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waitmyturtles · 1 month

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Turtles Catches Up With Old GMMTV: KinnPorsche, and Analyzing the KP Cultural Zeitgeist Edition (Part 2)

[What’s going on here? After joining Tumblr and discovering Thai BLs through KinnPorsche in 2022, I began watching GMMTV’s new offerings -- and realized that I had a lot of history to catch up on, to appreciate the more recent works that I was delving into. From tropes to BL frameworks, what we’re watching now hails from somewhere, and I’m learning about Thai BL's history through what I’m calling the Old GMMTV Challenge (OGMMTVC). Starting with recommendations from @absolutebl on their post regarding how GMMTV is correcting for its mistakes with its shows today, I’ve made an expansive list to get me through a condensed history of essential/classic/significant Thai BLs produced by GMMTV and many other BL studios. My watchlist, pasted below, lists what I’ve watched and what’s upcoming, along with the reviews I’ve written so far. Today, I conclude a two-part series on my thoughts on KinnPorsche, my very first Thai BL, and the impact that I think KP has had on the Thai BL industry since 2022.]

Top of the morning (or whatever time zone you're in) to ya! Yesterday, I ruminated on KinnPorsche's foundation in regards to how the show wasn't as innovative as newbie members of the Thai BL fandom, like myself, may have thought in 2022 -- but was rather a great example of a show that derivatively used a lot of excellent past Thai BL influences in order to make a newly stylized show that I think, for the most part, worked well.

Harkening back to the outline for these two pieces that I laid out yesterday, this post will concentrate on:

3) How I think KP has impacted how other studios approach, market, and write Thai BLs now, and 4) A quick passing thought on BOC's own continued influence on the Thai BL genre and industry since 2022, particularly by way of Dead Friend Forever.

Before I get fully into point 3, I wanted to take a second to offer one more thought on an element about the KinnPorsche series itself that I didn't unwind on much yesterday, and one that'll connect with point 3 in a second. I mentioned yesterday that I personally (in my own opinion, I am accountable here) don't think that some of the VegasPete elements of the show helped the show's flow and continuity at all times. After my rewatch, I think the show could have stood for more episode editing to better its flow. I very much know how beloved VegasPete are in much of the KP fandom (thanks so much to dear friend @wen-kexing-apologist for the conversations about this during my rewatch!), so I don't want to pooh-pooh very hard, because at the same time, I think Bible as an actor was valuable to the show regarding Vegas's interactions with Porsche -- that side storyline offered intrigue and depth particularly into Porsche's mindset at the end of the series. At the same time, I think the VegasPete scenes contained enough questionable takes on trauma and attraction that I think now contribute to the show's legend and status as a uniquely heaty drama, but (in my opinion, people, I own this!), I think some of those takes could have been removed, smoothed, or tamped down for editing's sake, vis à vis those questionable takes in particular.

Taking VegasPete's trauma-and-kink-driven storyline, and KinnPorsche's romps and unravellings, into consideration, along with the show's excellent use of comedy as a plot driver: I think that KinnPorsche has clearly had an impact on how subsequent "heat" BL dramas have been created and marketed since KP's run. I'm thinking in particularly of some big ones (heh heh), including 2023's Only Friends, and 2023-24's Playboyy (which I did not finish, FYI).

Heat -- and the increasing use and management of it -- has long been an important element of the Thai BL industry. Like I said yesterday, MaxTul (my beloved) were pioneers of it in Together With Me and Manner of Death, and MAME consecrated episodic heat in 2019's TharnType, and even introduced enough of it notably in 2018's Love By Chance by way of those awesome spicy AePete scenes. And the WONDERFUL Lovely Writer offered meta commentary about the dependence that the Thai BL/Series Y industry has on heat in order to drive in fans, oftentimes to the detriment of more interesting and/or fulfilling and/or emotionally complicated plots.

KinnPorsche's lengthy marketing, from its Filmania days in 2020 and 2021, to its eventual 2022 premiere through Be On Cloud, certainly helped to drive interest and intrigue in the show, from the debut pairing of MileApo, to the clear use of heat that the show was promising before its airing. (Red Peafowl could never.)

Looking at the moment we are in right now -- early spring of 2024, with the ability to look back on the conclusions of both Only Friends and Playboyy -- I see the influence that KinnPorsche had on these shows being HUGELY marketed as cutting-edge-entrées to a high-heat and high-interest slice of Thai BL, particularly for Only Friends, which was GMMTV's own first step into really high-heat territory.

Both of the shows ended in meh territory (and both shows were written by the same writer in Den Panuwat, who may very well have a monogamy kink). Both shows ended up putting pure monogamy on a pedestal, and seemed to judge extra-monogamous sex as a "mistake" that was worth rectifying through "true," i.e., monogamous, love.

I posit, and I'm glad, that KinnPorsche did NOT go this route. Extracurricular sex wasn't even in the show's genes anyway, but -- the heat that KP marketed at the time of its premiere was solely associated with the centralized romances of the two main pairings. KinnPorsche didn't have to get extra-monogamously messy in its bones (huh huh) in order to be hot -- and it makes me curious to wonder why shows like Only Friends and Playboyy felt the need to promote relational messiness as a way to hype up their heat, all of which kinda putzed out in the end run of both of those shows.

Of course, we've still had heat in many other shows since KP's premiere, including in directions that roundly surprised the larger fandom, such as Pit Babe's take on omegaverse, and maybe even the vets Earth and Mix getting hot and heavy in Moonlight Chicken, a direction that Aof Noppharnach has been known to not take for the sake of keeping the ratings on his shows kid-friendly. But I do find it interesting that the heavy promotion of Only Friends and Playboyy led the fandom to think that these shows were going to have progressive takes on sex and sexuality, when they ultimately did not (I'd even argue that both of these shows ended up being judgemental of sexual experimentation). And while I don't think KinnPorsche's takes on heat were necessarily progressive, I do think the marketing of their actors getting into that, particularly as compared to Apo's previous career path in leaving acting for a while, was notable -- and as well, the care that the show took to depict heat scenes with excellent cinematography makes many of those scenes so memorable today.

I want to make one final note about KinnPorsche's and Be On Cloud's general influence on the Thai BL industry, in that I'm impressed by their investment in generally good-to-great writing and directing. As I overviewed yesterday, KinnPorsche heavily featured veterans from across the BL landscape, and Be On Cloud's latest serial offering, Dead Friend Forever, continued that trajectory, having an OG BL director in Ma-Deaw Chookiat partly take the helm of that show. Very importantly, Ma-Deaw Chookiat has been the screenwriter and director of a number of seminal Thai queer films and shows, including 2019's Dew, and more impactfully, 2007's The Love of Siam, which is considered a harbinger of the television Thai BL industry, and a film that has notably influenced important Thai BL creators, especially New Siwaj, who doesn't hesitate to include references to LoS in many of his shows, including Until We Meet Again, My Only 12%, and more. Chookiat has also screenwritten and/or directed three shows written by the notable Thai Y novelist, Sammon, in DFF, Manner of Death, and Triage. Sammon has been on a tear recently, as she will be the screenwriter for BOC's upcoming drama, 4 Minutes, as well as Spare Me Your Mercy, the hugely anticipated BL drama starring Tor Thanapob and singer Jaylerr.

Going back to my thoughts earlier about big marketing of big BLs: we've seen some duds recently from shows that were marketed at a big tip, from OF, to Playboyy, to Idol Factory's The Sign. From what I've gathered from the Tumblr tag regarding The Sign -- it seems that show suffered mostly from a lack of editorial context and plot sensibility and tightness, and that there could have been a good show, if the show had spent less money on CGI, and more money on the script.

Be On Cloud seems to mostly be putting its money where its pen is. I say "mostly" as a caveat. Was the ending of DFF fantastic? No, and I totally admit as much: while the show mostly stuck to its slasher genre conventions (thank you so much to @lurkingshan, my genre guru, for explaining this to me), the show seemed to poop out in the end by giving us a PheeJin BL ship, instead of Phee's and Jin's gruesome deaths. Womp womp. The pull of BL, and the need for clean-ish endings for the fujoshi crowd, may still be too economically enticing for studios, including Be On Cloud itself.

But I'm optimistic for BOC's upcoming shows, with the talent and money they're putting into scripts and directing. And we know that BOC's first film, the non-queer Man Suang, was an important artistic point for the studio as it continues its investment in MileApo and experimental content to market within and outside of Thailand. It was important enough that Dead Friend Forever, emanating from the Thai BL world, took on an entirely different genre instead, and literally presented that back to BL fans on a silver platter. I hope 4 Minutes can tread similar experimental territory. And I'm glad to see Be On Cloud being able to invest in high-quality writing and directing after the publicly major obstacles the studio experienced last year during the Build Jakapan scandal.

From the time I discovered Thai BLs in 2022, to now: I would not have expected KinnPorsche and Be On Cloud to start such a journey in my personal drama fan life. As well, considering how many damn shows I've now watched from Thailand, I also didn't expect this rewatch of KinnPorsche to be so much fun. AND, I truly didn't realize I had this much to say about it -- but there was a lot of say, especially by way of how referential the original KinnPorsche series was, which touched my little nerdy BL heart.

With that, I say ta-ta to my entrée to this fun world of Thai BLs, and move on to the next one!

[OKAY! We are kind of back of the grind, although my ability to watch dramas has really been hampered by real life obligations and schedules. BUT: I'm trucking along through War of Y, and I have some fun rewatches coming up in The Eclipse (my first-ever GMMTV BL), as well as two new-to-me dramas in GAP (the first GL on the list, WOO!) and My School President, which I can't wait for.

I've made a few tiddly adjustments to the list below, including adding Dead Friend Forever as an important addition, and I'm deep in my giggles with 23.5, which I am LOVING. ONWARDS! For more details about the ongoing list, please checkity-check here!

1) The Love of Siam (2007) (movie) (review here) 2) My Bromance (2014) (movie) (review here) 3) Love Sick and Love Sick 2 (2014 and 2015) (review here) 4) Gay OK Bangkok Season 1 (2016) (a non-BL queer series directed by Jojo Tichakorn and written by Aof Noppharnach) (review here) 5) Make It Right (2016) (review here) 6) SOTUS (2016-2017) (review here) 7) Gay OK Bangkok Season 2 (2017) (a non-BL queer series directed by Jojo Tichakorn and written by Aof Noppharnach) (review here) 8) Make It Right 2 (2017) (review here) 9) Together With Me (2017) (review here) 10) SOTUS S/Our Skyy x SOTUS (2017-2018) (review here) 11) Love By Chance (2018) (review here) 12) Kiss Me Again: PeteKao cuts (2018) (no review) 13) He’s Coming To Me (2019) (review here) 14) Dark Blue Kiss (2019) and Our Skyy x Kiss Me Again (2018) (review here) 15) TharnType (2019-2020) (review here) 16) Senior Secret Love: Puppy Honey (OffGun BL cuts) (2016 and 2017) (no review) 17) Theory of Love (2019) (review here) 18) 3 Will Be Free (2019) (a non-BL and an important harbinger of things to come in 2019 and beyond re: Jojo Tichakorn pushing queer content in non-BLs) (review here) 19) Dew the Movie (2019) (review here) 20) Until We Meet Again (2019-2020) (review here) (and notes on my UWMA rewatch here) 21) 2gether (2020) and Still 2gether (2020) (review here) 22) I Told Sunset About You (2020) (review here) 23) YYY (2020, out of chronological order) (review here) 24) Manner of Death (2020-2021) (review here) 25) A Tale of Thousand Stars (2021) (review here) 26) A Tale of Thousand Stars (2021) OGMMTVC Fastest Rewatch Known To Humankind For The Sake Of Rewatching Our Skyy 2 x BBS x ATOTS (re-review here) 27) Lovely Writer (2021) (review here) 28) Last Twilight in Phuket (2021) (the mini-special before IPYTM) (review here) 29) I Promised You the Moon (2021) (review here) 30) Not Me (2021-2022) (review here) 31) Bad Buddy (2021-2022) (thesis here) 32) 55:15 Never Too Late (2021-2022) (not a BL, but a GMMTV drama that features a macro BL storyline about shipper culture and the BL industry) (review here) 33) Bad Buddy (2021-2022) and Our Skyy 2 x BBS x ATOTS (2023) OGMMTVC Rewatch (Links to the BBS OGMMTVC Meta Series are here: preamble here, part 1, part 2, part 3a, part 3b, and part 4) 34) Secret Crush On You (2022) (review here) 35) KinnPorsche (2022) (tag here) 36) KinnPorsche (2022) OGMMTVC Fastest Rewatch Known To Humankind For the Sake of Re-Analyzing the KP Cultural Zeitgeist (part 1 here)

...interrupting the OGMMTVC list here to watch War of Y (2022) (watching) in chronology to decide if it gets listed...

37) The Eclipse (2022) (tag here) 38) The Eclipse OGMMTVC Rewatch to Reexamine “Genre BLs” and Internalized/Externalized Homophobia in GMMTV Shows 39) GAP (2022-2023) (Thailand’s first GL) 40) My School President (2022-2023) and Our Skyy 2 x My School President (2023) 41) Moonlight Chicken (2023) (tag here) 42) Bed Friend (2023) (tag here) 43 La Pluie (2023) (review coming) 44) Be My Favorite (2023) (tag here) (I’m including this for BMF’s sophisticated commentary on Krist’s career past as a BL icon) 45) Wedding Plan (2023) (Recommended as an important trajectory in the course of MAME’s work and influence from TharnType) 46) Only Friends (2023) (tag here) (not technically a BL, but it certainly became one in the end) 47) Last Twilight (2023-24) (tag here) (on the list as Thailand’s first major BL to center disability, successfully or otherwise) 48) Cherry Magic Thailand (2023-24) (tag here) (on the list as the first major Japanese-to-Thai drama adaptation, featuring the comeback of TayNew) 49) Ossan’s Love Returns (2024) (adding for the EarthMix cameo and the eventual Thai remake) 50) Dead Friend Forever (2024) (thoughts here) 51) 23.5 (2024)]

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libraford · 4 months

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Okay, finished the 10th Kingdom 2000 miniseries, so here's my notes on my 3rd rewatch as an adult.

Mind you, I was like 13 when this came out.

1. I always forget how horny this show is. Like it slips my mind completely. Like... you could really just get away with anything in the early 00s as long as they kept their clothes on.

2. There are parts of this that do not hold up very well.

3. The writer in me wants to rewrite it but with the challenge of keeping the overall spirit of the series. I would put a bit more effort into thematic foreshadowing. Because there were parts that had unity and others that just kind trailed off.

4. Definitely in the folder of 'I said I LIKED it, I didn't say it was GOOD.' Excellent 30% brain series.

5. Word of advice: do not make a drinking game out of times that s&p would intervene if this was written today. Be smart than me. Hydrate.

Solid 3.7/5. Will probably watch this again in a decade because I love dancing with liver failure.

#the 10th kingdom

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lucifer-scenario · 5 months

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Hi so, I love your stuff! Can you please write an imagine where reader is Lucifer Morningstar’s fallen angel wife and heavily pregnant and meet chloe?

A/N: Hello! I finally started rewatching Lucifer again to work on some requests. I was excited for this one and a few others that were sent in.

Leaning on the bar counter, you release a long sigh, hands braced as your gaze fixates on your feet. "Oh, you’ll be a mischievous one just like your daddy," you murmur, eyes squeezed shut as the babe inside delivers a harsh kick to your ribs. Your baby girl refuses to settle, making her discomfort your problem.

It took a minute to click in your mind, the sound of chatter and a door clicking open before the familiar sweet call of your name. “What?” You exclaim, wincing at your loudness. It provokes the babe to give another kick. You weren’t upset with Lucifer; it was that regulating your voice and emotions had been a challenge when you were made uncomfortable by the very creature that was the creation of the love you both held for one another.

A disgruntled noise leaves you as you straighten up, spotting your husband emerging from the stairs. Worry fills his eyes the moment he sees you. “Oh, darling, are you alright?” Lucifer rushes over, grabbing your elbows as your hands find purchase on his chest. Your eyes close for a moment, taking in a sharp breath as your daughter shifts again. “Is she causing you trouble again? She’s yet to come out and is already being naughty.” You let out a shaky laugh, a smile blooming on your face as you stare at your husband.

“She’s really taking after her father so far.” You say, pressing your lips to his in a greeting. “You’re back home early.” You had thought he wouldn’t be back till later, something along the lines of a new case that had grabbed his attention and skipped off to annoy the detective. Someone clears their throat, and you look over Lucifer’s shoulder to a woman standing there. A familiar-looking woman.

“Why do I know her from somewhere?” You ask, attempting to lull the baby to sleep with your nails grazing your belly side to side. Lucifer chuckles, pressing a kiss to your forehead.

“My love, think really hard.” Your brows furrow in that way Lucifer loves when you're thinking about something. You snap your finger, eyes glittering as you quickly turn to your husband.

“That chick from that one film.” Your hand taps against Lucifer’s arm in excitement, that wicked grin on his face. The woman groans. “Hot Tub High School!” You turn back to her and give an apologetic look. “Sorry. You have great boobs though! Nothing to be ashamed of.”

Lucifer chuckles, pressing a kiss to your head again. “Yes, but this is also the detective I’ve told you about.” You move away from your husband toward her and stick your hand out.

“[Y/n] Morningstar, I’ve heard so much about you.” Chloe’s eyes flicker to your hand, or rather your belly, and finally to Lucifer with a disbelieving expression. She takes your hand and gives it a firm shake.

“Chloe Decker and I’ve heard nothing about you.” You look over your shoulder and give Lucifer a ‘really’ look. After all these millennia together, he just happens to casually forget to mention you. This was strategic on his part.

“My husband is awfully dramatic,” You roll your eyes, skimming your hand over your belly. “He loves it when people gape at me in shock.”

Lucifer chuckles, approaching from behind. “I thought you despise children,” Chloe asks, her eyes flicking behind you.

“I do, terrible, taxing burdens,” Lucifer responds, placing his hand on your belly. “But this one is my little hellion.” The babe gives a particularly hard kick at Lucifer’s hand, and your nose scrunches up.

“And without a doubt full of your attitude,” You add. “Can I offer you a drink, Detective?” You gesture toward the bar. “On the house, of course.”

“She makes an excellent cosmopolitan,” Lucifer says and he glances at you. “If you're offering I’ll take one as well,” You turn and smack his chest, giving him a playful glare.

“Not you, you alcoholic slut.” You usher Chloe to sit as you round the bar, pulling things off the shelf in a graceful manner.

As she settles, Chloe’s eyes follow your movements. “Should she be tending the bar while pregnant?” Chloe asks, turning to Lucifer as he sits next to her. He scoffs.

“No one tells the Queen of Hell what she can and cannot do and certainly not me. I will not be on the receiving end of that glare.”

You snort at Lucifer’s answer, capping the shaker and blending the ingredients together. “Maze will not allow me near the bar while Lux is open.” You pour the contents of the shaker into two cocktail glasses. “Frankly, they both fight with me to stay within the penthouse when the club is open, especially now that their princess is due very soon.” Topping the cosmos with a slice of lime, you place the glasses in front of them.

“Thank you, my love.” Lucifer purrs, placing a chaste kiss on your palm. You smile and nod to Chloe.

“If it’s not to your liking, let me know and I can mix something else up. I’m sure Lucifer will finish that one if you don’t.”

“No, no, this is fine.” Chloe says as she grabs the drink, taking a sip, her hand flies to her mouth in shock. “This is delicious!” You smile as you walk back around the bar, stopping at your husband’s side.

“I told you so.” Lucifer says. You pat his arm, pressing a kiss to his cheek.

“Don’t let it get to your head.” You remark. Chloe turns to you, making a small gesture to your belly.

“You look due soon, how far along are you?” You gently grab her hand and lay it on your belly, surprising her.

“I think we’re at thirty-nine weeks, but who knows if she’ll come at forty, celestials don’t normally give birth like this.” You keep your hand above Chloe’s, waiting for that little kick and aren’t disappointed when you feel it above her hand. Her smile matches yours. “She likes you.”

#lucifer #lucifer morningstar #lucifer morningstar x reader #fanfiction #scenario #reader insert

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shadowkoo · 9 months

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Chasing Clouds - Prologue

→ Summary: Namjoon made the decision early on in his training that he would abstain from dating or entering any form of relationship while in active duty. He’s determined not to burden anyone with the likelihood of being to be notified of his death or causing pain to someone he loves by his long absence. Ironically, he found himself drawn to you, a doctor who challenges his beliefs and contradicts everything he upholds.

↠ knj x f.reader | 1k words | 18+ ↠ genre: military au, angst (future chapters include: doctor au, s2l, slow burn, smut, fluff, romance

→ Warnings: Read at your own risk! war, ptsd, bombs, guns, violence, injury, death, blood, (future warnings include: murder, use of other weapons, smut warnings)

→ Author Note: my favorite kdrama of all time is descendants of the sun and in honor of my fifth rewatch, I wanted to write this series! it takes place about a year after the show ends, just so you know the timeline :) i would recommend that you watch it first, but it’s not a requirement - it just gives insight to some of the character's personalities (plus i’ll take any opportunity to tell people to watch it lol)

Prologue

MAY 02 - 0340 - USTANA

The darkness of the night feels heavy; its weight is unsettling as the soldiers start their most recent assignment. Namjoon has an odd feeling in the pit of his stomach. It’s twisting and turning like never before. He isn’t usually nervous before missions; he hasn’t had a reason to be. He's always followed through and completed his tasks without issue; which is one of the main reasons everyone has such high hopes for him.

Tonight is different though, and he knows the others have the same odd feeling as they all take off their dog tags and set them aside. If captured, they need to remain anonymous.

"You guys know the drill. Once we locate the hostage, everyone will need to be attentive because it'll only be a matter of time until the whole building knows it's been breached. This isn't another exercise boys, lives are at stake here,” Big Boss, Captain Yoo Shijin, says to his team of special force soldiers.

"As this is the last mission of your training term, I expect nothing but excellence in your delivery of the hostage. We've orchestrated the specifics of this mission in such a way that will prove whether or not you are cut for these types of diplomatic high-profile assignments," Wolf, Big Bosses best friend Seo Daeyoung, adds.

"Whatever you do, don't compromise the mission. Don’t use your birth name to communicate, use the nicknames you were given, as well as ours," Big Boss hollers, finishing off their short speech as the back door of the aircraft opened.

Ustana, the country they’re secretly entering, is known for its drug and weapons problem due to its corrupt government. If things end badly, it will reflect on Korea. That’s why the team’s identities and nationalities can’t be known.

The plane jolts, narrowly missing the projectile that was aimed at the steel bird in the sky, solidifying the seriousness of the current situation below.

Namjoon repeats his orders to keep some level of sanity and peace of mind as he descended from the sky with the rest of the Puppy Pack, the soldiers in training to join the Alpha Team.

‘Find the hostage. Mislead the enemy. Return home. Stay alive.’

Once on the ground, he waits for the signal to ambush the guards watching the doors and proceeds to lead the group. Shijin and Daeyoung follow behind with the rest of the soldiers at their feet.

Daeyoung nods, giving Namjoon the go-ahead to align his gun on the enemy. This is the part he often tunes out. You need to be able to turn the switch, as he calls it, on and off with this kind of job.

He aligns his scope with the target and quickly pulls the trigger before moving to the others nearby before they even realize what’s happening. He watches as their bodies drop, waiting to see if anyone else runs into the room, but it’s quiet. Almost too quiet…

"Wildcat, All clear,” he says into his mic, letting the others know their access point is now safe for entry.

‘Find the hostage. Mislead the enemy. Return home. Stay alive.’

It takes less than two minutes for the group of highly trained soldiers to find the hostage. He’s badly beaten and unconscious, his body hunched over in the chair he’s tied to.

Wolf keeps watch by the side door while the team works on releasing the man. Jihoon, another one of the Puppy Pack trainees, helps Namjoon carry the man back to where the transport aircraft is waiting.

“I don’t want to jinx anything, but that was almost too easy…” Jihoon says, looking at Namjoon.

He agrees. Something’s not adding up…

He peers through the open door of the transport helicopter, gazing outside. They’re waiting for the last of the group to make their way onto the craft, and he just wants to ensure that everyone is safe. His shoulders relax when he can see their dark forms exiting the building.

Namjoon turns to look back at Jihoon, “I see them, they’re-” his sentence ends unfinished.

“What is that?” he says, taking a step closer to the unconscious hostage that Jihoon and a combat medic are helping. He points out the red blinking light on the man’s neck. It’s not a laser from a gun. It’s coming from inside his skin. ‘It’s almost as if…’ His thought trails off. “Run!” he screams, though it’s too late.

The bomb’s detonation rips through the helicopter, unleashing an intense burst of energy. In an instant, the searing shockwave propels fragments of debris outward. The air vibrates with a deafening roar, drowning out all other sounds.

The chaotic energy tears apart surroundings and scatters the remnants in all directions. A plume of smoke and fire billows upward, consuming everything in its path. The impact leaves a scene of devastation, marked by shattered glass, twisted metal, and a sense of raw destruction.

Namjoon feels the force of the explosion in his chest and is thrown far from his comrade, and debris crashes around him. His head bounces against the ground, and the ringing in his ears is so intense, he believes he will never hear again.

Jihoon is several feet away. His eyes are frozen open, and blood trails down his face from the head injury he suffers from. Namjoon reaches for his lifeless friend but it’s all too much.

Then, everything fades to black.

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outofthemouthsof · 1 month

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15-Day BL Challenge in 1 Night!

I'm more of a lurker than a poster but Tumblr's my fave place to wallow in BLness. My 2nd favorite place is the spreadsheet where I track the shows I've watched (172 completed in just over a year), so @negrowhat 's challenge was irresistible. I'm gonna cram my answers in one post. Here goes!

Fave OG Actor Pairing: Some of the ones I think of as OG are only like 4 years old, so this was tough. And the 18 shows that have gotten my top score aren't very old. But I went through those 18 and picked the oldest, and it was the 2018 Korean microfilm Some More. Because it's so short it's super rewatchable, but even if I wasn't able to watch the whole thing a half dozen times (which I have), I'd still have gone back & watched the sweet moments and sex scene about 25 times (which I have). So I guess my fave OG actor pairing is Park Chan Ung and Kim Joon Bum! How they got me so deeply invested in their love in mere minutes is beyond me, but they did!

Fave Rookie Actor Pairing: Does Japan do the CP thing that Thailand does? I don't think so, but one couple I wish had about a dozen more BL series together lined up are Kouhei Higuchi and Atsuki Mashiko of My Personal Weatherman! Their chemistry was visceral and they're too pretty to be believed.

Side Dish That Should've Been the Main Course: While I enjoyed the main pairing a lot, they were nothing compared to the crazy rollercoaster side plot (how'd it go from so funny to SO dark to so sexy to so sweet and wholesome like that??) of Vegas/Pete from KinnPorsche!

Fave Ship Dynamic: Obvs from answers 2 & 3 I am not against D/s ships at ALL. Also a sucker for tough-but-submissive-bodyguard with mafia-brat-prince. Honestly I like tons of different dynamics from innocent to toxic, but one that gives me major butterflies is a guy who thinks he's straight but when confronted with the idea of liking another guy, doesn't have a macho freakout or run away, just kind of straightforwardly & sincerely searches his feelings until he figures it out. And then takes care of his baby. Why's that so HOT and sweet? Some of my fave examples: Pete/Ae in Love By Chance, Le Jian/Amber from DNA Says Love You, and Ida/Aoki from My Love Mix-Up!

Biggest Flop: This is expectations vs. execution, right? There's loads of shows I've abandoned, some I've stuck with for no good reason, etc., that are way worse than what I consider my personal biggest let-down. I was so enamored of Perth from LBC that I assumed he could do no wrong, and the bully-to-lover, rich/poor pairings often do it for me. So I guess I just assumed Dangerous Romance would be amazing, and it was REALLY good for a couple episodes. It wasn't the worst thing I ever saw, but so much of it just ... felt ... flat. Very surprising.

Fave Line From Your Fave Series: Well I know my fave series--Cherry Magic Thailand was the most perfect, entrancing, heartwarming series EVER, OMG, it was staggeringly good and stuck the landing in a way few shows have managed. I can't really think of one standout line--the script was so on point & there were HUNDREDS of sweet tingly moments. There were some epic ones in ep11 tho: When Achi says "The voice inside your head is so loud" and Karan (the boldest he's ever been) replies "Don't worry; soon you won't be able to read my mind anymore." (But then clearly uses that power one more time to gain the sweetest nonverbal consent EVER.) Then, Karan: "Do you regret losing your power?" Achi: "I'd regret not loving you." (OMG how I squealed.)

Fave Villain: This was so tough. An over-the-top villain I loved to hate (and an actor I loved from his sweetie-pie green-flag role in SCOY) was obvs Heng Asavarid as Chalothon in The Sign. But an actor who was so excellent at being loathsome and malicious toward the main couple, with just enough of a redemption arc that I didn't totally despise the character by the end (but did hate most of the way through): Park Hae In as Eun Ji (Jae Won's ex) in The Eighth Sense. It was a typical "faen fatale" role but so well done. So a tie between 2 totally different takes on the destructive ex.

The Trope You Hate Except When It's "This Series": OK, "hate" is a strong word for how I feel about the drop-of-rain-makes-you-ill so love-interest-takes-care-of-you trope. It's OK. But holy SHIT is it overused. Holy shit. I sigh resignedly when I realize we're going there. EXCEPT. When P'Phayu goes to visit Rain in Love in the Air when he's sick, and his version of caregiving? Forcibly applying medicine in the form of a rectal suppository. It is so funny, weirdly sexy, very in line with their dynamic (doesn't get in the way of their romance moments later at all), & it shoves a big middle finger up the overoveroverused sick-bed trope.

Most Visually Pleasing Love Scene: Okay, THE scene in The Sign is the clear winner in my & many people's books. But there are so many runners-up: the post-race one in Love in the Air. Just about every one in Pit Babe (both couples) & My Personal Weatherman. (A lot of other faves don't quite qualify as visually or emotionally pleasing--lustfully pleasing should be a 3rd category in this challenge!)

Most Emotionally Pleasing Love Scene: Again, I have a clear winner: Cherry Magic Thailand. So full of emotion, so well deserved, so everything. Sigh. But lots of runners-up: same scene in The Sign, both kissing scenes in DNA Says Love You (tame but soo emotionally satisfying), Ray & Sand's camper reunion in Only Friends, the post-prison love scenes for both couples in Kiseki: Dear to Me, the 1st time in I Feel You Linger in the Air ...

Breakup That Should've Stayed Broken Up: Maybe it's because I try to be choosy in what I watch all the way thru or maybe I'm a big softy who tends to root for every couple no matter how lame. In all my completed shows, I could only think of 2 breakups where I wasn't at all invested in them getting back together (and maybe against it): Tian/Poon, What Zabb Man and Top/Mew, Only Friends.

Wedding You Wish You Had an Invite To: If we're talking weddings that actually appeared in the show, Achi and Karan's in Cherry Magic Thailand, obvs! If it's hypothetical weddings, I'd be desperate to go to one of ANY of the characters in Playboyy! I'd wear a bulletproof vest & bring my own flask of booze, but it would be the trashy chaos-filled social event of a lifetime.

Give 5 Good Boys a Gold Star: Just 5? OK, some I haven't mentioned yet. 1. Shin Woo, Light on Me, 2. Palm, Never Let Me Go, 3. Mohk, Last Twilight, 4. Thun, He's Coming to Me, 5. Neua, Secret Crush on You. Best boys!

The Top 5 Most Sad Boys: I'll limit it to ones where the suffering was kinda pretty, not just painful. 1. Way, Pit Babe, 2. Akk, The Eclipse, 3. Kaipa/Gaipa, Moonlight Chicken, 4. Hae Bom, Cherry Blossoms After Winter, 5. Kiyoi, My Beautiful Man

Bestest Besties: Just one? Gah! Fine, Pearl & Gavreel in Gameboys. She got those boys together in quarantine!

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stuffnonsenseandotherthings · 4 months

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BL Drama no Shuen ni Narimashita: Crank Up Hen Final Thoughts

Watch It Or Drop It Challenge

Three episodes of cuteness, misunderstandings and laughs sprinkled with a pinch of childhood trauma and ponderings on stan culture.

Strengths

This is, without a single doubt, an incredibly cute show with plenty of heart at its centre. The cast is small and the run time is compact but it did a lot with what it had; the characters felt like they had lives outside of and beyond the boundaries of the script (and this includes the supporting characters, who can run the risk of feeling like props in short dramas like these), the pacing was solid, the chemistry was there (for both couples and the head canon lesbian couple I've added for my own enjoyment), and the show even managed to touch on some deeper themes in amidst the comedy.

I had a genuinely great time getting to know both Akafuji and Aoyanagi and as cliche-filled and rom-com tropey as their story was (yes they have to live together, oh darn there's only one bed, wow would you look at that they'd actually already met, etc) those clichés and tropes were done well enough (and an integral part of the drama's main theme enough) I bought it hook-line-and sinker. There is something extremely satisfying about a show that is self-aware enough to play with its own tropes after all.

A final strength: hats off to Akafuji for being such a healthy stan, that man said no to the traps of parasocial relationships and drew some firm lines for himself.

Weaknesses

As I said in the strengths section, BL Drama no Shuen ni Narimashita: Crank Up Hen certainly didn't need a longer run time to successfully and effectively deliver it's story (in fact it's probably a good thing it wasn't longer) but, as with all short dramas I watch, I still find myself wishing it was a little longer. I would have loved the show to have more of a chance to explore some of the deeper themes it touched on (Kuromiya and his own experience with stan culture VS Akafuji's boundaries as a stan, the trauma of being a child actor) but at the same time I can fully accept that that wasn't what the show was setting out to do and that it didn't need to do it in order to tell a good story.

A final weakness: The crime of cat-bating, you can't tell me one of the characters has a cat he adores AND THEN NOT GIVE ME A SCENE WITH A CAT IN IT (and no a picture is not enough)

Conclusion: An excellent introduction to the world of J-BL that has me excited for whatever I watch next. It was short and sweet and, while on a conceptual level I wish there'd been more time to explore the darker themes it touched on, it absolutely did not need to and it's probably best that it didn't.

I would definitely recommend it to anyone looking for something light, fluffy, and funny and which also won't bury them under a heap of second hand embarrassment but instead warm the cockles of their hearts!

Watch or Drop: WATCH

Final Score: 8/10

Would I Rewatch It: Yes! Maybe not straight away but I can definitely see myself coming back to it if I want a quick fluffy watch or a pick-me-up

Watch It Or Drop It Masterpost

#watch it or drop it #watch it #BL Drama no Shuen ni Narimashita: Crank Up Hen #j bl

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quantumshade · 1 year

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hi, i have to ask about gay coded rose/ten because im INTENSELY curious. i just finished a rewatch of nine and ten and i'm just sitting here starry eyed through ur sped-up chalkboard-aided lecture. PLEASE, enlighten me

thank you SO MUCH for asking, i will take absolutely any excuse to talk about this :)

putting this under a readmore because it got LONG.

a lot of this comes from a video essay by verilybitchie that i highly, highly recommend--it's changed a lot about the way i look at rtd era as well as "representation" in general. my friend @regenderate has also made a couple really well-articulated posts on this topic

but to try and put it in my own words somewhat, the doctor and rose's relationship is defined by touch. from the moment he grabs her hand in the basement of henrik's, saving her life, all the way to doomsday, with, "still just an image. no touch", and then their jubilant hug in journey's end.

which reminds me--the way they hug is something that's always really struck me about the doctor and rose. they grab on to one another as if when they let go, they will drift apart--which is, of course, what happens.

and when you think about it, their desperation to hold on to one another, to hug, to hold hands, to touch, feels very, very significant when you remember that the showrunner is a gay man who lived through the aids crisis and writes a lot about it. as @regenderate points out, there are a lot of episodes in series 1 and 2 where touch is not only the problem, but the solution. the disease in new earth is spread through touch, but at the end of the episode, it is cured through touch, through these people who have never known a loving hand or a proper connection with another person hugging, shaking hands, touching each others' faces.

gay people are told to fear touch, that kissing and sex are sinful and unnatural, that holding hands with your partner or showing affection in any way in public could lead to one or both of you getting hurt.

the doctor and rose do not allow themselves to be together because the doctor knows he will outlive her and believes that giving in and being with her, allowing himself to be happy, will only lead to more pain for the future.

there are other things as well, like how the doctor, before eight, had never kissed anyone on screen before, and it wasn't something the audience was accustomed to. the doctor was often kept so nonsexual to the point where, while filming the five doctors, one producer asked carole ann ford not to call the doctor grandfather, because it would suggest that at one point, the doctor had fucked, and he didn't like that. rose is the blueprint, the archetype, for the nuwho companion. she is there to represent the audience, to challenge the doctor on his deep-set opinions, to grow, to be his equal. she had the task of easing an audience of both new and old fans into a world where the doctor can be a romantic figure. she had to change things, go against the status quo, and, in my opinion, she did that excellently.

similarly, when rose meets the doctor, she is deeply ingrained in everyday life, in a job she hates, in an incompatible relationship, etc, and meeting him shakes all of that up. staying home on earth, going to work, being with mickey, all of those are things are expected of her. (i fully believe she and mickey were only in a relationship together because they were childhood friends and they felt like they should be-- they are incompatible as a romantic couple, which is the point, even though fans are always determined to blame the failure of their relationship on one or the other, but that's a whole other post) meeting the doctor, traveling with him, it gives her purpose, and it allows her to grow into the person that she always could be. that's a big theme in rtd era especially--everyone has the capability for amazing things, and they can and will thrive when given the opportunity to as well as someone to believe in them.

but mickey is representing the "safe" option, of a normal, heterosexual relationship, the one that she is expected to be in. jackie is disapproving of rose's new lifestyle (not that she's invalid for those fears at all, i'm speaking metatexually here) and is constantly hoping that she will change her mind and return to safety because the last thing she wants is for her daughter to be in danger. but once rose sees what's out there, once she glimpses her own potential, once she--and bear with me here--exits the closet, she couldn't possibly go back.

from parting of the ways:

ROSE: But what do I do every day, mum? What do I do? Get up, catch the bus, go to work, come back home, eat chips and go to bed? Is that it? MICKEY: It's what the rest of us do. ROSE: But I can't! MICKEY: Why, because you're better than us? ROSE: No, I didn't mean that. But it was. It was a better life. And I don't mean all the traveling and seeing aliens and spaceships and things. That don't matter. The Doctor showed me a better way of living your life. You know he showed you too. That you don't just give up. You don't just let things happen. You make a stand. You say no. You have the guts to do what's right when everyone else just runs away.

the final point i'll make here is that the doctor has been queercoded for a long, long time. they are neither straight nor cis. and thanks to billie piper sometime after jodie whittaker's casting, we know that rose would still be in love with 13 still, which i would have wholeheartedly believed regardless, but it's nice to hear it from the woman who played rose herself. even if they are visually/optically a heterosexual relationship, they really, really aren't, textually or otherwise.

this post got away from me. it got away from me bad. but this is something i think about a LOT. doctor who, and rose in particular, have been my special interest for a decade or so and as a dyke fan who spends a lot of time with other dyke fans, i have some pretty extensive thoughts on this kind of stuff.

uhhhhh feel free to shoot me a message if you have any questions, like i said i love love love talking about this!!

#thank you so so so much for asking ily <33 #doctor who #doctor who meta #rose tyler #doctor x rose #doctorrose #ninerose #tenrose #delia.txt #meta

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irish-urn · 3 months

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For the ask game:

001 - Dasey

002 - Derek and Casey

Dasey:

when I started shipping it if I did: Oh, boy. That's a question, now isn't it? I low-key shipped them when I first found Dasey fanfiction waaaaaaay back in my undergrad (so, like 10-12 years ago?). But it was super low-key. I got BACK into Dasey majorly in the spring of 2021 and stumbled upon fanvids and fanfiction of them AGAIN and because I was laid up health-wise, I got obsessed.

my thoughts: I have a LOT of thoughts about Dasey???? I think they're fascinating characters and I adore them both as individuals and as a couple. I think their physical comedy (and by that I mean they're complete lack of personal space) is hilarious; and I think they have insane chemistry. I think Derek knows Casey better than anyone, and Casey gets Derek better than anyone; and I think they're both stupid and stubborn enough to never acknowledge that. I think they're far more alike than they are different, and I think I need to continue my rewatch of the show because I'm gonna end up writing an essay about them.

What makes me happy about them: I think it's how good of a team they can be. I've always been a BIG friends-to-lovers shipper, but even more than that, a "we're partners and i've got your back" shipper. And even though Derek and Casey TRY to pretend to they hate each other, we have sooooo much evidence of them being protective of the other, of them going out of their way to help the other (usually complaining the whole time, but c'mon), and of them kicking serious butt when they do work together. It just makes something inside me purr.

What makes me sad about them: THEY'RE KIDS IN AN AWFUL SITUATION and they don't FEEL like family, but everything in their lives are telling them they're supposed to be; but they CAN'T be, and if they TRY to be together, they might hurt their FAMILIES who they LOVE so MUCH; and I think you catch my drift.

things done in fanfic that annoys me: ...I really hate OOC-ness, but the MOST OOC-ness I hate is when people make Derek to be, like, abusive? Or completely inconsiderate of Casey's boundaries, and you get into non-con. I just... Nope.

things I look for in fanfic: EXCELLENT CHARACTERIZATION. Good bantering, that push-and-pull that they both have... I also think they have at least mildly kinky sex, and I support this.

Who I’d be comfortable them ending up with, if not each other: Well, all of Casey's boyfriends SUCK except for Sam who is an excellent person but not good for her. And I'm pretty sure her husband in LWL isn't doing a good job either. So they'd have to create a WHOLE NEW CHARACTER for her--

I don't mind Derek/Sally, except I think they'd have to work things out as adults better. I dunno; the show purposely shows us that Derek and Casey are far more important to each other than any of their significant others (that's been stated by the creators, btw), so yeah. No one.

My happily ever after for them: THEY GET TOGETHER AND THE FAMILY ACCEPTS THEM AND THEY STAY TOGETHER FOR, LIKE, 60+ YEARS AND BICKER AND BANTER AND LOVE EACH OTHER THE WHOLE TIME and whether or not they have kids depends completely on their choices and Derek calms Casey's panic attacks, and Casey reminds Derek of his worth, and I cry.

who is the big spoon/little spoon: THEY. SWITCH. I think most of the time Derek is the big spoon because he's kinda sexist, no lie, but I think when he's having a bad day, he likes getting spooned. Casey likes being held, but she also likes holding him. So, uh... 80% of the time Derek is the big spoon.

what is their favorite non-sexual activity: Honestly, I think it's arguing. But in, like, a fun way? With bets and competition and teasing and flirting; I strongly believe that they would just have a lot of small arguments and that would keep the big fights small too. And Casey likes debating and Derek likes challenges.

Derek:

How I feel about this character: MY BLORBO???? I LOVE HIM??? HE'S SUCH A LITTLE SHIT; I ADORE HIM???

All the people I ship romantically with this character: Well. Casey, obviously. And to a certain extent, Sally.

My non-romantic OTP for this character: ...Derek&Lizzie. I know, I KNOW that Derek & Marti are like, gold, but I think his interactions with Lizzie are superb.

My unpopular opinion about this character: ...do I have one? I dunno. I have a lot of opinions about his relationship with his parents, but I wouldn't call them unpopular, more... me looking at things differently than some others do.

One thing I wish would happen / had happened with this character in canon: I wish, in LWL, people (Genora) recognized how much he had grown. Just because a person likes to have fun and tease and passes off some of his responsibilities to people he knows will do them (see: Skyler and Casey, but they also ENJOY doing these tasks most of the time), doesn't make him immature. He was SUCH a good dad and was taking steps to improve Skyler's life, and maybe their lives weren't traditional, but she was healthy and loved and appreciated and he had raised her as best he could; and honestly, his relationship with Skyler was much better than his with George, I'm just saying. Derek is clever with a large heart, and I wish people in the show saw that more.

my OTP: ...Dasey.

my cross over ship: I don't like crossovers? *shrugs*

a headcanon fact: Derek is a dork. He's a big ol' dork. I HC that he knows an awful lot about very certain things because he gets hyperfixated -- reword: Derek has undiagnosed ADHD. There. That's my fact.

#ask game #life with derek #dasey #derek venturi

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queerxqueen · 2 years

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Stranger Things is a very big and popular show right now all over the world. Do you really expect them to write Byler and canonizing it over the favored straight ship in the show after 3 seasons? I am not asking this as a shipper. But as a viewer. I have no problem with Byler. I just cannot realistically see Byler happening all things considered.

also, from another anon: How likely do you think that byler might become Canon? Cuz there's a.lot of people threatening to boycott the show if it "TuRnS GAy"?

Short answer: Yes, I actually do expect them to make Byler canon, lol.

Long answer??? Let's get into it.

Why Byler Can Be Canon

For this post, I'm not gonna bother talking about why it should be canon or all the ways it would make sense. Instead, I'm going to talk about the signs that it can be canon, and why expecting Byler isn't as farfetched as certain homophobic Redditors seem to believe.

The Rise of Queer Media

Queer representation is on the rise. I'm not just talking about Heartstopper, gay rom-coms, and more queer media in general, I'm talking about queer representation in beloved series. Have all of you been brainwashed by Marvel and Star Wars and Disney franchises? Because outside of that, queer characters are popping up more and more. The Thirteenth Doctor is sapphic; Star Trek has queer couples; the new adaptations of It realized the queer subtext of the book and previous adaptations, even if it could have been done... better. The point is, queer representation is quite literally the best it's ever been.

And no one knows what people watch better than Netflix. We talk so much about the general audience but we don't actually know who they are--between the loudly vocal shippers on Tumblr and the vocal homophobes on Reddit, it's hard to see through the internet what people actually think. But Netflix? They have oodles of data of who's watched Stranger Things (and how many times) versus who's watched any number of shows with queer characters. And I genuinely feel that the overall trends would show that the general public at the very least tolerates queer characters on the screen.

Building Themes, Subverting Tropes, and Defying Expectations

The fact that they're main characters several seasons into the show make Certain People sure that they wouldn't switch things up. But Stranger Things is uniquely set up to do that in a way that makes sense and has impact. The characters are young and still figuring out their sexualities, and Mike growing up and realizing what his feelings mean would fit in with the themes of coming of age as well as themes of non-conformity. Additionally, Stranger Things has woven in enough hints toward it throughout the seasons that it truly isn't coming out of nowhere, and if it were canon, viewers could rewatch and notice all the things us Bylers have been screaming about.

Beyond that, Stranger Things has always been about subverting tropes and making you think deeper, with the Duffer Bros repeatedly saying that little details have meaning. Mike confessing his love to Eleven, Will getting rejected, it's all so predictable and unnecessary and uninteresting. For a show that is constantly challenging people to look deeper and which often flips expectations on their head, making Byler canon would honestly make more sense for the show that Stranger Things is.

This is not to mention that the show has always centered around a team of nerds and self-proclaimed "freaks and weirdos" who are canonically bullied and outcast. Is it so hard to believe that people with that background could be queer?

Last, Stranger Things has done one excellent queer coming out scene with Robin and it's not hard to believe they could do it again. Their excellent treatment of Robin is honestly overlooked as evidence that they will do good for Will and for Byler.

"The Favored Straight Ship"

Finally, there's this idea that they would never break up "the favored straight ship." Why do people think that, exactly? There's certainly no evidence in Stranger Things' canon that would support it.

Because they did break up Mileven in season 3, and showed that they were better apart. They never shy away from breaking up other couples for new ones, either, showing people dating around rather than having one person the whole time. (Because again, they're young, it's coming-of-age stuff, come on.) But think of how they introduced Bob for Joyce in place of Jopper, broke up Stancy for Jancy and might be breaking up Jancy for Stancy, broke up Lumax, even if temporary.

Mileven is only "favored" because it's been served to people on a silver platter. Stranger Things has now spent two seasons showing why Mileven isn't actually good for each other romantically, and four seasons developing Mike and Will's importance to each other.

Again, the vocal part of the internet is not representative of the average viewer of Stranger Things, and I think the majority of people might be surprised, but wouldn't be pissed, and might even rewatch with a new perspective. Not to mention the nearly 20,000 people on Tumblr now following the Byler tag who will be thrilled.

TLDR: If anyone was going to do it, Stranger Things would do it. It's a show that subverts expectations and makes viewers look deeper.

#byler #stranger things #stranger things 4 #byler analysis #antimileven #answered #anon

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destinygoldenstar · 2 months

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Which Pretty Cure Would WIN Squid Game? (2024 Update)

Hello.

A couple years back I made an analysis post discussing which Pretty Cure would win Squid Game in that scenario, taking their skills in mind and being as non-bias as I could.

Since then, more seasons have come out. AND my opinions on certain characters placements have changed as I realized some errors in my logic.

So we’re re-doing it!

Fun, right???

I’m going to go through every challenge in Squid Game and see who’d be front runners and who’d be eliminated. Until we get a final two and then a winner.

Some rules though:

No weapons

No power ups. This is based on their own natural skill. If their Pretty Cure powers give them skills they don’t have without it, then that ability will not be factored.

I am only doing major Cure characters. Bright & Windy are the same characters of Bloom & Egret. No ancient Cures, no 11th hour ally’s, as they simply don’t have enough about them to factor.

My opinion on them as characters doesn’t matter here. Some characters I don’t care for can do great in the game while some of my favorites get eliminated very early. I’ll give reasons why I make the choices I do

I won’t be doing Wonderful. That season isn’t done yet. We can’t factor it. There’s just not enough info.

So that gives us 78 Cures as contestants.

Let’s begin.

Red Light Green Light

This game is about patience and mobility. Contestants have go get across the finish line without getting caught moving by a red light. An inability to stay still and wait the light out will spell doom.

Front Runners Of This Challenge Include:

The Suite Cures ; I never factored it the last time I did this, but I realized that because they’re all music based characters, they have an excellent sense of rhythm that gives them a huge advantage. So they’d be really good at the game and knowing when a red light would hit. (Plus I think Ellen and Ako are the types to hide behind people) So this season of Cures pass with flying colors.

Cure Beauty ; If you rewatch Smile, she specifically has avoided getting snagged at stuff more than her teammates. She’s very calm in situations and is persistent in all of them.

Cure Amour ; She’s a literal robot, so… you know. I know some would say that should be non-factored. But it’s not from any Pretty Cure powers, that’s just her body. As such, she’d be great at following directions.

Cure Macaroon & Cure Cosmo ; Same reasons. They’re the types that would take advantage of the game and hide behind people. Can’t ignore that.

And… that’s all the front runners I can think of.

Now for the hard part.

For the Cures that DON’T pass this….

I think Futari Wa-Fresh are all fine.

Blossom. I know people are gonna ask. I’m going to give her the benefit of the doubt and say she passes this, but BARELY. I know she’s very shy and scared, but unlike some others I can think of, she has shown she can be patient even in scary situations.

As for her partner, Cure Marine, that’s our first one to go.

I know. We’re already losing fan favorites.

But this girl just CANNOT stay still no matter what you do. On top of her being insanely reckless of a character.

There’s even an episode where she actually got frozen and her face was STILL moving.

Especially if she thinks she can take a bullet to the forehead…

Yeah she’s a goner.

Sorry Erika Stan’s.

And we’re keeping the ‘getting rid of fan favorites’ train going, because Cure Happy is also out.

More than other pinks, she’s a huge klutz. And that’s for multiple reasons, whether that be hyperactivity, recklessness, or just plain bad luck. If anyone’s the first to trip under pressure, it’d be her.

Cure Peace is joining her.

I love her as a character.

BUT a main trait of hers is that she is extremely sensitive and a huge crybaby.

First bullet fired, she’s gonna freak out and try to run away.

Cure Felice is eliminated for a different reason.

This one in particular solves all her problems through magic. Which isn’t allowed here.

Considering that overconfidence, she’d not care about a red light and try to run it. Not because she’s arrogant, but because she’s a kid without that discipline.

Cure Custard is also out.

For the same reasons as Yayoi was pretty much. Especially since she is based on a squirrel, which is a pretty skittish creature that jumps at anything.

And the final one eliminated this round is…

Cure Sparkle.

One big factor of this character is that she is not good at following directions. We know she means well, but in a game like this, that’s just a fatal flaw that spells your doom.

I was debating on Cure Earth as well, but after thinking about it I think she’d pass barely. She’s a newborn born in an adults body and incredibly naive about the world but she’s not necessarily dense. (No offense Sparkle)

That’s 6 Cures out ; 72 Cross the Finish Line and move on to the next round

Honeycomb

In this challenge, contestants have to perfectly carve out a shape of a honeycomb candy. Breaking it will result in failure. This challenge involves contestants to be able to manage a steady hand to be able to carve out the shape.

Right off the bat, EVERY Cure from KiraKira and Delicious Party are INSTANT survivors.

No questions asked. Both of these seasons are heavily based around cooking, KiraKira especially specializing in candy. Which means these Cures have the exact skills, so this challenge is a breeze.

I mean except for Himari, who already got eliminated. RIP.

Amour, AGAIN, would also pass this.

Yes her strength is… nuts. And inhuman even without powers. BUT not only does she have great steadiness, she also proved she can carve stuff out well.

It’s not about strength. It’s about controlling that strength. And Ruru has proved she can.

For that same reason, Cure Sunny is surprisingly also safe.

Yes she’s the hardest hitter of her team, and a volleyball player, but 1) Volleyball does require you to aim the ball with your arm effectively, AND 2) Akane has a culinary background and shown to have skills to save herself.

Cure Honey is also a very obvious stand out.

Same reasons for Akane, except even more so. Food and cooking is pretty much her entire character.

And… come on her name is literally Cure Honey. She’s got this.

Cure Scarlet also survives.

Thanks to her violin skills and her nature of tranquility with her craft, she knows exactly what she’s doing.

So we have quite a few Cures that pass with flying colors. But what about the ones that break their cookie?

Despite the success last round, the first one on this list to go is Cure Beat.

Siren is, well, a cat. Born a cat with PAWS.

And even after she became human there’s not any moment in the show where she’s shown to have a steady hand, in fact the opposite with her massive handwriting and her skill being a guitar.

I know people are gonna argue I should’ve given her a pass like Towa because they both play instruments, but keep in mind Towa has more going for her than that, and the guitar is a much more loose instrument than a violin. Especially the one she uses.

The reason the other cats pass is because they’re either chefs, or in Yuni’s case, was an alien form of a cat that had hands. And both those characters are far less reckless than Siren is.

I hope that’s a good reason that you can understand.

Milky Rose is also out.

This one is a born mascot plushie without the steady hand. Now not to say she never had precision, but Milk is known to have such an arrogant sweet tooth that she would just not care about the challenge and eat the cookie.

And even if she didn’t, she doesn’t have much skill involving the candy to save herself.

But now we move on to a sadder one to see go, Cure Sword.

Yeah… this is kind of an obvious one. And I’m pretty sure no one will argue against it.

This girls hand is HARD. In this case for the worst. And she has next to NO skill involving a steady hand as shown constantly. That includes cooking related when she slashes a cutting board by just hitting it once.

Yeah, that’s a quick break right there.

Okay, so Cure Magical is at a very unique disadvantage.

Liko is a stubborn perfectionist and is very hyper focused on getting things right.

She’s the type to overanalyze the best strategy to cut her cookie-

And then the timer would run out in her.

And even if that’s not the case, we’ve seen what her magic does.

But since we eliminated four purples in a row, let’s change it up. Cure Yell.

She’s designed as a cheerleader. But that does NOT translate to ‘steady hand’ in any way.

If her hair styling skills are horrible, what chance does she have?

I know some might say that Flora should be out too for these reasons, but the difference is that Haruka actually showed improvement in hand steady skills and that can’t be ignored. Hana on the other hand doesn’t really have these moments.

Though if people are sad about losing a well liked Pink, not to fear, we’re losing one of the least popular Pinks also, Cure Star.

Hikaru is RECKLESS with a capital R. I’m someone who doesn’t dislike her as much as other people for it, but I can’t ignore that it’s doom spelling in a game like this.

Plus she’s also daring enough to pick a harder shape like the Star. (Ha. Cure STAR.) But she would NOT know what to do with that.

Okay breaks over from the Purple Cure slaughter. Next out is Cure Earth.

I gave her a past last time. That ends here.

Again, she’s a newborn in an adults body. And just… it would just be impossible to have that precise knowledge to be able to do this.

Cure Majesty is also gone for that same reason.

But it’s even more so, as she’s a BABY. There’s just… there’s no way.

And lastly, in a pretty bittersweet, mostly bitter case, Cure Summer and Cure La Mer go out together.

For different reasons. Minatsu is like Hikaru in the sense that she’s more of a reckless character, and in her case a victim of slapstick. Unlike her teammates she just doesn’t have any noteworthy hand steady moments to save herself.

Laura on the other hand is a mermaid. Mermaids live in the water where pressure is very different. So she’d easily get the pressure to cut a cookie wrong.

You can say Melon Bread should be a factor, but I’d disagree as that’s a much softer sweet than honeycomb.

So yeah, it’s sad. But hey, at least they go out together.

10 Cures Break Their Cookies ; 62 Successfully Cut Out Their Shapes And Move On

That number was bigger last time. But after thinking about it I do feel I was too harsh on some of the sporty characters and didn’t acknowledge sports DO have precision involved to do these sports. So I guess I redeemed myself there.

Midnight Brawl

This isn’t really a canon challenge, but several victims are claimed in it that it should be counted for. A lack of needs and sanity breaking events will snap a ton of people to violence. So it’s everyone for themself here.

This is a tricky one as there’s multiple ways you can survive this. Whether it’s naturally being a good fighter who can defend themself or being stealthy event to hide and wait the brawl out.

In this case, it’s tricky cause they’re ALL fighters in a way. It’s just about who is better at fighting than others.

Cure Macaroon is a stealthy person and a deceptive one. She will have no trouble hiding out the event.

Cure Muse is also in that category. As despite her small size, she was a vigilante for such a long time and kept to the shadows. Hiding is pretty natural to her.

Cure Cosmo could actually do it either way. She has the skill to defend herself AND she is a master at disguise like Ako. She has no problem here.

Cure Sunshine, even without powers, is a master at combat being from a dojo and all. She has no problem defending herself.

Cure Moonlight is also a veteran warrior, so she’d have no problem with defense.

Cure Rosetta is also someone who has trained in martial arts outside of powers, so she’d survive no problem. Even if she’s the barrier warrior of her team.

Cure Flamingo has absolutely no trouble committing to assault when she deems necessary. She’d probably be the first to snap.

Cure Sky is also a trained warrior with plenty of strength to go around. So she has no problem.

Now for the hard part. Who doesn’t survive the night?

The first one to go is Cure Whip.

Unlike the rest of her teammates, Ichika has nothing going for her besides being a baker. And with KiraKira’s combat style compared to the others, she’s far less capable of a fist fight as a result.

What can she do? Cream someone??

Yeah that just won’t work.

Cure Yum Yum is also gone.

For the same reasons that she is just a cook. And her personality in particular makes herself very noticeable.

But while Yui is a soccer player, Kokone is quiet and can hide, and Amane is a vigilante with skill, Ran just doesn’t have anything.

Shiny Luminous is probably the weakest cure remaining.

Aside from from being an amplifier, Hikari just does not have anything compared to the others around her.

Of the Yes 5 Cures, Cure Lemonade has the worst shot at this.

She’s expressive in lifestyle so she wouldn’t think about hiding, and compared to her teammates she has the least noteworthy of skill to fight anyone off.

Unless she had rope, but no weapons.

And now we lose a fan favorite unfortunately, Cure Blossom.

For the mockery of ‘weakest Cure ever’, Tsubomi should be really proud of herself for surviving the first two games.

Unfortunately her run ends here. As that mockery does play a factor. Tsubomi is very easy to scare, so it’s not hard to find her, and she’s just too fragile to fight anyone off.

But if that’s too upsetting, not to worry, Cure Ace is also out.

This might be controversial, as Aguri is one of the most overpowered Cures ever…

But only WITH her powers.

Without them, she’s just a regular girl. And given her nature of always butting into things, always saying her opinions, and going on anyway, she’d be too arrogant of a character to hide.

And without her powers, she’s done for.

It hurts cause she’s one of the younger Cures here… but that’s probably the only reason why it hurts.

And finally, the last elimination is, and it absolutely breaks my heart as a Stan…

Cure Grace.

Look, I can’t be bias here. Nodoka doesn’t have much going for her here.

Her hospitalization background does no favors and gives her a physically weak disadvantage going in. Without her powers, she can’t do anything, and even if she tried, it’s damage her health, which would sure be deteriorated at this point in the game already.

That and Nodoka is a pacifist. Sure she’ll fight when it deems right. But she’s one to look for the least harm as a solution. In the world of Squid Game, this is a failing move.

So sorry. She’s my fave. It hurts.

7 Cures Get The Boot ; 55 Cures Survive The Night

Tug Of War

This is another strength based game. Two teams play tug of war against each other and losing side falls to their doom.

This game requires good strength and teamwork. Preferably both.

Now, in the context of Squid Game, there’s be two teams.

I’m not doing that here. Because you come up with ANY match up here, and results would vary.

Instead I’m gonna continue to factor them individually and you can infer from that they’re on the losing team.

From future Eliminations you can interpret the 27 that’d get eliminated here.

This is also tricky, as naturally, all of them are strong and good at teamwork to a degree.

But for the BEST ones at this,

All the Duos left together. (Melody & Rhythm, Black & White, Bloom & Egret, Lovely & Princess, Amour & Ma’Cheri, Sky & Prism, Wing & Butterfly)

More than the others, these Cures are VERY devoted to their teammates and it shows. They’d survive easily.

The Fresh Cures are all very team focused in their move sets and lifestyles.

Also helps that all four of them are still here.

Cure Dream is an excellent leader of a team of 6.

And shes the only 6 Team Leader left in the game. She’d be great at working with a team.

Cure March and Cure Soliel are both strong and the eldest of many siblings. They’re known for teamwork.

Cure Heart is a HUGE standout here.

She’s the student council president, the leader of her team, and a very strong a determined fighter on her own, and is always taking the selfless route of her team first.

More than anyone else here, if anyone’s carrying the team to victory, it’s her.

And finally, Cure Moonlight.

This is a strange one, as last time, I actually eliminated her in this round because she wasn’t a very big team player and took the longest of anyone to join a team. And even then there were complications.

BUT, looking back, I feel like that was my biggest error in that previous list. As while that IS true, you can’t ignore that Yuri IS one of the STRONGEST Cures remaining.

Regardless if she is a good team player or not, if you’re strong enough to hold the rope, you can survive.

So there, I redeemed myself.

So yeah, there’s a lot of good Cures here. What a shock, a show all about teamwork has characters great at teamwork.

But there ARE exceptions to that, surprisingly.

First one is Cure Muse.

1, she’s the smallest and therefore weakest one left.

2, she’s a loner. It’s who she is.

Lethal combo.

And sadly Cure Cosmo.

She was a front runner before, so WOW, what a downfall.

Literally.

While she’s not as weak as Ako, she is also a huge loner and didn’t cooperate with a team even after joining, she was just kinda along for the ride.

Cure Spicy and Cure Finale are both gone here.

Both of them are natural loner who struggle with others, and constantly go on their own and are just social communicators.

Cure Fortune. For… pretty much all the same reasons as the previous combined.

And finally,

Cure Miracle and Cure Fontaine.

The thing that screws them over here is their respective teammates, the Mahou Tsukai Cures and the Healin Good Cures.

Who, aside from themselves, have ALREADY been eliminated.

So they’re alone here.

It’s sad, honestly.

7 Cures Are On The Losing Team ; 48 Cures would hypothetically survive

Marbles

In this came, pairings are pinned against each other to ensure one of them gets all the marbles.

There’s multiple ways to go at this. You can play a marble game. Or if you’re not good at that, there’s always manipulation.

With that in mind, I think the obvious contenders are the villain Cures, especially the born ones.

That’s Amour & Passion.

They’d have no problem.

Cure Macaroon is also a master manipulator without even needing to be a villain.

It’s honestly impressive.

And… that’s it.

Not a lot. That’s because all of these characters are so good hearted that they just wouldn’t be able to hurt their partners.

With that in mind…

We gotta talk about the partners.

I think we’d know who’s pair up with who, not knowing what the game is.

And if Amour made it…

That means her little Cure Ma’Cheri is a goner.

It doesn’t help that she’s younger, and therefore just not a manipulative person.

Plus I think she would allow Ruru to go on.

If Cure Peach is Setsuna’s partner, then she’d also go.

Love is an overbearing person anyway who devotes herself to people.

And then, Cure Chocolot.

Try and convince me Yukari wouldn’t be Akira’s partner. But Akira is very loyal and devoted to people. Sure she’d try to fight to save them both, but once she realizes they can’t, Akira would give Yukari the marbles.

Then there’s the other duos. Melody & Rhythm, Black & White, Bloom & Egret, Lovely & Princess, Sky & Prism, Wing & Butterfly, and the other teams left with just two of them left. Berry & Pine, Sunshine & Moonlight, Gelato & Parfait, Ange & Etoile.

I don’t see these characters manipulating the other. SO… Which ones would sacrifice themselves so the other would move on?

I feel it would be…

Rhythm, White, Egret, Lovely, Prism, Butterfly, Pine, Moonlight, Parfait, Ange

These characters I feel like would have a slightly more devotion towards their partners that they’d sacrifice themselves.

Then there’s the others.

March, Heart, and Soliel, though front runners last time, go here.

They’re all very loyal and devoted, overbearingly so.

Cure Honey goes here, as she’s very trusting towards villains as shown

Cure Scarlet is an interesting elimination.

Yes she’s also an ex villain, but she’s a BRAINWASHED ex villain. It’s because she was manipulated as a child. And years of that would taint her ability to BE manipulative herself without that.

And to even it out to have 24, we need to eliminate six more.

I believe this would be…

Precious, Sunny, Mint, Flora, Milky, & Coral

I’m putting these six together because I don’t have a good reason for it individually.

It’s just that the others have more brain power and guts going for them.

That was a brutal round. And it’s gonna get worse with 24 left.

Glass Stepping Stones

This is by far the worst one.

Get in line. Step on one of two glass panels one at a time. One is safe, the other breaks and you’re gone.

There are NO stand outs here.

This is mostly based on LUCK.

BUT there is ONE factor that we can use to determine a final two.

The line order.

They get to pick their numbers. So it really goes down to who is prideful enough to pick a low number and who’s resilient enough not to.

Out of these, the one I feel would pick #1 is…

Cure Princess.

Out of all them, Hime is easily the most prideful and spoiled of the bunch with her inheritage.

And that will spell her doom for sure.

Cure Sky is not too far behind.

Her whole thing is being the hero, therefore, she’s very confident in her abilities and would think she could pass this.

And going on with it, I think it’s safe to say student council characters would definitely feel the urge to do sooner.

So…

Sunshine, Beauty, Aqua, Diamond, Mermaid, & Selene.

Then there’s more headstrong characters.

Melody, Black, Bloom, Gelato, Dream, Flamingo, Rouge, & Twinkle

Which leaves 8, who I feel would be humble enough to pick higher numbers.

This is hard.

SLIGHTLY, I think the next ones would be Macaroon, Berry, Rosetta, & Papaya.

Which leaves 4

And with that in mind, Etoile and Passion BARELY miss the Top 2

This might be VERY controversial, but of the four left, that half is the lesser stable.

Homare has trauma from her figure skating career and taking on a major role, which is why she’s be further in the back, BUT she HAS shown improvement on such and thus that can’t be ignored. It’d be a dare she’d make to pick the 4th to last number instead of the last one.

And Setsuna, while she is NOT dumb, or arrogant, or even prideful, she is someone who acts on impulse when it comes to time. Especially if, at that point, the timer was almost out. She’s be desperate. And to call her a very emotionally stable person in these sorts of situations is just false.

Which leaves the Final Two, Cure Amour and Cure Wing.

Cure Wing because I feel he would be the one to pick the back number out of everyone. He has survived in his own in hiding for a long time and never broke in sanity, and his nature, while selfless, is also reserved and patient enough to recognize his playing field.

Therefore, he would be the most humble and go last.

And Cure Amour because she too, while able to hold her own, also recognizes when to stay in the back and reserve herself. She did go in disguise. I know that probably means the same should apply to Setsuna, but there is one thing that made me choose Ruru over her.

Her robot nature.

If ANYONE here would be able to tell the glass apart, it’s her.

So she’s at a pretty huge advantage no one else has.

Squid Game

And now, the titular Squid Game. The finale. One acts as the defender. The other acts as the offenser.

And… honestly in the game it’s more of a ‘fight to the death’ type of deal.

And considering which two are left…

I feel like this is even less of a debate than last time.

We LOVE Tsubasa and he deserves it, BUT this scrawny bird boy stands next to NO chance against Ruru.

Ruru is a robotic figure with better defense than him, she’s so much stronger than him that she could throw people in space with ease, and could predict his moves before he could even make them.

Maybe Tsubasa is faster. But that can’t play any factor if he can’t get through her robotic figure. Which he has no ability that can do that.

So… yeah, the Bird Boy falls here.

Cure Amour Wins Squid Game.

She was the victor last time, and… that didn’t change on redoing it. She just had all the skills necessary to win.

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waitmyturtles · 28 days

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Rose's Day of Asks

From your 'OGMMTVC Project' what have been the shows that surprised you the most? For whatever reason

Have a great Day💜

HI ROSE, great to hear from you! Oooh, great question! Old GMMTV Challenge shows that I was surprised by....

I think in general, shows that surprised me were ones whose reputations preceded them in various ways. More below:

1) I was surprised by how much I liked Make It Right (season 1 and season 2 thoughts here). It's still seen as a problematic show in many ways, and especially by the way the main ships of TeeFuse and FrameBook began their relationships (and there have been issues since 2016 about how young the actors were in their first BL roles). But I was really struck -- especially in the second season, but also many times in the first season -- by how empathic the show was to the confusion of young men discovering their sexualities. It was a wild and chaotic work by New Siwaj and Cheewin Thanamin (GOD, THEY WORKED TOGETHER ON THIS, crazy to acknowledge this now), and there were manyyyy points of the two seasons that made nonsense, à la Cheewin's modus operandi. But there was true heart in the show, and the last episodes of TeeFuse and FrameBook confirming their relationships just took me out (especially with FrameBook's ending serving as a preview of how King and Uea confirmed their relationship in Cheewin's future show, Bed Friend).

2) I was surprised by how much I LOVED LOVED LOOOOOOVVVEEEEDDDDDD Theory of Love. The word used the most to describe this show when I was crowdsourcing the OGMMTVC list was "controversial." And I watched it and within the first episode, I was like, "OOOOH WE ARE GETTING PLAYYYYYED," and I loved the show for it. I know X Nuttapong has had some non-wins in his drama list (e.g., Vice Versa), but I think X's Theory of Love and Cherry Magic Thailand were seriously so fucking amazing, and he clearly can do wonders with excellent screenwriting. Theory of Love was so subversive and smart, and I think it showcased the start of the real depth of the OffGun ship wonderfully. Those two rose to the occasion. I can't wait to rewatch it.

3) I was surprised by how much I jumped on my bed and was screaming YAAAAASSSS at Lovely Writer. I watched some of Tee Bundit's works out of order. I watched TharnType first and was like, NO. And THEN I fucking watched STEP BY FUCKING STEP after that, and I was like, FUCK this guy. But Lovely Writer has almost universal praise, so I took some time to breattthhhheee, and watched it, and I was like, OH, so that's why everyone was originally hyped on Step By Step. Lovely Writer was fantastic, easily Tee Bundit's best show (in my opinion) on his list (and I say this as a IFYLITA stan), and thank god for this show, because it made me then appreciate his cute cameos in War of Y, lol.

4) I was surprised by how obsessed I got over Until We Meet Again, because fuck series that are 17 episodes long, but I literally still feel like I can't get enough of this series? I LOVE IT SO MUCH.

5) I was super surprised to have enjoyed my recent rewatch of KinnPorsche so much! I thought I'd be all haterade over it, considering my newfound education, but honestly, it was funny in a lot of parts, well acted, obviously well shot -- it was a romp, and I was glad to make myself an excuse to rewatch it as my first-ever Thai BL.

6) Something else that has surprised me recently, not quite show-related: I have recently watched Secret Crush On You, and I'm watching War of Y currently, and: I am not sure that Seng Wichai has gotten enough of his flowers. It's interesting to me that some of the absolute BEST actors in this field -- Seng Wichai, Ohm Pawat, etc. -- have controversial reputations preceding them for life situations that don't comport to easy shipping, god fucking forbid. During both SCOY and Seng's turn on War of Y, I was seriously taken by how good this guy is, and I'm not sure, during my crowdsourcing work, if Seng was boasted about enough. This m'fer can ACT, and I love him for it.

7) Not at all surprising was how much I had to say about Bad Buddy. I loved writing this mini-series!

Thanks for the question, Rose!

#thanks for the ask!#the old gmmtv challenge #ogmmtvc #theory of love #lovely writer #make it right #secret crush on you #seng wichai #until we meet again #kinnporsche #x nuttapong

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lurkingshan · 10 months

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Intergenerational Trauma Challenge - About Youth

I have a confession to make: when @so-much-yet-to-learn first suggested this show for the generational family trauma list, I was skeptical. About Youth? That cute little Taiwanese bl with all the singing? My memory of its plot was vague but I just recalled a feeling of warm fuzzies (and of course, the OSTs, which are excellent and catchy as hell).

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But @bengiyo backed him up and since my pals insisted it belonged, before I finished the list I decided to give it a rewatch. And from this rewatch I took away three main things:

This drama is just as cute and warm and fuzzy as I remembered

The soundtrack still slaps

Despite 1, it absolutely belongs on the generational trauma list

If you have not seen it yet, About Youth is primarily about Ye Guang, a very popular, kind, smart and profoundly lonely student at the top of his class, and Qi Zhang, a kind, quiet nerd (who is somehow also a secret rock star, just go with it) who has a crush on Ye Guang. They meet briefly at a very low moment in both of their lives, and then reconnect and become friends. There’s also a side romance between Qi Zhang’s friend Ray and bandmate Ah Jian that is very cute but a little underwritten. The entire drama is only 8 episodes that add up to about 2.5 hours (which won’t stop them from playing the OSTs at least 20 times each, and you’re not even gonna be mad about it). And the tone is light–definitely the lightest of the dramas on the trauma list–despite delving into some pretty deep subject matter.

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So where does the intergenerational trauma come in? With Ye Guang’s parents, who have put him under extreme pressure to perform academically, in large part because his dad is a famous academic specializing in supporting youth educational attainment and feels his son needs to live up to his reputation. When our story begins, Ye Guang is feeling stressed and isolated and unloved and beginning to crack under the pressure, and his friendship with Qi Zhang is both a much needed support and a way for him to rebel against his parents (not because there is anything wrong with Qi Zhang, but simply because they don’t believe Ye Guang should have any life outside of studying).

Ye Guang’s parents are not warm; they treat him coldly and leave him home alone most of the time while they travel, and put up roadblocks every time he makes a connection with someone. Their son is crying out for love and attention and they just keep telling him to suck it up and hit the books. Ye Guang finds solace in Qi Zhang’s company and easy companionship, and they bond over their struggles (Qi Zhang is mourning the recent death of his father).

The drama’s treatment of Ye Guang’s parents is interesting; his dad is the more rigid parent (and also seems to have some anger management issues) while his mom is a bit more affectionate toward Ye Guang (but not enough to disagree with her husband or give her son the explicit affirmations of love he is seeking). They are controlling–they monitor Ye Guang and want to dictate how he spends his time–but they also have little interest in actually spending time with him. They seem to see being top of the class as Ye Guang’s natural duty and what he owes them for raising him, and they are absolutely unprepared to deal with his emotions about it. This is contrasted in the show with Qi Zhang’s mother, a much kinder and gentler parent who supports her son’s passions and only wants him to be happy.

And the thing is, Ye Guang is a good kid who clearly feels the pull of filial piety–he wants to honor his parents and fears what will happen if he doesn’t live up to their expectations. He works hard in school and he is very well liked by everyone, not just Qi Zhang. But he has grown weary and he clearly carries the instinctual knowledge that his parents don’t love him unconditionally.

This is something I have discussed quite a bit with @waitmyturtles and @neuroticbookworm, the conditional nature of love between parents and their children in many Asian households. It’s a hard thing for me to wrap my head around as a westerner, but I see that dynamic coming through so strongly in the way Ye Guang questions if his parents even love him at all, let alone if they can accept a version of him who is not exactly what they want. It’s heartbreaking.

Over the course of the show Ye Guang tries a few times to communicate with his parents, first via his actions, then by telling them he is struggling and asking them directly if they love him, and finally by turning in a blank exam paper and sending them an emotional video explaining that he can’t take it anymore. Naturally, it is only the failed exam that actually gets through to them. Here is where the show falters a bit, because the parents do a sudden heel turn and decide to cut him some slack. A highly unrealistic resolution! But I put this down mostly to the limited run time; the drama didn’t have screen time to build to a more authentic ending that would comport with its overall light tone.

Even despite the lackluster ending to the family plot, this drama offers a window into the academic pressure young people feel and how it interacts with values of filial piety. It takes a pretty thorough look at the psychological effects conditional parental love can have on a child. And it does it all while delivering a pitch perfect high school romance and great music that will stay with you for days. It’s the perfect place to start if you want to ease into this challenge!

#about youth #taiwanese bl #intergenerational trauma challenge #shan shouts into the void

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