#watched 3 more episodes of the rebound

[tortibomb]

My husband likes to come out of his hole every time the boys are smooching on the tv. Then he gives me this kind of look:

Look sir, I cannot help that you missed the 5 episodes of plot development. I promise I’m not only watching boys smooch.

[absolutebl]

This Week in BL - In Which None of You Should be Surprised by a MAJOR Upset in the Standings

Sorry this is so late. I had a pretty epic series of delays landing me at NRT for like 18 hours or something ridiculous. To be fair there are much worse airports to be stranded at.

Organized, in each category, with ones I'm enjoying most at the top.

June 2024 Week 4

Ongoing Series - Thai

The Rebound (Weds Gaga) ep 1 of 12 - Fuck all ya'all if you thought I had taste. MeenPing are topping this damn list because... have you any idea how LONG I have been waiting for a real sports centered BL starring at least one boy who actually played the flipping sport? My whole damn life. You ready for me to go into euphoric splooges all over your screens? I don't think you are. SUFFER! And now some splooging:

It’s off to a great start. Thank you, Rebound, for being exactly what I wanted. By which I mean Meen has his shirt off literally in the first two minutes of the show. Also it’s a bit of a childhood sweethearts reunion romance. There’s nothing wrong with this beginning. Fantastic. For a change, I even enjoy the intro music. Golf is directing MeenPing this time, so maybe something magical will happen. Frank is aging so pretty!!! How nice for all of us. Even the bb play is good. It’s a proper sports BL. I’m so damn happy right now. 

Wandee Goodday (Sat YT) ep 9 of 12 - I’m so tired of Ter, but everything else was lovely. Also they are SUCH boyfriends. 

Sunset X Vibes (Sat iQIYI) ep 3 of 12 - They are so cute in these roles. I don’t know why, I just like their vibe better here than in the previous show. (And I really enjoyed Big Dragon at the start.) This show is a lot more classic romance and kind of pat because of that. I do hope the ingénue character gets some kind of additional development and talent. But even if it stays mundane, these two have the chemistry to carry it. So I suspect I’ll keep enjoying it regardless. I am mildly intrigued by the spice of the PNR element, so I hope they run with that a bit more. I suspect they will have to, to extend the plot for 12 eps.

My Stand-In (Fri iQIYI) ep 10 of 12 - Ah Ming... famous last words. This one just makes me sigh a lot and whimper sadly. I don’t know where they’re going with this plot or how they’re gonna resolve it. Joe finally being the asshole Ming deserves is a lot of fun though (double entendre intended). I’m scared but it did make me cry... a lot. (That's fine, I'm a sap.)  

Imma say this because no one else has. Wardrobe is unilaterally terrible in this show. I mean Thailand is notoriously bad in general but this show, nash.

We Are Cute (Weds iQIYI) ep 13 of 16 - They are so fucking adorable. And so flirty! Also a crying kiss? My favorite! Chain’s little moment of "Cupid shoot thyself" was epic. ("Physician heal thyself" but for the BL world?) Honestly, I could watch a whole show about these two...

The Trainee (Sun YouTube) ep 1 of 12 - How does Gun still look like he’s just out of high school? Madness. Does the set for the print shop that he’s working in at the beginning remind anybody else of Mork’s dad’s place in ‘Cause He’s My Boy? I swear GMMTV has about 3 sets they rotate through.

To be brutally honest, I was not looking forward to the show at all. No idea why. OffGun aren’t my most favorite OG pair, but I respect them for their longevity, optics, acting shops, and enduring brand. Maybe I just needed more of a gap from Cooking Crush?

Whatever, I was absolutely riveted by this first episode. I’m enjoying The Trainee a lot. Like, a lot a lot.

My Love Mix-Up Th (Fri YT) ep 4 of 12 - This version did the "clear up of the inciting miscommunication" in such a sweet achey way. Frankly that "ache of first love" really plays to G4's strengths as a pair. This was a good ep and I’m now starting to enjoy this one for its own sake and get some distance from the JBL version. It's just there is A LOT of good stuff coming out of Thailand right now.

Love Sea (Sun iQIYI) ep 3 of 10 - I was inspired to write a Shakespearean style sonnet in this week's trash watch. Mame seems to believe that no character can have depth without suffering. And I found this episode both boring and rushed at the same time. Trash watch here. (This week's trash watch also VERY delayed.)

Knock Knock Boys (Thurs Gaga) ep 6 of 12 - It’s eminently missable... so I missed it this week in order to get this weekly update out. Next week will be a two in one. 

Only Boo! (Sun YT) ep 12fin - Okay, that’s it, I guess?

Summary:

An idol romance about a sunshine boy who dances good and wants to be a star and a reserved food stand vendor. Other side of the tracks, grumpy/sunshine pair who fall in love but, of course, to be an idol baby boy can't date. It wasn’t particularly bad, it wasn’t particularly good either. 7/10

Ongoing Series - Not Thai

I Hear the Sunspot AKA Hidamari ga Kikoeru (Japan Weds Gaga) Ep 1 of 10 - A new series adaptation of beloved yaoi I Hear the Sunspot (first adaptation was feature film Silhouette of Your Voice 2017).

I expected the soundscapes in this one to be fantastic, but I didn’t expect the filming to be something special too. But it really is. I’m not gonna lie, I'm nervous about this show because I love the manga and was disappointed by the film, but we were off to a really good start. First names already? So cute. I love them.

Takara's Treasure AKA Takara No Vidro (Japan Mon Gaga) ep 1 of 10 - Shy awkward Taishin goes to a Tokyo university in order to reunite with Takara, a stranger who consoled him over the loss of a parrot the year prior. He finally gets a chance to express his gratitude but is given the cold shoulder. (My thoughts this weekend's round up)

I can't believe Japan is holding it down for the non Thai BL. I mean to say.... JAPAN!!! What alt reality are we living in? It being Japan, I'm scared of the ending.

It's airing but...

Blue Boys is still going on and I'm still enjoying it (despite the cheating) but I don't know when it drops or where it's going, so I will report in at the end. When they tell me it's ended.

The Last Time (Thai Fri YT?) - Convoluted story of loss and possible reincarnation or something. Can't find it.

OMG Vampire (Thai Sun ???) 10 eps - I've put the search on hold for and y'all can let me know if it's worth tracking down once it ends?

In case you missed it

The Time of Fever AKA Unintentional Love Story 2 (Korea movie) trailer released to Korean theaters 5/25. HoTae & DongHee, side couple from Unintentional Love Story are back! Same actors, same character names. I love them. Devastated this hasn't had international distribution. I demand you tell me the moment you find it!

Next Week Looks Like This:

NO IMG - we half way through this week already - sorry.

Upcoming BLs for 2024 are listed here. This list is not kept updated, so please leave a comment if you know something new or RP with additions.

July Releases to Come

7/5 This Love Doesn't Have Long Beans (Thai iQIYI) - trailer here, The PittBabe team behind a new restaurant set BL full of hidden agendas and starring my new favorites SailubPon. Delightful!

7/10 Century of Love (Thai Gaga) 10 eps - trailer here, DaouOffroad are back, this time as fated mates in a quasi historical paranormal moment. San has spent many lifetimes waiting for his lost beloved, to reincarnate from her death a century ago. But if he fails to find her within this century's time window, he will succumb to a tragic death. And this time she's a boy. Very much Director Who Buys Me Dinner meets First Love Again, hopefully better than both. I love this pair and think they can handle the premise, it's whether the storytelling is up to the challenge. I'm curious to see but I have reservations.

7/26 4 Minutes (Thai Netflix or iQIYI?) - Great is a university student from Faculty of Business and the son of a wealthy business owner. Out of the blue, he gains the supernatural power to see four minutes into the future.

7/29 Battle of the Writers (Thai ????) - trailer here, TutorYim return and while I adore them, I really hope this is better than Middleman's Love. Won't be hard. However: that premise! Ugh. Something something authors fighting - save me. Why don't writers understand that nothing is more boring than writers?

THIS WEEK’S BEST MOMENTS

Defining @heretherebedork 's favorite endearment of "tiny idiot."

I love him. I also love what a class act they both were about this turn down. Thailand shows Korea how to handle a love triangle by NOT HAVING ONE.

Both We Are.

We stand a lap sit on this blog, but I think this is my first lap spin! I adored it! (Sunset X Vibes)

It's fun to watch them follow the original narrative but with these cute little Thai twists. Sometimes these are shifted for language reasons, sometimes for cultural, and sometimes I think just to draw a clear distinction from the JBL. I'm not mad about any of it. (My Love Mix Up)

Not just for you, honey. Truer words were never spoken. Yak is the biggest green flag ever to walk BL's verdant earth.

Linguistic corner!

I love this way of putting the translation. Usually, in Thai, the phrase used means "he's my happiness" (sounds like: kwamsook). To use sabai is different. Sabai more ubiquitous (sabai is one of the most commonly used phrases in Thailand) but also so different from the usual phrase we hear in ThBL at this moment. Thus, this execution is special, particularly from a doctor. I'm not quite sure how to put it but sabai can also be translated as feeling well, as in, not ill. So there is a way of looking at Wandee saying Yak is both his peace of mind and good for his health and well being.

(Last week)

Streaming services are listed by how I (usually) watch, which is with a USA based IP, and often offset by a day because time zones are a pain.

The tag BLigade: @doorajar @solitaryandwandering @my-rose-tinted-glasses @babymbbatinygirl @babymbbatinygirl @isisanna-blog @mmastertheone @pickletrip @aliceisathome @urikawa-miyuki @tokillamonger @sunflower-positiiivity @rocketturtle4 @blglplus @anythinggoesintheshire @everlightly @renafire @mestizashinrin @bl-bam-beyond @small-dark-and-delicious @saezurumurmurs

Sigh, Tumblr in it's infinite wisdom doesn't like too many tags.

There's these tricks, remember.

[slapjacq]

there’s about to be a slew of thoughts coming from me for this very last episode probably over the next few days, but I’m gonna put them out as such.

For starters:

The funniest part about the ending of this episode was the fact that Louis’ response to everyone talking the most insane amount of shit was truly, in the most American response possible: aight bet pull up then pussy you won’t

A true man after my own heart

Like talk your shit Louis good for you man. I can’t lie wasn’t the smartest thing to do but at least he’s standing on business and I gotta respect that

Generally watching him just plow through the coven and let loose was actually incredible. Like yes girl you didn’t need to leave Paris, you needed to wrong all the mfs that wronged you. Sometimes you just need to open up a can of whoopass and by god did he do that. Santiago’s death was deeply satisfying. I’m happy my blue eyed pretty boy got to use the talents his mama gave him to really read a bitch to filth.

Watching him get back to his roots and rock that post divorce glow was everything, and as someone who has moved from a city to a much different place, the feeling of your city’s air is something that resonated with me so much. I saw someone’s post say something about that already, but I digress. His redecorating of his apartment in Dubai, his “bitch try my me I’m a new man” feel is truly incredible look on him, always and forever routing for Louis DPDL

On top of that Jacob’s work with Sam in the reunion scene is EVERYTHING

Speaking of Sam Reid:

“Siri pause” took me out. I think I was laughing on the floor for twenty minutes. 10/10 comedy gold. I adore Lestat in the modern world and can’t wait to see more of it.The scene in the shack moved me to tears. Lestat better be haunted by Claudia. It would almost be out of character for him not to be. Sam does such an incredible job really giving us Lestat’s guilt. The longing between them, the whole idea of actually seeing Lestat for the first time ever was genuinely wonderful.

Also his scenes in flashback to Paris post trial were also, and I mean dripping with Lestatian emotion.

A part that stuck out to me though, as satisfying as it was, even though I love my doe eyed gremlin, it almost sounded like Armand was regressing back into that scared little kid who was terrified of loosing everyone again, WHICH MIGHT BE A REASKN WHY he turned Daniel, but I’ll hop on my soapbox later about that. Anyways I’m not saying I feel total empathy for the fucker, but it was a little bit sad to hear what I would imagine how some of the conversations/negotiations went with Marius. Genuinely kind of sad but BABY GIRL YOU NEEDED THAT ASS WHOOPING. Like this is all of his fault and by god even though I’m loving every minute of watching his ass get handed to him, I do feel bad for him to an extent. New season wish for Armand: get a therapist, try being single for a decade or two. Like I can’t actually believe that this idiot deluded himself into thinking that the rebound/revenge relationship was gonna be eternal. Like bitch be for real. Idk. Hope my little puppy eyed freak gets his shit together.

DANIEL. MY MAN, MY DUDE. His questions, pulling Louis from the slowly whirring current of Armand’s manipulation was so fucking masterful and cheeky, like they really showed us first hand the reason as to why the man’s got two Pulitzer. And then his turning???? Like he really showed that twink how fucking fascinating he was within a month, ruined an 80 year marriage, and most likely fucked and was turned by the same dude he was out for blood for. No one is doing it like Daniel Molloy. I’m putting money down now that he looked through the paramours file off screen, and knew the advantage was his. I don’t think we’re gonna get a lot of information on that until season 3, but I’m putting it down now. Also shoutout Daniel, the new vampire, live your best life big dawg, do the crazy shit you’ve always wanted to do. The man almost had a post coital glow with the amount of swagger he carried compared to when he was a jaded human. Just generally, Eric fucking crushed it this season. This man is gonna have so much fun next season. Like idk what god or entity I have to bargain with to ensure Eric Bogosian actually lives forever because his characterization of Daniel is actually so spectacular.

This goes for everyone too by the way: EVERYONE, and I mean EVERYONE, knocked it out of the fucking park this season. Genuinely spectacular. I am going to continue to dickride this show so fucking hard in the coming future because all of this effort and all this show-stopping work should not only be seen by just a decently sized community of little freaks but by everyone because every single person on the cast and crew deserve nothing but love and recognition for what they have done with the franchise so far.

Also shout out Sam, we love to see a bad bitch escape with his life.

Can’t wait to see what bullshit he’s got going in 2026

[shipcestuous-two]

Fallout (spoilers!)

@bourbonthesecond: The new Fallout show has canon incest. The lead has been fooling around with her cousin but breaks it off for an arranged marriage. It's apparently enough of a feature in Vault life that they have laws against it but it seems to be fairly culturally accepted. He's heartbroken and rebounds with her best friend.

Anon:  I imagine you must have gotten a number of asks about this by now but!! I just watched the Fallout show with my partners and I'm not over the canonical cousin-incest that takes place in Vault 33 lmao. Episode 1 has characters casually talking about fooling around with their cousins as kids (before moving on to "real" relationships for the sake of procreation), and the protagonist's cousin is openly in love with her. She turns him down, but to me they felt like that had more chemistry than she did with her actual love interest lol.

I really enjoyed Fallout (a couple things about it make me scratch my head but I enjoyed the ride either way) and I’ve seen it twice now. 

It’s clear that, at least in Vault 33, fooling around with your cousin is no big deal. I’m not familiar with the games, so help me out here if you know for sure, but the vaults seem to have 100-200 people if they’re full. While I can see how that would lend itself to cousins fooling around, from lack of selection, it’s also not like there wasn’t anyone else she could be with. 

Lucy states that her reproductive organs are intact and she maintains good hygiene, but she hasn’t been able to find a suitable marriage partner in their vault. 

So, except for Chet being her cousin, and she agrees that cousins shouldn’t have children together, she considers him a suitable marriage partner. (Given their limited gene pool, cousins really shouldn’t be having children together in that context, probably. But how long before they’re all cousins anyway? Maybe it’s a pointless delaying of the inevitable.)

She tells her friend Steph that after ten years of “cousin stuff”, she’s ready for the real thing. It’s unclear if she and Chet were having sex, it kind of sounds like they weren’t doing the kind of stuff that could have gotten her pregnant. But ten years! That’s a long time. 

This whole thing was a little strange, because it’s played for laughs, but there’s just a little more to it than that. Chet is in love with Lucy, it wasn’t just fooling around for him. And Lucy says that everyone knows he’s in love with her. No one cares about that either, but they all follow the rule that she and Chet can’t marry. So that was interesting point #1. Interesting point #2 is that Chet is one of the main characters in the Vault 33. He’s secondary character overall. He could have easily just been a throw away character never mentioned again. Interesting point #3 is that Chet being in love with Lucy gets mentioned again, a couple of episodes later. In a rather sad way, when Norm suggests that Chet came with him to investigate Vault 32 because he’s still in love with Lucy and being with Norm reminds him of Lucy. It’s like, ok, make me cry. Why is this so sad!

While it isn’t discussed explicitly after that, it’s pretty clear that Chet isn’t happy with Steph. For more than one reason, but probably mainly because he’s still in love with Lucy. 

I assume, given the circumstances, that Chet is the maternal cousin of Lucy and Norm. While Chet and Norm spent quite a few scenes together, I didn’t like that they never referenced that they were cousins, too. This is a tangent, but when Chet was sent to live in Vault 32, Norm called him a coward instead of being like, “Bye, Cousin. I’ll miss you!” But I think he was just bad at showing that he felt abandoned and that now he would be alone with all of his questions. But what I’m really getting at is that Norm had lost his mother, his father, and Lucy, and then his cousin gets sent to live in the other vault and they’ll only see each other every three years, if even. 

I also wanted to note that Norm calls Chet a coward, which was really hypocritical since we know Norm feels guilty about hiding during the big fight, but which also isn’t fair because when Lucy wanted to go to the surface, Chet wanted to go with her and she had to drug him to stop him. 

I really can’t believe that the show has a tortured canon cousins relationship, with sympathetic unrequited love and the two of them forbidden from marrying. 

While of course Lucy has a canon love interest on the surface and likely won’t be back to Vault 33 anytime soon, it is kind of fun that her arranged marriage, her “real thing” ended up being a man who tried to kill her. It’s like, Chet is looking pretty good right now, isn’t he? 

[mikuni14]

The Rebound - Ep 3

Another episode of The Rebound and I also enjoyed watching this one. Earlier flashbacks suggested that Ryu and Zen may have had a romantic relationship in the past (since they were this close 👌 from kissing), but it turns out they were just strongly attracted to each other, but nothing came of it - at least as far as we know at this point. Which is actually very interesting! (not that I mind "returning to an old relationship" trope, such a complicated love situation could make for quite an interesting story and romance)

I'm also more and more curious about Ryu's family background, he obviously comes from a rich family, so why does he play for money?

AND WHAT EXACTLY IS HIS RELATIONSHIP WITH Q?? Very sus. And creepy 😬

Atom - Atom is not sus, he is a whole ass SUSPICIOUS. He's so nice that all the alarm sirens go off in me 🚨🚨🚨

I really "liked" the school bullying scene because it was so realistic. I also completely understand Ryu's frustration with how he is treated.

I feel a slight breeze of optimism, 3 episodes and the series still holds my attention, which only one series has managed to do so far. So I might even finish it 🤞🤞 woohoo!

Next episode: possessive Ryu and boys fighting for a boy, can't wait! 🥳

Edit: I couldn't resist adding this cute gif 🥰

[thgfanfictionlibrary]

Mature Rated Fics Masterlist (22)

Part 1 / Part 2 / Part 3 / Part 4 / Part 5 / Part 6 / Part 7 / Part 8 / Part 9 / Part 10 / Part 11 / Part 12 / Part 13 / Part 14 / Part 15 / Part 16 / Part 17 / Part 18 / Part 19 / Part 20 / Part 21 /

Created: December 16th, 2023

Last Checked:------

Little Deer, Little Sun, Little Coincidence-orphan_account (ao3) Summary: Katniss is less than enthused when Prim all but forces her to spend the evening at the fair with Johanna instead of with the twins, especially when Johanna's friend-of-a-friend joins them under the Ferris wheel. That is, until she recognizes this friend-of-a-friend: Peeta Mellark, the personable boy who went away to some fancy, big-city college six years ago. Obviously there's some catching-up to do, and more than can be done on a Ferris wheel, too, but being a single mother for nearly five years has left her a bit rusty in the flirtation department.

Miles Cross-Mejhiren (ao3) Summary: ‘And they that wad their true-love win / At Miles Cross they maun bide.’ Katniss holds Peeta through a critical episode, paralleling Janet in the old Scottish ballad of Tam Lin (often told as a fairy tale in prose form). “Miles Cross” is the crossroads where Janet pulled her lover from his horse and, by holding him through his many frightening transformations, won him from the fairies. Canon oneshot, post-MJ; written for the THG Fairy Tale Fic Challenge.

Rebound Girl-Diana_Flynn (ao3) Summary: Katniss Everdeen only goes for only one type of man. It doesn’t matter how tall he is, the color of his hair, or even his personality. What she wants is the man fresh out of a relationship. She likes being that temporary girl the guy uses to lick the wounds of his bruised heart. Too bad Peeta Mellark changes everything for her.

Refuel, Restore, Realign-JennaGill (ao3) Summary: Peeta and Katniss take a chance they missed in high school, changing life paths and testing family loyalties. “No son, it’s a family business. And blue means loyalty, family loyalty. It means obligation. It means duty. Values we Everdeens and Hawthornes hold high.” Mr. Everdeen takes a deep breath and looks me over once more. “I can see from your expression that you’re not following me son, forget the damn sign. It means my daughter will not date you. Katniss’ path is not with you.”

The Dreadful Beauty-Diana_Flynn (ao3) Summary: She watches him, the beautiful blonde boy who has become a fixture at the bar/brothel she buses tables at. He just sits there and waits, and she wishes she knew what gave him that chip on his shoulder. Mutt is her name, and no one cares to remember what her real one is, or even notice her. She doesn’t care either, as long as she makes ends meet . But her life will change when that boy with so much to hide notices her. Everlark Fanfiction Inspired by East of Eden. Takes place in World War I Era, Monterey CA.

The Mockingjay and the Mutt-Abagail_Snow (ao3) Summary: While taming a hijacked Peeta in District Thirteen, Katniss comes to understand a side of him that she had never allowed herself to see. Loosely based on Beauty and the Beast.

The Need for Speed-Peetabreadgirl (ao3) Summary: Race car driver, Peeta Mellark, is chasing his first racing title, but along the bumpy road he ends up lost, stuck in Panem Springs where he meets an enchanting, silver-eyed trophy of a different kind.

The Unexpected Message-Diana_Flynn (ao3) Summary: Years after the war has ended Katniss has a fight with Peeta, but she finds an a gift that changes her perspective.

This is Halloween-bubblegum1425 (ao3) Summary: Katniss Everdeen has been in love with her best friend, Peeta Mellark, for nearly as long as she'd known him. They'd grown together, carrying on their yearly Halloween tradition of watching The Nightmare Before Christmas and other scary movies, but this year was going to be different. This year, Katniss is finally going to use their time together to tell Peeta how she feels…if he doesn't ruin her plans first. College Everlark. Modern AU

We will call this place our home-JLaLa (ao3) Summary: “She closed her eyes, trying to hold in the disappointing sting of being duped. This man was indeed Peeta Mellark, her husband.” An arranged married in three parts. Everlark.

[tm-trx]

currents.36[2024]

selections from my week in media [1-7 september 2024]

[reading]

Remote Control by Nnedi Okorafor {5 stars} - Another wonderful novella by one of my favorite sci-fi authors.

[watching]

4 Minutes, ep 7 - Why were the sound effects in that opening scene necessary, show?! Worst episode, not thinking about it.

Kidnap, ep 1 - Probably should have waited to start it until after 4 Minutes is finished, but Ohm is great as always.

Meet You at the Blossom {finished: 3 stars} - So cheesy and tropey, but a fun watch all the same. I should have had a bingo card ready, I'd have won by episode three.

Monster Next Door, ep 7 - My weekly dose of sweetness and light. Not a lot is going on, plot-wise, but we did get a little more about the mysterious Tan. I love that even though he seems to have been God's boyfriend, when he left, he very clearly hurt his friend group too. You don't see that aspect explored very often.

The Rebound {finished: 3.5 stars} - I was hoping for a heavy focus on the basketball playing and I was not disappointed. The love triangle with Atom felt a little forced at times. And I couldn't help wondering what the point of his character was. The ending also had me scratching my head a bit. It felt like they ran out of time. But overall, I enjoyed it and if Meen and Ping do another show I'll be there, because they're only getting better.

previous Currents posts

.

[dramalets]

2024 watch list part 5

The Rebound - This is a fun pulp but not a lot more. It didn’t really seem to know what it wanted to be and suffered for that in the end. The ending is ass. 3/5

HIStory 4: Close to you - Trope city. I enjoyed the non brother husband pairing in this and also the friendship between the three elder leads was a lot of fun. This really comes with so many TWs though so be careful before you watch. 3/5 (13/8/24)

Ossan’s Love - You will like this or you won’t and I don’t think there’s an in between. Fortunately I loved this. It’s not a taxing watch but it does manage to pack character depth and heart into every inch of story. Haruta is a gentle soul with zero like skills and Maki is a mature but troubled younger counter. It’s very Japanese and you’ll like that or you won’t but I think it’s worth a go. 4/5 (14/8/24)

This love doesn’t have long beans - If you like Pon & Sailub then this is very enjoyable. But if you don’t know them then it’s mostly a paper thin plot and some sex. A good brain off fluff watch or if you’re looking for Mame style horny but without the trauma and rape. 3/5 (23/8/24)

We Best Love: Fighting Mr 2nd - Like with the first one I just found it fine. The chemistry of the leads is very good and they sell the show really. Zero idea what that nonsense with the second couple and their various MH disorders was. I’m really not a fan of slapping disorders onto characters in place of actually giving them development. 3/5 (26/8/24)

4Minutes - I was glued to this right from the start. It’s a BoC production so it’s beautiful to look at and the acting is high quality. This’ll be a fantastic binge watch for anyone looking for an excellently acted, well done sorta sci-fi. I’d have given this a five but I thought some stuff felt very rushed and we could have either done with a ten episode block or less time spent on one characters 4minute t/l. 4/5 (13/9/24)

The Trainee - Much like, another recent OffGun show, Cooking Crush this show was much more about its characters, and their personal development and progress, than it was about the romance of the two leads. For the most part I enjoyed this but it also felt like it didn’t quite stick the landing. I’m a big proponent of slice of life style stories this wasn’t really quite that but it also wasn’t a heavily plotted rom-com style story either. This was really just about community, self-esteem and personal growth. The cast in this were all round incredible and the intern friend group were absurdly easy to love. 3/5 (15/9/24)

Sunset X Vibes - Let’s be real; you watch this for MosBank and that’s exactly what you get. MosBank. This isn’t 𝘲𝘶𝘪𝘵𝘦 as forgettable as Big Dragon but it’s close. The first half is fun and then it realises it’s run out of plot and just sort of doesn’t know where it’s going and adds some great kissing. The sub couples are sort of fun. But they were so sporadic in characterisation that they were sort of impossible to fully enjoy for anything but nice kissing. As with Big Dragon this was fine and I enjoyed it but I can’t really tell you anything much about it apart from MosBank. 2 ½/5 (15/9/24) (Also there’s heavily implied mpreg in the special episode. So that’ll be enough for this show to live on in fanfic.)

To My Star - I’m very hit or miss on KBL. Often it veers to melodramatic for me. This definitely is maudlin and a little depressing but it isn’t over dramatic so is a more tolerable kind of melo for me. Overall I did enjoy this, its leads were absorbing and enjoyable to watch. I do think a little more could have been done to establish them falling for one another as it did feel a little quick. 3 ½/5 (18/9/24)

Mr Mitsuya’s planned feeding - Just lovely. Couldn’t have come from anywhere but Japan and it’s beautiful for that. Carefully examines age, status and how hopes, dreams and wants shift as those things change. You’ll be okay with the age gap or you won’t, there isn’t anything predatory here it’s just a sweet age gap romance. 4/5 (22/9/24)

[itzsarahhh]

Let’s get it… My live reactions to The Rebound 🏀 Episode 3: (this is gonna be long and I’m so sorry for that) (also spoilers)

-Love the flashback, Ryu and Zen were so cute together. they definitely got close enough to kiss. So the question is did they actually kiss or did someone pull away?

-the tension between these two is crazy. And of course he kept the key to your locker

-yes boys, Ryu is better than all of you at basketball

-love that Emi’s character (don’t remember her name) is standing up for Ryu but I definitely think he will get into a fight

-not the bullying. of course Ryu steps in to help. Love that but hope this doesn’t cause any problems

-Oop and here is the teacher. And he got a warning for preventing bullying? What about the other kid, the actual bully?

-is Jedi gonna sit with Ryu? Omg cute! I love Jedi. Galactic alliance! (Ghost ship #1 perhaps? Just kidding but I support this friendship)

-omg an autistic character? In my sports bl? It’s more likely than you might think

-and now for the basketball playing scene. Love seeing Meen do what he does best

-sir you’re worried he’s gonna start a fight and then YOU (try to) START A FIGHT WITH HIM? Ryu is a head taller than you and from the streets he would clearly beat you if you actually fought (maybe that’s what he wants so he gets kicked off the team)

-100 push-ups? I would kill that man (Jed, not the coach). Yeah Ryu was not in the wrong on this one

-oh hi Frank

-atom, zen is a lifeguard and he thought you were drowning. he was just doing his job lol

-Ryu I don’t think it’s that easy to quit. And it’s hard to tell if the brother is actually helping

-atom I’m not sure if you like him and want to be friends or more than friends. But he still seems like a sad boi. Also he’s got that rizz asking for his insta

-Lin! That’s her name! Also girl I think a book report is more important than club duties

-Oop the parallels are paralelling. Goddamnit not the brother ruining the moment

-Yes Zen!! You hug that man from behind. He is definitely still in love with Ryu

-the Boss guy gives me the creeps

-why is it so dark out already? I guess if practice ended at 7:30 it could get dark soon but it looks way later at night. How long was that drive?

-ooh the famous bl bridge.

-the wiping of the mouth! A bl trope staple. I could never. I will give you a napkin and you can do that yourself

-Oop that father flashback. I’m guessing he passed away. Poor Ryu

-ok the brother is playing for Ryu but does he know how to play basketball?

-Q is annoying me. Sir your brother is a high school student, the only place he should be is in high school. Don’t you want him to have a good life and not stuck with that creepy boss like you are?

-oh no not grandma!! At least atom was there to help. But I can’t have her getting sick or dying.

-Q!??? When I catch you Q. Wtf are you doing to Zen??

-not the episode ending there. Thank god the next episode is tomorrow

Final thoughts: the show is keeping me interested and entertained so far. MeenPing continue to serve chemistry and I like how you can tell their characters still like each other. Q is getting on my nerves already trying to drag Ryu into his mess. Also are they blood related or is it just the honorific Phi? Anyways I will be tuning in tomorrow. Thank god I have the day off, so I won’t have to wait to watch it. If you made it this far I appreciate you deeply! Stay tuned for my episode 4 thoughts

[equallyshaw]

rut x rosie timeline + thoughts | rut x rose hughes au ⚘ thoughts. ⚘ au masterlist. ⚘ t/w at the end, mentions miscarriage

⚘ met on June 5th, 2023 ⚘ did not see each other until early august, as luke wanted one last weekend with the boys before the season started started ⚘ exchanged phone numbers before she left for madison, wisconsin ⚘ friends from august 2023 until march 2024 ⚘ oblivious friends to lovers trope lol ⚘ everybody around them could tell that they liked each other more than friends but had always thought the other didn't see them in that way ⚘ during world jrs, rose was a steadfast supporter of rut during his time as captain, despite rooting for team canada publicly ⚘ rose went to visit ann arbor, before heading to the frozen four in new hampshire with wisonsin right before it started ⚘ her and rut went to a diner at 3 am after watching the second episode of star wars - they considered it their first date (3/11/24) ⚘ when she was in new hampshire, rut took a quick trip to the last day of the tournament and watched her win player of the game & the title with wisconsin

⚘ became official on march 25th, 2024 ⚘ decided to keep it on the down low for two months ⚘ told her brothers in the june when she went home for the summer ⚘ posted each other on their instagrams in july ⚘ rose posted rutger on her tiktok, asking questions about each other and dunking each other's face in a bowl of water if they got the question wrong - it went viral ⚘ in august, before she went back to madison and him to michigan, she posted a summer recap of everything she'd done the summer. a lot of it included rutger - went pretty viral ⚘ they celebrate one year on march 25th, 2025 with a weekend trip to chicago, meeting each other at the halfway mark ⚘ her brothers invite rut to stay during the summer with them, if his training and schedule allows ⚘ rut and rose spend the summer together in michigan, taking trips up and down the state as well as visiting southern california and british columbia to visit connor, kent, and the rest of the bc crew ⚘ shortly before rose goes back to madison for her fifth and final year, her and rutger break up. rose is worried about the distance while he is in winnipeg and she is stateside.

thoughts: ⚘ their breakup is not amicable, and rutger carries some varying level of resentment towards the girl and shuts down anybody that asks about her. ⚘ definitely said a few choice words the last time they saw eachother ⚘ literally, blindside everybody in their friend groups and family ⚘ they archive their photos and tiktoks, and in media - they shy away or completely ignore any subtle questions about their relationship. something they had not done before ⚘ her brothers find out a few weeks after training camp ends for the NHL, after rutger goes viral on tiktok for not answering two questions about the hughes. one, he intends to play with the hughes at the olympics. second, if rose wants to represent the us at the olympics alongside the four of them. ⚘ despite them being broken up, she does watch his first official game in the NHL and she even texts him congratulations to which he leaves on read ⚘ in september, she ends up meeting a girl in one of her astrology courses and the two end up going out starting after christmas ⚘ rutger finds out from dylan duke - after she came to visit connor to watch dylan play at the UC from a late night ice cream insta story post with the two of them in the background holding hands ⚘ she ended up bringing the girl because connor wanted to meet her in person, and he falls in love with her. thinks they're a perfect match. (a perfect rebound match that is)

⚘ her and connor get in a fight the morning she leaves because he tells her what he thinks ⚘ rutger is hurt that she moved on but he knows she has every right to since she initiated the breakup & how poorly he treated her ⚘ her and her gf fizzle out in feburary after the girl realizes that rose isn't over rut ⚘ she ends up taking a week a week off and visits quinn to get some clarity and have a break from the semester and season ⚘ quinn tells her straight up that she isn't over rut and hasn't been since they broke up, even if she had said so ⚘ arranges for her to get on the next flight to Winnipeg, as he connects with a childhood friend he has out there to house her with him and his wife, until she can see rutger in person ⚘ literally shows up on rutgers doorstep and his ex girlfriend opens the door ⚘ rutger literally sprints down the stairs to the parking garage where quinn's friend's wife waits for her as she takes the elevator ⚘ rutger is there before the elevator opens and rose is in disbelief that he's standing in front of her because his ex - now - girlfriend is upstairs ⚘ rose left without saying anything ⚘ in December 2025, she gets offered placement for her country to represent them at the olympics ⚘ leans on her family heavily during that time because she doesn't know which offer to take in regards to the event ⚘ ultimately she makes the best decision and the team/country keeps it on the down low because they don't need any backlash ⚘ which prompts her to just show up to the training center and then to italy without it being outed

timeline: ⚘ the next time that they see each other are at the olympics (a year later), while rutger plays alongside her brothers and she plays for her country ⚘ jesse compher- her wing partner back at u of wisconsin, sets the two up to meet and convinces them to talk ⚘ they 'bump' into one another and head back to the village to have a serious discussion ⚘ get back together the night before her gold medal game and pick up where they left off ⚘ official rekindle: feburary 18th, 2026 ⚘ rose retires from hockey in march 2026 ⚘ red carpet debut at espys awards ⚘ august, 2026 they move in together in winnipeg ⚘ july 14th, 2027 - they get engaged ⚘ rutger is traded the next day to the new jersey devils- signs long term deal ⚘ august 2027, they buy a small townhouse in chicago for the off season ⚘ june 2028, they adopt a daschund beagle mix from the shelter ⚘ august 2nd, 2029 they get married ⚘ adopt a cat October 2029 ⚘ miscarried in 2031 ⚘ have twins in 2032, a year and a half after the miscarriage. decides that the twins are it for them. ⚘ twins are born: august 7th at 5:32 pm & 5:45 pm in chicago ⚘ twins: addison monroe & arthur grant mcgroarty

aaaaand that's all for rn, other things will come out over time!

[gunsatthaphan]

~ Monthly BL Breakdown: June 2023 ~  

⛱️ Happy July!!! 👗

Disclaimer: ALL shows can be streamed here or here, as well as on Youtube and other platforms. For more info on where to watch what, check out this post!

New breakdowns are coming at the end of every month - feel free to add stuff!  -> previous breakdowns

What came out this month? (green = seen/currently watching)

🌟 Let’s Eat Together - June 2nd (Japan)

🌟 Ever After - June 3rd (Philippines)

🌟 Tin Tem Jai (Special Episodes) - June 3rd + June 4th (Thailand)

🌟 Twins - June 6th (Thailand)

🌟 Love Tractor  - June 7th (South Korea)

🌟 Stupid Genius - June 9th (Vietnam)

🌟 Moonlight Armour - June 10th (Philippines) 

🌟 Aedan - June 12th (Philippines) 

🌟 Tokyo In April - June 15th (Japan)

🌟 The Internship (movie) - June 22nd (Thailand)

🌟 His Man Season 2 (dating show) - June 23rd (South Korea)

🌟 A Story to Remember - June 23rd (Philippines) 

🌟 Tie the Not - June 24th (Philippines) 

🌟 Dinosaur Love - June 25th (Thailand)

🌟 One in a Hundred (international release) - June 29th (China) 

Monthly likes/dislikes

❣️ ø

👎🏻 La Pluie - Sadly I had to drop this one because I got super bored by it. It had a very interesting premise and the first 2-3 episodes were solid but then it deflated. Them revealing Pat as the soulmate so soon was a fatal mistake imo, they should have leaned more into the mystery of who he is to Saengtai etc. The story with Lomfon and Saengtian had an interesting start as well but then went nowhere. It’s a pity because I thought they were onto something with this show. oh well. 

New series & movie announcements

🎥 Beyond the Star - Date TBA (Thailand) 

🎥 The Rebound (produced by AllThis Entertainment) - Date TBA (Thailand)

🎥 My Imaginary Boyfriend (novel adaption) - Date TBA (Thailand)

🎥 Choco Milk Shake Season 2 - Date TBA (South Korea) 

🎥 The Only One (novel adaption) - Date TBA (Taiwan) 

🎥 So-And-So (novel adaption) - Date TBA (Taiwan)  

🎥 Beyond the Duo (movie) - Date TBA (Myanmar) 

🎥 The Bartender - Date TBA (Myanmar) 

🎥 Kiseki: Dear to Me - Date TBA (Taiwan) 

🎥 Dear Dopamine - Coming 2024 (Thailand) 

🎥 90's Boyfriend - Date TBA (Philippines)

🎥 Jazz for Two - Date TBA (South Korea) 

🎥 My Dear Gangster Oppa (starring MeenPing) - Date TBA (Thailand)

🎥 Spirit Reborn - Date TBA (Thailand) 

🎥 My Momentary Wish - Date TBA (Thailand) 

🎥 Mr. Cinderella Season 2 - Coming September 2023 (Vietnam) 

🎥 Love of the Sea - Date TBA (Myanmar) 

Other news from the BL world

❗️ The upcoming GMMTV BLs Dangerous Romance, Only Friends, Last Twilight and Cooking Crush as well as the WabiSabi production Absolute Zero have started filming.

❗️ Actor Build Jakapan announced his withdrawal from the upcoming BL 4 Minutes due to the events that have occured over the last few months and his resulting departure from BOC. It’s unclear whether or not his co-star Bible Wichapas will remain a part of the project and get a new acting partner or if the project will get cancelled altogether. 

❗️ The upcoming Domundi BL Love Upon a Time released its pilot trailer. 

❗️ A second season for the Korean BL Choco Milk Shake was announced. Further details are unknown. 

❗️ The members of the kpop group OnlyOneOf will star in the upcoming Korean BL Bump Up Business. Further details are unknown.  

❗️ Actor Frank Thanatsaran announced that he will not be reprising his role as Itt in the upcoming sequel Love Syndrome: The Beginning. His role will be recast. It was announced that instead, he will star in the upcoming BL The Rebound, where he will be paired with Nammon Krittanai. The series will be produced by AllThis Entertainment and will be directed by Golf Tanwarin. (The Eclipse, 609 Bedtime Story)  

❗️ A spinoff for the Korean BL Unintentional Love Story was announced. Further details are still unknown. 

❗️GMMTV has announced the following cast changes for their upcoming BLs:

Only Friends: Piploy K. will be replaced by Lookjun B. (role of น้ำเชื่อม) 

Cooking Crush: Mark P. will be replaced by Aungpao O. (role of Dynamite) 

❗️ Y MOMENT Entertainment Thailand has announced their lineup for 2023/2024:

Low Frequency - Coming July 2023

Venus in the Sky - Coming September 2023

Kiseki - Coming 2024

Time - Coming 2024 

Lovely Addict - Coming 2024

Beyond the Star - Coming 2024

❗️ Actor Ja Pachara has decided not to renew his contract with his agency 888 Entertainment. He will continue to work as a freelanced artist. 

❗️ The upcoming horror/fantasy BL movie After Sundown released its official trailer. The movie will star ZeeNunew and will be released in Thai cinemas on July 20th. 

❗️ The Thai BL A Boss and a Babe won in the category “Rising BL series” at this year’s Asia Top Awards.

❗️ The ongoing filming for the upcoming Special Edition of Chains of Heart has been suspended due to intractable scheduling conflicts of the main actors. The project has been cancelled. 

❗️ The long awaited Thai remake of the Japanese BL Cherry Magic (starring TayNew) will air in 2024. According to cast + crew, after a long struggle with copyright issues, the trailer will be released shortly. Filming will start at the end of the year. 

Upcoming series & movies for July:

👉🏻 Be Mine SuperStar (starring JaFirst) - July 3rd (Thailand)  

👉🏻 Minato Shouji Coin Laundry Season 2 - July 5th (Japan)  

👉🏻 Stay by My Side - July 7th (Taiwan) 

👉🏻 Stay With Me - July 7th (China) 

👉🏻 Low Frequency - July 8th (Thailand) 

👉🏻 Hidden Agenda - July 9th (Thailand) 

👉🏻 Club Friday: Moments and Memories - July 9th (Thailand) 

👉🏻 Laws of Attraction - July 15th (Thailand) 

👉🏻 Wedding Plan - July 19th (Thailand) 

👉🏻 After Sundown (starring ZeeNunew) - July 20th (Thailand, cinema-release)

👉🏻 Jun and Jun - July 20th (South Korea)  

👉🏻 Stay Still The Series - July TBA (Hong Kong) 

👉🏻 The Star Season 2 - July TBA (Myanmar)

[power-chords]

Random post-COVID update: I got infected for the third time right before Thanksgiving and first tested positive 11/22/2022. I was testing consistently negative after a round of Paxlovid + Paxlovid “rebound” by 12/3/2022. I had an episode of post-exertional malaise and joint pain that following weekend which was triggered by going for drinks with friends on a Friday night and then sprinting close to a mile from the Garment District to catch a train at Grand Central. These are common symptoms of PASC (Long COVID) and I was totally flattened and very grateful it was a weekend because I would have been totally nonfunctional at work. My Adderall dose did nothing. All I could do was lie down and watch TV and sleep.

By that Monday I was OK, so I resumed commuting to work. I spoke to a friend of mine who had Long COVID for about eight weeks after his first acute infection and it was bad enough that his doctor didn’t even want him to fly — his symptoms were primarily respiratory. He’s an avid cyclist and in good physical shape. He saw a LC specialist who advised him that most people return to “normal” levels of physical exercise much too soon after acute COVID recovery and that appears to be a major trigger. The major takeaway is that you need 8-10 weeks of strict avoidance of “real” exercise, anything that isn’t walking around, housework, lifting stuff here and there, and ascending short flights of stairs. She sees a lot of LC in people who are young and were otherwise healthy and physically very active, which she doesn’t think is a coincidence. These people are getting sick, returning to hiking and cycling and running as soon as they feel better, and then wham, they get hit with classic LC symptoms. My friend was prescribed several weeks of sustained bed rest which fortunately he could take due to his job, and he made a full recovery from LC. He’s since resumed cycling and has gradually and carefully built himself back up to more or less where he was prior to infection.

So since my own infection and that bout with PEM and Joint Hurty, I have avoided booze (which is an inflammatory) and taken that advice and I have not done anything to get myself seriously sweating and pumping blood and catching my breath. I have also tried to keep my sleeping and eating schedules regular, with less success (lol). I am going to keep it up through the end of January, and per the advice of LC forums and subreddits I have also been supplementing with antihistamines at night and low dose Aspirin and getting plenty of hydration + electrolytes (mostly drinking Gatorade). It is now 1/8/2023 and I have not had any further flares of intense fatigue or joint pain. My experience is purely anecdotal and I can’t confidently say it will work for everybody, but it has definitely been working for me, so I thought I’d put it out there. Just because you feel you are recovered from COVID does not mean you’re out of the woods for Long COVID — do yourself a favor and be extraordinarily gentle with yourself as long as you possibly can.

[avorbl]

Avor's Watchlist

My summer vacation has come two weeks to tidy up my room and watch all the dramas I dont get to during work weeks

Currently Airing

Beauty and Mr. Romantic 8/50

With you I Bloom 7/20 Now that the first part apparently has concluded I should watch the rest

Wandee Goodday 10/12

Under the Oak Tree 8/10 The time jump came a bit abrupbtly but I am still enjoying it

Knock Knock, Boys! 7/12

Love Sea 5/10

SunsetxVibes 4/12

The Double 17/40 As a costume drama and a novel adaptation it delivers beautifully

I Hear the Sunspot 2/12 Green growing and healing

The Rebound 4/12 Its either too much basketball or too little but still fun

My Sweet Mobster 2/16 slapstick romance

Takara's Treasure 2/10 I love the dynamic between the two but that business man better be a red hering

Ayaka-chan wa Hiroko-senpai ni Koishiteru 1/8 A Japanese comedy and its a GL

This Love Doesn't Have Long Beans 1/8 The more we move away from Plawan’s initial motivation this should get better

What I am catching up on

My Best Boyfriend 2/17

Never Twice 12/72

Unstoppable High Kick 19/167

Ossan no Pants ga Nandatte Ii Janai ka! 9/11

Zettai BL ni Naru Sekai VS Zettai BL ni Naritakunai Otoko 2024 4/6

Still on my watch list

Qing Qing Zi Jin 20/40

The Uncanny Counter 3/16

One Spring Night 2/32

Kore wa Keihi de Ochimasen! 2/10

Sell Your Haunted House 4/16

Fight for My Way 0/16

Given 1/6

The Great Shaman Ga Doo Shim 2/12

I Feel You Linger in the Air 1/12

My Lovely Liar 5/16

She and Her Perfect Husband 20/40

Fermat no Ryori 3/10

Gym Affairs 9/24

Love in the Air 8/13

Finished in the last two weeks

Fake Buddies 29.06.24 9/10 A sincere comedy about admitting that youve used someone as your beard. With some anthological background episodes

OMG! Vampire 08.07.24 6,5/10 This could have been a silly sweet show with a bit of a pacing problem, but they had to put in that statement about rape in arelationship in a already consent challenged episode.

Kimi no Koto Dake Mite Itai/The only one I want to see is you 26.06.24 9,5/10 short, fun, thoughtful, celebration of the joy of life

Blue Boys Part 2 05.07.24 7/10 The pacing wasnt for me. Too much drama too close to the ending to make the ending feel resolved.

Dropped in the last two weeks

We Are 12/16 29.06.24 6,5/10 I would have loved the bulk of it when I was unemployed, depressed and anxious but since my time seems mor precious now this felt like sifting sand

Deep Night Side Story: The Two of Us 1/6 08.07.24 -/10 Have only found the first episode will have to check it out again later

[bluebirdmybird]

FMA Watchthrough: RIP Trisha

Episode 3

Let's do a transmutation with Moms ashes!

Brother thought Winry was Nina,,,

He does this every time we see a dog and a girl in the same frame. He's going to keep doing this until it happens. And probably after that, because he has no sense of place and time.

Winry's parents die :( sad :( I like that we actually see her reaction here, I think that was skipped over in FMAB

Brother: Winry saying their Dad can still come back so they don't understand is a bit ow, but her parents died loving her and Ed's Dad chose to leave and hasn't come back

He's not wrong, Hohenheim is always crazy for that one

Like dude letters exist

also just you wait Winry they'll understand parental grief soon! Reaaaal soon

No necromancy in this house boys!

Trisha: aw my little man

Brother: My little, small man. My miserable little man.

THOSE MISERABLE LITTLE BOYS

Noooo Trisha don't turn into a spider ahaha

So at this point my brother realized that the mom was going to die, and probably soon because Ed and Al were young when they started spidering

So everytime Trisha appeared he started saying 'wouldn't it be funny if she died right now'

Trisha standing outside the house: what if she just died and then rolled down the hill

What if the boys fall onto that train and their mom dies

What if they open the door and the mom is dead on the floor- oh no

But Trisha is just sick

Now, further context, we've also been watching solo levelling so we like to joke when a character has more than one bead of sweat they're struggling

Oh no Trisha has 7 drops of sweat

Oh no her pupils disappeared

Oh no she's in a grave

Pro tip from brother: Maybe you shouldn't do necromancy when you're 10 years old

When the transmutation rebounds, he just goes I would have succeeded because I would add more blood

Just add blood tm

Guys my brother said he would give up an arm for me :( this is the only affection from him I've gotten this month /j

LEAUTINENT COLONEL ROY MUSTANG

Why is his title so long

Me: what do you think about mustang?

Brother: he's cool I guess. I feel like he would drive. A mustang.

Wow how original

Okay but can we talk about the stupid tricorner hat Mustang wears outdoors? Is that part of the uniform? why? Why is he willingly wearing that?

I do like the connectivity of Mustang seeing the letter and finding the elrics, not him just stumbling upon them

And Hohenheim is being hunted... he was in the military maybe? Definitely something sketchy with him

If I could have more canon manga stuff (I was daydreaming in the car) I'd like to see more of Trisha and Van's early relationship. I want more Trisha development. She acts as a very... I guess maybe elevated character? She doesn't have insane amounts of depth but the character's reactions grow her importance

Oh and Ed's not super depressed this time around. He got his automail fast too, they didn't waste any time developing this episode

I'm pretty sure we meet Hughes next and I am so excited! And crying!

[hughungrybear]

Thai BL Favourites List Tag Game

Why would you inflict this torture and cruelty on me, @lost-my-sanity1 😭😭😭😭

Favourite BL:

I said it before and I'll say it again, SOTUS holds a very special place in my heart. Say what you want about the storyline, plot, and actors (although, I will have your head if you come for my beloved Singto). I truly believed that the Thai BL landscape changed remarkably (for the better) when GMMTV released SOTUS in 2016. If you have been watching BLs as long as I have, you'll know exactly what I'm talking about.

[Image source: Icvr)

Favourite pairing:

Pat and Pran (OhmNanon) have revived something in me that I thought died with so many underwhelming BLs that had gone before them lol (hello, BBS Episodes 4 and 5) 😅 Although MLC's Heart and Li Ming (GeminiFourth) also had me in a chokehold.

More underrated actor:

Sing Harit. If you don't believe me, just look at his very extensive filmography. Also, Slam Dance, The Revenge, and Not Me. Enough said lol

(Image Source: My Drama List)

Favourite character:

In a Thai BL? Again, @lost-my-sanity1, just why???? Have I offended you in some way? Well, if you really must know then Sun (Chimon Wachirawit) from My Dear Loser: Edge of 17. Look, the way that Sun just accepted the fact that he'll never be number one - not with his family or with his beloved In (who sends Sun mixed signals every chance he gets, played by Pluem Purim), sends me into a downward spiral.

(Image source: Pinterest)

Another character that I love is Oh-aew (played by the ultra-talented PP Krit) from I Told Sunset About You. I'm just soft for characters who are oblivious that they are in a toxic relationship, okay? 😅

Favourite side character:

Definitely Pearmai (Aye Sarunchana) from Be My Favorite. Look, it has been a staple in a Thai BL to have (cis) female villains who are caught in a love triangle with one of the main characters (looking at you, Plern Pleng/Aim Satida of Together with Me). She admits she's not perfect and also cries when she found out that Kawi and Pisaeng are a thing. However, she didn't let it affect her friendship with the two. She even turn down Not's not-so-subtle invitation to be an effing rebound guy ("I'm disappointed, not desperate" will be forever etched in my mind).

Favourite scene:

I have so many. I can't just pick one 😭😭😭😭

Favourite line:

Have I talked about the script from Tale of a Thousand Stars? Because I really need to talk about how each effing episode is a nugget made of quotable quotes (For Pete's sake, from the very beginning, Torfun's "Where we are happy, we are home" sends tears to my eyes).

Most anticipated bl and why:

Only Friends because Jojo Tichakorn. Also, have you seen 3 Will Be Free???

Healthiest relationship in a bl:

PatPran. No explanations are necessary.

Most toxic relationship in a bl:

LOL. Where there is MAME anywhere near the writing and production crew, there is guaranteed toxicity in the plot (and not in a good, entertaining way — more like "you should have gotten a restraining order yesterday").

Guilty pleasure series:

I have to admit that I have watched 2 Moons 2 an embarrassing amount of times when there was basically only 2gether The Series in my semi-decent BL list.

Bonus! Most underrated series:

Dark Blue Kiss. I do not get all the hate TayNew has gotten over the years, but really the Kiss Me, Kiss Me Again, and Dark Blue Kiss were all worth watching simply because you can see how Pete and Kao grew as a couple.

(Image source: Pinterest)

Also, 3 Will Be Free deserves more YouTube views.

That's it. That's the post.

And since misery loves company, I'm tagging @dribs-and-drabbles, @telomeke, @ellasaru12, and whoever wants to undergo the same torture as I did when answering these questions lol

[maya-matlin]

hi ashton!!! <333 I'm asking you this on anon because I don't wanna get hate I do ship all three ships lol I watched a barchie video and on it a barchie was like "I love how planned they were" and etc and maybe I'm blind asf but planned??? other than a few looks, throwaway comments and etc to cause drama for bughead and varchie it wasn't planned at all imo?? they barely interacted in s2b, S3 and s4a (I'm only talking about those seasons because this video was after 417 lol) and yeah they kissed in 415 but it was to catch donna and the preppies and to protect jughead, they fake dated for like one episode and the barchies are like "they love each other they've wanted each other all along" like what??? and dgms on comments about how they were with jughead and veronica so they wouldn't ruin their friendship and as a rebound, you don't date people for 4+ years to protect your friendship or as a rebound I'm sorry lol 417&418 were done very badly imo, if they wanted us to think they had these feelings for a long time they did a terrible job of showing it!! imo betty thought she had those feelings for him because she loved the idea of him and the 1x01 fantasy quote is very true imo lol I'm sorry but if they were planned from the start they did a terrible job at writing it and showing it!! what cheryl says is so true in 418 bughead (and varchie) were so beautifully developed and they showed how endgame they were which is more than I can say for barchie and I do ship them I'm just saying lol also them saying how it makes no sense for archie to have feelings for veronica in s5 after he was gonna leave her for betty even though he's loved veronica since s1 and always goes back to her and it's him having feelings for betty after everything that makes no sense tbh (talking about S4 ofc lol) it was written very poorly which is the rvd way but lol people saying betty didn't truly love jughead and archie didn't truly love veronica are literally stupid because they were both so endgame coded!!! anyway my question is what are your thoughts on this? that they were planned and how they were written and anything else you wanna add lol I know you hate riverdale and barchie so sorry if I'm bringing up old wounds <3

I'm genuinely sorry you feel as though you can't be honest all because some people on this site don't know how to act. That's ridiculous and completely inexcusable.

Sigh. First of all, it's Riverdale. That show seemed much more committed to the week to week ridiculous, over the top moments meant to garner attention and the instant gratification (for better or worse, in the case of a ship like Bughead who hooked up extremely early on but managed to be a mostly lovable cornerstone of the series for most of its run) than they ever were interested in doing anything long term. So the idea that Betty and Archie's eventual relationship was anything resembling a "slow burn" or well thought out with years-long development is just.. no. Fans are allowed to enjoy what they did get and relish in the smaller moments, intentionally or otherwise, that came before what they believe to be an epic hookup. But in my opinion, it wasn't that deep. The Betty/Archie arc was one of the sorriest excuses for a so-called "inevitable" relationship that I've ever seen. Again, we all interpret things like ships and story lines in different ways. But again, I have to disagree completely. It's as though you're only ever allowed to have loved or cared for one person to the extent that relationships that lasted for the majority of the series are written off as rebounds. For fans who are so committed to recognizing and celebrating tropes, it's interesting to see how often stuff like this gets misinterpreted and how there's a severe misunderstanding for how teen dramas in general work? To be fair, there are other shows where I feel the writing was so terrible that I simply have to call bullshit on it and can't look past my own, personal viewpoint. That being said, ideally if you want to make a compelling, rational argument you need to come away with actual evidence and not just resort to "she liked this guy first, therefore she only ever liked him and we're prepared to write off 77 episodes of content that suggests otherwise."

There were plenty of chances for Riverdale to have properly teased the idea of mutual feelings between Betty and Archie brimming under the surface. Every single opportunity the show had prior to the cheating, they seemed to shut the idea down and instead stuck with the Bughead and Varchie pairings. The biggest one being, of course, the kiss in season 2. A better show (if they truly wanted to explore Betty/Archie) would have either paired them up while both were single or quickly put them back with their original partners, which they did, but demonstrated that in spite of this they couldn't forget the kiss and found themselves drawn to each other. Obviously, this didn't happen. Nothing notable happened again until season 4 where, of all things, they fake dated, and yet none of the intimate moments between the two characters were ever SHOWN to the audience. Just one awkward scene where they texted followed by a contrived musical number featuring flashbacks to their three episodes. Fan fic writers make a gourmet meal with themes like this on a regular basis. How did they fuck it up so badly??

Speaking of that, THIS is what Riverdale should have done in this context and failed to do:

I hate Lucas and Peyton together. They're easily one of my least favorite ships of all time. But the writers of One Tree Hill at least understood how to execute these moments well. Even though I wasn't a fan of everything done to push Lucas and Peyton back together, the actual moment where everything clicks for Peyton and we see through flashbacks how much Lucas has meant to her was very effective. The Origin of Love wasn't on this level because there wasn't anything to call back to outside of three episodes (101, 102, 209).

As for the time jump years, it honestly felt like the friends with benefits "arc" was supposed to be the beginning and end of the exploration between Betty and Archie. It had a clear beginning with them (literally) coming together out of loneliness and because they were trying to bury their respective traumas by losing themselves in each other. The whole thing ends with Betty realizing and vocalizing to Archie why they don't work together. Archie realizes independently of Betty that he's still in love with Veronica and doesn't want to be the guy Betty turns to for emotional stuff. That alone has pretty awful implications considering they're supposed to be former childhood best friends. But whatever. 509-518 did absolutely nothing to set up Betty or Archie missing each other or changing their perspectives and needs in such a way where their hookup at the end of the season made any damn sense. Season 6 felt as though Betty was given a lobotomy and was forced to be Archie's ideal woman at all costs as he did nothing but be his wonderful self because he only deserves the best. But even that's not really good enough considering the show made Archie the savior of Riverdale and Betty the Harlot of Babylon. Not even Betty, the so-called flawless girl next door, can possibly live up to the paragon of virtue that should be the future Mrs. Archie Andrews. In Archie's defense (even though he bugs me and I don't like defending him), he doesn't seem to put this pressure on Betty maliciously or even knowingly. But the narrative will not stop punishing Betty during the time jump years for her "sins" all the while never holding Archie accountable for doing the same or similar things. So as a result, somehow the relationship became even worse for me. Betty is constantly and consistently misunderstood with Archie barely scratching the surface of who Betty is as a person. It's so painful to see knowing how Betty and Jughead clicked on all levels and could clearly see into each other's souls. Even though they came from different worlds, they found love and acceptance in each other with their endgame basically already written until bad writing tore it apart.

ANYWAYS. I'll never know exactly what the show thought it was doing. It genuinely felt as though there was a plan in place as late as season 5 to put Betty back together with Jughead while keeping Archie and Veronica together. But then some genius got the idea for a 5 episode event that seemed to tease the idea that the ships they hooked up at the end of season 5 were the wrong ones. Then somehow, said ships were basically kept together for the entirety of season 6 even after the characters were back in "normal" Riverdale. Or you know, Lili and Cole went through a messy breakup considering Cole overshared on that podcast and so Bughead was potentially Chophia'd outside of a handful of episodes. But then, the series finale featured a lot of interaction between those two to the point where it feels strongly implied their characters end up together in the "sweet hereafter", so who even knows? All I know is that Riverdale was a terrible show and should never get any credit for good writing.