#between 1:30:02 and 1:30:35

[laurasbailey]

the beau fjord yasha jester dynamic is something that can be so personal

#c2 rewatch #watch the subtle looks in c2e66 #between 1:30:02 and 1:30:35 #i mourn so much of what we could've had with yasha if ashley wasn't on blindspot #and the potential of the fjord yasha dynamic is high on the list

[yenonnoff]

TEACH ME HOW TO LOVE!

atsumu miya x fem!reader

⌒☆ synopsis : when y/n l/n, a rising actress, decides to star in a romance film that could make or break her career, she’s unable to showcase her skills, revealing her inexperience within the romance department instead. worst of all, atsumu miya, her co-star and the main lead’s love interest, seems to hate her guts! with absolutely, unbearably zero chemistry between the two, an idea was proposed: spend time with one another in the upcoming weeks. will y/n be able to ignore her professionalism and listen to her heart? and will she, a clueless romantic, be able to pick up on the signs her co-star is sending her?

⌒☆ content: actors/celebrity au, social media au, modern au, enemies (got off on the wrong foot) to friends to lovers, slow burn (sorry 😞), mild angst, fluff, crack/humor

⌒☆ warnings: she/her pronouns used, contains swearing, mentions alcohol/alcohol consumption

⌒☆ status: on-going (07/18/23)

🎬 chapter names may change as the story progresses + unless stated differently, ignore all timestamps

🎬🎧 — playlist

STARRING:

｡ｏ♡ HOT dummies // mentally sane + atsumu ig? ｡ｏ♡

( minor chars! )

LIGHTS:

01. vengeance (like batman)

02. vroom vroom! im here (୨୧)

03. wtf is love

04. sweet dreams (or not)

05. hi, mr. charismatic

06. give me a break (୨୧)

07. morning madness

08. you ruined my coffee with your scowl (୨୧)

09. emergency conference meeting!

10. strangers (?) at an amusement park (୨୧)

11. perhaps a malfunction?

12. a mistake, 100% a mistake

13. your words

14. message sent, message received

15. tolerate! tolerate! tolerate!

16. me, you, and a beautiful sunset (୨୧)

CAMERA:

17. snap out of it!

18. brewing up a storm

19. do not disturb

20. conversation over coffee

21. cat chase (୨୧)

22. 2 people, 1 truth (୨୧)

23. the act of kissing (୨୧)

24. plans & precautions

25. fame is not for the weak (୨୧)

26. a pro’s guide to scandals

27. stranger danger!

28. what comes after heartbreak? (୨୧)

ACTION:

29. you’re slipping through my fingers

30. pointless conversations filled w/ TMIs

31. elephant in the room

32. to the miya’s (୨୧)

33. wait a minute, you what?!

34. mondays are for bad luck

35. anything for you (୨୧)

36. clown circus clown

37. love is when two hearts beat the same (୨୧)

ENDING CREDITS:

38. to new beginnings

39. i want to call you mine (୨୧)

40. choices with lovely outcomes (୨୧)

41. gross! lovebirds!

42. co-star to your main event

EXTRAS:

43. a lovely tryst

44. clueless romantic, but i love you

a/n: hi!! this is my first ever smau + my first time posting on tumblr so pls be patient if smth looks off (and if smth does, pls kindly inform me!!). i want to thank @idlerin for inspiring me to make this, so many thanks to syl!! u should check out her smaus and other works, theyre all amazing!! asides from that, i want to give the fattest biggest thanks to my best friend may (@kqbukimono) for putting up w/ my spontaneous questions and for giving the best advice ever (ure the best ig 😜). she also helped me choose the title! ok im being too nice, he might make fun of me. thank u so much to everyone who is planning on reading my smau!

taglist is open! dm or ask to be a part of it!

#haikyuu smau series #smaus #social media au #haikyuu smau #haikyuu #hq smau #hq #haikyuu x reader #haikyuu x you #haikyuu x yn #hq x reader #hq x you #hq x yn #haikyuu atsumu miya #atsumu miya #atsumu miya x reader #atsumu miya x you #atsumu miya x yn #atsumu miya smau #actors au #celebrity au #romance

[prettymeredith]

🌟 ~ Tickling Roulette ~ 🌟

Take a whirl and test your luck to see which tickling scenario you'll wind up in! The game is simple! Use a random number generator to select a number between 1 - 100, and click on the hyperlink on the number it selects. The resulting tickle scene will be the scenario you are to picture yourself in. (Whether it be leeing, lering, or both!)

01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36

37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72

73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 100

Don't you forget to like and share your results!! ^^

#tickle community #tickle blog #tickle kink #tickling #tickle #tickle mood #ticklish #tickle tease #switch mood #ticklee #tickle content #t word community #t word content #t word

[the-conversation-pod]

Adult Swim

We originally planned to talk about Step by Step during Work, Bitch, and Nini hadn't planned to watch La Pluie until the fall. However, because all of us refused to give up on La Pluie, Nini joined us around episode 8. Both of these shows inspired more writing than we've seen since the heyday of Bad Buddy or I Told Sunset About You. Surface-level engagement was all-but-impossible with either of these shows, and honestly wrung us out more than we were expecting.

It's time for the kids to get out of the pool for the grown folks to talk as Ben and Nini open their third eyes and discuss Step by Step and La Pluie.

Listen on Apple Podcasts!

Listen on Google Podcasts!

Timestamps

The timestamps will now correspond to chapters on Spotify for easier navigation.

0:00 - Welcome 1:15 - Intro 2:08 - Step by Step 4:40 - Step by Step: A Moment of Simping 8:40 - Step by Step: Big Themes 16:52 - Step by Step: The Romance 25:45 - Step by Step: Story Execution 50:25 - Step by Step: Where are we on Tee Bundit? 53:10 - La Pluie 57:50 - La Pluie: The Soulmate Myth 1:08:22 - La Pluie: Lomfon is Rude! 1:13:30 - La Pluie: Tai Also Deserves Some Smoke 1:18:26 - La Pluie: Tai’s Dad Read as Queer 1:20:48 - La Pluie: The Romance 1:32:06 - La Pluie: Depiction of Male Anger 1:35:50 - La Pluie: Treatment of Nara 1:40:47 - La Pluie: The Side Characters 1:44:02 - La Pluie: Sequel Potential 1:46:01 - Outro

The Conversation: Now With Transcripts!

We received an accessibility request to include transcripts for the podcast. We are working with @ginnymoonbeam on providing the transcripts and @lurkingshan as an editor and proofreader.

We will endeavor to make the transcripts available when the episodes launch, and it is our goal to make them available for past episodes. When transcripts are available, we will attach them to the episode post (like this one) and put the transcript behind a Read More cut to cut down on scrolling.

Please send our volunteers your thanks!

0:00 - Welcome

Nini

Hello, hello! Your QL fandom aunty and uncle are here with giant sunglasses, brown liquor in a flask, a folded five-dollar bill to slip into your hand when no one is looking, lukewarm takes, occasional rides on the discourse, deep dives into artistry and the industry.

Ben

Lots of simping! I’m Ben.

Nini

I’m Nini.

Ben

And this is The Conversation. About once a season, we plan to swan in and shoot the shit on faves, flops, and trends that we’ve been noticing in the BL, GL, or QL Industry. Between seasons, you can find us typing way too many words on Tumblr.

1:15 - Intro

Nini

Hey Ben, what are we talking about tonight?

Ben

Tonight it's time for Adult Swim. Kids: out of the pool! This season led to so much more writing and meta than we've seen in a really long time. There was so much to say about both of these shows that we ended up needing to move both of these shows out of separate episodes and just shove them into one. 

Tonight we will be discussing Step by Step and La Pluie, and then we'll return with you all at the end with some final thoughts. Nini and I are bracing for this, because we have a lot to say to each other. [laughs]

Nini

This is gonna be round two of fight night apparently, not on everything but on some things. So you guys stay tuned and we'll see you at the end!

2:08 - Step by Step

Nini

Okay, Ben this time I got my eye black on for you. So let's talk Step by Step. Tell the people, what is Step by Step about?

Ben

Step by Step is a workplace drama that centers around a young man named Pat, who is maybe 25 — there was some confusion about that at the end?

Nini

Shade!

Ben

…who is returning to Thailand after completing some of his graduate studies, and is now working at a large corporation inside of an office tower. He is the low man on the totem pole in the sort of digital division of this corporation, and is having a very difficult time. Very early on, he has a kind of flirty interaction with the largest man who has ever existed in BL, and takes a shine to him, but is disappointed when he realizes he's his boss. 

Pat eventually ends up in conflict with his new boss whose name is Jeng…slowly the two of them start to work better together. Jeng ends up putting Pat in charge of a BL advertising project in a mostly queer team, and over the course of the show there ends up becoming this huge misunderstanding between the two of them about whether or not they're on a romantic arc, as the show is also unpacking a lot of really huge themes about where queer people do or don't fit in corporate structures that are more than willing to profit off of them, as Pat and Jeng try to figure out what their relationship is supposed to be.

Nini

I think that was a very fair précis of the plot of Step by Step.

Ben

If you're listening to us and you've watched Step by Step, you may be familiar with the fact that…reactions to the last arc of this show were mixed, to put it mildly. Nini and I ended up falling on opposite sides of the fence on this one, so we have a lot to unpack. 

4:40 - Step by Step: A Moment of Simping

Ben

I'm [gonna] let you have this part first: I want you to just go ahead and have your little fun before we get into the big stuff. We can begin with talking about Man Trisanu and how much you really enjoyed his performance.

Nini

His performance, yes, but before we get to his performance…I mean we say in the intro that there is lots of simping on this show, and I've been listening to our old episodes: we haven't simped nearly enough? So I'm just gonna do like a quick two minutes of absolute simping for Man Trisanu, because my god that man is large. That man is so large that for like the first three episodes, every time he came on screen, like my brain made like the boinga boinga boinga sound, like I could not actually focus [laughs] on what was happening — I had to watch episodes multiple times…

Ben

[laughs] She’s just posting awooga gifs in the chat all the time.

Nini

If I was the kind of person who would get embarrassed by this stuff I would have been embarrassed by the way I behaved. But I don't get embarrassed by this stuff, so I wasn't embarrassed by the way that I behaved looking at this man [laughs]...throughout, but especially in the first three episodes. I just kept staring at him. And then as we got like further and further into the show it was very clear that he's also a good actor, so I was invested in the character emotionally? But that also did not stop the fwarh noises in my brain. The man is large. And he's large and he's attractive. And he's large and he's attractive and he's talented. That's basically my kryptonite. 

That doesn't mean that I cannot be fair about the show—there are things that I'm gonna say about the show that are not complimentary, even though in the end—I'm just like skipping to the part where I score it, I gave it a 9—there are problems with the show, do not get me wrong. But overall, I found it incredibly enjoyable. And I can't lie to you: Man Trisanu was part of why I found it enjoyable. Not just because he is large and attractive but also because he is quite a good actor. Okay, so I got my yah yahs out.

Ben

Solid 20% of the chat is just Nini going: “THAT MAN IS BIG!”

[both laugh]

Nini

He’s a biggun! [both laugh] At one point I definitely just sent a voice message that said “Timberrrrr!”

Ben

It’s like, it would be Tuesday and everybody's in the chat just, “Lorge.” [laughs]

Ben

In terms of simping, I really like Ben Bunyapol’s work in this one. Nini and I tend to fall on opposite sides of the fence when it comes to…the guys we're attracted to in these shows? Unsurprisingly, she was super into Man and all of his work; I really liked a lot of stuff Ben was doing, and I like Nini's commentary that Ben is definitely someone's problem, right now.

Nini

Oh my god, somebody is staring at the ceiling up at night, like, thinking about Ben Bunyapol because that boy is…I mean, not my style, but I can appreciate good lookin’, I can. That is somebody's problem.

Ben

I really like what he was playing with in this. I really—we'll get into this when we talk about the queer themes in this—I really like the specific type of queerness he portrayed in this. And I know that must have been really difficult to hold with everything else he was doing on the show.

Nini

I concur, he also showed some talent. There’s quite a few newbies in this cast, Ben and Man are both newbies, and you see a little bit of that, but mostly they, I think they acquitted themselves very well.

8:40 -  Step by Step: Big Themes

Ben

Since we're disclosing our ratings early in this one: as you all know, Nini gives me a lot of shit on this show about how friendly I am to shows with my scoring? I gave this show a 7.5, because I think the problems in this show make it hard to recommend to people. And the more homework I feel like I have to give people, or pamphlets I have to hand out before they start watching, the harder it is for me to recommend. 

However, there are a lot of things to talk about in the show I think are good. And I think because it's Tee Bundit, and we have to talk about how much the sort of…irritated version of queerness that he's carrying around in his work comes through in his stuff? Think we should start with the big themes, because that's what he clearly cared about the most. So Nini, as someone who is thrilled with this show: what are the big themes you think that Tee is going for this time?

Nini

I mean, Tee is a guy who, kind of hits on the same themes in most of his work? And the themes that he likes to hit on are around like, queerness and capitalism, or like around the monetization of queerness and sort of juxtaposing it against the way that queer people are just kind of suffocating under this fog of homophobia. So that's like one of the things that he definitely gets into in this show, like all his other shows. 

Another thing that Tee is very into is playing with inside and outside, like perceptions of queer people and how queer people see themselves versus how the world sees them? I think that's a big thing. He loves a family dynamic where everybody knows but nobody says anything, that's another big theme that he's playing with in this. These are the things that show up over and over again in his work, that I tend to respond to. I find it really legible, so I quite enjoy it. 

What about you? What kinds of themes did you pick up on?

Ben

The big ideas, like core statements that I can read from this is that: corporations are more than willing to profit off of queer people. They absolutely want to use our talents, our social skills, our managerial skills, and our relationships as well as our lives…to sell shit. But they don't actually want us, particularly in positions of leadership. 

Another thing that comes through very clearly is that queer people cannot experience queer joy in environments that demand a very rigid form of conformity. And also, that everything that queer people want for themselves, including their joy, is not something you can have on the timeline of BL. It's going to take literally years for you to find your happiness. Which is so sad!

Nini

One of the things that I think we had discussed a little bit but didn't really delve into is that you feel a cynicism emanating off of Tee that you kind of don't like? I don't know if you wanted to get a little bit more into that, because we didn't really, like, discuss that too much.

Ben

Tee Bundit clearly—oh, there's a man I could simp for. [laughs] I think that man is very pretty, and I like how fucking angry he is all the time. [both laugh] 

So, Tee is a director who has a really strong eye. Don't know that he's found an editor who works well with him yet. Or has found a really good screenwriting team to hang out with? But he has a really strong eye, and he very clearly hated being on the TharnType set. That comes through so loudly in Lovely Writer, and you can see that this has affected the way he looks at being an adult professional in so many ways. 

Pat is so unhappy in this show. He's so stressed. And Jeng is also so unhappy, because he's so bottled up. It gets a little bit lost sometimes, how specifically pissed off Pat is about everything that's being thrown at him and expected of him. And you can feel that with Tee, that he has to…play to the proclivities of shipping culture, which he clearly despises.

Nini

He's made two shows about it now.

Ben

Quick aside about this, Tee leveled some I think fair criticism of BL as an industry, in that it is profiting off of the appearance of relationships of queer people, but they're all inherently fake, and they're meant to be fake. And apparently a certain set of fans did not agree or like that their ship was used as the example of this, and caused such a stink that they were forced to edit the episode and remove that commentary. And I don't know if this impacted later commentary that may have been in the show. I do not think it would have made the show more legible than it is? But Tee is just so irritated about the inescapability of heteronormativity in his professional life. 

You see this for Pat, who doesn't allow himself to even perceive Jeng as someone he could be with, because of the age difference, the class difference, the work difference…and the way that they are queer is very different from each other. You see this with Chot, who seems to be an incredibly talented individual, but is not someone apparently considered for middle to upper management in any way? You've got this with Jaab where he's just like ‘yeah I'm not playing that. I got money, I'm gonna do whatever the hell I want.’ 

It's so frustrating, because in this show towards the end sequence where they ask Pat to come back for one more ride to try and save this stupid department. They assemble a little team together of queers or queer-friendly people and they end up using everyone's queer adjacent skills in some way shape or form to sell, like, fucking gas stations? [laughs] So they end up having Pat's formerly shitty superior write like, a BL story about looking for, like, a specific fucking juice at the fucking gas station, so that Jaab can very publicly run around on Facebook looking for Jen, the side character he's also pursuing. And then to help pimp this out, they ask Pat to call his ex, who he doesn't want to engage with on this, to help sell this shit—who was also forced to go back into the closet so that he could pretend to be gay with his BL co-star. Which is insane.

Nini

Like when you say it out loud it's like, the levels of bullshit, like Tee is very much about piling on the bullshit. And he's like doing it and pointing to the audience and saying, ‘Look at this! Ain't this some shit? This is the kind of shit that we gotta deal with on the regular!’

Ben

I'm not even done! The head of the company baited them by stripping their marketing budget because he knew his son would use his own money to save this: creating a division between the gays because of lack of loyalty and such. And so like, that comes through fairly loudly. 

16:52 - Step by Step: The Romance

Ben

Part of where the struggle kicks in for me with this show is honestly with Pat and Jeng. Like, I have really strong positive feelings about Pat as a character, as an individual, and I have an incredible amount of feelings for Jeng as an individual—and I want to elaborate on those—but like Pat and Jeng as a unit, I feel, was super frustrating and really disappointing in this show, in a way that felt kind of pissy from Tee? Like I feel like…they don't feel satisfying on purpose. And that doesn't sit right with me, because of genre conventions and expectations. 

I'll let you talk about Pat and Jeng, because I think you feel a lot better about them than I did.

Nini

Yeah, because I think I had different expectations. I definitely took in at the beginning, or before the beginning of the show, some of the stuff around the show where Tee was very clearly saying this isn't a romance. And as we sort of went through the show, I started to understand what he meant by saying that. I think Tee has a, like a complicated relationship with BL, that much is obvious, and I think in a way, the story that he wanted to tell here—he almost resented a little bit, having to use the romance to tell the story. And it, it shows up on a metatextual level in terms of some of the themes and some of the story points and plot points running throughout the show. He's like, can’t I just tell this story? Why do they have to, like, make out? 

There is a tension there, there is a dissonance there. So it's not that I don't understand the problem that people had with it; I understand it entirely. But I was just vibin’. Because…I saw all of that as like, yeah, whatever Tee, like I see exactly what you're saying, but you also put this in here anyway, so I'm gonna enjoy the parts of this that you did put in here. That was my way of dealing with it, and that's why I really enjoyed it—because what he did put in there, for me, between Pat and Jeng? It resonated, because at first it was so much about ‘well this thing can't be and here are all the reasons that this thing can't be.’ It's clear that, like, Jeng is just falling deeper and deeper and deeper, and Pat is just like, I can't, I can't even hear that noise—to the point that he literally drowned the noise out in his own head. To the point where like Jeng actually had to tell him basically, ‘hi, I am actually hitting on you.’ And that, like, it came at the end of like a long tail because also Jeng's very aware that it's, like, an ethical minefield to be hitting on Pat because Pat works for him. So it's just like a swarm of things coming together, in a way that I personally enjoy? 

And I, I’ll acknowledge that my enjoyment of this show is extremely personal to just the kind of bitch I am. I just like this kind of, like, dynamics? I like this kind of exceedingly complicated and, ‘this actually is kind of a gordian knot, but still, through that all, I feel the way I feel and you feel the way you feel, and if we could just like figure some of this other shit out—and we're gonna fuck up figuring this other shit out for a while—then it would be solid, it would be golden.’ But like I said, I can completely understand why people wouldn't rock with that. It's dissonant, it's incredibly dissonant, I’m fully aware of that. But I was vibin’. That's just how I feel about it.

Ben

My issue is that the show doesn't say that. And we have to take that as the acceptable read to move on. Like, all of the ideas about how corporate life is evil for queer people are loud themes exemplified through the characters. I was consistently frustrated with Tee in this particular outing, because important gay decisions happen off screen, and that pissed me off. So much of his idea is about how queer people don't get to make choices—and he doesn't show the queer people making the choices they can make. 

Like for example, they get together and Pat and Jeng don't discuss what being at work is going to look like for them? Which was so irritating for me, because they don't really know each other? And like I'm totally fine with two bitches just being like, ‘let's just fuck about it for a little while and enjoy this ride while we go.’ But like, they don't say that! Like, we have to take that as meaning, and it irritates me, because he's not subtle about his other shit. It feels a little bit tacked on, because you're supposed to just understand this. 

Like—I took that Jeng was broken. I wrote a whole fucking piece about it, about how broken Jeng was by being in the closet as he is, because he lives in a big ass closet. Like his closet was so big I didn't even realize it was a closet, I thought it was an exercise room. No, it's his fucking closet. He lives there, that's insane. But like Pat and Jeng get together, and they don't discuss what being at work is going to be like for them. We don't really see their romance function at all, and they don't give us a sense of the two of them functioning as a pair until the story is over? And that irritates me because what the fuck are they fighting for? Like Jeng is explicitly fighting for the idea of Pat, and Pat is explicitly frustrated that Jeng is trying to manipulate him into the version of Pat that Jeng would prefer him to be. And that is not really confronted in this show. I can't be happy about these two getting together because that particular tension point is just submerged. It isn't dealt with, it's just shoved out of the way. That would have been okay, ‘we're just going to bury this’ is an okay choice, but it's a choice that feels like it happened off screen. 

It's frustrating because Pat's choice to break up with the MLM big tall, and his choice to break up with Put happen on screen. Pat processing his complicated post-breakup feelings with Put is executed beautifully on screen. We don't really get a functional version of Pat and Jeng on screen, and it irked me, but it low-key makes me sad, because what if Tee doesn't have enough to pull from in himself to do that properly? But he can handle, like, the painful shit and the breakup shit really well. Like that makes me sad for him…but, like, it irritates me as a viewer. If the desire to be a partner to Pat, and to change because Pat asked him to, is literally the driving force that moves Jeng through the plot—that is text—I hate that when he gets together with Pat, none of the talking about that occurs at all.

Nini

See I had a completely different reaction to that, because to me, from the time that all of that, like, wasn't happening, and then I saw the way that the plot was going, I was just like ‘oh it's a false start.’ That all makes sense to me, like the fact that Jeng spent all this time basically sweatin’ Pat, and finally, like okay, he gets somewhere, he doesn't want to confront the problems. He doesn't want to confront the problems, and Pat doesn't really want to confront the problems because Pat is just, ‘this man wants me, I want this man.’ Like, they don't talk about the issues. They get giddy on each other, they get high, nose wide open, and they don't want to confront the bad shit. So they don't talk about it. It's a false start. They don't talk about it, they don't talk about the fact that they don't really know each other, they don't talk about anything that matters…that to me tells me everything. There's a deep and intense infatuation happening there. And they're burying their heads in the sand about a lot. To me that's deliberate, and that's why it ends up falling apart. It works for me on a narrative level. 

25:45 - Step by Step: Story Execution

Nini

I think part of the frustration as well—and I think here we're going to start getting into, like, some of the structural issues—because I said that I did have criticisms about this show. And one of the criticisms that I continuously had was that this show feels like it was edited by monkeys on crack cocaine. There is a lack of a certain amount of cohesiveness to the editing, that makes it hard to follow some of what's happening. Like you have to sit with it and like really train your brain and do one, two, three passes at it, to be like ‘oh yeah, that's what was happening, that's what was happening, that's what was happening.’ So I do take that criticism. I absolutely do take that criticism of the show and I agree with it. That the graph of the show, like the way that it was structured in terms of when the pivot point happens—because it happens almost towards the end—I can see where the frustration comes from, absolutely.

Ben

There's so much in this show that is interesting, but is delivered so haphazardly that you have to work for it. Like, the only useful read I got about the hets and their role in this, was to model what showing up and speaking out looks like versus what sitting on your hands and not saying something looks like. With Khanun and Beam, and their attraction to Ae—who has a baby in a hilariously inaccurate birthing scene…

Nini

[laughs] I’m sorry, you said the birthing scene and I had to crack up, like that was the most like, hand wavy like, ‘I'm a gay man, I don't know how these things work’—like ‘she had a baby, like make it like—do whatever you think having a baby looks like, it's fine, moving on’ [laughs]

Ben

She's pushing the baby! And everybody’s screaming! And POP! It's out! [laughs]

Nini

I don't know how the baby came out, because she was still wearing her pants. But eeehh, let's leave that to the side for now. [laughs]

Ben

I'm okay with that, because everything else was so silly, I get them just not wanting to ask Zorzo to take her pants off.

Nini

There's a thematic reason that Ae has her baby where she does, how she does, when she does, like there's a thematic and a narrative reason for that. But the scene itself is like one of the most cracked-out things I’ve ever seen in my life. [laughs]

Ben

That's the whole problem with the show, like there are good ideas here but like, I don't feel them. I hate that you have to think so hard to get to them. Normally I'm okay with subtext for these sort of things, but…you have to basically rebuild the moments that are occurring in the show so that you can think about stuff. 

I ended up frustrated with Jeng by the end, because I feel like his arc peters out. Like there's a, a totally fine read on a lot of these things, but it is so…flat for me. It's fine for a show to make you play with the notion of disappointment? But the disappointment feels…petty, if that makes any sense? Like I don't think the disappointment is built into all the thematic structures. It's just built into the effect that the show wants to engender. It feels a little incongruous, and it's really irritating. I don't mind queer cinema making me feel negative emotions and walk out of a theater going ‘damn, bro.’ I just don't like the way this show is going for that, but also pretending that it's not, towards the end.

Nini

Okay, so here's a thing that we don't normally do, but I think would be useful for this show. So, let's fix it. Our mantra around here is generally: you meet the shows where they are. Right? But: is there a version of this show that you like, and what does that version of the show look like?

Ben

A big problem with this show is, they spend way too much time away from the Jian group office environment. The bubble of the Forge project goes on way too fucking long. The reveal in episode, like, 9? That Pat did not know Jeng was gay this whole time? Is really good, but needs to happen, at the very latest, by episode 8. Because it creates this huge compression effect on the back half of the show, that is so fucking irritating for me as a viewer. The Jeng crying and sad shit is great in episode—10, when that occurs? And like he and Pat get together in episode 11, but the gays need a solid ‘we're going to try to make this work’ episode. You have to put us in the interior of these two settling into each other. We need to understand what we have been yearning for for the whole show up to this point, so that we can understand what they're giving up when they've when they sever—it's romance, they gotta break up, you have to put the characters in a position where they have to figure out, ‘can I go back to the person I was and enjoy my life without this person in my life again?’ The answer is no, because this is fucking romance!—But we need to understand what the romance is and what they're going for. 

And all of the development of Pat and Jeng as a couple, that we're supposed to be benefiting from in episode 11 when they're trying to save the stupid little BL project they're working on, feels completely unearned. Yes, I understand that the reason we're not getting payoff is because their relationship is fundamentally flawed as a false start—but it doesn't flag very effectively as one, because we aren't constantly seeing the misfires when they're trying to do stuff romantically together. We need to fully confront the fact that Jeng is brainwashed into thinking that work life integration can work for queer people. It cannot. And we don't get that. So like when they break up, the feeling is like, ‘good, because y'all needed to.’ And not in a satisfying way that another show might have done. We need to move all of the beats from the end of the show back a whole fucking episode. 

Also, the decision for Pat to go off and start his own thing, take Chot and Ae, all happens off screen. This is a huge set of choices! Why is Chot running off to be with this twink? Like sure, he's playing fairy godmother in the whole show, but why does he choose to go with him? The audience is left to just figure that out. But so much of this show is about the difficult and complex choices that queer people have to make to survive in a corporate world that doesn't want us. So yes, we can infer that Chot was also frustrated with all this drama at work, and is more than willing to go work with the very talented, very successful little baby gay who showed up at his job, and go off and they gonna get this paper together. I get it. It's fine, it doesn't track as wrong for Chot to do that—but Chot's choice also matters in a show about how queer choice needs to be respected! And they don't show Chot making the choice. Like, the gay choices happening off screen are egregious to me. They need to be unpacked. If the show is about how our choices aren't respected, why aren't we showing the interior decision-making of the choices we're forced to make?

Nini

I'll definitely take your point about where the pivot point of the story happens. It's one of the critiques of this show that I completely agree with. The critical path of this show—like the throughline?—to me is so clear. What happens though, is that the critical path is sort of impacted by…like a bunch of these little side quests. Whether it is that the side quest is too present or too absent, the milestones are happening slightly off schedule. The way that it's sequenced works for me, but the way that things like lag behind or in front of each other are a little…squiffy. In terms of the way that the story is constructed, in terms of some of the things that you feel that you needed to see, or that would have made the story better to be able to see, rather than having to conjure up yourself…like, I get that, absolutely. I don't disagree with that, I think that is a valid and accurate critique of this show. I live in my head a lot [laughs] and so that didn't bother me enough to ding it, but I understand why it didn't work for you, and for a lot of other people. 

I think it's just for me that…I was fine with getting pulled along by the story, because I was invested, particularly in Jeng. First they got me with Man being, you know, the size of a barn. And then I started actually paying attention, and they got me with Jeng's character. That's where the show, like, managed to string me along the entire way; I got a hook in, and I'm just like ‘okay, this is what I'm going with.’ But none of the things that you and everybody else is saying about the show are wrong. You're all correct. [laughs] You're all correct. I just…enjoyed it.

Ben

I think for me, both places where this show really broke, and where I really disconnected from this show, were in both of the kitchen scenes, which you loved. Like if we could point to two scenes where things break for me as an audience member? It's the speakeasy scene, kitchen scene—throwing food on the ground, kitchen scene—Pat reconciling with Jeng. It ends up becoming a failure point when Jeng resigns from his company—in his Canadian tuxedo —

Nini

Denim on denim y’all!

Ben

[laughs] And he says to his dad, ‘I have dreams.’ And I'm like, ‘girl, what are they? You ain't said shit for the last three goddamn episodes! What are they? Please sir, talk to the camera, I need to know.’ And like we can infer these things, we can project onto him. I can infer that the restaurant is what's important to him. I can infer that food security for the underprivileged is important to him. But for someone who's as plan-oriented as him, it feels a little weird, that this feels like a undercooked and underdeveloped idea for the character, that's just sort of simmering in the back and I'm like, ‘what, did we even put anything in the pot? Is that just water boiling?’ 

And so we get to these two kitchen sequences. Chot has chided Pat for not properly receiving someone's feelings, which is an idea that's been all over BL recently, that I'm totally into. Like you can reject people just fine, like you do not owe people any booty at all. But if someone tells you that you're important to them, you should at least acknowledge that they made themselves vulnerable to you, and acknowledge those feelings. Fine, good. Go buy a carrot cake and run to that man. But he goes to Jeng and tries to acknowledge his feelings and Jeng's like, ‘okay, we're together now’ and they make out, and I'm like ‘oh okay, sure, I guess? What? No!’ 

And this is when the not talking portion kicks in, and then Pat breaks up with Jeng, for what I believe are incredibly valid reasons of feeling like Jeng doesn't trust him or believe in him, because he makes choices for them without consulting Pat. And Pat feels like Jeng is always undercutting him, and Jaab makes a point about this in the final episode—when he doesn't talk to Jen at all? whatever—and says, ‘you kind of manipulated Pat the way Dad manipulated you.’ And I'm like, ‘that's a very, very specific idea, that makes a whole lot of sense, that we're just going to walk away from because this is the last episode—roll the fluff!’ 

So we get to the second kitchen scene, and I'm trying to accept the emotions of the scene? Of Pat just deciding that he's going to let go of the anger because he really likes Jeng, and he likes what the two of them had together, and he just kind of wants to let it work and figure it out together—the same way I Promised You the Moon ended. And I like that, but it doesn't land here for me? And I ended up really irritated about it. And this is where I get frustrated, like Jeng through episode…10, works for me, but the dead-eyed Jeng of episode 11 and the sad depressive Jeng of episode 12—it feels like he never comes back to life. Which may have been their point, but they went out of their way to try and make me feel like he and Pat are together and they're happy and everything's going to be okay now because they're together in the final episode. It feels unearned, and it feels like they didn't finish the goddamn mission! when it comes to Jeng.

Nini

And for me, it feels exactly the opposite, because those two kitchen scenes are very clearly paralleled, you're absolutely correct: in the first kitchen scene when they're first getting together, they don't talk about anything that's important, they just kind of roll past it. But in the second kitchen scene, they stop, they take a breath, Jeng says, ‘let's talk about this tomorrow.’ He's happy, yeah, but they make a deliberate point of not doing the same shit that they did before. They make a point of saying the things; they make a point of taking a beat; they make a point of taking their time; they make a point of actually talking to each other. And to me that's why it works. I mean it works, as well, for emotional reasons that are just pure, like, me engaging with romantic notions, reasons, and I'll fully admit to that. But to me the fact that those two scenes were so different was kind of the point? And I quite enjoyed that part. 

Another problem with the show that I think makes it really not legible for people is the fact that you don't have any sense of the passage of time. Like you really have to work to figure out how much time has passed between any two events in the show.

Ben

And clearly we were on the wrong timeline from the show.

Nini

[laughs] I think they just made a mistake in the last episode. I did a lot of work on the show, but I enjoy that, so I was fine. The timeline is that the first 9 to 10 episodes happen over the course of roughly a year? And then episode 11 is very compressed. I think they do give us a chiron at one point, that you figure out it's like about three months maybe? And then the last episode, it spans years—not just including the time skip, but the actual episode itself. 

Ben

It feels like somewhere between three to five years for sure.

Nini

Yeah, the last part of the episode, like maybe the last half hour, is like a series of vignettes? But it's just that the way that it's edited, it doesn't feel like a series of vignettes. It feels like scenes that are happening in sequence, which they're not. 

Like I said, the editing of this show, monkeys on crack cocaine and ayahuasca, absolutely. Storyboarding, I'm not sure anybody did any? 

I did a lot of work to enjoy the show. But I did enjoy it.

Ben

And I hate that. I hated the sides, like they weren't even in the final episode, they're like ‘yeah we don't care about them, get them the fuck out of here.’ No Khanun, no Jen, just get them out of here. We're gonna be here for an hour and forty two minutes, but the sides required literally zero closure to help stick the landing with the mains? Ugh, man.

Nini

They were there to reinforce thematic ideas, and they leaned way too hard into them as a narrative point when they weren't supposed to be narrative. So yes, completely agree with you, that was a mess. 

It's not that I don't agree with you! We're saying that this is a fight night and I got my eye black on, but the reality is that I don't disagree with anything you're saying. It’s just that I was fine with doing that work, and you are not fine with doing that work because you think you shouldn't have to do that work, and that's…yeah, you're probably right about that.

Ben

I'm in the business of recommending things to people because I like enjoying things with people. I will not be showing this to Emily, because I have to explain too much along the way the whole fucking time. And like, I hate that! It shouldn't be this goddamn hard to enjoy the damn show. 

I ended up comparing the dissonance around this show to, say, something like 2gether, which I think is remembered fondly because of pandemic stuff, and less because the show is good. Because everybody acknowledges that the show is a goddamn mess, but there's things that they take out of it, they say ‘I really like this.’ And that's how I feel about Step by Step. I loved everything that Man did in this; I think he played a 32 year old repressed gay man really well. But low key…I gotta be honest, I'm a little burned out on feeling a bunch of fucking feelings about sad rich gay boys? Like, the West is obsessed with sad rich gay boys and I am burnt the hell out on it. Like ‘oh no, he's sad, in his penthouse…’ who cares? [laughs]

Nini

I think for me as well, because I've been spending so much time with Turtles’s Asian family trauma lens, that I dug into that side of things, like a little deeply with my brain, and I was kind of enjoying kicking that around to myself as part of this.

Ben

And that’s the thing that sucks! Like Jeng, through episode 10, works so well for me. Like I absolutely loved what Man was doing with Jeng, how he was playing him, how Ben was playing Pat as kind of oblivious to it but unconsciously flirting with Jeng.

We didn't even talk about Up Poompot! Up Poompot was in this show and he whipped ass! Up was so good! Put was an incredible character. So Put is Pat's ex, who was not a great ex to him. This is very clearly a failed first romance on a lot of different levels. Put is ambitious, and he wants a lot more from his life than to just stay in the poor town the two of them grew up in, and he clearly didn't have Pat's skills to go to school…twice, study in America, and come back to Thailand as a highly trained marketing professional who can go into a corporate environment, and even with every goddamn employee in there working on his damn nerves still be the best person that they have on their team. Put doesn't have that: he's pretty and he's charming, and he's an actor. He has to go into BL, and so he can't have a boyfriend. Which is very fucked, that gay people cannot be out in BL. Insane. Put is an incredible character. He is simultaneously deeply unlikable and also incredibly sympathetic. Up is so good in this show. 

And I think Ben, who has an incredibly internal character—who really could have benefited from a journal? So that we could hear his thoughts more often—also does a really good job playing someone who is barely keeping it together, and trying to restrain their quick temper. Ben does a good job as a fairly new actor dealing with some really complex internal things that have to be externalized, in a film tradition that leans towards bombastic. That's really difficult to do. 

Bruce is in this! Bruce had such a rough character to portray in Lovely Writer, and it was hard to really like that character even if you felt bad for them. So glad we got a character for Bruce that we loved this time in Chot. 

Zorzo is in this, she's incredible, we love her. She can do whatever she wants—she shows up on a set and we're just like, ‘hello Zorzo, what do you want to do today?’ 

It's just so much fun watching this cast work together. Even the new people. Saint had some difficulties with his romantic partner and I think that's because he was new and nervous about doing that right. But he was really really good with Ben: when Jaab was interacting with Pat, Saint was really good, and you can see why he was cast. His chemistry with Ben felt so natural, and didn't read as like weirdly sexual or romantic, which is very easy to fall into in BL when they put literally any boys in the same room with each other. 

They did a great job letting queer friendships feel like queer friendships in this show. There's so much that's genuinely good in this show, which is why I feel like I have to give it a 7.5. Like if it had just been kind of bad and muddled? I’d have probably given it an 8 for just pure gumption. But it's frustrating, because it feels like everyone understood what the mission was and the plan fell apart with contact with the enemy immediately, and they did not regroup at all.

Nini

This is sounding like video game stuff.

Ben

I'm kind of pissed! I'm in captain mode right now. I'm assessing the film and going over everyone's screens and we're talking about who fucked up here. 

50:25 - Step by Step: Where are we on Tee Bundit?

Ben

The most important thing to ask now is, where do either of us sit when it comes to Tee Bundit and Dee Hup House?

Nini

I am a Tee Bundit fan? I see some of the things that he wants to say. I think that maybe he needs some guardrails? And maybe to lighten up a little bit? Because he has good ideas, and the ideas, he makes them very legible, when he wants to. 

I am curious to see how he does with some guardrails. Sometimes an artist needs a few guardrails to really focus themselves. So I am still down with Tee, and I'm interested in seeing the rest of what he's putting out this year. How about you?

Ben

I just want to grab him—like William Shatner in a classic Star Trek episode—by both of his upper arms, and say very clearly: “You got to stop being mean to the audience, bro. They're on your side.” It feels like he's beefing with us the audience, in Step by Step. Like it feels like he resents that the only way he can tell queer stories and get funded is to do queer romance, which I don't know that he's interested in—even though clearly he cares a lot about queer existence. Which is a very complicated space to sit as an artist, particularly with what the zeitgeist is feeling right now? 

But I need him to not take that energy out on us as the audience, like we signed up for romance, bro! Stop making us feel bad for wanting that! It just feels like Tee is just mad, and yelling in the room, and we're like ‘I get that you're mad bro, but this is unfun for all of us: we are on your side, and you are taking this out on us.’ He's that friend, who's right…but fuck, dude!

[Nini laughs]

Ben

That's all I've got. It's a chop for me, I'm sorry. [laughs]

Nini

Nah, I mean, sometimes we disagree, my friend, that’s just the way it is. [laughs] For me it’s a 9, for Ben it’s a 7.5, so that works out to…8.25? Yeah, that sounds about right.

Ben

It’s not bad, but it’s not good.

Nini

8.25 for Step by Step, and entry into contention for the Girl You Tried award for this season.

53:10 - La Pluie

Nini

Okay, so we are talking all things La Pluie. Ben, tell us what La Pluie is about.

Ben

La Pluie is a sort of speculative fiction romance, set in a world very similar to ours, where a small subset of the population experience temporary sensory loss whenever it rains as a form of deafness. Of that incredibly small population, an even smaller portion of them, when they come of age—which is 20 in Thailand—they may begin to hear another person's voice whenever it rains. Those people are seemingly tied to each other by this rain-based connection and other people have described them as soulmates. 

Our protagonist Saengtai is a 22-year-old who experiences rain deafness. He has three brothers, one older, and both of his parents are what people call soulmates. When he turned 20, his parents wanted him to know that they were getting a divorce, and this shattered Saengtai’s faith in the concept of soulmates, and he spent the next two years actively avoiding speaking to his soulmate at all. Two years later, he happens to run into him in a cafe, realizes his soulmate is hot, and then [laughs] decides to maybe give it a shot. And the show becomes this ongoing exploration of the concept of romance itself, unpacking whether or not the soulmates concept is real, portrayed by incredibly emotionally aware characters. 

Our primary four characters are: Saengtai, our protagonist, who's a writer. Patts, his soulmate, who is a veterinarian, and slightly older than him, and very cool. You have Saengtai’s little brother Saengtien, who’s kind of a rascal, who does not have rain deafness but very much believes in the concept of soulmates. And then there's Lomfon, a boy who is also in school with Saengtien, who adamantly refuses to believe in soulmates, and causes his own problems along the way. There's quite a colorful cast of supporting characters, and this is probably…the most legible show that we've ever watched? From the very first scene, this show is nothing but constant payoff.

Nini

Hmm, I don't know about from the very first scene, because as you know, it took me a few episodes to kind of get there. I started and stopped, and then had to be cajoled back in [laughs] and I do not regret coming back in. The line on this for me is that I think soulmates are bullshit. I've never been a fan of this soulmate trope—in the first episode or two, I'm just kind of like, ‘I don't know that they're gonna do anything interesting with this’ and then sometime around…it was definitely around episode 4, and I know it was around episode 4 because isn't that when Tai bit that man? We're gonna talk about this, Ben.

Ben

[laughs] Tai did bite that man, in episode 3.

Nini

Tai, my precious little alley cat, that was when I decided I was in [laughs] and I was gonna keep watching. I mean he literally got drunk and bit Patts, and I was like, ‘okay this is gonna be fucking awesome.’ Who bites somebody??

Ben

Someone unhinged!

Nini

Exactly, that's the point! And you know I love unhinged, so I was in for the duration after that. That was like the end of episode 3 when he bit him? And then episode 4 it just keeps getting better.

57:50 - La Pluie: The Soulmate Myth

Ben

Let's get properly into the soulmate stuff. I stand by my comment that this show begins paying off from the very first scene. We read the blurb, we get our little intro, and he's like ‘we got soulmates in this world; I can't hear when it rains; there's a boy who talks to me when it rains,’ and we were like ‘whoa man, these two are gonna fuck real good!’ And then the show opens with divorce. And I was like, ‘never mind, I am seated!’ 

Right away, the show is telling you that it is going to challenge the presumptions built into its core premise. It spends the entire time interrogating its premise, with really legible characters. And I think you provided the clearest read on the sort of primary archetypes these characters fit, when you described them in the framework of faith. So, please elaborate on your analysis.

Nini

The key thing all our characters, our key characters are dealing with in the show, is whether they believe in soulmates or not? So you have Tien, who is absolutely a true believer, 100% believes in soulmates, no matter what has happened to potentially shake his faith in soulmates he totally believes in it. Then you have Tai, who I described as an apostate, because Tai used to be a true believer and then his faith was shattered, and so he's sort of gone against believing in soulmates. In terms of their love interests, you have Patts, who is sort of agnostic on the idea? ‘Eh, I don't know, maybe soulmates are real, maybe they're not, doesn't really matter to me. I don't know what to believe but I'm not going to let it affect what I'm doing, and this is the way I feel about things.’ And then you've got Lomfon, who is an atheist: not just an atheist, like a rationalist atheist. He's just like, ‘soulmates are bullshit, I don't buy this, I don't believe in anything that this is happening here.’ And then what the show does with those four viewpoints is sort of, brings them all around to a kind of agnosticism? So in the end, they kind of all get to where Patts started. 

Then one of the things the show does towards the end, really at the end, is bring Patts around to being…sort of a true believer? Not necessarily in the sense of the rain deafness connection being a soulmate connection, but believing in the idea of having a soulmate. I don't think that's in any way related to the rain deafness connection at all, but more about choices and the way that he feels about Tai, and the way that Tai feels about him and the relationship that they are building. I found that really interesting, where in the end everybody kind of comes around to the agnostic viewpoint, Patts is the one who moves towards a, a believer, but not in the whole myth.

Ben

I think what works for me really in the show, when it comes to the belief in soulmates or not, is…the show understands that belief without action is meaningless. In the case of Tai and Lomfon, their choices and inaction create immense harm for the people around them that they claim to care about. In the case of Tai, he hurts Patts, for years, with his silence. Like it is totally fine for him to want to work out his comfortability with the rain-based connection privately and on his own time, but he owed it to Patts to say that. Even just, ‘I'm uncomfortable having you in my head, please don't talk to me when it rains.’ That's all he had to say. It's the silence that was really cruel for me. He's hurting Patts and punishing him, because his parents let him down. That's really shitty. 

Lomfon glomps on to Tai, for whatever reason, and just determines he's supposed to be with Tai. Actively ignoring the growing relationship between him and Tien, hurting everyone along the way. Whereas Patts and Tien are both actively treating people with immense kindness and care, because of how they believe and how they move through the world. Tien cares a lot about his brother: he knows his brother was hurt by what happened to their parents, and he gives excuses for him and he tries to take care of his brother, he tries to make himself small to take care of his family and the people around them, even if he's a little bit feisty. And Patts, who maybe doesn't care about the soulmate shit at all, sees Tai once: is like, ‘whoa, I am inextricably drawn to this person,’ and pursues him very kindly. The people with the most angst about whether or not this shit is real are the ones doing the most harm to other people. It's the people who are most pissy about faith being the worst in their relationships.

Nini

Look at us here being a couple of lapsed Catholics on the podcast.

[both laugh]

Nini

There is so much that the show wants to say about that idea of faith without works being dead. So much that the show wants to say about the relationship between chance and choice. I think the show itself is agnostic on whether soulmates are real? But I think the show does also say: there is some mix of chance and choice in romance. You ran into this person in a coffee shop—that's chance. But what you do next is choice. 

There're little things sprinkled throughout, like Patts and Tai finding out—once they've decided to be together—finding out that they actually had a connection from earlier on, because Patts's grandmother used to live next door to Tai. So when Tai's parents split up and he was like really sad and depressed about it, Patts saw this kid crying, and he just decided to be kind to this kid, and he helped Tai through, like, the immediate aftermath of his parents' divorce. And in return for that kindness, Tai sort of helped him through the death of his grandmother? They never saw each other's faces or anything like that, this was a happenstance. This was a chance encounter, through Patts's kindness and Tai’s kindness in return, that became a connection between them. Again, chance and choice. It was by chance that Patts saw this kid crying, but it was a choice to be kind to the kid next door. 

That's threaded throughout the story in different parts, this idea that chance brings you to the table but choice determines what happens when you get there.

Ben

I feel very strongly, as a lapsed Catholic, that none of the beliefs matter if you're just trying to be right. What matters is how you treat people.

Nini

The show is more interested in the choices than the chances, but it does put the chances sort of in there. You know that the show is interested in the choices because of the way that it deals with the parents, and the parents divorce, and how the parents have made it through their divorce and continue to be people who are together in dealing with their children, who still talk to each other when it rains, who have moved out of a romantic phase and into a platonic phase in their lives. To the point where the mom can get remarried to somebody who is more suited to her, and this doesn't affect their friendship. 

I really enjoyed the aspects of the show that really harped on the idea of choice, and choosing how you're going to build a relationship with somebody whether it is romantic or platonic, rather than fate putting somebody in your path and that feeling like a predetermination of who that person is going to be to you. That's why in the end, I did come around to La Pluie after not being interested at the beginning. They fucked with soulmates, and I like that.

Ben

I feel the need to rant.

Nini

The floor is yours, sir. Speak directly into the microphone.

Ben

I'm so glad that this show ended by saying that the soulmate stuff was a trap. It was really frustrating to see everybody caught up in the soulmate stuff, and the mechanic of that, as this verification tool. Maybe it's the whole lapsed Catholic thing and having a very complex relationship with faith and doubt? Because I got the whole notion that the purpose of all of this is about choice. It's about what you do with the opportunities you're given, and how you treat the people when you're there. 

It was really frustrating to watch so many members of the audience just really struggle with this show, because they needed the soulmates thing to either be bullshit, or to be confirmed. I really like that the show very politely sidesteps answering that, because what matters is how people treat each other. The opening scroll of the show is a happy couple that is a guy with rain deafness hanging out with somebody who is not. Like these things were legible from the beginning for me, and it was so…tedious, week in and week out, dealing with the, like the weather report: “Are the soulmates real this week?” Stop. 

Nini

Since we're ventilating the show's take on soulmates so to speak…

1:08:22 - La Pluie: Lomfon is Rude!

Ben

Yeah, let's talk about somebody who clearly got it wrong, in the show!

Nini

[laughs] Let's talk about Lomfon getting that ass beat, and why it was absolutely necessary.

Ben

We're gonna begin where we always sat: Lomfon is rude! And Patts should have punched him harder.

Nini

[laughs] I like just, I heard like a million people just turning the podcast off at this point—but it's, it's true, it's a fact.

Ben

Look, I do not care. Here's the thing: Lomfon is beefing with people for no reason, from the jump. He's beefing with Tien in the store over a goddam magazine. He's beefing with other classmates. He has no goddamn friends.

Nini

He was rude to Bow! He was rude to Tai's boss, and he likes Tai, and he still couldn't muster up like a shred of interest in anything she was doing, or even general politeness to shake her hand and say hi how you doing. Rude!

Ben

He only cares about what he's thinking about, there's no regard for other people. Like yeah, sure. He's like, 20. And like, kids gotta grow up at some point. But also, tastin’ a little bit of fist will reorient your life a little bit sometimes.

Nini

[laughs] True!

Ben

He's just so dramatic! There's this development over the course of the show, where Tai ends up with two different soulmates with connections to him. Lomfon is like, ‘I'm hearing Tai’s voice when it rains.’ Instead of, like sending, like a group text, saying, like, ‘hey, I believe something very strange may have happened to me, I think we should all meet up next Sunday at four o'clock—because I've checked the weather and we should all be together for this.’ And they could have handled this like adults and talked about stuff. No. Lomfon is rude and selfish, and so he needs to corner Tai in the rain, kiss Tai, and be like ‘whoops, my bad!’ And then when Patts rolls up on him throwing haymakers, he's like ‘whoa bro, no, he's mine!’ He's yours? Little boy. Please. 

I got a lot of smoke for this motherfucker, I got some notes over here. This dude hung out with Tien at a cast party, cuddled with drunk Tien, calls his brother because Tien needs a ride home—and then while Tien is mostly unconscious, flirts with his older brother? Gross.

Nini

He's in his own zone. He's not thinking about anybody else, he's not interested in whether what he does affects anybody else and how it affects anybody else. And it takes, yes quite frankly, a jaw rockin’, for him to get his head out of his ass. Completely concur that it was needed. 

Because I mean, think about this okay? Even if he actually liked Tai—which he doesn't really—does he think that this is the way to go about getting Tai? Let's ponder this for a second, just a short second, okay? It doesn't even make sense. And then, he thinks that maybe he might feel something for Tien, he doesn't know…but instead of, I don't know maybe, hm! going on a date with Tien instead of Tai—like there's so many other ways that Lomfon could have gone about what he went about. He just did it in the messiest way possible. Everybody was already telling him, ‘look I'm seeing what you're doing here and I'm gonna need you to take a step back.’

Ben

Tien picked up on it because they were on that mountain, and he saw Lomfon starting shit and looking at his brother, and he pulled that motherfucker aside, he said, ‘I am a third son, bitch, I will bury you on this mountain! Don't ever look at my brother again! Their relationship is theirs, and if you fuck with them one more time, they will not find your fucking corpse on this mountain.’

Nini

Everybody who saw it told Lomfon, ‘yo, you need to mind your own business.’ And if they didn't tell Lomfon, they told Tai—so Bow told Tai, ‘look, Lomfon’s up in your business. You need to say something and get that kid away from your business.’ Tien told him mind your own business. Patts told him mind your own business—because Patts definitely knew that Lomfon had a crush on Tai.

Ben

And Lomfon’s like, ‘well I heard Tai's voice in the rain, so now it's my business,’ and instead of talking to Tai properly, he's going to go like beef with Patts and be like I'm taller than you, so. 

[both laugh] That boy got on my goddamn nerves! Like, he's an excellent character. 

1:13:30 - La Pluie: Tai Also Deserves Some Smoke 

Ben

Let's talk about how Tai needed that ass whooped too.

Nini

That's what I was about to say, like, we're on Lomfon and Lomfon deserved it, but Tai also deserves some smoke and I'm here to give it to him. Tai, baby boy. Patts carried you down that mountain after you ran up there in the first place offa some bullshit. He had to carry you back down that mountain, y’all come back down the mountain as boyfriends. You looked at that man in the car and told him ‘I want to stay over at your place tonight’ and that man beat land speed records to take you back to his house. You literally got the booty in every single room in that apartment. 

And then you decide to go on a date-not-date with Lomfon? I feel like it was a little bit too—like he was slightly flattered?

Ben

Let me just read Tai his rights. [Nini laughs] 

This man, after finally getting what he thinks he's wanted this whole time, realizes there may be a situation going on with his brother's friend. He coulda asked his brother, like at any moment: ‘yo what's up with Lomfon, like Bow is already saying dude was sniffing around, and he asked me you to do some sort of thing, and I dunno how I feel about it. What's up with you and your little friend?’ And Tien could have been like ‘oh noooo, I actually like him, why is he doing this like?’ He could have solved this any number of ways that were less dramatic than ‘let me lie to my boyfriend because I'm worried how he's gonna handle knowing that this little dude is sniffing around’—as if he didn't already know. 

It is so frustrating that Patts—who is clear from the beginning that his primary concern was Saengtai’s comfort and happiness—for Saengtai to just actively ignore this man's vocalized needs. Man is telling you, he wants you to say the things. And you're like ‘well, don't my actions show it?’ No baby boy, because you're out here with some other dude in the middle of the motherfuckin’ rain, and you need to do better. 

And then! That boy is at his mom's wedding. Your dad has said he is happy for her. He likes the guy that she's gonna be with, and he's happy for the life that they're gonna have. And this boy ruins their wedding, making it all about him, because he's mad that his parents’ soulmate thing didn't work out. Oh I was so mad at that boy. 

He was so frustrating as a protagonist sometimes, because he just shits on all the relationships in his life. He shits on his mom. He’s low key shitting on his dad. He relies on his little brother too much without really paying attention to him in a meaningful way, and he beats up on Patts. And he does the same thing to Bow, like he works with Bow. She's clearly covering for him at work. Because he works with a bunch of other people and refuses to ever learn their names or really engage with them.

Nini

This is not to say that we do not love my little alley cat Tai, but he is a fucking alley cat. [laughs] He has the predisposition and morals of one, quite frankly. Like he's scratching and biting…in some ways he's just as rude as Lomfon. But like, you see where all this stuff comes from. And you want him to like, just for a second like, dude, retract the claws, and stop making decisions for people that are more about what you want and what you're interested in than what they want and need and have said that they want and need.

Ben

This is what I mean, like, the show being legible and saying the same thing the whole time. Like, as early as episode 2 Tai is like, ‘hey I found my soulmate,’ and Tien says quite plainly, ‘you fucked with love: unfuck it.’ And when he finally has that confrontation with his parents where they show him the complexity of human relationships, where his dad also says, ‘when you have love you need to take care of it.’ 

It's so funny, like, for all that Tai is obsessed with his dad, Tien is the one who picked up on his dad's, like, core skills. And Tai is so much like his mom, I'm really glad the show finally recognized that towards the end. Tai recognizes that he's doing to Patts what his mom was doing to him: not giving him any information, leaving him to suffer in silence without giving him the context that he's desperately needing. And it showed a lot of growth that he finally got his ass together, and spent the whole episode running around looking for that man, because goddamn. 

1:18:26 - La Pluie: Tai’s Dad Read as Queer

Ben

I wanna get this aside in here, how Tai's dad read as queer to me the whole time, I don't know if he did to you?

Nini

He did, but I didn't know if that was the actor or the character.

Ben

I think it may have been both, and I think I like the way the show handled it. I think it was very useful for subtext to show that Tai's dad is queer? And to not confirm it at the text level. Because La Pluie is not interested in structural homophobia. But I thought it was a really interesting premise to consider what happens if a straight person and a gay person think they're soulmates. What happens if a man who knows who he is goes into a straight marriage, loves his sons, loves his wife, but they can't work, because they can't be the kind of partners they need to be to each other. Which is exactly what the show says, without saying it’s because the dad was queer. 

And I think I really like the show leaving that as subtext for us to consider? Because the show does such a great job at building emotionally intelligent gay relationships otherwise.

Nini

I think there were lots of markers for it, like there were markers in the character themselves, there are markers in the relationship that the father and the mother had, the way that the mother was the breadwinner and the father was the caretaker. There are markers in the father's chosen profession, he's a chef. There is a, sort of a marker in this idea of him being—I think it was a private chef to some ambassador and spending a lot of time with this ambassador? All of these are things that I picked up on, and I don't know if they were easter eggs or if they were just throwaways, but there were lots of like tiny little markers.

Ben

And also him being the one to actually say that they should break up.

Nini

Yeah, there, there are lots of tiny little, like I said, could be read as markers, could just be coincidental, but the show is so well constructed that I am loath to leave it to the idea of coincidence.

Ben

I agree. I think it's well done. 

1:20:48 - La Pluie: The Romance

Ben

Tai needed to get his shit together, because as far as I'm concerned Patts is maybe the most perfect romantic interest that BL has ever created. And that also feels really intentional for the themes that they're unpacking.

Nini

La Pluie is a romance novel. Like, if you look at the way it's structured, the way it's organized, La Pluie is a romance novel that is sort of an anti romance novel, almost? And in a romance novel, the love interest is essentially perfect. If they have a flaw, it's something that is, ‘my only flaw is that I care too much’ or some shit like that, you know, that kind of thing? [both laugh] 

Patts fits into that mould in a way, but it's also subverted a little bit? So, he's handsome, he's a vet, he is kind to animals, he’s kind to people. He's very sweet, he is a hundred percent into Tai.

Ben

He drives a Porsche. He has a very nice apartment.

Nini

[laughs] He's rich. You know what I mean? All the markers of like the perfect romantic hero.

Ben

He has no family drama.

Nini

None whatsoever…he has a little tragic backstory with grandmother dying…like he’s the perfect romantic hero in a trope sense. Listen, I think sometime around the time that Tai bit that man— and yeah I'm still not over it— 

Ben

He did bite that man.

Nini

I remember saying to Ben, ‘oh so like Tai’s an alley cat, but Patts is a literal angel.’ Because after he bit that man and then he threw up on him, still that man took him home, let him, like, lay in his bed. He gave him clothes, left him alone to change his own clothes, and then in the morning when he woke up hungover and couldn't remember shit, he woke up and there was a note because he had cleared out, he didn’t wanna make him feel awkward or anything like that. He cleared out, he left a note saying all the things that he did the night before, because he didn't know if he was going to remember…He was perfect about it. He was such a gentleman.

Ben

As one of the leaders of the Patts defense squad, I'm gonna have to lead a charge for my boy. Because my man is the best communicator. He clearly understands that something is wrong with his soulmate, doesn't pressure him to talk to him; just talks back to him, tries to be kind to him, tries to say nice things to him. Eventually sees a guy who he wants to pursue. He does not know that it’s Tai. But the first thing he does that night is like, ‘hey I don't know what's going on with you, but I saw the cutest boy that has ever existed, and I'm gonna pursue him, so uh, deuces!’ 

So they end up at this club, Tai gets low-key abandoned by his friends, so Patts takes care of him. Tai bites that man, tries to bite him again. Later that night starts fussing with Patts, accusing him of being a player, and then makes out with him! Like yes, he was drunk, but—makes out with him! Like bro! Patts starts pursuing him earnestly after that, by leaving the note. And then Tai, who does have communication skills and social skills, does the cutesy thing you would do in a movie. He's going to return the fucking clothes to Patts in a cute little bag waiting outside his job. And the two of them go out on the cutest little date, full of all sorts of great stuff. 

Also, like, I haven't talked about it that much here: Title is really really good. I love the way Title and Pee both play their characters in this show. The way Title played Tai during that dinner they had? Was so good. At one point when he asks Patts, ‘do you always eat like this?’ 

Nini

And he points with the knife?

Ben

And he points with the knife, it is so, so perfect! And Patts is so clever. Like Tai wants to hang out and they want to go on the date and he's like, ‘let me not…bullshit about who I am.’ They ride in his Porsche to a fancy restaurant that Patts clearly frequents regularly because the staff recognizes him. He hands Tai the menu and asks Tai what he wants. Tai, who also has social skills and is like ‘I don't know about this, I don't know what the rules are here,’ decides not to make the choice on ordering something, ‘cause he's not trying to hit him up style. So he passes the choice to Patts, and then Patts makes a neutral choice by just saying ‘we'll have whatever the chef’s special is for the day.’ By making the neutral choice to just accept the chef’s special, even though Patts picked the place, he is making sure Tai understands that Patts will not be forcing him to do anything. 

I just really love their date, like there's so much there; Patts is really charming, he's funny…and then moving along, the next thing Tai does, which is insane, is introduce Patts to his dad without warning. And the dad ain't shit either, picking on Patts the whole time.

Nini

[laughs] It was funny.

Ben

He hangs out with their dad, and immediately Patts’s instinct is to show the proper respect to Tai’s father. He doesn't get in the middle of their fight. He doesn't ask about it. He just sort of gives them a way to end the fight now, he politely asks about Tai and his other brothers, giving Tai a chance to talk about his family if he wants to. They go back to Tai’s place. Patts, not really thinking about it, walks in on Tai while he's changing, gets to see all the goodies. And then they have this intense moment, and they end up making out on the floor. 

I want to make a special note here about La Pluie: La Pluie is one of the first BLs that I can really remember, ever, that when there is a moment of intense sexual tension, releases it. So often these shows just bait us. They titillate us, they want us to get all hot and bothered about ‘whoa, they's ‘bout to kiss’ and then they interrupt it with some nonsense. Or they just don't do anything with it and they tease us and they make bits out of it. And as much as I enjoy these shows, it was so refreshing to see a show go, ‘what if we release it? What if they actually start making out on the floor? What then?’ 

I get frustrated a lot of times in BL about how they make these boys dickless. And there's this really lovely thing in La Pluie that Patts’s concern was Tai's pleasure. But they stop, because Tai isn't ready. And though Patts was a bit caught up in the moment, he catches himself. And they back off, and they have a conversation about what else is going on. Patts learns a little bit more about Tai—low key they played with some of the yaoi framing in that moment, because as big as Pee is, he crouches himself down and makes himself lower than Tai, and is kind of looking at, up at him in cute ways—because you'd expect Patts to be maybe the seme in this sort of framing—and they do that early on by putting Patts on the left with the date shit when Tai goes to see him, but Patts is queering that narrative by intentionally moving himself to the right when he's trying to get closer to Tai. 

When they're on their Chiang Mai trip, one of the most insane things this show does that I will never get over, is…they’re sharing the bed, both of them are awake. They know what's going to happen, we know what's going to happen, but everyone knows Tai is not exactly ready, because we haven't climbed that mountain yet. We haven't dealt with the core angst. We're both two men who are very attracted to each other, and we know we're attracted to each other—so they start to get hot and bothered, but Tai has them stop again, and Patts, our strongest soldier, pulls himself back again. But Tai, listening to his good sis Bow, is like ‘I can't keep leaving this man hanging, I can't keep starting these things and then not finishing it.’ He offers to blow Patts and it was very explicit that that's what happened. We know! 

It's so impressive to me that this show presented Tai giving Patts head as a way for him to maintain control over a sexual encounter. The whole notion about giving pleasure as a form of control is something we have not really seen explored in BL this way. I really liked that this show focused on the different ways that two men are going to become more physically and sexually comfortable with each other over time. And even after everything, after Tai has cast him aside, he still chooses to go back to Tai and try and reconcile with him, because he did lose his temper. And that was a scary moment. And I think I like that Patts losing his temper was made as jarring and scary as possible in the show, because I feel like really perfect characters need to have this intense rage about them. Because I have never met a chill pacifist in my life. The choice to be kind is so hard in a world full of cruelty, and I like that underneath the surface of Patts is a temper that he has to manage and maintain. I love my man.

Nini

I can't remember who it is, somebody put this on Tumblr: that Patts is kind but he's not always nice, and Tai is nice but that he's not always kind.

Ben

Exactly.

Nini

Tai seems like, you know, gentle and soft. But when it comes down to it, Tai is the one in the narrative who's actually kind of cruel? It's very interesting to put that on a romantic protagonist. How it ends up getting read is incredibly interesting, because that person is the romantic protagonist, it ends up getting…cast aside, and here I go back into Calvinism and the green flag label [laughs] that I thought I had ventilated with Bed Friend.

Ben

[laughs] As soon as you said that my third eye opened, and I was like—

Nini

Here I go again!

Ben

Where—where's my bat?

[both laugh]

Nini

I didn't get this out of my system the first time, somehow. But yeah, the way that that's received in a protagonist, the fact that the protagonist is kind of a little bit of a bitch boy, quite frankly [laughs], gets glossed over, and then the person who made a mistake has it sort of loom large.

1:32:06 - La Pluie: Depiction of Male Anger

Ben

I got a little bit mad about that with the fandom too like, we got all this bending over backwards week in and week out for Lomfon's rude ass and Tai’s rude ass. Patts loses his temper once, punches a boy, punches a wall, and we're like ‘oh! he's dangerous!’ And I'm like, ‘I hate this!’ 

And there's a lot more I want to unpack here in the future — this does not feel like the right time to do it, but we really need to talk about that at some point, as a community that engages with romance? Because we have a really fucked-up relationship with violence. Like, Patts, not leaving a mark on Lomfon was seen as egregious. Punching a door in frustration was seen as egregious. But like, Bad Buddy opens up with Pran shit-kicking Pat to the fucking ground, as these boys beat the shit out of each other!

Nini

I think like, it's a lot of things. It's a question of who gets to be angry, and how anger is portrayed, and men's anger, and the way that women—because of the way that we have to be socialized to protect ourselves, the way that we view men's anger that is sort of slightly different from how men will view men's anger? And how being familiar with certain kinds of angry expressions from men is, like, one of the reasons that women shrink from that kind of stuff. And there's so many women in BL fandom. 

Like I understood where that was coming from, but at the same time, the show is so legible. It's very legible that this is Patts…reaching the end of his rope, and it's very clear in the show that Patts would never actually hurt anybody. [laughs] He doesn't even really hurt Lomfon. Lomfon is fine! He gets his ass kicked a little bit, but he's fine!

Ben

As our great friend wen-kexing-apologist pointed out, this show has a makeup budget. My boy Tai got his shit fucked up on that mountain, and the makeup crew made sure he looked messed up even in that wet filming situation. They could have afforded to make that boy's mouth bruised the way it should have been for talking the way he was, and my man doesn't. And that's the thing that gets me. Like, everybody else is allowed to be an asshole, but Patts, who I believe deserves to be righteously angry about this shit going down at this point in their relationship—and it's like ‘aw, geez, I don't know about that brah.’ 

We see, through Patts’s relationship with Nara, that he would never actually hurt Tai. And that's why the intensity of his frustration I think should have been the focus, not the expression of it. I really resented the way it felt like everyone suddenly wanted to regulate Patts’s frustration. I hate the whole notion that he is only allowed to be upset in an attractive, gentle way. Because he's been gentle the whole goddamn time, and everyone has been so rude and disrespectful of him.

Nini

Like, there is room to talk about the expression of Patts’ frustration, but you can't have that room if you're using it in a reductive manner to just completely kick him out the window as a character. I don't buy that, I don't subscribe to it.

1:35:50 - La Pluie: Treatment of Nara

Ben

With Nara, we saw that Patts is capable of dealing with difficult romantic situations. Because Nara is treated so sympathetically about everything that went down with her and Patts. How she feels frustrated about Patts’s soulmate connection with Tai, long before they start talking, I think is valid. Because she felt frustrated. She felt frustrated that anytime it rains, Patts gets moody, and it feels like somebody else is in the middle of their relationship. And you got the sense from them accidentally making out in the rain one time, where Patts immediately cut it off and apologized, that he didn't want to put Tai through that, even before he knew who Tai was. I got that Nara felt frustrated that her intimacy was scheduled around the goddamn rain. She felt an innate jealousy in her own relationship that she knew she was struggling with and couldn't exactly cope with. It wasn't fair to either of them. Patts is like, ‘look if I can get rid of this I would, because I do care about you.’ 

Nara takes some time. She gets to reflect, she decides to grow. She knows that it's hard out here in these goddamn streets, and Patts is a keeper, and she tries to do the big romantic gesture. And that's why Tai liked her! Because that boy loves big romantic gestures! And Patts lets her down, he apologizes, he's like ‘I'm sorry I may have led you on, I want things to be okay between us. Because what happened between us was real, it mattered to me, and I still care about you even if I can't give you my heart like that anymore.’ Yeah, “we should stay friends” is kind of a cliche, but it feels earned here. 

And I also like that Nara got to be disappointed and heartbroken and upset about it too. I liked that people cared about how she felt. They wanted to reintegrate her into the group. The other vets liked Nara, even if she wasn't going to be Patts’ girlfriend anymore. But they understand that in the breakup, they're Patts’s friends. And you know those people respect relationship dynamics, because they didn't just look to Patts to see if Nara was okay to be around, they look to Saengtai, to see how the new person was going to feel about that—particularly because he just ran up a fucking mountain because of her—and he says it's okay, and they were so eager to reintegrate her into the group. 

And then she and Dream get to get rolling. And they let us have them at the end! She was like, ‘look, we only got five minutes left in this show, if you going to get this shit you better come correct and you better come now.’ And I loved that! Because the girlies deserved it.

Nini

She said, ‘I'm grown, give it your best shot.’

Ben

I saw some frustrations with the ending, and how a lot of the episode was Tai running around by himself, and meeting some random characters at the end, and…us not spending a lot of time with Patts, like Patts not really talking at the end? But it works for me. Tai had to deal with the silence, for the first time—that he inflicts silence on so many people, and now he's the one who has to sit in the shit that he made. 

And I liked him meeting a couple that had challenges to deal with in their relationship, and being told once again, ‘you just got to do the work bro, you gotta talk to each other, you gotta listen to what your partner is saying to you.’ And I like that the final scene with Tai and Patts is Tai not hesitating. 

Man! This show was so rewarding to watch because it wasn't trying to trick us.

Nini

The show was wearing its bona fides on the tin. It was very clear where it wanted to go, what it wanted to do. It wasn't playing with us. It wasn't trying to gotcha with us. It was just laying out its central idea, and continually reinforcing it throughout the story and the narrative for the entire way through. 

Does that make it, like, unpredictable and exciting? No. But it made it really enjoyable to watch: to watch something lay the path, and then walk the path, was more fun than it, I expected it to be, I have to say.

1:40:47 - La Pluie: The Side Characters

Nini

And, when we're talking about laying the path and walkin’ the path—man, let's just get to it, let's talk about Tien and Lomfon. 

Here are the polar opposites, okay, because in Tai and Patts, like you have an agnostic and an apostate, like they're not as far apart as somebody like Tien and Lomfon, who are a true believer and a total atheist. How do they get to the middle? All the shit that happens in the middle, especially, [laughs] how do they get through that and find their way through each other? Basically, Lomfon has to grovel, and I enjoy a good grovel, so I had a great time.

Ben

Here's the thing. My boy Tien deserves so much more than he got. My man initiated a gay pinky touch, and then Lomfon, was like, ‘hm! I don't know what's going on, but I know that I have these special signs from the universe about this stupid key chain, that I need to go kiss this boy's brother, not the one reaching out with the gay pinky touch while taking care of me while I'm sick, twice!’ I'm gonna stay mad at this man. [both laugh] 

This man ruined a gay pinky touch. Tien is so patient with both of them. Like Patts is beating up Lomfon, Tai is screaming at the universe, clearly suddenly they can all hear in the rain, Tien doesn't know what's going on—but he cuts through the bullshit right away with Lomfon, it's like, ‘I liked you! Why are you being like this?’ Even when Tai didn't realize what was going on, Tien holds back his own disappointment that his brother maybe didn't necessarily see him the right way, and still says, ‘thank you for always being on my left.’ 

Ahh! I love that boy so much! He's so good, he deserves so much more. He was dressing like an early 2000s lesbian the whole time, serving nothing but constant looks. He was so fun to watch, especially when he was being kind of sassy with everyone.

Nini

I like Tien as a character, I like his wardrobe…don't even get me started. That outfit he wore to the wedding? Unreal. I loved it so much.

Ben

I loved it. It's so good. Oh my god.

Nini

Un. Real.

Ben

That whole family looked good, like holy shit! [laughs]

Nini

We didn't even talk about Saengnuea! And oh god, we're never going to get forgiven by one of the clowns if we never even bring up Saengnuea.

Ben

He was so awkward and goofy! I, I liked that boy too. I loved Bow, I loved the vets—what's so great about the side characters with La Pluie, is they do their role just enough to help us understand the world in which these characters exist. Like Tai is surrounded by people trying to just pour love all over that boy, and he will just not let them. Patts is surrounded by a community that loves him, that wants the best for him, that wants to make sure that he gets what he deserves too. Oh my god, just—what an excellent show.

1:44:02 - La Pluie: Sequel Potential

Nini

The thing that I think that we want to end up on is, I said before that La Pluie is basically a filmed romance novel. If you are aware of how, like, these romance novels get set up—a lot of the time, it will be multiple stories set in the same universe, where each of the characters basically gets to fall in love. We know at least that the La Pluie people seem to want to get into all of the Saeng brothers and their various romances. I don't know if they will get to, but what do you think about the obvious setup for the Saengtien sequel at the end of the show, and this idea of going into, like, a Bridgerton-esque series of romances using all of the same characters? 

How do you feel about that?

Ben

Honestly…I’m a little bit nervous because I just worry that the audience won't respond to it really well. I feel like a significant portion of the audience just actively did not get La Pluie. They were really caught up in the soulmate stuff. And I just feel like a lot of the audience maybe didn't…gel with all the themes?

Nini

So as usual, Ben is the one thinking about everybody else while I very selfishly think about myself. [both laugh] And I'm just like, ‘give it to me.’ I'm ready, I'm here for it. I trust these writers, I trust this director, I think that if they get a chance to delve into this universe in more detail and focusing on different characters, I think that they can nail it? I'm ready to see what happens if they get a chance to do it. 

I don't care about whether people are going to get it correctly or not, I don't. I kind of care, but at the same time I don't care. So that being said: Ben, is this a ten or a chop?

Ben

La Pluie is probably in my top five BLs of all time, and it's probably in my top ten shows of all time right now. It's a 10. It's a 10. [laughs] It’s a 10!

Nini

All right? So for Ben it’s a 10, for me it’s definitely a 10, that leaves us with La Pluie as a 10 show!

1:46:01 - Outro

Ben

And we're back.

Nini

Okay Ben, so…lotta ink spilled over these two shows. I don't think I've seen so much meta being written, probably since the Bad Buddy era. We've got a strange combo here: a show that was incredibly legible, and then a show that made you work a little bit harder, and in both instances it feels like people didn't get it? [laughs] 

I don't know, what are your thoughts? What do you feel about this?

Ben

One of the big stories of this year is BL maturing as a genre and beginning to genre blend. Like in a lot of ways, La Pluie wants to straddle the line between BL and classic romance, and I think it does a pretty admirable job at it. Whereas Step by Step feels like the BL elements that it's trying to manage are holding it back from what it really wants to be. That feels like the sort of thing that inevitably happens with this type of outgrowth. 

La Pluie doesn't really want to say things sort of directly or inherently about queerness, it wants to talk about romance itself. And romance as a genre. Whereas Step by Step really wants to talk about queer stuff in a real world, and that's a whole lot messier to deal with. They both did some things really really well, and the audience connected to that. And what fascinated me so much about it was that the audience felt compelled to talk to each other about it. I felt like that happened maybe more organically on its own with Step by Step? Some of us kind of forced the issue on La Pluie. I know that I was part of it, like very, very directly, and it's been fun seeing people respond to that, by just us saying very earnestly: please tell us what you're thinking. And engaging with what people are writing. 

I think it's good for us and the genre to take it more seriously? It has been really fascinating for me seeing people engaging the way they are, but I legitimately feel a bit fatigued by it. And like, the last time I felt fatigue in BL, truly, was at the beginning. I know a lot of you don't watch as much content as I do, like you couldn't possibly do it, it's not healthy for you. I don't know how starved some of you have been for content that you can genuinely connect to, that can help you feel a little bit less lonely about yourself. And like I’d never gotten tired of queer cinema—I’d gotten hurt by it, but I'd never gotten, like, genuinely tired of just being in it that long. 

And I feel a little tired from all of the intense writing that La Pluie and Step by Step kind of demanded of us. It's a really fascinating time for me as a fan, to feel like the shows are demanding more of us as viewers, as we watch them, than to just be pleased by them or intrigued by them so that we'll engage and buy merch and stuff. It was really fascinating having two shows this season that really feel like they wanted us to think about things along with them.

Nini

I know that you and I have talked about that feeling of fatigue, like for me, this is the most anything I've watched in years. The level of exhaustion that I felt, and then to have these two shows sort of spring up at the end of the season, and demand—you’re correct—demand my attention…not just in terms of the shows themselves, but then in the reaction to the shows. It's sort of left me a little hollowed out, almost, a little wrung out? I don't know yet if in a good way or a bad way. It's yet to be seen. 

I remember saying to you at one point, I was like, I need something mindless to just sit and watch for the next couple of weeks, at least. Or, like, maybe longer, I just need something that I don't need to think about. And that's not a place that I'm accustomed to being in media? Because I am normally the let's get deep into it, let's get into the guts, put your arm in and come back with a beating heart kind of girl when it comes to the stories. And right now I'm just like, eh, I want something shallow and surface that I don't have to think too much about, please, just for a little while. And then I can re-engage my brain later. It's a very strange place for me to be in, I don't think it's a place that I've ever been in? But yeah these these two shows, they took it out of me, I gotta say. 

And that's how we end the season ladies and theydies! We are a little wrung out, and we'll probably talk about that a little bit more in the Lagniappe. But yeah! We tired, y'all. [laughs]

Ben

It’s gonna be fascinating, like, getting to listen back over this, because we talked really in the season about how slow it was for me to get into the spring season, coming off of the the winter hangover from Moonlight Chicken, Utsukushii Kare, My School President and The Warp Effect. And it's weird now at the end of the spring season, where…I don't necessarily feel like a tired hangover from it? It's a hard feeling to describe because the winter shows were really good, really hit something in me…

Nini

The winter shows were emotionally intense. There was like a heavy emotional hangover coming off of the winter. I don't feel that emotional hangover now, but I feel mentally drained.

Ben

Yeah, it's a far more cerebral feeling, and like the thing for me is, I grow stronger on that feeling. [both laugh] It's gonna be, it’s gonna be hard for me if these new shows don't keep up! ‘Cause, it's what I want! I do not want to yuck anyone's yums, like, there is absolutely a place for fluff in this genre. I will never, ever vote against the silly and fun shows. I just also really love meaty shows that make me think really hard while I'm watching them. And I love when that feels intentional—like we do a lot of hard thinking on our own about these shows, but damn is it satisfying when it feels like the show itself is in that conversation with us. And I really hope that this isn't the last time we have an Adult Swim episode because we got a bunch of really thinky shows to think about. 

Like, I was very harsh to Step by Step when we talked about that show, but I don't want Tee to stop thinking as hard as he does. I want him to stay in the guts of trying to unpack where queer people fit in modern Thai cinema. That's a really important thing to figure out, and queer people should be part of that conversation. And like even if I didn't think this was the best execution of his ideas, I don't want that conversation to get missed because his show didn't land consistently for everyone.

Nini

I'm tired y'all. I'm so tired.

Ben

[laughs] I’m so energized. Keep it coming.

Nini

My brain hurts! And this is the shit that I normally love, but my brain, it hurts, and my brain, she needs a break! And so, a break she shall have. [laughs] 

We'll be back at you next time with the Lagniappe, but that's it for us now! We are just going to wrap it up on Adult Swim. 

Our first Adult Swim episode: may there be others. We out! Say bye to the people, Ben.

Ben

Peace.

#podcast #lgbtq #step by step #la pluie #thai bl #ben and nini's conversations #the conversation #on art #season 3 #summer 2023 #summer series #la pluie the series #la pluie meta #step by step the series #step by step meta #man trisanu #ben bunyapol #title tanatorn #pee peerawich #suar kritsanaphong #copter nuntapong #bruce sirikorn #tee bundit #Spotify

[choco-pudding]

Space Channel 5 Part 2: Sugoku Sugoi Guide Book p. 022-031 (Translation by @lavoszero and myself. Edits and typesetting by myself)

First half of Report 1.

Imgur link to all of the Sugoku Sugoi Guide Book translations we’ve done thus far.

Plain text below.

[As a note for plain text, [#] indicates a secret input and “x~” are for the holding inputs.]

p. 22

Report 1: Ulala Back in Action!

Location:The Space Symphony 12 People to Rescue, 7 Secret Inputs

The Space Symphony… this is where the whole incident began. It was our mission to get to the bottom of why this mysterious dance gang, the self-declared “Rhythm Rogues,” were invading the ship. …And as to how we, the Space Police, were beaten to the punch by Channel 5. It's still a bit irritating, admittedly…

-

Level 4 Groove 018

Right Left Right Left Woof Woof Woof

p. 23

Travel Guide

Space Symphony · Lounge Space Symphony · Lookout Dome

-

Level 4 Groove 019

Right Right Righ- Righ- Woof Woof Woof

p. 24

Space Symphony · Lounge A

Dancing

Ulala’s Hearts: 7 The intro "Jan, Jan, Jaaan!" has hidden inputs between the second and third beats. After that, the Dance Battle against the Rhythm Rogues finally starts, but it’s pretty low stakes. If you pay attention to the news bulletin, you shouldn’t have any problems with the long input "chu~" parts. By the way, there is a secret input on the “yay,” which will be a frequently reoccurring input later on. Be sure to make note of it. 

Jan, Jan [1], Jaaan [2]

“Whether you like it or not, Dance Battle!”

1.

01 ⇧ ⇧ ⇧ 02 ⇩ ⇩ ⇩ 03 ⇨ ⇦ ⇨ ⇦

2.

04 x x x 05 x x x~ x 06 x~ x x x

-

Level 4 Groove 020

Up Down Down Woof Woof Woof

p. 25

3.

07 ⇧ ⇩ ⇧ ⇩ x x x 08 ⇧ ⇩ ⇧ ⇩ x x x 09 ⇧ ⇩ ⇧ ⇩ x x x 10 ⇧ ⇩ ⇧ ⇩ x~ x

Chalalalalala Yay! [3]

Rescue 019. Money Bags 022. The Heart Woman

-

Level 4 Groove 021

Dow- Down- Down

p. 26

Space Symphony · Lounge B

Shooting

Ulala’s Hearts: 12 This section is for learning the basics of shooting. There's a pattern to it; X for attacking and O for rescuing. Even if you make a few mistakes, you'll still be able rescue plenty of people. Seems like the completion of the character profile index relies on your rescue aim,  but that's not the Eastern Sector Space Police's business. Ah, right, the "whoo!" near the end also has a secret input.

“Use the X button to shoot the robots!”

4.

11 ⇧ x 12 ⇧ x 13 ⇧ x x x

5.

14 ⇦ x 15 ⇨ x 16 ⇦ x  ⇨ x

-

Level 4 Groove 022

Dow- Down- Down

p. 27

6.

17 ⇧ o o 18 ⇨ o o 19 ⇦ o o o 20 ⇧ x x x

7.

21 ⇦ x ⇧ o 22 ⇧ x  ⇨ o 23 ⇨ x  ⇦ o 24 ⇦ x ⇧ x ⇨ x

8.

25 ⇦ x x 26 ⇨ x x 27 ⇧ x

Whoo! [4]

Rescue 018. Space Granny 024. Neo-Japan Astronaut 1 021. Mr. Dreadlocks 025. Neo-Japan Astronaut 2 026. Neo-Japan Astronaut 3 027. Neo-Japan Astronaut 4 

028. Neo-Japan Astronaut 5 023. Nice Middle 021. Chorus Lady

-

Level 4 Groove 022

Dow- Down- Up

p. 28

Space Symphony · Lounge C

Dancing

Ulala’s Hearts: 6 Now it’s a dance paired with a song… The lyrics may change between the enemies and allies, but the timing of the inputs remain exactly the same. Be cautious and don’t let the enemy's singing sidetrack you. At the end, if you successfully rescue the Space Guide, the next secret input will be signaled by one last "whoo!" Surely you’ve memorized the pattern by now, haven't you?

“You should be taken seriously, first our name!”

9. Singing

        “We are known as the Rhythm Rogues” 28 “You can't fool us not anymore”  x x x          “Can't keep us from dancing” 29 “Move your feet, and don't get beat“ o o

10.

30 ⇧ ⇩ ⇧ x x x 31 ⇨ ⇨ ⇦ ⇦ x x x 32 x x x x o o o

-

Level 4 Groove 024

Woof

p. 29

11. Timed Chu

33. ⇦ ⇦ 34. ⇨ ⇨ 35. ⇧⇩ 36. x 37. o 38. x 39. o 40. x

Pine’s Comment: The turns change faster near this point. Expect it to stay the same beat and you’ll be too slow on the inputs. A real shock to your eyes, too. The commands pass by in a flash with no room to rely on your memory.

Whoo! [5]

Rescue 017. Space Guide

-

Level 1 Groove 025

Right Left Right Left Right Left Righ- Lef-

p. 30

Space Symphony · Lounge D

Finale!

“Ugh, not again, robots incoming! Use the X button beam when you hear ‘Chu!"

Chu! Chu! Chu! Staaaay Tuned! [6]

-

Level 1 Groove 026

Up Down Up Down Up Down Uh- Down-

p. 31

Morolian to Morolian Communication

Pudding: Get your coverage from Channel 42! Good evening, everybody, it's me, Pudding! Hey, hey, you're all hooked up, right? So, just to get this out of the way, could you guys tell me what you're up to since the last incident? Cred: Pudding wants to know, moro? Pudding: Yes, but I want you  to describe it to the audience. Morolian Boss: That sounds fine, moro. Morolian Eight: We're in the reporting biz now. Everyone keep watching for Moro-Channel 5!  We'll be following up on the Rhythm Rogues Incident. Don't go skipping our show by pressing the start button. Morolian Cameraman: Television is a very interesting thing, moro. It's super sexy and addicting, moro. Plurp: But it's not all fun and games, moro. Gromb: The live reports were pretty tough, moro. Pudding: Huh, which part? Proonk: You know, moro, the part where we have to stay off-screen and wait for our cue to come on, moro. Cred: Aah, you mean the Secret Inputs, where we need to pop-up when it's done correctly, right moro? Blib: That's right, moro. Yaroo: But if the player doesn't input the command, you just have to wait and wait; it's a real pain, moro. Cred: You can say that again, moro. Blib: Wait then jump all over the screen, moro.To the right, then the left, then the bottom: it was all super hard for me, moro. Proonk: Yeah, those sudden changes in position take a lot of energy, doesn't they, moro? Yaroo: It's really hard, moro. I could feel my blood rushing to the tips of my antennae, moro. Gromb: It was a tough time, wasn't it, moro? (In deep thought) Plurp: Oh, by the way, why don’t we show up in Report 2’s Space Park even if they got the Secret Input right, moro? Why was it just the sound effect, moro? Morolian Leader: I dunno, moro. Maybe they just didn't get there in time, moro? Morolian Eight: Maybe, moro. Pudding: Wha-what are you talking about? Tell me! Morolian Eight: Well, I really didn’t have the time for “Pop-up-Moro” since I was busy recording stuff for Moro-Channel 5. Morolian Boss: What a joke, moro. Morolian Cameraman: Yeah, no excuses, moro. Pudding: Anyway, aren't you guys gonna go back to Morodia? Proonk: It's too much of a hassle to go back, moro. Morolian Cameraman: Come to think of it, I don't even remember the way back, moro. I guess we have no choice but to work at Moro-Channel 5 all the time now, moro? Morolian Boss: That's fine, moro.

-

Level 1 Groove 027

Up Left Up Left Up Left Uh- Lef-

#space channel 5 #Space Channel 5 part 2 #Sugoku Sugoi Guide Book #translations #ulala #shadow #pine #morolians #pudding

[dutchwinter]

Circa Survive - Anthony Green in dress - 0:26

ShockHound Session: Circa Survive (Live) - 3:52

Circa Survive - "Get Out" (Live in Los Angeles 5-28-11) - 0:40

Anthony Green - Get Yours While You Can + When I'm On Pills + Stonehearted Man (Live) - 2:13

Circa Survive - In The Morning And Amazing (Live At Vans Warped Tour 2007 DVD) HD - 4:37 [other upload i found for fun]

Imaginary Enemy live and up-close -- Circa Survive @ SunFest 2011 (good sound quality) - 4:09

Circa Survive - Handshakes At Sunrise - 0:22

Good Old War - That Feeling ft. Anthony Green [Official Music Video] - 1:31

Circa Survive Acoustic - Kicking Down Your Crosses - 0:35

10 Year Anniversary Juturna Tour: Part Two - 9:56

10 Year Anniversary Juturna Tour: Part Four - 5:11

ShockHound Session: Circa Survive (Live) - 14:03

Anthony Green - Baby Girl (Live on the Carson Daly Show) - 3:30

CIRCA SURVIVE: Julian (Live) - 1:13

ANTHONY GREEN performing "She Loves Me So" - 2:16

Anthony Green - Center Of It All (Official Video) - 0:41

Saosin w/ Anthony Green - They Perched on Their Stilts Pointing and Daring Me to Break Custom - 0:05

The Sound of Animals Fighting - Sharon Tate, Despite Everything (Official Video) - 0:47

Circa Survive "The Difference Between Medicine and Poison is in the Dose" (Official Music Video) - 3:03

Anthony Green - "Don't Dance" Live at Crossroads - 0:13

Circa Survive - Act Appalled - 3:33

Strange Terrain [New Song] - Circa Survive. - 3:39

CIRCA SURVIVE - Spring Tour: Part 4 - 7:37

Anthony Green - Get Yours While You Can + When I'm On Pills + Stonehearted Man (Live) - 1:02

Miracle Sun | Anthony Green | Eye Level | TakePart TV - 0:26

Circa Survive - The Difference Between Medicine And Poison Is In The Dose (Live in Sydney) | Moshcam - 0:39

Circa Survive - "Oh, Hello", "Glass Arrows" and "Living Together" (Live in Los Angeles 5-28-11) - 1:20

Circa Survive on Instagram

Anthony Green - Right Outside (Live @ Paramount Theatre) - 1:42

Circa Survive - "Oh, Hello", "Glass Arrows" and "Living Together" (Live in Los Angeles 5-28-11) - 11:37

Circa Survive - Tour Sequences - NYC pt. 2 - 3:43

Circa Survive - Summer 2017 - Part 2 - 6:43

Circa Survive - Get Out (Official Music Video) - 2:37

Fuckin Whatever - Never Believe - 2:06

Circa Survive - July Tour 2014 (Part One) - 7:06

CIRCA SURVIVE "Act Appalled" Live at Ace's Basement (STAGE CAMERA) - 0:52

[hate5six] The Sound of Animals Fighting - January 22, 2023 - 59:53

Anthony Green - "Young Legs" (Music Video) - 3:12

L.S. Dunes - Limitless Sky Documentary (Part 1) - 4:56

Circa Survive - Summer 2017 - Part 4 - 1:58

Travel Hymn

break because theres a text limit <3

The Sound Of Animals Fighting - We Must Become The Change We Want To See (Full) - 14:17

Circa Survive on Instagram

Anthony Green - Plays Ugly For Daddy - 1:15

L.S. Dunes - Benadryl Subreddit (Official Music Video) - 3:10

Circa Survive - Lazarus (LIVE HD) - 0:21

Circa Survive - Summer 2017 - Part 2 - 1:16

ShockHound Session: Circa Survive (Live) - 16:20

Circa Survive - Summer 2017 - Part 2 - 6:53

circa survive at hoodwink 2010 part 2 - 8:04

Coachella on Facebook [here it is on tumblr] - 4:17

Craigery Owens and Anthony Green Duet - 3:09

Circa Survive - Summer 2017 - Part 2 - 6:39

anthony green and dave marion [fbtmof] kiss - 0:47

Act Appalled- Circa Survive with guest Geoff Rickley - 2:12

On Letting Go Tour Video Part 3 - 14:06

Circa Survive - Stop The Fuckin' Car (Live at Town Ballroom) - 3:42

Circa Survive - In The Morning And Amazing (Live At Vans Warped Tour 2007 DVD) HD - 1:58 [other upload i found for fun]

Circa Survive - Oh, Hello - Live 3/23/05 - 2:53 [other upload i found for fun]

Anthony Green - Circa Survive - The Myth, Minneapolis - 0:25

Anthony Green of Circa Survive stage dives to "Imaginary Enemy" at Bonnaroo 2010 - 1:14

Circa Survive - Act Appalled (Live at Chain Reaction 10-21-21) - 2:34

circa survive at hoodwink 2010 part 2 - 4:04

10 Year Anniversary Juturna Tour: Part Four - 7:17

CIRCA SURVIVE - Spring Tour: Part 2 - 3:27

Circa Survive - Anthony Green in dress - 0:24

sources and timestamps for all of wilde @funeralend's absolute territory 2! there's 66 clips this time [counting the beginning and end as different of course]

#again!! if any of the links are fucked lmk #anthony green #:3

[tkblythofficial]

hey girl! do you have any fav moments between T and R that would be considered like, underrated or not talked about as much as others?

Hey :)

Great question! I had to think for a while because there so many moments that I love to rewatch because they’re just so cute or adorable. I don’t know if these moments are “underrated” though because fans have pointed out every interaction between them haha.

I’ll start with my fav moments between them!

1. The Hits Radio interview where they tested their knowledge on the HG. Everyone was great in this video, including J and H, but R and T were on a whole other level. The chemistry sparkled here and the potential between them is incredible. It’s what made me ship them actually and I raised my eyebrow.

T is a huge fan of her in red lipstick, his eyes were glued to her mouth the entire time ;)

1:50 - 1:58 - the teasing, finishing each other’s thoughts, their body language - wow.

My ultimate fav moment between them in any interview will forever be 3:09 - 3:18 - he was mesmerized by her and her smile/giggle was so beautiful and the way he grinned back because his teasing worked was so special to see. I got butterflies from watching them. Can only imagine witnessing that in person.

3:56 - she looked at him like every gf does when bf says something stupid and T immediately corrected himself haha love it

The body language in this video is excellent. Very close, intimate and the eye contact was scorching. They play off each other so well and you can tell they’ve been around each other a lot because of how in sync their words and ideas are.

Example at 7:58, they shared one look and both said “Peeta!” with such playfulness. T is always caught off guard in moments like that so he looks away slightly and giggles to himself while looking at her mouth because he’s in disbelief that they’re so similar ;) He continues to be playful at 8:19 and her knowledge was so impressive, he sighed in awe! One of his love languages is knowledge I think so he was pleased with how great she was here.

2. As I mentioned above, T is always caught off guard when they have in sync moments sometimes. For example in their KISS interview, at 0:30 - 0:35, he paused because of how in sync they were and looked a little shocked lol

What I find interesting is 3:22 where R is caught off guard by the interviewer asking how their kiss was, she stuttered and T grinned and asked her how it was also. Then she explains that it’s professional work, he kept his face neutral/blank and I think it’s because he genuinely was curious to hear her talk about their kiss. But of course she brought up J to avoid answering.

He stared at her a LOT through this interview. It’s fascinating because he seemed to be listening intently and equally lost in thought. From 5:55 - 6:36 he just stared at her, listening and his eyes were glued to her movements and he said “you are very good” so sincerely. He was so impressed by her empathy.

Side note: I love how throughout the entire promo tour, T was trying to get R to go to karaoke with him haha (5:30) he mentioned it in many interviews.

3. In the BBC Radio 1 interview, 1:27 - 1:32 - they are temporarily lost in their own world and T snapped out of it and brought their focus back to the interviewer lol

They do it again at 3:25 - 3:40 where he pulls her into a hug because she’s so sincere and supportive. Again at 3:57 - 4:02 they just tease each other as the interviewer tries to ask another question ;) Again at 7:57 - 8:08 where T teases R about her sister. Again at 10:44 - 11:02. Again at 11:29 - 12:00 - he loves teases her and making her smile. They easily fall into their own bubble.

Just general observations:

1. I love how they both wear ring jewelry. It’s cute and silly but I always notice it.

2. Casually touches just because! Usually people touch for a purpose like reassurance, comfort, etc - they just touch because they can. It signals that they have a closeness to them.

3. The feet and the eyes are the easiest way to determine what a relationship is like. R and T already have great eye contact but unfortunately we don’t have many interviews with their feet except in this one. It’s very brief but we see it. Subconsciously, your feet point towards the most you feel most connected to in the room.

H and J both have common body language, very casual and normal, their bodies facing the crowd and not each other. Open to conversation and engaging with everyone in the room, not focused on anyone in particular. Francis and Nina are the same.

R and T are the total opposite. Their legs are crossed and their feet are pointed towards each other, almost creating a heart/intertwined shape. Almost like footsie in a way which is how people flirt and be sneaky about it. Shoulders almost touching, especially from R. R has the space to move closer to H but she chooses to angle herself towards T.

4. T gets flustered when R compliments him. He always does a head scratch (nervous!) afterward, avoids eye contact and she looks embarrassed that she went on a long rant about how she adores him. But you can tell he appreciates it :)

There’s so many more moments I like but I’ll stop for now ;)

#my answers #zeglyth

[mygwenchan]

KinnPorsche The Series (La Forte version): Vegas & Pete Episode Timestamps

I needed a list with all Vegas and Pete scene timestamps for simping researching purposes and I thought I would share it with you guys. Of course you may also use it to avoid certain scenes, if they make you feel uncomfortable.

KimPorchay timestamps

TimeTemTay timestamps

EP1:

16:38-16:56 (Pete): Pete and the other bodyguards have come to pick up Kinn at the gas station

EP2:

05:34-07:54 (Pete): Porsche meets Pete, le butt

17:58-19:43 (Pete): Bodyguard training

19:44-20:48 (Pete): Pete and Porsche have dinner together, Tankhun and bodyguards enter cafeteria

22:47-24:00 (Pete): Tankhun confronts Porsche about the dead carps

24:53-26:39 (Pete): Tankhun gets back at Porsche for killing his carps

27:24-31:37 (Pete): Porsche gets a gun

38:28-39:21 (Vegas): Female assassin reports back to Vegas

40:15-41:38 (Pete & Vegas): Minor family arrives at the main family home, first contact in the series between Pete and Vegas

43:02-45:33 (Vegas): Porsche has hurt Macau and gets punished

45:41-47:07 (Pete): Pete takes care of Porsche and explains Kinn's motive for choking Porsche

48:37-50:05 (Pete): Tankhun wants Porsche to be his bodyguard, Pete gets assigned to Kinn

50:48-51:24 (Vegas): Khun Gun tells Vegas to have an eye on Porsche

EP3:

07:23-09:21 (Pete): Porsche tries to convince Tankhun to go out and party

17:11-17:25 (Pete): Bodyguard training at the shooting range

18:07-18:54 (Pete): Bodyguard training, swimming pool

21:16-26:44 (Pete): Kinn and bodyguards meet a debtor, Pete beats the man up, Pete has a talk with Porsche ("There's no heroes nor villains in this world"), shooting

33:55-39:49 (Pete): Party with bodyguards, Tankhun, Kinn and friends at Hum Bar

EP4:

1:42-3:10 (Pete): After the party, Pete almost shares a kiss with Porsche

4:06-5:03 (Vegas): Vegas lends Porsche a lighter and they get to talk

14:23-20:30 (Pete & Vegas): Dinner after sauna, Vegas tries to rile up Kinn

25:11-25:58 (Pete): Conversation between Pete and Porsche about Kinn being into men and how kissing is only for people we like

35:45-47:58 (Pete & Vegas): Jewelry auction, Porsche gets drugged

52:54-53:24 (Vegas): Vegas alone in his red room, wearing nothing but his birthday suit (le butt~)

EP5:

16:48-18:38 (Pete): Conversation with Porsche in the bathroom after Porsche has received his punishment

19:50-21:04 (Pete): Party with Tankhun and bodyguards at Hum Bar

23:16-24:00 (Pete & Vegas): Vegas shows up after the party to take Porsche for a ride

24:00-24:38 (Vegas): Talking about Motorcycle with Porsche

24:38-25:19 (Pete): Bringing Tankhun back home

25:31-27:43 (Vegas): Motorcycle ride with Porsche, conversation and hug

41:05-43:14 (Pete): Conversation about Porsche with Kinn, le butt 2.0

EP6:

14:03-16:00 (Pete & Vegas): Pete sits in a car and spies on Vegas, condom sharing scene

Sidestory (YouTube):

00:05-01:23 (Pete): Pete accompanies Tankhun to the hospital

01:57-03:32 (Vegas) Vegas visits Porsche at the hospital to give him flowers

EP7:

02:05-06:14 (Pete): Investigation at the casino, a fight breaks out

06:14-06:35 (Pete & Vegas): Vegas saves the day and captures the culprit

06:35-09:08 (Pete & Vegas): Vegas tortures the guy

09:08-10:16 (Vegas): Meeting of minor and main family

12:25-17:50 (Pete & Vegas): Porsche and the body guards arrive at Vegas' home, dinner at the minor family home

22:47-23:28 (Vegas): Vegas offers Porsche a motorbike as reward

32:55-34:59 (Vegas): Vegas picks up Porsche for their next mission and tells him about Tawan

36:52-38:53 (Pete & Vegas): Mission to kidnap Don's business associate, prison scene where they force the man to cooperate with them

38:54-40:48 (Pete & Vegas): Pete spies on Vegas to find his secret room, Vegas surprises him in the hallway

44:41-49:32 (Pete & Vegas): Mission to kill the Italian Mafia boss Don

49:33-54:19 (Pete & Vegas): Party after the successful mission, Vegas tries to kiss Porsche in the bathroom

EP8:

02:47-04:19 (Pete): Pete brings breakfast to Kinn and finds Porsche in Kinn's bedroom

06:11-06:33 (Pete): Meeting with bodyguards and KinnPorsche foot scene

27:05-29:07 (Pete): Pete and Porsche smoke in front of the main family house entrance, Tawan spies on them

29:13-32:14 (Pete): Porsche draws Tawan, Pete helps him to investigate who he has seen

32:50-34:25 (Pete): Porsche and Pete are in their bedroom, Pete asks about Porsche's punishment and shows him how to block an attack, Porsche shows Pete the picture of Tawan

38:16-41:18 (Pete): Horror movie night with Tankhun

EP9:

12:12-15:01 (Pete): Arm, Pol and Pete talk about Tawan. Arm tells Pete that he thinks Porsche and Kinn are a couple now. Kinn gives Pete the order to once more spy on Vegas

24:34-26:59 (Pete): Pete surprises Kinn and Porsche during their happy couple time

28:55-33:40 (Pete & Vegas): Vegas and Pete temple scene, making merits together

36:13-36:37 (Pete): Pete surprises Porsche while Porsche is spying on Tawan

38:49-39:10 (Pete): Continuation of the scene before

40:33-43:36 (Vegas): Vegas and Porsche talk, sitting by the pool

55:25-55:46 (Vegas): Vegas comes to rescue Porsche, who has been imprisoned by Kinn

EP10:

01:42-04:08 (Pete & Vegas): Vegas comes to rescue Porsche, who has been imprisoned by Kinn. Pete tries to stop them

10:37-11:54 (Pete): Pete tells Kinn that he decided to search Vegas' secret office for evidence that will help Porsche

11:55-12:25 (Vegas): Vegas and Porsche make a plan to get the evidence that will clear Porsche's name

13:09-17:55 (Pete): Pete enters the minor family home, disguised as a delivery man and searches through Vegas' office

17:56-19:09 (Vegas): Porsche and Vegas arrive at Porsche's home, but Porchay is missing

19:45-22:12 (Vegas): Part I of the showdown between Tawan, Vegas, Porsche and Kinn. The kidnapped Porchay is unconscious

22:13-23:35 (Pete): Pete is sending the information he has found in Vegas' office to Kinn. He gets found by Ken

23:36-28:43 (Vegas): Part II of the showdown between Tawan, Vegas, Porsche and Kinn. Vegas (almost) kills Tawan. Kim barges in together with Big to save Porchay. Vegas flees

31:58-33:44 (Vegas): Sequence of Vegas and Tawan's past together

39:11-41:11 (Pete & Vegas): Pete has been captured by Vegas, first torture scene with starter cables

EP11:

01:47-10:45 (Pete & Vegas): Second torture scene, Vegas hits Pete and feels him up. Khun Gun hits Vegas and tells him to kill Pete. Vegas texts Kinn that Pete is going on a vacation. Vegas calls Pete's grandmother and tells Pete that he will take him to the safehouse

15:47-19:14 (Pete & Vegas): They arrive at the safehouse, Pete is already chained up. Vegas tries to turn Pete into his dog, but Pete refuses to eat out of a pet bowl

25:11-29:31 (Pete & Vegas): Vegas talks to the hedgehog. Pete still refuses to eat, so Vegas hits him with a belt. Pete tries to escape, but Vegas stops him

34:37-37:00 (Pete & Vegas): Khun Gun visits Vegas. Pete, who has a fever, is passed out

40:18-45:32 (Pete & Vegas): Vegas takes care of Pete's wounds, they share their first kiss :) They talk about their fathers and Vegas realizes that his father sucks

48:13-50:54 (Pete & Vegas): Vegas has been hit by his father again and Pete asks him how he is holding up. Vegas cooks noodles for Pete

EP12:

08:25-11:23 (Pete & Vegas): Pete gives Vegas a blood type reading and explains to him what owning a hedgehog tells about his personality

18:46-30:57 (Pete & Vegas): Poor little hedgehog dies :( & Vegas and Pete first love making scene :D

EP13:

01:42-02:58 (Pete & Vegas): Pete and Vegas are lying on the bed together, talking

05:34-07.52 (Vegas): Vegas cooks for Pete, but then Khun Gun shows up and smacks the dinner plate right out of his hand

11:02-14:24 (Pete & Vegas): Vegas enters the bedroom after the fight with his father, he starts to get aggressive towards Pete and chokes him. Vegas puts a knife to Pete's throat

15:38-20:50 (Pete & Vegas): Things escalate and Pete has a breakdown. Vegas freaks out as well. In the end Pete smacks him over the head and finally escapes

20:50-24:10 (Pete): Pete's funeral. Pete returns back to the main family home

24:11-26:29 (Pete): Bathtub scene, Porsche cleans Pete's wounds

30:59-33:02 (Pete & Vegas): Vegas is now alone in the safehouse. His bodyguard tells him that Pete has gone back to the main family. Vegas starts crying. Pete is sitting in the cafeteria, crying as well

34:21-42:15 (Pete & Vegas): Porsche has taken Pete to Hum Bar to cheer him up, but also to secretly meet with Vegas. Pete and Vegas meet as well and Pete realizes that he can't shoot Vegas, because he actually loves him

54:05-58:50 (Pete & Vegas): Porsche and Vegas meet up with Porsche's uncle to find out about the death of Porsche's parents. The uncle gets shot. Kinn and Pete are both trying to stop Porsche and Vegas from driving away

EP14:

01:45-02:55 (Vegas): Vegas brings Porsche back home and warns him about the coming battle between the main and minor family

17:28-17:51 (Vegas): Vegas calls Porsche to tell him that the fight is about to start

18:39-21:24 (Pete): Kinn has a meeting with his business partners and ends up shooting two of them, Pete is there on bodyguard duty

21:58-24:34 (Vegas): Battle part 1 - Vegas and his father arrive at the main family home and the battle starts. Vegas gets a gun and enters the building

26:21-28:15 (Pete & Vegas): Battle part 2 - Vegas gets out of the lift and starts shooting Kinn's bodyguards. Kinn enters the scene together with Pete and Pol. Pol gets injured. Porsche comes in to help Kinn

29:22-29:45 (Vegas): Battle part 3 - Kinn and Porsche have decided that they will stick together, they escape. Vegas goes after them and keeps shooting at them

30:48-32:14 (Vegas): Battle part 4 - Vegas has caught up with Kinn and Porsche. He kicks Porsche to the ground and threatens to kill him. A bomb goes off and Kinn and Porsche escape again

40:48-43:16 (Pete & Vegas): Battle part 5 - Vegas still tries to go after Kinn and Porsche, but Pete intercepts. When more bodyguards enter the scene, Pete shoots Vegas' shoulder and tells the others to leave. Pete punches Vegas. Vegas asks Pete if he can be the one who kills him then tells Pete he loves him. They kiss. Vegas runs off

49:23-51:59 (Pete & Vegas): Battle part 6 - Khun Korn has killed his brother. Vegas and Pete enter the secret room and Vegas, upon seeing his dead father, thinks about shooting Khun Korn, but in the end he doesn't

52:00-53:39 (Pete): The battle is over. Pete quits his job as bodyguard of the main family and goes after Vegas

53:40-58:38 (Pete & Vegas): Vegas attempts to kill himself, but Pete can stop him. Vegas gets shot by a bodyguard and Pete revenge-kills the same bodyguard. Heartbreaking scene where Pete cries over Vegas' lifeless body :(

01:17:00-01:19:44 (Pete& Vegas & Macau): Pete has come to visit Vegas at the hospital. They share sweet words and kisses. Macau, Pete and Vegas cuddle. They're a happy little family now :D

#vegaspete #vegas x pete #vegas theerapanyakul #pete phongsakorn #kinnporsche #kinnporsche la forte #kinnporsche the series #kinnporsche vegas #kinnporsche pete

[stedesbonnets]

as my beloved friend @theosrose said yesterday when we were talking, the sheer lack of any scenes between stede and ed this season makes it feel very strange, and since i've got nothing better to do today, i've decided to compare the amount of screen-time stede and ed share in season 1 vs season 2*

* i mean scenes in which they are alone, or in company but the focus is only on them (like the restaurant scene)

season one:

ep3: their first meeting (25:17-25:38). total: 21 seconds

ep4: opening (02:22-02:42), "who's this mary then?" (09:51-10:48), stede wakes up (13:41-14:31), aux wardrobe (14:57-16:56), "do you wanna do something weird?" (18:36-21:11), "we need to be a lighthouse" (26:51-27:38), ending (29:43-31:10). total: 535 seconds

ep5: books looting (01:32-01:49), dining lessons (02:26-04:18), going to the party (04:51-05:21) (i cut it right when frenchie enters), entering the party (09:10-09:48), ed playing the piano (15:29-15:57), stede telling ed to stand down (20:31-21:04), passive aggression (25:17-25:36), moonlight (26:11-27:12). total: 337 seconds

ep6: opening (00:11-02:30), ed almost kills stede (15:46-16:00, 16:16-16:25, 16:49-16:55), bathroom scene (18:00-20:44). total: 332 seconds

ep7: opening (00:10-01:10), treasure map (05:11-05:56), the moth (10:45-11:12), restaurant scene (12:00-13:30), after lucius calls ed out (17:35-18:40), co-captains (24:29-25:07). total: 325 seconds

ep8: "i mean in hindsight i probably could've guessed" (11:22-48), nature walk (12:40-12:52), the beach talk (16:43-17:28), ed leaves (22:18-22:52), foot nudge (33:07-33:35). total: 145 seconds

ep9: ed shaves off his beard (13:33-15:27), the kiss (16:44-19:58), last conversation (21:02-21:35). total: 341 seconds

interesting note: although stede and ed share the last amount of scenes in ep9 (only 3), the total amount of time spent together is the second longest in the entire season. also, the kiss scene is the longest scene in s1.

TOTAL NUMBER OF SCENES: 35

TOTAL NUMBER OF TIME: 2036 seconds, or 33.93 minutes

the total runtime of s1 is 5 hours 6 minutes 45 seconds, or 306.75 minutes. 33.93 out of 306.75 in percentage is 11.06%

season two:

ep1: opening (01:12-02:17). total: 65 seconds

ep3: reunion (27:43-29:44). total: 121 seconds

ep4: opening (00:00-00:28), "you're not a mermaid" (03:17-03:35), "i like your beard" (10:09-10:46), "i love everything about you" (17:23-19:43), stede inviting ed back to the ship (24:00-24:53), "buttons turned into a seagull!" (26:40-27:02). total: 298 seconds

ep5: "i'm your captain" (03:22-04:50), moonlight kiss (25:20-27:44). total: 224 seconds

ep6: guilt room (03:01-03:22), poison into positivity (04:53-05:47), don't be pirates, kids (07:47-08:17), the almost dance (11:38-11:54), the love scene (22:10-22:27, 22:43-22:50, 23:25-23:32). total: 152 seconds

ep7: the morning after (01:02-02:18), dining and dashing (04:19-05:57), ed giving stede a lesson in being famous (06:03-06:43), ed leaving (11:59-13:51). total: 326 seconds

TOTAL NUMBER OF SCENES: 21

TOTAL NUMBER OF TIME: 1186 seconds, or 19.76 minutes

the total runtime of s2 (minus the finale) is 3 hours 16 minutes and 2 seconds, or 196.033 minutes. 19.76 out of 196.033 in percentage is 10.07%

CONCLUSION:

while the amount of screen time in percentage is similar between the seasons, s2 has significantly fewer scenes with stede and ed. additionally, the time they spend together per episode in s1 is much longer than in s2, and the scenes are stretched out throughout the episodes evenly. even during s1ep8, in which they share the least amount of screen time due to being separated, stede and ed still share 5 scenes, unlike s2ep5 which separates them for the longest amount of time (20 minutes!)

so far in s2, stede and ed share way less scenes than in s1, and when they do, they are shorter and often oddly spaced. for me, the best laid out episode is episode 4, while the worst is episode 5. interestingly, they share the least amount of screen time (after ed wakes up) in ep6, despite having the love scene in it. in my opinion, most of their scenes in s2 feel less earnest than in s1, and are so short i can barely savor them. this is ultimately the result of hbo cutting off two episodes, but also an issue of giving the crew too much spotlight, making stede and ed's plot line feel rush and poorly planned post ep3.

i have no doubt the finale will fix most of stede and ed's issues, but the scarcity of the scenes they share (and their contents) make their arc feel watered down to me, like the writing crew keep beginning to say something meaningful but getting cut mid sentence

#our flag means death #ofmd s2 spoilers #elinor.exe

[jiminieloved]

Ultimate Jikook Timeline Pt 120

Butter Era, Pt 2

June 1, 2021:

a) Festa Profiles

Jimin gives JK the “really scary award” and JK gives Jimin the “cute award”

b) Sowoozoo Poster Making

7:18 JK tries to tie the balloon on Jimin’s earring

c) Sowoozoo VCR Making

2:12 Jimin calls JK to help him tease Jin

4:45 Jimin explains the scenario of his shooting, where he was trying to sleep but he remembered JK pulling one over on him

6:16 JK throws an orange for Jimin to catch

d) Sowoozoo Merch Making

7:46 small interactions, they are sitting close, JK stares at Jimin and copies him

2. June 11, 2021:

Sowoozoo Rehearsal

1:26 walking close to each other behind the others

3. June 12, 2021:

a) Sowoozoo Practice and Rehearsal

1:34 Jimin sits by JK’s side and puts his hand on his leg

12:47 dancing on stage together

13:05 Jimin gives his mic to JK and pretends boxing while JK smiles at him

18:37 Jimin pats JK’s chest

22:41 JK teases Jimin on stage

b) 2021 Festa

1:05 they were supposed to describe the members with a word, JK described Jimin with “charm” and at 1:24 Jimin describes JK with the word “dongsaeng”

4:46 they are supposed to say something about the word “promise” so JK says “Jimin”

31:17 JK talks about army and Jimin teases him saying “are you crying Jungkook?”

41:20 JK says something cute and Jimin looks fondly at him

42:12 Jimin says that all of his dreams came true and JK asks him “literally everything? Until now?”, Jimin confirms it and JK says he is going to follow his path

45:47 Jimin reads his wish for the future and JK says “good to hear”

50:34 JK shows a candle as one of his favorites old items and Jimin says “Jungkook is pretty sensitive to smell”, then he shows a microphone as another favorite old item and says it is because they can’t go to karaoke there says, so Jimin says “he was like that even before covid”

4. June 13, 2021:

Sowoozoo Day 1

12:13 Jimin puts an arm around JK while singing “Dynamite”

15:30 no subs on this link but Jimin says he has a similar look from N.O era and JK says he looks good

38:15 Jikook talk to each other on the background

46:45 Jikook pictures on the wall

1:04:52 Jimin shares a memory he likes and JK says his hair looks similar from then

1:06:48 they watch a video from the early years, JK says Jimin looks the same but looks skinnier

82:15 JK gets close to Jimin while he is singing to appear on the screen with him, then Jimin finds his accessory and gives it back to him

A few more moments that weren’t on the DVD

5. June 14, 2021:

a) Sowoozoo Day 2

13:42 dancing together while singing “Dynamite”

20:10 JK talks about they time they performed in Busan and mentioned that he and Jimin are from there

1:00:24 cute interaction while singing “telepathy”

1:25:24 Jimin and Tae hug, JK throws water between them and looks at Jimin

1:51:26 Jimin gets in between Tae and JK and holds JK’s waist

2:01:12 small interaction that I didn’t understand because there’s no subs

b) Sowoozoo D-day Making Film

3:37 looking at each other while singing and then playing

9:35 JK notices Jimin stretching on the couch

11:40 posing for the picture side by side

13:32 dancing together on stage

23:43 they glance at each other and smile

6. June 15, 2021:

Run Ep. 142

11:17 Hobi says “Jimin-ah, set it up” and JK copies him saying “Jiminie, set it up”

29:31 Jimin asks the staff for a bowl but gives up on it because he doesn’t want to be a nuisance, so JK asks one too and the caption says “the Sun and Moon duo is having rice”

Behind

7:24 JK goes by Jimin’s side to watch him doing his kimchi

9:02 Jimin pats JK’s shoulder to tell him something

7. June 16, 2021:

Jikook moment from BTS The Best DVD

8. June 21, 2021:

Bangtan Bomb

0:25 Jimin sings “talk is cheap”, Hobi asks him if that’s how he pronounces it and Jimin says “it sounds like rabbit spit, rabbit spit is pretty spicy, you know”, Hobi laughs and looks at JK

2:45 JK plays with Jimin’s chick hat

9. June 22, 2021:

Run Ep. 143

0:31 Jimin sings cutely and JK smiles at him

4:21 JK says his answer to the quiz and Jimin pats his shoulder and says what he thinks the right answer is

6:09 JK gives another answer to the quiz and Jimin touches his shoulder while looking fondly at him

6:52 the staff tells them they are going to illustrate the tale and Namjoon says “it’ll be fine as long as we have Jimin and Jungkook”, because both are good illustrators

25:25 Jimin compliments JK’s work saying it looks like a real cartoon book

Behind

0:45 Jimin calls JK so he can look at him while he draws him, then JK says “I know he’s going to draw me funny”

1:28 JK scolds Jimin for not listening to the question until the end

10. June 24, 2021:

a) “Permission to Dance” Practice and MV Making Film

5:12 JK helps Jimin to get up on their set and then they film together

16:29 Jimin says “Jungkook, I love you” and hugs him

b) “Permission to Dance” MV Reaction

Sitting close

0:31 JK appears on the MV and Jimin says “JK!”

2:18 they watch the scene where JK does the spins, JK says that he did 3 or 4 spins and Jimin teases him saying “is this the power of editing?”

5:26 they talk about how dancing this song can make people laugh, JK agrees and says “specially if you look at each other while dancing it”, Jimin turns to look at him and they smile at each other

11. June 28, 2021:

BTS The Best Special Online Talk Event moment

Jimin says JK sleeps with his mouth open

12. June 29, 2021:

a) Run Ep. 144

1:52 Jimin asks JK to give him a hint on the game

9:44 they are supposed to do a drawing speed quiz and Jimin says “isn’t Jungkook good at this?”

24:00 Jimin goes next to JK trying to convince him to give the same answer as him, and JK does so

Behind

0:19 Jimin sings “Life Goes On” and it seems that JK is watching him

7:52 JK stands close behind Jimin with their hands touching while they watch Tae writing his answers

b) 2021 Show In Seoul with House Ambassadors BTS Louis Vuitton Making Film

7:18 looking at each other and checking each other’s heights, then JK checks Jimin out and says he looks like a model

c) Louis Vuitton Campaign

1:38 again the part where they were checking their heights and JK says that Jimin looks like an actual model

Information compiled by @lagalaxiedemochi

previous l next

#jikook #kookmin #tl #jikook timeline

[usafphantom2]

IMAGES: Russia resumes production of modernized Tu-160 bombers

Russia plans to eventually buy 50 new Tu-160M and modernize 15 existing Tu-160.

Fernando Valduga By Fernando Valduga 02/22/2024 - 08:17 in Military

Russia restarted the production of the Tupolev-160 strategic bombers, known as Blackjack, with the announcement coming from Sergey Chemezov, CEO of the state company Rostec.

"Restarting the production of the Tu-160 was quite a task for all Rostec affiliates. The project documentation was fully digitized within the tightest deadlines. The vacuum welding technique of titanium parts was restored and the production of fuselage units was resumed. Today we can safely say that we have been successful in all aspects," he said, according to the Russian state media.

The updated Tu-160M maintains the exterior design of its predecessor, but incorporates a technological base and completely new digital solutions.

The recent visit of Russian President Vladimir Putin to the S.P. aviation factory. Gorbunov Kazan, in Tartaristan, where he inspected four updated strategic bombers, drew attention amid concerns about the country's military capabilities.

The Tu-160, recognized as the largest and most powerful supersonic aircraft with wings of variable geometry in the history of military aviation, underwent an update program initiated by Putin's decision.

The government contract, signed between the Ministry of Industry and Commerce and the Tupolev design department, facilitated the digitization of the Tu-160M aircraft design documentation and the restoration of vacuum welding techniques for titanium products, leading to the resumption of the production of fuselage units.

Rostec's main industrial companies in metallurgy, aircraft design, engineering and instrument manufacturing have played crucial roles in revitalizing their cooperation for the successful resumption of production.

The first Tu-160M strategic bomber built from scratch made its first 30-minute flight on January 12, 2022. It is equipped with modern weapons, electronic warfare system, as well as on-board electronic equipment.

According to reports, the Tu-160 entered Soviet service for the first time in the late 1980s, with production until 1995. In 2015, Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered the resumption of production of the updated variant of the Tu-160M to strengthen the strategy of the Russian Air Force in the capabilities of the bombers at a time of increasing tension with the West, and to compensate for delays in the future PAK-DA bomber program.

Russia plans to eventually buy about 50 Tu-160M bombers and is upgrading 16 existing Tu-160s to the modernized standard. With the first Tu-160M scheduled to be delivered soon, series production is expected to begin in 2023, at a production rate of at least three aircraft per year. This would fit the order for 10 aircraft in the period 2023–27.

The update of the Tu-160M is being implemented in two phases, with the first phase of the Tu-160M1 comprising the new navigation system K-042K-1 and autopilot ABSU-200-1, as well as the removal of some previous systems, such as pump observation systems. This variant of the Tu-160M1 has been operational in the Russian Air Force since the end of 2014.

The second phase of the Tu-160M2 includes the new Novella NV1.70 radar, a digital glass booth, modern communications and anti-jamming equipment, updated NK-32 engines (designated NK-32-02) and modern conventional and nuclear weapons.

Tags: Military AviationROSTECRussiaTu-160 Blackjack

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Fernando Valduga

Fernando Valduga

Aviation photographer and pilot since 1992, he has participated in several events and air operations, such as Cruzex, AirVenture, Dayton Airshow and FIDAE. He has works published in specialized aviation magazines in Brazil and abroad. He uses Canon equipment during his photographic work in the world of aviation.

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[chiwithekiwi]

so i was curious how long it takes for the infection to take root and force the host to turn based on the times given to us by the game using its scene-by-scene clock, but the results of my investigation have not at all turned out like i was expecting them to, and i wanted to share them since it might be useful to some of my fellow detail-oriented writers.

NOTE: all times used are not adjusted and are taken directly from the beginning of each scene. they do not reflect the accurate time that the characters may have been bitten. this is all just to provide a rounded approximation of the rate of infection for each character. also, i am aware of the other times that many of these characters can become infected, however, i am only including the routes in which they are shown to fully become werewolves over the course of the game itself.

max:

infected in the quarry lodge storm shelter at 00:26. turned in the north kill jail at 03:27. time to become fully infected – 3 hours

nick:

infected in the woods at 21:10. turned in the pool house at 23:33. time to become fully infected – 2 hours 20 minutes

dylan:

infected in the radio hut at 22:24. turned in the scrapyard at 2:10. time to become fully infected – 3 hours 40 minutes

laura:

infected on the island at 23:30. turned in the hackett house at 03:10. time to become fully infected – 3 hours 40 minutes

jacob:

infected on the wood bridge at 22:30. turned in the woods at 03:33. time to become fully infected – 4 hours

emma, route 1 (woods):

infected in the woods at 23:52. turned in the storm shelter at 02:29. time to become fully infected – 2 hours 40 minutes

and i’m hesitant to include this one due to the fact that the exact time of her turning is unknown but i’ll include this infection line just for the sake of it

emma, route 2 (treehouse):

infected on the island at 21:43. turned in the van between 23:52 and 01:35. time to become fully infected – somewhere between 2 hours 10 minutes and 3 hours 50 minutes  

kaitlyn and ryan are never shown to turn throughout the duration of the game, and abigail is cured of infection before she ever gets the chance to turn. 

these approximations show that the rate of infection for each character is wildly different. in storytelling terms this makes sense, as the moments in which all of these characters turn help to progress the story/keep every moment suspenseful. naturally there would be no set amount of time for the infection to take over, because doing so would only put a limit on what the narrative was able to do with each character up to a certain point before they would become indisposed.

from a lore perspective though, there is much to consider here. for some characters it can be theorised that they were able to hold out against the infection for so long due to their prior knowledge of how it works and what signs to look out for (dylan and laura). in jacob’s case, this doesn’t hold as much weight due to the fact that apart from his initial return to the firepit after nick was infected, he never learned of his inevitable turning and the symptoms he displayed, yet jacob still did not change until after an approximate four hours of being infected.

it’s unlikely that the rate of infection speeds up in the face of injury or heightened adrenaline/emotion, namely due to the fact that many of these characters are injured or otherwise put into extremely demanding emotional states over the course of the game without changing. nick turning after being shot by abi doesn’t work to argue this, as even if you do not shoot him, he begins to turn anyway.

again, this is all up for personal speculation. for all we know, the rate of infection could depend on how much sand and dirt you ate as a kid to strengthen your immune system. (don’t even try to tell me that jacob, dylan, and laura weren’t chronic sand and/or dirt eaters when they were still little. i know the truth)

#the quarry #the quarry game #dylan lenivy #ryan erzahler #kaitlyn ka #abigail blyg #jacob custos #emma mountebank #nick furcillo #laura kearney #max brinly #if you think that my math might be wrong in some places then you're probably right #mine

[vs120shound]

A quintessential keepsake unabridgment of SF entertainment!

OUTSIDE-THE BOX: FIRST POST OF TWO

HOURS UPON HOURS (5:08:53) OF SMOKING FETISH NIRVANA | FEATURING SMOKING SWEETIES, SMOKING-MODELS, USA SMOKERS

COMPILATION MADNESS OVERLOAD | "WeAll SmokeHere" YouTube | OUR FIFTH INSTALLMENT (No. 5)

★ ★ ★ ★ ★ + | Five-Plus "Stars"

From vs120shound staff | ★★★★★ (L)

A rather simple and basic concept being realized here on a YouTube webpage showcased on our brand before, "WeAll SmokeHere," with its video titled Cigarette Smoking Compilation (Best of #6-20). Compilation No. 1 for "WA SH" was released in 2020 and No. 20 was published in May 2023. Amid that line of production, "WeAll SmokeHere" also interspersed the production and publishing of four specialty videos between April and February 2023. There are 60 scenes within the 308 minutes and 53 seconds of action in our post's video. So the typical scene/clip/snippet lasts an average of a bit north of 5 minutes. More than three-quarters of the action is shared among three Mega-SF websites: Smoking-Models (U.K.), USA Smokers (Arizona, U.S.A.) and SmokingSweeties (Spain). There is some Britney Pink Angel mixed in as wall as Lindsey Tingles, Kissing Girls Smoking Girlz and the self-deactivated Mega-SF site from Australia whose name rhymes with Camden Flaps.

The Video!

The Breakdown!

A list starting with elapsed time into the Mega-Video of who appears in this soon-to-be historic classic video post within the Greater SF World Community. This is not for the weak-hearted or squeamish. This is for hard-core SF aficionados who dedicate prime chunks of their time, energy, focus and passion into getting their daily fix of watching BHYSWs (Beautiful Hot, Young Smoking Women) with their cigarettes in videos, photographs, GIFS or slideshows for each and every day:

00:00 - Rosy and Desiree; 02:28 - Rosy, Iveta, Marta, and Anna MC; 06:01 - Rosy; 13:37 - Simone Toon; 16:59 - Catharine; 19:42 - Sophia and Citlali; 20:52 - Sophia; 29:29 - Citlali; 33:35 - Crystal King; 38:38 - Sarah Jane; 54:46 - Anna MC; 56:07 - Amber; 58:36 - Ava Grey and Amber; 59:36 - Anna MC; 1:02:14 - Anastasia; 1:06:39 - Anna Zapala; 1:19:51 - Eugenia; 1:20:43 - Rebecca and Jemma; 1:31:32 - Jemma; 1:33:40 - Maggie; 1:34:25 - Maggie and Jojo; 1:35:55 - Belle; 1:41:19 - Bailey; 1:49:07 - Molly and Chanel; 1:49:59 - Chanel; 1:54:06 - Molly; 1:59:08 - Bree; 2:01:36 - Lucy Fox; 2:05:54 - Vanessa; 2:07:09 - Amber; 2:19:17 - Mary; 2:21:47 - Pixie; 2:26:54 - Alyssa; 2:28:55 - Alyssa and Christie; 2:30:56 - Christie; 2:32:53 - Jade; 2:28:09 - Britney Pink Angel; 2:47:02 - Nuria; 2:48:13 - Marlo; 2:59:36 - Sasha Jo; 3:03:39 - Sarah Arnold; 3:18:40 - Iveta; 3:20:44 - Kennedy; 3:28:29 - Cassidy; 3:33:59 - Charlotte Hurding; 3:36:46 - Charlie and Stephanie; 3:38:41 - Jasmine; 4:06:11 - Lindsey Tingles; 4:08:21 - Von Wager; 4:11:59 - Luisa; 4:21:14 - Danielle K.; 4:25:26 - Porsche Alexis; 4:31:01 - Lorena and Porsche; 4:31:51 - Carrie and Faye; 4:34:03 - Unidentified duo from Kissing Girls Smoking Girlz; 4:37:08 - Naomi and Petra; 4:44:35 - Karina and Cody; 4:53:17 - Dani and Lacey; 4:59:43 - Sabrina and Havana; 5:04:08 - Lolly Badcock and Michelle Moist . . . THE END!

Congratulations! Now you've finished watching this classic and intense video. Did you do it in one sitting? Probably not. That's too much to expect. Proud of yourself? Now go check out the latest on vs120shound, lostlighter23, vs120shound-2 and lostlighter23-darkside. If you did it in one sitting, you missed the unimportant. Yes, Trump said something unbecoming and not factual again and Biden had one of his typical "foul-ups" and stumbles as well . . . and Sleepy Joe did not get any younger! Oh, and some of your teams won their games; some of them did not. The Beatles remain No. 1 all-time, as does Messi and Pelé . . . Vladimir Putin sucks, though Lev Ivanovich Yashin ("The Black Spider") might edge out Gordon Banks as the greatest goalkeeper of all-time . . . and we still cannot figure out how our Brigitte Bardot Photo of The Day blog still has only 5 positive notes (likes/re-blogs)!. We, we will try again with Ms. Bardot:

Brigitte Anne-Marie Bardot, POTD from August 11, 2023 (ask someone who was aware of her supreme aura during her Heyday, from the 1950s well into the 1970s, and what you are told should convince you to take a second look at this Ultimate Sex Symbol) . . .

#SF #Hot women who love smoking cigarettes #Smoking cigarettes #Smoking #YouTube “WeAll SmokeHere” webpage! #Youtube #Brigitte Anne-Marie Bardot (POTD)!

[kudouusagi]

SK8 trivia!

They've posted a quiz of trivia from the series! There's a total of 25 questions!! I'll let you guys have fun guessing for now and I'll post the correct answers later.

The questions are

1: What is the campaign slogan on Shindou Ainosuke's campaign poster?

Answer: Free answer

2: In the DOPE SKETCH logo, there's a pink letter D, what is the other letter?

Answers: 01 S 02 K 03 T 04 H

3: Throughout all the episodes, how many times does Reki scream "LANGA!"?

Answers: 01 2 02 4 03 8 04 12

4: What is Miya's best subject in school?

Answers: 01 Japanese 02 Math 03 English 04 PE

5: What icon does Langa's mother, Nanako, use on her phone messaging app?

Answers: 01 A snowman 02 A snowboard 03 The flag of Canada 04 A photo of Langa

6: When you put in the correct code on the home Blu-ray and DVDs a sound plays, what is the sound that plays?

Answers: 01 Shadow yelling 02 ADAM laughing 03 Sketchy barking 04 Carla's activation sound

7: In the first episode, where was Reki injured during his BEEF with SHADOW?

Answers: 01 Head 02 Right arm 03 Left arm 04 Right leg

8: In the second episode, when Nanjou told Sakurayashiki "I'm the one who makes the rules in this restaurant, you cheapskate four-eyes!" what did Sakurayashiki respond?

Fill in the blank: "Then write that outside, ●●●●●"

Answers: 01 Fool 02 Dimwitted gorilla 03 Blockhead 04 Muscle gorilla

9: In episode 9 when Miya is looking at the social media posts, what is the name of the account that posted "Did he really do it while tapped to the board!?!"?

Answers: 01 Bocchi 02 Meipurupuru 03 Dandy 006 04 Anonymous

10: In the eyecatch for episode 2, Nanjou tried to prank Sakurakashiki by putting chilies in his pasta, how many did he use?

Answers: 01 15 02 20 03 30 04 40

11: In episode 3 when Miya returns in the evening, what color apron is his mother wearing?

Answers: 01 Red 02 Light blue 03 Black 04 Green

12: In episode 4, what wasn't in the ramen that Reki and Langa were eating?

Answers: 01 Egg 02 Green onions 03 Bamboo shoots 04 wood ear mushrooms

13: In episode 4, what was the flavor of protein that Miya exchanged Reki's cola for?

Answers: 01 Guava 02 Shikuwasa 03 Passion fruit 04 Pineapple

14: In episode 5, what was the phrase that Sakurayashiki wrote in his AI calligraphy event?

Answer: Free answer

15: In episode 6, what was the name of the inn that Reki and the others staid at that only cost 3000 yen for 1 night?

Answer: Free answer

16: In the preview for episode 8, what was the compliment that Kikuchi gave Ainosuke?

Answers: 01 You are wonderful, passionate, and fearless. The charisma of the "S" world, unrivaled in your overwhelming skill and beauty. 02 You are beautiful and fearless. The charisma of the "S" world, unrivaled in your overwhelming skill and beauty. 03 You are wonderful, passionate, and fearless. The charisma of the "S" world. 04 You are brilliant, passionate and fearless. he charisma of the "S" world, unrivaled in your overwhelming skill and beauty.

17: In episode 8, when Sakurayashiki and Nanjou were fighting in Nanjou's restaurant, what percent charge did Carla have?

Answers: 01 15% 02 25% 03 35% 04 45%

18: In episode 8, what was the name of the news program that Reki was watching where a person working at a famous shoe maker was being interviewed?

Answers: 01 News 23 02 OKINAWA Station 03 NEWS ONE 04 RBB NEWS

19: In episode 9, when ADAM pulled Cherry blossom's card, what was the face value of the card his name was written on?

Answers: 01 5 of hearts 02 5 of diamonds 03 6 of spades 04 6 of clubs

20: In episode 9, during the race between Langa and Joe, after Langa won, what was it that ADAM said he heard? Fill in the blank: The ringing of ●●

Answers: 01 Ambulance sirens 02 Drums 03 Gongs 04 Wedding bells

21: In episode 10, when Reki was eating breakfast, on his plate there were eggs, cherry tomatoes, and lettuce. What was the other thing on his plate?

Answers: 01 Goya chanpuru 02 Onigiri with pork 03 Salt grilled salmon 04 Corned beef hash

22: In episode 10, what is the reason Reki gives for skateboarding?

Answers: 01 It's cool 02 It's interesting 03 It's fun 04 he likes it

23: In episode 11, what does the young Ainosuke have a test in the next day?

Answers: 01 Violin 02 Soroban abacus 03 Equestrian 04 Kendo

24: When was the magazine "SKATE FAN" that appears in episode 11 first created?

Answers: 01 1980 02 1999 03 2008 04 2020

25: What kind and color of flowers were the flowers that Hiromi was holding when he went to try to confess to his manager?

Answers: 01 Pink marguerite 02 Red and white roses 03 Pink and yellow marguerite 04 Red, pink, and orange tulips

#SK8 #sk8 the infinity #infinity week

[keef-a-corn]

Dat’s right, People, it’s time for ‘Keef watches TFP and you just get the notes!’

This is for season 1, episode 11: Speed Metal.

I write down the timestamps, but I watch Transformers Prime on Stan (an Australian streaming service) so they may be slightly off.

ALSO! I try my best to note points for every character, but tend to get a little caught up by Bee (although I think I do a pretty good job with the notes regardless) so do be warned.

~~~~Transition~~~~

00:03 - starting off strong with a pretty scene

00:21 - it feels like this should’ve been Knockout’s premiering episode. Does him a lot more justice.

00:39 - Knockout proving to be smarter than the autobots because his windows have an insanely heavy tint.

00:46 - My bro really that jealous that he felt a need to scratch up a custom paint job.

00:53 - Ya know what? Valid reaction.

01:18 - attempting murder.

01:37 - … So attempted onscreen vehicular murder

~intro~

02:46 - Why does Vince wait until AFTER Jack decides to leave to taunt him? Why not do it while he has to be there?

02:50 - and Jack leans into it. *sigh*

03:07 - That’s all you have to say, Arcee?

03:35 - so many reasons, Sierra. You don’t have a helmet, you’re still holding books, it’s really rude to ask someone for something like that if they weren’t actively asking you or if you don’t setup a scheduled time in advanced.

03:49 - Hang on… Where TF did Vince get a muscle car from in the fairest place??

03:59 - suck an egg, Sierra.

04:11 -here we have a Jack, forgetting that his ride is sentient so regardless of if it was a rule or not, if she says no, it’s a no.

04:20 - I thought the first rule was keep a low profile.

04:41 - that shot is ugly.

05:24 - it took him forever to get start, Jack could’ve gone already!

05:30 - they had an hour between the end of school and the race, yet chose now to put their books away?

07:08 - shoutout to Knockout’s VA. They do a really good job.

07:17 - *sniff sniff* smells like a lie.

07:26 - I like how Knockout isn’t phased at all.

07:36 - ‘Buff this!’

07:39 - Zoom. (Yes, that is the only comment I will make about this shot)

07:47 - this is one of those shots that make you realise that these bots are huge.

08:04 - how?? It had been like 20 minutes since the race and there were no witnesses to who had won. Even if the information had gone around that quick, I doubt that Vince would’ve been honest about loosing.

08:08 - how the line was delivered, it made it sound like Raf was calling Jack Vince. 

08:21 - didn’t Jack say they shared a class together? How hard was she looking?

08:48 - I don’t understand how it’s a secret if high school students know about it.

09:19 - Imma be honest, I thought that was a vehicon.

09:27 - okay, but that sky-

09:37 - who is Raf playing against?

09:42 - These kinda of shots make it hard to remember that the boys are huge compared to the kids.

09:45 - …Why exactly does he ask Raf like that?? He knows Bee’s sentient.

09:46 - my head tells me he is saying ‘an hour? To go racing??’ My heart is telling me ‘Why are you asking Raf? He’s not in charge of me.’

09:52 - then he would be mildly annoyed.. Raf I don’t think you’re aware of just how calm Optimus actually is.

09:53 - With confidence I’m declaring that Bee said ‘Oh, right.’

09:58 - AroAce Raf hc.

10:04 - still completely ignoring that it’s actually Bee’s decision on if Jack can take him out racing.

10:14 - It’s a bit clearer in this timestamp but Jack Clones (courtesy @stefani-rebel)

10:16 - Bee’s numberplate is ‘936 SOH’… I know what my future numberplate will be(e)

10:26 - That does NOT explain how or why Jack owns a muscle car.

10:35 - THAT IS SO DANGEROUS. SIERRA’S STILL A CHILD.

11:00 - *dies* Knockout saying ‘Bumblebee’. I think I just like how deep voices say such an innocent word.

11:08 - ‘what was that Bee?’ As if he could understand Bee if he repeated himself.

11:09 - I’d just like to add, I really enjoy that Bee’s interior is lined with luminescent blue. It’s probably from that being one of the ways energon can look, so do you think that if Bee’s energon was drained out, all the blue would just turn black? …That went dark rq.

11:13 -why was Jack holding the wheel? I think I raised this question in convoy, but would the bots find it uncomfortable when someone touches their steering wheel/interior?

11:14 - this plays further into my ‘Is it uncomfortable for them’ question because we can tell the bots can control their steering wheels and require that control to drive.

11:40 - this reminds me so much of TF 2007

11:44 - it’s in character for Knockout to chase Bee, but wouldn’t it have been so funny if he instead focused on winning the race?

12:11 - Miko’s a trash liar.

12:16 - She only asked for Jack, how TF did she know Bee was with him??

12:20 - I now understand why Miko’s so bad.

12:46 - is that oil?? I feel like it would be a bodily fluid that shouldn’t be released that easily.

13:03 - and here we witness smart thinking from Bumblebee.

13:29 - Does anyone else wanna push Vince down the stairs? + all things considered, glad that there was an actual third party that’s actions affected the safety of the protags, rather than just excusing Knockout finding them to ‘of course he did’

13:36 - TFP stepping up with the ‘Naturally Knockout, an antagonist actively searching for the protags, noticed light behind him’

13:48 - accidental misgendering. Ask your car their preferred pronouns/lh

13:55 - what a lovely reminder that the bots are fragging huge.

14:04 - I too, when having an unknown pointy object put right in front of me, stare directly at it and lean closer.

14:34 - well timed an acceptable pun. But then again, I can’t talk, every time I write ‘be’ I put an extra ‘e’ in brackets.

14:44 - I’ve always seen the angst potential in this moment. (‘I can’t understand you!’) Because it’s an unfortunate way of life for Bee.

14:51 - Despite clear instructions, Bee honks three times. But because there’s a slight pause between the second and third honk, Bee pretty much said ‘Good and Bad news’. I know a lot of people have probably noticed it, but I thought it was a nice touch.

14:57 - they look like a band

14:58 - there eyes are glowing so harshly. It’s probably got to do with the fact that in vehicle mode they had their headlights on. + Bulkhead and Bee look at each other because they know they’re in huge trouble too. (I unfortunately didn’t manage to catch that in the screenshot tho)

15:04 - Maybe being in bot form for longer than a minute, turns off the headlights.

15:08 - How the frag would he know that?? Like maybe it would be my second or third guess, but certainly not my first. (First would’ve been ‘He probably saw a potential hostage’)

15:15 - I may have laughed way too loudly at that

15:27 - Harsh light’s back, on Bee specifically.

15:35 - Okay, that’s cute and so in character. Raf being concerned about Bee and Miko being absolutely certain that Bulkhead will be okay and protect everyone.

15:44 - that establishes that they had originally told Optimus a lie, but the hadn’t.

16:00 - I get why Raf’s a bad liar, but why is Miko??

16:02 - you KNOW Optimus is done with their BS.

16:03 - Look at him! L O O K . (Also ‘My father senses are going off. Why bother lying to me?.’)

16:06 - not suspicious at all.

16:11 - z o o m . How did they not see him?

16:19 - gotta be honest, I enjoy when antagonists use a protagonist’s name. Just makes it feel more respectful.

16:39 - You can see Knockout at the back.

16:57 - Bee walking backwards with ease makes me think a common technique the bots practice is walking backwards. That would be hilarious, all the bots going into a forest walking around backwards for like an hour.

16:58 - after a second glance I realised that Bee’s pedes/feet never left the ground. He was moonwalking.

17:07 - Bee can do a backhand spring.

17:10 - if Bee did what he usually does, he wouldn’t have been hit. He would usually duck the first few swings, but decided to try get the first hit against Breakdown. Makes no sense why he would considering that Breakdown’s build in a similar way to Bulkhead.

17:18 - Breakdown stumbles forward slightly when Bee hits him. NGL it’s kinda cute.

17:21 - See? Bee dodged the attacks, rather than getting the first punch!

17:24 - It’s implied this is Knockout’s vision and I hate it.

17:31 - Bee playing possum while Arcee rides Knockout like a skateboard.

17:34 - Rq, Bee’s fighting got significantly better once Arcee joined the fight. He feels more confident with her and I love that. (They’re family, your honour.)

17:35 - when he got them titanium legs- Why doesn’t Bee kick more though? He’s clearly got strong legs.

17:37 - Breakdown ran right into that one.

17:40 - surfs up, dude.

17:42 - one thing to note is that whenever a bot gets knocked off course they will quickly transform into the other mode to prevent damage.

17:46 - That’s a weird thing to say, Jack.

17:50 - Bee’s reaction time decreased significantly. Also how much damage can doorwings sustain?

17:57 - his face when he realised his hubby ran off.

18:05 - Bulkhead only now decides to do that?? Yes. Of course he does because he realised that Bee was down and about to get very hurt.

18:26 - yay! Optimus!

18:52 - Optimus just threw him like he was nothing.

18:58 - Makes me wonder, if the car parts were removed, would they be restored by a new alt mode?

19:27 - FRAG. I WANTED TO SEE BEE’S REACTION TO DISAPPOINTING OPTIMUS.

19:30 - he holds Vince the way you’d hold a sausage.

19:49 - like the con’s name

20:10 - moments like those make me wish the bots were allowed to punch humans.

20:28 - Starscream’s shaking

20:30 - Knockout looks like he’s wearing a hoodie

20:36 - he looks like a pigeon!

20:47 - Breakdown looks genuinely scared and that makes me sad.

20:52 - WE DON’T EVEN GET THE OUTCOME?! I WANTED TO KNOW THE AFTERMATH OF DISAPOTIMUS

20:56 - go suck an egg, Sierra.

———————

And that was Speed Metal.

I find this episode’s really good and would’ve been a much better introduction to Knockout and Breakdown. Well.. mainly Knockout. Although I wish we had gotten some time with the bots getting in trouble.

I genuinely believe this episode did Knockout and Breakdown a lot more justice though, better conveying that Knockout considers his looks very important and will run off when the odds start to change, while Breakdown will fight until he can’t continue.

#transformers #transformers prime #tfp #tfp bumblebee #tfp optimus prime #tfp knockout #tfp bulkhead #tfp arcee #tfp raf #tfp miko #tfp jack #tfp breakdown #episode 11 #speed metal #tfp vince #tfp sierra #maccadam #tfp starscream #Tfp ep notes

[trigunbookclub]

i'm a little late to join the party, so i'm doing my best to catch up! but i was taking a look at the schedule, and i see that it's sepearated into volumes. would you happen to know the schedule by chapters?

Hello! Not too late at all--anyone's welcome to join at any time! I had to dig a bit, but they have the chapters listed on Wikipedia! I'll copy and paste here in case it helps someone navigate it easier, but I'm throwing it under a cut because it'll be long. I also recommend checking out @trigun-manga-overhaul for the most accurate translations, and it's all separated by volume there :D (I've been reading their browser version since it's easiest for me to take screenshots) Okay, chapter masterlist:

Trigun 1

00.High Noon

01.The $$60 Billion Double Dollar Man

02.Looney Tunes

03.Hard Puncher

04.Popo

05.Assault

06.Die Hards

07.Rem

08.Duelist

09.Then, Between The Wasteland and Sky

10.Little Arcadia

11.Son

12.River of Life

Trigun 2

13.Blood and Thunder

14.Diablo

15.Fragile

16.Scars

17.Slaughter Cafe

18.Gathering of the Devils

19.Eye of Invisibility

20.Fifth Moon

Extra: Day In Day Out

Extra: Trigun Pilot

Trimax 1

01. "Hero Reborn"

02. "Lina" (リィナ, Rina)

03. "Bravo, Girls!" (ガールズ・ブラボー！, Gāruzu Burabō)

04. "Hero Returns"

05. "Dancing Revolver"

06. "Sin" (罪, Tsumi)

Trimax 2

07. "Return of the Blue Wing of Death" (死を運ぶ 蒼き風 再び, Shi o Hakobu Aokikaze Futatabi)

08. "Resume our Business"

09. "Samurai Showdown" (サムライショウダウン, Samurai Shoudaun)

10. "Wolfwood" (ウルフウッド, Urufuddo)

11. "Desperado"

12. "Home Sweet Home" (ホーム・スィート・ホーム, Hōmu Su~īto Hōmu)

13. "Darkness" (暗闇, Kurayami)

Trimax 3

14. "Reservoir Dogs" (レザボア・ドッグス, Rezaboa Doggusu)

15. "Cement" (セメント, Semento)

16. "No Escape"

17. "Emilio the Player" (エミリオ・ザ・プレイヤー, Emiro za Pureiyā)

18. "Long Goodbye"

19. "Families" (ファミリーズ)

20. "His Life as a..."

Trimax 4

21. "Countdown"

22. "Bluesy Killer Horn" (ブルージィ キラー ホーン, Burūji~i Kirā Hōn)

23. "Bottom of the Dark"

24. "Den of Thieves" (魔窟, Makutsu)

25. "Crying Wild Bullet" (クライング ウイルド ブリッド, Kuraingu Uirudo Buriddo)

26. "Those Who Stood Idly By" (かたわらに たたずむ ものたち, Katawarani Tatazumu Monotachi)

27. "Doomed Sinner" (絶望の罪人, Zetsubou no Zainin)

Trimax 5

28. "The City And Then The Banquet of Dogs" (街 そして犬共の宴, Machi Soshite Inudomo no Utage)

29. "Breakout" (ブレイクアウト, Bureikuauto)

30. "Loss" (喪失, Sōshitsu)

31. "Villain" (凶人, Kyoujin)

32. "Death Deal" (デス ディール, Desu Dīru)

33. "Let Us Walk the Path to Redemption" (せめて歩ませよ我が購いの道を, Semete Ayumaseyo Waga Aganai no Michi o)

Trimax 6

34. "The Gunslinger" (ザ·ガンスリンガー, Za Gansuringā)

35. "double team"

36. "Cross X Assassins" (クロスXアサシンズ, Kurosu X Asashinzu)

37. "Death Omen" (死兆, Shichō)

38. "Colorless Expression" (色無き相貌, Ironaki Sōbō)

39. "Seeds Voyaging to the Stars, A World Inside a Pod" (星を往く種子 莢の中の世界, Hoshi o Yuku Shushi Saya no Naka no Sekai)

Trimax 7

40. "happy days."

41. "Separate Ways" (セパレイトウェイズ, Separeito Uizu)

42. "The King of Loneliness" (孤独の王, Kodoku no Ō)

43. "Good For Nothing and the Blues" (ろくでなしとブルース, Rokudenashi to Burūsu)

44. "When They Arrived, It Was Already the Beginning of the End" (辿り着けばそこはすでに終わりの始まり, Tadoritsukeba Sokowa Sudeni Owari no Hajimari)

45. "Conflict" (コンフリクト, Konfurikuto)

Trimax 8

46. "Invasion" (侵攻, Shinkou)

47. Silent Ruin

48. "Counter-Attack!! (カウンターアタック！！, Kauntā Atakku)

49. "Escape (脱出, Dasshutsu)

50. "Separate Paths (それぞれの道, Sorezore no Michi)

51. Wolfwood Spin Off - Freed Bird ([外伝] FREED BIRD, [Gaiden] Freed Bird)

Trimax 9

52. Home

53. Gale

54. LR

55. Battle to the Death

56. Prostrate Demon

57. Fortitude

Trimax 10

58. Reckless Conduct

59. Sworn Friend

60. Sudden Change

61. Death Omen

62. Final Battle

63. Homecoming

64. Wolfwood

65. Final Farewell

Trimax 11

66. Zero Hour

67. Slap Sticks Days

68. Thunderstruck

69. Return of the Wicked

70. Get Ready, Get Set

71. Someone to Defend

Trimax 12

72. The Journey Ends - But Heavy Breathing Still Echoes

73. Corrosive Thunder

74. The Interceptor

75. The Gunslinger

76. + - 0

77. resonance

78. Run Livio Run

79. Lantern

80. Their Own World

Trimax 13

81. False Doppleganger

82. Double Duel

83. Demon Fire

84. Black

85. Battle of the Mystics

86. Tag in a Person

87. catch-as-catch-can

88. Apex Wings (尖翼)

89. VS

Trimax 14

90. When Conflict Comes to An End (相克果つる刻, Sōkoku hatsuru toki)

91. overkill

92. Side by Side (サイド・バイ・サイド)

93. Never give up! Never surrender!

94. Ticket to the Future (未来への切符, Mirai e no kippu)

95. Mind Games

96. Double Wings (双翼, Sōyoku)

97. Never Ending Song

#Trigun #TrigunBookclub #That took longer than I expected lol #But there! :D #Ask