#they're one of the most talented actors of their generation!!! but people didn't like the news because they weren't ''pretty''!!!

[archduchessofnowhere]

RE: Philip Froissant. Maybe it's a bit odd where an on-screen Sissi production has Franz Joseph as the prettier one of the two?

Well Devrim is a very beautiful woman so I don't think this is the case in The Empress. However my problem isn't really which one on the couple looks prettier but more with how casting usually prioritize people that conforms to today's beauty standards than actual resemblance with the historical figure.

But ultimately what's important is the actor's talent, and if they can play the role, physical appearance isn't that important. Philip is a good actor so I hope he will be able to carry the role of Franz when we get to the more challenging parts of his life (because let's face it the first season was mainly telenovela drama).

[hacked-by-jake]

I'm especially sad about the AI art statement.

No one ever said they can't use AI in general. Nobody said this. As long as they don't let the chats be written by AI they can use it for whatever they want.

Me personally, I'm a little fan of AI in general. ChatGPT took Googles place in many situations for me. It's super easy, super interesting and faster. I use it instead of reading millions of Google sites. (of course I don't trust everything right away, check your sources, lovelies)

But that's not what I want to say.

I saw no one complaining about the usage of AI in general. As long as its not creating the whole game and especially not what the characters say etc.

The critism was about the usage of AI ART, not AI in general, completely missing the point in my eyes.

And yes, they're right. AI became a huge part of our lives now. We find it everywhere and we won't get rid of it again. That won't happen. For me, it's okay as long as it's not used to generate money by letting it write texts and stuff.

And I'm completely fine with them using it. Of course, it's still stealing and I won't deny that, but as I said, we won't get rid of it again.

But the usage of AI generated Art is wrong and should actually be illegal. They, as a small developer studio, they should know and they do know, how it is when your work gets stolen and used by strangers.

And that's exactly what AI does. And that's not okay. It simply isn't. Every generated art is based on hundreds of real arts our there. The smallest artist who posts their work will be a victim of that. Because AI pulls it's knowledge and the ability for art out of every little art source there is. And that's wrong.

And I'm disappointed about their statement with this point.

And the second statement about AI art...

Yes, it's wonderful that you will introduce new actors to us. Great, amazing. And yes, we do remember how it was in Duskwood. And we do remember that actors were introduced after some time. Hannah joined in the last episode, and this was great.

But the huge difference is, you used stock photos. Real photography. Real designs. Created by photographers or whoever. The point here is: Real human. And real work.

I don’t think I'm the only one. But the first second I saw the profile picture of Ash, immediately I was like "Hm, that reminds me straight up of arcane"

Which is logical when you use AI generated art because the AI of course uses at first the most popular references.

Fact is: We don't support the usage of AI Art in Moonvale.

Question is: Why didn't you use stock photos just like you did before?

Everbytes answer: Yes, okay, we can change their profile pictures. (Point done)

And I mean, come on. Violet has a freaking cat as profile picture. Where was the problem with just using a real cat for that? Nothing easier than finding a good picture of cats! 😭

And if you didn't want to use stock photos. Have you seen how many incredibly talented digital artists your fandom has? Have you seen the insanely good work they created for your game?

How about contacting a few of them? How about asking them to draw the characters you wanted to have? I'm 100% sure you wouldn't even have to pay them for. Most of them would do it for free right away.

Plus: Real art created by real people

Plus two: No money spending.

Yeeey.

And if you don’t want that...., ✨STOCK PHOTOS✨

To be honest, they took a crumb of the criticism, twisted it a bit. Used the word AI, twisted a bit more, left their statement and at the end they gave us a small little victory by saying "They get new profile picture, see we're listening to you". They gave us a little "victory" so that we hopefully will be satisfied and not mention it again.

That's it for this topic. For now

[strawberrycarat]

Why there are a lot of people suddenly concerning Ewan is "not genuine" or they miss "the old pixel days" because they thought that was the "real Ewan" ? He's an actor, actors must promote their work (unless they're so successful or so known they don't have to do it, which is so rare and only among the top of the stars of Hollywood).

Is Ewan shy ? Probably. We don't know him personally. We can guess he is for what he shows in interviews or what other co-stars say about him (all of them talking positive about Ewan btw).

So why the change ? Because HE'S AN ACTOR ! And one that is starting to ascend so he must be more active with his career. If he wants to keep acting lead and/or interesting roles, he has to obtain some sort of recognition from the public because, let's being honest, it's not a career that is always kind with the most talented people out there. To become a successful actor or artist, in general, you NEED that. And Ewan is not an exception. So, if he doesn't want to have social media, he must promote himself somewhere else, right ? Like interviews, magazine photos, etc.

And even with his interviews, Ewan is a mystery to myself and others. He talks mostly about his roles, and he keeps his private life within himself (like there are tiny details about him or his mates or his hobbies, but that's it - in comparison with other actors, it's practically nothing).

Does the agency has something to do with Ewan's "new attitude" most likely. It's an agency ! They are aware Ewan is getting a lot of attention (more than before, with the Last Kingdom, for example, where they didn't "force" him to go to conventions - I remember one of his co-stars said Ewan was most likely never appear in one of those ? - and he did ! why ? because he needs to promote since he's one of the leads). Does this mean he hates it ? Probably not ! it's, after all, the result of his work (having fans, traveling around the world, being recognized for his hard, hard work). Does this mean he stopped being shy ? probably not, but, if he wants to be a good representative of the show and his own brand (because, again, he's an actor, he's selling his entire image!) he needs to act accord to the situation. It is clear he still has some kind of "shy ticks" (like looking at the ground sometimes or repeating the same word to continue the flow with his speech or even playing with his hands). A shy person can still become "extrovert" when the situation requires - like a presentation or something really important.

So, with the agency... it is clear they're helping Ewan all they can (otherwise we'll probably get him in Adidas all the time) so they probably got him a team to help him dress, PR stuff, etc. It doesn't mean he's not being genuine with this "new personality" -as some called- on the interviews or his interactions with fans... it only means he's doing his job. It Is clear Ewan is a private person and probably want to keep a lot of things hidden (it's, after all, his choice to share or not), but as an actor, a not so recognized actor in this moment -yes, he's getting attention for Aemond, but in the reality he doesn't have the fame-level as Matt Smith, for example- so he must work for it so he can have more work opportunities.

This, of course, is only my opinion as a fan that admires his work and his persona (at least what we can see from this side).

[gunsatthaphan]

✌🏻✨ ~ 2023 wrap-up ~ ✨✌🏻

another year gone, another post no one asked for djkghdf

I normally don't talk about personal stuff on here but like in the previous year I wanted do a little recap and give shoutouts to some lovely people 🧡

It hasn't been an easy year for me, I started a new job which has been stressful and annihilated my work-life balance which resulted in me being sick a lot & just being stressed for most of the year lol. I barely found time to maintain this blog which may not seem like it on the outside since I somehow managed to frequently post but it's been difficult. I know I don't have to be online 24/7 but the fear of slipping into irrelevancy due to lack of content remains. I didn't have much time to watch bls & asian shows in general which I still consider my safe space and escapism so I'm resentful that I didn't get to fully take in and enjoy the things I'm passionate about and make content about them like I did in the previous years. That being said thank god for all the weekend shows that I did manage to watch and fully focus on like Only Friends and now Cooking Crush and Cherry Magic. Those have been life savers lol and also thank god for all the talented creators who gave us tons of content; I will mention some of them below.

But aside from my personal schedule and despite not watching a lot of stuff, I still tried to keep an eye on what's going on in the BL world for my monthly breakdowns, which I still enjoy making and I will likely continue them in 2024. I also came to the conclusion that 2023 ended up being another rendition of quantity > quality in the BL-verse so not much has changed lol - not that I expected it to. We got a wild and extended mix of different genres and subgenres this year which was nice to see. We saw companies & actors experimenting a lot (with varying results), we got new ships, new fandoms and new enemies, as well as a variety of comebacks and retirements. My watchlist this year was limited to Thai BLs and my blog mostly consisted of gmmtv related content and like I said, if I had had more time I probably would have explored more different shows - but I eventually resorted to what's familiar. I guess I needed an anchor in midst of all my personal chaos lol.

But despite my short list, there were a few gems that I enjoyed. The big ones like Only Friends, Moonlight Chicken, Be My Favorite, etc., and the small, less popular ones like Be Mine Superstar, Mission Fan Possible and a few more. I enjoyed talking to friends & making content about them in the limited timeframes I had. My opinions mostly matched those of the general public but unfortunately there were a few disappointments that were bathing in a success that I could not wrap my head around - Dangerous Romance and A Boss and a Babe being at the top of that list, followed by La Pluie and also a few of the lakorns I watched. But anyway.

Anyone who knows me knows my blog has been 83% FirstKhao this year lmao, they're my favorite people in this industry and watching them act, interact & making content about them has been one of my highlights. I'm excited to see what 2024 brings for them and even if it's not a series, I'm looking forward to seeing what else they will be up to 🥺 🐈‍⬛ 🐈

I'm going into 2024 with mixed feelings but above all I hope I will get the chance to expand my watchlist a little. I will post a personal top10 of the shows I watched this year shortly; until then I want to talk a bit about some lovely people this year - I’m not good with words lmao but thank you for being you and making this hellsite a better place 🥹 lol.

@leonpob - bestie!!! 🧡 our BL opinions have drifted apart this year lmao but who's to say friendships are solely based on mutual opinions. You're the best, stay the way you are and here's to another year of sharing thoughts and hopefully finding more shows to watch together (no matter if trash or not lol) 😉😘  @mayalunas - ahhhh I loved talking to you sooo so much this year, we agree on so many things that I'm convinced we share the same BL braincells lmao. You're one of my favorite people on this website, thank you for being such a good listener and a positive & supportive person to talk to 🥺 I hope you have the best 2024!!! ily!!! 🧡 @khunvegas - GURL idk where you went this year or if you still exist sdjkds but just know I haven't forgotten about you and I miss our talks 🥺 come back pls thank. @my-wandering-rabbit - I love our random out-of-context talks once a month lmao, I appreciate you and I hope we will continue our ritual of me watching shows and you asking me questions without watching them kjsdhg @bl-recs-and-reviews - Bestie!!! I love our catch-ups on Discord, you were one of the first people I ever talked to like 4 years ago? crazy. look at us. I still love you, you're the sweetest and I love talking to you 🧡🥺 @dreamedofyou - ahh I absolutely love your blog!!! I noticed you a lot in my notifications this year so I wanted to say thank you so much for interacting with my unhinged content (mostly FK related lmao) - We haven't talked a ton but I think of you as a very nice person and I hope we can talk more next year 🥹🫶🏻

and then of course some more shoutouts go out to all the wonderful and talented creators out there; I will never be able to tag all of you so sorry in advance but here are a few that I appreciate, some of which have also mentioned me in their wrap-up posts so thank you for that!!!

@taeminie @seatawinan @loveisactivated @forcebook @jimmysea @guzhu-furen @daymork @itsallaboutbl @seatawinans @blneobin @blmpfff @wanderlust-in-my-soul @pranpat @milkpansa @raypakorn @ahxu-laowen @forcebookish @forcebookcorner @morkofday @chinzillas @seajimmy @dimpledpran @i-got-the-feels @bengiyo @benkaaoi @25shadesoffebruary @moonkhao @smittenskitten @respectthepetty @earthfluuke @pharawee @khaotunq @khaotunqs @pranink @gabrielokun @piningintrovert @zhaozi @markpakin @firstkanaphans @firstforkhao @khaotungsfirst @wen-kexing-apologist @firstkpp @firstmix @bunnakit @khaothanawat @alienwlw @ffirstkhao (I can't tag the last 4 for some reason..)

have the best 2024!!!

🧡🧡🧡

[linagram]

[ 𝚛𝚒𝚔𝚞 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚛𝚎𝚒𝚗𝚊'𝚜 𝚝𝟹 𝚒𝚗𝚝𝚎𝚛𝚛𝚘𝚐𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗 ]

the last interrogation of this season... and linagram 1 in general... wow..

Q.01. "Would you say you like being the center of attention?"

Riku: I guess so.

Reina: It's not like I enjoy being a leader, people just often say I'm very charismatic and I'm the best person to choose as one.

Q.02. "Tell us your parents' occupation."

Riku: Dad's an office worker and mom used to be a kindergarten teacher, but became a housewife when Hinode's health started to get worse and someone had to take care of him. They're not that interesting, but dad used to be in a band when he was my age.

Reina: Mom owns a flower shop. Dad is a lawyer. Dad actually wanted to become an actor when he was younger, but gave up.

Q.03. "Have you ever been called by a nickname?"

Riku: Yes, by my ex-girlfriend. She was.. not that good at coming up with those.

Reina: Some friends call me "Reirei" and one of them calls me "Nana-chan". It's kinda embarrassing.

Q.04. "Do you think killing your victim was the only option?"

Riku: Yes, no doubt about it.

Reina:  They didn't have to be so violent.

Q.05. "What is your favorite animal?"

Riku: Uhh, maybe dogs? 

Reina: Foxes and cats.

Q.06. "Is there anything you wish to know about Milgram?"

Riku: I just want this show to end already, it's getting boring.

Reina: Everything.

Q.07. "Are you the type to get jealous easily?"

Riku: If we're talking romance, nah, I don't think so. If it's about simply being jealous of other people's success or talent.. yeah.

Reina: I don't really see the point of getting jealous, so no, I don't think I am.

Q.08. "Would you say you're different from other people?"

Riku: I guess I could say I'm better than most of them.

Reina: Well, there's definitely something wrong with me.

Q.09. "Do you think your younger self would forgive you?"

Riku: I think he would thank me for finally doing it.

Reina: No.

Q.10. "Do you want to leave Milgram?"

Riku: It's like.. Yeah, but also I know that even though Yue is no longer here, my life will still be.. like that.

Reina: Yes, but not before I get all the answers I want.

Q.11. "What's your type?"

Riku: Someone who's like, really cute and nice and energetic. Just like me!

Reina: Someone who's too good for me.

Q.12. "What is more important: someone's personality or appearance?"

Riku: Both of them are important, no? 

Reina: Personality.

Q.13. "Do you prefer comforting lies or painful truth?"

Riku: My whole friendship with Yue was just a comforting lie we told everyone, including ourselves.

Reina: I was about to write "Truth", but I also did lie to my parents about my murder, so..

Q.14. "How did your parents choose your name?"

Riku: They wanted it to be similar to my brother's name in some way, but funnily enough, our names turned out to be the exact opposites. I kinda feel like his name having a kanji for "day" and mine having one for "evening" is fitting though.

Reina: I hate my name's meaning, honestly. If I had to take a guess, my father probably hoped that I would fulfill his dream or something. 

Q.15. "Do you still think it would be better if you died?"

Riku: I guess when I'm spending time with some other prisoners, I don't want to die that much.

Reina: Feel free to kill me after I find out the truth about this place.

[miraculouslbcnreactions]

Do you think having to model would have been damaging to Adrien when his mother was still with him?

Potentially controversial take here, but no, I don't think child acting is a terrible thing that should be illegal and child models are just a variant of child actors. Acting in commercials or movies is arguably more serious than something like community theater or local ads, but the risks aren't actually all that different. No matter the level of the production, the risk for abuse is there. It's not something limited to Hollywood. So I have no issue with child stars as a general concept. I think I've only ever hinted at this in my stuff, but I can actually picture a scenario in which Adrien got into modeling as an act of love.

His mother was a professional actress and Adrien very clearly enjoys acting. I could absolutely see Emilie recognizing his talents and getting him involved in commercials and modeling shoots for the company so that he can try acting in an environment that she can fully control (which is not concerning given that Adrien has clearly been modeling for several years, so he started young.)

I think most "good" parents would be super hesitant to let a little kid work with people they don't know, but with Emilie's connections and the success of Gabriel's company? Adrien going into an acting career actually makes a lot of sense. Especially if Emilie acted as his agent and was always on set to make sure he was okay.

Adrien being a model only becomes concerning when we get things like the super creepy Alliance AI-Adrien. Stuff that Adrien clearly isn't okay with and that should never have been considered to begin with (you literally see the model in his underwear when Soquline is showing off the fact that you can dress him up in Jubilation.) If Adrien was actually enjoying the work and the work was all ethical? Then it wouldn't be a problem.

Creative fields are rife with abuse and poor working conditions, but they're also a source of joy for many. Minors working in these types of fields is an incredibly complex topic, but I can't view it as inherently bad. I've known too many kids who legitimately loved acting or playing sports or whatever creative thing they were into.

Oh, and random side note, but it's super weird how the show plays Adrien's fame. He's fashion model, not a movie star. He would not be as famous as the show tries to make him. I actually researched this a while back to make sure France didn't have some sort of model-obsession and I couldn't find anything (btw, please let me know if I missed something and this is wrong).

I mention all of this because I think fashion modeling is potentially a much safer way to let a kid do some acting. Commercials and one-off fashion shoots are much smaller commitments than movies and TV shows and they carry way less risk of super star fame. I actually get distracted when fanfics have Gabriel constantly pulling Adrien out of school for fashion shoots for two reasons: first, that appears to be highly illegal in France. Second, how much marketing material is the Gabriel brand supposedly producing??? Especially since Adrien seems to just be a teen model and not model for the adult line, which would be standard for the industry. You don't really become a full fledged model doing things like runways until you're at least 16. (Btw, guess what age I often scale Adrien up to? There's a reason for that.)

As far as I can tell, most models have to work with multiple brands and companies to make good money. An exclusive deal with a single company should mean that your schedule is pretty relaxed, which is another reason I could buy a loving parent letting Adrien model. Modeling, commercials, and voice acting are actually a fantastic set of options for someone who wanted to do some acting work while still going to school. It is incredibly easy to take the setup the show gave us and use it to make Adrien a child star who wasn't exploited.

[queenoftsage]

I always see these ToP 10 KoReAn AcToRs ThAt ArE sO GrEAt [OmG] on... Fail Tube...

And to be honest, they always fail me. Come the F on peoples. Where are my faves?

Yeah yeah I know. I'm not general audiences. So.... Let's make my own.

Behind this read on, you will find my TOP 10 South Korean Actors of .... Well all time. Including NEWBIES, and Honorable Mentions.

P.S. this list is based on ACTING talent. Yes, most of these men or male presenting peoples I'm about to name may be good looking, but they have the TALENT to keep me entertained. ME, who is very picky for... pretty much anything, especially a whole ass show or movie I'm gonna give hours upon hours of my time to watch. If you can't act, your looks to me are gonna go down the drain. You can't be a bad actor and be good looking, because then I'll be like... yeah... that mofo is on that screen just cause of looks. They have no freakin' talent. GET ME OUTTA HERE. lol.

THIS SAID....

Ready to hate me cause I didn't include your faves? lol. READ ON, or forever hold your peas and carrots,. and MOVE ON. [aka- don't click 'keep reading'] [Warning: LONG ASS post.]

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

#10

Park Hae Soo

Listen.... It took 'Narco Saints' for me to realize that... I do love watching him on screen. I have also seen him in other things, and I honestly have loved his performances.

He manages to hold my attention long enough to acknowledge that... Yeah, I like this guy, he is very good at his craft. Let's go see more stuff with him in it! So that's how I decided he's a fave. lol.

My nickname for him: Mr. Narco Saint.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

#9

Kim Jae Wook

I have seen him in SO MANY series/dramas, and every single time, every SINGLE time, he makes me root for his characters. Yes, even when he's playing evil AF characters. I think high key, he fits the villain characters a little more. I don't know, it's something about his elegant looks that make it easy for him to play villains. His most memorable being in 'VOICE', and in 'DEATH'S GAME'.

ALSO, he has a very special place in my heart. Way back when, Tumblr used to be a fun place for online RP. I had an amazing RP partner that used his beautiful face as an FC for a very fun character. I don't remember his name too much. If I remember it, I'll come back and edit it in, but... still... That particular character was villain-ous. lol

My Nickname For Him: 'That Character's Name!' ... I'll find it...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

#8

Park Hyung Sik

This man is just adorable AF. He's fun to watch in most of the series/dramas he's in, and my favorite performance of his was in the series 'Happiness'. Despite him being a favorite, a lot of the stuff he's in is ... not really a personal favorite, [save for 'Happiness' which I really liked.] but his acting is always a breath of fresh air. Like I said, he's fun to watch on screen, even when the writing is bad. lol

My Nicknames For Him: The Cute One

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

#7

Yoo Seung Ho

Just like Park Hyung Sik, this man is adorable and very fun to watch, but sometimes the stuff he's in is... not so great. However, he is great, and I have yet to watch him in Warrior Baek Dong Soo. I hear that was a great performance of his. Honestly, all his performances are great. Also, his eyes are a thing that keeps me glued to the screen. He's just beautiful.

Anyway... Favorite. I always enjoy watching him on screen, even if the stuff he's in has insanely terrible writing.

My Nickname's For Him: Jingoo's Older Brother [yeah Yeo Jin Goo, no they're not related... but still.], Yesung part 2, Orange Blossom.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

#6

Yoo Ah In

Another top performer, and reason why I'll stay and watch something. Despite all that bullshit controversy going on about drugs and this man [I would go off tangent and explain why I don't give a fuck when actresses or actors end up being junkies. That's their choice and their body. It's something they have to fight with.] , I still find it very fulfilling to watch him on screen. He's very very good at what he does, and well... You know he's also very easy on MY EYES. lol

Whatever the case, I thank that lady Song Hye Kyo, for being his friend and sticking with him through thick and thin and helping him out as the friend that she is. I hope he gets the help he needs and is able to come back to acting. I know it won't be unscathed, because South Korean audiences are very harsh on drug accusations [in which they should be harsher on GRAPE accusations, but go figure. They're very ass backwards. I won't get into it. That's all I'm saying.] , but me personally, I'll be waiting patiently for him to return.

Hope to see him in more new performances. In the meantime, I'll continue to watch what he's been in.

My Nicknames For Him: Hottie, Mr. Chicago Typewriter

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

#5

Steven Yeun

GLENNNNNNNNNNNN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!... you know... Because yes. Also, he's great, overall. He's got a charm that just keeps me watching every time he's in anything. He's one of the reasons I continued to watch 'The Walking Dead' for as long as I did. Him and Michone, but that's another story for another time.

Why is he in this list, if he's mostly in Western productions? Actually, no. He was in a few South Korean productions as well, and he was great in them. Hell, he even did a variety show in South Korea and was adorable in it. So... THERE. lol.

My Nicknames For Him: The only reason I liked 'The Walking Dead', lol... Well that's not a nickname, but that's what always comes to my mind when I see him. Him and Michone were EVERYTHING to me. Aka- GLENN.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

#4

Lee Do Hyun

The first time I saw this dude was in 'Hotel Del Luna'. And I thought he was great, not gonna lie. Unfortunately, at that time, someone else had grabbed my attention. However, fastforward to a lot of performances later, including 'Exhuma' where he was superb! and I realized that this man is AMAZINg. Also, he played Shin Ha Kyun's younger self in 'Beyond Evil'. So technically he's Lee DongSik Too! How much better can we get?

That aside he's super talented. And of the new boys that are usually in Top 10s, he's the only one that made it on mine. Also, he will forever be Baby! Shin Ha Kyun to me, because I believe he can achieve such heights as an actor.

My Nicknames For Him: Baby!HaKyun [yeah... Shin Ha Kyun]

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

#3

Shin Ha Kyun

........... I don't think I need to explain WHY, this man is in this list? Or do I? If I do, just know this, he's nicknamed 'The GOD of Acting' by his fellow South Koreans. So.......... Yeah. Either way, and God of acting nickname aside, he lives up to that expectation all the time. No matter what character he's playing, he always puts his soul into it. I love that about him.

My Nicknames For Him: My Husband, The MOOD, My Twin [Gemini Twin]

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

#2

Doh Kyung Soo

.... Listen... Idol actors get a lot of shit when they decide to go into acting, because they're often accused of being BAD at acting. Kyungsoo, is one of those that has surprised audiences with his acting. And honestly, I feel it. I have seen most of everything he's been in [save for that one series with Zo In Sung], and I gotta say, I loved the performances through and through. Whether he was playing a high school kid with problems, and or a crazy prosecutor, and or an astronaut stranded on the moon. The feeling has been there the whole time, as well as the SOUL. This man, knows how to act, he was born for it. And of the many many MANY idol actors out there doing their thing, he's in my opinion, THE BEST of the BEST.

THE END...

Also helps that he's one of my top favorites, but that's another story for another time.

My Nicknames For Him: Baby Boy, el Ojon ['big eyes' this one from my mom too, cause that's what she calls him, and that's how she knows we're gonna see him on screen.] , Crayon Shin Chan, Baby! Ranier, itty bitty KyungSoo, [too many to be honest... I come up with nicknames every other Friday. Stay Tuned... lol.]

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Honorable Mentions:

Ji Sung

This man came into my radar, thanks to 'The Devil Judge'. I have yet to sit down and see him in more things. The only other series I have seen him in is 'Adamas', and I gotta say, it was very fun time. I'm not gonna lie that I chose to watch him because I don't mind watching him on screen. He's absolute eye candy in every sense of the damn word.

However... I hope that as I keep trying to watch stuff he's been in or is in 'currently', I can appreciate his acting more.

My Nicknames For Him: Kang YoHan [I know that's a character he played, but that's all I see when I see him... I KNOW, I need to see more.]

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Seo Ji Hoon

I'm not gonna lie... I had seen this kid in other series, and he did kind of grabbed my attention. However, the stories were so good, I was actually invested in the stories [ie. 'Revenge of Others', 'Meow The Secret Boy']. However, enter 'Flower Crew: Joseon Marriage Agency' and... That was it. I immediately remembered his face from the previous stories/series and how in those series, he was the one that had caught my attention. Then here in this series Marriage Agency... I was SOLD.

This beautiful man is up and coming, true. So I'm waiting patiently for him to get more 'STARRING' roles. He's only gotten a few. He has yet to have that one HIT that catapults him to getting even more attention. However, with what he's done, he's done enough for me to pay attention. He's good, and he was so good, that in Marriage Agency, he managed to get my attention, when that series features some of the most beautiful men South Korea has to offer. Shout out to the other Jihoon, he's beautiful too.

Either way... This kid is on my radar. I can't wait to see more of him and determine WHERE in this list he fits. Will he be Top 10? or Top 20? We'll see.

My Nicknames For Him: Baby King! [he's a little itty bitty king... no of course he's not... he's way taller than probably most of the dudes I have here on this list. lol. But still... He's so baby faced. That's all I think about when I see him.]

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Park Ji Hoon

Ok, so the same thing that happened with Seo Jihoon, happened to me with this Jihoon. He's Park Jihoon. So the first time I saw him was in 'Flower Crew: Joseon Marriage Agency'. I did take notice at how pretty and cute he was. I mean, this freakin series had some very beautiful people in it and I did notice. However, the Jihoon that caught my attention there was Seo Jihoon. Fastforward to a few months later and me watching 'Weak Hero Class 1' and I lost it. I remembered who this kid was, and I remembered where I had seen him. He is amazing in this series, so now I'm a little lost in the rabbit hole. I am currently going through his list of works. It's not that big, so I feel like I'm almost over. Currently and at the time I'm about to post this, I have started 'At a Distance Spring is Green', and I gotta say, he's adorable and he's entertaining to watch.

We'll see in the future, where he ends up in the list. Will he be Top 10? or Top 20? I will figure it out eventually. In the meantime, I also love watching him in variety shows and doing that cute gesture with his hands. You know the one....

My Nicknames For Him: THE EYES [no yeah for real. That's what comes to mind when I see him. lol.] , Tiny Boy [it fits him cause I believe he's the youngest in this list.] , Baby Tiger, My Son, and lately I realized he's 'LITTLE RED' my OC. Like seriously, fits like a glove.

KAI [Kim Jong In]

Just like the photo above, I've been sleeping on Kim JongIn as an actor. And I not only blame myself, but also blame my love for watching him as a performer/singer better than an actor. I have never given him a chance as an actor. I am aware that he has done a few series, and the bits and pieces I have seen I have liked a lot.

I feel I need to give myself the time to watch him in these and then figure out where in the list he will end up. Either way, he's an honorable mention because even when I'm not watching him in acting action, I am always watching him in dancing and performing action, so.... yeh...

My Nicknames For Him: Art In Motion, Baby Nini, Tedi Bear, El Sexy Boy, Bolita de Algodon [little ball of fluff], The CAT Boy[alternately 'Omi in RL']

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

#1

YEO JIN GOO

You saw this coming, right? Either you did or didn't, but you should know by now. This man took me by the horns and hasn't let me go yet. Listen....Might as well be the devil here and say, yes this man makes me feel things every time I see him acting. Whether he's playing a robot, a hotel manager, a disgruntled king, it doesn't matter. He puts so much soul into whatever he does, that it makes me feel like I am there experiencing what the character is experiencing.

He has a long history, which has been amazing to look through. And honestly, up to this day, I still haven't watched everything he's ever been in. He has an extensive list of works that he's been part of, and his participation in each project has, honestly, always stood out to me. At least in the projects/series/dramas I've been able to see.

Thank you, Yeo Jin Goo, for sharing your insane acting talent with all of us. I consider myself lucky to be alive in this era, and to be able to witness this. Greatly appreciated. Hope to be able to live long enough to see you thrive for many many years.

His Best Characters [Top 5]:

Gu Chan Seong [Hotel Del Luna]

King YiHeon & Ha Sun [The Man Who Became King]

Han JooWon [Beyond Evil]

Hwayi [Hwayi: A Monster Boy]

King Gwanghae [Warriors of The Dawn]

My Nicknames For Him: Baby Child, Peach, and KaiSoo Love Child.

And that's it... Are any of your faves in this Top 10, or are they honorable mentions? Either way, these are MINE. If I made a video about it, these are the men it would feature.

Maybe later on I'll make the Female actress version. That one would be really hard, because I absolutely LOVE the female actresses more than I do the male actors. And I have tons of faves.

However... I'll try to make the effort to do it eventually. Don't know when.

Anyway... Hope you enjoyed this post, if you read it all.

[thephantomcasebook]

I'm thinking Ewan Mitchell sold his soul to Hollywood. Fucking scary how they lure young great talents like him in. Thoughts?

Look, I'm gonna tell it to you as clean as I can.

Actors and Actresses are narcissistic, shallow, neurotic, empty people, which, as a whole, can't be trusted. They'll do and say whatever it takes not just to get a role, but to get even a few more lines in a script. They are adult people that play make believe for a living because they, generally, don't like themselves and want to be someone else. To deify or put on a throne, anyone, that plays pretend for a living is plain ignorant and you're asking for your heart to be dashed.

No one enters entertainment and comes out a better person, yeah?

There is a very few actors/Actresses that are jobbing, lunch pail working performers that are good and normal people.

Michelle Dockery, Laura Carmichael, Jenna Coleman, Nikolaj Coster-Waldu, Matthew Marsden, Aiden Turner, and Sam Heughan.

The only standard you should have for an actor or actress is these three questions:

Are they respecting the character?

Are they respecting the Lore?

And - most importantly - are they respecting the fans?

I hit Olivia Cooke with the fucking truck all the time, because, Olivia Cooke does not live up to these basic principles. She doesn't care about Alicent, in fact she hates Alicent. She doesn't give a fuck about the lore, and is actively campaigning to change it to virtue signal. And she openly does not care about the fans unless their gender and sexuality gives her cashe to big-up her career.

Like I've said, you can love a character and dislike an actor/actress. I'd give my sword for Alicent Hightower ... and at the same time I think Olivia Cooke is a dishonest snake.

Same thing with Lena Headey. Lena Headey might legitimately be retarded, okay. She is so stupid that she couldn't spell "Cat" if I spotted her the "C" and the "A", right? Lena Heady also happens to check all three of the boxes. She loved playing Cersei. She respected the Lore around Cersei and didn't try to change her character to make her look better. And while she had a terrible history prior of out right abusing her own fans, she learned to appreciate the people that paid her fucking bills, in the end.

When it comes to Ewan. I wouldn't wear those clothes, and I question the manhood and self-respect of any man who wears them - gay or straight. But at the end of the day, Ewan Mitchell has a right to do whatever the fuck he wants to do. Or, more succinctly, I don't give a fuck about his or any other actor's personal lives.

What they do on their time is their business. But what they do on my time is my business. And since I'm paying a subscription for "MAX" and thus paying his fucking salary, I expect him to not waste my time with half-ass performances and hack effort, right?

But he hasn't waisted my time.

Ewan Mitchell has been a model of professionalism and passion when it comes to portraying Aemond.

He has put more thought than anyone - except for Glynn-Carney - about his character.

He is dedicated to playing the character right.

And he has been exemplary in his treatment and interaction with the fans of the show and the franchise as a whole.

And that's really all you can ask of an actor in your franchise. What he does and believes in his personal life is his affair. As long as he doesn't disrespect me than I won't disrespect him. That simple.

Once more, you guys have to stop putting actors/actresses on thrones, cause they're only human ... and, in many cases, not very good ones. Love the character, stan the character, but hold these real life people to simple standards that they should be holding themselves too.

I'm not coming down on you nonny, but I've had thirteen years of this shit on Tumblr of fangirls worshiping an actor or actress in cult like status because they like a character.

You guys have got to stop doing that, cause it only leads to bad things.

[ariadnejoly]

I unapologetically love Girls

Yes, I'm bi, 😝 But I also love Girls, the comedy-drama series. The general opinion I see online is: most people can't stand to watch it. It's cringe. It makes them uncomfortable. For one reason or another, many haven't watched it. I would like to share my love for the show and what it means to me.

The glory of Adam Driver. Getting the obvious out of the way. He has always been gifted, this man who evokes such a raw and vulnerable edge. He is compelling, point blank, and this show acts as a long form story where he not only stuck around as one of the ensemble cast, but his character's evolution over the entire six seasons is a beautiful and subtle performance. I remember being surprised and delighted that Dunham didn't write out his character after a breakup, as they might do on say, Sex and the City. Adam Sackler hung around and became a core member of the group. Everyone else noticed his talent too, which is why Kathleen Kennedy snapped him up to play Kylo Ren in Star Wars. Girls gave me Adam Driver and I felt right at home in Star Wars with him. He's given his all to everything he's ever done. He is the actor of our generation. And he didn't get his breakthrough on the stage, or his episode of Law and Order. It was on Girls. But I don't need to brag. Just watch the show to see the absolutely feral and filthy fuckboi he starts out as. Watching it purely for Adam Driver will be worth it, and you might just end up liking other parts of the show, too.

It subverted my expectations constantly. And that's a good thing! People (me included) expected this new, anticipated show to be the Millennial Sex and the City. And I mean, there is sex, and there is Brooklyn, but this show goes in all different directions AND keeps up with male characters. See point 1 above. Adam, Elijah, Ray, and even dear, dysfunctional Desi round out the ensemble cast of women. As a long-time fan of Sex and the City, that show uses the Kens as ornaments, only utilized for sex and jokes, and breakups. The women don't talk about anything but the men they're dating. And guess what? That's fine! It is what it is. And I fuggin love that show --it was so formative for my 17 year old self. But then my 22 year old self watched the first season of Girls and was blown away by the way Dunham and the other creatives firmly planted their heels as an entirely different show that was not to be compared to anything that came before. These characters are complicated and deeply flawed. And at many times, unlikeable. But the writing is good. There's always one or two "bottle" episodes per season where characters are on a trip back to their hometown (season 1, episode 6), or the absolutely heartwrenching Marnie adventure in season 5 episode 6. I have many more examples I could give (Honorable mention to season 3 episode 9!). These episodes reveal another layer of complexity to each character in a way that feels lived in, possible, real. There's specificity and sharp wit. Characters often have a turbulent epiphany about their life in these bottle episodes, one that's usually scary to admit and confront. One of my favorite episodes is Hello Kitty (season 5 episode 7). It has so many moving parts, the play in the apartment building, the horrifying true story the play is based on...and yet that episode is so fun to watch. Beautifully written and directed. It has stayed deeply rooted in my mind as a piece of magic. This show has plot lines that are controversial and will absolutely divide people. It's not so middle of the road that it's blah, that’s for sure. It's irreverent and at times, utterly troubling. It makes you question your own character a little deeper. And that's why I keep coming back to study the show again and again.

Girls made me uncomfortable and cringe the first time I watched it. I was indeed like all the rest of the critics, appalled at Lena Dunham's flagrant nudity (I was from a Mormon town and had recently escaped the cult myself). Lena's body looked different than that one, victoria's secret model-type that we are all familiar with. Dunham's lack of shame horrified me and intrigued me. It tickled some deep part of my brain that yearned for the same liberation. But more than that, it was the scary way I related to the character within the first three episodes. Hannah is an aspiring writer who's 'bigger' than her friends. She hopes to be the voice of a generation. She wants to write a memoir. She’s just unkempt enough that no one takes her seriously. I was slack jawed after the pilot. I'd been watching myself on screen, for what felt like the first time ever. I staggered away from the tv and the episode rolled around in my brain, until a week went by and it was time for another episode. I'd just undergone a LEEP procedure to remove pre-cancerous cells from my cervix because I'd contracted HPV. Then episode 3 was about Hannah tracking down the boy who gave her HPV. Only to find out the ex she hooked up with that one time is gay. And yet again, it was like Lena Dunham was writing my life. Dating the gay boy who's a musical theatre aficionado? Yep. Me, Hannah, and Lady Bird. Hannah Horvath's life diverged from mine with every subsequent episode, but come on. If you were me, you would have been hooked too. Each season, no matter how batshit any character was, no matter what they did, I tuned in. And even though I was outraged when Hannah quit safe, secure jobs, like GQ (that allowed her to interview Patti LuPone!), it was really just me projecting my own money concerns. And when I cringed at her nude body, it was really just my own fatphobia and insecurity that I am still unlearning to this day. The writers of the show decided to make the characters self-sabotage in order to create comedy and drama. Hannah doesn't conform or stay quiet or people please to survive, like I had to. Watching Hannah and the girls became more of a “what not to do.” Back then I was comforted that while life was hard, at least I wasn't fucking up as badly as Hannah Horvath. Now I can laugh at the silliness and hijinks. It's all just good, fictional fun when you're past the poverty and crippling self-doubt of your twenties.

My thoughts on my body (and Hannah Horvath's) have changed. And that's the best thing of all. I rewatched Girls in 2022, a ten-year anniversary sort of thing. Wow. I saw it with different eyes. The eyes of someone older, wiser, happier. I watched it as a 32 year old, two years into my healing journey with my mind, body, and with food. And I see Girls in a new way. I see Hannah's body. It's straight out of Renaissance portraits. She is beautiful because she is real. I am also beautiful, and real. And so are you. Our bodies allow us to do and experience so many things. I'm grateful for the one I have. The culture in the 2010's was absolutely fat-shaming and misogynistic. When Dunham did press interviews, she deserved to be asked about her writing and directing, not why she was nude. And even when I wasn't ready to see Dunham's body (because I was still living in the fantasy that if I just did the next diet, I could finally be thin and look like the girls in the media), I am so glad Lena showed her real body and now that shit is immortalized in the Library of Congress. Good for her.

Girls shows some hard realities, for worse or better. The girls don't make lifelong vows to always remain friends. It's not a soulmate, forever Sunday brunch kinda thing. In fact, the show distances them all from one another over the last few seasons and at the end, gives them a sendoff in which they agree to float away from each other, more or less. And that's the true reality of some friendships, especially in your twenties. People will come and go throughout all of your life. It's a certainty. This show was creatively driven by a 24 year old woman, who was showing us the reality of adult life as a young person in a deeply corrupt, capitalistic system. A shitty recession where being an unpaid intern is legal. Getting felt up by your boss is tolerated by women in the office for the sake of financial security. Not eating to save money, hoping that boy texts you back, licking Cool Whip from the back of the spoon, avoiding the reality of your student loans. C'est la vie.

[destinyc1020]

It’s just so exhausting hearing the same conversation from so called Tom fans every 3-5 business days. No one is saying that you guys need to love everything he does but it really does feel like some of you harp on every single thing about the man to a point it doesn’t feel like you’re fans. His agents, his friends, his family, just constant nitpicking. And I’ve never been in an fandom where people truly think they have a say or can control a grown ass man like this. And some of the criticism that you guys have are the same regurgitated criticism that film twitter bros have who have a gripe with MCU. It’s never actually productive or constructive. It sounds like you guys are mouth pieces for that sector who decided to hate Tom 2 years ago because they decided to hate Marvel and he went public with Z. It’s annoying. The man is one of the most successful unproblematic young actors of his generation. He keeps to himself and his family and friends and girlfriend but I swear there’s always this hate train going on him. You have to see how people can get tired of it especially when he’s done nothing to warrant the constant ragging.

Exactly Anon! 💯

It just gets old.... and exhausting 😩 And I think it mainly gets old not only because it's every 3-5 business days, but ALSO bcoz it's coming from people who supposedly call themselves fans of Tom. With fans like these, who needs enemies?? 🥴

It would be one thing if these people were open haters of Tom and just admitted it. Then the hate and constant nitpicking would at least make some SENSE (okay, you're not a fan of the dude.... got it).

But when it comes from so-called "fans" who are following a blog of someone who's obviously a FAN of Tom's, it just feels really weird to me....

Liiiiiiike....

Like you said, Tom is unproblematic, he minds his business, he works hard, he's talented, and he doesn't do anything wrong or offensive to anyone!

Atp, fans can't even enjoy any new project news for Tom, because fans of his are ready to complain 24/7. 🙄

The TCR Filming Announcement came out:

"Omg....I wish Tom didn't take this project on. It's just going to make people with DID look like monsters! Hollywood always does this! I wish Tom would drop this project." (Keep in mind, the series had not even started FILMING yet, let alone come out. 😒)

The FA Filming Announcement came out:

"Ugh!! I HAAAATE biopic films! I'm so sick and tired of them!! They're just Oscar bait films anyway..." 🙄

Tom Simply TALKS about a possible SM4 movie in the works later on down the line:

"I sure hope they don't do another trilogy. Tom needs to STOP playing Spiderman and do more serious indie films instead of getting sucked into SUCKY Sony and the MCU. He's being held back by his Spiderman contracts!!"

A simple TWEET comes out that Mark Wahlberg has said that the script for "Uncharted 2" is has been written:

"Nooooooo!!!! 😫 I hated that movie! It wasn't funny, it wasn't charming, and it wasn't even a 'good' action movie! I wish Tom would drop this franchise and do smthg else!" 😭

All it sounds like in Tom's fandom is this all the time.....

After a while, it just gets tiring.... 😓

[ga-yuu]

Can you please tell me what are the things that you like about every suitor on ikemen genjiden

There are so many things I like about the characters. Let's keep their characters' designs aside for now because they are all beautiful.

Yoritomo

I'm usually not into the Cybird's 'black haired first male leads' most of the time. I like them, but they're not in my most fav character of all times (except for Ray and Yoritomo)

Yoritomo...I never really thought that I would end up loving him this much. Mostly due to the fact that his personality is wholesome.

Yoritomo is a sadistic person who loves bullying others just for fun. He enjoys making fun of and teases everyone he thinks have the cutest reactions.

But at the same time, he creates opportunity for the people around him to grow and develop. This can be seen in several instances in his route, where Yoshino would have a problem and Yoritomo would create an opportunity for her to grab instead of actually helping her. This is done so that, Yoshino becomes independent rather than relying on him all the time.

It's cute and I love it. It adds a layer of kindness to his personality that I can't help but pout and puff my cheeks because I can't get mad at him for bullying me because there is always this kindness in his teasing words.

Also his voice actor....perfect casting! I don't think anyone other than Jun Fukuyama can bring out the mean condescending as well as the caring personality of Yoritomo.

Kagetoki

I'm usually not a fan of megane characters because I think all of them act the same. They all have whips in their hand and always use 'watashi' when referring to themselves.

I just think they all are same (I may be a racist in this aspect but there are exceptions to this. I love Sasuke and Kagetoki too. I don't hate megane-s. I'm just neutral about them).

Kagetoki is a character that keeps the same sadistic aspect of what I mentioned above about all the megane characters.......but while also being hilarious.

I think I really enjoy the Kagetoki as a side character in other routes rather than a male lead. I love how hilarious this guy can be given the right timing and circumstances.

I love how on the surface he's very hard-working, talented strategist with great work ethic, strict, mean, straight faced etc etc etc... but when you learn about him on a much personal level, he's just a guy you can't take care of himself. He can't clean his room, he always needs someone besides him to remind him to eat his food or else he will die, he sucks at playing biwa but still keeps a straight-face, he destroys his food by drowning everything with his sweet syrup. This is the side that I love about him. This flawed side. This makes him look more approachable and friendly.

Morinaga

A person that I would most likely avoid irl because of his very high out-going personality is little overwhelming for me. But in-game, he's very interesting.

I think Morinaga is likeable in general because of his friendly and kind personality. He's that one guy who brings everyone together and also the guy who easily gets along with everyone.

I think Morinaga's character got a little more depth after the introduction of Sueharu. We got to see another side of Morinaga. His arrogant side.

Before Sueharu, I always thought that Morinaga is generally a good person who is always born lucky and the only bad thing about him is he is into gambling. But after Sueharu introduction, we got to see an arrogant side of Morinaga.

Morinaga is also a flawed character. Things always works for him. But on the off chance when it doesn't, he gets curious as to why it didn't go as planned. I think, this character is an example of 'don't judge a book by its cover.'

Shigehira

Our typical tsundere.

There is nothing to hate about him. He's very sweet and caring.

I also get why everyone just loves to tease him. Shigehira is such a good boy and is always serious, the other characters simply loves to annoy him to get reactions and Shigehira falls for it, all the time.

Also his attempts to look beefy like Morinaga and Benkei, is very funny.

Yoshitsune

Yoshitsune has a child-like innocent personality and I love that. Also he's voiced by Ishida Akira, who is a legend! Perfect casting! (Look, Ikegen has a pretty stacked cast of VAs. They are all perfectly casted! No doubt!! You can't change my mind!)

Yoshitsune was the one who made me download this game. I thought he was beautiful and after playing the game I was like - "This game.....is EXACTLY WHAT I WAS LOOKING FOR!!!!" so for that, "Thank you, Yoshi."

Another fact that I learned about Yoshitsune is that, this guy has a major inferiority complex towards his brother. He keeps comparing himself to Yoritomo because he looks up to him and wants to be like him. And Yoritomo has to constantly tell him to not be like him and appreciate his own qualities.

I also like the fact that, Yoshitsune is the only one who can bring out Yoritomo's vulnerable side all the time. No one else, not even Yoshino can make Yoritomo feel vulnerable and weak. It's only Yoshitsune. Another layer of complexity in their relation, which I adore!! It feels like their relationship is genuinely special rather than just another pair of brothers.

Benkei

There is nothing much complex about Benkei's character. What you see, is what he actually is.

He's very likable. He very caring about everyone. He cooks food, takes care of you if you're sick, very straightforward....perfect husband material. His overprotective trait is also cute.

Yoichi

According to me, I think the reason why Yoichi is so interesting and loveable, has to be because of his VA. I think Ryouta Suzuki is a very talented voice actor. He actually made Yoichi very cute and charismatic at the same time that it's crime!

I am a person, who despise characters that talks in 3rd person with a passion. I find them incredibly annoying in japanese, it's 10 times awkward and annoying when translated to english and it sounds so fake! But Yoichi......All credit goes to his VA! He made this character very lovable.

I think Yoichi's charm point is that he's an old man who is very sarcastic and carefree about everything while also being cute and not annoying. Yoichi is like an old man in young man's body. He's 30, but people always makes fun for his baby face. Yoichi speaks in 3rd person, but it's done in away as if he is mocking himself for being cute. His VA delivers that tone perfectly.

If you look at the VAs interviews, Ryouta Suzuki said that he had tried different voices for Yoichi from cute to a much more manly one and in the end he settled with the tone we have in-game. It's perfect. I think no one can be as cute and as manly as Yoichi. That's his identity. I don't think any other character can have the same charm without being annoying.

Sueharu

I never thought I would end up liking Sueharu so much. I don't like characters who are categorized as 'flirts' because they're kinda cringe. Everytime I see a flirt male lead flirting with mc, I roll my eyes hard because I just don't really fall for it and I don't understand why is mc blushing.

Sueharu's flirting is kinda cringe and a little too cheesy....but instead of rolling my eyes, like I usually do, I end up chuckling. Like a small chuckle. As if I've given up. I've surrendered!

I don't know why, I just feel Sueharu is very innocent-looking. Especially when he smiles. You can't convince me otherwise! Sueharu has the best smile!

Also after playing his route, I learned so much about him which is good. I'm happy that they kept so much locked behind his main route rather than throwing hints here and there.

Overall, Sueharu is pretty interesting character in general, who also gave depth to Morinaga's character.

Yasuchika

I kid you not! I hated this character so much at the beginning of this game! Before the 3 new male leads were introduced, Yasuchika was the main antagonist of this game and he was annoying af!

Very annoying that I was so sure that I wasn't going to play his route when it comes out even if his backstory is sad. That's how much I hated this character. But..........cybird slapped me right in the face for thinking that.

Cybird introduced Akihito and that right there was the only thing that needed to redeem Yasuchika's character. Akihito's introduction, saved Yasuchika's character (at least for me, I don't know what the other players thought)

Introduction of Akihito and his relation with Yasuchika, really made sense for Yasuchika's actions. Before this, Yasuchika kept doing evil things just because. There was no real reason and it was very frustrating to see him all the time when he shows up. But now after Akihito and knowing their backstory, I started really liking Yasuchika as a character. Their relationship plus Ibuki, is so twisted but charming at the same point, it's like the game is at it's peak! It's really beautiful and one of the reasons why I highly recommend people to play this game! I can see that the writers really gave it their all when coming up with their story and it's also one most liked backstory by the JP players as well. It really redeemed Yasuchika and now, all I see his fanart on X. Yet I still don't get why he's not No. 1 during the anniversary election.

Akihito

I have already said everything about this man. I love him!!!! I LOVE HIM in general!!!

I love him because he's so handsome!

I love him because he's so elegant!

I love him because he's so sophisticated.

I love him because he's so mischievous!

I love him because he's so evil!

I love him because of his backstory with both Yasuchika and his dad!

I love his chemistry with Yoshino!

I love his route!

I love that he made a deal with the Demon King!

I love that his hair turns blonde!

I love that he can use thunder in addition to Kotodama!

I love that he's the Emperor!

I love that he can play drums and Ibuki dances to it!

I love that we can write poems!

I love that he has a bird named Ruri and she's blue!

I love that he climbs roofs and jumps on trees while wearing that elegant long ass kimono that collects dusts from floor!

I love his awkward relationship with Yasuchika!

I also love his voice actor! Perfect casting!!!!

Tamamo

Tamamo is beautiful. I know that, but like Kagetoki, I love Tamamo as a comic relief character more than a male lead.

He's mischievous, he likes food, he causes chaos around the household if he gets bored, he sometimes transforms into a mommy to sabotage Yoritomo's important meetings and seduce the guests for no reason, he hates dogs especially Azukichi. I love how he knows the fact that he is beautiful and always flexes his beauty in front of everyone. I also love scenes where he gather people to join his 'Yoshino's Chastity Protection Squad' and Shigehira is a member by default.

I really enjoy Tamamo in other male lead's route rather than his own.

Kurama

I love Kurama because he is an example of 'You cannot use your own childhood trauma or abuse as a justification for abusing someone else'.

I've seen fictional characters where they are like 'I can't stop myself from hurting you because I was abused by my mother/father when I was a kid.' I hate this trope! There is no justification for violence no matter what.

Kurama is a very complex character to understand. He does what he likes. He says what he thinks and doesn't care if it gives the other person the wrong impression. But he never uses his abuse by Ibuki as a justification for his cruel actions.

He's also a character who doesn't really lingers in the past. Yes! The memories are still there back in his head, but he doesn't let that bother him. He moves on. He makes friends, now he has his own family, and kids to care about.

This what I really like about Kurama as a character. He's very well written character after the Imperial Court Trio.

Ibuki

I love the fact that the writers didn't hold back with this character. Ibuki is irredeemably evil and he doesn't hold back anything!

The writers created what a real demon would look like! That's Ibuki. Yet, despite being irredeemable, I liked Ibuki when he did evil things but I hated Yasuchika when he was the first main antagonist of the game. I feel like it was because Yasuchika's actions didn't have a reasoning and that's why he was so frustrating to watch, but Ibuki on the other hand, was meant to be evil from the very beginning.

At the same time, the writers gave Ibuki a silver lining...he has a heart. Ibuki doesn't give a shit about the world, but he only cares those one or two people who he loves. Ibuki don't care if the world rots away. He will only care if Akihito, Yasuchika, Yoshino, Kurama, Seimei or his demon clan dies. Heck! He would even choose them over the world!

That's why I like Ibuki despite him being a complete villain.

[somnolent-scout]

So about being a celebrity handler..

There's a few different jobs in the "Talent Relations" field of a convention. I have been in two of these positions so far, so I thought I might tell the Tumblrinas what it's like to work with celebrities. This is mostly based on my experience at Phoenix Fan Fusion as well as my experience working with the TF2 voice actors for events like Meet the Mercs.

For conventions, there are various positions related to working with a celebrity:

Celebrity Handler

Talent Assistant

Talent Support

So what do all of these jobs do?

Celebrity Handler

A celebrity handler, sometimes just called a handler or assistant, is someone who works directly with the celebrity for conventions. Their job is to make sure the celebrity is doing alright, to handle their money at the autograph table, to accompany them wherever they go, and to be their general security. Depending on the celebrity, they may also do the talking for them or be the one to interact with people. Most celebrities have their own handler that comes with them to conventions, but some conventions may provide them a handler. Sometimes their agent may also be their handler.

Talent Assistant

Talent Assistant are the ones assigned to a celebrity by a convention to help keep things running on the convention side. They do the communication with the rest of the convention team, and sit at the table with the celebrity and their handler. This is one step away from being a handler in terms of proximity and task. TAs often talk to the handler instead of the celebrity themselves.

Talent Support

This is the person running around, getting the coffee for the celebrity at the autograph table and table sitting when they're away. This is the person who's job it is to keep the lines moving at the autograph table too. They don't usually interact with celebrities unless it's on the spot or by accident.

I have been a celebrity handler for the voice actors during Meet the Mercs. I have also been a celebrity handler for Gary Schwartz and Dennis Bateman during Emerald City Comic Con 2024. While I have yet to be their handler officially, I have done the job multiple times.

I was also brought on as a Talent Relations floater for Phoenix Fan Fusion this year. Which was a weird experience, as I didn't have any particular job other than green room door duty. Which was sitting at the door to the elevator to the green room, and making sure I opened it for anyone on the team to get in or out. Everyone starts somewhere!

[beenovel]

Just finished Wednesday (2022) here are my thoughts in no particular order.

Before I begin I would like to admit that I watched most of the show either with a horrible migraine or on very strong migraine meds that usually either knock me out or make me very loopy. So there may be intricacies that I missed. If you notice something I clearly missed, please point it out.

----

Good:

Wednesday actually visibly cares for her little brother so so much and it's so important to me.

Gwendolyn Christie, Jenna Ortega, Emma Meyers, Joy Sunday, Christina Ricci, and all the other female actresses???? Incredible. Gorgeous. Incredible displays of talented acting every last one of them. The men also did well with what they were given (more on that later).

The coroner came onscreen and before I even recognized why I knew him I started singing No Life Without Wife from Bride and Prejudice. If you know you know.

The lighting?????? The camera angles?????? The costuming?????? The set design????????? HOLY SHIT. Its some of the best I've seen in a LONG time. It's dynamic and interesting and fun. It's artistic and frankly beautiful. It is the look it is the moment. It somehow feels very natural and like it's also telling its own story through use of light and shadow and color. The fact that the principal tells Wednesday "you see the world as black and white and fail to see the shades of grey" while Wednesday wears black and white and the principal generally wears grey or silver????? Amazing. I could go on, I have nothing but good things to say about the artistic choices on this show.

Also, when I have a headache I have a hard time looking at TV shows because (especially if they've gone out there with the lighting) they can make my headache worse but I didn't really experience that with this show.

Enid is absolutely adorable and I don't feel her character was explored enough. Also I love her relationship with her dad, it really reminds me of me and my uncle.

I really really REALLY loved the theme of "teenagers do horrifically shitty things for reasons even they don't fully understand but that doesn't make them bad people and if they're willing to try and make amends they should be given a second chance". It is so important to me and I feel like in our current cancel culture that feels more like puritanical panic this is an important message for teenagers to see.

The respect I have for Principal Weeks is incalculable and I'm furious she won't be returning next season. She was the whole reason I watched the show in the first place. I love that she is respected both in the way she was written and by the other characters.

---

Not so good:

The show felt rushed and clunky, especially the first few episodes. I really wanted to enjoy the story being told but plotlines were introduced very suddenly and in awkward ways and then almost immediately disregarded. It occasionally felt like they were just trying to get through as many ideas as they could as quickly as possible so the audience would stay on their toes.

Eugene? Fantastic little autistic boy. I loved him, his actor did an amazing job and I loved his relationship with Wednesday and how that almost sibling relationship helped pull her out of her isolation a little bit. The other boys? Not so great. Let me make it clear that I think the actors did a fantastic job across the board, they made their characters actually enjoyable and were the only reason I was able to keep watching. However. The script they were given was not nearly as good. The male characters felt very flat and one dimensional which was a startling and unpleasant contrast to the female characters which were so interesting and detailed.

The only exception to the amazing actors was uncle fester. I don't know what it was but something about his voice made me anxious and I didn't like his face acting, whatever it's called. His voice felt more like voice acting which was out of place.

What happened with the coroner??? His death was never properly wrapped up, it was introduced as a way to frame Gomez (which made no sense, that would be like triple reverse psychology) and then we never actually found out what happened even though they made it very clear suicide would be weird because he was excited to retire.

I don't think the writers have ever actually been to therapy. Or they were trying to write a really terrible therapist who pushes her client way to far way too fast. I really wish they'd done more with the therapy plotline.

The Xavier storyline felt very uncomfortable. At no point did I feel like Wednesday was actually interested in him and he was just weirdly obsessed with her like Garrett Gates was with her mom. They even had the same brown medium long hair which meant I confused them when Garrett first showed up and it just felt like an unintentional yet uncomfortable parallel. I'm sure that's not what the writers were going for and I don't know if anyone else feels the same way but it gave me the ick. They had lots of time to make him likable and interesting and they just didn't. Instead we got creepy paintings and "you get lost in the music and I feel like that's the only time I can see the real you" which felt to me a lot like "I'm the only one who REALLY sees you Wednesday".

-----

Final thoughts:

Overall I really enjoyed the show. It was fun, the characters are interesting and lovable, the music and set design/lighting/costuming is fantastic and the riddles and stories were interesting enough to keep me watching. Sure, there were some things that annoyed me or I found lacking but I'd say it was a good show.

[kalinara]

So I've seen this post going around that features quotes from various authors who dislike fanfiction, or think fanfiction is illegal. Of course, this being fandom, the post is intended to mock these authors.

Here's my controversial opinion: I think an author has every right to dislike fanfiction.

I'm not saying I agree with them. It'd be pretty hypocritical of me if I did. I've written fanfiction, I love reading fanfiction. I don't know enough about copyright law to really debate the legality of it. (And honestly, I don't think most of the people pointing and laughing at that post do either.) I'll leave that up to AO3's legal department, with the caveat that even lawyers who are experts in their fields don't always agree on the exact interpretation of a law.

I think it's an asshole move to threaten a lawsuit, but I haven't actually heard of anyone doing that since Anne Rice.

I agree, sometimes it's funny when give some of these authors a closer look. Diana Gabaldon, rather infamously, was inspired by Jamie from Doctor Who, to the point where her hero shares the name of the character and the actor. One of my personal favorite authors, P. N. Elrod, dislikes fanfiction, though she's written for licensed properties, and even published a novel where Quincy Morris ended up a vampire!

Personally, I think they're a bit hypocritical. But obviously, to THEM, there's a distinction. Gabaldon might have been inspired to create her hero, but she's not really writing Doctor Who. The characters and plots are original. Elrod's licensed work is contracted, legally approved and done with permission OR involve works that are now in Public Domain. It clearly makes a difference to them, whether or not we agree.

I'm not saying "Don't write fanfic.". I'm not even saying "don't write fanfic when the authors don't like it." I personally believe that fanfiction is a product by and for fans and the original creators ought to butt out.

But I think they have the right to feel the way they do. For whatever reason. Even if they're being silly about it.

(I think we've all, at times, stumbled on a fic or meta that's so off base that it's almost, or actually offensive. Imagine how much more aggravating it would be if you were the one who originally made it!)

Oh and it's really silly when folk try to pretend that the only authors who hate fanfic are the bad ones, while the good ones all appreciate it. It's a variation on that same stupid idea that only good people have talent, while the bad people all suck. The world would be much easier if the only people with talent were the people who agreed with us, and had the same morals, ethics, and general tastes that we have. But the world doesn't work that way.

Heck, if the author didn't have SOME talent, we wouldn't want to be writing fic in their universe in the first place. (Discounting spite fics, but those are relatively few in the grand scheme of things.)

Fanfic, hell fandom, is the business of fans for fans. The authors shouldn't be involved, except possibly as an anonymous spectator pointing and laughing. Or cringing and crying. Depending on the fandom.

If you leave the authors alone, you probably won't ever have to even know their opinion about fanfic anyway.

And we should leave the question of legality up to the lawyers that know what they're talking about.

[chainsawmascara]

TAG GAME TAG GAME TAG GAME TAG GAME, man, i missed these. @hotnerdywizard got me on this. Let's fucking GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

1. Are you named after anyone?

I was named after an actor! Quite a famous one. I won't name him, of course, but i love his work. Renaming myself was a bit of an accident. Someone had to take up the mantle of Prince, as a very short and flamboyant singer, it fits despite the lack of intention.

2. When was the last time you cried?

Excellent question! I was listening to a song about two weeks ago, it came out of nowhere. Spent about half the track crying with not an inkling as to why. I suppose i was overdue, no?

3. Do you have kids?

I do! A little mischief muffin of a young man. Very snuggly, shockingly bright, biggest smile I've ever seen. I adore him. I'd set the world on fire for him.

4. What sports do you play/have you played?

Cross country! I was Scouted for my refusal to play team sports when i could run laps and get three miles in (this did not prevent the necessity of dodging when dodgeball was the sport - whoopth). I played short stop for a while. Basketball at home, scorekeeping for my first job when i didn't make the team. I was a gymnast for years! Damn good at it, too. One of these days, I'll reteach myself to backflip. Eventually. At some point. Does extreme inline skating count? I was big on that.

5. Do you use sarcasm?

No, I've never been sarcastic in my life. (That was sarcasm.)

6. What’s the first thing you notice about people?

You can tell a lot about a person by their shoes. I stand by that. General aesthetic, their vibe. The emotion they're hiding in their eyes.

7. What’s your eye colour?

Somewhere between green and yellow depending on the light.

8. Scary movies or happy endings?

There's a little of both in any story.

9. Any talents?

Talent can only bring one so far. It's the skills we hone from them. I have quite a number tucked in my back pocket. We haven't the time for the list. Well, we DO, it's more I'll Sound Like An Asshole if i give that laundry list. I may sound like one anyway. Folks tend to view a confident person as arrogant.

10. Where were you born?

Good old Providence. I never leave this city for long, it has my heart. Not to mention that one time i had to drink from a fountain downtown, there's a fountain down city with a superstition to it. Should one drink from it, they never truly leave. I'll die in this city, I'll die happily.

11. What are your hobbies?

Writing - poetry, journaling, journalism. Singing. Running when I'm able. Catching any concert I can. Art of many kinds. Perhaps I'll indulge that today. Reading. Philosophy. Designing. Stand up comedy and spoken word, I'm overdue a return to stage. Gaming. Body surfing and swimming. Rockhounding! Deciphering grave markers. Traveling, with any excuse, often with no notice to anyone until maybe a day prior. There are others, surely, that escape my mind at present. I do Many Things.

12. Do you have any pets?

My beloved bearded dragon, Babs. I'd set the world on fire for him, too.

13. How tall are you?

5 feet of fucking fury and an extra inch of insufferable pretention.

14. Favourite subject in school?

Neuroscience and literature - existentialist and gothic horror to be precise. I was a neuroscience TA, in fact!

15. Dream job?

A dream is what you want to do but still haven't pursued. I've done my dream jobs, I'm still doing most of them. I've always maintained I'd never have a normal job. So far, I've made good on that. If any of you catch me at an office job, kill the imposter on sight.

My dear friend tagged most of the folks i would've! It's up to you, @yolo-swaginz and @kuzupekos , should you find yourselves up to the task.

[jennawynn]

Chronotrek SNW to season 2 finale

Wow, I thought I had written at least one other post here. Turns out the show, like Discovery, is interesting enough that I couldn't watch it while working, which meant it was competing with all my other free time goals. Took me a while to get through them all! But I'll be headed to TOS next, which means I'll be able to watch while working again.

2x3 Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow

They really like to use timeline fuckery in Trek, don't they?

I had a realization- this Jim Kirk actor was in Army Wives (he was a soldier who tried to marry the general's 17 year old daughter) and one of the brothers in Vampire Diaries and even though I didn't _consciously_ remember either of those parts, that might have had something to do with why I was not a fan initially.

La'an has to shoulder so much. Survivor of gorn, bearer of her name, temporal agent to protect a genocidal murderer... and she can't talk about a lot of it and has nobody to share the burden with.

2x4

Why does the computer specify "officer's quarters" if everyone is officers? I don't know if you can tell, but this still really bothers me. Like... someone mentioned it's because they all have college degrees and are astronauts, etc., but... lots of enlisted have college degrees. That's not what makes you an officer. And AS a former enlisted, to me, it's 'if you work with your hands, you're enlisted'. If you're an officer, your job is more about either managing people or being the mouthpiece. When I see lieutenants and commanders holding tools it bothers me.

"I'm Erica Ortegas and I fly the ship"

2x5 Charades

It's going to bother me if Spock's mannerisms are treated like they're genetic and not cultural. He's not stilted and his language choices aren't because he has Vulcan blood, but because he has grown up on Vulcan around other Vulcans. Changing his DNA to human wouldnn't change how he acts. /sigh I'm trying to be better about recognizing the difference between storytelling device and realism and when one can be sacrificed for the other.

Amanda looked so different here, I needed to look it up to see if it was the same actress.

Charades? Really?

So by the end of the episode, I decided that they handled the mannerisms better than I had expected.

Demiromantic Nurse Chapel?

2x6

Zombie!Hemmer is fucking terrifying.

2x7? Crossover

The crossover was funny, which bodes well for me enjoying Lower Decks when I get to it in about 17 years. It's _AFTER VOYAGER_.

2x8

Digging M'Benga. He reminds me of a character I built once- a war vet who wanted to help instead of hurt. Except where my character was a True Believer on the Enemy Side who sought his own redemption, M'Benga was corrupted by the violence surrounding him and struggles with the consequences of sticking to your principles. It's very compelling.

The scene with the injured boy really spoke to it- you may have the luxury to sit out the fight and be pacifist, but that only means that someone else will be taking up arms in your absence. If you're a better warrior than most, is it ethical for you to put your weapons down when others will die because you weren't there? People who might not have died had you used your talents?

2x9 Subspace Rhapsody

Musical episode. Just when I was thinking that I was surprised Pike didn't sing his intro, the music was acapella.

Were all the bunny lines references to Buffy?

I like the relationship between Una and La'an.

Why exactly was it a two-person job if they're at the same console? I would have expected 'cross-targeting' to be like triangulating, needing to target from two different locations to better identify the target. Preferably from two SHIPS but at least two locations on the same ship.

I don't really like the way the singing was implemented. It feels like over-studio polished lip sync instead of being organic.

Why would they skew the frequencies like that on the UI panel?? future.

2x10 Hegemony

This one snuck up on me. I didn't realize the season was so short OR that it was over after this.

There was another "My God" that confuses me because I thought ST was post-religion.

Pike was willing to risk everything for Wynnona Earp Batel, but is he willing to do the same for his crew?

Does he feel a little invincible because he 'knows' his future? Is he aware of his Plot Armor? If he tried to kill himself prematurely, would it work? Confusing time stuff.

Anyway, I'm off to TOS. I'm not sure yet how I'll handle when SNW comes back.