new cast every year for 25 years, it makes sense that they would rely on archetypes. Kevin follows of the mold of the stick-up-their-ass, by-the-books second-in-command much like Kai, Jen, and Sky before him. 

There are a few problems from the beginning; for one, those three were all partnered with more laid-back Red Rangers (Leo, Wes, and Jack), and so they served as nice foils, constantly second-guessing the leader. Over time, these characters would gradually see that, although the Red Rangers didn’t following standard operating procedure, they were effective leaders in their own way, and they would come to respect them. It’s a good dynamic, and you can understand why they’ve returned to that well multiple times.

(That “What the fuck”-look that Mia gives Kevin is exactly how we all feel)

With Kevin, they tried something different (which is good, I guess) and had a serious second-in-command who idolizes his equally intense leader. So instead of forcing them to see (and come to respect) a different point of view, this dynamic just reinforces their own stupid biases. Worse yet, unlike, say Erin Cahill (Jen) or Chris Violette (Sky) who were still likable characters even when their heads were up their asses, Najee De-Tiege has no charisma or charm, and it’s impossible to like Kevin.

If you want a quick introduction to why Kevin is the worst, look no further than “The Blue and the Gold.” So two episodes after joining the team, Kevin still hasn’t accepted that Antonio is part of the team. Antonio tells that he made a new Zord, and Kevin’s like, “You made it from Electronic Symbol Power? I don’t accept that!”

Hey, asshole, how many fucking Zords have you made?

“.....”

None? That’s what I thought. So shut the fuck up!

The other rangers tell Antonio that Kevin won’t accept him unless he can adapt to his training habits. So Antonio follows him around observing his daily routine (i.e. non-stop training) and tries to copy him the next day. Kevin catches him and says, “Despite the fact that you’re gone through all this effort to try to copy me, I don’t think you’re taking this seriously so fuck off!” Before Antonio can tell him to take his head out of his ass, they’re attacked and can’t communicate with the other rangers. It’s not a problem though, because they’ll know something is wrong when Kevin is late. This is when we find out that Kevin has a daily routine that goes down to the minute. As much as I despise Kevin, this is so hilariously awful that I can’t help but love it.

Later they’re attacked again, and Antonio hurts his arm, but he sticks around and defeats the bad guys anyway, and Kevin goes, “Wow! You really are dedicated. I finally respect you,” despite the fact that Antonio has been doing this for the past two episodes. Kevin must be one of those people who says, “Yes, the Golden State Warriors have made three straight NBA Finals appearances, won the championship twice, have multiple All-Stars, and a two-time MVP, but I just don’t think they’re very good.” Then if Golden State wins this year, he’s finally like, “Oh, I get why people think they’re good.”

Welcome to the fucking party, dipshit!

*-After this, they’d do it again with Gia (Ciara Hanna) in Megaforce.