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absolutebl · 4 months

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This Week in BL - The unexpected rise of cooking crush & seme bjs

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

Jan 2024 Wk 3

Ongoing Series - Thai

The Sign (Sat YT) ep 9 of 12 - I love this show so damn much. This may be my KinnPorsche. It’s just so endlessly entertaining in a perfectly unhinged way. I love that they looped Tharn’s dad back into the murder investigations.

You know kinksters have invented necklaces that can’t come off… right? Just saying.

Meanwhile, would it still be BL if our seme didn’t wake up from drowning and instantly go chase snake?

No. No it would not.

Remember the one hard and fast rule of BL? When a seme gives a BJ it’s penance. Phaya is apologizing to Tharn for leaving him behind.

Heh. Hard and fast. I kill me.

Pit Babe (Fri iQIYI) ep 10 of 14 - How is this absurd creature managing to rise in the ranks? Pavel turned in some stellar grief and ALANJEFF have my whole heart. I make Ikea puns in the... Trash watch happening here.

Cooking Crush (Sun YT) ep 7 of 12 - The make-out montage was absolutely charming and very much American rom com style - interesting (and rare) to see in a BL (not to mention from OffGun. How far we have come since Puppy Honey?)

Meanwhile, another wonderful grandma in a BL!

Next week we do an actual harken back to Puppy Honey, so obviously I’m now enjoying this whole show way more than before. I think it helped that I watched it earlier in the week, when it wasn’t competing with any other BLs.

Last Twilight (Fri YT) ep 11 of 12 - Not gonna lie, I knew from you all that this was gonna be a rough ep. But I very clearly remember the penultimate Bad Buddy ep so I now have slightly more trust than others in GMMTV on this matter.

That said, this was a crap episode.

You can’t set Mork’s truth and character motivation reveal up like that and then have his lover choose to dismiss him in a way that diminishes not just both character's growth AND all of Mork's actions towards Day, but also our faith in every other character. It was a shitty narrative thing to do to us, and it was a shitty thing to do to Mork. And that doesn’t even take into account the forgiveness allotted by the story to Day’s unrepentant excuse for a mother. The doom should have been handled differently. The mom shoudl have leaned in even more evil and actively lied to split them apart.

I don't know if they can redeem this misstep in the final episode. But I'm interested to see them try. That said, this plot seem to be true to the book.

For Him (Thurs iQIYI) ep 8 of 12 - A major trigger has landed. But also it’s clear who’s fault that incident was... and it’s not Him’s. So Blue's so-called-friend really is unhinged. This episode was a little bit more engaging than last week, but it’s only because stuff actually happened. I’m still not sure I enjoyed it.

Twins the series (Fri GaGa) ep 12fin - Despite the fact that I’ve been annoyed by the show the last couple of episodes, I’m still sad for it to end. It was a good reveal and First had the right response. Also a very sports way to end it. Sprite is a v clingy bf.

In brief?

A messy very Thai pulp sports romance that actually managed to involve sports in an identical twins trading-places plot. Basically Not Me meets HIStory 2 Crossing the Line (although vastly inferior to either) with an endearing main character and a good lead pair (poor things), both soapy and earnest without too much camp. It tried so hard but the plot, side couples, and extraneous characters let us down. Passable if not great. 7/10

Time the series (Thai Gaga) ep 2 of 10 - Eh. Whatever.

My Universe (Sun iQIYI) ep 22 of 24 - skipped this installment

Ongoing Series - Not Thai

Although I Love You and You AKA Sukiyanen Kedo Do Yaro ka (Japan Gaga) ep 2 of 10 - Funny how quickly he retracted that confession and everyone called him out for doing it too soon (including me from a narrative beats perspective). It was a cute screw up - I see what your meta-arse is doing there, Japan. Also our Tokyo-boy’s serious reserved earnestness is extra adorable in the surrounded by Osaka enthusiasm context. His accidental flirting is that much more heart wrenching for our poor baby seme. And they ended this ep with honorific negotiations!! Be still my heart. I’m really adoring this show.

Your hyung romance super fan is back in the game!

Meanwhile the Osaka accent is beyond adorable.

Sahara-sensei to Toki-kun (Japan Fri Gaga) ep 6 of 8 - Japan what are you doing? I do love the not-sorta-ex from the past.

VIP Only (Taiwan Fri Gaga) ep 10fin - I loved all the young people in the hawker center supporting the campaign against the terrible mother. They make a good domestically sappy couple. But that is Taiwan's specialty.

In brief?

A sweet if aimless story about a writer and a chef finding love via noodles, fake dating, and family challenges. If it had a tighter script and a shorter run, more like a KBL this might’ve been quite special. But it didn’t and it lost me too many times. 6/10

I don’t like to be disappointed by Taiwan.

It's done: I Need to Catch up

What Did You Eat Yesterday Season 2 AKA Kinou Nani Tabeta? Season 2 (Japan Gaga) 10 eps - will binge when I have any spare time. 2024 is crazy busy for me so far.

The Servant and the Young Master - from Vietnam so I assume it's on YouTube. I never even noticed. Anyone?

Began Beginning (Myanmar YouTube) - Is TRUST Entertainment bringing us the first ever Burmeses BL? I don't know if it's really the first, but @heretherebedork vouched for it, so I will give it a watch through.

It's Airing But...

[INTERNATIONAL] Cherry Magic (Sat YouTube) ep 3 of 12 - yeah Japan put the smack down on our boys. Sadness. You can use a VPN if you like. Read all about it here.

Beside You (Thai YouTube) - a 3 sp short that's supposed to have started but I can't find it.

Ossans Love Season 2 (Japan Gaga) - 5 years later, will anything have changed? This is Japan so… probubly not. I won't be watching this. I disliked Season one and actively hated the follow ups. No thank you.

Playboyy (Thurs Gaga) 14 eps - Dear Playboyy, it's not you, it’s me… I hate you. You’re about as deep (and as palatable) as a shot glass of cum. While I'm sure you’re someone’s kink, you're my weakest link. Goodbye. I DNFed this at ep 5. Frankly I'm impressed with myself for getting that far.

The Whisperer (Sun ????) 10 eps - Ends next week. Thai horror BL that ALSO involves cheating (what joy is mine). I don't think even the perfect single dimple can motivate me to watch. Word is... it's terrible.

7 Days Before Valentine (Weds WeTV) 10 eps - Giving me Luminous Solution vibes. I'm waiting to binge if safe.

Dead Friend Forever (Thai Sat iQIYI) - horror, meh, tell me if it's worth my time?

In Case You Missed it

All my year-end round ups:

TOP 10 BL Trends of 2023

Top 10 BL Secondary Pairs of 2023

2023 BLs Best Trope Execution Awards! TOP 10

All the BLs Announced for 2023 that didn't happen

BL 2023's Best:

Back Hugs Thailand & Elsewhere

Cute Bits of Domesticity

Boys Feeding Boys

BOOP!

Best Cuddles

Heads in Laps

Touching Head Touches

Thailand Put His Head on Your Shoulder

Put Your Head on My Shoulder (not Thailand)

BEST KISSES (not Thailand)

BEST KISSES FROM THAILAND

Next Week Looks Like This

1/23 Happy Ending is a new high school set Strongberry 20 min short staring the actor who played Milk on Choco Milk Shake, so... YES PLEASE. I'm not sure where it will air but we all have our fingers crossed for Gaga or YT. Or both.

1/24 Love For Love's Sake (Korea Gaga & iQIYI)- based on the Manhwa ‘Love Supremacy Zone’ by Hwacha. A young man is dropped into a game based off a novel he loves. His mission is to make another player, YeoWoon happy. But then the game starts unfolding completely different from the novel.

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

THIS WEEK’S BEST MOMENTS

Viva la BL grandma superiority! (Cooking Crush)

Cooking Crush casually givign us some lovely lesbians (as indeed did The Sign). GL makes for a lovely acessory BL, carry on.

Now GMMTV, give us the REVERSE.

I love this dork SO MUCH. (Pit Babe)

I love that Cherry Magic is doing this scene over. One of my favs from the original.

Yai is BEST BOY. MVP and most likely the winner for 2024's Namgoong award.

(Last week)

200 notes · View notes

whateverisbeautiful · 3 months

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♥️ Ranking Richonne

#2: I'm Still With You (S5E16)

My favorite pre-canon Richonne scene. 😍 This moment is something special and monumental for many reasons. Plus it features my favorite thing Michonne has ever said to Rick in TWD. To me, the connection, vulnerability, and steam in this scene are nearly equal to some of Richonne's passionate exchanges during their post-canon era. I love that this moment makes it loud and clear that these two have a very powerful effect on each other. And most importantly, I adore this scene for cementing that Rick and Michonne are with each other always. 🥹 What a gift...

A lot of relationships can appear strong during happy times when both individuals are on the same page. However, it's during those challenging periods, when two hold different outlooks and have a multitude of things weighing on them, that the true strength of a relationship really becomes evident.

So part of what puts this scene so high on my list is that it is one of the clearest depictions of why Richonne's relationship is so deep and durable. Because even at this time when circumstances could have easily caused a major divide between them, Michonne and Rick instead choose each other and prove this is a relationship that they sincerely value in the good times and the hard times too.

But, before we get into the #2 scene, we have to talk about some scenes that proceed it in the s5 finale. 🤗

As I’ve said in a previous post, I think this scene where Rick wakes up to find Michonne watching over him and they finally talk about his headspace is extremely revealing of how he views her. Rick telling Michonne, "Well you wanted this place," just really hammered home that in many ways she’s in the wife category to him. Rick was trying to secure this place for team family, but especially for Michonne in a way that he wasn't able to do for Lori.

The scene opens with Rick asleep after Michonne quite literally knocked some sense into him the prior ep, and it's funny that when he stirs awake, he laughs almost amused as he recalls the wild stuff that happened leading up to this point.

Then Michonne asks, "What’s so funny?" and you see a surprised little look on Rick's face as he asks, "You were here the whole time?" And I like that there’s not an ounce of frustration towards her after knocking him out. He gets it.

I love that Michonne is the one in here with him. Even knowing Rick has been wildin' out she’s still protective of him. Cuz she can knock him out but that doesn’t mean she’s gonna let anyone else come for him. It’s like a visual representation of the sentiment she’ll later express in my golden #2 scene.

Michonne even says she was there with Rick all night, which is such an indicator of her love for him. And then because she knows his laugh meant something, she reiterates "What’s so funny?," and I love that Rick is willing to be vulnerable about his headspace with her when he admits to her that mentally he’s still stuck in the train car from Terminus.

Michonne gives him the rundown of what he missed, and it’s clear she was thoroughly holding down the fort and keeping the peace while he was out of it.

Then I appreciate that Michonne closes some of the distance between them when she pulls her chair closer and asks, "Rick, what are you doing?"

It’s clear she’s concerned about him, and I like that she asks this way. It’s not accusatory like, 'What were you thinking?' or derogatory like, 'What’s wrong with you?' She wants to know what he’s doing cuz clearly she can tell Rick thinks he’s doing what he has to even though he really doesn’t have to. And if he’d be honest with her, she could help him see that.

Like in this scene, Michonne really could have told Rick...

And she'd be right lol. 😋 However, when she asks this, Rick doesn’t have an answer so then Michonne for the first time addresses the Pete and Jessie situation.

She says, "You could have told me what was happening." And there’s a deeper reason Rick didn’t tell her, beyond what he’ll claim here when he just says "it moved fast." He kept people closest to him like Carl, Michonne, and Glenn out of the loop about the Anderson situation because in many ways his off behavior in that situation was not rooted in clarity but rather in the unresolved wound of losing Lori without closure and the severe PTSD that everything about ASZ triggered within him.

He says it moved fast “and then Noah.” The way Rick says that part feels like he knows how hard Noah’s loss was on Michonne. We saw her grieving Noah a bit in a prior ep too. Which would make sense, especially because Noah, as a kid who didn’t make it, could stir up a lot of pain over losing Andre for her. 😢

Rick says he couldn’t tell her about the gun and, while it could seem like he says it like he couldn’t trust her with that info, he knows what he really means which is what he’ll reveal later - that he couldn’t tell her cuz she had the power to talk him out of it.

Michonne sarcastically says, "nah you couldn’t," cuz she knows Rick knows good and well he can tell her anything.

It becomes clear that Rick meant he couldn’t tell her because of her influence on him when he says, “Well you wanted this place.” Again, I’ll always love the significance and delivery of this line. And he’s not saying this accusatory. He knows finding a home meant something to her, and it meant something to him that Michonne got what she wanted.

It really feels like during this whole arc, Rick didn’t want to tamper with Michonne's experience in ASZ by roping her into his underhanded plans with Daryl and Carol because they were plans that suggested the place could fall or not work out, and he knows Michonne wanted to believe in this place.

Along with knowing Michonne could talk him out of this approach, I've always felt like part of why Rick kept her out of the plans - plans that normally he would want her fully involved in - was because of his desire to "give her this place" without the burden of expecting things to go wrong.

Think about pretty much all of Rick and Michonne's scenes in ASZ leading up to this point, especially the scene where he looks right at Michonne as he "signs the papers" and agrees to be a constable with her the day after she expresses to him that she would want a job. Each of their ASZ scenes suggested that even as Rick was spiraling on his own mental journey, everything in him still wanted Michonne to have this place, even if it meant carrying the burden of intense uncertainty on his own.

Fortunately, in this ep, Rick learns that he is no longer with a partner who expects him to carry any burdening issues alone ever. 🙌🏽

So then Michonne adamantly tells him they had to stop being out there, and she's right as always. Then Rick says, "Well we’re here," and I love Michonne’s response to this. She notes what Rick said earlier about still being mentally stuck in that train car when she compassionately says, “Well you just said you weren’t.”

And really it’s true, the poor guy has not been all there in ASZ hence some of his more volatile behavior. And Rick looks like he knows Michonne has a point when he stares at her in this moment.

Then when Carol, Abe, and Glenn walk in (which feels like they are walking in on the Richonne bubble) Rick is caught in the middle with Michonne on one end asking about the gun, and Carol on the other wanting him to lie.

And you can just tell that man does not want to lie to Michonne anymore. But he goes along with Carol’s story even tho Michonne ain’t buying it, looking at Rick and Carol like...

Later, Carol talks with Rick alone and is in his ear about continuing their trust-no-one approach. And the first thing Rick asks is why she didn’t want to tell Michonne, Glenn, and Abe about the gun. You know those magnets within him are ready to stop with the games that are causing distance with Michonne and come clean to her once and for all.

Carol seems to suggest that Michonne knocking Rick out might make her untrustworthy of being let in on their plans, but I adore that Rick so quickly and confidently defends Michonne, saying both that he deserved what Michonne did and that, "She’s with us."

He knows and trusts his woman, y'all. And I love that even after Michonne knocked him out and Carol's trying to cast doubts about her, Rick's still like...

In this whole ASZ situation Carol and Michonne reflect two different ways to approach ASZ. And in this scene with Rick and Carol, it’s clear that Rick has already been swayed more to Michonne’s side, especially as he tells Carol, "I don’t want to lie anymore."

This moment lets you know that without even directly talking him out of it, Michonne has again influenced Rick to no longer want to scheme and plot under the table. I know Rick hated feeling even remotely distant from Michonne, and he’s ready to fix that and stop lying to her asap.

Also, now you know I don’t really care to revisit any of those scenes, but all I’ll say about the scene with Jessie in this ep is it’s an interesting choice to have Rick only seen through the window when they talk. It again shows that in this situation he’s not all there, as Rick's not even seen present in the same shot as her, just a reflection of who he is.

But then, in this next scene, this Top 2 classic, not only is Rick directly in the shot with the woman he’s meant for, but the two get all up close and personal too...

Ok so on to my favorite pre-canon scene and top 2 moment. 🤩

I love that after such a compellingly wild journey with Rick’s character arc in season 5, his turning point back to some sense of sanity in the finale is in this moment with Michonne. She’s the person in his life most capable of helping him start seeing things clearer.

It reminds me of Rick’s other mental spiral arc in s3 and how his turning point was also Michonne-related as nearly giving her up sparked him to return to democracy. No matter how off the deep end Rick can go, something about Michonne can always bring him back. 💯

So the scene opens with Michonne approaching the room and softly saying, "Rick, you ready?" which I like especially because in 5.11 she had asked Rick that very thing right outside the gates of ASZ before they ever entered the community.

And in some ways, Rick wasn’t fully ready to let go of the fight and embrace this place back then, which has led to their current predicament. But even then, she still checks in on him now and wants to know where he’s really at with this.

(also the opening shot low-key feels like she's the angel arriving on his shoulder to guide him back to the light, if you ask me.)

This moment of her checking on him also sorta feels like it parallels that scene in The Distance when Michonne approaches Rick outside the barn while he works on a car. There's some similar positioning with him lower and her standing above, but the interesting difference is in 5.11 Rick and Michonne were discussing the potential for other people/communities to pose a threat, and here in 5.16 they have to deal with how Rick is now deemed the threat to the community.

Then I love that all Michonne has to say is just those three words - "Rick, you ready?" - and Rick is ready to completely spill everything. Like details and all with no hesitation. 😋

Rick lays it all out saying how he, Carol, and Daryl worked out the plan to keep guns together, and he lets Michonne know exactly what they took from the armory and exactly what they still have.

Rick says, “We lied to you cuz I wasn’t sure how you’d take it - what you’d do.” which has always been quite interesting to me because like he knows Michonne wouldn’t just straight up turn on him or fight him but I think just the mere thought that what she’d do is pull away from him or be disappointed was enough for Rick to feel he couldn’t risk telling her.

And I like how, as he says this, he holds his hand out to give her the gun as this symbol that not only is he confessing, but he’s ready to “turn himself in” in a sense and let her have the gun and have intel on the plan completely, rather than hide anything from her.

I feel like this moment really hammers home that Rick views Michonne as his partner. They'd been operating like partners and co-leaders so much before arriving in Alexandria, so Rick knows that Michonne is someone in the group who would have and should have been let in on these types of plans, which is why not telling her felt like a lie that weighed on him.

I like that when Michonne hears Rick say this, she puts the windbreaker down, knowing they need to have a moment and talk this out so she can let him know exactly where she stands.

She asks if he thinks she’d try to stop him, and Rick, always finding time to be a little teasing with her, says, "Well you did hit me over the head." You know he's teasing too cuz he literally just defended her doing this when he spoke with Carol earlier lol.

And I appreciate that Michonne wants it to be crystal clear she did that to help him and not for the others. "That was for you." Of course, it’s for him, and doing what she thought was best to help him.

Even before hearing her say this, you know Rick believes that she did this with his best interests in mind.

And then I adore that he gets extra vulnerable for this next part, with this being his turn to close the distance between them.

Rick stands up and gets super close to her - cuz magnets - and he finally tells Michonne that he didn't tell her about the guns because “I was afraid you’d talk me out of it…you could’ve.”

Y'all, I love this. 😊 That "you could've" is going to hit my heart every time.

I’ve mentioned other pre-canon moments on this list where Rick has told on himself in terms of what he feels for Michonne. But none more than in this moment right here does Rick outright expose that Michonne has a very special and substantial influence on him.

It’s a big deal one; for her to have this power, two; for Rick to know Michonne has this power, and three; for him to then straight up tell her she has this power.

This is extremely significant, especially because Rick was seemingly at his most dazed during this 5B arc and said himself he was in the middle of losing his mind...and yet even in that disoriented state, he still had enough wherewithal to be aware that Michonne could get him to change course if she so much as talked to him about the situation.

Like homeboy was struggling to know right from left at this time, but one thing he did know was that Michonne had the power to heavily influence his choices and actions.

Rick Grimes won’t just let anybody talk him in or out of things, and yet Michonne effortlessly can do both as we saw throughout s5 and beyond. He also trusts her to know the immense influence she has without manipulating it. And honestly, he picked a good person to give this power to because Michonne is always right. 👑😌 Like fr...

I love that Rick finally came right out with it and told her this because he seemed to deep down know it was the case all along. Michonne means a whole lot to him, he fully respects her wisdom and ideas, and something in him always wants to give her what she wants, and in some capacity, he knows this about himself even here pre-canon.

As this is the season 5 finale, this is when they tie up a lot of arcs and storylines, and it’s fitting after a season where Michonne so fully stepped up as Rick's co-partner and both led alongside him and led him - the season ends with Rick actively knowing that just Michonne’s words, hell even a mere look, could influence his decisions on crucial matters. Even after losing it a bit in Alexandria, he still knows he'd trust Michonne’s gut even over his own. 👌🏽

And for him to say, "I was afraid..." I love the vulnerability. This is the Rick Grimes who has often had to come across as fearless to those they encounter, but here he can be honest and human and let her know that the influence she has over him is strong enough to even make him afraid.

Deep down something in Rick knew that Michonne has his whole heart and that he’ll ultimately be swayed to do what she says. Also, the visual of the two together is just so pleasing and the chemistry is always 🔥🔥.

And then cuz you know these equals stay taking turns sending my heart soaring - it’s Michonne’s turn to have me jumping for joy when she responds to him. (That's part of what makes this a top 2 moment because Rick and Michonne both have a line that just leaves me endlessly beaming 🤗)

First, Michonne so gently tells Rick they don’t need the guns here, and she doesn’t need her sword. It makes me think of the really sweet and sociable honorable mention moment they had in 5A when Rick asks her about her sword, and she says she doesn’t miss her sword but rather misses people they love like Hershel. Both these moments show she's always had such a solid perspective. 👑

Also y’all, as Michonne is talking to Rick in this s5 finale moment, again I have to point out the way Rick is looking at her...Whipped with a capital W. He looks so entranced that he again has to have one of those signature not-so-slick look-up moves he does whenever he knows he’s about to get lost in her lol.

I mentioned in a previous post that the story knew it wanted Rick and Michonne's journey to be that of an epic love story, hence why so many of their pre-canon scenes feel like they could fit perfectly into a romance. And you know who also naturally knew this - the Andrew Lincoln.

Because honey, the way his eyes always told the story that Rick was in love with Michonne 👏🏽👏🏽. Especially in this season 5 finale scene, all you have to do is look at Rick's eyes to know...

When Andy played our beloved sheriff during this pre-canon era, he basically said I don't really care what other storylines y'all got going on for Rick cuz whenever Rick is in front of Michonne he's going to look at her like she's the one for him really and truly. And I appreciate him for it. 😌

All those special stares between both Rick and Michonne throughout their journey really do add a wonderful touch to this love story. 👌🏽🥰

So then Michonne says, “I think you can find a way,” showing her steadfast belief in him. And then I love that she then emphasizes, “We can find a way.” It's refreshingly letting him know that, in navigating all this, he doesn’t have to do it alone. She will be by his side and they're a package deal. 😊

And then, as you know, what makes this scene such a classic is when Michonne flat out expresses the sentiment that they are forever a package deal when she so sincerely says, “And if we don’t…I’m still with you.” BEAUTIFUL. 😭

Oh I adore it with everything in me. She’s communicated to Rick that she’s still with him in so many different ways throughout the series, but I love that here she gets to look right at him with so much love in her eyes and let him know directly that she’s still with him no matter what. Good, bad, or ugly, she will forever be team Rick Grimes. 👌🏽

And it’s huge for her to say this and for Rick to hear this. Finding a home base has been Michonne's big goal this season and Rick's been aiming to provide that home - but now in the finale, this is Michonne’s chance to tell Rick she found home long ago because home actually isn’t a place - it’s him. And he no longer has to worry about losing her.

Also with the uncertainty of their world, how deep is it that they found a nice cushy community, a gold mine in that world, and Michonne is saying I still choose you even over the invaluable safety of having this home. As I’ve said before, this is the season where Rick and Michonne both show through words and actions that they will follow each other anywhere.

It’s so moving for Rick, someone who knows disloyalty well from his previous pre-apocalypse relationships (Lori & Shane), now has this woman to say I’m on your side always. And it's big for Michonne to know that the bond she formed with Rick is one she'll be committed to no matter what. Just a precious sentiment and my favorite thing she’s ever said to Rick so far. 🥰

And the way Michonne is looking at him. 😍 She’s in love with him, can’t tell me any different. So I, of course, gotta give major props to the Danai Gurira too because she also helped sculpt this story in the direction of a love story with the way Michonne would always look and talk to Rick.

Then Rick seems to just be taking her in completely as she says this lovely loyal line. Rick's look here feels like yet another moment that suggests he marvels over how he got so lucky to have someone like her be with him like this.

As Rick and Michonne let a silent moment linger between them, it really felt like RJ’s parents were finally about to kiss in this scene. Cuz these two were practically having this conversation...

Instead, Michonne notes how "something is going to happen," cuz she’s not naive or overly idealistic, and then she wisely states, "just don’t make something happen." And in this moment we’re seeing in real time the way Michonne just expressing herself can impact Rick and motivate him to change course.

I'm sure a lot of characters would have assumed Rick was unreachable in his season 5 era, but Michonne can always so effortlessly reach him and get him to try a new approach.

After she beautifully and prudently expresses this, Rick looks at her mesmerized (the usual), and then hands her the gun again, so eager to offer it as this peace offering that says he is with her too and willing to try to go about this her way rather than fight this his way.

It's a big deal for him to do this and I absolutely love the visual of this whole wordless moment.

I mentioned how in Clear, Michonne hands Rick a bullet as a sort of peace offering to show she’s on his side. And here Rick offers the same with the gun, but I love that instead of taking the gun, the shot draws emphasis on the two’s hands (seriously, Richonne stays giving the most Outstanding Performance by a Pair of Hands 👏🏽) as she softly places a hand over his and signals both that he doesn’t have to give her the gun and that she trusts him to make the right choice with it.

Again, Michonne is the soundest character in TWD, bar none, so in this moment, she knows it’s not necessarily unwise to have the gun, she’s not against the idea of precautions, but she also knows hostility is simply not needed here. And I love the arresting way they can always disarm each other, even without taking a gun.

And the moment just feels genuinely intimate and romantic which I love. Any time they touch it’s sparks. ✨ Michonne's first initiating touch with Rick was outside ASZ in 5.11 and now she does it again in the finale as touching his hand almost reflects her once again hoping that he’s really ready this time to make this place work.

But even if he's not...she's still with him. 🥹

Rick and Michonne then share this palpable passionate look before she heads out, sounding like a wife as she tells him, "Don’t be too long."

And that eye contact tho. 🔥 Richonne's eye contact at the end of this scene alone deserves its own shoutout. 👏🏽

Y’all, let me tell you what we just watched in this scene were some soulmates. Not just besties, or family, or partners - no, this was an exchange between soulmates. That’s their person, their true love, the one they trust unwaveringly - and somewhere in them during this scene, their hearts know it too. Their minds might need to do some catching up, but their hearts know if you ask me.

At the end of this scene, Rick stands alone in the room and holds the gun, moving his hand almost as if it's Michonne's touch that's most lingering with him. It may sound straight out of a romance film to say that, but that really is an element of what this subtle moment is giving.

Seeing that tiny moment of Rick's reaction to the gun in his hand after Michonne's tender touch just confirmed to me that one of the great perks about this ship is we never have to embellish the spark between Richonne because there really are just that many little romantic details to notice and cherish within these scenes.

Rick’s lingering reaction as she leaves also makes it feel like the gun weighs more than it does as it now symbolizes a weighted decision “to use or not to use.” But he knows deep down because the woman he loves has spoken and touched him literally and figuratively, he wants to make his next move one that she could be proud of.

And after a scene as romantically coded as this one, I too don't care what other storyline was supposed to be happening during this time...because Richonne was on the fast track to canon. 1000%.

Like truly after this moment there is no convincing me that Rick was healthily falling for anyone else. The chemistry, attraction, respect, love, and desire are far too evident in this scene between Rick and Michonne to suggest anything other than that canon Richonne is just around the corner. 🔥 And I love that Danai also noted this as a scene that really made it clear Rick and Michonne's bond was bound to blossom into more.

In season 5, who Rick was authentically in love with was crystal clear and who Michonne was authentically in love with was crystal clear. And fortunately, the following season, Rick and Michonne finally took the leap and made it crystal clear to themselves and the world that the two were in love with each other. 🙌🏾

This "I'm still with you" scene was an especially blatant sign that Rick and Michonne had developed an unbreakable love. And this moment is deserving of my #2 spot for how much meaning it carries.

The scene powerfully shows that what Rick and Michonne have between them is and has always been so incredibly deep, influential, reverential, beautiful, steamy, and special - and that no matter what they face or where they go, Rick and Michonne will always and forever be with each other. 🥰

#richonne #top 30 #top 3 #number 2 #rick x michonne #reveling in richonne #the best thing Michonne said to her husband so far 😍#twd 5.16 #twd towl #the ones who live

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gentlebeardsbarngrill · 2 months

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04/14/2024 Daily OFMD Recap

TLDR; Cast & Crew Sightings; Ruibo, Samba, Vico; Watch Party Reminders; Fan Spotlight; Cast Cards; Our Flag Means Fanfiction; s1 script; Teal Oranges & Garlic Soup Week; Love Notes; Daily Darby / Tonight's Taika.

= Ruibo Qian =

Our Pirate Queen once again asks us to think some important questions of ourselves.

= Samba Cameo =

Some of our crewmates got another Cameo from Samba! This one was requested by The Bardflies! It's fantastic and full of Shakespeare!

Thank you so much The Bardflies for sharing this cameo! Source: Cameo

= Vico Ortiz =

Vico apparently has made some more changes to their Patreon and have updated their IG to let everyone know! Here's a link! Vico's patreon

== Watch Party Reminders! ==

== Flight Of the Conchords ==

Today we're on Season 1 Ep 11 and 12. Join @saveofmdcrewmates, and @iamadequate1 this week for Flight of the Conchords watch parties! You can watch each day at 4pm PT, 7 pm ET, 11pm BST! If you don't have access, feel free to join us on the #RhysDarbyFaction Discord server, you can hit me up for an invite.

Hashtags:

#FlagOfTheConchords

#OurFlagMeansDeath

== Fan Spotlight ==

== S1 Script Pics ==

Some of you may have noticed one of our crewmates posted several pictures of some of the original S1 script. Some juicy stuff in there if you're interested! Visit @amefuyuu's tumblr below :)

== Our Flag Means Fanfiction ==

Our crewmates over at Our Flag Means Fanfiction are giving away two Samba Cameo's! You can Enter by Following the IG Account. liking the post, and adding a comment tagging a friend who would appreciate a Cameo from Samba!

= Cast Cards =

I 100% did not realize that was Pete Gardner! That's awesome! Tonight is the Dutch Captain Cast Card by our darling @melvisik!

== Teal Oranges & Garlic Soup Week ==

FYI! Prompt release will happen on April 16th instead of 15th in consideration of Global Strike for Palestine Monday April 15th.

== Love Notes ==

Hey lovelies. I know it's been a crazy week or so... tax time, all the random sightings of Chaos Dad, WBD being a POS. I know a lot of you are hurting pretty bad right now, and not sure where to vent your frustrations.

Just remember that it's okay to step away, and it's okay to not engage with things you don't feel like you can stomach. It doesn't mean you're not allowed in that space, and it doesn't make you a bad person. You are allowed to shine as bright as you are, but you can also choose which places get to bask in that light. You are allowed to take up space. You are allowed to shine. You are allowed to find the places that your sunshine helps others to grow and vice versa.

We aren't all going to get along all the time, as much as I'd love the world to be in that kind of space to allow for it. We've all been hurt, and we've all been through things in this life that have made us no longer trust people and places. I hope that one day, along with this awesome crew we can make a better space for everyone, and even if not all of us can get along all the time, that all of us find our ways to people who we feel safe with.

Remember that you are so kind, and you are so worthy. Some days it doesn't feel like it. Some days others try to take that from you. But that's what you are. You are worthy of love, and safety, and you are so very beautiful. Remember the kindness in your heart, and try not to let folks snuff it out. I know it's there, and I believe in you.

I really hope you all get some rest tonight lovelies, or soon, you deserve a break. The world can be very hard, but you are the soft, bright ball of love it needs, don't forget that.

It's gonna be okay.

== Daily Darby / Tonight's Taika ==

Tonight's theme: Arms

Darby Gif courtesy of @fandomsmeantheworldtome

Taika Gif Courtesy of @mulder-isms

#daily ofmd recap #daily ofmd recaps #ofmd daily recap #ofmd daily recaps #ruibo qian #vico ortiz #samba schutte #cameo #taika waititi #rhys darby #s1 script

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mikuni14 · 4 months

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Cherry Magic Thailand - Ep 6

When in the previous episode Karan decided to publicly declare his love and put Achi in an awkward situation, I was, I admit, very dissatisfied. Plus it was very out of character with the Karan we knew.

I SHOULD HAVE TRUSTED THIS SERIES MORE. I hereby express my remorse for not believing that CM could maintain character fidelity and continuity, and for believing so easily that the series could hurt me and its characters

In my defense, I will only say that all the series I watch now have disappointed me and betrayed their characters at some point, so there was no indication that CM would be any different in this respect.

Karan, my beloved, what a guy! He can even make his own declaration of love, not about a himself, his own feelings, but about his beloved and his comfort 🥺 He doesn't say that he loves Achi and expect a response from him. Karan treated his confession as informing Achi that his feelings could hurt him, which Karan doesn't want to let happen. Karan feels that he must be fair to Achi. His confession wasn't even romantic, it was… informative. And apologetic. Karan apologized that his affection might disturb Achi's comfort in any way 🥺🥺🥺 Just… I need a moment *takes deep breaths*

I have no words to express how much I was touched by how Karan arranged his life around Achi's life without expecting anything in return. I can't put into words how much it means to me that Karan helps and takes care of Achi in his daily life. There is no need for grand gestures, sacrificing one's life or big drama in their relationship. No, it's about... turning on the kettle. I'm not lying when I say that I have tears in my eyes while writing these words.. Karan (like Mhok), are those types of men who love and treat their love as their own business, their own problem to deal with (like Gao Shi De). Fortunately for Karan, his love interest has the same level of humility, kindness and empathy as him… 🙄

This series is about people: a bit pathetic, who consider themselves to be a bit of a loser, humble, with self-esteem problems. Who, despite everything, still maintain kindness and do so much good for others, without expecting any reward. Without expecting others to bend to them - no, they all, even Pai and Rock, go out of their way to help others, bend for others without treating it as a big deal. And everyone tries so hard not to harm anyone. (after watching Achi and Karan, how can I accept Day and Mhok's potential relationship? lol nope. Not after Achi and Karan decided to notice each other's efforts and kindness. CM clearly shows that they both CHOOSE to notice the other person and their kindness, it doesn't just happens, it's a choice. Day also choose to be cruel and make everything about himself 🤷‍♀️)

What I absolutely love about this series is that when Achi realizes how much Karan means to him, he takes action IMMEDIATELY. He knows what phones are for 😀 The series moves the action straight forward, leads its characters to immediate confrontation, without creating strange "transitions" between scenes that create plot holes, which make frustrated viewers constantly ask "but why don't they just talk?", "why didn't he tell him about it", "why didn't he call, why did he have the phone, for games??". Or without the worst - like, before the characters talk to each other, there are a lot of stupid obstacles and misunderstandings resulting from lack of communication. Achi wants to say something to Karan -> Achi does it. Fucking A, 10/10 💯💯💯

Running to your beloved - very Japanese BL style 😂

Oh gods, I love Pai. How she was all: I WILL HAVE MY FUJOSHI MOMENT EVEN IF IT WAS THE LAST THING IN MY LIFE. Girl, literally same 😆

I love this series because of how warm it is, because of how much kindness there is in it, such ordinary, everyday, helpful, invisible, ordinary kindness. And how being good pays off.

I love this series because, even though the characters are not even together, the series is ABOUT THEM, and their scenes together are perfect, high quality, beautiful, funny, touching. In this episode, Achi and Karan are sort of "passing each other in their lives", and yet they have so many wonderful scenes.

At the moment, it's the best series I am watching and the best series of 2024 (although it's not over yet, so I emphasize, for now). Cherry Magic simply gives me a high-quality product, a whole lot of FEELINGS and ZERO frustration.

Next week preview: "When a man buys you a shirt, it means he wants to be the one to take it off" - excuse me, I'll just spend every minute of this week thinking about it 🤩

#cherry magic #cherry magic thailand #bl drama #thai bl

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akkrosu · 10 months

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Thai BL Favorites List

Thank you for tagging me, @ellaspore! It has taken me a while to finish this, but if you’re making me choose this harshly between my favorite shows and characters, my choices have to be well thought-through. Which doesn’t mean I’m capable of narrowing down pretty much anything to just one per category, so expect me to cheat a lot here.

Favorite Thai BL: I have too many Thai BLs I love, and I don’t really have one favorite that tops them all, so let me use this chance instead to rectify the fact that I forgot about one important show when I was asked about my nine favorite shows last time: KinnPorsche. My beloved.

Current Obsession: I’ll go with Be My Favorite here. But I have to say, Laws of Attraction is climbing the ranks fast and, after only two episodes, I have just about reached the same level of obsession I have for Be My Favorite. I’m still on the fence about Hidden Agenda, but this could easily become a favorite too.

Favorite Pairing: Oh no. Don’t make me choose. This might honestly be the hardest question on this list. One of the first couples I thought of was Akk and Ayan from The Eclipse, but my heart is also screaming at me to say Kluen and Daonuea from Star in my Mind, or Tinn and Gun from My School President. I can’t possibly narrow this down even more, three is already too few. Can I skip this question? 👀

Most Underrated Actor: I don’t know if he’s underrated in general or I just personally underestimated him for the longest time, but Gawin is doing really, really well in Be My Favorite (I also substantially underestimated his singing abilities). Other than that, I’m really impressed by how phenomenally Film is portraying Charn in Laws of Attraction.

Favorite Character: No. I refuse to answer this. You can’t make me. Everything in me is hurting at the idea of choosing one. Let me just dodge this question by listing like the first dozen people that come to mind (my brain works in mysterious and non-comprehensible ways, just don’t question it): Gun (My School President), Akk (The Eclipse), Kluen (Star in my Mind), Jeng (Step by Step), Yai (Big Dragon), Mark (Love Mechanics), literally everyone from Moonlight Chicken, but especially Alan (he is the most understandable and human and complex antagonist I’ve ever seen, and it makes me insane). I said what I said.

Favorite Side Character: Honestly, right now I’ll give this to Tien from La Pluie. There are so many other incredible side characters that deserve to be here, but I’m particularly in love with him right now.

Favorite Scene in a BL: I have a particular obsession with this one scene in ep 10 of Never Let Me Go where Palm returns to Nueng and they reunite in that abandoned building and promise each other eternal love and support. It’s the look on Nueng’s face when he sees Palm that gets me—all that longing and hope and unadulterated happiness and relief of getting to see him again. Then there’s also this one scene in ep 8 of The Eclipse where Ayan is the most patient and loving person ever in trying to coax out Akk’s feelings, which leads to one of the softest kisses in BL history (in my personal opinion). Oh, and I also frequently rewatch the one in Not Me where White runs away from Sean after Sean finds out about the twin thing, and Sean says all hurt and in love and confused, “I don’t even know what your name is”, and White tells him, and Sean immediately repeats it and hugs him like he finally has the right to his real identity, to the real him, and he’s in awe. And the soundtrack, ugh, it’s so good.

Favorite Line in a BL: Cake saying “Nobody’s hurt just because we love each other” to See-Eiw in My Only 12%. That line struck me so hard. Oh, and Akk and Ayan telling each other they are allowed to be weak with each other in The Eclipse. The way they promised each other weakness wasn’t something to be ashamed of, ugh. And then there’s the end credits of 180° Longitude Passes Through Us saying (amongst other emotionally devastating things), “To you who call yourself a parent: you can only give birth to them, but you don’t own them.” The way I wept when I read that. This show tried to destroy me, and it succeeded.

Most Anticipated BL (& Why): Only Friends, which will come as no surprise to anyone who has talked to me about it. I trust P’Jojo with all my heart and I trust these actors to create the queerest, messiest story in GMMTV history or even Thai BL history.

Healthiest relationship in a BL: Oh, I’m also really tempted to say Tinn and Gun from My School President. And for a bit of an underrated relationship—Fuse and Ana from Future.

Most Toxic Relationship in a BL: Korn and Knock in Together With Me. Mostly because of how Knock treated Korn like he was disposable and only for him to play with.

Guilty Pleasure Series: I will not answer with Star in my Mind like you did, @ellaspore, simply because I do not feel even remotely guilty for the love I have for this series. I’ll go with Big Dragon, instead.

So that was a wild ride full of conflicting feelings. Thanks for inviting me to try this! Not really sure who to tag here, but I’ll just go ahead and invite @recentadultburnout or anyone else who feels like it! And just for funsies, let me also ask @respectthepetty since I want to know if my theory on what they would pick for some of these, like favorite side character, are correct.

#bl tag game

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juneviews · 2 years

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top 10 bl couples?

btw, your gifs are really beautiful, i love the blue tones in some of them💙

awwwww, thank you so much it means a lot 💙 so this changes a lot, not necessarily the ships themselves but more the order of them if you will. let's go:

1) seanwhite (not me)

these two just... kicked it out of the park for me. not only are they incredible & still super interesting separately, but when brought together they just WORK like frankly no other ship has ever worked in my opinion. their intimacy, emotional scenes, the way their relationships builds up carefully and has many setbacks, yet... you can’t imagine these two with anyone else. they were truly built up as soulmates & that’s what they are, absolutely lovely & I can’t get enough of them.

2) untwo (theory of love)

of COURSE, for anyone who has followed me for more than a month, y’all know these two were my number one favorite ship for almost 3 years. it’s honestly the first time I fell so hard for a secondary ship, and I loved the potential that these two had. they have a very touching story and are both deeply relatable, insecure and loving characters. they just WORKED, and for a secondary ship they really managed to steal the show for me. they’ll be forever special to me, and I will forever be the self-proclaimed untwo queen <3

3) danyok (not me)

another side ship, pretty ironic for someone who doesn’t really love most side ships usually :’))) contrarily to untwo, who were amazing DESPITE their small development, danyok are amazing BECAUSE they frankly got as much love from the writers as the main ship. and gosh are these two equally as amazing! not only is their story genuinely super interesting on its own, the chemistry was there, the compelling characters were there, the emotional scenes were there... what is there not to love?

4) khaithird (theory of love)

of course, THE ship that made me fall for offgun. these two are so flawed, and that’s what makes them great, because their love story is one that almost wasn’t. they went through so many obstacles together, so much so that their story almost feels like an odyssey of its own, and I love them for it. they’re truly a sort of ying & yang that shouldn’t work together but DOES, and these two will forever be in my heart.

5) phunnoh (love sick)

so, I often mention that love sick has grown on me over the years, and yup, it’s mostly thanks to this ship. I also often call phunnoh the healthiest bl ship ever, and I truly believe that. despite being deeply immature, closeted, and cheating with their girlfriends together, phunnoh still managed to have the most mature relationship I’ve ever witnessed, always talking through their problems, desires and insecurities. they were truly there for each other and loved each other unconditionally. and because the show is so long & we get to spend a LOT of time with them as characters, it only makes them more endearing and special in my heart.

6) saifahzon (why r u)

truly the only thing I loved in why r u, despite the fact that their storyline got cut and rushed, is saifahzon. what I love about these two is that while they have more cringey fanservice moments, firstly bc they’re such fun characters it just works, and secondly it gets balanced out by the incredible job they did in more emotional / tense scenes. by ep 8, you can SEE how much they care and trust each other, and mii2 just nailed every single moment they had in my opinion. they’re just such a soft, fun ship, and I truly love them SO MUCH.

7) tehoh-aew (I told sunset about you)

y’all know I consider itsay a perfect show, and while ipytm has knocked the tehoh-aew ship down a few notches, I still love them so much & choose to entirely ignore the sequel lol. these two are so immature, and dramatic, and they hurt each other so much... but they also feel so fucking real. every single one of their actions, even the more cruel ones, make sense, and these two are built so insanely beautifully I still can’t believe it. in terms of chemistry, acting, emotions... everything is there, and they’re such an amazing ship who is also, like seanwhite & danyok, built up like literal soulmates so... I’d say iconic!

8) morktee (my tee)

so I often say that I dislike my tee as a show but I adore morktee, and it’s really true, they’ve managed to become one of my favorite ships over the years. not only are they messy, and relatable, and fun to follow, but there is an authenticity comparable to the one phunnoh has that comes from them. they truly feel like a first high school love, and while the show’s writing is its biggest flaw, morktee as characters and as a ship are just really wonderful & will always have a piece of my heart :)

9) zihao (crossing the line)

so you might not know but crossing the line was my number one bl show for a long time, until itsay actually. it’s a show that has such a special place in my heart, and it’s definitely because of its main ship who is just... incredible. once again, I just LIVE for these “first high school love” kind of stories, they’re just too pure in my eyes, and this ship really had it all, like all of the ships present in this list, they have the softness, they have the angst, they have the pining... it’s just such an effective story bc these two characters are so different but complete each other so well, and these two simply KILLED the more emotional moments. the ending kiss scene??? literally makes me sob every goddamn time.

10) popoat (what the duck)

listen, I hesitated between these two & kurodachi bc I honestly love both ships equally, but decided to go with the one I’ve loved the longest. here we have the only ship with a sad ending alongside kido & kijima in mood indigo, another ship I love lol. but I fell in love with these two way before knowing they’d end badly, and frankly I cried for hours when the sequel ruined them lolololololol (: ANYWAYS, I love them bc they’re both this very silly, ridiculous & over the top ship, and also this very angsty ship as well. oat’s love & devotion to pop has always just fucking RIPPED my heart in two, and even though what the duck is a fucking shitty ass show & I hate literally everything else about it, these two just stole the show for me. and even now, 4 years later, after they ended badly one day before my birthday, I still fucking love them. just like phunnoh, I think that since the first season had 20 episodes & was very much slow-paced, it really allowed me to fall in love with the characters more.

honorable mentions: kurodachi (cherry magic), tangmolove (great men academy), jackzi (trapped), aepete (love by chance), phuphatian (1000 stars), kidokijima (mood indigo), sunsky (golden blood), markkit (gen y), mingkit (the original 2moons), morktawan (my ride)

xxx

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guzhuangheaven · 3 years

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Guzhuang Appreciation Month: badass dialogues

(but in the novel)

legend of ruyi :: ep 5 // ep 78

This drama is so amazing, demonstrated by these two scenes. Here you have Ruyi and Hongli watching the same play at two different stages in their lives. In episode 5, they are still clearly in love and are happy watching the play together, leaning lovingly against each other and moving in unison as one. They are also being watched fondly by Aruo, who has yet to have ideas of betraying Ruyi. Many years later, in episode 78, we have Ruyi and Hongli watching the same play, but they are physically far apart and their emotional distance from each other is also clear on their faces. They are literally being divided by the presence of Ling Yunche standing between them.

I find the parallel between the closeups of Aruo and Ling Yunche the most heartbreaking, because Aruo, despite how happy she looks for them in ep 5, would eventually try to break Ruyi and Hongli apart. And yet for all her efforts, she never succeeds because Hongli never actually believes her. On the other hand, Ling Yunche never tries to get in between Ruyi and Hongli, but just the mere presence of him is enough for Hongli to drive a wedge between himself and Ruyi. The presence of Aruo and Ling Yunche in this scene drives home the stark contrast in how the relationship has deteriorated between Ruyi and Hongli, and how Hongli went from trusting Ruyi despite all evidence against her to believing the worst of her despite no real evidence.

What is even more heartbreaking is the play they are watching. It’s not made very clear in the drama, but the plot of the play has great significance in the novel. The play they are watching is called 墙头马上 / Over the Wall and Atop a Horse. The play is based on the poem 井底引银瓶 Silver Vase at the Bottom of the Well by Bai Juyi.

The poem by Bai Juyi, writes of a broken relationship/friendship where two people once lived happily in harmony, then one person wronged the other, causing the other person to leave and never come back; the relationship is thus severed.

When the poem was adapted into the play 墙头马上 / Over the Wall and Atop a Horse, the play tells the story of Pei Shaojun falling in love at first sight with Li Qianjin when she was standing by a wall and he was on a horse riding by her house. The two then eloped, and lived together for seven years, having two children together, before they were discovered by Pei Shaojun’s father. Upon the discovery, Li Qianjin was condemned for getting into a clandestine relationship and Pei Shaojun caved to parental pressure and divorced her. She went back to her hometown. Many years later, after having achieved political success, Pei Shaojun went looking for Li Qianjin again, and just happened to discover that the two of them were actually engaged as children. In the play, they then reunited, got remarried and lived happily ever after.

There is however a plot point in the Ruyi novel, where Qingying does not like the ending of the play, feeling that the happy ending was forced. In the novel, Hongli and Qingying only know each other in passing at first. Then on the day that Hongli chooses his wives, Qingying is made to attend by her aunt. Before the selection ceremony, everyone is invited to watch a play, and Hongli chooses Over the Wall and Atop a Horse. Qingying, because she dislikes the happy ending, asks the theatre troupe to change the ending of the play so that in the end, Li Qianjin does not actually get back together with Pei Shaojun but stays firm in her resolve to end the relationship between them. After the play ends, Qingying leaves before the selection, but Hongli becomes intrigued by her changed ending and chases after her. This conversation below ensues, in which you can see clearly how Qingying’s belief on the matter stayed constant with her through the years. In fact, she practically predicts her own fate later with her changed ending.

~*~

Qingying stepped lightly ahead, her gown fluttering in the breeze like a white butterfly in flight. Aruo’s face was robbed of all colour and she was crying in despair. “Gege, what is wrong with you? Everything was well, why did you change the ending of the play? If Huang Hou Niang Niang hears about it, what will you do?”

Qingying shrugged. “At most, Aunt will just scold me a little. I just don’t like that ending. Today, I finally got to see how it should be played out. I’m so happy!”

“Gege might be happy,” Aruo said miserably, “but today is the consort selection. If Gege you are not chosen, then what would we do?”

Qingying’s aunt had already intended her to be the Third Prince’s bride, and now that was not successful, she should be pushed to the Fourth Prince instead? If they needed this one forced marriage to prolong their family’s glory, would that mean all women of the Ulanara clan were little better than slaves? It would be better this way. Regardless of whether she succeeded at being chosen to be a prince’s consort or not, she got to see things done her way, for once.

She only managed a few steps more when suddenly a voice called behind her. “Qingying Meimei!”

No one had ever called her that before. Everyone in the palace simply called her “Qingying Gege”. Curious, she turned her head to find that Hongli was chasing after her.

Thinking that he must wish to reprimand her, Qingying made herself as small as possible.

Hongli only laughed. “I chased after you to comfort you. Xiyue Gege was rude in speech, I feared that you would be offended.”

��Offended? About what?” Qingying asked in a low voice. “Fourth Prince, do you mean to mention the fact that I was rejected by the Third Prince?”

Hongli nodded, frowning. “I only fear such talk will destroy your reputation.”

Qingying laughed, all her teeth showing, against all rules of decorum, which seemed to astonish Hongli.

“I don’t care!” she declared. “There are many things that women can’t necessarily decide for themselves, such as marriage, or family. But at least, I can decide whether to mind those mocking talks, whether to care about them and let them hurt me.”

Hongli looked sad for a moment, whispering, “Your family…” But then he trailed off. Then, with a humourless smile, he said, “Over the Wall and Atop a Horse is the play I chose myself, why did you not like the ending and asked them to change it? I pick a plum blossom, lean against the wall. / You ride off among the bending poplars*. Is that not a lovely image?”

“Yes, it is very nice, it’s just…” Qingying thought a moment then said, “Over the wall and atop a horse we gaze at each other. / I know you, too, must be heartbroken*. From this beginning, the play is full of conflicts, ups and downs, all very compelling, yet in the end, there is a forced happy ending, everyone is forced to be happy, I really don’t like it at all.”

[* excerpts from the poem by Bai Juyi]

Hongli looked displeased, asking, “To be able to mend a broken mirror, husband and wife reunited and at peace again, is that not good?”

“When Li Qianjin was being insulted by Pei Shaojun’s parents, he did not protect her. He watched her leave in humiliation and did not stop her, as if all the love and years they shared did not matter. Such a heartless and weak man who dares not protect his woman, why would Li Qianjin want to get back together with him?”

Her voice was soft, but also full of conviction. Even though it went against Hongli’s beliefs, he wanted to keep her talking.

“To be reunited and together in harmony is the wishes of all families on earth. If Pei Shaojun is willing to start over, why would Li Qianjin not forgive him?”

“Why must a woman always forgive a man for his failings? Wouldn’t that teach the man that it doesn’t matter what hurt he causes? I don’t care, if he hurt her, she shouldn’t forgive him.”

“Women must be soft and gentle, and give into her husband. If she sacrifices a little, bears a little hurt feeling, they can be reunited, isn’t that happiness?”

“If she must be hurt, must sacrifice herself for this forced reunion, then it is already not a good marriage,” Qingying said stubbornly. “In my eyes, Li Qianjin is a woman who is willing to walk away, to severe the relationship, because all trust is gone.”

“If she walks away, wouldn’t that mean she spends the rest of her life alone? Everyone has their own difficult moments, if Li Qianjin is so stubborn, Pei Shaojun is put in a difficult position too.”

“Who isn’t in a difficult position?” Qingying asked. “If the woman can understand the man’s difficulties, can a man not understand a woman’s pain of being cast aside and humiliated?”

Hongli thought for a moment then laughed. “Qingying Meimei, you are much too unbending.”

Qingying merely nodded. “It’s better to live the rest of your life alone, rather than live to old age with someone who already betrayed you once. So it might be harmonious today, but if a conflict arises, what is to say Pei Shaojun will not just forsake Li Qianjin again? It is easy to change mountains**, that is the principle here.”

[** there is a Chinese saying that it is easier to change the course of rivers and shapes of mountains than to change the character of a person… aka old habits die hard but with more stakes.]

Hongli still did not agree with her logic. “Women should place obedience before all and be pliable. If she does not restrain herself and be more accepting for the greater good, then she would just suffer.”

“If one must accept being humiliated for a so-called happy ending, then I don’t want that kind of happy ending,” Qingying repeated.

“Then is Over the wall and atop a horse we gaze at each other so easily forgotten?” Hongli asked, astonished.

Qingyin turned and stared at Hongli. “If it is not easily forgotten, then why didn’t Pei Shaojun protect Li Qianjin? Hasn’t he too forgotten how they once loved each other when he cast her aside?”

Hongli could not argue against her, and finally admitted defeat. “Meimei, you really are something, I don’t know what else to say.”

Qingying laughed in delight.

“Meimei,” Hongli said, stepping closer to her, “you argued so animatedly, you must love Over the Wall and Atop a Horse. Why don’t we go back and hear the play again?”

Qingying hesitated, thinking that it would be a great loss of face if she were to return now. But Hongli was looking at her so earnestly, she found it hard to immediately refuse.

“I’ll go back first, and prepare good tea to wait for you.”

He said ‘wait’, as if he would not move the day along if she did not come. Her heart softened, and she suddenly stopped in her path.

…

[And then of course Qingying comes back to attend the selection. Hongli, who had originally intended to choose Langhua, changes his mind and chose Qingying to be his di fujin, but then Yongzheng interfered and put a stop to it… But the play is one massive foreshadowing plot device that doesn’t get explained much in the drama, but packs a punch when you read this scene.] -h

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baureidalvez · 3 years

Text

Angels Chasing Demons • Spencer Reid

This is my first Criminal Minds blurb! I'm new to the fandom and haven't even watched the whole thing yet (at the start of s11!) but I couldn't resist writing a little something. Feedback and reblogs would be SO appreciated, as I'm a little nervous to post this!

Summary: you try to hide your feelings from Spencer after he got shot, with little success. Mainly just lots of fluff and emotions!

Word count: 2,181

Episode: 🚨S9 ep 23/24🚨

“Are you sure you’re comfortable?”

You plump up the cushion behind Spencer’s head, being careful not to jostle him, noting the wince in his throat as he settles against the sofa. He nods as much as he can, a small smile on his lips, now that he��s out of the stiff hospital bed and back in your flat where he belongs. He’s on strict bed rest; Rossi told you to hide his work phone for at least a week, but you know he won’t allow that. You know it’ll barely be a few days before he’s asking for it again.

“I think I’m as comfortable as I can be for someone who just got shot in the neck,” He replies, the usual sarcastic twinge to his voice. “You know, the doctor told me that the bulle-“

“Babe,” You swallow the lump in your throat and try not to let Spencer see the tears in your eyes, this being one of the reasons having a profiler as a boyfriend is so inconvenient. You can’t hide anything. He narrows his eyes as he observes you, a free hand reaching to squeeze one of yours. “When it’s been more than a few days and you’ve healed and rested, you can tell me all about the science behind you being shot. For now, I don’t want to hear it.”

He nods once more and remembers that you haven’t seen the things he’s seen; it’s not part of your daily routine to find dead bodies and analyse every aspect to work out who committed such a thing. It’s engrained in him now, it’s second nature – you can listen to so much, but when it’s regarding the sweet man sat in front of you, you can barely look at him without wanting to burst into tears. There has been many tears over the past few days – first following the call from Garcia, and then again in the waiting room as Blake tried to keep you sane.

“I do need one more thing,” He murmurs, his hand still clutching yours, thumb stroking over the back like he doesn’t want to let go. “Will you lay with me?”

There’s nothing you want more than to be close to him, yet you know you need a minute to compose yourself. From hearing that he got shot to waiting for him to come out of surgery, to then hear that Garcia had saved him from being shot once more in a place that should have been safe – it’s all been a little too much. You lean forward to brush a chaste kiss to his lips, his gaze set on you as he waits for your answer. “Of course. Just give me two minutes, okay? There’s definitely three more care packages outside the door that I need to bring in before one of the neighbours takes them.”

“Okay.” He whispers, and you kiss his forehead before tucking the thick blanket over his lap, with a promise to be back in a moment. He sighs and knows that you’re not okay. He’s not okay either – he knows it’s only a matter of time before the nightmares start again, and he won’t be sleeping, but somehow it was easier to deal with when it was just him alone. Now you’re around too, he hates being the cause of your upset. He lays back against his cushion as you close the door to the apartment, and it’s barely a few seconds before tears are slipping down your cheeks. You were right, there is another care package sat on the doorstep, which you know is from Garcia. It’s not the reason you’re out there though, in the silent hall, the only sound being the sobs you’re trying to conceal at the thought of your boyfriend inside. It’s so hard seeing him in pain. He loves everyone around him, he loves his job, he’s dedicated his life to catching the bad guys and protecting people, no matter what it takes. He doesn’t deserve the pain he’s been through, and every time he’s called to a case, you pray to some higher being to keep him safe. Nothing makes your heart race more than an unexpected phone call or a text, your mind instantly going to the worst scenario possible. In this case, it almost had been.

Spencer may be off work and on bed rest, but it doesn’t stop the profiler part of his brain from being awake. He hears the sound he was expecting to hear as soon as you close the door, and it goes straight to tug on his heartstrings. Sometimes he doesn’t have all of the answers, and he doesn’t know what to do. He knows he shouldn’t get up from the couch, and he’s not sure he’ll physically be able to without injuring himself further. He clears his throat before trying to call out your name.

“Honey…” He calls again, when your name doesn’t get your attention. Not enough to come back inside anyway. “I really want to be able to comfort you right now but I physically can’t move, so, can you come back inside please?”

You chuckle behind the door through your tears and shake your head, feeling silly for thinking even for a moment that he wouldn’t know what you were doing. Swiping the tears from under your eyes, you compose yourself as much as you can, picking up the picnic basket full of snacks and tea before pushing the door open again.

“I manage to salvage this one before next door got hold of it,” You try to laugh it off, but he hears your voice wobble, and his eyes follow you as soon as he spots you. “It’s from Garcia again, she left a not-“

“Babe.” He sighs, cutting you off from rambling about anything other than the current situation. “Come here, please? You don’t have to hide from me.” Warm tears are cascading down your cheeks once more when you realise there’s no concealing it, there’s no way to keep it hidden anymore. You don’t want to push him away, but somehow your upset seems less valid than his – he’s the one who had to go through the physical pain, he got shot, it should be you taking care of him. Spencer doesn’t see it that way, though.

“Please don’t cry because of me, love,” He murmurs as you sit down next to him, pressing your face against his sweater covered chest. He wraps his arms around your body and pulls you in close, tucking your face against his shoulder, wetness from your eyes hitting the material as you cry. “Shh, I’m right here, now.”

He lets you cry it out for a few minutes, soothing sounds slipping from his lips, a warm hand rubbing the top of your back. “Do you want to talk about it?”

You know you should, that you’re going to have to at some point, although you don’t even know where to begin. Spencer stalls for a few moments though, giving you another minute to calm down.

“Did you know, crying is actually a good thing? Research has found that crying actually does make you feel better, and the lump that you feel in your throat, isn’t actually a lump at all. It’s your autonomic nervous system going into high alert, which enlarges the glottis, the opening in your throat which allows you to get more air in to your lungs. It’s the tension between trying to open and close your glottis that makes it feel like a lump.” He keeps going and all you can do is smile, even though the words aren’t registering; you’re just happy to have your Spencer back and in one piece. “But.. even though it’s a good thing, it doesn’t make it any easier for me to see.”

Spencer feels an urge to comfort people, he hates seeing people cry. He remembers the unsettled feeling in his stomach that he feels whenever he sees JJ cry, or he finds a survivor who can do nothing but let out their emotions. He’s no stranger to crying himself, and if he’s honest, seeing you fall apart in his arms has his own eyes burning.

You rub your cheek against the material of his sweater, the smell soothing and familiar, much different to the clinical scent that clung to him after his hospital stay. “Spence… we almost lost you.”

Your mind flashes back to the beeping of machines, Blake’s arms wrapped around you in the waiting room, clinging onto any shred of hope that he was going to pull through the surgery. You vaguely remember a conversation between Blake and JJ, about how Spencer wants to have kids, and Rossi saying he’s too smart to die – he has too much to live for. It’s all true. He has the rest of his life to live and knowing he got close to almost not having that, is enough to scare you to death.

“We didn’t know if you were going to pull through. My heart sinks every time my phone rings, I just get so worried about you… and then I actually got that call.” You explain, unsure where you’re headed, but knowing he needs to hear it. He listens as you cry in his arms, his thumb gently brushing each tear away as it falls. “I know this is your job, your life, and I would never take that away from you. You’re amazing at what you do, and the world needs you. I just wish I could know that you’re safe. People shouldn’t be allowed to hurt someone like you.”

He exhales through his nose as he thinks of the situation from your perspective. Obviously, he was worried, but he always pushes it to the back of his mind when he’s in the heat of the moment, doing anything he can to protect others around him. He pushed Blake out of the way to keep her safe, and he’d choose that option every time. In the moment, he doesn’t think of the repercussions. It always happens so quickly, and the next thing he knows he’s in the back of an ambulance on the way to the hospital. He hates seeing people that he loves in pain, and he hates getting those calls too. He’ll never forget the feeling of finding out that Garcia had been shot, or that JJ had been tortured. It’s a ball of anxiety that sits in the pit of his stomach, and he realises that must be how you feel, every time he goes on a case.

“The world would be a better place if no-one ever got hurt. I like to think my job plays a part in trying to achieve that,” He replies, fingertips trailing up and down your back as he speaks. “There’s always going to be more cases, more bad guys, but every day, we put more of them away. I know it’s dangerous, but it’s a part of me now..”

“I know, and I don’t want to change that about you.” You assure him, squeezing his hand to get his full attention. “I’m not asking you to change anything. I just wish you didn’t have to get hurt, or be in pain. I’m too scared of losing you. You have too much to give back to the world for that to happen.”

“I love you.” He murmurs, making sure to look right at you, your eyes locked on his. “I know I’m not easy to be with, I’m away a lot, and I get hurt… but everything feels easier with you around. And I wish I could move my neck so I could kiss you right now.”

You laugh and carefully sit up as not to jostle him, moving your face closer so the tip of your nose nudges his. “I love you, too.”

Spencer steals the first kiss, his soft but slightly chapped lips brushing yours, moving his head as much as he can so your foreheads touch. You kiss him back with as much love as you can muster up, wanting him to feel every inch of it, knowing that he does. You sigh contentedly, feeling better after your discussion, but knowing he has a long way to go to heal. The kissing is interrupted by the sound of his phone, and you shake your head, remembering Rossi’s orders to keep it away from him and to not let him answer.

“My phone, can you get it? I can’t move,” He asks, looking around the room from where the sound is coming from.

“Nope,” You reply, shaking your head, punctuating the sound with another kiss to Spencer’s lips. “Strict orders from Rossi, no phone for at least two weeks. You need to rest, and I’m about to go and turn it off.”

He watches as you push up from the sofa, going to find his bag, and pulling the vibrating phone from the front pocket. He shakes his head as he hears you head to the bedroom, keeping it tucked away whilst he recoups. He’s in pain, and he knows he doesn’t have an easy road ahead, but with you to take care of him… somehow, things don’t feel so bad.

Feedback would be appreciated! Let me know what you think here <3

#aaaah i'm nervous!#spencer reid blurb #spencer reid x reader blurb #spencer reid fics #spencer reid au #criminal minds blurbs #criminal minds au #criminal minds fic #spencer reid #spencer reid one shot #reid x reader #criminal minds fanfiction #spencer reid fanfiction #spencer reid fanfic #criminal minds fanfic #reid fanfic #reid blurb #baureidalvez

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btsandvmin · 3 years

Text

Ask: Reply - 2021.04.16

Time to answer some more of your questions. I have a lot this time, and still a lot left I’ll have to save to another post. You are all very good at being curious and asking interesting questions. There are also some asks that are replies to old asks, and then I’ll include the link to the referenced post.

This time the topics will be:

Ask 1 - About KTH1 and expectations Ask 2 - KTH1 spoiler with “Oh lady” Ask 3 - Vminies getting superiority complex Ask 4 - Not dismissing the bond between Vmin and the other boys Ask 5 - Other people’s words can influence your thoughts Ask 6 - Vmin not sharing rooms in Bon Voyage Malta Ask 7 - Has being a Vmin shipper always been so overwhelming with all the content? Ask 8 - “Just a friend” interview Ask 9 - The garnet necklace Ask 10 - Vmin in CMs Ask 11 - Taehyung uncomfortable about shipping/tae*kook? Ask 12 - What did Jimin write on his shirt in Run ep. 53? Ask 13 - Gina Maeng ask follow up Ask 14 - Vmin’s love is beautiful (and so much nice praise omg)

Today’s post is a long one... Enjoy!

Ask 1 - About KTH1 and expectations

Ok, so I did write a shit post about this... (I mean… This is literally all Vmin’s songs so far ), but I still think your questions are worth a proper answer.

Honestly I think speculating about KTH1 is kind of hard, and as seen in the shit post I am quite torn with my expectations... In general I am the type who doesn’t like to expect too much in fear of being disappointed. I rather be pleasantly surprised. That being said Vmin does have a track record of getting involved in each other’s songs. I mean a lot is just speculation of course, but we do have confirmed cases as well, enough to not be too surprised if they would keep it up and do something for Tae’s solo album as well. (Tae saying his mixtape would be named Jimin back in 2016 still haunts me.)

On the other hand, they have already given us a lot of collabs. Adding more would feel more like a statement, at least if it would be only Jimin out of the members on that album. The thing is that if Vmin would have something “real” or at least if they are a bit careful with how they come across... I am not sure they would do something too “obvious”. But where such a line would be drawn is impossible to know. I mean clearly they managed to write and sing Friends and it worked fine, even if they did get more attention as a ship.

We also know Tae has been quite loud about Jimin in ways that single him out, so maybe they would really dare push the boundaries as far as actually including Jimin in the album somehow. It’s also very possible there could be other members, and honestly we probably shouldn’t hyper focus too much on it and that it has to mean something no matter if anyone is on it or not.

I think one of the rappers being on it is probably more likely out of the members, but it seems Tae has shown an interest in collabs with people outside of BTS, so that’s kind of what I am expecting the most. No matter who in the group is on it I am sure fans will make a big deal out of it, and maybe Tae would rather have his own thing for his first album. I really don’t know how his thoughts would go.

But again, looking at how Tae and Jimin has talked about working together, and have had moments like Tae promising Jimin a song or Tae saying they will work together again... It’s definitely not impossible to get another Vmin song. I do feel it’s more likely for any connections to be vague and not instantly noticeable though (at least not anything romantic looking because we know what happened to the Christmas song). Especially considering how they have only recently revealed things like 4 clock’s inspiration more openly and had Friends followed by Sweet Night. My main stance for any possible real ship is still that they have reason to be careful, and yet another Vmin collab, on Taehyung’s first personal album would probably raise some eyebrows considering everything else we already have. But it could also be me over analyzing them, and maybe they just really like and want to work together. Tae for sure has after all been vocal about this preference and want to work with Jimin.

So yeah, on one hand they have a track record that is hard to ignore... But on the other I wonder if they might want to add another “point” for ARMY to look at them and their songs. I also don’t want to assume that if there are songs on there that sound romantic that they automatically will be about Jimin. There will have to be legit possible connections for me to acknowledge them.

It’s tricky. I guess we will have to wait and see. I am kind of scared both that there won’t be anything or that there will be SOMETHING. Thank you for the ask, and I hope I shed some light on my thoughts on this subject. Either way I am very excited and looking forward to an album full of Taehyung’s own songs and the stories he wants to tell.

Ask 2 - KTH1 spoiler with “Oh lady”

I am not sure it is “lady”, since it’s a bit unclear in general. He also has a part that just seems to go “do be do” and I don’t know if the lyrics are even finished or if he worked with someone else etc. We basically lack a lot of information. But even so using lady/her/she etc. in a song doesn’t have to mean it is about a specific person or that the person is a she or that it is Taehyung’s own feelings (I know he said he usually sings about things he have felt, but just saying it doesn’t always have to be).

Of course I don’t want to downplay it and say it doesn’t mean anything, but considering their fanbase is majority women, they live in a homophobic country and he has even been denied to sing a romantic song with a man before, it’s not impossible to add that to make it more “relatable” or less “gay”. God, that sounds terrible. I don’t want to start discussions where we don’t take their words for what they are, so I hope you might understand my point of view. That being said of course it could just as easily be to or about a specific woman in his life that we don’t know about. Or as you say, he isn’t actually in love but is simply writing love songs that could be inspired by non-romantic relationships or movies etc. as was the case for his inspiration for Winter Bear.

Tae also used “she” in Winter Bear, and that seems a bit forgotten. Or people try to say it has to be about his grandmother... Which we obviously don’t know, it’s just the woman people jump to since he used “she” and many people don’t like the idea of him dating a woman or writing about a woman we don’t know. Either way I think we need to remember that anything is possible and we don’t know them personally and how they think or why they choose to do what they do.

I think we need to remember that there is always going to be the possibility that ships aren’t real, that the romantic songs aren’t about Jimin and that either one of them could be in a relationship with someone else (all genders included).

Ask 3 - Vminies getting superiority complex

Hello! I want to address something that has been bothering me for a while now. I have been seeing some vminnies have a superiority complex just bcoz they ship vmin. Its very rampant among new vminnies and twt vminnies. I get that we all feel validated and happy when out OTP claim to be soulmates and bff. I feel that way too. But people have to remember that vmin are real people and their relationship is dynamic. Like they did grow from bff who used to tease e/o and fight alot to soulmates who are gentle and caring. Who is to say that one day they wont drift apart (i hope not and dont think thats gonna happen but for argument sake) so there is no reason to feel superior or look down on other shippers.

If people think vminnies are superior bcoz they are not toxic they probably know they are lying. Lbr i have seen my share of toxic vminnies though may be a lesser number but they are there and its not the ship but its that particular person who is at fault. While i agree that some ship theories cultivate hate and toxicity there may be people among those ships who are just as sane and good as we claim to be. I just wanted to address this bcoz seeing some vminnies on twt saying locals thinking vmin were tgt after coway add is a validation kind of triggered me. I m sure there would have been similar responses to any other ship bcoz they all have been tgt for a decade and are very comfortable with e/o. I just wanted to talk to someone about this and i know you have discussed similar topics in the past. So yeah this was very long.

First of all, on request I won’t show your name, but thank you for sending me this and letting me know who you are. It’s always nice to know who is behind the question. But that being said I don’t mind people asking on anon, I totally get it being a lot easier to ask or question things when you don’t have to reveal yourself. Either way I am just glad to get interesting and important topics and I do think the things you bring up are worth talking about.

As you say, there is this thing when people start to feel and act superior for various reasons, and I too have seen some Vminies do this. Getting a lot of moments is sure nice. But honestly, just imagine if another ship came and mocked Vmin or gloated every time they got more moments. It has surely happened too, and I am sure it doesn’t feel very nice when on the negative end. Just be a decent human, ship moments will always vary and it’s great to be happy about getting moments, but there is no need to compare or look down on other ships. I say it again, shipping is not a competition, just enjoy your own ship and let others enjoy theirs.

As for feelings superior based on group behavior I think we really need to stop looking at groups and start looking at individuals, both when it comes to groups we are part of and groups we consider “bad”. I have said it many times, but individuals of other groups we don’t agree with won’t all be bad, or all stupid or young etc. We might want to tell ourselves they are worse, but it really doesn’t change much.

Being “less bad” it not a merit and it shouldn’t be a competition. We all have our own selves to answer to and we should judge other people based on their actions and not based on what group they might belong to.

I think size and the toxicity of a narrative can lead to more people in certain groups behaving in toxic ways... But I think any person could happen to fall into these behaviors if not careful and aware. Often the change is gradual too, or you feel attacked by the other “rival group” and thus feel it’s justified to attack back, and so it escalates.

Vminies are at the moment as a group smaller, and thus have less “bad apples”. We likely also have a narrative for Vmin that doesn’t require as toxic mindsets, for example extreme jealousy or Vmin being forced to hide. But there for sure are still toxic Vminies, and there are also a lot of non-toxic shippers in all groups. Usually the louder ones are also the worst ones while the chill and nice will remain in their own lane and ship more peacefully. But being part of a smaller group doesn’t make you superior, your actions is what is important.

As for small moments getting noticed or other types of “validation” for your ship, of course it’s going to feel nice. However, what people see and think of any relationship in BTS is still just an outsider view and literally has no meaning for their actual relationship beyond it being a cute moment. That’s why size and popularity also doesn’t matter as any kind of “proof”. Interpretation will always just be interpretation, good or bad, if you like it or not.

Sadly I think we will get more and more toxic behavior from more ships as the fandom grows and as some things get more normalized within those ships’ communities. It’s about certain behaviors growing into a community culture... The more toxicity that is allowed the more others will follow. That’s why bringing up the problems is important, but trying to do so without shunning people so that they don’t go and create their own space where everyone else is the enemy. After all, being open and welcoming and understanding is much more likely to make someone listen and even change their mind than by attacking them.

I answer for my own actions. So does every person. I don’t want to be judged for everything every Vminie or ARMY or Multi K-pop fan etc. has done. Generalization is a huge problem in general, not just in fandoms or ship wars. I do try to be a positive influence, to not judge too harshly and to remember that being hostile won’t help any situation. But that’s about it. I am glad you brought up this topic, because talking about it is important, but sadly I don’t think there is a lot that can be done about it. Just try to be nice and open minded.

Thank you for the ask, I hope you all understood what I wanted to say.

Ask 4 - Not dismissing the bond between Vmin and the other boys

Thank you. I really see no need for it. It’s clear as day that they all love each other, and even if one pair would happen to be romantic instead of platonic that won’t change. We don’t have to compare and we definitely don’t have to downplay the moments they share with each other. All shippers should at the very least accept the the things they do and say as mostly genuine. I trust BTS and what they show us, it’s that easy.

I know some also get influenced by toxic fans, but we really need to remember that no narratives by fans matter when it comes to reality and what bonds BTS share with each other. They are all great people and seem to have such love and respect for each other I frankly don’t understand how you can be a fan if you think any of it is played up to the point some claim.

Likely no ship in BTS is real, but if any is, to me I am sure the ones involved would be happy and supported by the rest of the members. That’s why it doesn’t really matter what ship would be real or not real as long as they are happy. We shouldn’t let our own views and sometimes want or hopes affect the way be judge their reality. This applies for things outside shipping as well.

Thank you for your kind words. :)

Ask 5 - Other people’s words can influence your thoughts

Indeed. The brain is a powerful thing. This is very obvious if you are a multi-shipper or a general fan, but BTS truly has a lot of questionable moments between all kinds of pairs. Focus is a interesting thing. If you like something you will notice it more, and you will also remember it more while you forget other moments. Likewise if something is “negative” like a rival ship you are likely to notice them more as well. This happens even if you just watch the general content and get your own bias. Imagine then how it might influence you when others keep repeating either your happy interpretations or things you worry about? You’ll get it stuck in your head and remember it more than other things.

Like isn’t it funny how we might gush about Vmin sharing beds, or worry about ji/kook or tae/kook cuddling while hope/kook literally sleep wrapped around each other in both Bon Voyage 3 and 4? Sometimes it’s all about perspective.

By now we need to realize that fan perspective will influence us a lot. And in particular if a lot of people say it or if it is presented in a way that makes it sound logical and intelligent. Words have power.

I still think using “Vmin is dead” or spreading worry often in itself leads to people thinking it and it being somehow accepted as fact. In similar fashion getting to hear about certain ships or certain narratives will make us notice things in relation to that. My own words and posts too will have influence on some people that read them. That’s why I try to be so careful, and why I try to avoid using strong words or claims that might cement themselves in someone’s mind. (I’ll actually talk more about the power of language in my big analysis as well)

Thank you for your input, it’s definitely an interesting thing to consider and another aspect of why shipping mentality is so complicated.

Ask 6 - Vmin not sharing rooms in Bon Voyage Malta

Hi and yes, I have answered this before HERE, but it’s ok. I know it’s not easy finding old topics amongst my collection posts.

Collection of asks - BTSandVMIN Collection of asks 2 - BTSandVMIN Collection of asks 3 - BTSandVMIN

In short I think Vmin wanted to share rooms but that Taehyung got fooled when Jimin stopped him from checking the upper room. Because it seemed like Jimin stopped him from walking into that room by saying he couldn’t peak Tae probably assumed it wasn’t Jimin’s room and that when Jimin said it was his room he was joking (his face was definitely something). So yeah, I think he just got fooled by Jimin’s statement about not being allowed to look inside the room before picking. There are other interesting things about this whole moment, but the one thing we should take away from it is how it is one out of now many examples that seem to show that Vmin have a preference to share rooms/beds. Thank you for the ask. :)

Ask 7 - Has being a Vmin shipper always been so overwhelming with all the content?

I wouldn’t say it’s something recent. I say it often, but we really do get very intense periods from time to time with many of the ships. For example in February 2017 with ISAC, fan signs and everything else we got a lot of Vmin too. I remember being overwhelmed myself, and that was coming out of BST era Vmin. We got many moments every day and that’s just one specific period I can remember.

Over the years sometimes we do get these very intense days or weeks with a lot of moments at once. Usually I get asks like “do you think something is up with Vmin lately” or “wow I can’t believe how much Vmin we have gotten lately” but really, it’s hard to tell, because it really does happen from time to time. I also still say we always get Vmin moments regularly as long as we get BTS content, but sometimes a bit more and sometimes less. I am sure there will be more times when we also get “Vmin is dead“ and worried people because we get less moments than they expect. It just happens, up and down and around it goes.

As for what ships are big I will definitely say Ji/kook and Tae/kook are the biggest, but that all BTS ships are big by now. Meaning as soon as we do get moments it will be seen online. Especially if you follow people who talk about it of course. I also think what platform you are on can result in some ships being seen more than others. For example I know ji/kook is by far the biggest BTS ship here on Tumblr while Youtube seems to have more tae/kookers.

Thank you for the ask. Let’s hope Vmin keeps overwhelming us. (But let’s not start to worry if they don’t) ;)

Ask 8 - “Just a friend” interview

Ah yes, I have a bit of a soft spot for this interview myself. I am not sure, but I think it might be from 2017 (since Tae wrote a birthday letter to Jimin in 2016), or at least that’s when I found it and saved it down. I haven’t actually tracked the original source. You can find the translation in the link shared HERE, credits to @95z.

Seeing this close after the chaos of Let’s BTS and other letter confessions it really does seem very cringe for them to express sincere thoughts in these more formal ways. I can’t blame them.

I do think this interview is yet another example of how much Vmin has tried to adapt to each other, learn and be more open with expressing how they feel. They literally inspire and learn from each other in how to express themselves. Isn’t it completely endearing?

I also love how they get each other to feel strong emotions and how they are there for each other when in need. On a slightly more analytical note I also can’t help but note the “just a friend” vs “soulmate” descriptions and how they seem to have a hard time putting it into proper words. We already know this of course, but yeah... They really don’t have an easy time describing their relationship.

Thank you so much for sharing this moment. I was going to talk about it in my big analysis anyways, but honestly I can’t save everything for it, and you mentioned it so who am I to keep it to myself.

Ask 9 - The garnet necklace

Oh yeah, I know that JK wore it once and that the talk was that a fan gave it to all of maknae line. Not much was ever confirmed from what I know, but regardless it doesn’t change why I think it’s a Vmin/soulmate necklace and why I see it as special.

Here is the thing, when I use “Vmin thing” it really doesn’t have to be exclusive. To me it’s the context around it and how they have used it and even reacted to it that makes the garnet necklace something special for Vmin. In the case of the soulmate necklace Vmin wore it a lot. Almost constantly during a big part of 2017 and even a bit into 2018. They also wore it at the same time a lot. I find this very cute, and we all know “couple items” is something all fans enjoy even if it would just be a platonic relationship behind it. But if both of them wearing it was all there was, as a lot of Vmin sharing clothes (or BTS in general sharing clothes) I wouldn’t really think too much about it beyond it being cute. It could still be just a cute thing that Vmin did, but I personally see it as something beyond the normal clothes/jewelry sharing.

(At the very least you can remember Vmin did this while people thought their relationship was dead, which doesn’t make much sense to do if you hate or dislike someone.)

The things I find more noteworthy about this necklace is the fact that the fandom picked up on it and because they wore it so much and so often at the same time it was dubbed the “soulmate necklace”. Possibly knowing this Tae also brought specific attention to the necklace at two times, as if wanting to show it off. Interestingly enough, in one of these times Jimin seemed to ignore Taehyung who was bringing attention to it on purpose. For me it came across as another thing Taehyung wanted to show off and that Jimin was a bit more careful about.

Of course I could have read it wrong, maybe Jimin just misunderstood. But even so, Tae did bring attention to it in specific relation to Jimin. You can watch the clip HERE. (BTS Tell Us What They Love About Each Other & An Update On Tony & Nate From America Hustle Life)

The other time was in Run ep. 39, right after Vmin talked about being in school together and showing off their school uniforms. If Tae is the one to try and highlight something, I feel it likely has some meaning to him at least.

Either way the necklace is basically a symbol of Vmin’s relationship and the fact that they liked it so much and wore it together during a long period I think they liked wearing it not only because they both happened to like the design but because they both had it. If JK also had one and didn’t use it of course it could include him, but I will still say it remains significant for Vmin’s bond with each other.

As for buying a necklace together they haven’t talked about this one in particular, but Tae did mention he bought his tiger necklace with Jimin in NY, so maybe you are mixing the two things up?

Ask 10 - Vmin in CMs

Thank you for loving my blog and for the ask! :) I am not sure if you perhaps meant in a lot of BTS own photoshoots/units as well, but I’ll focus on CMs in this post since that was your direct example. I might go a bit beyond here, but I saw it as a good chance to revisit some Vmin ad moments.

I wouldn’t personally say we have gotten “way more” but I do think because of their Friends unit they got to do some more interviews together and some CM stuff too. I also think we have gotten more BTS commercials in general now, likely because it’s an income alternative to touring during the pandemic. So that obviously means more CMs, and more chances for them to be paired up. They also have gotten paired with others of course (like in the Bodyfriend CM or Baskin Robbins), but most commonly they aren’t divided in smaller groups at all.

We also have gotten Vmin paired up before, both in photoshoots and in CMs. Of course we saw some great ones in 2016 with Puma and NUGU, but I don’t think we got that much more in 2016 and before than in 2017-2019. I think what we can see is BTS having more endorsements after Covid.

Like honestly, the Puma adds are iconic. Of course the original one, but also the revisits from 2018. Puma definitely seemed to like to pair Vmin in particular. (There are so many good examples from Puma that I’m not including)

We also got a snippet in the Hyundai one, also from 2018.

Another snippet from the Coconut Chicken ad from 2017.

I mean, I don’t know if I should count the snippets at all, like from BTS x VT cosmetics in 2019, but I feel sometimes just being seen in the same frame seems to get attention as being paired up so. (I decided to not include being together when it’s at least a third member in the frame)

And guys... Have you ever watched BTS and the milk song?

What did we get so far more recently? In 2020 we had the Hyundai interview.

And the hyundai #PositiveEnergyChallenge

Fila provided a nice one, also from 2020.

Samsung gave us a snippet recently.

Coway was basically couple goals and like the best one in my own opinion (besides Puma because it is going to take a lot to beat Puma).

But other than that? I don’t think we have seen it that much, have we? I am not complaining or anything, like I am happy with what we got, but I don’t know if it’s that much. I might forget some obvious ones, but these were the ones I had top of mind. Feel free to add ads if you can think of more recent ones that I left out.

So I think we have gotten more BTS ads in general, also more where they are not all of them or single focus, and that we have seen maybe Vmin getting paired a little more after Friends. But to me there is such a small difference I can’t really say if it is anything particular to Vmin or just BTS doing more CMs.

I mean, I don’t have a sheet of who has been paired with who and how many times over the years. But either way I don’t think we should look too deeply into things like CMs or even photoshoots units. Thanks for the ask though, I hope you enjoyed this mini collection. :)

Ask 11 - Taehyung uncomfortable about shipping/tae*kook?

So this is a thought sent in after THIS ASK though it really brings up a new subject, which is that of Tae possibly being uncomfortable with shipping. As for Tae saying that to a tae/kooker in particular I think we have to remember it could very easily just have been in the moment and we can’t know why he decided to reply to that person in particular.

The Vmin post was not invasive and it wasn’t romantic. I mean, I do think Tae keeps showing again and again that if there is any person in BTS that is special to him it’s Jimin. But the difference in the posts also likely matters, but we can’t know how much. We don’t know if Tae would feel annoyed if a Vminie wrote the same thing as the tae/kooker did, and we don’t know if it was just in that moment that he got fed up with the shipping discourse in general, or if it was because it was tae/kook.

Honestly any shipper, regardless if a ship would eventually prove to be real or not, should not go and invade spaces where the boys get exposed to it. We don’t know if Taehyung would have reacted in a similar way if it happened to be another ship.

Personally I don’t think tae/kook drifted apart as a result of shipping, because honestly they still kept being pretty intimate physically and engaged in fanservice on stage etc. If they truly were uncomfortable with the idea I just don’t think they would “feed it” much at all. I think as they said in ITS they just, kind of changed and it became harder to talk. I’ve talked more about tae/kook and my views on their bond in THIS POST and a little in THIS POST as well as about BTS possible stance on shipping HERE.

I also think all of BTS has a pretty good distance from hate and fandom speculations in general. I think that because they know about shipping and partly also feed into it they probably expect crazy people to some degree as well, even if they probably don’t like it. Hetero shippers as well, or solo stans etc. have very toxic behaviors at times, but I think BTS can recognize that it is kind of “bound to happen” with their popularity, no matter what they do about it. Not saying they would like it, and they could definitely feel awkward or annoyed because of it, but it doesn’t seem to bother them too much as I think they can detach themselves from it pretty well.

I also think “fan opinions” in form of rival shipping wouldn’t really harm a hidden couple as it first would likely be a sort of “shield” and second because they have their relationships and are likely comfortable with them on their own terms. What fans think is probably secondary.

It is possible that they could get annoyed or frustrated at times, but again, if they truly felt bothered by it they probably wouldn’t do a lot of the things they do. Because I am sure they are aware to some degree that fans scrutinize their every move and ship moments. Both Tae and Jimin are some of the most physical out of the members, and also some of the members that seem to like to initiate fanservice moments... So I doubt they would have much problem and can feel secure enough in their relationship no matter what fans think.

Ask 12 - What did Jimin write on his shirt in Run ep. 53?

Hi, I guess you got curious after I talked about this episode recently in my post Ask: Reply - 2021.03.30 (Ask 8 - Going down the rabbit hole, micromoments and shipping vs believing).

I don’t know hangul, but I do know what “Jimin” looks like. On Jimin’s shirt from behind the scenes of Run ep. 53 you can see he’s written his own name “지민” Jimin followed by what looks to be “ 님 “ which is nim. So basically the text on the container in the picture says Sir Jimin.

Jimin seemed very keen on writing his name on both his own shirt and on Tae’s and even tried on JK’s. He failed of course, but he sure did try.

Thank you for the ask, and isn’t Tae cute?

Ask 13 - Gina Maeng ask follow up

Glad you liked my reply. :) (From Ask: Reply - 2021.03.30 Ask 4 - Idols dating members of the same group). Yeah I get what you mean, talking about it openly I suppose isn’t so normal. But since it seems to be more and more fans who assume it happens to some degree maybe it’s not so strange if it starts getting more talked about as well. I’ll take it as a good sign, even if the information is nothing new in itself, being more open is going to make it easier for fans to realize it’s possible for their idols to be LGBT+ or have hidden relationships.

As for K-Population it doesn’t seem to be too well known, but it’s one of few actual examples to be found. So yeah, interesting that we know it has happened, and also that it shows what risks it could mean to get involved with a group member. I think the risk of a falling out is something a lot of shippers tend to forget. Anyways, thank you for your reply. ^_^

Ask 14 - Vmin’s love is beautiful (and so much nice praise omg)

Oh my... I am not sure I have ever been called sweetheart by anyone ever before. Thank you! You are making me blush with all the praise. 💜💜💜

But really, we can all just watch Vmin in awe and be happy they have each other and feel such immense love for each other, no matter what that love is. It’s kind of amazing. Like even if they are platonic their relationship is so wholesome and they put so much love and effort into it that it’s truly inspirational. I love when we get bombed with moments like this with a very intense period of great Vmin interactions. As you, me too never fail to feel all soft watching them together.

95z is love and what a love they share. Truly wonderful. 💜

You take care too, and really, thank you so much for this lovely message. it means a lot and is very heartwarming.

And with that sweet ask I’ll end the post. There was a lot of very different questions and I feel I could have written more about many of them, but alas I need to remember I can’t write full essays on everything or I would never get anything posted. Thank you all for reading and I hope you found my thoughts and speculations interesting. ^-^

#vmin #vmin analysis #btsandvmin #ask: reply #vmin collection #vmin ad #vmin cm #vmin commercial #vmin gif #vmin photo #bts shipping #btsandvmin answer #my post #Ask: Reply - 2021.04.16 #vmin soulmate necklace

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ewwhothefuckiski · 3 years

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You Said Forever- Joshua Bassett

Joshua Bassett × fem!reader

Requested: no, I was trying to sleep and suddenly had this idea so here we are.

TW: Swearing, angst, emotional trauma, mentions of death

Taglist: @tclklater @spicygemini17 @bonobos-candy-bar @kaylinfayezink @jxznotfound {lmk if ya want to be added!!}

A/N: I apologise in advance 🤧 you can thank @hermes-creature and @nickalicious for fueling this fire. And yes this was heavily inspired on his new ep and Olivia's Driver's License. No not for the drama

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:

Love is hard. It can be wonderful, breathtaking. But it can also be painful, soul crushing even. When you fall in love, you give someone your all, you hand over your heart and pray that they don't break it.

But they will- It's inevitable.

Or at least, that's what Y/N told herself as she sat alone in what used to be her and Joshua's bedroom, holding their promise rings and letting out heart wrenching sobs.

She looked around, every picture of her and Josh like a new slap in the face. She looked back down at the rings, screaming as she threw them at the mirror resting on their dresser, shattering the glass.

Her hands tangled into the roots of her hair, tugging as she hugged her knees into her chest, rocking back and forth letting the sobs rock her body.

She didn't think Josh would leave her, he had been by her side since they were 16. But he did. They screamed at each other until they were red in the face; him eventually giving up and packing his bag.

Y/N screamed at him more, this time with tears streaming down her face.

"Why are you doing this?" She cried, grabbing his arm and turning him to face her. "You are the one who's in the wrong here, and you just decide to leave?"

Joshua felt his heart break as he stared at the girl. She was broken, hurting- and it was his fault.

But then he thought back to her words from earlier, anger flaring in his chest again.

"I'm in the wrong here? Y/N, you blamed me for cheating on you because of your insecurities. You scream at me after I come home from filming, because you're jealous. I told you nothing was going on with Olivia. But you can't get it through your damn head. You made me choose between you and my job. So I did, and I choose my job. Don't try and put this on me."

"I thought you loved me." She sobbed, wrapping her arms around herself; an attempt to keep herself from falling apart.

Joshua sighed as he zipped his bag shut, turning to face her.

"God Y/N. I do love you, I love you so much- and I always will. But we can't do this anymore. We aren't good for each other."

"You promised me forever." She whispered, staring down at the ring sitting on his finger. He followed her gaze, his heart breaking as he realized what she had been looking at. He slipped the ring off of his finger, gently placing it in her hand, before placing a soft kiss on her forehead. He grabbed his bag and walked to the door, turning to look at the girl who stole his heart all those years ago one last time.

"Goodbye Y/N." He whispered, turning on his heel and shutting the door behind him before she could see the tears running down his face. He stood there for a minute, hearing her sobs through the door, before flinching as he heard glass shattering as she screamed. He sighed and continued his journey to his car, before he finally pulled out of the driveway and left the love of his life behind him.

×××

Joshua shouldn't have had the time to feel the deep ache in his chest with each waking minute that passed without Y/N by his side- HSMTMTS had hit it off and soon his career was launched into full swing. His fans demanding an EP, him booking auditions, all while doing interviews back to back about the "love triangle" between him, Olivia, and Sabrina- but he did.

The fans had all assumed that Josh's sudden change in behavior was because he and Olivia called things off, but in reality, he just hadn't been himself since he left Y/N.

Everyone but him had saw it. So Olivia and Sabrina had been spending a lot of time with him, trying to cheer him up. But the fans read to much into it.

Josh knew Y/N was seeing the articles, he knew she definitely didn't believe him now. All he wanted was to take back the day he walked out on her. But he couldn't, it was too late. She was better off without him now.

At least, that's what he told himself.

Little did he know, Y/N had fallen into the darkest state of depression after he left. She didn't leave her bed unless she had to. She cried, a lot. She didn't have the motivation to get up in the morning, to do the basic things such as take a shower, brush her teeth.

What was the point?

Her friends tried calling her, coming over to help her get out and do something, but she had lost any part of her soul she had left.

When Joshua left her, he took her heart with him. She gave him everything, just to feel like nothing in the end. She loved him with every fiber in her body, and that was the hardest thing for her.

Before she met Joshua, she had been left time and time again. First by her parents, and then eventually anyone she's ever came to care about. She shut everyone out after that, afraid to get attached again.

And then there he was. The brown eyed messy haired boy in the back of the coffee shop.

He looked terrified. His hands were shaking, his face pale, breaths coming up short. She knew that look all too well.

"Hey! Hey look at me."

He snapped his head up to look at the young girl, his brown eyes wide as she talked to him.

"Breathe with me ok? In through the nose for five seconds, out for ten."

She demonstrated what she meant, smiling when the boy started to copy her actions.

"Good, just like that. Again."

She took his shaking hands into hers, interlacing their fingers as they breathed together.

She didn't try and tell him he was gonna be ok, or to breathe because he's fine. She knew when you were having a panic attack, your body looses control of itself. She knew the best thing you could do is to just focus on your breathing until you gained control again.

After a while, Josh finally gained control of himself again. He looked down at their interlocked hands, blushing, but not pulling away.

"How did you-"

"You were having a panic attack. I have them all the time."

Joshua nodded, glancing from their hands back to the beautiful girl in front of him.

"I felt like I was going to die." He whispered, looking down in embarresment.

"I know."

He looked up at her, shocked.

"W-What?"

"Your whole body tingles, you can't slow your breathing, your heart beating so loud you swear your ears are gonna explode." She listed, smiling at him sadly, her heart aching for the boy. "It's like you can't control your own body."

He nodded slowly. "Yeah, Yeah that's exactly what it felt like."

Y/N smiled softly, her thumb rubbing the back of his hand.

"How about some coffee, on me?"

Josh grinned at the girl in front of him. "That'd be great!"

After that, they had been inseparable.

Until now.

Now they were in separate places, trying to forget every painful memory they made together in the last 4 years.

Eventually, Y/N's friends got her out of bed, convinced her to come to the park with them. She reluctantly agreed, but only on the condition that she could drive herself- that way if needed she could leave whenever she wanted.

So she got up, took a shower, brushed her teeth, and put on the best clothes she could manage without breaking down because it brought her a memory of Josh- which was harder than you would think.

She made a mental note to go clothes shopping later.

She sighed as she sat in her car, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath before starting the engine and pulling out of her driveway.

When she pulled into the park, it was deserted, and she sighed in relief. Her best friends sent a text saying they were on their way, so Y/N exited her car and sat on the park bench, waiting for them to show up.

Josh was exhilarated. He had just finished his first concert, and the feeling of the fans cheering as he sang was still alive and electric in his bones. His adrenaline was running so high he couldn't sit still.

So he decided to take a walk.

He wanted to go to the park, it was his comfort these last couple of months. It was a place where he could breathe, where he could be alone with his thoughts.

He usually thought about Y/N.

But today was different, he finally felt alive again. He was walking around the park, humming his songs to himself as he took in the stillness of this afternoon. If it hadn't been for the adrenaline coursing through his veins, he would have found it eerie.

But he didn't. So he kept walking and singing, relishing in the feeling of the wind running through his hair.

Until he heard an all too familiar voice.

She was singing- singing in a way that sounded sad, like every word she uttered was forced- but it was beautiful. He knew that voice the second he heard it, but he just couldn't believe it.

He rushed to hide behind a tree, peaking his head out to glimpse at the singing girl. He couldn't believe his eyes, there Y/N was, right in front of him, looking just as beautiful as the day he left her.

But she was different, he could see it in the way she slouched as she sat on the bench, slowly swinging her legs back and forth while singing to herself softly. She was hurting, and he knew it was because of him.

"Y/N-"

He meant to say it in his head, but her name had slipped past his lips, and her head whipped around, her eyes catching his. She gasped in shock, tears welling in her eyes as she looked at the boy who stole her heart away standing in front of her after spending so much time apart.

She stood up quickly, wiping her eyes and running in the opposite direction towards her car, she needed to get out of there before she broke even more. She knew it was a mistake coming here, she should've listened to herself.

"Y/N wait-" he called out, reaching out to stop her. But it was too late, she was already long gone and pulling out of her parking spot, tears clouding her vision. Joshua ran out from behind the tree, running up to her car, before he stopped dead in his tracks, watching the scene unfold in front of him.

Y/N had been speeding out of the parking lot and onto the street, not bothering to look before she slammed on the gas and pulling onto the street, before she saw a speeding car coming at her from the side, ramming into her before everything went black.

She finally found peace.

And Josh had just lost it.

#joshua bassett fluff #joshua bassett angst #joshua bassett imagines #joshua >>>>#joshua bassett #ricky bowen angst #ricky bowen fluff #ricky bowen fanfiction #ricky bowen imagines #ricky bowen #hsmtmts

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nct-oli · 3 years

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IPYTM EP 4

I just feel like saying all of my IPYTM ep 4 thoughts now that I watched the episode, before I read any other posts on here. Raw thoughts minutes after closing the episode.

I feel like I need to say this first. I do not agree with Oh reading Teh’s logbook and invading his privacy, but I do appreciate that he told him later that he did. I also do not like the hitting Teh with the bouquet. Okay, just wanted to get that out of the way.

TEH (AND JAI)

I’m still mad at Teh. I do not forgive him. But I do want to say that Jai is a piece of shit for manipulating Teh the way he did. This episode made it so clear to me how Jai used what Teh wrote in that logbook to his gain, recognizing how vulnerable Teh was and seeing how weak his relationship with Oh-Aew had gotten and using that to his benefit.

Now honestly, I can’t tell if that truly was his plan from the start or if he saw the way Teh had fallen for him and what happened with Oh and decided to say that it was never real in an attempt to stop it as soon as possible.

Regardless, if he was a good friend as well as a good director, Jai would never have used Teh’s broken relationship the way he did. He could have tried to help Teh rekindle things with Oh, work through some of his fears and anxieties that were keeping him from feeling close to his boyfriend. That very likely could have solved both problems–Teh’s relationship issues and his acting barrier–but instead, Jai manipulated Teh’s feelings.

However, I’m not letting Teh off that easily either. There was a moment when I actually did feel a little bad for him, when I started to recognize how Jai was using him and playing with his feelings. And when Teh and Oh started doing a little better, I allowed myself to think that maybe they could figure it out with more communication.

But no, Teh wandered off at the after party to see Jai, and any tiny flicker of forgiveness I felt went out the door. The way he showed no genuine guilt or shame with Oh too made me honestly sick. Like Oh said, did he think he was stupid? Did Teh think he was being subtle? It gave me secondhand embarrassment to see him believe he was being anything except disgustingly obvious about what was going on.

And then for him to call Jai the Fang to his Akin, with his too-forgiving boyfriend sitting in the other room?? Again, do you have no shame, Teh???

Also, the way Jai and Teh both gaslit Oh-Aew, trying to make him think he was overreacting and overthinking when both of them knew Teh’s feelings were not just the result of his great acting. That the kiss was never just an exercise (at least from Teh’s side, which is the side that mattered most). Watching them both lie to Oh’s face like that lit a rage fire within me.

Now, the scene of Oh-Aew and Teh singing on stage and the music going quiet as Teh’s attention drifted from Oh to Jai was heartbreaking in a really good way. I’m so proud of Oh-Aew for finally deciding that moment was enough, that Teh deserved no more chances, and that he needed to walk away. I’m so proud of him for choosing himself.

I appreciate Teh’s roommate. I don’t have the sympathy in me at this very moment so soon after the episode to wish Teh such kindness, but I’m sure tomorrow morning I’ll be a little more open to him having the emotional support I know deep down he needs. So I’m glad he has his roommate extending a hand.

And it was incredibly sad to watch Teh realize how he’d isolated himself to the extreme all for this one dream, maybe forgetting along the way to dream about his relationship with Oh-Aew, his long term friendships, etc. All of the other dreams you can and should have as well. I think he started to realize everything he’d given up for acting and how less glamorous and fun it really was now that he was here.

And that hit him even more when he got casted and potentially signed, only to face the reality that it also meant erasing the digital footprint of his relationship with Oh, one of the few things he still had left. This life he had envisioned kept getting less and less glamorous by the second.

I’m not saying I want him to give up on his dream of acting, but I do hope that everything that has happened is his much needed wake up call. That he finds more empathy for the people he judged for drifting from acting, for the people he pushed away for not trying hard enough. I hope he sees how selfish and ignorant his actions and his words have been over the past few years and that he takes this as a starting point for a more understanding and accepting outlook on not just his own life but the lives of those around him.

And I do hope he heals one day. Or, well, I will hope for that tomorrow. Tonight I’m still mad at him.

OH-AEW

Now on to Oh. As I said before, I don’t condone the invasion of Teh’s privacy or hitting him with the bouquet. But otherwise, I really am proud of Oh-Aew. Do I think he handled everything perfectly? No. In an ideal world, I would have liked him to confront Teh sooner so he could have given him the opportunity to be honest early on.

But given everything, I think Oh’s level of compassion and his willingness to try to understand are more than most people are willing to give in his shoes. I genuinely do respect how level-headed he went about it. I wish he had been better rewarded for his grace, and instead he got a boyfriend who lied and continued to go behind his back even after Oh had given him an undeserved second chance.

But what I am most proud of is how Oh-Aew handled breaking up with Teh. Telling Teh that he was hurt and asking him to have pity on him. Oh chose himself again, more permanently. In that moment, he understood that Teh’s apology did not warrant forgiveness and that he was allowed to stay hurt, to stay angry, to stay unwilling to take Teh back.

Oh was vulnerable and still stayed firm in his decision to respect himself anyway, to trust his feelings and prioritize his healing. Teh was there crying before him, and he still understood that he had no responsibility to fix Teh’s pain. That the pain Teh was feeling was pain he had inflicted on himself.

You can see in the way he turned back to look at Teh leave and then the way he sobbed afterwards that it took all of his strength to not give in moments earlier. How easy it would have been for him to take comfort in the familiarity of Teh’s embrace once again, to give him that second chance and hope for the best. I wouldn’t have blamed him if he did; it’s hard to give up someone who once made you feel safe. Who once felt like home.

But I am so proud of him for choosing himself anyway. For knowing that, however hard it was in that moment to let go, it would have been even harder to live every day sacrificing his mental and emotional security for a relationship he knew would never feel the same. For a man he could never fully trust again.

Oh-Aew has grown so much.

OH’S FRIENDS

Also, Oh has the cutest, sweetest friends in the world. This was my favorite scene in the entire episode. I’m so glad he found his group and that they love him so much.

The contrast between Teh and Oh-Aew throughout this season and especially in this episode has been really apparent as they’ve drifted apart. And I think this scene really highlighted that. Teh verbally acknowledged how he had no one to turn to anymore, how he’d ruined his relationships with everyone over time, meanwhile Oh was surrounded by people ready to love him and take care of him until he was better.

Oh’s honesty with himself and the people around him resulted in a community of friends supporting him as his authentic self, while Teh’s lies to himself and the people around him resulted in solitude.

It’s tragic for him, really.

EP 5?

Honestly, I have no idea what will happen with episode 5. At this point, I want Oh-Aew to find happiness away from Teh and for Teh to fix his insecurities on his own. I don’t want them together.

Maybe one day they’ll find each other again. I don’t know. But after this season’s storyline has unfolded, I think Oh deserves better. And I don’t think they make sense anymore.

AND BECAUSE IT NEEDS TO BE SAID

Oh-Aew dying his hair from red to black again? Yeah. He is Teh’s red no more.

#this took me 2 whole hours to write and gif #it’s not even THAT long but organizing my thoughts enough to write something coherent took a long time #they should have just left it at itsay #they could have left everyone believing Teh and Oh were happily together :(#long post #sorry I’m on mobile so I can’t add a read more thing #teh x oh aew #i promised you the moon #ipytm spoilers

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weirdlyfitting · 3 years

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Forgive me for being so late eheh, I couldn't figure out who's who or what's what from the list plus being busy irl BUT HEY! Finally I can join this countdown!

Ok so I'm gonna do like from day 1-recent

Favorite Character

Darius Bowman & Kenji Kon

TBFH I LOVE ALL CAMP FAM CHARACTERS. They all had great character development plus clear motivation on why they did what they did. Those stuff got handled so well and ugh it made me so hard to choose ahaha.

Anyway, I love Darius because he's such a dino nerd. Plus his "never give up" spirit that inspired me as the audience to stay strong when things do fall apart. He's such a precious boi 🥺

And then Kenji. *sigh I hated, HATED this boi since he got introduced. But then as the eps kept going, I realized that he's just a teen that made mistakes and learn from them. The scene in S1 ep 6, when the kids were doing kayak river thing and Kenji told Brooklyn to stop bothering Sammy? Yeah, that's when I doubted my hatred . In S2 I started to actually love his character! He's just so....dumb and innocent lmaooo. The thing is for a comedic character I loved how he also has depth and development :D

Favorite Friendship

CAMP FAM! (Darius, Ben, Kenji, Yaz, Sammy, Brooklyn)

First they're uh- reminded me of the losers club from IT *cough Ben and Eds *cough- especially

Anyway the dynamic and chemistry are awesome! I really hope in S3 there will be more deep convo like in S1 ep 7 (at the monorail, before Ben's near death fall). Them bonding with knowing and understanding each other's feelings is just 🥺😥😭💞

Favorite Ship

Dave & Roxie

Hmm I'm not into shipping but the closest that I really had interest with are Dave & Roxie and Darius & Brooklyn. But Dave & Roxie is just so cute and fun lol. Like the cool uncle and aunt that genuinely cared even if yes, they did made a lot of mistakes while doing it.

Favorite Funny Scene

S1 Ep 3, when Ben was the one who drive the gyrosphere (idk if this spelled right lmao) and Kenji being the passenger

There are many memorable funny scenes but THIS ONE was the first ever scene that made me wheezed (looking back, I used to think that CC wasn't that good oop- so yeah doubted it but hey look at where I am now!). Kenji's face and Dave and Roxie just "smile and wave" I remember holding my laugh so no one can get disturbed (the first time I watched CC was at night time lol)😭🤣

Favorite Sad Scene

After I rewatch S1, I changed my mind on Ben's near death fall and choose the convo in the monorail.

This isn't really a sad scene but to me when rewatching it, it made me cry. Like seriously real tears what-

"now that it's over, what are the odds if we'll see each other again", everyone is silent then Jurassic World/Park theme played YO I STARTED TO FEEL SO EMO ESPECIALLY WITH THE THEME PLAYED 😭

And then "My dad used to say this place was Allosaurus in the bag of chips" gosh when Darius' voice cracked it broke me- yes I crieeeeeed

Favorite Episode

S2 Ep 8

Ugh this episode and finale is much much better than S1 (it's not that I hated s1's finale it's just s1 was wayyyy more depressing man :( ). Camp fam is together again and Darius completed his arc here (he has serious guilt issue since Ben's fall and I'm glad it got resolved here). This episode was sooooo fun with the actions! And the cliffhanger? I was terrified of what'll come next, but overall I really really enjoy it ahaha 😁💖

And bonus : Kenji learned to ride a motorbike made me so happy when the first time I watched it. I relate so much because that time I was learning to ride one too haha.

Favorite Quote

"We're not GIVING UP! I get it. It's scary. This wasn't how today was supposed to be. Things aren't always going to go your way. Life is messy and sometimes, things fall apart. But that's okay. Because when that happen we pick up the pieces and keep going. And we never give up!" -Darius Bowman, S1 Ep 4

Ahh since I hear it I used this whenever I had a bad day and so many negative thoughts going in my mind. This quote is my comfort quote along with what Tulip said to One-One in The Unfinished Car from Infinity Train 💕

Okay so that's all for now. What's left is free space + season 3 airs! I'll use my free space for making edit from these lists and if I don't have time maybe I'll try to share my s3 review? Idk but I'll make sure I'm on time for the last list ;)

#jurassic world camp cretaceous #camp cretaceous #jwccs3countdown

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babyminssii · 4 years

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My Top 10 Jikook Moments

I decided to pick my top 10 jikook moments (up until June 2020) in no particular order to really kick off my blog :). There’s so many lovely interactions between these two it was hard to choose just 10 🥴but I managed to narrow them down. If you want me to elaborate on why I love any of these moments let me know!

1. JM running across the stage to JK when he noticed him crying. Then staying by his side until he was okay. Just this whole moment is 🥺. (LYS London Tour 2018)

2. When an emotional JK broke down further the moment he laid eyes on JM. And just everything before & after this moment. (SYS Tour Final 2019) cr. 2themoon_bts, fate_jimin, freesia_kookmin

3. GCF Tokyo as a whole. From JK’s bday tweet for JM, to us learning they went on a trip together, to their halloween tweet, to JM’s cute mini vlogs, to THE OG GCF itself, to JM’s reply tweet. (Nov 7, 2017)

4. Rosebowl. JK engulfing JM’s body with his own, the ‘I love you’s’, JM getting overwhelmed, the ear thing??? In front of a whole stadium?? Yea that night was something else. (SYS Tour Rosebowl 2019) cr. seost_13, fate_jimin, _slowbutsteady

5. This picture that we all swore was fake but was actually real. Like I still can’t believe we got this on April fools day of all days & then absolutely no footage of how this happened. I’m not over how soft looking at this pic makes me 🥺 (Run Ep. 98, 2020)

6. GCF Saipan. Though it’s an ot7 GCF, the lyrics.. THE LYRICS whenever JM pops up on the screen. Also RM’s tweet of them filming & JK’s tweet giggling to JM’s antics in the water. Priceless. (July 25, 2018) cr. 2themoon_bts

7. The whole 2017 Summer Package legit felt like their honeymoon. Honestly still feels like a fever dream, there was just SO MUCH going on we didn’t know what to do with ourselves. & the rainbow unicorn shoot? Wild. (SP 2017) cr. chimtae

8. 2018 MMA is one for the books! the flirting, the whispering, the constant contact, the comfort. Literally everything about them this night was intimate in a very public way (i mean they were at an award show). (MMA 2018) cr. meltinon_, 2themoon_bts

9. Gimbap Chefs Vlive. I found myself smiling the whole time watching them cause of how at ease and domestic they were with each other. there’s so much I could say about this live but i’ll just leave it at that for now. + the bonus jikook selca we got after ages! (June 21, 2020)

10. When JM was traveling & posted a video of him wishing JK a happy birthday since he couldn’t be with him, only to fly across countries to spend A DAY with JK before resuming his vacation. yea.. & the bday cake/presents in this photo. Literally one of the sweetest things to do for someone so close to you IMO. (september 1, 2020)

This was so hard to choose and I think I might make another list of my top 10 Jikook tweets if anyone’s interested. There’s definitely a few I would have included here if I had the room lol. Anyways I hope you enjoyed this list :) Send an ask or reply and let me know what some of your favorite moments are? Make a top 10 if you’re able to <3

#this took way longer than i thought it would #but i hope you enjoy :)#any uncredited gif is my own #jikook moments #top 10 jikook moments #jikook #kookmin #pjm #jjk #jikook post

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ourpsychicfg · 4 years

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Hospital Playlist - Reply Series & Prison Playbook Parallelism #5 - Fate & Timing

Featuring @thisiskitsune

N.B.: Shin PD - “I wanted to be able to show the strength that [the viewers can get] through the small and precious stories from the hospital. The setting and background is the only thing different about this drama compared to that of the ‘Reply’ series or ‘Prison Playbook.’ Similar to those dramas, Hospital Playlist follows the everyday lives of ordinary people, telling those small but previous and warm stories. The funny moments, the interesting moments, and the sad moments of life are all part of that story that I wanted to show when making this drama.” (Cr. Soompi)

Dear readers,

Fate and timing. These are the subjects that we will share with you today. It seems that fate and timing have been a recurring theme for writer Lee Woo Jung whenever she writes about the love story in all of her Reply series.

In the Reply series, fate and timing were narrated by the main characters, be it the main couple or the guy having the unrequited love. There were also instances where those were given in a random scene. Let us first take a look at the narrations and a relevant random scene from the Reply series.

Reply 1997

“They say that people are born with a red string that they can’t see, tied to their pinky fingers, and the end is tied to the one you’re fated to be with. But the thread is twisted this way and that, making it hard to find the other end. People’s countless threads, all tangled together. But when I start to unravel it, I end up face to face with my fate, without even knowing it. If the red thread of fate really exists, then who is the one tied to my red thread?” – Yoon Jae, Reply 1997

“Each expecting different things, each looking at different places, each dreaming different dreams… everything that happens between one man and one woman, is just continuous love and war. You sulk, you pacify, you fight, you make up, you hurt, you embrace. A relationship like a manic-depressive patient who can’t make up his mind. But the hardest thing about the relationship between a man and a woman is the timing—if the love doesn’t begin at the same time, it’s unlikely to ever begin at all.” – Yoon Jae, Reply 1997

Reply 1994

“Sometimes there are moments when I really feel like there is a God. Even if there isn’t, there are times I feel like there has to at least be a something like Fate to explain certain situations. This exquisite coincidence, this unbelievable timing, this ingenious reversal—it’s possible that my fate is playing a game with me. Fate pushes me to the edge of a cliff, makes it so that I can’t budge, and in the end passes me the ball. In the end Fate is choosing. Now I just have to make a choice.” – Na Jeong, Reply 1994

“Fate is damned. Fate is cruel. And Fate… is strong. Fate throws us into dilemmas, traps us in corners where we can’t do a thing, and in the bitter end, even ignores our sincere prayers. That’s how Fate is damned. That’s how Fate is cruel and strong.” – Trash, Reply 1994

“Another reason why Fate is cruel and strong: timing you can’t predict. This is how Fate is cruel.” – Chilbong, Reply 1994

Reply 1988

“Fate doesn’t come around at any time. To use the word fate, it has to be a dramatic moment brought by coincidence—that makes it fate. That’s why another word for fate is timing. If I hadn’t gotten caught at just one of those lights, if those damned red lights had helped me out just once… I might be standing in front of her right now, like fate. My first love was always held back by damned timing. That damned timing. But fate and timing aren’t just coincidences that find you. They’re moments like miracles that arise out of choices made because of ardent desire. Surrender and decision, without hesitation—that is what makes timing. He was more ardent, and I should’ve had more courage. It wasn’t the red lights nor the timing that was bad… but the countless times I hesitated.” – Kim Jung-Hwan, Reply 1988

In Ep. 11, when the mothers went to see a fortune teller, she told them that Jun Hwan will do fine on his own. And in the finale of Reply 1988, we saw how Jun Hwan became a successful fighter pilot without Deok Sun as his partner.

This, dear readers, is how Writer Lee created fate in her Reply universe (Cr. BoD). The theme will be narrated and the hints will also be there, in random scenes where nothing seems of much importance.

Hospital Playlist

What about the variation in Hospital Playlist? Thus far, instead of individually narrated, these subjects were shown through the flow of the story, where it is relevant. The variation in Hospital Playlist uses random scenes and matching (mismatch) parallel scenes to depict the working of fate and timing (or mistiming). What is obviously missing is the individual narration by the lead actors/ actress. Using the narrations from previous reply series, the themes of fate and timing are reapplied for the main love story in Hospital Playlist.

Episode 4 on Fate and Timing

A random scene whereby Song Hwa tells Ik Jun she wants to be a chauffeur if she quit being a doctor. Suddenly, Jeong Won appears out of nowhere seeking help to park his car before he rushes to ER.

Episode 6 on Timing:

A mismatch random scene whereby few months later, Song Hwa is walking to the car park’s lift when Ik Jun arrives and asks Song Hwa to park his bicycle because he needs to go to the toilet.

Episode 9 on Fate:

A matching random scene whereby Song Hwa left IJ’s car unattended (car door’s open) and rushes to ER, resembling Jeong Won in Ep. 4.

Episode 5 on Fate and Timing:

A random scene whereby Jang is running after, and trying very hard to get the abuser father who is running away from her and Song Hwa easily catches him. A hint of a future event that despite Jang is running around to pursue Jeong Won it is Song Hwa who will be the one to effortlessly get him (Cr. BoD).

Episode 10 on Fate and Timing:

On 16th Oct. 2019, Ik Jun witnesses Jeong Won unswerving support to Song Hwa’s personal hobby of purchasing her wood stove and how she easily allows Jeong Won into her personal space. Jeong Won confesses about DLL, and gives her the management rights to his project and inheritance (i.e. the VIP room’s revenue). She accepts his confession with a sombre expression knowing he is leaving and agrees to wait for his explanation.

A few days later Ik Jun tries to train Song Hwa instead of accepting her eating habit and indirectly invades her personal space. She pushes his feet away. Subsequently, he indirectly confesses to her and she gives him an indirect answer by looking away and changing the topic.

A random scene whereby Jeong Won informs Jun Wan that he sells his car because he no longer needs it given that he has decided to leave. Unbeknownst to Jeong Won at that moment that in the end he will be making a decision to stay but without a car. Perhaps it’s a future hint of a newly employed chauffeur or a new camper van?

Episode 12 on Timing:

On 3rd Dec. 2019, Song Hwa is happily expecting Jeong Won’s confession. She readily supports his decision to stay and continue to treat his patients without him having to say it out loud. This time she is very pleased with his confession.

On 5th Dec. 2019, Ik Jun comes to Sokcho for the third indirect confession to Song Hwa. Song Hwa’s reaction to Ik Jun’s confession is in contrast to her reaction to Jeong Won’s confession, yet again.

In the end fate is choosing: By end of S1, Song Hwa is left having to make a choice between the confession by Ik Jun and the person who is currently residing in her heart. Who will Song Hwa choose?

The Red String of Fate

A fellow FGr has given a thought about the red string between Song Hwa and Jeong Won. @thisiskitsune has observed that despite Jeong Won and Song Hwa lack one-to-one interactions from Ep. 1 to Ep. 9, yet it is very clear that Jeong Won has always been there quietly and willingly catering to her needs and comforts. Like his position as the drummer, he is always in the background looking out for her. Their silent understanding towards one another is like an invisible red string between them.

This writer agrees. Song Hwa and Jeong Won may seem apart from each other yet they are very much aligned in their beliefs, principles, values and interests. So much so that they can read each other’s mind. It’s like their red string is there, invisible yet strongly connected. End of S1 may have presented them with a cruel fate. How will they work it out? Will their red string be broken by the dilemma they are facing?

Perhaps S2 will enlighten us and we shall wait, patiently for that day to come.

Cr. BoD

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ratingtheframe · 3 years

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Everything Wrong With… Ep 2 - The Devil Wears Prada

Welcome back to Everything Wrong With...the series where dive head first into some of the seemingly okay-ish films and analyse why in fact they do more harm than good in providing us with satiable entertainment. Follow me on instagram @ratingtheframe for more movie related content and without further ado, let's get into this chick flick and see how far we’ve come since 2006.

If you aren’t aware, The Devil Wears Prada is a 2006 “chick flick” originally written as a book by Lauren Weisenburger. I remember seeing The Devil Wears Prada as one of those grown up lady films, for mature women on tampon adverts who had wine on Thursday evenings from M&S and wore heels practically everywhere. My perception of this film and the audience it caters towards has changed dramatically after watching it and it kills me inside to imagine the popularity and praise such a film got back in 2006, an extremely harsh time for women and the perception of beauty standards.

The world was still getting into the internet, magazines and runways were adjusting to the 2000s and the way that women were viewed in the media was a lot more damaging than today. Former supermodels such as Kate Moss and Cara Delevingne have since come out and talked about their experiences in the modelling industry and how it creates unhealthy stereotypes for women and young girls to abide by. The ‘size 0’ and ‘heroin chic look’ has since been banished from the modelling industry, two expectations that were pretty popular in the late and early 2000s for models. We are witnessing a revolution for the modelling industry as they (very) slowly but surely are beginning to introduce more plus sized, diverse and unfiltered faces for their campaigns. We can breathe easier knowing that the only way is forward for the fashion industry and that very little people will stand for the mid 2000s ideologies that were pumped out to the entire world.

Back to 2006 and one of the year’s most popular films with female audiences; The Devil Wears Prada, starring the likes of Anne Hathaway, Meryl Streep and Emily Blunt. The film follows Andy Sachs (Anne Hathaway) , a wannabe journalist newly welcomed into New York City and is currently on the hunt for her career. She manages to land a job at Runway Magazine, a large, corporate editorial magazine for women’s fashion run by the one and only Miranda Priestly (Meryl Streep), a devious, beautiful and highly successful media personality and editor.

So far so good as we have two tangible and likeable female leads. The opening sequence (one of the most important in any film) had me eye rolling a touch in the way it depicted women of the 2000s and seemingly created the idea that there are two sides to women.

The five or so minute montage consisted of the various women who are models at Runway, getting ready for their long day of work, right from being undressed to fully made up. This was supposed to be a contrast to how our lead Andy gets ready, barely throwing on any makeup and throwing on whatever she wants whilst heading out the door. When you put the way women choose to be perceived in the world at an opposition, you create this divide between women and further place their worth on how they choose to look. The stereotype of a ‘pick me girl’ arises from this opposition, a girl who actively shames other women for choosing to be more openly feminine in their appearance and actions. The intelligence and respect of women should not be based on how they look when they show up, rather how they BEHAVE when they show up. I just thought this montage was a little unnecessary and if anything, introduced us into a misogynistic world of 2006 really well. One point for accuracy, no points for progression. Everyone gets dressed in the morning and (often) everyone wears underwear, showing this activity on screen didn’t really add much to the film besides the pressures of women to look a certain way.

Once Andy arrives at the company, she is rudely introduced by Emily (Emily Blunt) Miranda’s current right hand. Now the entire character of Emily is again, another concept to this film that is left better in the 2000s; a mean girl and a VERY mean one at that. This world is already a patriarchal mess for women like Andy and Emily and having women join the bandwagon in showing an oppressive side to those who don’t conform to the female societal norms is non progressive. It was almost as if Emily was an investor into the patriarchy by behaving abhorrently towards her from the way she dressed as opposed to her actual character and qualifications. Please, let's not have women against women based on their desirability in the eyes of the male gaze. Emily has already become a clear victim to her own policies, as her lack of eating is laid bare to us as an entertaining gimmick as opposed to a cause of concern. Last time I checked making fun of eating disorders wasn’t chic.

Now the argument whether Miranda Priestly is also an investor in the patriarchy is a little clouded. Through her mean spirit and harsh words towards Andy and her appearance, she comes across as someone who is doing more harm than good by joining the patriarchal view of women in the 2000s. I found myself having to bite my tongue a little instead of calling her bitch because that would be letting my internalized misogyny get the best of me.

Even though Miranda is tough talking and spiteful, I really can’t blame her for it as a character. She is one of the strongest female characters I’ve come across on screen for both her strengths and flaws. Had such a character been placed in a Roman Army or Italian Mob, my views of her would have stayed the same. She is a strong woman with enough versatility and strength to face any situation. The way she asserts her authority in a funny and patronizing way is hard not to fall in love with and any woman who asserts their authority and relishes in their own power is already technically against the patriarchy. Her industry may be patriarchal, however her spirit is not and the things she does in order to keep her status is admirable. I found myself comparing her to the way a man maneuvers the world (again, internalised misogyny, working on it) which in some parts is the reason there should be more Miranda Priestly's in films. Instead of comparing strong women to men, with more strong female leads we’ll start comparing these women to other women.

Thank god for the zilch, overly graphic sex scenes in this film (maybe cuz the screenplay was written by a woman, but who knows-), however their is one character I’d like to address that rubbed me the wrong way and spoke for a big hole in the modelling/fashion industry that still exists today. Christian Thompson (Simon Baker) is this handsome, 40 summit journalist who meets Andy at a social event for a fashion designer. I admit he was charming in his demeanour but also overtly creepy at points. Andy and Christian bump into each other in Paris where he leads her down a street (his hand on THAT part of the elbow) and kisses Andy without consent, knowing she has a boyfriend. “Oh, it's just a movie” you’re probably thinking, but yet I couldn’t help but cringe at such a thing. Movies are a reflection of our society after all. He kisses her several more times until Andy gives in. If we’re trying to get films to reach audiences and affect them in some way, encouraging consent should be one of those things. Depicting such a madness on screen makes my rolls right to the back of my head and speaks for the entire society behind the modelling and fashion industry; a society run by men who can do what they like with or without consent. Though the wellbeing of Andy wasn’t in imminent danger, I felt Christian Thompson as a character to be a representation of those in the fashion industry who take advantage of women because of their status and so called connections. No more of this please!

Andy has a transformation a little later into the film, a concept that we thought had been left in the patriarchy trash can, but quickly emerged in Debby Ryan’s Insatiable (2018). Lasting only 2 seasons from 2018-19, the Netflix series followed Patty Bladell who gets afforded niceties and respect after she loses weight and becomes a “hot girl”. The show was created by Lauren Guissis based on an article about a (male) Pageant Guru who tells women how they can become pageant queens for a small fee...EW. The fact that such a show got picked up in a day and age that was beginning to open up to body positivity and more inclusivity in the media, the show was insensitive to its current surroundings.

This same “ugly duckling” transformation isn’t something new or old apparently, with the one in The Devil Wears Prada being one of the least progressive moments of the film. Now that Andy looked like she could work at Runway, somehow she was working a lot better at Runway and was being afforded privileges she didn’t get before her new haircut. Is this the message we want to send out to the world anymore? That in order to get a one up in life, all you need is new clothes and better make up skills? Of course, glo ups can be fun but the purest, healthiest form of a glow up comes from within.

A tiring cliché that “beauty comes from within” but one that makes a lot of sense and something I experienced in my mid teens. Having never experienced male validity or the feeling of desirability, once I began to believe I was beautiful on the outside, others began to notice, because they could read the confidence and self worth I had from my outward energy. An energy that can’t be felt beyond a face tuned Instagram picture. Beauty can be an energy as well as a look and had Andy embraced this more and rejected the passing comments people made at her, it would have taught us that one doesn’t have to conform in order to be respected. On the other hand, I don’t want to shame nor blame her as conforming to societal standards as for most women ,it’s an act of survival, to secure their places in certain spaces, with Andy being no expectation. A sad reality that a woman may have to wear makeup in order to stay in people’s good books, but a choice that should be discussed as opposed to shamed.

I truly could go on and on about the harmful stereotypes and implications of The Devil Wears Prada and it's sad, yet true similarities to the real fashion industry of today and the mid 2000s. It was and still is cut throat, with many models developing eating disorders, low self esteem issues and even substance abuse due to the mounting pressures of trying to reach perfection. A perfection that doesn’t exist seeing as the fashion and modelling industry alters their version of perfection every single day. I’m glad that by the end of the film Andy ditched Runway in favour of living a more healthy and truthful lifestyle, one that wasn’t swapped in ridiculous pressures and the threat to conform or else leave. Which she did in the end. Miranda isn’t a devil, but a force to be reckoned with in a world that is ready to make her feel lesser than herself because of her gender. I hope to never see such a film like The Devil Wears Prada, ever again, in a world that no longer needs this sort of film to represent the strengths of women. It's best left in 2006 and hopefully you’ve learnt something you’ve never thought about from this in depth analysis.

#the devil wears prada #meryl streep #anne hathaway #emily blunt #2000s movies #fashion #fashionindustry #badmovies #cinema #feminisim #everyday feminism

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