#>> majority of whom make a thing out of it who i'd be dead without my stand with hm soo mysterious ominous even hmmm

[slimyenemy]

yeah you when a glitchy traumatized person you found being tortured in a glitch eternal trauma maze is too glitchy and traumatized for you especially if you glitch it and traumatize it some more

[selenepsyche]

Who is Selene? | The Rogue of Astrology

MASTERLIST | KOFI | INSTAGRAM | TIK TOK | PAID ASTROLOGY READINGS

This is my official introduction post about myself and this blog. So greetings, I go by Selene, also known as @selenepsyche. Selene isn't my real name of course, but it's what I want to go by. It's inspired by my one of my favorite musicians, Selena. I am currently 20. My birthday is December 8th! I was born and raised in Louisiana. I'm an African American woman, whom is also bisexual. If that still makes you uncomfortable in 2025, then exit my page.

Learning Tarot and Astrology

I've been studying astrology since I was 16 or 17, and I've been into Spirituality and Tarot since I was 15. Getting into spirituality changed my life. It helped open my mind and soul up to my psychic abilities and help re-establish my confidence. Of course, I've had many ups and downs since then, as part of spiritual journeys. I've dealt with shitty and fake friends, shitty relationships, serious mental health declines. But I have bounced back every time and learned the lessons.

My Other Passions

Apart from astrology, I have a serious passion for music. I live and breathe music. I can't live without it. I was even thinking about becoming a musician one day, maybe it could happen, maybe not. I just don't know if I wanna deal with being famous for that, knowing how weird and evil the industry is. As you can see from some of my posts and pfp, K-pop is one of my favorite genres (even though I just got back into it this year). I love all types of music except country. Some of my favorite artists are:

Queen | Amy Winehouse | Caroline Polachek | BTS | BigBang | Victoria Monet | Karol G | Paloma Mami | Sabrina Carpenter | Bad Bunny | Aespa | Shinee | Bad Gyal | Nathy Peluso | Anitta | Men I Trust | ABBA | Prince | Elton John | Tears For Fears | Wham! | Selena | Ravyn Lenae

I also love cooking and baking! I have been doing it since I was 13 or 14. I'm self taught, naturally talented (not to brag). I love playing video games as well, such as Cyberpunk 2077, GTA V, Fall Guys, Red Dead Redemption 2, WWE 2K, Roblox, InZoi, The Sims 4, etc. Open world games are my absolute favorite.

As you can see, the cyberpunk/futuristic aesthetic is a major apart of my blog. I just love the way it looks and the game, Cyberpunk 2077, is my favorite game of all time. I guess it's officially part of me, so much to wear I plan on getting cybersigilism tattoos in the future and dying my hair.

For other random facts, I'm great at video editing and drawing. My favorite movies of all time are Inception and Interstellar. I especially love musical and action movies. I absolutely love professional wrestling. My favorite female wrestler right now is Naomi. My favorite tv show of all time is The Walking Dead. But I also love Stranger Things, Squid Game, The Good Place, La Reina Del Sur, The Umbrella Academy, and Interview With a Vampire!

What Does "Rogue" Stand For?

In my bio, I call myself "The Rogue of Astrology". I'm explaining why because I don't want people to get confused since there are multiple definitions to the word "rogue". Some people describe a rogue as a dishonest person, or someone who's fun or mischievous, or as a person who is rebellious and follows their own rules.

When I call myself this, I mean it to say that I am outspoken, speak my mind, and write what the fuck I wanna write without sugarcoating anything. Of course I use astrology to help people, but to also call out bullshit when necessary and share my knowledge and theories. (And maybe I also chose it to lean further into my cyberpunk theme lol).

I will always remain as respectful as possible. I swear I'm not mean lol, just passionate about what I do.

Why I Created This Blog

I created this blog for two main reasons: to build a platform with a community I love, and help others' heal while educating them. I'd want the same for me, which is why all of y'all's support means the world to me. I also want to build a community that will be full of positivity! I am grateful for my mutuals as well!

I know what it's like to not have anyone to depend on or simply talk to. Of course I've made friends, but most of them were toxic and backstabbing. It's even harder when both of your parents are toxic too. But I'm strong and smart, you all are too. We can achieve anything. We won't let anything or anyone hold us back. Anything is possible with the right plan.

With that being said, thank you all for reading this! I hope I didn't forget anything, but if I did I'll just edit it later. I love you all a great deal!

dividers: @cafekitsune pictures: Pinterest

(i shouldn't have to put a copyright on this. you're weird if you steal it.)

[silmkinkmeme]

Prompts 2022 Fest - Week 15

Maedhros mythologies

Prompt Rating: T

Additional Tags: Folklore

Prompt: I'm thinking about Amlach, the Man in Silm who experiences one of Morgoth's illusions and then (because he now has a grudge against Morgoth & co) makes his way to Himring to fight with Maedhros. I'd love to see some exploration of Maedhros' reputation in Beleriand (I'm most interested in Himring era here, but if you wanted to go earlier or later that's OK too.) Maedhros "lore," songs, stories, Chuck Norris type jokes, or any combo of those would be amazing.

Bonuses (free bingo card to pick and choose lol):

-Speculation about what Maedhros was like back in the West

-Speculation about what happened in Angband or otherwise to make Maedhros Like This

-Joking complaints about Maedhros' exactingness in terms of logistics or discipline

-Loyalty and/or Maedhros as a heroic figure

-Maedhros has scarring or other visible changes in aspect from his captivity

-Amlach could be a great character to serve as the POV or entry point here, or you could just sketch out anything on the theme, however small, without it being "grounded" in real events per se!

In terms of other content, gen or any Maedhros ships you like are good by me to include one way or another; I would just like the focus to remain mostly on Maedhros and his reputation(s). I am also OK with reading allusions to rape/noncon if you want to include them--you definitely do not have to, but I wanted to get the blanket permissions out of the way!

Ao3 link | dreamwidth link

Cw:incest Curufin/Fingolfin degradation

Prompt Rating: E

Warnings: Chose Not To Warn

Prompt: What it says on the tin!

Basically for whatever reason they have sex, and Fingolfin uses it to dominate him and take his anger out on Curufin. I'm open to anything- I don't have any DNWs but I do have one must have:

Trans Curufin; Fingolfin gets off on knocking him up and ruining Feanor's favorite son.

(Wether or not he gets pregnant with Tyelpe is up to the writer!)

Other then that feel free to go hog wild with it :)

dreamwidth link

Celebrimbor/Narvi

Prompt Rating: E

Warnings: Major Character Death

Prompt: A number of prompts for these two, whom I love!

Aging Narvi has Celebrimbor by his side in Khazad-dum. Maybe he reveals Celebrimbor his name in Khuzdul, maybe he's already dead or is dying and Celebrimbor is dealing with dwarven funerary customs. It'd be cool if the idea of the dwarven soul being able to return to the body (like Durin) was used here.

Celebrimbor and Narvi make things together, invent some science, or work themselves to exhaustion and then recover by chilling alone for a while. Maybe they sing to the stones. Or they're skinny dipping in the river, or in a subterranean pool.

Including some politics with Durin would be fun, but that would likely turn this into a much longer fic, so don't feel compelled. Short and intense or slice of life is also fun and cool.

Male Narvi and Celebrimbor son of Curufin please.

Bonuses:

- dwarven customs and politics, inclusion of the Gwaith-i-Mirdain

- creation as a sense of sharing

- mention of the family history with dwarves (Maedhros and Azaghal, Curufin and Telchar, Caranthir and dwarves)

DNW

- Annatar or silvergifting mentions

- Celebrimbor hating his father (complicated feelings okay, hate no) or with very low self-esteem/no ambitions

Ao3 link | dreamwidth link

Fingon/Maglor, any context

Prompt Rating: E

Warnings: Chose Not To Warn

Prompt: I'd love to see basically anything with this ship. I think it'd be fun to play with Maglor's insecurity about Fingon having been the one to heroically save Maedhros/other feelings of perhaps tension between them, but a purely fluffy dynamic or already established relationship is all good too.

Very optional bonuses:

- Smut w/ toppy Fingon

- Emotional hurt/comfort

- Some suggestion of/setup of Fingon "saving" Maglor or Maglor "saving" Fingon

- Maglor attempting to keep up an exterior appearance of carelessness/poise/wtv that is quick to melt away

Inclusion of Maedhros or one or both of them having relationships with Maedhros is fine with me but definitely not required! Trans hcs, genderbend, a/b/o also fine.

Ao3 link | dreamwidth link

To see all 497 prompts, please visit the kinkmeme's Ao3 collection. Don't forget to give some love to the authors of our 211 works. Check out also our Prompt Post 1 on dreamwidth for prompts and fills not posted on Ao3, to ask any clarifying questions to the prompters or just to squeal under the prompts you loved.

[grey-gazania]

I'm sorry someone bombarded you with bitchy comments 😭. While my To Read list is lengthy and continually lengthier (actually I think something of yours with her is on it), I'd like to hear more about Ianneth-Fingon-Maedhros if you want to talk about them.

@polutrope

It wasn't really upsetting, just annoying and honestly a little bit funny. This guy left comments on all six chapters of By Love or at Least Free Will, every time I updated the story, just objecting to the entire premise of the story and ranting about how Elves have incorruptible pure souls and are immune to lust. I was sorely tempted to respond with this quote from "Laws & Customs Among the Eldar":

Even when in after days, as the histories reveal, many of the Eldar in Middle-earth became corrupted, and their hearts darkened by the shadow that lies upon Arda, seldom is any tale told of deeds of lust among them.

'Seldom' is not the same thing as 'never', and furthermore, I don't think lust is even a major theme of my story. It's more about conflicting obligations and unruly hearts.

In the end I deleted the comments without responding, because I have a personal policy of not engaging with people who are acting in bad faith. But I have to assume that this guy has no actual hobbies if he spends his time hate-reading entire stories instead of just...closing the window and moving on with his life. Maybe take up crochet, bro? Or volunteer at a soup kitchen? Watch a TV show that you like? Grow some tomatoes? Do something that will be more fulfilling than typing long screeds on AO3. I promise it will make you a happier person.

Anyway. On to the actual topic of your ask! As you've probably noticed, I am very fond of Russingon. However, I am also very fond of Fingon as Gil-galad's father. At first I balanced these two ideas by keeping my Russingon ideas and my Fingon-father-of-Gil-galad ideas in two separate universes, but then I started really fleshing out Gil-galad's mother, and it made me think some thoughts. To repeat something I said to @cuarthol in a comment on AO3:

...half the genesis of Ianneth was seeing so many stories (in multiple fandoms, not just Tolkien) where the woman is written out of a canon or semi-canon couple to make room for a popular M/M ship instead, without the female character being treated with any respect. I decided that the female perspective on that situation would be a nice change of pace and interesting to write.

I'm not trying to point fingers -- I'll readily admit that I have my male faves just like the next gal and that it's fun to make them kiss -- but the wives and girlfriends don't get a lot of love in fandom, do they? And it doesn't help that the legendarium in general tends to be a bit of a sausage fest. So I decided that Fingon would have a wife and be in love with Maedhros. But instead of focusing just on the forbidden love, I was going to focus on the wife's feelings, too.

Ianneth ("bridge-woman") is one of the Northern Sindar, from the community that lives around Lake Mithrim. She's the daughter of Annael (yes, that Annael), whom I've imagined to be one of the more influential leaders among the Northern Sindar, and particularly among the Elves of Mithrim.

Her betrothal to Fingon starts as a political arrangement. Fingolfin loves Fingon dearly, of course, but he's also been hinting for a while now that Fingon really needs to settle down and start having kids so that there will be a strong line of heirs should Fingolfin die. After all, Argon's dead, and Turgon and Aredhel abruptly fucked off to god-knows-where some three hundred years ago and haven't been seen nor heard from since. Your dad needs some grandsons, Fingon, and this also seems like a ripe opportunity to strengthen the Noldor's alliance with the Northern Sindar.

I don't think political marriage is unknown among the Elves of Beleriand. (For one example in the text, see Celegorm trying to marry Luthien to force Doriath into an alliance.) And the quote I drew the title of the aforementioned Fingon/Ianneth story from, also found in "Laws and Customs Among the Eldar," is:

The Eldar wedded only once in life, and for love or at the least by free will upon either part.

Free will could easily mean, "Are we in love? No. But I'll still marry you, for the good of our peoples, and I'll bring some of Dad's soldiers along with me." That sort of thing happened all the time among real-world nobility, so I see no reason why it can't happen among Elven nobility in Beleriand, too.

At any rate, Fingolfin arranges for Fingon to meet the daughters of some of the more powerful leaders of the Northern Sindar, and he's hint-hint-hinting that Fingon really needs to pick one of them to be his wife. Fingon, having been in love with Maedhros since they were young in Valinor, is not exactly keen on this plan. But he goes along with it anyway because he is a dutiful son, he knows that his father is right about needing to strengthen the line of succession, and he also knows that revealing his (quite taboo!) relationship with Maedhros to his father would probably break Fingolfin's heart.

It takes Fingon a while to decide who to court, but he picks Ianneth because he likes her sense of humor; she has the guts to gently tease him at their first meeting, which he finds quite charming. He doesn't think he can love anyone besides Maedhros, but he does look at Ianneth and think, "This is a woman I could grow to care for and whose companionship I think could enjoy."

The trouble begins when, over the course of their courtship, Fingon starts falling in love with Ianneth without falling out of love with Maedhros. And he doesn't know what to do about this. He can't call off the marriage, and he doesn't want to break things off with Maedhros, so he decides to just...keep the whole thing with Maedhros a secret and marry Ianneth anyway. It's not a good decision, but really, are there any options here that won't end with someone getting hurt? I don't think so.

So we have Ianneth, blissfully ignorant of her husband's infidelity (for now); Fingon, in love with two people at once and feeling horribly guilty about it, but unwilling to pick one partner over the other; and Maedhros, resigned to the situation but still hurting because Fingon is no longer his alone.

Maedhros' feelings are complicated by the fact that, once he meets her, he finds that likes Ianneth. It would be easier, he thinks, if he could write her off as just a political necessity for Fingon, but it turns out that she's charming and intelligent and kind, and he can understand why Fingon loves her. His feelings soften further once Ereiniel is born, because Fingon is so happy being a father, and he loves Fingon, so how can he begrudge him that? There's a line from "Famous Blue Raincoat" by Leonard Cohen that I always think of when I'm getting into Maedhros' head at this point:

And thanks for the trouble you took from [his] eyes. I thought it was there for good, so I never tried.

Things tick along about as smoothly as they can for thirteen years, until, in the aftermath of Fingolfin's death during the Dagor Bragollach, as Fingon prepares to send Ianneth and Ereiniel to the Falas for their safety, Ianneth learns his secret. This is understandably devastating for her, and leaves her wondering if Fingon ever really loved her as she loved him, or if his marriage to her was simply a politically expedient sham.

Add to that the fact that she leaves for the Falas less than ten hours after this revelation and spends most of that ten hours either crying or asleep, as she's too upset to really talk to Fingon about what she's discovered, and it leaves her with this horrible knowledge and all the worst thoughts that come from it gnawing at her nearly a full year until Fingon next comes to Eglarest -- time that she spends as the sole caregiver for her young daughter, among strangers in a foreign city, without her mother or her sister or any of her friends who might have theoretically been able to offer her some emotional support.

Theoretically is a key word there, though, because even if, say, her sister had come to Eglarest, Ianneth isn't sure she'd even be able to tell her. For one thing, she can't help feeling ashamed, because infidelity is very rare among Elves, and she can't help thinking that maybe she failed as a wife somehow, and if she'd done something different, Fingon wouldn't have strayed. Then there's the fact that he's the High King of the Noldor, and if this gets out it could cause a crisis in the Noldorin government and possibly tank the alliance between the House of Fingolfin and the Northern Sindar. Ianneth is a practical woman, and she's of the Northern Sindar -- the people who have been living practically on Morgoth's doorstep for centuries, with no Maia queen's magic girdle to protect them. Their alliance with the Noldor is vital, and she would never want to jeopardize it.

So Ianneth is just...completely alone with this pain. She has no one to turn to, no one who can comfort her. And that pain is central to her story, and a not insignificant part of Ereiniel's story, too.

[thepolyamorouspolymath]

The US is abiding by the Geneva Convention as there are no provisions against selling arms. Not a single US soldier has put boots on the ground -- in fact, the Navy built a whole ass floating dock to deliver humanitarian aid without doing so.

We should stop fucking selling weapons to lunatics, and I feel comfortable calling the Israeli leadership that (as they're the ones we sell to) because I've known a lot of crazy people in the clinical sense (none of whom plotted genocide, though, so I dealt with a better class of lunatics.)

Personally, I'd sanction assassination of the whole lot until they got someone reasonable. We have the skills for it.

But quote frankly, Israel has done more than enough to hang their leaders for under the Nuremberg precedent. US leaders (the majority push is coming from the right because they need the evangelical vote and evangelicals want Israel because it's a condition of their weird apocalypse fantasies of the Rapture) have not actually committed war crimes, so let's make this what it is. When your enemies are this bad, you do not need to do more than recite the facts and data to condemn them and doing so makes you seem hyperbolic and not worth listening to.

(Also the Red Cross said the Holocaust camps were safe, so maybe not trust them as a benchmark.)

Also rules for "fair war" has always only been a white people thing. For instance China was pissed at Japan invading and killing people in WWII -- not at the method they used. Look at tactics employed anywhere else and people care more about getting dead than whether you followed the rules in killing them.

This is the exact same world your grandparents grew up in (mine grew up with the Holocaust and Bataan Death March, the exact same world your parents grew up in (the atrocities in Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos), that you grew up in (terrorist attacks literally everywhere by everyone except the US who freaked out over one time of being faced with accountability), that your children will grow up in (active shooter drills in school, two major wars with war crimes and genocidal intent with two more threatening every goddamn day), and so on and so forth.

You just can't stick your head in the stand about this one and so you pretend the good old days were good, when in fact they sucked for most of the planet.

im sorry because i know my thoughts should be focused on palestine right now. but i can't stop thinking about what all this means for the future. my parents, my grandparents, me, we've all taken for granted a world where even in war there are rules adhered to. there have always been war crimes but in general all across the world it was safe to shelter in schools, temples, hospitals. anyone bearing the red cross/crescent could be trusted. no side would disguise their soldiers as humanitarian aid and invade a refugee camp

palestine will be free, but even when it is those rules of war will still have changed. now we know the US will not abide by the geneva convention who can risk following it? my children will live in a world with a free palestine one day, but they will never get to live in a world where shelters, medics, and aid mean safety. and every death caused by this rewriting of the rules of war is directly attributable to israel and the US's genocide

[absolutebl]

hi! i graduated from film school this year & i've been reading thru ur blog for weeks now. u've talked abt cinematography before & it's a subject i'd love to hear more of ur thoughts abt. which shows do u believe use cinematic storytelling (framing, staging, symbolic parallels, lighting, color coding) to their advantage the most? shows which benefit from a rewatch/slower watch in order to notice visual details & which can be analyzed in terms of visual language. which would be ur top picks? ty!!

OOO, what a good question.

10 Best Uses of Cinematic Storytelling in BL 

Okay, I should say up front that this is not BL's strength.

Second, I work tangential to ET but my degrees are not in film studies. So, much of what I know has been gleaned from coworkers and just floating constantly in and out of the industry, I may not always use the right terms. 

The post where I get the most weedy about filming technique is actually the one where I talk about different directors in BL (their styles, camera preferences and camera angle choices, that kind of thing). 

BL Directors - Overview

Finally, for each pick, I’m going to talk first about what I liked about the story, and then how the filming technique is used to serve that. 

1. Restart After Come Back Home AKA Risutato wa tadaima no ato de

Atmospheric study in rural Japan meets complex family dynamics built on a romance framework of city boy meets country boy. It’s beautiful and icy sweet. Slow moving in places but ultimately worth your patience. Full review here.

This was the first BL that came to mind when asked this question. This movie highlights Japan’s sweeping atmospheric style (learned at the feet of Kurosawa) applied to a very simple little BL story about coming home. Like with HIs the move, the Japanese countryside itself is a major player and character, but unlike His this movie really makes use of its beauty as a metaphor for possibilities and acceptance. Some of the establishing shots are truly breathtaking. The use of color and shadow is also tailored without being brazen. The film uses it to contrast the the two leads, one of whom is closed off from his family and his home and, to a certain extent, life but open to love, and the other who is open to all sensation and the outside world, but closed off to love. How these two men are filmed, framed, and lit is interwoven with these traits - dependent on their internal emotional states and whether they are together or alone. Cold lighting, sometimes too direct, when they are feeling exposed or challenged, darker cool hues when they are internally reflective, warmer even angry reds and golds when they are coping with emotions around connection and intimacy with each other. And finally the closing shot of bright full day, revolving sparkles and lens flairs that’s implying a forthright acceptance and unity, not just of each other, but of themselves. 

It is, simply put, a really beautiful movie to just watch as a visual piece of art, we are so lucky it also happens to be BL. 

2. I Want to See Only You AKA Kimi no Koto Dake Mite Itai

This is a beautiful piece of cinema well acted, about two boys who are opposite personalities and grew up together. It is very pretty and this is the kind of atmospheric elegantly performed BL that only really comes from Japan (complete with dead fish kisses - what you thought Korea invented them? oh no). I felt like I was “supposed to like it” more than I did. Ultimately I was left feeling as if I had seen it all before. So for me this was lovely but slightly unmemorable. 

Another show that is VERY similar is His the series (I Didn't Think I Would Fall In Love AKA His - Koisuru Tsumori Nante Nakatta). Only it has a beach setting. 

I mention these two in this post and at this juncture, because they are very stylistically Japanese but lack intentionality to their filming. So they feel workmanlike in a way that I often accuse Thai BL of.. It’s almost as if in coming from Japan they can’t NOT be pretty about it. Like good filming technique is so expected, it’s part of the DNA. In actually, both these stories might have been served better if the filming were more gritty and raw, sticky, like BLs from Taiwan or the Philippines, but Japan (like Korea) doesn’t do that. 

3. Seven Days

Never doubt my ability to recommend this show. One of the best live action yaois ever made, with perfectly structured angst, fantastic characters and acting, and no problematic tropes (rare in Japanese BL). The leads have excellent chemistry although it’s low heat there’s still some cute mutual kisses.

Seven Days pretty much used the original manga as a storyboard with just a few exceptions. And yet because it takes itself and it’s characters seriously (this in not a slapstick JBL) it’s softer and less cartoony than most Japanese live action yaoi. The color pallet is muted, and staging and farming is almsot too simplistic but somehow smooth and organic, rather than choppy or stilted. It looks genuine, not fantastical (see Korea coming up). The cuts are gentle with us, it never feels hurried or rushed, even though this is not a very long piece. It’s classy without being in your face about it.

This is spot on cinematography entirely subsumed by a story. It’s point (if ti can be said to have one) is that it doesn’t have a point of view, and therefore the story just shines. Never once will you feel thrown out by a perfect shot, and yet, every shot is perfect. This is cinema FOR story. This director trusted the script and the actors implicitly and did not feel the need to do anything fancy, which is, in and of itself, remarkable. This is like a perfectly executed piece of sushi. It doesn’t need anything, no sauce, no seasoning. The filming itself relishes its own simplistically.   

I actually picked these first 3 BLs intentionally, and all from Japan. Because I feel like they kind of show the range of Japanese cinema has when it is being subtle. By which I mean less derivative of manga and owing much less slapstick. (See something like My Love Mix Up.) 

So now let’s move into the relm of manga filming styles. 

4. Minato’s Laundromat AKA Minato Shouji Koin Randorii 

As of writing this post this show hasn’t ended yet, so not review, you can read my watch along here. But I am still picking it on the basis of the way they use doorways and transitional spaces to represent where the characters are in their different life stages and emotional development (and how they flipped that at the end). 

Also this BL is cribbed directly from the manga, shot for shot in places.

This show is an exploration of how maturity is defined under the contest of an age gap romance, roles in society, and liminality - crossing the threshold form child to adult, from fear of love to acceptance, from immaturity to maturity. The series uses characters in doorway, reaching through them, crossing them, and notions of inside spaces versus outside spaces to represent this. I talk about it a lot in my watch along so I won’t rehash here but it is actually BRILLIANT. 

5. Old Fashion Cupcake

This show had me from the moment they broke the egg yolk with the chopsticks in the opening credits. It’s about a younger man with a long cherished crush on his boss (who is ten years older and going through a midlife crisis) who decides to save and seduce said boss with pancakes. It’s wholesome, comforting, sexy, and a very necessary narrative about still having hope, interests, and openness to affection at any age. It’s coming of age/queerness packaged in a subtle critique of expectations around masculinity and love and loneliness... and it’s beautiful. Full review here.

The filming style is very much Japan’s close camera work, super tunneled into spaces, confined and almost, but not quite, claustrophobic. It’s using that to highlight how trapped by inertia Nozue feels, and how trapped by his feelings Togawa feels. Nozue in particular is filmed at home hidden, hiding, in the dark, shadowed, and withdrawn - as tidy as his place is, it (and how he occupies it) is an extension of his loneliness and self isolation. 

The cinematographer is using that in contrast to the moments of pull back and central framing when the couple is shown sitting and eating together, usually brightly lit, showing them both opening up to each other and, in Nozue’s case, to sensation. 

The very final shot of the series, with the big cheerful window, and Togawa feeding Nozue across the table is a representation of how freed they both are by their acceptance of each other. 

Not to mention the way the food is shot in this show, and how food and openness to new sensation are used (and filmed) as an allegory for sexual awakening (lust in terms of indulgence - I will never get over those hamster cheeks) and consequently (ultimately) fulfillment. 

More on Japan’s cinematic style here. 

6. Cherry Blossoms After Winter 

Korea took on early Japanese sweet yaoi but gave it their signature softness and precise production style with a STUNNING color palette (beautiful pastels and sun-saturated over-exposure), manga framing style, some traditional BL character archetypes, that tiny edge of bullying roughness and out-of-control seme, plus FINALLY a palatable take on the stepbrothers trope and it was, in a word, classic. Sophisticated and understated CBAW is not slow, it’s just subtle. 

This show is dream-like, as if the whole thing took place under cold water on a warm spring day, dappled sunlight slanting through trees above. Is there plot or peril? Not really. Do we care? Also, not really. Look, I can’t help it, I’m old school and so is this show. I grew up reading sweet yaoi, and this was THAT YAOI just on my screen. There’s no objectivity with me and CBAW. It’s a beautiful pastiche and I loved it for how it made me feel and what it reminded me of. It’s not flawless, but it is a wonderful experience. It’s like a Maxfield Parrish BL. Is the filming style serving story, I’m not sure, but it is serving nostalgia. 

7. Color Rush

A unique paranormal twist elevates this classic high school drama into a pitch-perfect allegory for the queer coming out experience and one of the best BLs of all time (I will fight you on this). 

It’s no accident that I chose so much Color Rush for my screen caps in the post on yaoi framing styles. It is SUCH a manga (yes I know, it’s Korean). The cuts from one shot to the next could actually just have stepped off the page. If  Wes Anderson did BL it’s be something like this. 

Of course the use of color is just phenomenal - the range of hoodies, and the different backgrounds. The marriage of simplistic wardrobe with simplistic setting is about precision not the mundane. How Yoo Han is using color to seduce AT ALL TIMES is intentional brutal as we are never to forget the threat this entails (our POV and this movie’s is entirely Yeon Woo). Color is the vehicle and the predator, the danger and the light, it is sexual awakening, it is being gay, it is embracing the monster within - right up to and including the color rush itself as something essentially orgasmic. I can tell you, purely on the basis of the fact that the manwha was in black and white, that this BL must be better that its source because it had color to use in its storytelling. Because it had color to play with. If that’s not the visual voice of cinematography telling me a tall tale, I don’t know what is. 

I will never get over this show. 

8. Semantic Error 

Korea hit it entirely out of the Parks with Semantic Error by doing a university set BL featuring everything we expect from BL just done exactly right. It has Korea's signature quality executed perfectly, and added bonus good story, great pacing, stunning visuals, and fantastic chemistry. You cannot ask for more from a BL, let alone a KBL. And the film team was part of this. 

Frankly I would have used screen caps from Semantic Error as much as Color Rush in that post on yaoi framing techniques, but I wrote that post too long ago. This BL owes more to its Japanese roots than any other Korean BL I’ve seen: story, characters, and filming style. That image above with the backlit windows and the empty classroom? Could have popped out of Takumi or Boys Love (would have been more blue toned though), not just classic BL but the beginning of BL. 

This is another KBL one where the use of color, particularly contrast, is incredibly strong. In this one cool vs warm tones are tools for characterization. (Usually they are used for mood, but not really in this show.) JaeYoung is usually wearing warm tones or shot in warm lighting and with warm backgrounds (reds, oranges, yellows), except when he enters SangWoo’s space. SangWoo is the opposite, almost always in cool tones and lighting (greens, blues, purples). So we get this fire and ice contrast between the two of them, with the lighting playing up who is “winning” the argument or the intimacy levels by being either warm or cool (or transitioning between them in the course of the shot). When JaeYoung manages to crumble SangWoo’s defensives, it gets warmer, when SangWoo is in charge of the narrative drive, it gets cooler. It’s very clever. 

I think Korea is particularly good that this tonal character association and mood enhancement because they use it in high concept Kpop MVs all the time. 

9. Cutie Pie

Very high production and a lot of visual references to yaoi gave this show a whiff of Japan but ultimately it stayed firmly in Thailand’s BL camp veering from absurd to appealing to annoying and then back to absurd again. If you can roll with the arranged marriage conceit and very lifestyle D/s relationships, the chemistry is spot on even if the plot is naff and sappy and driven by miscommunication. Watch this one for the pretty, give it a pass on depth. 

But if it has so little story for the cinematography to support, why did I pick it? 

I like the setting chosen (it’s no accent this is top of my list of best Architecture in BL) but I also love the clean filming style, it’s very very manga for Thailand. Cheewin does this well sometimes (see alos SCOY). Not really the best BL by any stretch of the imagination, but there is something candy bright about this one that really harkens to reading yaoi, and Thailand just doesn't do that very often. This is why I chose it. 

Wardrobe, setting, and color choices are all used to really highlight the differences between the characters in terms of age and life stage. Also Zee has really learned how to push his physicality since Why Ru U? so that his body positioning in particular just looks EXACTLY like the seme of some 2000s yaoi. 

10. Until We Meet Again 

UWMA is a work of narrative genius, and all the actors all turn in stellar performances, it is the best Thai BL from a storytelling perspective. It’s two interwoven narratives, present and past, of lovers who have been reincarnated in order to find each other again and forgive each other (and their families) for that past. 

But this is a strange one to chose for this list, since the cinematography is workmanlike at best. There’s repeat cuts and other annoying tics, and general hallmarks of New’s style as a director (which is, quite frankly not particularly stylish). BUT, one of the fun things to watch for in this BL is how New contrasts central framing with peekaboo (AKA dirty) framing with regards to the two lead couples. 

Korn & In, the past selves, are secretive, scared, and hiding everything. They are usually filmed with things dirtying the screen: walls, and other objects, so we get this voyeuristic feeling of always peeking around a corner at them, and seeing something we shouldn’t. The few times we see their intimacy fully framed it’s at night, staggered, and/or off center. This illustrates not just the secrecy but the instability of the relationship. 

Dean & Pharm, the present selves, the camera treats as a representation, in part, of Dean having learned from his past not to hide who he loves. They are often filmed full figure, and centrally framed, full lighting, bold and direct, standing upright, holding hands, or kissing. 

In other words, New is using framing techniques to highlight in a way the couples “outness,” the state of their relationship, is related to the outside world and also how they feel about it and themselves.

And there they are, my 10 picks. 

Honorable Mention: Light on Me 

The filming in this show was precision engineered. The frame was kept uncluttered, characters appeared exactly in the center, there was little visual noise, and the lighting was full on, even in night shots. To me this reflected the character of TaeKyung - honest and almost stilted in his mannerisms. I feel like the director filmed this series as if the show itself were TaeKyung: careful and clear and specific.

This may come off as one-note or simplistic to a casual viewer but it’s actually quite difficult to film something so precisely and still make it interesting to watch. It forced the viewer to focus almost entirely on the actor’s faces, their nuanced emotion, and their interpersonal relationships to the exclusion of all else. Lucky for us those actors served the lens beautifully.

There is literally NOTHING distracting about this directing style. It’s like the camera was a neutral white room, a well-lit gallery in which the narrative hung suspended for us all to stand and stare at in hushed silence.

I mention not so much because it serves up story, because it doesn’t, but because it is the opposite, it allows the story to serve itself. 

All my stuff on the BL filming side of things: 

Yaoi filming, staging & framing techniques 

Favorite Uses of Metonymy In BL 

BL Directors - Overview

Lighting

Diffuse point lighting

Backlighting & Silhouettes 

Unidirectional focused lighting 

Spotlight on romantic couple moments 

That lens flare moment 

Framing

Staggered couple framing

Linear cinematography + near perfect framing, in distance shots 

Central Aperture Framing 

Peekaboo Framing 

Acting

Favorite Subtle Character Attributes 

Ohm’s Acting 

Gun's Acting

We Best Love: Seme/Uke & Sam Lin’s Acting Screen Presence (Charisma + Experience)

Saint’s Physicality  

OffGun & The Evolution of Chemistry for a BL Pair 

Why Nanon Korapat's Acting is FANTASTIC 

Meta Post - All My Stuff on the BL Industry - Master Post talking about financing & production: This is a complication by request of all the posts and discussions this blog has hand on the BL industry as an industry, includes studios, production, country analysis, actor and fan behavior 

(source) 

[sineala]

If it's not too late, I'd love any kind of commentary on Sucker Punch. I read that story a few years ago and it still haunts me.

Oh boy! This one was for a Cap-IM community prompt asking for a fic where Steve only finds out Tony's identity when he shatters Tony's faceplate at the end of Civil War, and I thought this was a great idea for angst and I was talking about it with, honestly, probably Kiyaar, and then it occurred to me that I could make it a lot worse if Steve in this story had actually never liked Tony much at all. Which is of course completely unlike canon, but then it gives you the opportunity to have identity porn where Steve talks shit about Tony to Iron Man, and then Steve finds out that Iron Man, whom he loves, is actually Tony, who he doesn't.

Then it occurred to me that all of Steve and Tony's canonical fights would be so much worse with identity porn, because pretty much all their major fights (not just Civil War) happen without identity porn, when Steve knows who Tony is. But if Steve doesn't know Tony is Iron Man, then he thinks that Tony and Iron Man are separate people. And, say, for Armor Wars -- he knows Tony is the guy who wants his tech back, but Iron Man is the guy he actually fights. So he probably thinks Tony puts Iron Man up to it, and that's going to decrease his opinion of Tony even more. So the actual fic was basically me speedrunning through every argument they ever had (I reread a whole bunch of comics very fast) and then deciding that for Maximum Angst Steve should actually ask Iron Man who he is and make this be the one thing he would switch sides in Civil War for -- since Tony canonically publicly reveals his identity for CW, it'd be even more hypocritical of him to be pro-Reg and keep his identity a secret. And of course, by this point, Tony is the one person that Steve least wants Iron Man to be, and Tony knows this, and so he doesn't tell him.

(I imagine that from Tony's POV this would be even more fucked up because he knows Steve hates him and yet he can't make himself walk away because he also knows Steve loves Iron Man. I think it goes well with Tony's history of shitty relationships.)

I think this is the one sad Steve/Tony story I've ever written that I don't think I could fix, and I include in this comparison stories where they're both dead at the end. I don't think I can make it better when Steve just... hates Tony right from the beginning.

[multiocblog]

Greetings~! Welcome to my blog!

Just a little introduction, and some rules along with it~! ^^

Hello~! My name is Brianna but you may call me Bree~ I like to write stories, and create my own characters and such- It's what makes me happy~! And I love when I get to act like my OCs and interact with people! So, I created this blog~! (Sorry this post is quite long so be ready to read-)

To start out this blog, I have 7 OCs I will be making introductions for, so you can find out some about them, and interact with asks!

I have 2 OCs from Black Butler, 3 OCs from Diabolik Lovers, and 2 OCs from My Hero Academia! (I have many many more OCs soon to be added to this blog once I get consistent and completely settled in!)

Theres a brief intro to each at the bottom of the page!

((I write better than what I did there I swear-))

In the meantime, here are the

Rules:

No NSFW asks PLEASE! They make me very uncomfortable, and any asks I think might be dirty in any way, I will not answer.

Please make sure you put the OCs name in parenthesis or brackets so I am aware of which OC you are talking too! Ex." [To Arabella] I love your outfit! "

Please be kind! I will not accept hate comments or anything of the sort towards a subject, opinion, or an OC!

PLEASE "tag" or label accordingly to anything, slightly, definitely, or mildly triggering, even if you're not sure! I just want to make sure that everyone can scroll through my blog without having to be weary! Ex. [TW death]

Please do not flood the askbox or get mad that I don't answer right away! I can't always be online for I have a life to live outside of social media. This is purely for fun! ^^

Please no asks about r*ape, inc*st, pe*dophilia, or anything of the sort! Talk of those subjects will not be tolerated on this blog!

I am the admin to this account, therefore, I am allowed to reject or ignore ANY ask if need be.

((Rules will be updated, should the need arise.))

Bye for now~!

((OC info under read more!!))

Kyoko Komori (DL) ((OC based off the anime. Though I've heard plenty about the games, I have not yet played them, so if I get some things wrong I apologize in advance.))With Kyoko everything is the same. Yui has Cordelias heart and such and was supposed to be sent to the brothers. However, in this universe, Yui has an older sister, one year apart, whom has also been adopted, except she knows it. When she overhears something about her younger sister, her only sister, being sent away to vampires, she decides to take her place. To protect her.

Alyssa Freeman (MHA) ((I have not watched the entirety of MHA yet, and really I don't plan too anytime soon. So if I get anything wrong please correct me, and spoilers to the anime for me are welcomed. Let's just act like I've seen it all-)) Alyssa hates villains. And heros for that matter. All of them. When her apartment was destroyed from a casualty in a battle, Alyassa labeled heros as reckless and careless of the people around them. Herself and her little brother where heading back to the apartment, when she saw it crumbling down. Her parents and grandparents still inside, along with her best friend who was going to surprise Alyssa with a visit. Now she lives on the streets, doing whatever she can to provide for herself and her little brother.

Ongaku Yamada Aizawa (MHA) ((Again, haven't seen it, let's just pretend I have. Also this OC is in result of a ship. I don't really ship it, but I thought both their powers together would be cool so I thought, why not?)) When Ongaku was young, she was always bullied in 1st and 2nd grade for having two dads. One time, she got in trouble for heavily injuring a student with her voice quirk. You can insult her all you want, but not her dads. So, in 3rd grade, she kept a lie she created, that she only has one dad, Erasure Head Shota Aizawa, and that her mother died when she was born. Turns out the lie worked pretty well, people loved her and she was seen as an icon for having a prohero as a father. Shes was usually a quiet person, kept to herself, no friends, only spoke when spoken too. It was just her, her drawings and her music in her headphones. To this day, she keeps the lie, and keeps her distance, even at her new school, in U.A. (She also develops a major crush on Tenya Iida while there.👀)

Lilly and Lila Sakamaki (DL) ((Just thought I'd make one description for both bc they're twin sisters. This is also result of a ship. Ayato x Yui.)) Lilly and Lila are polar opposites despite their similar looks. Lila loves the cutesy, pink, flower stuff, and Lilly is all "tough" and "all that" (When shes really insecure-) Lilly is extremely protective over her sister, and possive too. She doesn't let any man even glance in her general direction. Basically if a man wants to ask Lila out, hes gonna have to go through some interrogation. Lila loves her sister deeply, and is basically like her sisters personal therapist. Lilly will only vent and show emotion around Lila. Lila tries to get her sister Lilly into pink, but with no prevail. Typically, you'll find Lilly hanging out with "Uncle Reiji", for she has a secret interest in his experiments and such. She'll also cuddle with Uncle Shu whenever she has time. And Lila loves hanging out with Uncle Kanato and Uncle Laito. She'll have tea partys with Kanato all the time. Lilly always tries to get Lila away from Laito. She says he's "demented" and "weird". But, Lila doesn't listen and hangs out with him anyway. Laito and Kanatos typical nickname for Lila is, Lilac or Little Flower. Both twins are vampires. Yui always teaches them about God and how to be selfless and kind, while Ayato plays sports with Lilly and cute video games (like Animal Crossing) with Lila.

Arabella Phantomhive (BB) ((This OC is placed in the future, and based off a ship, Ciel X Lizzy. Please be aware that, even though my OC speaks multiple languages, I do NOT. So, as bad as it sounds, I'll probably use Google Translate if I must use another language-😅 ) When Ciel and Lizzy are older and married, they have a little girl. Half human. Half demon. Arabella was taught how to be a lady, ballet, and sword fighting by her mother. And she was taught chess, ballroom dancing and more sword fighting by her father. Instead of going to a school, little Ara was homeschooled, by Sebastian, the Phantomhive Butler. He taught her multiple languages, such as Russian, Chinese, Japanese, Spanish, and her personal favorite, French. Time skip to the age of 10, she saw her mother murdered before her, and her father taken by some strange light beings. Having been raised by Sebastian since then, now she's 17, running the Funtom company, and determined to avenge her mother and find her father. :)

Robert Trancy (BB) ((This OC correlates with the Arabella OC, and is in the same storyline.)) Robert J. Trancy was his sweet Arabellas betrothed since birth. Even though it is set to be an arranged marriage, Robert always had a crush on his Arabella, and was awaiting the day to marry his beloved. Robert is a sensitive and kind boy, but sarcastic and joking all the same having been raised by Alois Trancy. He has no idea of whom his mother is, and was always told she died when he was born. At the age of 6, it was at a party when he saw his father dead on the floor of the long corridor. He didn't exactly see his fathers death, but he heard it, and knew exactly who did it. Ciel Phantomhive. He was determined to make his revenge. Having made a contract with Claude, his fathers old butler, he now lives alone in the manor, sending all the old servants away, except Claude. He makes frequent visits to his sweet Blue Rose however. He's a very insecure boy, full of anger, bitterness, jealousy, and sadness, but hides it well behind humor and love for his bride-to-be.

That was very long- and for that I apologize-

[justanothr]

Tom Holland/Peter Parker fanfic

part 2:

So, quick recap. After years of stanning, you finally get a chance to meet Tom Holland but you accidentally meet Peter Parker instead. Is this fate? The beginnings of a grand adventure? Or just a huge mistake?

Part 1:

https://justanotherfangirlpassingthrough.tumblr.com/post/173871503403/are-yall-ready-for-some-juicy-tom-hollandpeter

––––––––––––––

Alternate dimensions.

Didn't know about their existance until like 10 minutes ago. So it's not the most convenient thing to be stuck in one.

Peter and I (me, clinging on to him for dear life) had just swung into an open window. The room inside was dark. Peter switched on the lights, "welcome to my room!" He said with his arms spread wide. It didn't exactly look like it did in the movies; a majority of the space was taken up by his computers. There were three of them spread out across two tables. Wires tangled everywhere, also bits of hardware- some micro chips, magnets and a solder gun were scattered across the tables.

Peter tried as best as he could to fill me in on the way there about how he was wandering about New York, trying to find portals to close and how it led him to the building that I was in. My brain was swirling with the things he'd told me.

"So what I understand is, I walked through a doorway into a world different from mine and you pulled me right in before closing the doorway for good measure." I said while massaging my waist where I had been held by Peter. My whole body felt sore now, and being in such close proximity to this boy who so resembled Tom ( and not to mention, had actual super powers. I am still coming to terms with that fact.) didn't help my heart rate. I walked around in a small circle to try and calm my nerves.

"No, like I said, I closed the portal a full two minutes before you entered the room, or so I thought. When you walked in, all I was thinking of was that it was dangerous for civilians to be in such an unstable building. I didn't even consider the possibility that the portal was still open and you could be extra dimensional."

Extra dimensional. Now that was a label I would never get used to.

Peter sat down at his table and pulled out his mask, a bunch of his hair fell adorably onto his face. "These 'gates' are invisible to the human eye. The only way to detect them is through the gravitational anomalies around the area, with devices like these, he tapped the console type thing that he kept on his belt. You can imagine the fear and confusion among the public when people just disappeared into thin air without a warning. To make matters worse, the only person who knew anything about undoing this whole mess..." Peter shook his head as if to shake away a terrible thought. "Anyway, It took me three days to find a way to close these nasty portals the Shuma army left behind."

he paused, looking up at me with an apologetic smile "I don't know if any of that made sense to you. Here-" he darted to the bed and picked up all the clothes on it with one swoop and shoved them into his closet. "Make yourself comfortable."

I sat down. "No, it makes sense, more or less" I frowned as I tried to concentrate "You found a way to close portals that open up to whole other worlds in three days. To me, that sounds like you have ridiculous levels of genius. Yet you don't seem too happy with yourself."

I now saw the earnest, kind hearted boy from the comics standing in front of me and strangely, it brought back some childhood memories. As a little girl, I had a rather strong connection with the character of Peter Parker whom I'd familiarised with through reading too many comic books. Older me thought that it was all pretty silly and would sometimes laugh at my younger self for getting so attached.

Peter sighed, and years were added to his boyish face. "People call me a hero sometimes, and it's maddening because all I see are the things I could have done better. The lives I could have saved. I know I have the power to be more." He returned to the table and took the little device that he kept on his belt and started examining it with a mighty frown.

I realised with a chill in my bones that I knew what, or rather who he must be thinking about. I just wanted to see a smile on this pure boy's face now.

"Wow, I can't believe you're giving me the classic 'Great power, great responsibility' line already" I grinned. (I should have known that trying to be meta with Peter would be a fail since he didn't have any context whatsoever. Poor attempt. 0/10)

"Huh, I didn't know it was a classic" Peter mumbled as he dismantled the device and removed a small chip out of it. He inserted the chip to a slot on his computer and then began typing feverishly into a prompt on the screen.

"Iconic, if you ask me!"

"You say some weird things, Miss What." He paused. "So just to be clear, there are no Super Heroes where you're from?"

"No Super Heroes. To be fair, there aren't any super creepy monsters either." I left the part about us making comics and movies about the lives of Peter and his friends purely for our amusement out of the conversation for the moment. I wanted to get as much information out of Peter before confusing the shit out of him.

"No monsters that you know of, you mean."

I considered this for a second. Remembering just then that my phone was in the front pocket of my jeans, I took it out.

"Peter?"

"hmm?"

"I'm guessing that the reason I am in your bedroom, and not back in my own world is because you've only figured how to close a portal, not how to open one."

He stopped typing, but didn't reply.

"So basically... I am stuck here." I could feel my stomach sink as I admitted this.

Peter got up and stretched. "You know, I'm surprised at how well you're taking all this. Thought there would be more... Panicking." He waved his hands at the last word.

"Well, do you want me to panic? I am screaming on the inside already. It would be easy."

He let out a little laugh, looking right at me as he did. His eyes, I noticed were dead serious.

"It is my fault that you are stuck here Miss What. But I do not want you to worry because I have a plan. And you can trust my plans, they have a way of working."

"I'm not worried, Peter. " This was surprisingly true. "And my name is Mary Jane."

--------------------------

Stay tuned for part 3, guys! It’s about to get stranger, if you know what i mean! 

Part 1:

https://justanotherfangirlpassingthrough.tumblr.com/post/173871503403/are-yall-ready-for-some-juicy-tom-hollandpeter