#this will be my first and last actor mb

[belleszn]

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[i-really-like-phrogs]

hi! I saw your tags about all the Lydia’s having differnet middle/nicknames for you and I’m OBSSESSED with that idea and was wondering what the other two Lydia’s middle names were? (if you’ve already answered this somewhere mb haha)

EEEEEEK, I’VE BEEN WAITING THREE YEARS FOR THIS QUESTION! THANKYOUTHANKYOUTHANKYOU! (No I’ve not answered it before, but I’ve been DYING to yap about it!)

So I’ve wanted to do a comic about the three Lydias hanging out in the same universe for a long time. The problem was separation between three people with the same first and last name.

I really didn’t want them referring to themselves as “Movie Lydia” or “Cartoon Lydia”, because it felt weird in-universe. I was concerned what I would do, until my cousin’s mom got married to person with a daughter who had the same name as hers! Their solution? They’d call eachother by middle names, and boom! Creative problem solved.

The first two were easy, as I just used stand ins for ‘cartoon’ and ‘musical’— Cartoon Lydia used to be called ‘Lil C” until I realized that I hated it. Winnifred’s name, however, took literally two years to decide on. I couldn’t call her ‘Movie’ but the only other idea I had was ‘O’ for Original… I even thought to just have her be the only one called ‘Lydia’, but again— it felt weird to make the other girls call her their name. Eventually, when I was writing a joke about the characters needing fake IDs, I began making parodies based on the names of each character’s actor. Movie Lydia’s started at “Wyoming Snider”, and eventually devolved into “Winnifredrick”. This would appear again in another episode draft when her mother, (who is not dead but divorced), reveals that she’s hatefully given her daughter that as a middle name, a gag which the other characters would laugh at.

Welp, with the idea of her being Non Binary, I loved the fluidity and androgyny it provided. Winnifredrick it was! And it is now my absolute favorite out of the three.

Thank you so much for this question! It’s one of my favorite ideas for this potential story, and the relation to two real-life people I love dearly makes it all the closer to my heart. Thank you for taking interest in my brain, and I hope it’s an idea you still find interesting!

[invisiblegarters]

Jack o’ Frost Ep 1

I have been so excited for this ever since I heard about it. I don't know why, but I have a feeling about this one. The last Jdrama I had a feeling like this about was Eternal Yesterday, and we all know how I feel about Eternal Yesterday. 

I really hope this feeling bears out. 

We begin with an ending. Unexpected but also tropey as hell and I am here for it. I love me a good "couple breaks up and then one gets amnesia and doesn't remember" story. Only I think in this case he not only doesn't remember the breakup but he forgets that they were anything to each other at all? Even better, really. 

I like the opening credits. Short and sweet but get the point across. Love Fumiya watching old memories of himself and Ritsu (another Ritsu, hopefully better than the one in The End of the World With You) with complicated feelings. 

This has the actor who played Katori in Takara-kun and Amagi-kun, and I'm so happy he's heading his own drama. He was the best thing about T&A for me personally before Tanaka got his time to shine (and yes, the twelve-year-old in me did get a giggle out of the T&A, shut up).

Oh, haha. I shouldn't laugh but honestly the first time I watched this I thought that Fumiya knew that Ritsu had amnesia because I was distracted when they talked with the doctor, but nope. No, he doesn't. So he thinks that all the awkwardness and the hesitation and the questions like "Is this my home?" and "why are you being so nice to me, roomie?" and "Am I sleeping here with you?" are just…Ritsu either being really petty or feeling out whether they are broken up for real or not. I love how every question that he asks can be taken that way, too. Right up until the pancakes thing. 

It's hilarious but also fairly sad. Fumiya bringing him to their coffee shop to reaffirm the breakup and Ritsu not even knowing that they were in a place where a breakup was necessary. Man. I do get the need to pretend that he knows what's going on, though. 

And it's only Fumiya and things related to Fumiya that he forgot? This is so deliciously tropey and I love it already. And now I get why Fumiya might make the choice not to tell him that they were actually together. 

My guess is that Fumiya stopped feeling appreciated by Ritsu (the comment about his cooking, his surprise that Ritsu is drawing him), and that the birthday was just the final straw. Probably Ritsu didn't know or think that there would be a celebration at home and so didn't show up. I also bet that instead of talk to him about this, Fumiya just got irritated and withdrew. He seems the type. I'm sure we'll get more insight into the way they fell apart (and also maybe the way they fell in love in the first place) as the drama goes on. 

I really hope that the reasons for the breakup were mundane. I love me a good mundane breakup, especially when I have hope that the couple will eventually work their way back to each other. End credits make me think that that’s the direction we’re ultimately heading. 

I hope that this one doesn't have a sad ending, but even if it does I'm still here with bells on. I'm hooked. So glad the first episode was as good as I'd hoped.

I really think I’m going to love this. I hope that’s true, and I hope that this is wildly popular, since I think that it’s the last of the drama shower line up and my biggest hope is that they all did so well that MBS keeps releasing them like this. Because while I haven’t loved every one of these dramas, I have loved the regularity with which they’ve been putting them out. 

[screenandcinema]

Coming Attractions - June 2023

As usual, we present monthly previews of new movies being released. These are the movies that will be hitting your local cinemas (and streaming services) this month:

June 2nd

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse - Return to the Spider-Verse with the sequel to 2018′s acclaimed and Academy Award-winning Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. And get ready for the follow-up, Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse coming in March 2024.

The Boogeyman - Based on a short story by Stephen King comes this supernatural horror film starring Chris Messi and Sophie Thatcher.

June 9th

Transformers: Rise of the Beasts - Steven Caple Jr. (Creed II) takes over the directing duties from Michael Bay in this Transformers film based on the Beast Wars storyline. The film is set prior to the Bay films in 1994 and stars humans like Anthony Ramos and Dominique Fishback alongside the Autobots, Maximals, and Terrorcons.

Flamin’ Hot - Eva Longoria directs this biographical comedy-drama about the origins of Flamin’ Hot Cheetos for Hulu.

June 16th

The Flash - The Scarlet Speedster races onto movie screens with his first feature film and brings along Supergirl, General Zod, and a par of Batmen. The big selling point for the film, loosely based on the Flashpoint storyline, is the return of Michael Keaton to the cape and cowl 21 years after Batman Returns.

Elemental - Pixar is back with the story of a fire element, Ember, and a water element, Ripple, who meet and fall in love in a world filled with the elements of nature.

June 23rd

Asteroid City - After a limited release the prior week, Wes Anderson’s newest film will be released wide on June 23rd. Along for the ride with Anderson are Jason Schwartzman, Scarlett Johansson, Tom Hanks, Jeffrey Wright, Tilda Swinton, and another dozen or so actors and actresses that we don’t have room to mention.

No Hard Feelings - Jennifer Lawerence stars in this hard-R coming-of-age sex comedy (a genre rarely seen in theaters anymore). Andrew Barth Feldman, Matthew Broderick, Laura Benanti, and Natalie Morales co-star.

June 30th

Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny - Harrison Ford is back on Dr. Henry Jones, Jr. in this fifth installment of the Indiana Jones series. James Mangold takes over directing duties from Steven Spielberg in what billed to be Ford’s last outing on the adventure-find professor of archeology. 

Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken - From Dreamworks animation comes this new fantasy action-film that feels part Luca and part Onward.

Now for a quick look ahead to July, my top picks for next month are Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One and Oppenheimer.

-MB-

[stepswowdsen]

【KagePro】 KuroEne/SaeEne 🖤💛💙

Intro

Rkgk

(Rakugaki = doodle)

Quick doodle...

After 10+ years, I'm still not over them, apparently.

Technically a redraw of this drawing I did back in 2016

It's been so long but I drew them again after 6 - 8 years... I forgot when I last drew KuroEne together... I think in 2016?

Though I did do a doodle of Kuroha again in 2020

Kuroha and KuroEne

Their main ship name is 黒コノエネ (Kuro Kono Ene), which is the most popular ship name, but I like using KuroEne since it's short and cute.

And I've seen some JP fans use クロエネ (KuroEne) and 冴えエネ (SaeEne)

Fans have always called him Kuroha (クロハ) and 黒コノハ (Dark Konoha) as a fandom nickname

Since Kuroha's official name is Black Konoha (黒コノハ, Kuro Konoha)

KuroEne AU

KuroEne relapse… KuroEne reload. After 11 years I'm still not over them ADKSKLDKLSLK

I was so obsessed with them, I think it's because it was the first ship I was really obsessed with and made AUs for

Also I'm REALLY not surprised why kid me was so obsessed with them... It's literally a ship between my wife x meow meow mf (of the series)

My fave ships are usually between the meow meow mf chara and my wife, or my son

I swear they made up at least 80% of the KagePro art I drew omfg

Now that I think about it, isn't Ene the shortest of my wives? She's 640 px tall and weighs 2 MB. Portable wifey… Though back when she was a human, as Takane, she was 157 cm (5'1"). Konoha is 182 cm (6'0"), so Kuroha/Saeru possessing his body is also the same height

Friend: What was the first ship you were actively into online and making content for? I don't mean the first one on your recent proud life I mean the FIRST ONE. Your 12 year old heart's desire

Me: KuroEne from KagePro HSHHSHJNSJSJJ

KuroEne relapse… KuroEne reload. After 11 years I'm still not over them ADKSKLDKLSLK. I was so obsessed with them, I think it's because it was the first ship I was really obsessed with and made AUs for. I swear they made up at least 80% of the KagePro art I drew omfg

Friend: AAAA ngl I hadn't thought of Kuroha and Ene but I can see it since it uses HaruTaka and KonoEne as a basis

Me: Yeah, that. Like, even with Kuroha being Saeru, its angst potential is so high. I definitely have a soft spot for it cuz kid me was INSANE about it.

Prior to MCA (Mekakucity Actors) the shitty KagePro anime adaptation, it was a super popular fan theory (now debunked) that Kuroha was a dark alter ego of Konoha/Haruka. HaruTaka and HaruShin, etc., have history together, and that's why people ship KonoEne and KonoShin (including me). So that's why people thought Kuroha's ships with them could be spicy, based on that theory.

I actually shipped KuroEne before it was revealed that Kuroha = Saeru (Me ga Saeru Hebi, "Snake of Clearing Eyes"). Since everyone only had Kuroha's song MV appearances to go off of (Children Record, Losstime Memory, Outer Science), everyone just assumed that Kuroha was a dark alter ego or corrupted form of Konoha.

Cuz if Kuroha really was Konoha's dark alter ego, that would've made the KuroEne ship big brain imo. Cuz it'd give him a connection with characters like Ene (Takane) and Shintaro, who knew Haruka and were friends with him before.

The post-Saeru reveal made any ship content with him so much harder to work with, cuz Kuroha/Saeru in canon, completely lacks humanity and care for others, and pretty much solely exists to be the big bad that kills the Mekakushi Dan for the thrill of it.

So back in 2016, I came up with an AU where Kuroha decides to mess around in the Routes and befriend the Mekakushi Dan members (since Kuroha possesses human vessels, I'm sure he can at least pretend to act normal)

Alas it was revealed that Kuroha is the Snake of Clearing Eyes so that popular fan-theory was debunked. And it was also revealed that Konoha isn't Haruka either. It certainly complicates things, but even with Kuroha being Saeru, my ship still works in AUs.

(Undertale Spoilers)

Like the situation reminds me a bit of Flowey from Undertale how he used to have the power to reset back to a Save Point (prior to the protag Frisk's arrival in the Underground, cuz their Determination is stronger than his) and how he initially befriended everyone but he eventually grew bored/apathetic, cuz people got repetitive as he experimented with different possibilities in his timeline resets. So he decided to start killing out of morbid curiosity. He keeps his memories between SAVEs, so in previous SAVEs, he had befriended everyone, killed everyone, been through every dialogue, etc.

I feel like Kuroha should experiment that way as well, deciding not to kill them too quickly cuz he doesn't want the fun to be over so soon. And also because he's curious how things will play out

Though… KuroEne AUs (and Kuroha ships in general) that take place in canon-verse can honestly only end tragically. But I also like that aspect of them.

KagePro ships (including the canon-subtext implied MLW ones) are all super heavy with angst/tragedy (ie. HaruTaka, KonoEne, SetoMarry, ShinAya, etc.), which explains why I love them sm

Ok so I reread some KagePro manga chapters (Additional Memory) and there actually is something I can use. Kuroha/Saeru claims to love humans (and their foolishness) despite looking down on them

"I think you are all wonderful things."

Koyanskaya (FGO) is like that, but in a different way. I can run with that.

[futureseaempress]

WIP Weekend Tag Game

I got tagged by @hypnostheory tyty bb

Rules: List your WIPs below (if you only write one fic at a time, feel free to include future WIPs/ideas!) then answer the following questions. Then, tag as many people as you have WIPs (or more). (If you're an artist or other non-fic fandom creator, questions can be found here!)

1. WIP List:

okay bear with me theres a bunch

DAVEKAT -the cowboy one -the waho one and/or the office one -first date/Nastygum -tire trouble part two -the nanny au -the sweet home alabama au -more Silver paint CODA -glory -some princes don’t become kings

FIRST PRINCE -the soulmates au -the omegaverse au -the actor au -the baby one -the hockey one -threes giving - bachelor party -the autism/self expression one

TMA -that last chapter of fanning the flame that was supposed to be about agnes and Jack and I just never fucking wrote anything for it

2. Which of your WIPs is currently the longest?

here in search of your glory for sure

3. Which WIP do you expect will end up the longest?

so if i ever finish it more silver paint is bound to be the longest

4. Which WIP is your favourite to write/the most enjoyable to write? Why?

oooo i love writing the kid fic echoed through my mind is rlly fun tbh i like the drama and doing something ive never written before is rlly fun

5. Which WIP do you find the most intimidating to write? Why?

ALL OF THEM but defo the sweet home alabama au bc i think about it allll the time

6. Which WIP do you experience the most self-doubt about. Why?

-the threesome one bc I have a rlly good idea for it but I’m convinced I’m gonna fall short bc I want it to be kind of long and I struggle with that

7. Which of your WIPs will you seek out a beta/sensitivity reader for? Why?

hya usually reads my stuff but uhhh the soulmate au for sure not bc of anything bad but bc it’s almost too quick and I need someone to help me like slow down and set the mood

8. Have any of your WIPs been struck by the curse of writer's block?

ALL OF THEM ACTUALY i kinda just black out and start typing jibberish when i get too stuck and usually it works itself out

9. Which WIP has your favourite OC? Tell us about them?

oh uh none of them. i suppose I’m gonna cheat and say the kid fic bc I’m playing with some characters who exist in name only and like I’ve written Philips kids as getting along with Shaan & Zahra’s and his youngest behave like Henry and Bea and June has a little girl who is just like Alex and Alex is going to have a daughter who is just like June

10. Which WIP is the sexiest?

i'm gonna say the actor au but thats just cause i have plans

11. Which WIP is the angstiest?

ooo I don’t do a lot of angst but I’m gonna say the threesome bc Alex is a Dingus in that one BUT MAYBE HOCKEY BC ITS SAD FOR OSCAR AND ARTHUR

12. Which WIP has the best characterisation (in your humble opinion)?

ummmmmmmm. I’m gonna say. The omegaverse one actually it blends canon and fantasy rlly well

13. Which WIP has the best scene setting (in your humble opinion)?

glory. the next chapter has like bits from my favorite concert stuff and I love it

14. Which WIP have you worked the hardest on?

I wanna say Glory but it could rlly go for any of them I think about them kind of all the time

15. Which WIP do you have the highest expectations for? Why?

the threesome one but that’s bc the idea is rlly good and I want to pull it off college aus are my favorite & should be easy cause I lived in a dorm from age 16-21 but still

16. Do you dream about any of your WIPs?

ummmmm no? mb? I think about them before bed to get to sleep tho

17. Do any of your WIPs have particular complexities that your other fics don't?

so I like putting different venues of communication in my fic it’s kind of my favorite thing to add and I like writing emotional break downs where the text changes and the vibe becomes rlly frantic

but complexities is a hard stone to lift maybe the hockey one bc they aren’t together yet? and I mostly write established stuff? or the omegaverse one for the same reason

18. Which WIP is the funniest or has the most humour?

probs the threesome but that’s just bc hya and I had fun telling each other about it

19. Do any of your WIPs contain outside POVs or a deep dive on a character other than the main ship? How are you finding that process?

NO LOL— maybe I should write something from Pez or Nora’s perspective for the threesome fic but that’s kind of cheating maybe Liam will get a chapter for funnies

20. Tell us one thing we don't know about one or more of your WIPs.

My college au has a fight over the custody of Nora’s Keurig.

I’m not going to be tagging anyone bc I’m dreadfully late but if anyone wants to do it bc they saw it here they should!

[eyrieofsynapses]

...never have I wanted a show to fail more badly in my whole life. I'm sorry, I'm just--I have a very long list of problems here. This sounds like exactly the corporate nightmare the books are written to warn us about.

1) Murderbot's being played by a blue-eyed white guy. No, we don't have confirmation on MB's actual in-book appearance, but we do know that the overwhelming majority of characters are POC and most of what little official artwork we have portrays MB as POC. The chances of it being POC are very high. I headcanoned it as such very early on. There is no reason not to pull from the massive pool of excellent POC actors out there instead.

2) As far as I can tell from a couple quick searches, he sure as hell ain't trans; he might be queer given some rumours, but if there isn't anything from him officially talking about it, I don't care. And he is very, very allo, judging by how he talks and jokes in the article quotes I'm skimming. Murderbot is CLEARLY AND LOUDLY an equivalent to agender ace/aro.

Yes, there is much debate on portrayals of queer characters by non-queer actors, and rightfully so: community criticism sometimes outs people who don't want to be, and cultural climate sometimes means that it is more dangerous for a queer actor to play a role than a non-queer actor. No, actors shouldn't have to out themselves for an audience's satisfaction. But right now? We live in a world with MANY lesser-known nonbinary actors who would do brilliantly in that role and love playing it. Hell, Elliot Page has been all over lately--we know trans actors can and do get big roles! Murderbot would be the perfect opportunity to find a lesser-known POC queer actor and give them a chance to shine! AND YET.

So why choose this guy? Well gee whiz, go take a look at that LOOOONG LIST of awards. He sure is well known and handsome, isn't he? Perfect material to nab lots of eyes. Thirst material, you could say. Big name, big attention, big money to be made, right?

To be clear here: I am not familiar with Alexander Skarsgård beyond the very quick skimming I have done in the last, mmm, fifteen minutes. At first glance, I have no problem with the man himself. I am absolutely profiling here. But this is also about appearances, and about what many people's immediate reactions will be, and sadly I can just see the thirst posts and both the unintentional and very, very intentional misgendering pouring in. This could easily completely and utterly fuck up Murderbot's well-known reputation as a bastion of queer representation that is damn near impossible to find on store bookshelves. This will get everyone and their mother calling it a "he" and looking to pair it up romantically with someone and violating every damn aspect of the character. As someone on the ace/aro spectrums and part of the queer community who has found kinship and comfort in MB, I am angry and aggrieved that they couldn't be bothered to find a queer actor for this. It feels like a vulgar insult.

That's not all, either:

3) That whole damn list of directors and producers are very likely all cis men. I see zero evidence of any of them being queer from skimming over articles, either, and while again, that is not something you can profile or determine immediately, TMD is such a vibrantly queer series that I seriously doubt their collective ability, alongside the lead actor, to accurately represent a queer experience in the least. I could be wrong. I could be very wrong, and if I am, I will take this back and apologize. But I seriously doubt it.

You know what they do have, though? Big industry names and credits that sure do look nice on a TV/movie poster. TMD is well-known enough to draw enough attention that it doesn't need big names, and it can probably afford to support and uplift women, POC, and queer creators, who are often pushed down in the film industry and struggle to get to the top. (Take a good long look at most big-box modern movie credits if you don't believe me. It's still mostly straight, cis white guys. Yes, we see the big ones with better representation--but they are notable BECAUSE of that, and are quite rare by comparison.) It really should anyway, but like, you can't even try to say "well but it NEEDS a big name." It doesn't. It really, really fucking doesn't, and it needs creators that represent the characters and the goal of the books. I don't see that here.

I'm also not confident in Apple's ability to pull this off. Why not use a small company? Or at least go to a company that represents the same goals and interests as the book expresses? This is APPLE. This is "let's overprice our products, make them die as early as possible so people have to buy new ones constantly, intentionally design them so that even an experienced technician can't fix them, and build a system so incompatible with every other system out there that you can only move over by losing half your stuff you paid for" APPLE. This is one of the very corporates that the books WARN US ABOUT.

And I have thoughts on neurodivergent reputation as well, but that's a significantly more nuanced and difficult discussion, and one I don't want to get into because we just don't have enough information yet and I don't know enough about that from a filmmaking standpoint to have a reasonable opinion.

This isn't my worst nightmare for a Murderbot adaption, but it sure is damn close, and it's the most realistic nightmare you could get. Hypermasculine allo white cis dude as MB's lead actor, a similar board of directors, not an openly queer person in sight, all done via a company that is known for locking down their devices and using the very same corporate mindset that the books condemn... this won't be Murderbot. I suspect that this will be nothing more than a sick, pale shadow of it, if not a downright mockery.

I have no intention of supporting this. The news just broke and I suspect the majority of the fandom will be displeased, so we'll have to see what the response is, but I sure as fuck hope somebody involved in this has a good explanation for why they chose these people and this company, because otherwise, I really only see this wrecking the series' purpose and getting dragged through mud, shit and blood by the original fandom. In the meantime, I'm going to hope like hell that this doesn't get off the ground, because this will probably be a thousand times worse than TMD never having an adaption at all.

*Edited to correct the spelling of Elliot Page's name.

On the one hand, I have wanted a murderbot show for a long fucking time! On the other. Sure wish Murderbot wasn’t being played by a white blond blue eyed guy.

[bengiyo]

GMMTV 2023 and the Shadows of Korea and Japan

I’ve been enjoying everyone’s reactions to GMMTV 2023. I thought about doing my own reactions to individual shows, but I first wanted to talk about what stood out to me the most regarding the queer offerings this year: GMMTV is aiming for the space in genre that Korea and Japan have been avoiding for the past year and a half. The proposed shows this year all feature complex relationships and promise more heat than what Korea or Japan will deliver. I also noticed that we aren’t getting a show helmed by newcomers this year. 

The entry of Korea to the genre, and the expansion of Japan’s, may be the strongest influence to the 2023 GMMTV slate.In 2021, many of us commented that all of the shows made under the GMM corporation had upgraded their cameras and their editing equipment. The sort of overly-bright sheen that hovered over their shows (like 2gether) had started to fall away. They also stopped whitening the actors’ skin so noticeably (FUTS is my last big memory of it). I suspect this had to do with the Korean entry into BL and the early praise their small offerings received. In 2022, Watcha followed Light on Me (2021) with Semantic Error (2022), which may be one of the best BL offerings we’ve ever had. Korea has been leveraging the global popularity of kpop to successfully jumpstart a nascent BL industry. 

From Japan, MBS and other teams have returned to BL in a meaningful way, to widespread praise. Despite some of my specific qualms about Japan’s reticence to display intimacy, this has been a solid year of Japanese BL with multiple memorable productions, including Minato’s Laundromat, Takara-kun & Amagi-kun, Old Fashion Cupcake, the Cherry Magic movie, Utsukushii Kare (at the end of 2021), Mr. Unlucky, etc. Japan may not have the global appeal of kpop, but it does have a mature film industry that produces some of the most talented actors we get to see in BL. 

I think GMMTV recognized this, and it’s why the first thing that stood out to me about the eight shows proposed for this year don’t feature any new talent taking on lead roles. Of the eight offerings, I only noticed newer actors as a side couple in 23.5 Degrees (which I will comment on; hang on, lesbians) and as the newest member in Only Friends. GMMTV seems to be relying on the talent it’s cultivated this coming year, and will be relying on its veterans. I suspect that the ongoing disruptions that have delayed 2022 projects also contributed to them keeping to teams and talent they know. 

The next thing I noticed was that GMMTV was finally willing to try out a GL as a full project. Unsurprisingly, they keps to Milk and Love from their ongoing popularity. We’ve done a great job demanding GL, and I think GMMTV also wants to try to stay in front of the genre by making sure they start releasing GL content. We’ve had some small projects out of Korea from smaller teams, but the most notable GL pieces in existence right now are Pearl Next Door and Sleep With Me from the Philippines, and GAP the series from IdolFactory in Thailand. I think GMMTV recognized that if they delayed any longer they would risk irrelevancy, and would be called out for being late when they finally released a show in 2024 or later (it would remind me of the energy fans had about Black Widow’s movie showing up six years after the fervor had died down). 

Finally, we can start to break down the queer offerings from GMMTV this coming year. Of the nine projects, only two appear to be set in or around high school, with the cute one going to Milk and Love. Only two of the projects are set in high school, one a messy friend group helmed by Jojo, and the other a messy romance from Dunk and Joong. We’ll see two workplace romances, one with Force and Book, and the other a Thai adaptation of Cherry Magic. We’ll see two shows that feature adults forming a connection with each other in Last Twilight (helmed by Aof), and Cooking Crush featuring the unexpected return of Off and Gun. Finally, GMMTV clearly wants to see what stuck out to us the most with the second wave of BLs from them by packing all of their BLs into Our Skyy 2 to see what was the most popular. 

What I noticed about this set of offerings is that GMMTV seemingly wants to tackle messy queer romance, since Korea and Japan have been in fluffier territory. I think GMMTV sees how crowded the field is becoming and knows that viewers have to pick their winners now. They know that in a battle of the most endearing, they may not win against Korea and Japan. With so many other studios pushing into the field as well, GMMTV knows that the Thai and international audience are receptive to high-heat productions (most notably KinnPorsche, LITA, and Big Dragon this year).

So, how do I feel about all of this? Honestly, I think I’m really unsure about these shows. I am intrigued by most of them, but can feel GMMTV trying to hold on to what it’s got and searching for a new path. Still, after the Eclipse and staying abreast of the protests in Thailand, very relieved that we won’t be staring at uniforms all year from GMMTV .For those curious I’ll break down my thoughts on each show now from cold to hot.

A Boss and a Babe - Mild. I like the energy between Force and Book a lot. I’m a bit worried because the energy they gave off together in this trailer reminded me a lot of Kimmon and Copter, and we’ve had about 8-10 projects of them at this point. 

23.5 Degrees - Warm. I am glad that we’ll finally get a MilkLove show, and I’m glad it looks endearing. I think it was smart of GMMTV to include a BL side couple in this to guarantee eyes. Still, the chaste way Milk and Love have played things before has me worrying that the girlies will be let down again. 

Cooking Crush - Mild. I like Gun a lot. I appreciate Off. OffGun is not my fandom. I’m hoping that Thailand can finally give us a solid food show, because Thai food is so delicious and looks so pretty when we do see it. However, I think I’ve really only enjoyed What Did You Eat Yesterday? as a show about food. Bite Me was beautiful, but ended up being a huge let down. I wasn’t that keen on La Cuisine or What Zabb Man! as food shows. I like Off and Gun finally playing adults that aren’t tangentially attached to schools. A chef and a doctor should feel refreshing. Gun also teased that he showed ass in Not Me and we never got to see it. Redemption in Cooking Crush?

Only Friends - Hot. I think the primary reason I’m excited about this is that it shows a willingness to let the cast have sexy moments with other actors. I remember the drama around He’s Coming to Me where Krist fans panned the show because Singto dared to work with someone other than Krist. I was also disappointed with others that GMMTV was too afraid to let Gun interact with anyone other than Off in Not Me. It feels like we were heard in this project, because we’re going to see multiple actors spending intimate time with multiple cast members. I’m also excited to see Jojo do messy queer friend groups again, because 3 Will Be Free (2019) is still one of my favorite Thai productions. It’s already been fun because people have had to make charts to help us keep track of what the hell is going on. 

Last Twilight - Lukewarm. Look, I love Aof and will always support him. I also want to like Jimmy and Sea, but I did not like Vice Versa. Jimmy seems to be very likable and kind, and I hate that he always seems to be asked to play against type so that his natural magnanimity softens would could be a harsh character. I think he and Sea had decent chemistry in Vice Versa, and so I get the choice to pair them again. I think I’m just leery of GMMTV tackling this because I was so recently unenthused by Want To See You from O2 Production in Vietnam, and feel like I’m going to spend two or three months irritated with a Jimmy and Sea pairing not resolving the clear source of conflict between them. 

Hidden Agenda - Cool.  I’m not a JoongDunk fan, especially after Star in My Mind. Another pairing from them where the line between them is unclear and messy in college just doesn’t really appeal to me. This feels like a second attempt of the same type of project involving them, and I’m feeling rather disinterested at the moment.

Dangerous Romance - HOT. I’m so stoked to see Perth and Chimon in BL again. I think both of them are enormously talented, and both were asked to play high heat probably too young. I’m excited to see what their return to genre looks like together. Perth feels like a monster talent every time I see him in action. I am also interested in seeing enemies to friends to lovers with them. I think this is something Thailand can do really well in a way that I don’t think Korea currently can. 

Our Skyy 2 - Warm. I’m a sucker for my faves, and I like the idea of seeing some small outings for A Tale of Thousand Stars, Bad Buddy, and The Eclipse. I like the opportunity to give fans closure on things they maybe didn’t get to see in the original show, and I like these small visits back. It worked for me last time, so I hope it does here. I’m disinterested in seeing more of Star in My Mind, Fish Upon the Sky, and Vice Versa, so I might honestly skip those. I wasn’t the biggest fan of Enchante, but I will at least see what Force and Book are up to. 

Cherry Magic - Lukewarm. I don’t always enjoy Tay and New together. I like Tay, but Newwie always seems to be mildly uncomfortable in BL. I get the choice of them as Kurosawa and Adachi, though. I hear rumors that Sing Harit was picked for the Rokaku role and that sounds amazing. However! I also heard rumors that the Fujisaki character won’t be ace and/or may be paired with Rokaku and I want to firmly state that I hate the idea of that. 

Whew! So that’s my thoughts on GMMTV’s 2023 queer offerings. For those who want more, I’ll give my reactions to the het or other shows under the cut. I probably won’t watch most of them, but I did at least watch the trailers. 

The Interest - Frozen. As @shortpplfedup said, they keep trying to make fetch happen with Bright and I just do not see it. I liked what he did in 2gether, but the magic has faded for me. I will have to be convinced to watch this.

Beauty Newbie - Cold. I despise “ugly duckling” stories. Liking the cast is not enough for me to push through that. 

Midnight Museum - Warm. I love Gun, and this looks so weird! I’m probably going to watch this if I have time. Also excited to see Tor post Nadao. 

The Jungle - Warm. So many of my faves are in this! Ohm, Lee, Nanon, Luke, Off, and Mix! This looks messy as hell! Krist is also here… I’ll see how folks are enjoying it, but I’m receptive to it.

Faceless Love - Mild. I was admittedly intrigued by this. I don’t think this is how prosopagnosia works, but I can accept the dramatic conceit. I also like the cast. 

Loneliness Society - Cold. No. I don’t like the lying in this.

Wednesday Club - Mild. This also looks messy as hell! Ohm streaks? There’s a gun? A whole show of middle child problems? My goodness. 

The Untranslated Show - Lukewarm. Lot of Dew next year. Prim is also really good. Not sure how I feel about a show where Dew doesn’t smile most of the time. This looks serviceable. 

Double Savage - HOT. Ohm and Perth with guns and beating the shit out of each other? Sign me up!

Find Yourself - Warm. I kinda like the way the age gap is going to be a big part of this, and that it’s a younger man. This felt like GMMTV was reaching for some of the stylings of kdrama in the trailer. 

Enigma - HOT. From the team that gave us The Gifted? Thai supernatural and horror elements? I’m also into this.

[mercyisms]

hello do you have any book recs? we share similar taste and i would love to know what your picks are

oh!! what a fun question. i think i am fairly eclectic with my books (a whole mess), however, some very contemporary novels [etc] i've enjoyed recently are:

lote by shola von reinhold: which was a rec from @cristabel-oct that really has not left my mind since reading it. basically every other contemporary book that's trying to do stuff with gender or obsession (or even a sort of 'fandom') has paled in comparison to lote imo. the parody of art/academic culture is also v satisfying!!

piranesi by susanna clarke: possibly another one everyone else has heard of but, like! it's great stuff! i read it all in one sitting and it made me feel electrified and excited about books again (in the same way tlt has). so much voice + a engrossing, contained world. (a very obvious pair to borges' house of asterion, which is mb the best three page short story?)

megan whalen turner's entire queen's thief series: the first book is a breezier heist geared towards younger readers and yes the fourth book is the weakest but every other one is like so good. do you like eye and hand trauma! i think this series is my most natural rec for anyone who likes tlt (probably you have already read it!). i think it is some of the most clever plotwork and just a fully rendered world of nation-states and compelling actors throughout that always feel at motion. love when a schemey shady guy loves an incredibly cool, composed woman, what can i say?

also in the realm of 'big name' contemporary fiction, i am very energized by karen russell's writing in general? i've only read her short story collections but like. what a fun, expansive mind. she struggles with endings most, but i am usually in love with her prose decisions and the sheer level of weird, bizarre joy. her short story about presidents of the united states of america reincarnated as horses should not be one of the best stories of all time but, like, maybe it is?

i was also a big fan of hassan blasim's surreal the corpse exhibition and other stories of iraq. again, this feels cliche but words like 'visceral,' 'incisive' and 'playful' would not be out of place as descriptors. as much as it's about war, a lot of it is also a very macabre sort of borges. my favourite story is the one abt people who can just make knives appear and disappear. top tier power. reaching slightly farther back (although not much) fire and hemlock by diana wynne jones has no business being that much of a banger, david wojnarowicz's close to the knives is something i read for when i want to be jolted Awake by prose, we have always lived in the castle by shirley jackson is a masterpiece, and changeling by joy williams lives in that same luxurious/creepy register. the prime of miss jean brodie still absolutely kills on a prose level. & revisiting borges was one of the best things i did last year! as quick hits, in addition to the karen russell short story above, ling ma's los angeles is very fun, as is anthony veasna so's maly, maly, maly (you'll need paris review access boo hiss), and ottessa moshfegh's (of rest and relaxation fame) novella mcglue is about gay pirates?? i feel like most of these are very obvious recs, but they are the first that come to mind! give me your recs, anon. making this little list made me feel like i really do not read enough. but those are probably too many of my personal faves and idk Recent Formative Texts.

[inevitably-johnlocked]

Hi Steph!! Hope you're doing well! Can I ask what your comfort reads are? I love to read other peoples comfort fics - makes them better in a way. Mine are 'Performance in a leading role', 'Midnight Blue Serenity', 'Nature and Nurture', and 'I Feel Like I Don't Even Know Him'.

Hey Nonny!

Ahhhhhh!! What a great idea! I often list my FAVE fics, but never my comfort fics! And it gives me a chance to post a bonus list people will enjoy, hahha. So I'm sorry I sat on this so long... just wanted to sit on it a bit, and decide how I wanted to do this.

First, your comfort fics, because they're all great (I haven't read the last two, though, so I'll take your word for it!)

Performance In a Leading Role by Mad_Lori (E, 156,714 w., 21 Ch. || PODFIC AVAILABLE || Hollywood / Actor AU, Secret Relationship, Falling in Love, Slow Burn, Romance, Coming Out, Fluff and Angst, Pining) – Sherlock Holmes is an Oscar winner in the midst of a career slump. John Watson is an Everyman actor trapped in the rom-com ghetto. When they are cast as a gay couple in a new independent drama, will they surprise each other? Will their on-screen romance make its way into the real world? Part 1 of Performance in a Leading Role

Midnight Blue Serenity by BeautifulFiction (E, 151,907 w., 19 Ch. || Friends to Lovers, Gay Bar / For a Case, Drugs, Pining, Case Fic, UST) – When Sherlock infiltrates a club in order to track down a serial killer, his altered appearance is enough to make John question his assumption that Sherlock is beyond his reach. However, is he the only one who appreciates his flatmate's charms, or is Sherlock at risk of becoming the next victim?

Nature and Nurture by earlgreytea68 (M, 203,273 w., 57 Ch. || PODFIC AVAILABLE || Parentlock, Cloning, Kidlock, Dev. Rel.) – The British Government accidentally clones Sherlock Holmes. Which brings a baby to 221B Baker Street. Part 1 of Nature & Nurture

I Feel Like I Don't Even Know Him! by MutedSilence (NR, 26,108 w., 25 Ch. || Alternate First Meeting || Fake Relationship, Developing Relationship, Implied/Referenced Suicide, Couple’s Counselling, Paternal Greg, Protective Mycroft, Implied/Referenced Drug Use, For a Case) – John is leaving therapy Sherlock needs to get into the office of a couples counsellor. A frantic Sherlock bumps into John as he's making his way out. John - with nothing better to do - agrees to pretend to be a stranger's boyfriend for the afternoon. Beats going home.

------

NEXT! I actually have a few multi-fandom comfort reads right now for all my current ships, if that's okay?? I like sharing great reads in other fandoms I'm a part of since DBH and Red Dwarf are kind of tiny fandoms, lol, and since I'm a rec blog, never hurts to help those people also get traffic from an unlikely source, hahah. I just don't file them as diligently as I do with Johnlock, so apologies for the tags.

Let's do a top 20, and I'll start with Johnlock obviously, and then give you a few from each of my other current fandoms, if you are willing to fandom jump! Some are probably obvious, and maybe not, but I hope you enjoy all of them!

Bit of a "fave fics" and bit of a "I read these as palate cleansers or if I want to read something familiar", hahha! You may notice a trend that I tend to veer towards long comfort reads... usually after a string of fics I didn't enjoy, I jump to a different fandom and read something long and familiar.

Of course these aren't EVERY single one I have ever re-read, I literally just went down my list of iBooks and put down not just the recent re-reads, BUT the ones that I KNOW the story off-heart just by the title.

AND I also avoided listing MBS and PiaLR since you listed them up there, but they are ALSO my comfort reads as well and glad we share a similar love for them.

I have enough fics for a second Johnlock list... I just REALLY wanted the chance to showcase some other fandoms, so I shall wait for another ask to add more :)

And, as always, if anyone has some comfort reads of their own, from ANY FANDOM, I STRONGLY encourage y'all to make this a community post and share what makes us happy when we need a snuggle in the form of a fanfic!

Hope y'all enjoy!

I-J's TOP 20 COMFORT READS

See also:

Top 30 Read-Again Fics (March 2019)

Top 30 Read-Again Fics Pt. 2 (Sept. 2019)

Fave Read-Again Fics (10) (Dec 11/20)

JOHNLOCK (10)

26 Pieces by Lanning (E, 28,236 w., 1 Ch. || Hurt/Comfort, Torture, First Time, Happy Ending, Schmoop, Past Abuse) – Mycroft gives Sherlock the apparently simple task of solving a puzzle box containing a stolen microchip. It isn't simple.

Classified(s) by blueink3 (E, 36,153 w., 4 Ch. || Wedding Date AU || Fake Relationship, Jealous, Pining, Hurt/Comfort, Idiots in Love, Happy Ending, Mary is not Nice, Escort Service) – Clara's American father is the ambassador to some such territory that Great Britain probably used to own, but she (and Harry’s undying love for her) is the reason John is getting on a flight at 12:30pm, flying across the second largest ocean in the world, and pretending to be in a perfectly happy, healthy relationship with an undoubtedly perfectly coiffed stranger. See, Clara is not only American (and wealthy to boot), she's also best friends with John’s ex-fiancée. Whom she's placed in the wedding party. As Maid of Honor. And John just happens to be Best Man. Bloody brilliant.

A Promise Made to Be Broken by PlantsAreNeat (E, 37,018 w., 7 Ch. || Fake Relationship, Pining, Slow Burn, RST, Eventual Relationship, Primarily POV Sherlock) – A young John makes an ‘if we’re still single at 40, we’ll get together’ pledge to a woman who ends up all wrong for him. She keeps reminding him of the promise, and won’t let go of it. John asks Sherlock to pose as his boyfriend at a family wedding, so as to dash her hopes permanently. Sherlock, who has at last acknowledged his feelings for John, reluctantly agrees despite knowing how painful it will be to ‘have’ John, but not keep him.

Corpus Hominis by mycapeisplaid (E, 47,709 w., 12 Ch. || PODFIC AVAILABLE || Case Fic, Fluff, Romance, Frottage, Angst, Anal, Blow Jobs, Rimming, Spas / Massages, Shampoo, Jealousy, Fake Relationship) - John knows the human body intimately. He’s had plenty of opportunity for study as a doctor, soldier, and lover. There’s one particular body, however, he knows very little about. When Sherlock launches himself head-first into a new obsession and they get sent on a case in an unlikely location, the pair discovers each other’s bodies with confusing yet delightful (and sometimes hilarious) results.

Triage by scullyseviltwin (E, 51,612 w., 14 Ch. || Character Injury, Introspection, Pining Sherlock, Falling in Love, Slow Burn, Sherlock POV, Toplock) – Sherlock’s mind goes exceedingly, devastatingly quiet and gray-blank. When he speaks it’s through a thick haze, it’s through molasses, he’s so disconnected from the words that it may as well be the unconscious shooter speaking.

Coventry by standbygo (E, 52,020 w., 26 Ch. || Dollhouse AU || Case Fic, Slow Burn, Sci-Fi / Fantasy, First Kiss / Time, Attempted Rape/Non-Con, BAMF John, Falling in Love) – “Let me get this straight,” John said, wondering when his life had become a science fiction film. “Some guy orders up a personality, a person, to his specifications, and they program this into a real live person, who has consented to do this, and she goes to this person and acts as his wife, or lawyer, or Royal Marine, or Navy Seal or what have you, and she has all the skills, all the knowledge, everything? Then you say the magic words, and she follows you back to The House, and they erase it all until her next appointment?”

Bridging the Ravine by SilentAuror (E, 58,887 w., 3 Ch. || Post S4, Couple For a Case, Bed-Sharing, First Times, Confessions, Awkwardness, Sex Trafficking, Massages, Wet T-Shirt Contest, Group Therapy, Past Loss of Child) – Sherlock and John go undercover at Ravine Valley, a therapy centre for same-sex male couples in an investigation into a possible human trafficking ring. As they pose as a couple and fake their way through the therapy sessions for the sake of the case, it quickly becomes difficult to avoid discussing their very real issues. Set roughly six nine months after series 4. Part 1 of the The Ravine Valley series series

Perdition's Flames by i_ship_an_armada (E, 63,435 w., 21 Ch. || Treklock AU, Est. Rel, Genetic Engineering, Angst & Fluff, BAMF!John) – Sherlock would do anything to save him. Risk anything. Give anything. His money, his life. His soul. What he does, though, is change both of their destinies forever. Genetic re-engineering is the only option left. It turns out researchers underestimated the life expectancy and potential abilities of genetically re-engineered subjects. The British government and what would eventually become the United Federation of Planets, however, had not. Part 1 of PF Universe

You Have Drawn Red From My Hands by J_Baillier (T, 67,085 w., 17 Ch. || Three Garridebs, Heavy John Whump, Hurt / Comfort, Pining, Heavy Angst, Case Fic/Adventure, Slow Burn, Sick Fic, Injury, Guilt & Depression, Just Talk Already Please, Medical Realism, PTSD) –  John getting injured leads Sherlock on a path of guilt and revelations.

The Horse and his Doctor by khorazir (T, 129,003 w., 13 Ch. || Horse / Vet AU || Magical Realism, Horses, Vet John, Horse Sherlock, Implied Alcoholism) – Invalided after a run in with a poacher in Siberia, veterinary surgeon John Watson finds it difficult to acclimatize to the mundanity of London life. Things change when a friend invites him along to a local animal shelter and he meets their latest acquisition, a trouble-making Frisian with the strangest eyes and even stranger quirks John has ever encountered in a horse.

GOOD OMENS (2)

The Picnic; or, the Drawbacks of Loving an Angel by sorrowfulcheese (G, 3,776 w., 1 Ch. || Post-Apocalypse/Canon, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, Misunderstandings, Moving On, Picnicking, Idiots in Love, Crowley POV, Cranky Crowley, Mutual Pining, Light Angst with Happy Ending) – Aziraphale lures Crowley out for a picnic. It doesn't go remarkably well.

A Brief History of Touch by chamyl (E, 11,849 w., 1 Ch. || Moments in Time, First Kiss/Time, Heavy Mutual Pining, Romance, Idiots in Love, Slow Burn, Masturbation, Almost Kiss, Touch-Starved Crowley, Angst With Happy Ending, Love Confessions, Blow Jobs, Emotional Love Making, Friends to Lovers, Body Worship, Promise of Forever With a Ring) – Six thousand years of pining, stolen glances, almost-touches, plummeting towards the inevitable end.

RED DWARF (4)

Homecoming by Queen of the Potato People (T, 3,805 w., 1 Ch. || Pre-Slash, Rimmer Returns from Being Ace, Reunion, Character Study, Introspection, Angst with Happy Ending) – How does being Ace Rimmer work out for the smeggiest possible version of Rimmer in the entire multiverse? How and why does he return to Red Dwarf? This is one possible take.

Hand in Glove by lizardkid (T, 14,223 w., 1 Ch. || RED DWARF || Post-S9, Internalized Homophobia, Repression, Hurt/Comfort, Lister Whump, Worried Rimmer, Ableist Language, Cuddling) – Lister is mortally wounded in an accident. Rimmer is forced to reassess everything.

“Someone to Watch Over You” by Metalkatt & VeronicaRich (E, 72,347 w., 23 Ch. || S8 Canon Divergence, BAMF Rimmer, Coming Home, Dimension Jumping) – Ace Rimmer may have waited too long to go home again, but with some help, he might just get the happy ending none of his predecessors did. Part 1 of Further Watching

Easy As Anything by komodobits (E, 141,203 w., 12 Ch. || Canon Adjacent, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Bickering, Developing Relationship, Slow Burn, Pining, Soft-Light Sex / Mutual Masturbation, Humour, Top Rimmer) – Sex isn’t supposed to be this difficult. Maybe they’re just really bad at it. Part 1 of the Easy!verse series

DETROIT: BECOME HUMAN (4)

blue horizon in the making. by ohmaggies (NR [G], 2,086 w., 1 Ch. || Post Story, Human/Android Politics, Introspection / Reflection, Living Together, Media / People are Bad, Pre-Slash, Cynical Hank, Bed Sharing, Anxious/Worried Connor, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Soft Hank) – Hank looks peaceful like that, younger somehow and rested, and his growing hair falling softly across his face. Connor likes it, he decides. He likes Hank, more importantly. As a friend, as a drinking buddy, as whatever he's capable of feeling for him- just as anything other than a machine. Connor reflects.

Sleight of Hand by Relvetica (T, 14,360 w., 1 Ch. || Everyone Lives Ending, Hank POV, Mutual Pining, Coping with Deviancy / Emotions, LED Mood Ring/LED Removal Discussion, Human/Android Politics, Human/Android Relationship Discussion, Stubborn Connor, Worried Connor, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Comforting Hank, Experimenting Connor, Introspection, Heart-To-Heart, Obsessive Connor, Love Confession, Trying to Understand Love, Sexuality Discussions, Ken-Doll Android Anatomy, Bed Sharing, Comforting Each Other, Hiding Out, Running Away Together, First Kiss, Open Ending) – Some good endings only really count as good endings because they end before it gets bad. On the other hand, some end before they get better.

Opinion is the medium between knowledge and ignorance by ImogenGotDrunk (T, 16,912 w., 2 Ch. || Pacifist Route, Pre-Slash, Pre-Deviant Connor, Depression, References to Suicide, Mutual Pining, Slow Burn, Alternating POV, Connor’s Freckles, Enemies to Friends, Connor-Centric, Introspection, Canon-Typical Violence, Hurt/Comfort, Connor’s Path to Deviancy, Obsessive Connor) – Hank made his view on androids very clear. No one could mistake where the Lieutenant stood on that particular subject. But as he and Connor begin working together, his opinions seem to drastically change. The only conclusion Connor can come to is that he himself is responsible for it. It must be another instability in his software. After all, changing Hank’s mind was never part of the mission.

Moving Forward, Circuit by Circuit by  DoAndroidsDreamOfElectricPolarBears  (E, 50,605 w., 18 Ch. || Post-Ending AU, Amnesia, Connor Whump, Alcohol Abuse, Implied/Referenced Suicide, Android Slavery/Trafficking, World Building, Slow Burn, Hurt/Comfort, Hank Being Hank, Memory Loss/Wipe, Rebuilding Relationship, Case Fic, Protective Hank, Interrogations, Police Work,  Love Confessions, Fixing Connor, Caring Hank, Friends to Lovers, Going Undercover, Self Depreciation, Bed Sharing, Kissing and Hugging, Flirting) – After the liberation of androids, society is changing ... for everyone except Hank. To him, it seems that life has returned to normal -- especially with the absence of his partner. That is, until he finds Connor, components modified and memories erased. The two must work together to catch the man responsible (and sort out their feelings along the way).

[thepringlesofblood]

Flinging My Murderbot Opinions Into The Feed: Vol. 3

i wanted to both read and listen to exit strategy before making my book-ly Opinions Post, so here we go

1. I am once again calling out Kevin R Free, a very talented voice actor, for somehow pronouncing “hologram” correctly (HALL-uh-gram) but when reading the concatenated version of the same word, “holo”, pronouncing it completely differently (HOLE-oh).

Sir, your voice acting is choice, and I deeply admire you as an artist, but what the hell???

mb uses “holo” and “hologram” interchangeably so like Kevin R. Free clearly knows that “holo” refers to a “hologram”

it’s like that “malk” sketch from a bajillion years ago where the guy can say “milkshake” but then says “milk” “malk”

2. Pin Lee is everything. the light of my life. the moon and the stars. the mozzarella on my pizza. I love her so much.

her angrily coming into mb’s room like ‘ugh we broke the law to make you some safe anonymous IDs in case you wanna ghost like you did last time, do you fuckin get that we’re serious now?’

fuck me “this isn’t a deadly weapon. this is a person. an angry person.” got me dying on the ground, she is so sharp and so loving at the same time, fuck.

I saw this somewhere else once but someone was like “it’s great seeing Pin Lee pull the ‘you’re my client’ card on murderbot bc that’s usually the card that it plays” and they were RIGHT

I love that mb felt like a little more comfortable coming up to her for the first time instead of mensah or ratthi or anything bc it was like ‘look, out of everyone, I know I can cut through the bullshit with you’ and was just like ‘hello. its me.’ out of nowhere

3. I knew it was coming but “I wasn’t afraid that she wasn’t my friend. I was afraid that she was, and what that did to me” knocked me the FUCK out. so many interactions in this book had me on my fainting couch, a HUG?????? one-hit KO’d me. “first aid” my ass murderbot you liked it and your lil touchstarved ass is getting so much love and respect from now on

4. the apologies.on both sides. its so rare that we see both people admit theyre wrong and maybe while mb doesn’t do it quite so literally its hammered home again and again that they CARE for it, goddammit.

5. mensah.she. she watched sanctuary moon. to try and understand. that whole conversation was so perfect and raw and open and I love it so much. I didn’t realize how much I missed having mensah as a character until she was back. the revelation that after all this time, mb likes sanctuary moon so much because it was the first thing it had access to? that it “kept it company without having to interact’? I cried.

6. it’s the recovery from trauma, your honor. reading mb slowly regaining memory and relearning trust in a safe environment? thank you ms. wells for my life.

7. mb characterizing bot pilots and “lower” intelligence AI as childish instead of inferior is just. fascinating. it does the same thing we do with opportunity and space rovers where we make a little personality up of all its operational functions except obvs the bot pilots are more advanced and aware n shit, but when it was like “bye ship, you were there when it counted” and characterized as beeping sadly at mb going out the “wrong door”???? amazing.

8. just. the metaphor. the metaphor of setting up security cameras so your secunit friend can literally feel more secure and giving it more access and agency in its own environment so it doesn’t have to make eye contact and can operate on its own terms i’m having an emotion too, murderbot

9. the Gang getting to see what mb is like just completely unfiltered is amazing. i mean obvs it’s not great that it took severe memory damage to do that but “I don’t like you” “I’ll mark your cognition at 55%” “fuck you” “60%” was one of my alltime favorite moments. plus, casual interactions b/w PresAux and murderbot, when they’re not in immediate all-consuming danger? its more likely than you think.

10. mb talking to mensah’s kid is WILD. I know it was only a few minutes but their conversation was fantastic. “is being a secunit weird?” “yes.” *doesn’t elaborate* 10/10

11. the offer of freedom to the combat secunit. i just. it hit different. I realized that at the end of each book mb has an interaction with another bot that lifts the curtain just a little bit on how exactly bots relate to each other and what crossing those social boundaries entails, and what those social boundaries can even be, given the vast diversity and scatteredness and lack of agency of bots.

In ASR it was when the other SecUnits at Port Free Commerce didn’t talk to mb after it came out of stasis aka the ‘i know i said we werent friends but usually yall at least let me know whats going on?’ 

you could also argue it was when mb had to kill the DeltFall secunit that had the combat override module installed.

in AC it was the comfortunit (ART is a whole other ballgame)

in RP it was Miki

in exit strategy it was the combat secunit. 

just. I love wells’ determination to not have things go exactly right, you know? it’s gonna be more complicated than mb just offering to hack the other bot’s governor module and them automatically saying yes! it’s going to be more complicated than ‘all secunits are 100% good virtuous people trapped in a bad system’

12. mensah’s whole rescue scene was so tense, it reminded me of the mensah-snatching at the end of asr, right down to the parallel of jumping out of the train vs jumping off the cliff, but it was so much more intense. i 100% share mb’s satisfaction and relief with having a client/character who can just roll with the punches and do all the right things in a horror movie. she is amazing and mb and her just have drift compatibility, ive never seen pacific rim but i loosely know what that means

13. mb’s motivations are fascinating to me in this one. the obsession with ‘winning’, the intense competitiveness, the complete disregard for not only its general safety (we knew that one going in), but its whole life, as long as its death constitutes ‘winning’. fucking wild.

14. murderbot: when humans I didn’t know came by, I holed up in my room so I didn’t have to talk to them

me: oh no it’s me

15. this feels like a finale. Like idk much about the publication order of these, but it definitely feels like the 1st four books were intended to be A Chunk, a full arc, with this as the last one. I can’t FUCKIN wait to read network effect.

have a meme as compensation for the long-ass post

[waitmyturtles]

Alright, taking a breather from my Eclipse posts to handle a couple things! (Long post!)

1) New ep of Kabe Koji: LOVELY. Ooooooh, the sloooooooowww burn. Mamocchi’s emotion at touching Issei and inspiring him. Issei’s slow growth into leadership and determination. These characters are taking their time with showing their facets. I’m really loving it. 

2) Japanese Twitter (and English Twitter reporting on doramas) have noted that the show Silent is quite popular right now in Japan, so I’m picking it up on Viki. Watched the first episode last night, and it is just lovely, reflective of a lot of what I like about doramas and Japanese literature. The pace is very much akin to Shinya Shokudo -- it takes its time with telling its story. It focuses on a young woman who is about to move in with her boyfriend, a high school friend. But she runs into another high school classmate -- her ex-boyfriend, who had suddenly dumped her after graduation. While she thought she had been dumped for another woman, her ex-boyfriend had actually lost his hearing. I’m only through episode one, and there are three on Viki so far, but I’m going to dive into this -- I feel like the pace and storyline are super calming, and the acting is wonderful so far. The lead actress is Kawaguchi Haruna, who I haven’t watched before, but she’s splendid. 

I’m so appreciating the increase in dramas that feature characters with disabilities in lead or prominent roles -- Drive My Car, Extraordinary Attorney Woo, and now (for me) Silent. I’m only through episode one, but it seems like this art is being respectfully and deeply done. It’s a nice foil to the intensity of The Eclipse, and I think I’m picking up Big Dragon once The Eclipse is over, so considering how insane Big Dragon looks, I’ll need a calmer dorama to balance things out!

3) OMG, I am FINALLY publishing this review: Three Star Bar in Nishi Ogikubo, yay!

I finished this cute mid-season 2021 dorama much later than I expected; I started it last month, and had to pause while my partner had COVID. But this six-episode series was otherwise a quick watch. I’m going to offer some gentle criticism, but this show did help me cross another dorama off my Machida Keita rabbithole list. 

The show focused on three former high school classmates, now adults, who take over the bar of the deceased grandfather of one of the classmates. The bar focuses on classic cocktails and only serves canned food (somewhat of a common occurrence in shows about food in Japan). Machida as Amamiya is a former salaryman; Fujiwara Kisetsu as Nakauchi is a former high-end chef who transforms the canned foods into unique dishes, and Morisaki Win as Kobayashi is a struggling author and current owner of the bar.

So I think that this dorama would have actually been slightly better if it had been a fall or early winter dorama, which sounds kinda of weird, but hear me out: the three main actors are all amazing in their own right -- we’ve seen them in other works that totally showcased their acting chops. 

[Having now watched a couple Machida works, and with more on my list, I’m really getting convinced that Cherry Magic was his prime acting showcase of his career so far. Watching Teppachi! was fine, shrugs, and Super Rich is going along (Akaso Eiji outacts Machida in Super Rich), but those shows aren’t challenging, or like, dramatic. Live Like a Girl, Alice in Borderland, that taiga he was in, and probably some movies I’m missing, may prove me wrong, but I gotta watch them first before I judge. I think we were deeply spoiled by the actual quality of the filming and writing of CM, regardless of its BL status, for both Machida and Akaso.]

Anyway, I think that if Three Star Bar were a fall or early winter show, it may have been written with a little more depth -- instead, I think it served as a mid-season quick filler for MBS. I think the three guys (sparkles sparkles, they were all cast together for a reason) were ultimately underutilized, and the customer focal points of each episode were slightly weak and hyperbolized. There was a lot of potential -- the dorama was sweet, but the writing was on the edge of something much more complicated and interesting that didn’t quite get there.

I wrote earlier that episode two punched me in the gut -- it was an episode about an actress-turned-mother who was struggling with balancing her career and raising her child. Lord, can I relate. 

So I think that episode could have really gone places! Japan has deeply entrenched issues with supporting career women who become mothers. I think the episode documented the actress’s struggles well. But the guys were left to respond kind of with....not a lot. The actress’s husband comes to the bar and says, “we’ll manage.” Like, cool, but give us more. What I wanted to see was how the husband would compromise himself and his family’s structure to accommodate his wife’s career -- it wouldn’t have taken too much more writing to get to that point. Or the guys talking about their own views of this problem more deeply. 

I think I’m being critical enough of this show because the potential for human revelations in the context of being alone in a quiet bar are so high. I’m working out in my head a separate meditation on the beauty of eating and drinking alone, and how Japan handles this so beautifully in their many shows about the topic. I really wanted Three Star Bar to join those ranks, but ultimately, the dorama was designed to tell a different story. 

For the sake of that different story -- getting three cute classmates together to figure out their early mid-life crises as a team -- it was a sweet show, especially the last episode, with an ex-pat coming back home to Japan to discover her father’s life in the old bar with Kobayashi’s grandfather. I truly do love shows that showcase food and cocktails, and honestly, I think Machida as a bartender did the best he could with what he was given from a writing perspective. 

And Amamiya’s and Kobayashi’s life revelations at the end were satisfying. Amamiya’s character was written as a little milquetoast, but -- the guy clearly need to move away from society’s demands that he turn into a run-of-the-mill salaryman. By finding his life in the bar and living creatively, Amamiya took a risk that a man like himself would have otherwise likely struggled to accept. The true winner of this show, in my opinion, was Morisaki Win as Kobayashi. His Kobayashi was the perfect brooding foil to Amamiya’s cheerfulness, and I think Kobayashi’s revelatory story of conquering writer’s block did nail what a quiet bar inspires -- aloneness can oftentimes bring light to darkness.

I would recommend this as a quick watch! If you LOVE shows about people sitting at bars and working out their very deep issues, Shinya Shokudo is the dorama for that; but Three Star Bar is perfect for a fast binge. AND, SWEETLY: two cute future BL cameos are in this, with Nishigaki Sho as a young Amamiya, and Matsuoka Koudai from beloved Kabe Koji as a fellow chef. Nishigaki playing a young Amamiya was particularly cute and made me giggle; I wonder what Minato Akira/Rokkaku would have thought. 

[tcm]

My Time with Doris Day: An Interview with Mary Anne Barothy By Constance Cherise

In 2012, Robert Osborne interviewed a spry 90-year-old, Doris Day. He, of course, asked all the correct questions a true Day fan would be curious about: when she realized she could sing, how her career in film began and did she consider her serendipitous life to be destiny. A vibrant and gracious Day revealed that she wasn’t nervous when it came to performing, and if you have seen her first film ROMANCE ON THE HIGH SEAS (‘48), her organic ease fits like the exact correct puzzle piece. 

Although she passed almost two years ago, fans the world over still celebrate her iconic status. One of those fans is a public speaker on all things Doris, author of Day at a Time: An Indiana Girl's Sentimental Journey to Doris Day's Hollywood and Beyond, Mary Anne Barothy. Her fortune ironically played out like a classic Hollywood script, much like the beginnings of Day’s career. A devotee of Day since childhood, threads of fate connected and Barothy would find herself rubbing shoulders with Hollywood's elite, astonishingly becoming Day’s live-in secretary, maintaining an active friendship from 1967-1974. 

What was a typical day with Doris like?

Mary Anne Barothy: I lived with Doris in her Beverly Hills home after her TV show [The Doris Day Show] filming ended - December 1972 and ran through June of 1973 on CBS. Her bedroom was just opposite mine in the back. Mine was the front bedroom. She slept with seven of her dogs, and I slept with the other four – Bobo, Charlie, Rudy and Schatzie. She would get up and come into the kitchen where I often fixed her breakfast. Doris loved her dogs and spent time playing with them both indoors and out. Many days she would get ready and bike down to Nate 'N Al's Deli for a late breakfast and many times would meet someone, or we would go together for breakfast. Doris loved her fans, and she was very good about answering her fan mail. 

As you know, her passion was animal welfare and she kept up with Actors & Others for Animals and frequently attended board meetings. I went with her and was also a proud member of Actors & Others for Animals. In the summer she would swim in her pool on occasion. She would call friends and once in a while meet someone for lunch or dinner. After dinner, sometimes we would sit in one section of her living room and watch the news. Doris was very down to earth; as I said, she was like a big sister to me. To me, this was an incredible dream come true! It is still hard to believe that I had this awesome opportunity to spend precious time with my idol, Doris Day!

The designer Irene dressed her in high fashion. Did she have a favorite costume/gown?

MB: She never spoke about that, but she looked good in a bathrobe. She just had a way of radiating, looking beautiful no matter what she had on. She always said CALAMITY JANE [‘53] was her favorite movie because she was kind of a tomboy. She never came across that way except for in movies, but she liked to be comfortable. She would ride her bike with shorts on and look very casual and comfortable. I always told her she could put on a paper bag and look good! 

Now that she's passed, what would she want the world to know about her if anything?

MB: She was a down to earth person and I think some people think celebrity is high and mighty because they are in the movies, and I'd say a religious person without talking about church all the time. She had a passion for animal welfare and that was very important to her and she'd been that way apparently since she was a young person. She just enjoyed life and her friends. She wasn't one for “I've got to be seen here and I've got to do this.” Her work was her work, she'd go to the studio to do what she had to do and that was it. 

Your book recounts so many extraordinary memories including that of a conversation with Elvis. If you had to choose one pinch-me moment, what would it be?

MB: When Doris called me and asked me to come work with her. The Christmas she invited me to stay. The fact that she trusted me was so special.

What was it like waking up in your idol’s home walking outside of your room and thinking I live here now?

MB: It was surreal because I wasn't just staying a night or two, I’m staying here to the fact that I changed my address over. It was all like a movie. Here I am, actually living with her! It was meant to be. She was like a big sister. She made me feel welcome.

Do you have any memorabilia? 

MB: I have some clothes she gave me. My favorite one is the hat she wore when she met me. She gave it to me and then another hat from a movie, a skirt, and top from THE GLASS BOTTOM BOAT [1966]. She gave me a ring and an autographed Christian Science book, and that is special. I’ve got many letters and cards she gave me over the years. (Barothy reads a card) “Thanks for doing your own Christmas shopping. I love you Mairzy Doats, you’re the best there is! Always, your friend Clara.” And on the other side, it says, “Merry Christmas from the kids too!” – the dogs. “Mairzy Doats,” she’d sing that once in a while. I’ve saved a lot of these things. Of course, when I do my talks, I use copies. 

What was Beverly Hills like then? 

MB: To me, Beverly Hills, when I lived with Doris Day in her home, was a much more  relaxed city, almost small townish. Doris could ride her bike from her home four blocks down to either Bailey's Bakery or the classic Beverly Hills deli, Nate N 'Al's on Beverly Drive. No paparazzi – that would never happen today. I would see Barbara Stanwyck and Fred Astaire at the Beverly Hills Post Office, saw Rosalind Russell at Ralph's grocery, and would see Loretta Young at Good Shepherd Catholic Church. People appeared to live pretty normal lives. Beverly Hills was a welcoming community and a fun place to be, especially since I was living with Doris in her home.

What would Doris think of the world today?

MB: I think Doris would be concerned about the direction we seem to be going in. Doris was a very religious person without going to church. I learned a lot from her. With people being out of work these days, I think Doris would be very concerned about the welfare of dogs and cats and all animals. As you know, she was a strong animal advocate and was one of the founders of Actors & Others for Animals. When she moved to Carmel, California, she started her own foundation, The Doris Day Animal Foundation, and animal welfare was her number one priority.

Looking back, does it seem like this all really happened to you?

MB: Yeah, it kinda seems surreal, and friends that are big Doris fans, just say, how did that happen? I just followed my dream and that is why when I give talks, I tell people to follow your dream, don't say oh I could have or I should have; if you really believe in something go for it. All I can say it was meant to be. I drove my parents crazy and drove my teachers crazy, but I got what I wanted. I never would have dreamed that all of this would happen. I mean talk about a dream come true...unreal! “It really happened, I'm not making it up, I’ve got pictures to prove it!”

What are your plans for the future?

MB: I look forward to getting back on the road again to share my “Dream Story With Doris Day” presentations. Due to the pandemic last year, I was not able to do them as people were in lock down. Now, things are opening up and I am doing Zoom but really prefer the in-person talks where I share many photos I've taken of Doris over the years, as well as scripts and other Doris Day memorabilia. It's a fun “sentimental journey.” People can contact me through my website. 

[outerbankspreferences]

50 wordless ways to say I love you.

#3. Traveling long distance just to see them.

Word count: 2040

Warnings: mentions of sex.

A/N: So I know nothing about filming, and I’m sorry it took me so long to update, but I’ve been sick. Hope you like it <3 :) 

MASTERLIST

SERIES MASTERLIST

It had been a great week. You had gotten all your assignments done and handed in on time for once. You had time to deep clean your apartment and so much needed laundry. Why were you doing all this, because your boyfriend Drew had the weekend off from filming and he was going to make the four- and half-hour drive from Charleston to the Chapel Hill campus to be with you. You guys had been dating for little over a year, but you weren’t ready to move in with him just yet. He was your first serious boyfriend and you wanted to take things slow. You were also 4 years younger than Drew and felt it a little intimidating moving in with him just yet. Of course, he was supportive of that. You laugh to yourself thinking about how nervous you were when you two first started seeing each other. You had gone to high school with Maddy Cline, and when she went to university out west you kept in touch. You were the first person she told about wanting to be an actor, and you supported her dream 100%. She was the one who introduced you and Drew. She always joked that she was your guy’s cupid.

As you were hopping out the shower, wrapping your hair in a towel you heard your phone ringing. Rushing to kitchen to get you saw a picture of Drew show up, he was trying to facetime you. “Hey love, what’s up?” You ask him. It was unusual for him to be calling you this late. You take a good look at his face. There were bags under his eyes, and he had some stubble where he hadn’t shaved. You wonder if that was for his character. “I’m just getting back from supper with the cast. I miss you.” He spoke into the phone. Austin must have been sleeping because Drew spoke quietly. “Is everything okay love? You seem off.” He looked away from the screen, even when you weren’t physically with him you could still tell when something was up. You did this with everyone, not just him, but Drew thought it was your superpower. “Just a rough week with filming, and honestly I don’t feel very good, I think I’m just tired, but I don’t know.” He sat the phone, so it was propped up, rubbing his face with his hands. “Oh, I’m sorry to hear that Drew, just wait a couple of days and you can come down here for a little break. I promise nothing but movies and snuggles.” You told him with hope in your voice. His face falls when he sees how excited you are. He was dreading making this call all day. “Yeah about that,” he trailed off. You sigh, “you can’t make it, can you?” He looked at you and instantly felt worse. “No, I thought we were going to have the weekend off, but I guess we’re behind schedule. Which I find crazy because we’ve been working our asses off all week.” He laughed trying to brighten the mood. “Maybe next weekend love, I’ll try and make it down. I’m sorry I know you were looking forward to it.” You put on a fake smile for him. He was already feeling shitty, and you weren’t going to add to his problems. “That’s okay, I have to work next weekend, but maybe I can switch my shifts around.” You send him a reassuring smile. “Go get some sleep babe, what time do you work in the morning?” “We have to be on set by 9:30.” “Okay, well I have class tomorrow, so I’ll talk you then. I love you, get some sleep.” You told him. Drew was half falling asleep talking to you. “Yeah your right love, have a good day, I love you more.” With that you hung up the phone. To say that you were disappointed was an understatement. You had been looking forward to seeing Drew all week, but you also felt bad because he was sick. Drew always took such good care of you when you weren’t feeling 100%. You decided he needed you there with him. You find your group chat with the girls and send them off a message.

Y/N: Hey guys, I heard you’ve been having a long week filming, but I need to ask a tiny favor of you.

MB: Ugh, you have no idea, I’m so tired I think I’ve been sleepwalking the whole day.

MC: I agree, this has been a week from hell, Chase got home and went straight to bed. What do you need Y/N?

Y/N: Well as you guys know, Drew was going to come down this weekend but now he can’t. So I was thinking of catching the bus down Friday and surprising him. But I need to know his schedule.

MC: YOU GUYS ARE TOO MUCH! Of course, we can help you with that. He’s filming with me a lot this weekend, so maybe be down for Friday night, our last call time is 5, and hopefully it won’t take more than an hour or so.

MB: I will be so happy not to listen to him go on about how much he misses you. He was so sad when he found out we would be filming through the weekend.

Y/N: Okay perfect, I’ll get Austin to pick me up from the bus station and I’ll wait at their place for him to get home. You guys are the best!

MC: Maybe we can all go get supper Saturday night, at the new bar we found. Everyone misses you.

MB: OMG I forgot about that place, yeah, we should go, Y/N you love it, they have half priced shots on Saturdays.

Y/N: Yeah okay, I’ll see what Drew wants to do and I’ll get back to you.

You were so excited. You went online and bought a bus ticket for Friday after you last class. It was a 5-hour drive because you would have to switch buses, but for Drew it was worth it. You packed your bag and planned with Austin for him to pick you up around 5:30. He promised to keep it a secret and was happy Drew wouldn’t be moping around the apartment.

When you get ready for your class that morning you just put on a cardigan, some leggings and put your hair in a ponytail. Austin had texted you saying that everyone was excited to see you and Drew was oblivious to what was being planned. Drew had also texted you that day, telling you to have a good day and he would try and call you that night. You could hardly sit through your class always checking the time. Once your class was over, you walked home and grabbed you stuff to catch the bus. Once you got on and settled you put your headphones in and slept the whole way. As promised Austin was at the bus station waiting for you. “Hey Y/N” he greeted engulfing you in a hug. You laugh “Hi Austin, thanks for picking me up, is Drew still filming?” “Uh yeah he is! Maddie said that they were going to be done around 6. You guys should have the place to yourselves, I’m going to stay at Rudy’s tonight.” You felt bad, you didn’t want to kick him out of his own home. “Austin you didn’t have to do that! I didn’t want to put anyone out. I was just worried about him. Is he still sick?” He laughed at you. “No I’m good, I don’t need to hear you and Drew go at it tonight, and I think he was a bit better today. If you ask me, I think everything is getting to him. He misses you; he misses his family; he’s working like none stop right now. I think he just needs some sleep.” You nodded along with everything Austin said. If there was one person who knew Drew better, then you it was him. They’d been roommates since filming season one after you and Drew decided to wait to move in together. You had become surprisingly good friends with Austin, and he would always third wheel you guys. “Wait, he’s not sleeping?” It caught you off guard, Drew never had trouble sleeping. A trait of his you were always jealous of. “Yeah well he never sleeps great without you anyways or at least that’s what he tells me.” You never knew that. You would spend a week at time with Drew, you guys would flip between each other places always spending the night together. You had to admit, you did sleep much better wrapped up in his arms.

Austin dropped you off at the apartment. “Are sure your okay sleeping at Rudy’s tonight Austin. I’m sure if Drew’s tired nothing’s going to happen.” He was putting your bag down, grabbing a drink out of the fridge. “Yeah, I’m sure, him and Elaine finally got together so he’s been sleeping at her place. I’m just going to watch the game or something.” You smiled, those two had been pining over each other for months. You had seen some pictures on Instagram and was happy they finally made it official.

Austin left you at the apartment waiting for Drew to get back. You put your stuff in his room and decided to make something to eat. If Drew were sick you wanted to make something that would make him feel better. Looking through his pantry you found some cans of soup and decided that would be perfect. He should be home anytime so it would be ready for him when he got there. You put on your Spotify playlist and started cooking. You were so focused on what you were doing that you never heard Drew unlock the door. He had to look twice when he saw you facing away from him making food slightly dancing in spot while you cooked. He was glad it wasn’t Austin cooking for once. “Y/N, what are you doing here? I missed you so much.” He came up hugging you from behind. You jumped a little. “Christ Drew, for being so big you’re awfully quite.” He laughed kissing you. You finally get a good look at him for the first time in a couple of weeks. He looked terrible the bags under his eye were worse, he was pale, and when you put your hand to his forehead, he had a fever. “Drew Starkey, you are running a fever, why didn’t you tell me it was this bad. I’m making you some soup go lay down on the couch until its done.” You scold him. He knew better then to let things get this bad.

Once the soup was warmed up you put it into some bowls and brought it over to him on the couch. He had turned on Netflix and was watching a crime documentary. “Babe you didn’t have to do all this, I’m fine, really. Just a bit of a cold nothing I can’t handle on my own.” “Clearly, I can tell you’re getting much better. Just eat this and we can cuddle after words.” You reply to him with sarcasm. Drew didn’t know how he got so lucky. For the rest of supper, you guys made small conversation. He asked about the bus ride and how school was going, and you asked about filming. Once the two of you were done eating you put the dishes in the sink, they could wait to be washed in the morning. You came back and laid down on the couch opting to the big spoon. Grabbing a blanket and wrapping Drew up to keep him warm. “Where’s Austin?” he asked. He noticed that his roommate wasn’t home, “oh he’s sleeping at Rudy’s tonight. He didn’t want to listen to us having sex.” Drew laughed and his breath tickled your chest making you giggle. “I’m too tired for sex tonight maybe tomorrow.” You looked down at him he was staring at the television half asleep. “Get some rest love you need it.” And with that Drew slept better than he had weeks.

[screenandcinema]

Coming Attractions April 2023

As usual, we present monthly previews of new movies being released. These are the movies that will be hitting your local cinemas (and streaming services) this month:

April 7th

Air (April 5th) - Ben Affleck returns to the director’s chair for the first time since 2016′s Live by Night and this time he brought along buddy Matt Damon for this sports drama about the origins of Nike’s relationship with Michael Jordan.

The Super Mario Bros. Movie (April 5th) - Mushroom Kingdom here we come! This upcoming adaptation of the Nintendo video game franchise is my son’s must-see pick for the month.

Paint - Owen Wilson plays a Bob Ross-esque television painter in this comedy from IFC Films.

April 14th

Renfield - Nicolas Hoult is the titular servant of Dracula (Nicolas Cage) in this comedy horror film from director Chris McKay.

Mafia Mamma - In the vein of gangster comedies of the 1990s like Analyze This, The Freshman, and Mickey Blue Eyes (which in itself form an unofficial trilogy of films featuring The Godfather actors), comes a new crime comedy starring Toni Collette as an unexpected Mafia boss.

The Pope’s Exorcist - Russell Crowe stars in this supernatural horror film from Julius Avery, the director of Overlord, loosely based on the memoirs of the real exorcist of the Diocese of Rome. 

April 21st

Evil Dead Rise - This sequel to 2013′s Evil Dead reboot makes the fifth film in the Evil Dead series. The film had its world premiere last month at South by Southwest to rave reviews.

Ghosted - Chris Evans and Ana de Armas star in this action-adventure romantic comedy about a regular guy who seeks out the girl who ghosted him and is thrust into trying to save the world when the object of his affectino turns out to be a secret agent.

The Covenant - From Guy Ritchie comes this upcoming action thriller starring Jake Gyllenhaal as a US veteran who returns to Afghanistan to rescue the local interpreter who saved his life.

April 28th

Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret - Judy Blume’s 1970 coming-of-age novel of the same name finally becomes a feature film this month. 

Peter Pan & Wendy - Disney’s attempt to make live-action films out of every animated classic continues with this new adaptation of the classic fantasy film for Disney+. 

Big George Foreman - The story of the former heavyweight champion comes to the big screen with this new biopic from the director of The Hate U Give.

Now for a quick look ahead to May, my top picks for next month are Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 3 and Fast X.

-MB-

[kimuramasaya]

i showed my cat the gif but she wasn't at all interested so maybe she thought it sucked too 😂 my first set that i posted, my sizing is all off idk what tf i thought i was doing but i liked the gifs so i posted them <3 thank u !!! 🥰

i'm so glad i devoted my time to them because i love them sm !! :( they're already in my ult group list 💞 i loved ep 9, that's one of my favourites so far. they're all just so funny. i can't even pick a single member who makes me laugh bc they all do 😅

hopefully their next comeback isn't a year, i can't imagine how hard it was to wait :((

a friend of mine sent me a mashi clip and I was like isgxizbsjsh 😍😭 but honestly junkyu caught my eye first !! junkyu and doyoung 🎀

and i loved the mysterious class, forgot what it was called 😅 they were all really good actors <3 haruto especially!!! i cried. the last episode had me sobbing 😭💞💞💞💞 i have watched the tmap one as well <3

giffing definitely has a learning curve to it. I look back at some of the stuff I made waay back in my litblr days, and I can't believe how bad some of it is lol (granted the file size limit was 1 mb back then so. not completely my fault). we're all learning as we go, and you're off to a great start ☺️

the variety training is so funny some of them got so into the scream in silence game 😂 truly just a group of comedians. the babysitting episodes are my favorites they're just so sweet 🥺 the horror ep also makes me laugh every time. haruto's big ol tears, asahi's complete lack of a reaction, the jeongwoo meme it's all perfect

I'm hoping they'll have a second comeback later this year and I'm going to put that energy out there, but I also have no trust whatsoever in whygee

I really enjoy choreo, so I watched their dance practices first, which is exactly how mashi got me. junkyu gets a lot of people though so you're definitely not alone. I mean, the boy's a meme. and doyoung's ability to do/say things that should be cringey without actually being cringey is so funny to me

haruto was honestly incredible in the mysterious class, and I'd love to see him take on more acting roles. the tmap drama ep makes me cringe a bit but they did a really good job with that too!