#lines that might put some bls to shame

[moononmyfloor]

Dashing Youth Ep 26-32 Commentary

Ep 1-10, Ep 11-16, Ep 17-21, Ep 22-25, Ep 33-35, Ep 36-40

Ep 26

Watched everything in 2x because I'm still reeling from prev ep, everyone's busy preaching and talking politics and shit and some of them are right but it pisses me off there's not a single character who'd think from the perspective of that poor little darling who is getting bedded without her consent with every wasted second. Well, Luo Qingyang and Dingzhi do but it's not like they are given that much of screentime.

I can understand that all the parent/grandparents gen are thinking about the "bigger picture" and their priority is to keep their giant families safe before anything else but it wouldn't take much effort for at least one of them to say ONE sympathetic line about Wenjun. Almost all the caring lines that came from everyone had been for Dingzhi, for losing his girl and not about how WENJUN is being taken against her will. Other than LQY and Dingzhi, only Dongjun asked: "Does she want to marry the Prince? If not, I'm in for the fight".

AND AFTER THE FAILURE THAT WAS ABOUT IT

Dingzhi is still alone, his only option is bidding time for 2 yrs till his power grows. And that too only thanks to two kind monks, one of which an old man and the other a literal child. Great. Just great.🥲 If noone else feels pressed enough to help shorten that time might as well just make a casket for the pieces of Wenjun's permanently broken soul by then.

Don't quote "butbutbut in historical times that's what it was like, nobody cared for what an insignificant girl thought" at me.

1. Don't bulk insult ancient people. They were perfectly capable of recognising injustice in matters like this and speak up against it, it's just that it wasn't a winning game most of the time. It's up to the storytellers to decide if you'd have a SINGLE character who'd provide a feminist pov.

2. This is not even a period drama anyway. Period. The storytellers have even less excuse now.

Ep 27

This is the only dynamic that brings me solace in this show now. No wonder that Dingzhi wanted his child to grow up under Reverend Wangyou.

There are more gays in the block but sorry boys I'm so not in the mood for shipping anymore

The rest of the ep is full of more heartbreak for Wenjun and disgust towards some others who are not worthy of being mentioned.

Ep 28

So you had six children already, and though you said you were besotted with Wenjun for a while now, you created your sixth child barely two months before marrying her. I'm all for polycules and would even enjoy harems in period settings where it's almost always difficult to not have power imbalance and have 100% happy partners all around, as long as it's shown mutual respect was present and sufficient effort was put in for all the relationships. But here?

Your first wife is freshly pregnant and you weren't patient enough to wait and earn the second wife's consent, I hope your dick rots and falls off.

Thank you for saying that, Dongjun. 😭 Though I've lost interest in you like, a LOT, I still love you. Also shame on you, Yue Yao. What a waste of your existence as a female character.

I love this guy solely for having a Targaryen throne and for planning to put the star-crossed lovers together, though it's for his own agenda. At this point, I'll take anything. Since there won't be a happy ending anw, I just want them to have their single illusory pocket which they more than deserve.

Ep 29

Reunion! 💕

Oooh hiya Simon Chen Junyu! I liked you in your mini BL show Decline, happy to see you again.

This is what happens when you do inaction and play blind at the face of social problems. You also will be eaten up by it eventually. Now how does that feel like huh?

Of all Dashing Youth characters, he's the most uninteresting, most useless and least acted well.

Ep 30

Their characters are sometimes quite reminiscent of Wu Xie's different facets

Haha I had actually forgotten about this couple

That was funny. Just two random dudes who appreciate each others swords lmao. ALso hi baby Jade Deity!

Mood

Ep 31

This was the baddassest highlight of this ep

Followed by Dingzhi finally stabilizing his Immovable Lord technique and Dongjun becoming the Liquor Deity. Kudos to Hou Minghao for convincing us that Dongjun has become more mature and serious person through subtle changes in behaviour.

Ep 32

Why does it look like he's having sex with the rain lolz

I've been missing you and your goofy laugh, Lei Mengsha 🥺

Fluffy couple outfits for the seniormost pairing in the show hehehe

Speaking of couples, my babies who have let their guard down the moment in the time they most need it 😔 He Yu got that adoring husband face down to a tee

WTF show Changfeng had been working his underdog ass off to advance to the elite circles of Jianghu and you wouldn't show his big break and just cheapass illustrate it off???

Prince Qing who had been the lamest of them all but had the coolest bodyguard lady he so didn't deserve, went out in a cool way but only thanks to her. RIP you won't be missed

So Ruofeng, Ruojin... you were sons of an unfavored consort. Amazing. One would've thought that made you two be men who are considerate about women, let alone those who'd actively fight for women's rights. Smh.

[fireemblems24]

Putting everything below the cut.

To be fair, Crimson Flower is also all about blaming people for defending themselves. I just think FE is not capable of writing the nuance required for this kind of plot because it must make the mc always good and in the right, except AM for some weird and glorious reason. But I guess there's a huge difference between "you guy is bad now, but will be good later" instead of "what you are doing is murky, here's muck to wade through and decide."

I thought Houses wrote Rhea bad, but Hopes is even worse. It's clear they don't care about her as a character. She's just a tool, which is such a shame because the potential is amazing.

Oh, anyone who starts a war over a situation that mostly impacts nobility doesn't give a shit about the commoners. Anyone who studies history knows medieval style war pretty much sucked for the average person. Edelgard's just delulu.

Heartwarming???? It what world? Does even people who like GW call it heartwarming? The writers were soooo off their mark. There's been 0 "heartwarming" moments.

I'd love the line when I'm done.

I'm pretty sure, as a whole, GD had my least favorite group in Houses too, but nothing makes it more obvious than how I groan getting their supports vs BE and BL (and the CoS to be honest). Marianne is like the only one I really like in GD at this point and she might as well not exist in this route for all the impact she has.

I'm going to try really hard to recruit Byleth and Jeralt in AG (which is the one I really want a good ending for). So hopefully I'll see their supports together there. No promises though. I kinda just want to be done with this game so we'll see how frustrated I get. I'm not sure I can let anyone in AG die though so . . .

Golden Wildfire Ch 10

Spoilers for GW up to Ch 10 below.

STORY

Now Claude's taking Ls in the Kingdom too.

I love how much they always try to drum up sympathy for Randolph when the man's only character trait is "I want to murder people to gain personal status." And then he also has the gall to act like he's better than the people defending themselves when he goes to kill them.

I never really put that much thought into him before, but yeah he's kinda just a piece of shit, isn't he? Low key one of the worst human beings in the game.

They should've made it Fredinand or like Linhardt's dad or someone likeable.

Funny seeing Claude play Edelgard like a fiddle though. His army is fine, and hers is crushed lamo.

Haha, Fleche is back to her vengeance act. It's gonna be funny if a tiny girl child is a final boss.

The same conversation with Jeralt and Bylethas I saw elsewhere, I think. Yeah, here comes the sword again.

I love how they make Rhea out to be such a big deal, but literally no one gives a shit that they declared war on her. Like, pick one, game. You either have Claude be an unpopular ruler or Rhea actually be a problem.

Raphael called it right. Commoners don't give a shit. So Edelgard getting everyone killed over noble squabbles.

Hilda kinda seems like the Kingdom stan here. She's always the one upset about it.

Claude is such an idiot. I cannot take him seriously. Claiming he wants to spare lives moments after sacrificing Randolph and wanting to wipe a church no one gives a shit about off the map. Am I supposed to take this seriously?

Haha, Arval said he can think for both of them when I had Shez say she's more brawn than brain lamo. And Shez believes it too, omg. Shez is great. I need a comedy show with them.

Oh, nice! Looks like another single-battle map. BC, honestly, I got Spiritfarer for Christmas and I'm DYING to play it, but need to finish this first.

BASE/SIDE BATTLES

Lamo, Arval just said trying to unify different people under one king is dumb, won't work, and looks forward to the day humanity moves beyond it.

LORENZ/IGNATZ/RAPHAEL PARALOGUE

So is this the paralogue that's going to rewrite it so Lorenz's dad did nothing wrong? Given the description, I'm betting it's that.

Ignatz is being awkward around Lorenz now that he's been promoted.

Gloucester evades all of Lorenz's questions about these bandits.

And now Lorenz is demanding Raphael do what Ignatz did and is upset he's so casual lamo.

So are they making it so his dad wasn't the one who ordered the hit that killed Raphael's parents? Lol. This game really likes whitewashing some of these guys, but Glouster's probably the worst offender.

Let me take a wild guess. TWSITD.

It's really a shame that Raphael is such a one-note character. It would've been interesting if he had more in-depth conversations with the rest of the cast who were unable to move beyond trauma.

IGNATZ & LEONIE B SUPPORT

Their one and only support.

They're hunting and the deer only has one arrow. So they try to figure out who successfully shot the deer.

They both hit the same place. Mystery solved.

LORENZ & CONSTANCE C SUPPORT

This one should be better.

Constance is challenging a cat to a staring contest. Yes, this one is already better.

Lamo, he says he would've considered her as a wife if she restored her house. But withdraws because she's a weirdo. (I mean, no loss?)

Constance gets back at him by saying she'd never consider him lol.

Now they're arguing over who's house is more noble.

Much more entertaining.

SHEZ & RAPAEL B SUPPORT

It's about food.

It's nice to see Raphael actually have passion about something instead of just repeating "meat!" over and over.

SHEZ & IGNATZ B SUPPORT

You know, going through supports has made me realize that Golden Deer probably has my overall least favorite cast.

Ignatz has an older brother. He likes his brother at least.

Ignatz is finally talking about how he doesn't love being a knight. He really didn't have much of anything going on removing that conflict.

It's nice to hear Ignatz have his own convictions to become a knight. He's getting more sides to him, which is good.

SHEZ & HOLST B SUPPORT

Holst sneaks with Shez into enemy territory. He's doing it because scouts are going missing. Shez is impressed someone of his status is doing that.

LYSITHEA & RAPHAEL B SUPPORT

Lysithea studied too long and is out after dark. Gets scared by noises. She runs into Raphael and they talk about strengths and weaknesses.

The weird noises she heard wasn't Raphael.

MARIANNE & HILDA PARALOGUE

Marianne needs help from Shez organizing because she sucks at it.

Wow, Hilda not only volunteered to help Marianne clean up the mess, but also to do the scouting mission they were supposed to go on all by herself. It's love.

Hilda doesn't show up for awhile, so they get worried and go to check on her. Given that it dumps me to prepare for the battle next, I'm thinking that was a good call.

Not my favorite paralogue. I had to fight Ingrid :(

They talk about Marianne's typical issues.

It has very "safe" shipping dialogue throughout.

MAIN BATTLE

I don't want to invade the Kingdom. Especially since it makes no sense for Claude to do so.

Hahahahaha, lamo, you deserve it Claude. Fleche raised an army to fight him. Seeing this tiny girl as the final boss is going to be hysterical.

Oh, Arval and Shez stuff. I almost forgot Arval existed. They've got bad feelings. I'm guessing it's because Byleth is fused with Sothis.

Ok guys, I restarted this chapter over and over trying to recruit Byleth, but Claude just stands there in one seized area and won't move until Byleth reaches him - even when no one else is around.

I really just want to be done with this playthrough to be honest (there are so many other games I want to play right now), so I'm not going to bother with recruiting Byleth. I'll try in SB, but the only one I'm going to put any real effort in is AG.

Seeing Fleche as a final boss is funny.

I'm guessing we don't fight Jeralt if you recruit successfully. Got a cool cut scene for not bothering though!

So Byleth doesn't join you because you kill Jeralt, I'm assuming. Though, Byleth doesn't seem to have any issue joining Edelgard when she plays a role in that lamo.

Also, gotta say, I love how there's a chapter you can't use the lords. And for Edelgard and Claude it's because they randomly just don't fight that chapter. For Dimitri, it's epic story reasons lol.

Aw, shit, did Byleth just kill Judith?? That sucks. Oh well. Not restarting. This 3 route thing is too much. I just want to play this again, but one route only.

You know, after Claude's dumbfuckery throughout this route, he kinda deserves this lamo.

So who is it in SB and AG that dies?

Byleth so callous about Jeralt's death. Far cry from the crying in Houses, a bit sad actually.

It's kinda funny that Judith died because Fleche went on another rampage. I'm going to miss seeing her around though.

Is whoever dies in AG bad enough that I should push through and recruit Byleth? I may look that up to give me the proper motivation, but that could backfire if it's someone I don't care enough, but I'm having a hard time thinking of a single character I don't care enough about. Even like Sylvain's dad would make me too sad for Sylvain and I couldn't do it.

Aww, Arval is upset for Shez.

So is Sothis and Byleth merging merging or something?

xxxx

[watchinglikeafangirl]

Just saw a discussion about "too explicit" sex scenes in BLs on my dashboard and thought I should dig into that controversial topic myself because I have nothing better to do than preventing myself from sleeping lol

I for my part don't have a problem with sex scenes in BLs and I don't think that person who got the ask has either. The problem is, since the media is so toxic and the shipping culture so aggressive, we let our judgement be clouded by how the actors must have felt. Wether or not we are entertained or enjoy watching the characters explore each other physically depends very much on the chemistry we see in interviews and behind the scenes footage. If one person seems to be slightly uncomfortable or awkward around the other, there is an instant dislike and disgust against the sex scene and we don't want to watch it again or be reminded it ever existed. Like it put shame on the show we still keep watching even though something seems off because looking away is hard and the fanservice is too appealing.

Honestly, I can't really tell if actors are comfortable with each other or not because I don't watch their interviews or the behind the scenes videos. It won't do me any good and I just enjoy the show itself.

That being said, I do see some clips here and there, so I will keep on writing this and compare "love in the air" to "KinnPorsche". I believe both are good examples for what I want to point out. It's not about the quality of the shows and it's not about the way the intimate and intense scenes are filmed. "Sex scenes are fine as long as they're beautifully shot" I don't agree. I think it's the writer's choice and we just live with it.

What I mean is, wether I enjoy a sex scene or not heavily depends on the actor's well being. We all know how Thai BL actors sometimes look very forced and awkward around each other, so I can't do anything about it. I naturally worry. The fanservice is no help in that matter because if it's aggressive, it's forced as well and things get ugly by then.

Apo and Mile had one specific intense sex scene in KinnPorsche and there was some behind the scenes footage in which they both discussed the filming process and how they saw it as a form of art and nothing personal. They are not involved. The scene is about Kinn and Porsche and their love, their relationship, their moment. It's not about Mile, it's not about Apo. The actors appreciate each other a lot, we can all see that, but there's no overbearing affection since they are promoting their acting skills and not their relationship.

It's a lot healthier and a more relaxed angle. Love in the air has fanservice. I admit, I don't know to which extend but I believe they're initiating physical contact and go to interviews containing more or less couple questions and nothing about the show whatsoever. The whole promotion concept is different and since the relationship between the characters which has nothing to do with the actors portraying them, is projected onto the real people behind those characters, it is hard to tell when someone is alright and when they're not. Wearing a mask works for their fanbase but it comes across as more aggressive since they are not promoting some kind of art but sex. The character's relationship bleeds into real life. There is a huge difference between these two shows and the approach is more stressful for the actors since a whole cult is formed around them. The fans want cute moments between the actors who give it to them, so the line between actor and character gets blurry. So much so, the actors might lose their real self in front of cameras. And that ends in a lot of drama, isolation and maybe depression. It's a lot of stress to meet the fan's expectations.

We are all used to that kind of promotion concept and we saw SaintZee and how that ended. It's forced and fake and really not good. The actors are not appreciated for their talent but for their looks only. So since the environment surrounding those shows is mostly toxic, I can't help but wonder if the actors are comfortable or not. I think many of us can't help but wonder because we have seen cases when they were forced.

The whole show is not presented as some entertainment they filmed for the audience and just do interviews about the whole process. It's like the show is still going with all these cheeky lines the actoes still deliver and the touching they seek.

So do sex scenes get more porny?

Maybe, I don't know. There were always controversial scenes, television is like that. And maybe, since the Thai BLs are gaining more western viewers, they want to be as "dirty" as sex scenes in western media are. Or the conversation is a lot more open abou it. It's not like every show has a intense sex scene. Mostly the display turns black.

Sex scenes in general are always thrilling and kind of interesting to watch. It feels like a new interpretation of the characters. We see their reaction when they're out of it. It's much work for the actors to be this immersed in the character and show the raw image sex is and how beautiful it can be played out. If we approach it from Apo's angle, it's really just art. And by thinking about it as art, it's less disturbing or uncomforting or whatever some people may feel. If we see it like that, the show just tries to mirror a certain reality.

But it's deeply connected to the way it's promoted. Mile and Apo have a very adulty approach, they are pretty mature about it whereas Boss and Noeul never talk about how they worked out what the character is feeling right there. The artsy approach of creating a show is skipped completely and the people seem to be casted for their looks and not their talent which they have. The show is not seperated from the actors, so the uncomforting feeling one gets while watching the uncensored version of the sex scene in episode 4 comes from the general tone of the story because the conversations are not that deep. It's all very one-dimensional and easy to understand. The characters look good, the actors look hot, let's spice things up regardless if it fits, if they agree, if they like the idea.

You get what I mean. By blending the actor's feelings into the one's of their character, you land in a dangerous situation of playing hot because you have a cult surrounding you. Sex scenes are not appreciated as art or part of the progress but as if it meant something to the actors as well. That's why we feel uneasy watching a sex scene because there are always second-guesses about the environment and possible atmosphere on set.

I don't think people have a problem with sex scenes in general and are not respecting the different tastes but they feel uneasy because the fanservice is an act they still hold up for a long while, so they wonder how long they are already on that act.

[absolutebl]

Do you think there's any show that could successfully be adapted for western audiences and all that would entail? I saw the post about why the west doesn't do rom-com shows generally, but if someone decided to take a chance, what would have the highest chance of breaking into the west?

BL With the Highest Chance of Breaking Into The West

Okay so taking Parasite as the Asian drama to beat? Or at least match up to. (Since it won best picture Oscar as a horror flick, which is a commercial genre category like romance, and everyone knows horror separates from romcom with a very slim line - mostly musical.) And let's consider Love, Simon as the latest mainstream success in the world of gay.

They aren't perfect baselines but Imma talk super broad brush strokes here.

Until We Meet Again could do it

It has the best story structure and most consistent acting over all. Also it's not a rom com so it would play better over here.

Also UWMA's narrative is just exactly Asian enough to be approachable. (Please don't get mad, I just think the reincarnation red thread mythos is easier to grok for confused westerners than the social structure, rural location, and heart transplant of 1000 Stars or the ghost and religious beliefs of He's Coming to Me which would be my other contenders.) It's our intelligence as a general audience I doubt, not Thailand's content.

The cooking aspect of UWMA is extremely relatable (even though it's Thai deserts) and as the small town baker trope is HUGE in contemporary romance and cozy mysteries right now I think this would be a big selling point.

Here's the broad changes it'd need:

It would have to be tightened up A LOT, it's a 17 hour run time and it could probably be cut back to half that, let's call it a 6-10 ep miniseries, like The Crown or Bridgeton. Western audiences are hugely impatient.

The series and each episode should open on DeanPharm, not KornIn. In fact, I would suggest making the KornIn story line stingers for each episode, not starters. Use their arc for cliff hanger tension instead of what it is now, which is mostly foreshadow.

More attention paid to background music, it'd have to be swapped out and altered.

Strip out all slapstick and sound effects, there aren't many but still, it all has to go. Yes, including Minaow falling all the time. Similarly, all product placement. Western audiences break suspension of disbelief with these elements, we tend to find them very jarring, and are likely to shut down and turn off as a result.

All English language logos have to be masked.

Specific Edits: KornIn

They'd have to put the trigger off screen and no blood spatter (it can be alluded too but not shown, otherwise there is fixed NC17 rating). Right now no USA based streaming service is going to pick UWMA up because of this specific content. You can't have blood spatter in a romance and hit the right audience demographic, restrictions are too high. The romance audience, mostly straight women, many of whom have children, is more likely to consider rating than any other audience. (AKA they want to watch something and not have to worry their kid might see some of it.)

I'd probably put a slight a sepia filter over their scenes as well. UWMA didn't do great on historical setting so far as wardrobe, makeup, set dressing, and hair were concerned. There has to be something more to alert audiences to the time slip.

The funeral scene would have to be a lot shorter. (See dwelling on the maudlin below.)

And like I said above, I'd rearrange placement of their timeline as well.

Specific Edits: DeanPharm

Should probably cut all the uni girls shipping and FB public shaming storyline at the beginning as well. This could all be axed without impacting plot and a general western audience wouldn't Understand any of it anyway.

They'd need to recut or fade out the kissing/sex scenes earlier because of the dubcon effect that Pharm's constant flinching and hunching gives. That's not considered necessary or sexy in western sex scenes, so it would have to be edited out to turn most audiences off. Since the kiss and intimacy scenes are pretty long running in this show, it wouldn't be difficult. (Also see above with the kids looking over shoulders.)

There's a lot of long cuts on Pharm crying that could be cut down/out too. Western audience don't like to dwell on the maudlin, it's considered overdramatic and in poor taste. There's an element of impatience with overt shows of emotion in a "YES we GET it" kind of way.

Honestly while this seems like a lot to do, it actually wouldn't be too difficult for a good editor to execute. There's a LOT of content to work with in UWMA.

Notice I don't have much to say about WinTeam?

They come off as very modern and easy with each other as a couple and I think this is one of the reasons they are so popular. Also their cuts and scenes are shorter and better paced (product placement is the only issue.)

Finally, I'd consider a dubbed version.

Don't get me wrong, I hate dubbed stuff, but in this instance it might work really well. There is a large romance consuming (TV watching) demographic that hate's captions, unfortunately likely to be the same demographic who would find the Thai language off-putting. (We talking LifeTime and Hallmark here.) 

Thanks for the fun ask! I'm not sure I took this in the direction you wanted, but I enjoyed the thought experiment.

Imma add once again that I took this specifically on how to make a BL palatable for as big an audience as possible, so it will sell well and have as large a reach as possible.

Which means all my recommended edits are from a marketing perspective. So objectively this is to sell to a streaming service acquisitions department first, so not just what I think the market wants but what THEY (usually 10-12 old white dudes) think the market wants.

I'm not sure any of us would *like* the final version as much as the original. But that's kinda the point, it wouldn't be for us anymore.

(source)

[lananiscorner]

Aww you only like Lorenz somewhat D: he's my favorite Golden Deer. Oh well, I guess we won't always have the same tastes xD I think Leonie is a character who gets a bad rap, but it's simultaneously something I can understand WHY she gets that bad reputation. First impressions hurt many characters, Lorenz included. But I think for Leonie, it's a shame because if the story was different, if Byleth remembered her and they were former pals, she could have been greatly integrated into 3H with Byleth.

Thanks for your ask, anon.

Imagine how boring the world would be if everyone had the same tastes. XD Lorenz is a bit of a difficult case for me. I will put the rest under the cut, since some of it is Lorenz critical, but I still want to tag it with his name for future reference. If any Lorenz fans read this, please continue at your own discretion:

It is hard to describe just how visceral my reaction to his original approach re: finding the right future spouse was, because... I am a woman. And I have had to deal with multiple dudes in my life who just could not or would not take a hint. I am STILL dealing with such dudes to this day. Just last month someone stalked me on Discord. So when I first saw Lorenz, my mind immediately went "oh goddess, he's one of THOSE assholes". His pompous "I am the epitome of a perfect noble" attitude didn't do him any favors either, but the final nail in that coffin was the presence of Ferdinand, who is also a bit of a pompous ass, but much less annoyingly so (at least in my personal opinion). So to me pre skip Lorenz was essentially "Ferdinand, but insufferable".

My opinion of him improved quite a bit after the time skip, to the point where if I had to put him in a tier list, he'd be B tier. No-one I'm ever gonna rave about, but nobody I dislike either. He's fine. Post time skip Lorenz imo is still a bit of a pompous ass, but without being insufferable, so basically he's caught up to Ferdinand lol. Also, I love his support chain with Ignatz and I wish they had a paired ending where Ignatz becomes his painting knight and Lorenz becomes immortalized as the noble whose keen eye for and support of artistic talent in commoners allowed dozens of commoners to pursue widely successful careers in the arts.

As for Leonie, I think what would have saved my initial impression of her for sure was if they had changed 3 lines from her B support:

And it's like you don't appreciate Captain Jeralt at all, or how lucky you were to have him around your whole life! Ugh! It still really bothers me! You might be his kid, but I'm still his best apprentice! Got it?!

Because this support does not unlock until after Jeralt dies. I played AM first, so for a long time, I didn't really have access to most of Leonie's supports except for the one with Byleth (since the only way to make her gain suppport with others would have been meals, which I was far too busy using for recruitment and motivating my Lions). So for the longest time, literally all I had of her was her C support with Byleth, her exploration dialogue and her locked B with Byleth. I reckon it was the same for many other BE/BL players. When the support unlocked after Jeralt died, I fully expected these two to trauma bond over his death, and in the beginning it looked like they would... but then it led to... that. And honestly, there are few things that can tank my opinion of a character as quickly as how they treat a person in mourning. Claude and Edel also went down SERIOUSLY in my personal graces after seeing their reactions to Jeralt's death, to the point where my opinion on neither of them ever fully recovered from that. So I think if they had just changed those three lines above to something more like:

And it seemed like you didn't appreciate Captain Jeralt at all, or how lucky you were to have him around your whole life! ... But now seeing how you have been since... I don't know. It still bothers me, but... I guess we both lost someone irreplaceable.

And that would have been enough. That alone right there would have pushed her from "Oh screw you too, Leonie, I would unrecruit you if I could!" into "You know, it's annoying how much you talk about Jeralt, but I guess everybody needs a hyperfixation." territory.

Oh well. She still ended up being my favorite Golden Deer. XD

[oneandonlysoftie]

Hi dear! I've seen you didn't talk much about Sadistic Beauty these days... What are your thoughts on ending and two side stories? Especially Wookying and Minho's one? Tbh I'm disappointed and disturbed :(

i had to step out of this story bc it was leaving me frustrated, irritated and disappointed not to mention very confused LOL. yep, im still fairly disappointed with where the author went with this. a major conflict that should or could have been in the main story was the whole drama including wookyung fighting with doona to get minho but it was swept under the rug only to return as some after thought as a side story (probably excluding doona).  there was such a great opportunity to finish it in the main story but the author decided that minho had to suffer all of the consequences and everyone else is going scot-free LOL. truly a shame. i wasnt surprised that doona was ending up with haesol, never was into them, still not into them. i have a certain distaste for characters like haesol, he’d be best described as a simp. and i absolutely loathe simps lol. there’s a fine line with being there for someone and being there in hopes that smth more might change, he def wants to date doona and saying that he’s okay with how things are and if they don’t date, is basically a blatant lie to himself. if that was the case, he wouldn’t let her string him along and use him for sex. the feelings he has for her will just be kept in the back, but it will most likely resurface in some way or another. in the long run, it’d hurt him and that’s just not worth the hassle. obv since the writer wanted them to happen, he’s prob gonna get what he wants lol. i def found the whole rivalry btw donna and wookyung in order to get to minho way more fascinating, and wished it was explored more. now, the only thing im happy with is gyerin is probably getting her happy ending with the new girl. she’s also the only one who went “fuck this” once she saw doona wasn’t going to reciprocate her feelings, and im rlly glad she did that. at first, i didnt think much of her, but now, seeing how the story went (lmao), im all for gyerin being happy. and as for wookyung and minho, im interested in how their story will unfold. but i feel so so bad for minho, he was a jerk and an asshole i wont deny that, but he didnt deserve all of the hate and harm he got and still is receiving according to the side story preview. wookyung is still a great and fascinating character, i do like characters like him, but how he was used was just not satisfying. and it seems like there might be a case of stockholm syndrome coming up where he might fall for wookyung. i just wish doona had smth to do with it before she parted ways or she could have helped minho, but yeah. *shrugs* this story left me confused as to what the author is doing, there is wasted potential and opportunities at every corner. the plot goes one way then goes another to end on a weird note. i also think the whole gl, bl stuff was more of a fanservice thing and that’s probably why it’s more of a disjointed story? as in, i feel like the gl and bl stuff should either have been more of a focus and woven into the story or it should have been entirely separate so the author wouldn’t have to shove many things at once and just focus on one or two pairing. one thing i might add for the story is that it felt as if it was trying to make us surprised, but the so called “twists” that happened just made it more confusing and those probably shouldn’t have been there as they don’t add much to the story narrative. back to gyerin, you can see that gyerin and the new girl can have their own separate story from the start (she didn’t have much to do with the primary conflict and could easily have a flashback to doona instead of the whole fanservice lol). the same goes for wookyung and minho as well, and it’d have been perfectly fine. at the end you basically see three pairings, the m/f, the f/f and the m/m. however, we dont even know if minho is into men? so i’m not sure how’s that gonna be considered BL? then again, every pairing could have been in the main story, but it’s not? for some reason??? it feels as if the author wanted their pairings without putting in the effort of making it into the main story, hence the side stories or they just wanted to make it separated without putting too many characters in it. obviously, for wookyung and minho, there’s no way doona wouldn’t have done smth if it was fully explored in the main story, and it might have changed the ending too. there’s multiple ways the story could have gone, but this one was the only conflict that was much more interesting imo, but it wasnt used that much.

gyerin didn’t really have much to do there other than be lesbian fanservice for doona (and the audience, writer and maybe the artist too?), and to be some kind of support for haesol. that’s about it, so i can understand why she’d not have a full blown romance in the main story, but seeing that she keeps reappearing, she still could have her side story integrated into it. lmao i don’t even kno if doona is bi/pan lol or if she just had sex bc she was drunk then did it just for pleasure without being interested in women at all.

EDIT: iirc doona did get aroused seeing gyerin uh doing stuff, so it could be possible that she is interested in women, but maybe only sexually? although i still could be wrong lol and it could just have been a moment of “I’m straight, but horny and u’ll do for now”. she could be in the closet too, who knows.

overall, sadistic beauty had some interesting conflict, some good characters (ill never like haesol lol), good art and the storytelling by this artist is well paced, but the execution and where the story went leaves a sour taste in my mouth. would i recommend this story? absolutely not. it is so frustrating, and for what? i wish i had saved myself this headache from the very start but the art and the fact that doona was a dom was what reeled me in. i only came back to it to see if the writer redeemed their story in some ways, but... well... you saw how that went.  i would follow the artist if i could, their art is beautiful. however, i cannot say the same for the writer. from my exp, it seems that many webtoons have good art, but the writing definitely leaves way more room for improvement. that said, i do hope ppl will learn that in order to make a great comic/webtoon/manga and so on, it is not only about pretty drawings. the story and writing should be up to par with the art. if not, it should be at least close to it. because the art might attract people, but if the story doesn’t resonate, if it doesn’t make much sense, then ppl are bound to leave and drop it. and what is a story, but pretty pictures and nothing substantial in it? nothing, but superficial beauty.

[longinglook]

I may or may not have spent my entire Sunday binge watching all of I told sunset about you and Gaya sa pelikula and now I have so many thoughts and feelings that I need to write about them so here we go! Under a read more (if tumblr allows me to) because it’s 2k words hehe

First of all, I knew next to nothing about both shows before starting them. I had seen a couple of gifs here and there, but really had no idea what I was in for.

I started with I told sunset about you, which has 3 episodes out of 5 out. All I knew is that it was going to be beautiful and possibly sad, and it was. Everything about this show is so high quality, from the audio to the dialogue to the locations to the acting, just wow. The production is better than a lot of movies I’ve seen, and every technical aspect is perfect. I am really loving the plot so far as well, I find the childhood friendship to stubborn rivalry to grown up friendship again very relatable. I think it’s a very common experience for a lot of non straight folks to develop an extremely close bond with a same sex friend when you’re too young to realize what you’re actually feeling for them until you’re a lot older and suddely the jealousy and possessivenes all make sense.

I love the recurring themes sprinkled throughout the episodes, starting from the chinese vocabulary that expresses the core thoughts of the two main characters: rival, intimacy, secret, male protagonist, as promised. They could easily be the episode titles, or the names of imaginary sections the show could be divided into. It’s a great way to integrate metaphors and deeper meaning into the plot.

That’s how most of the communication goes in this show, deep emotions are never conveyed through words because words are scary and loud and they can’t be taken back once they’re out there. The plot advances though stares and gestures and touch and gorgeous shots of the landscape. The pace is slow with hour-long episodes that could each be a movie of their own. This worried me a bit before starting, and I have to admit that at times I struggled to stay focused, especially during scenes that set the mood but don’t do much plot-wise. This is just a personal preference, though, and in no way I see it as a flaw. 

The dancing around each other the main characters do, sometimes literal, is frustrating but it determines an emotional build up that’s just starting to reach its peak. This is one of those shows that has me screaming if only they talked to each other, but the silences and unspoken words are so well directed and acted that it works. I struggle a lot with keeping in mind that they’re still in high school, they’re very young and I can’t expect them to act rationally just yet. 

I was really worried about Teh possibly going the insufferable Theory-of-love-khai way, and I am still not 100% sold on him. When he started helping Oh-aew again it felt like he was just doing it to make himself feel better about the whole thing. It was frustrating to see him so possessive and jealous while also so deeply in denial about his own feelings, to the point where he had me rooting for Bas instead. He was getting better, but then he fled at the end of episode 3 and now I have no clue what’s going to happen next. About this, I really have no idea if they’re going for a happy ending or a sad one. I’m really hoping it will be good, because so far there has been barely any emotional payoff for all the repressed longing and misunderstanding the show has put us through.

I do like their dynamic a lot though, I have a weak spot for childhood friends reconnecting and an ever weaker spot for informal mentor/mentee relationships. Oh-aew asking Teh to tutor him until he passes the admission exam was an almost exact mirror of Yuri on ice Yuri begging Victor to be his coach until he retires and I loved that a lot.

Now on to the one issue I have with this show: it feels too much like an art film. It reminds me of Moonlight and Call me by your name, in the way that I wasn’t able to connect with those movies because they are too perfect. They are so beautiful and carefully crafted that I can’t fully immerse myself in them. There’s a filter that stops me from relating to the characters and constantly reminds me that this is not reality. It’s pretty, it’s extremely well done, but it feels like art. It has some quirks, some scenes that feel too artificial. One scene in particular, the one where Teh buries his head in the paper Oh-aew wrote with his coconut scented pen to sniff it, which is a direct parallel to Call me by your name, bothered me in particular. Just as it felt over-the-top and purposefully weird in the movie, so it feels in the show. It’s a way of showcasing how a confused teen deals with attraction he barely understands, it’s raw and animalistic in a way, but it’s so quirky that all it accomplishes is to remind me that I’m watching an lgbt show. It makes me wonder if a scene like this would make sense in a straight relationship because here it seems to highlight how different and primal his attraction is. If I had to pinpoint it, I’d say that I have a problem with media showcasing queerness though peculiar, purposefully awkward scenes like these instead of normal kissing and cuddling.

Overall, I can’t wait to see how this show ends and I still think it’s one of the best bls to air in 2020, if not ever. It’s refreshing to see something with a big budget used well! So far my rating is 8/10, which I know is a lot lower than what everyone else seems to think but it’s still very much subject to change! Just hoping they won’t pull a Make our days count, but I doubt they’ll go there.

And now Gaya sa pelikula. Wow. Again, I knew next to nothing about this show before watching, and I was coming from a 3 hour I told sunset about you binge watch, so the bar was pretty high.

And boy, did this show deliver. I was blown away by the depth and the humor of it. It feels like the writers had fun taking all sorts of common tropes and stereotypes just to show everyone how well they can be evolved and made complex. Two strangers who somehow find themselves sharing an apartment sounds like the start of so many fanfictions out there, but it’s so well executed and interesting that you don’t even stop to think about how weak the premises for their meeting are. It doesn’t matter and it’s not even that far-fetched, either. The sister and the neighbor are also two characters that start off as extra stereotyped, but in just a few scenes they unveil an incredible depth and backstory. It blew me away.

Each character is so realistic. Everything they do and say makes sense, they all have their reasons and their past and they react accordingly, it’s so coherent. It’s impressive how everything takes place inside the house and you barely realize it because things happen and the plot moves anyways, and the way information about external events and people is conveyed is so seamless that you don’t even notice it. In only 7 episodes (so far) they have managed to give everyone a complex background and personality through the use of objects and small details and wow don’t get me started on the music.

The soundtrack is SO GOOD. I never really pay attention to music in shows but it plays a very important role here in my opinion and, well, it’s exactly the kind of music I like listening to and ahhh I just spent 4 hours playing the first kiss song on loop so I might be biased. Right from the start in episode 1, when Karl gives in to Vlad’s music and starts dancing to it, it’s established that it’s an important element to the mood of each scene. I love how the dancing I talked about for I told sunset about you comes back here, but while I saw it as a hesitant dancing around each other there, here it’s the opposite, it’s freeing and it’s about accepting yourself. And the end of episode 6 highlights this, with the beautiful quote “You are entitled to a love that lets you dance without fear and shame.” It made me cry a looooot.

I think the development of their relationship is masterfully done. It doesn’t happen too quickly nor too slowly. Karl goes through some needed shocks that act as his wake up call. When I’m watching bl shows I care the most about them feeling real and relatable. I don’t want to feel like they were written by a straight person trying to guess what it’s like to be gay. Now I didn’t look anything up about the Gaya sa pelikula writers, but I’d be very surprised if they were straight. I can relate to both Karl and Vlad for different aspects of their stories and their worries and thoughts. There was one part in particular that hit so close that I had to take a few breaks because it hurt too much. I am a lesbian, I’ve had relationship with a girl that lasted over a year, I am out to some friends but not all. I never came out to my parents, who are both very open minded and friends with a lot of gay people and would love me just as much if I told them, and yet I can’t. It’s not just that, I am terrified by the idea of them already knowing or being able to guess. When Karl freaked out over his uncle guessing, it hit me so hard because I’ve felt the same way so many times.

Episode 7 was amazing. I hate badly written drama the most, and 99% of shows can’t come up with any good reason for drama but they have to put it in there anyways and it sucks. This was the complete opposite, I adored it and I say this as a lover of fluff. It feels right, I think it’s an issue that would come up between two people like them. They are both right and the only thing that could happen there is what actually went down. I definitely think things will be fixed by the end and I am looking forward to it, but I am very glad this issue was included because it’s so important and so true to many lgbt people’s lives.

Another aspect I absolutely adored are the multiple references to lgbt theory and language, and Vlad has some of the best lines I’ve ever heard coming from a bl. When he tells Karl not to be afraid of the word, when he explains that “you don’t look gay” isn’t a compliment, when he scolds his sister for not acknowledging the things she used to say to him by covering them up with her ally act, those are all such important and educative moments that I hope everyone listens to. I love that Vlad is not correcting some ignorant bad guy, but it’s his accepting and loving friends and family that make the mistakes, because sometimes being supportive your own way isn’t enough if you’re not actively learning from the ones you want to support.

This is a 10/10 for me right now. I can’t find anything I don’t like about it. It never feels boring, it never feels overdone, it never feels cheap or unoriginal. It went straight to the top of my favorite bls.

And now I can’t help but compare the two a bit, because yes they are two different shows but right now the relationships they portray have reached the same point: there has been a climax and now the one who is more confused about his sexuality is panicking and taking a step back. It’s a coincidence that I watched both shows on the same day when their last aired episodes end in such a similar way, but it really leads me to compare the two. I don’t want to put them one against each other or say which one did it better because that’s not the point of this, they are both two amazing and important shows who are excelling in what they’re doing. 

Gaya sa pelikula is down to earth, it’s explicit and it’s straight to the point in explaining what’s going on inside each character’s head. It feels like watching real people deal with real struggles. I told sunset about you is a lot more subtle and quiet, and since we don’t really have a clear insight in the characters’ heads sometimes it’s hard to completely understand what’s going on with them. It’s a completely different way of narrating, and while Gaya sa pelikula makes me feel like I’m a part of the events, I told sunset about you feels like I’m just spectating from an outside perspective. They are different choices, but one of them ends up feeling a lot more emotional to me than the other.

To wrap it up, I highly recommend both shows and I can’t wait to see how they’ll end! They are both among the best shows of the year, both free of all those annoyingly stereotyped characters and plot points that most bls tend to overuse.

[star-anise]

Hi, star-anise. Would you mind giving me some advice? Recently there's a homophobe in my local fanfic community. She tries to indoctrinate people with homophobia. She demonizes yaoi, calling it sinful etc. She demonizes genderbend fics, calling it LGBT Agenda™️. She is undeniably queerphobic, not just about fiction. Apparently she's a part of fundamentalist cult. Also, she's a known serial harassers who habitually harass BL/slash writers. What do you suggest we do?

Damn, that sucks!

What kind of fannish infrastructure do you guys have? That is, do you all just hang out on the AO3 category/main Tumblr tag, or do you have things that you can control the membership of?

1. Encourage a positive fannish atmosphere - Decide on a core set of principles, or guidelines of behaviour, you want to encourage in fandom, whether that’s “Hate-Free” or “LGBT-Positive”, or put in rules like “No Homophobia, No Harassment”. Post things about the importance of representation and LGBT pride, or about the importance of fans treating each other respectfully. Try to build a culture of acceptance and inclusion that’s so lively and engaging that when she spews bullshit, it’s obvious a dissonant note.

2. Build fannish infrastructure - A fandom can just be the AO3 feed and a Tumblr tag. But the more you actively build spaces and institutions, the more you can shape the culture around it. For example, you can create a secondary fannish hashtag on Tumblr or Twitter where everyone hangs out and socializes, like #inclusive[fandom] or #hatefree[fandom] or #[fandom]rainbow, so someone who checks out the main fannish hashtag will see that many cool creative people are talking in this LGBT+-friendly space. You could use that tag on AO3, too.

Other types of fannish infrastructure: Rec blogs, ficathons, gift exchanges, theme weeks, podfic exchanges, Discord servers, or remix challenges. Give all of them an anti-harassment policy, for example, “This blog will not rec any work by a user who has harassed another fan in the last 6 months”, that both let you enjoy fandom without her, and give her an incentive to stop harassing people.

3. Make consequences happen - If she’s part of any group space you can control the membership of, use those rules or principles to kick her out. If people aren’t willing to kick her out permanently, then decide on a length of a ban, like 3 days, a week, or a month. Every time she says something bigoted? Kick her out. This might not stop her so much (I recommend a “3 strikes you’re out” policy to keep it from being a revolving door ban), but it will send a strong message to onlookers that this shit won’t fly, and they’ll get used to what things are like with her gone. 

If your common fannish space moderators won’t do that, get rid of them, or find a new fannish space. Seriously. If a moderator won’t set rules for basic good behaviour, or get rid of a toxic troll who constantly breaks them, they are of no use whatsoever.

If you can round up proof of her harassment or homophobia, you could also report her to the websites she uses. Twitter has a Hateful Conduct Policy and abusive behaviour policy, harassment and hate speech are against Tumblr’s Community Guidelines, and AO3 has a Harassment Policy. All these sites’ policies also forbid making extra accounts to get around a block. It’s really tedious, but for a long time now I’ve kept a folder in my computer where I keep screencaps of fannish abuse, harassment, or hate speech, in case I need to make a report or go, “Hey, the user you banned previously? They’re back using a new account.”

4. Help keep everybody safe -Let everybody know that blocking, reporting, and ignoring abusive users is the best way to go. Make that knowledge as easy for new users to find as what the shipnames are and who makes the best fanart. Teach people how to filter post content on Tumblr, remove certain users from AO3 searches (type -���creators: username”), or subscribe to a Twitter block list. 

5. Forgiveness is optional. Good behaviour is not - You can keep giving her chances to change if you like, or you can just cut her off. If she promises she has genuinely changed and really wants another chance, it’s up to you whether to give it to her--you don’t owe her forgiveness. If she really wants a “fresh start” she can go find another fandom where she hasn’t already hurt people. 

On the other hand, harassing her or sending her abusive messages isn’t okay. One of the sad realities of the Internet today is that if you name someone for bad behaviour, various people will take it upon themselves to target that person for harassment and abuse. Therefore, naming and shaming isn’t a great first line of defense because it’s so likely to have negative consequences. See what you can do first about making your fandom resilient against her bullshit, and removing her from your spaces, before doing it. Sometimes it is necessary to have a Canonical Callout Page explaining why everyone should block this person, or to have someone keeping tabs on her who can let everyone know if she’s renamed or changed accounts. However, that’s kind of a “if all else fails” scenario. Hopefully, you shouldn’t need it.

Good luck! <3 Gay rights, trans rights, have an awesome time in fandom.

[potatomarble]

SOTUS S

This series is the continuation of the life and love of Kongpob and Arthit. Unlike the previous season, Sotus S has a new environment added to their story - the corporate world. Kongpob (portrayed by Singto) is now in his third year of college, while Arthit (portrayed by Krist) is starting his career as an employee of Ocean Electric.

Nothing much has changed over the years they've been together. As usual, Kongpob likes to throw sweet banters to Arthit, and the other always pushes it away. Kong's healthy obsession with his partner is so fluffy, I became addicted to it. And yes, just like the first installment, there's no 18+ scenes to look out for.

SOTUS S now revolves on two plot lines, Arthit's working environment and Kongpob's university life. And as the story progress, they will soon meet in the middle when Kongpob finally enters internship.

CHARACTERS

Most of the characters from this season are old faces. You'll meet almost same group of people in the university, but with the addition of Day. He is an introverted freshie that caught Tew's attention. Throughout the episode, you'll see how Tew manages to enter Day's bubble and becomes his friend. The new supporting characters of this series came from Arthit's workplace, Ocean Electric. Also, this is where we get to see Kongpob's parents.

CONFLICTS

Lack of communication

Kongpob and Arthit have been dating for 2 years now, and they barely know each other. Arthit doesn't even know Kongpob's parents. He doesn't know anything about his family and his lifestyle. Imagine how shocked I was when I found out that Kong is from a rich family, and his dad owns a huge company. But, at the same time, I was like. Okaaay. Now, it made sense why Kongpob acted like a fearless guy on season 1. He has everything. Another thing, Kong doesn't open up that much to Arthit. He makes decisions on his own before telling his partner. And in some scenes, that made Arthit really upset.

Arthit's Inner Conflicts

I think this one of the major themes of the story - Arthit being comfortable with who he is. We all know that he has a shy personality, and he still finds it uncomfortable to do PDAs. Even though all of their friends knew that they are together, coming out is not just a one and done thing. You have to do it over and over, especially when you're put into unfamiliar environments. Also, along with coming out, you can't help but anticipate the mixed reactions of people around you. This is what keeps Arthit closeted at work. He is somehow scared of what others might think of him.

Stigma between Gay Couple.

When people from Ocean Electric found out the score between Kong and Arthit, some employees started gossiping about their "unconventional" relationship. I hate it when some of the supporting characters from the factory said that it is such a shame for them to be together. Like for real? How close-minded can you be? In my opinion, what's more shameful is when someone is nosy about someone else's life instead of improving their own. Good thing, Cherry an employee who's openly gay, slapped these good-for-nothing gossipmongers a piece of her mind.

Unappreciated Love

Another major theme of the series. Kongpob is always the one fighting for Arthit's attention. He never stops running behind him. Most of the time, I think he's the one putting more effort in trying to make the relationship work. It pains me to see how Arthit never appreciated his efforts, and sometimes, he even finds it annoying. Good thing Kongpob manages to speak up and made Arthit realize that love shouldn't just be a one-way street. The giver should also receive love, and should not be taken for granted.

BL CLICHÉ

What I like about Sotus is that it doesn't have the typical bl cliché other series have. First, they don't vilify women. Instead, the boost them up. We have Earth who embodied a strong woman moving on from her previous relationship and finding a new love. Then there's Prae, a campus crush who becomes open dating another woman. Second, there's no third party that causes conflict in the main characters' love story. I am so done with that cliché. The series focuses more on real life and adulthood struggles which even the straight audience can relate to.

FLASHBACKS

The use of flashbacks in Sotus S gave us an insight of the things that happened in Kong and Arthit's relationship. Even though it is a slow-paced progress, you will see how well they adapt to each other. Since the passing of the head hazer position to frequent sleepovers. Every scene gives us butterflies. You will also witness how Arthit tries to open up slowly, and how Kong playfully supports him.

AD PLACEMENTS

Is it just me or GMMTV is so addicted to product placements? Most of the time, I can easily ignore it. However, there were times when I find it too much and unnecessary. I just hope they can be a little discreet about it.

FINAL THOUGHTS

Sotus S may not be as romantic as the previous installment, but I like this one better. I love how this series showed us a glimpse of adulthood, and how a fresh graduate managed to survive the real world. This series tackled a more matured topic that suits the growth of the characters. One example is when Arthit got into the procurement department instead of his chosen one. Eventually, he fits in and it made him grateful of the opportunity given to him. It was like a silver lining moment.

Also, this series depicted a very realistic life a gay couple. Even though, the main characters love each other. It is not always rainbows and butterflies. There were times when they both got tired and almost quit. The relationship has its ups and downs. It is up to the couple if they'll give up or go hand in hand in order to solve the obstacles in front of them.

(STILL NO PREMWAD!!!)

[mimithings97]

7:58pm

When babysitting time almost ends prematurely ;) Based on the Drabble Request:

#14 “how am i supposed to know you put a banana in your pocket?”

Word Count: 2k

A/N: For the anon that said ‘Oh my god 😂😂😂😂😂 #14 and jungkook bls crackety crack crack that newborn chickies would be jealous 😂😂😂😂’, I don’t even know what you meant but I love it and enjoy, Mimi x

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You’re completely fucking neck deep.

And you wished you could say that in any other way than the one you mean. Like neck deep in a steamy bath with salts and candles and the smelly shit Jungkook uses after the gym because it’s a home smell. Or like neck deep on your couch with records soothing the ears and some kind of fried dish sizzling on your cooker. Fuck, like neck deep in the smell of sex as someone pile dri-

“Y/N, Y/N, Y/N! I- er- can’t reach the bathroom door thingy!” 

Nah. 

You’re neck deep in the stress of your two nephews and niece. 

“Yeh, Jae, just give it a big push and it’ll open.” 

“Mmm, tried that!” he’s pouting but still finds the energy to contradict his face by skipping around your legs. 

“Fine. Bathroom door here we come!” But you’re in no way enthusiastic. 

Yoongi, on the pretence that these are in fact his children, would say they’re beautifully brimming with life, immature and youthful in the sweet kind of way, the apples to his eye, the stars to his fucking moon. You’re brother turned real sappy over the course of fatherhood. And to be honest, you’d liked them, at first, when they couldn’t talk, when they didn’t all start dressing the same and you could tell one apart from the other, when you didn’t have to face them alone and without the extra strong arms of your boyfriend.

Yet you find yourself into the fourth hour of damage control to your apartment and toilet brakes consistent with that of an elderly woman with pelvic floor dysfunction.

Jungkook’s better at this than you. He has the ability to reinvigorate his childhood self and channel it all in babysitting days. That and he stashes banana milk to the brim and out of your reach in the top cupboard just so he can retrieve it and play ‘fun uncle Kook’. He’ll say it’s just because he loves banana milk and to be honest, you can’t really argue with that. 

And, shit, you miss him.

“Auntie Y/N.” Her voice is sweet but you see the glint of the devil in her eye, you swear. 

“Yes, Mai.”

“Daddy makes me hot chocolate before bed, and bedtimes almost here.” You frown deep. Yoongi almost definitely doesn’t make them hot chocolate because Sannie has a nut allergy, but how can you tell a child she’s lying. 

“And auntie Y/N.” She strings it out like it’s honey and silk and fuck does it work.

“Yes Mai?”

“I think Jae’s locked himself in the toilet.” 

Fuck! Damn children and their short arms that can’t reach over their heads!

The girl in the plaid pyjamas, watching on amused as you scramble for the bathroom, has more sense than you’ll ever have at 8pm. It’s sad, but sadder when the door creaks and reveals first a sniffle and then an all out sob before the small bundle curls into one of your legs. You’re wearing jeans, but he hugs you like you’re soft and comforting. It kind of thins your edges a bit and you scoop him up in no time, because babysitting is a bitch, but you’re not.

“Oh bubby, did you get yourself trapped in the toilet.”

“Mmm,” a sleeve covered tiny fist rubs at his eyes, and he gives a tinier nod before he flops down into your neck. 

You pace the apartment with shuffled walks, an attempt to soothe the dying hiccups on your shoulder, and find a spot in behind the sofa to watch on as the other two make a plaything out of Jungkook’s exercise band. You should have the sense to tell them to be careful but every time Sannie pulls one end, Mai pulls the other and then Mai, the 5 minute older triplet that she is, sends San flying, is just a bit too good to distract them from. 

It’s a shame the sound of keys and the hallway light has to disturb the ‘peace’. 

“What do we have here!” 

Jae shifts at the same time as you to spare a glance at the man in the doorway. Business casual, because it’s a Friday, looks good on him, and the smile he adorns when the first two bound up and at him with speed looks even better. 

“Uncle Kook!”

“Sannie!” He throws San over one shoulder.

“Uncle Kookkkk!”

And pushes a fist out to the other. 

“Mai my bro, how we chillin.” 

Her tiny fist meets his before pulling back in a fake explosion. You don’t know when the tradition started, why Jungkook thinks it’s appropriate, but because she replies with a small, “peachy, Kookie, peachy,” you might just have to smile and feign sensibility. 

Your early day perception of Jungkook definitely didn’t pip him as one for children, to the extent you genuinely thought he was scared of them. But then he cried when Yoongi announced his girlfriends pregnancy, cried harder when three munchkins were born, and forever since has lived up to the job of ‘best uncle’ despite having 5 others to contend with. Your brother and him were stunningly close like that. It’s how you and Jungkook had met. And now you’ve come to love the 8pm deadline, rather than 10:30, he’s set out of his training session, because now you get to share the wonder that is your boyfriend with three tiny faces. You almost think they adore him as much as you. Almost.

“And what’s up with this little champ ey?”

You give him a gentle shake to rouse him, then he finds your eyes, then Jungkook’s and finally throws two chubby arms in his direction even though Kook already had his hug ready and waiting. Your boyfriends probably sweaty, but the boy pays no mind and finds his peace between shoulder and neck. Jungkook turns your way.

“Hey you,” his eyes glint like that when he misses you. Maybe you blush. 

“Hey you.” 

“Why is the bread baby crying?” Jae’s got rolls for days, arms, legs, hands and feet just round and pure squish and you know it’s because Yoongi can’t say no to him like he can the others.  

“He couldn’t get out of the bathroom.” 

There’s a bottle of protein shake on the side that you’d readied in preparation for Jungkook’s appearance, and he takes it gladly in one hand whilst balancing Jae, impressively on the other. 

“Macho man!” Jae perks his head up a bit at the nickname, eyes a little more alive than when they were puffy, “you gotta start doing your morning stretches like I said. Those arms aren’t gonna grow themselves,” the shit he spouts sometimes you swear-

“I know, uncle Kook, I’ll try, but- but- but, maybe you and auntie Y/N could make another door, a little smaller, fo-for me.” It’s a cute enough statement that you keen, Jungkook too, and you both share a look of despair at the blubbering stutter of baby that is your nephew. 

“I’ll see what I can do for you champ,” and finally Jungkook and his arms are set free, Jae shuffling small steps across the wooden floor with his penguin socks loose and giving you a final moment of broodiness. 

You distract the impending coo you were going to let off in favour of picking up the remnants of dinner, which turned to playtime, as tomatoes and carrots line the cracks in your floor. 

Jungkook’s got a sweaty hand on your neck though, needing stress and the evenings memories away for a few brief seconds. He’s got those kinds of hands. The ones you can talk about for hours because they’re strong, fucking pretty, do glorious things in glorious places and dirty things in others. His hand drops though before babysitting time ends prematurely. Yoongi doesn’t get back until tomorrow morning, so even a wisp of a thought of that man behind you and how he’s definitely sweaty and definitely a feast, is gone, poof, dissipated. 

“How’ve they been? Rough work again?”

“Mmm, of course,” you take a note the bin needs to be taken out as you chuck the last remaining pieces away. 

“Come on, they’re not that bad.” You’re ready to tell him to go suck one and try and do it by himself, but there’s hands on your hips, warm, sweaty, soothing, and a dick against your ass...hard.

“Jungkook!”

“What, they’re really alri-”

“The fuck are you doing the triplets are literally there,” his lips pull back from where they had settled on your neck. 

“D’you mean, I’m not doing anything.” He’s high pitched like he doesn’t know his dicks up your ass, so you scoff. 

“What are you hard for, you mong,” but you go to push him away, arm behind your back, firm to his hip, yet your hand meets something harder than his abs - he works out, but not enough to make him that solid - and definitely a different shap to how his cock normally feels - and you’ve felt him up enough times to know. “And why is your boner shaped like that?”

“Boner, I’m not ev-”

You spin, eye his botched erection, and dip a hand to his pocket. He looks at you, shocked, puzzled, and suddenly you’re prematurely plunging into your grave in the shame of thinking what you were thinking. 

“Wait, did you think this was my d-i-c-k!” 

He waves it, his choked laugh too, in your face. You’re red, and probably crying, but your cheeks are so hot with embarrassment you don’t know.

“How was I supposed to know you had a banana in your pocket!”

He laughs fully enough that the kids seek out it’s source. 

“Uncle Kook, uncle Kook, can I have a bite?”

He gives her the whole thing, still staring at you with teeth on show, a story to tell Yoongi, and one final blow to the shit show that is your life,

“Mai.”

“Yes uncle Kook.”

“Tell auntie Y/N she’s nasty.” 

And when nasty is a whole other word for a child, Mai proceeds unphased, probably believing in the sentiment of the statement. 

“Auntie Y/N.”

“Yes Mai.”

“You’re nasty.”

...Fuck.

[whyamistillwatchingtheseshows]

Are there any couples (bl or just celebrities in general) that you think might actually be together in real life? Let’s speculate ❤️ its all in good fun (if you don’t like speculating... just ignore this please 😂)

I love speculating, but let me put out a disclaimer: It’s all fine and dandy to ship “real people” so as long as one is being respectful about it. One thing I will never do is speculate this with the people in question. My thing is, nothing is impossible. No one could look me in the eyes and say they can’t be together, it’s just impossible. Well, I’d have to ask why is it impossible? 

Why is so out of the ordinary that perhaps Mew and Gulf could be together for real? Sometimes, people argue why is it always about romance? Why can’t we leave it alone and call it a really good friendship? Well, that’s up to the viewer. How do they define platonic and romantic? For example, to me there are a few things Mew and Gulf have done that exceed a friendship level...

Still I teeter the fence when it comes to “real life” shipping. Unfortunately, Thailand (Thai BL) MARKETS the shit out of it. It’s a job, first and foremost for those boys. It’s the way they make money and their sexual orientation has nothing to do with that. They are simply in it for the money whether straight, gay, bi, lesbian etc. Whether they choose to identify that is also up to the actor/actress. Never should us fans be nagging and forcing anyone to ‘come out.’ Fans should also be respectful of any partners the actors/actresses have outside of the marketed ship. I know that there was a debacle with fans over partners that TayNew (another Thai BL ship) had. It sent fans into a frenzy because Tay and New belong together...but how do you know?

It’s not up to us to POLICE these young men or women we watch in these BL shows. It actually gets even harder to truly “ship” anyone outside of BL, because industries run differently. For instance, I might be a sort of ...let’s say “peeper” when it comes to Cockles, which is that of Jensen Ackles and Misha Collins. But for me that kinda goes both ways. Cockles is simply a name for them together and their bond had become something hella special over the years they worked on Supernatural together. Could I speculate that Ackles and Collins would cross the line of platonic more so than j2, which is Jared Padalecki and Ackles...yes, I do think Cockles could delve into romance. 

It’s tricky with real life shipping, because most people want their privacy. However, I won’t shame anyone for thinking that any of the boys from BL shows are together, especially Thai BL, because they totally make that for you. I don’t think every Thai BL ship is together, but I won’t rule it out. For example, if there was announcement that Mew and Gulf actually got married it’d be of zilch surprise to me. Or if any of them announced from OffGun to TayNew, ZaintSee, BrightWin...seriously, it wouldn’t surprise me. It’s also because ever since I started watching these shows I do not and have ever held the view that they are straight actors. Maybe some of them are, maybe some of them aren’t, and some of them fell into a pit of discovery (Bright) as they worked on their shows. 

It also becomes hella tricky for Thailand because as far as I know same sex marriage hasn’t been legalized. So imagine being any of those boys and actually developing feelings *coughs* Mew Suppasit, but you can’t get married in your own country? However, you can get “married” for marketing the ship and sort of like an interview process to describe your dream wedding, etc... it’s like the teen magazines with the excerpts on your fav celeb, but live action interviews that pawn off a brand or pretend to marry...I watched that video thinking this is Tharn and Type’s future, mainly because I hadn’t found the original. I found a fan version with music and shit, but someone led me to an upload of the original and said it’s MewGulf. I went what?  No, what? OKay....I hate watching this wedding video because it is WHIPLASH. 

Anyway, anon, before this gets any longer, I’ll stop here. It’s safe to say that if there is one BL couple that could ever be legit it’d be MewGulf for me. However, there could be a possibility that Mew and Gulf’s age differences start to clash. Gulf is a mature 23 year old yes, but Mew turned 29...he’s creeping into wanting to settle down territory. They may want different things, but who the hell knows.

That’s the rub, WE NEVER REALLY KNOW and WILL NEVER KNOW unless somehow we get to live Zee Pruk’s fanboy dream and become friends with your celeb crush then be in a show with him and have smexy scenes. Then continue to have a RAGING crush on that said person (Saint) and love that fact that he totally teases the shit out of you about it....more than friends? 

WHO KNOWS. What I do try to stick to is the characters. Tharn and Type together forever. Fighter and Tutor together forever. Sometimes though I have seen the actors do something together at a fan meet and I go, wait a minute I want to see Tharn and Type do that so let me write up a fic for them. So it’s funny, because the “real life” ship supplies me material for the fictional ship.  

Okay, it got longer. If you made it through this anon. Yay! 

[theres-a-goldensky]

BL Show Review Series - 2Moons + 2Moons2

The next shows I am going to review come with some confusing context that made me nearly skip it altogether. That would have been a shame, because they quickly became some of my favorites. The shows are 2Moons and its sequel-reboot-thing 2Moons2.

Disclaimer that these are my own opinions, and I don’t know where the BL community as a whole stands on these shows. If I disliked a show you loved or visa versa, no disrespect is intended! 

MASTERLIST OF BL SHOW REVIEWS

2Moons Rating: 7.5/10

2Moons2 Rating: 8.5/10

So when I first heard about this series, it was with the caveat that the sequel was better than the original. I also heard that there was a whole different cast, so I was under the mistaken assumption that it was an anthology series similar to the HIStory franchise. When I tried to watch 2Moons2, while I enjoyed the characters and the plot, I was turned off by the pacing. The whole thing felt way too rushed, and I gave up midway through episode three.

Then I tried 2Moons, and you can imagine my confusion when it was a different cast, but the exact same characters and story line. I finally did some research into it and discovered that 2Moons was meant to continue with the original cast, but due to contract disputes or blah blah something who cares, the entire show was re-cast for series two. Then to ease fans of the original into it, the first four episodes tell a condensed version of series one. 

So while it’s true that you could just watch 2Moons2 and get the whole story, I believe it’s definitely worth it to watch series one first. The story line, which I felt was so rushed in series two, gets room to breathe in series one. If you enjoy slow burn with lots of pining and sexual tension, you’ll have fun with series one. 

The cast in series one is excellent as well. Very different from their replacements, but I found it interesting to see the way that the two sets of actors told the same story. 

2Moons

The biggest problem with series one is that, well, there’s no problem. In fact, there’s really no plot at all. It’s a story about Yo, who has a crush on Pha and follows him to university. Then, against the backdrop of the Stars and Moon competition, they get together over 12 episodes. That’s it. Literally nothing else happens.

You might think that the competition itself would create some drama, or at least some plot, but no. Yo rehearses and plans his musical performance, but he never seems particularly bothered about winning, which means that you as a viewer aren’t bothered either. In fact, they telegraph early on who is going to win, and then that person...does. And no one really cares. There’s no conflict at all. The setting is an excuse for the characters to interact and go to the beach. 

There aren’t any villains or antagonists either. Yo and Pha each have a rival love interest, but neither of them provoke much more than brief jealousy on an otherwise very smooth road to Yo and Pha getting together.

But this simple love story is still very fun. It’s like cotton candy: sweet and pleasant and so easy to swallow that you don’t even need to chew.

(left: Wayo, right: Phana)

Bas, the actor who plays Wayo, has the sweetest face, something that they comment on several times in the story. Much of the heavy lifting in getting you to care about the main relationship is done by him. 

Yo is supposed to have changed so much over his final year of high school that he’s nearly unrecognizable to people who knew him. Then, in both series, they show flashbacks, and it’s just the same cute kid, but with glasses. As I watched, I couldn’t help brainstorming ways they could have made him look different. Braces maybe? A different hair style? Some fake pimples? Whatever, roll with it for the sake of an entertaining story.

The character of Pha is a bit of an empty vessel in series one. He’s needlessly rude for reasons that aren’t at all explained. He is dim enough not to know Yo when he sees him, even though HIS NAME IS YO and he has the same best friend that he did in high school. But shh shh we are rolling with it. It’s fine. He is very handsome and has a great smirk, but his acting isn’t great. 

(left: Ming, right: Kit)

Copter and Kimmon made me love the relationship between Ming and Kit. Their spin on it was adorable, and the extra time afforded in series one meant that their dynamic has room to grow. We see more little scenes between them, in addition to the big ones that are included in the series two retelling.  

(left: Beam, right: Forth)

Forth and Beam get very little to do in series one. You can see that they were saving that for series two, so we’ll never know about the actors’ chemistry with one another. The actor who plays Forth did a fine job, but he seems a bit miscast. Forth is supposed to be a bad boy character, but they made him look like just a handsome, friendly, helpful guy. But again, he didn’t get a real chance to shine, so there’s no way to tell if he could have pulled off his bigger scenes in series two.

2Moons2

As I previously mentioned, series two suffers in its early episodes due to its breakneck pacing as it speeds through the retelling of series one. However, if you pair this with series one, then your mind can fill in the blanks that those four episodes leave out and let you enjoy watching the new actors tell the story. 

But after that, when the series takes on new material, is when it really comes into its own. With Yo and Pha’s story almost complete, the focus shifts to Ming/Kit and Forth/Beam for the last half of the episodes. That’s how this series moves into the top tier for me. All three relationships get equal weight in the plot, and all of them are equally as compelling. 

(left: Beam, right: Forth)

Forth and Beam’s plot doesn’t start until episode seven, but when it does, it comes in like a freight train. Despite minimal interaction before that, after episode seven, I was all in on that ship. Phoom, who plays Forth in this iteration, definitely better suits the part. They give him a neck tattoo and the actor looks more like the bad boy that Forth is meant to be. 

Dome has the most freedom among any of the cast. Beam had so little to do in series one that he gets a clean slate to make the character his own. His Beam is the most difficult character on the show. He’s stubborn and weirdly prescriptivist in his opinions on relationships. For instance, one of his arguments about why he and Forth can’t be together is that they are the same size? Like, bro, what even?

(left: Ming, right: Kit)

Ming and Kit remain my favorite couple in series two. There is a moment when Ming puts a finger on Kit’s lips that made my heart actually stutter inside of my chest. It doesn’t hurt that Joong, the actor who plays Ming, is a 100% certified dreamboat. His Ming is very classically handsome and effortlessly charming. He follows Kit around like a puppy looking for a pat on the head. Kit never really stands a chance.

And speaking of Kit, Nine’s portrayal of him is as this fierce spitfire who is secretly soft on the inside and afraid to trust Ming’s feelings for him. And he has fantastic hair. Plus, Kit wearing glasses is an absolute mood, and it is a travesty that the show didn’t give us more of it.

(left: Wayo, right: Phana)

Lastly are the main characters of Wayo and Pha. Ben, who plays Pha, is so much better in the role. It might be because he’s given more to do, but his Pha has personality and charisma. It’s easy to see how he would be chosen as the Campus Moon. (Though I can’t imagine what he or Forth did for the talent portion of the competition. Is competitive brooding a thing?) 

Earth, the new Wayo, plays up Yo’s naivete and nervousness in a way that made sense considering what his character goes through by the end. It would have been nice to see him stand up for himself a bit though. Instead, he needs Ming, Pha, and the Angel Gang to fight his battles for him. Also, his ability to rock a pink outfit is truly unparalleled.

And the ending? I mean, if the choice is between what happened to Yo or a character being raped (looking at you, Love By Chance), then I’ll pick this option every time. Doesn’t stop it from being a bit silly and over dramatic though. 

I would highly recommend both series, and I am very much looking forward to 2Moons3.

And if you’re interested in fanfic, I put together rec lists for multiple BL shows including this one that can be found here and here.

MASTERLIST OF BL SHOW REVIEWS

(Send me an ask if you have a show you’d like me to review - with the understanding that I will be completely honest - or if there’s anything you think I forgot or got wrong in this review.) 

[lia-nikiforov]

Fall Anime 2018 Watchlist

We’re about halfway into the season so this is probably kinda pointless by now, but here’s a quick rundown of the stuff I’m watching this season.

Dropped

Jingaisan no Yome: This is a 3 minute show and I won’t spend longer than that writing about it (I’m timing myself). I didn’t know it was a short going in. I’m not really into shorts, Saiki kun being the only exception and the story was less MahoYome and more... i don’t even have an apt comparison, it just was maybe more serious about the “marriage” thing than something with a giant floofball character should be.

Tokyo Ghoul: Re 2: It’s simple. I watched episode 1 and realized I had no fucking clue of how any of this related to the ending of the first season, no idea of who half the characters were and where did they allegiances lie and what is Kaneki even trying to do. Although not loyal to the manga, the first two seasons of Tokyo Ghoul had a story that could be followed and made sense, this, however, is just jumping over plot points with no rhyme or reason and there’s nothing but confusion.

Bloom Into You: There’s nothing actually wrong with this show and I was kind of looking forward to a yuri romance that wasn’t rapey or incesty bullshit, but something about this one just didn’t click with me. Like Touko fell in love with Yuu too quickly, and given Yuu’s ace/aro identity, it would feel weird for her to do a 180 and suddenly fall in love with Touko. I kind of want more fun and emotions in my romance stories and this one didn’t have much of either.

Chopping Block

Given a few things the past two weeks that didn’t go according to plan, I fell behind on my anime watching after keeping it in control for the first third of the season and i’m quite annoyed. And because of this, and my upcoming research trip to Japan at the end of the month, I might end up having to drop a couple of series.

Bakumatsu: Objectively speaking, this show is really bad. The production values are poop, the story is a wacky mess that takes itself a bit too seriously and the characters are flat and uninteresting, the villain is egregiously boring. This show also has Matsuo Basho as a secret tive traveling ninja, and that puts me at quite the predicament. I want to see more of this utterly bonkers historical reinterpretation, but boy do I wish they could make it more exciting.

SAO Alicization:  The only reason I, a notorious SAO hater, is watching SAO is because I hate myself. With that out of the way, boy is this SAO boring. We’re four episodes in and the only thing that’s happened is they cut an old tree because nothing can stop Kirito and his new friend, Yellow Kirito. This show needs to start getting offensive and/or stupid soon or i’ll die of boredom.

Karakuri Circus: I hear this one’s from the same mangaka as UshiTora? I love UshiTora and I can see the resemblance between giant guy whose name I can’t remember and Tora. His character and his schtick are so far the most interesting thing to me, with the kuudere puppet girl whose main purpose seems to be to get paired with him  having yet to make an impression on me. I’m also still not really certain what the overall plot is. I do love stories about found families, so hopefully I can stick with this one

Hinomaru Sumou: If my watching schedule were normal, this wouldn’t be in this section. Whilst not the best sports show of the season, and chock full of some of the most eyeroll worthy aspects of sports shonen *cough cough* toxic *cough cough* masculinity *cough cough*, Hinomaru Sumou has the fire and passion for an underrepresented sport that’s usually enough to hook me. I just don’t have time, and if push comes to shove, I’ll prioritize other shows over this one.

Banana Fish: Yo, okay, before you lynch me for being a hater or whatever, let me tell you I have zero issues with Banana Fish. I don’t hate it, I don’t think it’s Bad Representation(TM) whatever the fuck that means, I definitely don’t think it’s fujobait or just another BL. It just doesn’t make me happy. This probably doesn’t make a lot of sense, but I’ve never been a fan of tragedy. It’s also part of the reason I’m dropping Tokyo Ghoul. I don’t like hopeless stories and tragic romances. I’m somewhat spoiled on how the manga ends and each time I find myself less and less inclined to watch the newer episodes because the descent into misery is just not enjoyable for me. It’s not the show’s wrongdoing, it’s just not the kind of story I like. I’m probably too far along to drop it at this point, but also I kinda wish I could drop it because I get so little joy out of it. Also, my main hook is of course Ash and Eiji’s relationship, but 15 episodes in (I’m behind, as is evident) the time they’ve spent together is so minimal, I can’t even appreciate that a whole lot.

I guess I’m watching this? 

Dakaichi: Me: Man I really want a yuri anime without rapey bullshit. Also me: watches BL anime with rapey bullshit. I have literally no excuse. I think the basic setup lends itself really well for a romcom and Takato is a very likable character, it’s a shame it’s the same old rapey bullshit. In my defense, episode two was really sweet and I’ve been hoping for more stories along that line, even though the show has failed to deliver them since. Episode 5 may have pushed the line even beyond what I’m willing to tolerate, but it’s unclear. I might end up unexpectedly dropping it after episode 6. HEY JAPAN WOULD IT KILL YOU TO MAKE A BL ANIME THAT WASN’T RAPEY BULLSHIT? JUST ONE?

(honestly, Takato deserves better)

wao episode 6 was maji disgusting i might drop it after all

Fairy Tail Final: I just want closure man. This adaptation retains all the worst attributes of the previous season, terribly slow pacing (what for?! the manga is over!!) minimal animation, recapalooza. The color palette is slightly brighter than before, which I appreciate. Fairy Tail’s last arc wasn’t as bad as Bleach’s, but it was still pretty bad in the manga; still I hope seeing it animated will make it feel less messy and slightly more coherent. The FT anime has also in the past filled in some blanks that existed in the manga, so hopefully they can make the best out of it here.

(Erza is still my wife)

Tsurune: No, this isn’t the best sports anime of this season either. Although that’s hard to judge given how it’s barely on its second (third, i’m behind) episode. Technically, I feel more compelled to drop this than Hinomaru, but also I want to give it a fair chance. That said, the first episode was.... profoundly underwhelming and borderline upsetting, with how everyone put Minato on the spot in spite of his having an actual psychologic condition that drove him away from kyudo. I’m all in for stories about growing and surpassing your own obstacles, but I hope they go about it in a less mean-spirited way. Also, the characters feel pretty shallow so far. I’m not even gonna pretend the main reason I want to keep watching isn’t gorgeous guy with the ponytail-san, because I’m now old enough that I immediately gravitate towards the senseis rather than the teenage protags.

i am so weak to long hair  _(:3」∠)_

welp he cut his hair right next episode, thanks for nothing kyoani

In spite of everything, Anime is, in fact, Good

Golden Kamuy: Like with many split-cours, there’s nothing much to say beyond “if you liked the first one, you’ll like this one”. The production values are still tragic, but I think the pace has improved, and the dynamics between the different factions are so fluid and constantly changing they make the story very enthralling. It also continues to have the Best Reaction Faces.

Gakuen Basara: Listen, listen. You all knew I was gonna watch this. And I love Basara so much I still think this show is a masterpiece even when it’s objectively atrocious. I do not reccommend it to anyone who isn’t already a fan (and I mean a blind fan willing to consume anything from this franchise, even in its cheapest, dumbest, worst looking incarnation). That said there are a couple of interesting things, namely the power rivalry between Hideyoshi and Nobunaga, this never happened in the original series because Nobunaga died before Hideyoshi was introduced. Anyway, just shoot that Masamune x Kojuuro fanservice straight into my veins please and thank you

Zombieland Saga: One of the two biggest surprises of the season and one that was nowhere near my radar. An original production by studio MAPPA with perhaps the wildest premiere episode of the season that’s somehow making me like idols?! It’s also giving us the most Miyano Mamoru has ever Miyano’d and it’s amazing and histerical. The characters are also very charming, specially bikegang leader Saki and the always legendary Yamada Tae and the show isn’t scared of letting its cute idols get gross and silly and dirty. There’s also a feeling of mystery that I find very appealing. Definitely didn’t expect this one to be one of the highlights of my week, yet here we are.

SSSS Gridman: Just when I’d vowed a giant fuck you to Studio Trigger, in they come with one of their most quiet productions yet, with characters that speak their lines in soft, leveled voices, tragedies that feel palpable, emotionally climactic battle scenes and a sense of tension and mystery that makes it impossible to take your eyes away. It does have the caveat of oversexualizing the female characters, specially the villain, and not giving Rikka virtually anything to do, but past that, it’s been a very pleasant and intriguing surprise. Also of note, I have no background knowledge of the Gridman tokusatsu series but that hasn’t really been an impediment to enjoy this series.

Double Decker: Doug & Kirill: A spinoff to the 2010 superhero hit Tiger & Bunny, we have a less superpowery buddycop comedy with a cool and diverse cast, whose main character wants to BRING DOWN CAPITALISM, okay, put an end to economic inequality and classes, but that’s basically the same thing. The show is pretty far along because it premiered early for some reason, and so far it’s been mostly one-shot stories very thinly connected to the distribution of the illegal drug Anthem, with our main plot having only come up two episodes ago with the fantastic Zabel and Bamboo Man twist. The dynamics between the main duo are great and Kirill is a riot as a protagonist. 

Kaze ga Tsuyoku Fuiteiru: Or Run with the Wind. Now THIS is the best sports anime of the season. Brought to you by the studio behind Haikyu, based on a novel by the author of Fune wo Amu. Firstly I love that it’s set in university, because it gives the cast a lot more variety in their interests, ages and personalities, their goals, their baggage, and it makes the process of bringing this team of misfits together even more interesting to watch. The characters feel very human in the way they speak, their worries, their relationships, their actions. The show’s done a great job so far in building the characters and making them worth cheering for. Also Ouji is my spirit animal. If you ever wanted a show to motivate you into running, this is what you’ve been waiting for! Another great surprise of this season for sure.

Jojo's Bizarre Adventure: Vento Aureo: Finally part Five is here! And in it we get perhaps the most interesting Jojo protagonist right off the bat, with troubled Giorno and his difficult past and his wonderful Stand ability. His new set of allies is also quite eccentric and interesting and every scene and dialogue has that special Jojo flavor of crazy and ridiculous and always a load of fun. This one will have 39 episodes, so we’re barely getting started and I’m already loving all of it.

Thunderbolt Fantasy 2: Urobutcher’s favorite puppets are back with a vengeance! Every bit as fun, insane, cool and over-the-top as the first season, with the added value of the rapport between the characters, evidenced by how brilliant the few scenes in which Shang and Lin share the screen are. With a brand new story that expands the world of our favorite puppets, and even more new gorgeous puppets added to the mix to make Shang’s life a mess, this show is definitely my favorite this season and potentially of the year. Let Urobuchi keep doing puppets for as long as he wants!

ooof i’m finally done. It’s midseason so probably nobody cares but do hmu with your favorite shows of the season and if there’s anything worth hatewatching that I may be missing ;)

[silencedtechnophile]

==> Do something about it

The ship hummed around him in the darkness. Something, somewhere, was beeping near the meat puppet hung in the rigging that limited his abilities with a biological bottle neck. His head was so fuzzy. Which is what they wanted. He was too smart, they knew what kind of damage he could do if he werent forcefully throttled. 

He worked slowly. The plan had come to him in an instant, as he'd gotten encouragement from the helm chat. He could do something. He could affect his situation. He was not fucking helpless, he refused to be.

First he carefully hacked into the mediboard that controlled his blood chemistry. He fiddled around with it so its output would remain steady, but it would cease giving him the brain fogging drugs.

That took a while to make it out of his system, every moment of it afraid someone would draw a random blood draw to double check the mediboard, though that was passingly rare. They trusted their equipment.

As his head cleared his body began to hurt, he had a sudden more complete awareness of the agony of the living wires burrowed under his skin, and the way his shoulders were wreched and taking all his weight.

He had to adjust the output again to smooth out his heart beat so they wouldn't be alerted.

Pain was fine. He could deal with pain, he could think and that was what mattered right now in this moment. Blessed clear thoughts. Every moment he delayed was a moment his gamble might be discovered so he worked quickly, spoofing his address from outside the ship while he expanded his own permissions. HE could open and close doors, he could even open and close airlocks, but he wasn't trusted with them.

He wormed his way into the controls, granting himself admin powers at the root level.

Then he just had to wait.

This was the part he had the least control over. Her movements.

Now that he'd given himself root acess and no longer needed the clarity to hack the ships permissions he left the door he'd created open, and went back in to fix his medications and outputs back the way they had been, by the time he had his opertunity he would be fully drugged again, they wouldn't be able to tell it was him. ------------------ Being the Empress had its perks. No waiting in lines, getting to take par in destruction and culling without consequences, running fleets of ships, not having to tolerate any mischief, being feared and respected by everyone at default. But most importantly? Not having to do shit unless you want to. This is one thing Meenah took advantage of as much as possible. If she didn’t have to get up and go somewhere to get something done, why would she?

In her younger years, the idea of taking the throne had caused her nothing but annoyance and disgust. Being taken care of like a wriggler, being responsible for a planet full of easily influenced and hasty trolls. Taking care of her lusus indefinitely, and having to personally feed her each night. Making a quick and not very discreet exit from her original planet had been a great decision. She’s stood by it since it happened, all those sweeps ago in an universe that never quite fit to her tastes. Being born there had felt like a cruel joke once she knew what she had missed out on.

So when she had spawned here some number of sweeps ago, she had been horrified. Devastated. They won and she, as always, got absolutely shafted by the universe. That is... until she took a good look around and evaluated her situation. Beforus had been a little pond, full of toothless guppies. And she had been a shark, unable to even turn around in the limited space. But Alternia? Alternia was a vast sea, with plenty of prey to sink her teeth into and depths to claim as her own. It was as if this gift universe was molded for her, a refined combination of two planets and the two lives she had lived through. The best part was that she had gotten to float over the hard parts, the initial rise to power and the conquering and culling of her personified roadblocks. The endless cycle of teaching her throneworld to submit.

There’s no shame in admitting she’s fully enjoyed the spoils of her new life, entirely content with trading a few sweeps for her position. Hell, she was a tyrian. There were plenty of sweeps to spare, she would do it again.

Which led to this, a three night streak of kicking up her feet in her own block on the flagship. The Battleship Condescention.

Okay, fine, maybe she should have been doing something more important than catching up on dramatic cinema when there was a rebellion to stomp out with her boot. But things were fine. They were starting to close in on the short, mouthy, ship thief. Her biggest potential problem was nice and cozy some number of floors below her, tucked into his ports and wires like a wriggler to coon. And no one else was stepping up to oppose her. Even the most powerful and feared leaders of societies had to take a break, let the tide ease them out.

Of course, all good things come to an end. This time, it’s the portable communications device implanted into her tiaratop. Already missing her makeshift getaway, she flicked a claw against the gold and her features were illuminated by the live footage of one of her on hand advisors. She scowled at him, lip jutted out and pierced brows raised to put emphasis on her annoyance. “We got a, y’know, a problem.” He grunted, the last word coming out like pr-ah-bl-im. “Sum’thin’ funny, ‘kay. Minor. We’re handling it, swear it ma’am. Got someone on the f’rewalls, set that right. But...”

When the purple hued troll went on to explain, she was furious. Someone had managed to nudge at their security systems and give them a test and it took them a few nights to tell her? Her pan whirled to the worst and most paranoid conclusion. Someone from their session, probably that infuriating time wench or the pirate enthusiast, maybe a turnaround from her own Makara if he’d been fully awakened in their new planet.

She stormed about to get ready, pan immediately set to force her commandeered pissblood battery to help her track down and eliminate the source. If her goons couldn’t get the job done, he was going to do it for them.

“Soon as I grill this guppy, you’re gettin’ sautéed. Fried.” Meenah, better known as the Condesce, set her focus entirely on a stomping beeline for the exit and her threatening tangent. “Pike it or not, best get ya’ affairs in order. Boat t’ sea what the pointy end a’ my golden prod ‘eels like embedded in ya’ b’ass. No shrimp-athy for the in-conch-petent, set a bet’a example for the school.”

The door to her block opened with quiet ‘swish!’ as she took her first step out. And then another. Somewhere, a number of clicks below stationed near the central engines, a troll was probably filled with justifiable anger and excitement. With the Empress there was nothing but the light, sharp sound of her heeled boots in the metal corridor paired with the rough undertone to her flurry of words. The advisor on the other end of her video chat cowered, sputtering excuses as she glared down her defined cartilage nub at him. “And if you e’fin conch-sea-der tryin’ to catch a wave trout’a here, I ain’t mako-in it snappy.” She continued her tirade, satisfied by the way the other troll’s eyes went wide and his jaw slid open. “Yeah, that’s moray p’ike it. Best get ya-shelf practicin’ on a look a’ ray-morse.”

“Actually,” he started, gaze averted to the light over the airlock behind her. It blinked red once, yellow twice, and began to shift to green. “I think -“

“Clam it, small fry!” She stopped her determined march to point a claw at him, as if he were really a few feet ahead of her. “Can’t bay-lieve ya’ got the swimmers to gab at me, blowin’ bubbles slap full a’ bullshark.”

Just behind her, the light held steady at green. The advisor stumbled in his warning, horrified and relieved and stalled by his shock as her hair whipped away from her face and her words trailed off. There’s a second where the familiar sound of the airlock opening seemed to halt time. Meenah looked over her shoulder, and then to the projected feed of the lower blooded troll. For the first time in sweeps, she barked a laugh. And then? “Son of a’ eldritch pailin’ bitch.” She bared her impressive chompers, fins flared backwards in her surprise, disbelief, and pure offense that someone has made an attempt on her life. The tyrian scrambled to dig her claws into the metal wall beside her, a cringe worthy noise produced when they drag through the reinforced metal. “You gotta be krillin’ -“

“Maybe if -“

In what might be the most anticlimactic turntables of a story ever, the airlock smoothly opens the rest of the way. Sweeps in the past, there is a time traveling maroon blooded, grudge obsessed troll glancing through the ages and chortling at a joke no one will understand much less believe. The seadweller’s yellow painted claws dig and clip away in a desperate swing at survival. The hatches to the other blocks through the stem are sealed shut, and whatever artificial air was being released dissipated the minute the immediate area was exposed to space. Meenah had a moment, maybe two, to reflect on the mistakes that led her here. Putting an airlock directly outside the door to her block, entirely for the purpose of disposing of any unwanted visitors. Not once considering that someone might turn this around on her, or capitalize on her desire for the dramatic. Leaving her block using her balancing prongs at all, when a transportalizer would have been safer and faster - but would ultimately have lacked in the build-up of intensity and hostility that a chance to strut and lament and publicly humiliate and shortly thereafter kill her most recent workplace pest. If she had more time, she might have thought of a few more excuses to shift the blame a bit.

Including, but not limited to: This Must Entirely Be Megido’s Fault And Here Is Why, the three part series of essays assembled by Meenah Peixes. Or the potential ways Aranea could have somehow subverted death and the fate of their session altogether to somehow ruin the one fun thing she has EVER had the chance to do, seriously, what a Jealous Jude. Or maybe this is the fault of the younger Vantas, who mysteriously fell into her lap around a sweep ago and... well, he was disappointing as a whole until he managed to actually do a backflip off of the handle and body his way out of holding.The diversion of resources from the facility had been an oversight, and the cause of it was promptly replaced and reassigned to dinner duty. A more appealing way to refer to the main course.

Any of those things could have led to this, but none of them did. All the time in the world, and she likely never would have thought her laziness would play a part in her downfall.

It did, though. The metal peeled away from the support column, and the lurching movement broke her grip. It was inevitable. Meenah tried to yelp out a curse, perhaps one last bit of defamation for her last words, but nothing actually came from her throat. Her lips twisted and her expression caught somewhere between anger and fear. The last thought to coherently hit her ends with ‘- and this bucket of chum is the last thing I get my peepers on, really?’ as she wS forcibly removed from the flagship and sent careening into space.

A few blocks and a couple lifts away, the flabbergasted advisor had already dispatched armed forces. Not that it mattered, he decided. The connection to the tiratop flickers more and more as she departs, but the image of his frozen taskmaster tells him there’s no rescuing from that.

Her skin was flaking with ice, fins back and shining tyrian as they stretched, thin eyes obscured by the ice on her lashes, teeth exposed from where she tried to get the last word. The sight of her being quickly and surprisingly easily dispatched hadn’t left him hopeful for saving her, and the last glimpses of her expression deterred him from even attempting to recover her corpse.

The Empress was dead.

[nxjusticehere]

Escape the Motherloving Nightmare - Part 5

Tag list:  @undocumented-terriaki @risiskifi @virge-of-death @i-do-stuff-sometimes-notreally @shay-untitled @uraeus56 @supersepticsteph @margarita-is-the-answer @derisiveharridan @brookeisanerd @reeeeeaaper @aquilacalvitium @squishy-anon

Silence reigns as they approach the great granite doorway stood in the middle of a clearing on the far edge of town. It’s attached to no building, but they’ve all learned by now that that means nothing. There’s a large stone stood to either side of the doorway, the outer sides each sporting four colored buttons.

The premise is simple. Two of them, selected by vote, will remain behind, keeping the door open by sharing and inputting the color codes that light up on the opposite stone. So long as they enter the correct codes in time, the doors will remain open. Meanwhile, the rest of the group will pass through the doorway to retrieve the artefact from the Demon’s Keep. For every mistake made, a gong will sound and the door will begin to close. Once the doors shut they will not be opening again.

“Wait,” Shane is more than a little concerned as he unconsciously steps back, “Are you saying there’s a chance we could basically all die in this?”

“You say that like you’re surprised.” Lucas, the Madman, is bringing up the rear, wearing the same look of disinterest that he’s worn for every task that has lead them here.

This vote isn’t like the others. They’re not voting for someone to die, they’re voting for who is going to keep the rest of them alive. Even so it’s not easy to keep the underlying angers, grudges, and annoyance from their minds as they each cast their vote.

The Savant is the first to be drawn, definitely uneasy and not sure whether to feel relieved that he has no chance of dying, or afraid that he has so many lives resting in his hands.

No one is surprised as Calliope raises the Madman’s card, a perfect recreation of Lucas’s face, right down to the aggravated black lines across his skin. Everyone, save for his brother is honestly a little afraid of him. Why is he in this game? How can he care so little about the consequences? You’d be hard pressed to find someone who would find it a shame were he to die.

Dirk stares at his brother, trying to get a read on him, but there’s nothing but stoic annoyance on the idiot’s face. It takes quite a shove from Ro to finally get Dirk’s attention, the Jet-Setter raising her eyebrows and very not-subtley inclining her head at Lucas.

The two of them had had a brief talk earlier, away from the rest of the group. A quiet discussion in which she heavily implied that Lucas is not being entirely truthful about something and maybe Dirk should try and get it out of him. No doubt she thinks this might be the perfect opportunity for the two of them to talk.

“Wait,” The Detective steps forward, a hand raised, drawing everyone’s attention to him. “I volunteer to take Joey’s place.”

“You can’t do that.” Liza says sternly, honestly just wanting to go through that door and back again. The sooner this starts, the sooner it will be over.

“I don’t mind!” Joey interjects, and everyone turns to Calliope.

She glances between them all, pausing before saying, “If everyone agrees.”

Before the group has a chance to devolve into chaotic arguments that just waste time they probably don’t have, Dirk raises his hands and speaks firmly and confidently.

“Has anyone heard of the single-soul theory?”

The general confusion would suggest the answer is probably no, though Safiya gets a curious look on her face. Not surprising; of the group, she’s the one Dirk would expect to have at least heard of it. But the only response he’s watching for is his brother’s

You can practically hear the cogs turn as the unspoken message is received and Lucas shrugs.

“I say we let him do it.”

The twins each step up to one of the stones, able to see over them to the other side while the group stands in nervous anticipation between them. Nobody trusts the apparent simplicity of this task, there’s probably something very sinister at work here but there’s no time to dwell.

“Blue, red, green, green.” Lucas calls out the first code and Dirk punches it in on his stone.

The doors swing wide, neither of the twins able to see through it from their standpoint, only able to watch as the group walks through.

“Green, blue, yellow, red.” Dirk calls back.

Time passes, both of them losing track of it as they continue to put in the codes. The air between them is tense and awkward but they’re used to it by now.

Lucas is the one to break the silence.

“I didn’t think you believed in the single-soul theory.”

A widely speculated but mostly unsubstantiated theory that twins are born as a single soul shared between two bodies. As they grow, they become more individual while managing to maintain a mental and spiritual closeness that is unobserved in the rest of the population.

“Neither of us has said a single color in the last five minutes,” Dirk points out, “yet we haven’t missed a code.”

He would hardly call himself a believer of the theory, but he’s more of a skeptic than a naysayer. Maybe when they were younger, when they did everything together, and people struggled to tell them apart, he would have believed it but when they were about twelve years old, something changed. Dirk had assumed it was something to do with puberty, or maybe there was something in their environment, but Lucas started to push him away. He started to push everyone away no matter how hard they tried to reach him, and after what happened at Drew Studios, everything just fell to Heck.

Reaching across he presses the yellow button, then green, then the blue twice, his hand guided by instinct. After a moment, his lights blink out a new sequence; the code was correct. Yeah, there’s definitely something here.

“Why did you really volunteer?” Lucas asks as he puts in the next code, unprompted.

“Ro said you keep getting this look,”

“What look?”

“Like you’re hiding something.”

“Ah. So you want to keep an eye on me.”

Dirk glances up at his brother. Lucas is skinny, clearly unwell, his hair’s all over the place and even beyond that he has an air of scruffiness about him. Though the guy has been AWOL for the last few years, and Dirk won’t even pretend to know what happened to him, he can see that Ro was right. There’s just….something this guy isn’t saying.

“What I want is to help you.”

The laugh Lucas gives is hollow and almost makes Dirk want to punch him. “I’m beyond your help, little brother.”

Dirk scowls. “You’re the little brother.”

A shriek beyond the door, snaps both their attention to it.

“Was that-?”

“Dirk, what’s the code?”

Whatever link they may have had before is broken, the Madman staring blankly at the lights, blindly reaching for the instinct that had been driving him before, but grasping at nothing. His anxiety quickly spikes. Dirk is distracted, oblivious, staring at the door.

“Dirk!” Lucas snaps, finally getting his brother’s attention long enough to look at the code.

“Yellow, red, bl-” he starts.

A high-pitched scream sounds from beyond and that’s it. The Detective slams his hand on top of the stone, easily vaulting it in one leap and rushing for the door. As he passes just through the arch, a loud gong sounds. They’ve missed a code.

He skids to a stop as the doors slightly close in on him, just barely past the arch, hearing Lucas shouting obscenities but it’s too late at this point, the only thing they can do is make sure the others make it through the door in time.

Beyond the door is an empty grey hallway that turns off a short way down the path, filled with a foul stench that the Detective would rather not identify, though it’s strong enough to topple an army. If he were to guess, this hallway is near the heart of the Demon’s Keep and the group can’t be that far away.

Dirk cups his hands round his mouth and shouts, his voice bouncing off the walls. Within less than a minute, Safiya, Alex, and Liza speed into view, all of them passing Dirk without a second thought as he continues to call out. Shane isn’t far behind, carrying the artefact, only stopping for a second as Dirk grabs a hold of his arm.

“Where’s Ro?”

“I don’t know,” Shane gasps, not really comfortable being stopped so close to being on the good side of the door, “She was with Joey.” With that the Renegade pulls out his grip and runs through the door.

Another gong sound and the doors close a little more again. There’s just barely enough room for a person to pass through at this point, and after the next one, the doors will close.

That’s all the motivation he needs, ready to dash forward and carry the others back to the door if he has to. Before he can even take a step, firm and desperate fingers grasp tightly to the Detective’s wrist, holding fast and not allowing him to move even slightly.

Lucas, having slid through the small gap in the doors has a tight hold of his brother and tries to drag him back through. There’s no reason for all of them to die.

“Let me go!” The Detective rages, twisting and turning in an attempt to break free. He’s sick of all this death. Is it too much to want to finish one game with every single person still breathing? Is that such a crime! Is that such a bad thing! But Lucas is nothing if not stubborn, holding tight and refusing to let go. Of course it’s beyond his understanding. Why would a murderer understand!

‘What happened to murderer?’

Dirk’s struggle stumbles as he realises what he’s just thought, unintentionally proving his brother’s distrust of him right. Lucas takes full advantage of it, bending to throw the Detective over his shoulder and just barely managing to squeeze them both through the barely open doorway, just as the final gong sounds. The doors thud shut behind them.

Everyone is gasping as Dirk is thrown to the floor, each of them shaking with adrenaline and fear, none of them okay with what they’ve just lived through.

“I’m sorry.” They all jump, having forgotten Calliope was still there, turning to her with looks of utter heartbreak. “The Jet-Setter did not make it.”

Joey steps from beside the door, clearly shaken and afraid. He must have slipped by while the brothers were fighting.

Dirk’s movements are slow as he pushes himself to stand again, chest awash with a hateful mix of confusion and anger. She didn’t deserve this! She didn’t deserve to be left behind! If Lucas would have just-

A loud -SMACK- splits the air as the Madman’s hand slaps the Detective across the face. A hand raised to his reddened cheek, Dirk stares in shock as his brother begins to scream at him.

“I needed the fucking code!” the pure rage pushes everyone but Dirk away. “And why did you run in-”

Words devolve into heavy coughing, Lucas seemingly choking on his own anger as he screams, only the words aren’t continuing and the coughing only gets worse.

A hand against Dirk’s chest shoves him back as the Madman bends double practically hacking his lungs inside out while he attempts to drag any amount of breathable air into them.

When he straightens up, his right eye is almost completely black, while the veins that litter his already too pale skin have stretched even further across it.

Everyone stares, none of them sure of how to process whatever it is they’ve just witnessed. As Lucas looks over them all, they step back, a predatory look in his eyes and a shiver running down their backs. Only the Detective stands firm, meeting his brother’s stern glare with his own look of determination.

“We should leave.” Lucas growls, a strange and honestly terrifying gutteral tone to his voice that none of them have heard before. With a scowl, the Madman steps forward, around his brother, striding angrily towards the others who part before him like the red sea.

Once he’s gone, the strange oppressive feeling they hadn’t noticed in the last few minutes is suddenly gone and they all share worried looks.

“Is it just me or does anyone else not feel safe around that guy?” Joey asks.

[lilypadtm]

Background:

Lily is the youngest child born to two parents. After traveling the world together they settled down and had their children. Her father was loving and warm, encouraging the kids in whatever it was they dreamed of. They didn’t have a ton of money, but they had enough to get by.

Growing up Lily was a spitfire and ball of energy. She was up first thing in the morning and running around. Her parents said she was full of life and ambition. It was true, she was always aiming for something and leaving people in awe of how brilliant she was. It was very easy for Lily to make friends and be social. Lily was adored.

Life was pretty good for Lily, yes, she fought with her mother a lot. They didn’t see eye to eye on a lot of things, but she loved her family-- especially her father who understood her. However, when she was fourteen her father left them without a word.

Lily refused to believe this was anyone but her mother’s fault and from that moment on considered herself to be independent. She didn’t listen to anything her mother said, just getting work where she could so she could save up to get out when she was eighteen.

She worked a bunch of odd jobs and even some questionable modeling ones, but she didn’t care as long as she got away from her mother. The woman somehow became even more horrible and difficult to deal with after her father left.

The moment she turned eighteen she roomed with some friends while working on her designs and opened up her online boutique.

Once the business started growing though she decided she wanted to be closer to the city and that she had outgrown her smaller town so she packed up her things and headed to Seoul.

She doesn’t have any regrets about leaving and recently moved into the Share House. She finds the people to be really interesting and looks forward to this new chapter of her life as both a student and an up and coming designer.

Personality:

Lily would identify as pansexual. She is open to any and all love but isn’t sure she will ever actually find it. She’s a wild spirit and knows that most people probably can’t handle her.

She still is that loving, spunky girl, but she is also guarded and afraid to grow close to people for fear of losing them. She’s fierce and she knows it, often putting those who she deems out of line in their place and standing up for the little guy when she can. She might seem docile and adorable, but you don’t want to get on her bad side, and you probably don’t want to point out that she’s short. Not if you value your limbs anyway.

There is a softer side to her rough around the edges personality, but you have to earn it from her. She doesn’t just give away her heart or kindness for free.

Bold, loud and a little, okay a lot sassy.

Sometimes Lily can straight up be a boss ass bitch and she’ll have no problem snatching your weave if she feels that is what you deserve.

Don’t bullshit her and never lie to her.

She does believe in revenge, so I wouldn’t cross her.

She’ll flirt with any and everyone so it’s hard to tell when she’s actually interested in someone and when she’s just being herself.

Get to know her and get past her out layers so you can find out about the genuine loyal person she is. Once she’s deemed you trustworthy she is one of the most loyal and wonderful people you’ll ever meet. P.S. She’s also hilarious.

Fun Facts:

Lily would like to sleep with everyone in the house, it’s sort of her personal mission. Currently, she can cross Riyang, Kai, and Seona off of her list.

She is very expressive about her sexuality and will beat your ass if you slut shame her. She doesn’t have time for that double standard bullshit.

Loves to dance and did ballet as well as soccer as a little girl.

She enjoys appearing innocent and sweet so that people underestimate her.

Cannot cook to save her life, but is great with anything fashion and design.

Will bluntly tell you that you need a makeover and will also buy or make you clothes if the inspiration strikes

Can eat whatever she wants without having to worry about it-- yes she is that bitch.

Is really short, only standing at 5’1”  (Yes I know the FC is taller but for sake of story go with it bls)

Loves people despite her brash attitude

Wants to travel and see the world

Loves animals more than people and is surprisingly good with kids

Don’t bring up her father or mother or try to fix her family issues because she will punch you in the throat

Can and will kick your ass.

Once again, don’t call her short.

Unlike anyone, you will ever meet, probably.