#watchlist january 2025

[aprilblossomgirl]

april's watchlist january 2025

in my attempt to be more organized and to keep track of what got into my heart and soul and mind and tears and psd folders in terms of dramas, (also to reclaim my confidence in expressing my love for my favorite shows in form of written notes not tags) i'm starting this monthly watchlist, sorted daily (also inspired by fellow tumblr users here <3). not necessarily includes reviews or any notes but maybe some shoutout on my level of excitement for each show. so here we go for my january watch list:

monday

ossan's love thailand - i have earthmix back on my screen and i love the chaos this show brings to my mondays! earth is doing a really good job in comedy. his facial expressions were so **chef's kiss** so excited to see more of this one.

tuesday

-

wednesday

the heart killers - **deep breaths** screaming in my head **deep breaths again** ok. besides 'thamepo' & 'love scout' (my friday shows) i enjoy THK the most if not as much. the parallel of moods between fadelstyle story and kantbison's, the music scoring selection, the layered conversation between the four leads. almost all of it. tbh i didn't expect to love the show this much but here i am. also, as someone who secretly enjoy repeating 'star in my mind', joongdunk as fadelstyle is a pleasant improvement to watch. funny thing, i didn't plan to gif the show at all, but turns out one of my fadelstyle edit quickly became the most favorite set of 2024, and of all, surpassing any other set i ever made :') will i keep being crazy over them until the end, that, i need to wait and see to say.

thursday

-

friday

thamepo - this one owns my heart instantly. loving every detail so far but no words could ever describe what i feel whenever i see the way thame stares, talks to, and treats po with such tenderness. i might grow fond of jun a little (and if any novel spoilers i saw is anything to go by then i can't wait for things to unfold). also, can't wait to see the story/arc involving pepper (tui my beloved).

love scout - these past three years i kinda shifted from kdramas towards thai dramas; somehow i couldn't find a kdrama that really fits my mood during all those years. the only full-length kdramas i could finish: semantic error, to my star s1, unintentional love story, moving, and my sweet mobster. and then love scout happens! i never knew lee joonhyuk and han ji min is the pairing i need <3 moreover with a reverse trope of a chaotic female CEO with past trauma (kang jihyun) meets a single-father secretary (yoo eunho) that is super super organized (please, teach me your way secretary yoo!) i just love the chemistry, the vibes, the tension vs tenderness, ... i just truly hope it won't make any blunder decisions, plot or story wise, along the way **crossing fingers**

saturday

pluto the series - the last episode, to finish before us the series. i am this close to include this one in my top five for 2024 but i shall see the ending first.

us the series - starting this week and i'm so excited!

love scout - i am blessed with this friday+saturday drama <3

sunday

perfect 10 liners - currently on yothagun arc, which i adore. and apparently, we have another set of chaotic friends' group. not gonna lie tho, i miss my trio arm-pipo-sand so so much. but i do enjoy little crumbs here and there of faifawine and especially arcarm domesticity <3

your sky - i love fahrak so much they are so cute and lovely and adorable and made me blushing hard every episode **cries every sunday midnight** but punlee is my boy **heart eyes emojis**

under consideration: (planning to watch in the tuesday-thursday free time slots)

the boy next world - another sunday line-up so i need to have this on one of my free time slots.

monster next door - i need to finish this!!!

nevertheless the shapes of love - i didn't watch the korean version, but when i see ryusei yokohama in this one...let's say it sparks my curiosity.

notes: all gifs i created were posted with tags #*gifs and #april.gif and #[showname]edit

[yellowjacketsfashion]

January 2025 Movie Club Watchlist:

Saturday the 4th

Party Girl (1995)

Saturday the 11th

Welcome to the Dollhouse (1995)

Saturday the 18th

Moonstruck (1987)

Saturday the 25th

Oklahoma! (1955)

[inkofamethyst]

January 18, 2025

Been thinking about Promising Young Woman recently and ugh so chilling. Part of me wants to rewatch it with my island-friend and her partner and then discuss afterwards because I feel like they would be into it.

Speaking of visual media, forgot to mention some things I watched while home. Finished Superman and Lois with my dad, and it had a sweet ending, something Superman stories so rarely get to do in my experience. Watched binged Agatha All Along with my dad, enjoyed it a lot!! Watched binged Squid Game S2 with my dad (I'd seen one episode of S1 with my sister (the marbles one, also during break) and was able to get by mostly by asking her questions during that episode and during the first episode with my dad) and it was also quite good, loved the commentary.

I do have quite a long watchlist to tackle, unfortunately. Arcane s2, LoVM, Dragon Prince, so many CR eps, a bunch of Marvel stuff (we're going to see Captain America for my birthday!!), Halo s2 (even though it won't be getting a s3), Severance s2, Star Trek... maybe I should get Paramount for a bit. I should probably get on Arcane though bc that might be banned soon too lol. And then after that maybe I'll watch some more CDramas. Bloody Romance scratched that medieval-fantasy-adventure itch, so I'll probably look for others of that vibe.

To switch gears, I do actually have a social life, if you can believe it. I've been making a concerted effort these past few days to schedule get-togethers with friends over the next couple of weeks. This upcoming semester is going to be a toughie, but I don't want to completely abandon the relationships that are important to me. So, at least for now while I don't want to hole up in my apartment (at least not all the time), I want to spend time with the people who make me happy :)

But back to me being an ipad kid (im jking im an ipad adult), I barely touched my devices when I was home. I was at PEACE. But my screen time this past week??? yikes. I mean part of it is trying to soak up as much tiktok content as I can before whatever happens at midnight tonight (seeing people recreate 2019 and 2020 memes is bittersweet, as was getting my final dabloon), but it's also that I'm trying to fill a hole or something, I think. As much as I enjoy it here, I still can't help but miss home, a year and a half in. At least I'm not crying at the airport anymore.

Today I'm thankful for the movie night I had with my island-friend and her partner last night. We went to a really swanky part of town that I've never been to before, and the movie was both funny and poignant and we had a nice little discussion about it on the way back. Also I've come to understand why I enjoy their company so much: as an Eldest Daughter I never really got the experience of having someone slightly older, slightly wiser, but still categorically in friendship capacity to hang out with. Outside of them just having fairly different perspectives and experiences from me, there is also this older-sisterly feeling that feels.. nice.

I've long held that I have no desire to settle when it comes to a romantic relationship and while part of that is because feminist movements have made it such that attachment to a man is no longer a necessity, I also feel like I have such solid friendships that have shown me what being cared for can mean. I mean, for example, when my photo-friend and I went to a dance in college, he explicitly said he was going out of his way to show me how I should be treated. And while I understand that romance supposedly has differences, I am thankful that I know not to settle for anything less than what I have experienced entirely platonically. It also means that I know what it feels like when I want to express care for someone and engage in someone's life and be there for someone and want the best for someone.

Downloaded my 1500 tiktok favorites to an external drive. Took four hours. 9 GB. A shame about all the 300+ deleted videos I'd once saved, now lost to time. Even if the president-elect manages to strike some deal to restart the servers.. if today is not the end, the twentieth will be the beginning of the end.

[ghosts-and-blue-sweaters]

ask game: 1, 5, 6!!

What are three shows in your watchlist that you’ve been meaning to get to?

Hmm… Arcane and Maid were my biggest ones, but I watched them both in December/January. Let me consult my List real fast.

Okay honestly there’s nothing I’m super wanting to watch atm, but I do want to watch these at some point, if only a few episodes:

The Good Doctor (main character is autistic? will the autism be portrayed in absolutely dreadful terrible no good ways? we shall see)

Wayne (have seen a few clips on youtube and it looks spectacular)

Ghosts on CBS (ghosts… what more can I say? <3)

How do you like your eggs?

I don’t like eggs :( But if I do eat them, I always prefer them scrambled! Maybe with a lil cheese on top… when I was younger I always always always ate my eggs with syrup 😅 but I’ve gotten kinda tired of that and don’t eat it often anymore.

What do you use to keep your place when you’re reading a book?

Okay. Here’s the thing: my entire life I’ve been folding the upper corners of pages to mark my spot, dog-earring. But at the start of 2025 I decided hey! how about let’s Not Do That anymore! So I’ve bought several bookmarks and am going to start using those instead :) Today I finished up the last book that I had been reading during 2024 (aka, last book with dog-eared pages) so beginning now I’ll be using bookmarks on everything!!

[afza147]

♥️♥️2024 MY KDRAMA WATCHLIST AWARDS♥️♥️

♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️Part 3♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️

Finally we have arrived to the last part of my 2024 my Kdrama Watchlist awards🥳

If u miss part 1 and 2, here the link

For part 3, I will include one new awards beside best couple awards which is best kiss awards which also comprise into 2 part (part 1- Jan-June ,part 2-July -December)

Let's gets to it

Winner for Best Kiss Awards Part 1 (January 2024- June 2024)

My Demon ( Jeong Gu Won and Do Do Hee )

Winner for Best Kiss Awards Part 2 ( July 2024- December 2024)

The Judge From Hell -( Han Da On & Kang Bit Na)

Ironically both drama from SBS😅

Finally best couple awards goes to every couple on the drama I watch that make into the list

💜💜💜Winners of 2024 Best Couple Awards💜💜💜

Thank you again for reading my humble awards show

P/s when the phone rings will be included in next year awards as the drama not yet ended😬

With that this awards show wrapping up with me saying

Happy 2025🥳

[mariacallous]

Americans are already looking ahead to a second Donald Trump term. Now, imagine it where no one knows what’s happening within the administration.

The incoming Trump administration is promising a mass layoff of federal workers come January — an agenda that appears plucked directly from Project 2025, the extreme-right policy blueprint that GOP operatives, including many former Trump administration officials, compiled to guide Trump in a second term. 

It’s part of a quest to dismantle the so-called “deep state” bureaucracy that right-wingers claim has long conspired against the MAGA agenda. To that end, right-wing organizations, many led by former Trump officials, have spent the last few years inundating federal agencies with Freedom of Information Act, or FOIA, requests, fishing for internal documents that identify federal employees working a variety of “culture war” issues, including climate change action and diversity, equity and inclusion efforts, or discussing the now President-elect Donald Trump. 

For a glimpse at how Trump and his allies are likely to use the documents, look no further than the right-wing American Accountability Foundation, which recently published a “watchlist” of 60 people at the Department of Homeland Security it identified as “subversive, leftist bureaucrats” who “cannot be trusted to enforce our immigration laws under a future administration intent on securing our border.”

At the same time that they are peppering FOIA offices with requests and demanding President Joe Biden’s officials promptly turn over documents, Trump loyalists are advising would-be appointees of the incoming administration on how to evade future FOIA requests, ones that might reveal the inner workings of the Trump agenda. 

In a Project 2025 training video obtained by ProPublica, Tom Jones, president of the American Accountability Foundation, encourages future government workers to avoid email and instead conduct government business in face-to-face meetings as much as possible, so as not to create a paper trail. 

The FOIA, the 1967 transparency law that allows the public to request records from federal agencies, has long been in shambles, with total requests, backlogs and lawsuits consistently surging amid chronic underfunding. The situation got worse during the first Trump administration and worse still under Biden. During Trump’s first term, federal agencies set a new record for censoring, blocking, and withholding FOIA requests. At least one department even proposed changing regulations to allow officials to deny “burdensome” requests and impose limits on how many requests could be made.

Combine Trump’s record of meddling with the FOIA during his first term and his current plans for “mass reductions in force” within federal agencies, and all signs point to the FOIA — along with government transparency — taking another huge hit over the next four years.

[wokealqaeda]

On January 1, 2025, at around 3:15 a.m, Shamsud-Din Jabbar, a 42-year-old American man, drove a pickup truck into a crowd on Bourbon Street in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States, then exited the truck and engaged in a shootout with police before being fatally shot. Fourteen victims were killed, plus the perpetrator, and at least fifty-seven others were injured, including two police officers who were shot. The attack occurred during New Year celebrations in the city, which was scheduled to host the 2025 Sugar Bowl later that day.

The assailant, Shamsud-Din Jabbar, was an American-born resident of Houston, Texas. An Islamic State (ISIS) flag was found in the truck. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) determined that Jabbar had been inspired by ISIS. It investigated the matter as domestic terrorism, since there was no evidence of any foreign direction behind the attack. Jabbar, who had been radicalized, posted videos pledging his allegiance to ISIS in the hours before the attack.

The assailant, Shamsud-Din Bahar Jabbar (October 26, 1982 - January 1, 2025), was 42 years old and absent from all federal watchlists. He was born and raised in Beaumont, Texas, a city located 85 miles east of Houston. At the time of the attack, he lived in a Houston neighborhood in northern Harris County. Although raised as a Christian, Jabbar converted to Islam and was a Muslim for most of his life.

Jabbar came from an African American family that predominantly attended the local Baptist church. His father, a convert to Islam born in Houston, changed his surname from Young to Jabbar; his mother remained a Christian. His grandfather moved from Louisiana to Texas as part of a migration of Creoles of color to the Beaumont area for work. Jabbar was arrested in 2002 in Katy for misdemeanor theft and was arrested in 2005 for driving with an invalid license. In 2014, he pleaded guilty to driving under the influence while serving at Fort Bragg in North Carolina.

Jabbar served in the United States Army for ten years as a human resources specialist and an information technology specialist. He was deployed to Afghanistan from February 2009 to January 2010. He was honorably discharged at the rank of staff sergeant. He left active duty in 2015, and was in the United States Army Reserve until 2020. He enrolled at Georgia State University in 2015 and graduated in 2017, receiving a Bachelor of Business Administration in computer information systems. Jabbar partied and used alcohol in college, causing his grades to slip and losing him a scholarship. Despite Jabbar's growing interest in Islam, his acquaintances saw no signs of extremism.

In videos posted to Facebook between 1:29 and 3:02 a.m, minutes before the truck attack. Jabbar pledged allegiance to ISIS. He said he wanted his act to highlight the "war between the believers and the disbelievers"and that he had considered organizing a family "celebration" where he would have them "witness the killing of the apostates."

The FBI said it was confident that Jabbar acted alone. While Jabbar took violent inspiration from ISIS, investigators have not found evidence he had received any direct contact or direction from the terrorist group. Possible self-radicalization reflects a pattern seen in previous jihadist attacks.

[now-watching]

So January of this year I watched fantasy films for about the first week of the year and NEXT year I’d like to spend the whole month of January watching fantasy so if anyone has any recommendations… 👀

Here’s what I have so far (mostly new to me rn):

[valyrianfilm]

films i've watched in january 2025

i'm going to do a monthly "films i've watched" post this year! i did not manage to watch one movie a day, but i hope my summer break will allow me to catch up with some highlights i've missed over the years. for completion purposes, rewatches will be included in this list :)

i'm using the letterboxd 5 stars rating system here

letterboxd

Nosferatu (2024) – dir. Robert Eggers (4.5 stars) (watched twice)

You can so easily draw me in with a gothic aesthetic and vampires, so of course, I was hyped for this movie. It lived up to almost all the expectations I had and blew me away with its wonderful cinematography and great performances. Bill Skarsgård is rocking his role as Orlok and the make-up is sooo well done. I thought the movie dragged on a little towards the end, so I couldn't give it five stars, but it was just such a joy to start the year with.

BlacKkKlansman (2018) – dir. Spike Lee (4 stars)

This movie has been sitting on my watchlist for years and I finally got to it. Such a terrifying yet somehow fascinating watch at times.

The Killer (2023) – dir. David Fincher (3.5 stars)

I have no idea if this is a controversial opinion, but I didn't enjoy it as much as others did. I didn't vibe with the pacing at all, but the cinematography and camera work was amazing. As was the soundtrack!!

Se7en (1995) – dir. David Fincher (4.5 stars)

Another Fincher movie on this list. I had never watched this one, but my local cinema was offering a screening of it, so I went there with some friends and I loved it! I think Zodiac still remains my favourite Fincher movie, but this one is phenomenal too. What's in the box?

Barbarian (2022) – dir. Zach Cregger (4 stars)

It's probably better if I don't say too much about this movie beforehand, but at no point was it what I expected. Just watch and enjoy. Side note: Bill Skarsgård is so hot.

Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015) – dir. J.J. Abrams (3 stars) (REWATCH)

I'm a huge Star Wars nerd. No surprise to anyone. To be honest, I am not a huge hater of the Sequel trilogy as some people are, but I still believe the Force Awakens is pretty mid, but enjoyable. Almost a carbon copy of what A New Hope was, but I do not have any strong feelings towards it. HOWEVER, it is the base for one of my favourite Star Wars movies...

Star Wars: The Last Jedi (2017) – dir. Rian Johnson (4.5 stars) (REWATCH)

Ohh, The Last Jedi how much I love you. I will die on this hill, but it is not a bad movie and no, it isn't a bad Star Wars movie either. From the cinematography, to the daring decisions, to the acting (especially from Adam Driver and Mark Hamill), this movie rocks. It's embodying so much love for the franchise and yet dares to take it down a different road for once. I really hope Rian Johnson gets to make his trilogy of Star Wars movies.

Everything Everywhere All at Once (2022) – dir. Daniel Scheinert and Daniel Kwan (4 stars)

Somehow I am still in the minority with my 4 stars rating, but I did not like certain parts of the movie or rather characters in it. However, I pretty much started bawling every time Ke Huy Quan delivered his lines to Evelyn and their relationship was just so well done. One ride of a movie, to be sure.

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (2019) – dir. J. J. Abrams (1.5 stars) (REWATCH)

I just hate this movie. I would have loved a Ben Solo redemption arc, but not this way. Also, I love Reylo, but not even their kiss can make up for this mess of a movie.

The Guardians of the Galaxy: Holiday Special (2022) – dir. James Gunn (3 stars)

Such a cozy movie. A comfort for me but nowhere close to the main ones.

Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981) – dir. Steven Spielberg (5 stars)

I only watched this movie as a child, so I didn't remember a lot of it. Decided to "rewatch" the Indiana Jones movies and this is definitely a classic. So much fun, Harrison Ford is lovely (and hot) and I just wish they would make movies like this again.

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.2 (2017) – dir. James Gunn (4 stars) (REWATCH)

While I still love this movie with all my heart (and especially some of the characters in it), I didn't enjoy it as much as I did when I first watched it. The Guardians are just amazing, but I think the plot went a little all over the place. But it's still one of the most charming superhero movies ever made, no doubt.

My Neighbour Totoro (1988) – dir. Hayao Miyazaki (5 stars)

Another classic I watched as a child and couldn't remember, so I had to watch it again. I ended up using this movie as my new homescreen theme on my phone and I love it!! Cozy, funny and heartwarming movie that managed to make me cry even though nothing bad really happened in it.

I want a Totoro for myself.

Mufasa: The Lion King (2024) – dir. Barry Jenkinks (1.5 stars)

I am probably not the target audience of this movie. I'm above twenty, I never connected with the Lion King movie as a child and I haven't watched any of the other movies since I last saw them as a kid. However, this still didn't manage to capture my attention at all and I can only give a few stars for the effort of the animation. Which still looked a little strange sometimes. Also, the german voices were awful.

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016) – dir. Gareth Edwards (5 stars) (REWATCH)

My favourite movie. Nothing more to say about this.

The Last Duel (2021) – dir. Ridley Scott (4 stars)

In a way, this movie was part of my personal challenge to watch all of Adam Driver's movies (I love him) and this one had been on my watchlist for a while. I loved the structure of this and the acting was phenomenal by everyone. I definitely wish we had more medieval dramas like this.

[lilja4ever]

my february watchlist because i watched ZERO movies during january 2025. I will probably not watch trouble every day unless i get ambitious

[mayobleachigosns5eva]

anime watchlist 2025

Finish:

Banana Fish (Start Jan 1st 2025)

Hunter x Hunter (Start 2018 or 2019…)

Wonder Egg Priority (it’s been 2 Yrs since I watched it …)

Link Click (✳️ Weekly)

Kimi ni Todoke

Play it Cool, Guys

Life Lessons with Uramichi Onii-san

to your eternity

🌸akebi’s Sailor Uniform

Durarara

Gurren Lagann

with my sister:

Naruto

bleach

death note (‼️Deadline: March 1st 2025)

Enstars Crossroad

one piece

Trigun (〽️)

A sign of Affection

Yu-Gi-Oh!

In another world with my smartphone

🌻Squid Girl

Free! (🌀), OVAS

Buddy Daddies

jujutsu kaisen

demon slayer

🎃SERVAMP

Tsurune

Hyouka (it’s been. 2 years since we watched it..)

🎃Soul Eater

hypmic

Horimiya

Azumanga Daioh

pichi pichi pitch!

Uzumaki

Midori Days

Hels (〽️)

Ranma 1/2

Kyo Kyara Maoh!

with her and my mom:

🍂❄️Laid-Back camp

SPY X FAMILY (waiting for S3!)

pop team epic

start:

Sonny Boy

Chainsaw Man

Ride Your Wave (〽️Movie)

Nausicäa Valley of the Wind (〽️)

Doukyuusei (〽️)

Belle (〽️)

The Wind Rises (〽️)

Pom Poko (〽️)

Porco Rosso (〽️)

look back (〽️)

Jjk 0 (🌀)

(whenever it comes out, ik not this year but I mustn’t ever forget about it…): Vanitas

🍂flying witch

🍂Do It Yourself!

Jojo (🌀3/4)

ReLIFE

Josee, the tiger and the fish

and many, MANY MORE….

start with her:

Mashle

gintama

Lucky Star

ojomajo doremi

🌸Aharen-San wa Hakarenai

tanaka-kun is always Listless (🌀)

GTO

Trigun Stampede

Blue Exorcist

animes finished 2025:

Mob psycho 100 (January 18th) :D ❤️❤️❤️

animes finished 2024:

Ouran Highschool Host Club (🌀)

Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion

Trigun

[sparkling-journal242]

Anime coming in January 2025 that you should add to your watchlist

[justinspoliticalcorner]

Jason Wilson at The Guardian:

A rightwing non-profit group that has published a “DEI Watch List” identifying federal employees allegedly “driving radical Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives” is bankrolled by wealthy family foundations and rightwing groups whose origins are often cloaked in a web of financial arrangements that obscure the original donors. One recent list created by the American Accountability Foundation (AAF) includes the names of mostly Black people with roles in government health alleged to have some ties to diversity initiatives. Another targets education department employees, and another calls out the “most subversive immigration bureaucrats”. The lists come amid turmoil in the US government as Donald Trump’s incoming administration, aided by Elon Musk, the world’s richest man, has sought to fire huge swathes of the federal government and purge it of DEI and other initiatives – such as tackling climate change – that Trump has dubbed “woke”. While the publication of the personal details of government workers – whom the website describes as “targets” – has reportedly “terrified” many in federal departments, the Guardian has discovered that some current and former employees of AAF have taken pains to conceal their affiliations with the group on LinkedIn and other public websites.

One of the donors to the AAF is the Heritage Foundation, the architects of Project 2025, which has been a driving ideological force behind Trump’s re-election and first weeks in government. Heidi Beirich, the chief strategy officer of the Global Project Against Hate and Extremism (GPAHE), said: “It’s not surprising to find a vile project such as this backed by Project 2025 entities and far-right donors who have it out for public employees.” Disclosure documents show that the AAF has been closely involved in training Republican staffers in collaboration with the affiliated Conservative Partnership Institute, in sessions that promise to train rightwing operatives in skills including “open source research” and “working with outside groups”.

[...]

‘Incubated’ by the Conservative Partnership Institute

The most crucial support for AAF, however, has come from the organization that birthed it: the CPI, which continues to have a profound influence on the Trump administration and the Republican party as a whole via its own activities and those of its flotilla of spin-off groups. AAF was founded in 2021 to “take a big handful of sand and throw it in the gears of the Biden administration”, as Tom Jones, the organization’s head, told Fox News at the time. [...]

Moulding Maga minds

The Guardian reported last year that CPI had been cementing ties between the far right and the GOP by means of training events for Hill staffers and their bosses in Congress. Many of these events were held at “Camp Rydin”, a sprawling 2,200-acre (890-hectare) property on Maryland’s eastern shore purchased after a $25m donation was made to CPI by its namesake, retired Houston software entrepreneur Mike Rydin, in the wake of January 6. Others were held at one of at least nine adjacent properties on Washington DC’s Pennsylvania Avenue purchased by CPI since 2022, in what reports described as a $41m “shopping spree” that has created a “Maga campus”. CPI literature describes the precinct as “Patriot’s Row”. Records obtained from US Senate and House ethics disclosures indicate that AAF has benefited from being front and center at many of these events. At a 29 May 2024 “Legislative Assistant Symposium” attended by staffers then working for senators including Josh Hawley, Marco Rubio, Ted Cruz and JD Vance, AAF’s Jones was billed as speaking on “strategies for how Congress should approach oversight and accountability”, alongside speakers from CPI, AFL, Advancing American Freedom and anti-immigrant group NumbersUSA. A parallel event with the same line-up drew staffers for hard-right Maga representatives including Anna Paulina Luna – who recently introduced a bill that would see Trump’s face added to Mount Rushmore – and Paul Gosar, who in November invoked antisemitic conspiracy theories in a newsletter defending Tulsi Gabbard, Trump’s pick to lead national intelligence. NumbersUSA was part of a network of groups “founded and funded” by John Tanton, whom the Southern Poverty Law Center called the “puppeteer of the nativism movement and a man with deep racist roots”. At an event held 15-17 February 2023, hosted by AAF and attended by staffers for Congress members including Luna, Ken Buck and Marjorie Taylor Greene, trainees were to learn skills including “how to effectively draft requests for information from agencies and witnesses”, “tools and techniques for conducting open source research into agencies, individuals, and organizations”, and conducting “mock interviews with reluctant / recalcitrant witnesses”.

[...]

Dirt machine

The dirt machine now targeted at government workers was honed on higher-profile targets during the Biden administration. Early on, AAF pointed its opposition-research machine at Biden nominees including Saule Omarova, nominated for comptroller of the currency; Sarah Bloom Raskin, nominated for vice-chair for supervision of the Federal Reserve Board, and Ketanji Brown Jackson, supreme court justice, whom the organization falsely claimed had been soft on sex offenders.

The Guardian reports on how a shadowy far-right group of donors are funding American Accountability Foundation’s watchlists, such as the “DEI watchlist.”

[feuqueerfire]

January - March (Q1) 2025 Wrap-Up

A little quarterly (spoilery!) wrap-up of all the shows, movies, and shorts I’ve watched or am watching in the first quarter of 2025, general thoughts, and ranking of them all.

This used to be per month, but I'm changing it to quarterly this year since I don't watch enough per month anymore lol.

Recommendation of the quarter: Squid Game S2 I guess, though I doubt that's anything new to anybody.

Ranking

Squid Game S2

Love In The Big City (2024) = ThamePo (2025) = The Heart Killers (2025)

Red White & Royal Blue (2023)

Let Free The Curse of Taekwando (2024)

CW: Pluto (2025)

Average Rating: 6.4/10

MDL Updates - Added to Watchlist: 

A section because I’m curious about how many shows I decide to add to my Watch List a quarter and also the ratio of watching them:adding them.

Title MDL (year) - (date added to Considering or finalized to Watchlist): initial reaction

Squid Game Season 2 (2024)

ThamePo Heart That Skips a Beat (2025) - 250311: Been looking forward to it since the pilot trailer and it's gotten overall good reception. looking forward to it a lot

The Heart Killers (2025) - 250311: I can't tell if the overall reception was good or not but I might watch it for the ships and the (crime + humourous?) shenanigans.

Billie and Emma (2018) - 250311: Saw this tweet (shamelessly promoting this filipino lesbian movie with a gnc lesbian lead set in an all-girls catholic school (++ aside from the queer story... it also tackles teenage pregnancy, abortion, etc. and still lighthearted and fun)) and I'm sold, hope it's great

Secret Love Affair (2014) - 250311: first added to my Considering list on 240806, I don't know why I'm just adding it to my watchlist properly. Original Reasoning for consideration: Heard about it in Afternoona Asks - Part 1 2023 review + I saw in Certified Noona's what’s coming out in August 2024 that a Japanese remake called Tokyo Tower is coming out… feels like i should just give it a try considering scandalous morally corrupt noona affair…. Thoughts now: Noona romance with age difference + infidelity ahh The rating isn't that high but the people who love seem to love it in the MDL comment section and I think I could be one of those people.

Pluto (2025) - 250327: I'm suddenly wanting to watch this... I had this in my Options list just in case I ran out of GL and wanted to watch another one but right now, I'm not out of GL, I just specifically want to watch this GL lol. I'll look forward to starting it today/tomorrow.

Secret Relationships (2025) - 250327: toxic, messy kBL, that's fun! Everybody was invested, I'm curious to see it.

Gelboys (2025) - 250327: Seems cute and fun but also being a bit messy? People seem to love the first 6 eps and then were disappointed in ep 7, but seems like the first 6 eps are still worth it?

To Watch List At Start Of Quater: 56

To Watch List At End Of Quarter: 55

Removed from To Watch List:

Title (Year) - (date removed): reason

Deep Night (2024) - 250327: I don't feel drawn to this anymore but who knows maybe someday

Chaser Game W (2024) - 250327: Similarly don't feel drawn to it anymore. still keeping it in the Options list though because I might crave a ex-gfs GL

Knock Knock, Boys! (2024) - 250327: same as above

hmmm I don't know why I have 55 when I'm supposed to have 54. Maybe I had added Miseinen: Our Youth to my watchlist? but i removed it after one of the guys got arrested for sexual harassment.

Completely Watched

Squid Game Season 2 (2024)

Country: South Korea

Release Dates: Dec 26, 2024

Watch Via: ;>

Watch Dates: Jan 18, 2025

Rating: 7.5/10

Overall Impression: Man, I want the next season now because it's such a cut-off in the middle. This didn't change my heart/have such a hold on me like season 1 did but I did binge all 7 episodes in 1 day and it was a good time. It feels like there was very little progress in this season, like Junho's getting nowhere with finding the island (the boat captain is a traitor too) and throughout the whole season, Gihun's plans didn't feel like it had much weight because Inho knew about all of it. I'm obsessed with Hyunju, my beloved. I'm curious about most of the other characters but since they mostly didn't die, I haven't had like strong reactions to them or anything. I'm glad Hyunju's still alive though. Gihun himself was meh, wish he was giving me brain worms so that I could fujo out over Gihun and Inho the way the director was doing lol. Also wanted to know what was going on in Inho's mind. The purpose of this specific season is a little lost on me. It focused a lot on Xs vs Os and how people are so eager to stay out of greed by giving the money to the living contestants to split instead of to the dead people's families. But the bigger picture commentary just seemed to be about how difficult and futile it is to try to bring these systems down and there'll be traitors in every direction (Boat Captain, Inho)? Not a very conclusive season but we'll see how it goes next season.

tags: squid game, squid game s2

Also Appears In: Squid Game Season 2 Live Blogging

Love in the Big City (2024)

Country: South Korea

Release Dates: Oct 21, 2024

Watch Via: ;>

Watch Dates: Jan 21 - 24, 2025

Rating: 6.5/10

Overall Impression: I really liked the different stories and relationships this show showed, whether it be Goyeong with Miae, his mom, and his friends, or Namgyu, Yeongsu, or Gyuho. I liked going through each little story and seeing how he and his circumstances changed through each pair of episodes. I was nervous about a sad ending, but it’s not really a super sad ending, an ambiguous, bittersweet one. I think I’m less annoyed at not ending in a relationship and a bit more ? at the fact that it doesn’t feel conclusive because Yeong’s still so hung up on Gyuho and is also so lonely. idk… somehow still didn’t feel finished. Yeong feels real, with his flaws and all. And I enjoyed going through the story with him. I also like how, often, this show feels so… without judgement, we just follow the story and the characters and their decisions and relationships, and of course there is fallout or consequences (and occasional like obvious villian-y like with Yeongsu) but generally, it’s just seen as how humans behave and live, without attaching morality or judgment value to these things.

tags: love in the big city

Also Appears In: Love In The Big City Live Blogging

Let Free the Curse of Taekwondo (2024)

Country: South Korea

Release Dates: Oct 17, 2024 - Nov 7, 2024

Watch Via: ;>

Watch Dates: Jan 26, 2025

Rating: 5.5/10

Overall Impression: For me, this one was more like a To My Star S1 than Blueming, technically well-made and a well-told story but it didn't do much for me specifically. I did find it a bit boring in the middle but the early episodes were pretty interesting and I liked the main characters fine enough when they were actually together. I just think that after the time-skip, I found Juyeong and Hyunho to be interesting but Dohoe to be boring or to be not good to to Juyeong. I was unreasonably into Hyunho's storyline, like it's not anything new or innovative but I was still into it and kind of thought Dohoe and Hyunho would maybe be a better story because of their edges. But I like Dohoe and Juyeong too, they were cute in the first 3 episodes and the last episode. Actually, the scenes with all 3 of them were so good in terms of tension and their tenuous relationships with each other and the assumptions and competition. I don't actually know what more I wanted from the plot/relationships but it didn't resonate with me as much as I hoped/expected. I miss Blueming.

tags: let free the curse of taekwando

Also Appears In: Let Free The Curse of Taekwando Live Blogging

Not my ratings of the first 3 2025 watches going 7.5 -> 6.5 -> 5.5... All within like 8 days, too. Maybe I should take a pause before the next show (I'm eyeing Heart Killers or Thame-Po)

Red, White and Royal Blue (2023)

Country: America

Release Dates: August 11, 2023

Watch Via: ;>

Watch Dates: Mar 8, 2025

Rating: 6/10

Overall Impression: I read RWRB in June 2019 (apparently like 2 weeks after the novel came out lol) and enjoyed it/was giddy over the couple but did think the storyline and politics aspect were corny. That remains in this movie where the political aspect of it doesn't just seem corny but like... stupid in the wake of it all but the main romance arc is fun enough. I also remembered a lot of the plot and at first I thought I just remembered the book but actually I think I probably I watched someone react to it in 2023 and thus am remembering that, not the novel I read and forgot about 6 years ago. Not super duper into the characters or their relationship but I think I'll look up on AO3 to see if they have any good fics though hmm.

Also, I'm slightly tempted to watch The Idea Of You now, I'll always be curious about an Older Woman/Younger Man romance lmao but I know everything and the spoilers since I watched a few people's reactions on youtube when it first came out lol. So probably not. Anne Hathway is gorgeous though.

Watch official trailers: Breakup Service, Leap Day, My Golden Blood, Good Dentist Sweet Tooth, maybe Us and older trailers,

Leap Day Trailer

Very dark, very bloody, very intense. It looks interesting but I wonder how they’ll execute it and if it’ll be a high intense show throughout.

Break Up Service Trailer

Who would have thought that I’m much more excited about the goofy fun romcom over the moody dark intense show… but this seems fun! excited about all the cameos, about Off being bi with maybe Tay as ex-bf and also cross dressing, his chemistry with the female lead seems good. Will I watch? mayyyyybe. Hope it’s good

Sweet Tooth, Good Dentist Trailer

I reeeeeally did not like the pilot trailer for this and this didn’t convince me necessarily to watch it but it’s not as bad as the pilot trailer

ThamePo Heart That Skips a Beat (2025)

Country: Thailand

Release Dates: Dec 13, 2024 - Mar 7, 2025

Watch Via: Youtube

Watch Dates: March 16 - 28, 2025

Rating: 6.5/10

Overall Impression: Been looking forward to this one since the pilot trailer. Overall, an enjoyable show and I like the relationship between Thame/Po and also Thame & Mars. I also liked getting to see my beloved celeb/non-celeb trope and also idolverse trope (though I didn't actually watch or listen to much of the songs/performances, they weren't for me). The show seemed polished in terms of direction, cinematography, styling, etc; they followed the kdrama styling that it seemed like they were aiming for. However, I do think being so into kpop hindered my enjoyment when it strayed from like... what makes sense. I couldn't figure out how popular Mars were and the disbanding Mars + Thame Korean debut didn't make much sense to me. But I liked Thame and Po well enough as characters and the storyline of the show, even if it did get muddy sometimes.

tags: thamepo

Also Appears In: ThamePo Live Blogging

The Heart Killers (2025)

Country: Thailand

Release Dates: Nov 20, 2024 - Feb 12, 2025

Watch Via: Youtube

Watch Dates: March 21 - 25, 2025

Rating: 6.5/10

Overall Impression: Generally enjoyed it, liked the first half more than the second half, though Ep 6-7 run is probably my fave. It was extremely important that I know that, apparently, the creators and actors were touting it as a rom-com, so I knew the focus was going to be on the relationships developing and hearing mixed reviews (esp about how it kinda derailed at the end) also helped bc i thought it was going to be worse than it was. Liked the main characters well enough and ships, Kant and Bison more so toward the beginning. I thought it was more fun when Kant was using Bison more clearly at the beginning, like he would be putting himself through the pain that Bison likes and be mostly flirting with the goal in mind (he fell for Bison later than Style fell for Fadel) + the way Bison flew off the handle after finding out about it and kidnapped Kant and treated him badly. Wasn’t really into how sugary, sweet, and boring they were in the last 1/3 of the show tbh. I was surprised by how much I liked Fadel (and Style) and their couple being kinda DunkJoong, a new and exciting dynamic. They really hit some emotional beats for me (ep 6 Fadel saying I love you + dancing with + hugging Style after learning of his betrayal) and many of the sexy vibes as well (ep 8 bathtub scene…). I wrote so much for this in my actual show post.

tags: the heart killers

Also Appears In: The Heart Killers Live Blogging

Currently Watching

Pluto (2025)

It is with great tragedy that I write that even though I started the show on March 27, I only watched 2 episodes in 4 days and so am 2/12 done on March 31 :') I considered making this a Jan - April post but decided to hold fast and continue doing Quarterly posts instead of 3x a year... It's fine, I'll hopefully finish it soon and it'll be fine.

Watching On-Air:

January: I don't know if I want to watch ThamePo or Heart Killers as it's airing or not. I've been look forward to them but it doesn't matter how good these show start out, seems like pretty much all of them have shitty ends and agh.

March: Okay, I'm glad I didn't watch either of them, I'm leaving my attempts at watching on-air shows behind because I think I would've liked both ThamePo and Heart Killers less if I watched them as they aired.

Conclusion after watching Heart Killers: Binging is better than watching weekly is my verdict. It doesn’t let you think every week, nitpick, be disappointed in the new episode, etc. I’ve tried to watch weekly multiple times, (The Eclipse, Never Let Me Go, 23.5, Wandee Goodday, 4 Minutes, Spare Me Your Mercy) but I’ve fallen off keeping up every week because my interest isn’t maintained for the full 6 - 8 weeks, especially toward the end, and I’ve been disappointed by all of their endings (except NLMG maybe, I don't remember) and even dropped Wandee. I think if I watched this weekly I would’ve liked it a lot less and I was already feeling less invested after like ep 8/9, so I would’ve been even more indifferent after that if I was watching weekly. Going forward, I should focus on binging instead of trying to watch weekly just because it seems to work out for other people.

Posts Created This Quarter:

DMD 2025 Line-Up Showcase

2025 Anticipated Series & Movies

[andronetalks]

Soros-linked group adds US to human rights watchlist

RT March 13, 2025 A group of NGOs linked to billionaire George Soros has placed the US on a watchlist of “countries with faltering civic freedoms,” citing executive orders signed by President Donald Trump since he assumed office in January. According to the South African-based CIVICUS, the Trump administration has launched an “assault on democratic norms and global cooperation.” Read more…

[positivedevelopment]

Monthly Roundup January 2025

Urgent Appeal for the Prioritizing the Protection of Children Amidst Escalating Conflict in the Democratic Republic of the Congo

"The Dallaire Institute calls on all the parties to the conflict to respect international law, ensure the full protection of all civilians, and provide proactive measures and protection to the children affected by the armed conflict in the east of the country."

Source: Peace Direct

A Look Back at Watchlist on Children and Armed Conflict in 2024

Together, let’s take a look back at key moments for Watchlist and for the UN’s Children and Armed Conflict (CAAC) agenda in 2024.

Implementing the ‘Children and Armed Conflict’ Agenda: Analyzing Data on Trends, Enabling Factors, and Persistent Challenges in Situations with Listed Parties

The analysis shows that the below factors play a role in shaping trends in grave violations:

Conflict and peace process dynamics. Levels of grave violations often ebb and flow over time as the scale and severity of armed conflicts fluctuate.

Third-party supporters. Third-party governments—including the 5 Permanent Members of the UNSC—have offered robust security support to some of the worst perpetrators of grave violations.

Legal accountability. The scale of ‘trigger’ violations is lower in contexts where the International Criminal Court (ICC) has jurisdiction, compared with contexts for which the ICC lacks jurisdiction.

Local civil society activities. In country contexts with the lowest levels of civil society participation, States exhibit a greater propensity to perpetrate ‘trigger’ violations. Conversely, States on the higher end of the civil society participation spectrum exhibit a lower propensity to perpetrate ‘trigger’ violations.

The report includes key recommendations related to: 1) elevating visibility for, and fortifying the credibility of, the CAAC agenda; 2) combatting impunity for grave violations; 3) deepening understanding of the drivers of grave violations; and 4) bolstering coordination among the varied actors advocating for and implementing the CAAC agenda.

2024 IN REVEW: 10 positive outcomes for children this year

1.     Sierra Leone bans child marriage following campaign by girls and Save the Children

2.     The Gambia upholds ban of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM)

3. Children participate in G20 for the first time in its 25-year history

4.     Cobalt mines and catch up clubs in the Democratic Republic of Congo

5.     Community health workers cycle to tackle malaria in Cote d’Ivoire

6.     Laos becomes first country in Southeast Asia to ban corporal punishment

7.     Vanuatu teen activist at the International Court of Justice (ICJ)

8.     World record set at conference to end violence against children

9.         Children in southern Malawi better equipped against climate-aggravated health risks

10.      Deliveries by drone make childbirth safer for refugees in Rwanda

Amazing artivism initiatives to inspire you!

"The arts have the power to touch and move people in ways that information delivered in traditional ways cannot. When art is integrated into activism, the results are tremendous."

Sri Lanka plans elephant corridors to curb human - elephant conflict

"Sri Lanka is planning to establish five elephant coordiors in its north-central province to reduce human-elephant conflicts, state media reported on Sunday."

Keeping the spotlight on Africa’s child soldiers

"To safeguard children, child protection systems must be strengthened at all levels of government and society. National laws prohibiting the recruitment of child soldiers must be prioritised across Africa. High-risk countries must provide comprehensive services for former youth fighters, and help local communities to effectively reintegrate former child soldiers and prevent their re-enlistment."