#omg they were so cute in this 3 episode series

[pullingateachotherlikemagnets]

슼즈로운 시골생활 #3｜ SKZ CODE Ep.12

[coconut530]

WHAHAHAHHAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAATTTTTT!?!

[weareuniqueandimportant]

WE WATCHED HIGHSPEED ETOILE EPISODE 11... DAMN QUEEN IS GETTING HER ASS KICKED WHILE KING'S IS SQUEAKY CLEAN... AT THE SAME TIME THAT MIGHT BE THEY'RE GOING TO PULL SOMETHING REALLY IMPORTANT TO HER CHARACTER NEXT EPISODE... AND SHE MIGHT END UP MORE COMPLEX AND INTERESTING THAN THE KING IS... BTW HER REACTION TO RIN PASSING HER IS VERY CUTE AND FUNNY... COULD THIS BE... WLW X CAR RACE ATTRACTION PARAPHILIA REPRESENTATION...?!?! THAT WOULD BE FLAMES... INFACT I ALREADY DECIDED THIS... IF THERE'LL BE MORE SEASONS THERE COULD BE ALOT MORE SUCH CONTENT TBH... FIRE TO BE HONEST... SPY KYOUSHITSU GOT MUCH BETTER WITH SEASON 2... COULD THIS BE JUST ANOTHER SLOW STARTING BANGER...? COULD BE COULD BE... THEN... ALL THOSE OTHER SERIES COULD BE THE SAME... ALL OF THEM TBH... THAT WOULD BE FLAMES TBH...

[absolutebl]

This Week in BL - We Are Surprised

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

May 2024 Wk 2

Ongoing Series - Thai

Wandee Godday (Sat YT) ep 2 of 12 - Oh it’s fucking great. It could all go horribly south, of course. But it’s awesome at the moment. Messy gay and one of them is already pining? Got to love it. Including the negotiation.

I’d love a good sex negotiation, it’s almost as good as linguistic negotiation. This show makes me happy. All that said, it’s moving awfully quickly for a 12 episode run. Not sure what’s gonna happen on the backend. 

My Stand-In (Thai Fri iQIYI) ep 3 of 12 eps - I’m still enjoying it but I’m ready for him to die again now. 

We Are (Weds iQIYI) ep 5-6 of 16 - Toey is going after the Namgoong Award for Best Wingman this year, I see. And in exchange, literally all the rest of the friends are going to be his wingmen. It’s adorable. I also like that Phuwin got to be the aggressor for the first kiss. I like that this is mostly just boys flirting, and not really any prescribed seme/uke stuff. In general, I think these last two episodes I improved the show in my regard a lot. But then middles are always GMMTV's strong point, it’s whether they can stick the landing that’s an issue.

Two Worlds (Thurs iQIYI) ep 9 of 10 - Apparently we have the Frodo walking into Mordor episode. Also the sides were cute. In Thailand (like Taiwan) all gangsters are gay, apparently. 

Only Boo! (Sun YouTube) ep 5 of 12 - It’s cute but very cringe and dorky. Silly singing. Terrible pickup lines. Still, that was a ridiculously charming confession.

Ongoing Series - Not Thai

Unknown (Taiwan Tues YouTube & Viki) ep 12fin - Oh so good. Very few shows that feature one-sided long-term pining of this kind can resolve the unevenness of that power dynamic into a more stable and equal footing with such class. We really got to see the object of the desire turn completely around and become equally besotted. An age gap, stepbrothers trope like this one is hard enough but at this length? Very well acted boys! Unknown managed to show the older brother softening in a believable way that’s pretty unusual in narratives of this type.

All in all?

Unknown is a wonderful BL with a pitch perfect portrayal of long term pining, age gap, and the stepbrothers trope. The acting and chemistry are ON POINT (especially from the leads) which made the resulting characters very believable. When it dwells in intimate family drama, it's stunning. It's slightly less successful when it leaves the home and goes gritty. It's few flaws are the result of curtailed length. It could have used more breathing room to deal with side plots, characters, and companion character development. The editing was occasionally choppy and packed with flashbacks that broke the emotional tension. Still, those are mere quibbles. This is an excellent show that I know I'm going to be recommending a lot. 9/10

Finally Taiwan hits another one out of the park.

About.

Damn.

Time.

Blue Boys (Korea Sat YouTube) 4 of ? - Oh it’s so good, and they are so tortured and it’s just charming and I can’t EVEN. I just love it. I love that Korea is giving us this right now. You’re an idiot if you’re not watching this show, it’s truly spectacular.

At 25:00 in Akasaka AKA 25 Ji Akasaka de (Japan Thurs Gaga) ep 4 of 10 - Well well well Japan. I see how you kneed. I enjoyed this episode better than the first two, and I am way into our Bad Boy second lead. I can already feel myself succumbing  to the syndrome. Next week = the obligatory onsen ep! 

Living With Him AKA Kare no Iru Seikatsu (Japan Thurs Gaga) ep 5 of 10 - Omg most adorbs failed linguistic negotiation. 

Boys Be Brave AKA Roommates (Korea Thurs Viki) ep 5-6 of 8 - I love the side couple. It’s a shame we’re finally getting some truly great class conflict and it’s relegated to crumbs.

Love is like a Cat (Korea Mon Viki) eps 11-12fin - Well that was a waste of time. There was no connection (of any kind) between the leads. The language thing was hella weird and likely added to that. The past history of the Korean character was necessary to know from the start, its lack throughout, meant there was no depth to his character. They tried to tackle all the interesting stuff in the final 2 eps. AND they even killed the dog. I never thought I'd type this sentance, but Peach of Time is better.

I don’t know. 5/10 I guess

All in all:

A disappointing lackluster and barely cohesive BL about a jerk Thai actor (speaking Thai) who has to work for a Korean animal rescue cafe as a publicity stunt. It's difficult to believe the leads like each other, let alone fall in love. The acting is stiff, the characters lack motivation and cohesion, and there's not much to recommend this show beyond some pretty visuals. Also, they kill the dog. All in all, a disappointing and unsuccessful joint venture that mostly highlighted that between Thailand and Korea the style of BL, narrative approach, language cadence, and acting techniques all clash.

It's airing but...

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

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

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

Memory in the Letter (Thai WeTV) - it's done, tell me if I should bother?

Fan's Only Corner

Someone asked in a comment (which tumblr promptly ate) about group sleepovers in BLs. It's happened a few times but the only one I can recall being noted and particularly lovely (and VERY college) was in Nitiman. There's also one in Lovesick.

Next Week Looks Like This:

5/16 Blossom Campus (Korea Thurs Gaga & iQIYI) ep 1 of 6 - Strongberry doing classic uni BL! Weeee!

5/19 OMG Vampire (Thai Sun ????) ep 1 of 10 - LeeFrank are back - not unlike the undead (as it were). But how do we feel about it? Unsure given their track record.

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

May Releases

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

5/10 – You Are Mine

5/17 – VIP Only

5/24 – Stay By My Side

5/31 – Anti Reset

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

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

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

THIS WEEK’S BEST MOMENTS

LOVE a smile kiss. Love it. Two killer kisses from PondPhuwin. Elegantly done, boys. Thank you very much.

I love them a lot all of a sudden. (All We Are)

It's hard to give MaxTul a run on their crown as best bodies in BL, but boy these two are giving it their, erm, best. (Wandee Goodday)

(Last week)

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

The tag BLigade: @doorajar @solitaryandwandering @my-rose-tinted-glasses @babymbbatinygirl @babymbbatinygirl @isisanna-blog @mmastertheone @pickletrip @aliceisathome @urikawa-miyuki @tokillamonger @rocketturtle4 @blglplus @anythinggoesintheshire @everlightly @renafire

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

[captainwans]

NEW ERA! (smau)

— ALEX TURNER

arabella series!

masterlist!

pairing: alex turner x fem! actress! reader

summary: after the release of arctic monkeys new album, y/n’s comment section attracts new followers and attention.

layout inspo: @ithinkimokeei 🩶

timeline: 2013

Liked by officialelizabetholsen, chrishemsworth and others

yourinstagram italy has been treating me well! ✨🍃🌤️ 🇮🇹

 ㅤ View all the comments

username something lgbt just happened to me

username y/n is so HOT 😩

username the album is out you know what that means 😏

yourinstagram i don’t 😅 what album?

yourbestfriend aww she’s so clueless it’s so cute 🤭

username i'm lesbian 

username the most beautiful woman on the planet 🌎

username she’s so fine bro

username i love when y/n y/l/n

officialelizabetholson my WIFE 💕💍

yourbestfriend you mean OUR wife

username lmao yourbestfriend

username so beautiful

username do you know alex turner?

username who else came after listening to arabella

username me!!!

username 👋🏼👋🏼👋🏼👋🏼

username moi 🙋🏽‍♀️🙋🏽‍♀️🙋🏽‍♀️

username username apparently the whole comment section

username 😍😍😍😍

username y/n have you listened to arctic monkeys new album?

katehudson how do you always manage to look so freaking good 😩 spare some beauty, mama!

yourinstagram katehudson you're the most prettiest woman i've ever laid eyes on ✋🏼💖

yourbestfriend you're such a cheater 😭😭

username yourbestfriend 😭😂

username pls i want their friendship

username what did you think about the song arabella?

username i’m so glad the arabella movie is getting the recognition it deserves!!! the song is sooo good too! 💗

username what’s your favorite arctic monkeys song? ❤️

yourinstagram it’s impossible for me to choose, but if i had to it’s definitely fluorescent adolescent or teddy picker 🧸

matthelders yourinstagram now that’s taste

 ㅤ matthelders started following yourinstagram

 ㅤ yourinstagram started following matthelders

username OMG MATT IS HERE

username drummer boy is here!!!

username i love how arctic monkeys fans have summoned in the comments after listening to arabella 😂

username and we are OBSESSED with her

username the song is playing on REPEAT!

username the movie wrecked me so hard i’ve been crying for days

username username same i still haven’t recovered from arabella she’s such a talented actress!! 💗

username manifesting that she’s gonna be in the arabella mv 🪄🧙🏻‍♀️

 ㅤ Liked by yourbestfriend

username marvel and arctic monkeys fans = what an unexpected duo

username username but so iconic tho right?

marvel real people listen to arctic monkeys.

 ㅤ  Liked by 61k followers

 ㅤ katiee_cook_ started following yourinstagram

 ㅤ breanahelders started following yourinstagram

Liked by markruffalo, imsebastianstan and others

yourinstagram avengers….ASSEMBLE 🦸🏻‍♀️🤺

 ㅤ View all the comments

username help why is chris holding scar like that

username hemsworth is a BEAST god damn 😩

username the reason why i’m alive

markruffalo miss you on set ❤️

yourinstagram coming back soon marko 😙

jeremyrenner yourinstagram how long is soon? yourbestfriend is having an episode again 🙄

yourbestfriend you're being very dramatic today renner

robertdowneyjr that was an episode? thought she was just being herself …

yourinstagram 😳

username the roast I CANNOT

username pls i would start crying

yourbestfriend you know what robertdowneyjr

tobertdowneyjr no i don’t know what

username bahahahaa downey

username this is so funny

username rdj is literally tony stark irl

mileskane you were KILLING it on the avengers love!! ❤️❤️

yourinstagram thank you!! 💕💕 mileskane

username miles my beloved <3

Liked by yourfriend, lilyjamesofficial and others

yourinstagram 🌸🍥

 ㅤ View all the comments

username that cake looks sooo goood omg

username queen just posted 😩😩

breanahelders cutie!! 💗

 ㅤ Liked by yourinstagram

katiee_cook_ that cardigan is so gorg! where did you buy it? 🙈💕

yourinstagram i actually knit this myself! 🧶😆 i can send you the recipe in dms! 💕☺️

katiee_cook_ thank you, lovely! 😍

username why is she so cute 🥹

username now i want that cardigan

username katie and breana interaction- does this mean that y/n and alex are dating rn??

username username how? they haven’t even met..

username how do you know tho? 👀

username are we just gonna ignore 2005?

username username wdym?

username girl why are you clueless 😭

username if they’re dating then my life would be complete

yourbestfriend i baked that cake!! 🥰

 ㅤ Liked by yourinstagram

username can someone please explain 2005?

username somebody tag me on this i’m so invested

username same glad i’m not the only one who’s confused

username username username y’all must be new to the fandom lmao

username username y/n and alex go way back in 2005 and some people are saying that they first met in a pub in sheffield during that time she was filming (1)

username and some fans claim that y/n was the inspiration behind i bet you look good on the dance floor (2)

username ^^!! that is true he confirmed it in an interview (*inserts link*)

officialelizabetholsen yourbestfriend and it was so delicious!!! 😋🎂

yourbestfriend thank you lizzie!! 😙

[bambiilooza]

HI I SAW UR DT17 RANT AND I AGREE SO HARD. i love gandra but i HATE fendra and the writers just genuinely did her so dirty (and im gonna say it. she was way more interesting as an antagonist). and re: gladstone and fethry, FUCKING YEAH. it makes me so fucking sad how fehtyr is treated in dt17 and the fact that its never properly acknowledged just makes it even worse :( THEY LEFT HIM AT THE BOTTOM OF THE OCEAN FOR 4 YEARS???? ALONE??????? AND THEN GOT ANNOYED WHEN HE ASKED FOR THEIR COMPANY?!?!?! BE FR MAN!!!!! and while i'm on this topic, what ESPECIALLY stings is how donald dislikes both fethry and gladstone in '17. one of my fave things about the comics is the friendship between donald, fethry and gladstone. like sure, donald and gladstone have like a rivalry going on but they're still buddies at the end of the day!!! theyre FAMILY!!! and fethry is just straight up always pals with donald and gladstone. and yeah i feel like the absence of their friendship in '17 is such a missed opportunity espcially since we also have della in the show!!!! the cousin trio couldve upgraded to the cousin quartet but nooooo!!! anyway yeah the show's cast is too big. for a long-running comic series a cast of this size is fine because you can give each character a decent amount of spotlight, but for 3 seasons of an animated show it's less ideal

totally agree with you!!

this is also a badly structure rant

with fendra, u always know it's gonna become canon cuz it's a het ship that was introduced in one of the character's debut episode but the lack of build up is actually so lame. i like gandra and i like fenton but like their canon relationship just happens. and it's like oh i guess this is a thing now?

and we're expected to be a ll invested cuz gandra getting captured by FOWL and her working against them is supposed to be a plot point and cool i get what ur doing but also what? where is the build up?

and i liked her as a villain and she was actually an antagonist which is what makes her sudden flip so weird for me. we're welcoming her to be a part of our family!! um yea ok but she did help the guy that wants to end said family. she needs more screentime simple as.

sidenote: i also wish they focused on her hypocrisy more. 'i follow nobody' and she has worked for both mark beaks and FOWL. i get why and she has her reasons with needing the resources and stuff but that kind of hypocritical behavior in 'cool' ppl is smth i see a lot in ppl and i wish it was explored more. that's an interesting duality to her character.

and omg on gladstone and fethry. HOLY SHIT THEY DID THEM DIRTY. THEY ARE BARELY IN THE SHOW AND IT MAKES ME SAD.

yea i haven't seen the og show but have read the comics and i love them. they're really funny and don's dynamic with his cousins is great!! i hate the simplistic, actual hatred they gave donald towards gladstone and gladstone's characterisation makes a lot of ppl hate him - and i get why but i don't. and i hate that cuz he's a really fun, oringinal idea with the luck motif and they don't do anything substantial with him!!

and do not get me started on fethry. i love dt17 donald but when ppl call him the unproblematic one, i point to his treatment of fethry. dt17 fethry did NOTHING wrong and they LEFT HIM THE OCEAN I HATE THAT SO MUCH. AND THE ONES THAT LEARN THE LESSON ON ACCEPTANCE ARE THE CHILDREN NOT THE GUY HE GREW UP WITH AND THE OLD FUCK THAT SHOULD'VE KNOW BETTER

those two barely feel like family to the main characters and their inclusion in the picture in moonvasion is cute i wont lie. but i wih i'd seen more of it. like scrooge straight up HATES gladstone and fethry, why are those two included in his group of kids? i like that they are and i want them there but there is no build up.

they're supposed to be the huey and louie of the cousins but donald hates them? they're not a reference to the triplets like they were intending, and the intention makes sense and i like the idea, they're JUST there. honestly gladstone and fethry can be seen as louie and huey if they didn't have a good relationship with their family. i think that's interesting too.

and i just wanna say i get why ppl dislike dt17 gladstone but i like him because 1) i think he's wasted potentional in the show 2) i like gladstone in general in the duckverse. his whole luck concept is fun and he's like a preppy kuzco. and 3) he has the mr peanut butter voice and that's realy funny to me

and finally, yea the cast size is insanely big and it feels like there's a new character every episode and like ik why. we wanna see new interprtations but like, they did not have enough time to give all of the characters enough screentime.

[ajbullet]

My thoughts on episode 3 of PJO: (spoilers)

I so enjoyed doing this for the first two episodes and the response was great, so hey, maybe this will be an entire series thing

-The oracle was amazing. It was a perfect mix of creepy yet humorous with Percy’s perfect voice crack and “you’re a Halloween decoration” line. Having just reread the book, I wouldn’t have remembered that the prophecy came from Gabe so that was a really cool, book-accurate detail I enjoyed.

- The WAY PERCY CHOSE ANNABETH! I freaked out. Cause you know in the book Annabeth is just like “I’m coming” and that’s that. To see Percy go out of his way to CHOOSE her for his quest was so special to me and I loved it (even tho it was for a different reason than I originally thought.)

-Annabeth’s reaction to getting picked was perfect. This is a girl who has waited YEARS for a quest and in no way do I think she was expecting to be picked. Hoping, of course. But Leah’s expression of shock then excitement was perfect

- Grover talking to the horses

-Percy picking Grover

-“I’m going to back the best snacks” The snacks in question being tin cans

-Bro give Thalia a break Percy, wth 😭. He came at her so hard for someone he hasn’t even met. Which was hilarious and so Percy-like, but dang. I thought Annabeth was gonna kill him right then and there.

-“She met a Pinecone’s fate” Like this boy…🤭

-I loved watching Leah’s expressions the whole time the three of them were traveling to the bus terminal. I will never get over how subtle she is able to make her thoughts appear on her face. Like you could clearly tell she was taking everything in for the first time in 5 years, while still trying to remain calm and seem in control in front of the other two

-THE BICKERING OMGS. I wasn’t ready for the arguing, but it fits so well. It MADE SENSE. Like none of these kids know just how much they can trust each other and their all scared and they don’t really know what they are doing so of course they are going to fight and argue and take out their emotions on each other.

-Grover’s consensus song was perfect. I had no idea why he was clapping at first and when he started to sing I was scared because it had potential to be really cringy but I honestly think it fit his vibe and was cute.

-ok, so for the scene with Annabeth in the store, I loved of course cause it was my girl and I originally watched it as a kid with a lot of money placed in front of infinite candy and she couldn’t just pick ONE so she got them all and it was adorable. But I’ve also seen posts talking about her trying to read the wrapper and since she’s dyslexic she couldn’t tell what flavor was what so she got all of them, which would also make sense and is a perfect subtle detail. Now I just saw one post that said she was trying to pick the perfect candy to make Grover and Percy LIKE HER and that just about broke my heart. Feel free to comment or reboot with your opinions because I’ve loved seeing all these different takes on that scene. All I know is it was awesome and the contrast between a girl picking candy and immediately sensing something is wrong and putting up her guard was a perfect way of showing how life is for demigods

-The invisibility cap!!!!

-“We’re lost in the woods, somewhere in New Jersey and we’re never gonna make to LA” was all I could think about

- again the BICKERING. Annabeth calling Percy out. Her asking what he’s afraid of. Grover trying so hard to keep the peace. (As a middle sibling, I felt that in my soul). “He was my protector first!” Loved that. Just the whole conversation was so interesting

I’m gonna make a part two because I have so many more thoughts on Medusa and her story and I’m hungry so I’m gonna go eat.

Part two:

[somewhereincairparavel]

Atla, a first time watcher's episode reaction part 5: at this point, this has just become a series lmao. Anyways, today, I watched episode 4-7 from season 3 for the first time! I'd say the most memorable out of them all was "The avatar and the firelord" where we get the revelation that Roku is Zukos great grandfather. Tbh?? I kinda predicted that?? I really don't know how, but I had a feeling that they were related in the episode where roku destroyed his temple in season 1. That was a lucky guess that ended up actually being the truth-

Anyways I LOVE that we discover that both of zukos great grandfathers were best friends. Zuko realising that he has been chasing his great grandfather's reincarnation this whole time is so priceless to me LOL. Also, uncle iroh is finally talking!!! I hate that he got treated so badly by the prison gaurd :(( it breaks my heart.

The beach episode, for me was hilarious lol. Just teenage drama. Azula flirting with the admiral's son had me cackling and cringing at the same time (also when she laughed, it sounded psychotic) Zuko and Mai are such a mess together aswell 💀

but I do think its super super cute that Zuko got hella angry on mai's behalf when ty lee called her aura "dingy" and told mai to stand up for herself instead of letting that behaviour slip. Like ain't no one insults his gf and gets away with it 😤

I like how we got some minor azula and Zuko bonding. Yknow her telling him to come to the beach with him and stuff. Zukos flashbacks of the beachouse was sad as well.

I'll just take the time to say that out of all the members of the gaang, tophs powers and skills have impressed me the most?? Girly can metal bend, earthbend, can tell if someone's lying, can tell if someone's approaching from far away ALL when she's blind????? OMG

[highfantasy-soul]

Things I LOVED in NATLA Episode 7 - The North

Lt Jee actually being worried for Zuko!!!!

And Iroh tenderly bandaging Zuko's head 🥺

Zuko desperate to make sure his father doesn’t truly think he's turned against him!!!!!

A FANTASTIC set-up for his eventual ACUTAL turn against his father

Zuko genuinely thanking Lt. Jee 😢

And aaggghhhh!!! Zhao being a tricky slimey mf

This is a slick way to get Zuko being blown up without the pirates - though they're fun characters, I think this set-up enhanced the themes they were exploring in the season more

TEAM AVATAR!!

So cute that Aang excitedly tells his friends he made a connection with Zuko - Sokka is unimpressed while Katara has hope that people can turn out to be good.

Agna Qel'a!!!!

It looks GORGEOUS! And love that it has a name now!!

Apparently it was given a name in one of the books, but they never did name it in the show, so I'm glad they did it here

I don't even care that they know it's the Avatar right off bat and they're ready to welcome them in - it was cool as shit flying over the city on Appa

Maybe they had scouts out that saw Appa flying and brought news to the city, same as the scouts who saw the Fire Nation fleet - I'll accept that

Them treating Aang like a weapon rather than a person 😡

It's something that comes up a lot in the series and I'm glad they aren't shying away from it

Lol Katara's sibling jibing at Sokka staring at Yue 🤣

I love these little sibling moments - they're just so cute

And Sokka now hard-core staring at the ground instead of at Yue because Katara said he looked like a weirdo doing that 😅

Zhao's overacting at how pissed he is 🤣

Then his 'omg I can yes and this. I can SO yes and this!' as Iroh tells him what he 'think's happened

Oooohhh Iroh's understated insults at Zhao's qualifications

And Zhao's comeback about no record of failure unlike Iroh😐 bitch, that still doesn't make you qualified!

More Azulaaa!!!!

I really love this added storyline to see exactly why Azula is the way she is

It's great to see that her place as next-in-line isn't a shoe-in here - she's desperate to show her father that 'she's the one' and will do anything to get there

Sokka's heart eyes 😍

Stewed sea prunes 😭😭😭

"It tastes like home" 😢

I like this intro to Pakku - like with Sokka, they're not doing a comical level of sexism, they're making it more realistic

YUE IS A BEEENNDDEERR!!!!!!

Also, using it for the most important things: dessert

Sokka's absolutely abysmal (bet very endearing) interaction attempts with Yue 😅

Her little fake gasps as he keeps saying the wrong thing, but smiling because she knows what he means, she's just teasing him 🥺 incredibly adorable

Love that they have a conversation that actually has substance!

Don't hate me, but in the cartoon, they never had a substantive conversation ONCE. It was just Sokka flirting, Yue giggling, then Yue freaking out and running away - rinse and repeat like, 5 times in the course of 3 episodes.

Omg Hahn isn't a dick!!!

I like the more mature tone they've taken in the live action - they can have jokes, but for serious topics like…idk, a battle against the Northern Water Tribe being genocided, they make the characters take it seriously

GOOOOODDDD the adults expecting Aang to be a master strategist and offensive weapon!!

This actually makes sense that they'd believe he could do it - Aang is the culmination of all the past Avatars, so they'd assume he has all their knowledge and power.

The poor kid just got out of his iceberg, though!!!

"Airbending is primarily a defensive discipline"

You tell them, Aang!!

"But you're not JUST an airbender" :( don't bring logic and reality into this, Arnook

"I did it with the help of my friends 😊"  sweet baby Aang

And here's Pakku, telling Aang what a lot of watchers were frustrated about this season: uuhh maybe you should have been focused on your training

While that's a legit comment, I think the live-action showed why Aang didn't pretty well

Love love LOVE that we're introduced to healing with respect rather than the distain it was shown in the animated series

Healing is a wonderful and beautiful skill and I'm glad we got to see Katara interested in it (and it being used) rather than Katara sadly moping into the igloo filled with children learning healing

Sometimes, when people try to make things less sexist, they end up making it more-so. I think that happened with the animated series where healing was actually put up in conflict with combat - where combat was clearly shown as the 'better' skill and healing was 'stupid and bad, we don’t want to do that'. The live-action showed that healing is an important and powerful skill, the only issue comes when you aren't ALLOWED to do anything else. Healing itself isn't the issue, the fact the women are kept from combat IS the issue.

Nice Hahn and Sokka fishing for info about Yue

Avatar Kuruk RESPECT!!!!

LOVE Yue getting more character here!

She can pop into the spirit world! It makes so much sense with her having part of the moon spirit inside her!

The live action fleshed her out soooo well!

Poor Sokka not understanding AT ALL why someone would want to go to the Spirit World for fun 😂

"Don't do that. Don't make it less than what it is"

Such an important message for EVERYONE. You don’t have to have the most tragic of backstories for your trauma to be important. This isn't the oppression olympics - we aren't doing the whole 'well someone else has it worse so you can't complain' bullshit.

Everyone has hurt in their lives and everyone deserves to have their hurt taken seriously and healed. It isn't 'strength' to pretend it's nothing - it's strength to face it and accept that it was important, not something to shove under the rug

Yue reminding Sokka about what makes him special - his care for his friends! He's not a selfish guy - just because he wasn't the best leader or warrior when he was 13 doesn't mean he has nothing to offer the world

"Hahn is everything a girl could want. But he is not the boy of my dreams" 😭😭😭

"Being the Avatar means being the one who bears the burden: alone."

The thing is: like in the animated version, this advice MAKES SENSE! But it's how you USE the advice that makes the difference

No, you can't put all the weight of responsibility on your friends, but neither can you do it without any help - or without caring for others. It's very much advice coming from pain: all the Avatars got hurt because they DIDN'T abandon their friends and so they're giving a skewed version of the advice onto Aang to try to spare him the pain they went through.

It's Aang's job to find the balance

Sokka's fish carving that Yue thinks is a bear 😭😭😭

I wanna see it, props department!!!!

Yeess!! Katara's first confrontation with Pakku!

I like how she still tries to lead with diplomacy, making her case, and Pakku has 'reasonable' excuses not to let her fight

Instead of him being cartoonishly sexist, he's much more realistic giving 'logical' reasons for Katara not to be in combat, but she stands up anyways because she knows it's wrong.

I can see how some might find Aang not wanting Katara to fight to be jarring, but this is in line with the animated series

When they're going into particularly dangerous missions, Aang does have a tendency to try to do it himself and tell Katara to sit this one out - he does it in The Winter Solstice: Part 2.

He's just been told a past life's love was killed because he didn't keep her out of his fight, he has no idea how he's going to win this battle, and he's realizing that he does see Katara as someone incredibly important to him. It's in line with who Aang is to try to keep her safe and away from the battle

Zhao coming up with nicknames for himself 😑

Iroh straight up calling Fire Nation 'info' propaganda!!

While some people could see this as 'treason', when you're in positions of power in high-control groups, you KNOW it's propaganda - you HELP CREATE the lies and when people are going to do something stupid (like attack the North without a solid plan), you let them know that they're being stupid if they're going to make battle plans based on the lies you've helped spread.

Zhao and his dumb bitch destiny 🙄 he's such a great villain - he's one who's bought into his own lies

"The plan is to prove my father wasn't wrong to trust me with this mission. The plan is to go in and capture the Avatar once and for all. The PLAN is to reclaim what is rightfully MINE!! 😤" - "So, no plan? 😐" - "I'm working on it uncle 🥺"

This exchange = gold. Pure gold.

"It's almost as if he's working for someone else - someone much smarter"

WOOOOWWW Iroh, throw that shade a little more, why don't ya 🤣

Though I LOVE that they're giving Azula her brainy due - she's smart and she's the one not to be underestimated.

AZULA'S LIGHTNING!!!!!!!

Love how she stood up to her father, but because she was able to 'prove' her strength, he respected it rather than punished it

"Set me loose" AAAAHHHHHHH

SUPPORTIVE BROTHER SOKKA!!!

Love how matter of fact Katara is "I'm going to challenge Pakku to fight" - just like that. She's decided, so it's going to happen.

Sokka admitting Katara was right 😭😭😭😭😭

"Who's talking sense? What I'm trying to say is: go kick his ass" FUCK YEAH THAT'S RIGHT!!!!

Aang trying to go forward and help Katara, but Sokka holds him back

Love the sibling solidarity!!

The fight is almost beat for beat the one from the animated series!!!

I love that the live action knew exactly which sequences to put in almost 1-1 from the animated - this fight being one of them

"Is that all you got?!?!" FUCK YEAH!!

"They'll just say I lost" "Did you?"

The fact that it wasn't just Pakku's opinion that would change everything - Katara's actions inspired everyone else, even if Pakku didn't want to change his decision.

Change isn't made by changing one man's mind - it's about standing up to them and inspiring others (like in the Imprisoned storyline) to stand up too

Even inspiring Aang to realize that the conclusion the other Avatars came to from their pain was wrong - that Katara was right and that EVERYONE gets to choose whether to fight or not for themselves

Avatars aren't the only ones who worry about protecting people - it's a human, family thing, not just a mystical force of balance thing

Only Aang can write his own story - not anyone else.

This is a great through-line for the whole series where everyone has expectations put on them and they have to decide themselves who they want to be

Don't eat the sooty snow, Momo!!!!!

"Ok, time to fight"

I like that we end on the fire nation ships arriving: next episode is going to be THE BATTLE

[Masterlist of my NATLA thoughts]

[raelle-writing]

DFF is such great show and I enjoy the portrayal of the characters and the plot. Although I am not much into JinPhee ship (even though their scene was hot) - meaning I won't actively search fics of them;-D. But I absolutely don't understand the hate this ship gets. Or Jin character gets? Like, did I miss something? Why there is so much hate towards this pairing? I don't get it. Or do they dislike Jin character so much?

So I think there are 3 main reasons that people hate PheeJin and specifically Jin as much as they do, and I'll see if I can explain it coherently below lmao

First is cultural differences.

I've noticed that by and large a lot of the hatred directed at Jin comes from international fans being extremely harsh, and I think it's partially because they don't understand some of the nuance of Thai culture. Which to be fair, why would they?

One aspect is that they get angry that Jin lied to the police without taking into account that the police are corrupt - both in the narrative and also in Thailand in general.

Another is they get mad at Jin for recording Non - which to be fair, really does suck lmao. But they make it about Jin recording Non instead of reporting the assault happening, without taking into consideration that the age of consent in Thailand is 15, which means that what happened with Non and Keng isn't technically statuatory rape. Still bad and awful and Non was coerced and assaulted, don't get me wrong - but that makes it slightly less clear cut IMO when it comes to the question of Jin seeing Non "cheating."

You can even see within the show that the reactions to that video are by and large slut-shaming and not "omg that kid was assaulted."

So to recap: Taking the video = bad. But I think people get a bit too self-righteous about the reasons why Jin took it.

Second is purity/cancel culture.

I'm sure it hasn't escaped your notice that in the internet age, if you make one mistake you're a terrible, irredeemable person and should be canceled forever. I think that's playing a part in this. All of the characters make mistakes, and because of that they're all irredeemable pieces of shit who deserve to die. Except for Non who is just a victim and has never done anything wrong (sarcasm).

In seriousness, I think that's part of it. And the fact that Non is SO sympathetic it kind of overrides people's sympathies for the other characters. I'm not 100% sure why people hate Jin the most out of everyone else considering he's the one who has tried to help Non the most out of the friend group... I guess they just have higher standards for people who try to help? Idk. Either way it seems to me that they expect Jin to be a perfectly-well-adjusted little hero who always does what's right and never makes mistakes. Instead of what he really is: a kid.

And last is fan favorites/shipping.

A big part of the reason that PheeJin shippers are getting so much hate is because TaCode shippers and PheeNon shippers have decided their ship is The Ship of the series, and think that Phee is just using Jin for revenge and anyone who genuinely ships PJ is fucked up, etc.

It's just ship war bullshit waged by largely Barcode stans, but it's certainly tiresome.

To be clear, I have nothing against PheeNon. I am of the opinion that Phee and Non were a cute high school romance that wouldn't have lasted because they had conflicting styles of showing affection and love (I'll write a post about it someday lol) but that doesn't mean I hate the ship. I thought they were very cute and it was fun to see TaCode on screen since I wrote MacauChay in my KPTS days ahahaha I just like the spice and fire of PheeJin better, and Jin is my favorite character.

I just wish that PheeNon shippers would live and let live instead of acting like they're waging some moral war. They were even crying in BOC's comment section on IG today after they posted the PheeJin poster for episode 9 saying "nooooo Phee is there for revenge he can't really have feelings for Jin!" It's exhausting... 🫠

General disclaimer: if you don't like Jin or like PheeNon better I'm not saying any of the above things applies to you. Everyone is entitled to their opinions, I'm just dissecting some of the over-the-top hate I've seen/experienced in fandom spaces lately.

[lukkabloom]

Fun facts abt residents according to Ikevamp Radio (ヴァンなま) Part 3

Continuing down the line with episodes 8-10!! These are getting longer bc it's getting more and more chaotic and funny

Episode 8: Makki and Morishi in Vincent and Sebas cosplay!!!!

Morishi (referring to Makki’s amazing cosplay) “I can’t destroy the atmosphere of the game (so I have to look good)… well I kinda already did (destroy it) but…” (the 2nd sentences refers to the fact he says weird things in his “I love yu” segment)

Another thing the two did that was cute—Morishi: does driving motion w/his hands Makki: “You don't see taxi drivers so handsome like you. I would be your customer anytime”

Morishi: “Maybe I should become a driver? Haha”

Also!! Makki: “Is Vincent cute?" Morishi: “Yes, Vincent’s cute. Makki’s cute too”

“I love yu” segment coming up!! Sebas starts out by saying “Sigh. Baths are really nice. It’s so nice that I can forget about the fact that I wasn’t nominated in the ever-so popular Ikemen series election (this was during the Ikemen election of 2018)

Also when Vincent enters the bath, Sebas is like “well, well. If it isn’t Master Vincent, whose route was just released and is gaining popularity by the minute.” (This episode celebrated Vincent’s jp route release) and then continues “Congratulations on your route release” to which Vincent’s confused. And then Sebas coughs and says “please don’t mind me”

Vincent likes oden, thanks Sebas for always cooking delicious food

Sebas stops breathing for a sec, then says “Ugh! As expected of a route-released character. So bright!”

Vincent’s worried abt Sebas’s weird attitude, Sebas reassures him that everything’s fine

The two bathe together so much now that it’s almost like a routine

MC is sick in this episode? Sebas brought her okayu (porridge), she happily accepted

Vincent wants to make her porridge as well, asking Sebas if he should put ginger, tabasco, or habanero to warm up her body. Sebas says “she will probably explode if you do that”

Saddened, Vincent proposes to peel apples, Sebas answers “Nononononono. It’s dangerous.”

Vincent: “It’ll be fine. I’ve actually gotten better at cooking. I can make scrambled eggs now”

Theo used to look after Vincent when he’s gotten sick

Sebas gave Vincent chocolates for valentine’s?? It was chocolate in the shape of a sunflower bouquet??? (how is that possible to make???) For Napoleon, Sebas gave him chocolate in a shape of a horse, Leo was given a chocolate in a shape of cigarettes (that’s kinda funny bc in Japan there are these snacks called Choco Cigarettes which are basically that)

Sebas gave Isaac apple-shaped chocolates, who, according to Sebas, made a weird face upon receiving it

Vincent’s in awe, reaffirming his theory that Sebas can do anything

So Sebas confirms that he only gave the gifts to the residents nominated for the Ikemen series popularity poll (Napo, Leo, Isaac, and Vincent—idk who the last person is) and wishes luck to Vincent (Vincent’s just confused but is like “I’ll do my best, I guess?”)

A new segment of the show called “van Gogh and Sebas and sometimes you!!” Where the viewers can vote on the situation they’d like to be in, and Morishi and Makki will act it out as Vincent and Sebas. The chosen situation was “where you are feeling down, and Vincent and Sebas try to make you laugh by doing funny things” and OMG the things they do are FUNNY AS HECK (aka very ooc), they just scream “yeaaaaaahhhhh!!!”

In the script they were given it literally just says “YEAAAAHHHHH!!!” and everything else was adlib

So next up in the “van Gogh’s drawing section” instead of drawing, they made paper-clay dolls of their characters and… well it was interesting to say the least. I recommend just watching the livestream itself for the experience

The two asked the audience if they even wanted the paper-clay dolls, and they were surprised by the “yes”s 

Anyways my fav segment!!! “Can you tell me… your name?” This one was even funnier by the fact that the camera continued to be focused on the Vincent and Sebas clay dolls while the two said their amazing lines. Well, it was supposed to be like that but there were so many voices of laughter and the two VAs couldn’t take it seriously so the camera zoomed out to their faces

Vincent’s line was “The wind here’s a bit too cool, so come here.” Most were serious names, but the last one was “Sebas, the wind here’s a bit too cool, so come here,” and Morishi just entered into the camera frame (it was zoomed into Makki while he was saying his lines)

Sebas’s chosen line was “Woosh! I have seen the inside of your skirt! (しゃっ！スカートの中いただきました)” (idk even know how to translate it, basically Sebas saw your undies from under your skirt when the wind blew too hard) the facial expression Morishi has while saying this line is so funny

There was “Yoshihiko, woosh! I have seen the inside of your skirt!” Makki replies, “I don’t wear one lol”

Episode 9: feat. Leonardo’s VA Tsuda Kenjiro once again once more

Tsuda stumbled on his line when introducing himself. He went “Leonar—aahhhhh” (he was trying to say something like "The voice of Leonardo da Vinci, Tsuda Kenjiro or smth")

They did a poll bc they were curious on the ages of the audience (0.8% were elementary schoolers, 3.3% middle school, 4.6% high, 13.3% college/university, 78% adult/workers) they think the children are watching by themselves, not w/their parents/guardians (they need to make the show available for all ages)

Very random but there’s a segment (that I never talk abt that’s been existing since the 1st episode) called “Motivation! Energy! Suzuki!” (やる気！元気！鈴木！) where a self-proclaimed low-level Cybird employee Suzuki-san introduces events and gachas happening @ the time of the livestream (you can tell why I skip this section. It doesn’t really apply now) Anyways, so she uses her phone during this segment so the VAs can pull on gachas and listen to voice lines in featured cards, and when her phone went back to her lock screen (accidentally) it showed Mozart’s drawing of Vincent from Vincent’s pre-route release and I thought it was neat

So to the thermae skit!!! This is probably one of my fav thermae skit episodes bc it’s so chaotic

Just like usual, Leo and Sebas sing the song whenever they are a part of the thermae episode (the same song from episodes 1 & 3)

Vincent notices that Leo and Sebas are acting a bit weird, the two join Vincent in the bath to talk about it

Leo asks what Vincent thinks of when he says “spring,” Vincent says that spring reminds him of cherry blossoms and he loves them

Leo thinks of the word “farewell” when thinking of spring, then tells Vincent that he has something to inform him

Leo’s planning to leave the mansion, Vincent’s confused asks him if he fought w/Comte

Sebas urges Vincent to be calm and let Leo continue. Leo describes that has a life-long dream of wanting to be a basketball player (I’m not even sure if basketball even exists during this time??)

Vincent is confused, but Leo continues “I know it’s not like me to say that. Besides, no one has ever heard of a basketball player who's a vampire. So I tried to give up. But nothing I do will let me forget about it!” 

Vincent: “Forget about what?”

Leo: “The sound of a basketball bouncing off the floor!” (Sebas: “dun, dun, dun, dun, dun" <- that's the sound of a basketball hitting the floor) Leo: “It’s almost as if god is telling me to not give up on my real dream”  (Sebas: “dun, dun, dun, dun, dun. Ando-sensei, I want to play basketball.  [←What reference is this idk] dun, dun, dun, dun, dun")

Leo: “So I’ve finally made up my mind. I’ve decided to leave the mansion and go to the Americas.”

Vincent is confused, and during this time, Sebas starts “I’m sorry to interrupt while you are deep in thought, but I also have something to tell you, Master Vincent”

Vincent: “Wait, you’re not going to say that you’ll be leaving the mansion too, right?”

Sebas: “It’s exactly that.” Vincent: “N-no way.”

(So apparently Sebas has been working in the mansion for 3 years?? I’m guessing MC is here rn so… idk more new info ig)

Sebas: “I’ve been really wondering what it means to come face-to-face with others… And my conclusion has led me to… wrestling.” (Vincent's confused even more)

Sebas: “In the sport called wrestling, you face an opponent without any gear. It is the ultimate definition of coming face-to-face (literally) with other’s bodies.”

(IT JUST GETS FUNNIER FROM HERE) 

Leo: “The two of us, in 2020, desire to compete in the Olympics held in Japan.” Sebas: “I believe my goal is to shoulder the Japanese flag (日の丸).”

Leo & Sebas: “(Master) Vincent. The two of us will be leaving this mansion!”

Vincent: “So… you’ve already made your decision. Then, I can’t stop you. Honestly, I’m a little—no. I’ll miss you a lot. I thought of you two like family.”

Leo & Sebas: “F-family…”

Vincent: “But! I shouldn’t do anything like stopping you from achieving your dreams, right? I-I’ll be watching over the two of—”

Sebas: “Ahhh! Stop!”

Vincent: “... ‘Stop?’”

Sebas: “My chest is hurting so much, I can’t continue doing this! Master Leonardo!”

Leo: “Ooooii, Sebas! Do it properly til the very end....”

Leo reveals that April 1st that’s coming up soon, aka, April Fool’s and everything that they stated previously was a lie. Sebas apologizes, willing to do anything to seek forgiveness from Vincent

Vincent is relieved, saying he can’t be angry at the two bc the happiness he feels from being able to spend more time w/the two overpowers the feeling of anger.

Sebas says phrases like “viewers” and “broadcast” confusing Vincent, but Leo tells him not to worry since it’s Sebas’s usual “meta-fictional expression/breaking the 4th wall”

Afterwards, Vincent says “I forgot to tell you two something. Actually, I’m not a big fan of baths because they’re too hot.”

Leo & Sebas: “EEEEHhhhhhhh!!”

Vincent: “It's a lie. Sorry. I wanted to tell one. Haha. To be honest, I really like baths!”

(I can’t believe I translated almost the whole skit that took so much time. I hope I don’t do that again... I will do it again)

“Can you tell me… your name?” segment comin up!!! Dang Leo’s line “Come here, closer.” his VA has such a good voice I’m swooning

Sebas’s line “Do you want to eat dried squid (atarime)?” Is just so random?? Like usually his lines are funny but at least related to the season or holiday at the time of the broadcast, but you can literally eat dried squid any time of year.

Anyways onto the names being called. There was “Atarime, do you want to eat dried squid?” and “Makki, do you want to eat dried squid?” w/Makki quietly replying “yes, yes.” There was also Tsuda-san and oyaji (dad).

Episode 10: for the first time in this radio the VAs are doing it in front of an audience

(Idk why this link looks a bit weird)

They do this episode in their cosplay which looks amazing as usual

Morishi had Vincent’s Drama CD, and wanted both Vincent and Makki to sign it, addressed to him. Also wanted Makki to draw both Morishi and Makki’s face on it (Makki did all that)

Makki said that Morishi is slowly eating at Sebas's character (basically Sebas turning into Morishi himself)

The return of the “van Gogh and Sebas and something you!!” segment!!! Lmao all the situation descriptions are so long. The chosen situation was “Protecting you from a suddenly-appearing enemy. However, Vincent and Sebas can’t decide who will hold them back, instead arguing against each other” One of the choices was the one they did last time, and Makki was like “pls don’t choose that one” (the one where they try to make you laugh)

Vincent: “We can’t hold them back. Let’s divide the work. One of us will take her (MC) and run away while the other holds back the opponent.”

Sebas: “A very smart decision. In that case, Master Vincent, I’ll leave everything to you here.” takes you away

Vincent: “Eh? Sebas? Isn’t it typically the opposite?”  Sebas: “Eh?”  Vincent: “It looks like we need to have a discussion”

Vincent: “Hey, strong opponent,”  Sebas & Vincent: “wait a moment!”

Vincent’s reasons as to why Sebas should stay is bc Sebas can do anything, so he should be able to hold back the enemy.

Sebas: “Master Vincent, you have more hit points (hp) than me” (since when was this a RPG??)

Vincent: “But above my hp, it says I’m poisoned”   Sebas: “but you only lose 1 health for each poison damage. I’m paralyzed, so—” Vincent: “You’re paralyzed?” Sebas: “and I’m cursed, so I should get away first”

Vincent: “But see, I don’t have any gear equipped.” Sebas: points to Vincent's scarf “But you have your scarf”

Vincent: points to Sebas’s vest “But this jacket here—it gives 100 defense, right?”   Sebas: “I got it. I’ll just take it off” Sebas takes off his outer jacket

Vincent: “Wait, Sebas…”  Sebas: “And then, finally—” Vincent: grabs Sebas's inner jacket “you’re wearing two jackets?”

The discussion was going nowhere, so they decided to end with rock-paper-scissors. Sebas won against Vincent. Vincent: “Sebas escaped, but I’ll do anything for her.” (he says this thrice, showing how salty he is)

Makki said this happens in a parallel world, different from the typical ikevamp period

Thermae episode coming up!! Aka they become idols!!

MC looked tired recently, from overworking and stress, so Sebas came up with an ultimate plan named “I want to make her happy! So we will become idols!”

Vincent doesn’t know what an idol is, Sebas describes it as someone who can sing and dance and make others happy. Vincent’s not sure if they can be something as amazing as that

Sebas: “With your pretty face, dignified personality, and angelic smile, you have all the attributes of an idol”

Vincent: “Sebas too, works hard all the time, and both your personality and appearance is very cool.” Sebas: “thank you for the compliment. Recently, I’ve been feeling that one of my charm points, my coolness, has been challenged.” (It's prob bc you're so weird in these skits, Sebas!!)

Sebas creates rules to become an idol. “Rule #1: an idol’s introduction must be catchy!” Vincent can’t think of one on the spot, so Sebas pre-made one for him. 

Sebas: “Hii! I come from Japan. I’m known as Sebas, aka Sebastian. My job as a butler is always done in a relaxed manner—” Vincent: “Relaxed!” Sebas: “controlling everyone with a cool stare—” Vincent: “Control!” Sebas: “I always understand my position. I keep my emotions in check—” Vincent: “Check!” (Vincent’s chanting Sebas’s words btw) Sebas: “But for tonight, I can express my feelings.”

Anyways it’s Vincent’s turn. Vincent: "Hai! From Groot Zundert, I’m everyone’s angel, Vincent! My hair texture is fluffy!” Sebas: “fluffy!” (Sebas is chanting now) Vincent: “My mood is fluffy!”   Sebas: “fluffy!”  Vincent: “I want to surround you fluffily (?), help you relax with my angelic aura! But… (he suddenly gets serious) don’t forget that I’m actually a man.”

(Both Sebas & Vincent’s lines are supposed to rhyme but my tiny brain doesn’t form great words to do that so you’ll get the literal translation here :PP)

Vincent says he’s embarrassed from doing that, and feels his face getting hot. Sebas says they should get going to the next page of the idol adventure

Vincent’s like “We’re striving to be idols, right? By the time we get there, I feel like she will have recovered…” Sebas: “...” Vincent: “You didn’t realize that, Sebas? You must really like her…” Sebas: “It seems like it…”

They decide to visit her instead after the bath to make her feel better and help her improve

Also I really wasn’t expecting so many ppl to be interested in this??? Anyways I finished all the episodes so as I promised the next parts will be coming out in the next two days :))

[girlfriendsofthegalaxy]

tuesday again 1/30/2024

a good 60% of my brain is screaming in unemployment terror at all times so these will be somewhat abbreviated until that situation resolves itself

listening

sleeping on the ceiling by friday pilots club. this is a song by a five-piece alt-rock band from chicago that could EASILY open for mid-aughts fall out boy. i would like to think it is from the point of view of a freshly-turned vampire. listen this slot isn't about the best song i heard this week it's about the one that got stuck in my head the most

Hey, I swear I'm okay Honey, I been sleepin' on the ceiling all day Yes way, like hey I swear I feel great Looky, looky, love the feeling of being okay Yes way

spotify.

reading

Lara Croft: Tomb Raider and the Amulet of Power by Mike Resnick. it was in a dollar book bin and i got it as a joke gift for a friend. mike resnick is a remarkably prolific writer who's done a lot of tie-ins. i don't have anything particularly notable to say about his star wars books but they are a sort of minimum viable product? they feel star warsy and don't annoy me on every page.

this book was published in 2003 and treats the people of the Nile delta and their beliefs with all the delicacy you might expect from a 2003 video game tie in novel. i do think the twist is being telegraphed way too hard. perhaps i should say instead of sending a telegram mr resnick has simply set the telegraph office ablaze as a signal fire. the titular triangle-pointed woman herself ms croft is VERY insistent she's just as good as the boys. this is pretty on par for my experience of 2003 empowering womens' feminism AND my experience in a male-dominated field so i can't really ding it too hard? aside from the racism, in the notably racism-free fields of archaeology and video games and archaeology video games, this book is aging a little strangely overall. i do not know if i will finish it before i mail it out to my friend, but despite its sins it is a very fast read.

watching

watched the four dungeon meshi episodes. it's cute! ProzD was an unexpected delight! it made me want to make something fancy for dinner but alas i still have to go food shopping!

some posts on my dash were talking about how the episode with the mollusks inside the living armor really got them hooked and i have to agree. i also saw the full potential of the show's speculative biology unspooling before me. i don't know if i currently have the brainwidth for the manga but it is going on my reading list for after i finish berserk. which is kind of like saying i'm going to watch chopped after i finish up hannibal

playing

forgot i had an original gen switch, given to me through a complex series in a complex series of friend barters back in uhhhh late '21? early '22? i got through 3/4 of the divine beasts the first time around and then could not crack the camel. it was well past time to create a new switch profile so i could start a new game without losing the old one.

omg twinnsssssssss

i did forget how goddamn big the map is. i have just now unlocked the camera and the memory quests, i have not really. done much more than basic tutorial and beginning of game stuff.

making

anxiously junebugging between a whole bunch of shit. finally figured out the correct charger/extension cord setup for my bedroom. replaced all the fluorescent lightbulbs and took them to be recycled. fixed the hall door enough so it latches closed and an irritated cat can't claw it open. tidied up the balcony and patio and repotted the surviving houseplants.

in textile news, started this cross stitch. this is a Bless This Wretched Hive of Scum and Villainy Star Wars themed sampler, i have made two as gifts and had to throw out a mostly-completed one i made for me bc of the moths. but i now know exactly where this will go in this apartment and i already have the frame and i bought all the floss pre-being fired, so might as well? the real bitch of the situation here is backstitching the buildings. it's so start and stop. it's so much tan. i talked about this on the weekly siblingchat facetime and now my brother has requested one lmao. that's his christmas gift settled. i suppose.

i had somehow forgotten how loadbearing textile crimes are for me. i haven't done much of anything since the moth debacle, and that was almost two years ago. last night i found some suspicious holes in a camisole and i'm really really hoping it's just cat claws and not moths or carpet beetles or any other fun things that eat clothes.

[the-64th-gamer]

I FINISHED MLP YEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!

(Started December 3, 2022 - Ended January 1, 2024 - 413 Days)

Am absolutely mindblown to see such an amazing series go through 9 seasons and literally continuously keep getting better and better!!!!!!!

Its been very cool binging it so quickly compared to most old fandom members watching it through syndication. Similar to when I rewatched SU there's such a difference seeing ideas and characters evolve at normal pace than to sit there for years brewing in fandom content that makes you expect them to go a different path. Lots of what I've heard be controversial things like Slice of Life and Starlight in general were some of my favorite parts of the show!!

Fav episode is The Perfect Pear, I was spoiled William Shatner was gonna play someone in the series and was SO FUCKIGN EXCITED when I realized it was him and in such an amazing episode!!!!! The ending was so fucking sweet omg.

Second fav was Slice of Life cause I get it was fanservice but on its own it was a great change of pace in the season to focus on background and side characters!!! After that it feels like they focused on background characters way more and it was very rewarding.

Seeing ***every single shot of Derpy*** was the funnest part of the show, I have personal screenshots of every single time I spotted her and stopping in the middle of songs or big fights just to scream and snapshot them was such a fun scavenger hunt. It made me go NUTS to see them do actual stuff on screen (ESPECIALLY THE SCENE IN BEST GIFT EVER WHEN SHE FINALLY GOT TO SPEAK IN FOREVER). It was also hilarious to see all the error derpies with fucked up colors and hair!!!!! It stopped in the later seasons except a time where she had a purple eye in a single shot, and one where she had big mac's face???? I was having a blast.

Similarly I was also just watching every single background character all the time every time, got to figure out which ponies would be used for which locations, when they'd appear in other places, which special ones could show up anywhere, which ones would do funny stuff, seeing new super cute background characters come in like Sweet Biscuit and Rainbow Stars!!! As someone hyperfocused on stupid stuff this was so fun watching the background nonstop.

Favorite season was season 6 or 7. Starlight was a great link for the episodes and it was the most normal seasons while the writing had gotten really good. Season 8 and 9 are still super good and I love that they were so willing to be bold and change things up a ton to keep interest, but 6 and 7 are closer to the usual baseline episode stuff so they're the best to go back to if I wanna rewatch.

I think the early seasons were still looking for a longterm identity for the show but I think starting season 5 it became this really great constant escalation of things. I really expected the show to just linger around the same ol' topics but it it kept changing the characters lives, the plot, and circumstances a ton while developing old characters and introducing new ones! Out of everything I've watched so far it was like the most masterful way to run a longterm series I've seen. Never felt burnt out or that anything was dragging, but also never felt like it ever lost its core identity!

Season 9 also was just a masterclass on ending a series, every single episode focused on bringing back some side character to give them an interesting spin, or conclude some arcs left behind. There were maybe one or two normal episodes but even those didnt feel like filler! I think the show was at its best throwing new ideas out and then taking a break with a standard friendship problem episode in a normal location. After watching it I don't think there was any missing thread or interesting thing they didn't try out! (Though also the series is formatted well enough they definitely could have continued making tons of standard episodes)

I can't remember if it was season 2 or 3 but I think when they first started introducing like regular songs to non adventure/important episodes it was really off, didn't really mesh well having the show be so musical, but they definitely incorporated it better as they went along and its kinda crazy it worked out well.

BTW I've steered clear from almost all opinions on the show outside of what Ray tells me so I dont know what of my opinions are universal to the fandom, but holy shit the season 8-9 intro sucks so much ass, all of the timing is COMPLETELY lost, theres that stupid school zoom out shot thats just maud hitting a rock in the middle of the road as it slowwwwwly pans, the backgrounds are way too visually noisy in the classrooms and the castle and its just an absolutely horrible nightmare that was thrown together in a day.

But yeah great show favorite show best show!!!!! I now get to see a decade of fan content and reviews and discussions n such!!! I watched some that were time appropriate for the current season I was watching to avoid spoilers but nows time for the floodgates!!!!! I'm glad I'll be able to hold onto my opinions now though and seperate them from anything I'm gonna further see discussed by all the old fans. I'm sure there will be tons of complaints I never considered but as I see it now that was a perfect run of television that I love very dearly!!!! Its certainly changed my life going forward lol.

[magmythedevil]

My murder drones episodes tierlist

(this is just my personal opinion, also i don't really tend to make this post a deep analysis or anything lmfao)

1° - DEAD END

This episode is just---- omg so perfect. Everything is just so wonderfull, i want to say much more about this one but i cant even bring myself to explain It with words yet. i just love this one so much. Also, i love how all the video reviews so far can agree with that tol 10/10

2° - THE PROMENING

One of the best for sure!!!! Its genuinely amazing and the songs in this episodes where the most catchy ones for me! Its one of the episodes that really showed the true essence of this show (also nuzi heheheh) 9.8/10

3° - CABIN FEVER

The only episode that acctually made me cry so far (/Srs) i acctually like this episode more than the third one so i could put this one in second place If i wanted but i have my personal reasons to why i dont. But this one genuinely mess with me and also the one were i got the most Liam vickers vibe from lfmao. And the animation is just ugghhh /pos. ALSO N in this episode has no right to be so cool... 9.8/10

4° - PILOT

I genuinely have a soft spot for this one because of the early 2010 cartoon vibes and other things...... I also love it because N was genuinely so scary /pos. Overall its just a really great episode to debut the characters and the word and really showed how murder drones would be Glitch's Gold Mine. Also im still shocked at how small the team was. 9.5/10

5° - HOME

This episode was really Nice! Uzi was the best part in this episode for me, she was so cute and badass ( and the litte subtle nuzi moments that only real ones realize) and i had a good time with Cyn, but overall i dont really have much strong feelings for this one because i cant really enjoy worker N in the same way i enjoy Disassembly N. (He was still husband material tho-) 8.5/10

6° - HEARTBEAT

This episode was really great! It was a nice set up to show how the real vibes of the series would be and seeing nuzi get separated Just after recently meeting was so... </3 but i cant really bring myself to enjoy this one that much when compared to the others for some reason. But still great! 8/10

--------------------------------------------------

So anyways Thats It! Go watch murder drones If you havent alredy because Its genuinely the most amazing things i have ever seen and its shocking how this series is indie

[absolutebl]

This Week in BL - new entries upset the rankings

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

April 2024 Wk 2

Ongoing Series - Thai

City of Stars (Fri iQIYI) ep 11 of 12 - Like most Thai BL pulps, this show doesn’t have much story to it. But I'm discovering that what it does have I actually really enjoy. I love that the gay boys got to play matchmaker for a change and I like how just GAY they are. It's nice. Refreshing.

We Are (Weds GMMTV iQIYI) ep 1-2 of 16 - University ensemble BL featuring PondPhuwin, WinnySatang, AouBoom, MarcPawinPoon. I like it. It’s old school Thai BL, but having fun with itself and its tropes. I’m not expecting much, so I don’t mind it waffling. All the couples are comfy. Chemistry is okay. Friendships are nifty. I like Pond's floppy hair. We fine. 

Two Worlds (Thurs IQIYI) ep 5 of 10 - What an extremely bloody episode. And bad guy turned out to be very bad indeed. And now pretty much everyone is dead. Nice kiss. Of course. 

Deep Night (Thurs iQiyi) ep 6 of 8 - It’s cute, they happy, not a ton happened. Random gratuitous bathing. As you do in BL. And I still think the sides should just end up in a thrupple

Only Boo! (Sun YouTube) ep 2 of 12 - Oh they very cute. Also very silly. 

1000 Years Old (Thurs iQIYI) ep 9 of 12 - No. NOT THE GUITAR. YES abandon guitar for the sniff test! Love this for them. And me. My most favorite trope defeated my least favorite trope. VICTORY!!!  

Ongoing Series - Not Thai

Unknown (Taiwan Tues YouTube & Viki) ep 8 of 11 - It’s just so good. Baby went away, grew up, and learned how to become a temptation... and a husband. 

Gray Shelter AKA Gray Currents (Korea Thurs iQIYI) 1 of 5 eps - SooHyuk, only just surviving, reunites with YoonDae, his (brief) younger stepbrother who feels abandoned. They end up living together. The younger brother is played by Lee Jae Bin of Choco Milk Shake. OMG. STEPBROTHERS TROPE. Lucky me! Two in one season. Yay!!!! It's Korea so great visuals too. I shallow but yeah, this is great.

Living With Him AKA Kare no Iru Seikatsu (Japan Thurs Gaga) ep 1 of 10 - Kindly Ryota goes off to uni only to find his new roommate is his childhood bestie, Kazuhito. Kazuhito doesn’t have a girlfriend and Ryota tries to help him figure out why. Same director as Old Fashion Cupcake. It’s utterly charming. I am charmed. Also the framing is gorgeous (of course). Very stylish.

Love is Better the Second Time Around AKA Koi wo Suru nara Nidome ga Joto (Japan Weds Gaga) ep 6fin - I don’t know. Kind of a flat ending with the leads apart for most of it. I enjoyed this show but it never really hit with me. 

Summation

After a teen betrayal and resulting separation a reporter reunites with his first love. That love wants him back. I enjoyed the authenticity of a reunion romance explored in Japan's quintessentially contemplative yet surreal way. The juxtaposition of the tenderness of the sex scenes with this Japanese style of authenticity was oddly elegant but all in all this still fell a little flat for me. There's nothing objectively wrong with it, but in total the narrative felt sluggish and the main couple were just... stiff (in the wrong way). Frankly, I'd rather just rewatch Tokyo in April is. 8/10

Love is like a Cat (Korea Mon Viki) eps 3-4 of 12 - What is going on with this show? No, I get the plot. I just don't get the show or why I’m watching it. Annoying. 

It's done, but I suck

What Did You Eat Yesterday Season 2 AKA Kinou Nani Tabeta? Season 2 (Japan Gaga) 10 eps

To Be Continued (Sat C3 Thailand grey) ep 7-8fin - I can't for the life of me find the final 2 episodes. Haven't had a real hunt, but yeah. No dice so far.

It's airing but...

Takumi-kun Series 6: Nagai Nagai Monogatari (Japan Furritsubs) eps 1-? of 10 - I may wait and binge it.

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

Kiseki Chapter 2 (Sun iQIYI) 6 eps - It’s so boring DNFed at 2.

Close Friend Season 3: Soju Bomb! (Weds iQIYI) 6 - The problem with situational comedy BL is it must be situational, comedic and a BL. This show gets 1 of 3 claims correct. 33% is not a passing grade. Dropped at 3.

Memory in the Letter (Thai WeTV) - only 4 eps, tell me if I should bother?

Next Week Looks Like This:

4/18 At 25:00 in Alaska AKA 25 Ji Akasaka de (Japan Thurs Gaga) 10 eps - Yuki lands his first starring role in a BL drama alongside superstar Asami (previously his senior at uni). Said superstar suggests they form a sham relationship until filming concludes. As they actually begin to fall in love, the spotlight begins to burn. I think I've seen this before (joke) and also the trailer doesn't inspire confidence.

Still to Come in April

4/25 Boys Be Brave! AKA Roommates (Korea Thurs Viki) 8 eps - Trailer Jung Ki Sub is Kim Jin Woo's slacker friend - and secret crush. So when Ki Sub crashes at his place, his heart tingles to be near him everyday. But as the short stay turns into permanent mooch, how long can Jin Woo keep his true feelings under wraps and hold back from confessing?

4/26 My Stand-In (Thai iQIYI) 12 eps - adaptation of Chinese novel "Professional Body Double" by Shui Qiang Cheng. Stars Up (Lovely Writer) and Poom (Bake Me Please) directed by the same team as KP (not a recommendation IMHO - my biggest criticism of that show was the clashing directing styles). This one looks complicated, lemme try: Joe is a stuntman for famous actor Tong. Joe falls in love with Ming but Ming sees Joe as nothing more than a Tong-replacement. After learning this horrible truth, Joe dies. Joe then wakes up in the body of another man also named Joe. He manages to rebuild the same life as before—with the same people eventually re-meeting Ming. Ming wants Joe back but Joe doesn't understand why. But Ming seems to know what's going on and wants to give him some kind of explanation.

I'm exhausted just trying to describe the plot.

Knock-Knock Boys (Thai WeTV) - 4 college friends conspire to help their friend lose his virginity. Familiar faces like Seng (yes, Billy's previous pairing) and Best, news here. But will it actually air this month?

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

NOTE: It looks like one of my personal favorites of last year Unintentional Love Story is getting a spin off!

THIS WEEK’S BEST MOMENT

Sniff test turning into a make out sesh? Please and thank you. City of Stars

(Last week)

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

The tag BLigade: @doorajar @solitaryandwandering @my-rose-tinted-glasses @babymbbatinygirl @babymbbatinygirl @isisanna-blog @mmastertheone @pickletrip @aliceisathome @urikawa-miyuki @tokillamonger @rocketturtle4 @blglplus @anythinggoesintheshire @everlightly

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

[dormarunt]

Berlin, episode 1 - a spoiler-filled live reaction/commentary 

Spoilers ahoy under the cut!

Our man wears a turtleneck from the get-go, which I find hilarious.

"This is my team - one of the three I've robbed with in my life - but this one is special to me as it's from my golden age". Maybe season 2 - if it exists - will focus on that other team? Or? The other 2 teams are The Cormorants and the Mint gangs? What do you guys think?

Also this is set before Berlin knew of his Helmers Myopathy (lol I took Liberties in my latest fic, I won't let something like canon change that)

Roi sees him as the father he never had, while Berlin sees Roi as "a loyal dog he walks every day" -- right, I'm totally going to write these two, and not just because Roi calls him "sir" and shines his shoes.

Damien is a Professor but for real.

During the first heist we see of the gang, a random guest clocks the team as "not police " in about a minute, seemingly based on Keyla's glasses/fidgeting -- okay I guess?? Make that conflict, Pina & Co!

Also iirc Berlin pulls out a bag to put the stolen artifact out of his ass thin air. 

Losing my mind at the smashed phone bit though, the panto is chef's kiss. (points pinky)

Berlin has TERRIBLE gun etiquette/safety OMG???

"Love doesn't last", says the three-times-divorcee. Believe him, before he marries two more times and unhinges his jaw to eat his beat friend's face. 

"What name did you choose?" "Cameron" -- the old gang's names are also chosen.

Pedro Alonso learned French for this okay? And he did a fine job ngl, much better than his Danish of S5.

Keyla is (at least partially) a plot device/Deus Ex literal Machina with her generating 650 pages of content about their made-up archeological gang ---- hopefully priest dude doesn't know how to double check stuff like awards because then Keyla would have to ~hack loads of sites/databases okay I'll stop but seriously 

He calls himself Berlin already. How or why? Unclear yet. 

Based on the iPod shuffle that Keyla's wearing the series takes place after 2010-2012 (so before he met Martin according to the little timeline I made a while ago)

The Berlin-Roi talk about a particular woman (Cameron) gives me Berlin-RIO (heheh) talk about Tokio

Oh no tell the guy who lusts over a girl to act as her dad instead - that's going to go WELL

The door hacking (Panasonic) device with Matrix-style flowing numbers and letters is PRIMO and not hilarious at all. (Rafael's hacking device was marginally more believable)

Three home invaders vs one angry little pup - I'm in the pup's corner!

Not a huge fan of Cameron just yet, she gives me Tokio vibes and not in a good way. She IS hot though. 

Come on Cameron, when a guy says not to touch his ass you don't take it personally?? Girl, that's not cute irl. If you wanna help him open that lock, warn him. Touching people without their consent is No Bueno. I get that she's supposed to be mentally ill but bit a creep?

Berlin is possibly an insomniac. He's not changed from the Berlin I know and love in that he feels that: 1) he's in any position to give advice, let alone about love 2) he knows all about love his experiences are universal 

(I trust Damian's take on love and kinda agree with him)

OMG THERE WAS ONLY ONE BED!!! --- and Berlin said "ew no?"

Oh Jesus Christ we were spared from another poop particle conversation but just barely (since when is the guy who fucks in stench-filled basements all squeamish?)

Period-inappropriate Imagine Dragons cover

That's why I started learning the guitar in high school, this scene right here, to have someone look at me with that wonder in their eyes. (all the boys learned to play guitar to pick up girls, years later I figured out that so did I lol)

The sights in this episode are beautiful though! <3

Berlin's philosophy on courting women is, according to my headcanon, stolen from Martín who's "an infantry general by vocation" and NO ONE can change my mind

Roi's sincere WTF look here is priceless 

All in all - yep, i'm watching the rest too (lol). Can't guarantee live reactions for the next episodes (unless requested/I have the time)