#my agenda with this post isn't really 'go watch it' so much as it is 'stop making fun of its fans' 😔

[daz4i]

it's sad to me that rick and morty is considered a bad show by tumblr standards ngl. and that it gets lumped with ig ~problematic~ content when it's honestly very tame in that regard (also mandatory "everything's problematic bitch let's yet you the ability to enjoy media while still acknowledging its flaws"). obviously you don't have to like it but i find it unfortunate that ppl just dismiss it without ever trying to watch it just bc of its fandom

[babyangelsky]

Back in March when I was doing the BL Challenge (brought to us by the lovely @negrowhat), I mentioned in my post about Korn Theerapanyakul that it isn't often that we get an actual villain who isn't just a love rival in a BL. The presence of an antagonist in a story doesn't necessarily make them the villain and not every story calls for one either. That being said,

Jak is a villain.

I want to break down this shot because it tells us a lot about the dynamic at play and Jak's point of view.

There's a lot going on here. The first thing my eye is drawn to is the line between them (and how Mut is just slightly crossing it since he stepped into the lion's den). Once you see that, the differences between both sides of that line become more obvious.

Mahasamut is dressed in a dark cool color and he's in shadow but his face is catching the light. The flowers, fireplace, candles, and TV behind him feel warm and homey. Fitting for a cafe. On the other hand, Jak is dressed in a warm light color and he's sitting in the light but his face is in shadow. The windows behind him and his positioning makes it feel like he's sitting at a desk in a corner office in a high rise instead of a cafe.

I weirdly wish they'd shown us when they arrived at the table because I would bet you anything that Jak sat down first. He's the older one, he's relaxed, etc. It makes sense for him to have sat first which means he chose that specific seat and the only reason I mention it, and really the only reason it matters, is that it tells us how Jak sees himself in this situation.

He's sitting there in the light in his dad sweater telling Mahasamut about wanting to fulfill his role as Tongrak's father and that he's so sorry about his behavior in the past and wants to atone for it and it's all bullshit because look at this man's face.

It is completely shadowed, just like his intentions and his agenda whereas Mut's is completely in the light.

And the difference becomes even more stark once Jak tells Mut to break up with Tongrak.

Jak is spewing nothing but ill-intentioned bullshit and Mahasamut sees it for what it is and makes it clear that he isn't going to fall for it, which is why things devolve.

Now. Just so we can get it out of the way, yes, obviously Mut should not have agreed to that meeting. He shouldn't have engaged and should've put the baby in the car and driven in the opposite direction. I was screaming at my screen for him to do just that, as were many of us I'm sure. However, I have to point out that it is not inconsistent for him from a character writing standpoint to have agreed.

Lest we forget, he said this to Tongrak last week when he was explaining why he turned Prin down when she tried to buy him.

"But Leah the dad is so much worse how could he not see—!" I know. Trust me, I do.

I'm gonna put on my baseball uniform and go to bat for my man for a second though because I think part of the reason that he agreed to talk to Jak is that he vastly underestimated him. And to be completely fair to Mahasamut, I did, too.

If I had to guess, I would say that he was expecting to be dealing with someone cut from the same cloth as Prin. Maybe a little worse since he knows what Jak has done in the past but certainly nothing he couldn't handle. Mahasamut is not a reckless or a thoughtless man. I don't believe for a second he would've even walked in the building if he didn't feel confident that he could deal with Jak.

The problem is that Jak is very much not cut from the same cloth as Prin.

I noted in my expressions post that it looked like the only time Jak was actually feeling something was when he accepted Prin's offer to destroy Tongrak but that's not entirely accurate. Having gone back to watch his scenes, there's a second instance where genuine emotion peeks through.

There's such a cold rage in his expression when he reproaches Tongrak for choosing his mother and cutting ties with him. And make no mistake, he's not angry because he loves his son. We already know that he doesn't. He's angry because in his eyes, he lost to a woman he felt nothing but disdain for.

If Tongrak and Kwan had chosen Jak over their mother, do you think Jak would be out here causing problems? No, he would've flat out ignored them. He wouldn't bother keeping such close tabs on Rak and his relationships because he would've already won and if he's doing it now, it's because he wants to win.

This is a game to him. This is fun for him.

His son is terrified and begging him not to hurt an innocent little girl and a young man and Jak's response is, "Don't be greedy."

He tries to force his son to choose which one of the people he loves most in this world gets to be safe but the choice isn't really a choice. He says he'll choose for Rak and he already has. Jak had already had Mahasamut beaten by the time he comes to see Tongrak and we know that because Mut's injuries have been treated when Rak gets home and Vivi is already there.

Matter of fact, the only reason Jak is even here talking to his son is because his attempt to convince Mut to leave has failed and he knows that going to Rak won't fail. He knows his son is afraid of him and he knows he can use that fear to get what he wants, which is why he brings up the uncle doctor.

Although we've gotten little of Jak so far, it's safe to assume that he is not a man who makes empty threats. Tongrak knows this, too, which is why he becomes so panicked when the doctor is brought up. We as the audience don't know who this doctor is but we can surmise from Tongrak's expression that he's important enough to be used as a weapon by Jak.

Until this point I don't think Tongrak realized that his father had anything to do with whatever happened to this doctor, he looks genuinely surprised. But all Jak had to do to prove how serious he is about his threat is mention the man. That's all he does. Rak puts the pieces together himself.

And here is where I bring up next week.

If you can look at this man's face as he rips the contract and think for a moment that he's going to try to push Mahasamut away for some flimsy petty reason, I am here to tell you that you are dead wrong. If I so much as SEE the words 'noble idiocy' I'm going to kick off.

Because we know that by the time Tongrak picks up this contract to rip it, Mahasamut has already been beaten twice and that Jak made a barely veiled threat to have him killed. Rak is rightfully terrified of his father and afraid for his boyfriend's life and wanting to keep Mut safe and ALIVE is not noble idiocy.

Now is it going to work? Smart money says no, wild horses couldn't drag Mahasamut away. He loves Rak too much to take any threats lying down. But as much as I understand why Mut talked to Jak, I understand why Rak wants to keep him safe even more.

Jak didn't accept Prin's offer because he wanted to help her. He doesn't give a single shit about her agenda except to mock her for it. He agreed to destroy his son because he wants to, because doing so will allow him to win and get back at his ex-wife. The money is just a bonus.

Jak is a Villain.

[smuttykdrama]

[Hyunsu & Chanyoung as Subs ; SWEET HOME]

Hi, this is my first smut drabble and first post so please be kind! also note that i've only watched through sweet home once! i've just finished the second season lol. ><

Warnings: smut, sub!hyunsu & chanyoung, dom!reader, female!reader, masochism, only read if you're eighteen or above.

This is written with an older reader in mind, with hyunsu being 19, the reader being 29, and chanyoung being 25. Forgive my HUGE noona kink. 🥲 Even tho I'm only 22 lol.

Hyunsu

● Sub!Hyunsu, who only wants to please you, his noona, regardless of his own pleasure.

● Sub!Hyunsu who eats you out like you're a goddamn five course meal, savouring every part of you because you're his everything. The only light in his world.

● Sub!Hyunsu, who needs your praise like it's a drug. He's sadly very insecure, constantly worried that he's not doing well enough or that his body isn't good enough for you. You'd soon change those ridiculous thoughts of his.

● Sub!Hyunsu who is a sweet and caring boyfriend in the day, but a masochistic freak at night. You definitely take advantage of his healing abilities, allowing you to make Hyunsu's body your canvas. Scratches down his back, his front. Biting his chest, teasing him, and testing his pain tolerance.

● Sub!Hyunsu, who, after being in captivity and chained up, wants nothing more than to replace those memories with YOU. Tie him to the bedpost, put a hard metal collar around his neck. Anything to forget those painful times...and make new memories with you.

● Sub!Hyunsu who literally hate fucks you. Not because he's mad at you. But at himself. You know when he's depressed, because he shoves you onto the bed and buries his cock in your tight heat without warning. "Sorry, Noona...i really need you right now...i don't want to talk...i just need you."

● Sub! Hyunsu who gives you the best aftercare, even if he's the one who's all fucked out after a session. He'll even go out of his way to explore the city just to find a scented candle to light for you.

● Sub!Hyunsu who's monster wants you too, having felt just how satisfied Hyunsu was with you.

Chanyoung

● Sub!Chanyoung, who's a complete virgin when you first meet him, and he's unable to meet your gaze when you sleep together for the first time.

● Sub!Chanyoung who is so overstimulated the moment your pussy clenches around him that he doesn't know what to do with his hands other than clutch the pillow as you ride him.

● Sub!Chanyoung who loves being bossed around in bed, and being told what to do. Want him to fuck you like you're unbreakable? Got it. Want to finger him until hes a blushing mess beneath you? Done! He lives to be your living, breathing sex toy.

● Sub!Chanyoung who keeps his uniform on while he eats you out, having just come back from a mission outside the stadium, knowing about your soldier kink. He looks just so handsome in it, but oh so much prettier with it off.

● Sub!Chanyoung whos thighs and lower abdomen are the most sensitive parts of his body. The moment you start leaving hickeys on his thighs or tracing the lines of his abs, Chanyoung goes crazy. "Not there, jagiya...i'll go crazy."

● Sub!Chanyoung who kneels at your feet after a long day, practically begging to bed you, looking up at you with his puppy like eyes.

● Sub!Chanyoung who is so drunk on your kisses, that he could come in his pants from the mere sensation of your lips on his.

● Sub!Chanyoung who can't believe that even after the world went to shit, he still has you to look after him. He may be your protector, but really, you're the one who saved him.

[END]

(A/N): Wow first smut headcanons!! I am here totally for the Hyunsu switch & Chanyoung sub agenda. Please like and leave a comment/reblog if you liked ^^ Let me know what Sweet Home Hyunsu & Chanyoung reaction you'd like next! I currently only write for those 2 characters :)

[harunayuuka2060]

Professor Trein: Let me say this again, headmaster. I'm glad to see you back.

MC: Thank you, Trein. Ah... Times have really passed.

MC: But I could still remember when you were still a teenager and courting this beautiful girl. *chuckles* Is she your wife now?

Professor Trein: *clears throat* *blushing a little* Yes. I wished you were able to witness our wedding.

MC: Ah, yes... Unfortunately, I just had to leave at that time.

Professor Trein: Don't worry. We completely understand. It was a serious matter and you had no choice.

Crowley: ...

MC: Anyway, *smiles* how has been Crowley as the headmage?

Professor Crewel: I'm afraid to say that he's been a deadbeat.

Crowley: Excuse me?!

MC: Oh dear.

MC: ...

MC: Anything else?

Professor Trein: Professor Crewel, the headmage isn't all that bad.

Professor Crewel: Which means he's 90% bad and the remaining 10% is his good side but with a hidden agenda.

Crowley: ...

Crowley: I would like to believe that I'm being practical at all times.

Professor Crewel: I'm going back to my class. And welcome back, headmaster. I hope that we would be seeing you around.

Professor Trein: I'm taking my leave as well. Have a great day, headmaster.

MC: Thank you, Trein. And you see you later, Crewel. Have a great day.

*the two left*

Crowley: ...

Crowley: I have things to do so if you would excuse me—

MC: Stay, Crowley. I would like to take a walk together.

Crowley: I don't usually walk around the campus—

MC: Then I'll carry you around just like the old times.

Crowley: N-No... That would be embarrassing.

MC: No one would know, Crowley. Though you're the cutest crow I've laid my eyes on.

Crowley: *pouts* Headmaster...

MC: *chuckles*

Ace: It might be that my eyes were playing tricks on me but I've seen the former headmaster carrying a huge crow, which I'm sure, was the headmage.

The first years: ...

The first years: Where?

Ace: They're walking around the campus. They're petting Crowley.

Ace: Headmage was like "Kraa..." whenever the former headmaster gently strokes his head.

Ace: I've taken a video as proof—

Crowley: *confiscates it* Trappola, you're going to my office.

Ace: H-Headmage!

Crowley: You have no right to spy on us.

Ace: But you two were in the public. That ain't spying. I was just simply watching.

Crowley: Do you want me to call your parents, Trappola?

Ace: No.

Crowley: Hmph! *then leaves*

Ace: ...

Ace: *turns to his classmates* *smirks* He doesn't know I've already posted it on Magicam.

The first years: *laughs* You're going to be in trouble, Ace!

Riddle: Headmaster? Why are you alone?

MC: Crowley flew off somewhere. He must've been tired from all our chat.

MC: How about you, Riddle?

Riddle: Ah. I'm on way to Science lab. *then realizes that he hasn't introduced himself yet* Eh?

MC: Housewarden of Heartslabyul, isn't it?

Riddle: Y-Yes...

MC: *smiles* You're still young, Riddle Rosehearts. You should be making friends at your age and enjoying your life.

Riddle: ...

Riddle: Thank you, headmaster. But your advice isn't needed. As a housewarden, I am enjoying myself.

MC: Oh?

MC: ...

MC: There's a leaf on your hair. Let me remove it for you.

Riddle: Th-Thank you, headmaster.

MC: *lets out a sigh*

Riddle: Headmaster?

MC: *smiles softly at him* It's nothing. Oh, and it seems I have taken too much of your time. *chuckles* Run along.

Riddle: Thank you, headmaster.

MC: *watches him walk away*

MC: *smiles* *black ink dripping from their hand*

MC: Maybe I should stay here for the time being.

[welcometololaland]

almost uploaded a picture of my bank statement instead of this header! happy days!

thanks for the tags @hippolotamus @kiwiana-writes @happiness-of-the-pursuit @rmd-writes

@nancygillianmvp @terramous @tellmegoodbye @freneticfloetry @beautifulhigh

@orchidscript @myheartalivewrites and @strandnreyes (don't think that was a real tag but i'm taking it anyway to force you to love me).

1. How many works do you have on Ao3?

49 (last time it was 46 but i feel like that isn't enough of a difference? disappointed in myself dfhskjh)

2. What's your Ao3 bodycount word count?

1,119,086 which does include some co-writes, but I also have around 200k of unposted WIP in my google docs so i'm counting it (including a fully written fic - someone put their hands around my neck and force me to edit it PLEASE).

3. Which fandoms do you write for?

red white and royal blue, 911 lone star, top gun maverick (flirting with winter's orbit always)

4. Top 5 fics by kudos?

the order of these has changed but not the identity:

Speak for Yourself (RWRB) (you know when eminem said he'd never be able to top My Name Is? this is my version of that)

Fifty First Dates (RWRB) (oodie agenda reigns supreme)

The RIng-In (Lone Star) (otherwise, lone star is in danger of being eviscerated from this top 5 lmao)

(Not) A Cinderella Story (RWRB) (NDAs are hot, apparently)

Cursed is a State of Mind (RWRB) (cursed caffeine is the main drawcard let's not lie)

5. Do you respond to comments?

i try my absolute best to. i am currently really behind and i apologise for that (the problem is, i reply to comments before i post anything and i haven't posted anything in ages).

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

serious answer - Contaminated

my answer - oh baby i'm a fool for you because we never find out if they actually watch twilight and that's a damn shame

7. What is the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

literally everything else - i don't really do open endings or sad endings! in the words of the great philosopher, skepta: "nah, that's not me."

8. Do you get hate on fics?

i used to, but i haven't in ages! thank god for that.

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

yes, although i have to say i've been moving away from pwp lately. i feel my best smut is written into longer fics where the sex serves a plot or characterisation purpose within the frame of the overarching narrative.

10. Do you write crossovers? What's the craziest one you've written?

yes, a RWRB/LS but i never finished it. ALTA is a veronica mars inspired tarlos fic which kind of feels like a crossover at times.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

not to my knowledge :)

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

yes! Phonography (Lone Star) has been translated, as has Baby, Make Your Move (Lone Star) and Warm Whispers (Lone Star). I'm very grateful to the incredible people who have made these translations happen - you are so talented.

13. Have you ever co-written a fic?

yes, many with @dustratcentral. I also wrote a chapter of a co-written fic with a whole bunch of incredible RWRB authors called never the same twice.

@rmd-writes and I have created (Un)Professional Services and (upcoming) Call Me (By Your Name).

The Rainbow Fish was co-written with @strandnreyes.

I love co-writing so much and I am always open to anyone who wants to give it a go!

14. What's your all time favourite ship?

me + my unposted wips.

15. What's a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

probably the aforementioned crossover which was apparently also my answer last time.

16. What are your writing strengths?

i'm allergic to giving myself compliments but i would say maybe dialogue/banter and worldbuilding.

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

keeping things short. also, exposition.

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic?

kinda scared to because i don't speak any other languages and i'm so hesitant to annoy my very talented multi-lingual friends with my annoying questions.

19. First fandom you wrote for?

we don't talk about that.

20. Favourite fic you've written?

probably still Love Game because the experience was just so amazing and i never wanted to stop writing it.

heaps of people have already done this so leaving an open tag and also a couple of suggestions under the cut but apologies if you've already participated or been tagged 7 million times:

@bonheur-cafe @theghostofashton @thebumblecee @indomitable-love @eclectic-sassycoweyes

@tailoredshirt @vineofroses @liminalmemories21 @mikibwrites @birdclowns

@ladytessa74 @basilsunrise @cold-blooded-jelly-doughnut @rosedavid @sanjuwrites

@alrightbuckaroo @three-drink-amy @marjansmarwani @dumbpeachjuice @doublel27

@lemonlyman-dotcom @blueink3 @ambiguouspenny @clottedcreamfudge @emmalostinwonderland

@sail-not-drift @inexplicablymine @celeritas2997 @cricketnationrise @reyesstrand

@goodways @carlos-in-glasses @heartstringsduet @sunshinestrand @sherryvalli

[jewish-vents]

Constantly visiting this blog and reading the rants of other Jews suffering like me....I cannot stop crying all the time. So much of us in pain and no one listening. I'm scared. Will it take something huge for everyone else to listen? How far will their hatred go? I can't stop thinking about that post on R/Jewish titled "Be ready this time." Will they still gaslight us even when the hatred becomes so big even they cannot deny or ignore it?

As a South Asian, I saw how brown people were lumped together and suffered after 9/11. To this day, everyone still makes 9/11 jokes but it was us who paid the price. How bad will the world punish us for this? I can't stop feeling suicidal. We will always be blamed for everything wrong in the world. We will never have allies, even our own people turn their backs on us in order to secure that "Good Jew" spot to avoid the dire consequences of being a "bad one".

I hate how betrayed I feel. It was so predictable, yk? The switch up. For the past few years, I couldn't stop feeling like antisemitism was gonna be back in style soon. My family thought it was just paranoia. Then it happened and yet I don't think I could ever get over it or stomach it. How do we even begin to process how quickly everyone embraced extreme, conservative levels of antisemitism? The moment they all took the stance that "Antisemitism isn't real/nothing is antisemitism not even antisemitism is antisemitism" against Israel's "everything is antisemitism", everything went to shit.

Watching the antisemitism happen in real time haunts me too....I can barely sleep. October 7th was already such a horrible day on the internet, don't get me wrong but on my side, at least I saw some people trying to push the "peace for all sides" stance. But after a week or so (maybe a few days tbh), I saw the antisemitism take over everywhere and it replays in my mind, making me sick. They couldn't wait to hate us. They were so happy that they no longer had to care about Jews or antisemitism (They never even spoke about us or our oppression anyways but now they can finally talk about us like the conservatives they oh so hate while also gaslighting us!)

And it sucks to admit but it hurts even more that my fellow people of color and queer people see us as such threats. We're just supposed to take it. We can't ever talk about how Muslims have oppressed us....When Kanye went Nazi, I saw a lot of people fall into antisemitic conspiracies and put the blame on us as well as all their anger and frustrations because somehow it's our fault he never got deplatformed for his "slavery was a choice" remarks and we always have "an agenda". We're just the perfect punching bags because there's so little of us and most people in the world have never met a Jew and yet think they know us through "The Jews killed Jesus" and "The Jews own the world".

I love you all. Everyone who posts on here and of course the person or persons who run this blog. I know we will survive this. We are so strong....we shouldn't have to be but we are anyway and I'm so proud. We've been here before and we will probably be here again over and over. But I'm so honored.

They can try to run over random Jews and shoot our schools and get the world to turn against any Jew by simply calling them a Zionist (which starts a serious isolation of Jews from the world as many Jews get boycotted in the name of antizionism) and attack our elders as they leave synagogues and leave antisemitic flyers in our neighborhoods saying we are the one true evil and do everything you can possibly imagine to harm us and we'll always be here. Everyone finally gets unity through Judenhass but what's new?

Thank you for this blog. It's so easy to feel like we're so alone but we have each other 💕 Sorry for this really long rant. I came here feeling extra hurt because I lost another friend recently. She came to me to have a long antisemitic rant about this white Jewish girl in our circle. Then a concerned friend sent me screenshots of a thread laughing and mocking us on 4chan (🤢🤮) about how Leftists hate Jews more than 4chan now. I can't take any of this anymore. But I am truly grateful for this blog and this space to yell and scream 💕

.

[ikamigami]

So what if I told y'all that this is actually a "Moon's paranoia" arc? And what if showrunners hint that Sun will try to help or reach out to Eclipse behind Moon's back.. and they hint that with Moon's words that he trust Sun?

Cause let me tell you something. I've watched many shows and movies to know that this line reminds me of that type of foreshadowing in which one character says "we'll meet again" but they never had the chance to meet again because that other character dies. You know what I mean, right?

So with Moon saying that he trusts Sun - it's not the first time when he says that btw cause he told Earth that he trusts Sun with his life - and Moon being more and more paranoid, I have a heavy suspicion that Moon will stop trusting even Sun..

But ofc it won't be like that that Moon will abandon Sun or anything like that.. He most definitely will be mad at Sun.. but I think that this is what may lead to Moon locking Sun on the island..

Moon really acts paranoid. Some of you may not believe me but what Moon is doing is something that paranoid person would do. What I mean is that Moon devides what informations he shares with whom. No one receives full picture. Only Moon holds all the cards all the time.

Cause look at what he did. He decided to not tell any info to Solar at the moment, right? He did the same thing with not telling anything to Sun and Lunar before. But he eventually told them everything, right? Yes and this is another thing that hints to Moon being paranoid.. because he is the one who always shares things with others. It let's him feel in control of situation.

"Everything is fine as long as I keep my finger on the pulse"..

Getting back to Moon locking Sun on the island. Moon would obviously think that this would be the best for Sun. To keep Sun safe. Even from Sun himself.. or maybe especially from Sun himself.. because remember what I wrote in this post !

I think that everything is adding up nicely. Like many people were wondering about the purpose of Evil Sun's appearance in the show, thinking that maybe he's behind Eclipse's return. But it doesn't make any sense because E Sun doesn't have any agenda to meddle with our dimension. There weren't given any hints that our dimension has anything to offer to E Sun (yet, obvi lol)..

That's why I think that they made Moon go there so he could get paranoid for legit reasons and not out of the blue. Also it's important to do a good build up for rising paranoia in character for it to be more believable..

And most of the time paranoia is piling up before it'll reach a critical point when person snaps and starts doing things that endangers their and their family lives. It never starts right off the bat..

Paranoia is no joke. It messes with your mind badly.. especially if you feed your paranoid thoughts!

I'm saying that from personal experiences. I'm still struggling with paranoid thoughts. Who's read that one post of mine then knows what I'm talking about 😅

Also it might be actually just like @nightixx (hope you don't mind that I tagged you) said in one of their posts that Moon is probably realising to what lengths Sun is willing to go to protect his family. Maybe Moon actually sees that Sun can and would probably put himself in danger in order to keep his family safe. And maybe Moon actually suspect Sun to act behind his back and maybe even he may suspect that Sun may try to give Eclipse a chance just like he did with BM.

Cause Moon isn't stupid. He might not be the best with reading emotions etc but I won't doubt that he is quite observant. Like even Old Moon was noticing that something was wrong with Sun but unfortunately he didn't do much to help.

I think that New Moon is probably noticing that something is wrong with Sun as well. But unlike Old Moon he'll do something about it. He'll keep Sun safe no matter what. And why I think that Moon may be suspecting that Sun may try to give Eclipse a chance? Because I think that in Moon's eyes Sun is too nice, too naive, too stupid - he learned that in Ruin's dimension when Sun wanted to help that dimension so badly and he learned that with how Sun tried to give BM a chance.. Both of these situations were dangerous and yet Sun was willing to help and act on his kindness even if it meant endangering himself.. Moon sees that. I think that Moon realises that Sun is the biggest threat to himself...

Also I think that it's very possible that Moon may suspect that Sun will act behind his back because Sun already lied to him about that whole being a conduit for star's power thing which like Moon said was killing Sun every day..

And important thing to note is that paranoia may induce a hypervigilance in someone. Which explains why someone who is paranoid plans things in advance and with suspicion that others will break their trust.

Old Moon was paranoid af.. and we can see that New Moon starts becoming more and more paranoid as well...

But like I said it'll most definitely end up with Moon restricting Sun's freedom in order to prevent him from endangering himself. Which I'm afraid will lead to a tragedy.

[prongsmydeer]

Ayesha Liveblogs Hidden Agenda S1

I will not lie to you, I am watching this entirely for the fact it stars Tony from the Warp Effect

"I will get back my five minutes. When that time comes, I will let you know." Seems like an extreme overreaction to imply you want some sort of physical favour for missing a few minutes of studio time, but hey, I'm not a musician!

Much like Pat, I also feel like I've walked in the middle of something

LMAO @ the opening theme suggesting there's only one woman in this whole show, but I guess if I want women, I should choose a different genre

"As I've told you guys, I'll deal with the Nita situation my way." You know that post that's like 'I'm bisexual, by which I mean I'm physically terrified of dating men and emotionally terrified of dating women?' That's Zo

"Joke used to date Nita. Maybe he can help you out." Ah, I think we have arrived at the premise

I really want to know what's going on between these two because they are really acting like We Have A History:

Nita talking to a female classmate who is fully offscreen because she's the only woman on this show HAHAHA

"Why did you freak out like that?" said Pok, as if he had not jumped on a man holding a full cup of coffee

Not the debate club of the political science faculty!! This is far too relatable to my university experience LOL (also RUN Nita this is a terrible dating pool)

So far, mostly Joke's role has been to pop up out of nowhere to taunt Zo about being romantically inept, like a particularly Rude Flirtation Ghost

"I'm not sure, [Joke] might have a problem with me." If by 'problem' you mean a semi-hostile leetle crush, Zo, u right

Fellas, is it romantic to lean into ur crush and whisper in their ear that they have no spine?

[Taylor Swift voice] I think I've seen this film before:

I've said this before but: If your friends leave you alone at a bar while ur plastered, get new friends!!!

Awwww Joke taking the 5 minutes to clear up a misunderstanding with Zo is the first sincere thing he's done in this show

SCREAM why did you make one of the romantic leads punch the other? I know he's drunk but COME ON. WHO LIKES SOMEONE WHO PUNCHES THEM IN THE FACE FOR NO REAL REASON

At least he's apologizing right away???? What a bold first ep

Yes, I do know in Bad Buddy (also by GMMTV) they were starting with street brawls, but that's different, it was their faculities fighting, not like one guy doing it unsolicited

LMAO I can't believe the punch was a plot device to give Zo a reason to follow Joke around wanting forgiveness

"If you just leave it as it is, it won't heal quickly." It was ALSO a plot device for intricate rituals for touching the skin of other men

"Who said I don't like you?" "You repeatedly gave me harsh words during our freshman year." Ohhhhh so their history is that tweet with Joke not knowing how to deal with his crush and writing Zo a letter that says, 'get out of my school'

You know, I do enjoy the Share My Drink So We Can Start a Weird Dating Mentorship Pact. It's fun! It's like a blood ritual but for stupid bisexual guys. Or a marriage, take your pick

"I can't eat anything here, right?" Dkljdlkjdd is Zo just a very picky eater? Vietnamese food isn't even like a polar opposite to Thai food in my experience, it's still Southeast Asian cuisine?? Also I have definitely had fresh spring rolls from Thai restaurants LOL

"My peer mentor is the best!" For some reason, I did think Pok was older than Zo at first sight

The more time that Zo and Joke spend in the debate room, the more Zo's personality (a mild pain in the ass) makes sense

HHAHAHAHAH is Zo dream-sequencing about kissing him? I didn't think we'd get here so fast

Oh psych, it's Joke's dream sequence. That tracks, but my god, get it together Joke, this guy punched you like yesterday

"No, let's get something to eat." Joke said: If we stay in this debate room any longer I WILL kiss you, Zo, and then it'll be both of our problems

I like that they haven't done ANYTHING to talk about Nita all day. They're just hanging out hahahaha

"Why would you come [to my gig]? It's not the right place for practice." "You'll see." Colour me intrigued about Zo's plan

Joke alternating between singing scales and practicing debate intros is so me. I am so him

Joke's cousin laughing at him but cheering him on for debate while handing off the key card is the true family representation I need from these shows

Trin is also P'Dim from 2gether and Captain from the Warp Effect so this is really the first role I've seen Guy Sivakorn in that he's not at least a little nefarious

"This is your home turf. Trust me, you can do it, Joke." Awww I like that Zo is teaching debate techniques through a medium he feels more comfortable with, which is music performance

I like that Zo has also made himself designated driver! Always appreciate someone staunchly against drinking and driving

"I told you who my crush was." "You told me voluntarily. I didn't ask," said Joke, like he didn't eavesdrop on Zo in a bus and then accost him to confirm what he heard

"Why would you want to join this club? I don't get it at all." "I'll explain later." Will you Joke? Because every explanation for this situation makes you sound a little crazy. 1) I am helping a guy to date you, Nita, so I need to be in this club to make that work or, more honestly 2) I like a guy in this club, but he wants to date you, so I'm in this club to spend time with him, while hoping that I don't help him enough to date you

A relationship with a hidden agenda is such a broad topic for someone's first debate. Talk about school uniforms, or fracking, or a legitimate social issue. Also also also. Do they not have a structure for this debate? Where are the themes, the motions, the timed speeches. Even if Thai debate is different from the styles I know, there should still be a structure. Why they just rebutting ceaselessly back and forth? All this for a title reference. Which debate nerd signed off on this!!

"To me, a hidden agenda is a secret." You have to decide the definitions at the top of the debate, or else you can't have one!! Writers team, I'm sending you a passionate telegram

It is fun how Joke is always standing like, 6 inches from Zo's face at every opportunity and you can see Zo getting progressively more distracted each time

The English dialogue and PowerPoint caught me off guard:

Honestly, as bananas as this is, I feel like Joke really does have the opportunity to Build-A-Boyfriend here, which does tickle me

Zo every time Joke stands too close: Not now, gay thoughts!

"But if you never try new things, how will you know what suits you?" Like dating men, said Joke, in the subtext

I don't actually like Zo's white jacket, but I appreciate that all of these outings are giving him an opportunity for both new things and confidence-building

"Well, look at him. We might need an exorcism. He must be possessed." Pat absolutely losing it because his friend showed up slightly hotter than he was the day before:

"Your task is to plan a mock date with Nita. I'll be there to fine tune the details." "Wait a minute. So you're telIing me you'd play Nita, and I'd be... dating you." Oh, I love a mock date

Zo crashing his bike because he's too busy making eyes at Joke LMAOOOO

I LOVE the pottery painting date and Zo giggling because he tried to clean paint off Joke's face but he made it worse

If a man tried to order for me on a date, immediate red flag LOL

"Stay true to who you are on your first date." Every bit of advice that Joke gives is genuinely helpful

"Would you like to go on a date with me?" [Joke freezes and then leaves immediately] Truly a congratulations, you played yourself moment

Two dudes, standing in a library, 6 inches apart bc they are bi:

Reading someone your favourite book while sitting together in the library stacks IS emotionally intimate. Good job, Zo!

We interrupt this program to say: Hee hee

Zo, beelining for the bathroom: Something LGBT just happened to meeeeee

It only took Zo three episodes to realize that dating someone might lead to you being attracted to them, good for him!

Debate club members using school activities to trick people into a date really brings back some war flashbacks for me

"The portrayal of women is quite antiquated. If I were in Clytie's place, I wouldn't just wait. If someone doesn't want to be with you, they simply don't. The sun will never look at you. Isn't it better to look for someone who truly values you?" I love Nita

"First is passion. Second is intimacy. And third is commitment." I do enjoy a Romantic Realization montage

Zo said: The best way to deal with my newfound romantic feelings is to run away to Chiang Khan

Joke said: Great! I'll come with you. To which Zo said: That's not what I meant!!! U r not helping the crush crisis

LOL when they subtitled them bowing to the monk with "Vulnerable" did they mean "Venerable"?

I was wondering if Nu was a Thai honourific but upon googling it is a diminutive meaning "mouse" or, contextually somewhat like being someone you just met calling you baby

"When a person is sad, he needs some alone time." "Have you tried being someone else's company? It might be better than being on yotur own." Touché, Joke

I did not expect Jeng and Pok to already be dating. Points for surprise!

Awwwww Pok looks v nervous, is he worried about Zo finding out that he'd dating a man? Don't worry Pok, he's also kinda dating a man, in a very convoluted way

If there's one thing Joke will do, it is button not even HALF of his shirt. Tiddies out always. Respect

"But Pok and I are close. He's my peer mentee. Finding out like this feels off. Am I not trustworthy?" I really did think that Zo was stankfacing Pok for just crashing the date-cation, and not because he was concerned about not having known Pok was gay. Also babygirl, with greatest affection, it really isn't your business why or when someone comes out to you, or doesn't

"I just don't want to make anyone uncomfortable." Awww Zo

"Stop giving each other doe eyes." Zo and Joke have been CAUGHT and CALLED OUT hahaha

I am also Team Glass Floors Are Scary. I feel closer to Joke with every passing minute

Zo laughing while still helping Joke through his fear is my love language:

"The first photo Pok and I took together is in that wallet." Maybe I'm just from the age of digital cameras, but I feel like that is not what would stress me out about losing my wallet LOL

Joke trying to recreate the sunset for Zo. SWEET BOY

"When I look at you, you make people around you happy. They smile, and at ease. You bring a warm and comforting vibe with you." Joke comparing Zo to the sun!!!!! ROMANCE

"Aren't we all the protagonists of our own shows?" How meta

The tinkling of bells while Zo eats grilled rice for no reason. Beautiful sound editing

I love these guys talking to their friends about their concerns, both in Joke pointing out to Jeng that just because Pok is willing to be closeted for now, doesn't means he feels good about it, and Zo establishing that Pok doesn't need to talk about anything before he's ready, but Zo is there to help

"From your perspective, what kind of person am I?" Joke said: Do you like me? Check ☒ yes or ☐ no

"You should let yourself express your feelings sometimes." This is both good advice and a possible romantic segue, Joke can multi-task

"Do you think... if your heart races whenever you're around someone, does that mean you have feelings for that person?" Zo said: Do I like you? Check ☒ yes or ☐ no

Zo said: Actually, never mind, the answer is yes:

I really look forward to Zo trying to explain himself after this

"I wanted to know what you were doing, but you didn't answer me." Based on how this bus ride is going, I feel like they did not have a conversation about the kiss

"I'm sorry. But I think we should keep things the same between us." Zo said: I will NOT be elaborating on our kiss at this time xoxo, goodbye!

Replying, "Mom, I got a lot of snacks?" to "Did you go there alone?" is a MUCH more suspicious answer than saying you went with a friend (who you're kissing and dating and having feelings for, but I digress)

"Should I put water on it?" "No, that'll fill the room with smoke!" GHKJHGKJHGG Joke trying to help with the burning food but not having a clue what to do. Mood

WikiHow Article: What Do When Your Crush and Close Friend That You Kissed and Are Now Avoiding Like the Plague Shows Up in Your Dorm Room Wearing Matching Aprons with Your Mom

"If it's too hot, take it slow. Try these dishes, they aren't spicy." Oh how the food suggestions turntables

"I wasn't exaggerating. I genuinely think you're exceptional." Get you a man who hypes you up like Joke

Fellas, is it gay to hold hands and gaze deeply into your homie's eyes while doing the dishes?

"I don't know how I feel about you. And there's this whole thing with Nita. I don't want to say things that I might regret later. Can you give me a bit of time to figure it out?" COMMUNICATION

Joke karaokeing out his romantic woes. Me too, buddy

"Knowing how you feel might help him make a decision." Joke said: How dare you make an excellent point, Jeng

"When did you realize that you were into Jeng?" Awww, Zo is trying to sort out his feelings

One (1) kiss with Joke cured Zo of all his nervousness around Nita

Joke showing the debate club his goofy side just to make Zo smile

"I'm looking." "Where? You're only looking at my face." Truly these two sitting beside each other in debate club is a big hazard to their focus

"I want to love the toad. Does the toad love me?" Crazy lead-in to telling you have feelings for someone by comparing them to a frog. I am in love with Joke

It makes me happy how much Zo is a true debate nerd

"The topic for today is school uniforms: Pro or con?" I told you it was a classic!

"I felt bad about kissing you, avoiding you, and being the idiot I've been. Despite all that, you still helped me." Zo says: Stop being nice to me or I WILL fall in love with you

UNBELIEVABLE THAT ZO IS STILL ASKING JOKE IF HE (ZO) LIKES HIM (JOKE)

"I like you, Zo. I'll make you see that I really like you. I want to make you see that you like me too. Let me win you over." Roooomance

The most unrealistic thing that's happened in this series thus far is them pretending that this pillow looks at ALL like a sunflower. Could the props department not have at least found some felt and tried their best?

"I'm still in shock," said Zo, about Joke trying to win him over, as if he had not been the one who kissed Joke first bkjgjhgkjhg

"You guys don't seem all that surprised, especially you." Has Pat been pulling some shenanigans this whole time? He was the one who kept saying Zo should ask Joke for help

"What did you do as a kid?" "I stayed home, did homework, and went to tutoring classes." Nerd ❤️

Zo said: You must beat me at ten arcade games to earn emotional honesty on this date

And Joke replied: Let's do it baby, I love winning AND talking about our feelings

"Why are you forcing stuff on Zo? If he doesn't want to eat it, drop it." Honestly this is also how I'd react if someone was trying to make my friend eat food they didn't ask for, Kot. There's a fine line between expanding your horizons and ignoring someone's preferences

"Do you think it's right to pick a fight with Kot like that?" [Zo as the Spice Girls voice] If you wanna be my lover, you gotta get with my friends

"You can do what you want, but respect boundaries. As for the food, I know you meant well. You wanted me to try something new. But you need to understand that I don't like it. People don't like things they don't like." I'm glad Zo is establishing boundaries. We love a healthy heart-to-heart

"I know that you're in a bad mood. You're not ready to listen. Take some time to cool down. I believe you'll get what I'm trying to say." I just love the entire vibe of this conversation. The confidence, clarity, empathy, honesty. Go Zo!!!!

Ohhhhh, was Joke never dating Nita at all??? Just protecting her from this weirdo who leaves her haunting sticky notes

"After that, rumours about Nita and me started. I didn't bother clearing them." You know, now that I think about it, Joke never did say he dated Nita LOLLLLL

"You didn't really want Nita." Bold take, Joke, how are you gonna mansplain Zo's feelings

"I had feelings for you." HAHA Zo confessing to Nita in past tense

"Thank you for the feelings you had for me, even if they were just admiration." KJHGKJGH Zo said: Joke was right, I am not in love with you, you are simply the Zendaya of this school

God, this metaphor of Zo being the sun and Joke being a sunflower is getting to me. I LOVE SUNFLOWERS

"I'd be so lost without you," said Zo, after Joke simply handed him a glass of water HAHAHAH

"Just be yourself. Being you is more than enough." STOP THEY'RE SO CUTE!!!!!!!!!!!!! You win this round, drunk punch debate show

Oh I do love their little hand holds. And Zo being the one to reach out:

"Yes, I am [single]. I can give you my Line ID." Jeng, how is Joke, who is not even officially dating Zo yet, better at turning people down than you, who has been with your boyfriend for like a year? Bananas behaviour

This show is capturing the very real sentiment of visiting a man's apartment and going, "Damn, you live like this?"

Zo taking food from Joke's chopsticks instead of getting his own because he wants to flirt. Hee hee

Lmao @ Zo looking surprised at Joke asking him how he feels about him as if that's not the natural progression from Zo saying he doesn't have feelings for Nita

Zo every time things become a little too romantic: I gotta go to the bathroom

It's fun that they have already slept in the same bed without even it being a big thing before but this time is different because they are Romantically Involved

"Why did you choose this place for our date?" Hee hee amusement park date. First official date!!

Joke saying he's not scared of he amusement park when he is in fact, very scared and motion sick, is very funny

I'm surprised it's taken this long to get to an Obviously Sponsored Segment. They lasted seven episodes!:

"I think... I think I like you." Awwwwww so Zo has liked guys before, it's just didn't work out with this guy Puen

Being dumped on a moving merry-go-round by a guy who was leading you on because Puen "just thought it'd be fun" is BRUTAL. No wonder Zo asks Joke if he's serious about them 14 times a day

"Maybe that's why I'm afraid to confess my feelings to anyone." True, this actually does add some context to Zo's interactions with both Nita and Joke

"You're just like my grandma," said Joke, which is both a delightful implication his grandmother also laughs at him for being a scaredy cat and a wild thing to say to your crush

They said: Fear not, if you are missing the kissing, we will offer you some JengPok kisses

Bold choice for them to choose to end this date with an introduction to Joke's grandma, but I suppose she was part of theme of the day

"Why is he wearing your shirt? Did you spend the night together?" Also a bold choice for in front of grandma

"I'll come over tomorrow for round two. I'm not backing down that easy." Zo said: Meet me in the ring, Joke's Grandma, I WILL make you love me

"Your partner has to be a fighter. It wouldn't last otherwise." Grandma said: I bully your future boyfriend as a litmus test for his strength of character. He passed!

"You need to step up your game, Joke. Because I'm kind of fond of this one." HAHAHA Grandma dunking on Joke for them not being together yet

Also, all of Grandma's outfits are INCREDIBLE

I repeat, if there's one thing that Joke will do, it's take his tits out at the first opportunity:

Awwww Zo helping Joke to "recharge his battery" by giving him a tighter hug

Fjkfhkjfhkfjh what's going on with Zo, passing out in his living room and getting nauseous over chicken? I mean, relatable, but what's up. Overworking or is he coming down with something specific?

Update from 1 minute later: Overworking, apparently

It's fun that we've progressed from pottery painting to making your own pottery and then painting it. It's symbolic. Also Zo putting a sunflower on his cup!!

"Honestly, I felt something for you too." Coffee Shop Carthasis ft. Puen the Ex-Situationship, perhaps?

"Are you planning any late-night funny business?" I think this Joke's way of saying, 'Please kiss me again'

Also I love that they just hold hands as they walk around now

"Thank you for coming into my life. Thank you for trying to win me over. No, I should say, thank you for being my boyfriend." AYYYYYYYYYYYYYY

HAHAHA Zo closing the door only to yank him in for a quick make-out and shove him back out again:

I feel like the anonymous breathy phone calls to Joke have to be the same guy who keeps sending Nita haunting sticky notes. He's an equal opportunity harrasser, I guess

Them hanging out in bed just to cuddle. I looooooove

[Pat as Joke] "Darling I, miss you." [Kot as Zo] "I do not want to go to class, Joke. I hate being away from you." Hahahaha Zo's friends pretending not to look at Joke and Zo while they flirt but then immediately reenacting their flirting as soon as Zo sits down. 10/10 friendship

Something I haven't really talked about in the past 8 eps but that has consistently been happening is that every time Zo is thinking very hard he kind of stares into space with his mouth slightly open like :o It is very awkward and endearing

NOT Zo making class friends with Poom the Stalker

Zo play-biting Joke's hands while he has his arm around him is also one of my love languages

Convenient of Poom to send an incredibly threatening message confirming that he was stalking Nita, Zo, and Joke at the exact time he would be at Zo's apartment

I know it's necessary to resolve the storyline but I would like them to get rid of Poom ASAP

Poom smashing their special date mugs >:( He is not only a gross, harassing stalker, but also just a run-of-the-mill douchebag

I'm glad Nita gets to see Poom (James) get his ass beat by Joke and then taken away in a police car

"Until you're ready, I can wait." [Zo immediately kisses him] Zo said: I've thought about it for ten seconds, and it turns out I'm ready now!

"How can a couple have a secret relationship that goes on and on?" Nine episodes in, Pok and Jeng are finally dealing with the festering romantic resentment of Jeng being so closeted he is actively leading on women

"Although you don't plan on dating her, you can't just go around acting like you're single." A really reasonable point, Joke

"I see a knot between your eyes." "You can be a masseuse." Meanwhile, Joke and Zo are in their sappy couple era, good for them:

Not Pat and Joke being caught shenanigan-ing about Zo. Eep!!!

I can understand why Zo is upset. If you found out that the moments that felt organic and meaningful to your relationship (impromptu trip to Chiang Khan, even Zo coming to Joke for help, all ochestrated via secret texts) were actually planned with one of your friends and your partner scheming to get you together, that would really make you take a pause and reevaluate

"You and I still have things to discuss." "Discuss what? Why am I out of the loop?" Kot being the only one who isn't In Trouble with Zo LOL

"How should I be feeling? My best friend pimping me out to you!" That's a rough but fair way to phrase it, Zo

I am also 100% on Zo's side here, he has, at best, been told many lies of omission, and at worst, had his feelings and boundaries disrespected by his loved ones, and he's given Joke so many opportunities to tell him. Joke minimizing is not helping, and it's kind of Zo to not immediately dump his ass

"During the debate tournament, you may get a topic that doesn't align with your beliefs." That's true, it's like 50-50 at any given time LOL

Also: If I were watching these debate interactions you best believe me and the besties are debriefing about the debationships

"Grilled Rice, tell me, what should I do?' Props to Joong for keeping a straight face

Yeah, Pat and Joke, Zo is mad at you for lying, but luring him into a mascot flash mob in his classroom with another lie with fix it

Also I didn't mention it but if for some reason you've gotten this far without seeing the show, Pat fell down the stairs after Zo caught him in the lie, that's why the furthest dog is on crutches:

"Zo is mad because you lied to him. But your apology is another lie? Enough already." THANK YOU KOT

I'm not even sure that at any point Joke has said, "I'm sorry," so my opinion is that he should, in this order, say: 1) I'm sorry for lying to you. It hurt you, I realize that now. It wasn't fair to you. 2) If you can, please tell me more so we can make sure all your concerns are heard. 3) What, if anything, can I do to start rebuilding trust? What do you need from me? Space, access to my messages, an explanation of how me and Pat know each other

"I know you understand me." "I know. I've been so understanding. Even though I'm not fine with it, I try to be." I actually like the B couple conflict much more than the main couple conflict, at least Pok and Jeng both have legitimate sides

"I was blind to how my selfishness hurt you. I need you in my life. I can't live without you. You are my everything. I promise I'll make this right. I will fix this for you. I'm sorry." Now THAT is an apology. 1) Say you're sorry 2) Acknowledge and address the concerns being raised and 3) Change your behaviour!

Jeng coming out to the football club to assure Pok he's serious about them. ❣️

"I was just helping Joke get close to you. When you started dating, I did nothing to influence either of you. But it was wrong to keep it from you, to go behind you back. I was supposed to be a friend you can trust. I'm really sorry, Zo." Pat also knows how to give an apology. 2 down, 1 to go!

"I'm really sorry. I've done you wrong all this time, but I never apologized. You don't have to forgive me for this. But I promise I won't lie to you or hide anything from you again. You may not believe me now, but I'll prove it to you. FINALLYYYYYY JOKE. IT TOOK YOU SO MANY TRIES

Gjkljgkgjlgk Zo gently informing him, 'Yeah stupid, I was waiting!'

"Absolutely no lip contact for a month." HAHAHA. Good for Zo. Also I give them a week

If we count play-kissing, it took them like 50 seconds

I appreciate whoever captioned ep 10, because not only did they caption the dialectical differences or accents from where Zo is from versus Bangkok, they also made sure those captions sit higher on the screen the default English caption height, so you can see both without moving it. GOOD JOB!

"Zo, where are you? Why aren't you here at my house?" Hahaha Zo has earned his place in Joke's Grandma's Favourites (Joke is not included)

"You'll need fuel for an intensive tutoring session tonight." "Maybe ease up a touch?" Can confirm, this is a relatable Asian parent-child dynamic

"By the way, I've got a debate topic in mind for tonight. Childhood trauma from parental conflicts results in troubled adults." Wow, a little on the nose, but true, Mrs. Zo's Mum

None of these guys follow any structure when it comes to debate. Normally, you get a topic, you take a few minutes to prep your arguments, THEN you start arguing. You don't just automatically keep rebutting back and forth. How can Zo be expected to speak to his arguments after like less than 10 seconds of thought? Unreasonable!

"I can play [football] anywhere. It doesn't have to be that club." Maybe Jeng should go to Sarawat and Tine's school, where more than half of any given sports team is at least somewhat gay

Pok crying because he realizes being out makes Jeng's life a lot harder :'(

"One day you'll find that love will make the impossible possible. This too shall pass. It will." I'm glad Zo has a good relationship with his dad

It's a good thing that Zo likes Joke so much, or showing up out of the blue at his house could've gone over a lot more poorly

"Your parents seem chill." Famous last words, Joke, I tell ya

Also, I do appreciate how evident it is that Zo DOES want Joke here

If there's a trope I will never get tired of, it's sneaky hook-ups in your childhood home as adults. In practice, maybe a lil stressful. In fiction, VERY FUN

"Your mom's pretty intense, huh?" [Tonelessly] "Yeah, but I'm used to it." Oh, Zo, I know the voice of childhood trauma when I hear it

The fact that everything with Puen also made Zo's relationship with his mum worse. No wonder he plays things so close to the chest

"I get it completely. Your family and mine are not so different." That explains why Joke spends all of his time at his grandma's and not with his parents

"I've got your back from now on." Sometimes that's all you need. Empathy and back-up

"Happy birthday!" "You knew?" He went to see Zo because it was his birthday!! They are sooooooooooo

Also, Zo said: The kissing embargo does not count on birthdays

Woo for Zo getting debate club presidency for this year!!!

"What did he do that made you hate him?" "He's close with Trin!" Finally the weird tension between Former Debate Club President Wave and Bar Owner Trin is being addressed

"But we're pals! You can't have feelings for me." I know this is supposed to be an emotionally intense conversation but it reads SO funny in English:

Unbelievable!! You're telling me that Wave is made because HE started throwing punches in the dorms and got banned from debate tournament

"He cost me the competition!" "That's on you. You wouldn't have missed out if you hadn't thrown that punch." You tell him, Zo!

"Who said you could smooch my hand?" [Zo does a finger gun] "Took the liberty myself." Bi culture khgkjgh

Joke saying, "Then let's ramp up our international relations, shall we?" as a segue for sex is incredible. This series may not be for everyone, but it is for meeeeeeeeee

Not Joke's family trauma revealed as being left on read in the group chat

I do appreciate at the debate tournament they actually are (finally) following a motion, prep time and speech structure

Also. It's clear whoever wrote this scene has NEVER competed in a debate tournament because they are not talking fast enough or writing anything down

"Can you say in all honesty that your effort here is not a product of hard work?" Not to jump on Nita's argument specifically but this making a point about the individuals you're debating rather than their arguments is ad hominem fallacy and would not score well at a debate tournament. In this essay, I will—

It's SOOOO funny that they made Zo loving the sound of soda tabs a genuine characteristic so they could better integrate sponsors. I miss the Bad Buddy soda sponge bath

YEAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH POLI SCI DEBATE CLUB!!!

Good for Nita for taking home the Finland prize. Regardless of substance, it was very well-delivered!

[Park, about Nita] "Look at our shining star! So gifted." [Zo nodding, looking at Nita] I think Zo is doing a very good job of not showing how much not getting the Best Speaker/study abroad scholarship has hurt his feelings

"You don't always have to put on a brave face, you know?" said Joke, to which Zo probably thought, 'You don't understand, putting on a brave face is all I have done my whole life, I don't know how to turn it off!'

It's funny that Park is a credited character in the intros but the only memorable dialogue he's had up until Episode 11 is asking Zo to dress up as a frog to surprise Nita

It makes a lot more sense now that I know it's Nita's birthday and they weren't just frog-surprising her for winning best speaker LOL

I do love the nonverbal communication of Joke raising his eyebrows like, 'You okay?' and Zo smiling and fixing his hair like 'No sweat'

"Saijai, Joke isn't here. Shall I call him?" "That's fine. He'll turn up." LMAO no one in this show tells ANYONE that they're coming. Zo's mum didn't when she visited Zo in Bangkok, Zo didn't when he went home, Joke didn't when he visited Zo at home, Joke's family hasn't when they're visiting him. WHY DOES NO ONE THINK THEY SHOULD SAY THEY'RE GONNA VISIT

"You can tell me." [Zo sighs, hesitating.] "Alright, if you're not ready to tell me, wait until you are, okay? Do what makes you feel good." This is good relationship communication

"My mom's never said she's proud of me. Not even once." Oh, Zo. Heartbreaking. Also same maybe? I don't know fhkjfhkjf

I really do think they are both handling this situation as well as possible

"Zo, what brought you here?" said Zo's mum, like his dad wasn't lying in a hospital bed right front of him

"Was it a kidney stone?" "Yes, indeed. But surgery these days is minimally invasive. They just insert a tool. It doesn't hurt much. An ingrown nail hurts even more." First of all. As a person who has had 'miminally invasive surgery' YOUR BODY DOES STILL HURT AFTERWARDS. Secondly, the thing that precipitates the surgery is usually a very painful medical emergency!!!!! That is why you go to the hospital. I haven't had a kidney stone but I know they can cause a ton of pain!!!! Thirdly, it's not YOUR body, Zo's mum, so shut up about it. This is like, incredibly rude dialogue. Villain behaviour. Meet me in the Denny's parking lot LOL

"Buzz the doc if it hurts, okay? Don't think you'll disturb him. Don't just hold it in." At least she is NOW acknowledging Zo's dad could be in pain. But good grief

"Zo, you know your dad was in pain for a long time. But he wouldn't tell me, wouldn't see the doctor." Why are so many dads this way jkhfkhf. But also, why then, were you dunking on him for being worried, Zo's mum!!!

I do actually understand why Zo's mum did not tell him mid-debate that his dad was in surgery. Would've been rough

Joke subtly telling Zo's mum he needs support without betraying Zo's confidence. Love that!

"You did such a great job today. You nailed your speech. I'm so proud of you." Awwwww, good for Zo and his mum

Fjfhjfkhf Joke missing out on his family trying to celebrate him because he's been too busy with his friends and supporting his boyfriend. How many of these problems would've been solved if they'd texted beforehand

"Joke, I need some alone time tonight. Just to process how I feel." We love a boyfriend who expresses his needs

Joke making faces to his BF to say goodbye and then continuing to make faces to himself for no reason is so me. Joke continues his streak of Niche Relatability

I do wish that Joke got to celebrate with his family, he needs family time too!

"Zo, your dad's got sepsis. He's in the ICU." THIS IS WHY I WAS SO MAD WHEN SHE WAS MINIMIZING THE EFFECTS OF SURGERY. THEY ARE SO SERIOUS!

Poor Zo and his mum though, this is the worst feeling

"You can count on me to be here for you in times like these. Remember, I'm your sunshine." Ohhhh I like that they've switched up the metaphor, they are both suns

In all this, I did forget about the random bunny animation voice-over that they started this show with LOL

What class is that voice-over even for? An elective?? It's been going on for months. They never explain!

"This 'under the weather' thing seems to hit you every year on this day." Is Joke's dad the emotional equivalent of Zo's mum, in that he is prone to bringing bone arsenic to his child whenever possible?

Dhkjhgkjghgkj Joke walking around his huge, beautiful house looking for his parents does give Poor Little Rich Boy

Also. They've not put Joke in a super reasonable position in either of these situations. Of course Joke's parents would be busy if they're planning Bachang's (I assume Joke's brother's) graduation, which is time-sensitive, as opposed to a college acceptance, which is often unpredictable and happens months ahead of time. Of course Zo may be a more absent partner if his dad is in the hospital with sepsis. Joke isn't making it their problem or anything, but it is a little bit lacking perspective to be upset that Other People Have Stuff Going On When You Want Them Around

"I think what you're feeling isn't physical, but mental." At least Jeng is here to help Joke talk it out

"Am I one of the things bothering you?" Shockingly emotionally perceptive of Zo's mum

"I feel like all that I've done means nothing." "Zo, you've got it all wrong. I've never set any expectations for you to follow." Zo's mum, you should read a wikipedia article on gaslighting, because you have done it multiple times, on screen

"I'm sorry for making you feel this way." That's a better response

"You're always enough. Winning that scholarship or not, success or failure, you're still you at the end, and you matter. Remember, you're the sun, always shining brightly on your own." "I'm sorry. But I need to be with my parents." It's funny, because Zo and Joke didn't actually do anything romantic in this hospital hallway, but I think this particular argument is the most emotionally intimate thing they could do while his mum was eavesdropping without them knowing kgjhgkjhghgj. Like, they didn't say anything about dating, but it screamed couple

She's gotta know they're dating now, right? She's gotta!

"What's going on between you and Joke?" That didn't take long. Also I love her little smile after she asks

"You might end up pushing Joke away, like you did to me." I take back my love, see u back in the parking lot, Zo's mum

"Something precious... Joke!" I'm glad Zo does see the value in his relationship. Also, now they ARE romancing in the hallway

"It's great... seeing you get your act together, finally." Joke's dad IS the same vibes as Zo's mum. Coming in hot with a backhanded compliment

"I stopped by your apartment and ran into Jeng. He said you might need a friend. So I'm here." Zo said: Uno reverse on the boyfriend drop-in family support visit. No one on this show knows how to use a phone 💖

"You don't need to cover for him. I know he's up to no good." What an insane thing to say to your son's friend upon first meeting him. He is monologuing on Joke's flaws. Joke's dad SUCKS.

"[Joke] may not be the golden boy you pictured, but to me, he's pretty much perfect." Zo said: You have actually chosen the extremely wrong audience, as I am President of the Joke Fan Club, and will reverse monologue on Joke's virtues

Get you a boyfriend who will therapize your dad at the dinner table

Also, do these wider shots suggest Joke has TWO brothers, neither of who have named as his brothers LMAO. This show really only utilizes its cast for drama

Zo and Joke really said to each other: Give me ten seconds, I will fix your relationship with your mean parent:

"If you've ever felt I didn't care for you, you're wrong. I love you just like your brothers." Oh, so they are his brothers!

The most realistic part of this show is all of the parents going, 'Actually, the emotional problems in our relationship are the fault of your own misconceptions.' 10/10, terrible and true parenting. Also Dad revealing it was middle child trauma all along LOL

"I've always been proud of you, son. Without fail, any given time. I'm so happy that you're my kid." Again, refer to what you JUST did moments ago, Joke's dad. But, better, I guess

"I'm sorry I pulled away for a bit. I was lost. I didn't know where to turn or what I wanted." I'm glad that Zo is acknowledging it. These two are all about talking through their feelings

"I love you, Joke." I like that Zo is initiating this 💞 They make lots of effort to balance the support and love

"I've never been shy about us, and I'm no longer scared." I really love Jeng and Pok's relationship arc

Jeng kissing Pok outside the party to show how much he means it and loves him!!

"But let's be honest, it's not the outfit that makes me look this good, it's all in the face." Hahaha Joke has never been lacking in self-confidence but I like how him voicing it shows he's back in a good emotional place

"But, you know, I was in a weird place back then. It's all good now." Me about myself every minute that's not the current one

"And honestly, you totally deserved it." We love a good sport!

Not them fully pausing the montage of their friends achieving their goals (beating video games, passing exams, rejoining football, going to Finland) to resolve the Wave and Trin conflict

"Kiss me, this time with the certainty we have in each other now." Oooh we love a full-circle post-uni kiss in Chiang Khan

"Well, my dream is a lot simpler now. Just being by your side like this, forever." ZOOOOO. STOP THAT'S SO SWEET 🥺💘

Final thoughts on this show: I would say the plot is somewhat meandering because it doesn't feel like it has one particular story to tell until the last few eps, and the use of their cast of characters could've been better, because I felt like people would only pop up to drop in a plot point. BUT I do find the show incredibly endearing!! I love the debate themes, I love how Zo is really focused on school, I love the silly little dating lessons. I think they do a particularly good job of building upon Zo slowly to help you understand who he is and why. I also liked the way they navigated the friends to lovers arc, though I could've done without the initial drunk punch or all the scheming. I don't feel like it added much, and I do think it took away from the relationship. I get that it's called, 'Hidden Agenda' but the mere fact that Joke liked Zo from the start fulfills that. The other part is that they laid some groundwork on why exactly their relationship was so tense in the beginning with flashbacks about the Freshy contest, but didn't really deliver on it beyond Joke appreciating that Zo asked how he felt. It felt like they didn't make much effort to reconcile the tone change or develop Joke's backstory in general. In any case, they had good chemistry, really good communication, a fun secondary couple, some really realistic parent dynamics and I liked it enough that I'm willing to hand-wave away its perceived flaws. A pretty solid mid-tier romance!

[shslskaterboy]

hyello

may i ask about And Then there was You? 🥺

You absolutely may 🙏

Attwy is my ongoing multi chapter pegoryu fic, so far I’m at 4 chapters posted with the fifth one in the works (oops got distracted don’t mind the 5-6 month gap in posting)

Basically it started bc I had a bazillion ideas of scenes from persona 5 I could rewrite to be More Gay and push my agenda, and then I went 👁️👁️ wait I can string this into a cohesive narrative. So it went from being a bunch of potential one-shots to an ongoing story about Ren and the pressure of compulsory heteronormativity, and the Oops I Think I’m In Love With My Best Friend But He’s Straight (he’s not but they don’t know that at this point 🤭) struggles.

As for snippets, allow me to pick an excerpt from each chapter for the funsies (including the unposted one whoa go crazy with it) and put them under the read more so this post isn't a thousand miles long

(but thank you for asking I am greatly proud of this one and it's a lotta fun to write and I'll take any opportunity to talk about it)

Why him? What a stupid question. Why not him? Ryuji was like the sun itself- Ren could be having the most shit day imaginable and all of it would be forgotten after one bright smile from Ryuji. He couldn’t even fathom what his life would be like now if they had never had that fateful meeting one rainy day. No one in the world was as easy to talk to, as easy to be with than Ryuji- it all came as naturally as breathing air, and if Morgana was gonna be weird about it, then that sounded like his problem, not theirs.

“You’re not going to be alone. Ever.” Ren repeated, louder this time as he took Ryuji’s uninjured cheek in his hand. His heartbeat had picked up again, but this time it was more determination than nerves. “That’s a pretty bold claim to make,” Ryuji snorted, averting his eyes as a soft blush crept into his face. “I’m serious Ryuji, I don’t care what happens, I will always be your friend no matter what,” Ren insisted, turning his friend’s face so he couldn’t shy away from his eyes. “You said yourself that life was scarier until we met, so as long as we’re together it’s never gonna be like that ever again, I swear.”

Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad- he was at least comfortable, even if his erratic heartbeat kept him from getting much sleep. Yeah, it’s not like they hadn’t been in close quarters before, maybe not quite as intimate as this, but they were still best friends- this shouldn’t really change anything. This was something Ren kept telling himself as he tried not to have a heart attack every time Ryuji shifted in his sleep, never once letting his grip loosen. He felt guilty, but it was so easy to melt into the touch- if he wasn’t careful he might accidentally end up enjoying it. Nah that can’t be right, this was just an innocent indulgence, the natural byproduct of humanity’s inherent desire for contact and nothing more. It was that kind of thinking that allowed him to relax and let his guard down, almost able to fall asleep again as he listened to the sound of Ryuji’s slow slumbering breaths, and permitted himself to tentatively let his own arm drape across his friend’s side.

“Ren, you know I love you very dearly,” she said, placing her hand gently on his arm. “You have been there for me through it all; I don’t know if I’d ever have been able to face Shiho if it weren’t for your support.” He nodded slightly, unsure exactly where she was going with this. “You and Ryuji were both there with me during the hardest time in my life, and I could never express to you how much that means to me,” she continued slowly, before fixing her eyes resolutely on him. “But you two are being so monumentally stupid right now that it hurts to watch.”

He looked up at her, and she looked down on him, and for the first time in many many weeks, he felt like there was a light shining within him. The dark corner he’d taken to shoving things in had a spotlight on it now, revealing it to be completely bare- the last shadows of doubt slithering away as if Makoto had barged in with the world’s largest feather duster and started beating them over the head with it. Everything he’d thought, everything he’d felt, none of it had made sense until now- but with the haze cleared it almost seemed laughable how obvious the answer was. 

[000marie198]

“Sickens me that people will just filter out specific tags and posts when we stop using trigger warnings-”

Bold of you to declare that more people should suffer because they’re missing a few posts that might trigger unhealthy coping mechanisms if seen. Deepened depression, panic-induced spirals, and traumatic flashbacks are worth it if they can find out that something else terrible happened to someone today.

Using guilt as a blade is not cool.

People block trigger warnings because they know they might be triggered. There’s a reason they exist. That is literally the whole reason that these tags exist. To warn people.

But, you gave your opinion on this already with your blatant, “Like actually fuck you and your mental health-” because it’s not really that important, right?

No you self entitled bastard it isn't

Not in the current scheme of things. Not when some of you are actively silent and trying to ignore what is happening to the point of missing most of the context and believing the exact agenda being fed to you.

Some thing are like actually bigger than you.

Also, I believe you missed the entire point of the original post and only picked specific lines so let me explain this properly. Trigger warnings are extremely important but when an entire populace got bombed and so many in the world turned a blind eye to it, those spreading the actual true news stopped hiding it behind such filters so some of you would actually look and see what's been happening and being ignored and a fact completely misunderstood due to propaganda. But since it all was so horrific, it would be censored either way. Cuz you know, ppl who'd been fed lies and propaganda all their lives tend to ignore words and suffering of the entire damn planet unless it involves themselves. So mentions (not images, mentions) of some things go uncensored. BECAUSE YOU CAN'T FUCKING CENSOR HORROR OF THIS MAGNITUDE!

But lo and behold I have ppl in my inbox complaining about their own needs and trying to turn around and guilt trip me while saying guilt is not a good weapon.

This isn't guilt, it's rage. Its sorrow and anger and pain and empathy and so much more coming out as rage.

Also, thanks so much for trying to derail the main point. I was talking about people filtering out tags such as "Palestine" and "Gaza" etc so they don't have to see any news

Personally I can't bring myself to watch some things either, it messes with my head too, and yes I do skip some of it. But it doesn't fucking mean I actively try to stay out of the loop by blocking the tags that aren't actually trigger warnings but just main tags related to the news. Just so you don't have to feel anything and don't feel guilt for being complicit by staying silent

I'm not using guilt as a blade. Guilt exists naturally whenever one does something wrong and knows it. If the guilt is unprompted by the words of others then you're doing something wrong and you know it. Blocking "Palestine" and "Gaza" made you feel guilty? That's bcoz you're at fault for ignoring it all. If seeing it brought you pain and you did nothing but ignore it and block it, never spoke up of it, never learned the background, you're the one in the wrong and your guilt is your own not induced by anyone, especially by those who are angry, who aren't even trying to guilt trip you in the first place.

Stop forcing people to take drastic measures when it comes to knowing the truth that those imperialistic opaque domes hide and maybe we'd actually respect your rules.

But none of us have to follow your rules when your humanity is dead

[youngpettyqueen]

some uhhh *tosses dart* BJ/Peg hurt comfort?? with maybe something motorcycle related? (vroom 💜)

this is perfect cause this has been on my mind since your addition to my Yalu Brick Road posting last night. please enjoy the Hunnicutts Cannot Fucking Drive agenda

"I think I did pretty good for my second try." Peg tells him.

BJ, currently carrying her back to the house, snorts and shakes his head. "That isn't exactly a tall order," He replies, "Your first try on the motorcycle lasted all of 5 seconds and I got to treat my first sprained wrist." He reminds her.

"An improvement is an improvement!" Peg insists, "This time I lasted at least 10 seconds, and I only scraped my knees. You're the one who decided you just had to scoop me up like a blushing bride." She points out.

"I like carrying you," He reasons, nudging their front door open with his foot so that he can step inside, "Why walk when you can be carried by your big, strong husband?"

Peg can't help but smile at that. Husband. The title is still new, but she likes the way it sounds when he says it. "I hope you know you've just signed up to carry me around for the rest of our lives," She says, "If my feet ever touch the floor again I will be filing a complaint."

"Every day, huh?" BJ asks as he sweeps through the entrance and into the kitchen, "I can think of worse things. After all," He sets her down, carefully and gently, to sit on the kitchen counter, "We can't have you complaining, can we?" He flashes her a dazzling smile.

Peg meets his smile with one of her own, though hers is full of mischief. "Does that mean if I complain, you'll let me back on the bike?" She inquires.

His smile never drops. "Peggy, darling, if there's one thing I know about you, it's that I will never be able to tell you what you're allowed to do," He tells her, full of love and warmth, before continuing, "I can, however, ask you very nicely to not get on the bike unless I'm right there to keep you from tipping over," And then, just to be cheeky, he adds, "Again."

"I suppose that's fair," Peg gives him. She watches him as he takes a quick look at her bloody knees, lifting one leg up and then the other. His expression is going concerned, and she can't have that, so she asks, "Give it to me straight, doctor- will I live?"

"Only if we amputate," BJ replies without missing a beat, "But that can wait until morning. For now, I can clean these up and apply the best thing medicine ever came up with," He leaves her in suspense for a moment, flashing a grin at her as he says, "Bandaids."

"Excuse me, Dr. Hunnicutt," She reaches over to take him by the collar, her mischievous grin only growing, "I do believe you're forgetting a step in the treatment plan."

"Oh?" He follows her tug easily, eyes flicking quickly to her lips, his own smile growing eager, "And what would that be, Mrs. Hunnicutt?" He asks.

"A kiss," She informs him, "Kisses make everything better, didn't they teach you that in school?"

"How silly of me to forget," He hums, leaning in close, "I guess I'll have to make up for it."

And then they kiss like newlyweds do- too much for too long, and completely forgetting about everything they're actually supposed to be doing. If kisses really could make anything better, Peg's scraped knees would've been good as new.

Still. It's pretty damn good, even if they do eventually have to break apart so that BJ can take care of her.

(They can always pick up where they left off afterwards.)

[kattahj]

Thoughts after finishing Shadow

Finished watching Shadow, and I just love it to pieces. Was it what I expected? No, but it's like expecting a strawberry cake and getting a schwarzwald cake – it's different, it may take some getting used to, but it can be just as delicious if not more. Spoilery spoilers below!

I don't feel like I can express all my thoughts in one post, because I don't feel like I even HAVE all my thoughts yet. This may be a show I have to return to and watch all over to see how things are set up, because they ARE set up. I mean, they straight up told us what the shadow was, pretty early on, but it was in among so many conflicting tales and perspectives that we didn't know who to trust. And that's at the heart of the show, isn't it? Conflicting perspectives. I was thinking about how Dan was so absolutely convinced that Brother Anurak/the one-armed man was a murderer, and it turns out he wasn't at all, he tried to stop the massacre and failed. But why did Dan believe that? Because he was influenced by the Shadow, who had its own agenda: wanting to stop the school and this newfangled religion that prevented the age-old rites from taking place. At the same time, can the Shadow be said to be lying? It never said Brother Anurak murdered anyone; that was Dan's conclusion. It just made the connection between him and the ghosts – and the connection WAS there, because he WAS the one who kept their bodies hidden and thus prevented their souls from moving on. Which, from the Shadow's perspective, was probably a worse crime, since death and the dead was part of its domain. And with Brother Anurak dying at the end, did he give himself over to the Shadow? Unsubtle political point: Do not sweep the past under the carpet! Bring it out into the light, acknowledge your wrongdoing, and learn from it! Anyway, I just love that even though we have people giving completely opposite opinions, you can't definitely say who is wrong or right even at the end. Apart from Dan's dad, who was just straight-up trash, it was hard to call people heroes and villains. Even Anan, murderer, bully, homophobe, was almost pitiful at the end. As for the Shadow itself, it's so ambiguous, and I love it! Everyone told Dan that the Shadow was a threat, and he insisted that it wasn't. He claimed to be at peace in the dark realm, but seemed afraid when the Shadow materialized. And then at the end, we learn that he always belonged to the Shadow, that he was connected to it even before his birth. So does that mean that he was never meant to be in this world and he is returned to his true realm, or was he groomed from childhood and lured in by a promise to end his depression, stuck in purgatory and effectively dead? You decide! (Sidenote: I can understand sticking the final scene post-credits, to end the "proper" show on the very effective note of Trin's reflection, but I also think the scene contained a little bit too much vital information to be placed where half the audience will miss it.) We were also warned that just about any spirit could escape through Dan's body, which is indeed what happened. From Trin's perspective, I suppose this is good news; he DEFINITELY didn't like the Shadow realm. And kudos to Singto's acting and the way the scenes were set up; I had been spoiled and really enjoyed all the little ways you could tell it was a different person. (He recognizes Josh and Nai but doesn't seem to care about their presence, doesn't acknowledge Cha-aim by name until he has heard it from somebody else, and only brightens up when Master Joe enters the room.) The way it's all set up, they COULD go for a season 2, but I don't think they should. This unsettling open ending is very suitable for the show! Shows and films I have seen compared to this one have included Twin Peaks, Pan's Labyrinth, and The Haunting of Bly Manor, which all did similar things with their protagonists. It's nicely thematic. Leave it be. Also, I think some of the negative opinions I've seen have been people who got so attached to their headcanons during the hiatus that they won't accept anything else. And that would probably just get worse with the time it would take to get a second season. Well that, and then the ones who are sad we didn't get romance. Because boy howdy, did no one get a happy ending on this show. :-)

[gloriaris]

okay so i know I'm some random. guy. on the Internet but my stupid brain finds all of my opinions important enough to post on aforementioned internet so I wanted to weigh in on hbomberguy new video because it's really fucking funny. here are some disorganized thoughts.

first off, hi. I'm Shroomi, I'm 16, and I'm a video essayist. i was inspired to pivot to video essays around a year ago by (originally) illuminaughtii, Harris Boober the Guy, and mainly Philosophy Tube. video essays are some of my favorite things, and I watch a lot of them.

im homeschooled, so I end up spending most of my time on YouTube. when you watch as much as I do, it's normally really easy to tell when someone does not care about what they are doing. i inevitably discovered James Somerton around a year ago through his Killing Stalking video, and it became very apparent to me that he was using a genuine crisis of media literacy to push a misogynistic agenda. that's all I remember from that video (and I'm not rewatching it)-- he made no good points, no clippable quotes, just... really hated teenage girls? for some reason?

this is a common thread in specifically white queer media, to direct an unreasonable amount of hate towards straight women, or those we perceive as such (the author of Love, Simon is a good example of his contempt). it's rooted in misogyny, as is everything. this is a common thread in Somerton's videos, it seems. I'll admit my knowledge of his videos is meager at best, but I have watched enough of his content to tell he is stuck in this phase of the white queer journey. he still has many internal (though he externalizes them quite a bit) biases to work through before he can even be a good video essayist. good media is unbiased media, and he has a clear bias. bro hates women. well, that may be an overstatement, but he seems to have this contempt and disregard for women and their ideas.

I'm not going to pretend the Killing, Stalking video and his contempt for the fanbase wasn't at least a little deserved. for those who aren't fatally online, Killing, Stalking is a gruesome account of a (fictional) abusive relationship. the fanbase, however, treated it as a love story. since Somerton's video on the subject came out, the fanbase has largely died down, which is honestly a good thing, but the amount of hatred Somerton seemed to have for these teenage girls who failed to understand the true meaning of Killing, Stalking was unprecedented. I found it odd to look at his subscriber count and find it over 100k; why would such a large YouTuber cover something so niche? but it is clear now to me that he was trying to push this gentle version of misogyny.

this isn't even mentioning the true subject of hbomberguy's video, plagiarism. as a previously dedicated Illuminaughtii fan, i should be talking about that. but I'm stuck on the contempt for women.

I'm probably gonna rewatch the video and reblog an addition after I sleep I've been awake for like 20 hours so apologies if this is poorly worded

[passerkirbius]

Re: your post Doing The Numbers 'obviously written by an American' omg ruuuuude. Also, idk, I'm suspicious of folks suggesting that there is no winning, that you can't make a difference with your vote

I can compassionately understand that there's a lot of despair in the air right now - there genuinely is something about living through a genocide that our politicians seem perfectly happy to let happen that really reinforces that sense of helplessness. And I can only imagine how much worse it is for BIPOC and trans folk who are watching what little progress they've achieved seem to melt away in the face of attack. I'm sure that it feels safer to reject the possibility of things getting better, so you can hunker down and defend yourself.

But there was a really good reblog from an Eastern European that weirdly made me pay attention - like, my right to vote has never been impaired, and my confidence in Australia's electoral machinery is very strong. In a lot of countries that isn't the case - your vote really doesn't count, and won't change anything. And you vote anyway - because even if they lie, even if they completely make up the numbers, they still count the votes, and they can see that you're still against them. They will know that you aren't silently complying with their agenda. You can still fuck up that politician's day.

I was already pulling out of a despair spiral before I read that post, but that post genuinely made me realise that yeah, I really was on to something there. If you don't speak up, someone else is going to decide you said whatever the hell they want, and I think I'd rather be the one talking, thanks. Even if your vote might not make much difference, it will still always fuck up a politician's day.

[captorcorp]

THE DREAM MACHINE GAME SPOILERS (post-game rambling)

if i had a nickel every time i experienced media with an AI trying to give birth to itself in a human baby form through the protagonist's wife - i'd have two nickels, which isn't a lot, but it's weird that it happened twice.

on a whole i'm really >:3 about this game though!!! i should've known from the title (which is why i got it ofc) but just wasn't sure if it'd live up to my expectations for either the dream aspects or the machine aspects, i think it did for both though

the dreams could've been more dream-like in logic at some times (though i feel like they usually did feel p dreamlike), though with how difficult the puzzles were already maybe it's a good thing they weren't lol i did like the environments though like the wife dreaming of being the captain of a ship where all of the workers are clones of her husband, the stressed nurse dreaming about a cool fantasy land where she's the village medic, the wfh guy dreaming having some weird cube-like dream land that nobody expected but most of it being manipulated by the machine controlling him...

decent amount of dream psychology mentioned, specifically jung's collective unconsciousness (is that a zero escape reference??? /j) and some freud mention iirc? the disk-shaped shared realm of dreams that people start from the center of and move towards the edge as they age while being able to traverse the plane between people's dreams as well is an interesting concept - feel like i haven't seen that many games come up with their own dream lore like that. at that part in the center with the prenatal barrier and baby dreams being raw potential energy and such, i hadn't heard as much about that irl so looked it up in case it was some obscure theory i hadn't heard of before but didn't find anything unfortunately ^^;

also love the ending in like chapter 5 where you can just. choose to start working with the machine instead after almost killing it, i didn't expect them to give us that option. sorry to my pregnant wife but you're saying i can inherit this dead guy's whole repertoire of dream research passed down for generations and explore the dreamscape as i wish with this cool sentient eldritch machine? fuck yeah let's start hiding the bodies /hj (jk I would go help my wife if i were victor. but i'm not i'm the player and i want to learn about dreams.)

also re: the machine itself i thought it was a neat character ^^ was a bit ??? at what it's goals were at first, bc obviously the mortons were using it to map the unconscious but then it wasn't clear if the machine also wanted to do that or had its own agenda, but self preservation of its sentience and trying to maintain its existence by leaching from the dreams of others was a good motive. and then also 🥺me when the ai is lonely and misses its friends (and accidentally kills them when they stop giving it unsuspecting residents to feed off of but dw about that)

very 👀at that bit in the 3rd floor neighbors' dreams where we found out it was trying to build itself a body in the dream world out of dream npc's organs so it could move around the dream world as it wished without the clunky tentacles that kinda just stay in one place and die. another one of those things that's like 'bro it's a dream you don't have to be that thorough about it to make it work' but i get it with the weird shared dreamscape lore this game has set up and it was a very 'bro wtf' reveal. gotta respect trying the frankenstein method

actually that makes me think. are dream npcs sentient in this universe??? i was just thinking about it like 'at least it was just stealing organs from npcs and not people' but idk how this fits with the collective unconscious lore.

also i do have to address the ending of the game besides just that 2 nickels joke (the other media was demon seed btw. was a pretty disturbing watch ^^;;). that one bit felt like the stanley parable hole ending and the other bit felt like the 2001 a space odyssey ending. the playing god part was very ??? i didn't know what to think of it at first (still not sure) and this is the only screenshot i took from that portion.

that whole final colorful shifting area with the victors of different ages reminded me of the denver meow wolf exhibit (i haven't been yet but from the pics i've seen of it on the site). then i saw the area with our mother giving birth to us and i was like. Ah. Unfortunately this game has given us a lot of experiences with climbing inside of small holes, even when they're inside other people...

was also surprised that we just took up the machine's offer to share our consciousness and stay stuck in the dream world. feel like it'd be more effective to give us some options there and have multiple endings, but i guess if it was us (machine loses too much power to survive outside of the dream) or our child (would grow up possessed by the machine irl) makes sense as a trade, our poor wife though... i do like dreams but being stuck in the dream world forever like that would be OTL i am glad the machine got to survive though

anyway my final review is. puzzles were pretty hard so thank you steam and yt walkthroughs. ending was weird, it was too metaphysical for me to fully wrap my head around but i do like the artistic vision. game on a whole is good especially when you're autistic about dreams and ai characters, played it for like 10 hours straight. dream machine is my favorite character (no surprise). why did the game make us unbirth ourselves.

misc screenshot dump:

normal teatime conversation topics

cool machine diagram

NOOO i forgot to get a picture of those fuckass pumpkins that make you lead a government. love those guys

[fangomango]

I'll scream about the tmnt movie after this post (I love it omggjgk) but like,guess what happened after I left the theatre and my parents picked me up

I was just going on ans on and on about how I loved that movie. It has been my new hyperfixation and I just love it sm.

My father is very...anti-reboot so he was very grumpy about the movie(he didn't even see It though,I was literally just the only one with my sister who watched it) so I'm talking and talking and talking about how much I love this movie and my dad is just there 😡 all mad and huffy.

Then I talk about April o' Neil because I really liked her character and then that's that.Car ride over

(That sounded dramatic but I started talking about April when we were close to home, I didn't just bring her up and BOOM no more car ride)

We skip to now where I'm minding my business laying on the couch,looking at pictures of Donnie to make my pfp and my dad shows up out of nowhere and shoves his phone in my face and goes on about how April isn't accurate and shit and that it's pushing the woke agenda and me talking about it is doing the same

I am just....I was so happy. I have been waiting to watch this movie for weeks. I made Rottmnt Donnie's goggles to wear to the movie (didn't make them in time tho :( ) and bought a new shirt to wear when I watch the movie.I was silently screaming while watching and excitedly stimming the entire time. But then here's go my dad who only likes the stuff he grew up with, and anything that tries to change it is woke and has to tell me to stop talking so much about tmnt and that it's not as good as the one he grew up with and blah blah blah

To anyone who does that shit,fuck you I hope you break your legs and get stung by 1000 bees everytime you inhale air.

To anyone who has been told to "stop talking about what you like", do not do that, in fact talk MORE about it. Hell infodump about what you love in the comments and reblogs I will read every 5 one with my full interest (I am not joking I do do that, even on my big posts)