#one time i was watching an s2 reaction it was like ep 4 i think

[lottieurl]

wakes up in cold sweat going wait does alexa barajas know how much tumblrinas love mari

[gentlebeardsbarngrill]

02/01/2024 Daily Recap

TLDR; Thank you for the help!; HoistTheAdsReceipts; HoistThePetitionCampaign; UK News; Basingstroke Comic Con; Cast & Crew Sightings; Samba's birthday; Watch Partys; In Person Meetups; Articles; #OhBloysHeMad; Videos; Misc; Love Notes; DailyDarby/Tonight's Taika

Hey everyone! Thank you for all the kind folks that gave me feedback on the Renewal Repo! I'm still getting stuff back filled but please feel free to check it out now, it's got the current events I'm aware of and I'm keeping it up to date with everything daily that comes across my feeds. There's also a contact form for anything I'm missing or you'd like to add!

OFMD Renewal Repository

== Hoist The Ads Receipts ==

So technically this was yesterday, sorry I put it in my todo folder and then completely forgot to add it! So for those of you asking about receipts for the Hoist the Ads Charity donations. There are more images on those links but I'm running out of image allotment for this post so please visit the tumblr or other socials to read the rest. Instagram Link / Tumblr / Twitter

==Hoist The Petition Campaign!==

The @SaveOFMDCrew is hosting a #HoistThePetition campaign to try and boost Signatures on the Petition. You have a chance to win some OFMD stickers. If you don't have twitter you are welcome to message me and I'll message LC on your behalf or find alternative contacts for you! For those with twitter: LCWebsXOXO

== UK News ==

As always, thanks @lamentus1 for all the information on the UK front! Basingstroke Comic Con is happening on May 10-12 2024 at the Hampshire Court Hotel in Basingstoke, UK

BasingStrokeComic Con Facebook Ticket Links Some cool news on the twitter front, @lamentus1 tweeted the SunTV Magazine editor Steven Corbett and he responded!

== Cast & Crew Sightings ==

It's Samba's birthday!!!! He sent us a lovely photo on IG

Looks like he's feeling the love! He's trending! (and so are oranges haha- thank you @lucyrosebutler for catching the trends!) He's been out here liking everyone's comments so he's definitely seeing everyone's well wishes! Thanks for making him feel loved everyone!

Kristian Nairn gave some more updates! Looks like they're sorted for Wee John Monday! More info tomorrow!

==Reminders for Upcoming Events==

=#OurFlagMeansDeadloch=

Last day of #OurFlagMeansDeadloch tomorrow!

Watch Party Hashtags:

#OurFlagMeansDeadloch

#SaveOFMD

#AdoptOurCrew

=#StewAsACrew=

February 4th is National Soup Day! Share soup pics, jokes, recipes, etc while rewatching Season 1 of OFMD! 

Watch Party Hashtags:

#StewAsACrew

#AdoptOurCrew

#SaveOFMD

== In Person Meet-Ups!==

Are you near Burbank, CA? Tues, Feb 13 there will be a walking processional to celebrate #OFMD! Thank you @aimeekitty for sharing this!

== Articles ==

The big article that's got everyone's attention today was this pile of nonsense from the Vulture about "The Truth Behind Max's Cancellation Spree". If you don't want to give them the satisfaction of having clicks, you can go under the cut on this post to see screenshots of the article.

The Truth Behind Max's Cancellation Spree

This has once again triggered our fun and exciting hashtag: #OhBloysHeMad and a new one #Don'tStreamOnMax.

There are some tips from the #SaveOFMD Crew though about Hashtags and cross-posting

Also something to note....

==Videos==

New episode of Movies with Marty! Our Flag Means Death (2023) S2 Eps 3 & 4 Reaction | FIRST TIME WATCHING

==Ad Campaigns Up and Running!==

Our Street Level Ads are live in New York!

== Love Notes ==

I am very tired tonight lovelies. I had a lot to say but it's been a very long day, so I'm going to call it quits a bit earlier tonight. I think this picture sums up my feelings pretty well. <3 you all, see you tomorrow.

== Daily Darby / Tonight's Taika ==

Tonight's Darby picture is courtesy of @jacemerlyn on twitter. Thank you for this gem! Taika's picture courtesy of his instagram.

[sidecharactersdomatter]

Thoughts I had during TGCF S2 Ep 4

This’ll be another quick reaction ‘cause I have a desk to clean!

-Oooh!  Starting with the opening!

Previously on TGCF…

-Dim Sum night @ Paradise Manor!

-Man they didn’t even get a sip in

-He reassured Lang Ying

-Dude it was in a really small glass, so maybe it could’ve been to his liking if it wasn’t alcoholic

-Man that expression and tone made it seem like Hua Cheng made a really grave error

That noise when Qingxuan tilted their head

-Qingxuan is the wingman/woman

-For those of you who think he said, “Some sex allow indulgences” in the dub,  it’s actually “Some sects allow indulgences” which references the sects that practice cultivation, and I manage to catch that detail

-Licentious means related to promiscuous and sexual activity.

-A flashback to Ep 2

-That’s the advice on staying balance is basically what every patron ignores in Vegas

-He’s tricking him into getting the information for the dice portal

-“Enough San Lang!  Please stop teasing me.”  *In a sing-song voice*  No he will not~!  And XL said it so gently!!!!

-Man he fell for that favor all too quickly

-Just like transferring spiritual energy

-It’s a 12!

-It’s the music from EP 6 when they were both caught in the sandstorm!!!!

-He offered his dice!!!

-Man, hook line and sinker for XL

-“A few more rounds?” We all know what he was referring to~! ;3

-NYOOOM

-“San Lang, will you ever stop spoiling me?” *In a sing-song voice again*  No he will not~!

-Aww he doesn’t want to take advantage of his Ghost King

-Hi Qingxuan

-This is like removing your belt and getting into comfier clothes after going to town at a fancy restaurant with your folks

-No thoughts just Buff!Qingxuan, and he’s got great fashion sense

-Details~!  That’s literally all of us watching this!

-Yep told ya he’s got great fashion sense and imagine the montage Windmaster did just to sneak in

-This has the energy of seeing your roommate just pass out in your room of the flat

-Salacious means arousing to appeal to sexual imagination

-“I mean he called you his honored guest in front of everyone” “Jealous~?” - Jake the Dog, Burning Low, Adventure Time

-He didn’t forget at all

-They were talking about luck~

-Man that transition with the dice toss

-A really temporary gift

-Another 12

-That’s a lot of stairs

-Firebending

-No need to be savage Qingxuan

-Just like The dragon of the west, the Martial god of the west somehow has that energy and more foreshadowing for the series

-It looks like a Mayan mural

-No earthbending allowed

-The dice and tunnel are confusing them

-He rolled a 7!  Somebody go get Miguel and Tulio!

-It’s the iconic floor trap pitfall

-They made two craters like Wile E. Coyote!

-Oooh right on the skull!

-It’s a narrow tunnel!

-Cave in!

-LEECH WORMS!  

-Another animal hybrid the people in ATLA will get scared sh*tless over

-More firebending!

-Fire beats bug!

-Well those dice tiles were convenient

-Another 7!

-Another trap door!

-It’s a 4!

-The downside of partnering with Xie Lian everyone

-And he just effortlessly helps up Buff!Qingxuan

-I like how he doesn’t badmouth Hua Cheng’s trickery

I’m gonna to skip this next part of the EP because it’s offensive!  (You know the part I’m talking ‘bout)

-That’s gonna be another visit to the exfoliating facial masks

-Welcome to XL’s pain dude

-Dude, you didn’t bring him bad luck at all, he didn’t realize and it’s out of both of your control

-One man can’t sway the Windmaster’s luck, that gonna be another iconic quote

-Get yourself a friend like Qingxuan

-Yay another conveniently placed dice tile!

-Another 12

-Man the whiplash Qingxuan has going from saying ‘San Lang’ to ‘Hua Cheng’ when he got exasperated

-This took place in a time before the Step counter was invented

-*hears Ming Yi speak*  OH NO HE’S HOT!!!

-He melted the metal shackles

-This has the energy of the cheerleader being close with the goth girl but masculine

-From EP 11

-Yep it’s exactly like the popular girl trying to befriend the goth

-And he already knows they’re close!

-And Ming Yi just sleeps to not talk to anyone, valid

-What was the number he just rolled

-Another floor trap

-He didn’t land in his lap like in the novel and man Hua Cheng

-Boo Chinese Censorship! BOO!!! (Rotten tomatoes)

*Hua Cheng gasps in demi* *wink wink*

That’s all for the reaction post, I gotta get back to cleaning me and my sister’s room

[scalproie]

Literally watched all of S2 last night and I dont feel like doing individual reactions sooo

All of S1:E26 was me pointing at gay people on my screen and going "hey thats from the little dark age amv"

The orion pax arc is still literally so funny. Later episodes show that there was NO REASON to keep optimus/orion alive bc soundwave and THE FUCKING SHIP can also decode the locations of the mcguffins, megatron literally couldve won the war here and there what the hell. it took meg all of 0.5 seconds after he heard his former boytoy utter his name to try and find excuses to keep him around. Also making him call you "my lord"? I Know What You Are.

And apparently optimus/orion stayed on the nemesis for two months which is crazy to me bc megatron cannot improvise to save his fucking life what do you MEAN warlord ratchet??? YOU HAVE ULTRA MAGNUS IN YOUR FILES

It was funny tho bc meg heard ratchet say "I am your doctor of doom" and thought Hey thats pretty good and then make a callback to that when telling optimus/orion ratchet is evil incarnate

Extra hilarious to me that it partially ended bc starscream went to the nemesis to raid the fridge. [Megatron voice] this plane does nothing but ruin my life

The episodes where they send arcee and jin kazama to cybertron was pretty cool i did like the vibe it really felt alien ruins-like

You can tell the experience fucked optimus a little bc first episode after the season opening and peepaw is ready to consider warcrimes

Next was the "bumblebee gets his kidney stolen" arc and I have nothing to say other than it was funny when of course it ends in starscream getting his kidney stolen

Ok I do have some stuff to say actually, we trash on the cons a lot bc theyre disloyal assholes, but when a bot is told to stay at the base for valid reasons, they bitch and moan and end up disobeying anyway and never get punished severely by peepaw optimus bc them not following orders ALWAYS works in their favor

Megatron goes "Nu-uh-uh!" in S2:E5

Im always just so happy when meg is on screen ngl he is such a massive asshole bastard🩶

Dreadwing's cool I like how he just has a fucking flip phone to dramatically blow shit up

Everytime I see wheeljack im like oh god if the show has been made just a few years later he wouldve been drift

I FORGOT HOW QUICKLY BREAKDOWN DIED fanon will really build a castle out of 4 twigs huh. and the castle sucks ass anyway

Airachnid slayed and she was gone too soon

They lowballed megatron so hard in the episode where he was struggling against one (1) insecticon BUT. he was sexy in this ep. To me. Not to optimus anymore😔

Nemesis prime was well-introduced in the show but this is hysterical to me that THIS is the show that has the "evil double of optimus" concept

Every episode with starscream after he loses his cog is excellent and you have no idea how much it pains me to admit that

S2:E10-E11 is just megatron and the gang having the weirdest fucking day and it might be my fav eps. I think I just love watching the cons do shit. Megatron killed starscream four times, fought an army of bugs and then gave drugs to his ship

Knockout and megatron's banter is surprisingly always very entertaining. I think meg just like bouncing off of a little jester

The four relics episode are kinda whatever BUT they did gave us the one (1) soundwave focused episode and whaddayaknow he was extremely sexy and competent and it was funny to see him being treated like megatron's special boy&bird

Also bulkhead continue to have plot armor thicker than the apex armor like come on in every single one of his episodes he comes just this close to death

SHOOOOOOOOOCKWAAAAAAAAAVE

I was waiting to see smokescreen's episodes before judging but now that I did I can safely say *drops to my knees sobbing* IT SHOULD BEEN HOT RODDDDDDDDD

At least his friendship with jin kazama was cute, like that "green for go" was cute

Silas ditching his highly competent human crew to sucker up to megatron really felt like they had no idea what to do with his character anymore bc what??? Like okay you remove a third faction to focus more on the main ones but still

I fucking love S2:E20 bc 1) just throw some more mystical stuff at optimus like go full arthurian stories now, 2) lots of megatron action and 3) "drop the mountain on him"

I know its likely an animation lighting thing and optimus simply could not be based like that in the first place but conceptually it is absolutely hysterical to me that after slicing effortlessly a mountain in half, making megatron look like THIS

Optimus then look straight up at the camera and fucking winks at him

And then immediately after that, megatron going "decepticons, we are so fucked."

And THEN next episode is literally "MEGATRON YOU CRAZY BITCH" like come dreadwing lets desecrate a demigod's tomb

He fucking sucks at naming stuff tho bc dark star saber??? Come on man

The rest of the omega keys episodes are also whatever but fucking hell if the whole Peter Cullen speaking in slow motion and Steve Blum mimicking that didnt get to me hard

The last starscream episode tho? Screamer cringe compilation while hes having the worst job interview of his life, of course i loved it

MEGATRON NOOO YOU KILLED THE WRONG PLANE

But again, hilarious that for the season finale megatron went "alright guys no more fucking around" and they basically won. That one moment where meg, screamer, KO all laughing maniacally together with soundwave just shaking in silent laughter with them was really funny. Only shocky is missing for the decepticon high command reunion

I really liked the moment where raf, miko and jin kazama were like "the autobots are ready to sacrifice their life for our planet, im ready to do the same for theirs" idk thats really brave and it struck me

Optimus chopping megatron's arm was really fucking cold

SILVER ERADICONSSSSSS

They blew up the autobot base like the white house in shadow the hedgehog

Overall, a lot of my favorite episodes are in this season so👍 #megatronsweep

[jemmo]

utsukushii kare really said we’re going to take two of the most fascinating, interesting, well-characterised characters to have ever been written and not just stick them in the same show, but put them in one of the most incredible relationships to be seen on screen and i cannot thank them enough for it. seriously, if you consider the fact that at this point we’re at ep 8 of a 30 minute runtime show; that’s 4 hours. i’ve watched other bls, heck even other ordinary shows, that can’t even cram enough characterisation into a character that hira or kiyoi have in their little fingernail. im not joking. and nothing shows that better than kiyoi in this ep.

i love that we’re already getting an episode from his perspective. we had to wait all the way until ep 4 of season 1 to see things from his side, and that was such an amazing twist and reveal and still to this day that ep makes me cry. but im so glad we get to see his perspective sooner. bc we don’t need that shock twist anymore, instead it serves as a good balance to see where both our characters are at in the first 2 eps. and yet again, seeing things from kiyoi’s pov just opens up the absolute treasure trove that is his character. there are so many stand out points from this ep that i wanna mention but I’ll wait until my big ‘favourite parts of utsukushii kare s2 ep2’ post to list them all. what i wanna say here is that every bit of his character we get to see in this ep comes together so well to create such an interesting, multi-faceted and well-rounded character that it’s kind of astounding. we start off with his softness and vulnerability that’s countered perfectly against hira’s timid reaction, and then we jump back to high school to see this full on longing and the frustration that comes with that, waiting to be confessed to. i wanted to say this about the first season but this serves a good opportunity too; I find it so interesting how they portray hira and kiyoi’s ‘seme and uke’ dynamic (im gonna use those terms bc i can’t think of any better way to describe it, just know im referring more to a more dominant vs more submissive personality, like the confesser vs the confesse, and not anything sexual). You could so easily watch this show, hear the premise, even see the characters, hira and his chronic shyness, kiyoi and his undeniable popularity, and easily place those labels; hira the uke, kiyoi the seme. but in reality, kiyoi so clearly wants to be the uke, and very much is the uke. he begs in his head for hira to confess his feelings fo him, half bc maybe he needs hira to be brave where he can’t be, but I think also half bc he just wants to be confessed to. He wants the boy he likes to tell him he likes him, just like he wants to cuddle in his lap and be looked after. it probably stems from this want to be loved, chosen to be loved, and be cared for where he felt he wasn’t before, but it’s just so refreshing and such an interesting subversion of expectations, to see inside cool, popular kiyoi’s head and it’s just him begging for this shy, nobody kid to like him, and say it out loud.

and then I’ve touched on this before, but you get to see his earnest drive and passion to do what he loves. the cool kid that should fit the stereotype of never caring about anything, pushing to do the thing he loves, putting himself out there. I just can’t describe how excellent of a subversion that is. and the way he is with people at work, with Anna, polite and cordial and sweet, it’s such a reverse of kiyoi’s tsundere shortness and bluntness with hira that it not only shows us that yes, we weren’t hallucinating, there really is an infinite pool of softness within kiyoi that pours out more and more every time we see him, but also shows us that kiyoi is maybe only his true self with Hira. he’s not this polite, nice boy, nor is he this cool, cold popular guy, he’s somewhere in the middle, a fascinating mix of both, that only hira gets to see the full extent of, and I think that says a lot about how comfortable he is with Hira, and how much he trusts him. as much as it may be bad that hira will never find fault with kiyoi, it also makes him his sanctity, his true safe place, where he can breathe and grow and truly be whatever he wants, soft, angry, cute, cool, vulnerable, hira will take it all and adore it no matter what.

and then we get his jealousy of koyama, his protectiveness and possessiveness of hira. it’s kind of endearing how he still feels these things when hira shows him such endless devotion, it’s a testament to how normal he sees their relationship compared to hira, and how he therefore allows himself to feel normal relationship things, including possessiveness. but also in this scene i really love how kiyoi is let’s himself doubt himself, and only when it comes to hira. i feel like we’ve only ever seen him been unsure of himself when it comes to the things he loves, namely his dream of being a performer, and hira. he only looses confidence when he doesn’t do well in the competition in high school, and is only ever doubtful when it comes to hira’s feelings about him, and how he is with hira, maybe bc they’re the only things he truly wants to last forever. so what does he do, just like he does with his acting career? he puts in sincere effort. he humbles himself taking that recipe from koyama, and despite his cluelessness and clear lack of skills, he still tries his absolute hardest to do something for hira. he cooks him a meal, one of the most ordinary and sincere expressions of love. and his shy smile the whole time, him waiting excitedly for hira to come home, it’s such a fantastically endearing contrast from the cold, removed kiyoi we know early in s1 that you almost can’t reconcile them as the same character, and yet the steps that got us here make it clear that they are in fact the same person, that both those people live inside kiyoi and that’s amazing. and of course something as ordinary as cooking a meal for your boyfriend can never be normal for hira and kiyoi but the chaos unfolds is what makes them absolutely them. it mirrors what kiyoi says at the start of the ep about Hira, ‘if it wasn’t disgusting, it wouldn’t be hira’. It’s the same for kiyoi, and the same for their relationship. they don’t want to change it fundamentally, don’t want to take away the things that make it them, they just want to find a way to take this thing they both want and love and build it, strengthen it, so it can last. and i’ll say it until I’m blue in the face, but that’s why kiyoi’s personality, his bluntness, works so well for hira. it provides this iron wall of reassurance based in truth that he needs. I think ‘im not dating a pebble’ might be my stand out line from a bl in 2023 already but it’s also so ridiculously laced in meaning. Kiyoi doesn’t see hira as just some rock, some insignificant thing on the side of the road, that’s not what he’s dating. He’s dating hira, the person. And I think this push for hira to see himself as a person is only something that kiyoi can do because, in a way, hira was the one to see Kiyoi first. I’m a different way, because of the complex hira still has around kiyoi, he may not be a person yet, but hira still saw him in a way no one else did because he cared enough to look and keep looking. He stared and stared at every bit of kiyoi, including the uncool parts, the embarrassing parts, the sweet parts, the upset and angry parts, he’s the one that saw it all and never once looked away. The invisible kid made him feel seen. And I think for someone that’s always looked at but never seen, that’s what you really want.

So yes, this may have collapsed into another ramble, but I hope I can just convey some of the sense of how whole of a character kiyoi feels, even just by the points in this ep. And I just love that he’s allowed to be it all, be chaotic and messy and imperfect and a work in progress while still helping hira along too. I’ve never seen a bl couple that feel so much like they’re growing together, figuring themselves out as people and as a couple and it’s just so fucking refreshing and interesting and beautiful to watch and i will never ever shut up about it

[crazykuroneko]

Rewind the Tape — IWTV S1E04 Rewatch

Finally, I'm back with my rewatch for @iwtvfanevents after having to microdosing Ep 4 because of limited time, mood, and I just fell unconscious once I hit my bed. Again, FYI from before: this is my first time rewatching the show (excluding indirect watch through YouTube reactions), and its purpose for me to refresh my mind and noticing things. So, I won't dwell on certain ongoing or past theories, but I'll take notes about the possibilities I notice as the rewatch goes for myself. Also, disclaimer, because I've had people put words into my mouth before: When I'm assuming the reason a certain character does what they do, it's not to give them an excuse. It's my way of trying to understand what the writers have in their minds. For me, if the action of a character doesn't make sense in that character's eyes, based on their personality, then it's bad writing.

Okay, that's long enough. Be careful with the S2 spoiler alerts. Time to meet ✨ Claudia✨

• It's been 10 years since Daniel published a book and his publisher seems questioning his ability to write a book.

• Armand barely gets any sunlight here.

• *Googling* Levodopa is used to reduce Parkinson's symptoms, like tremors, stiffness, and slowness, which are caused by lack of dopamine. It works by being converted to dopamine in brain.

• "Electronic mailbox" Armand, you're so funny.

• Resting? Wait, have they ever did an interview during mornings before? Ep 1, it's night. Ep 2, during dinner time to late at night. Okay, it seems Ep 3 starts in the day to night. Gonna pay attention to this more. 

• The interior designer is a woman. "Louis is missing the 'natural' world" What tree is that again? I'm bad with plants.

• Claudia wrote her name and the year on her first diary. Cute. (But ofc she probably stopped doing that after Loustat read her diaries)

• They arrived in Paris November 14, 1945. A week after Lestat's birthday, fyi. There's a headcanon Armand's (it seems people got it from a wikia, which was taken from an official calendar, but no one has checked that calendar) is November 11. 

• They're in Ploiesti in 1941, eating POWs.

• My caption doesn't write it, but Lestat says, "Impossible. Elle est trop jeune." (She's too young) Oh, Louis 😔

• "I just need her not to die". And Lestat probably recalled Louis crying on their bed over not able to have a child, and there they went to doom themselves and Claudia. Anything (because unlike Louis, he knows all the consequences) to keep Louis happy AND stay with him. 

• The contrast between Louis' and Claudia's transformation. Lestat doesn't let her to drink much, just enough to turn her. There's no gentleness or anything when Lestat holds her. In fact, the camera stays on his rough hold, highlighting the ugliness of it. Isn't in the books being turned without consent seen akin to rape? 

• "Hell demons" lol. I wonder when she got his first diary and when she arrived at that conclusion. 

• "It's my new house?" "It is if you want it to be" as if she has another option. Louis, you're so funny. 

• Delaying to tell Claudia that she needs to feed on humans. Telling her there's another "choice" than eating humans. Expecting Claudia to feel regret the next day after killing a human. Louis, stop putting your own feelings in her.

• "He has to relay on my words to understand me. Just like humans." "We are a family?" Monsters who have to keep a bit of humanity to get along, who are also playing house like humans.

• You could tell Lestat is already sensitive about being left out in the telepathic conversation since the beginning.

• Claudia witnessing queer relationship for the first time is so amusing lol

• Claudia says ACAB 😌

• This scene doesn't feel "smooth" to me. I don't know if it's the editing or the writing. First, that last line by the cop is too long for such a short action. Second, i think they could pick a better intonation for "not a cop" there. Plus, the placement makes it feel like they almost forgot to put it. 

• Claudia needs twice amount of blood than Loustat. She's still energetic when the sleep time comes. Noted. 

• "Kill juice" Lestat and Claudia are bonding over vampirism.

• "Have you seen my slippers?" "Under the chair by the window" The domesticity uwu.

• The lines about Lestat talking about Claudia's writing habit are so witty when you remember he canonly writes the Vampire Chronicles books. A platonic kiss for IWTV writers again.

• Claudia's new coffin is called The Feathered Nest. A call back to Louis saying him in Lestat's nest in Ep 2. 

• Since the beginning, Claudia likes to ask and figure out things that she doesn't know, while Louis won't say anything to not rock the boat.

• "We try to accustom her to the thought of coming home to God" Oh gosh, Louis is so bad at lying 😭

• Okay, seriously. We know in Ep 2, after Louis is just turned that /at least/ his sight and hearing becomes more sensitive. And in this episode, Claudia can smell the cop's blood from afar. But this lore doesn't consistent with the stinky bodies at their home in Ep 5 and the fact Claudia can stalk Lestat many times (and ofc Claudia and Louis at Antoinette's place in Ep 6 as well). This uncontinuity gives me a headache. OR after they manage to control their senses (Lestat's saying "focus on my voice, a single strain"), their senses basically become normal and only can do more when they willing it? I'm trying to make sense of it here.

• "I miss sleeping with you." So, in good days, they sleep together in Louis' coffin. They /probably/ haven't been doing it since Antoinette thing started (I mean, I wouldn't). That's 8 months. (The sanctioned infidelity narration is on Feb 1917, Claudia started to write her diary in late Sept 1917 and she still sleeps with Louis by that time. Based on this timeline)

• "Sometimes, you gotta be careful where you dig, you understand?" Not to fast forward to S2, but this sounds so ominous. 

• Louis in the night with this pink striped shirt 🥰

• "Is that what he's up to when he goes out alone?" No wonder stalking Lestat is the first thing she does after Charlie. 

• Do I believe Louis' answer is true? I do, because writing-wise, I don't see there's any reason for Lestat to cheat (as in having a relationship with someone else, because I could see him still making out with humans before eating them) when they keep spending their time together except when Lestat is hunting and Louis and Claudia go out together like in this scene. Plus, unlike in Ep 6, during this era Claudia still follows the no telepathic talking rule. (See: Claudia's "I'll tell Uncle Les you talk to me this way" later) Something, I assume, makes Lestat feel alienated from the two and goes to cheat to find a connection with another on his own. But I digress.

• "Used to caught up in human affairs. Then you."

• Okay, at least Daniel waits Armand to finish his sunnah prayer before interrupting him, though Armand should continue doing his Ashr prayer soon. Anyway, i wish they used adhan that's clearer. I mean, I could only listen the beginning of each phrase, not the end.

• Claudia throwing a thing at Lestat and he barely reacted and proceed to pick it off the floor right away. For a period of time, Claudia is indeed the queen in that house. "This was given to me by a marquis..." If that's from Lestat's father, which makes that a family heirloom, and he gave that to Claudia. That means big for a Provider man like Lestat. (hashtag me and Lestat loved Claudia once propaganda) They are supposed to have 6 years of "good time".

• "When they can't (figuring out their problems), I can always get between them and make it right." Claudia is literally a band-aid. I suppose she helps them communicating because as I said in previous episodes, Loustat tend to not address the real problem, just shift to something that will make them feel better and forget it until it comes up again.

• *S2 spoiler alert* No, never think about how Claudia's interest in acting probably grew from the times Loustat bringing her to watch picture shows and Lestat acting them out in front of them. And in the end, it's what makes her fall into the trap of the troupe easier in S2. No, we're fine.

• "Know what her last words are?" I love her psychopath side, obsessing over last words after being called a devil in one.

• Oh, Grace's inflection when saying "uncle". They have heard a lot of homophobic jabber and satanic accusations from Florence over the years, no doubt. 

• This is from Claudia's POV, so it's interesting how she's paying attention and remembers to write it down. 

• Louis really has put down his dutiful son and brother "hat" after having a family himself.

• I think this is probably the last time Claudia admits she has a lot in common with Lestat *insert xie lian's idk whether i have to cry or laugh here*

• That scene of Claudia eating the guy is so classic horror, complete with the blood splatter on glass. Love.

• Lestat really brings her to Lovers' Lane without thinking about the effects. He probably thinks because her appetite stays big like a kid, her mind will stay like that forever. 

• "I don't remember buying that outfit" Lestat bought all Claudia's outfits ofc. (I don't regard interviews as part of canon, but Sam did say that Louis chose Claudia's outfits)

• My theory: Lestat could notice when Claudia and Louis telepathically speaking if he pays attention to their expressions. I mean, he clearly has a thing for being alienated by telepathic connection (for a good reason, if they adapt that part of the book, cmiiw), so it makes sense if he just can tell. 

• THE HORSE IS CALLED BELLA LOL

• She really has a crush on the first good man she meets. So adorable, if not for her monologue 

• She knocks the railing every time she walks towards Loustat's room? Oh I would like to know the backstory that causes this rule/habit 👀. But if it's a rule, it's an interesting when you recall Lestat's "Child. Intervening the romance of the parents" or something like that in Ep 6.

• Waiting on balcony just like her father in Ep 1. The writers are strong with their "Evil of my evil" propaganda.

• Claudia figures out how to block people's thoughts since teenager. Louis has never had a reason to do it

• Again, Claudia is such a curious girl. She dives right in with Charlie

• Sorry, but the editing in this episode is kinda sloppy. I keep noticing things 😭

• This connection Claudia has with last words. It's been awhile but I wonder if we'll get to see it again. *S2 spoiler alert* Perhaps Madeleine says something to her before you-know-what. Or Claudia says something to Louis instead. I just love patterns yknow. 

• Daniel Hart is just slaying in the background with his music. 

• Vampires feel "loose" when they're aroused, which leads to become very bitey.

• That's why she goes to find out how vampirism works right away. Suddenly Lestat can't do what he did to her. She realizes she knows nothing about her current life

• That scene of Lestat and Claudia at the incinerator... Past Louis doesn't know they're burning Charlie and what exactly what Lestat says there. Imagine reading the latter in her diary.

• The transition from Lestat's whole speech about not being close to a mortal to Daniel 🤌🤌🤌

• If Daniel is true that Louis has had all of the diaries in '70s, so my guess Louis doesn't look fine at all in the flashback is right. He's "wearing hats" again.

• I wonder what Louis wanted to say. But knowing him and judging from his reaction to Daniel's brashness, it's something that sugarcoats  Claudia's position in their "family"

• The way Claudia knocks the railing but then it goes weaker, she doesn't really care about the houserules or childish habits anymore 

• The last scene is a nice hint/nod to you-know-what, but also I once read someone saying that what she does is the equivalent of a teenager doing self-harming when they're depressed, and I can't unsee that anymore. I think that's a spot-on.

• This is the last episode we hear "In Throes in Increasing Wonder" as a closing music btw. You know, the music that represent Loustat's love. They really say we're going downhill 

Summary:

For the previous episodes, I always finished my rewatch and tried to figure out what theme of that episode. Of course it's always about Louis because this is Louis' season first and foremost. But for the theme of this episode, I think it's: Louis' first meeting with Claudia and the first time he has failed her. The first part is obvious, the second part, like I said above, Louis only finds how far Lestat's action is to Claudia after he reads her diaries later. I think, he sees that as his first failure to her; unable to stop Lestat making it worse for her.  And we will see Claudia criticize this more in Ep 6.

This episodes also shows Louis' misconception about Claudia. He expects Claudia to react the same way to vampirism as he is. And we will see more of this in the later episodes (but of course the most obvious one is in Ep 7)

This episode is in Claudia's POV, but I like to call it "the closest thing to ideal life Louis has ever gotten", at least until Charlie happens. Like Lestat says in the church scene, Louis wears a lot of "hats": being the good son and good executive in charge of their fortune for his family, being the good straight man, being the good savvy businessman for his family and his own people, and later being a good vampire for Lestat. This time, he gets to take most of them, if not all, off and focus himself wholly on Claudia and Lestat, his family. He says himself, Claudia's existense silences all the noise, chaos, the crisis of his former existence. He has a daughter who has literal telepathic connection to him, someone who can know what he feels without saying anything. Someone by whom he doesn't feel being judged because he can know what she thinks. He has a husband who spends most of his time with them as a family. Who takes their daughter together to shop, Louis choosing the stuffs, Lestat paying for it. Who protects their family when they need to fulfill their daughter's needs (see: the buying coffin scene). Who also has a quality time with their daughter, even though it's mostly about killing humans. Unfortunately, it's rigged to burn, because Claudia won't be a child forever despite her body, outgrowning the very particular role Loustat need from her to maintain their play house.

Oh, I almost forgot, I wonder what the arrangement is with Louis' diet during this happy period. He doesn't do as much action as he did in previous episodes and we do see him eating animals still, but it looks like his sex life is thriving. He has control over his emotions pretty well. So, I assume he doesn't starve himself completely. At least, not as bad as he did before. Perhaps, this is one of the problems Claudia says she has "to smooth out". Though we know later she has never said directly to Louis how she actually doesn't completely agree with his diet choice from Episode 7. *S2 spoiler alert* And we know he later decides to eat human every other day to survive their European trip. My long time theory is Lestat manipulates him into drinking from him at least once a week as a solution. (and that's why he's more powerful than his book counterpart when he's not completely starving himself) 🤔

By the way, since this is the middle of the season, I'd like to say I think this is overall my least favorite episode so far. Mostly from the technical side, but I still love how they sprinkle hints of Claudia's own personality. I think my most favorite episode overall is Ep 1. I just love how their built Louis' personality in it. The performance is crazy, and the directing set the tone of the rest of the season. The directing in Ep 3 is top notch as well, especially towards the end. You really could feel the growing tension. The writing weaving all this history and race problem into Louis' personal life is genius as well.

[sunnydaleherald]

The Sunnydale Herald Newsletter, Tuesday, October 15

Dawn: It's here. Just like he said. Spike: (looking into the hole) Well, at least we know the old coot isn't completely daft. Look, you better let me snatch this egg thing on my own. Dawn: No way. I'm going. Spike: No ... you are not. I've got no idea what's down there. Dawn: You need me, Spike. Somebody's gotta get the egg while you distract the ghora. Now come on.

~~Buffy Season 5 Episode #95: "Forever"~~

[Drabbles & Short Fiction]

Spike's Bad Time (Spike/Angel, Spike/OC, M) by Bloody_Willamina

A Verbal Battle (Buffy Summers, Roy Dukeshire, T) by KaibaSlaveGirl34

little fish, big fish (Darla/Drusilla, E) by evesock

Slayers Gotta Stick Together (Buffy/Faith, M) by darlingcarmilla

TAC 15 – Willow & Tara (Willow/Tara, T) by AngelicaR2

Nighthawk to Nite Owl (Xander, T, multiple xovers) by Heavyneos1

I might run out of time (Buffy/Spike, E) by latinadoll

Hanging on (Anya, Spike, T) by will_

[Chaptered Fiction]

I Shall Dress In Aeternum Ch. 11 (Ensemble, T, Highlander xover) by BlueStories

hit rewind Ch. 80 (Buffy/Spike, M) by untiljanuary

Oh My Goddess, Chapter 7 (Buffy/Spike, M) by Maxine Eden

The Neighbor's Point of View, Chapter 139 (Buffy/Spike, T) by the_big_bad

reciprocity, Chapter 4 (Buffy/Spike, E) by HappyWhenItRains

Scarab and Serpent, Chapter 1 (Buffy/Spike, E) by Holly

A Sword in the Man, Chapter 10 (Buffy/Spike, T) by Desicat

Through The Keyhole, Chapter 4-7 (Buffy/Spike, G) by Claire, Geliot99

Exorcise, Chapter 8 (Buffy/Spike, T) by Desicat

Going Home (to a place we’ve never been before) Ch. 22 (dawn, T, LotR xover) by curiouslywombat

Aegis Ch. 25 (Xander, T, DCU xover) by dogbertcarroll

[Images, Audio & Video]

Artwork:Episodic art for BtVS 3x02 “Dead Man’s Party” () by revello-drive-1630

Artwork: Love’s bitch and man enough to admit it (Spike) by evermorelore

Artwork:Buffyverse episode sketch project, episodes 1-4 Season 2 () by bugscribbles

Video: Aimed to Kill - Villains (Buffy the Vampire Slayer) () by TheOverLookedOne

[Reviews & Recaps]

Video: Brought to TEARS!! Buffy S1 Finale **Reaction** () by Sibu's Watching

Video: CITY OF LONELY HEARTS - Angel | 1x1 + 1x2 | Group Reaction () by The Normies

PODCAST: BTVS 604 - Flooded by Another Buffy Podcast

[Community Announcements]

Tuesday Prompt: In Plain Sight by comment-fic

[Fandom Discussions]

What would you have done if you’d continued that one Spike-as-William fic? by thornfield13713

There are a couple of references to the events of the show’s previous Halloween episode – the creatively titled Halloween – in Season 4’s Fear Itself. by coraniaid

if Buffy were made today Adam wouldn’t have a disk drive in his chest. by aphony-cree

Double date scenarios for Spike/Buffy by silkspectred

I wish that Professor Maggie Walsh had been the true Big Bad of Season 4. by coraniaid

Absolute best part of season 4 by andyoullhearitagain

“You faced the monster inside of you, and you fought back.” by thequeenofsastiel

So interesting to me how Buffy refused to socialize with Spike in s5, but repeatedly trusted him enough to ask him for his help by thequeenofsastiel

Rank the big bads by burrunjor

Buffy getting into Northwestern by Joan the Vampire Slayer

Tara holding The Tower tarot card in Out of My Mind by AndHerSymbols

S2 E6 - How is principal Snyder illegally forcing student to sign up for charity events by ghostrider1938

Episodes that could've or should've been two-parters? by yeahitsme9

This Made Me Laugh by Equivalent-Room-7689

Explaining final death in Beauty and the Beasts by caminoeslameta

Giles in Season 3, Episode 6 by veganbethb

Angel + Buffy by Jonesybell

Buffy Season 6 by anthonycaruana

I just started rewatching Buffy for the first time in decades. by LizzieBathory420

Spike and Drusilla, Italy 1950’s by authenticriver

Do you think S3 Ep 12 allows Buffy to understand how the others in the scooby gang feel? by veganbethb

What is the worst thing this character has done (VOL. 6)- Joyce Summers by HereLiesMyFinalWor-

on season 5 now and noticing a pattern for the first episode villains by hatchbackkk

Am I crazy or is Buffy continuously punished by the narrative for being “a strong independent woman” by youknowjustsurviving

Garlic in Buffy the vampire slayer by TheFrostWolf7

Finally finished Buffy - My Thoughts by fenix4701

Buffy season 5- why does dracula not change into a monster form like the other vamps?? by hatchbackkk

Music of Passion by moses616

Favorite portrayal of Angelus by moses616

Older fanfics? Are their archives or sites where I can access them? by ghostrider1938

Xander f*+%#^g Harris by moses616

Demon with “wine” tab in the arm by Ziegenkoennenfliegen

Buffy season 5- listening to fear made me so unexpectedly emotional?? by hatchbackkk

An under rated but epic moment. by Reviewingremy

They treat death with a grain of salt in buffy by hatchbackkk

why does buffy have a fake sister by RedRxbin

i think it’s great Buffy had a more age accurate casting appearance wise by hatchbackkk

Where has The First appeared before? by bkv-hbl

What’s your least favorite season? by frimrussiawithlove85

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why do so many people find Xander annoying? by hatchbackkk

on my first watch and Anya might just be best girl so far by hatchbackkk

Buffy got treated terribly during her break up with Riley and Xander’s speech felt pointless by hatchbackkk

Just seeing the red top sends chills down my spine by lonelyhedgehoh

i think it’s great how Buffy eases side characters into more recurring roles by hatchbackkk

WHY CAN’T BUFFY FIND A DECENT MAN by hatchbackkk

Season 1 Xander is so much more interesting than I remember by BlairThe3rd

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[buffyfan145]

Fellowship of Fans didn't have any scoops today but instead they posted 6 of the actors their sources are telling them are the standouts so far for season 2 of "Rings of Power" and excitement for their storylines!!! :D Posting behind a cut since it includes previous spoilers. FOF's tweets are in quotes while my thoughts are right below it but making me even more excited for s2.

"Adar (Recast) Sam Hazeldine We have been hearing particularly great things about Sam who despite the recast has made the role his own now with even more threat. Adar is a big part of this second season."

This fits with a lot of spoilers and from what we've seen about why Joseph left as they've expanded Adar's role far beyond the few episodes Joseph originally signed up for in season 1. Really excited to see what's going to happen as Adar seems to be a major character in season 2 and now that Halbrand/Sauron is back.

2. "Celeborn - Calam Lynch Just like we said in a similar thread we did for S1 where we stated internally that people thought Ismael had star potential and could be the face of the show, for season 2 we have heard the same things but this time for Calam Lynch."

Now this one I'm not so sure about since Calam actually wasn't able to film for most of season 2 due to a play he did in England. I don't think he'll actually have that much screen time as he only filmed for a bit last fall, took months off for his play, and then came back in late May/early June when filming wrapped. They could spread his scenes out but he's also still only recurring for s2 and not a regular yet. But could be this source means that the screen time he does have will be memorable and setting up for s3.

3. "Sauron (Charlie Vickers) Charlie Vickers foremost loves the lore and the books and we have heard that he has been particularly good in transitioning his performance from a more comedic/rogue- like performance in season 1 to a more serious and threatening character style."

Then this one I expected. We knew already season 2 was going to be Halbrand/Sauron centric from the post-finale interviews with the showrunners and Charlie. So many of us are really excited to see Charlie fully play Sauron and go full villain so that's going to be great to watch.

4. "Nia Towle (Heyla codename) Not much has been revealed about Nia Towle’s performance at except the leaked picture but we have heard that she is a terrific actor and delivered with her role this season."

Nia's character doesn't have a name yet but since she's been pictured with Maxim's Isildur and as a human woman there's already speculation she might be his future wife that was never given a name in the books. So I'm curious to see how this plays out.

5. "Markella Kavenagh (Nori) Markella was great in season 1 and we have heard this has translated to season 2, but we have heard that she particularly cares about the quality of the dialogue and has been vocal about it."

I also expected Markella to be here too with Nori's storyline of leaving her family and exploring the world for the first time with The Stanger. There's a lot of mystery surrounding this storyline and she was part of the filming in Spain that likely will be for scenes in Rhûn.

6. "Robert Aramayo (Elrond) The reason we have included Robert Aramayo on this list is because he loves the books to death and was particularly upset with the reaction to season 1 (as a whole) and is now very serious when on set and in character (before shooting) so he can deliver the best performance when the cameras roll. Though it’s been clarified it’s not at the level of a method actor but he wants the best for the show and is very passionate which translates to his acting technique."

Then finally Robert made the list but unlike what FOF wrote I had a feeling Elrond's going to get more storyline too especially with the confirmed 2 episode battle that supposedly is happening to end the season in eps 2.7 and 2.8. Elrond's never really faced battle and war now but will with this and that likely will change him as he struggles with it.

[winderlylandchime]

And I have to let you know that our dad is officially here and the second we came home, my brother put QAF on. Since they’re leaving on Sunday we are apparently on tight schedule to watch the episodes he picked out. He put some serious thought into the episodes he’s gonna show him. The point of it is, that he wanted him to meet Brian/Britin without needing to watch the whole show and make him fall in love with Brian. So the episodes that he is making him watch are: the pilot, 1x19 and 1x22. For season 2 its: episodes 01, 02, 04, 09. Season 3: 08-14 and then for season 4: 07, 08, 13 and 14. And as for S5? Nothing. He plans to not show him absolutely anything. We already watched the pilot, 1x19, 1x22 and 2x01/02. We would’ve watched more but he threw a “picnic” type of party for my neighbors to say goodbye to everyone and he forced our dad to be the DJ. One of my neighbors walked up to my dad and was like ‘your son sure is a character’ and my dad went ‘yes but unfortunately he’s real’

And as for our dad’s first reaction to the show: all he said in the beginning was ‘your mom is gonna kill us if we both show up with a tv show addiction.’ He hates Michael, he thinks he’s too whiny and he immediately called him annoying. He loves Justin but he had a bit of a second hand embarrassment when Justin was in his stalker with a crush era in the pilot. By the time we watched the Prom ep (so 2 episodes later) he was already obsessed with Justin. He absolutely loves Emmett. As for Brian (this was the most important opinion, my brother kept staring at our dad whenever Brian was on TV): he liked him in the pilot, thought he was cool cause he just lives his life how he wants to but ‘dude be a bit nicer’. But when we watched the second ep on the list (so 1x19) he was ready to fight anyone that ever hurts Brian. And then Prom ep made him love Brian. And then the first two episodes of s2? Absolutely obsessed with him. But he thinks Brian needs some better coping mechanisms and maybe try to at least once in a while speak on his feelings and stop letting people use him like that. So he basically went full dad mode on him.

I fear my brother is going to convert him into a full Brian fan. I will let you know when any new opinions happen.

Oh anon! This is making me emotional. Because you know what Brian needs? A dad. Your dad becoming a Brian fan and feeling (correctly) protective over him is so heart warming. He needed someone like that. He kind of had that in Uncle Vic (rip) and he has honorary mothers in Debbie and Jen (who was a better honorary mom than Debbie I will die on this hill). But he needed a protective dad.

Ofc he thinks Mikey is whiny. The man doesn’t sound stupid. 😂

It’s so sweet you had a party for your neighbors!

[24hlevi]

My AIB S2 Review

okay everyone, i had to take some time to write this out because it was only getting longer and longer the more i watched s2.

now, i did read the manga before s2 came out so i already knew what was going to happen, so naturally, this will contain major manga spoilers!!! i do love this show and manga very much it is my number 1 manga but i thought a review could be enlightening to some.

i will be going in episode order to make it easier

episode 1:

i thought episode 1 was pretty good actually. the first scene being the same scene from season 1 was a good touch to remember how arisu was before being sent to borderland and getting a small refresher. the king of spades intro was good, it was dramatic for the first person dying and i thought the actors did great on the whole car chase scene as well. also ann was amazing for driving i love her. i don't really have a lot to talk about this episode to be honest but i think the intro for king of clubs was great. though, i wish niragi was a little more fucked up looking? he looks pretty bad in the manga when they first meet him at the venue for king of clubs but dori does an amazing job portraying niragi. i also enjoyed the cast's reaction to kyuma being naked because i would react the same too.

episode 2:

starting the king of clubs. to be honest, i think it was both good and bad they took 2 1/2 eps to do the king of clubs. good for people who are willing to understand the opposing team more and feel more emotion, bad for people who just want the game to be fun and see people die. i do wish yamashita would've had more...expressions? kyuma is often seen smiling in the manga and while yes, i think he was still portrayed more, a smile or two might've been nice. i think king of clubs personally was the best adapted game in season 2 excluding the queen of hearts. i really liked the band members on kyuma's side too they were all really cool.

episode 3:

episode 3 i really enjoyed. i liked the flashback for tatta being foreshadowing to what will happen to him in the king of clubs game. as always, i really liked kento's acting when tatta died. also, i enjoyed the parallels to season 1 ep 3 when karube and chota died. i think kento did an amazing job for expressing his sadness even if arisu didn't know tatta for that long, he was still a friend, and naturally, people would cry with situations like this. i really liked kyuma's last words as well to arisu. very motivating. also his death was cool.

second half of episode 3. the jack of hearts. when i first saw the images/trailer with chishiya in the jack of hearts, i was worried they would ruin the whole aspect of the game. and while really, chishiya didn't change anything about the game, they did take out some parts from the manga that i'm disappointed didn't make the cut. for example, enji being a hypnotist and hypnotizing kotoko into everything she does and believing he won because of him thinking he was superior to the players. i think hayato did a great job as banda, he definitely gave off a good creepiness to the character that you're supposed to feel even as a viewer just by the way he stares. again, chishiya being there was weird. urumi was also portrayed amazingly i really loved her more even if she was only in one ep she was great.

episode 4:

i don't have a lot to talk about this ep really. the end of jack of hearts was...eh. to be honest, removing enji's whole inner dialogue with himself and removing the fake eye aspect were the things that made me wish were included because it could've been so much better. chishiya...was good i guess. i mean, he's not a hearts player, he's a diamonds player, so why would he join the jack of hearts? i don't fucking know. it felt like he was almost given plot armor from the writers and just made him have a "feeling" enji was the jack. also, the snacks bags communication was stupid in my opinion. it would've been much better if they kept him being a hypnotist instead. other than that, i think it was done pretty good. the second half of ep 4 was good too even if there was only a little bit of action with the king of spades. though it's weird to me what things the makers of the show chose to take from the manga and what not to, but i'll discuss more of that later. i did however, think it was funny how arisu ran into aguni and heiya. i really believed we would get doudou (manga only character) and it worried me about the dynamics that would be created and change by adding arisu into the mix instead of doudou. and i was right to be worried.

episode 5:

alright, ep 5. so, heiya is my favorite character in this series. reading the manga i was so excited to see if they would include her and when i saw the first picture of her in the adaptation i was so happy. what made me even happier was seeing the seven of spades aka her first game. reading it hit like a truck, but it was so good. that's how it felt watching it too. i'm glad we got at least one scene of her before being sent to borderland and her mentioning her mother. while it wasn't told in the adaptation, heiya just appears to have some issues with her mom. well, the manga definitely puts more thought into heiya's character as a whole just by her first appearance in the side chapter 37.1. it's shown that she has quite the broken family. with her father constantly at work, her mother would bring back affairs to the house and tell heiya to not tell her father which started the hate against her mother. the adaptation just didn't even bother with that i guess. we were lucky enough to even see the seven of spades honestly.

now, as i said, heiya is my favorite character. but i believe they just didn't get her right. i love every bit of yuri's performance as heiya and she did phenomenal, but i personally think they could've done more to show her character more. i do like that they kept her "everything i do is for the future" talk so at least they got that right. to me, i see heiya and aguni as a father-daughter duo, especially in the show. in the manga with doudou included in the trio and not arisu, he even says they are like a family. but we got basically none of that. i'll say it, arisu shouldn't have been included in the trio. i think it would've been better if they had even just brought a brand new character to join heiya and aguni instead of dragging a main character into the games where they aren't supposed to be. much like with chishiya in the jack of hearts. the side characters deserve their spotlight, and i think the show was too determined to make sure that they had at least one main character in every game for season 2. i didn't like that. sure, arisu gave some comedic relief in the ep but...yeah.

queen of spades was pretty cool. for it getting a lot of screen time without it being in the manga was interesting seeing as many of the others were just clips from them. the game is basically advanced tag with taking turns involved. the set was really cool though and it was awesome how they were moving around to get to others faster. usagi's speech was a little too long but it got the job done like always so i can't complain when she does great at everything. the queen was good, too.

episode 6:

second half of queen of spades. i thought the fight between usagi and lisa was amazing and fun knowing both actresses did the stunts themselves making it appear more real when they get hit. the kid was there for what seemed like no reason though but i understand why lisa chose him as their teams king since he was just a kid and couldn't do anything, it was a smart move on her behalf that very easily could've made her win if not for usagi. overall, i thought it wasn't too bad for a show only game.

onto the king of diamonds. when i saw kuzuryu in the trailer at the venue for king of diamonds with his pose, i was so happy knowing they would do it. while i don't understand the rules pretty much at all because i suck at anything math related, it was very interesting. i'm glad they did it but upset by what they did with chishiya and his backstory. in the manga, he's not even a full doctor, he's still a med student. the show practically changed his entire backstory for ultimately no reason at all. we didn't get to see him as a child who was neglected all his life which resulted in him becoming the way he is, and we didn't see how he actually was in the manga. they basically dumbed him down to just some sarcastic "unbothered" character when he's far from it. nijiro did amazing as chishiya i really love him and how he did portray him even if it wasn't the same as he is in the manga. i am surprised that they did show a flashback for kuzuryu to understand his thoughts better and why he made his game fair. overall, i really liked king of diamonds and am so glad they decided to keep it in.

episode 7:

this episode was...definitely something. the first half battle royale between niragi, arisu, and chishiya was good, not as great as it could've been along the lines of dialogue, but still good. i didn't think they would keep this honestly. but i was so happy that they did. while chishiya's words weren't the same and didn't have as much impact as the manga in my opinion, i believed it was still pretty damn good. this is also me just being grateful it made it to the final cut.

king of spades. now, i cannot express how unbelievably irritated i was at this whole thing. for one, they basically erased all of shirabi's (the king) thoughts and feelings on how he believed he was giving the players mercy by killing them. we barely got the flashback of him killing his fellow solider and i was annoyed they just made him out to be the bad guy who just liked killing others.

as for the rest of the ep, i was extremely disappointed. i thought that maybe because they would change the king of spades maybe they could have it equal the manga in terms of how the group would defeat him, but no. there was no tracker shirabi had that heiya shot and broke. there was no shirabi burning down the forest and causing the others to venture back into tokyo. it was just so different that it made me hate the king of spades game as a whole for the show. i love love the king of spades in the manga because the trio of doudou, heiya, and aguni were able to do it alone by themselves. but apparently in the show even all of them couldn't defeat him nor could a fucking bomb. they basically just obliterated half of the cast for no good reason except to fuck with people and that alone was irritating. i didn't think they could fuck up the king of spades so bad and then they did.

for personal reasons, i will pretend ep 7 doesn't exist.

episode 8:

everything i hoped for. this was the best ep in my opinion. mira crying was especially interesting to see after usagi and arisu's little moment with one another. people said this ep dragged on and was boring but i thought it was excellent. riisa did a great job at being mira and i just fell in love with the character even more after watching this. i liked that they showed the meteorite hitting them and that they stuck with the manga ending. but, the joker card. personally, i would be perfectly happy with the series ending where it's supposed to. but if they do a s3 of sorts i will probably still tune in. i understand why they did that instead of showing the joker like the manga, but i would rather it just ending. but, a little disappointing they didn't show arisu drinking the tea beforehand and that's why he's believing what mira was saying because i really enjoy the panels where she talks about the tea being a hallucinogenic and causing him to freak out. but, i can't complain too much.

overall:

i thought s2 was still amazing even if there were some downs that i didn't like, i still love this show and manga to death. i was happy with it as a whole product and thought it was still brilliant and i am so glad to have seen this become a adaption and have so many people watching it when it went viral on twitter in multiple countries, the hours viewed are amazingly high compared to last season, and just the general reaction to it. i'm very thankful for the actors who were able to participate in this show and the director. it was truly amazing and i will most definitely continue rewatching over and over again.

[dangermousie]

S2 ep 7

Aka the last ep before Ivan acquires a body count.

1. I have  never watched a reunion between a character I adore and character I like and where I don’t ship them with anyone else at this point in the story with more exasperation. JUST END IT!!! Ivan is probably in my top 5 show characters of all time and I like Caro just fine in s2 but this is a ship that just does not work. She is not in love with him (I don’t think she ever was) and by now, even if he hasn’t caught on, neither is he. It’s just inertia and familiarity and need to have someone. And I don’t even know why Caro came back to him again - he wasn’t chasing her any more, it’s not love, it’s no longer pity, so what? Knowledge that he is a good boyfriend who treats her as a princess? But then what does it say about her supposed great thing for Marcos - it was one thing when she gave up on Marcos because she felt so bad for Ivan who was broken at the time. It’s another matter when she gives up on Marcos because Ivan is a solid boyfriend. Not much of a deep yearning for Marcos to be had there.

I do love that the show never turned either of them into a bad guy or even gave one of them some epic love that ended the relationship - Caro was never obsessed with Marcos and it was a long time after his break up with Caro that Ivan hooked up with Julia. It’s just sometimes two perfectly fine people are not compatible. Anyway, I am with Julia - having a hormonal roommate waking you up because she snuck a dude in and is loudly making up is a quintessential experience in college but annoying as hell :P

2. Since this is a rewatch, any time I see Amelia and Marcos interact, I get a full body shudder. Enjoy dying in a literal ditch, statutory creep!

3. Teacher is terrorizing a student. Is anything gonna happen to them for that? Of course not. But also start of explicit theme that people who prey on underage students are horrors. He spins some story to Julia that he loved the missing girl and Julia (who after all, had a “relationship” with her stepdad) views it as tragic and romantic. But we the viewers are shown that in addition to statutory, he murdered the girl. Math teacher, Julia’s step dad, Amelia - the show never goes into “eh nbd” territory - is is always a symptom of hidden horror.

4. “Gnome” became friends with Paula because she was a ringer for Irene (because she is a clone!) who was kind to him back in 1970s. Once again, in retrospect, Nazis is so obviously an answer to who is doing stuff - they threw away the “damaged” twin - hell, the “gnome’s” mother hated him and said she wished he died. God. They are horrors. (Side note - how much do I adore that Nazi Prince Marcos (with daddy and granddaddy being high up Nazis in this org) brings them down working with so many types of people they hate - son of “undesirables” (teen druggies) Ivan, resident of psych ward Maria, Jewish Fermin, etc etc. In your face!)

5. Slash goggles activated!

6. Marcos realizing Caro is the traitor. You know, I forgot this part - no wonder he has horrifying trust issues by the end. Even some of his closest allies betrayed him (either briefly like Caro or long term like Roque.)

7. Marcos continues to be the best brother ever. Seriously. But you know what hits differently on rewatch? Paula saying that sometimes people look good and are good, it’s not always a mismatch - and uses the example of their parents. Ah, the irony!

8. Slash goggles activating again.

But on a plot note, when Ivan is told Caro is a traitor, his initial reaction is to get in Marcos’ face and defend her; quite a contrast with Caro earlier in the season.

9. When Fermin told Maria he was in love with her, I screamed like I did the first time.

Maria is a fan too. Because a little later, this is going on. And I love that Fermin makes the first move but Maria is the one in charge.

But also, yet another total hint - the painting they found, that Fermin was looking for, is by Bosch - most famous for his phantasmagorical paintings of horror and hell. (Also, Nazis were known for stealing paintings of their victims.)

10. Caro trying to distract Ivan from her theft of evidence by appealing to his hormones is ummm.

Side note - what the hell school is it where students can full on make out half clad in bright daylight in their rooms and nobody notices. (To be fair, later on, Ivan x Julia were literally full on banging in school, but at that point, the place was openly overrun by Nazis, had the plague and/or was cordoned off by the military, so potential teen STDs were the least of their concerns.)

The thing where it goes from umm to WTF STOP GIRL!!! is when she tells him she loves him - and she never said it before. I do think she means it, even if not in a romantic sense - she feels guilty to him and she definitely appreciates how good he is to her, but she also says it as a distraction and that’s not good! (I do love that she is learning her tone-deaf self-righteousness in s1 was not awesome - here is Caro, the one who was most uncomprehending of people not wanting to search for truth for valid RL reasons,  betraying that search for a valid RL reason of protecting her mother. I never got into any of her romantic stuff, but she had a really good character arc in the show.)

11. She is confronted by the gang for destroying all their evidence and she explains that she was threatened via her mother’s life and seriously, I don’t ship them but Ivan is boyfriend goals.

Here he is silently comforting her as they watch a snuff film of the judge (they are 16-17 and this is the second snuff video they’ve seen, my god! No wonder they never tell anyone again if they can help it - they get betrayed/it’s futile AND it gets innocent people killed.)

12. And the ep ends on the “gnome” being killed by the cops, for the sin of being different and for a murder that was actually committed by the evil org but he was blamed for because hey he looks like a freak. Summing up the theme that no authority can be trusted in this world because if they are not actively evil, they are complacent, easily fooled, and judging by appearances - powerful, well-mannered people can never be wrong, but those on the margins or that do not fit in, or are outside the structure (by being young, or with weird abilities like Julia or with mental stay record like Maria or w/e else) will not be listened to.

[feuqueerfire]

June 2024 Movies/Shows Wrap-Up

A little monthly (spoilery!) wrap-up of all the shows, movies, and shorts I’ve watched or am watching in June 2024, general thoughts, and ranking of them all.

Recommendation of the month(s): Infernal Affairs (2002) does not need any recommendations because it's so well-known and popular and The Departed is a remake of it. However, I needed a recc for it because I wasn't aware of it until the day I watched it and I'm so glad I found it.

Ranking

The Worst of Evil (2023)

Infernal Affairs (2002)

Oh No! Here Comes Trouble (2023) = Unknown = A Shop for Killers

Spaceless

Currently Watching: Wandee Goodday, My Stand-In, Lovely Runner

Average Rating: 6.6/10

MDL Updates - Added to Watchlist: 

A section because I’m curious about how many shows I decide to add to my Watch List a month and also the ratio of watching them:adding them.

Title MDL (year) - (date added to Considering or finalized to Watchlist): initial reaction

Wandee Goodday - 240601: Only hear good things about the first few episodes and am gripped with the urge to watch it as it airs.

Spaceless (2024)

My Stand-In (2024) - 240618: Thinking of starting this while it's airing and has a few episodes left because everybody's watching it and I'm nervous about getting very spoiled.

25 Ji, Akasaka de (2024) - 244518: Celeb romance? I'll check it out || People seemed to like it and how it ended

I Feel You Linger in the Air (2023) - 240620: everybody loves it, i just missed the timing for when this was airing and so hadn't added it to the watchlist. I did listen to podcasts and didn't skip when they were discussing this one because I thought I wouldn't watch it, so I'm quite spoiled on the plot lol

Mood Indigo (2019) - 240610: has many parts but i think the main relationship has age gap, uncomfortable relationship dynamics, and complex characters, I think I'll really like watching it when I'm in the mood.

Infernal Affairs (2002)

The Midnight Romance in Hagwon: Wi Hajoon lead + noona romance + she was his past teacher/tutor. General good reviews, though maybe slow?

To Watch List At Start Of Month: 65

To Watch List At End Of Month: 62

Removed from To Watch List:

Title (Year) - (date removed): reason

Lucky My Love (2023) - June 18: I initially added this to my watchlist in January because I was like I'll just keep it for when I'm craving a GL even though people don't seem to really like it BUT I realized I don't need to keep it on hand because there are more and more GLs coming out, so I don't need to hold onto shows I'm not excited for. Like literally right now, we have Blank S2, Love Bully, and My Marvelous Dream Is You all airing and I'm hoping to watch the first two. Soon we'll have The Secret of Us, Uranus2324, and Loyal Pin out as well + a bunch of BLs now have GL sides as well (The Trainee, Love Sea).

Legend of Yunze (2021) - June 18: similar reason as above and this one has like 3 minute episodes, which I'm not keen on at all.

Currently Watching

Wandee Goodday

Country: Thailand

Release Dates: May 4, 2024 - Jul 20, 2024

Watch Via: GMMTV Youtube (free)

Watch Dates: June 1 - ONGOING, 2024

Rating: -/10

Overall: - not caught up: 9 eps out, I'm up to ep 8 -

tags: wandee goodday

Also Appears In: Wandee Goodday Live Blogging Eps 1 - 5, Ep 6, Ep 7, Ep 8

My Stand-In

Country: Thailand

Release Dates: Apr 26, 2024 - Jul 12, 2024

Watch Via: iQiyi, so ;>

Watch Dates: June 2 - ONGOING, 2024

Rating: -/10

Overall: - caught up: Ep 10 -

tags: my stand-in

Also Appears In: My Stand-In Live Blogging Eps 1 - 10

Lovely Runner 

Country: South Korea

Release Dates: Apr 8, 2024 - May 28, 2024

Watch Via: Viki (paid)

Watch Dates: June 25 (Ep 1 only)

Rating: -/10

Overall: - Watched 1 episode of Lovely Runner, will binge next month -

tags: lovely runner

Also Appears In: Lovely Runner Live Blogging

Completely Watched

Spaceless (2024)

Country: Thailand

Release Dates: June 4, 2024

Watch Via: Youtube (free)

Watch Dates: June 4, 2024

Rating: 5.5/10

Overall: Got spoiled about the sad ending and what happens, so I prepared myself for that but it was still like you did all this on the first week of pride?! jail!! It did make me look forward to 4 minutes more though, after seeing Bible acting after SO LONG + seeing the natural interactions and chemistry between Bible and Jes. It was also a bit interesting/new to see Bible acting as just a regular guy who has a crush on somebody else rather than Vegas in flashy clothes committing crimes. I would've rated it higher if I felt anything for the characters tbh but I think I knew too much to get involved and also was like man... to both of the characters.

Oh No! Here Comes Trouble��(2023)

Country: Taiwan

Release Dates: Apr 15, 2023 - May 13, 2023

Watch Via: iQiyi (so ;>)

Watch Dates: June 5 - 12, 2024

Rating: 6.5/10

Overall: A good watch with engaging smaller story arcs (well, some more engaging than others) that play into the larger story (I love that it relates to family), a good cast of characters, good acting, and coherent story. Although, I must say, it's not necessarily that this show is elusive or confusing but sometimes I felt like I wasn't picking up clues or subtext that I would in a different show, so idk what's up with that. I liked the concept of the calligraphy and the "obsession" where these weren't like actual ghosts but beings that were borne from obsession. I didn't really ship Yiyong and Guangyan romantically, though I thought that I would, but I liked their friendship alongwith Chuying; they're a fun trio and the characters well-realized. I will however likely not think about this show and also it was boring/repetitive sometimes.

tags: oh no! here comes trouble

Also Appears In: Oh No! Here Comes Trouble Live Blogging

Unknown

Country: Taiwan

Release Dates: Feb 24, 2024 - Apr 20, 2024

Watch Via: Youku Youtube (but apparently Viki has better subs)

Watch Dates: June 13 - 17, 2024

Rating: 6.5/10

Overall: I'm so glad I got over my pseudo-incest brother-lover aversion because I can now watch this stuff in delight. Though I must say, my favourite aspect of this show is the little family trio with Qian, Yuan, and Lili, with San Pang occasionally invited as well. I loved how they cared for each other and how though Lili was left out of the romantic duo inside their trio, it didn't feel like she was forgotten or sidelined. The romance itself, I think the development was nice, especially from Yuan's side since we saw how he thought of Qian and how he supported him and we also saw a bit of from Qian's when when Yuan was gone + when he returned. Since there was so much angst and build-up for like 10 episodes, their actual coming together should have been grander. Feels like their relationship actually switching to lovers wasn't treated with enough gravitas and seemed a bit too much too fast and they didn't seem to emotionally struggle with the switch at all, though I would've expected a bit from Qian. Lastly, Qian is so beautiful, like incredibly attractive to me, woah.

tags: unknown

Also Appears In: Unknown Live Blogging

My Stand In Ep 8 released today (June 14) and I already know something about sneezing and saw some photos and a clip and I'm just so nervous that I'm gonna get Extremely Spoiled about this show when I don't... want to. I'm considering starting My Stand In after Unknown, before I jump into my Korean shows... I'll try to time it for ep 9 so that I only have to wait 3 weeks till the end.

Happy Ending Series - Pilot Trailer (June 15): watched full trailer. I've been looking forward to the pilot since like May 21-ish when Jeff's company started teasing it on twitter and teasers/posters started coming out. I'm very intrigued, I love a murder story, serial killers, etc (The artsy killer reminded me of Death's Game part 2 serial killer artist) the vibes are great, it's intriguing, and it seems not BL but I wonder if there'll be homoerotic undertones (sometimes that works better in these sorts of shows, especially if there's not necessarily a happy ending). Supposed to come out next year. I'll try not to be too excited though because the vibes and whimsy of a 6 minute pilot that doesn't necessarily need to be coherent doesn't necessarily translate to a well-written show with the same vibes (not every show can be Strangers From Hell)... but I'm looking forward to it nonetheless.

The Trainee - Official Trailer (June 16): watched full trailer. I don't often watch a full official trailer, especially if I'm planning on watching the series but I did this time because people were saying it looks good. Didn’t end up watching Cooking Crush, so I’m really hoping this one turns out great, I'd love to love a new OffGun show. It’s also interesting that they showed so much of the cast and their storylines in the trailer, usually it tends to focus more on the main couple. Especially excited for the side GL (with a love triangle)!

There seems to be a new trailer every few days this month so far, I think I'll write my thoughts on all of them lol

Century of Love - Official Trailer (June 13): watched full trailer when it was released. It's not a super common trope but there have been several shows with the trope anyway, haven't super enjoyed any of the ones I've watched (First Love Again which I can't remember a single thing about and The Director Buys Me Dinner left a lot to be desired storyline wise). I don't care that the past iteration of Offroad's character is a woman (The Sign also had that), though Daou's dramatic opposition of that is kinda corny. We'll see, I'm hoping it'll turn out well because I wanna watch a DaouOffroad show (I kinda became interested since Daou-Joong-Est are friends)

Sooo many trailers came out for shows or movies I’m keeping an eye on, like Hwang Daseul’s Taekwando movie BL, Battle of the Writer (TutorYim), The Loyal Pin and Uranus 2324 (FreenBecky show and movie), but I’m not watching their trailers because I don’t tend to watch official trailers (The Trainee and Century of Love are random exceptions). There are also a bunch of trailers for shows I don't have interest in, like The Rebound.

A Shop for Killers 

Country: South Korea

Release Dates: Jan 17, 2024 - Feb 7, 2024

Watch Via: ;>

Watch Dates: June 18 - 20, 2024

Rating: 6.5/10

Overall: Interesting premise + interesting execution with all the flashbacks, they way the flashbacks were in Jian's POV, then Jeongmin for 1 ep, then Jinman (we did have some repetition during Jinman's that we already saw through Jian's). The flashbacks cutting through the current action were sometimes bothersome, especially after we'd already established important stuff and then the flashback stuff didn't feel as important as the current. I found Jinman intriguing and mysterious and understood him despite being frustrated with how he treated Jian at times. Jian, I liked way more at the beginning but then started being annoyed toward the end at times. Mihye was soooo cool. It was a surprisingly funny show, especially in regard to how this is just a job for these mercenaries and killers lol The ending was a bit anticlimactic in terms of how things were resolved + there was a bunch of important threads that were unfinished (aiming for a season 2?). I wasn't surprised by the ending but I don't know if they were aiming for that anyway, I think they knew the audience to predict it and were okay with it.

tags: a shop for killers

Also Appears In: A Shop for Killers Live Blogging

Japan: I keep wondering if I should bring in a Japanese section again and watch just 1-2 shows because I wasn't really in the mood for moody Japanese shows while in the section this year. Of the 5 Japanese shows I've watched this year, 2 were rewatches and 2 were Ustukushii Kare sequels, so I only had My Personal Weatherman as a new universe/set of characters that I watched. I legit have 13 Japanese shows on my to-watch list which is a lot considering I have 14 in my Thai show list and I watch so many of those (and only SK has more on my to-watch). Anyway, idk, it'd have to be next month at the earliest (maybe I'll tack it on at the end of my Philipino and Indian sections because both of those have just a few).

The Worst of Evil

Country: South Korea

Release Dates: Sep 27, 2023 - Oct 25, 2023

Watch Via: ;>

Watch Dates: June 21 - 22, 2024

Rating: 7.5/10

Overall: Surprised even myself by binging this in 24 hours (10am-10am June 21-22) when I was planning on watching ~3eps/day for 4 days. Intense, interesting, engaging, exciting, thrilling. How fun. It made me feel like when I had just started watching k-dramas or thrillers, and everything was exciting and I'd just watch it for hours on end. Knew Wi Hajoon is in this (the guy who really had me getting into watching shows and dramas). I wasn't on anybody's side - I knew/suspected the cops and Seungho would win because that's just the kind of story but I wanted more and better from each side, I wanted them to be clever and to outsmart each other. When Gicheol did something clever, I was excited and when Seungho did something clever, I was equally excited. I pity Gicheol, he really only had Seungho and Euijeong left at the end but they both were conspiring against him. But Seungho was right that Gicheol didn't need to do all this, it's an excuse, and it's not surprising that others turned their back on him. Enjoyed Seungho-Junmo constantly pushing farther and doing too much just to keep his cover and have the investigation continue. I liked the main romance at the beginning but it makes sense that they divorced or stopped being together after that mission. Euijeong was underutilized, underwritten, and ultimately not very useful, I wish she was more involved. Miss Lee was so good, she played the spoiled and love-sick fool who still had bite and resources and power well, and I enjoyed her with Seungho. The ending was fitting. I'm curious about whether I will remember this show or think about it later on since I binged it so quickly and didn't develop emotional connection with the characters despite finding them interesting and being invested in the plot.

tags: the worst of evil

Also Appears In: The Worst of Evil Live Blogging

Infernal Affairs (2002)

Country: Taiwan

Release Dates: Dec 12, 2002

Watch Via: ;>

Watch Dates: June 22, 2024

Rating: 7/10

Overall: Watched this the night after I finished The Worst of Evil in the morning because I was still in the high of watching like gangster and mole cop action stuff. This is a movie that I think I'd more out of on a rewatch. It's fast-paced, fairly short (100 minutes), lean, and straight to the point but full of subtlety and quite philosophical in a way. The main characters have both been cosplaying for a decade and their lives have been shaped by their current lives, so despite technically being a cop and a gangster, are they still now more like their mole identities? Yan was a cop but nobody other than himself and Wong knew it, so after a decade, what difference does it even make that he's a cop? It's a tragic ending where Wong and Yan both die while Lau is praised for killing Sam and the other cop mole without being found out as the real mole who was working with the gang for 10 years. Then again, it's a movie where you don't even necessarily want Lau to face retribution because you can see him want to become better and abandon being a mole for the gang. I appreciate the bleakness.

Also Appears In: Infernal Affairs Live Blogging

What happens if I give up my BL/GL watching and become a full-time gangster (and cop) movie/series watcher?

Watched 1 episode of Lovely Runner

I think I'm going to have to switch up how I watch shows because I'm gonna have long commutes and usually I download an episode of a show for it on my iPad but I don't want people on the way to work to watch me watching people making out/getting it on. So I'll probably watch my non-BL shows since they mostly tend to be like thrillers/mysteries and the non-thriler romances are usually chaste or like Twinkling Watermelon which is more friendgroup based than romance. Might watch episodes of BLs or GLs that aren't likely to have a surprise NC /makeout/suggestic scene. But does that mean I'll always have a non-QL going? But if I'm watching thrillers on the train... I love binging thrillers, I always wanna know what's going on, so either I'll have to hold off on watching them during other times or I'm gonna keep binging thrillers and only watching thrillers because I'll pick up a new one for the next train ride. anyway idk, we'll see how it goes ig

Or maybe I'll rewatch stuff? idk...

Okay y'know what, I've decided I'm gonna keep My Lovely Runner in the backburner for 2 more weeks and watch it on the train hehe. I'm on my South Korea round right now and have a few more shows to get through for it but I think I'm gonna pause it and start my Thailand round early, beginning with My Stand-In.

The accidental trend of watching multiple things in a row where the main character is not being themselves/is acting as somebody else. The Worst of Evil: cop going undercover in a gang. Infernal Affairs: cop going undercover as a gang member & a gang member going undercover as a cop. Lovely Runner: girl travels back in time and she's still herself but she's herself from 14 years ago and so can't just say all the stuff she knows. My Stand-In: Our MC Joe is in the body of a different Joe because this guy's mother tried bringing him back but uh... brought the wrong Joe back in this body, so Our MC Joe is now being his stand-in.

What other actors have played vastly different characters/archetypes like Up in Lovely Writer and My Stand-In and Bible in KinnPorsche and 4 Minutes? Most actors stay in the same top-bottom position and general dynamic with their partner while in BLs and even when they switch partners, they may often still stay in the position role they were originally given. Up and Bible are playing opposite different actors and their position role is different (I know there are people who Really dislike that Bible is playing "the bottom" in 4Minutes) and also have played a character like Ming and Vegas. It's just interesting, I'd love to see more actors play a different archetype or dynamic than they usually do but it usually doesn't happen.

Khaotung - Tonhon Chonlatee & The Eclipse: different pair, different position/role

Mark Pakin - Only Friends & The Dentist BL: different pair, different position/role. He's actually done lots of different characters and pairs, though he's been (portrayed as) a good guy in all of them I think (Nick was way more of a red flag asshole than the show made it seem like)

Gawin - Dark Blue Kiss, Not Me, Be My Favourite, Golden Blood: Different pair, different position.

There are a bunch of other actors mentioned in this reddit post about actor range/versatility but I was specifically curious about range not only in the character personality but also the top/bottom position given in BLs.

Ending with My Stand-In catch-up. Usually, I end the month with 0 Currently Watching and sometimes, occasionally, rarely with 1 On-Air show that I'm carrying onto the next month but this month... 3 shows I'm in the middle of. 2 on-air that'll end next month and 1 Lovely Runner which is done but I'm saving it to binge next month on my commute.

To Watch This Month - Planned at the Start of the Month:

On-Airs: Wandee Goodday ⏸️ and My Love Mix-Up! TH ⏭️. hmmm I'm not very good at watching shows as they air but for some reason feel like starting 2 new ones at once, lol. We'll see how it goes.

Taiwain: Lesson In Love ⏭️, Oh no! Here Comes Trouble ✅, Unknown ✅

Korea: 1-2 BLs (including Method), 1 GL (She Makes My Heart Flutter), het romance (Lovely Runner ⏸️), Non-Romance Thriller/Crime/Mystery (Shop for Killers ✅, Worst of Evil ✅).

✅: watched this month, ⏸️: currently watching, ❌: not watching in this iteration/section of country, ⏭️: moved to next month/ran out of time

Next month, I'll be doing a bunch of my watching on the commute, so I'm curious how that'll change things.

[cabeswaterdrowned]

I’m not really in the mood to start watching something new even though I technically have a lot I want to lol, so on a whim because I feel like it I’ve started a TVD rewatch attempt let’s see if I follow through! (I’ve only seen the whole show (like 7.5 seasons I didn’t see all of s8) once but I’ve seen majority of s2-3 eps multiple times and a select handful of s1 4 and 5 eps a couple times each and most s6 eps twice since I did a rewatch of just that season in December (technically I did not finish it but that wasn’t about my follow through I just didn’t have hbomax access for a while and by the time I had it back was focused on other things again) 

so anyway. notes I took rewatching the first couple episodes (my plan rn is to Not lb in the format I sometimes do because I think I’ll exhaust myself/my commitment, instead will try to either write some notes during or takeaways directly after watching the eps when I feel like it and share intermittently) 

Pilot 

-Elena Bonnie and Caroline are all so pretty here such pretty faces and pretty shiny hair all around 

-really enjoy how cynical Elena is even as she’s trying to put on a brave “today I will smile and it will be believeable” face. especially her talking about people’s reactions to hers and Jeremy’s grief and the “the rest of the world has moved on” quote near the end I can (unfortunately) relate to a lot of this so much more than the first time I watched the show :(

-Caroline’s immediate interest in Stefan + “it’s not going to happen” I do lol knowing how this all plays out :) 

-Bonnie’s ‘psychic’ ness so cute but also her predicting happiness… ironic not in a happy way. This being one of the episodes if not the episode where she’s happiest I think… 

-Bonlena moments are very cute in the pilot 

-running up the hill wasted on a boring moment in the pilot is so funny, but I do really like it ending with (in a sense) the first steferine moment 

-so much bad and poorly aged dialogue. obviously. but then glimmers of really good dialogue out of nowhere 

-I do sort of wish Damon’s crow powers had been a consistent thread. I don’t remember it being a thing after early s1? Would have been so funny 

-Vicki was a standout to me rewatching this. Knowing what happens to her is so sad… Matt should have died instead of her and She should have been around for the whole show fr 

-Jenna is an angel 

-the dialogue is worse than I remembered overall but I’m going to say the visuals/effects are better than I remembered? 

-also I actually rewatched the Pll pilot a couple days ago so was struck a bit by the similar structure of some things, they both open with the blonde girl who is killed/missing (only for TVD it’s a random girl we have no attachment to, for Pll it’s obviously Alison who is a Presence. and then it’s much later in the TVD pilot that we see Katherine who is the char with Alison haunting status for chars in s1), the focus on the liars but especially Aria/Elena’s attempts to move on from grief general quotes about moving on from the past, similar structuring to some of the Aria&Mike/Elena&Jeremy scenes. the funeral at the end of the Pll ep v Vicki being taken to the hospital at the end of TVD. There are others 

-it also was very funny to me that they stress the “passion” of SE vs Matt and Elena in the pilot considering that is going to become a tag line for DE

The Night of the Comet 

-Elena and Stefan waking up and both thinking ‘wow it’s so weird how I see color/am not as depressed as usual. and it’s all because I remembered what it’s like to be horny’ is hilarious sorry

-I am mad at that teacher I was mad on Elena’s behalf last episode now I’m mad on Jenna’s! Leave Jenna alone 

-the way Damon put his hand on Elena’s back/shoulders in their first meeting to guide her + general manner towards her like makes me uncomfortable. Which I guess is the intention at this point 

-Jenna looks so good I need her 

-when Elena is telling Jenna about Stefan being on the rebound and her responding that “at least it’s another woman wait until you date a guy with mommy issues or cheating issues or amphetamine issues” find this hilarious because Stefan DOES in fact have mommy issues as we will learn, and the show treats his blood issues as metaphorical addiction issues. cheating issues no but his whole transference deal with Katherine-Elena is maybe not so different you could make the argument? like it’s not that but there’s emotional dishonesty in a way. 

-also I just enjoy Elena and Jenna so much as a duo.

-I really like Bonnie’s outfit passing out Night of the Comet fliers with Elena 

-Bonnie touching Stefan and getting bad vibes if such a mood 

-there’s quite a bit of language iin these two episodes that’s aged badly but Caroline’s “druggies are the biggest attention whores” (paraphrased) line about Vicki particularly egregious 

-Gravity playing in the SE kiss is so funny because I first watched this pre Community so now I have the Paradigms association. lol

-but also Stefan’s “it was epic” line my brain made an association to Leronica “I thought our story was epic” and SE could Never be what Logan x Veronica is smh so I was a little offended 

*Also watched Friday Night Bites but actually watched most of that while working out and didn’t take notes. And I have reflections but, not that there isn’t plenty to be said about this episode but I’ll take a pass rn* 

[jaskiersvalley]

(Season 2 spoilers)

So I've started watching S2 and I want your opinion. They really make Eskel show up for one episode, be a jerk and then die. After your writing I felt attached to him and thought this was very unfair. They didn't even really give him scars!

I will pop this under a cut because, as you say, spoilers for Season 2! It is also a bit of a ramble, oops.

Okay, I spent quite a bit of time thinking about this, the show, and Eskel as a whole. After watching the show my kneejerk reaction honestly was that Episode 2 just didn't happen. But I've done a fair bit of reflecting, reading and picking through things and have come to several conclusions.

1. The show hasn't taken Eskel away from the fandom. We're still here, still loving Goat Dad and his polite, succubus fucking, fisstech taking ways. If we're being realistic, the show was never going to give us fanon Eskel. But what can it do for us? Bring more people to fanon. There wasn't enough of Eskel in the show for there to be an exceptional amount of content for him but there was enough to maybe pique interest for some viewers. They'll come to fanon for more Eskel content, maybe hoping for a fix-it and they'll find us here, welcoming them with loving arms and showing them our interpretation.

2. He was a dick in the episode where he turns up, which is not at all the side we see of him (what little there is) in the books or the games. But let's try to put it into perspective. He's just come off the Path, got home. On his way up encounters a weird Leshy. When he tells his family, Vesemir chides him for fighting it for 6 hours without killing it. So is Eskel going to then admit he also got injured? Given that he's already in a bad mood, hurting and tired, he's not going to want to risk ridicule. But the flashback in Ep. 3 shows much more the Eskel that fanon wanted to see. Which leads me onto the next point.

3. The show is action adventure with a focus on the family bond between Geralt, Yennefer and Ciri. It has very limited space and can't include everything from the sprawling lore of the Witcher world. Because there's a huge amount that they could pick and choose from, not just the books and the games but the Gwent lore, the Table Top RPG. This is before we consider that the show creators want to make their own mark and have their own ideas and theories explored. As amazing as it would have been to see more of life at Kaer Morhen, the bond between witchers, there just wasn't time. There could have probably been a whole series dedicated to Geralt, Lambert, Eskel, Vesemir and Coen's relationships. But that's not the focus of the show, they're merely supporting characters there to further the story of the main characters.

4. As for the scars...well. Again, it's all interpretation. The books and the games didn't match in terms of scars. I can only imagine that such extensive prosthetics would have been uncomfortable to wear and work in (just think of Anya Chalotra's problems with her pre-transformation Yennefer look. It had some serious consequences for the little I know.). They also had a different actor than planned, Covid restrictions to contend with, and probably wanted to have their own interpretation of the character. They turned Lambert ginger with long, luscious hair yet I've not seen so much kickback against his casting.

5. Basil Eidenbenz did a fantastic job. Poor guy already had fandom rallying against him from the day he was announced as the replacement Eskel. Too young. Too skinny. Too pretty. Frankly, if that was me, I'd be devastated to walk into something with already so much hate against me. But he did the show, in Ep. 3 he gave Eskel some real warmth, gave a flash of what fanon decided Eskel's personality is more like. He worked with what he had, what the script and the directing allowed him. And kudos to the guy. His portrayal of Eskel might not be what the fandom wanted, but he gave an excellent performance in his own right.

So what now? Fandom feels let down by canon. That's nothing new. We're going to do what fandom does best and write/draw/create all the fix-its. We'll continue with our own characterisations, make something that makes us happy. Canon is nothing more than a suggestions, we can pick and choose our own. And in The Witcher fandom? We have a whole feast to choose from. So don't let the show's portrayal bring you down. Use it, celebrate the bits you liked from the show and politely ignore the rest. Am I going to continue writing Eskel? You bet. Will it be show canon Eskel? Probably not. But that does not mean I can't cherry pick aspects from the various canons and mash them into something of my own. I can only hope everyone else can do the same and focus on the bits that bring them joy rather than what they disagreed with.

[thiswontbeforever]

What are your three favourite scenes in YR season 2? And why?

And what are the three most beautiful scenes in your opinion (if they are not among your favourite ones)?

hiii ty for sending an ask 🥰🥺

this is truly really difficult because season 2 was so packed but i’ll try to narrow it down. also this is definitely going to be biased towards what i personally loved vs like what were the technical best scenes/best for the plot

i think 3 favorites would be:

3. any of simon writing/singing but particularly the scene where he puts on wille’s sweater & starts to sing & write & then sees himself in the mirror. omar’s acting was absolutely phenomenal & but wrenching & i think it was an incredibly smart & well done scene in every way, even if it was also incredibly painful & led him to messaging marcus again bc it was so amazing to really see what simon was going through & the emotions driving his reactions.

2. wille’s scene that starts with him putting his earbuds in, looking at pics of simon, & then walking out to the lake. i cannot put into words the emotions i felt watching that the first time, with “lonely ones” playing. again, it was an incredible scene to show us wille’s state of mind & genuine loneliness consuming him. again, of course hate what it led to, but that scene was so so so beautiful shot & acted. it truly encompassed a lot of what they had been saying s2 was about & it made me feel & connect with yr just like simon’s scene did.

again, its so hard to narrow it down to 3 bc i loved so many scenes. honestly the first 4 minutes that we got is kind of forgotten about now because we talked about it so heavily when it came out before the show, but edvin acted the f*ck out of those scenes.

also the first ep party scene from the way wille challenges august to simon & wille seeing each other & interacting was truly incredible & absolutely one of my favorites.

the music room fight is another fav. i think simon said exactly what needed to be said & that it encapsulated them being teens going through all of this really well. simon defender to my grave that scene was important & necessary & well done on both omar & edvin’s end.

simon saying “they don’t have names.” was simultaneously iconic & comedic & also gut wrenching & so emotional bc we know what he was remembering, protecting.

1. is a tie. between like 3 scenes. i’m dumping all the wilmon scenes here. ep 4 kiss. i could sit here & talk about this forever. the way wille finally tries to let simon go, to recognize what simon has been telling him & asking for & finally putting aside some of his selfishness, to the look on simon’s face when he realizes what wille is finally granting him is not at all what he wants because it was others’ opinions that might’ve pushed him towards trying to forget when that was just never gonna be an option. to him calling after wille, wille almost not believing he heard right, to the “everything just got so messed up between us” “i know” but it was never what was between them that was wrong or the problem, it was everything around them and they immediately show that with the kiss that is all simon’s choice, wille gives him the lead, and the LOOKS on their faces….incredible. the smiles. it was never them. what they felt and them together before all the stress was always right, always real. the ep 5 scenes had me screaming. “i could be free…free with you” i had to pause bc i was losing my mind. the switch in wille of immediate communication to simon once he found something out was such a good start to him changing some of his ways. simon’s face was just….and to do it in front of rosh & ayub. so important so heart wrenching i was crying. and then the BOOK SCENE. okay book scene may be number one wow so so well written well acted. it is them literally turning a page together, a new chapter of them better understanding and accepting each others’ realities & deciding they want to go on this journey together of figuring out what they want and who they really want to be. and then of course, wille’s panic attack to simon worrying about him to the conversation and then just being honest about how they feel to finally being together again. that scene was so powerful. they have everything they had to each other in case it was the last time & it was the most beautiful mix of love & longing & desperation…of choosing that moment together to take back what they lost and that it might fall apart all over again tomorrow so if this is the last time then we’ll give each other everything. absolutely incredible episode and sequences of scenes. and then the i love you & eps 6 ending. the CHILLS that took over my body with simon pulling wille aside…the i love you…and wille’s speech. not even just him admitting it but him deciding what kind of crown prince he wants to be and calling out the monarchy and traditions, (which i hope leads more to him making an effort to understand the classism & realities simon faces & what else needs to change), the games & power greedy manipulations that keep everything spinning, and choosing love after spending his life raised in an institution that has tried to teach him love is foolish and fleeting and not worth it. yes, it was somewhat cheesy to a certain extent, but it was still powerful and wille taking control over his own narrative & realizing what simon has been trying to convey to him. and that simon deciding he was okay with being a secret was what wille still thought he wanted until he had it because the secrets only caused pain & problems. and love, true love between two people should not be threatened with pain & chaos & scandal because of traditions where the elite only look after the elite…it was an amazing scene to have wille finally stomp on all the lies and the coercion and to not leave simon alone in that any longer. okay this got way longer than i intended and i CLEARLY couldn’t choose just 3 scenes but 😭😂 yeah. i think the most beautiful pretty much overlap here. also simon singing at the ball was of course stunning. i think also wille getting ready for the ball was beautiful in a heartbreaking way. same for the conversation he had with felice in ep4 after tHAT mistake. their friendship >>>> and wille saying he has to let him go.

also one more wilmon power couple eps 6 before shit completely hits the fan was also >>>>>

[littlespoonevan]

Soooo what are your thoughts about 5x07?

(i'm guessing you meant 5x06 but if not, i'm about to word vomit about it anyway lol sorry <3)

in short, i really liked it!!! i was worried about how they'd handle the riot given what we saw in 5x03 but i actually found the inmate's (mitchell?? guys i watched at 6am i don't remember askdjfh) motive and storyline very compelling! i also loved getting to return to hen's med school storyline and that little hint at ravi's backstory. i'm v intrigued on both accounts!!

i always knew the hostage situation wasn't gonna be quite as whump-y or hurt/comfort-y as we were headcanoning it to be so i still liked that and i think it set up a lot of very interesting things for the rest of 5a.

i think if i could compare eddie's arc (and buck's by extension) to anything right now it would be s3. in 3x06 buck and eddie had just made up after the lawsuit but the actual fallout and resolution didn't properly come about until the appropriately titled episode 9, "Fallout".

That was when we got to see eddie in therapy, that was when we had buck and eddie actually talk about their issues and saw buck's guilt over not being there. and i think i'm expecting something similar this time around. eddie's arc right now is like a series of trip switches and false starts. we're thrown off first by the fact his panic attacks are seemingly being caused by ana and the idea of a future with her. then we have a series of emergencies that parallel his own trauma that we never see him react to (almost falling out of the helicopter, the best friends call in 4x04, the hostage situation and the buried alive thing coming next week)

and it's easy to feel frustrated at his lack of reaction - i definitely have at times - but i think it's happened so frequently now that it can't be anything other than deliberate. 911 definitely has moments where it glosses over trauma but i don't think it lacks that much self-awareness. so i'm expecting this to continue to build over the next episode or two before we finally see him crack in some way

to broaden it out to buddie, i definitely feel like something is building between them also because there’s so much Not Talking about the shooting and the continued physical distance between them feels extremely pointed. (this is a great post about it). again, i feel like we have to get some kind of fallout/aftermath between them in regards to how the shooting impacted their relationship. like, i need buck to bring up the fact that eddie almost died in front of him and that was a reality he had to face even if only for a few hours

the interesting thing about this (and something i noticed someone else pointing out too) is that i have no idea what’s going through buck’s head right now. with the exception of 5x05 buck hasn’t really had an arc this season so far. the first 3 eps were him heavily involved in eddie’s storyline and ep 4 and 5 revolved around his role in chimney and maddie’s lives. none of this was about him but instead how he was connected to the other characters.

so if i could have my ideal ep 9 scenario it would be a cold open scene of one of buck’s therapy sessions (since we’ve never really seen any). i think if they were to do something like stiles’ counselling session in s2 of teen wolf it could work extremely well. like intercut what he’s talking about with little flashbacks of things that have been going on. it would be a great way to include some exposition tbh and give us insight into his head prior to seeing some kind of resolution between him and eddie

my other ideal would be intercut scenes of buck and eddie in respective therapy sessions that follow the same thread of thought for both of them. but i’ll be surprised if we see eddie agree to therapy/acknowledge he’s not okay before to the midseason finale (this is assuming 5x10 is a christmas ep)

ultimately i think 5x07 was great in terms of character and plot development despite being a somewhat stand alone ep and i feel like it’s definitely set up an interesting dynamic for the rest of 5a

my only gripe (which i knew would happen when they switched the eps) was that there was no follow-up to buck revealing he knew where maddie is but i get that might’ve been out of place in an ep like this