#kinda. one of those ''filler'' scenes

[13eyond13]

ngl, doing both a Criterion Collection Challenge and an Anti-Criterion Collection Challenge at the same time on Letterboxd has convinced me to cancel my Criterion Channel subscription lol

[alpaca-clouds]

Why do people struggle so much with understanding pacing?

Okay, let me talk about my pet peeve when it comes to writing in any medium. Pacing.

People, who know me for long, will know that this has been the thing I have been complaining about since I was like 12. And there is a good reason for it.

See, when I learned to write, there was this guy who I greatly admired as an author. And after bugging him for a while (look folks, the internet was a very different place from what it is now) he did give me some recommendations on books on writing. And a lot of them went deeply into his pet peeve, which - you guessed it - was pacing as well.

And thus, I learned early on about story structure, and pacing, and how to pace out a story in a way grips the audience. This material I read went onto different techniques for different mediums, into how different cultures had a different ways of dealing with this, and so on, and so forth.

Some of my main take aways were, that a lot of very long stories struggled massively with pacing, and that a ton of people also very miscalculated their ability to handle characters in terms of pacing - because characters and pacing are two things that are very, very heavily connected.

I also learned something else, though: That a lot of western writing advice did not understand anything about pacing outside of the idea that stories were supposed to have three acts - or maybe five - and ideally from a certain fateful day in the early 2000s on, would follow the "save the cat" formular. (Mind you, I do not hate "Save the Cat", however, this formular has been created for movies. It works at times somewhat well for books, too. But it definitely does not for for pretty much anything serialized, because that is not what it was developed for.)

And I also learned another thing: Most people do not understand pacing either, because pacing is not a thing that is ever taught in normal school (like most things that are about creative writing are not). So, while some people might have a gut feeling that the pacing of something might be off, they rarely can actually say why. And this is only worsened by the fact that today's tiktok addicted society is so used to consuming ultra condensed media, that they will perceive anything less condenses than 1 minute tiktok videos as "too slow and boring".

So, please allow me - the guy who kinda hyperfixated on this specific writing skill - to talk about pacing. And this will be in the following points:

What is pacing actually?

How do characters relate to pacing?

Pacing, Streaming and the supposed "filler episode".

Pacing and Fantasy

Pacing in Action vs anything else

Pacing in books vs visual media

What Is Pacing actually?

Okay, I think one of the main issues when it comes to understanding pacing is, that a lot of people see pacing on a on a spectrum that goes from "I am bored" to "I can't follow the plot anymore". But that actually does not always have to do with the pacing - obviously.

Technically pacing is the speed in which the plot moves. Or, to make it more quantifiable: "How many plot points (beats) are covered per either time (in any timed medium) or per page (in anything you read)". Which makes sense at the first glance - but does actually often not line up with the subjective perception of this. Becau se here is the thing: No, fight scenes are not automatically fast paces. A lot of modern action movies have super slow paced - in terms of story pacing - action scenes. Because yes, during those action sequences a lot of STUFF happens, but nothing of it actually is in any way related to the plot.

Look, I freaking adore the Fast & Furious movies. But you could literally edit those movies down to like 45 minutes each and not lose a single plot beat. But of course, nobody would watch those movies - because yes, me and everyone else who adored those movies, is there to watch them lunch cars into space and see stuff blow up. I don't much care about the characters or the plot.

This is by the way also the kinda point that me and other people talk about, when we are unimpressed by "oh, but sex scenes don't add anything to the plot", while the same people would often not make the same argument about action scenes - even though there is a ton of movies and shows where the action scenes really do not add anything to the plot. A lot of people just do not perceive action sequences as slow pacing, because even if nothing that happens on the screen actually adds anything to the plot or moves it forward, it is undeniable, that STUFF is happening. So basically monkey brain will go: "Hehe, things go boom!"

Don't get me wrong: there absolutely are stories in which the action is moving the plot. Mad Max Fury Road is a great example. The movie is also about 60% action - but the action scenes actually add to the plot.

Meanwhile nothing tells you as much about how unimportant some of the MCU action scenes are, than the fact, that they are often done by a completely different team and will be done apart from the rest of the movie.

But yes, traditionally the idea was, that towards the "finale" of a piece of media, a lot more plot beats would happen over a shorter amount of time. You will see that also in a lot of beat sheets. There are more beats that need to happen in the third act of a story - if we go by three act structure. And often there is actually even more plot developments, as usually in a finale all the "plotlines" will kinda finish up in the end. So even plotlines where not a lot has happened to this point - this shows especially in serialized works both in TV shows and stuff like manga or comics - the important plot points will then often happen close to the finale, because it feels more "right".

In older serialized media - especially TV shows prior to streaming - you also had the same thing hold true towards the finale of a "story arc". In a lot of older shows, you would usually see a structure that looked like this.

The "rise" here technically has less to do with more stuff happening in later arcs or seasons - and more with the threat-level rising, and the convulutedness of a story. lol

But yeah, the take-away from this part should be: No, action does not equal fast pacing. There can be action-heavy shows with super slow narrative pacing - but it will to many not feel this way, because at least action is interesting to watch. Which also might be an explanation to why people are a lot worse in seeing the issue with action-scenes that are not adding anything in visual media, but might actually notice it in written stories. Because in books action scenes do not feel "fast paced" in the same way they feel in movies, where the often faster editing and the amount of motion on screen will create this effect.

Oh, and on the other side: Of course there can be slow paced plots that will leave you having problems following. At times, because they are badly written (aka: the media does not give you all the information you need) - and at times, because a piece of media might expect you to know a certain bit of information that you do not know. I can definitely think of a variety of scifi media, that just expects you to know stuff about computer stuff or space, and will not explain it to you. Which might make you need longer time to take plot developments in, and then leaves you reeling.

Another thing however that is also important is: If the pacing stays actually the same throughout a piece of media - rather than accelarating towards the finale (or finales if there are multiple) - it actually will feel wrong in some way. Often people (even I, who hyperfixates on this specific thing) struggle to point at it at first. But yes, this very much is an issue that also can happen. You want the pacing to accelerate towards certain points in the plot - and then slow down. If you had an important point, you want a few slower scenes/episodes/chapters afterwards, to allow the audience to somewhat absorb all the new things you presented them with.

How do characters relate to pacing?

Alright, now we come to the dicey part - specifically, because a lot of people (which includes narratologists, creative writing professors, and people professionally writing) actually kinda do not fully agree on this. So, fair warning: This is how I think.

A character arc in many cases absolutely is a part of the plot. Most media we consume these days are character driven, so the characters are absolutely centrally connected to the plot and the plot mainly exists to have the character move from point A to point B. Or, to make it more basic: To have a character realize that their WANT is not their NEED.

Sure, those characters will usually also accomplish something plot-related. But them accomplishing them is more often than not heavily connected to them fulfilling their character arc. (Please note: characters having a want but having to realize a need is something that is core of western storytelling. However, given that it makes for interesting character arcs, a lot of Asian media these days also will use this as a central driver for character development.)

In some pieces of media, the character arcs are way more heavily tied into the beats of the main plot, than in other. In adventure, action, and related a lot of fantasy and scifi, there is most of the time a character arc happening parallel to the main plot beats. Meanwhile often enough in more down to earth drama and romance, plot beats and character development beats are heavily interwoven. This is not a hard and fast rule - there absolutely is fantasy where the character arc is the plot arc, just as there is romance where the development does not play as heavily into the main plot - but you can generally observe it.

However, no matter how strongly the character development beats line up with plot beats, you cannot deny one thing: character beats are beats that also add to the pacing - even if they technically do not move the main plot forward. So, for example, if you have an episode in a show or a chapter in a book, where important beats happens in terms of a characters development (for example: they realize something important about themselves), this does not necessarily slow the pacing down - even if no actual plot beats happen.

What the fuck is a plot beat? What is a character beat?

This part of the essay was originally not included, but the people reading over it said I should include this.

If we say, that Pacing is basically the description of "Plot Beats per Time" or rather "Plot Beats and/or Character Beats per Time", then we also need to say, what exactly a Plot Beat is. I will fully admit, that this is one of those things in which I forget that this is not a thing taught in school.

I mentioned "Save the Cat" before. "Save the Cat" is a book about writing movies and specifically about pacing out a movie in a way that it is captivating. It mainly focuses on action, but you can absolutely use it for most other genres. And this comes with a so called "beat sheet", a collection of the main story beats that happen, showing when they are going to happen. It looks like this:

Basically a Beat is a scene, in which the plot (or a character arc) is moved forward by a bit. Basically anything that reveals something to the main characters, anything where the basic assumptions about the plot change, anything like that.

Examples for Plot Beats would be:

Character learns about something going on

Characters find out something important about the plot

Someone (either protagonist or antagonist) gets killed or injured

Characters get a new power or item that is important to the plot

Romance goes forward or a reason for the romance to happen is found

Characters find a hint for something they want to reach

And examples of Character Beats would be:

Character learns something about themselves

Character makes a decision for themselves

Characters realizes feelings about something or someone

Character overcomes trauma

And mind you, because I cannot fit this anywhere else: If you read these you might realize, why Musicals are basically a cheat for very fast pacing. Because you can put an entire character arc into a 4 minute song. This is why musical animated shows like Steven Universe or My Little Pony managed to pull some insanely paced episodes, like the Empire City episodes for SU, and the episode in which the Cutie Mark Crusaders finally got their Cutie Marks. Musicals are insane when it comes to this.

And something that you have to realize: While for movies and books certain Beat Sheets (Save the Cat is not the only one) work rather well, those Beat Sheets usually do not work well for Shows. And currently we are living in a time, where this becomes very noticable - because a lot of modern shows are written and aired as basically 4-8 hour movies, using often just the "Save the Cat" beat sheet (if you have read Save the Cat, you will see it EVERYWHERE, because it is so frequently used in western media), but... obviously, Save the Cat is made for something that has 2 hours, and as such a lot of modern media feels strangely slow and stretched out.

Pacing, Streaming, and the supposed "filler episode"

(Yes, this needed to be the gif for this. Because no filler episode has lodged itself quite as strong into my brain as this one.)

So, let me talk about the issue in modern media. Because oh boy.

As I said: I hyperfixated on this specific writing skill forever - and as such I was annoyed by "filler episodes" in TV shows. To explain for the youngest people (not that I am assuming a lot of those are on this hellsite lol): "Filler" was the name given to material that did not move the plot forward at all. So a "filler episode" was an episode, that was just there to fill the episode slot for the week, while no plot was happening. I am not fully sure whether the term originated with anime - but at least back in the early 2000s, before Shonen-Anime were done as 12-26 seasons that then allowed the manga to get ahead in between, "filler" was also the name used for those story arcs that the anime people made up for shows like Naruto, One Piece or Dragonball, that were not in the manga - and hence obviously also never added to any overarching narrative.

And what can I say: We did not appreciate the filler episode enough. Because this related very much to the last part: While filler episodes did indeed not add to the plot and usually by definition did not the character development, they actually still added something often enough.

They allowed the audience to get to know the characters a bit better and get a better feeling for the character relationships - and those episodes take out a bit of speed, which is actually important.

As said before: The pacing should not be even throughout an entire piece of media. In a TV series after an episode that was especially tense and pushed the plot or characters forward a lot, there should be ideally at least one or two episodes that move forward slower or even not at all. This allows the viewer to sit with the new developments for a bit - and of course the characters to have a moment to breathe and process whatever happened to them.

There is also the fact that those episodes usually give the audience a better understanding for the characters - and if you have an audience who at this point ideally care about some the characters, this will even be more successful.

And as I said. Back in ye olden days, a lot of people - me included - complained so much about Filler. But we were wrong. Fillers are amazing, as long as they do not overtake the whole show.

Pacing and Fantasy

Okay, let's talk about a thing, that is somewhat funny. A lot of fantasy - specifically written fantasy media - often has a pacing problem. And this problem comes from the Worldbuilding. Others forms of fantasy media (other than games - though pacing in games is whole different matter) have this too at times, but it tends to be worst in books.

Basically, when you are a fantasy worldbuilder, you have this whole world. And this leaves you with two problems.

a) You are afraid that people will not be able to follow the plot if you not give them a lot of information about this world and how it differs from ours.

b) Well, you build this entire world. And the people should KNOW.

So, a lot of fantasy media basically regularly will stop to explain to the reader or audience, whatever is happening right now. Some writers manage somewhat naturally put this in. Maybe they have a character that does not know a lot about for example magic or dragons, and they can ask questions and act as an audience stand-in. But even in cases, where the worldbuilding is somewhat brought in naturally (which by far is not all of them - because people usually do not naturally talk about stuff they both know, or think a lot about something they find naturally) those "explanation" pieces will make the plot come to a screeching halt.

So, the more worldbuilding you explain, the slower your pacing is.

And of course, pacing is not a reliable thing to keep people reading, and pacing will not always turn people off. But you know how people complain about how slow Lord of the Rings is? This is because of course, every time that Tolkien describes a piece of landscape over multiple pages, there is no plot happening on those pages. And while I personally think some of those descriptions are darn stunning, it is one of those things many people will not like.

However, this makes it a bit complicated. Because yes, worldbuilding explanations will slow down the pacing to a degree that can be problematic. But if you explain too little worldbuilding, people might struggle to follow the story. Which again is the most common problem if the pacing is "too fast" as well. Basically, people do not properly follow the plot and will struggle to understand what is happening and why.

But the opposite is true as well. I have read way too many fantasy books, where after the first 100 pages, I know a lot about the city the plot is set in, or about the magic system, but sadly have so far not been privy to any information what the plot is about, what the characters try to archive, or even who actually the characters are. And that, yeah... Is probably the most common reason why I put aside a variety of fantasy books in the past.

Pacing in Action-media vs anything else

Okay, let me talk about one other thing. See, the word "pacing" is at times used in some other context: In visual media, pacing will be used for the editing of what we see. Basically the amount of cuts that happen within a scene. Or, in a comic, the distribution of panels is also seen as a pacing element.

And anyone who heard people complain about how at times confusing the editing in action movies is, you know that this at times can get too much.

Still, in visual media action scenes feel usually fast - because the characters are moving around rather fast. In a visual piece of media, action scenes are often thrilling, because the characters are in constant danger of dying, and because a lot of stuff is happening. This often works better in visual media, than in written pieces. While it absolutely is possible to write thrilling action scenes, a lot of writers struggle with this, because they tend to overdescribe and that takes the speed out of the prose. But generally speaking, a couple of punches thrown - something that in a movie takes about 10 seconds - will in book easily end up in 200-500 words, which you will not read quite as fast. A bit more about that later.

And then there is the issue with the action scenes, that even is true for visual medial, is that they often really do not have any important plotbeats. Sure, if the characters have their final battle, that is a plot point. But in a lot of action media - especially TV shows - there are a lot of scenes included that really do not add anything, but just are there because folks love watching action scenes.

This goes so far, that people will think a show or movie with a lot of action scene will just be seen as "good fast pacing", even though if the actual pacing in terms of plot beats being spaced out is rather bad. As a good example I will once more nod at the Fast & Furious and the Mission Impossible movies, that often have horrid pacing and very confusing plots - but they do not feel really like it, because the movies are like 60% action scenes, and hence they do not feel like it when you watch them.

It can work at times. I spoke about my love of the F&F movies. Can I tell you a lot of the characters? Nope, but the action scenes are fun to watch!

But this also tends to mean, that in a badly paced movie or show, that is badly paced because the action scenes not adding any plot beats, everything tends to fall apart when the action scenes do not work. And often enough action scenes will still be prioritized over everything else in many of those pieces of media, making things fall apart easily.

Pacing in books vs visual media

I have hinted at this now multiple times: Written media is generally a bit harder to pace than visual media, because of the things you can and cannot control. While a writer in a book has full control over the scenario, a director of a show or movie had actually influence the timeflow of the things happening on screen. As a writer meanwhile you absolutely have no influence on the speed in which your reader will read.

Sure, you can somewhat influence it. Shorter sentences are easier read. An general lower reading level will allow people to read quicker. So simpler words, shorter words, shorter sentences will make parts appear quicker. You can use this for example in action scenes to have a bit more of this breathless feeling that an action scene on screen might have. Use short sentences. Do not link sentences up. Quick hits. Quick impressions. It can work - but it needs some training. Not to say it is fucking hard.

Generally speaking to my experience when you write a single novel, the "Save the Cat" Beat Sheet actually works rather well, if you are the kind of writer who is fairly good at planning things out. If I actually try, I will usually manage to plan out a story and predict fairly well how many words a chapter will have. So yes, for books I can very much use "Save the Cat" and it will work.

However, some things simply work a lot better when you have visual parts going on - but there are other things you can do better when you do not have the visual stuff. For example: A writer can do much more when it comes to motivation and introspection of characters. Yes, this slows down the pacing - but it is something that writing has basically over any form of media that is not a musical. (In a Musical you can characters do introspection through songs. Musicals are the ultimate way of cheating. I love them!)

Something I feel so many writers struggle with in terms of books is actually putting in a clear goal for the character from the beginning. Again: I have put too many books aside where I reached page 100 and did not yet have any goal for the main character.

That goal you give them does not necessarily need to be their final goal. Again: A lot of western storytelling deals with the incongruent nature of a characters "needs" (aka something that would actually help them) with the character's "wants" (aka what they think they would need). But at the very least the plot needs something that it can head towards from the very beginning - a hook to capture the reader.

There might be readers that are absolutely fine with just reading an exercise in worldbuilding - but you cannot expect them to be.

[neobastard]

alright this is gonna be a rough one.

this year's altador cup has been changed (not cancelled) to a 19 day advent calendar style event named Altador Cup: The Grey Year

according to the new features page:

"We want to acknowledge that the Altador Cup has room for improvement, and we’re working hard to address those areas so that players can enjoy the event even more. This involves a lot of behind-the-scenes work from our team, including our devs, artists, designers, and QA, to make that a reality."

the altador cup has kinda sucked, needing a lot of grinding to achieve higher ranked prizes and having inconsistent scoring. the mini event this year is likely to leave room for improvements in both running the event and its scoring system, especially because of the mentioned plot.

"In response to player feedback and with the plot just around the corner, we’ve decided to scale the Altador Cup for 2025 down to a mini-event to ensure that your time playing feels engaging and fun."

there is an FAQ available with further information about what this event will look like, but i'll summarize the out of universe contents under the cut:

Q: how long will it last?

A: june 3-30, with prizes and plot elements from june 3-21, the elements will be interactive until the next altador cup but the trophy, avatar, and any prizes will only be obtainable until the 30th

Q: why is there a mini event happening?

A: tnt needs time to make improvements to the altador cup, prepare for the plot's return, and work on other site features

Q: is the mini event just for this year?

A: yes, next year will have a new and improved altador cup

Q: what will happen to my sign up prize?

A: participation in the mini event will not count towards sign up prizes (and they won't be granted this year), but the participation streak WILL NOT be affected and you'll be able to pick up where you left off

Q: will there be a staff tournament this year?

A: no

Q: will there be a NC event this year?

A: yes

Q: how do the premium prizes work?

A: similar to the advent calendar, there are two prizes daily: one for all players and one for premium members only. you can claim all previous premium prizes at any time before june 30

Q: can i go back and get the prizes i missed?

A: yes, all regular prizes will be available until next year's altador cup, but all premium prizes are only available until june 30

there's a lot of in universe filler to the FAQ, and i get that they wanted to be charming to "soften the blow", but the short version is that this event exists to bridge the gap instead of pushing the plot further back or having no altador cup at all while they work out the kinks.

it's disappointing for sure, but it's an improvement i feel is necessary for the health of the site. we'll just have to see what the grey year has in store and if it'll be worth it.

[sl-vega]

📷 CLICK SNAP!

-> synopsis: amateur and aspiring photographer fishii does everything they can to expand their portfolio, whether that be picking up odd projects, doing freelance work, or joining their school's photography club. after a friend of a friend tells them they know guy that can set 'em up with a solid gig with tons of experience. what fishii doesn't expect however, is for it to be an internship with a major fashion magazine team, or for it to involve taking photos of a painfully attractive model that's exactly their age- a certain yukimiya kenyu to be exact. and it's one thing to have an incredibly attractive co-worker that you have a massive crush on, it's another thing when said attractive co-worker transfers to your school! so in a snap and shutter of a camera, yukimiya finds his way into fishii's life and becomes an ever growing presence. both in their camera roll, and heart.

headcanons about click snap!

i personally think this could either be one of those single season anime series that forces you to read the manga to see how the plot goes, or a bit of a slowburn with 2-3 seasons

of course I don't think the slow burn would result from crappy miscommunication (*coughs* kimi ni todoke-) but more so because it would just be a heartfelt story about two people figuring out their feelings?

strangers/co-workers to friends to lovers!

yapper x listener (according to fishii)

they fell first x he fell HARDER trope

i think the first few episodes would be about your experience working as a photographer for yuki, and then slowly realizing you liked him, and then the first season would end with your internship coming to a close but then surprise, surprise, he TRANSFERS TO YOUR SCHOOL-

then the studio leaves season one on a cliffhanger like that and people are waiting with bated breaths for the next one

the next season(s?) are going to contain a bunch of regular romance anime stuff

ie school festival arc, probably a beach episode, and maybe some summer filler etc.

i think it would be around a school festival ep where yuki realizes he likes you? but it's not in a super flustered/in denial type thing

it would be a very sweet admission towards the end of the episode where he's kinda just staring at you from across a room or something where he realizes how much he likes you :D

i think it would be really cute if the series finale would be at the end of the school year during a firework show, and you and Yuki have a little heartfelt confession scene + your first kiss!

then one of your friends gets their hands on your camera and takes a photo of that exact moment, then the show ends with a snapshot of the photograph framed-and maybe with a little epilogue of you and yuki living together after you've graduated <3

ops and eds

openings: kimi ni todoke, message, clear

endings: let me be with you, honey, groovin' magic

playlist/ost

moodboard

thanks for participating fishii! I hope you liked the silly little concept I scrambled together for you <3 @fishii28

-> want something like this for you and your f/o? just head on over to my current event and read the rules!

divider creds to @aquazero

[starz-n-stuff]

Okay so I just managed to finish watching the new live action ATLA series and all I see is people getting mad about changes and this and that but I’m here to talk about my FAVOURITE change made.

The 41st division that Zuko saved being his crew on the ship. I L o v e that to no end. Just the fact that Zuko saved their lives entirely and yeah they’re kinda banished with him but they would be dead otherwise and ahhhh my gods it’s amazing. I think it’s an amazing addition to the story and I’m glad it was put there.

Sure I didn’t agree with some of the other changes but keeping in mind that it’s difficult to adapt cartoon to live action and that a lot of the original episodes when the show was coming out were fillers I think they did well including as much as they could even if it was put in the background. Like that one pub scene you can hear a patron mention that the avatar defeated the canyon crawlers or something along those lines.

Cabbage man was incredible as always 🥬✨

[absolutebl]

This Week in BL - All's Quiet on the BL Front

Organized, in each category, with ones I'm enjoying most at the top.

May 2024 Wk 3

Ongoing Series - Thai

Wandee Godday (Sat YT) ep 3 of 12 - I love how were getting a solid depiction of two queers just genuinely enjoying sex with each other. That’s actually rare in BL. In this case, it manages to also be weirdly adorable and cute.

Dee is such a tease. I guess Y likes a brat? 

LOOK at those bedroom eyes!

Linguistics corner: when these two are being serious, sweet, or flirty with each other they use rao/nai which is kind of old fashioned and charming and not common in BL. They move pretty seamlessly into gu/mueng and back depending on the style of convo, tho. It's FUN to hear them talk.

Let the fake relationship commence!

My Stand-In (Thai Fri iQIYI) ep 4 of 12 eps - I HAVE THOUGHTS. I'm really enjoying the sinister backbone of this show. I hope they have the courage of their convictions in that regard and lean into a kind of sexy evil revenge narrative. It was a pleasure to watch the break up and I do not want a redemption arc for Ming or a romance for us. Fuck 'em, let’s just ride a revenge train, okay Joe baby?

That’s said, I totally sniffled at the ending scene where Ming (for two years!) has been paying penance cooking for two and waiting alone. Excellent pathos. Now, I understand how they're gonna make this a full 12 eps. And I’m excited about it. Carry on!

We Are (Weds iQIYI) ep 7 of 16 - I wasn't a fan of Winny & Satang in My School President but I'm loving them in this. The thing with Q, Toey, and Chain had me hooting with laughter. I think I’m finally just easing into the relaxed absurdity of this show. The key is not to expect anything from it. Just them being tiny gay idiots.

Two Worlds (iQIYI) ep 10 fin - Someday I’d like to really enjoy a MaxNat show, but today was not that day. (I feel like ever since Between Us I’ve been generally disenchanted with established OG pairs and what they’re bringing to the table. Perhaps that’s a discussion for another day. Cherry Magic excepted, of course.) 

OK, so this final episode, they sure tried to fit a lot in. But that made the pacing better for me. So I kinda liked this weird cliff notes resolution to the story.

In conclusion:

MaxNat do a credible job with a messy script about parallel worlds, gangsters, and strange diseases cured by forest fruits. It sounds confusing because it is. The chemistry is excellent the side pair is entirely forgotten about, and one could drive a Tardis through the plot holes. Still, I found it modestly enjoyable if not at all rewatchable. 7/10 

Only Boo! (Sun YouTube) ep 6 of 12 - I do love how bold and brash Moo is. He’s truly a great character, such an utter outgoing sunshine puppy focused on his pursuit of his older boy. I'm charmed by his utter harmlessness. They gave us a sweet coming out scene, and an awesome supportive mom. Frankly GMMTV has a good track record with moms. (With a few noted exceptions, of course.)

That said, I do keep forgetting this is a GMMTV offering. It just doesn't FEEL GMMTV. Just me?

OMG Vampire (Thai Sun ????) ep 1 of 10 - Starts tomorrow, will report on sitch next week. LeeFrank are back - not unlike the undead. But how do we feel about it? Unsure given their track record.

Ongoing Series - Not Thai

At 25:00 in Akasaka AKA 25 Ji Akasaka de (Japan Thurs Gaga) ep 5 of 10 - I like it. I like our sulky 2nd lead. He’s pouty, adorable, brash, and adding some much-needed tension to this narrative. The blurring lines between show within a show is a lot of fun. Probably the best I've seen done in BL so far.

Living With Him AKA Kare no Iru Seikatsu (Japan Thurs Gaga) ep 6 of 10 - I like that we got backstory, but we also sort of already knew it. So this ep felt a bit like filler. They are wonderful when they’re on screen together but when they aren't it's a bit dull. I hope we just get them together for the next 4 eps. But this is Japan, so I doubt it.

Blossom Campus (Korea Thurs Gaga & iQIYI) ep 1 of 6 - The image resolution on this show (via Iqiyi ) is terrible. Meanwhile, awkward crush. Jock nerd pairing. Dorky. Maybe a bit too much awkward/dorky for me? I'm not sold on this one.

Meanwhile the ordering then not eating or drinking of food continues. Very upsetting.

Boys Be Brave (Korea Viki) eps 5-8fin - This show was just never sure what it wanted to be. Slacker sunshine KiSub moves in with nerd JinWoo, mostly because he knows JinWoo likes him but won't confess and that's never happened to him before. It reminded me of some earlier KBLs like Behind Cut, yes is had bones but not much flesh, so it only just hung together and progressed through not very much plot in a jerking rattling fashion like an animated skeleton. All the story and chemistry was with the side couple and none of the screen time. That just annoyed me. What did this BL want to BE? Who tf knows. I, for one, don’t care, and resolve to think no more on it. 6/10 

Blue Boys (Korea Sat YouTube) - This ended at 4 eps on a cliffhanger. Since this is a very small studio I don’t have a lot of faith in there being a part two. But they have bundled both this BL, and the GL, bingable chunks on YT. So if you want to binge it, it’s there. Just be aware that it ends on a cliffhanger.

My thoughts?

Promising reunion romances full of class and coming out struggles but I grade with what we got, not on expectations, and you know I HATE a cliffhanger. So yeah, it HAD promise but as of now it gets a 4/10 - fatally flawed. I reserve the right to change my mind if they amend for damages.

It's airing but...

You Made My Day (Thai YT) ep 1 of 5 - mini series staring the I Will Knock You couple Tar & Bom, started but I couldn't find it. I also didn't try very hard.

Lady Boy Friends (Thai WeTV grey) 16 eps - reminds me a bit too much of Diary of Tootsies only high school. Not my thing. DNF unless it turns a corner and is truly amazing.

A Balloon's Landing (Taiwan movie) trailer - A frustrated Hong Kong writer, Tian Yu, meets a Taipei street gangster, Xiang (Fandy Fan from HIStory2: Crossing the Line), and the two of them embark on a journey to find the Bay of Vanishing Whales. Along the way, they discover unexpected twists and turns and close bonds, which brings out the message that "there is always someone like you in this world who is waiting for you. This released to cinemas in Taiwan, no word on international release.

In case you missed it

A really really thorough and fascinating article on 2 Moons 2 and what happened.

Next Week Looks Like This:

Upcoming BLs for 2024 are listed here. This list is not kept updated, so please leave a comment if you know something new or RP with additions.

May Releases

VBL (Taiwan) is releasing 4 'Special Episode' epilogues to their 4 2023 shows every Friday this month on Gagaoolala, Viki & Viu. Not sure on search terms or how to find these. (Or, frankly, if we need them.)

5/10 – You Are Mine

5/17 – VIP Only

5/24 – Stay By My Side

5/31 – Anti Reset

5/25 The Time of Fever AKA Unintentional Love Story 2 (Korea movie) trailer - HoTae & DongHee are back but unfortunately not in a cinema near me. Side couple from Unintentional Love Story, same actors, same character names. I love them. I NEED TO SEE THIS.

5/28 My Biker 2 (Thai movie YT?) - trailer

5/30 Knock Knock Boys (Thai Thurs WeTV) - I'm hoping I can get it elsewhere since my WeTV account is inactive, but I do love Best and I'm interested in seeing him in a new pairing. That said, I'm not wild about Seng... so I won't be too cut up if I can't get hold of this. More here.

5/31 The Time of Huannan (Taiwan movie) - May not be BL

THIS WEEK’S BEST MOMENTS

I'm a sucker for this king of casual claiming. (Only Boo)

It me! (Wandee Goodday)

(Last week)

Streaming services are listed by how I (usually) watch, which is with a USA based IP, and often offset by a day because time zones are a pain.

The tag BLigade: @doorajar @solitaryandwandering @my-rose-tinted-glasses @babymbbatinygirl @babymbbatinygirl @isisanna-blog @mmastertheone @pickletrip @aliceisathome @urikawa-miyuki @tokillamonger @rocketturtle4 @blglplus @anythinggoesintheshire @everlightly @renafire @sunflower-positiiivity @mestizashinrin @bl-bam-beyond @small-dark-and-delicious

If ya wanna be tagged each week leave a comment and I will add you to the template. Easy peesy.

[unkillable-gays]

9-1-1 8.16 "the Last Alarm" liveblog

Oh they are NOT starting this episode off with a dead baby. What the FUCK.

(Also idk much about house fires, but that one looks CRAZY!! what happened there????)

Buck sounds so awkward entering the Han house 🥺🥺🥺

(kind feel like Oliver's American accent might've been fighting for its life in that first scene. Like he didn't sound British, but he did sound...off? I imagine it's pretty hard to do a foreign accent WHILE trying to express a lot of emotion and also stay in character.)

Buck don't think i didn't notice you absolutely refusing to talk about your feelings!!!!

hshdjdj LOVE that Athena's like, "ohhh, OTHER people's problems? Instead of my own? Don't mind if I do!"

Oh, these guys should NOT be back at work 😬 send Chimney home!! Him lowkey threatening to kill Gerrard was kind of funny, though.

I'm kind of enjoying the Micah storyline tbh. I mean Athena is fully spiraling, but, like, I get it! I also don't want the baby to be dead!!

CHIMNEY you gotta be there for your daughter and your pregnant wife!!!! Take a page out of Buck's book and repress that shit!!

I feel like the fact that there wasn't a body would've been in the police report, or whatever documentation they have for incidents like these? I mean, I get that there wasn't foul play suspected, but if someone dies, I'd think you'd want to record the details.

(It does seem strange, though, that Gary's like, "I thought she might listen to someone who was there," and literally Tommy, Hen, and Chim were all there, too?? And no one mentions it? Like I understand Gary not knowing who was there, but Athena literally talks to Hen about it, and they don't address that Hen watched this happen?)

The Athena and Leah scene 🥺🥺🥺🥺

Awww, May and Harry, best children ever 💕💕💕

Ohhh, the boys getting ready together 🥺

bdnsjksks is it normal for churches in LA to have suits of armor as decor? And 100-foot paintings??? (I mean I'm assuming this is a real place, so, i guess so, but)

Okay, help me out, I haven't watched most of this show, who's the guy next to Athena?

Also why did she say, "today of all days??"

Did they not bring back Bobby's mom and brother for his funeral?? That wouldn't be so weird if we hadn't seen them so recently! (Okay wait I think there might've been a quick shot of the mom? idk I'm not good w faces 😅)

The folksy soundtrack is an interesting choice, but i don't hate it!

Okay wait kind of crazy that they were considering other burial location options when his family already has a plot??? Like I get that it's not conveniently located, but c'mon. Also tbh I feel like Bobby's the kind of person who would've had those arrangements made in advance. He's certainly spent enough time thinking about his own death. (Also Catholics LOVE to plan their own funerals.)

Honestly? Everyone did a really good job crying this episode.

Not a very fun one, though :/ and also not a lot happening! Kind of like a "buffer" episode? Like, not "filler", (I don't really believe in that) but kind of just the stuff we need to get out of the way in order to keep moving forward with the story.

But it was also, just, like, "let's watch Angela Basset act her ass off for 40 minutes", which I can appreciate!

Since I grew up watching MONK and psych, and other mystery-type shows, I couldn't help thinking that Bobby's funeral would've been a REALLY good time for some opportunistic criminals to pull something off while everyone else was occupied and the street was closed down. Maybe a heist?? Or, like, an assassination, if we were gonna go kinda dark.

(I don't think that's gonna happen, it would very much interrupt the solemn tone they've carefully been setting, it's just where my mind went.)

Love that if Bobby does show back up, Athena and Chimney might have to fight it out to see who gets to yell at him first.

[satcrvz]

CHAPTER SEVEN: did he make you giggle?

navi

this is kinda filler sorry guys . . . very short written part after the 6th photo

"yuuji and nobara stop oh my god" you laugh.

you were laying on your bed before your three friends barge in and start making fun of how nervous you were around yuta. the acting was mostly yuuji and nobara, but megumi added the occasional comment, not wanting to miss out on this opportunity.

"oh my god you're soooo cute i want to kiss you so bad!" yuuji does a very bad impression that sounds nothing like you.

you throw your hands up in defeat, "i never said that?" megumi chimes in, "we know you, you definitely thought it". to any normal person, that being anyone who wasn't yuuji, nobara, or megumi, it wouldn't seem like you're all that nervous. but because you'd been friends with them so long, it seemed like they had a tendency to know exactly what your thoughts were.

"i just know you wanted your little pottery moment", nobara's referring to those scenes in movies where the guy puts his hands over the girls to guide them. was she wrong? probably not. "whatever! so what if i did? let me dream"

the teasing goes from the stream, to what they think you were like at ihop. megumi plays a waiter, nobara does yuta, and yuuji unfortunately took the honors of mimicking you again.

after a certain point of watching them fool around you banished them from your room. you grab your pillow and scream into it giggling at the events of today.

. . .

I'm so sorry guys 😭 once the weekend hits, I literally take a break from EVERYTHING. i did mean to update yesterday, but i was consumed by sleep.

this is kind of a filler chapter, which is on me because of the way i ended the last one. next one, i will deliver trust

tags: @k4romis @soy-garbage @sakyira @dreamxiing @swissy23 @shnzies @captaincyberqueen @fantasycantasy @chuyasthighs0 @mixzimi @milza12 @nahoye @spookyrule @4phskingdom @sad-darksoul @morgyyyyyy @smashingdollz @lunavixia @gaychaosgremlin @jayathelostdragon @h3xi2g0n3 @lysaray

[29daffodils]

unpopular fandom opinion #3 : first kanaphan is the epitome of ugly crying (and that really floats my boat)

listen. i know i will be buried 10-feet under because of this, but i was writing a different post that got me thinking about way back when some stupid anti said that first cannot act anymore because he got cheek fillers or something. now, back then, and even now, i do not claim to know much about facial surgeries or anything, but I'm still of the firm opinion that first has always cried in a way that's not very pretty and now that he has gained some fat in his cheeks (bless his soul, i could eat him whole), it looks different because his skin does not fold the same way as it did back when he played alan/akk/sand.

but. but. the way he cries. he has this thing he does, where he kinda keeps his mouth open, like he wants to say something, or scream, or wail, but ultimately he doesn't and that's what makes the impact in a scene. but that means he also arranges his facial muscles in a way that almost looks like he is trying to smile while crying (which, in certain roles, his character actually does).

compared to khaotung — who purses his lips and just breaks down, his face crumpling like used tissue — first holds himself stronger. i don't think we have seen any of his characters fall apart in a way that wasn't controlled. even akk, who i think is one of my favourites in terms of crying-kanaphan roles, does it with... dignity. or maybe the right word is, fear. the fear to fall apart more than you are allowed to. we see this with all of first's characters and honestly it's a testament to his acting capabilities that he pulls it off so well.

anyway, coming back to the fact that first always has his mouth open while crying — he does this in real life too : most of the times it's while saying something about khaotung that he breaks down, wiping tears and snot and all, but he is always powering through those things, smiling wide to not put a damper on events. if we are being honest, we haven't really seen him cry with anguish. mostly, with joy, though. (and thank fuck we haven't, i will fight demons to keep that smile in place 😤).

anyhow the point of this post was that stupid anti who said they can't differentiate between “whether he is crying or laughing because he has so much cheek filler on”. which, ridiculous. cheek filler or not (because that's none of my business nor do i give a flying fuck), his crying face has largely remained the same. also consider the fact that the scene referenced by the anti was the one where kant was holding onto style while they watched fadel + bison being towed away by the police. i mean, bad judgement in a wrong place, but I don't expect anything better from antis. so.

all things said and done, i know this fandom largely thinks that both firfir and khaotung are pretty criers (which they are, in their own way), but i feel like aesthetically, khaotung is more pleasing (hell, i have also seen people say khaotung overacts so whatever). first on the other hand feels very raw and real in a ugly human way. the kind where you cannot hide the sludge and scum of your emotions from the world because even though you try your best, your fucking face betrays you. in many ways, i love this so so much. I'm personally a very ugly crier (thank you for asking), so i feel very represented because of first. and honestly it's nice.

anyway, that's it! bye! don't kill me yet!

[mgarmagedon]

Okay my Transformers Earthspark season 2B review!!!

There will be spoilers, skip it if you don't want any spoilers

I won't repeat myself about topics I already talked about like Hashtag, plot holes, graphics that give me nightmares, etc.

So... you can be surprised but most of the episodes weren't making me instantly mad! Ik, ik, it's shocking, but yeah, main cause of it is Prowl! Like every episode that he was in was entertaining enough to foucs me on what was happening and not make me think about all the fucking filler and waste of potential is happening in background XDD

But before we go to this part, let's start from the beginning! 3 first ep of this part of a season were just straight up fucking filler. Like those eps were so boring and unimportant that while i was writing a review of it on my instagram yesterday I needed to rewatch first episode, because I forgot what was happening there XDDD like omg every ep before Prowl showed up was so useless and waste of time!!! Like they could use it for like idk STARSCREAM DEVELOPMENT WHICH THEY STARTED IN SEASON 1, RUINED IN THE BEGINNING OF THE SECOND AND DID NOTHING LATER WITH IT

But lets go to the fun part uwu which is ep where Prowl shows up, like he and Megatron are holding this fucking shit show on their shoulders every scene they are in XD

Like Prowl is such a funny racist bitch, I'm kinda sad that they forgot that Tarantulus exist and never do something with him and Prowl, like that would be so cool if Prowl was anti hero, not a villain... but him being funny racist learning that he should respect other ppl is ig cool???

I still fucking can't believe that his figure is repainted cyberverse Roddi

And second is Megan, which is serving (not in design way), every scene that she shows up in is just melting my heart, because he is such a cute grandpa for Twitch (he is not her fucking father figure, he is elder man which is taking care of youngling, which means he is grandpa for hair >:(((()

I can only put one video in the post so I only show you this, but like OMG he is stealing the fucking show, every fucking scene he calls her 'little bird' one child rids off the daddy issue

But let's come back to rest of the stuff, which means: too many fucking characters.

Like there is so much characters that they have almost 0 time do develop or even talk, like yet Grimlock showed up only in zombie ep for longer than 10 seconds in season overall, and doesn't even talk XDD

Or Starscream situation, like for sure focusing on terrans having troubles with Robby's alien date was more important than Screamer reliving the trauma of being left by everyone and getting crazy to the point he is talking to corpses... IT'S NOT IMPORTANT AT ALL

And I don't even wanna know what they will do with this giant bitch which they woke up in the end...

ANYWAY Season 2B is getting 5/10 score, which is the highest for Earthspark yet!

It's like buying from the Shein, you think it looks cute and cool, but turns to dust while you put it on your ass.

Ah and this one pic I made a while ago is still really valid

Ah and Izzy is bad villain like bad not in evil way just bad

[mywebfoot]

I think the one problem with Love Scout is that it’s a pretty limited run. So it can’t explore everything that could be explored in this little world. There’s so much more I’d love to see in terms of the internal thoughts of the characters and the supporting characters but not enough time. I bet after seeing its popularity, SBS are kicking the selfie only ordering 12. It has been a really long time since I’ve been this disappointed that a drama is ending. As happy as I am with where the characters are, I’m not ready to leave them yet. It feels like I’m leaving in the middle of the story 😭

I think I'm in the minority here, but I kinda like the 12-ep format. I remember when 16 eps was the default and many fans would complain about the endless filler scenes. At 16 x 1 hour (or longer) eps, many dramas struggled to keep the pace and excitement going, resulting in things like 1) the dreaded ep 13 breakup 2) tons of time spent on a murder mystery in a romcom 3) and the worst of all - time spent on filler nonsense such as 2nd lead drama or weird side stories. I happen to think that Love Scout's storyline is tighter and the leads therefore more attractive simply because the story moves FAST and doesn't leave time for gaps and plot weaknesses to show up. I mean, their childhood trauma was dealt with in HALF an episode! In a 16 episode drama we'd have at least 1.5 hours of dragging miscommunication. Remember those ? :D

[kafus]

as much as i really genuinely enjoyed the “filler” episode w dot and the stunfisk guy, i rly think the murdock reunion episode could have been saved if the stunfisk ep were scrapped and murdock also got a two-parter like orio is having. the murdock reunion ep genuinely startled me with its lack of emotional weight and the total failure of any payoff in regards to the battle with kaede. like surely there were better ways to prove liko’s growth than not even using the mon she originally lost to kaede with who has since evolved 😭 i don’t think pagogo coming out of dormancy to protect liko now that she’s adventuring again and therefore enabling her to be a battle partner is as much of a symbol of personal growth as the show seems to think it is. like yeah pagogo has fucking Tera Starstorm that’s pretty good for protection i guess and of course liko pilots her battles with way more confidence than she used to generally speaking but as much as i want her secondary pokemon to get more use, they fumbled the literal most perfect opportunity for meowscarada to justify itself as the main battler, even with the 4x weakness to bug added by the dark type (in fact it would have made the payoff even greater…) i already felt meh about the initial kaede fight in terastal debut and this makes me feel Even More sour on it

and like… tbh my fault for having personal expectations like this but i really am sad about the lack of an exciting reunion between dot and the rest of the trio. murdock picking up and spinning around dot was adorable and very him-core but liko calling out to dot never really… resolved itself. and like i’m sad about No LikoDot scene but that’s totally biased. what i am sad about more objectively is just in general no “omg it’s been so long” “wow roy you’re so tall now” “you look so good in the new outfit!” “how are your pokemon?” like i know these guys have been talking over the phone but i still feel like there’s a huge difference between those cordial phone talks and seeing each other in person for the first time in at least a year. some sort of emotional excitement would have felt way more realistic to me and would have gone a long way for the episode viewing experience. orio commenting happily on the kids this weekend filled an emotional void left behind for me at least!! i really loved that!!!

i think they were clearly focused on integrating ult and dot together into the quartet dynamic but it really makes me wish that it had been two episodes instead of one. cause the ult stuff was great but it kinda came at the expense of the rest of the episode. (also shoutout to murdock’s fat lycanroc. you’ll always be famous fat lycanroc)

[alpaca-clouds]

Why the Pacing in Castlevania feels slow - but actually isn't

Okay, based on my long, long write up from yesterday, where I went into the theory of pacing narrative media, I want to talk quickly about one thing. Because I love Castlevania, and I think - outside of season 4 - the pacing in this show is pretty spot on. Mind you, the pacing in Nocturne is a bit better than in the original show, however, the reason that a lot of people feel that Nocturne is much faster paced than the original four seasons.

But the reason why people have this feeling is... actually kinda funny.

It is the editing. I say it right now: Castlevania is edited in a way that is untypical of how visual media is edited. And to this day, I am not fully certain who made the call. Was it Warren Ellis or was it one of the directors? I am not sure. I am assuming it was Ellis, given that the directors are the same in Nocturne - and the editing is very different in Nocturne - but that is just me assuming things.

So, what do I mean by this?

It is fairly easy: Usually TV shows have episodes with an A plot and a B plot. At times there is a C-plot too. And those two plots are interspliced. Meaning, you usually get a scene in A, then a scene in B, back to A, back to B, then maybe a bit of C, then back to A, then B, C again, A, B... You get the idea. This is usually something that is still around because it was needed in more episodic storytelling, but even in serial storytelling these days the idea remains. And as such, the creators try to engage the audience a bit more, by switching between the different plotlines. There is more change, hence the pacing subjectively feels faster.

Castlevania does not do this. Castlevania goes about the different plotlines more in the way a book is going to do. Basically, a large chunk of plotline A will play out, and then a large chunk of plotline B. If there is a third bit for the episode, then also a large chunk of this.

So, in each episode of Castlevania, it usually goes like this: We first spend about 8-10 minutes with one or two characters. And then 8-10 minutes with one or two other characters. And eventually at some point maybe 4-6 minuets with someone else.

The one episode that does this differently is season 3 episode 9. Yes, the rape episode. Where the intersplicing of the scenes clearly tries to communicate something - which is a lot more clearer here, of course, because the show normally does not do this.

When we go into actual analysis however, Castlevania covers about as many plot beats as most other streaming series do, per episode. It just feels slower, as it feels as if the scenes last longer - just because we linger with the characters. Mind you, if you ask me, the pacing is actually still too fast, because of streaming. As I said before: Ye olden days, when shows got 25 episodes per season were better. In a nice world, what we got as Castlevania, would have gotten at least like 50-55 episodes, with some good old fillers in there, that would allow us just to get to know the characters a bit more.

There is just two issues here.

For once... I do not know how else to put this, but: Yeah, people are tiktok brained too much these days. Basically a lot of folks feel bored with an episode lingering with one thing for almost 10 minutes.

And also... look, streaming and the "binging model" has really, really messed with how people consume media and how they expect pacing to go. Because in general pacing these days is too fast. And because of this, the audience is given way less chance to linger with the characters. And that is not a good thing.

And yeah, I will admit, this is topic that starts to annoy me. My two favorite movies from last year (outside of Wicked) were Heretic and Conclave, both of which I watched in December. And reading through the reviews of both movies, I saw so many people complaining about how supposedly slow the pacing in either movie was.

And... Okay, I will openly admit: The first half of Heretic is slow. Like, it about 40 minutes of people just talking around a table, before the "horror" aspect of the movie starts. However, I will argue this works very well, because it builds up properly.

And meanwhile Conclave? Frankly, this was one of the fastest paced movies I saw last year. Just there was no action. But the plot? The plot was in constant movement. Like, there was an important plot development literally every few minutes for the entire two hours. It is just, that of course most of this happens through "people talking".

But guess what: In a lot of media "people talking" will move the plot forward. Not everything needs to be action with fast editing.

To come back to Castlevania: The one season I will argue was not ideally paced is season 4. Because it is fairly clear that Ellis at least hoped to have a few more episodes. I talked before about how neither Sypha, nor Hector properly get to finish out their respective character arcs. Sypha's arc is set up in season 3, and then just gets abandoned in season 4. And Hector's arc mainly plays out off screen. We never get to see him going from: "I am miserable and I was used and abused" to "Okay, I need to do something about this". We get the information that his happened at some point in the 6 week time skip between the ending of season 3 and the beginning of season 4. But we never get shown it. Same with Carmilla's descent into madness and how exactly Striga and Morana got to the point they are in episode 4. Other than that, season 4 is not particularly rushed. Basically it is just that the time skip skips about stuff, that would have been nice to have. But then within season 4? The pacing is fairly okay. Not quite as well as especially season 2 and 3 (mostly because it is fairly uneven), but pretty alright.

But overall? Castlevania is fairly well-paced. Just in terms of how many plot and character beats happening per episode. It is just presented in a way, how you would normally present the story in a book or maybe even a comic - rather than in the way that is way more common for visual media. And because of it, it feels slower.

And in the end I will say one thing: As an autistic person, I actually gotta say, I do prefer the way those four seasons present the story - with the long chunks, rather than interspliced. It gives my autistic brain a lot more time to focus and get into each scenario we get per episode, rather than having to switch back and forth between different scenarios.

Ironically it does remind me a lot of early 2000s Japanese horror media (including anime), that often was edited in a similar way. Though I do have no idea if this was somehow intended or not. But in general the pacing does remind me a lot of Ayakashi, Mononoke and their peers.

[deathandnonexistentialdread]

So in regards to DSOD, the most important difference between YGO manga and anime is that Kaiba is NOT at the Ceremonial Duel (nor is he involved with the Millenium World in general). He never gets to say goodbye to Yami. Without giving more away, this explains more about why he acts the way he does in that film. Also Ryou's dad looks different than in the glimpse we got in the anime. I think those are the most important differences for watching that movie.

Otherwise...where do I even start. Only Duelist Kingdom, Battle City and the Millenium World are manga-canonical arcs. The rest is filler. I'm not sure if you started from s0, but that was based on the first six volumes of the manga where there was a new game per each arc. Duel Monsters was just one of them, but it became so popular Takahashi made it the main thing to center the series around. The first time the gang fights Yami Bakura, for example, was on a tabletop roleplaying game called Monster World - which then becomes a parallel and bookends to how the Millenium World was also a huge tabletop game. His first and last battles with Yami&the gang.

The manga is also a lot more violent. I always love that one line on I think TVTropes as a summary: in the dub, Malik's dad was sent to the Shadow Realm; in the Japanese anime, he was stabbed to death; in the manga, he was skinned alive. That sums it up pretty nicely lol.

The Millenium World is pretty different, too. Seth is...not as sympathetic in the manga. We don't get as much time with these characters (we're missing the scenes and flashbacks between Yami, Mana and Mahaad, for example). When Takahashi was drawing that arc, he was struggling with his health majorly, basically drawing in a hospital bed, so he wasn't able to make it the way he possibly wanted. His editors refused to give him an extension because they didn't like this storyline I think - even though it was kind of Takahashi's writer moment of 'this is what I made all this other plot for'. He basically had to do it in the time he was given or not do it at all. Idk if it's a theory or confirmed that the anime version is based on what he wished he could've done.

Bobasa is more serious. He's Shadi's assistant and a knowing helping hand, rather than a Weird Guy the gang just happens to meet.

Also Ryou is much more of a character. He is someone the anime definitely did a disservice to. In the manga, he's ALWAYS around the rest of the gang, really feeling like a part of the group and a friend to them. He doesn't always get as much to do but he's always there, kind of like Anzu and Honda, cheering the others on. He doesn't just show up when Yami Bakura needs to enter the plot and it makes the bond he has with everyone more believable (and his tragedy as a pawn so much greater).

I always do recommend people read the Yugioh manga because it provides the most cohesive narrative and journey of these characters. I love it 💕. But I get not everyone is able to for one reason or another.

I'm happy to elaborate more in public or dms if you have questions! Yugioh is my forever love and I still love talking about it.

thank you for the summary!! (^^)

I kinda wished that they readapted season 0 in Duel Monsters just for the Monster World/ Millennium World parallel

Shadi's assistant was Bobasa???

NOOO RYOU THE ANIME DID YOU SO DIRTY!!! Justice for Ryou!!

I will definitely read the manga after I watch DSOD

[aufberontrove]

Jayvik, Christian Linke, and the Discourse

Hey y’all, I’m breaking a bit from my usual type of post, but we’re still talking about Arcane, so it’s not too off-topic. I encourage anyone reading this to share their thoughts on anything I’m bringing up—or even to bring new ideas into the conversation. Just please, don’t harass anyone because of it.

Let me give some context first: I haven’t watched the full interview, and I might’ve spent way too much time on Twitter and Bluesky reading about this stuff. I still love Arcane, though. As someone who mostly posts Arcane content, I feel like I kind of have to respond to this, even if no one really cares.

About Jayvik:

Was there homoromantic subtext? Sure—if there wasn’t, people wouldn’t be shipping them this much. But to me, it feels like BBC Sherlock all over again: throwing in gay subtext without committing to it.

Honestly, there’s a simple way to handle this kind of situation: just say you didn’t intend for it to be read that way but can understand how people got that impression. That’s it. For some reason, though, Christian Linke doesn’t take that route—or at least, I haven’t seen him do so.

On Christian Linke

The main reason I’m writing this is to talk about Christian Linke, the co-creator of Arcane, who, apparently, is one of the worst people to disagree with on the internet. Let’s break it down by topic.

The Pitch

First, the quote he used. In this context, I could argue it’s okay to use the slur since it’s a quote, but you have to wonder: Why use that quote at all? There are so many other quotes to choose from, and he chose that one. It feels… weird.

As for the depiction of Zaun: maybe I’m misremembering, but the show doesn’t really lean into what he described in the pitch. The moral codes in Zaun seem pretty similar to those in Piltover. Sure, the chem-barons aren’t exactly moral, but neither is the Piltover council. Piltover is far from pure or righteous.

Let's talk about Viktor:

Apparently, Viktor is ace now. That kinda makes sense to me, but there was no hint of it in the show. It gives me “2007 Dumbledore is gay” vibes—except now it’s the German Twitch edition. And as many people have pointed out, gay asexual people exist too. So, framing it like this doesn’t really fix anything.

There’s also controversy about asexual disabled people, but I’m not comfortable commenting much on that since I’m neither disabled nor asexual. Still, it’s worth mentioning that people are discussing it. (Maybe this is related: Link 1 or Link 2).

Also apparently there is a joke from S1 that implies that he usually brings men to his room so yeah... so, there’s that.

Let's talk about Season 2:

Let’s just get this out of the way: Season 2 was rushed. That’s not really up for debate, and Christian himself confirmed it during Arcane Afterglow. The pacing feels weird in a lot of places. Was it entirely his fault? No, of course not. But certain moments, like “Timebomb” and the sex scene—even though I enjoyed at least one of them—feel like filler to either kill one of the main characters so you don't need to bother with them or cater to the majority of your audience.

Then there’s his cocky tweets and Reddit post.

Like, ok the show is good but I felt the same while watching Owl House, Avatar: Last Airbender, or anime like Koe no Katachi. I agree the fans aren’t owed anything, but the way he responds shows he has no PR training whatsoever.

If you have anything more share it with the class. I am closing Twitter because this discourse is killing my brain cells.

[om-chats]

(forget for a moment that i abandoned this account because i got lazy but came back for this big announcement)

While I was expecting for the original game to eventually perish to the ground due to Solmare abandoning it and making the decision to branch it off with another brand new app, Obey Me! Nightbringer, which that in itself is a huge outrage the moment it was announced because it only benefited Solmare and not its consumers also. I kindaaa wasn't expecting their still brand new game to also meet the same fate in a year and a half.

I know that this isn't exactly the end yet for the OM! series because of their mentions of 'new forms of content' coming soon. But you know what? Just like how when you know when it's time to stop, I'm content that it's now ending.

Other people who are still playing OM! won't share the same feeling considering that I dropped it months ago, so I'm not feeling the same attachment others are feeling right now. But one thing that I WILL shed tears over is the story and the characters potential.

I'll keep it short but both SWD and NB had something in common, their beginnings of their story had potential to build up to something grand that'll keep you both invested in the plot and interested in the characters, but as it progressed it 'kinda' lost its shine. Sorry but it started to feel like an anime that published a few filler episodes. The same goes for events and cards—even when it had its moments—the quantity was big and the quality was still little. I did like Simeon's card where it was an AU where he was a broken puppet/doll though.

And I WILL turn this around and make it all about Barbatos and Nightbringer.

I like Nightbringer. I like Nightbringer. I like Barbatos. I like Barbatos. Did I already mention I like Nightbringer and Barbatos? Which is why I was absolutely DEVASTATED at their lack of involvement in anything further down the lessons. It was like jingling shiny toys in front of a baby and then hiding it never to be seen again. I like mysterious characters but I didn't mean being a mystery to character impact.

I dropped OM! so I don't have any impressions of how the story is progressing now but I know well enough those 5 lessons left until Lesson 60 won't cover those two bastards or even WHY Nightbringer sent MC into the past and instead just show MC with the main cast being all lovey-dovey, give a good-bye kiss, and then bye-bye! End scene. Cut.

Either they atleast show Barbatos being creepy and acknowledging that he knows MC went somewhere they shouldn't have, or show Nightbringer having a 'lovely' chat with MC and explaining what and why he did those things at the beginning of the lesson. Even if they were to give an explanation there's still alot of things OM! needs to unpack that 5 lessons probably won't cut it.

TLDR: Let it die 2x the tree has been failing to harbor fruit for months. I want Barbatos to act like a silver-tongued horror character while romantic tension still continues. creep me out while turning me on. Nightbringer the benefit you give to me is that you're mysterious but now the disadvantage is that your lack of information makes others not care about you, I still love you anyway.