#project s skate our souls

[clairedaring]

depression /dɪˈpreʃn/: a medical condition in which a person feels very sad, anxious and without hope and often has physical symptoms such as being unable to eat or sleep...

↳ Project S: Skate Our Souls (2017) dir. Pat Boonnitipat

[namtanlovesfilm]

Heyyy girl! Not sure if you’ve answered this before but what are your fave non gmmtv bls/Thai dramas?🪷💗

hi anon! I don't think I actually have, all in the same post! let's go <3

I TOLD SUNSET ABOUT YOU

I've talked about this show about a thousand times already, so I'll keep it short: this is the only show I consider truly perfect, from its writing, cinematography, acting, chemistry, storyline, soundtrack, etc. it's not for everyone bc it's VERY angsty but it's deffo my cup of tea & I'm gonna be honest teh's coming out storyline was extremely important to me as it came right before I also finally accepted my bisexuality. overall just my favorite show, so important & beautiful with deeply flawed characters <3

PROJECT S: SKATE OUR SOULS

this show is the only other one with itsay I've rated a 10/10 in my life, even though it's not perfect, because it literally changed my life. the last sentence of the show literally helped me get over the worst depressive episode of my life, which is a pretty goddamn beautiful result for a show about depression. even though it's not entirely perfect, it's still an extremely well written show, has a gorgeous cinematography full of neons, incredible performances & a story that was so important to tell. I couldn't recommend it more!

PROJECT S: SIDE BY SIDE

in also a near flawless show, we have this show. it's a very touching story that will make you cry, tries to understand all of its characters, with stunning acting performances from everyone, and it's just the kind of shows I don't see anyone disliking tbh. very well executed & definitely an all time favorite of mine :)

THE REVENGE

probably the most underrated show on this list, this is actually the show I'm the most upset about being underrated lol, bc it's literally SO GOOD. if it was a korean show it'd go viral type of good. this is a very fucked up story so not for the faint of heart but it's executed extremely well, and honestly I don't have much negative to say about this show. flawless performances, an extremely impactful show, and forever one of my favorite thai dramas ever made!

SLEEPLESS SOCIETY: INSOMNIA

another highly underrated thai drama that no one has watched. this is female-led, touches on politics & corruption, has a very different setting from usual & a great plot through and through. the ending is also super iconic & stays on my mind to this day. I really encourage anyone to watch it!

MY RIDE

if you like love sick or my school president, I think my ride will be your cup of tea. it's a pretty simple story but with such lovable characters & a beautiful healthy ship that it immediately became one of my favorite comfort shows. it's the ultimate proof that even a more simple story can be beautiful if given enough soul, quirkiness & love :)

IN FAMILY WE TRUST

in family we trust is a lakorn, but it doesn't feel like a lakorn. apart from the obviously beyond iconic cast at every level, the writing & cinematography are leagues above any other lakorns. for a murder story that should be pretty straightforward, they managed to weave in the interpersonal relationships of the characters perfectly, and this is the kind of show that you can put down once you start. if you've never watched lakorns before, I'd recommend this one to start with since it's quite similar to regular series.

TO SIR, WITH LOVE

another lakorn, another slay! this one is way more lakorn-y so I don't think it's for everyone, but it's literally the only lakorn that treats its queer characters fairly lol & it's such a beautiful love story. it's very dramatic bc 1) lakorn & 2) historical drama with repressed queer characters, but everything in this drama just HITS. you care for the characters so much, and the brother relationship is also so supportive & beautiful and I'm so glad the show never compromised it for some petty drama. overall this show put me through all the emotions & I loved it so much for it lol

GREAT MEN ACADEMY

this show is the proof of the kind of imagination thai film makers have when they get a good budget. the world building of that show is so vibrant & fun, but more than that the writing is really good with endearing characters, good interpersonal relationships, and a really beautiful love story & plot. this is just such a nice show to watch, even with its kind of childish aspect, and once again the cast is great since it's the same as in in family we trust lol. watch both shows back to back & be shook at how drastically different yet so good they both are :)

THE DEBUT

another super underrated show that no one has watched but fucking slaps. not only is it female-led with amazing performances (and a great cast!), but this show really is so well written, with a mystery & a plot twist that will pull you in and make you bingewatch it. the cinematography & colors also slap, and overall it's such a good show that I wish more people would watch.

xxx

[twig-tea]

Thai QL Favorites Tag Game

Tagged by @telomeke and @waitmyturtles, thank you both for the tag!

Credit: this game was created by @thatgirl4815 as Thai BL Favorites Tag Game.

I want you all to know before I start that asking for favourites is biphobic so you're going to have to ignore the places where I bent/ignored the rules about how many choices I was allowed to have. Also, this is so long, and took forever, I'm so sorry:

Favorite Thai QL:

I could caveat this until the end of time, but I'm going to go with the definition of "favourite" that's "has a special place in my heart" rather than necessarily "best"; and that's undoubtedly Until We Meet Again. I got very not normal about this show. When it was airing, I used to rewatch every episode before the new episode, and then rewatch the newly aired episode at least once before binging the show to date again. And I've binged it several times since. Sometimes if I need to cry, I'll put on the first 10 minutes and ugly-sob. This show felt like an apology and catharsis for years of built-up bury-your-gays induced trauma from queer media, in addition to a balm for all of the external relationship drama tropes in BL. I think I've talked about it around here somewhere before, how this show sets up all of the tropes for things that go wrong for couples in BL, and then everything is fine, over and over? And it was airing during the very start of the pandemic before the world was calling it a pandemic, when I was so worried about everything and governments hadn't caught up to being afraid yet, and I felt so alone, and this show over and over again said "it'll be ok", at a time I really needed to hear that. Plus it's got the whole epic-love-story-across-lives and the family acceptance redemption arc that as a still-only-partially-out-to-my-family-in-my-30s queer absolutely destroys me. Anyway, there are other shows that I would agree are as good or better (shout out to He's Coming to Me, I Told Sunset about You, Bad Buddy, Not Me, The Eclipse), but UWMA remains my fave (and gets two gifs for being top spot).

Favorite Pairing: I have seen this interpreted as branded pairs & as fictional couple, so I'm going to take that excuse to answer both questions. I'm honestly not a fan branded pairs as a thing and agree with @lurkingshan's comments on this, I tend to prefer it when people continuously work with different actors. That being said, JoongDunk seem to be having a lot of fun with the whole fanservice game, which is fun to watch for as long as they're enjoying themselves and continue to be in on the joke, which seems to be the case.

Fictional couple? Right at this moment I am still thinking about Khatha and Dome from Midnight Museum. I think this one hit me in my Chinese epics button, because the story felt a lot like a danmei (not the least because you could argue it reads as censored bromance). But this show asks questions about fate, God, the devil, multiverses, and then has its characters choosing to reject all of the above in order to choose each other? SIGN ME UP. Legitimately it's the most fun I've had watching a tv show in awhile, it was bananas, and I loved the journey of Khatha figuring out who Dome was in relationship to Chan, and deciding to love Dome as Dome, at the same time that Dome was also figuring out who he was, and deciding he preferred who he was when he was with Khatha. But also just Tor + Gun are incredible actors (Tor having been a stand-out since Hormones and Gun of course since The Blue Hour) and I would watch either of them in anything, but together they were magnetic (and evidence for my earlier point re: branded pairs, as much as I enjoy Off & Gun together!).

Most underrated actor: I'm going to say James Teeradon. He had a few small roles in Hormones 2 & 3, Diary of Tootsies, and The Stranded, and he had the main role in Project S: Skate our Souls and in Great Men Academy. First, I should say, you could argue none of these classify as BLs. Second, all of these have trigger warnings, so please take care of yourself and feel free to ask if you want content warnings. But he's one of those actors who never looks like the same person in each role he's playing, and he absolutely gives me shivers. His performance as Boo in Skate our Souls was legitimately chill-inducing--this one in particular has serious trigger warnings, I put off watching it for a long time because I knew about the warnings and waited until I was in the right headspace, and it still messed with me for weeks. But oh man, oh man that show, it rewrote part of my DNA. I don't even know that under-rated is fair to say since there was buzz around him when he was in these shows a few years ago, but he was trying to make it as part of a band for awhile and he hasn't been in much since. If there's one person I want to see in something else who a lot of other people don't talk about these days, it's James.

Cheating and taking the opportunity to choose a second actor from definitely-a-BL series: Fluke Chinnathan from Second Chance the Series. While Second Chance had a lot of flaws, the acting by Fluke and Tong was stellar. Their micro-expressions and body language was unreal. I feel strongly enough about this that I wrote an ode to it as part of the BL-Bracket for best kiss scene. No idea what Fluke is up to or if he even wants to keep acting, but I'd love to see him in something else--he's one of the only other actors (than James, mentioned above) that I'll go in to MyDramaList occasionally just to check to see if they're in anything new. PS if you do give Second Chance a shot, please know going in that Run and Games, real life brothers who are both actors, are both in this series but never in a scene together, and their characters are similar, so a lot of people have trouble telling them apart without knowing there are two different characters in the show.

(Also, I 100% would have said Suar for this question before La Pluie, because he did not get enough credit for You're My Sky and I think he was incredible).

Favorite Character: Honestly, I've deleted my answer to this so many times now. Choosing one is so hard! I'm going to go with White from Not Me. Incredibly loyal, strong moral values (but willing to break the rules/law to fulfil those values because he understands that law ≠ morality), self-sacrificing, extremely competent in some ways, but also has serious blind spots in others that leads to him making very silly choices especially around who they trust, lacking in self esteem especially around whether or not people will want him around. The way he chooses to give up his privilege--not for his brother, because he could have found a way to go back to his old life after everything if he wanted--because he saw what was wrong with all of it and decided to do what he could to help fix it (and not participate in it) is something that really resonated with me. I also love that he is an absolute marshmallow who cannot hide that fact. Plus White being a disaster bi who wanted Sean from the beginning endeared him to me forever. And it doesn't hurt that he's played by Gun Atthaphan

Favorite Side Character: I have also started and stopped this section so many times. Natty and her absolutely terrible taste in women from Diary of Tootsies, Na being at some points the only reason I kept watching Tonhon Chonlatee, Namo being smart enough to know to pretend she doesn't know what's going on in Not Me, Tong the ecovillage owner from Bad Buddy, Daisy and their incredible gender and mix of self esteem + self esteem issues in Secret Crush on You.

Alright I'm giving it to Dream in Something in My Room. I don't have good reasons for this; her character was artistic, had supernatural powers, green asymmetrical hair, and was stoic with a hidden dark past, and I am a simple woman. I wanted to know everything about her.

Favorite scene in a QL: How can I choose just one?! I'm choosing three and you can't stop me.

Third place, Not Me, with Sean and White under the pride flag. It has everything: It's iconic, it's cinematic, it's cathartic, it's political, it's a critical character moment, it has great music, it's full of queer joy, and it brings me so much happiness every time I see it.

Second: Dean and Pharm in front of the Pra Aphai Mani & sea ogress sculptures in the aquarium in Until We Meet Again. Partially because I love aquariums so much, partially because this sequence is one of the first ones we really get to see the hints of Intouch in Pharm. The way he moves around that aquarium is nothing like how he moves at school or his condo, and it's one of the things that struck me so hard on rewatch; while that scene did so much work towards establishing their characters the first time around, the second+ time it has so much more meaning. The throwaway line by Pharm about relating to the ogress now gives me chills.

Plus the way the aquarium scene got called back in I Promise You the Moon makes me really happy.

But first and top, the one that will forever live in my mind for the way it made me feel in my body: Teh and Oh-Aew on the rug in I Told Sunset About You. That moment, my god. Butterflies. Chills. Chewing glass. Devastation. I don't know that I've ever felt any other scene so viscerally; it transported me back to being a teenager and cuddling in clearly non-platonic ways with my bestie and wondering what was happening. Thinking about it now still gives me goosebumps. Maybe a bit of a weird choice because of the pain but I don't shy away from some pain in my faves!

Favorite line in a QL: Honestly I could put one of several meaningful quotes in here, probably the ones I've thought about most being the one from Bad Buddy that a few other folks have noted ("I may not be able to change the world but the world can't change me either"); and "can't we just get a little bit of space?" from The Warp Effect that I mentioned in my Silvy appreciation post. but the first thing that came to mind was this cracktastic banger moment from En of Love: This is Love Story that runs through my head every time a character P-Nong's someone when they don't mean it like that (and especially when newbies get confused about whether characters are actually related):

"'P' but not brothers; the way 'daddy' [said in English] doesn't really mean father. You get it?"

--Param, being a little shit (affectionate)

But also I think special mention needs to go to this new and immediate classic by Tien in La Pluie:

Most Anticipated QL (& why): I am very excited for 23.5 and Only Friends, also WuJu Bakery (does that count if it's Korean but starring Thai actors?) but....This is niche and might never happen, but MindTrio announced awhile ago that they were going to put out Chemistry in Love, which was either a sequel or related to Calculating Love? Listen, this is a low-budget production company making a slightly quirky trope-filled shorts that tend to have pretty cinematography but falter a bit on plot and pacing, and in Calculating Love the main character hits on his love interest with a series of math/graphing equations and coffee. I fully acknowledge that I am a particular kind of nerd, but I just really, really want to see people flirting with their Extremely Geeky special interests. Some sort of of follow-up to Calculating Love has been a maybe-thing since 2020, so it's most anticipated by amount of time I've been waiting. I have a list of 290 "upcoming" shows that may or may not ever happen so I'll stop there.

Healthiest relationship in a QL: I was very persuaded by @waitmyturtles' arguments re: King and Uea, and I thought about My Only 12% and even wrote a whole thing about Tinn and Gun from MSP before deleting it.

But I'm going to use this soapbox to give a hot take and say, by the end of the series, that it's Nuea and Toh from Secret Crush on You. Both of them have secretly loved each other for the whole series, and shown it in their own very unhealthy ways: Toh by keeping a collection of everything that reminds him of Nuea, and Nuea by being extremely cool-guy persona around Toh. But by the end, both of them have aired their insecurities about their relationship, and have committed to working on their relationship together. Toh stops assuming that they will break up (which Nuea explained was hurtful to him) and declares he'll fight for their relationship in front of Nuea's parents, and Nuea allows himself to be seen as very uncool through his vulnerability, and is more open about his uncool thoughts and feelings. I remember them being surprisingly healthy about jealousy too, once they're together, showing trust in one another when that photography club kid shows up. Nuea also makes a really sweet gesture that I think gets misunderstood at the end of the show; Toh explains that his collection makes him happy, that Nuea is more important so he'll give it up if he has to but he really, really does not want to. So Nuea finds a way to make the collection about them rather than about him, so that he can embrace it too and be less discomfited by it. I feel like there's not enough "meeting people where they are", and too many makeover fantasies in romance for my tastes. Instead, Secret Crush on You said listen, people are weird, and we all just need to find the other weirdos whose jagged edges fit with ours. And it's work figuring out together how they will fit, and they won't fit perfectly, but that's ok. As long as everyone is comfortable, it can be a little weird. It may be less realistic than say the way similar themes are handled in Utsukushii Kare, because behavioural change (especially around self-worth) is hard irl, but the question wasn't about which relationship is most realistic lol SCOY also said embrace cringe culture and I am here for it even if it is sometimes hard to watch because it is SO CRINGE; but I respect it for living its truth.

Most toxic relationship in a QL: Oof. I am a strong believer in "if it works for them, that's their business", as is probably evident from above, but the reveal of what was going on with King and Peat in Love Area (parts 1 & 2) was really next level BS and managed to be both toxic and ableist, so it gets a special mention and no gif.

Guilty pleasure series: I don't really subscribe to feeling guilty about liking things, but I have a bunch that don't get a lot of love and I fully understand why lol In addition to the example of Calculating Love above (which is like, a 6 on MDL, and TBH harsh but fair), I really enjoyed I Will Knock You. Maybe it was just the novelty but I loved the character of Noey so much, his vintage aesthetic, the amount of time spent around and in temples, and the most adorable closing credit sequence of all time (shows that have closing credit sequences that reflect the main relationship in the show is one of my favourite tropes!). The criticisms about it, especially the ones about the Thi character, are fully valid and I would not actually recommend it without a lot of caveats (e.g. warnings for blushing virgin trope + age gap, and sooort of glorification of gang membership?), but I had a great time.

Also maybe Y-Destiny episodes 9 & 10? Tohru and First as Kaeng and Puth, whew. I have a special place in my heart for storylines where the characters sleep together as friends with benefits and then have to renegotiate those boundaries because I've lived it more than once lol (Only Friends when?!). But the ending episode for the series was actually so offensively bad, I like to forget it exists.

Most underrated series: You're My Sky and He's Coming to Me have already gotten a lot of love so I'll just say YES to those. Would have said My Ride before this recent release to YT. Does Triage count if it's nominated for awards but nobody ever talks about it (probably because the distribution was so messy)? I think My Only 12% doesn't get enough love because of the pacing of the last episodes, but the rest of the show was SO good.

But I'm going to take this opportunity to get on a sandbox about Diary of Tootsies (spanning S1, S2, and the movie sequel Tootsies and the Fake).

This show is not BL; it is decidedly queer. There is no single love story, and if there is, it's undermined. And yet, because it's a comedy, it also gets overlooked in the lists of Important Queer Viewing (which is fair, honestly, that is not a read). But it means my blorbo of a show often doesn't get hyped up, so I'm taking the opportunity.

This show I would argue sits squarely in the by/for/about queers category as per @wen-kexing-apologist’s by/for/about Venn diagram. Watching it feels like a group hug; it's so very clearly written by actual queer people (even if this wasn't confirmed everywhere online, the screenwriter is out and speaks about this, but it's also just obvious) and I recognize so much of my friends and people I've known in these messy queers. It deals with casual sex, drug use, HIV, adoption, being closeted at work, and more.

It is also so funny. I didn't think I liked toilet humour until Make it Right and Diary of Tootsies proved me wrong. I honestly think about the scene with Natty and the handbag in the car approximately once a month. And the opening sequence of the sequel film!! What a choice for opening credits. And these queer friends are mean to one another, even in the moments they're being supportive of one another, and it is both familiar and delightful (also reminds me of this post by @bengiyo about whether viewers still love us when we're mean). The found family tropes are STRONG in this one, friends.

There is some fatphobia, though I always struggle with how much to warn for that because this show also has one of the only fat characters in QL who gets a character arc, a love interest, and to be a whole person. And to dance! The dance sequencesssss especially in S2, oh my heart. So much queer joy in this show in general!

Last thing I'll say about this show is that it also gets left off people's lists because the "main couple" if you can say there is one is not the one most fans were rooting for--I will admit, myself included. But the narrative convinced me to be satisfied with what we got, which is honestly to its credit!

Anyway TL;DR Diary of Tootsies makes me extremely happy and I'm glad it exists.

OMG ok I am letting this go now. Tagging @redxblueihateloveyou because you've not been active for awhile so this way you'll see this whenever you come back, and @formayhem because we are newly buds and I'd be curious about your answers! At this point everyone else must have been tagged by now, so please just consider yourself tagged if you haven't done this yet and tag me so I see it! I've been loving reading everyone's answers.

[thegirlwhorideslikeasamurai]

"A Song of Fiery Birds and Endless Winter" - the final chapter

The happy ever after they deserve...

⛸️Alternate first meetings ⛸️2014 Winter Olympics ⛸️Slow-burn Viktuuri ⛸️Mental health issues ⛸️figure skating

“We’ve been separated twice now. Every time, it felt as if a part of my soul was missing. I don’t want to live like that! Please continue teaching me your tricks, Viktor! I want to keep on competing against you. Becoming your equal and surpassing you has been my dream since I first saw you skating.”

Viktor drew in a breath. “Yuuri, what are you saying?”

Against his side, Yuuri froze up. “S-sorry! I didn’t mean it that way!”

He was so cute Viktor could not help a chuckle. “Yuuri, if there’s anyone I’d love to see surpassing me, it’s you. Your PCS have already the highest marks of all active skaters. If we continue working on your jumps, you’ll be unstoppable.”

Yuuri spun and grabbed Viktor's arms, determination burning in his eyes. “Then, let’s compete against each other! For as long as we can keep it up.”

As this is the final chapter, I want to thank everyone who reblogged my posts about this story, so that more people could learn of its existence. 💙💜

There will be more acknowledgements in the end chapter notes.

If you've been waiting for this story to be completed or if you generally only read complete stories, here's your chance.

[patheticpaprika]

Fandom: Good Omens Relationship: Aziraphale/Crowley Rating: General Wordcount: 2.2k 1^(words) = footnote because I'm not sure how else to integrate them on tumblr “Is that... is that a violin?” Crowley said in amused disbelief.

“Clearly. What of it, Crowley?” Aziraphale huffed.

“...That you presumably used to play?”

“Well... a bit.”

“Oh that is just too funny, that is!” he cackled.

“I don’t see why you think this is so comedic, Crowley. You picked up playing the guitar, and from what I heard, you’re rather good at it; is it that hard to believe that I could play the violin?”

“’s not that Aziraphale.” he waved his hand, dismissing the idea, still trying to hold back his laughter. “It’s the fact that of all the instruments you picked to learn, you picked the violin. My angel went and picked the devil’s instrument. Satan’s choice conspirator~.”

“Oh don’t be ridiculous! We both know that is just old human superstition. It’s no more an instrument of demons than the piano or- or- the crumhorn. In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if She herself is rather fond of it.”

“Well, go on then. Play something. Why not La damnation de Faust, or the Devil’s Trill, some Paganini even if you’re feeling extra devious?”

Aziraphale rolled his eyes, a fond smile playing at his lips. “I don’t know much classical, I’m afraid.”

Crowley once again appeared astounded. “Then what do you know?”

He clasped his hands together, rubbing his thumbs together. “Just... oh, you know... a few folk tunes here and there. I spent some time in Quebec in the early 1900s, you see.”

“So it wasn’t even the violin... you played the fiddle?” His face cracked into a grin, his eyes fully uncovered by his sunglasses, shined with amusement. “Where'd you even get it? Met some odd-looking chap at a crossroads that sold it to you for the small price of your soul, then?"

Aziraphale pointedly ignored that comment. He unclasped his hands and picked up the instrument reverently as he spoke. "Well, if you must know, it was made for me by this lovely man back in 1904 after I saved his daughter. She fell through a frozen pond, ice-skating. The poor thing was practically frozen herself when I fished her out. It's a miracle she was okay. Their family was ever so kind. He carved this beauty himself out of some local maple and pine in thanks.” He smiled wistfully. “He was truly such a wonderful luthier."

Crowley smiled softly back.

"Oh, Crowley! You would have loved it,” he flutted. “Everyone would get together, playing music and dancing. It was quite unlike the concerts we'd go to, all joyfully obstreperous but so delightfully human!" He tightened the bow decidedly believing the old horsehair would not snap, so it didn't.

He watched Aziraphale ramble on, the angel practically glowing as he spoke. And Crowley was happily basking in it like the reptilian he was.

I always wished you could have joined, even then ...But well... you know." At that, his words awkwardly tittered off, merely hinting at the past they didn’t like to mention. So, without another word about it, he put the violin to his shoulder, asking it ever so politely to be in tune, and after some thinking, started to play a shaky, decades-out-of-practice rendition of the Jessica Waltz.

It was utterly abominable, but Crowley kept the wince off his face for the sake of the shy, enraptured smile blooming across Aziraphale's features.

He finished the tune with a dramatic flourish of the bow, quite unfitting its scratchy playing, and met Crowley's eyes. "I- I can't believe I'd forgotten." he brought the fiddle up to his face to study it, his smile turning to a doting pout. "But oh, the poor dear, I've completely neglected her, and now she's sounding ill."

Crowley took a measured pause. "...Are you sure that's not just your playing, angel?"

Aziraphale hmphed. "You don't need to tell me I'm out of practice, Crowley, I'm quite aware, but she's done this to me before. She gets mad at me and goes to sleep. Something you’re quite familiar with, I’m sure." He stared pointedly at him before looking back at the violin in his hands. "Her tone gets all muted," he sighed. "It will take ages to wake her up. I do suppose it's been a while, though; I guess I can’t really blame her. I just hope I remember the tunes; it's not like I have anyone to teach me. Partly why I stopped, I suppose. I could never play it like the humans can, and I lost the people to play it with coming back here."

Crowley gave him a sympathetic pout. A look far too soft to be given to anyone but the angel. "...I'm no human either, but I could join you? If you'd like. Can do a bit of guitar like y' said."

Aziraphale's expression softened. "Oh! Would you?"

"Ngk. I will if you stop sounding like you're trying to strangle a cat whenever you play."

He smiled fondly. "It's settled then. I will see if I can find a fiddle teacher, and eventually, we can play some tunes together. I still remember some of the names of my favorites. Do you know much folk?"

~~~

As time went by, Aziraphale determinedly relearned how to play, excitedly telling Crowley all about his progress over dinner or ambushing him as he entered the bookshop, bow still in hand. 1^("Oh hello Crowley! I was just practicing the tune 'Road to Lisdoonvarna," he said with an excited wiggle. "Care to join me?")

As it happened, he'd found an old-school fiddle teacher that had been helping him relearn his old favorites and teach him some new ones.

But worst of all, he had yet to forget Crowley's offer to join him. A singular moment of weakness caused by one of Aziraphale's trademark resolve-melting sad expressions, and you have an angel barking at your ankles nonstop for months. Bah.

"Come on Crowley, you promised!"

"Excuse me? I did no such thing, angel. I suggested."

"But it would be so lovely! I don't see why you're suddenly so against it."

"I don't see why it matters, really. 'm not even very good at it. I'm happy enough here in the shadows watching you play, slowly getting more and more possessed by the evil of the devil's instrument and all that."

"Is that what this is about?!" he said disbelievingly.

"Wut? I'm a demon 'ziraphale; that's kind of my whole schtick."

"No not that." He shook his head. "You don't think you're any good at it," he finished softly.

Crowley blinked crudely but didn't say anything to deny it.

"I think you're marvelous at it myself. But even if you weren’t, I don’t think I would mind, really; that is if it means we get to play together.

Together

"Nrmph, fine. Since you won't shut up about it, I s'pose we can play a tune or two. I'll just need to grab my guitar first and all that."

"Oh, thank you!"

"Shut it.”

“I do mean it, Crowley. You are wonderful.”

“Eeeh, don’t think so, but before I go, angel,” he said, quickly changing the subject. “I’ve been meaning to ask.”

“Ask what, dear?”

“What’s the difference between a fiddle and a violin?"

“Well, there’s no differe—"

“—One has strings, and the other has strangs.” he interrupted, grinning.

~~~

Despite all of Crowley’s griping, it quickly became somewhat of a tradition. Every month or so, Crowley would saunter into the bookshop with a guitar case in his hand. Inside it was an old red Burns guitar that did not look the part to play folk tunes but would play acoustic for him if he believed it to, all the same. He had to keep up appearances somehow. There in the bookshop, they'd play any tune they knew and fancied playing together. 2^("A tradition." They've become quite human themselves by now, haven’t they?)

Aziraphale would teach Crowley the tunes he relearned from Quebec. A small offering from the time in history they went their separate ways and did not experience the world together. 3^(If they still kept a constant ear and eye to each other's lives regardless, who was to say? It was the right thing to do, really. Hereditary enemies and all that. Someone had to keep the angel from spreading too many blessings everywhere. Made him sneeze.) And after much persuasion by the demon, Crowley would occasionally teach Aziraphale simple renditions of his favorite "bebop" tunes.

They fell into a simple rhythm of their own; a "hello angel~" followed by an exchanging of tunes and a slow descent into Aziraphale's wine cabinet; the music steadily getting more haphazard and the laughter brighter the farther in they got.

For being occult and ethereal, the dance came strangely natural to them. The millenniums spent on Earth wore away at their supposed identities, turning them as human as one who lives for eternity could be. They truly were on their own side now, had been for eons. Because no one else could understand this strange duality of identity, they had ever so slowly developed. War changes a man, and 6 thousand years’ worth of them changes an angel and a demon.

Heaven stayed up in their ivory-colored office tower, surveying from above, thinking they understood them. And Hell lurked below, not caring of their existence except to worsen it.

But Aziraphale and Crowley stood beside them through their kindness and atrocities. They celebrated their victories and consoled them through their pain. Humans feel and exist so intensely it's impossible to not feel a touch for them in return. It's impossible to watch them wander through their small glimpses of life, helping them through in small steps along the way and not start to care for them at least a little; to not secretly celebrate their victories just a teeny bit your own.

They will always be outsiders but that doesn't make them alone. So when they join together in their little disjointed melody playing music and drinking wine, they know that's where they belong.

"I was wondering if we could try to play this new song I learned recently. It's quite a wonderful tune the humans made up. A guitar accompaniment would sound beautiful"

"Beautiful' isn't really what I do, angel, but if you insist." he joked.

"Well I would beg to differ, Crowley, I have seen those stars you've made."

"And that was 'along time ago" he said tapping at his temple in a pointed gesture towards his uncovered eyes.

"And those my dear, are beautiful too." Aziraphale smiled tenderly like the bastard he was.

"Mmph." Crowley's face turned a light shade of pink. "Alright, fine, you win. What's the tune called. How's it go."

"They call it Ashokan Farewell. I'll play it for you." He picked up his fiddle, letting it rest familiarly inside the crook of his neck. He began to play the tune, a gentle euphonic lament. The instrument now singing brightly under the angel's care and attention. Anyone would.

Crowley watched Aziraphale's face, transfixed as he played. His own features likely pooled into an expression he would rarely dare show before the apocalypse that wasn't. But it was different now; their lives could now be safely oh so closely intertwined like a snake around his own angelic apple tree. Or something like that. He’d never been good at metaphors.

Aziraphale finished the tune with a content sigh. "So, did you like it?"

"You're right, I think." He propped his head on his hand, his elbow resting soundly on his lap, still looking straight at Aziraphale. "Is’ beautiful."

"I knew you'd like it! Would you care to join along?"

"Oh right, yeah, the song.”

Aziraphale gave him a knowing look.

"But yes, course." He cleared his throat. " Love'd to angel. Could you play it again, and I'll jump in when I can?" He tapped his fingers twice gently on the strings.

He nodded and started to play the tune again. Crowley joined in around the second time through.

And it really was beautiful, wasn't it? Humans had a way of pouring their hearts out into their creations till it all but coalesced with your own, bringing together sacred memories mixed with hints of ones you never experienced yet somehow felt all the same.

The music rung out through the soft goodbyes. Years of parting, never knowing when they'd see each other again but quietly hoping it'd be soon.

It was there in the heartbreak, reverberating through the "We're not friends, we never were" and flitted around the scared looks towards the sky.

It gathered around the hopeful glances, drawing each one out in long bowstrokes, emphasizing the terrifying feeling of being loved, of being known.

Oh. That's why Aziraphale loved this song so much.

It swept around them like a deafening gale as they stood side by side against both Heaven and Hell. It sang out like a declaration. This was their home, here in each other's presence, surrounded by the humans and all the brilliant things they've done.

Something so alarmingly dear that the very thought of losing it made you cling to it desperately closer. The idea of losing it felt like the end of the world. 4^(And he'd know, he'd been there.)

"Crowley, are you... are you crying?" They'd finished playing?

"Hm? Wot?" Humans, those brilliant bastards. The lot of them.

Aziraphale just kept looking at him like that. So much care in his eyes.

He touched his hand to his eyes, it came back wet. He wiped the tears away hurriedly. "Don't worry angel, 'm not crying; snakes don't even have tear ducts.” 5^(Not that his corporation didn't.)

"Are you sure you’re alright?"

"Should think so. Care for a spot of lunch? There’s this new hole-in-the-wall Korean place I’ve been meaning to take you."

He shook his head disapprovingly at Crowley's quick brushing off of the apparent, but his eyes sparkled. "I'd love to."

Crowley knew he knew. Not all things had to be said.

Click link for A/N

[itsay-my-name]

What we know about The Chinese Family [working title] so far:

1) It's a GDH production

2) It's going to be directed by Pat Boonnitipat, who previously worked as a director for #HATETAG , Diary of a Tootsie, Bad Genius (the lakorn not the movie) and Project S: Skate our Souls.

3) The cast so far includes Billkin Putthipong (I Told Sunset About You), Tu Tontawan (F4 Thailand, Midnight Museum), and Phuak Pongsatorn (#HATETAG).

4) The story is about a thai-chinese family and the intergenerational issues they face.

5) They are done with workshops and will start shooting the movie this month (july). Some of the scenes will be filmed in china.

... And that's about all we know. Still, It's enough to create anticipation! I've been waiting for so long for billkin to go back to acting, and now he's in a production with Tu! Best case scenario for me, honestly.

They both have described the script as "challenging" but seem very excited about it, so how can I not be excited too?

[maggotiu]

Le Fabuleux Destin d'Amélie Poulain (2001)-10/10

atmosphere, fall/spring vibe, very calm, beautiful, happy ending

Hebi ni piasu (2008)-9/10

Plot, piercing🫦turn of events, strange ending

Memoirs of Geisha (2005)- 8/10

beautiful, emotionally, storytelling, good ending

Taxi driver (1976)- 8/10

beautiful, strange male lead but very interesting

The World of Kanako (2014) 8.5/10

drugs, hallucinating, beautiful shot, strange also

Project S the series: Skate our souls (2017)- 7.5/10

teenage depression, emotional, showed emotions well

[ohyka]

Thank you for the tag, @uhhhhmanda! My apologies it took me so long to do this D; 15 shows in no particular order. No idea what the list says about me. Not sure if I want to know 😅

The Guest Prison Playbook 1670 My Country: New Age Where your eyes linger Lost Room Hap and Leonard The Terror The Wire Bad Guys: Vile City Hyena HIStory2: Crossing the Line Kingdom Project S: Skate Our Souls M*A*S*H

Tagging: anyone who wants to play!

"your top 15 favourite tv shows can say a lot about your personality!"

I got tagged by the wonderful @godotismissingx for this. honestly i don't know what they say about my personality, but i just picked 15 shows from the top of my head that i think i can rewatch under my current mood. they are indeed mostly murder and crime shows (yes i'm shallow like that).

besides three-body ranking #1, the rest aren't in any particular order. bold font = cdramas; italic = kdramas; regular = western shows. *means there's at least one gay ship that consumed my soul when i first watched the show LOLLOL.

Three-Body* (2023)

Day and Night* (2017)

Winter Begonia* (2020)

Original Sin* (2018)

The Long Night* (2020)

Chimera* (2021)

The King of Pigs (2022)

Kingdom* (2019-?)

Whitechapel* (2009-2013)

Fargo* (2014-2024/?)

Better Call Saul (2015-2022)

Poirot (1989-2013)

Spartacus* (2010-2013)

Dexter (2006-2013)

Mr. Robot* (2015 Season 1 only)

tagging @bahoreal @xinxiaojie @yohankang @zhivchik @a-very-fond-farewell @randomingoftherandomness only if you haven't done this and want to do it; also tagging any followers who want to do this.

[curlykytta]

Favorite friendships in Thai Drama (part 2) “By chance we met, by choice we become friend” ― Millie

[thethera-rossa]

[clairedaring]

I thought of you as someone who can handle chili. Why is that? Which part of my face tells you that I can handle chili?

Project S: Skate Our Souls (2017) dir. Pat Boonnitipat

[namtanlovesfilm]

hiii, since I trust your taste, which shows pat chayanit shows would you suggest? i really like her in the jungle and her chemistry with off is 10/10

yessssss I love when people ask me this! here's the roles I've loved her in (spoiler it's literally all of them that I've watched lol), in order from the best overall show to the least best show:

project s: skate our souls: so if you don't know yet, project s: sos is in my top 3 favorite thai dramas with itsay & not me. that show has changed my life, it's beyond incredible, and pat does SO WELL in it! her role is quite morally-grey & even though she wasn't as seasoned of an actress then, she still ATE!

ps: I hate you: so not only did pat's performance go viral & made her win awards, but the whole show is SO good! pat shines like crazy in that show & is truly so mesmerizing in it!

the stranded: one of the most ambitious thai dramas ever made, truly something made from dreams, and yes, pat also did amazing!

daughters: a flawed but very original & important female-led thai drama. pat did absolutely amazing even though she had no chemistry with her love interest whoops :')))

good old days: honestly such a cute show that exceeded my expectations! contrarily to the last show, pat & win have crazy good chemistry and the acting was once again amazing!

midnight museum: after win, pat had a cameo role with bright (and joss lol, she collects all the hot gmmtv guys) and they ATE!!! the chemistry was electric & she did great, even though the show was a bit confusing it's also nice to see

return man: a cute romcom where pat has a cutie role for once & she did amazing :)

xxx

[cameli-e]

I thought I would use boo's case/history about the seminar in college and ended up getting attached to the character (again ????)

bell is not exactly the most ethical psychiatrist (resident, I think) in the world by small details but she really tried to do everything for boo and to help him.

[nesepalamudu]

[buttermilkscone]

Project S: Skate Our Souls (1.04)

[mkitrainbloo]