#so i rewatch it far more than any other ep

[curio-queries]

ARE YOU SURE?!

Episode 4 production Notes

Again, I genuinely didn't think I'd have anything to say at this point about this episode. I had such a good time the first time I watched it, just smiling the whole way through. There is one thing that did stick in my brain a little bit though so here I am again with another post.

Episode Break Points

We honestly can't be making any final conclusions at this point but there is starting to emerge a picture of how the production team approached the development of this show as an episodic release. The question that was rattling around my brain after watching episode 4 was how they are choosing their cut points between episodes. We really only have three data points right now which is not enough to definitively identify their intent but it does start to paint the picture a little bit. Sometimes, the break point is beyond obvious, like cutting ep.2 at the end of the USA trip. But when there's not a definitive line, a choice has to be made when to bring one episode to a close and start another.

Some shows use the changing of the day as a break point but that's not necessarily always the best choice to make for the narrative of the show. For example, the break between eps 1 and 2 is in the morning after JK has his coffee and makes the stone tower. This better served the momentum of the episode and wrapped up the story beat of JM's rough night. Ep 2 then starts on a high note with JK's motorbike ride. In my opinion, this was an excellent choice as we close ep.1 feeling all cozy and ep.2 begins with a little bit of excitement.

A Look Back

So why am I bringing this up now? It's because I was so confused as the choice of when to break these two episodes. I don't know if I've decided if it was good/bad/somewhere-in-between but I absolutely was not expecting Episode 4 to start the way it did. Ep 3 ends at the Go Karts and feels like a complete story beat. While ep 4 starts with the drive to the Omakase.

To me, it feels like we're picking up on the last remains of the previous episode and not starting a new section. Which is honestly, kind of counterintuitive. Why would it feel like that? They're literally on their way to the next activity. I suspect it has more to do with the tonal momentum. The guys are still coming down from all of the energy they expended from Rock Climbing and racing and are having a well-deserved relaxing drive. Even the brief moments we see of JK on the motorbike are quite chill. (mostly because there's not really a great way to get action footage on a bike in the dark lol).

So...to see if I could support my suspicion, or if I was just bringing something else into my viewing experience, I decided to rewatch the whole series so far and rank every story beat on a scale for how energetic/intense I felt the narrative was supporting.

A couple of notes before you judge my rankings:

This data is the very definition of subjective. if I redid this same exercise even the next day, I'm sure I would disagree with myself on certain rankings so you certainly don't have to agree with my rankings.

If a storybeat had a noticeable tonal shift, I entered it twice and included both rankings. If it just varied a bit, I entered a ranking more representative of the scene as a whole.

This won't be reflective of the time occupied by each story beat. Some sections are longer than others but with sustained energy so it doesn't translate in this visual representation how much of an impact on the overall tone of the episode any one of these are.

I also added a star at the end of each episode of my median scores. I feel that this was a better representation of the overall tone of each episode rather than an average but that's just my personal view on this teeny dataset. Please don't come for me analytics folks! This is just a post for funzies, not proper analysis!

So What?

The point was curious about is in the gap between eps 3 & 4. Everywhere else there's a pretty clear shift in the start and end of the energy but that gap looks like it was just a step that was missed in what could have been a continual episode.

Here are the runtimes of each episode so far:

USA: 56 min

USA: 72 Min

Jeju: 56 min

Jeju: 70 min

I don't have any conclusions about why it was done this way other than they felt the tonal break was the sacrifice for keeping the Omakase story line in tact. Which honestly, I agree. There would have been time to include the drive in the previous episode but it would have left us on an unfinished storybeat. This is one of the reasons that we never get footage of the members return trip from their travel shows. Bon Voyage ends every episode with the members remarking on the trip overall. Even though we know they have to return home, we don't see it because that would start to build energy for whatever they're doing next and not the story of their trip.

Even in ITS1 when the members do return home in the middle, we see them packing up and getting in the cars but the episode ends before they really start traveling. (Actually it ends before they even let Jin in the car so they're definitely not on their way yet!)

Commercials?

I have a question for anyone that's watching this with ads. I don't really watch streaming content so I'm curious, do the ad breaks just randomly occur? Or does it seem like they're intentionally scheduled? Building story breaks for commercials was a huge focus of legacy tv and I'd be interested to learn more about how streaming services are incorporating it (not enough to not have commercials though, I get insta-rage when the content I'm consuming is interrupted lol). I vaguely remember getting frustrated when I was attempting to watch something at my parent's over the holidays but I don't recall if it seemed structured or not.

That's it. That's all I've got to say right now. We're definitely getting a lot more to the story of this show and I'm absolutely loving it. I'm going to be away for a bit next week and I honestly don't know when I'll fit in watching episode 5 but I'm very much looking forward to it!

If you've seen this post and are interested in some more of my thoughts on Are You Sure, here's a link to my AYS MasterList. Still can't believe I've rambled so much about this show but it's been fun! Thanks to everyone that's been rambling with me!

[cynthia39100]

Merlin rewatch -- S2E11: The Witch's Quickening

I hope the writer didn’t make Arthur so flippant in this ep… one second he and Merlin bantered like usual and the next Arthur made everything Merlin's fault and he kept shouting. It's so unnecessary. Both of them forgot it the next second so no personality growth, and those aren't even comedic scenes.

At least made Merlin's mistakes more ostentatious so that Arthur's reaction was harsh but not unwarranted.

-- He blamed Merlin for not locking his chamber's door but when did any of the rooms were locked in Camelot? In Mordred’s 1st episode where Merlin actually stole his keys he didn't think of Merlin at all. Also shouldn't there be a guard for security?

-- Morgana said no one was in her room but maybe she just didn't notice because the intruders were good at it. Merlin could still be speaking the truth.

-- Maybe Gaius ' supposed 'informer' forgot to mention the direction of one crossroad, it was hardly Merlin's fault.

-- Making the weakest person (from Arthur's view) protect the crystal doesn't make any sense. If the writer wanted to make Merlin hold the crystal just let him nick it from Arthur. He did that all the time.

It's nice that Arthur covered for Merlin in front of Uther, though not enough to counter other awful scenes. Unlike other circumstances when Merlin got accused Arthur believed it was Merlin's mistake this time but was still willing to take the blame because he knew an angry Uther could do far worse than shouting at Merlin. (Less shouting would be better though) Merlin's little smile when he looked at that scene was beautiful. I guess another plus point for Arthur was that he didn't suspect Merlin steal the key when he believed Merlin was the only one who had access. But Arthur never really suspected the people he knew.

Also, Arthur's "You ever put me in that position (lying to Uther for Merlin’s crime) again…" hits hard. Oh Merlin.

[S2E11] [other episodes]

[xf-cases-solved]

S2E2: The Host 😔

Case: In what is an episode I have purposefully avoided rewatching for at least a decade—because it is DISGUSTING—we find ourselves off the coast of New Jersey, bc of course this hellscape of an episode takes place in fucking New Jersey. A Russian kid on a ship gets pulled into a septic tank (ew) by A Creature, and his body is discovered in a sewer (ew) a few days later. Skinner gives this case to Mulder, and Mulder is pissed about it, for which I don't blame him for a second bc it is, quite literally, shit work. (This does, however, lead to a very funny confrontation where Mulder throws a tantrum at Skinner, only to then discover he's currently in a meeting. I did lol at that, I'll admit.) 

Anyway, Mulder reluctantly continues with the case, secretly recruiting Scully on the side to do some autopsy(!!) work and to pick her brain for science, even though the bosses said they aren't allowed to sit next to each other in class anymore. The episode just gets worse and worse and fucking worse from there, when Scully discovers a flukeworm (ew) in the dead kid's body. More evidence continues to compile, soon making it clear that what they're dealing with is something much larger and much grosser than they could have ever anticipated. 

People keep walking around and getting covered in sewer water, making me want to scrub myself so clean all the skin comes off my body; a man coughs up a worm and it is Horrible; Deep Throat is gone, but it looks like he might have a successor (!!!); Mulder and Scully have a friend in the FBI, I wonder who it could be 🤔 (hint: he's bald); and Mulder briefly considers quitting, but somehow THIS fucking episode is the one that convinces him to stay. (Like, I get it, learning he has an ally in Skinner is all well and good or whatever, I GET IT, okay? But look. If my boss was claiming to be my ally and then forced me to chase after a giant man-eating sewer worm—requiring me to BE in the literal sewer in the process btw—I would quietly set my badge and gun down on my boss's desk, walk out the building, and get on the next flight to New Zealand. Fuuuuuuck that, and fuuuuuuck this episode.)

Does someone die in the cold open: Yes, and it is the worst way any person could possibly die.

Does Mulder present a slideshow: He no longer has anyone to present slideshows to. 😔

Does the evidence survive the investigation: If it did, they should fucking burn it.

Whodunit: ☹️ worm man ☹️

Convictions: Chris Carter, for the crime of writing this and then making it exist in the world where I had to watch it with my eyeballs and process its contents with my brain.

Did they solve it: Yes, I suppose they did, in the sense that they figured out what killed that guy, and had a semi-reasonable explanation for how the horrible monster worm was able to come to be. Whether or not the horrible monster worm is still out there being horrid and monstrous? Well, that part remains an X-File.

[how do i determine if a case is solved? check the scale here: x]

THIS EPISODE IS SPONSORED BY: Bleach. Pour it in your eyes and also over your whole entire body and forget any of this ever happened.

Oh, and also sponsored by this funny text I accidentally sent my sister:

***

General Total Stats:

(green means stat has changed since last ep; red means new stat added to list)

Total Cases *Definitively* Solved So Far: 13 (first solve of the season. unfortunate that it had to be this)

Total Number of "Mulder/Scully, It's Me": 6 (told you it starts to go up rly fast)

Total Number of Times Scully Has Conveniently Not Seen Something Crucial: 6

Total Number of Times Mulder Has Been in Mortal Danger: 8 

Total Number of Times Scully Has Been in Mortal Danger: 8

Total Number of Sexually Charged, Uncomfortably Intimate, and/or Flirty Moments Between Friendly Coworkers: 13 (nothing overt, but they did have a nice conversation together, and mulder said something to the effect of being able to work with scully was the only reason he could think to stay at the fbi at this point)

Total Number of Autopsies Scully Has Performed On Screen: 4 (and there was a worm in the body ☹️)

Total Number of Times Scully Plays Doctor: 2

Total Number of Times Mulder Talks to an Informant: 16 (i was too grossed out watching this to properly appreciate it, but X has entered the chat!!!!! my favorite informant!!! i will get into more detail as to why as we make our way through the season, but eep!) 

Total Number of Times People Making Out in a Car Are Hurt or Killed: 2

Total Number of Times Someone Correctly Guesses a Password: 3 

Total Number of Nosebleeds: 4

Total Number of Times Mulder Has Tasted/Sniffed/Touched Something Questionable Without Following Proper Safety Procedures: 3 (you know what? i'm upping this stat. why did he go to the sewer in a suit???)

Total Number of Times Someone Says "Trust No One": 3 

Total Number of Times Someone Says "I Want to Believe": 3

Total Number of Times Someone Says "The Truth is Out There": 2

Total Number of Cigarettes Cigarette Smoking Man Has Smoked: 8

Total Number of Maggie Scully Sightings: 1

Total Number of Lone Gunmen Sightings: 1

Total Number of Alex Krycek Sightings: 0 (but i can hear his slow approach...)

Total Number of Times I Had to Look Up What State the Episode Takes Place in Even Though I Literally Just Watched It: 9½ (of COURSE it's new jersey) 

Total Number of Times I Had to Look at an Episode's Wikipedia Page to Fill This Out Because It Was Fucking Confusing and/or Too Boring for Me to Pay Attention: 5 (unfortunately i paid attention to the whole thing ☹️)

[absolutebl]

Love your blog! Do you have any recs for people (me!) who liked: Tale of 1000 Stars, Unknown, Moonlight Chicken, Secret Crush on You, My Beautiful Man, Be My Favorite, Sing My Crush, and We Are (Cute), please? I disliked My Stand In, Love Sea, and Only Friends. I tend to like character driven instead of plot driven stories, and please, no silly misunderstandings or misguided noble morons who break up because a parent suggests it!

Do I detect... a challenge? *rubs hands together* we are playing my favorite game.

Okay, likes:

Tale of 1000 Stars

Unknown

Moonlight Chicken

Secret Crush on You

My Beautiful Man

Be My Favorite

Sing My Crush

We Are

I crossed out the ones that don't fit the trend (outliers) and congratz your wheelhouse is:

moody, atmospheric, angsty, tiny bit cerebral, bit gritty, higher production value, soft focus, lower heat levels but yearning, bit of domesticity, acting chops

Dislikes: My Stand In, Love Sea, Only Friends

Okay not too far into angst, no nasty characters, no dubious tropes or anti-heros, no mame, no high heat, university or older. CHECK! Got it.

Ready?

Right in your damn wheelhouse:

The 8th Sense

(20 points to whoever knew that would be my pull out the gate)

One of the longest BLs Korea has given us (like Blueming) and it feels more atmospheric gay coming of age romance than strictly BL. It’s got a bit of an age gap, country boy/city boy, stellar acting, complex characters, and leads with great chemistry and tension. It’s a bit chewy and sticky and less perfect than most KBLs (do I detect a touch of Taiwan?) This one deployed BL tropes (messy eater, shoulder sleep, protective seme, there’s even some hyung-slinging) but front loaded them with painful backstory and then a ton of angst to drive the 2nd half. This isn’t in the KBL bubble, there’s sharp edges and lots of triggers. For a BL the darkness of the content left me feeling unsettled (which is the only reason it didn't get a perfect score) but it does have a glorious ending and that counts for a lot.

I think you'd really love this one.

Trigger warnings - suicide, loss of a family member.

Blueming

It’s a tiny bit dark and a tiny bit bittersweet, almost too honest to a university experience and first love (for BL), but if you want your mind ever-so-slightly messed with and your intimacy hellishly sweet, this BL will do it for you in a coldly distant manner, while bitch slapping you with self worth issues. I wasn’t into it at first, but the leads are solid and by ep 5 it got really good, becoming a narrative about self discovery meets understanding and accepting others people’s flaws without hurting them. Ultimately, we witnessed two characters maturing because of each other and their mutual affection, without that affection becoming the conflict point. Instead, tension was built around other aspects of identity, popularity, and self-worth. While production values were a touch lower than usual for Korea, Blueming included decent kisses and beyond plus a satisfying ending and come judicious and very elegant use of tropes. It is, in the end, simply a great BL.

Also Bleuming paved the road for 8th Sense and other gritty KBL to follow.

Love For Love's Sake

Isekai-based KBL is about a man who must win a game by convincing a reserved teen outcast to fall in love with him. Of course, that teen represents himself and his own unhappiness. Like many queer narratives, this show is actually about self worth, trust, and found family, and it is VERY on the nose. But I don’t expect subtlety from my BL and I enjoyed it's truly lovely redemption arc and earnest performances. I personally found the narrative a touch disjointed with overworked filming angles and poorer than average captions, but the consistency of tone, script, and immersion is beyond the norm for BL. You will drown in this show and like it that way. The leads have fantastic chemistry and it's ultimately highly rewatchable and utterly charming, which counts for a lot.

Trigger warning - suicide.

Unintentional Love Story

OMG the plot! Uke forced into a totally understandable betrayal, falling in love despite himself, put into a corner he can't get out of, the AGONY, the PAIN in those gorgeous eyes. Gah. Okay, so: A boy loses his job due to trumped-up corruption charges accidentally discovers his ex-boss's favorite artist, now a recluse. Evil manager offers him his job back, if he can convince the artist to rejoin society. Instead, they fall in love. I found the artist a bit stiff and reserved but Gongchan (maknae of B1A4) is a fucking GIFT - he carried this show (which I do not expect from the idol element). He was luminous with extraordinarily expressive eyes, just drown in the emoting abyss. The external conflict, social tension and pressure is complex and beautifully executed, plus Korea gave us legit side dishes (NOT a love triangle, hally-fucking-luya).

My Personal Weatherman AKA Taikan Yoho

You mentioned My Beautiful Man so if you're feel like that energy, grown up, watch this. It's a style of live action yaoi really only works from Japan. Basically: boys who fell in love in college end up living together but both are so repressed they actually don't realize they're in love. It's higher heat than we usually get from Japan's HEA stuff, and that part is also very well done, but it leaned into the "why don't they just talk for fuck's sake?" trope which is only exacerbated into undiluted frustration by the fact that they're already fucking. However, that's angst for Japan. And you like angst. Honestly? It's great, but watching requires more patience than usual, even for Japan.

My Ride

Thai BL grew up with this pulp (the first ever to make my end of year top 10). It’s a truly lovely and special little show featuring the extremely rare pairing of sunshine/sunshine (AKA a cinnamon roll couple) plus mature explorations of relationships using one of the softest, sweetest and most innocent friends to lovers vehicles. Kindly, overworked doctor meets broken-hearted motorcycle taxi driver in an “other side of the tracks” slow burn romance. The support cast is excellent, making for great friendship groups and family dynamics. With honest queer rep that adds to, but doesn’t impede, the story, and genuine conversation about the nature of class, wealth, and classism, not to mention communication, honesty, and respect for boundaries, you can’t go wrong with this show. In other news, I am a sucker for a single dimple.

It won't have the production values you're used to but it is a great show.

A Breeze of Love

Tsundere insomniac grump reunited with his sunshine jock ex (human sleeping pill) who now hates him. Basketball is also involved. While the simplicity of a reunion plot makes this more cohesive than most KBLs, it is a tad stiff and slow, never managing to lift itself out of "pretty, angsty, and pretty enjoyable." I liked it more than I thought I would, and think about it more too. 

Jazz for Two

This was basically what I wanted from Given and didn’t get. So I’m pleased. A solid enemies to lovers BL, where the sins of brothers' past haunts the present. Great optics, decent chemistry, and a tidy script even if tsundere characterization went a bit extreme in some cases.

Trigger warning - suicide.

Like In The Movies AKA Gaya Sa Pelikula

Karl, a student living alone, runs short of funds and ends up becoming housemates with Vald an out and proud chaos gay. This leads Karl into an identity crisis and journey of self discovery. This kind of forced proximity trope is really common in BL, but what Gaya does is handle it in a messy honestly queer way. It includes Vlad’s attitude in response to Karl’s shaken behavior and the frustration many out queers feel. For that alone it has to be applauded.

DNA Says Love You

DNA deserves extra marks for an upbeat approach to a queer story arc that other shows have systemically mishandled with sadness (in the guise of realism). There is a twist, which I found predictable, but knowing what would happen didn't spoil this show. The leads are luminous and engaging, and it’s full of queer found family representation and an unexpected amount of domesticity, plus it’s Taiwan, so the kisses are great. The first few eps are rough going but PLEASE have patience, it's worth it I promise! The second half is really special and life/love affirming - and the end is big-grin charming.

My Tooth Your Love

Earnest dentist hottie with sad eyes who worries too much is smitten by an adorable sunshine neurotic bar owner with serious anxiety issues. They fall madly in love while courting each other with food, plushies, and naps. Then, shocker, talk about their feelings and try to actually sort out their problems so they can have an adult relationship. Bonus crumbs = 18 year old poor little rich kid in mad crush with a much older man. I really enjoyed this show, it had a unique premise, killer dialogue, there was a solid lead pair with charming chemistry, soft flirtation, delightful smiling kisses, and stinkingly cute domesticity. All that said, I wasn’t wild about some of the darker themes it explored, even though it did a good job with them. And while the sides were adorable, they were underused. In the land of May/December, baby boy kabedon is my kryptonite! Why so little of it? (Kabedon is My Kryptonite = also the name of my indie band’s first single.)

Trigger warning - parental abuse.

The Eclipse

GMMTV does gay Blacklist with a good boy/bad boy pairing. This is a good show but the cast is excellent and the leads are absolutely flawless, which elevates it beyond just good. We got a nuanced and multifaceted burgeoning relationship: philosophical (and socio-political) conflict contrasted to moments of empathy; flirtation contrasted to moments of genuine affection, plus plenty of angst. This narrative is less about love than it is about courage and tenderness. However, near the end the pacing was off and the plot frustrating. Still, this is an enjoyable watch, with a finale that features verbal consent and a fun blooper reel.

Never Let Me Go

Bodyguard romance where poor boy must watch over rich boy for family obligation reasons. Simple premise well executed with a few bumps that made it feel like it was trying to tackle too much (when it wasn’t). Still, an enjoyable show that benefited from being handed to PondPhuwin who did a stellar job with their roles and chemistry. Of GMMTV handing out new series to established pairs in 2023 this is one of the most successful IMHO. It's typically Thai in that it's a bit bloated and has a confusing plot, but at least it HAD a plot and the central relationship is solid and loyal. The Our Skyy 2 follow up is great too. And very much adds to the cannon in a fun way rather than feeling superfluous - making this show ultimately 14 eps rather than 12.

Some real oddball and sophisticated suggestions

Addicted (original)

When Chinese BL was good it was very dirty good and when it was bad it was censored. This is the model for that statement: rich kid falls madly for the genius poor kid in his class, starts an aggressive pursuit, includes kidnapping for love, obsession, stepbrother trope, plus some cheating. I love this BL because of what I could have been. Just stop watching it after The Sex Scene. Okay?

It might not be right in your wheelhouse but what even fans forget about is how stunning the atmosphere is with this show. I mean we can feel the cold and the grunge. When they living poor it's REAL poor. It's a super immersive show. Unforgettable.

Began Beginning

Childhood best friends must come to terms with their own identities and true feelings for each other when a new boy comes to town, putting them into conflict with their families and ultimately, each other. For the first half of this show there’s a lot of sitting across from each other and talking about life choices over yummy food and then going to tourist spots (mildly boring and not particularly important to the plot). It changed tone about 2/3 in to be way more of a coming out family drama about forced marriages and homophobia. And then at the very end it changed again, becoming a full on soap opera with kidnapping, crazy characterization shifts, and rescue missions. All in all? It was a wild raw creature to consume as a binge. No kisses since this is Myanmar, but a very romantic end, so I think maybe actually worth your time? I'm certainly glad I watched it.

Stay Still

What to say about this offering from Hong Kong? It’s different, a mix of early CBL, Taiwanese shorts, and Pinoy visuals. It felt like the story was 2 independent shorts that had been lengthen and then stuck together, and I wish they'd been approached as separate and tighter entities. Nevertheless, this was a complex little piece, interesting in a sweaty grungy way, with a certain aura of queer authenticity that made it simultaneously tense, unpredictable, and refreshing. I’m not sure I would necessarily call it BL, but any county’s early foray into the genre usually starts out this way, so perhaps nascent BL? Worth watching, especially if you enjoy stuff from the Philippines and Taiwan.

On the lighter end but probably still in your wheelhouse

I Cannot Reach You AKA Kimi ni wa Todokanai

Classic friends-to-lovers BL is everything Japan does best. Angsty. Emo. Aching. Driven by real thirst. Yamato is deeply in love with his childhood bestie, Kakeru, and has been for ages, unable to hide his ungainly damaging high school need. He wants Kakeru in every way possible and it oozes off of the screen. Kakeru is silly and a little simple, but not frenetic or overly camp about it. He is earnest, and genuinely wants to keep Yamato in his life which means giving a romance (and gayness) a fair chance. We watch him realize his affection and what form it can take in a truly authentic way. This show was impossibly kind to both of its lead characters and I felt almost honored that I got to watch something so lovely and rare play out on my screen.

To My Star

Hwang Da Seul directs this show about a neurotic actor (actual puppy) who takes refuge with a grumpy chef resulting in sparks, cooking lessons, and LOVE! It’s is a touch quirky to get into, but utterly charming once it hits its stride. This is the ultimate grumpy/sunshine pairing plus the most appealing light-filled kitchen of our dreams. I adore this show so much. Limited use of BL tropes makes this feel more of a sweet contemporary gay romance between an actor plagued by scandal and the grumpy chef who adopts him, but the gentleness will appeal to fans of the BL genre.

Old Fashion Cupcake

This show had me from the moment they broke the egg yolk with the chopsticks in the opening credits. It’s about a younger man with a long cherished crush on his boss (ten years older and going through a mid life crisis) who decides to save and seduce said boss with pancakes. It’s wholesome, comforting, sexy, and a very necessary narrative about still having hope, interests, and openness to affection at any age. It’s a stunningly filmed late-in-life comg of age/queerness story packaged in a subtle critique of expectations around masculinity, love, and loneliness... and it’s beautiful.

Cherry Magic (Thai remake) - this is my We Are & SCOY match pull

A soft charming warm hug of a show about crushes and mind reading and self worth that really worked for me. With no-fuss execution from a consummate team (at GMMTV) and an OG lead pair (proving why they remain eternal and deserve to grow up). Look, here’s the thing, Cherry Magic is a great Thai BL in its own right - not comparing it to any other iteration. But even when I do compare (and I've seen all the Cherries and read the manga) it stand strong. I, personally, like the Thai BL slightly better than the Japanese live action yaoi, but I think that’s because I just really enjoy Thai BL's style and I LOVE TayNew. Also all the kissing was both present and better in this version. As it should be from Thailand.

Make a Wish

A doctor who can see the dead strikes a bargain with a wish-granting irreverent tree angel - naturally they fall in love (from Sammon: Manner of Death & Triage). Stars Fluke Natouch opposite not Ohm, but who cares because Fluke has chemistry with everybody. Once again the Thai afterlife is incredibly bureaucratic but I enjoyed the premise and the unfolding of the story (it’s not predictable but still satisfying and with nice little twist). I like that the doctor is just gay AF - fag hag bestie and made of swagger. The cast is excellent but the comedic stylings are a bit overblown and tonally off. It has sad parts and did make me cry but is ultimately happy with a great sex scene, good smiley kisses, and all the agency.

I thought about it but I'm not sure

still you can put these on your "maybe" list

Until We Meet Again

I Feel You Linger in the Air

La Pluie

Restart After Come Back Home

His the movie

Life: Love on the Line

Perfect Propose

Tokyo in April is

Love is Better the Second Time Around

Ocean Likes Me

My Only 12%

After Sundown

I Told Sunset About You

These might be a bit too cerebral, dark, and/or plot-heavy for you. But are worth it if you feel in the mood for something very chewy.

Currently airing

It's set in high school but it scratches the Unknown itch:

The On1y One

Sirs not appearing on this list but if you follow my blog and ask me for tips it's kind of required watching:

Seven Days.

Because everyone should watch it no matter what your taste. So there.

(source)

[junosmindpalace]

hi! i've been rewatching a few tdliosk eps every once in a while and i kinda missed kusuo 😩 and since it's christmas season i was wondering if u could write a saiki x fem reader one-shot in reference to season 1 ep 16 where saiki dresses up as santa and distributes presents to the kids in their neighborhood? so uhm when he was about to go home, he sees reader walking in the street (she lives nearby) also dressed up as santa for some reason lol. saiki and her are friends to say the least but there's an unspoken mutual pining stuff going on between them. saiki walks her home then she suddenly sees a mistletoe on one of the houses... reader froze and blushes hard and saiki got confused so he read her mind and he was like oh... he's hesitating on whether he'll kiss her or not but much to his surprise reader makes the first move 😆 tysm and pls take ur time! ❤

hi there! Thank you so much for your request! I couldn’t resist writing one of my more recent requests especially with the holiday theme…i hope you enjoy!

ps., dialogue in italics are kusuos inner thoughts/talking via telepathy!

warnings: angst? maybe? if you squint?

wc: 1.4k

The last person Saiki wanted to see today was you. 

It was already a pain going door to door dealing with all the brats in his neighborhood, but suddenly it was a hundred times more embarrassing when you were nervously eyeing his Santa get-up in confusion. 

But something that sort of lessened his dread upon running into you was that you too were also wearing a costume like his.

Saiki had spent his entire evening playing this Santa delivering presents to the children in his neighborhood, courtesy of his parents. He flew around the sky with a sack full of presents, just like the real deal. He’s dealt with all sorts of headaches tonight- a scared child, a non-believer, and a family conflict, to name a few. By the time his sack was empty, Kusuo was exhausted and ready to head home, opting to simply walk with his empty bag instead of teleporting as he didn’t live far. He regrets this decision immediately, however, when he runs into you. Which leads him to the dilemma he’s put himself in right now. 

“Oh no…of course I'd run into Y/N at this very moment. Why didn’t I just teleport home as soon as I finished?”

Just like with the rest of his friends, Saiki found you a nuisance, someone who interfered with his ability to lead a “normal” and peaceful life, but for a different reason than the rest of his peers. The two of you had been friends for a long time, longer than any of his current ones, but your relationship has felt different recently, and it’s been stressing Saiki out. 

As of late, Saiki has taken notice of some new uncomfortable feelings that only arise around you. Tightness in his chest, a weird sensation in his stomach. He doesn’t get sick, so obviously these symptoms alarm Kusuo. What was even more alarming was the fact that they were recurring, and most alarming of all, they were only recurrent around you. 

He’d been trying to avoid the most dreadful conclusion for these feelings ever since he noted that they only arose around you. He’s heard the signs a million times thanks to his love-crazed classmates. Clammy hands, he’s got it. A burning feeling in his chest? A blazing feeling, even. It brought him a sense of horror unlike any other, but after being unable to rid himself of his troublesome feelings, he’d come to the conclusion that yes, he, of all people, has a crush. Even worse, it was a crush on one of the only tolerable people in his life.

Maybe this conclusion wasn’t all that shocking, but it certainly didn’t make Kusuo feel any good. He’d been friends with you for years, spending all that time getting to know you and growing comfortable with you, and now suddenly he feels something more than friendship? Him of all people, the psychic who thought that it was his very nature not to be romantically involved with anyone? It turned his view of himself upside down. 

Saiki reached this conclusion not too long ago, and he’s still trying to figure out what to do with it. What was even worse about the ordeal was that your thoughts, as of late, have also been worrisome, seemingly more eager than usual to be around Saiki and questioning yourself whenever you caught yourself thinking of him in a not-so-just-friends kind of way. He's been trying his best to avoid you until he can figure out how to dispose of these feelings without them growing and without you catching on, as it seemed that they only intensified each time he saw you, and that wasn’t something he wanted.

Yet here you were, and for some reason, you were also in a Santa getup like Kusuo.

And after recovering from your initial moment of shock, you spoke out into the quiet, frigid atomosphere.  “Kusuo? Is that you?”

-

As you lived near Kusuo, the two of you accompanied each other on your walks home. You both removed your beards and hats to see and talk to each other properly, and you anxiously explained to Saiki the reasoning behind your getup after he explained his own, flustered that he caught you at such an embarrassing time. 

“Well, my work required me to wear something festive, and I got stuck with Santa out of all our costumes. I would have preferred an elf or even a snowman over Santa. I’ve been sweating all day.” You laughed nervously as you held your gaze to the ground and your beard up in defeat. But then you let your arm drop to its side and you turned toward him with a small smile. 

“I think it’s nice what you did, even if your parents coaxed you into it. Not many people would step up like you did tonight.”

Saiki stared at you exasperatedly. Usually Saiki doesn’t care for any sort of praise he receives, and he really (and I mean truly), doesn’t mean to brag, but he usually receives a lot. He doesn’t think much of it, but something about it coming from you makes him reflect, which pained him. He hates the effect you have on him, which is why he’s been trying to stay away. But somehow, he always keeps finding his way back to you, and you to him. He has to deal with a lot of irritating people on a daily basis, but you were his ultimate headache. Just how was he about to go about this new development in your relationship? It made him uneasy to think that things would have to change between you two, that things were already changing. Was it because he let you so close to him that he developed these feelings for you? That he’s gotten so vulnerable, so much more anxious and scared? Was he right about relationships in general being nothing but an inconvenience? 

Your house came before his, and out of respect, Kusuo walked you to your doorstep, deep in almost dark thought about his feelings. You didn’t mind Kusuo being quiet, and for the most part, your dynamic has usually consisted of you being the more talkative one. Besides, you were both exhausted from your eventful evenings. What you didn’t expect was for Saiki to follow behind you as you climbed up the steps to your porch. When you turned around behind you, your eyes widened in alarm.

“Oh no, Saiki, it’s okay, you don’t need to-!”

By the time he stopped in his tracks, your warning was futile. Saiki stared in confusion over your panicked face, your eyes carrying a sort of frenzied look in them. “What? What’s with the sudden dismissal? I only-”

And suddenly his own eyes widened in panic as he realized his error, his miscalculation. He’s beating himself up for not being more cautious, especially during this time of year. How could he be so careless?

Kusuo slowly turned his head up, almost in fear, to get a better view of the mistletoe that hung above the two of you. 

“My family thought…it would be sweet…”

Saiki stared in horror with his mouth open at the plant before quickly turning his attention back to you. What was he supposed to do? He wasn’t entitled to kissing you, he could obviously refuse. But his stomach churned. Did he really want to be turned down? The thought, even if it cropped up for a second, made him want to slap himself and hurl. 

The two of you stared at each other nervously in silence for a couple of moments before you suddenly took a deep breath. Saiki’s eyes widened even further. “Are they seriously going to kiss me? I didn’t think they’d have the courage to make a move like that. Their thoughts never indicated-”

Warm lips met his cheek for the swiftest moment before only a tingling sensation lingered. It had happened so quick it left him feeling dazed from being pulled out so suddenly from his thoughts. His surprised gaze still firmly held your nervous one, and silence fell between the two of you for a brief moment. 

“Thank you for walking me home. Merry Christmas, Saiki.” You quickly sputtered out these final words before turning on your heel and quickly heading inside, thankful that the door was left unlocked by one of your family members like you had asked earlier that evening. 

Saiki couldn’t help but linger at the porch for a few seconds, staring at the closed door before slowly turning around and continuing the path toward his house.

There was good reason for him to want to avoid you, especially tonight. When he got home and headed into the kitchen to greet his mother, she commented absentmindedly on the deep rose that settled into his face from the cold, and talked to no one in particular about how wonderful and joyous the Christmas season was.

wishing you all a happy and healthy 2023!! thank you for all the support i’ve received this past year <3

[tinarannosaurus]

just got caught up with bob's burgers, and so far I'm enjoying season 14 much more than I expected to!

not to say I went into these new episodes assuming I wouldn't like them, but certainly the past few seasons (10–12 for sure) have fallen into a rut where like, there's a handful of episodes that are pretty solid, there's one or two that annoy me enough to skip over on any rewatch, and the majority are deeply neutral. the plots are just okay, the jokes are a little lacking, but the fundamental dynamics are still there, and I like those enough that bob's remains one of my go-to shows to have on in the background, even if I don't feel inspired or compelled enough to engage with the show the way I used to

but season 14 has been an unexpected departure (and actually, I think the back half of 13 as well) — it's funny, because I don't actually think the show is as funny as it used to be, but they're taking bigger swings with the plots in a way that's very rewarding to watch! I don't mind that there are fewer jokes, because I'm invested in the more emotional turns the show is taking

like—holy shit, "the amazing rudy"? a standout from start to finish. and I think a great example of what this season is doing in terms of its emotional arcs, and what I'm glad it's leaning into

I've felt very neutral toward bob's the past couple years, because it's felt so staid. there's an accepted level of consistency that bob's or any other animated sitcom maintains, and I get that, but I think the show really really struggled in its recent seasons with honoring that consistency, roughly maintaining the status quo, while also creating plots that were—and this sounds bad to say—but, plots that were interesting. there were a lot of low stakes, anticlimactic resolutions, unexciting premises—situations where there's not a lot of room for the writing to go, and not a lot for the characters to play off

but what I think this latest season is doing so well is leaning into its history, taking advantage of all the episodes of relationships and interactions and story they've developed to create setups that really fucking land! "the amazing rudy" is a phenomenal episode, but would it have hit as well in season 4 or 5, when we've only met rudy a handful of times? maybe, but I think it's so much more rewarding as this late series entry, when it can pay off all the previous mentions of rudy's home life, his relationship with his dad, his relationship with his—until this ep—unseen mom, his hobbies, his anxieties, his friendship with louise, the role the belchers play in his life—it's so good!!

this season is a couple eps shorter from the strike, but really hoping that the rest of the 14 and what's to come in 15 follows the trend, because it feels like the show is finally starting to figure out its voice and its footing again

[stitching-in-time]

Voyager rewatch s2 ep22: Innocence

I remember most of this episode, especially how dumb the twist at the end was, but it had so much good stuff for Tuvok, I can kind of forgive it.

I forgot that a redshirt got killed off in this one, they really are dropping like flies this season! That brings this season's grand total to six so far, and the season isn't over yet! I remember at the beginning of the season they specifically mentioned Voyager having 154 crew on board, and now they should be down to 148. Idk how they're gonna have anybody left at this rate- I'm interested to see what the final numbers end up being, and if they fudge the numbers later.

The main point of this episode, though, was getting to see Tuvok be a good space dad, and he was. The three kids he rescued were thankfully pretty cute and non-annoying, so it was a lot of fun to watch Tuvok wrangle them. (With only slightly more exasperation than he wrangles the Voyager crew with, lol.) It was wonderful to get a Tuvok focused episode that actually focused on him as a person, rather than as a prop for evil mind takeover nonsense like they gave him last time. Vulcan philosophy requires detachment and controlled responses to everything, but when Tuvok gets to take care of people, like he does for these three marooned children, and for the dying ensign at the beginning, we get to see what a deeply caring person he actually is underneath. Whenever he talks about his family back home, he has so much love for them, and it's a poignant reminder that Tuvok, of all the main characters, has lost the most by being marooned out in the Delta Quadrant, but he also has the most reason to keep fighting to get back home to them.

I honestly don't think Tim Russ gets enough credit for how diffiicult a role he had to play as a Vulcan, who isn't supposed to show emotion, and yet he managed to convey Tuvok's whole personality, and the emotional life he keeps hidden underneath, with the smallest, subtlest gestures. He gives a truly masterful performance each and every episode, and he's so good you almost don't notice, except in episodes like this. I almost cried when Tuvok sang the song he used to sing to his kids. I've said it before, and I'll say it again: Tuvok is the good space dad we all deserve.

I really wish they'd have come up with a better explanation at the end than the ridiculous 'these aliens age backward!' nonsense they had. Literally any other explanation to make it more plausible would have helped, because even as a kid, I was sitting there trying to think of how reverse-aging could even work, which took away from the emotional impact of the story. (Also, if they reverse age, the people on the planet would be referring to them as 'elders' not 'children'- but nobody apparently thought very hard about this one, so I wont either!) In the end, though the dumb ending lowers my estimation of the story itself, I'm still appreciative of the character scenes this ep gave us with Tuvok.

Tl;dr: A great character piece for Tuvok, despite a weak plot.

[dangermousie]

Farscape rewatch: Look at the Princess Part 2, 2x12

I just love this shot of Crichton:

Farscape summed up:

This ep has one of my favorite scenes: Crichton in space, out-crazing Scorpius, and rescuing himself through sheer insanity. He goes full-on unhinged, using the fact that yes, he is willing to die rather than submit, than be tortured and experimented on.

He takes this and runs with it...and it’s probably the most unhinged we’ve seen him so far tho not as unhinged as he’s going to get and just...

The whole scene is miles more unhinged than my few caps can do it justice but also, only Farscape can get away with rotating between dark despair and pure unhinged hilarity at the speed of light - I mean here is John forcing Braca’s gun towards his right hand yelling “kill my sex life!” UMMM god this show!

PS They are literally gonna have this as ep title later.

Also, yet another instance where dark humor is his lifeline and coping/defense  mechanism. He never loses it, this is how he keeps semi-sane.

This is the first time he hears the chip, isn’t it? That scene is amazing, and heroic, and all sorts of heart-breaking. Because it saves him now but also this is a small appetizer of what it will be like for John to have the voice of his torturer control him, to remove volition. Crichton’s will is extreme, can-move-mountains kind of quality and the chip will strip it from him, just as it will force him to go against all his instincts and feelings and it’s going to be a horror.

Of course, what Scorpius, who has notably recognized John as another individual by now, even if that recognition is in shape of wanting to triumph over him, it’s still a step up from ‘lab rat’ view of the rest of the world, what Scorpius isn’t reckoning with, yet, that Crichton would rather die, literally, than surrender himself, so he better find some other lever, because threatening his life would never work. He eventually does, in s4, Aeryn, and I always found it telling that Grayza, overall nowhere near as brilliant as Scorpius, figures that lever out faster because Scorpius is hampered by his considering any genuine emotion as not worthy of consideration.

But yeah, this really does put Crichton through a ringer and I really love that his falling apart does not make him weak, it makes him human and makes any triumph all the more worthy.

I find myself both understanding Aeryn in this ep, and being very frustrated by her. She wants all these things from Crichton, but she won’t give an inch, or a hint, or a hope in return. The only reason this marriage bugs her is because she loves him because from every other vantage point, it’s a good good thing, and it’s not as if she is from species which believes you can’t marry without romantic love. And Crichton can fight even when broken, as he proves over and over, but he needs something to fight for and now he doesn’t have anything and she is not willing to provide it. The scene where he wants something - some hint that she will return his feelings and she can’t give it to him due to her own demons gets me. He is at a low point and he has nothing to cling to and she can’t give him that something because she herself is not sure she can survive giving any piece of her heart away.

I do love her ‘diplomacy’ with Katralla and Jenovia:

And the awesome putdown line to Casanova guy of ‘it’s not you, it’s me. I don’t like you.’ Heh.

But she didn’t even show up at the wedding. Oh Aeryn. So brave in battle, so good at running away emotionally. And D’Argo is being an awesome friend in this one - willing to back up John in whatever,no agendas (unlike Rygel and Aeryn, tho those two have them for different reasons) and his ‘good news/bad news’ cracks is one of my fave things ever but also really does leave John on a happy note going into a crazy situation:

and John bitchslapping Prince Clavor and the story with Zhaan and Moya and Pilot that makes me cry in the sheer defenseless peace and resignation of the ship and pilot and righteous rage of Zhaan.

In conclusion. Yeah, it’s Farscape all right.

[dorizardthewizard]

Galactik Football season 3 rewatch, eps 25 - 26

The final let's go!

Episode 25:

Mei has a plushy awwww

Announcer: And now, here are Callie, Nork and Barry! Artegor: And Artegor ☝.

LOL he says it so calmly. The disrespect tho

Sonny: Still looking for the multi-flux bomb. Clamp: Let's just hope they find it in time. Otherwise Akillian will share the same fate as the Shadows planet in the last GFC. And the Breath could disappear, definitely not what we need right now

Yes Clamp, the Breath disappearing is the main concern if there is a big explosion on your planet

Remind me again why Sonny and the gang don't run over to Akillian to find the bomb? Or why no one alerts Akillian authorities at all? Shouldn't we get SOMEONE other than Aarch and Norata to look for it?

Aww Tia getting Mark to open up, she's such a good captain and friend to everyone <3 She's come far from her more distant self at the very beginning

Mark: Thanks Tia, maybe you're right. It must be my imagination!

Mark how on earth did you come to that conclusion from what Tia just said

So on Sinedd's integration in the team...

While everyone else, even D'jok, seem to have accepted Sinedd back well enough, Mice still hates him and literally gags at the idea of him being on the team. I kind of wish his objection was taken more seriously in the writing – the narrative acts as if D'jok is the main person that has to settle his scores with Sinedd, but forgets that Micro-Ice was Sinedd's main target for years, and according to that flashback, they used to be a trio (although from the flashback you could also say Sinedd didn't care for him back then either lol). His reaction is pretty understandable and although he should still be keeping it professional, they shouldn't really expect him to forgive him. That dynamic could have been interesting, but we never get a confrontation or any closure between the two because Micro-Ice as a character is just there to be laughed at this season.

When Maya calls D'jok she kind of makes it sound like they should accept Sinedd because he's had it hard, which I'm not a huge fan of. First of all because in this season they had her act more as a guardian to Sinedd than D'jok, who also lost himself down the wrong path for a while there, but also because I think the reasoning for accepting him should be that he has swallowed his pride and is genuinely trying to be a better person. Otherwise it sounds a bit like “having a sob story is a justification for acting out”. I know that wasn't the intention, but still, it's in the details.

But Maya is right that D'jok and Sinedd are parallels of each other. Both grew up without their biological parents, both are extremely competitive and put huge importance on their ambitions and success, both are prone to lashing out at others when distressed. But D'jok was luckier and had an adoptive mother, and ended up with good friends who could keep him in check. They turned out differently due to different upbringing but both made mistakes and hurt others – D'jok knows this so is more humble and doesn't give Sinedd a hard time. Sinedd also saved his life, so there's that too.

Rocket: Even if D'jok and Sinedd are rivals, they're still like brothers.

UMMMMMMMMM that's taking it too far. Sinedd running off to the Shadows wasn't what put them against each other, neither was the fact he dated Mei. He was already being unpleasant all the time in season 1 and it was implied it has been that way for a long time. D'jok didn't show any regret or whatever in season 1 - he had no problem responding to Sinedd's provocations with taunts about him not having friends LOL. If they were like brothers, it was way too long ago for Rocket to be making that comment

When bro grabs your wrist instead of giving you a normal handshake #nohomo

Anyway I like this convo between D'jok and Sinedd and how it ends, for all the reasons that they're parallels as I mentioned above. But the first few lines are a bit funny because D'jok actually HASN'T been fighting him lately, it sounds as if they're making up after fighting about Mei but that's... not really what's been happening? But moving on, this is functionally an apology from Sinedd, but again he should apologise to Mice too.

Also with Sinedd saying he wants to be a good person now so his family can be proud of him... ehhhh I still think his development should have started earlier. His whole problem was that his response to growing up without family was to put others down – so the solution is to... give him a family so he'll stop doing that? I'm simplifying it but I just think it would be more impactful if he tried to turn things around before meeting his actual parents. Sure, they can still be a motivation and encourage him, but yeah.

I mean it still works with him finding his parents, realising that love and affection was all he wanted and that he was wrong to take it out on others... but at least bring the parents in earlier in the season because as it is, it's just too rushed. Honestly you could just get rid of the fake parents storyline – it was done so we can see Sinedd at his low point, but you could already have him like that after the events of season 2. It would feel like a natural continuation and you can bring the real parents in earlier.

Last note: MAN does the voice acting suck here lol

SDJHSDFHJSDF AARCH AND NORATA ON THE SNOWMOBILE I LOVE OLDER MEN ACTION

Norata, watching Rocket use the jet ski is not the same as knowing how to use the jet ski. Wait why does Aarch call it a jet ski, it's a snowmobile. A jet ski is on water lmao – his mind is still in Paradisia. I get it, Aarch, I get it

Aw Dame Simbai stepping in to do the speech giving now that Aarch is gone, it's nice to see how much she cares about this team succeeding too. But a bit hyperbolic to say this is the most important match of their lives, as opposed to the other finals :P

Technoid's security is on maximum alert? So barely functioning then

Nikki-4's voice is so surly I love it lol

I was complaining about Aarch leaving the team but him getting to have galaxy-saving shenanigans with Norata? Iconic actually

Aarch: Holy ice age!

Ah so there's our expletive stand-in

Damn that was an intense face-off, Nikki-4 is so strong

Tia earlier this episode: Don't worry Mark you won't have to face off against Nina -> FAST FORWARD OOPS

GO MARK!

Why is there a cloud of dust every time someone gets thrown to the floor, do y'all not clean it

Why is confetti already flying? Must be reused footage.

Tia telling Ahito to pay attention but this goal? That didn't happen because he woke up too late lol, defence should have been helping more

Ayo why do other goalies not have protective gloves like Ahito? I guess most aliens can take it

In hindsight they should have really predicted there would be some sort of security around the bomb

I just wanna showcase this comment and all it implies:

Episode 26:

Oooo Aarch and Norata are using the Breath to fight this robot, I wonder if this will have consequences. Perhaps they would have shown it in season 4?

Yaaay Micro-Ice with the sick dribbling!

SDFJKDFSJK THEY'RE JUST CHILLING THERE LIKE THEY'RE IN A LOONEY TUNES CARTOON

Aarch pressing the big red button before Norata that's SUCH a sibling moment, reminds me of when my brother and I would fight to push the button for the lift

The players have been using the flux more externally lately, like shooting it at the ball instead of just using it to power themselves up. I feel like this has been happening more since the Paradisia final where they had to use flux to evacuate the planet, which makes sense

Bennett: Someone has activated the bomb, it's going to explode any second! Sonny: Did you hear him? Get out of there, now! Aarch: We're not going anywhere! Meanwhile, Norata: 🏃‍♂️💨💨💨

Honestly what a comedic duo I'm enjoying this

The solution is to just yeet the bomb into space ahhahahahha I know the Breath makes them strong, but THAT strong?

It's so funny how due to losing the Breath, Sinedd is just free-falling for like 100m but it cuts away to show the other players losing their flux LOL. RIP Sinedd, what a way to go.

Kind of interesting that compared to the Shadows last season, who physically didn't seem affected by the loss of flux (they just suddenly sucked at football. love that match), the Akillians are immediately drained physically and wiping out.

Wait..... being tired out.......... is Ahito gonna restore their flux because he's been storing it inside him?

Omg yes he is

Woahh!! He not only drew the Breath back to the Snow Kids, but pulled in so much it manifested in all flux holders around him! Ahito so powerful they had to nerf him with the narcolepsy

Sonja has the Breath! Wait so even before the glaciation and the ban on flux, only certain people could manifest it? Interesting

Maybe one day Sonny can just watch his son play in the GFC final without having to save the galaxy at the exact same time, but until then it's business as usual

Is it just me or does the Breath look like a deeper shade of blue sometimes in this season

Artegor: And he passes to Tia, who takes flight!

Yeaaaaahhh angel Tia imagery again

Y'know considering how much time D'jok spent with team Paradisia I feel like they should have had more moments of rivalry in this match but hey ho

I know it's just animation reuse but Sinedd scoring the final goal with the exact same move D'jok scored his first epic goal with is pretty poetic. And of course Sinedd generally being the one to score that point (but still, couldn't we get some new animation for the winning goal?)

The way they animate Harris really looks like they wanted him to be like the Joker

Mark jumping up to save Nina from falling – oh so NOW falling from a great height can kill them! Honestly there have probably been fatalities in this sport

Awww Tia getting them to all hold the cup, that's so sweet. I love her

Iconic last shot, I'm not crying you're crying ;v;

Yes one last Mice delight advert is exactly what this season needed in its finale /s

So looks like Mei and Sinedd are going ahead as a couple

They really settled the Team Paradisia stuff with one sentence about them being taken care of by Chief Maddox huh. I suppose they were gonna put the Mark x Nina resolution in season 4? Idk, Team Paradisia deserved better

So Aarch is back to coaching, but for Club Galactik right? Makes sense, he still wants the job but this will be less intensive and will allow him more time to settle down with Adim and their future child. The Snow Kids will be just fine on their own. Well, when it comes to football anyway. Can't make any promises about Pirate-related adventures :P

Aaaaaand there it is... ok I always knew this was coming even when I watched the show for the first time, but it must have been so insane to watch back when it first aired. Like, everything is calmly wrapping up and then SUDDENLY the holo-trainer goes weird and the kids disappear with Mei and Micro-Ice. We linger on this for a few seconds aaaaaand.... THAT'S IT! END OF SEASON! I would have gone apeshit too

This is like a transporter malfunction from Star Trek lol, although I'm wondering how that can even happen, like does the holo-trainer actually teleport people then? Anyway I honestly don't care THAT much about the ending if I'm honest, like I get that it was a last ditch effort to get the show renewed as the higher ups obviously didn't have much faith in it with that budget slash, so I can easily just pretend those last few seconds didn't happen and it ended with the Snow Kids happily going into the holo-trainer to help teach the next generation. It's not great, but it doesn't really ruin the season for me

Soooooooooo uuuuuuhhhh.... that was it! Yeeeah I'm not a huge fan of this season, but I don't hate it with a burning passion. Except at certain points. As a whole it's more,, disappointment for what could have been. I think I'm glad we have it, because it really is jam packed with interesting concepts and I think if the writing were better, it genuinely could have been the best season. The previous seasons certainly aren't ATLA-levels of writing either but the main emotional beats worked well, whereas here it's a lot more all over the place.

Generally I feel like the team behind this season had the ambition and the vision, I mean we have Sinedd redeeming himself, a multi-flux tournament, a non-Akillian joining the team, players leaving for other teams, Aarch deciding to retire and the Snow Kids being experienced and mature enough to handle that, a "main" couple not staying together since they were teenagers... all interesting things! It's not a soulless production that doesn't try to change the status quo, but I think they just didn't manage to pull it together. There was a LOT going on with a lot of characters but ultimately there wasn't enough time for the development to feel natural and stick.

Outside of that, some characters were flanderised, yeah. Looking at you, Micro-Ice. Wait, they never even finished that plotline about him, Yuki and Zo-leen! Wtf! On the other hand, I was pleasantly surprised at how some characters were handled, like Mei. It would have been so easy to villainise her but they treated her with respect, which was cool. As for the other Snow Kids, a lot of it was just romance drama shoehorned in, which gets boring when the supporting cast don't have anything else going on.

Production-wise, they did the best with the budget they got but yeah it does suck because the matches with all the cool moves were one of the selling points of the series. But here most of the games just felt like "A, B and C needs to happen, and for the rest let's just throw in some filler moves". Direction is not just down to the animation itself - types of shots, camera movement, transitions, music... all these little details were lacking so the matches ended up being kinda bland in comparison to the previous seasons. There were some creative additions though, like the Elektra's flux.

I think I've already expressed my thoughts on everything else during the commentaries, so yeah it's been fun! Hope they've been fun to read ^^

[trans-buckleyy]

"#I just think Eddie and Buck want something completely different from a relationship" i think i agree with you on this (still trying to parse my thoughts) but i was wondering if you'd mind elaborating? i'm curious about your thoughts!

give me a couple days to go back and rewatch some eps and I might be able to get back to you with a proper answer lol - so have this thing which is basically me chucking thoughts at a wall and seeing what sticks (BEFORE ANYONE KILLS ME THIS IS ALL PERSONAL INTERPRETATION - plus im human and get stuff wrong sometimes)

I think Eddie's looking for a taste of normality really, someone who provides that "mother" figure for Christopher (which, how healthy or needed that is is debatable). None of his relationships have been with first responders and tbh I think he would feel worse if he let Chris get attached to someone as a parental figure and they also put themselves in danger all the time (doesn't apply in the same way to Buck currently because even though he's so close to Chris, he's very obviously not a mother figure, plus they're coworkers so it's a whole other added dynamic). To be clear what Eddie wants may not actually be healthy but that doesn't change the fact that it's what he's looking for in a relationship. A lot of other people have said this but he doesn't really actively look for a romantic relationship for the most part, he's very much a 'hope it clicks' type of person (which is funny considering his views on fate). He doesn't really seem the type to want to work for a relationship, which is quite impractical with being a first responder. Tbh my personal head canon is that he's somewhere on the aromantic spectrum but that's just me.

Buck is very much the opposite, he might not communicate well all the time - which they're working on this time - but he's been actively seeking out a romantic relationship from s1. Imo he's had to work for all of them (partly because of his awful luck when it comes to dates), he wants someone who's going to put in just as much effort to the relationship as he is. Hello, abandonment issues. Eddie puts effort into his friendships but it's a question of whether that would translate into any of his romantic relationships, the only LI he's had so far that he was friends with before was Shannon and there was a lot going on there. (None of this is me attacking Eddie nor is it meant to sound that way). I think Buck also prefers someone a little more emotionally mature than he is, not in a bad way, he just needs someone who is also willing to have the hard conversations and not hide things from him (Eddie and Buck are both repressed as hell, but this season's SLs are exploring that).

[risingshards]

Blegh okay I thought about it and after rewatching some eps and reading this again, I kinda like my rambling thoughts on acolyte ep 6 so here goes

Preface: I'm a very very VERY easy to please sw fan and I don't like ragging on shows or movies or whatever this way much these days if I can avoid it with how internet fandom is, like especially with this show with all the hatred and vitriol it's gotten from the incels.

And I've been enjoying the show a ton so far, and ep 6 wasn't bad...just. blech. I have critiques.

TLDR: I was excited for a big thriller mystery in the High Republic era told with a queer lens, and instead I feel like I'm getting a Goodreads review of a scrubbed Reylo fic listing the tropes.

spoilers and me bitching after cut lol

I'm just like why is it reylo now????????

I figured with the mentor swap we'd be heading to Osha turning to the dark side and maybe Mae to the light, but the way it's being put out there feels lacking. Osha is turning so quickly that it felt like i was reading some enemies to lovers romantasy for my book club (at least it hasn't been as awful as the colonizer romance they had me read but that is a LOW bar to clear....). Like a lot of the romantasy books I've read, it feels like setup and taking time to build meaningful connections between characters is ignored for like "oh wow he took his shirt off...he's so jacked....what was i talking about again..." I saw a video with the audio descriptions for the ep and it literally sounded like a romantasy audiobook.

And to note: if you love the enemies to lovers romantasy booktok books, like more power to ya! For me it's like when you stare at one of those magic pictures and you can't get your eyes to cross to see the picture, like "I do NOT understand what I'm supposed to see here."

Str8 enemies to lovers just kind of blech me out, where the evil one commits various atrocities that make me want to see them get what's coming to them, and then minutes later the good one is like "whoa he's hot maybe he's not so bad..."

Osha being so Jedi-like in personality only to immediately falter at a hot naked dude just feels gross. Like can't we have any other reasons for women in Star Wars to get tempted to the dark side than a shirtless man gaslighting them? Probably unsurprisingly but I REALLY did not like Reylo (I was in a very bad relationship and I kinda put the headcanon onto TLJ about it being an escape from an abuser because it came out right after I got away from that, so that going any other way did not vibe right with me) so maybe it's just residual feelings from that.

Again more power to you if this is your thing I'm not coming at anyone for enjoying it!

I think another thing that's making me uncomfortable is seeing interviews with Hedlund about Qimir about his desire for freedom against those who want him gone being relatable in a queer sense, and like I get that, I feel that. But if that's the character with the metaphorical queer experience why are we doing mega straight reylo 2 with him? And that guy brutally kills one of the queer girls and calls her it immediately after??? It doesn't help that the show started off feeling really queer, and now like 80% of the queer characters are dead and we're doing reylo 2. The "oh fuck yeah REYLOOOO" interviews I've read this week are NOT reassuring in this regard.

There's just something my pea brain doesn't get when it comes to stories with more shades of gray in series that are typically pretty black and white with morality. When a character crosses that threshold so far into villainy, I want to see them face some blow back for it, not immediately start going all "uwu they're torn and hurt aren't they?" about it. In Star Wars generally speaking I want the antagonist to BE the antagonist, not get thrown into this space between protagonist and antagonist that just has me all crossed up. I know there are plenty of redemptions in Star Wars for the villains, but I like it better when it's more mythical about the hardships of trying to save a villain's soul like Luke and Vader than "the lightsaber represents kylo's dick" reylo stuff.

I get that like the morality is probably supposed to be muddled in this show, and we're not supposed to feel good about Osha and Qimir getting closer smash cutting to Jecki's fresh corpse, but again, the execution feels messy when you have the gleeful "OH YEAH WE'RE DOING ENEMIES TO LOVERS BABY REYLO SLAYYYYYYY" interviews. Again I'm a VERY easy to please sw fan, and I've been really enjoying seeing the High Republic era in live action, seeing cortosis and wild lightsaber duels, all the expanded universe pulls, it feels really fresh in that regard. And all the performances are stellar, and having such a diverse cast is incredible.

If we had more than thirty minutes and more than 8 episodes to build to all this it'd feel a lot better. The character development feels like it's on roller coaster speed, but with Knife to Throat and other tropey scenes also seen in a bajillion enemies to lovers romance books nowadays thrown our way to fill the gaps. These scripts feel like they needed an editor to really go over the scene to scene motivations and logic and character work and dialogue, instead of mashing booktok trope buttons, which is also how I feel about most romantasy books I read...

Counterpoint to myself is that Star Wars is built on tropes and archetypes so this is like taking some tropes and archetypes of the current day's fiction and playing with them.

But idk.

Like am I really supposed to care about any of what I'm seeing or is it just gonna be booktok and fanfic tropes thrown my way now to a bunch of characters with muddled personalities and motivations clashing? We don't necessarily need someone to root for, and I'm probably being unfair to a lot of this, but after how thrilling Ep 5 felt, 6 has me wondering what the bigger picture of this show is, because it went from feeling like a fascinating if a bit messy story to one that might just be "Look here's enemies to lovers, knife to throat, corruption, oh and here's one bed!" without as much under the surface of that character and plot wise as I would have hoped.

[yukisohmasmokesweed]

hii as someone w selective mutism, and after seeing your post regarding yuki being mute, i’ve had this question that wouldn’t leave my head: were kisa and yuki actually selectively mute or was it due to traumatic mutism or something else? maybe i’m just self-projecting, but despite us being mute for different reasons (it is possible to have SM from trauma, though it is rare), i always saw myself in both of them when it came to their muteness (i’m really sad yuki being mute was only touched on in kisa’s ep and then never brought up again) so their characters mean a lot to me. just thought I’d bring this up and ask since there isn’t any discussion surrounding this and from the posts that i’ve seen on here, people just seem to go w kisa having SM (and by extension yuki) and just say that it’s canon. being the projector that i am, i also assumed it was but still never thought it was “accurate” rep but then again, does it have to be? regardless of how it’s shown in the anime/manga, i think we’re all entitled to our own opinions on this, and that no matter what we think caused their mutism, all opinions r valid! i’m just so curious on what your take on this is since no one mentions anything like this in specific.

hello! funny you send me this ask today because i just rewatched the first ep of the reboot last night for the first time in a looooong time and have been thinking about fb all morning! as far as i understand it, selective mutism is an anxiety disorder that can definitely be triggered by trauma, and that is how i read yuki and kisa. i'm sure you have a deeper understanding of it than me as someone with that experience, but in my research on this (which admittedly was a few years ago) it seems there is a variety of reasons why children are selectively mute, one of them being abusive environments and a predisposition to anxiety disorders. i would absolutely argue that both yuki and kisa have intense social anxiety, even outside of their mutism; and that yuki, aside from diagnosing him with something, is a perfectionist, and perfectionism often stops people from doing things.

i was also really sad yuki's mutism was only touched upon, so i actually wrote a whole fic about it! i think this is an incredibly interesting aspect of yuki's character. yuki in childhood has no autonomy at all: his life is controlled by his mother, then akito, and akito does not listen to him (or anyone). the other zodiacs ignore him, and he becomes tokenized as the rat instead of viewed as an individual. very often, yuki shrinks into himself as a reaction to this. he already has to keep physical and emotional distance from his peers due to the curse, and his oppressive home environment pushes him to even more extremes. i think so much of yuki's mutism is a maladaptive acceptance that he will never be listened to and that what he feels or thinks does not matter, and so he sinks into a depression where one of his copes is silence. even after this episode, he continues to be softspoken and keeps his cards close to his chest—which is why i love his relationship with kakeru so much, because kakeru coaxes him out of his shell. after meeting kakeru, he begins expressing his opinion more candidly and becomes openly emotional in ways that are supported by kakeru's view of him as a human being. yuki spends so much of his life being objectified as either the rat or the prince (both similar roles where he is being held to an extremely high standard that is only an archetype and robs him of individuality and humanity) and he plays the roles that are assigned to him. it is only when he is shown true love and acceptance through tohru that he can begin to learn who he is outside of those perceived roles, and allows him to express himself as yuki in front of kakeru, who never bought into the prince thing to begin with.

i think the other thing about fruits basket is that it is very tropey, and selective mutism in the way it is portrayed in fb is very much a shojo trope moreso than it is a real portrayal of a disorder. i don't think natsuki takaya is "trauma informed" as we would call it now, as it was written 20 years ago inside of a culture that notoriously does not take mental health seriously. i think yuki and kisa's mutism is very much a narrative choice, so i definitely agree with you re: what you're saying about "accurate" rep. anyway thanks for the ask and your serendipitous timing! thinking about that rat boy <3

[mblue-art]

I HEARD SOMEONE SAY THAT THEY'RE CALLING LUST AND CROSS TO BEAT YOU UP FOR NOT CALLING YOURSELF COOL. SO I'M HERE TO MAKE SURE THEY DO.

Lust burst through the door without hesitation, nearly knocking it off the hinges if Cross didn't steady it immediately after.

"M, MY LOVELY DARLING, WHERE ARE YOU?"

"Lust, you don't need to shout-" Cross tried to get him to calm down, but the Lust Sans was on a mission.

"Now hold it just a minute-" Lust pulled away from Cross as soon as he got a glimpse of you. "M! I heard that someone was denying you of the obvious compliments that you deserve." He chuckled as if someone had said something amusing. "- and that someone was you." He quickly took your face into his hands, pulling it close to his, barely inches away as he looked into your eyes with a smoldering intensity. "But that can't be true, right? You? You? My amazing, stunning, and absolutely wholesome koala bear? Anything less than a compliment of perfection isn't allowed - especially not someone denying it, right?" He looked over his shoulder at Cross. "Right?" There uh... was a little bit of a threat behind that 'question'.

Although, it wasn't as if Cross would have denied it. "M-mhm." He replied, nodding bashfully as he crossed his arms and looked off to the side with a blush he tried to beat down. "Of course... she's talented, kind, and..." His blush deepened, as he fruitlessly grasped at his shoulder as if he wanted to pull his hood up to hide his embarrassment. "and beautiful." He whispered.

"I'm sorry, what was what?" Lust teased him, wanting him to clearly state his affection for her. "Speak up, Crossy~!"

"Beautiful! Okay?? She's blinding and - and yes, cool! Alright?!" He huffed, finally pulling his hood over his head to hide his blush. "I... wouldn't trade her for the world. She's... special." He admitted with a softer tone.

Lust simply nodded, turning his attention back to M. "Exactly. So, the next time someone calls you 'cool' or any other compliment you don't feel comfortable agreeing with so eagerly because you're far too humble, direct them to us, and we'll help agree with them for you, my dazzling gem." He placed an affectionate kiss to your cheek and even nuzzled it for emphasis. "Now come on! We're already here, we may as well get into a cuddle pile!"

HUH WTF WTF LYYYY AAAAAAA

HELP I HAVENT EVEN STARTED READING YET YOUVE ALREADY GOT ME SMILING LIKE A FOOL!!!1!1!1!! SHAKES MY FIST AT THE SKY

live mblue reaction (lots of screaming) under the cut (very much littered with cussing, tread carefully /lh)

I am going insane /j (HELP. L BUSTING THRU THE DOOR IM 😳😳😳 he is. . Strong 😳) (L and C interacting,, , oughf the dynamics, ,, ///////// my purble idiots i love them so)

oh Ly you are fucking killing me

(L!!! YOU SWEETHEART RRRRAAAAAAAAHHHHHH)

WAAAA KOALA BEAR?!?!!?!?? ////////// (so true i would,, cling,,,)

I am hiding my stupid smile under my shirt collar ohmygoddddd

LMAO CCCCCC god god god i love them i love my skeleton bfs what the hell

llLOOOKING AWAYYYYY SCREAMS—!!!!! C!!!!!!!!

(c crossing hsi arms the pose THE POSE AAAA/////////)

(aha aheh eyyy i was about to say smt abt 'beautiful' but uh 🧍 LMAO)

(oh hes such a tsundere oh no oh no 💘💘💘) (your honor this is so funny we're both dumb tsunderes in love... i forget that hes a tsundere sometimes)

SHAKING. SHAKING AND CRYING AND SHAKING I

WWWwwwWwWwwWWWAAAAA THE WAY HE SAID 'SPEAK UP CROSSY' IM 😭😭😭💕

(hood up cross my fucming beloved ive only recently appreciated that adorable visual more about a month ago after rereading the xtale comic and rewatching the xtale eps with simp eyes i am <333)

WAUGH FUCKIN FUCKING HELL, C!!! /POS

UUEUEUUEEUUEUEUEUEUE CUDDLE,,PILE,, ,,

(ough L is so good..., ,L is so good i- he has my heart- BOTH OF THEM HAVE MY HEART-)

AGH!!!! WAILS thank you sm ly i feel,,, ,so loved,, ,im love,,, , my porble skeleboyfrwends,,, , /)/////(\;;

[being-of-rain]

73 Yards is an episode of Doctor Who. Kinda.

They just put a little horror movie in the middle of the season! And I enjoyed it! I think a big reason I'm really enjoying this season is that it's taking some big swings, trying some unique stuff. Of course I wish we had 13 episodes, but I'd rather 8 episodes that get experimental with it than a hundred by-the-numbers stories (Sorry Nick Briggs). (Sorry for the drive-by at Nick Briggs, it's just hard to resist sometimes).

This episode certainly took advantage of the supernatural available to it, as I hoped this season would. And by playing into the rules of horror (and Doctor Who is allowed to be any genre it wants,) it left a lot up to interpretation, which was very interesting and had my girlfriend and I discussing it for a while after it ended. I thought it was drawing some connection between ancient curses and right-wing politics, which is fair. And watching Ruby weaponise her ancient Welsh curse to make the prime minister resign was very funny and satisfying. I think I saw people somewhere talk about how a common thread through a lot of the situations and horrors was isolation and ostracism, which is a thread I want to pull on next time I watch it. Which might not be soon, because (as I might expect from RTD,) this was a bit bleak for me to be a common rewatch. But I love seeing people's various theories on the episode, keep 'em coming.

As for Ruby... I hate to say it, but I don't think this episode really endeared her to me more than any other. She's still a great performance by Millie Gibson (the youngest-looking 40 year old on the planet, bless this show,) and she's still a very capable protagonist. But personally, I'm just not getting anything more interesting than that from her. I'm glad the show so far hasn't been putting a crazy amount of stress on the fact she's adopted, but it hasn't given her any issues to replace that. I've seen people read some interesting stuff into her after this episode, but I didn't get any of it from the episode itself. I didn't even really know what she was thinking while she was growing old alone; you can assume 'sad,' but the episode didn't pause to give me anything more than assumptions. I should move on instead of saying this every episode, but I was hoping this ep would change my mind. Maybe she's one of the rare companions I just won't really click with. Or maybe, like Ryan, she'll become my favourite just before she leaves. Then again, aren't we getting a second companion next season? I'd love a new dynamic.

What else? Kate! She was a pleasant surprise, being as helpful as ever (sorry Kate) and making this her 10th episode! Which feels weird to say about a character who's had like 48 episodes of her own spin-off audio show. Oh but you know what else is weird to say? Kate's line "I think this timeline might be suspended along your event." What are you talking about Kate?? How would you even know that?! I assume the line's there to future-proof the episode against later Dr Who plots interfering with this one, but since when does Dr Who care about that. The line feels so out-of-place and meta (as well as kind of spoiling the ending by immediately making me think 'oh so this whole timeline is going to get undone then,') that I think they shouldn't have bothered.

Anything else to say? It felt a little weird that the episode takes a stand against the stereotype of rural Welsh people being isolated and insular by having a bunch of rural Welsh people be cruel to a nice person just because she's an outsider. Oh and they acknowledged Susan Twist's appearance in each episode then, I'm curious what that will turn into.

Speaking of season mysteries, I keep seeing the fan-theory 'they're in a TV show' turn up everywhere online. Which is a cool idea that Dr Who could pull off, but I've yet to see a single piece of convincing evidence for it. Keep coming up with bizarre and unsupported theories Who fans, don't ever change.

Oh and here's a really niche and petty complaint! I wish the show would stop using the phrase 'perception filter'. I think when it was first used, in series 3 I think, it was about something relatively specific, technology that Time Lords use to make something not draw attention (unless attention is drawn to it). But since then the phrase has been rolled out for shape-changing, invisibility, natural abilities as well as technology by any species under the suns, it can affect your memories, and hey now magic Welsh curses use it too. Personally, I think it's lost all meaning and feels a lot more like cheap and lazy writing than worldbuilding.

Okay! Those thoughts turned into me saying I loved the episode then listed a bunch of very petty complaints. But I did love it! More magic please. Maybe slightly happier one.

I'm not sure there's anything in the second half of this season I'm really hyped for, but after enjoying the first half a lot, I'm curious what'll turn up!

[myassbrokethefall]

xf rewatch: ghost in the machine

This one was interesting to watch in light, obviously, of the current AI moment. Like, Deep Throat goes "how much do you know about ''''artificial intelligence''''?" and Mulder says "I thought it was only theoretical." You did? And then a minute later DT describes "a learning machine….a computer that actually THINKS." like hold up there fella! There's quite the gulf between THOSE two things but I suppose we don't really know that yet back now. Even Mulder saying "could someone have ''''''''hacked'''''''' into the system?" like this is the most out-there idea of all time, and instead of going, duh yes, hacking into the system is indeed something that someone could most certainly have done, Brad says "not your average phone phreak, that's for sure." remember phone phreaking?? neither do I because I'm old but I'm not THAT old. I heard an interesting podcast ep about it semi-recently though. Like you could make a noise with your VOICE that was the same pitch as some note the phone plays and it tricks it into connecting you to a long-distance line or something. neat stuff. anyway.

The computer stuff wasn't AS ridiculous as I remembered, but I also wonder if the farther we get from the time period the more I'm like, sure that seems like it could have been true back then I guess. At least, it seemed to more or less follow from a story perspective (but maybe that's what makes it so unrealistic in a tech way). Things that DID stick out to me included the following:

1. all those security cameras seem so RICKETY. They're all just stickin out there servo-ing jerkily around out in the air, just hit that shit down with a shovel and be done with it. Mulder dramatically covers one with a cloth and I was like, great now you only have to do that 9,000 more times in this building.

2. the superintelligent AI is courteous enough to jingle Scully up on her landline at 1:31 am to screech modem noises at her in order to give her a heads up that it's hacking into her computer at that moment (for what purpose? how is reading her reports on Mulder any help to it…ehh whatever).

3. Gordon/Gansa really running through the scifi "homages" with Conduit being very heavily Contact-by-Sagan-based and this one developing a voice solely so it could say things like "program……. EXECUTED GET IT" and "sorry Dave Brad, I can't do that."

4. I did certainly feel that the computer was "thinking" QUITE a lot more outside the box than seemed even marginally realistic (and per what I have read about machine learning, not that I am remotely close to being an expert on any of that). It sure got a LOT of info from filming people with its analog(?) security cameras and like, extrapolating from what it observed. The way it halted the elevator so Scully would call security and identify herself when she did so, so that it could learn her name and start googling (forgive me) her? I mean now that is some high-level strategizing. I feel Janelle Shane would not approve.

Other notes from my "notes":

Penny Northern as the lady congratulating Jerry on his profile that he stole from Mulder.

Scully's hair is slowly getting unfortunate. That swingy little Deep Throat floofy bob remains my favorite so far.

Nancy Spiller forensics instructor at the academy, "we used to call her the iron maiden!" Every time Scully mentions or interacts with a professor now I wonder if she fucked them. Heheh (EDIT: I just realized Penny Northern IS Nancy Spiller. !!! Still wonder if Scully fucked her)

This ep contains the iconique moment of Scully emphatically circling something on a computer monitor with a physical writing implement. (Also that whole mapping the voices together situation was very goofy and also pointless — if the system had a voice why wouldn't it be Brad's voice; he invented it.)

This is the first ep thus far that I've found Scully's Scullying kind of irritating. It seems very obvious that Brad did not do it so her being like "mulder I'm sorry you're so sad about your shitty friend dying that you can't think straight" feels condescending instead of sympathetic. "maybe it wouldn't be a bad idea if you talked to someone." "you're probably right." *leaves* "where are you going?" "to talk to someone." yeah you deserved that, sculls.

Failed mulderisms: "open sesame." I'm not offended by it or anything it's just so weak as to barely rise to the level of joke. Also, it has ALWAYS and I mean since the 90s grated on me that he scoffs "a politically correct elevator" because the elevator is being so outrageously, offensively woke as to… announce the floor numbers??? ok boomer!!! lord

Scully's got this book in bed with her. analyze as you will.

Pretty impressive how Mulder knows how to whip open a car hood and immediately rip the correct wire to get the horn to shut up.

Greatly enjoyed the This echo of them climbing stairs and yelling out numbers while doing so. Also, they are so young and athletic; sure they can go up 30 flights of stairs and then Scully is totally game to be hoisted into a ceiling vent and crawl around up there. J. Edgar's finest, at the top of their physical game!

I got so mad when Mulder goes "he apologized. in his own way" about Jerry. he literally did not even come close to apologizing! he said fuck you I stole your notes because you were gonna help me anyway so who cares, shut up, and then he stomped off. In no universe is that an apology of even the worst sort. Jerry sucks.

this house:

(literal photo of tv taken from couch, too lazy to even get up)

is ugly as shit, and I was making fun of it saying that it looked like a suburban convention center and bar mitzvah venue instead of a rich tech guy's sleek futuristic mansion and wondering if they filmed it at like, a Days Inn, but I was informed it was actually the home of a star Canucks player?? well he had terrible taste.

Finally, I remain FASCINATED with watching Mulder and Scully Work In An Office and interact with other people in the office and do office things like eat pastries off a cart! and hang out in what looks like the FBI archives! This set:

is so endearingly normcore-office to me. The library cart with archive boxes and also some other loose crap on it. All the haphazardly sized shelves from Staples with random mugs that no one wants so someone just sticks them on a bookshelf. Stacks of copy paper. A whole bunch of plants, some of which are dead, and also featuring at least 2 empty vases. The industrial tissue box. Someone did a very good job with this set dec is what I'm saying. Ok, the "INVOICES" folder is a little funny.

This is almost a workplace drama at this point in its life and I am a little bit obsessed with that. What is Fran gonna say about M&S smashing up that car. Smh.

[bl-bracket]

1, 8, 11, 12 for the bl ask game!!

Favorite Main Couple

This one is tough. There are so many couples whom I love dearly, but right now, I've got to say I'm still so obsessed with Phaya and Tharn from The Sign. They have infiltrated my brain. I need the special ep so bad it's unreal. They are everything to me. However, I think in terms of long term obsession, Wen Kexing and Zhou Zishu from Word of Honor are still that for me. I've read like a significant portion of the 3,000 fics of them on ao3. It's been almost a full year since I first watched Word of Honor and they have never left my mind since. I have so many half written wips for them, far more than any other drama. Even my obsession with Phaya and Tharn goes back to them because like Phaya and Tharn give me a similar vibe to Wen Kexing and Zhou Zishu tbh. Like flirty playboy type turned into the most devoted love struck fool of all time and the tsundere type they fell for who fell pretty quickly but would not admit it unless under the pain of death and who uses fighting as flirting method that was very effective. Anyways those are my guys.

8. First BL

answered already here

11. Most Anticipated Upcoming BL

My Golden Blood. No contest there. Vampire BL? hell yeah I love vampires so much. Gawin? Joss? playing lovers? again sign me up. Neo and Mond as supporting characters? another win for me. anyways gmmtv don't let me down and give me them soon please I will do anything for you.

12. Most rewatched BL

this one is hard cause I don't really rewatch stuff? like I'll rewatch certain scenes that I really liked, but I don't often rewatch whole shows (I'm more likely to rewatch a single episode than a whole show). Even with like movies I like, my rewatch cycle for those is usually marked in years, and I've only been in the bl fandom for like two years so I don't think I've hit the stage in the cycle where I'll be ready to fully rewatch a series. That being said, I think the show where I have rewatched the most amount of individual scenes from has got to be Word of Honor. During my hiatus I got into video editing and focused on Word of Honor cause the episodes were on youtube which made it easy for me to download. I've done several edits for Word of Honor, which has required me to rewatch lots of parts in order to find what I need for the edit and then through the editing process, also requires me to rewatch a lot of those scenes