#i am. i am trying to keep it to ep 3 and 4 only but i saw RyangHyun screencaps from ep 6 and now my brain is like 'if you don't turn this

[cheriboms]

what if i told you that i had a 500+ page google doc chronicling my efforts to transcribe the bttf telltale game into a full script line by line

[theinfinitedivides]

the nearly 1000 word Ryang Eum/Jang Hyun fic sitting in my drafts that just keeps getting longer staring at me every time i open it to edit:

[theeconfession]

mercury retrograde in aries while season 7 airs...well.

[garoujo]

✩ ˛˚ . REI SUWA ; — you hope rei doesn’t expect you to just watch him play games all day, you’ll have him wanting to watch you instead.

warnings: f!reader, thigh-riding while he’s gaming, v new characterisation i am nervy! note: yayyy my first buddy daddies post is finally here since i’m so crazy 4 him ;u; i had to get him out my system! <;3 also thank u to yoru @/anantaru for brainstorming about this lil idea with me since literally ep 1!

getting rei’s attention wasn’t an easy feat — especially when he was already lost in his game, only offering you grunts and groans in reply. it was rare for you both to get the house to yourselves but you’d been lucky enough that kazuki had taken miri out for the day — so there was no way you were gonna let the opportunity for some time alone to slip by.

luckily, despite your boyfriends otherwise stoic, unbothered appearance, you had a few things that you knew would be able to steer his gaze from his game — even for a few moments as you push yourself up from your place on the couch to make your way closer to him.

rei doesn’t offer you much at first when he feels your chest press up against him, but the sudden, close proximity does let you see the concentrated furrow on his brows despite the way you’re sure his breathing hitches, even for just a second.

“huh?” he grunts when he feels you push yourself underneath his arm — your thighs straddling one of his own before he’s offering you a drowsy, wordless look. but he doesn’t shrug you off, instead — he readjusts his controller so he can settle his arm around your hips as you nudge yourself closer.

“i’m just getting comfy, rei.” you drawl, deliberately light and airy as your fingers press underneath the headphones he has thrown around his neck, amusing yourself with the way goosebumps immediately rise under your touch. another grunt, followed by another few presses of the buttons on rei’s controller and you try to ignore the anticipation that bursts along your skin before you sigh.

your hands trace higher before they’re brushing through his hair, scratching at the undercut underneath before he’s shuddering beneath you — blinking slowly at his screen like he’s trying to focus. you breathe deep, starting with a slow, languid rock of your hips along his thigh that makes you gasp — surprised with how good it feels as your toes curl against the floor beneath you.

“what’re you doing?” rei questions, his voice is low and ragged and the drawl only seems to spur you on — emphasising the pleasurable shock you feel through your core with the next rock of your hips. he’s already slipping, casting you side glances before his brows are furrowing — chewing on the inside of his cheek as he squints at the tv, trying so hard to keep up his streak despite the way it holds basically none of his suddenly wavering attention.

“you can keep playing, rei—mmf, don’t mind.” your voice is uneven, a pretty, inaudible whisper that he swears he feels in his gut as he threatens to groan. but it’s charming the way he’s suddenly pouting, even more so when he chooses to curl his arm tighter around your hips — pulling you closer into him as he encourages more of your needy little thrusts along his thigh.

rei’s lips are parted, panting as his glances towards your figure become longer, drawn out and lidded as his chest expands with a shakey breath — grunting when he feels your fingers tighten in his hair before you pull and he swears his fucking cock twitches in his pants.

“can’t. he eventually replies but how needy his voice sounds surprises even him, words threatening to break under the weight of his own arousal. his controller is basically going untouched now as it rests in his lap — pressing into his cock as it strains and thickens with every needy swipe of your clothed cunt along his thigh.

“do you like this?” you grin before you lean in closer, lips ghosting against his cheek as rei lets his head rest back against the couch — his flushed features furrowing with the arousal he feels lick at the base of his spine before he nods.

your thighs twitch and squeeze around his as you notice the damp little patch that paints itself along his thigh — soaking through your panties with every eager swipe of your clothed clit along his well trained muscles. your body feels like it crumbles with how good it feels, just to be wrapped in his embrace as you chase your own high.

but you decide to offer yourself a few moments of relief as you slow, not noticing the dark, hooded look rei casts you at the change of pace — fuelled by the desperate strain of his cock in his pants right now. “hey.” he grunts lowly before his fingertips finally release his controller in favour of squeezing at your hips, taking control of the pace as he deliberately flexes his thigh under your needy movements and hugs you close enough to brush against his cock as he hisses.

“don’t stop yet, cmeer.”

© 2023 garoujo. please do not copy any of my layouts or writing and translate or repost onto any other sites.

[wanderlust-in-my-soul]

Currently Watching - April

aka The Masterlist

Because I love a good little list - in alphabetical order! 😊

Regularly updated during the month, latest update 30.04.2024

A little link to my favorite bl-tropes-collection 💙

I am happy about gif-requests 🌼

Here you can find all of my gifs.

Tracking: #josistag

At the end you can have a look at what we can expect in April with a MDL link and a link for a trailer (if avaible).

This is guaranteed to contain spoilers!

1. 25 Ju, Akasaka de 🇯🇵 (2/10)

They were fellow students and now they have to play in a BL together. One of them is two years older and popular. For the other one, this is his first big role and he needs it, so he is determined to to anything he needs to do, to be a good actor. Even when this means to find a partner and fall in love to be able to play the role perfectly. Why not try to be lovers with your co-star. All for the sake of the series of course.

2. Blue Boys 🇰🇷 (2/4)

This short series is quite good. I saw the first episode by chance and I was hooked, but lost it again, because I couldn't track it on MDL. Now it is up there. I hope these two can resolve their missunderstanding, with talking! But they are too hungry for each other...

3. Boys Be Brave! 🇰🇷 (2/8)

Enemies to lovers, but different. Jinwoo likes Kisub and Kisub knows this. But while Kisub gives his heart away to every person who hits on him and can't really say No to anyone, Jinwoo loves to build up his wall and hide behind a strong No. Their worlds collide, when Kisub moves in with Jinwoo, if he likes it or not. Great first episodes!

4. Cityboy_Log 🇰🇷 (12/?)

They are back and unhinged like before! Jihan and Jaejun met after a while because they were busy and it seems they had some catching up to do the night before. We get some daily vlogging, some cuteness and some jealousy, which wasn't that cute. But they are finally back and I am happy. The acting is still very good. There is no deeper story behind, just some idols, models and actors falling in love with each other and theit daily lifes.

5. Deep Night 🇹🇭 (3/8)

his is everything I was expecting, so it didn't disappoint, I guess. To be honest, I watch this for First. I guess he would have chemistry with a stick, soooo this is nice. And I hope the story, at least stays like this and won't get worse... Update: This show is a mess 😂 there is so much going on all at once and at the same time nothing really happens? It is so confusing, yet very entertaining. But Wela, my dear, it is totally okay to be pissed if one fucks with you, while you are so drunk you can't remember shit the next day... Just a thought.

6. Kare no Iru Seikatsu 🇯🇵 (3/8)

Kazuhito has no girlfriend and the ones he had, broke up with him, because they felt he likes someone else... Who might that be?... The story is simple, I guess? (But perhaps not that simple... The preview for ep 3 looks interesting.) Childhood friends are forced to move in together after spending time apart. One is a little bit naive and is trying to find out why girls breaking up with the most charming and handsome guy he knows and the latter is in love with the naive one and in the end they have their happy ending. I like it. I want to see their growth.

7. Love Is Like A Cat 🇰🇷 (10/12)

Who thought this was a good idea? Who wrote this? Who said cut at the end of scenes? Who thought this is be the way Mew should act? I cringe so hard and not in a funny way. This series is just bad. I keep watching because of this little bean. But I had to skip so many scenes in today's episodes, because it was just so bad! And I can't figure out if Mew just didn't want to be there and act or if that is the way the director wanted him to act... But the acting is bad. Bad choices everywhere. And the dialogues? Cringe... Why would a bean like Dae Byeol fall for Uno? Nope...

8. My Stand-In 🇹🇭 (1/12)

Okay, hear me out. I watch this for Poom and for Poom only. But the story lookes interesting, it was quite intriguing. I don't know why, but I cringed a bit too much at some scenes. But Poom is beautiful and that is all I care about. Yes, I can be this shallow!

9. Only Boo 🇹🇭 (4/12)

The cringe was so strong with this one this week! I had to pause multiple times, but at the same time I enjoyed it so much! Moo is so unhinged and I love him! But please! Don't let Moo's cousin become a possible love interest for Kang. I know we got this dream sequence this week, but there is something in the air between Shone and him... and I don't like it. The second couple... I felt really sad for them this week. Beeing in love with your best friend is never easy...

10. Unknown 🇹🇼 (12/12)

The story about found family, childhood trauma and struggling topped with a lovestory between "brothers". They aren't really brothers so I really don't care and just enjoy this forbidden and hurtful lovestory to the fullest. This is exactly what I hoped for! The longing, tension and hurting is so good! It is the aftermath of the shooting and Qian is still dealing with his emotions and his feelings for Yuan. The love between them is real and strong, but Qian is afraid and can't just let his heart decide over the head, yet. He loves Yuan, but is afraid what that means for them and especially for Yuan's future. And yet he held him back. He was the one reaching out in the end! I have said enough about them and this first part of ep 11 in my post. I love them. My heart belongs to them. I wish we had more developement between these two as a couple, but I still love them and I forgive this show the rush in the end, because I love it so much.

11. Word of Honor 🇨🇳 (20/36)

Those two flirt a lot and are a married couple. Everyone knows that. And I love and enjoy that! Overall this is such a fun watch and the different sects and intrigues are sometimes a little bit confusing, but interesting. I love this world of martial arts and I love how protective Wen Kexing is over Zhou Zishu.

Finished in April

Series

My Strawberry Film 🇯🇵

This is what I call a love triangle. And the fact that the screenwriters worked for Eien No Kinou or Jack o'Frost promised some heartbreak and teenage angst. And they delivered. I really like this series. And I felt so many emotions, especially for Ryo. And I really loved the ending. No fake relationship and no unrealistic confessions, just some teenagers in love and being friends. And I think Hiraku was such a sweet friend in this last episode. He apologized and he finally recognized Ryo's feelings for him. And I believe they stay friends in the future. It might be difficult, but a good friendship is worth fighting for. It has so much to do with respect and love for each other. It is a solid 8 out of 10 for me.

Koi wo Suru nara Nidome ga Joto 🇯🇵

The story about highschool sweethearts, who didn't have the chance to enjoy their young love, because of horrible family backgrounds. Their story is devastating and I am happy they found their way back to each other. The story was good, the acting was good, I am in love with Furuya Robin, which is nice, and the side characters were special (shoutout to Yuto!). I wish there was more "passion" from Miyata, but I guess it is due to his character. Overall it was a good watch and I enjoyed it! A good 8 out of 10 for me.

Jazz For Two 🇰🇷

I love bls about music and about traumatic pasts. The second couple has my heart. I just love them coming together. Usually I hate this bully-trope, but with them, I kinda enjoyed it. Perhaps because Jooha always looked like a hurting puppy. Overall the homophobia in this one is strong and I think it is interesting to see them deal with their own feelings. Internal and external homophobia is such a big thing in all their stories and I wish they had more time to show the developement from hating themselves to loving the other person and themselves. But in my opinion they made a good story and a good show. I like it very much. And what was that kiss in the end? Wow! A good 9 out of 10 for.

To Be Continued 🇹🇭

I really like this one! I read some comments that the reason they never got together was just stupid, but from their perspective I can understand why they reacted how they reacted. They were young and unsure what to do and what all of this meant for them and their friendship. What I liked about the show was the present and past scenes. We learned so much about their past and the scenes fitted perfectly. It was a really good series and I am glad I waited to binge it. Guess I come back to this one from time to time. Rewatch value is there. And those two have really good chemistry! A good 9 out of 10 for me.

Movie

Short Film

Dropped in April

We are 🇹🇭

I dropped this after the first half of the first episode. There are a few reasons for that. First, I need some shows to binge on lonely sundays. And second, I just don't feel like watching this one. It was so quirky for me. Not my kinf od humor right now.

Looking forward to in April

Love is like a cat - Trailer (Apr 1st)

We are - Trailer (Apr 3rd)

Memory in a letter - Trailer (Apr 6th)

Grey Shelter (Apr 11th)

Kare no Iru Seikatsu - Trailer (Apr 12th)

The Spirealm (Apr 15th)

Boys be brave! (Apr 25th)

25 Ji, Akasaka de (Apr 19th)

Kimi to Yukite Saku: Shinsengumi Seishunroku (Apr 25th)

My Stand-In - Trailer (Apr 26th)

Zettai BL ni Naru Sekai VS Zettai BL ni Naritakunai Otoko 2024

Knock Knock, Boys - Trailer

[absolutebl]

This Week in BL - There's so much airing even I'm struggling to keep up

That's why I'm late.

Aug 2023 Wk 3

Ongoing Series - Thai

Laws of Attraction (Sat iQIYI) 6 of 8 - Oh no. I am totally in love with the escaped young master & his smitten bodyguard. How did that happen? (Be careful P’Thee the broken ones are the most tempting. Tin understands.) NO SINGING! Trust Thai BL to destroy any moment of sentiment I might have by picking up a damn guitar. And we finally get Charn’s Batman villain origin story. Good use of back hug! This is a GREAT show. Melodramatic as fuck, but GREAT. Gotta say this pair in NOT Thailand’s best kissers but not everyone can be Zee++. Still I think that + singing + a touch of overacting is likely to keep this out of the 10/10 club.

Dangerous Romance (Fri YT) ep 1 of 12 - Rich /poor dynamic with characters & set up exactly as expected. Chimon is great. Perth is good too. A real rich-kid bully, Heirs level or Japanese F4 evil. All the teachers are also corrupt (that’s kinda a Thai thing, I think because they can't call out the government). I gotta say, Marc is doing a bang-up job as the jock friend, too. And the kiss twist was fun. All in all, this is good. And you know me, I love a high school BL.

I Feel You Linger in the Air (Sat YT) ep 1 of 12 - The time travel historical romance many of us have been waiting for. Adaption of y-novel by Violet Rain, from the producers of Lovely Writer. Heartbroken architect is transported to the 1930s. Nonkul (actor playing Jom) keeps reminding me of Cho Han Gyeol from Love Mate. It’s a bit slow to start but interesting when it hits its stride. The pacing feels like a Chinese historical (makes me wonder if this with be 4 or 6 act structure). Nonkul is a wonderful actor. They weren’t sharing the screen for long, but the leads seem good together. I’m in. 

Only Friends (Sat YT) ep 2 of 10 - Well. It’s entertaining, I'll say that for it. Addiction. Manipulation. Queer as folk & all that jazz. (No jazz for you, Thailand. Oh no! I’m giving them ideas.) I would like it to turn out that Mew is actually manipulating everything. This is his revenge con on Top. Mew is, after all, supposed to be "the smart one." Gotta say, this is darn near perfect casting. But honestly? This show could just be about Ray & Sand. Their story (and them in it) is easily the most riveting. Sand better be careful, the wildly broken ones are always the best in bed, because they don’t care ao they have no shame and that's HOT.

Hidden Agenda (Sun GMMTV YouTube) ep 6 of 10 - I like how soft Joke’s version of seme flirting is. It’s mellow, like his voice gets with Zo. I also liked Zo casually chatting to his friends about how he feels about being flirted with. His friends gave good advice & were supportive. Oh no! A boy in a BL went into the rain ALONE. What ON EARTH will happen next? The argument was interesting, because it gave us insight into Zo’s maturity & ability to handle a relationship. I’ve been wondering why anyone would like him, and now I know. Joke & Nita’s backstory is fun. I like the gay boy protecting the straight girl reverse beard action. On a complete aside, I really like Dunk’s makeup in this series. It’s very Kdrama.

Low Frequency (Sat iQIYI) ep 7 of 8 - The house ghosts trying to help are cute. The plot is at least... a plot? I don’t know. Dias Ex Mafia is a new one on me. (COME ON THAT’S A GREAT PUN, PRAISE ME!) I’m ready for this show to be over. 

Be Mine Super Star (Mon Viki) ep 7 of 12 - Honestly, the whole time I’m watching this I’m just thinking I wish JaFirst got better scripts. Speaking of, I don’t object, but these characters sure moved into sex fast. I really don’t quite understand how Daddy & Hot Doc got together so fast either. It feels like their story was meant to be spread out into the other episodes but didn’t get cut in properly, so it ended up all in this one? Or is it just the pacing is particularly bad in this show?

Dinosaur Love (Sun iQIYI) ep 8 of 10 eps - I have no idea what is going on. What are all of Dino’s friends doing? What do they want? what’s their point in the story? I’m even annoyed by Peak, and love him. Sex scene which they tried to make sexy. Operative word being tried. Although, there was some interesting after sex discussion about mechanics. And there was a cute bathtub chat about pet names. But this show is a lotta work for very little pay out. 

Wedding Plan (Wed YT & iQIYI) ep 5 of 7 - I like the sunshine sides? PUNCH LOM 2023! Trash watch here!

Love in Translation (Sat iQIYI) ep 1 of 10 - Pushy older bro is Earn from Love Sick, yay! And he’s the hyung of a side couple, which is "best friend’s older brother" trope! My favorite!!!! Have we seen this in BL before? I don't think so. Anyway, DOUBLE YAY! The main couple… eh. You know I loathe stalker characters. And I viscerally HATE this one. Almost as bad as SCOY, not sure I can take it, actually. The squealing of "Tammy!" is worse on my ear than any off-key guitar strumming. I may have to DNF or fast forward through all his parts… but he’s the lead. What to do? I do like the “Chinese” businessman actor. He very cute. (On an aside, I was just reading about commercial real estate as the loophole for foreign property investors in Thailand. Cool plot point.) I’m getting a Taming of the Shrew vibes from this. Just me? For now it's living at the bottom of the list for sheer unadulterated loathing of Phumjai. Not the actor, he was my favorite and only good thing about Our Days. But this character? NO.

Ongoing Series - Not Thai

Jun & Jun (Korea Thur Viki) ep 5 of 8 - This is basically the gay Boys Over Flowers of my heart. Or as close as I think we’ll get from BL. I like both of the 2nd leads, even though I suspect Simon of actually being into everyone’s fav hyung. Cute to see the Mr Heart boys back on my screen, oh so briefly. Such a Taiwan trick, reusing a beloved couple like that. Nice gimmie to the fans. Meanwhile, Choi Jun - boy sure knows his angles but his motives? Please don’t let this be another arranged marriage beard situation? I can’t take 2 in the same month. 

Stay By My Side (Taiwan Fri Gaga) ep 8 of 10 - The boyfriends ep! JC is biggest simp spoiling his baby EVER. Taiwan = the sappiest of saps. “Owning the same key” is such a cute way of putting it. Also I love the "knew all along" twist, made me happy. The angst is silly but that's normal in Taiwanese BL. 

Love Class Season 2 (Korea Fri Viki) eps 3-4 of 10 - Pair 1: Lee Hyun is such a wide-open, bleeding, no-shame romantic. It’s kinda great. Boy has a poet’s soul & NO artifice. J-Min is startlingly good, very nuanced. I know I keep saying that, but I’m v surprised by his skillz. And… add in creepy stalker, goody. Pair 2: The "other student couple" I’m not into, also NO SINGING. Pair 3: The underwear gift was so fucking funny. “I’m going reap the boxers I sewed” is next level script excellence. These two are brilliant at gayest-of-gay flirt-negging, I'm INTO IT. One of my housemates said, in response to my audible cackling, "You seem to be enjoying your shows extra much tonight."  

My Personal Weatherman AKA Taikan Yoho (Japan Sat Gaga) ep 2 of 8 - Oh I love love love them. It’s so old school yaoi and SO JBL. No other country could produce this kind of show. I love this little feminist aspect where the weatherman treats his boy like a 1950s housewife & said boy thinks that makes him an indentured servant. Clocks. But also, the way our weatherman LOOKS at his boy. He is so in love. (It looks like we skip next week for holiday reasons?) 

Sing My Crush (Korea Wed iQIYI) eps 5-6 of 8 - It remains enjoyable. 

Minato's Laundromat Season 2 AKA Minato Shouji Coin Laundry Season 2 (Japan Thu Gaga) ep 6 of 12 - At least we know Minato actually desires Shin, he just won’t do anything about it. Also, Minato chose the perfect person to come out to. That's nice for him. Finally, Shu & Asuka are glorious. Sides are winning these days.

Stay Still (Hong Kong Tues YouTube) ep 3 of 5 - A proper faen fatal has entered one of our couples. She won too, since she ended up marrying the boy. Still not sure about this show (and it should have convinced me by now). I definitely like the tattoo couple better than the reunion couple. Still, not a lot happened in this episode and this is short series, they don’t have time to waste. It remains intriguing but not... erm... good.

In case you missed it

River Knows Fish Heart is leaving Gaga soon. It's a decent little bully romance Chinese BL (pulp) - yes, you read that right. Actual CBL. Not great, but if you're into the CBL stuff, especially the early stuff, this has some of that tenor only made in 2018 (I have a feeling it was shot in 2017 and skated through). Anygay, just staying. Catch it before it disappears because with CBL once they gone, often, they gone forever.

Friend. Boy Friend a new Thai BL pulp was supposed to start airing on Aug 19th. I can't find it. Neither can MDL.

Next Week Looks Like This:

Everything from Thailand seems to be dropping on Sat & Sun this month. It's a good thing I got quiet weekends for a while. Also the BL firehose is upon us, so much content.

Starting this week:

8/20 (tomorrow) My Universe series (Sun iQIYI) 24 eps - This is sampler pack BL, 12 pairs, each pair gets 2 eps, not sure on the order they’ll drop. Known couples include EarthBank from Destiny Seeker and KaownahTurbo from Love Stage!!!, fresh faces otherwise. Jane to direct.

8/22 Kisseki: Dear to Me formerly known as Miracle (Taiwan Tues Viki & iQIYI) 13 eps - From screenwriter Lin Pei Yu (We Best Love, H3: Trapped) features a student doctor forced to take care of a gangster. I love the premise and like the writer.  

8/23 Why R U? (Korean remake iQIYI) 8 eps - I find everything about this hilarious. I mean if Korea remakes it, we lose all the sexy and then... would we have a story at all? No we would not. Not even for 8 short eps. It’d be like one of those mesh shopping bags.

8/24 Man Suang (Thailand movie, domestic cinema release) - historical drama about Thai burlesque with KP’s MileApo. 

2023 forthcoming BL master post (see comments, some are inaccurate, NOT KEPT UPDATED).

THIS WEEK’S BEST MOMENTS

Another show reviewing itself. (Dino Love)

Don't insult bastards, Lom. (Wedding trash)

I would like this adorable romcom GMMTV, please and thank you.

See what I mean? Trixy.

Thanks boys. (All Only Friends)

(Last week) 

[gentlebeardsbarngrill]

04/02/2024 Daily OFMD Recap

TLDR; Rhys; Rosie; Taika; Vico; Watch parties; New Calendar; Fan Spotlight; Articles; Love Notes; Daily Darby/Today's Taika

= Rhys Darby =

Rhys posted a video about his 25 Anniversary Comedy Special!

Rhys Darby's IG Story

= Rhys & Rosie =

Rosie posted a cute picture on her IG Story, and there's a sneaky Rhys in the Reflection Src: Rosie's IG Stories

= Taika Waititi =

A silly sneaky picture from Rita of our favorite director!

SRC: Rita Ora's Instagram

= Vico Ortiz =

Vico's got a patreon up! Feel free to check it out here!

= Matt Maher =

Matt Maher is back to stage on June 1 and June 2! Thanks @adoptourcrew for giving him this shout out!

PlayWritesHorizon Link

== New Save OFMD Crew Calendar! ==

Wednesday and Thursday: # PirateExperts, 1000% Facts! - Produce and share completely real historical artefacts and sources documenting the events of OFMD. Tag @saveofmdcrewmates on the various socials!

== Watch Parties! ==

Taskmaster NZ Series 1 Watch Party with @saveofmdcrewmates! When: April 3-12 (W,F, Su -2 eps each) Time: 11 am PT/ 2pm ET/ 7pm BST Where to watch: YouTube, TVNZ, Channel 4

Twitter Hashtags:

#Quartermaster

#OurFlagMeansDeath

#Taskmaster

= In Progress Watch Parties! =

Join @iamadequate1 for Flight of the Chonchords April 8-12! More Details to come!

== Fan Spotlight ==

= Cast Cards =

Today's cast cards are the French Ship Captain, Daniel Olson! The poor man only wanted to share good bread with the world! Thank you @melvisik for giving him a spotlight!

= Podcasts =

There's a new episode of Never Left! Please check it out on all their socials which you can access via their Linktree!

Artwork was created by Amy Gleason, you can see more of her art @AmysBirdHouse on instagram and in the comic series Mighty Mascots. Our theme music is Gnossienne 5 by Erik Satie, preformed by La Pianista

== Articles ==

== Love Notes ==

Hey lovelies. I know this recap is late-- I am having a habit of falling asleep a the end of the day now, new meds may be contributing to it, so please accept this Love Note as a start to the new day!

Everybody is trying very hard to keep each other afloat right now. We're all staying active in one way or another, whether that's sending lovely letters, or engaging in fandom fun and discourse. Sometimes it's not always fun though. We all get frustrated, we all repeat ourselves, and we all struggle with those things. Sometimes we say things we don't mean, or we say things that people misconstrue, and miscommunication can be rampant.

Just remember that we all make mistakes, and we're all human.

Take a step back.

Take a moment to breathe, go for a walk, go for food, or water, or go scream into the void.

We're all crew, and we do all care about each other even if we don't necessarily agree on things the fandom. We all have our own lives going on and outside factors that make the day to day harder, and we all need to give ourselves some grace for that too. Sometimes emotions get high and taking a step back can help, I know I've needed it lately. @areyoudoingthis reminded me of this yesterday and it really helped me feel more grounded. My brain gets overstimulated sometimes, and it's hard to break away from the thing that's overstimulating it, it's like it wants to keep going and deal with whatever is bothering it.

Just a gentle reminder that you are allowed to detach for a while. You're allowed to take a break. You're allowed to have your opinions, and your concerns, and your frustrations. You are human, and we are all so very flawed, but that's what makes us beautiful. Try not to beat yourselves up for being human.

Take a break, lean on a friend, verbally vomit frustrations into the voice or into a Safe Space Ship. Do what you need to do to get you through the day ok? We all want that. We all want YOU to be okay. If you step away, we'll be here when you get back because we love you crew. Don't forget that, even when tensions are high, we care about what happens to you, and we love you. You deserve grace too.

== Daily Darby / Tonight's Taika ==

Today's theme! Wet and Cars!

Daily Darby courtesy of @fandomsmeantheworldtome!

Today's Taika courtesy of @meluli!

[onecupofspiders-please]

How I would re write Hazbin’s pacing issues (while still staying in the 8 episode time frame)

Fair warning, I did not proof read this and I’m dyslexic. So there’s probably a lot of spelling mistakes.

Ep 1: “ commercial day”

A sort of soft start, but it’s about all the current residents trying to make the commercial but it keeps going wrong because everyone sucks (/affectionate). A good way to establish and introduced the characters and their gags. A getting to know them episode. Charlie desperately trying to hold everything together and freaks out. She goes and locks herself in their room trying to figure out how to fix the situation. Vaggie sees this and makes the same deal with Alastor still. They make the commercial while Charlie is driving herself mad, and Vaggie comes to get her. Explains what they did and leads her downstairs to show her. The end gag still happens, but instead of the news cutting off the TV maybe Al accidentally short circuited the hotel lmao.

[i feel like we didn’t get a lot of time to establish the character and their relationships, so that’s what this episode is for. Specifically establishing Charlie’s fixation to make things right and Vaggie’s willingness to make things good for Charlie.]

Ep 2: “Happy day in Hell.”

A/B plot. Charlie gets a call from her dad to go to the meeting for him. (I specifically want a scene where she’s panicking about him calling, and sounding way to excited to do anything he asks before he even asks. Like “I need you to-“ “YES!…what am I doing?”). The B plot if focused on Vaggie being in charge for the day, and how horribly things go because of it. None of her ideas work, and she’s stressing about it. She’s tired and hopes to talk about it with Charlie when she comes back, only for Charlie to be pretty much in tears. So she swallows it down and comforts Charlie instead. They’re laying in bed together, and you THINK that’s where the ep will end, but it cuts to Lute and Adam talking about why they moved the extermination up. There’s a transition of wings moving to Carmela pulling the covers over her girls, and looking out a large window looking very worried.

[ok so I felt like Vaggie’s thing about not knowing who she is without Charlie wasn’t really earned plot wise, so I started planting the seeds here. Same with Charlie’s daddy issues, since I didn’t really get that vibe at all until they said it. I wanted to make her seem very eager to please her dad. Hints her agreeing to the meeting before he can even finish asking.]

Ep 3: “the masquerade.”

A/B plot. Starts off the same, pretty much. Up until the part where angel comes back out and demands she leaves. What changes is Charlie being much more reluctant to leave, leading to more yelling from Angel before he just lets out a very broken “please, Chars.” That (mixed with the nickname) is what gets her to go, glaring at Val as she leaves and then a shot of her feeling awful once she gets out the door. When angel gets back home, she tries to apologize. Obviously he’s not really in the mood, but she KEEPS pushing. Eventually leading angel to blow up at her, telling her to but out of his life. She takes a step back (literally and metaphorically) and apologizes. When he turns back to the bar, husk points out she’s only trying to help. Angel puts on the act again, saying he doesn’t NEED help and that his life is great. Husk calls him fake, they argue, and the rest of the episode plays out like before.

[Once again setting up more proof Charlie is more invested in people’s own problems then her own. Her being more pushy until Angel lashes out (and not just because his boss is there) makes it seem more legit to me. Also Angel using a nickname for Charlie to hint at him starting to see her as a sort of friend.]

Ep 4: “Video killed the radio Star.”

Another A/B. Ok so this one is going to introduce the Vee’s all together. Largely the same about that part, and Vox and Al still get their little duet. The B plot revolves around angel and his relationship with Val. Not episode 4 heavy but definitely serious. It also still focuses on Sir Pentious moving in, and how well he seems to be adjusting. Charlie is also putting a LOT of effort into him specifically because she feels scared of overstepping with angel again. This, combined with this shit we see Angel go through, has him feeling shitty. There’s a moment where he’s going downstairs to get a drink, but looks at it for a second before sighing and slamming the bottle down and walking off, leaving it untouched. When he’s walking back, THATS when he sees Pentious setting up the cameras, and the end pretty much plays out the same

[ok so we find out in like ep 6 that angel’s actually been trying to recover? I didn’t think they rlly showed that so I tried to add a little scene to show it, like him actively turning down the alcohol even though he’s in a shitty mood]

Ep 5: “the meeting.”

A/B kind of like so 3, ngl. The overlord meeting is largely the same. But also more alastor and Charlie talking before he heads off. Maybe the ep starts with him protecting the hotel like it’s some off handed thing, and Vaggie watching this a feeling…not great. SHE’S supposed to be the hotel’s protector. So she tries to send him off with the eggs, only to find out he had shit to do that day anyways. The B plot instead is focused on Vaggie feeling like she has to earn her place next to Charlie. Trying to take charge without Charlie asking and failing again. Charlie, trying to be a supportive girlfriend, tries to…well, support her! Unfortunately she’s having some issues with that, since Charlie dosent really like not being the one trying to fix everyone’s problems. This leads to Vaggie feeling even more frustrated because Charlie keeps trying to step in, which leads to their fight. Vaggie admiring she doesn’t know who she is besides Charlie’s bodyguard. And THATS why she’s been having so much trouble. The song plays, and they end up talking it out. Charlie immediately goes to comfort Vaggie, brushing off her own feelings as she does. Vaggie dosent noticed due to being so emotionally distressed and needing comfort herself. The egg part still happen where he tells Alastor what he heard. The Ep ends with Vaggie asleep on Charlie’s chest while Charlie is looks to be thinking. She sighs, pulls out her phone, and we see her hovering over her dad’s number, but she ends up putting her phone away and not clicking it.

[once more setting up Charlie’s and Vaggie’s respective issues but with the actual fallout. Also setting up Charlie calling her dad in the next episode. AND subtlety trying to set up the idea the Alastor seems to kind of slowly be changing?? Maybe???? Hard to tell). Anyways my point is Charlie and Al bonding to set up what happens in the next so and Vaggie’s reaction to their bonding]

Ep 6: “Dad beat Dad.”

Literally the same ngl. I rlly like this episode and thought it did pretty well, but could have been better with better set up (aka what I’ve been trying to do with the other episodes). (Also there’s a a background scene of husk offering angel a drink, and Angel waved him off and gets like a juice or water instead. Just another lil background example of angel’s journey in trying to do those things less.)

[Not much to add here really.]

Ep 7: “Welcome to heaven.”

A/B plot. An actual episode of Vaggie and Charlie getting to explore heaven. And by that I mean Charlie goes to explore heaven with Em and us actually getting to know her as a character. Maybe seeing how well they mesh, and Em explaining life in heaven to Charlie. Maybe as we get to know her we find out she really admires Sarah, and sometimes feels like she can’t live up to her. Partly because she sort of feels like Sarah treats her like a kid, and partly because of heavens impossible standards. But then she brushes it off easily, because she’s on HEAVEN, she had “no reason to complain!” The B plot would be about Lute and Adam finding Vaggie, and doing the blackmail thing. They leave her on her own to spiral after that, and we get the flashback of what happened as she thinks things over. All of this to be interrupted by knocking, vagging pulling out her weapon and pointing it at…charlie. She drops it and apologies a lot, and makes some excuses about just being on edge from being in a new place. Charlie sympathizes and tries to support her, and once again the episode ends with them holding each other

[Because welcome to heaven felt SO rushed, and because we actually need to know Em to care about her.]

Episode 8: “the trial”

Basically the same whole trial. Only instead Adam waits a lot longer to ask Vaggie what she thinks (like after they watched angel do all the things on the list) and instead running off to use the bathroom, she stands up for Charlie. Adam reveals that “that’s so funny, considering you didn’t seem to think so when you were out slaughtering them.” Which leads to both the reveal of Vaggie being an angel, and about the extermination. Charlie is hurt as hell, but does her duet with Em because it’s important to call them out. Slipping her hand out of Vaggies and standing tall as she does. The trial gets closed, they get sent back.

[Because Vaggie deserves more than running away saying “I need to pee.” ALSO because it’s been established she would go to great lengths for Charlie and I don’t think she would have just left her like that. Also because I feel like this makes a much better season final.]

End of season one.

[shortpplfedup]

Only Friends Character Rankings Episode 5

It's The Date Episode! And honestly, fucking outstanding. The core six pair off and spend the day lying to themselves and each other. It's mostly cute and sweet but the undercurrent of shit about to hit the fan hangs over the entire episode. It's sort of the calm before the storm. Last week, Boston held onto his top spot in the viewer rankings for the second week in a row, with Ray and Nick rounding out the leaderboard. Can the most miserable bastard in the world do the hattrick? Here's this week's winners and losers.

🔺1. Top (2)

Why don’t you try Lasik? A friend of mine had it, and they said their eyesight is so much better. But now that I think about it…I don’t want you to get it now. I like you better looking like a nerd.

Look, ain't nobody more surprised than me, but this man legit got every goddamn thing he wanted this ep. Top putting on the perfect man act (and I am more convinced than EVER that it's an act) was fascinating to watch. Studiously ignoring all the various signals put out by various other men all day, knowing Mew's eyes are on him. The fucking INSTAGRAM COUPLE PHOTO. And then the knockout blow: when he looked Mew dead in the eye and said 'I love you' I said out loud OH YOU MANIPULATIVE MOTHERFUCKER WELL PLAYED. Do I think Top has bad motives towards Mew, no. I just think he likes the idea of Mew a lot more than he actually likes Mew. And now that Mew's given up that bussy, I'm counting down to Top finding a mistress to give him some variety.

🔺2. Nick (3)

-You’re acting weird. -Weird how? I’m just… I’m just shuffling up my style.

Speaking of getting everything you want, Nick looked like he won the lotto when Boston started talking about settling down. Never mind that Nick is doing ALL of Boston's work for him. Never mind that 3 separate people have now told Nick that Boston ain't shit. Nick is euphoric. Nick has ascended. Nick is doodling 'Mr. Nick Boston's-last-name' in his Trapper Keeper. Nick is going to the gym and dressing more upscale. Nick is giggling when Boston asks to spend the night instead of fucking off as soon as they finish fucking. Nick is headed for a crash so great I'm SALIVATING.

🔺3. Boston (6)

I feel like I should stop sleeping around for a bit. It’s been feeling so empty lately. In the end, I want to have sex with someone I can… talk to for a little, you know? Like, have great sex, have good chats, and…someone I can get affectionate with. Right now…there’s only you.

Told y'all you can't keep a bad bitch down for long and Boston's already bouncing back. He might have had a moment of weakness and tried to be nice for exactly one day, but Nick getting drunk and stoned and running his mouth about how cute Sand and Ray were activated his asshole glands. He smelled happiness and said NOT ONE FUCK OF THAT ON MY WATCH. Boston is that Marie Kondo gif, he fucking LOVES mess no matter how much he goes on about hating drama. He will always poke the hornet's nest. Shutting the fuck up was free, but he just COULDN'T. And thank god, because Ray punching him in the mouth was like 3 of the 5 top things that happened this ep.

🔻4. Ray (1)

-That’s a nice top. Where did you get it? -This thing? It’s secondhand.

Whew Ray's day slummin' it was so classic I shed a tear. I can't really adequately describe his facial expression through the whole day, but 'condescending amusement' is closest. His enjoyment of Sand's company is very real, as are his attraction and hints of affection, but he absolutely does not consider that man his equal, and that's why he doesn't even consider the 'boyfriend' label. No matter what Ray's feeling, Sand's demi-monde, not part of his world. He likes that Sand treats him like he's special, he likes that Sand seems to always want him around, he likes that Sand will take care of him, but he'll never take Sand seriously. This would be true even if he wasn't in love with Mew, but being in love with Mew makes it all worse. Pathetic, I love it.

🔹5. Sand (5)

I work. I save up money. I sleep. I dream. I go to bed alone, wake up, and go to work. Until…he came along. It’s like somebody presses pause on all my 24 hours. Next thing I know…I’m living my 25th hour. Ray’s extra hour.

Oh SAND. I've been saying from jump this is hurting most because SAND KNOWS BETTER. When Sand called Ray his 25th hour I wanted to SCREAM because BABY BOY YOU KNOW BETTER. This dude is either drunk or hungover all of those same 24 hours you are grinding out a living, but you wanna spend your birthday with him because he makes you feel sparkly. He stays sneering at how you ain't got no money and work 17 jobs, but because he does it with a twinkle in his eyes you're blind and deaf all of a sudden. He told you HIS MOTHER DRANK HERSELF TO DEATH and you pour him another drink. I ain't feeling sorry for Sand anymore, he did this to himself.

🔻6. Mew (4)

-Does this mean I passed your test? -Yeah. You’ve convinced me that you really only have eyes for me.

Mew really tried to play a player and ended up playing himself instead. Like, in one way he's won: Top's his boyfriend, and honestly very likely to stay that way. But Mew should have been careful what he wished for because 'boyfriend' and 'faithful lover' are two very different things.

⭐7. Sand's mom

You keep nagging at me, you know that? Who between us is the mother, exactly?

WE AIN'T MET THIS LADY FOR NOTHING! My Sand/Top half brothers theory LIVES!

⭐8. Summer

Sorry to chat you up, but I’m alone, after all.

Poor girl's a hottie but didn't stand a chance.

[cringefaecompilation]

the most dimension 20-ass moments in critical role so far

most of exu because aimee and robbie have huge d20 player energy, but these moments in particular:

fearne's shitty accent when she was faking being a ship's cook "NANCY! WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN?" "mother." "did you touch the circlet?" "yeah! that's how you hold stuff!" "if you were any gemstone, what would you be?" "i'd be a diamond cause they're hard as i am- WAIT NO NO NO NO" orym eating his own weight in pies dariax making it sound like one of opal's bullies sharted her pants with thaumaturgy

the fearne, orym and dorian intro where dorian goes "fearne, is this ship going to stop?" and she replies "i dunno, i think we're gonna crash :D"

"I NEED MORE CHILDREN!"

everyone miming eating breakfast sandwiches when they can't find bertrand

orym nearly getting bh killed because he said cake sucks to eshteross' face

imogen asking pretty out on a 3 (4) person date to help her friends not get caught, the resulting date and rejection, and all the times it gets brought up again

"maude."

"i was trying to keep a low profile!" "YOU'RE DRESSED AS THE NIGHTMARE KING!"

"HE PROPOSED!"

"what's wrong, daniel?"

everyone piling into an elevator at the same time and liam miming getting his face smashed into the wall

the entire twilight museum bit, but mostly just orym getting blocked from helping the gang three times in a row

"want some candy? wa-wa-want some candy?"

fearne spending her turn keeping watch by breathing a smiley face into ashton's head and then going back to sleep because she forgot they were taking turns

xandis

end episode "oh! right. hondir." start episode back up "I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU FORGOT ME THIS IS SUCH STUPID BULLSHIT!"

the karen culling

the entire first half of ep 33. esp fcg driving the crawler and ashton screaming "YOU ARE TOO OLD TO DRIVE"

"WE DON'T LEAVE ANYONE BEHIND" followed by everyone but ashton falling off the airship

"uh. guys. bones. fast. bones. lots of bones coming this way."

after a solid month of agonizing over laudna being possibly permadead she's brought back with a slap

"oops. i did it again"

fake orgy leading into horse fearne

ashton's offscreen sidequest and him using a 6th(?) level spell slot just to say "okay"

fearne's horrifying nana revealing she's got a juice bar

the goat float

"ALRIGHT, GUYS! WE'RE EATING JERRY!"

"he's OUR problematic beast!"

orym's mom showing everyone his little baby boots

a drag queen calling ashton hot after he barges in and throws trash on the floor for them to make an outfit out of

everyone interrogating an evil sword that clearly only lies and getting more and more pissed off at it as it does

orym talking to his dead family whilst laudna and chet fly overhead shooting bees at each other

feeding shithead to fcg

fearne nearly dying after spooning a pirate, getting him together with a girl that's crushing on him, and them both being so happy that they throw bh a party

"THERE WAS. NO. LIMBO." and orym quietly takes away the limbo vine

the literal shitstorm given to the party by Mi

hotboxing a tree

"TAKE YOUR NINTH LEVEL SPELL AND SHOVE IT UP YOUR ASS" was ic and i stand by it

wok sledding

imogen intimidating a reilora and then BOOKING IT behind a rock to gasp for air

[maddys-nerd-blog]

Maddy’s Top Five Favorite TMNT Episodes from Every Series!

Welcome to my ranking list! My first of many, hopefully! I even spiced things up and made it all fancy with the different font! 😂 god I’m getting old.

A while ago I made a PowerPoint presentation for fun about the history of the TMNT and the franchise. From that point it led to me gaining a spot in a YouTube video series discussing the movies leading up to the premier of Mutant Mayhem, and it’s been one of the best things to happen to me despite the terrible stuff I’ve gone through.

TMNT really saved me at the lowest point of my life in the winter of 2022. It inspired me to go back to Tumblr. I met and befriended incredibly talented people in this fandom. And I’ve found a reason to be happy again because of it. The pain of losing my big sister still aches, and I miss her more each passing day, but I know she’d tell me to get off my ass and do what made me happy.

So for my birthday this weekend, I’ll share this with you guys to celebrate something that brought me joy through all this pain. ❤️‍🩹

Let’s talk turtles! 💙💜❤️🧡

Lemme explain the criteria for this real fast;

The episode had to have come from a current/ up to date show. It has to be fully completed!

The episodes have to catch my interest and the plot needs to be gripping! The angstier the better!

Any of the series episodes are candidates for a win! Except for certain ones that I’d rather not watch 🤣

SPOILERS BEWARE! Cuz… well, I dunno who’s finished the shows and I don’t wanna ruin the surprise for others!

Also, this never would have been possible without @jadethest0ne for inspiring me! Thank you for all you do in the TMNT fandom, your art/ analyses are wonderful!!! Please go give them support!!

Onto the list proper! Starting with the series that started it all: 1987!

The Maltese Hamster ( Season 3 Ep. 4 ) An excellent Donatello solo episode that takes the tone of a detective noir movie, but keeping the fun vibe of the show! Donnie gets to take center stage for once, April gets to use a laser gun, and the shift in tone sets the mood really well! It’s downright harrowing to watch a building collapse on Donnie and see him limping away from the scene in agony, passing out at Irma’s feet, trying to save his brothers despite the odds. Donnie’s my favorite turtle for a reason!

Raphael Meets His Match ( Season 4 Ep. 17 ) The first appearance of Mona Lisa, and I can see why the fans adore this ship so much! The chemistry between Mona and Raph throughout this one episode is really telling of how impactful one character can be to a franchise! Mona is really fun! She’s not just a token ‘girl character’ trope or an archetype, she can handle herself and kick ass alongside the turtles, plus she and Raph have some pretty witty banter together!

Beware The Lotus ( Season 3 Ep. 28 ) The introduction of Lotus Blossom! It’s speculated that the inspiration for Karai came from Lotus! Lotus and Leo had great chemistry together, it's a shame we only got two episodes to spend with her. She really is an interesting character with loads of story potential about finding your place in the world, discovering who you are, changing your destiny to make it what you want. This is me basically saying I am now part of the Lotus Blossom Fan Club.

Cowabunga, Shredhead! ( Season 3 Ep. 18 ) This is one of the fan favorite episodes, and after I watched it for the first time I could not stop laughing. James Avery does his best Mikey impression while playing the over the top Shredder, and everyone just accepts it??? It’s downright genius! The meme material from this one is plentiful!

Michelangelo Meets Mondo Gecko ( Season 5 Ep. 4 ) The introduction of Mondo himself, and he’s got a really cool design! On first viewing I was pleasantly surprised by his unique color scheme and his character! He’s a bad guy that gets a redemption arc by the end of the episode! I was rooting for him the whole time! It was this debut that made me adore Mondo, and he’s since become my favorite mutant character of the franchise!

Honorable Mentions are Donatello’s Duplicate and Turtlemaniac!

Next up is a controversial one, but I gotta be honest… ‘03 isn’t my favorite series for a lot of reasons, but I will admit! When this series had fantastic episodes, they were AMAZING. So I gotta give credit when due and give kudos to these wins!

The Shredder Strikes Back Parts One and Two ( Season 1 Episodes 17-18 ) Nothing really tops how good this show was in the first season, and these episodes take the comic storyline of Leo’s beatdown and bring it to life masterfully. For Leo’s segments of part one it’s spent mostly with no dialogue— the animation and music carrying how serious the scene is as Leo has to fight for his life against the Foot and how desperate he becomes as he grows weaker and weaker. The second episode is non-stop action as the rest of the turtles, Splinter, April and Casey have to fend off the Foot and Shredder as they fight for their lives in the antique shop. This is one of Michael Sinterniklass’s BEST performances as Leo in these episodes. The stakes are higher than ever before, the animation is gorgeous, and everyone gives it their all for this epic mid-season finale.

Same As It Never Was ( Season 3 Ep. 21 ) This is the episode I would tell people to watch if they think TMNT is just kiddie trash.

Bad Blood ( Season 6 Ep. 12 ) Probably the Fast Forward concept I wish got expanded on instead of giving it two standalone stories and dropping it entirely. It’s a cool idea that I wish got touched upon more often because, yeah, what would evil clones of the turtles look like? What kind of abilities could they have? There’s infinite possibilities! I could live without the new catchphrase ‘It's Ninja Time’ though. While Fast Forward is flawed, this episode was the one I thoroughly liked!

Insane in the Membrane ( Season 4 Ep. 19 ) The infamously banned episode, and all I have to say about it is two words. Holy. Shit.

The Real World Part One ( Season 3 Ep. 22 ) Any team-up with Usagi Yojimbo is a good one, and this was such a delight! It’s loosely based on one of the Usagi stories from the comics, and I loved how badass they made both Usagi and Tomoe! Leo and Usagi have great chemistry as always, and you can tell they have a strong bond with one another as warriors! Or boyfriends depending on how you interpret their relationship but honestly I totally see where everyone is coming from, THESE TWO ARE ADORABLE DORKS.

Next up is my all-time favorite incarnation of the franchise, 2012!! I have A LOT to say about so many of the episodes but alas, I could only choose five to discuss. One day… one day I shall make a thesis about it 🤣 for now however, here’s my top five faves from this series!

The Yojimbo Trilogy ( Season 5 Episodes 7-9 ) Oh. My. God. YES. The love letter to Stan Sakai’s comics, the beautiful homage to vintage Japanese cinema with the camera framework and action, and OH MY LORD, THE COLORS AND SHADING DURING USAGI’S FIGHT WITH JAY IN THE FINALE???? THAT’S CINEMA! Excellent voice acting by Yuki Matsuzaki, which was his first English speaking role and personally chosen by Sakai himself to play the ronin rabbit! My only complaint is that I wish we’d gotten more of the Yojimbo characters in here, like Tomoe or Gen! Otherwise I can watch all three of these episodes on repeat and always get excited!

Lone Rat and Cubs ( Season 5 Ep. 10 ) The final appearance of Splinter, the episode Kevin Eastman wrote, and a beautiful send-off to this character. It’s a flashback, yes, but this is the episode we get to see Yoshi adapting to his mutation as a rat, raising his boys, trying to be a good father and struggling to survive from the Krang. It’s a part of his life we rarely ever get to see, and this episode shows us why he was a great father. Basically it's a try not to cry challenge. For me, THIS episode is the series finale because it’s just a perfect conclusion to Splinter and his story.

Requiem/Owari ( Season 4 Episodes 25-26 ) The finale to the overall series, the finale to this overarching story, and it’s just as heartbreaking and suspenseful as you’d expect. The writers don't hold back their punches, and it shows that the gloves have finally come off. The characters we’ve come to love and care for are at their breaking point, the Shredder is the most threatening he’s ever been, and the team decides it’s time to put the monster down for good. Whoever thinks this show was just ‘kiddie trash’ needs to be sat down and shown this two-parter, because GODDAMN. Ciro Nieli treated this with so much care and respect. I cannot help but adore the team who put this together because the stakes have been raised to an all-time high, and the final showdown between Shredder and the turtles here is hair-raising, all reaching its climax when Leonardo finishes Oroku Saki by beheading him. It’s powerful, it’s devastating, and it’s a damn excellent showcase of why this series was the best iteration of the franchise to date.

The Fourfold Trap ( Season 3 Ep. 23 ) Yet another homage to a horror movie, only this time it’s a lot more intense. Based on Saw, this episode makes you sit on the edge of your seat as you can only hope that the turtles will escape the traps Karai’s put them in. It’s all nerve wracking to watch on a first viewing experience, POOR DONNIE OH MY GOD, CAN WE STOP PUTTING THIS BOY IN ELECTROCUTION DEVICES???? He still manages to create a plan to save his brothers even while he’s being electrocuted! Also, SPLINTER IS BEST RAT DAD. This episode will teach you the meaning of ‘angsty dread’ and ‘overwhelming anxiety.’

Trans-Dimensional Turtles ( Season 4 Ep. 10 ) THE TURTLES FOREVER WE DESERVED BUT WE DIDN'T GET UNTIL CIRO NIELI HOOKED US UP WITH THE BEST CROSSOVER WE’VE EVER BEEN BLESSED WITH! The OG turtles are all so much fun to see again both in and out of 2D, Gilbert Godfried is always a delight, the 2012 turtles in traditional 2D animation is awesome, and ALL THE OG VOICE ACTORS ARE HERE AND CLEARLY HAVING THE TIMES OF THEIR LIVES. THE ROB PAULSEN JOKE IS LITERALLY A BLESSING XD I only wish it had been longer!

Honorable Mentions are Slash and Destroy, Pizza-Face, Within the Woods and Mutant Gangland!

And rounding it off is the last— but certainly not least— series, Rise!! I adore this one!! It’s right behind 2012 as my favorite TMNT series just for the stellar animation!! It’s such a shame that this one had to end so unfairly, but today I’m giving it the love it deserves!! Please note that I have yet to complete season two of ROTTMNT cuz my life has been crazy hectic and I haven’t had the time, but once I do, I’ll go back and update this section if I find more episodes I liked!

Raph’s Ride Along ( Season 2 Ep. 8A ) Ummmmmm the 2012 VA’s playing parody versions of their turtles as yokai criminals??? HELL YEAH. If only they got Astin to play a character though! Then we would’ve had a reverse Turtles Forever reunion! I came out of this episode really loving the Mud Dogz as characters and wanting more, especially Dastardly Danny cuz Rob Paulsen is always a win! Too bad this show got canned before we could really get to know these guys. BUT HEY! That’s what the fandom is for! 🤣

Insane in the Mama Train ( Season 1 Episode 25 ) When I watched this series blind, this episode blew my mind. Seeing something so well done had me screaming in joy with how expertly this episode was crafted. The stellar action choreography, the great comedic elements splashed in to lighten the tense mood, the ANIMATION OH MY LORD. Disney, take notes. And that ending leaves a pit in my stomach every time, like OOOOF, those expressions! That sudden tonal swap!

Mystic Library ( Season 1, Ep. 20A ) Probably my favorite comedy episode! The timing for the jokes in this one specifically is so well done, and every single one had me in tears. I’ve been trying to commit Donnie’s library rap to memory but alas, I’ve been failing.

The Clothes Don’t Make The Turtle ( Season 2 Episode 10B ) THIS. MORE OF THIS PRETTY PLEASE. It's just SO MUCH FUN. I really don’t have anything else to say other than this one is a great treat, also, the reanimated fan cut of this is spectacular!!

Snow Day ( Season 1 Ep. 23B ) This, for me, is the Christmas special of the series even though it’s in no way related to the holiday or has anything to do with it BUT I DON’T CARE LET ME DREAM. I love this one for the adorable interactions and the bonding! Seeing the characters goofing off and having fun, enjoying the weather and spending time together outside of the angst? I CRAVE FLUFF LIKE THIS.

And Tada! There it is! I hope you liked this!! It was tons of fun to compile all my favorite episodes into one project and share my thoughts! This fandom has been nothing but fantastic and I’m proud to be in it!

Thank you to all who have inspired me to keep going and pursue my dreams. You guys are great! @queen-with-the-quill @tending-the-hearth @wasted-and-ready @tmnt-tychou @mermmarie @figuringitoutasigoalong @lameboobah @zandiiangelspit @pumpkinpie59 @indieyuugure @angelicdavinci @imagine4000

And thank you to my IRL friends who have pulled me to my feet and supported me. Not only are you guys the best people I know, but I consider you guys family. You really saved me last year. I’m honored to call you my friends 💓

What are your favorite episodes?? Lemme know!! 😁 Maybe I’ll do a movie ranking next!

Cowabunga!! Have a great day!! 💚💚

[dragon-cookies]

Okay onto episode 3, let's do this *cracks knuckles*

These little guys are back!!! I love them!

Pentious genuinely getting upset over having to let his egg boys go and said egg boys not caring is actually funny, this guy's definitely carrying the humor of the show

Charlie opening admitting she trusts everyone doesn't... feel like a smart thing to say. Especially when demons are notorious for taking advantage of said trust

"Are those your ears or is it your hair?" FINALLY EGG BOYS ARE ASKING THE REAL QUESTIONS

Al once again being the most interesting character on the show, what on earth was he doing being gone for so long??

JESUS another song jumpscare

Literally what was the point of that song, I feel like it just existed to pad the time out a little

Husk letting the BDSM demons just give him a massage is IMMENSELY relatable. Don't do anything kinky just get me a cup of hot chocolate and ask me about my day, 10/10

Charlie bestie I know you mean well but I'm kinda siding with Vaggie here, it's gonna take more than trust falls and silly little skits to properly redeem sinners I think

Wait if Carmilla wants to avoid war with the angels, why is she a weapons supplier?? Isn't that kind of completely antithetical to what she's trying to do?

Oh okay another song jumpscare. Why are we giving songs to characters who have only been introduced like 10 minutes ago

I'm getting really strong vibes that Vaggie's supposed to have a crush on Charlie without her knowing, yet they're already supposed to be together so??? I am confuzzled

God it's kind of insane how much the show's quality leaps miles upward when characters aren't swearing or making sex jokes every millisecond. You get these tiny glimpses of genuine sincerity before just getting yanked back into crude humor

I also feel like knowing Carmilla killed the angel would be a lot more interesting if we knew her for longer than like, 15 minutes?? Why are we expected to just immediately care????

Pentious got his egg boys back!!!! Aaaaaa!!!!!!!

Okay overall, least grating episode so far. Pacing is still very wack and they keep giving these big musical scores to characters we've literally never met before, but this was the least frustrated I've felt watching this show so far.

Can't wait for all these good vibes to probably be immediately squandered in ep 4 lmao

[bengiyo]

Bed Friend Ep 4 Stray Thoughts

Last week, King accidentally triggered Uea when he tried to kiss the back of his neck, and we, the viewers, were made privy to the knowledge that Uea was sexually abused by his stepdad. King apologized, even though he didn't exactly know what was going on, and assured Uea that he would never do anything to make him uncomfortable again. King is getting jealous of his coworkers flirting with Uea. Pock showed back up, and Jade was the only correct person to get security, followed by King insisting Uea report the incident to the police. We left with Pock assaulting Uea in the parking garage.

Trigger Warnings: sexual assault (0:40 to 0:56, 14:20 to 15:20), rape mention (2:58 to 3:08, 15:50 to 16:40), child abuse (15:56 to 17:40, 25:51 to 26:02), post assault bruising treatment (6:40 to 7:25), sexual abuse flashback (14:14 to 15:20)

Alright. I need to pause immediately. James's voice was far too convincing when he played Uea's panic. (0:48 to 0:56).

So relieved King was still around. We should note that in the heated moment he declared himself Uea's boyfriend. Yes, he said it for Pock's benefit, but we know it's what he wants them to be.

I like how King, when he really wants to take care of Uea, frames the request as a favor Uea is granting him.

Props to this show for focusing on the physical aftermath of punching something. You will hurt your hand.

Man, these two do lust really well. It feels comfortable?

They're even showing the bruises Pick gave Uea. Love that King waited until Uea was asleep to apply something to them. Also, Uea's secret smiles are going to destroy me.

Absolutely vile to use Tonkao to force Uea to come back to the house. Did they make James take off his shirt to soften the blow for us?

Oh, gay boys and their sisters.

This is so gross to watch. This man is still trying to abuse Uea.

Though it is super uncomfortable, I'm relieved that if they're going to explore the specifics of what Uea experienced, the more physical work was given to James and not a child actor. Still, James's voice during these scenes is chilling. I keep holding my breath.

Did she really beat this boy with a wire hanger and then lock him in the fucking bathroom again?? That's your response to your son saying he's being raped in his own bedroom?

Man, I wish he'd just gotten Shabu with Jade.

I can't help but wonder what horrors the sister has suffered, too.

Bangkok streets look so dangerous.

Am very relieved that we are consistently showing boys who give head now.

I love King. He may be horny, but he knows something's wrong.

This boy had to celebrate his birthdays alone as a child goddamn.

Oh, Uea finally gave King a smile.

Alright, I know he's been through a lot but biting the cake that way is unhinged.

King's bed is huge, and yet he basically sleeps in the middle because he's trying to be as close to Uea as possible.

Oh, Uea. I get you wanting your life to be private, but I'm so glad someone seems to listen to you.

OUTING. Drone shots!

I feel like King conspired with Gun on this fall so he could stay with Uea.

Love Uea enjoying King letting him take charge all the time.

Uea drunk flirting with some white boy is sending me.

This final shot with the sunset is gorgeous.

Oh, hm, I don't know about the danger hovering around this new character next week.

So, this was a difficult episode, but I'm impressed with James's portrayal of the things Uea has suffered. I'm hoping we get some translated interviews with him and the cast about the preparation and filming for those scenes. I sincerely hope this show doesn't take us down some sort of parent forgiveness arc because I really don't want to dig for that with Uea's mom or stepdad.

[amphoterrible]

some background information

What am I doing? Why, I'm re-watching House, M.D. as a whole-ass pharmacist and taking meticulous notes!

I’m only going to focus on when House, M.D. gets something about medication just wildly wrong. I’m not going to be like “why are the chest compressions so slow” or “would Chase really be inserting that temporary transcutaneous pacer at the beside wouldn’t they want to do that in the EP lab” or anything else along those lines. I am but a humble pharmacist.

Hydrocodone/acetaminophen (APAP), the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA)

This is going to be interesting because House aired from November 16, 2004 to May 21, 2012 and there are two things that come to mind for me: 1) The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) asked drug manufacturers to reduce the strength of acetaminophen in combination acetaminophen products to 325 mg in 2011(1) and 2) hydrocodone combination products were still scheduled as schedule III by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).(2)  Hydrocodone combination products weren’t rescheduled to schedule II until 2014. Schedule III prescriptions are a lot easier to write and fill than schedule II prescriptions. A lot of the legal nuance varies by state and I am not going to read New Jersey pharmacy statutes, thank you very MUCH I barely passed every Multistate Pharmacy Jurisprudence Examination (MPJE) I’ve ever taken. Back to the Vicodin. So how am I going to know exactly what formulation of Vicodin House was consuming?

I really don’t care about the hydrocodone component of it. There is no ceiling to an opioid, it’s whatever the patient can tolerate it. (Well technically there is too much to give but you have to look at if the patient is used to taking opioids or not don’t just slam someone with 10 mg of IV Dilaudid you know what I’m saying.) And if they don’t tolerate it give them some naloxone. And patients with chronic pain can tolerate a lot of opioids. Was Vicodin an appropriate opioid for House? No! But it was less regulated! And the threat of liver failure is dramatic! But Oxycontin would make more sense – Wilson’s an oncologist, he would be prescribing it all the time! Cancer hurts! Antineoplastics hurt! Oxycontin was the most widely abused prescription opioid in the United States in 2004(3), right when House started airing. But no, it’s Vicodin. The writers chose Vicodin for a reason. I’m going to let the art flow over me. We’re sticking with Vicodin. Or, hydrocodone/APAP because Abbott isn’t paying me to do this.

I worked in an independent retail pharmacy my first year of pharmacy school (which was 2010 before I realized I do not have a poker face to deal with the general public and immediately started working in a hospital), and I vaguely remember there being way too many formulations of hydrocodone/APAP. Hydrocodone/APAP has a few brand names: Vicodin, Norco, and Lortab. I usually say Norco because it’s the easiest. (I actually say hydrocodone/acetaminophen because I’m an asshole.) I found this email(4) sent by Abbott in October 2012 that discussed the newly reformulated Vicodin®, Vicodin ES®, and Vicodin HP®, which is handy since it lists the old formulations too:

Vicodin®

Hydrocodone 5 mg/acetaminophen 500 mg

Vicodin ES®

Hydrocodone 7.5 mg/acetaminophen 750 mg

Vicodin HP®

Hydrocodone 10 mg/acetaminophen 660 mg

Who the fuck puts 750 mg of acetaminophen in one tablet? That limits the patient to five tablets in 24 hours. We’ve known the maximum dose of acetaminophen is 4000 mg since the 1970s. What the fuck, Abbott.

(Matthew Mercer Voice) How Do You Want To Do This?

So, like, I guess I’ll just count the tablets I see House consuming and then calculate the total daily dose of acetaminophen for each Vicodin formulation? I feel like I can do total acetaminophen dosage based on episodes versus trying to keep track of the days. The timeline of this show is wonky and like once you hit the toxic dose you’re there so? Also, sometimes he takes more than one and it’s hard to hear the tablets like, clink against his teeth or whatever. Sparkle on! We’ll do our best. I was going to put this in an Excel spreadsheet but I just remembered I am a pharmacist and I cannot function in Excel.

Let’s talk about the mechanism of liver toxicity and treatment of acetaminophen overdose if we hit significant toxicity. Wouldn’t it be funny if we didn’t?? That would result in me rambling about House M.D. for pages and pages and he doesn’t even get hypothetical liver failure. Is this fanfiction? Am I writing really weird fanfiction? Anyways significant toxicity occurs if you hit 150 mg/kg of acetaminophen.(5) How much does Gregory House weigh?? Let’s give him a range: 160-180 pounds (73-82 kg). Fairly average, actually. So House’s toxic dose of acetaminophen is likely 10,950 mg to 12,300 mg. Let’s say lower range is 22 tablets of Vicodin®, 15 tablets of Vicodin ES®, 17 tablets of Vicodin HP® and the upper range is 25 tablets of Vicodin®, 17 tablets of Vicodin ES®, and 19 tablets of Vicodin HP®.

References

Department of Health and Human Services. Food and Drug Administration. Prescription drug products containing acetaminophen; actions to reduce liver injury from unintentional overdose. Federal Register. 2011;76(10):2691-2697.

Seago S, Hayek A, Pruszynski J, Newman MG. Change in prescription habits after federal rescheduling of hydrocodone combination products. Proc (Bayl Univ Med Cent). 2016; 29:268-270.

Zee AV. The promotion of marketing of OxyContin: commercial triumph, public health tragedy. Am J Public Health. 2009;99:221-227.

Abbott. Newly reformulated Vicodin® launch announcement. https://www.uspharmacist.com/email/ecf1248.html. Accessed January 8, 2024.

Hendrickson RG. Acetaminophen. In: Nelson LS, Howland M, Lewin NA, Smith SW, Goldfrank LR, Hoffman RS, eds. Goldfrank's Toxicologic Emergencies, 11e. McGraw-Hill; 2019:486-499.

[iguessitsjustme]

Deep Night Ep 3 Thoughts

Like I said, no self control. And things on my street seemed to have quieted down…for now. I am starting to get sleepy so let’s see how rambly I get. Time for Deep Night 3: A Case of the Sleepies:

I cannot believe it took only 3 seconds after typing that for a car playing the strangest music to drive by. Its still here. Stopped by the light. I have questions. Are they summoning an alien? Are they a forgotten deity trying to regain their lost power? What’s going on with that music?

I want Pan and Seiji to kiss SO BAD. 

Why are there no boys in cages actually?

The vocals in this opening are keeping me from skipping it and that is truly impressive. I have been kindly informed me this OST is by Fellow Fellow and now I have a new obsession. 

Hear me out. Deep Night but women hosts. Wearing beautiful gowns. Still all of the clients are women. Do you see it? Do you see my vision?

This show is surprisingly wholesome?? This is not computing in my brain. I don’t know why I was expecting to be so toxic but I am LIVING for these two sweeties. I hope nothing bad happens

AH THE HANDS

Now wait a minute. Who is driving that car?

Awww Pan. 

*drinks sparkling cider from the bottle* I’m feeling completely sane about all of this. I don’t feel an all encompassing need to give Pan a hug. Definitely not. 

Okay I give Seiji a hug too. He gets a hug. They both get a hug. 

In fact, I tuck them both into bed. I get them a cup of cocoa and read them a bed time story. Then I place a gentle kiss on their foreheads and whisper sweet dreams before leaving them a good night’s rest. They sleep while I hit on Khem’s mom.

THAT IS TOO MANY CANDLES. WHAT IS SUPPORTING THOSE CANDLES? WHO LIT THOSE CANDLES? WHO IS GOING TO PUT OUT ALL OF THOSE CANDLES. THAT IS A FIRE HAZARD I AM STRESSED BEYOND BELIEF. 

LIKE LOOK AT THIS. THIS IS AN EXCESSIVE AMOUNT OF CANDLES. I GET IT. YOU’RE ROMANTIC. BLOW THOSE OUT.

Oooohhh telling Wela about his mom already. I love this. Would love it more if they weren’t surrounded by all those damn candles let me tell ya. 

Oh a blindfold. Why hasn’t this happened so much more often in BL?

Ohhhhh drama. Why tf are cops at the club?

Literally obsessed with Seiji’s outfit. Actually I think I have an outfit similar enough. I could reasonably cosplay that man. 

Listen. Listen. That meme. Seiji’s got two hands (I do know how this ends and they are why I am watching to be clear)

These two are impossibly cute. Absolutely entirely impossibly cute. 

The song during this scene with Seiji and Ken pretending to be a BL couple makes me feel like I’m watching a Disney Channel original movie from the early 2000s.

Mr. DJ man with the wisdom. He is speaking from experience. I should learn his name.

I give these subtitles a C+. They’re doing their best but there are some…issues. 

The jealousy I actually don’t mind here. I think they’re playing this out well. I mean, of course Khem’s jealous. And of course Wela is worried about it. 

What is this? COMMUNICATION? In MY BL? I think I might actually sob I love this. 

The music during this make out session has me feeling some type of way. I don’t know if its making me nervous or not.

See. The thing is. I desperately want to watch episode 4. But I am sleepy. And I work tomorrow. And I need to take a shower and wash my hair. So I need to stop. Which is incredibly rude. I need a three day weekend I think cause I cannot go on like this. So I will continue this liveblog another night. Perhaps tomorrow. Perhaps next weekend. It will happen when it happens.

[absolutebl]

This Week In BL - These Are the Days of Our BLs

Aug 2023 Wk 2

Being a highly subjective assessment of one tiny corner of the interwebs. Organized by which ones (in each category) I’m enjoying most.

Ongoing Series - Thai

Laws of Attraction (Sat iQIYI) 5 of 8 - They cute making heart eyes at each other, but could we get back to punching & slutty silk shirts? OMG the poor rich kid & the bodyguard who wants to hug him SO BAD are KILLING me. I did giggle & yell “punchy punchies” during the fight scene before the fire. But Charn is a diamond-encrusted evil-gorgeous gremlin beastie, isn’t he? 

Only Friends (Sat YT) ep 1 of 10 - NO SINGING, but also.. wristbands! Sand is great = smart, snappy & over this shit. (Tired Gay 2.0) Neo & Mark are a revelation, where’d that chemistry come from? Force playing a douchenozzle is damn delight. Plus a counter lift in the first ep? Boys, you’re spoiling me. Mew is the least interesting, but Book is still adorable. Ray is the least likable character, but since it’s Khao, he’s the most likable screen presence. In fact, I’m enjoying all the messy messy gays & I know all their types IRL. I wish we had some femme & swish rep tho. Is this Thailand’s Queer as Folk? Seems like. Is it good? Not sure. But it is FUN as hell. Still, I gotta say it… they all dance like straight boys. 

Hidden Agenda that isn’t hidden (Sun GMMTV YouTube) ep 5 of 10 - Zo just wants to turtle & avoid but Joke is not gonna allow that. GMMTV keeps having sub issues (usually fixed within a few days). 

Low Frequency (Sat iQIYI) ep 6 of 8 - I do like the psychic gay detective trope. It makes this show more interesting and enjoyable. But they solved the mystery awful fast. I guess different drama spins the final 2 eps? 

Be My Favorite (Fri YouTube) ep 12fin - It was fine. I was fine with it. A kind of Vice Versa situation. The usual with Jittirain, as it turns out, is pretty simple: one of her main characters is going to be a manipulative liar or extremely unlikeable or both. It got an 8/10 from me, but probably should get a 7/10 just because I’m so exhausted by this. But I have to be fair and judge each BL on its own & not in light of repeat author mistakes. Not much of a trash watch here. Final full review here. 

Dinosaur Love (Sun iQIYI) ep 7 of 10 eps - Boyfriend trip together. Terrible overalls. What the fuck? No. Meanwhile, perfect choice for college star. (Could Ton please lead out a new BL? I know I’m 0 for 2 with him but I’m willing to try again if he is.) I actually enjoyed this installment for a change. Perhaps “enjoy” is too strong a word. Not much happened, dog days of BL, perhaps that’s a good thing with Dino? 

Be Mine Super Star (Mon Viki) ep 6 of 12 - Mostly I was excited to watch this week because of Ben but there wasn’t much of him. Sadness. OK, I know it has STIFF competition but does this show have the worst music in BL, or is it just me? I still like Big Daddy & Hot Doc as characters but I am despairing over their arc (would we call it an arc?). All in all this week... Whatever.

Wedding Plan (Weds YT & iQIYI) ep 4 of 7 - I am officially being driven to drink. Trash watch is happening!

Ongoing Series - Not Thai

Jun & Jun (Korea Thurs Viki) 4 of 8 - This show makes me laugh so much. It is so damn cute. And there’s so much language play going on. THEN . . . JUST ADD SIMON. I love a good Simon. Who doesn’t love a good Simon? I know SO MANY Simons. Now 3 boys are circling the ingénue (who I suspect is less innocent than he appears). So much delightful competition, postering & flirting. “My Jun,” is he, Simon? You are a precious angular stalk man, aren’t you? Pacing is great with this show. Every week I can’t wait for the next installment, that’s a hallmark of the best KBLs. If the language stuff confused you as much as it did me here is an EXCELLENT post on the subject that will help. 

Stay By My Side (Taiwan Fri Gaga) 7 of 10 eps - Sweetest seme. He’s hurt & mad at his boy but still can’t help taking care of him. I do like the courting with snacks & sweet little notes. (It’d work on me.) YAY!  Reunion kisses & nuzzles!!! Snuggling!!!! Gah! Taiwan, I love you. These 2 aren’t your best kissers but their cuddling is off the charts. I guess we are just gonna be plotless messy gay bfs for the final 3 eps? That’s cool with me. 

Sing My Crush (Korea Weds iQIYI) 3-4 of 8 eps - it’s adorable, they’re adorable, I’m enjoying it a whole lot. It’s like a very soft, low-stakes Addicted. 

Love Class Season 2 (Korea Fri Viki) 10 eps - I liked Love Class 1 (more than most on Tumblr) & I normally don’t want 2nd seasons. But this has an entirely new cast (in the “Replay” model). I’m fine with a 2nd season that has little or nothing to do with the first. J-min is an interesting choice of idols but he’s doing an unexpectedly good job. (He is a truly great rapper, by the way.) Trigger warnings out the gate... also this is complicated. Ready? We got 3 queer besties: artist gay Hyun (J-min), shy cafe gay Minwoo (in love with), sunshine gym bunny bi slut Maru (represent, my brother). Then we got Mr Put-upon-TA (+ boy who saw him nekid). And the twist = all black otaku Kim An (used to tutor artist gay in high school = exes ghosting DRAMA). This last reads as a hyung romance. Which you know I love. But it also feels v dark. All of which is to say, I am intrigued but a little nervous over the tone. 

My Personal Weatherman AKA Taikan Yoho (Japan Sat Gaga) ep 1 of 8 - Classic JBL is back! This one is My Beautiful Man + Tokyo in April/Oh My Assistant. It’s odd and warped af but I like it. Very much has a the feel of old live action yaoi + VERY D/s. BRING IT JAPAN.

Minato's Laundromat Season 2 AKA Minato Shouji Coin Laundry Season 2 (Japan Thu Gaga) 6 of 12 eps - Shin is my sweet bean sprout and Minato should just boink him. Why all this waffling? I love the doctor. But mostly I’m as frustrated with this show as Shin must be in general. Minato 2- the season of blue balls.

Stay Still (Hong Kong Tues YouTube) 2 of 5 eps - I re-watched the first 2 eps & now find it a bit more comprehensible (yes 2: there is an ep 0). I don’t think we can expect this to end happy for either couple. It’s kinda sticky & grungy (in a way I’ve come to expect from the Philippines, although this is not as cluttered visually nor as brightly colored as the Pinoy stuff). I do kind of like that lived-in feeling, it reminds me of Taiwanese shorts. There is something very honestly queer about the primary leads (tattoo & babyface) in particular the way they dance queer? around each other: verbally, emotionally & physically - laying down breadcrumbs of gay for the other to follow. The secondary couple (reunion, cheating) is very sad. Although I do love a counter lift make-out sesh. (Occasionally Cantonese sounds like Vietnamese to me. Apparently I am not alone in this.)

Gossip - AKA P’ABL is Disappointed

I was gonna put a statement here but I just did it separately, earlier this week, since my ask box was overflowing regarding actor gossip and other stuff. 

Meanwhile, Stay With Me ended exactly as expected. Can’t say I didn’t warn ya. You watched this anyway? You got what was coming to you. I am entirely unsympathetic. 

 Next Week Looks Like This:

Look at that PACKED week. NIIICEEEE. 

Starting:

8/18 Dangerous Romance (Thai Fri GMMTC YT) 12 eps - Perth returns to lead out a BL, odds on that ever happening were slim. (Let alone Chimon.) Still here we are. Interesting times. Chimon plays a poor studious kid who hates the school bully but is forced to become his private tutor. Lurv results. 

8/19 Love in Translation (Thai Sat One31) 10 eps - Two strangers start working in a cafe together. Looks very pulp. No idea on international distribution. 

8/19 I Feel You Linger in the Air (Thai Sat Gaga) 12 eps - The time travel historical romance many of us have been waiting for. Adaption of y-novel by Violet Rain. Heartbroken architect is transported to the 1930s. From the producers of Lovely Writer.

8/20 My Universe series (Thai Sun iQIYI) 24 eps - This is sampler pack BL, 12 pairs, each pair gets 2 eps, not sure on the order they’ll drop. Known couples include EarthBank from Destiny Seeker and KaownahTurbo from Love Stage!!!, fresh faces otherwise. Jane to direct.

Still Coming in August 2023

8/22 Kisseki: Dear to Me formerly known as Miracle (Taiwan Tues ????) 13 eps - From screenwriter Lin Pei Yu (We Best Love, H3: Trapped) features a student doctor forced to take care of a gangster. I love the premise and like the writer, Viki or Gaga will get this one.  

8/23 Why R U? (Korean remake iQIYI) is supposed to be out this month, filming started in sept 22. I find everything about this hilarious. I mean if Korea remakes it, we lose all the sexy and then... would we have a story at all? No we would not. Not even for six short eps. It’d be like one of those mesh shopping bags.

8/24 Man Suang (Thailand movie, domestic cinema release) - historical drama about Thai burlesque with KP’s MileApo. 

2023 forthcoming BL master post (see comments, some are inaccurate, NOT KEPT UPDATED)

THIS WEEK’S BEST MOMENTS

Talking grandkids. Made me snicker. (Low Frequency.)

The waist grab that launched a thousand gifs (Laws of Attraction). Okay it was last week but I gotta chronicle it here in the weeklies. For science. 

Sing My Crush. They are so damn cute. 

Thank you for the counter action GMMTV, please Sirs, may I have another?

Captain snark in the house. Of course they handed the best and most complex pairing to these two. Well done GMMTV. (Only Friends) 

I really did not expect J-Min to be this good. (Love Class 2) 

(Last week)