#2020 drama recap

[bookhouseboy1980-blog]

The What We've Been Watching Thingy (Sept 2023)

Check out Alyssa's channel: https://www.youtube.com/@HorrorMovieTea

And sub to my for more of this stuff: https://www.youtube.com/@borednow5838/videos

[yellowloid]

I'm kinda new to Milex, despite loving both AM and TLSP for years, and like so many questions.......What happened to those sweethearts, what are the divorce allegations, why they don't hang out anymore, is there any tension between Miles and Alex's girlfriend?😭 I need to know

hiii and welcome to the milex fandom!!

first of all, you can check out this post to know more about the divorce allegations - but of course always remember it's just theories, no one really knows what happened (if anything happened at all)

second of all, they do still hang out! they're just very private about it and rarely ever get spotted together, but over the years after the tbhc and cdg eras we got to see them together a few times, usually hanging out in london like here (august 2020):

and here (july 2021):

but also in jnstances like this one (september 2021) (it's not confirmed that they were together but miles posted this with the caption 'ARRABIATA HEAD X' and arrabiata is Their Thing + those are alex's sunglasses and the photo was most likely taken by him idc i will die on this hill)

then we got to see them together in june 2022, hanging out at some pub:

and also at zackery michael and lola mcdonnell's wedding aka the wedding of the century aka i wish i was a fly on the wall there. this was also in june 2022, they were both there but sadly we didn't get any interaction nor photos of them together:

we did however get a few interactions between miles, (nadya) and louise.

in may 2023 they were spotted having a cute little date night at a scott walker tribute concert in london (feat. the one and only brown leather jacket):

and then of course we got to see them playing 505 together in june (💖) after five whole years of not sharing a stage:

and then again in dublin, miles opened for them on all four nights of the irish leg in october and joined them for 505 on the very last one:

during both the cts and omb eras miles has mentioned alex and tlsp quite a few times (both spontaneously or because of annoying interviewers asking him about it).

speaking of miles and louise, they ignored each other for a long time since alex started dating her back in 2018, which was quite weird considering miles usually seemed to have great friendships with alex's girlfriends (he was very close to taylor, and he's still friends with alexa). recently they started interacting more, liking each other's posts or leaving comments there (see miles commenting on her latest birthday post for alex). as i mentioned, they interacted a bit during zack and lola's wedding (katie posted a video on ig where her, kirstin, louise, miles and nadya were all hanging out together). i think at this point it's safe to say miles and nadya aren't together anymore, but her and louise were hanging out quite a lot during 2022/start of 2023 and they probably got introduced through their respective boyfriends. there's no official drama between miles and louise but they don't seem to be friends, just close acquaintances at best.

and... i think that's it anon! in conclusion they're still very much close and hanging out with each other, it's just much rarer to get a glimpse of them but maybe in the (hopefully not so distant) future we'll get a tlsp3 announcement and then they'll finally be touring together again, planet earth will heal and we'll be well-fed once again. in the meantime, i hope this little recap was helpful <3

[taekooktimeline]

January 29, 2024 (released)-

Tae’s hairstylist, Mujin, is interviewed for Harper’s Bazaar Korea. He talks with the magazine about Tae’s beautiful blue hair, noting the process to achieve this ethereal look. He mentions the story and concept of the pictorial were planned in advance, with the male, coming of age, romantic drama “Call Me By Your Name” (CMBYN) being an inspiration.

Article snippet:

🗣️: In this <Bazaar> pictorial, V's unique transformation of blue hair drew attention. Why did you choose this color?

Mujin: After checking the overall story, design, and concept of the pictorial planned by 'Bazaar' in advance, the mise-en-scène of “Call Me by Your Name.”

Mujin also references the LGBTQ+ movie “Blue is the Warmest Color,” a female coming of age movie similar to CMBYN, and we can discern this because he says “warmest” then ‘blue color’ is placed in quotations, indicating he’s citing material that inspired their pictorial. His exact words are, “The warmest ‘blue color’ with a European sensibility rather than a specially decorated feel.” A Google search of “warmest blue color” will showcase the movie, and protagonist Emma’s blue hair color.

Another translation -

Tae’s stunning “Blue Dragon” look for this editorial -

Full interview - https://x.com/naver_taehyung/status/1751980774876958877?s=46&t=StSwHjW0_Domk_lHUFMaCg

Of course, this isn’t the first time Tae has mentioned his fondness for the movie CMBYN. On May 31, 2019, on the heels of pride month, he uploaded to the BTS Twitter page a snippet of him playing the movie’s OST on the piano.

On June 9, 2019, he recommended the movie to Hobi during a live.

Recap - https://www.tumblr.com/taekooktimeline2019/625212551783907328

On June 9, 2020 (during pride month), Tae read Elio’s father’s impactful speech on a live:

Recap -

https://www.tumblr.com/taekooktimeline2020/625387601649713152

And as an aside, I always found it interesting and noteworthy that the very next day, after reading Elio’s father’s monologue about living life on your terms and no one else’s, Tae responded to a fan on Weverse by saying, “I want to be happy too🥺”

Recap - https://www.tumblr.com/taekooktimeline2020/625387582497439745/june-10-2020-in-a-suspicious-chain-of-events

And on September 4, 2023, an article was posted on Weverse. Within the contents of the article, “Rainy Days”, a song from Tae’s solo debut album “Layover”, is noted to have followed the “tomato girl summer” trend, which was inspired by movies such as ���Call Me By Your Name.”

Recap - https://www.tumblr.com/taekooktimeline2023/727548456756035584

And for visual references, these are the movie posters for “Call Me By Your Name” -

and “Blue is the Warmest Color” -

(CT Una for filling me in on the “blue is the warmest color” reference due to me currently being more inactive on social media)

[klappertart]

As a vtuber observer since 2020, let me recap all the dramas that pop up in (especially) big vtuber corpos since 2024, or maybe some started late 2023:

Mel's termination (hololive)

Rushia/Mikoneko vs Mafumafu in court (ex hololive)

Pomu graduated just 2 weeks notice (Nijisanji EN)

Kyo's graduation announcement (Nijisanji EN)

SELEN'S TERMINATION (Nijisanji EN)

Elira, Vox, Ike speak up about the lawsuit etc (literally today, Nijisanji EN)

Something something happened with Scarle (literally now, Nijisanji EN)

I most likely forgot about something. How can I remember all of them anyway?!

[starboysbrainrot]

got a few asks in the last days asking me what ships I liked in atla, and so let’s do a quick recap here of what ship I like and why. (no proshit stuff on my blog dw) reminder that I am a multishipper so yes you should see fan arts of all these knuckleheads at least 1 time on my blog if atla keeps inspiring me to draw.

let’s start with the canon ones !

kataang : when platonic very sweet, i just think that their development in season 3 is a bit wacky, but i enjoy them nevertheless, ESPECIALLY in fanfics (i spend my summer in 2022 reading kataang fics, that was my personal therapy for a bit lol). my only problem is that i have a lot of issues with some kataang fans, and that made me loose interest in the ship in 2020-2021. (before getting back on board) + I’m a platonic kataang stan

sukka : an all time favorite of mine ! absolutely love their development in the series. I hope to see more of them in the movies (if we get to see Suki !)

jetara : ooooh my, as a kid i hated that ship but in late teen years i started really liking the conflicting feelings such a ship holds. the few fics I’ve read about them made me sob like a baby lol

jinko : one word : adorable

non-canon ones :

zutara : that ship has been a fundamental part of my teenage years and even now it holds a special place in my heart. I read many good fics about them, and the special bond they share in the series still makes me emotional after all those years. I personally enjoy the ship platonically but also romantically. I just have a lot of issues with some zutarians.

zukka : a ship that I personally had never considered (and seriously idk why cuz they’re such a fun ship) before gaining back my atla hyperfixation in 2023. lots of very sweet fan arts and the fics !! absolutely adore them

jetko : another personal favourite of mine. I just adore the dynamic, the angst, and the gut wrenching thought that the canon gave us a doomed relationship between them from the beginning. the potential such a ship holds is what made me liked them in the first place.

taang : ooooh the sillies !!! I love them so much. they’re I think my favourite platonic ship. I usually read about them when I feel down. I just like how they’re complete each others and the special bond they share in canon.

sutara : probably my fav wlw ship in atla after mailee. they have so much potential, and the “badass duo” dynamic has always been a favorite of mine haha.

azulee : toxic doomed Yuri, but if we’re speaking seriously, I really think that their dynamic is very interesting. not my fav ship for ty Lee but it’s still a very cool ship if you ask me.

mailee : these two <3 idk i just love the grumpy x sunshine when it’s done right and for me they are the only ship in atla that can do that dynamic correctly.

azutara : another ship I discovered recently but damn is it interesting. the possibilities !! there is so much to explore here and i absolutely love that

zuki : as much as i despise the comics… that’s one good thing that came out of it !! they have a very interesting relationship and there’s something especially sweet with these two that i really like.

harutara : a ship i don’t see very often in the fandom but they’re cute !! like that’s legit why i like them. no drama, no hard feelings, just fluff

jetkotara : is it possible to have a more angst-concentrated ship ? I don’t think so. on a more lighthearted note, the idea of zuatara sharing the same ex makes me wheeze. also it’s might just be my fav polyship in atla

suki/sokka/zuko : do they have a ship name ?? idk but I love that dynamic. again it’s a rare treat in that fandom but I love it nonetheless.

I think that’s all. the only ship that I don’t really like is maiko, but that’s purely personal. I thought that their relationship was rocky at best and toxic at worst in the series. but absolutely no hate to the maiko shippers ! y’all have are some really skilled artists and I’m always in awe of your fan arts.

so anyways. if you have others ships that you like, feel free to share it here under that post. my blog will always be a safe space for shipping.

[purplehanfu]

Self Indulgent Birthday Post: 2023

notes: Spoilers!, probably. Yay, it's my birthday again! Enjoy some of my finest unfinished work!

Oh? You have both my interest and attention!

Booooo.... (this disappointment brought to you by The Young Brewmaster’s Adventure, which happens to be the prequel to Blood of Youth)

Recap Recycle Bin

So many dramas and never enough time to write a full review. Read on! 

Dominator of Martial Gods

tl:dr for this drama

Each episode is 35 minutes long, feels like 3,500 minutes, and delivers maybe 10 minutes worth of story. Impressive! 

We waste a great deal of time in the first few episodes watching Qin Chen and the bootlicking alchemist refine a needle that will allow our hero to activate his bloodline. Intriguing, because you often hear dramas refer to treasures being refined into weapons, but you never see the process. There's a reason for this- it does not make for compelling viewing. But that does not stop us from standing around arguing about the specs and adding things to the oven. This process was more fun when Chu Wanning just takes you up to the lake. On a technical note, I am enamored of the way the ever present green screened background makes no attempt to be in scale with the human actors.

My Deepest Dream

Ooh, a plot with a time loop, evil birds, superpowers, getting sucked into the Marianas Trench when you just wanted to go on a scuba diving excursion and JIN HAN!!! But, as always, there's a glitch in the matrix.

Our heroine realizes she has lost a year of her life and no one has noticed. No one except the astrophysics PhD candidate turned car mechanic Wu Yu (JIN HAN!!!). Wu Yu divulges that he can read a phone screen at 10 kilometers. But mostly he uses his special eyes to keep an elaborate dossier on the comings and goings of the FL, who lives across the street from the garage he works at. Is that creepy or romantic?

don’t be silly, if it were a Marvel movie we’d be having an interminable CGI sky battle 

Till the End of the Moon

Meet Tantai Jin. As you may have noticed from his costume design, he's totally evil.

He's a goal-oriented CEO who's turned the Devil Sect into a high reliability organization that generates impactful customer experiences (annihilation). I bet he's evil enough to use six sigma. But where Tantai Jin truly shines is personal branding. You may not be buying what he's selling, but product recognition is through the roof.

Tantai Jin seen here working out of his travel office: a flaming, flying boudoir with melting skull detail. This is why CEOs should never make more than 10x what the average worker does.

Circle of Love

I can see why the Republican period was relatively short. Everybody setting fire to each other's estates, staying out late ballroom dancing, getting uniforms tailored, making sure there are enough manacles to chain the female lead to a bed... it doesn't really leave a lot of time for governance.

We start out, as we generally do, with a clean sweep of the FL's family, in this case via a big ol' raging house fire. Where is everyone? Or even anyone? Even Maid's Revenge scraped up some extras to be dead family members.

My Kung Fu Girlfriend

Slow your roll, it ain't GL.

You know what they say- it's not whether you win or lose the MMORPG, it's how you min max all your stats and then act like an ass in chat about it.

Meet Huang Xiao Yu. She clearly did not pay to win because she is the low XP real life martial sister of a kung fu champion. In this drama, she'll level up in love and life with the help of an OP MMO NPC who escapes her game and shows up uninvited in the real world.

The Antarctic Octopus

Not to be confused with the 2020 film Big Octopus. I guess that's the great thing about having an audience of over a billion people- even the most niche interest has plenty of content.

This is how you dress when you visit your Uncle Pete in Antarctica.

In this movie: monsters, explosions, a supercharged ice jalopy and a dedicated ignorance of the laws of physics usually only seen in a Fast and Furious film. But credit where it's due: The Antarctic Octopus delivers. Only 12 seconds in and we get our first tentacle!

available free on youtube although how bravely they were fighting is up for debate

Bonus Content: Superlatives

In the Day We Flipped

My post of the year!

Getting over 500 likes on a review? Unexpected.

Forgetting to add a link back to my other recaps? Priceless.

Bloody Romance

still my favorite drama

when your grandma’s a zombie and she was left in a cave to guard a tiny box with one (1) restorative pill in it and she’s suspended by her hair but her hair is also like tentacles that can kill people and she thinks you’re your mom but she still loves you. 💚💚💚 But then she starts screaming and tries to strangle you with her hair.

Heroes

2nd favorite drama

you know something’s good when you have a file called ‘sappy su mengzhen yang wuxie edits.txt’

go get your man, Wuxie!

pinboard full of recaps!

[gifsbysimplysonia]

Sigh.

The way I thought moving from the Evans fandom to Hayden Christensen's meant no more drama. Cuz Hayden is CANADIAN AND LIVES ON A FARM, does somewhat regular con appearances, and that's really it. How could there possibly be drama?

Well??? Baybeeeeeeeeee, woo! Delulu Delilahs reside in the HC fandom too! And the cons are where Delilahs are on their worst behavior I guess, cuz wow.

Lies, embellishments, real time photos and videos all while trying to admire Hayden's chosen ball cap and black shirt choice du jour (my dude almost has a con uniform at this point, bless his heart). ANNNNND whether or not he is growing out his hair under that damn ball cap, and IF HE IS IS DOES THAT MEAN MORE ANAKIN?!?

Not to mention, fans who are BNFs - or maybe more accurate would be stating fans who are infamous for one reason or another, showing off their photo Ops alongside claims of being friends with HC. And did I mention also sharing screenshots of texts with Hayden after they shared the photo op?

I might laugh if it wasn't all so familiar; some of it - painfully so. Still, the Trash Panda in me is SAT, taking it all in and just marveling at how some things are just universal, no matter the fandom.

The way I WISH I had a fandom gossip page so I could recap everything that has been happening, tho, cuz I'm that much of a Forky lol it's been juicy to watch unfold!

Although I'll give credit where it's due: I've yet to see anyone campaigning for donations of any kind

...yet?

ETA: WELL! There was an alleged money scam in 2020 when a fan who is rather well known now (don't know if they were back then) was soliciting donations to treat their son even though they had just gotten married?

I wanna beat my head against a wall, y'all have NO idea.

What a weekend.

[whumpslist]

A bunch of answers 4 and recap

Hi everyone,

I’m sorry for my lack of answers, I’m trying to keep up with the current airing whumps’ lists but also completing the finished shows’ one and the new seasons’ episodes’ ones:

* The current airing shows’ lists are all updated: Law & Order SVU, The Flash, Magnum PI, Taxi Driver; I’ll soon watch Carnival Row and update it with the first two episodes aired as well;

* I am doing a whumpslist for Will Trent, which is currently airing, and the books by Karin Slaughter the TV show is based on, I'm still undecided whether to publish it or wait to complete them all. What would you prefer?;

* I have to update the Titans' list with the first part of the fourth season;

* I’ve finally updated the Prodigal Son's list with the second season (I will reblog it right after this post); The Boys' one has already been updated with the third season;

* I’ve recentely updated Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan and Strike (TV show and books) too, and posted a new K-list, The Veil;

* I have started to watch the second season of The Witcher (I’ve watched the prequel Blood Origin and enjoyed it so much);

* I have K-drama The K-2 list to complete from... forever, I will gather my courage to finish it and goodbye one of my favorite character; same for The Musketeers, only a bunch of episodes left to review...

You can find all the lists and the links into the Whumpslist’s links Sheet here. Plus, I've made another sheet to include all my gifs, short clips and audios posted as Tumblr allows only a certain amount to links into a single post.

-- . .- -. .-- .... .. .-.. .

Meanwhile I’ve received many messages, I’ll gather the answers here into a single post.

Have you ever seen doctor who or torchwood? cuz they have a lot of whump, especially jack harkness

Doctor Who would take an eternity to be watched from the first episode, besides it’s not my kind of show so I’ve never watched it. Neither Torchwood, and that’s because I don’t like John Barrowman very much.

in your endeavor post, what ep was the second to last gif from?

Hi Anon, I suppose you mean the post of January 12th. It’s from Endeavour 1.00 “The Origins of Inspector Morse" when he’s listening at the Rosalind Galloway’s disc.

Ooo have you watched ER I’ve wanting a whump list for John Carter

Sorry @marahm30, I’ve never fully watched it back in the days, only some (whumpy) episodes already reported into The Whumpapedia.

I love love love your lists! Do you think you'd ever do Stargate SG1? I have a list of the daniel whump eps from the first handful of seasons, I'd be happy to help if you wanted to make a list

Maybe, @ravenwingdark, but surely not in the foreseeable future, my hands are full.

would it be possible for you to do Rise of the teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, the Series and the movie? I saw that you had done the 2003 version and was wondering if you would do the 2018-2020 one

You’re mistaken, @the-true-alpha-04, I’ve never watched nor compiled a list for it neither I will do it in the future, sorry @rachealwolf25.

Clay Spencer

Nope, as I’ve already answered it several times: I will not do a list for SEAL Team, I've only made a gifset for episode 2.17. Despite the potential, it’s pretty lacking in whumps (even if the last season had some improvements). The ones shown are widely reviewed in The Whumpapedia, though.

Do you know any good Chloro Man scenes from shows?

Interesting trope, Anon! Not one of my kind, so I can’t really recall some specifically, but I report it in my lists when it happens. Maybe you can use a selected filter to serch it into The Whumpapedia, though.

Could you do whump lists of…Forever, TVD, The originals, Legacies and other crime sci-fi shows?

It’s highly unlikely it will happen, sorry @anonymous-persona, especially the vampire shows, because of the immortality things, whumps are almost pointless...

Hi! would you be able to make a list for the Mandalorian? specifically pedro pascal’s character! thank you

I’ve thought of making one while I was watching it, but they are just a few, plus Pascal always wears the mask and it’s limitating.

do you know of any whump from All Saints, the '00s australian medical drama? the stabbing episode whumpypepsigal posted was amazing, but the whumpapedia doesn't have much to offer for more... i don't know if the show just isn't very whumpy or if it hasn't been combed through yet, but maybe you'd know, or people in the notes would? thanks!

Nope, I don’t know the show. After receiving your message, I’ve looked for it but I was unable to retrieve it. Please, let me know if you have more luck.

That’s all, folks!

[aworldforastage]

A very subjective recap of my audiodrama journey in 2023 "Year of the Rabbit"

This is entirely based on personal preferences and not at all an objective assessment of quality

If applicable, cast members are listed with the gong first.

"Web Drama/网配" here refers to the free, not-for-profit productions

All AD's are on Mao'er FM (Missevan) unless indicated otherwise.

Favorite Completed Dramas

The Golden Terrance/黄金台 -- (Web Drama/网配)

Jia Xu/贾诩 x Yacejun/雅策君

Three not-for-profit productions of The Golden Terrance launched in 2020, but this is the first and only one to be completed! I'm just so grateful and amazed that so many talented people contributed to make this happen -- all for free! It's not perfect, but it's comparable if not better than for-profit productions at least 90% of the time, and I think it really did this beloved novel justice. Go listen to it!

Famous/In Name Only/有名

Wei Chao/魏超 x Chen Jiaheng/陈家恒

I did not know I needed to hear Lan Wangji's audiodrama VA speak in a southern/canto-style accent, but it has been life-changing.

"Famous" comes with all the bells and whistles you could possibly hope for in a professional, for-profit production. It has eight original songs, tons of little skits and bonus content, wonderful performance and polished post-production. The team brought their own vision to the adaption, leveraging the of creative potential in the audio medium while staying true to the text. If we have to nitpick, I'd say Liang Yu sounds a bit old for a man on the cusp of 30, but Wei Chao's magnetic voice is more than enough to make up for it.

After the Disabled God of War Became My Concubine/残疾战神嫁我为妾后

Shi Zekun/史泽鲲 x Liu Sicen/刘思岑

This is the guilty pleasure personal favorite I have been playing on repeat in the background -- a comforting little sugar pie AD. Objectively speaking, this production has noticeable flaws, from built-in plot holes from the source material to uneven performance and mixing of some minor characters' dialogue. However, I really like the sweet, lighthearted story and the lead voice actors' performance, and we got the entire thing in one season!

“Next season please start tomorrow!"

The Sword Named No Way Out/剑名不奈何

Zhao Yi/赵毅 x Chen Zhang Taikang/陈张太康

I'm very conflicted about this one! This is the first time I really understood the charm of Zhao Yi's voice, but I don't like his character (gong/love interest) or the romantic arc. I am intrigued by the twists in the plot, but we still don't know who is the main conflict halfway into the story, because the novel is just written this way. I'm absolutely charmed by the supporting characters, but I suspect their roles will be reduced in the next season to make way for the the main romance. I really can't get into this novel for some reason, so I'm waiting on the AD to satisfy my curiosity.

"Top flower vase of the mainland entertainment industry"/内娱第一花瓶 -- (Web Drama/网配)

Liu Sicen/刘思岑 x Shang Tong/商桐

This free drama has released 3 stunning seasons since 2021. The screenplay and post-production is a little rough in places, but that's nothing to compared to quality and scale of the output -- the first few episodes of the AD convinced me to commit to reading this 900K words long novel! With free Web Dramas, you can't really guarantee or expect anything. It updated fairly consistently since 2021 but lead CV Liu Sicen currently has an insanely busy lineup of paid projects and likely no time for this. I'm very grateful for the seasons we have had, but I still dream of this AD releasing one more season to at least finish the main story -- and end on a happy note after the reconciliation!!!

Onmyōji/阴阳师 -- (on Manbo & others)

Yuan Mingzhe/袁铭喆 & Zhao Chengchen/赵成晨 [No CP]

Ironically, I think this is the series with the smallest chance of getting a second season, despite its star-studded cast, excellent production, and iconic source material. It sounds great, and I love the main voice actors playing something different from their normal dynamic. However, the series struggle to attract a wide audience as a general/non-BL drama. I'm taking comfort in the fact that the source material is a collection of short stories, so it doesn't feel too incomplete at the end of Season 1.

"well, that ... happened"

A lot of the ADs released in 2023 are said to feel like the work off a "production line"/流水线. It does well enough to maybe satisfy the fans of the source material and fans of the voice actors, but there's not much that's special about it to draw you in if you are not already interested, and is far from realizing the full potential of the story and the AD medium. There were a few shows that I had been very emotionally invested in, but ultimately they were a bit underwhelming.

The Demon Venerable’s Wistful Desire/魔尊他念念不忘

Yuan Mingzhe/袁铭喆 x Ma Zhengyang/马正阳

Probably the most well-received drama out of the three here. The source material -- a comedic xianxia transmigration story -- helped it stand out in field a dominated by modern urban dramas. I didn't find the story to be particularly compelling or innovative as a fantasy/xianxia story, but the voice actors gave solid performances.

Flower Vase/花瓶 -- (on Manbo)

Peng Yao/彭尧 x Liu Sicen/刘思岑

Does anyone still remember this show from last year? Flower Vase is an iconic novel in the scum gong/substitute/crematorium sub-genre, and because it's short and relatively old, there are already two complete free Web Dramas (and more incomplete ones). This work is good, but not enough to make most people willing to listen to this story again or really stand out over the free versions. I liked this one mostly because I was (and still am) in a phase about Liu Sicen's voice.

Morbid Attachment/诟病

Wen Sen/文森 x Yuan Mingzhe/袁铭喆

I'm a fan of Zhe-ge and Wen-laoshi to downright unreasonable degrees and even I have nothing to say about this drama except "it finished." Seriously, you have these two on your cast, in an extremely popular story that features a pop star, and we have like two and a half songs, no duet, and not a single song from YMZ. I still put it on when I want to hear their voices, but it definitely didn't deliver on the potential of one of the most popular stories on Changpei.

"not bad but I had higher hopes "

All of these are based of very popular novels that I read and liked but didn't love, and I ended up feeling the same way about the ADs. It's a coincidence that Taikang has leading roles in all of them.

TGCF/Heaven Official's Blessing/天官赐福 Season 1

Chen Zhang Taikang/陈张太康 x Su Shangqing/苏尚卿

Since the AD is based off the new revised version of TGCF that me (and most people) haven't read, it's hard to tell if the show has completely misinterpreted parts of the novel or if it's just new content. I can't truly dissociated TGCF from the unpleasantness of all the fandom drama, which dampens my enthusiasm for it quite a bit. However, I'm happy enough with both the production and the performance in the 2023 release that I listened to it a few times. But at an emotional level, I'm just not as excited as I expect myself to be for a project of this level of fame and quality.

Swallow the Sea/Tunhai/吞海 Season 2

Zheng Xi/郑希 x Chen Zhang Taikang/陈张太康

It took me a while to realize why I was struggling with Swallow the Sea. It's hard to follow mystery/procedural stories if you are only getting 40 minutes of content once every week -- you would have forgotten everything by the time the new episode airs! I never realized before because I got into AD's late enough that a lot of iconic shows (like Modu and Poyun) have been completed and available for binging. Now I think I'll wait until this one finishes all its seasons.

Thrice Married to Salted Fish/三嫁咸鱼 Season 1

Ma Zhengyang/马正阳 x Chen Zhang Taikang/陈张太康

I felt a bit underwhelmed by the novel when I finished it, and I wouldn't have cared for the AD at all if it weren't a collaboration between Ma-laoshi and Taikang. Ironically, I really love the ending theme, which the audience hated so much the studio had to put out a new mix. Maybe this story is just for people with very different tastes?

Everybody's talking about you

I haven't listened to these yet, but I heard so many good things about these three in the past year.

Qiang Jin Jiu/The Ballad of Sword and Wine/将进酒

Yuan Mingzhe/袁铭喆 x Jiang Guangtao/姜广涛

Does this need an explanation? After its surprise return just before Chinese New Year, the newest (free) episode racked up more plays in a few weeks than entire seasons of some ADs. This is what a real superstar looks like!

But personally, I plan to wait until the series finishes first. I waited for almost two years for Season 4 -- I can wait a bit longer for an indulgent binging experiences.

The Selfish Gene/秉性下等

Shun Zi/顺子 x Sun Lulu/孙路路

This drama has the closest thing I have seen to "universal acclaim" in the AD fandom in 2023. It's one of the few 2023 dramas to break through 10 million play count, beating out many productions with bigger IPs and more popular voice actors.

I definitely want to listen to it, but now I want to wait until I'm in the right mood to really enjoy it.

Stealing The Wind But Not The Moon/偷风不偷月 -- ("Voiced drama"/Audiobook, on Ximalaya)

Sang Yuze/桑毓泽 x Yang Chaoran/杨超然

2023 saw a lot of activity in the 有声剧 area. I think of them like audiobooks because they keep most of the narration, but they are still called "dramas" and the actors still put a lot into their character performances.

This production has been received very well, especially compared to the audiodrama that is currently airing on Mao'er. I held back on the AD because of this, even though I have been very excited about a Liu Sicen x Shun Zi collaboration. However, I'm not sure I want to get into a new platform for this, even though it definitely put Ximalaya on my radar.

I'm waiting to see how it goes ....

Some series are off to a strong start, but there's still a long way to the end ...

I Became a God in a Horror Game/我在惊悚游戏里封神 (Season 2/?)

Shun Zi/顺子 x Dao Mei Si Le/倒霉死勒

Season 1 have play counts that can rival TGCF, and Season 2 seems to be starting off strong after arriving at the end of 2023. The hype alone has gotten my interest, but then I realized it would take probably 10 seasons to finish this novel, so I think I'll wait a bit first ...

The Reincarnated Minister/再世权臣 (Season 1/ ?)

six people x Dao Mei Si Le/倒霉死勒 [NP]

I heard the plot of this novel is actually quite good, and I am really impressed with the quality of the free episodes. However, this novel is looooong, and I'm not sure I will enjoy the NP outcome in the end. But if they can keep up the good work for a few more seasons (lol years?), maybe I could be tempted into getting into this.

A Clear and Muddy Loss of Love/泾渭无间 (Season 1/?)

Hao Tian/浩天 x Xu Xia 徐佳琦

Unlike the other two, I followed Season 1 of this one as it released.

GL deserves more love, but I'm not very optimistic about this drama carrying through to a satisfying conclusion in a timely manner. A novel of this length would normally take 4-5 seasons on Mao'er, but its stats are not encouraging. In the final of episode of Season 1, they did that ridiculous montage that rushed through so many things, probably trying to save on costs. I understand GL has a smaller fanbase than BL, but it's still disheartening to see one of its biggest IPs being handled liked this ...

A Special nod to a few web dramas

The amazing labors of love we get to enjoy for free.

"Spoil"/作践 (Web Drama/网配, completed)

Zhao Chengchen/赵成晨 x Gu Chen/顾辰

(2021-2022, 12 episodes + 1 extra). I only listened to the first four episodes, which prompted me to read the novel, but then I found it a bit too dark for me to want to revisit AD. That being said, I am very impressed with the episodes I heard, especially the screenplay. I didn't feel lost at all even before I read the novel. It set up some complex scenes and conflicts very clearly, better than many for-profit dramas imo.

The Golden Terrance/黄金台 (Web Drama/网配, in progress)

Xu Xu Dian Deng/续续点灯 x HolyNight

(2020-- ?, 7 episodes so far) This drama didn't update in all of 2023. I lost hope when then other version finished, but then they suddenly came back with a long new episode early in 2024! I think this adaption is a bit more abridged than the one that already finished, but fingers crossed that they finish this!

"Dao Zhan Shan He"/ 刀斩山河 (Web Drama/网配, incomplete)

Shang Tong/商桐 x HolyNight [switch CP/verse]

(2020-2022, 6 eps) The production officially ended, which is a real shame because it was pretty good for the parts it covered. I listened to this because I really liked the novel, and it actually encouraged me start exploring the other Web Series that has been abandoned/incomplete, because the good work of the staff and actors deserve to be appreciated even if they didn't have the resources to finish the story.

The most disappointing ....

Mr. Melancholy Wants to Live a Peaceful Life/忧郁先生想过平静生活

Wen Sen/文森 x Sun Lulu/孙路路

I'm disappointed with this drama, but I sort of understand why it came out this way. The novel plays heavily off dramatic irony to carry its humor and suspense, and that is hard to express in audio -- at least, I don't think there is a well-established formula for it. However, I still think it could have done much better to cover the scenes and action in a straightforward manner.

The Return of Cambrian Period/寒武再临

Guo Haoran/郭浩然 x Ma Zhengyang/马正阳

I can understand why "Mr Melancholy" is hard to adapt, but I really, really don't understand why this straight-forward, plot-driven action adventure has turned out so poorly. The episodes are too short and fragmented to engage listeners. A lot of the dialogue could have been edited during adaptation to make it more natural and smooth. Many scenes use music and sound effects that are very cheesy and dated, which almost sounds like an inside joke about the age of the novel that no one wants that at the expense of quality. It's just a long list of little problems that seem incomprehensible for a production that had the budget to hire an all A-list cast.

"Tan Lian"/贪恋

Wen Sen/文森 x Yuan Mingzhe/袁铭喆

My favorite voice actors tackling an original screenplay! I was so excited, but ....

the story is just not good, to the point I'm wondering how did everyone get through making this AD, because it makes so sense as a narrative! If it's a comedy, maybe everyone can at least get some laugh out of it, but it has be a angsty scum gong story. "Confusing and miserable" just don't make an appealing combo.

Final Thoughts

When I first got into danmei in 2022, I mostly listened to the "backlog" of famous productions, and I was really blown away by the quality and variety. 2023 was the first year of me "following" the current releases, and it was a little disheartening tbh. The industry seems to be a at a turning point, experimenting with new people, genres and formats, with varying results. Maybe it will work out better in 2024.

[asrisgratitudejournal]

2023 recap

Omo ku sudah lama banget ingin menulis what I am grateful for in 2023 tapi betulan selalu ga sempet (ya emang u didn’t make time aja Non). Terus ini juga, jam 18.15 masih di wellbeingroom-nya RSL padahal jam 18.30 ada janjian dinner di Linacre harusnya sekarang udah mulai jalan??/

Yaudah jadi ini outline kasar aja yah.

Paling bersyukur 2023 ini karena:

Dikasih sama Allah kesehatan fisik dan mental yang mumpuni untuk tetap menjalani hidup, ku bisa bilang dengan sangat bahagia malah:

Secara duniawi, ku nonton STRAY KIDS 2 KALI??!! Kurang highlight of the year apa itu. Terus juga bisa nonton live Beyonce, Abel, Trevor Noah???

Dari sisi PhD, ku berangkat konferens di Goldschmidt, bisa RESUBMIT!, walaupun di-reject lagi. Bisa nge-run eksperimen dengan sealing di RHUL (ini jadi technical banget postnya tapi gapapa)

Bisa travelling??! Yang butuh uang dan kesehatan fisik dan mental juga dalam preparing dan melaksanakannya

Bisa pulang ke Indo bertemu keluarga dan teman-teman

Bisa dapat rumah di Castle Mill dan mempunyai flatmate yang solehah dan suka memasak juga HUHU

Apa lagi ya… Sebetulnya itu aja, tapi ITU AJA UDAH BANYAK BANGET???! Terutama kalau dicompare dengan 2020 atau 2021… Jujur sebetulnya hidup gaada drama aja tuh udah superduper grateful, lah ini dengan positive perksnya (MENANGIS). Sebetulnya pas Umroh kemarin nulis sih grateful for apa aja, tapi lebih in general selama 30 tahun ini grateful for-nya, nggak dilimit ke 2023 aja.

Habis ini akan nonton classical concert di Sheldonian jadi pulangnya akan malam. Untuk refreshing, ku repost postingan recap 2021 yah. Ku baru sadar kalau ku gapernah nulis recap 2022… aneh banget.

Byea.

Wellbeing room RSL 18:25 11/01/2024

[kyanako5972]

Webtoon 2023 recap: Yumi's Cells

I began reading Webtoons in 2020, I think.

I got into Yumi's Cells after it concluded, and after it became a Daily Pass. Quite a marathon to read within the Daily Pass limits (511 episodes; currently 2 daily passes and 3 ad passes per day), but there was something special about it that kept me reading more. (And unlocking a ton of episodes... before Webtoon got more stingy with the free coins)

It's no surprise, then, that it's recorded as my most beloved series for three years in a row. I'll admit I haven't read it in a month, but that's just a general effect of reader fatigue. (I'm so behind on a bunch of Webtoons.)

Maybe I might talk about the contents of Yumi's Cells another day. And yes, I watched the drama.

You know what else is special? Daily JoJo. Same author, Donggeon Lee.

[aprilblossomgirl]

My Drama Universe 2022 Wrap-up

For someone who’s been fussy about being in a drama-slump this year (well, k-drama slump to be exact), this wrap-up list sure proved otherwise. Not as extensive as what others might have, perhaps, but these are what showed up to me this year that I willingly embraced consumed. Mostly BLs and Thai’s series, not all that I picked were airing this year, some aired year(s) back. Even for the ones airing this year, not all I watched live. So, it will probably cloud my perception of the show, somehow. However, I’m a firm believer of that not every show is for everyone (or, in this case, me), and that sometimes I had better experience of consuming certain shows when I watched it later after its airing period in my own pace.

A bit of story nobody asked. I’ve been watching Asian tv series / movies since the mid-end 90s. Started with mostly J-drama(s) and very occasionally C/Tw-drama(s), and then followed by an intense past decade of mostly K-drama(s). It was only at the beginning of this year that I’ve been exposed to Th-drama(s) and BLs (or QLs in general) and that was partly due to some major changes I had this year (moving back home to a time zone 12-hours ahead after 4-5 years being away in a foreign land + the series of reverse culture shock). Diving into these media has somehow given me a new kind of comfort I didn’t know I needed at the time. A comfort I know I will still be seeking for the next years to come. And since I’ve made this Tumblr page as my safe zone, why not include a yearly recaps/wrap-up list for my own documentation, also as an index to refer to if later I decide to make some Best-of-2022 kind of posts.

Anyway, I don’t do quantified rating here, I’m just giving some little hearts or highly subjective brief commentary shouts, if any. But if anyone would like to talk or share some thoughts about some of these shows with me, feel free to drop by the comment or my dm or ask box :)

Oh, and when I said little hearts, I mean these: 

🤍 (white) - the show owns my soul, period.

🖤 (black) - it’s my top-something-kind-of shows.

❤️ (red) - loved any aspect of the show: the stories / the tropes / the character(s) / pair(s) / the music / the aesthetics.

Ok, now, the list(s) will go under the cut. A little notes: I didn't separate them based on the genre (QL/non-QL) or the regions for my own convenience.

First, here’s the list of the shows I watched and finished this year, supposedly in a chronological order I picked them (but maybe some were off the timeline -- I didn’t really track them real time, unfortunately):

F4 Thailand: Boys Over Flowers (Thailand 2021-2022) -- I watched almost all adaptation of Hana Yori Dango, and I must say, the Thai version was better written in most parts. Also, Kavin-Kaning was cute here, almost a match to the Korean’s counterpart: So YiJeong - Chu GaEul <3

🤍 Kieta Hatsukoi (Japan 2021) -- my first love, ever, in BL. I adore this show so so much!

❤️ 2gether + Still 2gether (Thailand 2020) -- not gonna lie, these ones gave me comfort in an unexplainable way.

❤️ TharnType (Thailand 2019) + TharnType 2: 7 Years of Love (Thailand 2020) -- you can say anything about this show or everything about it, but to me, this gave me my #1 comfort character: Type Thiwat Phawattakun, and it hasn’t changed.

Together with Me (Thailand 2017) + Together with Me: The Next Chapter (Thailand 2018) -- the friendship in this show was one of my favorites. Also, this show introduced me to my ultimate favorite BL casting pair: MaxTul. But my most favorite part? Their hometown by the river in the Amphawa district.

My Husband in Law (Thailand 2020) -- what to say more: a drama, that I enjoyed but will not revisit.

❤️ Bad Buddy (Thailand 2021-2022) -- the 5th episode’s rooftop kiss arc my beloved, and need to say no more, a comfort show until today.

Cupid's Last Wish (Thailand 2022) -- my introduction to EarthMix; in a way I was glad I watched this first instead of ATOTS.

❤️ Star and Sky: Star in My Mind (Thailand 2022) -- another comfort show, my adorable Khabkluen & Daonuea; can’t wait to see them again in Our Skyy 2!

🖤 KinnPorsche (Thailand 2022) -- the show that ignites something in me which I cannot label. KimChay will forever hold a chokehold on me. A show that, in one way or another, I might never have a proper closure with. That said, the chaotic that is their casts ensemble had a very special place in my heart.

🤍 Manner of Death (Thailand 2020) -- my forever #1 (not so) BL! TanBunn remains one of my top BL couples.

🖤 HIStory3: Trapped (Taiwan 2019) -- Meng Shao Fei is everything I need in a lead character, and I need him to be with Tang Yi. Also, this show has one of the most adorable second couple.

❤️ To My Star (South Korea 2021) -- this show is strangely beautiful to me. Kang Seo Joon and Han Ji Woo were those unlikely pair that I need to see being together. 

Semantic Error (South Korea 2022) -- a beauty that is not for me specifically, but I enjoyed watching the growth of relationship between Chu Sang Woo and Jang Jae Young. 

❤️ A Tale of Thousand Stars (Thailand 2021) -- I LOVE everything about this heartwarming show with my whole heart. Tian is another comfort character to me. And the village kids! I just can’t stress enough how I really appreciate and love it that the show made the kids part of every step on Tian’s emotional growth all throughout. The slow burn romance, though, tested my patience to the peak, but in the end, it was all worth it. My very brief halfway thought here and final thought here. Can’t wait to see Moonlight Chicken for more of EarthMix. 

🖤 Not Me (Thailand 2021-2022) -- I don’t think any words would suffice to express my thoughts about this show, so I’ll just settle with: it’s fucking brilliant, enough said.

❤️ Old Fashion Cupcake (Japan 2022) -- this show very much feels like a hug and comforting in way that especially when you’re at the age range of TogawaNozue you will understand. The conversation and gradual growth of emotional intimacy between them was something I could relate and reflect to. 

Tonhon Chonlatee (Thailand 2020-2021) -- I’m a big fan of mutual pining, but not so a big fan of last minutes reveal. That said, this was a show with another favorite friendship squad. 

Blacklist (Thailand 2019) -- watched this during my The Eclipse era mainly because of First and Khaotung were in it. I liked the overall story and the theme it brought up, but more especially I loved the cast ensemble and their chemistry with one another.

🖤 55:15 Never Too Late (Thailand 2021-2022) -- this was my first time watching a Thai series with a kind of slice-of-life genre, and I love it, such a realistically beautiful takeaway about youth and regret. Another lovely casts ensemble with my favorite performances of Khaotung and View. 

❤️ Vice Versa (Thailand 2022) -- an absolute beauty nobody could convince me otherwise! The aesthetics (and clearly the budget) of both audio and visual were on a whole different level. I adore JimmySea’s chemistry (and so I will definitely tune in for Last Twilight). The only thing I missed was Talay’s job as a colorist. Would’ve loved to see it more incorporated during his time in the parallel universe.

🤍 The Eclipse (Thailand 2022) -- this show owns my soul. AkkAyan is my everything. I lose my mind here but would love to experience the getting lost for any one more time. As imperfect as it was, this will always be that special show for me. 

Big Dragon (Thailand 2022) -- a dynamic that’s not for me but I stayed until the end with no complaints regardless. If anything, the color-coded lighting and sets of this show were actually something I believe to mean something more.

Love in the Air (Thailand 2022) -- not gonna lie, I’m here mostly for the depiction of the architectural students’ life (which brought some nostalgia in me) instead of the romances; dropped a bit during the few last episodes of PayuRain and picked it up again once PrapaiSky started. I love Sky and he must be protected at all costs, yet I found Prapai to be that exact figure Sky needed. I was aware of the talks within the fandom about this one, and I stayed with my take.

❤️ Enchanté (Thailand 2022) -- this one comes as the nicest surprise for me this year. It might not have the best twist of the story of all time, but I did enjoy every turn and the eventual reveal. As a diehard fans of friend-to-lover trope, I had an instant massive crush on Akk Itsara (as well as a silent and slowly whinny ‘why why whhhyy’ toward Theo) only the heaven understands. The music elevates every emotion I felt. The aesthetics were specifically made for me. My highly subjective full thoughts here. 

Fish Upon the Sky (Thailand 2021) -- my introduction to PondPhuwin, and what a chemistry! This show prepared me mentally for the rollercoaster of pinched heart that is Never Let Me Go. 

Choco Milk Shake (South Korea 2022) -- adorable! A cuteness that’s not really for me, but cute, nonetheless. 

And then, this list is for the shows that I’m still watching or still ongoing, and most likely will finish:

The Warp Effect (Thailand 2022-2023) -- a chaos I’m looking for ever since Love Shuffle.

Never Let Me Go (Thailand 2022-2023) -- a new (hard) obsession detected. (a reminder that I need to make a specific tag for this as I did My School President)

My School President (Thailand 2022-2023) -- they’re cute, so cute, the cutest thing I’ve ever watched! I love these babies so so much!!! And the thematic music? My everything! -- I scream a lot about them here.

Between Us (Thailand 2022-2023) -- so far, I’m loving all the relationships in this show, but most especially the friendship trio Team, Pharm, Manow - they’re everything I wanted to see in a squad!

Remember Me (Thailand 2022-2023) -- I got a mixed feeling about this one, but Champ’s storyline hits too close to home it hurts as much.

Gaus Electronics (South Korea 2022) -- hilarious! I adore the consistency of thematic advert on each episode.

The Shipper (Thailand 2020) -- with this one, I am now convinced there are no roles that First and Ohm could not tackle. 

And here, for the ones I’ve started (mostly 1-2 or some more episodes in) but as of now the mood just never right enough to continue. Most likely will still be on my list next year, so I am temporarily reserved my commentaries.

3 Will Be Free (Thailand 2019) 

10 Years Ticket (Thailand 2022-2023)

609 Bedtime Story (Thailand 2022-2023)

Cruel City (South Korea 2013)

Dark Blue Kiss (Thailand 2019)

Extraordinary Attorney Woo (South Korea 2022)

First Love: Hatsukoi (Japan 2022)

Ghost Doctor (South Korea 2022)

Grid (South Korea 2022)

I Told Sunset About You (Thailand 2020)

Love Between Fairy and Devil (China 2022)

My Liberation Notes (South Korea 2022)

Taxi Driver (South Korea 2021)

The King's Affection (South Korea 2021)

Triage (Thailand 2022)

Lastly, the ones that I dropped (but who knows I’m gonna pick it up again later):

Cutie Pie (2022) - dropped at later episodes.

LITA (2022) - dropped PayuRain’s part at around episode 4 or 5; picked up again when PrapaiSky’s part started.

So, that’s it, that’s my wrap-up. I hope 2023 treats us better and allows us many many more good shows to devour! 

[adamwatchesmovies]

Rocky II (1979)

The original Rocky didn’t “need” a sequel. The lovable lug got the girl, proved he could be a legitimate boxer and became a hero to his hometown of Philadelphia. He won… but it was an emotional victory. He didn’t actually beat Apollo Creed. For this reason, Rocky II is more than a way to capitalize on an existing property; it completes the journey. Anyone can get lucky and go toe-to-toe with the world heavyweight champion. A winner will do it twice.

Following the match between heavyweight champion Apollo Creed (Carl Weathers) and Rocky Balboa (Sylvester Stallone), the Italian Stallion learns that fighting again could lead to permanent blindness. Retiring from the sport, he and Adrian (Talia Shire) begin their married life together. Meanwhile, Apollo is inundated by letters accusing him of throwing the match or of being an illegitimate champion. He becomes determined to face Rocky again.

Following a recap of the fight between Apollo and Rocky, we get a harsh dose of reality. Our hero's fighting days are over. But that’s ok. Rocky has fame and enough money to be comfortable. Adrian agrees to marry him. Trouble comes once Rocky’s bruises heal. What’s he supposed to do now? Did his whole life lead up to a single match and then retirement? It gets even harder once Adrian becomes pregnant. What kind of role model will Rocky be for his child? Months ago, an entire stadium was cheering for him. Now, he’s back where he began, on the dirty streets of Philly. It doesn’t feel much of a victory, and when he tries to spin his past accomplishment into a commercial career, he isn’t happy. In his heart, he's a fighter. If he isn’t donning the gloves and performing Mickey’s drills, he feels empty. His pride is at stake.

Pride is a key theme here. Rocky doesn’t feel like a real man. Apollo is similarly compelled to prove himself. It shows how similar the two are… but also how different. The champion is already at the top. He’s got everything to lose. Rocky is at the bottom. He’s got everything to gain.

Written, directed and starring Sylvester Stallone, Rocky II holds onto everything that made the first picture compelling. The characters have evolved but they haven’t drastically changed. Our hero is still more comfortable cracking bad jokes than putting his true feelings out there. Adrian is more assertive but her bully of a brother still pushes her around when she’s at her weakest. The only significant flaw in the picture comes later, when the plot runs out of things for her to do and has her fall gravely ill so she can be off-screen. Considering there’s already drama with Rocky going into the ring to fight Apollo, it feels like something out of a soap opera.

Rocky II is not as good as the first but it completes the story satisfyingly. You get more out of everything you liked and the bigger budget allotted to Stallone shows. The final battle between Apollo and our hero is superbly shot. You kind of know what the end results will be but that doesn’t make it any less pleasing to watch. It’s a solid follow-up. (On Blu-ray, January 10, 2020)

[peacehopeandrats]

Recap post.

One fic finished and another reaching the climax... Maye a pun intended there.

First off, the conclusion of Monster In The Storm.

Mature, F/M, Gen, Complete Work

Tags: Belle/Rumplestiltskin | Mr. Gold, Belle (Once Upon a Time), Rumplestiltskin | Mr. Gold, Gideon (Once Upon a Time), Original Characters, Angst, Implied/Referenced Domestic Violence, casual nudity, A Monthly Rumbelling (Once Upon a Time), A Monthly Rumbelling March 2020 (Once Upon a Time), Missing Years, Travel, Family

Summary: Inspired by the March Monthly Rumbelling. The Golds have moved into a new town home and Gideon meets a young girl who convinces him that their fathers are more alike than he could ever have imagined. The problem is, only one of them is the real "monster" and Gideon needs help to see the truth. Can the Golds help their new friends fight the very real battles they face and leave the realm as heroes?

Winner of the 2023 Chipped Cup Award for Best Drama. Thank you.

Explicit, F/M, Gen, Work in Progress

Tags: Belle/Rumplestiltskin | Mr. Gold, Goliath/Elisa Maza, Belle (Once Upon a Time), Rumplestiltskin | Mr. Gold, Gideon (Once Upon a Time), Original Characters, Goliath (Gargoyles), Elisa Maza, Lexington (Gargoyles), Xanatos (Gargoyles), Brooklyn (Gargoyles), Rather Large Rumbelle Read, Missing Years, New York City, Family, Travel, Semi-Public Sex

Summary: Nominated for Best Travel in the 2020 TEAs. Part of the Rather Large Rumbelle Read, April 2020. Quick Summary People have often said they wanted a series based on the Gold family and their adventures. Here's my version of what it could have been.

In this first part of their journey, Belle and Rumple are on their way to New York with Gideon. There they spend some time settling in to their lives away from Storybrooke and prepare for their long adventure as a family. Rumple has another motive, however, which he tries to keep from Belle until a group of visitors reveal themselves, forcing him to tell the truth about everything. But these visitors bring with them a new potential enemy. Will Rumple lose control of himself or will he be able to outsmart the trickiest of tricksters and his most powerful foe yet?

Timing This series fills in all the space between Gideon's first birthday and Belle's death.

Winner of the 2023 Chipped Cup Award for Best Crossover. Thank you.

Sorry for the unusual posting, my house elf is used to being on vacation and I'm used to not needing them. :)

[henriethepipopipo]

WEEK 4: How do we consume reality television

Reality TV, also termed popular factual television, occupies a unique space straddling information and entertainment, documentary and drama (Hill 2005). In this dynamic genre, people with real identities become the focal point, blurring the lines between authenticity and spectacle, challenging traditional categorizations and inviting audiences into a captivating intersection of reality and entertainment.

TV shows are now digested via social media?

TV shows have woven themselves into the fabric of social media, where they transcend mere social interaction with friends and family to become hubs for shared interests.

As Deller (2020) observes, online communities thrive in these spaces, whether they are tightly organized on platforms like Facebook or loosely united by common hashtags on Twitter. Notably, Mark Andrejevic (2008) points out a fascinating trend, where some audiences engage with TV shows solely through recaps, finding these summaries both entertaining and comprehensive enough to stand alone. This indicates that there is a portion of the audience who start consuming reality TV content only because they are social media users. The allure of social media as a vibrant arena for reality television discourse lies in its omnipresence and content centralization, making it a convenient space to concentrate discussions spanning social, professional, and personal interests across a handful of major platforms (Deller 2020).

TV shows engagement gives us a sense of community?

The engagement with reality TV not only entertains but also fosters a profound sense of community, accentuated by the genre's inclination toward 'liveness.' As Couldry (2003) contends, the emphasis on 'liveness' in reality shows, particularly those broadcast live with audience participation through voting, plays a crucial role in uniting society.

“‘Liveness’ naturalizes the idea that, through the media, we achieve a shared attention to the realities that matter for us as a society.” - (Couldry 2003)

Deller (2020) underscores the significance of social media in enhancing this communal aspect, transforming the act of watching reality shows into a shared social event. The genre's inherent humor further contributes to this sense of community, with shows incorporating humor into their style. This comedic thread weaves through social media discussions, manifesting in puns, quips, animated gifs, memes, and sarcastic commentary, creating a unique tapestry of inside jokes that strengthens the bonds of the viewing community (Deller 2020).

TV show personas are not seen as “real people”?

“Viewers can be quick to forget that the comments they make online are about real people, and that those real people may well see the comments and be genuinely affected by them.” - (Paul Kelly)

The disconnect between the on-screen persona and the real-life person can lead to a dehumanization of TV show personalities. This phenomenon is accentuated by the virtual nature of online interactions, where the immediacy and anonymity of commenting can foster a sense of detachment from the consequences of one's words. Therefore, acknowledging the genuine impact that online comments can have on the individuals behind the personas is crucial to prevent harm being done.

Reference list

Andrejevic, M 2008, ‘Watching Television Without Pity’, Television & New Media, vol. 9, no. 1, pp. 24–46.

Couldry, N 2003, Media Rituals : A Critical Approach, Routledge.

Deller, R 2020, Reality television : the TV phenomenon that changed the world, Bingley, Uk Emerald Publishing.

Hill, A 2005, Reality TV: Audiences and Popular Factual Television, Routledge, London.

[sarah-hell-pit]

Legoshi is Gay: A Queer Reading of Beastars script excerpts

this doesn't cover the entire video, and this does NOT belong to me. I am putting it on tumblr for archiving purposes. Watch the full video here.

A Queer Reading of Beastars: Video Essay Notes

What is Beastars? Beastars is a manga created by Paru Itugaki that ran from 2016 to 2020, published in the manga magazine Weekly Shonen Champion, which spanned 22 volumes. It has a popular Netflix anime adaptation, with two of three seasons currently released.

It has been described as a coming of age drama, focusing on the story of one young wolf growing up and becoming an adult, and in so doing, struggling with what society has in store for him (expectations and moral ambiguity.) It has also been described as a shonen, (a story about young male protagonists who fight) as each chapter has a villain that must literally be fought. It’s also a psychosexual horror thriller, where the wolf can’t decide if he wants to have sex with the love interest or devour her whole. It’s also chill slice of life, which features an entire chapter about two characters having dinner together. In other words, it can be called many different genres.

It’s a world full of anthropomorphic animals. The setting is that of modern human society, but with heavy modifications that tie into the world building.

The population is 50 percent carnivores and 50 percent herbivores. All carnivores have an inborn instinct to eat meat which hasn’t been dulled by the formation of modern society. The opening scene features an herbivore being devoured alive by someone he knows.

The protagonist is a gray wolf named Legoshi, who has a timid personality until he pounces on a rabbit at the beginning of the series. He’s overcome by instinct and struggles not to devour her. She escapes, and he begins to fall in love with her.

The rest of the plot is explained in this video in short form, chapter “what is Beastars?” And it does an excellent job of recapping everything that happens in the series.

Main cast: 

Legoshi- Main character, a male gray wolf Haru- main character, a female dwarf rabbit Louis- main character, a male red deer

Jack- male dog Bill- male tiger Juno- female wolf Gouhin- male panda Riz- male brown bear Pina- male sheep

…And many others.

Queercoding

Started with the introduction of the Hayes code in 1930. (No sexual perversion allowed to be shown on screen, which included all homosexuality.) The Hayes code was in effect until 1968. Your parents were probably already born by the time that it was replaced by the MPAA film rating system in 1968. 
There were a total of four decades of US history where explicit gayness (queerness) and many other things were banned from movies. (Even today, ratings above R are rarely shown in theaters.)

Queer characters found their way into stories through context and framing during this time (and afterwards as well. There are still queercoded characters today.) They had to have enough plausible deniability to get past censors. Villains had the most leeway for writers. So there were decades of movies had queer coded antagonists.

Disney villains are good examples of this. Ursula, Scar, Gaston, etc. have traits associated with queerness, but they are also unabashedly proud of who they are.

Now, the cultural history of Japan and its media is not the same of that of America and its media, but it is useful to know America’s policies, because there is an anime adaptation dubbed over in English, and Americans watch it through Netflix.

Louis is described as having feminine looks, and Legoshi has a feminine manner of speaking.

Legoshi says that the easiest smell to access in his brain is the scent of Louis. Legoshi’s first kiss is with a male under contrived circumstances. He fights that male in a shower, alone, and the male comments on his body. There’s a scene where Juno holds Haru’s face and then runs away, commenting that she won’t be “twisted around her little finger” like Legoshi and Louis. There’s a scene where Riz threatens to eat Pina’s finger, and sucks on it for a little while. Legoshi crossdresses so he can talk to Louis.

Devouring and Sexuality

Sexuality and devouring in this story are conflated, to the point where it’s difficult to separate them thematically. When it comes to the characters and storylines that matter, Beastars always associates devouring and sex.

There’s a feminist reading to this. A large percentage of herbivore characters shown onscreen are female, and a large percentage of carnivore characters shown onscreen are male. There’s a 50/50 split of carnivores and herbivores. Carnivores have a natural advantage in strength, and are able to do something uniquely horrible to herbivores that herbivores could never do to carnivores. In a way, you could say that devouring is like rape. Beastars is a world where this offense is the most serious crime that one could commit. “Meat offenders” is the term for carnivores who eat meat, and there is a registry for them, just like there is a sex offender registry.

In the manga, a female herbivore stripper is performing sexual favors for a carnivore, who turns on her and tries to devour her.

In Beast Complex (an earlier short story manga series by Paru Itugaki) a male camel lets a female fox eat his ring finger consensually. She talks about how she hasn’t ever had the desire to eat someone before, and how a carnivore’s hunger doesn’t dictate their actions.

When Legoshi first pounces on Haru, he struggles to tame his urges.

“I’ve always just been food to all the boys.” -Haru, the female protagonist. She sleeps with many different (herbivore) males and has a reputation in the school for being a slut.

“…you’re an attractive girl… why can’t I stop salivating?” -Legoshi

“Do you think about her flavor when you talk to her?” -Gouhin

Bill (male tiger) is confronted by an herbivore student. He insists that the black market for meat is just a red light district that sells porn magazines.

Chapter 24’s opening illustration features a carnivore stall bathroom with graffiti that reads, “If you’re hungry, jerk off.”

Legoshi smears what looks like blood in the manga when he declares his love for Haru.

“And what if I were to offer you one of my legs? You’d salivate and happily accept, right?” -Louis to Legoshi

PINA: “Say, for example, I’m alone with someone in a closed, dimly lit room. In the event that someone is a girl, I just wanna kiss her… do you want to eat me?”
LEGOSHI: “I don’t eat meat or have a girlfriend…” The story of the stripper starts on the very next page in the manga.

Going back to the story of the devouring in the beginning, we get to know who the devourer is before the main characters know. Brown bear Rip goes on and on about how he could be his “true self” around his herbivore friend, Tem. It tells the story of how they became friends and how he stopped taking his strength suppressing medication so he could show Tem his true self, which lead to devouring Tem whole.

How Haru and Legoshi’s relationship is queercoded

“This is an animal manga that is a human drama.” Paru Itugaki specifies that the drama is human despite all of the cartoon animals, making the point that her story isn’t to be taken literally.

There’s a split where loving a beast from one group is completely normal and accepted, but loving a beast from the other is a societal taboo. Interspecies relationships is a taboo in this society, and every animal is expected to find a mate of their same order at the least, and preferably of their same species. The most taboo kind of interspecies relationship is predictably a carnivore/herbivore relationship.

Everyone around Legoshi pressures him to date Juno. Even Juno wants him to date her. Legoshi, however, repeatedly distances himself from her and has no sexual interest in her at all. Nonetheless, they are repeatedly mistaken as a couple when they go out in public, because the pairing seems so obvious through the sense of social norms.

However, he is obsessed with Haru. His interest in Haru is a huge shock when Juno finds out about it. His desires for her are seen as perverse. There’s a scene in the manga where his long time best friend finds a rabbit porn magazine in his room and worries his friend is going down a dark path in life because of it.

He can’t help but see himself as the monster he has been told that he is, and the solutions he comes up with on his own are healthy and malformed.

He asks for help from mentor figure Gouhin on how to approach romance with Haru, and his advice is little more than a profoundly unhelpful ‘DON’T.’

Haru also faces stigma for having so many male sexual partners, and there is commentary about the double standard with women versus men sleeping around. But she doesn’t face nearly as much stigma as Legoshi faces for being attracted to herbivores.

There is an inherent queerness in the way Legoshi’s attraction to Haru is discussed and portrayed. The stuff about sexuality and devouring serves to emphasize the subtext.


LEGOSHI’S PERSONIFIED DESIRE: “You have struggled your entire life, and now you’ve reached your limit. You’ve suppressed your feelings ever since you were a kid, and you’ve lived quietly in the darkness, haven’t you? Is that sadness you’re feeling, or is it frustration? You’ve longed for this taste for seventeen years.”

“The winners in this world are those who live without hiding their true nature.” -Haru

Internalized Homophobia

The first antagonist of the series is Bill, the bengal tiger. He represents something that Legoshi hates or fears about himself, like all of the villains in this series. Bill is everything Legoshi isn’t- loud, boisterous, and proud to be a carnivore. He flaunts his strength and constantly pushes boundaries to see what he can get away with.

“I refuse to live like Legoshi. I am glad I was born a tiger.” -Bill

Legoshi “struggles with his identity as a carnivore.”

He speaks softly, slouches to hide his true size, and hides himself whenever he can… he’s ashamed of what he is, and goes through life apologizing for existing at all. This goes well beyond being considerate of others’ feelings to the point where it’s self damaging behavior. He also polices the behavior of other carnivores, which I can’t help but see as his own self hatred leaking out.

Bill dopes with a vial of rabbit blood, which makes Legoshi angry. This is acceptable male carnivore behavior. 
I think there’s something to be said about societal norms and rape culture in this detail. It is acceptable to consume, but not to love a member of the herbivores’ group.

Being raised in a heteronormative society has taught Legoshi to hate himself. His needs are deemed to be taboo, so he’s hit by this deep, permeating shame every time he feels any desire at all. He’s caught in a loop of despising what he is while lacking the ability to change his own nature. Beastars is a flexible metaphor about the trauma caused by society’s judgment and how that trauma ends up reflecting back at society from within us. 
The world has been cruel to Legoshi, so he acts in ways that may be more cruel than we may be willing to accept from our protagonist. It’s ugly but honest.

Bill’s crime is being just a little bit too close to Legoshi’s self image that he hates so much. An image he’s been conditioned to hate since he was a child. Bill is a mirror that Legoshi can punch more than once.

Video excerpt from Hannah Gatsby: Nanette

“Seventy percent of people who raised me, who loved me, who I trusted, believed that homosexuality was a sin. And by the time I identified as being gay, it was too late. I was already homophobic. And you do not get to flick a switch on that, no. What you do is you internalize that homophobia and you learn to hate yourself to the core. I sat soaking in shame in the closet for ten years, because the closet can only stop you from being seen, it is not shame proof. When you soak a child in shame, they cannot develop the neurological pathways that carry thoughts of self worth. Self hatred is only ever a seed planted from the outside. It took me another ten years to find out that I was allowed to take up space in the world…”

Legoshi has internalized the monster that society sees him as, hiding it away, untreated. Then, he lets it free in the scene where Legoshi fights Bill in front of a live audience.

Carnivore’s violent tendencies are also stigmatized by society. It is wrong to bare your fangs in public, wrong to threaten violence, and wrong to fight other carnivores where herbivores may see.

The herbivore audience is mesmerized by the violent display.

“You want to punish me publicly? You think you’re so much better than me? You’re not. I know you’ve smelled rabbit blood before…”

All of the enemies that Legoshi faces reflect something that Legoshi dislikes about himself. Therefore, each enemy that Legoshi must defeat has less to do with punching them and more to do with introspection and growth.

Legoshi’s friend Jack asks him in one scene, “What exactly happened to make you like this, huh?” This is after he chases away his attacker by kissing him to identify his scent.

More sexuality conflated with violence- Riz and Legoshi fight in the showers together, half naked, and touch one another a lot. After being interrupted by the cleaning lady and getting embarrassed, they agree on a final time and place to fight.

Gouhin means well. His entire practice takes for granted the idea that Carnivores and Herbivores can’t truly coexist, let alone love each other. So it feels like he’s contributing to the very stigmatization that makes his job necessary in the first place. It’s like he’s a very sympathetic doctor who loves his patients but nonetheless classifies homosexuality as a mental illness.

Legoshi tries to cure his desire for meat by buying black market meat and meditating in a room with it, basically torturing himself in an attempt to reach some form of enlightenment, as if he can escape himself entirely. His grades are slipping, he’s getting little sleep, and is neglecting Haru entirely. He overflows with empathy for other beasts, but doesn’t allow that empathy to extend to himself or Haru. He’s hurting them both by refusing to treat his own needs as deserving. He hates himself, and is actively working to defy his own nature, and spends his training literally looking like a different person. He realizes that his jaw is getting weaker through his training. 

When he finally contrives an excuse to eat a bug, his fur goes back and he looks like himself again. Deprivation was never going to cure him because there wasn’t anything to cure. It was self destructive behavior. But, the moment he indulged himself, he was suddenly Legoshi again. Legoshi has a wet dream on the next page, continuing the parallels between sexuality and devouring/hunger/hunting instincts.

“I’m a dirty wolf who just had a sexy dream about Haru. Which means I’m still full of earthly desires. I’m powerless over my own primal urges.” -Legoshi

Then, he realizes what he needs is Louis. He wants him to witness his battle against Riz. He crossdresses so he can safely visit Louis while protecting his identity, pretending to be a female hitting on him.

His developing sense of empathy is what saves his life. He offers to listen to Riz’s story before Riz kills him.

Legoshi and Louis connect for the first time, realizing they had both been wrong. As an audience, you are meant to recognize their worldview and perspective that has been an integral part of their narration of the story up until then, has been flawed, and it should be satisfying when they finally change and become who they are inside.

Louis is the opposite of Legoshi in many ways. Where Legoshi is considerate and passive, Louis is smug and aggressive to the point where he’s physically abusive to his fellow classmates.