#the last one is from episode 4 but actually most of my favourite scenes are from episode 3

[crimsonbastard]

My thoughts on Episode 4:

Aegon finally snapping after realising that everyone only sees him as nothing more than a puppet king was satisfying. The desperate need to prove himself, to his mother, his brother and the council by going to war himself, to show that he's good at something was so good to see. However I'm still bummed out that he wasn't actually part of the plan. Him leading his army head on as Cole gives that rallying speech was one of my favourite moments in the book. Too bad that it was changed to him appearing unannounced prompting Cole to give that last minute impromptu speech.

Aemond speaking High Valyrian and regaining some ground over his brother after that brothel incident. We've seen Team Black saying that Alicent's children aren't true Targaryens. Well we can put that claim to rest after seeing Aemond practically take his brother down a peg in High Valyrian. Something even Jace Could not master.

The Alicent Plan B scene. Honestly, after years of being used as a broodmare, I understand why Alicent resorted to using moon tea. Although she has a consensual sexual relationship with Cole where she gets to regain some semblance of that autonomy that she couldn't get because of Viserys, getting pregnant again and going through another painful, life threatening child birth is simply a big "no" for her. Irrespective of her finally being able to explore her sexuality, bearing a child again is still something very traumatic for her that she still closely associates to Viserys and the neglect she was dealt whilst she was at her most vulnerable.

The Criston Cole glazing. I love how almost every council member of Team Black acknowledges Criston as a force to be reckoned with, which he is. It sheds light on the fact that he's more than some brute who acts on Alicent's Whims. He's an experienced Commander and he truly shines when he finally gets to be in his element. I've seen several reactors begurdingly admit that Cole's strategy was sound, despite clearly hating him and it was so satisfying.

Jacaereys and Baela taking Rhaenyra's stead whilst she was away and doing their best in putting out the fires in the Council Room was a delight to see. Jace being eager to join the battle and help his mother save her crown was refreshing and we got a good character moment from him.

The Rhaenys and Alyn scene was.....meh considering the fact that she was harsher in the books. I was expecting her to lash out at Corlys with her barbs but again, she was just mum about it, it feels like the writers forgot to give her some agency when it comes to how she acts around her Husband. And the fact that people are comparing her to Catelyn Stark and tearing the latter down is annoying. Can y'all stop with the Catelyn Hate? It's been decades.

Rooks Rest was amazing in the beggining. We've got Gwayne's inexperienced ass doubting Criston at every step until he gets silenced. The plan was perfect with Cole and Aemond using Vaghar as a trump card in case any of Team Black's dragons come knocking. But that is where my appreciation for that battle ends. We've Sunfyre being absolutely butchered all though he puts up a decent fight in the books. Where the fuck is Rhaenys charging at both Aemond and Aegon with a glad cry? Where is Rhaenys having a "dragon rider's" death that Team Black likes to harp about. The Aemond scene where he blasts at both rider's was dumb and pointless, a cheap attempt at creating some conflict between the brothers when we had the Brothel scene just the episode before. This would've been a wonderful opportunity for them to show how despite hating eachother's guts the brothers will still die for eachother. But alas, I guess only Team Black can have good familial relationships.

Sunfyre being the goodest boy xD

[darcytaylor]

My thoughts on Season 3 of Bridgerton

I have been trying to word exactly how I feel about Season 3 of Bridgerton.

From reading what other people have said it seems like there are mixed reviews.

I will say this right now - I really did enjoy my time watching it. I think Nicola and Luke did a great job at portraying Penelope and Colin.

I think part 1 and part 2 have completely different vibes and I can see why they accepted the 2 part release. It gave the viewers more time to digest everything and to appreciate the first 4 episodes.

But I also think (for that very reason) it hindered the season as a whole because it seemed to me that I was watching 2 different seasons of Bridgerton. They left the rom-com elements in part 1 and didn't look back, and went straight for drama. (I do love some drama in a television show though)

Maybe if it was released all together it would have flowed a bit better because I wouldn't have been searching for the rom-com lightheartedness, that I saw in part 1. I would have accepted that the drama was about to happen and happy to say goodbye to the rom-com vibes.

Having been able sit with part 1 for so long and really appreciate all that the first 4 episodes had to offer, part 2 seemed to be a bit confusing.

One of my favourite parts of part 2 were the moments that Colin was angry at Penelope. I think Luke did a fantastic job at portraying someone who was in love and angry at the same time. I said this before and I'll say it again, his eye/face acting is on point!

Nicola and Luke had mentioned before that Penelope and Colin finally open all of themselves to each other, that's how they were able to make their relationship work and become partners.

I loved seeing them not be ashamed to confess their love with each other, it was heartwarming seeing Penelope take of her shield and not hide. That was the main take-away from part 2, Penelope revealing all sides of herself, to everyone around her.

She spent her whole life in the shadows and she was now stepping "into the light". That is why it had to be Penelope confessing she was Lady Whistledown, unlike in the books. That is why they needed to reveal she was Lady Whistledown to the Ton.

Whistledown was her shield that protected her, but she completely stripped that away and let herself protect herself. It was beautiful to watch and Nicola smashed it.

Do I think that some of the background stories were a bit dragged out? Yes. I don't think they needed all of the threesome scenes of Benedict. I didn't mind him becoming more aware of himself and having the threesome. I think most of us were waiting since Season 1 to finally see it happen! But I think they showed 1 scene too many of it and it became tiresome, it didn't feel like it was enhancing his story/character, by the last threesome scene.

I really loved the direction they took for Francesca. You can see that she walks to the beat of her own drum. She is guarded but at the same time so open. If that makes sense. I think that her season will be one to look out for, for sure! Especially since we now know that her story will have the LGBTQ+ storyline. Mikaela Stirling! YES! It actually made me gasp and smile when watching them introduce her.

As for the Eloise storyline, I think Claudia did a fantastic job at portraying hurt and love and wanting the best for people even if you are mad at them. I love the fact that it took so long for Eloise to begin to forgive Penelope. It seemed more real that way.

I know people didn't love the way that she befriended Cressida and how she seemed to listen to her. But she needed that friendship to understand why her friendship with Penelope was special. To see how a person can be the way they are because of the people who raised them. To see that bad people can do good things and good people can do bad things.

So my final thoughts, I loved the season as a whole. It made me smile, laugh, be angry, hopeful, cry. It did everything I would want a television show to do.

Were there some issues. Of course. There really aren't a lot of television shows that I would say are perfect (I have 1 but I'm not going there).

I look forward to watching more seasons and to see what ALL of the actors do in the meantime.

[dwampyverseawards]

FINALE: PFTONES VS WHEN GLASS SHATTERS

CONGRATULATIONS TO @pftones3482 FOR WINNING THE WRITERS SIDE OF THE FOR FUN TOURNEY, AND TO @local-dragon-haunt FOR WINNING THE INDIVIDUAL FIC/SERIES SIDE OF THINGS! THIS LAST ROUND IS BASICALLY JUST EVEN MORE FOR THE FUNSIES.

@/pftones3482

Relevant reason for being submitted:

not sure if it has influence on the fandom overall but it had an influence on me and I live by that

They create top-tier Phineas and Ferb content, from fics to thoughtful analysis of characters and episodes. The following link is a great showcase of just a portion of their current Phineas and Ferb fics;

Propaganda: Just their entire catalogue of Phineas and Ferb works on Archive of Our Own. This is my favourite fic of theirs;

And here are some of my favourite posts;

Vote for @/pftones3482!

Have you ever heard of the Secret Life of Candace? Aka best mermaid au ever? GUESS WHO WROTE IT?

I have been in the Phineas and Ferb fandom for over a decade - writing fics for it for 12 years, can y'all believe that? I'm one of the oldest "original" fandom members left on AO3, which is actually insane.

And to this day the things I love about the show have shifted a little - favorite characters, favorite tropes, ships, etc. Nothing drastic, but anyone who's been following me since the beginning has definitely seen those changes.

But the thing I have always loved most about this fandom IS the fandom. The PnF fandom is one of the most wholesome fandoms I've ever been in, and it's the reason it's one of the only fandoms I still interact with. Sure, there's been drama, and sometimes we don't all agree - no fandom will ever always agree on everything (if they do....run)

Overall tho this fandom is so kind and wonderful, and given how small we are, we are still obnoxiously loud about this show 😂 I love us for that

Regardless if I win or lose (and if I lose, I'm honored to go down to someone like @/inators, who is a very kind person and has a big presence in the fandom), I wanted to say thank y'all for getting me this far

Phineas and Ferb got me on Tumblr and started my writing career. The fandom is what helped me stay. If I could give y'all an award for "Best Fandom," I absolutely would 🧡💚

When Glass Shatters, written by @/local-dragon-haunt

Relevant reason for being submitted:

Propaganda: local_dragon has a fantastic way with words and unconventional story telling. AUs where Perry is revealed to the kids are frequent, but ones where he interacts with Linda and Lawrence too are few and far between and the concept has so much potential. I just love their writing

Vote for my bestie @/local-dragon-haunt they deserve it and they won't admit it

Contestants may add their own propaganda however they see fit, provided it does not put down the person they are against. All round 1 matches were randomly generated, and anyone may drop out at any time.

[mini-jiminie]

many thanks to the chokehold that polaroids had on park jimin :)

When we talk about photography and who is the photographer of the group, our minds immediately hone in on jk because ofc, we have to put some respect on the founder of gcf's name.

Before gcf though, there was #슈가의_시선 (Suga's sight). This is a link to some of the photos that Yoongi used to post on twitter under the hashtag.

However, there's one person who simply doesn't get enough credit for his prowess with a camera.

^^ all those polaroids being from his personal collection

From 2017-18, jimin was a polaroid pictures connoisseur. Tears are being shed as I type this out but, when jm used to be really active on social media (😭) he'd bless us with the occasional photo dump here and there.

Speaking of, let's zoom in on that photo sitting right off-centre in that last little photo dump!

I wish I was joking when I say that this photo changed the trajectory of my life forever.

No, cause whose parents are these?? Who are these 90s high school sweethearts?

(they're actually my parents uwu)

Anyways. I've duped you all and this whole post thus far has just been a way for me to segway into something else I'd like to discuss:

Run BTS ep. 52 - BTS ESCAPE (aka. chaos ensues when you stick the tannies into an escape room)

Yes, the revolutionary polaroid was taken during the filming of this episode. This episode also shed some light onto the scam artist that is Jeon Jungkook.

So, the episode starts with seokjin and jimin being named team leaders (because they had prior experience doing escape rooms).

Both would randomly pick an escape room theme for their respective teams:

Jm picks 'Korean dry sauna'.

Someone makes his stance on jm's selection pretty clear from the get go:

(keep this in mind cause we're about to discuss the clownery that goes down later)

So they pick their teams and lo and behold, Mr 'I hate dry saunas' ends up in team 'Korean dry sauna'.

The question is, does jk think this is all an unfortunate turn of fate? Or, is jk fate himself?🤨

While everyone is just holding their sheets of paper, jk is attempting to camouflage with the wall while he subtly sneaks a peak.

It's almost as if the gags write themselves cause even glimpsing at 1/4 of the paper would've allowed them to see the name of the team (jungkook honey plssss)

Then #dry_sauna_hater, knowing he doesn't have the 'dry sauna' theme card, swaps with Tae.

#that moment when you get the escape room theme you didn't want #cause you cheated your way into getting it

Result of said cheating though: 🥰

This isn't even the first instance of jk trying to will a team with jm into existence

here he is not letting Mini Moni breathe

.....again:

them leaving out tae even when white makes up majority of the flag😭

here he is being the great wall of jungkook:

the foreshadowing by focusing on him during this scene😭

rlly left jm #bamboozled

Jungkook, I get you though. I rlly do.

anyways, im ending this post with my most favourite picture ever! bye!

[glorious-sunset]

LBFAD Reflections – Index

Like many LBFAD (Love between Fairy and Devil) viewers, I was amazed by the complexity of the plot, just begging for a rewatch! As I began slowly rewatching it, many new things became clear, such as, what were characters actually thinking, now that we knew their backstory? Often their thoughts didn’t match their words. What was happening between scenes, since the fast pace meant that a lot was happening off-screen? Some of the smallest actions and plot developments now had so much deep meaning! And many parallels became clear between events of different episodes and different character arcs.

Rewatching LBFAD, I had so many mental notes in my head on all of these, that I thought I should put them into words. Indulging my love of writing, I wrote my reflections and insights on each episode into a story format and found my favourite set of screenshots from each episode to complement them. I also described my insights on the series overall in separate articles. These may be interesting to others wanting to reminisce on the multidimensional characters and engaging plotlines of this most inspiring series!

This post is a table of contents to each of my LBFAD articles and episode reflections. None of them are spoiler-free. My reflections on ep. 3 onwards are story-like, while eps 1 and 2 are more scene-setting. The links to each post are on their titles.

Location Names in LBFAD – Meaning and Significance

For English viewers, some of the location names in LBFAD are given in Mandarin. However, the meanings of these names have deep significance that are lost in translation! Here are my translations and interpretations of these meanings.

Character Names in LBFAD – Meaning and Significance

What’s in a name? For the characters of LBFAD, a whole lot of hidden meanings! These are not apparent to English viewers. Here are my translations and interpretations of these meanings.

How Immortals age in cdramas - clues from LBFAD

How does ageing work for these lucky immortals in terms of human appearance? LBFAD gives us a few clues about this mysterious process!

LBFAD Artwork Hidden Meanings - Opening Artwork | Closing Artwork Part 1 | Part 2

The created artworks used for LBFAD are unique and have many hidden layers of meaning! Here are my interpretations of these stunning works of art.

Episode 1

Changheng’s destiny leaf has unexpectedly changed – but the destinies of high gods are supposed to be very stable! His destiny changed because of DFQC's actions. In the last episode of the series DFQC changes XLH’s destiny as well. This is great foreshadowing! And it highlights DFQC’s unique tendency to break nature’s laws time and time again!

Episode 2

“Don’t forget, your body is in benzuo’s (this seat of power’s) hands now”.

XLH, mocking his self-address, angrily retorts that “ben gu niang (this girl) is going to make you bald now!” The moment she angrily starts tugging at her hair is when he first notices the effect of the one-heart curse she cast on him, which causes him phantom physical pain even when body-swapped!

Episode 3

How could such a weak and pathetic creature, who can’t even protect herself, have cursed him, the most powerful being in the three realms?! No wonder he would “very very very very much like to kill” her. The fact that he can’t is tremendously frustrating and he is boiling inside.

Episode 4

XLH has now upgraded her nickname for him from the insulting “little celestial criminal” to “Big Qiang” (Da Qiang), the transition from little to big reflecting the growth of her regard for him. She affectionately calls him Da Qiang from now on. His nickname for her, “Xiao Hua Yao”, little flower demon, is his appraising way of calling her a wicked little flower, or a flower with thorns.

Episode 5

DFQC has many enemies who scheme behind his back and want to kill him, is aware of Shiyuntian’s unflattering propaganda around him, and never gave these insults a second thought. But when XLH says that “even the air becomes clearer” without him around, it is like a sharp stab to his gut. When even the thoughts of the mightiest kings don’t bother him, why should the words of an inconsequential little flower?!

Episode 6

Yunzhong carefully eavesdrops on their every exchange. He is not unsympathetic to Changheng’s plight. As a member of the ruling family, Yunzhong himself had to sacrifice the love of his life to fulfil his responsibilities. That is why he allowed CH to keep the handkerchief of his love as a memento, on the strict understanding that his duties must always come first.

Episode 7

As they sit down to tea together in their usual idyllic alcove, XLH reminisces about the joyful memories they have created together over the past ten days or so. Just yesterday, during one of their regular teatime chats, she had happily recounted to him how she had seen snow fall in Haishi for the first time recently. To her delight, he had created snow around Arbiter Hall for her, and a little campfire to warm themselves by as they watched the falling snowdrifts together.

Episode 8

DFQC roughly brushes a tear from XLH’s cheek and we see that the greenhouse flowers are in bloom! They are linked to XLH’s mood, so despite Changheng smashing her dreams, DFQC’s efforts to comfort her have had a far greater impact, and she is now happy.

LBFAD is the most inspiring series I have ever watched and here is why…

…Aesthetically, I found the beautiful 4K production quality as enjoyable as high-budget productions such as Lord of the Rings and Game of Thrones. …Every single character of note in the series goes through profound character growth, the only exception being the abstract ultimate villain Taisui….

All of my LBFAD articles can also be viewed with the tag #lbfad reflections (hyperlinked).

More LBFAD articles and episode reviews to follow!

[blairsanne]

I just finished my first rewatch of taj. This time around, I noticed more than the first time I watched. I was actually paying more attention to the storyline instead of just watching Dean in every scene and how good he looked lol.

I felt bad for Anders and how everyone treated him, even up until the last episode. Yeah there were times when he acted like a prick but hey that’s his character and I understand him putting up a wall and acting the way he does because if how others treat him. Still loved Ty. Yeah at times it was a little creepy with his approach to Dawn but I love the ending how it all turned out for them. Still cried. Mike, still can’t stand him. I think this time around I found him even more annoying. I almost got to the point where I had to wither mute when he was talking or just outright skip it lol. Axl was better this time around. First time I found him really annoying but this time he was better. Love Zeb, hilarious! Love all the goddesses still, except Gaia. Don’t even get me started on her! Especially the storyline with her and Anders. Nope hated that part, couldn’t watch it this time.

I loved it even more this time around! Since finishing it, it got me thinking about it they did go ahead with a season 4 and what would play out. I would’ve loved to see how each of them adapted to their life now without their god powers and who would embrace the new change, who would struggle the most, would they change anything about their life or try and keep it steady? Who knows!? And then what about Axl moving back in with Zeb, do you think he’d eventually start telling him everything or just leave that all in the past and build a new friendship? What are your thoughts on if they did another season and what they would tackle?

Yay, talking about TAJ is one of my favourite things!!

I fully agree re: Anders. I often feel sad for him when people who watch the show accept his brothers' opinions of him as fact, despite Anders himself repeatedly trying to tell them that he does the right thing often, that he's trying to protect them, etc. -- and the audience even being shown that effort on his part multiple times. It grinds my gears that other characters thinking Anders is a shallow jerk is taken as a statement of fact from the writers and not, y'know, the character's opinion.

Anders may not have the same set of ethics as Mike, but he clearly has his own set of ethics (which he brings up in S2 when he's uncomfortable with Helen's ideas for his powers, in S3 with Colin's ideas for his powers, etc...) and doesn't see his own actions the way his brothers interpret them, and I think it's a very uncharitable reading of his character to think of him as flat and selfish, instead of the very complex character that was actually written into the show, with flaws and good points and complicated family dynamics where mostly there's a lot of misunderstanding of each other going on. I could probably ramble on about that forever, but I'll refrain.

Mainly I wish that viewers would take Anders word for it what his own motivations are, because he does outright state them at multiple points, right from the first season where he explains that the thing that got him BANISHED FROM HIS FAMILY was done in an attempt to protect Mike.

I really disliked Mike my first viewing, because I felt like he caused a lot of strife for other characters by being inflexible and believing he knew best. As I've rewatched, I've come to better appreciate his character and the immense burden he bears. I think his attempt at controlling his family is his own way of trying to protect them, and that this was caused by the events surrounding both the toxic relationship of his parents and that he was forced to be the head of the family at age 21. (I still get annoyed with him during the S3 Odin contest stuff but I also headcanon that it was a "fate" thing to force Odin and Frigg together.) I try to remind myself that every character on the show thinks they are in the right, and why that might be.

I have a theory about Gaia, but that's a whole other essay lmao.

My answers to your questions re: S4 will be somewhat colored by the deleted scene from the final episode, which reveals what Colin was doing tossing a red gem on the ground before the Ga.

In the deleted scene (which they filmed in case they got renewed for S4), Loki comes out of the gem, and we were left with Loki and Colin standing in the woods, apparently about to cause some problems.

With that in mind, I have to assume that the Johnsons would discover Loki was in Midgard and try to do soemthing about it. I further assume that at least some of the other characters would have god spirits inhabit them again (mainly because that's more interesting than them coming back to Earth on their own and interacting with mortal Johnsons).

I think it would be REALLY interesting if they didn't necessarily get the gods they had the first time around. Maybe Odin doesn't want to leave Asgard, so Axl becomes another god. Maybe Freki, just for the lols. Maybe they find some new McGuffin that allows other mortals (liek Zeb and Dawn) to take on god spirits!

Re: Zeb and Axl living together, given how long their friendship was, I headcanon that - much like Dawn - Zeb would eventually start to remember Axl, and maybe everything. Alternatively, maybe part of the season is Axl finding a way to make Zeb remember!

Just re: the Johnsons being mortal in general, I have a bit of a hc where, since Mike's career wasn't based on his powers, he'd go back to construction (maybe rebuild the bar to sell it), and Axl would work for him. Anders (who I assume does know how to do his job, despite no longer being able to just Bragi his clients) might even do promo for the construction business. Ty could still be a courier, and as the only one to actually live as a mortal since turning 21, I think he'd have the easiest time of it, especially with Dawn remembering him and all.

I think initially there would be a lot of razzing Mike by challenging him to games and beating him, but overall I think Mike might actually feel really happy to get to be included in those games again after so long. I think losing Ullr would really help Mike chill out. Or, at least, I hope that for him.

I don't really see Michele and Anders working out long term unless Michele started to take Anders seriously. She didn't really seem to understand him very well even in S3. I did feel like Anders seemed to want a more serious relationship (not necessarily that he wanted what Ty or Mike would want, but just that he seemed to be looking for emotional connection in S3, and not only physical, perhaps because of the whole Idun plot?) so I could see with not having Bragi anymore that he might settle down a bit and get a gf. I've always sort of thought maybe mortal women didn't seem like suitable gf material to him because they couldn't know about everything going on (like he saw how being with Val was complicated for Mike) and that's why they're always little flings. We do see him treat Michele and Helen pretty well imo (not cheating on them, taking them seriously as people, etc.), so I thought maybe he would do better with a goddess gf. (See Lofn fic lmao)

Ahhh that was a lot of rambling, but I'm always happy to talk more about TAJ!! Thanks for the ask :)

[inventedfangirling]

BEST of BL's in 2023 [Thai edition]

(more accurately my favourites from 2023, so that i have something to show for the 100s of hours i spent watching them lmao)

I Feel You Linger In The Air - Head & Shoulders above (almost) every single piece of queer media i've ever watched. Khun Yai and Jom will be forever icons. That drunk poem confession will NEVER be topped. Also LESBIANS AHHHHHH also the way the show explored intimacy AHHH just end meeee

2. Moonlight Chicken - Aof strikes again. Gave me Uncle Jim, Heart, Li Ming and my baby boy Gaipa- the music, the cinematography, the writing, the found fckin family - i will recommend it to EVERY one on the planet if i could.

3. Be My Favourite- I did not expect to enjoy this show as much as i did. I loved what they were tryna say. I LOVED the queer undertones in EVERYTHING. if not for the asexual erasure and Not being an absolute asshole this would have been quite the perfect show. And man is Gawin so darn sculpted perfection, LOOK AT THAT FACE, how to not admire!? Also Pearmai my beloved. AND THAT POEM in episode 11 ARGHHH

4. Bed Friend - I know this was a polarizing series in a lot of ways and I agree to some of the complaints raised BUTTTTTT NET MY FRENZ NET! How am i supposed to not melt into a complete puddle watching King pretend to not be absolutely in love with Uea, and treating him like the babygirl he is, when he looks like THAT. I'm but a mere mortal.

5. La Pluie - I kinda liked the show and disliked it in equal amounts. Saengtai annoyed me quite a LOT towards the end BUT his brother Sangtien - Suar Kritsanaphong had me in the palm of his hand. Him and his kiss with Lomfon is etched firmly in my brain. It HAD to be on this list.

6. Only Friends - Gawd. The Promise. The Promise of it all. Thats what maddens me THE MOST. There was just SO MUCH that they could have done. Even if they stuck with a lot of their similar choices i would have still put it higher up on the list if they hadn't undone all the good work they did in the final episode. I couldnt even bring myself to rewatch anything from this one cos of how disappointingly it ended. That being said - FirstKhao KILLED it as usual, i CANNOT wait for their next one, BOSTON deserved better and my MVP- Mark Pakin AHHH i NEED him on EVERY SHOW EVER but also in ways concerning to me GAWD WHAT A TALENT AND WHAT A FACE.

7. Laws of Attraction - Charn you guys. Charn and his utterly deranged expressions and his even more deranged ex. And ofc everything else the show offered. The drama. The mystery. The family. The romance. THE LESBIANS!!!!? Few things not to love. Especially the finale with all the domestic husbanding going on. Precious af.

8. Hidden Agenda - Far too much nonsensical plotlessness going on here for this to claim this position BUT i'm just a girl watching Joong swoon over his man and losing it in the corridor and proceeding to do that myself cos man he's so damn good in these kinda scenes. I think he'd be good in more serious ones too but I would much prefer it if it was with somebody who could offer more than Dunk (no shade he very cute himself)

POTENTIAL FAVS

The following is a list of shows i loved/liked it a LOT but still watching/running so I can't fully judge

(in no particular order except the first one cos who am i to put an aof show not at the top of any list)

Last Twilight [BEST THING EVER I AM WHOLLY AND IRRETRIEVABLY IN LOVE IM GONNA REWATCH IT LIKE ITS MY JOB PLS I NEED IT TO STICK THE LANDING SO BAD]

Love in Translation - episode 4 what a beauty, one of my fav episodes of any BL in 2023 ever- just LOVED the whole fake date thing - it was EVERYTHING

Wedding Plan - Leads are cute. Lesbians are cuter. Made me laugh. Also CUTENESS hello

Night Dream - Who doesn't love a long unrequited but actually totally requited love story?

The Sign - nothing i can ever say is gonna be enough to encompass just how mind-blowing this series is from concept to execution to CGI to costumes to the gorgeous leads with fckin electric chemistry AND the PINING and the will they won't they arhhhh- TOP TIER STUFF

Cooking Crush - i went into this with minimal expectations, the trailer didnt do much for me BUT oh my gawd i had SO MUCH FUN with each episode, i laughed SO much and i am very much looking forward to the rest of it

Cherry Magic - TayNew back again together. Karan and his gorgeous existence. Loved the og. The trope where one believes they are hard to love & someone who loves them like it’s breathing- its literally made for this show and i am SUPER excited where it goes. PLS PLS PLS let them keep the aroace character aroace PLEASE!?!?!?

[emeryhiro]

Thank you so much for answering my questions last week!! Your answers were so insightful and interesting, and have made me even more excited for the book of carol!!

That's awesome to hear that you're more confident about caryl canon after watching ep one. I totally agree with you about how them being alone will open up opportunities for it in a way it never has before. And i agree that if it doesn't happen, it's probably because Melissa & Norman don't want it (which I'd be super disappointed about but would respect their choice). But from everything I've seen, i also think they do want things to go in that direction!

Haha emotional and unhinged are great words to describe caryl in general! And I'm excited for nostalgia. The emojis are intriguing! They're making me think Carol blows up a plane, hopefully once she's safely in France lol! And that's interesting about how the people at the nest treat Daryl, that also frustrated me in s1!

I had a couple of other questions but no worries if you can't answer any of them:

1 Do we see anything specifically relating to Carol from Daryl's pov in this ep? Or is he talking generally about 'people at home'?

2 What did you think of the opening credits?

3 Did you see the ep title? I'm really curious about what that might be!

4 Where would you rank the ep in terms of your fave twd eps?

Thanks again for everything you've shared! I love how you've given us hopeful teasers without spoiling the details!

Hey Anon ♡

You're so welcome!!! I've been having a lot of fun answering your questions, so feel free to let me know if you have any others, and to be honest, I'm happy with any excuse to talk about Caryl 😅

Mild spoiler warning for my response to question 1 ♡

1) No, there was no situation where Daryl directly spoke about Carol. However, I do think there's a good reason for it, which I've spoken about in detail in a previous post [HERE]. It's also important to note the screen time division; episode one is about 85% Carol and 15% Daryl, so we don't get many scenes with him and very little dialogue. The dialogue that we do hear from him sounds very frustrated and resentful as if he's tired of being held back by the Nest and wants to leave as soon as possible (like he's rushing a resolution for the conflict in France).

The line below that we hear in the teaser is actually in episode 1, and it's the only time he references anything about home.

"I don't know if this is the place I'm supposed to be. I've been thinking about all the people I left behind, wondering if they're still thinking about me."

This is then followed by a few other lines where, in no uncertain terms, he says that he doesn't think he'd ever be happy at the nest.

2) I loved the opening credits; there were some really nice animated scenes of Carol that I really liked, and my favourite is the closing shot of the opening credits which is one of Carol and Daryl together. 🥰

3) No, unfortunately, I don't remember seeing or hearing anything about the episode title. But I think they'll announce the title either during San Diego or the following week, but most probably during the next screening of episode one that's being held on the 26th of July (tonight).

4) Honestly, episode 1 is now my favourite episode of TWD. It hit all the right emotional notes and delved deep into Carol's mindset, which is way overdue. It also had the walker action and suspense that left me on the edge of my seat (literally) the entire time. Melissa is incredibly talented and has everything it takes to play a leading character, especially one like Carol, who has so much depth and layers.

I have no doubt that the rest of the episodes will be just as good, if not better, especially the reunion episode!! And I'm confident that this season will be my favourite of all time, from any show.

~~~~

Thanks again for the questions! Once again, they were a joy to answer😊🩵 I'm sorry if this was a little delayed. I've been very busy with my uni finals during the past couple of weeks, and I wanted to wait until I had enough time to give your questions proper responses.

Also, I can't believe today is the day we finally see the trailer!!! I'm SO EXCITED, and my brain/emotions are already on overdrive. I also apologise in advance 'cause I already know I'm gonna be over analysing it and sharing my thoughts as soon as I can 😅

[izzysillyhandsy]

Some Too many thoughts about episodes 4 and 5 and "Moving On"

This got wayyyy too long and rambly... but I had to write this down because it's been bugging me since last Thursday.

I have some issues with the last two episodes, episode 4 and 5, regarding, of course, my favourite character Izzy Hands and his relationship with Ed in particular.

Don't get me wrong - there was so much great stuff. I love Izzy finally being able show his feelings without having to pretend everything's alright - all it took was fucking things up so spectacularly that even Izzy didn't care what everyone thought of him. One could argue that the Kraken phase was necessary to "burn it all down" so to speak - Izzy and Ed needed this cathartic event to get out of their mutually harmful relationship.

But still... there is this underlying unfairness of it all, the disproportionate hate and aggression, the destruction of Izzy's whole life, sense of self and reality. What even are you?

Was this really necessary? Or, in other words, did Izzy have it coming? Did it serve him right?

And now that Izzy has decided to keep on living and has to deal with the trauma of being literally taken apart by the love of his life - is the only option available to him to completely distance himself from everything that happened (blow your brains out or move on)?

What happened in the first 3 episodes wasn't just Ed lashing out in anger, a payback for Izzy's betrayal. It wasn't just Ed going off the rails as a reaction to his most trusted friend pushing him towards violence at the lowest point of their lives. This wasn't "just" cutting a toe off in a moment of desperation and emotional breakdown.

No, Ed kept on going with destroying everyone and everything around him (and it was Ed, not whatever "Blackbeard" is supposed to be - Ed can clearly switch between the two and it is a concious decision to put on the Blackbeard mask to distance himself from his own cruelty).

And the person who he targeted almost exclusively was the person he was closest to, the person with obvious love for him (and of course Ed knows this), the person who kept falling apart before his very eyes and still tried to be there for him and, in his way, keep him safe.

I'm still not over the fact that Ed kept kicking Izzy who was already down, and just didn't stop until he was literally on his deathbed. And even then it wasn't over, there was one more act of cruelty left. Izzy killing himself felt natural and logical (and isn't that absolutely horrible?), almost a relief - "quick and clean" as Izzy'd put it.

Only the most ardent Izzy haters would still insist that Izzy deserved this (fucking hell, nobody deserves this, ever). Also, the show absolutely didn't frame it that way, Taika and Con (and the rest of the crew) didn't portray it that way - in my opinion, what Blackbeard did to Izzy was supposed to be seen as unforgivable (as opposed to other instances of casual violence depicted in the show).

So, as happy as I am with Izzy moving on to discover who he actually wants to be without Ed, episodes 4 and 5 left me confused and a bit frustrated. After all that happened in episodes 1 and 2, Ed can just go off be soft with Stede? He immediately comes back to the ship after being banished and gives the most half-arsed apology in history, then has fun showing off to everyone how nice he is now?

(Disclaimer: I love Ed, I love all the Ed/Stede scenes, that's not the point)

Where are the fucking consequences, show? That can't be it surely? Ed almost gets rewarded for just being Ed - contrast this with how the narrative (and parts of the fandom) kept on punishing and condemning poor Izzy for much, much lesser transgressions.

And it's apparently got to Izzy too, because now he blames himself as well:

Don't know what you're talkin' about. A shark did this. Dangling my legs over the side of the ship. Served me right, too.

NO IT DIDN'T, IZ. You thought you knew this man.

It actually makes sense that he'd see it this way, though.

Izzy's last conversations with Ed were his "I have love for you" (Come on) and Ed's "I dreamt that you killed me" (It was good for me - It wasn't even like that) where Izzy realized that nothing is/was as he thought it was.

Up to the end of S1, I believe this is what Izzy's whole life was built on:

a. Ed and Izzy are a team, captain and first mate, relying on one another. They've been together for a lifetime, they love and care for each other - not in so many words, not romantically (at least not for the last years or so, if ever) - but Izzy knows he would do anything for Ed (and I'm sure he has, many times), and Ed would probably do anything for Izzy (I'm not sure if Izzy's belief here is based on concrete events in the past, but I very much hope so).

b. It is Izzy's job to see that Ed is content and, above all, safe. Ed wouldn't trust anyone else with this.

c. Izzy talking back and challenging Ed's decisions is not only tolerated but expected.

d. They trust each other above everyone else, they know each other better than anyone has ever known them, noone can really come between them.

Now, it seems like:

a. Ed has/had no use for Izzy's love and concern.

b. Izzy has failed his job, and noone else could have failed as spectacularly.

c. it is Izzy's fault Ed lost his mind and will to live because Izzy dangled his legs over the side of the ship.

d. Ed's kept Izzy around because he's useful and convenient, but he's not irreplacable ("the hands that kill" if you excuse my pun, even used one last time to kill their master), and it only took a few weeks with fuckin' Stede Bonnet to make Izzy redundant.

In Izzy's mind, his whole life was a lie - he was never loved, appreciated, or even safe. And it was his own fault too.

DJ said in an interview that Izzy shooting Ed was him finally breaking up with him, and I agree (very generous of me, I know).

Izzy goes through the breakup phase alone - at first, he thinks Ed is dead, then he believes he has nothing else to say to Ed and Ed's said everything there was to say as well, no apology needed or expected. It's done.

BUT.

We know this isn't true, right? What kind of conclusion would that be to the most important relationship in the series (apart from that other guy, I forgot his name)? After all of this, all the implied backstory, all of Con's and Taika's brilliant acting choices - there must be something more satisfying coming then Yeah... well... Not movin' on is worse.

I hope I'm worried for nothing and the next 3 episodes will address this (but there's so little time! And there is so much else going on!).

Also, I'm fully aware that in episode 4 and 5 Ed was 100% in his arc with Stede (we had the Ed/Izzy arc in episodes 1 and 2 after all). Ed and Izzy didn't interact at all in both episodes (excepting the one look during the apology). While Izzy was shouting at headless unicorns, himself and an indifferent universe with his hair attractively in his face, Ed wasn't even on the ship. Izzy moved on without any confrontation, apology, without any contact to Ed at all. To keep on living, he had to distance himself from all the trauma and throw himself at Stede.

I just felt a bit drained after episodes 4 and 5 - for me, Ed and Izzy are the central relationship of the show, Ed and Stede are like an added bonus. And after the first 3 episodes, I felt the showrunners kinda went in that direction as well (not as completely as I did obviously). And then they put Izzy on a different path and decided not to waste time with Ed actually thinking about poor Iz at all.

I really, really hope they don't drop this fascinating dynamic just to make Izzy accept that life is great without Ed and Stede and Ed running off into the sunset. Izzy (and us) have invested too much energy and love into that relationship. I want them to come to an understanding, an acknowledgement of what they were to each other, and what they are now.

Some healing stuff, or whatever. To quote Hornigold, of all people: You gotta move on, ya know? Or... you blow your brains out. Or, we could just make some soup.

(Also, Ed has to suffer because of (losing) Iz. It's only fair.)

[sailorplanet1997]

my ranks based on each seasons from Winx Club

season 3 is at ALL times my favourite, best storyline, transformations, villains, strongest attacks, it's perfect season 2 is a improvement from season 1, Bloom got corrupted a few times, Aisha started to appear, same for the pixies, the winx earning Charmix, it's the 2nd best after season 3 season 1 is where everything have started, some scenes are rather boring but i actually like season 1 since it's the history about Bloom and how she started at Alfea thanks to Stella, it was the first season so i'm letting some flaws slide season 4 is quite good too and the last season they didn't messed things up too much, a story plot based on Roxy, the villains are great too and the only season the Trix didn't appear in any of the episodes season 5 is not bad but could've done better, it should've been based on Aisha instead of Bloom, i liked the harmonix they went on a quest to find something so they can earn their sirenix, i just wished it lasted a little longer and some things don't make sense, that's why it's in the decent list season 8 is not that bad compared to the lowest 2 of the ranks, the mission is for real this time, going on a another planet to save the day and eventually to try to get the primestar, the transformations are good in their Cosmix form but the first Sirenix form looks terrible except Bloom, i wished they went with the season 5 Sirenix form, Crystal Sirenix form not too bad but nothing can beat the Sirenix form in season 5, they're lazy with Valtor, the animation looks weird as if it's made for kids, what's with the whitewashing? the specialist and the winx looks like little kids, even Kiko looks kind of weird there, why didn't Roxy and Daphne appear? and what's with their voices? the plot is quite good, the specialist appears a little more, Cosmix is good but i have so many questions why they've changed season 8 so much? very close to "thin ice" list but the plot is the reason i decided NOT to put it in the "thin ice" list season 7 is quite bad, they could've done better with Roxy, not make everybody looks the same with Butterflix, the plot looks like it's made for little kids since there are NO real battle compared to all the other seasons, the villains didn't do much except travel into the past and let others do the fight instead and i could've put it on the last list but atleast it's not too dark, the mini world is stunning, each had their own times to shine and i was SO glad Riven completely dissapeared with just a few flashbacks untill season 8 came out season 6 is the worse of all, too dark, too dramatic, everything have to be about Bloom, i wished we saw more of Selina's history with Eldora and Bloom, the way of earning Bloomix is poorly made except Flora and Bloom, everybody is so dramatic especially Musa and Riven, and speaking of Musa, she's the MOST useless winx in general, especially Mythix, Flora is the only possibly flawless person in season 6 except her drama with Helia about the plants, she went to Mythix on her own first before the others did, she was the first one earning her Bloomix form, Flora is one of the less who earned her Bloomix well, the other being Bloom, she's still the peacemaker from the group and this time it was Flora's idea to go after Bloom in gardenia and i do love her redemption when she defeated icy TWICE and healed Helia from the freeze, i possibly vibe a little with Tecna but the other 4 winx i don't vibe with them in this season

these are all the ranks based on each seasons from Winx Club i like when it have its dark sides in the series, especially in season 1, 2 and 3 but season 6 is too dark, the LEAST balanced season from all the other seasons with so little to no fun times, it's for that reason i like this season the LEAST season 7 is the most kid-friendly season from all the other seasons based on the plot, like there's so little to no battles in most episodes, it's only like saving the other animals from the disasters instead of the actual battles like in the first few seasons season 8 have a terrible animation compared to the earlier seasons, i can't stand most of the voices neither, i could've ranked it either lower or higher on the list but i just can't stand the animation

[stedebonnit]

Ok i rewatched the trailer and I'm also looking at something Vico said at that convention about how the hardest episode for them to film (or most intense, something like that) was episode 2.

So, here's my poorly formed theory.

Episode 1 is lovelorn Stede and the establishment of Ed the wedding crasher Teach.

Episode 2, Stede is really good at tracking Ed down. Izzy has taken notice and is desperately trying to get Ed away from Stede because Izzy gets off to prefers kraken Ed

Usually, Ed is more astute and would notice the people trailing him, but whenever he isn't crashing weddings he's doing arts and crafts with wedding toppers so he's reeeally taking a backseat to captaining.

This is also why they sail head first into a storm, because Ed, who can usually predict the weather with near perfect accuracy, isn't bothering, and Izzy, as established, is a shit sailor and doesn't know the meaning of the clouds.

So, they're in a storm, a scene that I imagine was quite physically and emotionally intense to film (hence Vico saying it was intense, maybe there's even a moment of Jim thinking they won't see Olu again).

Ed is tuned out, but not as much as Izzy might think. He knew the storm was coming, at least within the last day, and he's already sick and tired of being the kraken.

So, he has a plan. They're sailing near the shore, and even in a storm, Ed is a strong swimmer. Or maybe he doesn't care much whether he makes it safely to land or not.

Either way, he's gotten everyone tied up against the ship and sailing her through the storm, he's not needed anymore, and if he were to mysteriously disappear during the storm, well, they'd all think he was dead. Whether he actually is isnt the point anymore.

The point is he doesn't have to be Blackbeard. He can be set free. He can live or die as Ed, and that's all he can ask for.

They hit a wave and Ed jumps ship, and washes up on the shore like we see in the trailer.

Izzy, for all his stupidity, doesn't believe that Blackbeard could fall off a ship in a storm. He underestimates Ed at every turn, but this time he doesn't believe it, not when believing it means he's lost his new favourite toy.

So, he let's Stede catch up with him. He decides it's time to make nice. Stede's tracked them down no matter how hard Izzy tried to drop him. They have the entire english navy after them and fucking Bonnet is the only one who made any headway in finding them.

Why?

Well, the truth is that its because Stede knows Ed, and Izzy isn't as good at losing people as he thinks, but that's for another day.

So, Izzy recruits Stede, he insists Ed isnt dead, but he's left, and Izzy needs him back. He asks if Stede has any leads on where Ed could be, and promises that he'll put up with Stede Bonnet's bizzare way of doing things if it means he can get Ed back.

Now, of course, Izzy doesn't actually plan to let this happen. The second that they find Ed he'll discreetly kill Stede and pretend like they never met. He'll do what he does best and take credit for things he hasn't done. But again, thats for another time.

The point is, Izzy asks Stede where Ed could possibly be going, and Stede has one answer.

China.

And, of course, the moment Ed does wash up on that shore very much not dead, his thoughts go to exactly the same place. He realizes that, though his heart is broken, he would still rather be free and be Ed alone than spend another day as the kraken, and if Stede wouldn't come with him to China then he can damn well do it alone.

This brings us to what we see so much of in the trailer, the unlikely duo of Stede and Izzy both equally pretending not to despise one another as they sail under a common goal. Stede, who still doesnt like Izzy but is happy to work with him if it means he can forget Izzy exists the second he's back with Ed. And Izzy, who does in fact fully intend to murder and discreetly dispose of Stede the second Ed is in his sight.

Shennanigans ensue, and that brings us to episode 3 or 4.

[mio-nika]

I promised @turquoisewaves07 podcast recommendations

So let's get going. I will not obviously include every podcast I ever listened, only the ones that I really like and sometimes relisten.

1. Knifepoint horror.

Possibly my favourite podcast ever. It's the series of stories written and narrated by a guy called Soren Narnia. They are not usually connected and would sound similar to oneshots of MAG (almost every story starts as "my name is..." just like the "statement of..."). They usually very weird in nature, and it's really hard to explain why I like them so much. I usually recommend starting from "school".

2. Limetown.

Oh, the classic story about "every living person disappeared from this small unassuming town in the middle of the night".

It's like. One of the most famous ones in my list? They even had show adaption?? I never saw it, even tho every time I listen to it I think " fuck, it was really made with visuals in mind". Especially the last scenes.

3. The White Vault.

If it still snowing where you are it's a great one. Small expedition goes to a remote arctic station to fix things. Bad things happen. Interesting that almost the entire crew (both characters and actors) are bilingual and it plays big part in the story. Well, except one character. The Canadian-russian guy played by Peter Lewis. But I like him so I'm not even THAT mad.

4. Mabel.

Hi, so do you like LESBIANS? Mabel is really hard to recommend, because it made almost like a theatrical play where characters are talking in verses. It's a story about fae, lesbians, haunted buildings and women emancipation? It's extremely good. You will want to write lines over all of your walls, on your hands, on your heart.

5. The Big Loop.

It's the second podcast in the list, that is basically one guy writing not connected stories. He's name is Paul Bae and he more famous as one of the authors of "The Black Tapes". He left after the first season and he's probably the ONLY reason why first season is good. I highly recommend starting from "The Surrogate" if you like horror and "F.M.L." if you into hopefull dark comedy.

6. Alice isn't Dead

Do you remember how good were early podcasts writtend by a WTNV staff? I think we starting to forget. It's another "do you like lesbians" story, but its actually so much more. I cried real fuckin tears in a bus after the last episode, not from sadness, but from overwhelming hope for humans.

7. Death by Dying.

I've already recommended it in another post. But if you liked WTNV you need to listen to Death by Dying. It's a series of obituaries from a small weird town written by a guy who are very very VERY weird. He talks to a Angel of Death, he adopts cannibalistic cats and writes his abituaties more like personal stories of stupidity.

8. Small Town Horror.

This one usually gets overlooked, probably because of the very generic name, but for me it's really a hidden gem. Traumatized guy are trying to put together things that happened to him in his childhood and why he's so fucked up. If you really want to read story written by an unreliable narrator, this one is for you.

9. Within the Wires.

I already sang my praises about how good was the early podcasts written by a WTNV, but I will repeat it here. THEY WERE REALLY GOOD. It has a very different styles of storytelling from season to season. The first one is told through a series of mindfullness recordings. The second one is an art lections. Every season happens in the same universe and expands the over-arching story.

10. Spines.

I was thinking that to put as a last one and mostly torn beetween Spines and Girl in Space, but I'm a horror visual girl, so I choose Spines. Our heroine wakes up with no memory in the bath full of blood with a cultist-looking people and a probably other cult victims around her. Slowly she learns that she really is and in that horrying reality she was born.

[t4yce]

Hi Sophie <3

I hope all is well. This isn't a request, but I'd be remiss if I didn't mention how much I appreciate your work making GIFs.

With so many seasons airing concurrently, it's not easy to watch it all. I love that so many countries have the opportunity to show off their drag scenes, which kind of leads me to a question since I've been sticking to just a few of the franchises while letting the rest go.

Which seasons have you enjoyed the most over the last 6 months? Currently airing counts as well, of course. And what international queens do you wish people paid more attention to?

I hope you'll have a weekend as fabulous as you. Thank you for what you're doing for the community.

hey eli 💕 thank you for dropping by! i know, it's a lot to keep up with! i think i need to set start setting reminders for the episodes because i keep losing track of time and forgetting about them. i have some gaps in franchises from last year where i fully forgot to watch an episode 😅 (including the uk5 finale 🫣) out of curiosity, which franchises did you decide to keep up with?? as for my favourites from the last 6 months... belgique s2 is definitely up there-- i know it's not exactly well favoured in the wider fandom but i just feel like that franchise has a lot of heart?? overall i really enjoyed it; the cast were great, we had some amazing runways and an acting challenge that was actually well written! the judging is questionable but things always seemed to work out in the end so i'm not too mad about that! i really enjoyed canada season 4. they seemed to have found their footing with this season, it felt really fresh and fun. that being said it's kind of a blur to me now -- i'm gonna have to rewatch it sometime!

and i'm loving ukvstw2; i was so happy when i saw the cast reveal! i still can't quite believe we have marina and lgd in one season. i'm just really happy these queens are getting an international platform and gaining new fans!! it's so exciting watching people fall in love with your favs 💗 and gosh.. there are so many international queens i wish got more attention!!! i could write an essay and honestly i did, but it got way too long because i'm incapable of not rambling 😅 so i'm just gonna say one name, who i truly think is the most underrated of all franchises and that is chelseaboy! and thank you 💕💕 i did have a lovely weekend actually! i hope you're having a nice week ❣️

[chickenstrangers]

#5QLS tag

tagged by @waitmyturtles 🥰

When you get this, list 5 songs from the Asian QL shows that you actually listen to. 🎶They do not have to be custom-made for the series. 🎶Non-western tracks only. Let's support Asian music and languages! 🎶Feel free to tag anyone who may be interested in participating. 🎶Add #5qls tag to your post for others to find the new favourites!

1. Tilly Birds - เพื่อนเล่นไม่เล่นเพื่อน (Just Being Friendly) - My School President, Cutie Pie, Cupid's Last Wish

This is the song that started me on Thai music and I'm so happy for it. It's still probably my favorite song on this list. I love the original version, the MSP cover, NuNew's singing, but I especially love evil!Tilly Birds in Cupid's Last Wish when its the prelude to them getting lost.

2. NuNew and/or Zee - ใจรัก (LOVE) - Cutie Pie

Zee and NuNew both have amazing covers of this song (Zee's version) and with Just Being Friendly, this was I think the second song on my playlist. The actual scene in the show is one of the most excruciating scenes that I could barely sit through from second-hand embarrassment, and then Kuea sings it the next episode which is honestly kind of rubbing salt in the wound. But the song itself I love.

3. Dark Blue Kiss Opening Theme

I couldn't find a normal version of it without linking an episode, but this is genuinely my favorite opening sequence to a show, and it is one of the only ones that I will watch every time, even if I accidentally come upon it when trying to find a specific scene. Okay, I may be more obsessed with the video than the song itself, but the song definitely sets the tone. This opening is a roller coaster, starts dramatic, gets super cheesy, makes me laugh, but every time Kao comes on screen and a single tear rolls down his cheek I am instantly on the verge of tears.

4. Mix and Earth - ไม่ไกลหัวใจ (Closer) - Cupid's Last Wish

Though DBK has the best intro video, this is probably my favorite opening song to a show. Gets you in the mood for a fun lighthearted road trip to reverse a body swap. Honorary mention to their ATOTS Our Sky 2 song which I could not stop listening to and watching when it came out. I think the lyrics really capture the theme of the special. Yes I am putting 2 songs on this list spot.

5. ฟัง – SIN feat.โอม Cocktail - My School President

There's a lot of songs from MSP that could be on the list, but other than Just Being Friendly (which I am counting as a general BL song given how often it shows up) this is probably my most listened to song on the soundtrack.

6. Phai Phongsathon - คนบ้านเดียวกัน - Laws of Attraction

I was really trying to stick to 5ish main songs but then I remembered @recentadultburnout post about this song which appeared last episode and I have been listening to it a lot since then!

I have mostly kept to songs I haven't seen other people mention in their posts, so here's a quick list of my favorite songs that have already been discussed but that I second (not comprehensive):

Gunsmile - Pass (from Love Sick)

Wetter - Who (from The Eighth Sense)

Tilly Birds - I'm Not Boring, You're Just Bored (from Only Friends)

Anonymouz - 夜行性 (from Jack O' Frost)

Ayumu Imazu - Sunshower (from Eternal Yesterday)

CITI - Today (from You Make Me Dance)

And lastly, two of my favorite songs that barely fit because I don't think they were in any shows, but they were covered at the MSP concert, so I am counting them:

sorry for adding a million songs but hey why not talk about more music this is my post. tagging (if you want, no pressure, feel free to ignore) @recentadultburnout @distant-screaming (I love both your recs; I listened to MILLI for a week straight after a soundwin post haha) @ranchthoughts @dudeyuri @shannankle @miscellar @kattahj and anyone else who wants to share!

[ten-cent-sleuth]

4, 5, and 30? For the fic writers ask?

Yayay, thank you so much for the ask!

4. A story idea you haven’t written yet?

Well. Most of them. xD But I’ll talk about the third WIP on my roster: my post-“Grace” angsty fic, as I call it in my pinned post. (The first and second WIPs in line I’ve technically started writing for!)

I don’t want to go into specifics since I am really excited to hear people’s reactions to The Reveal, but basically the story will explore my take on who the little girl is / what she symbolises to Carter in “Grace”. Because of course I’ve read the common perspective that Grace represents Carter’s wish for a child and stands in for her future daughter with Jack—but it’s never sit perfectly right with me, so this fic will be my alternative two cents.

And also an excuse to have Sam and Jack meet another mirror version of themselves! (This is what I was referring to in my tags on this post, actually!)

Ngl, this just might be the WIP I’m most excited about right now. But ah! I have my “48 Hours” fic and my “Moebius” fic to finish first. xD

5. First sentence of the fifth paragraph of an unpublished WIP?

This is from Old Thorns, a canon divergence AU for Sense and Sensibility that I will never give up on.

Major General Ashby subscribed to that rare but forcible conviction that all good things are worth not waiting for.

I cheated—this isn’t quiiiiiite the fifth paragraph—but oh well, the real fifth paragraph’s first sentence was not very intriguing. Ashby is an OC who is a friend of Colonel Brandon’s. He facilitates Brandon’s spending time with the Dashwood sisters while they’re all in Town, a plan by Marianne to surreptitiously console Elinor.

Because the canon divergence I mentioned? Yeah, it’s that Marianne finds out about Edward’s engagement much earlier but believes Elinor is unaware and thus takes it upon herself to protect and prepare her. If this sounds convoluted and contrived, trust me, my outline Doc is way worse.

But I love this WIP. I love it so, so much, and I really hope it won’t be an “unpublished” one next year.

30. Share a fic you’re especially proud of.

Sometimes I feel like “Inextricably” is when I peaked and everything I write from now on will pale and tremble in comparison, but I’m not going to share that one here. (Although you’re free to check it out on my AO3, ofc. xD) Instead, here is my one and only—as of now—X-Files fanfic since @agent-troi recently made me think about it so I just reread it last night.

I am proud of how many threads I pulled through various episodes, scenes, and themes to weave together this fic. And still there was one major parallel I didn’t get to include because it didn’t end up fitting into the flow of Mulder and Scully’s conversation. (It was about Scully’s grief about her father.) I also didn’t get to include several scenes near the start because they were dragging me down while the deadline was approaching, but I’m proud of all the now-unused research I made into cross-species influenza and immunisation science for those scenes, lol.

Some of the emotionally wrought lines (in particular I think of “See? You knew what to say to her after all” and “like he was holding his own beating, bleeding heart” – quoted from memory so might not be exact) took me by surprise. Like they came out of me without planning, without preconception, and whenever I revisit the fic, I genuinely still cannot believe I came up with them. In general I just think this is one of my most emotionally charged fics, and I’m proud to know I’m capable of it!

And of course, I am forever proud of my courage in signing up for my first gift exchange and in vanquishing my anxiety about a) posting in such an intimidatingly big fandom as TXF and b) writing for one of my favourite authors in the fandom who also happened to be quite well known?? Ig ultimately “Nature’s Impossibilities” is just very special to me, although I definitely don’t think it’s perfect. (Some of the aforementioned weaving is kind of forced-sounding in the text, agh!) But yeah, quite proud of it. :P

Keep the fic writer asks a-comin’! 👻

Thank you again for the questions. :)

[annimator]

Looking back, October really felt like a great month for me fandom-wise and by the looks of it, November’s gonna be just a great :D

So, what happened that made October really great for me?

Well…

(I put it all under the cut cuz I’ll be spoiling some stuff for Disventure Camp, Inanimate Insanity, Heartstopper, and Whitepine. They’re all pretty great imo and I don’t wanna spoil stuff that happens in these shows/series for people that seem interested in them :p)

• i LOVED Heartstopper S3. I was rlly excited to see how they’d adapt Volumes 4 & 5 for the show and it delivered because NICK AND CHARLIE SAYING THEIR FIRST “I LOVE YOU”S TO EACHOTHER WAS SMTH THAT I WAS SO EXCITED TO SEE IN LIVE ACTION AND IT IS GENUINELY MY FAVOURITE MOMENT FROM THE WEBCOMIC. JOE AND KIT WERE SO INCREDIBLE ALL SEASON TOO

• I also rlly loved Darcy’s plotline for the season as someone that’s Nonbinary. Same thing with Isaac’s

• I was genuinely so fucking happy over Sahar and Imogen’s relationship getting more and more romantic. I cant wait to see what’ll happen to them in S4

• I STILL HAVENT FUCKING RECOVERED FROM INANIMATE INSANITY S2 EP 17. WHAT THE FUCK WAS THAT

• FAN’S LAST WORDS BEFORE HIS “DEATH” STILL FUCKS ME UP. AND DONT GET ME STARTED ON PAINTBRUSH BURSTING INTO TEARS AFTER SEEING LIGHTBULB FUCKING DIE IN FRONT OF THEM.

• THE ENDING SCENE. KNIFE AND SUITCASE BASICALLY ACCEPTED THEIR DEATHS AND THIS ONE PIECE OF FANART I SAW ON TWT ISNT HELPING

• but on a lighter note, I still can’t believe the II fandom managed to complete an ARG that took 3 days to be made within less than an hour lmao.

• OMG DC’S TOMJAKE SPIN-OFF WAS SO FUCKING AMAZING I LOVE IT SO MUCH.

• I like to think that the series as a whole is just ONC’s apology for making TomJake shippers wait MORE THAN A YEAR for them to actually become canon /j

• the cuteness aggression I get from these two are rivalling the ones I get from spiderbit and fitpac, and I’m saying this in the kindest way possible

• Those scenes from Ep 2 with Jake and Tom in domestic bliss genuinely added a decade to my lifespan. Their kiss at the end of the episode was great too. And what Gabby and Ellie said to each other immediately afterwards might genuinely be my favourite lines from the both of them

• The spinoff’s first season ending with Jake proposing to Tom genuinely got me (internally) screaming out of pure joy. I genuinely didn’t expect to get this obsessed with them when I got into DC since they weren’t even the ship that got me into watch in the series. (*cough* gabellie) Also ik this episode was released last Saturday but idgaf lmao

• a lot of double greetings were posted during October too! Literally most of the tomjake double greetings had them kissing and that implies that people paid extra for that to happen lol.

• Speaking of, the first Jaiden double greeting came out on my birthday >:D I haven’t really mentioned them much in my Disventure Camp posts, but they share the title of being my favourite DC ships alongside tomjake and gabellie! Their dynamic’s pretty cute and James’ confession to Aiden during the S2 finale is genuinely one of my favourite scenes of the entire series

• also Disventure Camp: Staff Stories’ last episode was released during October lol. I prefer Ep 3 more, but Derek and Trevor’s backstory was pretty interesting! Still can’t believed the episode ended like THAT lol

• S4’s contestants were also introduced, and it’s making me SO EXCITED! I’m personally rooting for Hannah, Benji, Marissa, Zaid, Tristian, Jade, Natalia, Alessio, and Isabel! So I will be very sad if one of them ends up being first boot :D

• WAIT I ALMOST FORGOT- New Whitepine episode came out and I really liked it a lot! Ivory and Serapter’s friendship is rlly sweet. Wonder why Clown wants Ivory to not bring up the whole murderer thing…

• oh yeah I also had a dsmp relapse because of Jack’s stream lol