#also side note: i HATE chinese romance shows

[kookygranger]

Fairytale of Hawkins: Valentine's Special

Eddie Munson x Fem!Reader

Summary: The lovebirds return. Robin comes to the conclusion that you and Eddie are in fact perfect for each other when you denounce Valentine's Day and all things Hallmark romance perfect. Eddie softens your edges.

Warnings: 18+ minors dni, allusions to sex, swearing, reader and Eddie are in their late 20s/early 30s, fluff baby fluff

Word count: 2.6k

Author's note: A little look into the burgeoning relationship of towtruck!Eddie and you, a cynical city girl, post-Christmas romance.

Masterlist

Valentine's Day

“Fuck sake.”

Your colleague laughs as you swat away the paper hearts hanging in the doorway of the office lunchroom. “Why do I have to be assaulted every time I get coffee? I’m about three seconds away from tearing this shit down.”

“Yikes, somebody’s not feeling the love today.” Joel smirks over his mug, legs crossed at the lunch table and highly amused by your mood.

“I’m not feeling the love every day. Don’t see why there needs to be a stupid holiday to remind me.” You grumble as you reach for the pot of black coffee, filling your Bikini Kill mug almost to the brim.

“Trouble with the boyfriend? I thought it was going well.”

“He’s not my–“ You sigh. Joel was a work friend. One that shared stock in the workplace trauma and loved to gossip over a Manhattan at Friday drinks. And yeah you knew a lot about each other’s personal lives, but you always struggled with bringing down your professional walls and knowing when it was okay to share; to stop compartmentalising your life so much. Inherently mistrusting, even when it was unnecessary.

“It is–I just. I can still hate the holiday even when I’m…”

“In love?”

You make a face and walk back to your desk, Joel cackling behind you. He leans on your unstable cubicle wall as you sit back at your desk.

“So, prince charming not send you anything?”

“Of course not. He probably thinks it’s just as stupid as I do.”

“You didn’t talk about? Make any date plans?”

You shrug, “There’s no point in him coming all the way up here just for that. We’re both busy.”

Joel purses his lips and hums. You give him a sharp side eye and he backs off, hand up in surrender as he walks away. You roll your eyes when he walks past another cubicle and you hear the sass in his voice, “Beautiful roses Sarah! Somebody isn’t afraid to express their love.”

You let out a sharp exhale, rolling your neck to try ease the tension.

You hate that you were a little upset that he didn’t call to tell you he was thinking of you. You hate that this made-up day could make you feel like that when you had talked to him just yesterday, and your relationship was doing just fine thank you very much. Eddie called to tell you he was thinking about you all the time. Eddie sent flowers when he knew you’d had a rough day. Eddie sent you love letters full of poetry and blush-inducing accounts of what his mind wandered to all day when he was driving around town in his tow truck.

So why did it still sting when none of these things happened on the day that they happened to everyone else.

You should be secure in the knowledge that Eddie Munson didn’t need a commercialised day to show his affection towards you, like many other men in this world. Janet from accounts may have been cuddling her “lovebug” plush toy all day with a faraway look on her face but you knew for certain that she’d be grumbling at her husband Greg come tomorrow night when she was left to do the dishes after also cooking his dinner, despite working just as many hours as him.

But still –

Valentine’s Day sucks.

And you hate that the boy you are… incredibly fond of isn’t standing in front of you nodding his head in agreement as you dish out the Chinese takeout for dinner. Waiting with open arms and magic fingers to relieve the tension in your shoulders as you step through the door of your apartment.

You know you don’t have any right to think these things really. You and Eddie had only been dating since Christmas.

Maybe dating was a loose term, but you had been on dates. You were almost inseparable the week between Christmas and New Year's before you had to head home and back to the office and had been calling each other regularly since. Eddie had taken a trip to see you a few times (three, almost four due to bad weather) and you went on dates.

Good dates. Great dates. Dates that always ended with you wrapped in each other’s arms under your bed sheets. And god, you loved every moment spent with him.

Every full-bellied laugh you’d get out of each other, every glance as you walked side-by-side and soft kiss you shared in between conversations. He was always on your mind. Maybe you were even teaming on the edge of infatuation, and maybe this had a little something to do with your foul mood. The pressure of deep-seated denial of your feelings teetering from innocent to something, compounding in your head. Boy, was that headache really digging its heels in.

Robin’s chuckle cuts through the static over the line as she listens to you grumble.

“Wow, you really are the perfect girl for Eddie Munson.”

You stumble, “You think– wait what do you mean by that? Are you coming over to hear me grouch face-to-face or what? I got the strawberry cheesecake Ben & Jerry’s.”

“Actually,” you can picture her face scrunching up as she elongates the confession, “I kinda have a date.”

You squeal, “Excuse me?! Buckley you’ve been holding out on me! Why’d you let me ramble on about my misery when you have a hot date?”

“Because you hate Valentine’s Day.”

“Well yeah, but I love you. I wanna hear all about your cavity-inducing V-Day plans.”

Robin sighs a long-suffering exhale.

You decide to take your bad mood straight to bed and skip calling Eddie. It wasn’t his fault, and you certainly didn’t want to call just to vent and drag him down. You were tired. You missed him. You were worried that might be too much for you to admit over the phone.

***

Valentine’s Day had set the mood for the rest of the week; by Friday you were done. You were dragging your body up the stairs to your apartment, thinking that maybe it was time for you to go to Eddie. Go back to Hawkins if they’d have you. You couldn’t shake this missing him thing, and the fact that you hadn’t heard his voice in days wasn’t helping.

The past couple of nights your calls had gone unanswered. You weren’t worried, just sad. And you were finally coming around to the fact that it could only be fixed by one boy. God, maybe you had more in common with Janet from accounts than you thought. Both of your moods were heavily influenced by men.

When the fuck did this happen?

Your inner pity party clouds your awareness, taking no note of the sounds or smells coming from your kitchen as you push your heavy front door and kick off your uncomfortable business casual shoes as soon as you’re past the threshold.

It’s the loud clatter of a pan and hissed fuck that has you jumping out of your skin.

“Eddie?”

His head whips around, grin spreading across his face as he spots you by the door. A tea towel over his t-shirt clad shoulder and hands busy stirring things over your stove. Things that smell good.

“Hi.”

“What the fuck are you doing?”

His eyebrows raise, lips forming that stupid smirk that has you virtually already on your knees.

“I’m gonna take that as a good what the fuck and not a get the hell out what the fuck.”

You jog the last few steps and crash into him, arms wrapping around his neck. He takes some of your weight as you melt into him.

“Of course it’s a good what the fuck.” You mumble into his chest, feeling his chuckles under your cheek. When you pull back he cups your face and greets you with a deep kiss. “Do I wanna know how you got into my apartment?”

His laugh hits your face in a warm breath. “Robin lent me her key.” He goes in for another peck before he starts rubbing your cheek soothingly with his thumb, taking in your tired face.

“Pretty sure you’re safe from amateur thieving hands with those two deadbolts, sweetheart.”

“Don’t mock Munson, I’m a girl living alone in the city.”

He nods, “You’re right. Maybe I’ll install a chain too. Gotta keep my girl safe.” He places another quick peck on your lips before turning back around to mind the boiling pots of water and simmering sauces.

Goosebumps. Literal goosebumps at the thought of this man calling you his.

“What is all this anyway?”

He scratches his face, still turned away from you when he gestures to the vase full of wildflowers that you’re only just noticing, and the pink box stamped with the logo of your favourite local bakery sitting on your kitchen table.

“Robin told me you hated Valentine’s Day, which I totally agree with by the way, commercialised bullshit – but uh, I thought we could have like a not-Valentine’s Day dinner, and it gave me a good excuse to break into your apartment and see you so…”

You bite your lip, containing the grin threatening to break out on your face even though he’s still not looking at you. You wrap your arms around his middle, leaning your chin on his shoulder as he continues to work.

“So uh, how long on dinner?”

He keeps stirring, “Maybe 20 minutes. You hungry sweet girl?”

“Famished.” Your lips start to trace a line up his neck, doing that thing with his earlobe that makes him blush furiously.

“Oh. Wait, wait, wait–let me just,” he quickly turns off one of the burners and puts a lid on two of the pots, “Okay.” He spins around, beaming at you when you keen into his touch, warm hands cupping your face. “Hi.”

You return a lip biting hi before you practically pounce on each other. All the stress and inner turmoil from the week leave your body as he walks you backwards to your bed on the other side of your studio apartment.

You spend the next 23 minutes getting reacquainted under the large frosted glass windows that frame your bed, lips parting only for short gasps of air, before Eddie hops up, almost tripping in his attempt to put his underwear back on and jogging the short distance to check on dinner. You giggle at him, and you see the flushed pink return to his cheeks as he winks at you over his shoulder.

Dinner is amazing. Apparently, Steve taught Eddie the basics of cooking when they moved in together (Eddie taught Steve all about tater tots and oven food) and he experiments further when he’s got spare time, especially if he’s cooking for someone that he loves…like Dustin or Wayne.

The night ends much the same as it started after you gorge on the pastries from the bakery, which coincidentally all happen to be your favourites.

Eddie’s chocolate brown eyes are far away as he traces patterns along your jaw and bare shoulders.

“What are you thinking about?” You ask softly.

He exhales slowly through his nose, “Just thinking about how much I miss you.”

You smile at him, his eyes dart to your lips, “I’m right here.”

His eyebrows twitch in that frown you’ve learnt to adore. “I know, it’s just–“ he leans in, forehead touching yours, “I think…” you feel his frown deepen against your skin as he pauses.

“Eddie, are you okay?”

“Yeah…and no.” He leans back, head hitting the pillow beside you, his hand coming up to rub his forehead as his eyes scrunch tightly. You let him take another deep breath. You let him take the time to find the courage to spill out his next words. “I’m in love with you.” The hand that was tracing soothing circles in his bicep stops as his head rolls to look at you. “Like, I never really knew what real love felt like until we started doing whatever this is,” he gestures to your bodies curled up under your sheets, “kind of love.”

“Oh.”

“Yeah.” His face scrunches up again. “And I know, that’s a fucking lot when it’s only been what, a couple of months? And we don’t live in the same city and this is supposed to be fun and casual and you’re a cool city girl with your own life and friends and I drive a tow truck in a small town that thinks rock music is the devil’s music. And trust me,” he shakes his head, hand braced on his chest, “I tried not to. But you make it really fucking hard with your pretty face, and the fact that you look hot as hell in your little corporate outfits but also in my gross Slayer t-shirt, and the whole saying anything that comes to mind sassy without even trying to be thing, and the great taste in music, and the fact that you try to watch all my favourite horror movies even though they give you nightmares and you’re scared that your sleep paralysis demon or whatever you call it is gonna pay you a visit – which by the way is fucked – you know, you don’t make it easy sweetheart.”

He sounds kind of angry. The way his chest heaves after his admission and his brows stay perpetually creased would make anyone who didn’t know him concerned. But you know Eddie Munson.

“I’m in love with you too.”

“What?” His head snaps so quickly you're concerned he might’ve pulled a muscle.

“I didn’t think we were purposefully keeping things casual, I just thought ‘cause of the distance that’s what worked but…I’ve missed you a lot lately and I kind of came to the realisation this week it’s because I’ve fallen for you. Hard, by the way. You know I was gonna call the airline and sus flights to Indy after work. It’s not fair for you to keep having to drive all the way up here. Especially since you end up spending more time on the road than you do here with me.”

He's still frowning, but his eyes are as soft as a puppy’s as your confession sinks in. “Sooo…what do we do now?”

You shrug, moving closer to him as his arm snakes around your back, his hand rubbing soothingly up and down your spine. “I don’t know. But, I do think that I can swing a lot more weekends in Hawkins. Like, at least half the month.”

He beams then, frown lines smooth as his smile, “Really?”

“Yeah. Would that be okay?”

“I think I can handle it.” He places a soft kiss on your lips.

“What about Steve?”

“Fuck Steve.” Another kiss. “Wait, what do you mean?”

You laugh, “I mean, would he be okay with me staying over?”

“Of course he would. If not, I’ll kick his ass.” He shrugs.

“You think you can fight Steve?”

“Ah sweetheart, Steve has never won a fight in his goddamn life. Plus, I got street smarts. All he’s good for is swinging around that damn nail bat.”

“The what?”

“Nothing.” He shakes his head, smirking before distracting you with another kiss. “You love me, huh?”

You puff your cheeks up and exhale, “Apparently so.”

“You love me.” You giggle as he teases you with sweet kisses along your jaw.

“Don’t get too cocky Munson. You’ve got it bad too. You bought me flowers within the window of Valentine’s Day.”

You feel his smile against your jaw. “Yeah, I’ve got it bad. Real bad, sweet girl.”

Tagging: @storiesbyrhi hi x. And @eddieslooneymoonie, @micheledawn1975, @skrzydlak just in case.

[romchat]

Director Deep Dive: The “Feminine Gaze” of Zeng Qingjie (A Familiar Stranger, Butterflied Lover)

What does it mean to film something through a “feminine gaze”? 

Unsurprisingly, this is a tough question to answer. In filmmaking, the feminine gaze is usually offered as an alternative to the “male gaze” or the ways movies and tv depict women as passive sex objects. Although filmmakers and scholars disagree over the definition and even value of the term, I like to think that, in its most basic form, the feminine gaze is visual storytelling that subverts or redefines how gender looks on screen.

I think one director whose visual storytelling often taps into that feminine gaze is Zeng Qingjie so I thought it would be interesting to discuss some of the stylistic choices that make his work unique.

I first came across Zeng’s work via the short dramas A Familiar Stranger and Butterflied Lover.

What struck me about these two fantasy romances is how different they feel despite having relatively standard plots for their genre. Both dramas are dreamy and refreshingly sensual and intimate. They touch on taboo topics like menstruation, abortion, and the dangers of pregnancy while also quietly challenging traditional gender roles. But most interesting to me is how they center their women protagonists not just in the plot but in the way the camera captures their image. These are women stories and it's evident down to the cinematography.

Style Element: Subjectivity

For instance, Zeng's visual storytelling often uses subjectivity.

Subjective cinematography is when we the viewers see what a character sees or feel what a character feels because of the camera’s position, movement, lenses, etc. It’s considered a critical feature of the feminine gaze because it forces us to recognize the thoughts and feelings of women characters who are often overlooked in traditional media.

Zeng adopts several cinematography techniques to put the audience in the mind of his women protagonists, and together these techniques encourage us to empathize with them, especially in their darkest moments.

One of my favorite examples of this is an early scene of Butterflied Lover.

In the drama, Tang Qianyue, the FL, has been infected by a poison that turns people into monsters known as "butterfly slaves". Qianyue knows she has been infected but to appear normal in front of her loved ones secretly suppresses her monster form. One day, however, she begins turning into a butterfly slave against her will.

As seen above, the scene of her transformation consists of many long shots that showcase the full horror of her monster form.

But the scene ends with a close-up of her face, the camera lingering on the anguish she feels at her body betraying her. Look at how the camera keeps her face in focus but her claws blur with the background, her blood-red eyes hidden in shadow. Zeng wants us to understand how she feels in this moment, not what danger she presents. She might be a monster but we feel pity for her rather than hate or disgust because of the humanizing subjectivity of the camera language.

(Side Note: I don't think it's an accident that most of the infected people shown in their butterfly slave form are women given that monsters in media often symbolize the unknown or uncontrollable elements of the feminine experience. It makes me wonder about the role of female monsters in Chinese myth and whether there are parallels to their patriarchal meaning in Ancient Greek mythology.)

I think another good example of this humanizing camera language is in the sexual assault scene of A Familiar Stranger.

Unlike many shows that depict sexual assault in an erotic way (i.e., filmed to make us sexually excited about a woman’s powerlessness and nakedness), Zeng uses a combination of close-ups, shallow depth of field, and canted angles to make us feel the violation. With the intimate but disorienting effect of these camera techniques, we feel Shi Qi's duress but also clearly see her attacker's abuse of power. We feel what she feels and therefore have a better understanding of what it's like being a woman trying to navigate the world. It’s an awful moment but one that doesn't objectify or visually disempower her as a character.

Style Element: Sexuality and Feminine Desire

(Side Note: Woot woot pregnancy sex)

Zeng also challenges the ways women's bodies are typically objectified on screen by how he portrays his characters' sexuality. In his dramas, women aren't sex objects but instead subjects who experience sexual desire and express their sensuality.

I love the intro of A Familiar Stranger for this very reason.

The show opens with the camera languidly panning across a line of bare legs and scantily clad bodies, their owners posed seductively. It’s a stereotypical example of the male gaze reducing women to their bodies.

But then Zeng's subverts this male gaze when he has one of the women look right into the camera in a subtle fourth wall break.

According to filmmaker-critic Joey Soloway, such moments are an example of "returning the gaze" and are a way for women characters to articulate how they feel about being seen as objects:

"When a female character breaks the fourth wall, they acknowledge the reality that they are being watched and are refusing to remain passive in that. Instead of being gazed upon, they remind us of their agency by directly addressing us and giving us insight into what they’re thinking and what emotions their actions are being motivated by." (Mariel Cipriaso)

Through this technique, we learn that the seductive performance is not for the benefit of some man on screen (or in the audience) but instead themselves. These women, who also happen to be sex workers, are posing for a portrait as a cheeky way to celebrate their own beauty and sensuality divorced from the services they provide male clients (with some sapphic undertones to boot!).

They are in control of the camera not the other way around. 

Ultimately, these are stories where women find pleasure, and the intimacy scenes reflect that.

Everything is softly lit and impressionistically shot as if the characters are lost in the haze of their mutual desire. The use of close-up and extreme close-up shots further play with our senses, giving us the tactile feeling of skin on skin, breath against breath. Unlike stories filmed through the male gaze, Zeng’s camera doesn’t reduce his women characters to body parts and mere receptacles of male desire—they’re active participants who desire and enjoy their partners just as much.

And what I find particularly interesting is that the scenes don’t just “center” these women’s POV but instead show how sex (and touch more broadly) is a vehicle for emotional intimacy and the impact of that intimacy on their male partners. (That hand flex below is giving Mr. Darcy.) Sex and physical intimacy between men and women is transformative not exploitative.

In these two dramas, women aren't objects of desire that men use for their own pleasure but instead subjects who are seen as such by the other characters* and, most importantly, Zeng Qingjie's camera.

(*Side Note: See @well-dressedwords' excellent analysis about the ML in A Familiar Stranger. His intuitive trust towards the FL is an example of seeing her as a subject. He doesn't recognize her for superficial reasons like beauty but her character, which he was able to glean when they first meet and she saves him--hence the title A Familiar Stranger.)

[clovermine13]

It's been awhile since an IF has managed to completely take over my brain in awhile so I decided to get a drawing of my @infamous-if MC Delilah Rose, commissioned from @inorheona, who always does a fantastic job.

OC Fun Facts below

Pansexual

100% has a praise kink, she wants to explore that more but the kind of sex she has doesn't usually leave much room for conversing.

Has been wildin' in the club since she broke up with Seven, like a lot, probably to much, maybe needs therapy. Definitely needs therapy

has a very particular Pen Preference and while she will use whatever is available, she might complain. Also, prefers to write in one of her many notebooks over her notes app.

She does drink, she does do drugs (Coke or Oxy depending on her mood) but tries to stay sober and makes sure her friends get home. Also, she sleeps around and would rather do that as sober as possible.

Has definitely written lyrics on the back of a one night stand. In sharpie, she was very sorry. She always dedicates that song to that poor women.

Would kill to play a rain show. She has a thing with rain storms.

Loves to read romance novels. especially fantasy ones, ESPECIALLY spicy ones. Its trash but she loves it.

Is she still actively in love with her ex, probably, is she planning on avoiding that with every fiber of her being, absolutely.

I like to think she is part of a VERY casual FWB situation with the lead singer of another band where they meet up when they are in the same place and send each other memes. For two rockstars, its pretty wholesome.

Would absolutely love to be in a committed relationship, monogamous or otherwise but is too afraid to even try.

Wants a big family, is looking forward to being an aunt, is convinced she is going to be a horrible mother, which isn't true but she doesn't think highly of herself, also she doesn't know how to balance her music and the relationships she has that aren't directly tied to her music and having a baby scares her. (She is very careful)

Is okay with the idea of being married but doesn't think it's necessary, catch her with her lover initial around her neck, or initials tattooed on her wrist.

Is super committed and very touchy in a relationship, really enjoys PDA but wants to keep as much of her relationship private as she can, just for them.

Will eventually write love songs but hasn't written one in a long time.

Is completely unaware of how she affects people, not is a mean way, she just doesn't think she is that important outside of her music. She is sweet, just sad and a bit oblivious. She is a sweetheart she just doesn't believe you really like her.

Says she is indifferent about her parents, that's kind of true, she still wishes they liked her (Head canon wise, I think her Dad does and wants to reconnect but at this point he doesn't know how and her Mom resents Delilah, she never wanted kids and D is aware of this. )

She is Chinese on her Dads side and Portuguese on her Moms. She is First Gen American and doesn't really know he extended family.

I think friends would call her D if nicknames ever become a thing.

Would love to have pets, maybe a bird or some bunnies. But she is literally never home.

Love language is a tie between Physical Touch/ Words of Affirmation

Loves pet names.

A pacifist unless she needs to fight then she can.

I like to think she has a lot of half baked talents like her parents put her in a ton of activities to keep her busy and supervised when she was young so she can sew, tie fancy knots, put up a tent, build a fire, has basic tap/ballet, karate and can raise goats and ride a horse.

Is an absolutely mid cook. She tries but generally hates cooking.

Has everyone's things in her apartment. Like she has a spare room and in that spare room is two dressers and a closet full of the bands stuff and they can sleep there whenever.

Has a top secret email that Fans can use to get in touch with her and there is a higher chance of getting a reply. Sometimes people use it as free therapy (She is not someone who should be giving advice) or different artistic pursuits, fanart, short stories. I think she has written songs based on short stories sent to her email, she gives them credit and dedicates those songs to the author. Has she received fanfic to this email.... Yes.

Is artistic and tends to work on other projects while idle. Right now she is crocheting a baby blanket.

Has so many belts.

Favourite Colour- Green

Favourite Show- Black Mirror

Favourite Movie- The Princess Bride.

I only create one MC per game. I am not a multiple MC girlie. So she will romance everyone but as an angsty, second chance romance girl, Seven is probably gonna be her main. (Although G is a close second.)

[gerardwaygirlmoments]

What We Do In the Shadows: The Musical Episode

I saw someone on Reddit say that the show would have officially jumped the shark if there was a musical episode, so here's my idea of how that would go!

It takes place a little before the s5 finale, so Nadja still thinks she has to be nice to people to break her hex. She already took Guillermo to the vet, so she's helping him on an errand run this time. At the moment, he is delivering Nandor and Lazlo's sperm to the witches, as is the deal they have made. As they arrive, the witches have just got back from seeing Wicked on Broadway for the umpteenth time. Nadja hasn't heard of it, so when they tell her, her inheritance of Lazlo's distaste for musicals and her own hatred of witches merge and she laughs at the idea of anyone enjoying singing sympathetic witches. The witches are offended and cast a spell on her and Guillermo, teleporting them to a demiplane where they can be taught a lesson. Since Guillermo was holding Lazlo and Nandor's sperm, they teleport alongside them. Colin Robinson also shows up, which confuses the others at first before he explains he was jealous of Lazlo and Nandor for being considered more vampire than him and the witches not wanting his sperm so he snuck some in when no one was looking, which wasn't difficult with how hot Lazlo and Nandor's are to look at (Lazlo concurs that "The old chap and I truly do have some magnificent spunk, wouldn't you say, my dahling?" Nadja agrees about Lazlo's but refuses to believe Nandor's could be all that great).

With that tangent over, the gang finds themselves in the dark behind a red curtain. Guillermo's been binging Twin Peaks recently, so he becomes afraid that the Black Lodge is real and they've been brought there. That's quickly disproven with no one talking backward, and their also confused why it’s even be called “the Black Lodge” if it’s red. The curtain rises and the gang learns that the witches will be magically forcing them to perform songs from various musicals to learn the True Meaning of Broadway. They hate it at first, but over time they come to like it. This is especially true of Colin, who at first thinks he can just use it to drain but then starts to recover his childhood enthusiasm for the art form.

Some musicals they could perform could include:

Phantom of the Opera (gothic romance for Lazlo/Nadja)

West Side Story (romance for Lazlo/Nadja)

Sweeney Todd (gothic romance for Lazlo/Nadja, see my in-depth post on this AU)

The King and I (Nandermo with emphasis on Nandor's old kingly role)

Oklahoma! (Cowboys for Jackie Daytona)

Guys and Dolls (idk too much about this one but it's a classic and there could be something with Dolly)

Cabaret (for the flamboyant queer sexy performance)

Hamilton (kinda obligatory at this point)

Fiddler on the Roof (this was brought in in the s4 finale, it should be expanded here)

Wicked (Nadja could finally come to appreciate witches and get her big Defying Gravity moment)

When everyone is having a great time and the moment has come for the grand finale, Lazlo leads the cast in a rousing rendition of a song "by none other than an old friend of mine, a true Chinese-American icon, who no doubt wrote this ballad about his treacherous journey from the Orient to these United States and this wonderous city of ours. Mr. Frank Sinatra!" It's New York, New York, and Lazlo mispronounces it in every incredible way possible, except for the final sweeping note.

[sweetlullabyebye]

Decided to make a list of all the k-dramas I've seen (I'll probably forget a few of them) with a note, because why not?

I'M NOT A ROBOT: 4/10. First drama I ever watched, which is why it gets a higher note than 2/10. Never managed to finish it.

PINOCCHIO: 7/10, really liked it on the first watch, impossible to get through afterwards. Main lead was charming until I realised he wasn't that charming.

W: 6/10. I loved the idea and plot and drawings, but I got very lost towards the end. The main couple had potential but then what.

GOBLIN: 5/10. Never was able to finish it. Age gap made me uncomfy. The only reason I pushed through for a while was the side couple.

EXTRAORDINARY YOU: 9/10. Favorite drama, except for the last episode, and the fact that every male character except for Haru and Donghwa was pretty much despicable. I do recommend watching to see the mess the extras are up to (most scenes have the extras being so damn amazing). The main couple was cute.

MY ID IS GANGNAM BEAUTY: 9,5/10, has a very special place in my heart. It had important subjects and finally a female lead that feels more or less realistic. Also nasty misoginistic guys get knocked out or shamed so that's a plus.

LAWLESS LAWYERS: 10/10. Can do no wrong in my mind. It's fun, it has action, it has drama, it's nice -I probably idealize it thanks to it being the first drama I ever finished-.

MY NAME: 10/10. Yes. Exactly. Everything about it is a work of art. Strong subjects but it's handled well, in my opinion, and having a female lead in such an action-filled serie was so fucking good.

STRONG WOMAN DO BONG SOON: 8/10, very fun to watch (even with the dark parts). The main couple is cute, and even if some of the humor makes me go "eh?", most of it is nice.

WEIGHTLIFTING FAIRY: 8/10, way funnier and better than I expected, and I love the friendships in it, very light hearted overall.

OH MY VENUS: 0/10. Trash.

THE LEGEND OF THE BLUE SEA: 6/10, it almost got me screaming out of frustration. It's fun but also CAN SHE PLEASE USE HER BRAINCELLS FOR ONCE?

MY LOVE FROM THE STARS: 8/10, I keep going back to it. Comfort show so I am VERY biased. I do like to deny the last episode existed and live in a comfortable state of denial.

DESCENDANTS OF THE SUN: 6/10. Got stuck halfway, ended up watching the chinese counterpart instead.

LOVERS OF THE RED SKY: 9/10. It looked stunning, the storyline was addicting, I would sell my soul for the main lead.

HEALER: 8/10, better than I expected.

ZOMBIE DETECTIVE: 9,5/10, mindless fun, easy to watch.

RUGAL: 7/10, not bad.

LOVE WITH FLAWS: 3/10. Only watched for some representation. The main couple gave me headaches, I hated everyone except for a total of three characters. Not worth it.

WHEN THE CAMELLIA BLOOMS: 8/10, I don't really get the mystery part but the romance was cute and I really liked the main dude.

ITAEWON CLASS: 8/10, finally some representation! Plot was kind of messy but the women in it were badass and I liked the overall show.

WHERE STARS LAND: 5/10. Meh.

I REMEMBER YOU: 4/10, only watched for the brothers.

LET'S FIGHT GHOST: 8/10, fun to watch, light hearted, overall nice. The main couple was great to see interract and all.

ARE YOU HUMAN: 2/10, the relationship felt creepy.

HOTEL DEL LUNA: 9/10, this drama took my heart and smashed it like a piñata.

ANGEL'S LAST MISSION: LOVE: 6/10, I don't remember much from it, so it was quite forgettable.

THIRTY BUT SEVENTEEN: 8/10. Actually pretty good? The survivor's guilt in it was interesting to see, and I love found families. Some things did make me a bit uncomfortable (since you know... she still feels like she's seventeen).

WHERE YOUR EYES LINGER: 4/10. Not even fun to watch, honestly. Mention of the classic "who's the bottom" and shit like that made me want to disappear from existence.

K2: 7/10. Lots of Snow White references.

COLOR RUSH: 5/10. They had a light hearted (more or less) start and then... it went super angsty all of a sudden? Wtf?

DEVILISH CHARM: 5/10. Forgettable. Lol.

WATCHER: 9/10, interesting characters and plot, kept me captivated the whole time.

UNCONTROLLABLY FOND: 0/10. No.

GRACEFUL FAMILY: 4/10. Yes... but no.

JUST BETWEEN LOVERS: 9,5/10, very sweet, very comfortable in a way? It deals with trauma and family and relationships in such a way, it's pretty much an unforgettable drama for me. Loved it, loved the couple, loved the characters.

SELL YOUR HAUNTED HOUSE: 4/10. I forgot to care after the second episode.

TELL ME WHAT YOU SAW: 8/10, captivating, very much one of the mystery cops series where you know what it's going to be before you watch it, but still keeps you interested.

LIVE ON: 9/10, better than expected, sweet relationship.

THE GIRL WHO SAW SMELLS: 7/10. Never finished it. Plot made me confused and for what.

MY FELLOW CITIZENS: 4/10. Eh.

MEMORIST: 8/10. Once I got into it, it was very fun to watch.

KILL IT: 10/10, all time favorite, I really liked the vibe, the themes, the characters, the twists.

A PIECE OF YOUR MIND: 5/10. Really liked it at first (the main lead is freaking awesome) but then got more and more uncomfortable as it went.

THE TALE OF NODKU: 6/10. I remember it more fondly than it actually was.

HOMETOWN CHA-CHA: 5/10. I don't even know whether I liked it or not.

BEAUTY INSIDE: 7/10, I guess the message is good? I didn't get so attached to the romance, but it was okay to watch. And it introduced me to Lee Da Hee, so that's pretty nice.

EXTRAORDINARY ATTORNEY WOO: 8/10, likeable characters!

VINCENZO: 7/10, some of the moments were very fun to watch and some... meh. Way more brutal than I expected.

100 DAYS MY PRINCE: 4/10. Nearly unwatchable. The showrunners saw "hate at first sight" and ran with it.

SEARCH WWW: 7/10, main couple was so boring I skipped most of their scenes. Only watch for women supporting women and secondary couple.

CHOCOLATE: 3/10. Bo-ring.

EXTRACURRICULAR: 5/10, it felt like a fever dream.

BUSINESS PROPOSAL: 5/10. Not as fun as I was told it'd be. Cliché defying? Yeah right.

STRANGERS FROM HELL: 8/10. I like to forget it exists. I'm still scared of this drama after more than two years.

(There are more k-dramas but

1. I'm tired

2. I don't remember all of them)

[flaringfoxsoul03]

Hello I was wondering if I could get a twst romantic matchup? I’d also love if you could put me in a twst dorm however you don’t have to!

I’m bisexual with she/her pronouns.

For personality I’m creative, introverted, and individualistic and structured. Though I’m introverted, around my friends/comfortable places I can be quite talkative, humorous and outgoing. However I definitely treasure my alone time the most.

As for hobbies escaping to new worlds while reading books/comics, watching movies, and playing rpg video games. My favorite genres are fantasy and sci-fi, though I do love a good classic from time to time. Apart from that, I love working out.

My interests on the other hand are art/tech focused. I’m currently in art school working with mostly digital mediums, though I sometimes work with traditional. I love my practice and everything from interaction/game design to visual effects and web design. Sometimes I’ll bring out the graphite and ink. Once I get started on an idea there’s no stopping me.

Random Likes: coffee, chai tea, dark chocolate, rock/blues/jazz/soundtrack music, cafe art shows, arcades, comic book stores, purple, thai/Indian/Chinese food, roller blading to classic rock, quality alone time

Random Dislikes: people i am unfamiliar with and have to make small talk with, the biting cold, rain, non fiction, staying too close to reality and not being allowed to daydream/imagine/roam freely in my thoughts, too much physical touch, overly crowded areas

Thank You!

Hell yeah I could put you into a dorm! I don’t see why not, your form default however will be like Ace and Deuce; normal human features only. Other than owning some magic (no special move will be mentioned), I’ll place you into a dorm like that. Ramshackle will be out of the picture for obvious reasons. And with that, let’s get to the match~

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I match you with…

Idia Shroud!

——————————

Look, you literally gave me this match on a silver platter. Better yet, might as well be in the Ignihyde because not only will you be more likely to run into the recluse, you get to practice on your special talents most and improve your styles! Plus, earning a secret admirer from afar isn’t so bad, especially if it’s your dorm’s House Warden!

It was painful trying to meet Idia for the first time in person. The man’s so shy! He’s absolutely terrified of any type of public speaking and can’t get what needs his physical appearance this time when he can send Ortho or his tablet. But he bumps into to you being too focused on his whirling thoughts and oh boy, both of you are a mess. Yet, it’s a beautiful mess, he scatters your papers of art which causes a colorful explosion. In the midst of the chaos, you both make eye contact. Out of every romance manga Idia’s ever read, he’s bushing to match your hues on your cheeks! You whisper quietly as to not draw more attention than necessary to ask him if he’s okay, he can only nod his head as he’s too stunned and terrified of his voice to speak. You look around, lighting up brighter than any screen could illuminate, your eyes sparking with a flavorful idea as you whip out a small note pad and pull a pen tucked behind your ear as you jot your little mental creation down as to not forget it. Idia is truly and utterly lost, but he doesn’t hate that he accidentally made a fool of himself in front of you. He notices his dorm’s crest on your blazer and keeps a mental note of your facial features for later cross referencing to find you in his systems. This would not be the last ‘accidental’ meet up with your House Warden as you quickly explain your haste and gather up the papers as he aided along side out of automatic reflexes. Ortho came to scold him for being late but only saw his older brother on his knees looking utterly and completely out of this world

Is beyond ecstatic when he ‘bumps’ into you again, but still far too nervous to talk to you about any real conversation. His saving grace is that you show him the mobile game you’re playing that happens to be a very exciting RPG that got fully released at the beginning of the year. You had heard in passing that your House Warden was a gamer to the core, so you thought of the flames for hair boy who had helped you break your Artist’s Block. It must be him, so you thought you’d indulge him and the dam broke so wide, you thought you accidentally opened the gamer’s encyclopedia for the game! He stopped midway to apologize for rambling, but then you asked him what a certain term meant as you couldn’t help but notice he abbreviated something. This was the start of your paths intertwining indefinitely as time could tell

Respects your level of intelligence in your areas of expertise while you respect his own mad skills in the technology department. He even helped animate your art to life for little short videos, which turned into a contest of who was blushing more with all the videos you two ended up making together

Definitely appreciates that you’re more of an introvert, he would probably set you on fire with his hair more often than not if you were more extroverted. He likes that he doesn’t always have to spend all his time with you because he’s also just too exhausted by socializing sometimes and he needs a break from everyone. Not that he doesn’t love you or anything, he’s just unable to be around anyone because his social battery is immensely drained compared to everyone else

I think one surprise I think you could have Idia be truly caught off guard is jazz music. More specifically, him liking jazz music in the end after you first introduced it to him in one of your playlists. Sure he hears something similar to when he’s with Azul Ashengrotto when he meets with him for club activities in the Monstro Lounge when it’s devoid of people, but not the way you’ve shown him. He may accidentally info dump you on how jazz came to be in Twisted Wonderland, but I have a feeling you’d appreciate him telling you a little history lesson about it anyways

===================

And the follow ups are:

Azul Ashengrotto

And

Vil Schoenheit

===================

And that’s all folks! Sorry it took so long! I had Writer’s Block!

~Fox

[eigwayne]

I finished Back From the Brink last night but lost internet before I could finish writing a summary. Today I also finished The Golden Eyes. Today was stinky and I am le tired, so energy is limited, but I'll see what I can do for reviews.

I actually really enjoyed Back From the Brink. It was a little clunky or sloppily done in some spots, and I'm not sure how I feel about the acting level. I was impressed with Hou Minghao's performance in the beginning but later on there were some moments where it flagged. I hate the word 'microexpressions' but there were some of his that were good (again, at the beginning mostly. Makes me wonder if they filmed the beginning last but Zhou Ye was stronger at the end and clunky in the beginning so I don't know). It'll never happen but it made me want to see how he would handle Zhang Qiling. I rather liked Tianyao- he was dignified and determined and very hurt, but still innocent in a way- an elemental sort of personality. Like the 'pure of heart' thing was really heavyhanded (it was part of the plot, after all) but it fit. And several of the side characters were really fun so it was overall an interesting cast.

But this is Yan Hui's story. And she was actually likeable- kind but a bit mischievous without being annoying, self-oriented without being self-centered. The story didn't tell me she was smart and then show me the dumbest character ever filmed- she was actually rather clever. And she earned her power through the story, so it wasn't like, special princess wins the male lead's heart and all sorts of cosmic power by suffering prettily for a couple eps and being a moron needing rescue the rest of the time. She actively worked to train herself and help others and all that so you rooted for her to succeed.

I heard the book was very solid and the drama was considerably weaker in both plot and characterization (like, so much that book fans generally hated the drama), so when I have the mental energy, I intend to read that. For now, I really liked the drama and it ended up with a 4.188, which is the 4th highest score so far.

The Golden Eyes was a much longer show, 56 eps, made before both the episode cap and the moratorium on men wearing earrings on Chinese TV, so if you miss Lay's earring selections, this is the show for you. The ending was a cliffhanger and there probably won't be a second season so if you hate unfinished stories, this is NOT the show for you. The pace of the show was leisurely compared to current Chinese dramas, so you do get a few more arcs (including the first Kiev arc which I still think was unimportant and could have been cut completely without any issues) and a bit of time spent on the best friend's romance. I got a little annoyed by all the flashback clips but I got annoyed with those in most dramas so that might be par for the course.

This is very much a Bai Yicong drama, with all the hallmarks of the DMBJ adaptations he worked on, so if you liked the way Tomb of the Sea and Ultimate Note rotated ending songs and showed BTS footage and all that, you'll feel very comfortable here. This show feels like a "some elements from other tomb raiding shows we wanted to explore more + romance + mystical bullshit + extra anti-smuggling messages so the censorship board knows we're on the up-and-up" mashup. Less zombies, more magic, more busting bad guys.

So it was fun, familiar, a little cleaner content-wise than a straight-up tomb raiding show. It got a 3.438 on my scoring, with the 2-out-of-five goody-two-shoes cliffhanger ending causing the biggest deduction. If it weren't for that ending, it would have scored higher than The Lost Tomb 2.5. It's a better show in most ways, though.

[nthngtoseehere-blog]

Dramas I quit

I tend to quit watching things due to my own personal quirks that I don't think too hard about. Me not liking something does not equal a judgement against people who do like it.

Also, there are SO MANY other shows that I want to watch, that if I struggle with liking a show it doesn't seem worth it to keep going. I'm like that with all of my entertainment sources, honestly. I only have so many hours in the day to give to entertainment, I kinda hoard them for the stuff that grabs me.

Dropped After Watching More Than a Couple of Episodes

Alchemy of Souls (Korean)

IDK, when I heard the FL actress was being replaced for season 2 I kind of lost interest. What I heard later about s2 didn’t change my mind.

Ancient Detective (Chinese)

I only have a couple of episodes left, but I know it’s not going to go the way I want it to (with the ML and his hot, derpy side-kick being each other’s most important person and going off together to have adventures and maybe eventually do that friends-to-lovers trope). So eh.

Angel’s Last Mission: Love (Korean)

I just fast-forwarded to the whump scenes.

Bring it On, Ghost (Korean)

Ok Taecyeon does not do it for me. I don’t know why.

Bulgasal: Immortal Souls

I cared 0% about the love story, which was unfortunately at least 80%+ of the show.

Candy Color Paradox (Japanese)

This is one of my absolute favorite manga series, and a large part of the reason why has to do with one of the ML’s tendency to do super awkward, dorky, sometimes cringey, but always endearing things. It’s a HAPPY manga, with such sweet romance, and the show has none of that. The quirky ML has been turned into a wet dishrag, and the romance is weird and flat.

Come and Hug Me (Korean)

My main issue was that the short episodes made it hard for me to get hooked. I might come back someday? IDK. Side note: How many serial killer fathers are there in Korea?? There are so many shows with serial killer fathers! Or at least murderer fathers. *side-eyes Korea*

Desire Catcher (Chinese)

This is a master class in “how to completely waste the character with the ~special skill set.”

The Golden Eyes (Chinese)

I got bored.

I Remember You [Hello, Monster] (Korean)

I was struggling because every time the meaty elements of the show – the main character’s search for and relationship with his little brother – started to get good, we’d shift to the romance. I didn’t hate the romance – before the younger-brother plot line really revved up I actually liked it a lot – but it felt like a separate story, and the story I ultimately became invested in was NOT the romance. Then in episode 13? 12? SPOILER the ML leaves his little brother to be taken home from the hospital by the serial killer who kidnapped him years ago, so that the ML can go support his not-even-a-girlfriend despite the fact that she has a whole big support system already but little brother only has him and the serial killer? I got mad and rage quit.

K2 (Korean)

I love Ji Chang Wook, and I love the action, and I love the bizarre relationship between his character and the older FL. But the younger FL drives me up the wall. I couldn’t finish it. I tried just fast-forwarding to the JCW parts, but the younger FL became too ever-present.

Love in the Air (Thai)

Cute? Ish? But the acting and production quality were kind of terrible.

The Secret Romantic Guesthouse (Korean)

I tried for about four and a half episodes. It’s not bad, but there are just other shows I want to watch more.

The Sleuth of the Ming Dynasty (Chinese)

I almost rage quit when the ML was left to wake up alone after being kidnapped and horribly injured because his friends were like “you slept too long and we got hungry so we went out to eat.” What. The hell. And then a couple of eps from the end the ML made a(nother) mistake and people where kind of assholes about it. And I had to stop. It made me sad.

Wu Lin Heroes (Chinese)

I just watched the whump scenes. The FL was annoying.

Dropped Almost Immediately

Are You Safe (Chinese)

So cheesy. Like. Basically a PSA from the government on how to be smart on the internet.

Being a Hero (Chinese)

It just didn’t grab me.

Blood (Korean)

Ehhhh. I may give it another shot later because I occasionally think to myself “I really want to watch something with vampires.”

The Blue Whisper (Chinese)

The ML was weird and the FL was annoying.

Delivery Man (Korean)

Didn’t grab me, though I did check out the whump scenes. (Sorry, I like whump.)

The Great Shaman Ga Doo Shim (Korean)

I think this is YA? But in a way that does not appeal to me.

Heartbeat (Korean)

I’m sorry, Ok Taecyeon.

Kangchi, The Beginning [Gu Family Book] (Korean)

I cannot with main characters being sold into prostitution.

Legend of Fei (Chinese)

It’s just...sort of terrible?

The Long Ballad (Chinese)

At this point I’m starting to think it might just be Dilraba Dilmurat who kills my interest, actually.

Love Between Fairy and Devil (Chinese)

The FL’s voice physically hurt me to listen to. I know people love this show, and I did try to watch a couple of times, but holy crap. I can usually cope with the awful, soul-shriveling baby voices that cdramas frequently inflict on their FLs, but this one, together with her excessively twee characterization – I just could not.

Love Like the Galaxy (Chinese)

The FL’s life was so fucking depressing, I had to stop watching.

Miraculous Brothers (Korean)

It looked like they were going to go with the “failed writer steals someone else’s novel and passes it off as his own, which eventually goes badly for him” and I cannot with that storyline.

Money Heist Korea: Joint Economic Area (Korean)

Got bored fast.

My Roommate is a Gumiho (Korean)

I cringed too much during episode 1.

The Scholar Who Walks the Night (Korean)

I mean, Lee Joon Gi was chewing scenery like a BAMF, but it felt too much like an old-timey Western horror flick when I expected it to be cool? IDK. Another one I might try again when in the mood for vampires.

Strong Woman Do Bong Soon (Korean)

Too silly.

Vincenzo (Korean)

How does a man like Vincenzo do BAMF things in Italy and then go to Korea and immediately get suckered by a scam artist? IDK. Maybe I’ll try this one again someday.

W: Two Worlds (Korean)

Really, really intriguing concept and awesome visuals; but ‘cool guy’ Kang Cheol was not the characterization I was expecting from his introduction. Eh. Another I might try again, but eh.

[kimyoonmiauthor]

More Asian drama ideas...

Yeah, people are often offended when I say I post drama ideas in drama forums where people can see them and they get made. And I’ve documented them before. Whatever. You can do it on your own. It’s not like I get paid for doing this. Also, not sure why people are so offended at the idea of someone posting drama ideas, then not writing the script for them and then writers taking those ideas and writing the script. The hardest part is writing the script. Previous ideas I’ve also posted and were turned into dramas, some of them cooperative and with permission of other people.

IDEA 1: Re-examination of the Best Friend trope.

What's worse than being the villaness or protagonist in a show? Being the Best friend that is required to agree with everything the protagonist does.

- The best friend gets minimum agency - They have to agree with everything that their friend says even if the friend is making rotten decisions such as chasing a cold-hearted abusive guy that bullies them and there is a sweet Second Lead right there. - They have to be an expert at relationships Even though they are their best friend, they have to listen to "I have a friend" stories.

BTW, Male supportive friend isn’t much better.

Chinese shows - They are often stuck with overly lazy, overly destructive bumbling types for love interests, that they must put up with who are, if not a goofy character, straight up abusive that the MFL "rescues" (white the MFL's reltionship is marginally better I think it might be fun to have an actual relationship expert with real relationship advice go up against a plot where she has to give bad relationship advice such as "Get back with him." "But you like him."

- In Japanese shows, the character isn't allowed to change. They just nod, say yes, and blindly tell them words such as, "But you like him" and give measures of, "How do you know you like him?" But there are always thin expertise in those shows about relationships.

- Korean shows the best friend doesn't have a life outside of their best friend unless they are a love interest. No character arc. Forgettable a lot of the time. And often a "sex expert" compared to the female lead. Flip it.

If the Best friend isn't supportive, they are left to "take the guy from the Main female Lead" and thus become the "betrayer Best friend." If the Best friend gives good advice, they are destined to be forgotten. If they give bad advice, then the audience is meant to mock them and hate them.

Given the trend of Isekai, can the Best friend character who is FORCED to be supportive through the protag's often terrible and more terrible decisions to bossy love interest/fluffy-brain woman be turned around? Can that character say no to the chain of bad decisions and bail the protag and themselves out of the worst fate imaginable? Can you subvert the tropes around the Best Friend character? Is the Best Friend destined to be forgotten after the show is over with no life of their own?

And please pass the basic feminism tests: Mako Mori (has a goal other than romance), Bechdel (2 named women talk about something other than men) and Sexy Lamp (The character has agency and isn't there to be sexy). Be a good way to highlight feminism and question the genre.

IDEA 2: Secretly Masochist Emperor

Chinese drama scenario: The emperor is a strict man by day, even a little sadistic to his courtiers, but when he meets a woman in the streets and gets hit hard/knocked to the ground, he finds that he has a masochistic side and *likes* it. This woman ends up being his wife, and seems docile, even subserviant by day, but by night becomes a dominatrix for the Emperor's own pleasure.

Real masochists often have to make a lot of decisions by day, so find it relaxing to be a masochist at night... so it's not far off. Both parties would have to consent, but the catch is being found out he has this kink as the Emperor would be awkward, no? Especially if he's pushed with concubines, etc who think he likes demure women.

I should note that sadomasichism is not all sexually explicit. It can be simple as someone makes orders and the other obeys. It can be bondage. It doesn't have to include hitting, pain, etc, so one could get around some of the restrictions of Chinese censors.

Probably would have to be a short series. I should note that usually with Sadomasichism, they figure out what the other likes slowly, plan it out slowly, try it out slowly, and then figure out a "big fantasy session". (which can be played out in the drama as a climax.) The Emperor's name (Maybe Kingdom too) probably should be fictional to get around censors... but it might be fun to play with. I think actors would have fun playing dual roles and it will be fun for the audience if they can play both extremes well.

[kcrabb88]

Queer Movies/Books/TV Shows for Pride Month!

Happy Pride everyone!! For your viewing/reading pleasure I have made a (non-exhaustive) list of queer media that I have enjoyed! 

Movies/Documentaries

Pride (2014): An old tried and true favorite, which meets at the intersection of queer and workers’ rights. A group of queer activists support the 1985 miners’ strike in Wales (complete with a sing-through of Bread and Roses + Power in a Union)

Portrait of a Lady on Fire: On an isolated island in Brittany at the end of the eighteenth century, a female painter is obliged to paint a wedding portrait of a young woman (or, two young lesbians fall in love by the sea, and you cry)

God’s Own Country: Young farmer Johnny Saxby numbs his daily frustrations with binge drinking and casual sex, until the arrival of a Romanian migrant worker for lambing season ignites an intense relationship that sets Johnny on a new path (Seriously this movie is GREAT and doesn’t get enough love, watch it! It’s rough but ends happily)

The Half of It:  When smart but cash-strapped teen Ellie Chu agrees to write a love letter for a jock, she doesn't expect to become his friend - or fall for his crush (as in she falls for his crush who is another girl. This movie was so good, and really friendship focused!) 

Saving Face:  A Chinese-American lesbian and her traditionalist mother are reluctant to go public with secret loves that clash against cultural expectations (this is an oldie and a goodie, with a happy ending!)

Moonlight:  A young African-American man grapples with his identity and sexuality while experiencing the everyday struggles of childhood, adolescence, and burgeoning adulthood (featuring gay men of color!)

Carol:  An aspiring photographer develops an intimate relationship with an older woman in 1950s New York (everyone’s seen this I think, but I couldn’t not have it here)

Milk: The story of Harvey Milk and his struggles as an American gay activist who fought for gay rights and became California's first openly gay elected official (the speech at the end of this made me cry. Warning, of course, for death, if you don’t know about Harvey Milk)

Pride (Hulu Documentary):  A six-part documentary series chronicling the fight for LGBTQ civil rights in America (they go by decade from the 50s-2000s, and there is a lot of great trans inclusion in this)

Paris is Burning (Documentary): A 1990s documentary about the African American and Latinx ballroom scene. Available on Youtube!

A New York Christmas Wedding:  As her Christmas Eve wedding draws near, Jennifer is visited by an angel and shown what could have been if she hadn't denied her true feelings for her childhood best friend (this movie is SO CUTE. It’s really only nominally a Christmas movie and easily watched anytime. Features an interracial sapphic couple!) 

TV Shows 

Love, Victor: Victor is a new student at Creekwood High School on his own journey of self-discovery, facing challenges at home, adjusting to a new city, and struggling with his sexual orientation (this is a spin-off of Love, Simon, and it’s very sweet and well done! Featuring a young gay man of color)

Sex Education:  A teenage boy with a sex therapist mother teams up with a high school classmate to set up an underground sex therapy clinic at school (this has multiple queer characters, including a featured young Black gay man and also in season 2 there is a side ace character!) 

Black Sails: I mean, do I even need to put a summary here? If you follow me you know that Black Sails is full of queer pirates, just queers everywhere.

Gentleman Jack:  A dramatization of the life of LGBTQ+ trailblazer, voracious learner and cryptic diarist Anne Lister, who returns to Halifax, West Yorkshire in 1832, determined to transform the fate of her faded ancestral home Shibden Hall (Period drama lesbians!!! A title sequence  that will make you gay just by watching!) 

Tales of the City (2019):  A middle-aged Mary Ann returns to San Francisco and reunites with the eccentric friends she left behind. "Tales of the City" focuses primarily on the people who live in a boardinghouse turned apartment complex owned by Anna Madrigal at 28 Barbary Lane, all of whom quickly become part of what Maupin coined a "logical family". It's no longer a secret that Mrs. Madrigal is transgender. Instead, she is haunted by something from her past that has long been too painful to share (this is based on a book series and it’s got lots of great inter-generational queer relationships!) 

The Haunting of Bly Manor:  After an au pair’s tragic death, Henry hires a young American nanny to care for his orphaned niece and nephew who reside at Bly Manor with the chef Owen, groundskeeper Jamie and housekeeper, Mrs. Grose (sweet, tender, wonderful lesbians. A bittersweet ending but this show is so so wonderful)

Sense8: A group of people around the world are suddenly linked mentally, and must find a way to survive being hunted by those who see them as a threat to the world's order (queers just EVERYWHERE in this show, of all kinds)

Books

Loveless by Alice Oseman:  Georgia has never been in love, never kissed anyone, never even had a crush – but as a fanfic-obsessed romantic she’s sure she’ll find her person one day. This wise, warm and witty story of identity and self-acceptance sees Alice Oseman on towering form as Georgia and her friends discover that true love isn’t limited to romance (don’t be turned off by this title, it’s tongue-in-cheek. This is a book about an aroace college girl discovering herself and centers the importance and power of platonic relationships! I have it on my TBR and have heard great things)

Detransition, Baby by Torrey Peters: Reese almost had it all: a loving relationship with Amy, an apartment in New York City, a job she didn't hate. She had scraped together what previous generations of trans women could only dream of: a life of mundane, bourgeois comforts. The only thing missing was a child. But then her girlfriend, Amy, detransitioned and became Ames, and everything fell apart. Now Reese is caught in a self-destructive pattern: avoiding her loneliness by sleeping with married men.Ames isn't happy either. He thought detransitioning to live as a man would make life easier, but that decision cost him his relationship with Reese—and losing her meant losing his only family. Even though their romance is over, he longs to find a way back to her. When Ames's boss and lover, Katrina, reveals that she's pregnant with his baby—and that she's not sure whether she wants to keep it—Ames wonders if this is the chance he's been waiting for. Could the three of them form some kind of unconventional family—and raise the baby together?This provocative debut is about what happens at the emotional, messy, vulnerable corners of womanhood that platitudes and good intentions can't reach. Torrey Peters brilliantly and fearlessly navigates the most dangerous taboos around gender, sex, and relationships, gifting us a thrillingly original, witty, and deeply moving novel (again, don’t be thrown off by the title, it too, is tongue-in-cheek. This book was GREAT, and written by a trans women with a queer-and especially trans--audience in mind)

A Tip for the Hangman by Allison Epstein: A gay Christopher Marlowe, at Cambridge and trying to become England’s best new playwright, finds himself wrapped up in royal espionage schemes while also falling in love (this book is by a Twitter friend of mine, and it is a wonderful historical thriller with a gay man at the center).

Creatures of Will and Temper by Molly Tanzer: a very very queer remix of The Picture of Dorian Gray (which was already quite queer), featuring amazing female characters, a gay Basil, and a much happier ending than the original. 

Red, White, and Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston: The gay prince of England and the bisexual, biracial first son of the president fall in love (think an AU of 2016 where a woman becomes president). Featuring a fantastic discovery of bisexuality, ruminations on grief, and just a truly astonishing book. One of my favorites!

One Last Stop by Casey McQuiston:  For cynical twenty-three-year-old August, moving to New York City is supposed to prove her right: that things like magic and cinematic love stories don’t exist, and the only smart way to go through life is alone. She can’t imagine how waiting tables at a 24-hour pancake diner and moving in with too many weird roommates could possibly change that. And there’s certainly no chance of her subway commute being anything more than a daily trudge through boredom and electrical failures. But then, there’s this gorgeous girl on the train (This is Casey McQuiston’s brand new novel featuring time-travel, queer women, and I absolutely cannot WAIT to read it)

The Heiress by Molly Greely: Set in the Pride and Prejudice universe, this takes on Anne de Bourg (Lady Catherine’s daughter), and makes her queer! 

Tipping the Velvet by Sarah Waters:  Nan King, an oyster girl, is captivated by the music hall phenomenon Kitty Butler, a male impersonator extraordinaire treading the boards in Canterbury. Through a friend at the box office, Nan manages to visit all her shows and finally meet her heroine. Soon after, she becomes Kitty's dresser and the two head for the bright lights of Leicester Square where they begin a glittering career as music-hall stars in an all-singing and dancing double act. At the same time, behind closed doors, they admit their attraction to each other and their affair begins (Sarah Waters is the queen of historical lesbians. All of her books are good, and they’re all gay! The Paying Guests is another great one)

(On a side note re: queer books, there are MANY, these are just ones I’ve read more recently. Also there are a lot of indie/self-published writers doing great work writing queer books, so definitely support your local indie authors!) 

[singharit]

A Not-So-Quick and Dirty Rundown on Queer Thai TV

Have you ever thought to yourself, "wow, I love how queer-romance oriented fanfiction is. I wish there was something that level of ridiculous but profesionally made so I don't have to survive on the crumbs of Western shows."

Yes?

Boy, have I got an industry for you.

Over the past few years Thai TV, and Thai queer TV in particular, has somewhat exploded in popularity not unlike Korea’s Hallyu wave of yesteryear. It’s new on the scene, it’s got its own little quirks that set it apart from Korean or Japanese TV, and to many people it seems a bit more exotic. It's really not that dense of an industry to break into, but I am nothing if not pedantic about literally everything ever, hence this post.

Contents

An Industry Overview

Language & Cultural Notes

What To Watch

Links & Resources

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An Industry Overview.

Production companies in Thailand are not dissimilar to K-Pop record labels, or perhaps a comparison to '30s Hollywood might be more apt. Actors sign to a company as young adults -- the primary big hitter being GMMTV -- and that company produces dramas almost exclusively featuring actors from its on-call stable.

Now, a few years ago some higher ups at GMMTV realised that shows with queer characters were getting way, way, more views than their solely straight ones. Solution? Make more, except focus on solely on the queer characters this time. Thus an industry was born.

These shows are referred to internationally as either BL or GL, boys’ love and girls’ love, and within Thailand as Y-stories. I fucking hate the terms BL and GL so will not be using them, but that seems to be the “””official””” way to refer to both the industry and fandom.

They also tend to be a few things:

Very male heavy. Things have started changing lately, with more female characters in general being written, but you can still expect many women to be either the protagonist’s sister, mother, ex-girlfriend, or first love.

About light-skinned, Thai-Chinese origin, middle-class characters from Bangkok. This is also slowly changing with some shows set in e.g. Chiang Mai or Phuket, but those are the exception rather than the rule.

Character-driven and focused almost entirely on romance. Any other type of plot that happens is a side effect, not an intentional stop on the road to getting these guys to kiss.

Based around more than one couple, and not just in a side-plot kind of way. There’ll be at least two, more commonly three, pairs that share screentime with something like a 70/30 or 50/30/20 split.

Single season shows, where a season can be anywhere from eight to fourteen 40-minute episodes. Second seasons do exist but are rare.

Full of fanservice. Cutie Pie recently had thirteen minute make-out scene, and guys will frequently be shirtless for no reason other than to show off their pecs. You get used to it after a while.

Common tropes & things you’ll see a lot of:

Engineers! Why is Thailand so obsessed with engineering students? I have no idea! But you’ll see at least one in 90% of dramas, so you’d better get used to them.

What Westerners might consider to be strange ethics, e.g. booze blurred out and scenes with guns having big “don’t try this at home” warnings emblazoned on top, but sexual assault explicitly shown.

Painfully obvious product placement. It’s a necessary evil for these shows to get that sponsorship $$$.

A baffling insistence on refusing to hire sound engineers, which is made all the more egregious by the equal insistence on featuring live singing.

Coming-of-age stories.

Cringe. Cringe. Cringe. The secondhand embarrassment is soooo real sometimes.

Friend squads to die for.

Happy endings!

Now, one thing I can’t gloss over is gay-for-pay. It’s a thing. It’s no use pretending that it doesn’t exist, especially when it’s so prevelant. When these types of shows starting becoming popular, a few actors realised that by giving another guy one single, painful to watch, peck on the lips, they could build up a legion of fans ready to scream, “he can’t be homophobic, he was in a gay show!”, and that they could make bank while doing so. I’m not going to name names here, except I absolutely am. Krist Perawat, God Itthiphat, and Mean Phiravich are shitty people and should be ashamed. But bottom line, unless an actor is proven to actually be an ally or queer themselves, don’t trust them.

Related to the above: RPS and actor pair-ups. When casting actors, production companies tend to focus on casting a set couple with both marketability and potential long-term chemistry. The idea behind this is that pair two actors up for a significant amount of time and it’ll allow them to be more comfortable together, thus allowing better chemistry and more complex storylines. Gun Atthaphan & Off Jumpol, for example, in their first appearance together had a very chaste questioning-your-sexuality storyline, whereas their most recent work, after a partnership of six years, featured them as gang members explicitly shown to be sleeping together. These actors build up a rapport, develop a certain dynamic that suits them, and fans watch a new show for them rather than the plot. For some, like OffGun, this works great! They’ve been together a long time, are good friends as a result of that, and they’re now old enough to know to set boundaries with fans. For others, for a variety of reasons, this system crashes and burns. When I talk about the shows themselves a bit further down, this is why I’ll be noting the actors. Watch a few shows and you’ll notice that actors are important to understanding the dynamics you’ll be getting.

But! Despite how dire this industry can seem from what I’ve been talking about above, there are many queer actors and creatives supporting each other and using these shows as a vehicle to express themselves, producing content that wouldn’t otherwise be welcomed on TV. In the last two or three years alone, the environment has become much more open and welcoming, and it’s been a really beautiful thing watch the industry and all of the people involved flourish.

Kings Tul Pakorn & Max Nattapol

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Language & culture notes:

Thai romanisation is not standardised. At all. There’s multiple systems in use and depending on the system, and the translator, you could have three or four ways of romanising one name, e.g. Mes, Met, Med, or Mate. Another particular recurring point of confusion I see often is Kan vs Gun.

Thai full names are long and too unwieldy for everyday life. Every Thai person goes by a nickname instead of their given name, which can be basically any word in existence. Surnames are only used for formal occasions and official documents and such. Also, every family’s surname is unique, so you can immediately tell when people are related.

Name order is Nickname Forename Surname, while actors are referred to as Nickname Forename. E.g. for Max Nattapol, Max is the nickname while Nattapol is the forename. His surname, which I just had to google, is Diloknawarit.

The exception to this is actors who are mixed race and those who’ve spent time abroad, e.g. Jeff Satur and Perth Nakhun, whose legal names are Worakamon Satur and Stewart Nakhuntanagarn Screaigh, respectively.

It’s not uncommon for Thais to change their legal names, mainly either for auspicious reasons or to emphasise a new phase in their life. This is why you have people like Fiat Pattadon suddenly becoming Fiat Patchata

Thailand uses both the Gregorian and Buddhist calendars. They both use the same days and months but the Buddhist year reckoning is 543 years ahead, making this year, 2022, 2565.

Any shows set outside of Bangkok will usually have Thai subtitles since the Northern & Southern varieties of Thai are full dialects, not just accents. You can’t get rid of the subs so just ignore them.

Honorifics & vocab:

P’ - precedes the first name of your elder. E.g., P’Sean, P’Kit. Pronounced literally as the letter ‘p’. Sometimes used as a term of address on its own, in which case it tends to be romanised as phi. Gender neutral.

Nong - precedes the first name of your junior. E.g. Nong’Yo, Nong’Ram. Sometimes shortened to just ‘N’’. Also used as a term of address on its own. Not strictly required to be respectful, so comes across more as affectionate. Also gender neutral.

Ai’ - precedes the first name of a man. Quite rude, so using it implies either disrespect or, with a friend, real closeness in the same way that an English speaker might call a friend “bitch” or “dickhead”. The female equivalent is Ee’.

Hia - precedes the first name of an older close male friend or relative. Used within Thai-Chinese families, or towards a person of Thai-Chinese descent, meaning literally “older brother”. Implies much more closeness than phi. The female equivalent is Je.

(Can also mean “fuck” when said in a different tone, just to be confusing.)

Nu - diminutive literally meaning mouse, used mainly by parents and for very young children.

Khun - Mr/Mrs/Miss. A general use polite term, can be used either on its own, preceeding a first name, or preceeding a title. When preceeding a title tends to make words more formal. E.g. por = dad, khun por = father. Gender neutral.

Khun Nu - Mr mouse? Nope! Young master. E.g. Tankhun in Kinnporsche is a Khun Nu, and Kuea in Cutie Pie is Nu Kuea.

Faen - gender neutral term for significant other. Often times when you see the term boyfriend or girlfriend used it’s actually this instead, so worth remembering. Incredibly useful for conversations with a double meaning.

Krub and Ka - sentence enders, essentially a politeness marker. Can also be used on their own as an acknowledgement or an “excuse me?” kind of thing. Krub is male while Ka is female. Also romanised as khrap and kha.

Want a video about this from someone actually Thai? Perth Nakhun has gotchu.

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THE SHOWS

Most of these shows are available, legally, for free on YouTube with subtitles. For those that aren’t, or if any links have since died, message me. Fansub teams are scattered around a bit haphazardly so it's hard to know where to look sometimes but these (drama)s are very (cool) so you should definitely give them a go.

I’m focusing solely on TV here; films are a whole other area which I don’t have much experience in. For a list of like, literally every show and film ever, see here.

Key ✨ - Personal recommendations 🏳️‍🌈 - Openly queer cast and/or crew involved in the show Title, with a link to the listing on MyDramaList Synopsis, including notable cast members. Notes, aka gossip & triggers. Links

Summaries my own, because my own may suck but the official ones are even worse.

◇   ◆   ◇

The Classics.

Note: quality on these shows tends to be a lot lower than recent ones. These are the very start of the industry, and so show a time before they’d found their footing. They're messy, kinda cringey, and filled with teenagers, but on the other hand, there’s a certain charm to them because of that? They feel more genuine for their amateurish production, like they've been made for love rather than money, and there’s a real sweetness to a lot of the couples.

🏳️‍🌈 2 Moons

After Wayo enters the same university as his longtime crush Pha, he joins a competition to be crowned the campus moon (think prom king) in an effort to get Pha’s attention. As the former moon Pha is in charge of mentoring the new crop of hopefuls, but he seems to have a strange dislike for Wayo. Meanwhile, Wayo's best friend Ming attempts to win over a taciturn senior, Kit.

Note: this show had drama. Note the lack of actor's names. After Pha's actor, God Itthipat, revealed himself to be a homophobe that auditioned for the show solely to boost his modelling career, the author of the original novel took the opportunity to reveal she didn't like the cast and fired everyone. A reboot with a new cast — very imaginatively named 2 Moons 2 — was produced with plans to finish out the rest of the series, but that also crashed and burned via one of the producers coming onto and then being rejected by Wayo's new actor, Earth Teerapat. The producer fired Earth from any promotional stuff and the next season and then blacklisted him, the rest of the cast quit in protest, and season 3 has been languishing ever since. Last I heard the production company were refusing to admit any fault and going through a new round of auditions with little success. Actually a pretty sweet show on its own merits, so has quite a few fans despite all of this. General consensus is that 2 Moons 2 is the better series but it also moves a lot faster and I prefer the cast of S1. Watch either; you get more plot with S2 but it doesn't matter in terms of continuity.

(🏳️‍🌈 applies to the original 2 Moons only, with Kit’s actor aka Copter Panuwat being nonbinary.)

S1 Trailer ♦  S2 Trailer  ♦  Watch S1 and S2

🏳️‍🌈 Love By Chance

Pete (Saint Suppapong) is a shy student who keeps to himself to hide the fact that he’s gay after previous experiences with violent homophobia. A chance encounter with the hotheaded and outspoken Ae (Perth Tanapon) brings him out of his shell to the point where he takes a chance on not just friendship, but also love.

Note: another one with drama. The short version is that a) only one of the cast (Earth Katsamonnat) is out as queer, resulting in many of the gay-for-pay actors belittling and bullying him on set, and b) Perth’s manager at one point started talking shit publicly about Saint, implying that he gets acting roles via selling himself to producers. Seemingly owing to age and industry inexperience Perth basically ignored the entire thing was happening, and what started as a few snide comments blew up to result in what looked like a very real and very public breakup. Earth and Saint both reject any association with the show now.

Note v.2: TW for rape and pseudo-incest (step-brother romance), but both are side storylines that are easily skipped with no impact on the rest of the show. Skip any scenes with Kengkla, Tum, and Tar. Despite [gestures] everything, the AePete parts are incredibly sweet and worth watching.

Trailer ♦  Watch Here

✨ Love Sick

Student council member Punn’s (White Nawat) father wants Punn to date his boss’ daughter, never mind that Punn already has a girlfriend. The only thing that could sway him from the idea is if Punn had a boyfriend instead. Punn’s target for the farce? Noh (Captain Chonlathorn), president of the school music club who is desperate to get more funding for their activities.

Note: This is the show. The one that paved the way. I watched this show in 2016 and still think about Punn and Noh today. Skip any scenes with the girls, since their storyline is waaaay lower quality and also something that was written just to fill the time.

Trailer ♦  Links  ♦  S1 Playlist

Make It Right

After his girlfriend cheats on him, Fuse (Peak Peemapol) gets drunk and sleeps with a friend, Tee (Boom Krittapak). At the same time, Frame (Ohm Pawat) and Book (Toey Sittiwat) also sleep together. The story revolves around these four and their attempts to rationalise that night with their previous straight identities.

TW: consent issues.

Trailer ♦  Watch Here

Puppy Honey

When their school club for looking after stray animals is threatened with disbandment by the dean, best friends Porsche (Kang Korn) and Pick (Off Jumpol) try to recruit the dean's neice Emma (Cherreen Nachjaree) and her best friend Rome (Gun Atthaphan) to help change his mind. There's just one problem: Emma is terrified of dogs.

No trailer :( ♦  Watch Here

Sotus

Engineering student Arthit (Krist Perawat) is known for his hazing of incoming first-years, but he meets his match with the arrival of new student Kongpob (Singto Prachaya). The two don't want to like each other, but are drawn together nonetheless.

Trailer ♦  Watch Here (Sotus S is S2. Ignore that.)

✨Together With Me

Reunited for the first time in years at university, best friends Korn (Max Nattapol) and Knock (Tul Pakorn) drunkenly spend the night together. Afterwards they try to work out if they’d work as a couple, and if it’s even possible to go back to being just friends.

Note: this is actually a prequel to another drama, Bad Romance, but that isn't required watching for continuity.

Trailer ♦  Watch Here

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The New Blood.

Now we're getting somewhere! These are the post-2019 releases, which, as the industry was starting to get established in its norms, marked a significant uptick in both quality and quantity.

🏳️‍🌈 2gether

With an admirer making unwanted advances toward him, cheerleader Tine (Win Metawin) decides that the perfect thing to do to get him to back off is be in a very public, fake, relationship with the campus hottie, Sarawat (Bright Vachirawit).

Trailer ♦  Watch Here

🏳️‍🌈✨ 3 Will Be Free

What do a male stripper (Joss Way-ar), a pickpocket conwoman (Mild Lapassalan), and a gang princeling (Tay Tawan) have in common? Being bisexual, accidentally murdering a man, and going on the run together, of course.

Note: Polyamory and also a major trans character!

TW: attempted rape.

Trailer ♦  Watch Here

🏳️‍🌈✨ A Tale of Thousand Stars

Rich kid Tian (Mix Sahaphap) spends his time gambling and drinking the days away; he has a terminal heart condition so it's not like it's his life is worth anything, right? Wrong. After unexpectedly recieving a heart transplant from a young teacher killed in a car crash, he abandons his life in Bangkok to move to her rural (aka lacking in electricity and running water) village in an attempt to find some meaning in his life, and to keep a promise she made to a forest ranger, Phupha (Earth Pirapat).

Trailer ♦  Watch Here

🏳️‍🌈✨ Bad Buddy

A rivals to lovers comedy where two university students, Pat (Ohm Pawat) and Pran (Nanon Korapat), who’ve grown up next door to each other, and whose families are feuding a la Romeo and Juliet, decide that generational trauma has had its turn; they’re gonna fall in love instead.

Note: F/F side pair!

Trailer ♦  Watch Here

🏳️‍🌈 Dark Blue Kiss

Pete (Tay Tawan) and Kao (New Thitipoom) are a couple and generally happy together, but that happiness is threatened by Kao’s reluctance to come out to his mother, something that Pete can’t understand. Kao, on the other hand, is tired of Pete’s possessiveness and jealousy. The two of them try to work out whether they care about each other enough to work through their issues.

Meanwhile, coffee shop owner Sun (Podd Suphakorn) takes in and employs bad boy Mork (Fluke Gawin) in an attempt to reform him.

Note: This is actually the third part of a series, following Kiss and Kiss Me Again, but those aren’t required watching afaik. There’s an official cut of all the PeteKao scenes Kiss Me Again for people who don’t wanna slog through Straight Nonsense, but I haven’t seen it so can’t say anything for the coherency.

Trailer ♦  Watch Here

🏳️‍🌈 The Eclipse

Suppalo is a prestigious all-boys high school known for being unyielding in its standards, which fall to its prefects, including Akk (First Kanaphan), to enforce and maintain. On the outside, everything looks fine. On the inside, students protest daily about restrictive uniform rules, the administration tacitly encourage the bullying and osctracism of nonconforming students, and a beloved teacher recently committed suicide. New transfer student Ayan (Khaotung Thanawat) couldn’t give a shit about Suppalo’s rules. What he cares about is finding the truth behind his uncle’s death, what drove him to that point, and what it is about the school that inspires such blind compliance in Akk.

Note: this show has an interesting backstory in that the director, Golf Tanwarin Sukkhapisit, originally worked in the film industry before becoming Thailand’s first openly trans MP. When they lost their seat due to the military cracking down on pro-democracy protests and ousting anyone from parliament they deemed too liberal, Golf returned to filmmaking with a focus on subversive and anti-establishment media, including this show!

Trailer ♦ Watch Here

Enchanté

Returning to Thailand after spending time in France, Theo (Book Kasidet) is quickly bored by his change in surroundings and lack of friends, so turns to writing in a library book to someone he refers to as “Enchanté”. At his friend Akk’s (Force Jiratchapong) suggestion, the two of them start searching for his penpal. The problem? Not one, but four guys step forward.

Trailer ♦  Watch Here

🏳️‍🌈 ✨ He’s Coming To Me

Amnesiac ghost Met (Singto Prachaya) waits for the day that one of his relatives will visit his grave so he can leave Earth and reincarnate. He spends 20 years like this, until one day he encounters a boy, Thun (Ohm Pawat), who can not only see him, but who also says his death was not accidental. Leaving the graveyard together, the two of them try to unravel the mystery of who Met was and why he’s been forgotten.

Trailer ♦ Watch Here

🏳️‍🌈 ✨ I Told Sunset About You / Last Twilight in Phuket / I Promised You The Moon

After a childhood falling out, close friends Teh (Billkin Putthipong) and Oh-aew (PP Krit) ended up as bitter rivals. Now in their last year of high school and preparing for university entrance exams, the two of them are thrown together again by a Chinese language class. Oh-aew is failing miserably. Teh grew up speaking the language. What starts as tutoring in an attempt to repair their relationship quickly turns into something a lot more as they try to cope with the return of their friendship and feelings.

Note: whatever the Thai genre equivalent of arthouse lgbt cinema is, this series is it. It’s so real.

ITSAY Trailer ♦  Watch Here (VPN to the UK required)

🏳️‍🌈 ✨ KinnPorsche

After saving a man being attacked behind the bar where he works, Porsche (Apo Nattawin) finds out that that man, Kinn (Mile Phakphum), is the heir to one of Thailand’s biggest crime families. Faced with debt, a younger brother to put through university, and the family patriarch’s gratitude, Porsche takes a job as Kinn’s bodyguard. All he has to do to survive is swallow his morals, keep Kinn safe, and try to ignore how much he wants to sleep with him.

Trailer ♦ Watch Here (First 3 episodes available for free, full uncut 18+ ver. available only through subscription).

(Also has a bangin’ theme song in both English and Thai.)

✨ Manner of Death

Returning to the small town where he grew up after moving away for university, one of coroner Bun’s (Tul Pakorn) first cases when he arrives is the supposed suicide of a childhood friend. It doesn’t matter that she was drugged prior to her death, nor that there were signs of a fight in her home, the police want her case buried so that’s what he’s told to do. Bun refuses. After being backed into a corner by threats and violence from an unknown source, he's forced to team up with mysterious bar owner Tan (Max Nattapol) to find out the truth, who all the evidence seems to point to as her killer.

Trailer ♦  Watch Here

✨ Not Me

Identical twins Black and White (both Gun Atthaphan) grew up to have completely different lives after their parents divorced. When Black is beaten within an inch of his life by an unknown assailant, the pampered White goes undercover in Black’s anarchist gang as his twin to try and find out who did it, and forges a connection with Black’s rival, Sean (Off Jumpol), in the process.

Trailer ♦  Watch here

TharnType

Type (Gulf Kanuwat) is generally known to be very friendly and outgoing, except for one thing: he's homophobic due to being molested by a gay man as a child. When he enters university and finds that his new roomate, Tharn (Mew Suppasit), is out and proud? He wages a campaign to get Tharn to move out, of course. Tharn stands his ground, and so starts their life of constant push and pull.

Note: This show had a less than stellar reputation from the get-go due to the storyline, and it didn't help matters when Mew was cast. During promotions of his previous show, What The Duck, Mew at one point came onto his costar, Art Pakpoom. By Art’s account Mew had trouble separating the show from their real lives, thought they were actually dating, and became incredibly controlling and possessive over him. This all came out via Art having a breakdown on I think an instagram live? Fans, typically, rallied behind Mew in this, saying that Art had led him on with their contractually obligated public affection and was the worse party of the two of them for the fact that he was airing their dirty laundy in public. It became a whole Thing for a week or two, Art’s mental state and career both took a nosedive, and now everyone ignores that it ever happened. There was a whole push of MewGulf as a fanservice couple afterwards to try and make us forget about Art, which for a lot of people seems to have worked :/ Apparently people watched this because the kissing is good? Idk I didn’t watch it.

Note v.2: This is a spin-off of Love By Chance, so same warnings apply wrt Tum & Tar.

(I guess it qualifies for 🏳️‍🌈 considering Mew, but god, at what cost?)

Trailer ♦  Watch Here

Theory of Love

Film student Third (Gun Atthaphan) decides it's time to get over his years-long unrequited love for his oblivious best friend, Khai (Off Jumpol). Taking cues from his favourite films, he confesses in one last ditch attempt that goes nowhere. And then, just as he starts to pull away, Khai starts his own chase.

Trailer ♦ Watch Here

🏳️‍🌈 Until We Meet Again

After a tragic end to their romance, lovers Korn (Kao Noppakao) and Intouch (Earth Katsamonnat) are reincarnated as Dean (Ohm Thitiwat) and Pharm (Fluke Natouch). Meeting for the first time again when Pharm enters university, Dean and Pharm are instantly drawn to each other. They grapple with the concept of fate and falling in love so quickly, while flashbacks show the course of Korn and In’s relationship.

Note: big suicide tw for this!

Trailer ♦ Watch on YT or on Viki

Why R U?

Aspiring writer Zon (Tommy Sittichok) finds out that his sister has been using him and his rival, Saifah (Jimmy Karn), as fodder for her own romance novel. He demands that she take it down and she agrees, but only, she says, if he can prove that a) he’s a better writer than she is, and b) there’s absolutely nothing between him and Saifah.

Simultaneously, rich boy Fighter (Zee Pruk) tries to win the heart of a poor student, Tutor (Saint Suppapong), while chafing under his father’s expectations of a girlfriend and a career in business.

Note: this show is really lopsided. It’s also a hot mess. Initial plans were for the SaifahZon story to take centre stage, however they were filming each episode as they went and Covid happened partway through production and put a halt to everything. Trying to salvage whatever they could, they took what they’d already shot, aka the FighterTutor storyline, and finished the show with that, resulting in a mess of timeskips and general weirdness. I find the dynamics interesting enough to still be in invested, but obviously ymmv.

Trailer ♦ Watch Here

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The Pulp.

Like I said, post-2019 we've been getting a lot of new releases per year.  This is a selective round-up of stuff from smaller studios, shows with prominent actors, good stuff that just didn't reach the right audience, and the low-quality fluff.

Cutie Pie

The sons of two prominent families, Lian (Zee Pruk) and Kuea (New Chawarin), have been engaged since they were young. When an argument splits them up, Kuea is determined to use it as an opportunity to be himself rather than the doll-like image of a fiancé that he had portrayed for Lian. Lian, on the other hand, decides to pull out all the stops to win Kuea back, making sure that this time there's no obligation attached to their love.

Trailer ♦ Watch on YT or on Viki

Cupid’s Last Wish

Win (Mix Sahaphap) and Korn (Earth Pirapat) are close friends until Win's father dies and bequeaths Korn shares in the family business. Convinced that Korn was only using him for his family money, Win cuts off all contact. When a car crash somehow results in Win swapping bodies with his sister, he’s told that to turn back he must travel to four different temples scattered across Thailand in seven days, and that he must do it alongside Korn.

Trailer ♦  Watch Here

🏳️‍🌈 Diary of Tootsies

When a friendship group of three gays and a lesbian all get dumped on the same day, they vow to each other to find love before the year is out.

Trailer ♦  Watch Here

🏳️‍🌈 Gen Y

Hearing that there's one particular senior at university who's hard to approach, playboy Mark (Kimmon Varodom) makes it a personal mission to find, win over, and date medical student Kit (Copter Panuwat).

Note: I would be tempted to call this a redemption series if it weren't such a mess. After everything that was the first 2 Moons cancellation, fan favourite actors for Ming (Kimmon) and Kit (Copter) stuck together. This is supposedly what their season 2 would've been, if it existed, right down to Wayo (Bas Suradej) also being present as Mark's best friend, called Wayu here. Everything is much the same, both the Mark/MingKit dynamic and Wayo/u mooning over Pha, whose face is consistenly not shown and who also at one point dies so that the writers can pair Wayu up with the winner of a fan poll instead. No, I am not making this up, and yes, it is exactly as funny as it sounds.

✨ Great Men Academy

Hopeless romantic Love (New Chanyapuk) makes a wish on a unicorn (I know… just go with it) to turn into a guy (James Teeradon) so she can attend the same all-boys school as her crush. Gender bender shenanigans and rom-com situations occur as she tries to fit in, and when her male form instead catches the eye of another senior, Tangmo (JJ Kritsanapoom).

Note: I... actually really enjoyed this. James Teeradon in particular is phenomenal, as always, but the whole cast are great.

Trailer

🏳️‍🌈 Lovely Writer

Gene (Up Poompat) is a successful BL writer, never mind that he’s desperate to break into another genre like fantasy. His work is so successful, in fact, that his most recent novel gets turned into a TV show. As producer of the show and present on set everyday, he forges a bond with his leading man Nubsib (Kao Noppakao), but their blossoming relationship is soon threatened by the industry environment, fan expectations, and the very show that brought them together.

Note: this has a lot of meta commentary on the industry as a whole. Even if it weren’t good, which it is, it would be worth watching for that alone.

Trailer ♦  Watch Here

My Engineer

Bohn (Cooper Patpasit) is a self-acknowledged shitty person who forces an underclassman, Duen (Poy Kritsanapong), into bringing him a red rose everyday in an attempt to weird hazing thing. It starts as a joke, but Bohn stops laughing when their forced proximity actually brings them together.

Meanwhile, extrovert King (Lay Talay) attempts to win over serious introvert Ram (Perth Nakhun).

Note: BohnDuen might be the primary couple, but RamKing is the highlight of this drama. We're supposedly getting a S2 centred on RamKing... eventually.

Trailer ♦  Watch Here (...and the fanmade RamKing cut here.)

My Ride

Medical student Tawan (Fame Chawinroj) and motorcycle taxi driver Mork (Fluke Pongsakorn) meet by chance one day when Tawan hires Mork to drive him across town. This one ride turns into many, and their feelings turn into love, regardless of the class difference.

Trailer ♦  Watch Here

My Secret Love

Kimhant (Earth Teerapat) is a conscientious student who cares a lot about maintaining both his own and the university’s reputation. Mek (Fluk Chatchawan), on the other hand, cares more about his youtube channel than his degree. When a prank of Mek’s goes awry, the two of them are forced to first work together, and later fake date, to save themselves from suspension.

Note: this show has absolutely no business being as good as it is??

Trailer ♦ Watch Here

Secret Crush on You

At the beginning of his university life, Toh (Seng Wichai) falls in love at first sight with third-year basketball player Nuea (Billy Patchanon). Drunk on his first love but lacking the confidence to confess, Toh turns full-on stalker. When fate throws them together regardless of Toh’s wish to keep his distance, will he take the chance he’s given?

Note: This show is all about taking the characters who are typically the butt of jokes in Thai dramas and showing that they deserve love too. We have openly weird, chubby, and trans characters all having their own storylines and it’s incredibly sweet. Also, Saint Suppapong has seemingly aquired a flock of baby gays to guide.

Trailer ♦  Watch Here

✨ The Stranded

After a tsunami strands a group of teens on their island school, they divide into groups as they try and work out not only how to survive, but also how to leave.

Note: Fair warning, the first season ends on a cliffhanger and we’re unlikely to get another due to the death of the lead actor.

Trailer ♦ On Netflix

✨ Triage

Losing a patient is nothing new for A&E doctor Tin (Tae Darvid). What is new is pronouncing that patient, Tol (Tee Thanapon), dead from a car crash, and then, the following day, seeing him be wheeled into the emergency room again. And again. And again. The same day loops over and over, and as Tin tries to learn how to escape, he gets closer to both Tol and also to a hospital conspiracy that threatens to consume them both.

Note: the broadcasters were doing this weird thing where the episodes were only available legally on YT for a two-hour window after they aired in Thailand. Ordinarily I would say to support the legal upload, but I feel like at that point it’s almost a moral obligation to encourage piracy.

As a sidenote, this and Manner of Death are by the same author. They’re only tangentially related though (ie Bun shows up to do an autopsy) so you don’t need to watch both for continuity.

Trailer ♦ Short film ♦ Ahoy!

Vice Versa

Talay (Sea Tawinan) is ecstatic when he lands his dream job, except that when his friends take him to the beach to celebrate, he drowns. Waking up in an alternate universe and the body of a rich boy, Tess (Ohm Pawat), he's told to find someone else, essentially his soulmate, who has also crossed over so that they can go home together and Talay can get back to his life. Whoever it is (Jimmy Jitaraphol) in the body of Tess’ friend Tun (Nanon Korapat) may fit the bill, but he has zero intention of leaving this world that he likes more than their original.

Trailer

You're My Sky

Thorn (Suar Kritsanapong) and Tupfah (Tae Chayapat) are both basketball players, but while Thorn is determined to turn professional if possible, Tupfah has put his own ambitions on hold. As they spend time together, and Thorn tries to convince Tupfah to return to the sport they both love, they, of course, fall in love themselves.

Trailer ♦  Watch Here

YYY

When one of Nott's (Yoon Phusanu) inventions goes haywire and wreaks havoc in his apartment building, he's on the verge of being kicked out. Luckily, prospective tenant Punn (Lay Talay) arrives just in time. Preying on the landlady's sympathy, the two of them concoct a plan to fake date in exchange for Nott’s continued residence.

Note: big flashing lights tw for the first minute of episode 1. This entire show is like someone’s acid trip come to life.

Trailer

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Currently Airing

Between Us (Aka Hemp Rope among fans)

A spinoff of Until We Meet Again, focused on Pharm and Dean’s friends Win (Boun Noppanut) and Team (Prem Warut) as they start a friend-with-benefits relationship that morphs into love. Win helps Team with his insomnia, and Team helps with feeling wanted.

Trailer 1 | Trailer 2

Ghost Host, Ghost House

A recent returnee to Thailand form the US, Kevin (Tod Techit) is fascinated by ghosts and Thailand’s cultural prevalence of them. Disregarding the warnings of his extended family and the local handyman, Pleum (Boy Nattapon), who he may have just a tiny crush on, he happily goes ghost hunting and exploring abandoned buildings in search for them, not knowing that there are some much closer than he thinks.

Trailer

Love in the Air

When Rain’s (Noeul Nuttarat) car breaks down one day and a handsome stranger fixes it for him roadside, he doesn’t expect that stranger to be Phayu (Boss Chaikamon), notable faculty alumnus and the object of his crush’s affections. Being an idiot, Rain hatches a plan to make Phayu fall for him in an attempt to get one over on him, but soon enough he’s the one catching feelings.

Simultaneously, Rain’s best friend Sky (Peat Wasuthorn) has a one night stand with rich boy Prapai (Fort Thitipong). Having recently left an abusive relationship, Sky isn’t looking for anything serious, but that doesn’t deter Prapai who fell in love at first fuck and makes it his mission to both win Sky over, and show Sky that he’s someone to be treasured.

Trailer ♦ Watch for free cut & on subscription uncut. (Note: the uncut ver. isn’t legally available in Europe.)

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Upcoming excitement.

Gap

Mon (Becky Armstrong), a fresh graduate, starts working as an intern in a big company because she admires the chairwoman, Sam (Freen Sarocha). She soon learns that Sam is nothing like her media persona, but is drawn to her when their paths cross anyway.

Note: Girls!!! Holy shit!!!!! So this is actually the first major F/F production that I’m aware of, and it came into existences at the behest of Saint Suppapong. After Saint starred in Love By Chance and Why R U he realised how skewed the industry was in favour of men, and actually founded his own production company to try and combat that. (Secret Crush On You was another of his productions!) This show is hopefully the first in a looong line of upcoming F/F dramas.

A few little teasers.

Moonlight Chicken

Jim (Earth Pirapat) is the owner of a Hainanese chicken restaurant. He values a simple life of making good food and looking after his customers. One night when looking after a drunk customer, Wen (Mix Sahaphap), they end up sleeping together, which quickly turns into a relationship that threatens the tight-knit little community that Jim has built.

Trailer

Never Let Me Go

Following the death of his mobster father, Neung (Phuwin Tangsakyuen) is the one left to pick up the pieces and take over the family empire. Unused to trusting people, he initially shuns the new bodyguard, Palm (Pond Naravit), that his mother assigns to him, but tensions quickly get the better of them and they start to fall in love.

Trailer

Wish Me Luck

Rak (Fiat Patchata) is somehow holding his own while juggling two jobs, one at a supermarket, the other as an intern for a small advertising firm. The supermarket is the least demanding of the two, but the advertising firm has the bonus of his very hot boss, Chai/Shine (Na Naphat), who takes it upon himself to personally oversee Rak’s vocational training. But as the work piles up and Rak struggles to hold his head above the water, he has to decide which is more important to him, and whether he’s going to let his emotions get in the way.

Trailer

Wish You Luck (yes, these two are named very confusingly.)

After a devastating event leaves cities empty and countless people dead, Ken (Tonnam Piamchol) survives by living alone in the wilderness, where his bad luck can’t jinx anyone he cares about. Q (Title Teshin), a strange boy he comes across one day, is trying to make his way home to Chiang Mai. Thrown together by the road, the two try to survive and make what they can of the new world.

Note: Tonnam lead role!!! Tonnam has been in a lot of dramas lately, including Triage, Cutie Pie, and Love in the Air, in supporting & background parts. He somehow manages to be a great actor even when he has literally 2 lines in a scene to work with, so we’re all really excited to see him as a lead 🥰

Trailer

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Links

Networks: @/asiansapphics @/asianlgbtqdramas @/lakornet @/asianlgbtnetwork

General where to watch stuff legally:

GMMTV YT

GagaOOLala (subscription service)

Viki

iQiyi

WeTV (finnicky depending on your region)

Viu (need to vpn to Southeast Asia or Middle East)

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@yilinglaozus​ @dekaja​ @sp8sexual​ you all liked my previous post so now you have to deal with this one too <3

[seodami]

Neon green | LYY

Genre: soulmate au, fluff, friends to lovers, some frustrated feelings,...

Warning: none (besides cursing like 2 times)

Word count: 4071 (oopsie hehe)

Pairing: Trainee!Liu Yangyang x reader

Note: I am so excited for participating in the ✨NCT secret Santa event✨ I want to thank the organizers @neoculturechristmas for preparing such a cool collaboration! It is such a nice idea and I am really excited to read all the other stories. I really tried making it a bit winter themed in the beginning but oh well I think i failed haha. But if you squint ITS THERE I SWEAR :)) So this one is for you @theleemark :) I really hope you like it! Merry Christmas ✨

“Yangyang stop it!” You laughed while running away from the boy, who currently was chasing you like a maniac through the park. His arms were loaded with dozens of big white snowballs just ready to be thrown at you.

Your feet felt like they were sinking even further into the deep snow layer on the ground with each step you took. It was impossible to avoid your best friend any longer. And before you could complain further, the ice cold snow ball hit you right on your already pink cheek.

You let out a loud scream, not being able to move. The prickling pain of the cold snow overwhelming your senses.

Yangyang however couldn’t stop laughing looking at your face. Running the last few meters to you to catch up, he tackled you down into a hug, which unfortunately ended with both of you laying in the deep snow. Your jeans were soaking wet at this point. An icy feeling shuttered down your spine.

“Yangyaanggg...god I hate you.” You fumed frustratedly, hitting your best friends chest. “Get off me! You are heavy...” your weak arms tried to lift the boy above you up but bitterly failed.

Yangyang giggled into your neck, standing up by himself while helping you up as well. “Hey I’m not heavy. More like heavenly, don’t you think?” He wiggled his eyebrows teasingly with his usual smile as he posed like a supermodel.

As hard as you tried to keep pouting and stay angry at him, you couldn’t stop the laugh from bubbling up behind your hands. A grin immediately made its way onto his face. “Isn’t snow so dope? Like you can literally do anything you want. It’s like a movie.” He babbled excitedly.

You couldn’t help but secretly admire his beauty once again. Lately you’ve been catching yourself a lot staring mindlessly at him when he was busy. Even when it was just him pouring boiling water into a ramen cup. Maybe it was all the mushy lovey dovey Christmas romance content on Netflix you’ve been simping over the last month or just Yangyang himself but you were certainly sure, he definitely got more attractive in your eyes.

Still it was something you would never ever in your dreams confess to him or talk about. Especially since there wasn’t really any sign that you two were connected as soulmates. He was just...well...just your best friend. And you had to live with that.

You still remember the way you two became friends. It was a very fond memory of yours and little do you know, also for Yangyang. You both were in 5th grade back then, being the little Chinese kid who showed off his tiny German skills and the clumsy half Caucasian girl with braces. It was hilarious how well you two got along besides the differences.

You two were in the age were kids began to talk about soulmates and their soulmate connections. From writing on the arm to body switches or color blindness, everything was there. In school you briefly have learned about all the indicators and the bond itself, but you seemed to always be the odd one out. There had been no sign whatsoever. Nowhere on your body. Nothing. Niente.

It was frustrating at first. You found yourself way too often admiring older girls who already found their soulmate or had unique indicators. You were quite jealous of them back then.

But then you found out you weren’t the only person without a soulmate connection. There was Yangyang, who went through the exact same emotions as you did. Even if he didn’t want to admit it, he didn’t want to be lonely.

And that is how you two bonded immediately. After this, you were always together. You acted as if you were glued together, never leaving ones side. You felt safe around each other.

Adults always told you to wait and see. That yours would come sooner or later. But nothing. 9 years later and you and Yangyang still haven’t found your soulmate or anything related to soulmates. It still frustrated you at times but being the positive person you were, you just accepted it with the time.

From time to time a lot of people happened to mistaken you two for soulmates. It always made you think ‘what if’...

Your poor heart already had been through so much because of this boy. It wasn’t easy to ignore your small crush on him starting back in 7th grade. You were both growing and having loads of hormonal crises, so it was understandable at some point. But seeing that this crush hasn’t gotten any less since then, you were just totally lost.

‘Stop it y/n! He is not your soulmate! He is not...’

You snapped yourself out of your daydreams and staring as you found Yangyang smiling brightly at you. “Oh damn y/n, lately you’ve beeen really drifting off with your thoughts.” He noted as he slung one arm around your shoulder, walking with you towards your apartment, making sure to not forget your groceries at the side of the tree.

“I noticed...maybe I should just get some more sleep.” You mumbled in your sweater paws in order to warm up your freezing hands. The boy besides you let out an airy laugh while squeezing your shoulder affectionately. One habit he unconsciously took over, over time.

“Oh yes you should. Weren’t you like playing games up until 4 am last night? You sure you aren’t a zombie by now?” He joked looking over to you, you both nearly choking from air as your eyes met, making your hearts race a bit faster.

You nodded quickly focusing on the snow on the ground again. “I kinda suck. How do you sleep at 12 am already? You’re a wonder kid.”

He shrugged his shoulders, still watching you. “It’s in my genes to be a wonder kid.” His joke made you giggle slightly. Yangyang was as always Yangyang. And you found it incredibly charming. You could never deny that.

After the short walk from the snow covered park to your apartment with all of your hands filled with full grocery bags, you decided to bake some Christmas cookies before Yangyang had to head back to his shared apartment. Ever since he began training in SM entertainment as a trainee, he hadn’t that much time like he did before. But either way, you were incredibly proud of him and always happy to spend some quality time with him.

You were lucky that none of your roommates were home, visiting family over the holidays or hanging out with their partners.

It was probably the best that you were alone because you both made a whole mess in the kitchen. It was so much fun hanging out after a long time but it was a hell of a ride to clean it all up.

When the moon was already at its highest point and the night air got even fresher and chillier, Yangyang hugged you goodbye with butterflies dancing in his stomache. He would always treasure these moments with you and think about them again when he was so hardly trying to fall asleep. It was like his mind was full of you 24/7. Even if he tried staying focused on his tasks, it would most of the times end up with him thinking about your laugh and smile as you sat on the couch next to each other while making fun of the twilight characters.

He wanted to scream in his pillow how devestatingly in love he was with you at this point. You made him just so overly happy. He wanted to be near you so bad.

And people noticed. They noticed how Yangyang showed his deepest hidden personalities only to you. His playful and quirky side but also his soft and vulnerable. He simply could be himself around yourself. And you felt exactly the same. You would tell him even your deepest secrets. You knew he would keep them safe.

Yangyang was surprised to see his fellow roommates and friends still awake in the living room as he arrived home. Ten, Hendery and Lucas were all sprawled out on the couch, seemingly waiting for sleep to take over them. The flat was confusingly quiet despite the slight background noice of the TV.

“Hey guys I’m back! Why are you still awake?” It was silent for a short while before Hendery suddenly stood in front of him, making him jump by surprise.

The older boy watched him with a growing smirk and exciting twinkling eyes. “And? Did you tell her? Please say yes, we all stayed awake just to hear the news.”

Yangyang let out a sigh, he didn’t know he was holding and stripped out of his jacket. He knew this question would come but not this soon. “Just let me breathe for a second alright? I’m gonna tell you everything.”

Ten in the background let out an excited scream. “Yangyang! You did it? Ohh finally manning up and confessing...I see.” The teasing but excited tone in his voice was as clear as daylight.

“What? No... it’s not like that...” Yangyang tried to explain the situations to his friends as he walked inside heading towards the living room with Hendery behind him.

Groans came from all sides. “You didn’t?! Oh man I really thought you finally would. What are you afraid of?” The older boys words stung inside of the youngest. He shrugged his shoulders sitting besides Lucas on the couch, grabbing the nearest pillow.

“I don’t know. Like I really don’t know. She’s absolutely amazing and so stunning but...” he placed his head on the pillow with a deep sigh. “But...I feel like I’m just a coward. Just thinking about that we probably are not soulmates or never be an actual couple. It all sucks. I wish I could just tell her...”

All the boys were deep in their thoughts as they listened carefully to Yangyang sorrows and worries. They knew they needed to help the kid in some kind of way. This had been the fifth day he decided to confess but all the prior nights turned out to be a failure. He just wanted his heart to be opened by the one person he loves the most. But it felt like there was a thick layer of securing foam around it, just waiting to be ripped away. If it was just that easy...

“Hey...I know this might sound stupid but since you seem pretty lost...I might have an idea how it will be easier for you to overcome yourself.” Lucas suddenly interrupted his train of thoughts, smiling brightly at his roommates. “Oh lord...please don’t say something stupid.” Ten prayed next to him with his hand holding his forehead.

“Tell me more.”

And that was how the plan was born.

A bulletproof plan in Lucas and Henderys eyes.

And a totally stupid one in Ten’s opinion.

But Yangyang did it anyways.

Cause he was desperate, frustrated and so full of love, it was impossible for him to think 100% straight. And he did it only for you. With the intention of getting your attention in the fullest way.

It was dyeing your hair. In freaking neon green. Cause what’s a better way to show your feelings than dying your hair in your crushes favorite color?

A lot actually. But Hendery and Lucas were absolutely confident that it had something to do with the human psyche and the law of attraction or whatever they called it. Their belief: you will fall for him immediately by the time you see his hair.

The only problem with this was that this plan was obviously not thought through yet and that the only hair coloring product in this house that came the closest to your favorite color, which was green, was a bright neon green. Yuta brought it over once for Ten to dye his Neon green highlights. And Yuta indeed could pull it off.

But Yangyang began to regret ever listening to his older friends again. He looked ridiculous. Looking himself with a frown in the mirror of the bathroom at 3 am was definitely not how he imagined this day to end.

Lucas lightly joked that he at least looked somehow christmasy. But then on the other hand Hendery couldn’t stop laughing about his own joke that he found his list highlighter. It was a mess. Ten wouldn’t even want to look at his hair and when he did, all he could say was “I told you”. It was even more frustrating.

All he could do now was sleep and wish it all just had been a dream. He didn’t really had the urge anymore to show you his hair. All he wanted to do was think about you laughing and running in the snow earlier today. And he really nearly forgot his hair dilemma for the night.

You on the other hand decided to go to sleep earlier that night since you nearly hadn’t gotten any sleep at all because of your assignments for university. It was more than exhausting for you to stay up till morning to finish up all your projects. Yangyang had to force you to go to bed at the end of the day and you didn’t even complain with his soothing voice telling you stories, slowly tugging you to your dream world.

The next morning, you woke up groaning with a heavy headache. One look at your phone and you could see it was 6:30. With a long sigh you fell back into your comfortable pillows, scrolling through your phone. Why did you have to wake up that early again? Right...university.

After what seems definitely too short for your liking, you finally climbed out of your bed, trotting towards the bathroom. There was no sign whatsoever that the headache would just go away by itself.

But as soon as you looked at yourself in the mirror, you let out a deafening scream. Your heart was thrumming as fast as never before and your adrenaline was rushing through your whole body. You couldn’t find a way to properly breathe at that exact moment.

“Oh my god oh my god oh my god... please let this be a dream. Nonononono. Fuck.” You mumbled to yourself while your hands searched for support at the border of the sink.

Your eyes met in the mirror in front of you. Neon green eyes. Neon fucking green. That... that was not good.

There were so many questions in your mind all at once. But one thing was sure. You wouldn’t set a single step outside of this apartment. No one could ever see you like that. You looked like a monster. As you tried rubbing your eyes continuously or trying to find a contact lenses inside of them, you came to the conclusion that you were damned.

There were many possible explanations:

1. You somehow slept too less or have some sort of hallucination due to whatever.

2. Yangyang played a prank on you and is just waiting for you to call him.

3. You suddenly have gotten a really rare disease or disability over night.

Or the most likely one (except for Yangyang and his prank maybe)

4. You just found your soulmate connection.

Your eyes widen with realization and shock, as you came to the conclusion that this could be your possible soulmate indicator. You have learned so much about them in school and by yourself that you could easily tell what it was.

It was a rare connection. But it was possible. Having your soulmates hair color as your eye color. You were 80% sure that was the reason.

The other 20% you just thought about Yangyang. How he couldn’t be your soulmate. He would have told you that he was planning to dye his hair in NEON GREEN. What in the world was this even for a hair color?

You sat down on the floor to grasp your wilding thoughts and sort out your over rushing emotions. You couldn’t pinpoint why, but your thoughts drifted off to said boy every two seconds. It made no sense at all but your subconscious probably just wanted to tell you how stupid your feelings for the Chinese boy were. He still was your best friend of many many years. You knew this day would come. The day you would finally realize that you were no soulmates. Despite all your deepest wishes.

The whole situation was nearly ironic. Neon green eyes? That could only happen to you.

With wobbly legs you waddled over to your bedroom to pick up your phone. The blood from your hands nearly disappeared all at once and left your fingers cold as ice. You pressed Yangyangs caller ID without even thinking. You knew it was still very early and it was his free day but this was definitely an emergency.

Unconsciously you began biting your finger nails nervously, trying to think straight but failed. Everything was all over the place.

After the nth peeping tone, you could hear some dampened muffles on the other side. “Y/n? Why is- are you calling?” You heard the boys broken morning voice through the speaker, gently tugging on your heartstrings. Your heart wasn’t ready for this that early.

“Uhm...I ...well Yangyang? I kind of have a big problem and I cannot leave the house. Can you...if it isn’t too much trouble... I mean come over? I just- I really don’t know what to do...” you rambled on, not knowing what to say in a situation like that. He had to see it himself to understand. God that was awful.

More ruffling could be heard, followed by damp footsteps. “Oh...yeah sure. You sound really frustrated Y/n, is everything okay? Should I bring you something?” He questioned you with concern mirroring his voice. You shook your head, remembering he couldn’t see it.

“No it’s fine... I just need some really good advices. Its just weird. You will see when you come.” You explained to him, still biting your finger nails. “Alright I will be there in a bit. I’ll still bring you some chocolate tho, that’s always one solution.” Yangyang tried to lift up your seemingly worried mood, succeeding immediately and earning a chuckle from you.

“Thank you. You are the best. See you soon.” The line went dead and left you with a more comforting feeling than before. You were still sure everyone looking at you would scream out loud but at least Yangyang was there for you and could buy you contacts or whatever. You were always thankful to have someone like him in your life.

Not half an hour later, said boy rang the bell to your apartment. You prayed to god that none of your roommates got up because of the noice. You wouldn’t want anyone to see you like this... except for Yangyang.

In a hurry you put on a pair of sunglasses, you found on your dresser before running to the door to let him in. It wasn’t your intention to scare him away in the beginning, even though you know he would never.

The Chinese boy looked tired when you opened the door but you could still see the worry written on his face. He wore a black beanie and his long padded jacket. He looked absolutely adorable for you in that moment. But realization hit you when you couldn’t see any differences from yesterday. The heavy feeling immediately made its way to your heart. You felt horrible. You were right, he couldn’t be your soulmate. How stupid you were...

“Y/n what’s the problem? Why are you wearing sunglasses? Did you hurt your eye? Did someone hit you?!” Yangyang lowkey panicked. You dragged him inside, leaving him no time to remove most of his clothing items besides his dirty shoes.

You pulled him into your room exhaling deeply while pushing him gently on your bed to sit down. You stood in front of him still with your sunglasses on.

“I...I found out my soulmate indicator. I did right this morning.”

There was an indefinable silence in the air for a second. There was a slight drop in the boys facial expression. His heart ripped open like a bag of candy. Spilling all his content. “Wha-what...” was all he could mutter. His gaze drifting off to your feet, trying to get his thoughts straight.

“I don’t know I just...woke up like this...please don’t scream.” You scrambled nervously, taking off your sunglasses slowly and revealing your neon green eyes to him.

His mouth dropped immediately. With hammering heart and shaking hands he subconsciously reached for his beanie. If his emotions would ride the wildest rollercoaster, it would be this moment right now. Everything was all over the place but his heart lead it’s way.

Your big eyes fixated on the neon green mop of hair on top of Yangyangs head. It was hard not to forget how to breathe in that moment. “Yangyang...” you whispered softly, stepping closer and reaching for his hair, which was exact the same color as your eyes. “You...what?! Why didn’t you tell me? I was so... worried.”

He looked into your eyes, not finding fear or shock, no, there was happiness in them. Pure happiness, which surprised you immensely. There was a small smile on his lips. “Worried about what?” He reached for your hand. Emotions spilling over the top.

You sat down next to him, turning your body towards him. The blood was rushing so loud through your ears, it was hard to focus on your own thoughts. It was now or never y/n!

“About having someone else as a soulmate than... you. God it sounds so cheesy but it’s true.” You chuckled nervously wanting to chew on your nails but being stopped by Yangyang. His smile grew even bigger, letting it impossible for you not to smile.

He suddenly pulled you into a tight hug, giggling like a child. Your hands searching grip on his fluffy jacket. A warm feeling spread through your whole body. You felt wonderful. Like all sorts of sorrows and worries had been taken away from you. Immediately.

“I’m so so so happy Y/n... so happy.” He mumbled joyfully in your shoulder. He squeezed your body tight. “I wanted to confess to you. So many times. God I really fell hard for you and now I know why.”

He looked into your eyes once again, surpressing a laugh but still sending you heart eyes.

“I’m sorry but you really look ridiculous. I’m so sorry about that. I had no idea.” You nodded playfully glaring at him but still leaning closer into his touch, wanting to be even closer to him. It was a weird feeling. But everything just made sense to you now. Every single moment and feeling in the past. It was all because of your soulmate connection. You were soulmates all along and you never had a clue.

“Oh you better dye that hair back right now to black or you wait for neon pink eyes yourself.” You warned him playfully. “Even though you look like a Christmas tree... I mean it’s kinda cute.” You admitted playing with his hair in hope for him not to see your incoming blush.

Yangyang grinned to himself, unable to hold back his emotions as he saw your pinky cheeks from the compliment. He felt so giddy suddenly. “Hendery and Lucas were absolutely convinced that you would fall for me easier when I’d dye my hair in your favorite color. Unfortunately they only had neon green one left at this point in time. Please remind me to never trust them again. That was a horrible idea.”

Your heart swelled up by his words. “You did this because of me? Oh Yangyang...” your hand went to his arm. You would lie if you didn’t feel flattered in this moment. “You’re such an idiot... but a very very cute one.” You smiled at him in awe, “I appreciate it. But by all means please let us dye it back.” You both began to fall into a fit of laughter, unable to stop.

“Deal. This hair and your eyes should be banned from this country.” And with that you could proudly say that you finally found your soulmate. The person you were in love with all along. Your best friend and partner in crime. Liu Yangyang.

[xiaoshengnu]

c⃣ u⃣ r⃣ r⃣ e⃣ n⃣l⃣ t⃣y⃣     w⃣ a⃣ t⃣ c⃣h⃣i⃣n⃣g⃣

Princess Royal (度华年）

Youth (最亲爱的你）

a⃣ b⃣ o⃣ u⃣ t⃣     m⃣e⃣

she/her . bi . london

hi! i'm from London, England with chinese heritage. i know quite a bit of mandarin but i'm still learning and there's a lot of han chinese culture that i don't know.

this is a side blog for all my c-dramas that i watch and i wanted a place to just talk about some stuff that i like about dramas and what i don't like. it's also for practising my analytical skills and 'active watching'. but of course, everyone has their own opinions and i will try to be mindful of that and not blurt out anything phrased too harshly or anything too scandalous. also, please note that my opinion of some dramas have changed, and some older reviews may not reflect my current opinion. maybe one day I'll watch the dramas again and review it again, but... just so you know.

okay, that's over and done with, let's move on to the dramas

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ⓡⓐⓣⓘⓝⓖ ⓢⓨⓢⓣⓔⓜ

usually I rate my dramas in plot, characters, production and acting out of ten, then find an average to give an overall rating. 

I also have a rewatch value (idea borrowed from mdl lol) and also a hidden gem value which is rated out of five. the rewatch value is basically how likely it would be for me to rewatch it, while ‘hidden gem’ is more about how unique and meaningful the drama was in comparison to everything I’ve watched before.

find all the drama reviews listed here.

find all reviewed dramas sorted by hidden gem value here.

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d⃣r⃣ a⃣ m⃣a⃣ s⃣    I⃣    h⃣ a⃣ v⃣ e⃣    w⃣ a⃣ t⃣c⃣h⃣e⃣d⃣ 

[ in no particular order ] master posts will eventually be linked if there are any // italics = highly highly highly recommend

A Love So Beautiful [ rom-com ] Shen Yue + Hu Yitian

Ruyi's Royal Love in The Palace [ historical ] Zhou Xun

Delicious Romance [ rom-com ] Li Chun, Zhang Hanyun, Wang Ju

Word of Honor [ wuxia ] Zhang Zhehan + Gong Jun

Empresses in the Palace [ historical ] Sun Li

Story of Yanxi Palace [ historical ] Wu Jinyan

The Untamed [ xianxia ] Xiao Zhan + Wang Yibo

Sword Snow Stride [ wuxia ] Zhang Ruoyun

The Double [ historical ] Wu Jingyan + Wang Xingyue

Legend of Haolan [ historical ] Wu Jinyan

Couple of Mirrors [ thriller ] Zhang Nan + Sun Yihan

My Journey to You [ wuxia ] Yu Shuxin + Zhang Linghe

Rattan [ fantasy ] Jing Tian + Zhang Binbin

Love o2o [ modern rom ] Zheng Shuang + Yang Yang

Ancient Love Poetry [ xianxia ] Zhou Dongyu + Xu Kai

My Little Princess [ modern rom ] Zhang Yuxi + Mike Angelo

The Blooms at Ruyi Pavillion [ costume ] Ju Jingyi + Zhang Zhehan

My Mr Mermaid [ modern rom ] Tan Songyun + Xiong Ziqi

I Cannot Hug You [ modern rom ] Zhang Yuxi + Xing Zhaolin

Romance of Tiger and Rose [ costume ] Zhao Lusi + Ding Yuxi  

more stuff under cut

ｄｒａｍａｓ . ｏｎ  .  ｐａｕｓｅ

Love Like The Galaxy [ period ] Zhao Lusi - just like Legend of Haolan, I am becoming way too attached to this spunky lil fictional character and her relationship to everyone in her life- I think I will make myself an emotional wreck if I don't take a break, so imma wait until I feel more at peace- im so emo about this show its getting bad

Moonlight [ modern rom ] Esther Yu + Ding Yuxi - this is such a cute drama omg. I haven’t gotten much further than the 6th episode as I quite honestly prefer the more depressing xianxia dramas lol, but whenever you feel sad or anything this drama is such a gem, I love the chemistry between the two main leads- it is so entertaining and so fun to watch.

Serenade of Peaceful Joy [ period ] - ngl although the costumes are so slay and the drama overall so beautiful, I can’t get my head into it. It’s a little too slow pace for me to really calm down and watch this. there’s also some long windy political court scenes which I don’t completely understand (maybe you have to know some history) but overall I don’t hate it. maybe at some point I will find my way back to it.

Love between fairy and devil [ xianxia ]  - sorry sorry I know this is such a fun a fan favourite but I- I'm lazy.

ｔｏ .  ｗａｔｃｈ  .  ｌｉｓｔ

Dream of Splendor - the plot sounds super sound and interesting

Luoyang - WANG YIBO (NO OTHER EXPLANATION NEEDED)

Duoluo Continent - Xiao Zhan - the sciptwriter is GOOD

A New Life Begins - Tian xiwei

Love and Redemption - good plot

a murderous affair in horizon tower - same director as delicious romance

She and her perfect husband - turns gender roles on its heeeadd

(honestly whatever catches my eye.)

ｄｒｏｐｐｅｄ .  ｄｒａｍａｓ

- ashes of love [ xianxia ] nothing will ever convince me to ever like this drama I am so sorry- I can’t stand it.

- lie to love [ mystery ] too many other dramas to watch... and it wasn't the best drama either. eventually it had to be sacrificed :(

- ten miles of peach blossom [ xianxia ] tbh I really don’t get the deal? I really don’t like/care about any of the characters. maybe one day if I'm that bored I’ll watch a few more episodes and waste my hopes that it’d miraculously get better T-T

- immortal samsara [ xianxia ] very sob worthy, but it really- its- ugh- no. its pretty but I really can’t watch this show-

- city of streamer [ minguo ] ngl its quite flat? I’m not completely sold on the dynamic between our main leads, I really don’t feel much for the drama overall

- lost you forever [ xianxia ] just like the title suggests, the drama goes on for fucking forever. while the first half of the first part was good, the rest drags like hell and there's pretty much no substance to anything that ever happens. a pretty sound 'waste of time'

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main blog - wangjisbathtub (danmei)

[stina-is-a-punk-rocker]

‘always and forever, lara jean’: a bungled mess of my thoughts while watching the movie

Alright, cards on the table: I never finished reading the book. I got bored a couple of pages in, so I just read up the summary on Wikipedia and called it a day.

Not gonna lie, I expected better from the movies. I loved the first movie; it was cute, it was fun, it hit all the right places. The second movie was… eh. Jordan Fisher is cute, so that’s a plus.

And then we got the third movie; the final in the To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before trilogy.

And it was somehow even worse.

Maybe I’m exaggerating. Despite its shortcomings in the plot and character development-related departments (the fact that Lara Jean wrote addresses for letters she never meant to send is something that will bother me on my deathbed), the movies have their merits. They’re cutesy and charming and enjoyable, overall; movie-LJ is sweet and unashamedly a girly-girl, which is a refreshing change from the #NotLikeOtherGirls, pick-me girls and bruh girls we had in loads of other YA movies growing up. Peter’s pretty cute, too; he’s not a possessive freak like so many other love interests (The Kissing Booth, After, Anna and the French Kiss), and his and Lara Jean’s dynamic is cute, too. Not to mention- we finally have an Asian lead whose Asian-ness isn’t the whole focus of the story!

Again, maybe I’m being extra with all this. The series is, at its core, solely for entertainment purposes. Not every piece of media has to have an underlying message and you shouldn’t need to read between every goddamn line to find something worthy of enjoying. They’re certainly helpful for whiling away a couple of hours; perfect for bingeing with a pint of ice cream in hand, and all of this is in good fun.

Also, it goes without saying, but: spoilers ahead.

The film beings with Lara Jean scribbling a postcard to Peter while she’s in Korea with her family. The inclusion of that little snapshot of Asian culture made me so happy- seriously, fuck everyone who says diversity in media doesn’t matter. I’m not even Korean, and I was overjoyed at seeing a couple of scenes just from the same continent I’m on. The K-pop music in the background was a fun touch, too (although all Korean music isn’t K-pop, but that’s a rant for another day).

(Also: Blackpink has so many more suitable songs than Pretty Savage that go with the theme of the movies. Kill This Love in the second movie while Lara Jean is getting ready to go to her boyfriend’s match is bad enough- they’re supposed to be in love in that scene, goddammit.)

One thing that bothered me throughout the movies is how obviously non-Korean Lara Jean and Margot look. It’s like whoever chose the cast went for any random Asian- Lana’s Vietnamese and Janel Parrish is half-Chinese, and it’s so obvious. You seriously couldn’t find two Korean-Americans who even vaguely resembled each other so they could pass for sisters? The actresses do a stunning job and I don’t want to shit on them, but I just wish they didn’t go with the ‘all Asians look the same, what’s the difference?’ mindset.

Also, a nitpicky thing I’ve noticed in movies with characters who read a lot: no one holds their books up while they’re reading. Your arms start to cramp, which is why you keep your book in your lap while you’re reading, or you rest on your belly and hold the book in front of you. My spine and shoulders didn’t suffer years of torture as a chronic reader for you to include characters who hold their books up while reading.

A major gripe I have with Always and Forever, Lara Jean is how the characters are almost jarringly out of character- not from the books, but from the two previous movies, too. Lara Jean didn’t have much of a character to begin with, so I can’t say much about her (she dissed Oasis at one point; it’s okay for me to be mean to her), but the rest of them are either caricatures of themselves or just totally different people.

Movie Peter >>> Book Peter. He’s almost too perfect (except for the fact that he unironically loves The Fast and the Furious, which… ew), almost too much of the ideal boyfriend. Not that my perpetually single arse would know. How do boyfriends even work? I wouldn’t know the first thing to do with one; how often should you feed it? Do you need to take it on walks?

(In the notes I’ve written towards the end of the film, I’ve complained about Peter being immature and making Lara Jean feel bad about following her dream to go to NYU. He confuses me.)

Not to mention how distractingly adorable Noah Centineo is from some angles and under certain lighting conditions (other times, he reminds me of the human version of Shrek and that bothered me). King of weird Tweets and Instagram captions though he may be, he’s got a really nice smile, and his gravelly voice is both parts sexy and disturbing.

But I digress.

I’ll never forgive the directors for what they did to Kitty and Chris- two of my favorite characters, from both the books and the movies. Kitty’s annoying to the point of being borderline unlikeable- gone is the occasionally snarky comic relief we all came to love; in her place is an annoying brat whose every line comes out forced. Also, making soap is fun; fuck you, Kitty.

Chris is essentially Dixie D’Amelio’s character from that TikToker Grey’s Anatomy ripoff; the main character in One Direction fanfiction from 2012 who doesn’t want to go to the concert but her best friend gets a ticket for her so she can’t bail but Harry Styles sees her in the crowd and falls in love at first sight and 50k of mutual pining and misunderstandings late, they get together. She’s cynical and snarky and hates capitalism and consumerism and prom (because of course she does), but secretly, she’s into it (because of course she is). My guess is that she’s there to appease all the arseholes (including myself) who accused the characters of being too one-dimensional, but it seems too out of place in a movie that doesn’t have much plot to begin with.

I really, really hate how Lucas was done dirty- throughout every single movie. Of course, it’s Lara Jean’s story so not every side character has to be fully fleshed out- but you’d think three. entire. movies. would be enough to give Lucas a bigger role than the GBF and the token black guy for the diversity brownie points. Every single time Lucas shows up, it’s to push Lara Jean and Peter’s story forward. I would’ve liked to see a romance for him pushed forward instead one for Chris- especially because he says, at one point in a previous movie, that it’s hard to find other gay boys, so it would’ve been sweet to see him find love- and Chris’s character arc could’ve been focused on reconciling with Genevieve. Instead, we see the OG Reggie from Riverdale be the one to show Chris the bright side of monogamy, and Lucas gets a date to prom as an afterthought (another darkskin black dude, so no one thinks the film is racist).

Genevieve’s character in this movie gives me whiplash. Look, I’m all for girls supporting girls- healthy female relationships are something way too many YA movies lack- but she goes from bitch queen extraordinaire to friendly the moment the next scene calls for it. Her character isn’t consistent. A redemption arc should be executed cleanly and believably; you can’t have a character be a total prick one moment and then suddenly be, “Hey, if you get into NYU, let me know,” the next.

And Genevieve’s still an arsehole to Chris; at one point, in NYC, while they’re at the NYU campus grounds (I knew that Lara Jean was going to go to NYU the moment she saw all the banners; I fucking called it), Genevieve tells Chris, “University is for people who actually have a future,” and I recoiled. I’m not the nicest of people and yet that was going too far. Chris doesn’t hesitate to shoot back a, “You peaked in high school,”, but still. Y i k e s. You can’t convince me someone’s turned over a new leaf when they say something like that.

Lara Jean’s dad (forgot his name; gonna call him Dr. Covey) is as unremarkable as ever, and his new wife (forgot her name, too… Trisha? Trina? Eh, something like that) is… unsettling. I mean, I get that they’re all loved up and twitterpatted, but there’s something about all the smiling they’ve got going on that chills me to the bone.

Also, Trisha/Trina kinda looks like TikTok’s ThatVeganTeacher and it bothers me.

Another huge problem with this movie even being made is that the series never had enough plot to continue onto a trilogy. Lara Jean’s letters are what the plots of the first and second movies revolve around; the third only mentions them in passing. The final love letter from Peter was a cute callback, but there’s a massive continuity issue with the first two movies and this last one- both character and plot-wise.

Maybe I’m not articulating this clearly enough, so I’ll use an example: take Harry Potter, for example. Harry’s main goal throughout the series is defeating Voldemort. And it takes all seven books for him to get there, to finally achieve this.

Lara Jean’s goal in the first movie changes midway; from keeping up the façade with Peter so she can avoid the crap with the rest of the letters getting out, to making her fake relationship real. It forms a bridge with the second movie; the letter that went out to John Ambrose, and her dithering between Peter and perfection (I’m not sorry). But what does the third movie have to do with any of this?

There were way too many music montages. You couldn’t go five minutes without a random pop song playing in the background, and it was annoying as hell. Don’t Look Back in Anger was w a s t e d on this stupid film. The artsy scenery shots were even worse- no, I don’t give a fuck about the New York skyline or a bird’s eye view of whatever vehicle Lara Jean is in. A few shots of Seoul would’ve sufficed; the rest was overkill. This movie is way too damn long already (almost 2 entire hours!!!); cut out a couple of those. No one cares.

I thought they’d pull the whole Aladdin trope with character-A-keeps-trying-to-tell-character-B-the-truth-about-a-lie-B-believes-in-about-A-but-B-keeps-interrupting, but Lara Jean (typing her name out is annoying, why couldn’t she have a single name, like both of her sisters?) comes clean earlier than I expected. Peter’s reaction about LJ not getting into Stanford is… uncharacteristically mature? No “Why did you lie to me?”, no accusations, not an ounce of betrayal. Which I did not expect from a guy who’s a little bitch for the greater part of book one (I really don’t like Book Peter, in case you couldn’t tell). I know fuck-all about book three’s Peter, so I can’t tell if he really did adopt this mature, well-adjusted persona, or the movie did it to make Peter seem like less of a dick (like they did it with the sextape-that-wasn’t-a-sextape in the first installment).

On a sidenote, how do these main characters in YA books get into really good colleges with zero to no visible effort? These arseholes fuck around for the entirety of the story and have way too much going on to actually do schoolwork, but they waltz into Ivy Leagues at the end. And apparently, I’m not the only one bothered by this.

There’s something to be said about how the movies don’t really sexualize minors (characters who are minors, to be fair. None of the MCs look anything like teenagers), though. It’s almost weird to see them not getting drunk and partying and having sex all the time. Maybe that’s why Lara Jean trying to get her hand on Peter’s dick felt so stilted and awkward (I cringed so hard when she kept trying to touch him and he kept pushing her hand away, holy shit).

And the kissing. It’s to be expected from a romance film, but there was so. Much. Kissing.

The amount of product placements (… actually, I could count only two: Apple and a pair of Beats headphones Lara Jean puts on at one point, but the movie shoved so many iPhones in my face that I’m obligated to exaggerate) would’ve made anti-capitalist Chris mad.

I’m guessing this all takes place in a parallel universe, sans the coronavirus. Still, being in quarantine this past year and being socially awkward for every other one, it was agonizing seeing everyone so close together in NYC. When Peter kissed the ball (lol) (I have the sense of humor of a straight boy in middle school, don’t judge me) when him and Lara Jean go bowling, I had a visceral reaction. And what are the odds of Peter meeting his estranged dad at the very same bowling alley?

Speaking of Peter’s daddy issues (I’ve written “Hardin but diluted” in my notes; I watched this movie at, like, 1 AM; I’m not entirely sure what was going through my head at that point)- I hated how they guilt-tripped Peter into giving his father another chance. In the wise words of Hannah Montana, everybody makes mistakes- but leaving your wife and two kids for another woman is pretty far from a little oopsie on Mr. Kavinsky’s part. I don’t blame Peter for hating him, and I’m not in a place to judge whether Mr. Kavinsky (does he get a first name?) should be forgiven or not, but I feel like they let him off too easy and made Peter seem like a misunderstood teenager with anger issues for not accepting Mr. Kavinsky’s (crappy) apology at once.

And it adds nothing to the story at all; Mr. Kavinsky peaces out after having one (01) coffee with his firstborn, and he’s never seen again. If you’re going to introduce a subplot, make it tie into the main storyline- the very least you could do is make it an important enough part of the story to have more than 10 minutes of the run time. It makes no sense as to why they’d bring up Peter’s dad in this last film, when he’s already gone through two perfectly fine. I guess it was a ‘tying everything up’ part… even though no one cared.

Lara Jean’s handwriting is surprisingly ugly for someone who’s written that many love letters. And her styling took a definite nosedive; her outfits in the first movie were so effing cute, but now they’re just… meh.

There are so many conversations and lines that the writers must’ve thought sounded good enough for someone to type out the quote in curly font and slap it on a screenshot from the movie to post on Instagram, but when it comes to the actual delivery, they just sounded… weird.

Peter says one time near the beginning of the film, “You know what I’m looking forward to the most in college? Never having to say goodnight,” because he expects him and Lara Jean to get into the same college.

But I guess the word they should’ve used was ‘good-bye’, because this just makes him sound stupid.

At one point, Lara Jean asks Kitty how much Kitty’s gonna miss her when she goes off to college, and Kitty says, “A four.” Later on, she confesses, “I’m gonna miss you a twelve, Lara Jean,” and all I could think was, “But we’re endgame, Archie!”

(In hindsight, I probably shouldn’t let people know I’ve watched Riverdale; it lessons my credibility.)

Still, there remains some good to be found: all the baked goods looked very delicious and made me crave chocolate chip cookies. Peter wearing the socks Lara Jean gifted him at the beginning of the movie was a cute gesture, and Lara Jean giving Peter her teal hatbox? The one she kept her love letters in? Was so? Cute? Help?

And hey, it’s a cliché that’s been done to death, but I’m always a sucker for that part in movies where the girl walks down the stairs in a pretty dress with her hand on the banister and the boy turns around and his mouth falls open and all he can say is, “Wow,”- and this film did not disappoint! Not to mention how cute both Lara Jean’s and Chris’s prom dresses were.

Dr. Covey and Trisha/Trina’s wedding was cute, too- I struggled to decide whether Kitty wearing a necklace that says ‘feminist’ and a tux is a bit too on-the-nose, but I’ve decided that it’s nothing to get my knickers all in a twist about (for clarification: it’s not the necklace or the crossdressing that made me debate this; I just wish they didn’t make a big deal out of it- I wish they didn’t have Kitty and Lara Jean get into an argument about her not wearing a dress, if that makes sense?).

And the final letter- the one from Peter to Lara Jean- I ate that shit up; it was so, so, so cute.

In conclusion (why is it so easy for me to crank out 3k about my thoughts on a Netflix movie and yet when it comes to English Lit. at school, I’d stare at a blank sheet of foolscap for ages?), did I enjoy the movie? Not really. There were parts of it that I liked, but it was overall too boring and I kept wishing I’d watched the new SKZ Code episode instead every few minutes.

But that doesn’t mean that it was bad. I kinda feel a little sad, actually, now that Lara Jean and Peter’s story has come to a close; To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before, the first movie, is one of my favorites, and bitch though I might about them, the kinda grew on me… like an innocent plant, at first, but then like a fungus. Not a parasitic fungus, just not mutualistic, either… kind of like a commensal.

Maybe I should stop with the biology similes.

[thewindsofsong]

@cross-d-a tagged me like 2 days ago. This took me waaay too long to do

rules: answer 30 questions and tag however many blogs you want!

name: thewindsofsong, wind, windy, song, twos, but mainly thewindsofsong. Pretty much everywhere I’m on the internet I am thewindsofsong. 

gender: she/her

star sign: aries

height: 5’4”. I think?

time: 12:46 pm

birthday: april 10th

favorite bands: uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu…………. I dont even know anymore. Is florence and the machine a band or solo artist? Pentatonix? 

favorite solo artists: Regina Spektor, Mitski 

last movie: Legend of Loulan (with Liu Chang)

last show: Ultimate Note. Very good, highly recommend 

when did i create this blog: 2012? I think?

what i post: mostly reblogs of very random stuff (hence the blog name) but increasing the amount of original posts, mostly centered around 

last thing i googled: how to translate “old cat lady” into chinese

other blogs: There’s twoscats where i reblog all the cute animals on my dash. I used to have that queu filled up to the brink, but its lucky to have 1-2 posts a day now...

do i get asks: Not really. The one’s I’ve gotten are usually the “pass this on!” type which are really sweet to get, but then I never remember to do anything with…. 

why i chose my url: thewindsofsong has been my online username since basically forever. I think of it as my online self’s name. To use anything else would almost feel like misnaming myself at this point.

following: 128. I go through and unfollow inactive blogs pretty regularly and I like keeing the number around 100. I don’t think I’ve ever gone over 150.

followers: 642. More than 2/3s of them are probably deactivated/dead blogs that haven’t been active in years. Its what happens when you’re tumblr is old i guess

instruments: I did learn piano but haven’t really played in years. Did percussion back when i was in school, but haven’t been able to do that in years either. I have a ukulele that I pick up every once in a while

what i am wearing: pjs. I’ve been wearing pjs for months now. I don’t want to start wearing regular cloths again.

dream job(s): housewife? I was working like a productive human until covid happened and I burned out of my job like a sparkler. I’d think being an artisanal soap maker would be fun.

dream trip: Japan would be a lot of fun. My Japanese is a horrible, terrible thing, but it’d be enough to get around with a good translation app. I’d like to go back to China some time too to visit family, but that side of the family is SO MUCH and I am easily overwhelmed.

favorite foods: I don’t know if i really have a favorite food? I like garlic a lot. Mushrooms are also really good but my partner hates them. Tomato and egg stir fry on rice is a comfort food from childhood

nationality: american

favorite song: None currently, mostly because I’ll listen to anything in particular at the moment.

last book i read: Does fanfic count? If not, then I’m currently reading a translation of ChongQi. I really don’t read books anymore… just fanfiction….

top 3 fictional universes i’d like to live in: star trek because capitalism doesn’t exist there any more. I could be the lazy bum I’ve always wanted to be there. Next would probably be the Unsleeping City  from D20.  Magical NYC just seems like it would be so much fun; not to mention that if I managed to learn prestidigitation, I’d open a laundromat and clean laundry at very low costs and therefor, very low price. Considering my current obsession, I feel like I have to say DMBJ for the last one. I’d never go down into a tomb because I’d die instantly. I’d go to school and specialize in grief counseling and then make bank specializing in tomb robbers. Last would be Yuuri on Ice universe because then I could see the epic romance between the world’s top male figure skaters happen in real life.

Tagging: whoever wants to do this?

[way-veee]

yān yǔ

rating: m genre: romance, fluff, comedy, wayv being absolute crackheads word count: 1.5k + pairing: reader x wayv pt. 2 

“just recording? okay i can manage that.” you reassure yourself on the phone with your manager. 

“yeah, it’s just for half the day because the boys have rehearsal for the other half, you’ll be in the umeda district, without any cameras or media coverage, me and mr. lee think it will have a more relaxed outcome for the report.” 

“you talked to mr soo-man lee?” you question definitely skeptical of your manager.

 “well i talked to someone that’s ordered around by him so in theory.. you know what forget it.”  

a small smile plays on your lips in the early morning light.

 “just be ready by 10:00 and remember, make them look good, really good. do you hear me?” 

you grimace slightly, you were known to give an unbiased sometimes harsh opinion on your reports. painting wayv in an angelic light would go against everything that you’ve worked for. 

“yes of course.” you whisper, before hanging up the phone unable to take anymore orders from your manager. 

you make sure you have everything in place, you have on one of the sweaters you brought, with jeans and your favorite purse. you pack your laptop and journal so you can jot down notes for today’s section. you even put on a little makeup, not that it mattered what other people saw you as, you just wanted to wear it. after everything is settled you leave the room. 

and there’s no one in the hallway. 

you look at your watch, it’s only 9:41, had the boys not woken up yet? you tip toe quietly to look for any signs of life, but find none. you shrug, it’s not your fault  that the members of wayv couldn’t manage their time properly. you walk out to the garage of the complex expecting a black bmw to drive you and wayv  to umeda. 

instead you find seven fashionably early boys. 

you open your mouth in shock. how did they beat you here?

you hated to admit it but they all looked so good. wearing trendy and fashionable high end clothing, everything looked so effortlessly nice and boyfriend material ish, you knew it was carefully pick out just for this occasion. you roll your eyes in disdain. 

did they have no sustenance in their life? did they have any choices of their own? just the thought constricts you. 

“ i thought there weren’t going to be any cameras today?” you say flatly.          

 they look you up and down definitely not impressed by your boring appearance. 

“if there were cameras around you wouldn’t be here.” you looked shocked, over at xiaojun. 

“and you all wouldn’t be taking photos that i’d allow in my issue.”

 they’re all shocked at you now. no one ever talked back to them, especially not some little reporter girl in a baggy brown sack. 

“the car’s waiting.” you hear kun say, definitely trying to break this doomed conversation apart. 

you all pile into the van, one of their countless and disposable employees sits beside the driver. 

“so y/n,” he says as they drive off. “we hear you’re a great reporter?” 

the boys highly doubted that, they highly doubted that you’re even supposed to be here.

“that’s very kind of you to say,” you respond, genuinely flattered. “i actually was head journalist of the louis vutton fashion show here in osaka, and another one of my articles was chosen to cover the osaka university crisis.” 

you can feel the boys surprised impressions behind you. you had single handedly covered two of the biggest events in osaka. 

they weren’t the only ones that excelled in their field of work. 

when you got to the studio, the managers had takeout ready for you guys to eat. after, you were flung into a meeting after with wayv and their managers, they discussed logistics and statistics no doubt to impress you. 

but all you could focus on was the seven boys sitting on the opposite side of the table, making mean faces at you. 

you couldn’t believe it, they were full on glaring at you the whole time. you couldn’t fathom how superstars like them could be so rude, so you naturally make faces back, sticking your tongue out, curling your lips. 

it didn’t scare them like you intended it too, but it was more interesting than the meeting.

 the boys had to have a word with the producers from the studio. of course you weren’t allowed in, because it was “sensitive information”, so you were exiled alone into a room beside the studio, just with a few chairs and a piano. 

you refrained from playing the piano for sometime, sitting in a chair fiddling with your thumbs, but as the minutes added on you gave in quite easily and decided to play it. 

the leather seat feels familiar as you trace your hands across the keys. the piano was the only instrument you enjoyed playing, something about is was different than every other. whenever you played music on the piano, you immersed yourself in it.

 your right hand starts to aimlessly play a tune by muscle memory, then your other hand joins in and you let out a familiar sigh of relief as your body slips into a state of relaxation that you only get from playing the piano. 

you played the piano a lot when you were in high school. you didn’t have many friends and most subjects didn’t entertain you. aside from writing, playing piano was what you did most. you played pop song covers, jazz, classical, movie scores. whatever you could get your hands on. what you lost in social interactions, you made up with music.

it was also very personal to you. you played with your whole heart, there was so much emotion and expression you put into it. if anyone said something rude about your playing, your whole world would shatter.

but in this very moment, it brought you the stability you needed. so you continued playing, the song was seven minutes long and you played through it twice.

then suddenly, you feel a tap on your back and literally jump up out of your seat. red faced you turned around to see ten, seemingly unfazed. you wonder how long he’d been there. 

you hadn’t heard him enter so he could’ve been there for quite some time. the thought makes you want to shrink down into oblivion.

“i.... sorry i just started to play and...” 

“is that liszt?” he asks, genuinely curious.

 “yes,” you reply with a smile, looking into his light brown eyes. “le mal du pays.” 

you stare at him for a second waiting for him to ask more questions, but he doesn’t. he just turns back around and says 

“we needed you in there ten minutes ago.” 

he then saunters off into the room not once looking back. 

you indignantly huff and walk into the room, shaken by your encounter with ten. as you enter the room the boys stop speaking in rushed cantonese and look at you. 

“okay, now we can get started,” the director of the studio says definitely unimpressed by your tardiness.

 “so as we discussed, this album is going to be more contemporary and natural, this is where the fans will really get to know more about you and your interests.” 

you hurriedly take out your pen and notepad and scribble down points of the meeting you can expand on later.

 the director plays a few back tracks and the boys comment on them. 

 “for the main track we wanted to incorporate minnan dialect, to represent our past,”

you look up at hendery, you love the idea. it would add insight and depth to their music while honoring a part of chinese culture. 

“well..” the director cuts in, “we wanted to take another approach and stick to a standard chinese and english mix. now for the lyrics one of our producers wrote this to go along with a pre selected track..” 

you look up shocked, then at the boys. they looked so defeated after having their idea shot down, you couldn’t believe that SM basically did everything for them and wayv couldn’t do anything to stop it. 

at first you might have called the boys lazy or manufactured. but now you know that they’re trapped and dismissed. 

you see that on their faces. you had no idea. the rest of the “collaboration” took an hour, as you sat there and lied out guts your onto the notepad in front of you. 

both wayv and the producers worked harmoniously, turning primal beats and rhythms into lovely music. 

neither, had happened. the producers played generic pop beats and wayv tried again and again to get some of their ideas incorporated, failing each time.

 the drive back was silent, you could feel the defeat in the air. they were no longer looking at you, or concerned about you. 

they were looking among themselves for hope, for a way to make music they wanted to make. 

their sadness made you want to break in two. 

you couldn’t hate them anymore. you didnt deserve too, they can hate you all they want. but you could no longer be mad at these boys after seeing what they've been through. now everything makes sense.

“well, anyone can play the piano, hell even xiaojun can play the piano and look at him,”yangyang says while gesturing to xiaojun who was trying to persuade lucas to give him a piggy back because he wanted to “move fast”

ten shakes his head at yangyang, hendery and winwin.“no not like that, she was really good.”

“are you sure it wasn't a recording or-”

“no.” ten says, cutting winwin off. “it was amazing to listen to” he reminisces. getting lost in that moment, looking up at the ceiling thinking of your hands dancing across the piano keys like magic.

“it was like, she was supernatural. the look on her face was so serene that i didn’t want to disturb her. it was really weird...”

the boys look at ten waiting for him to say more.

“trust me, when you guys hear her you’ll agree. she sounded professional. really.”

he looks into the boys eyes for a glint of acknowledgment, but finds none.

“how much did you hear?” winwin asks.

“all of it.” 

the boys look at ten in shock, he never usually talked about people this way. especially not a sack wearing gross looking reporter like yourself.

“well that still doesn’t make up for the fact of her being a complete jerk!” xiaojun yells from atop lucas’s broad shoulders.

“i don’t think we can judge her until we get to know her.” kun says as he appears from his room. “there is definitely a lot there that we don’t see.”

“we’ll she’s still a bi-” yangyang then tackles hendery from behind, pulling him off of the bed the other members were sitting on. his words cut off by yangyang's clammy hands. yangyang tries to lick hendery’s nose while he yells fearfully in chinese.

after they had settled down, xiaojun thought he’d say what they were all thinking. 

“today went worse than usual. they usually consider our ideas, or act like they like them. now they don’t even pretend to need us.”

the boys look down in defeat. xiaojun was right. it had gotten worse.

“i dont know how much longer i can do this..” lucas says, looking tearfully into the palms of his hands. “ i want to be a musician. not just a body, or a face or a dancer. i want to sing and make music.”

the boys sit on the silence of the room. 

they feel the same. they had no idea how much longer they could last like this.

“i just don’t understand. our ideas are good. and they’re our ideas. no one should be treated like this.” winwin whispers.

“give it time,” kun offers. “we have fans supporting us and we have each other. music or not i want to stay with you guys.”

henderey grabs kun’s hand with his own as they sit there for the millionth time. contemplating the situation they were in. 

“we have to do something,” ten says looking up at the saddened boys he thinks of as brothers. “and i think i know how.”

they look up hopefully, but as soon as they figure out that the sack wearing gross looking reporter was involved,

chaos erupts.

part 3