#my first script was on pp

[asmodeus-reincarnated]

Notion is so bad when you don’t know how to use it, especially for those of us that don’t have the attention span to learn

BUT POWERPOINT THO

[gdinthehouseee]

224: KWON JI-YONG x READER

summary: after being indecisive on the design, you finally get a matching tattoo with ji-yong

word count: 2504

tags: fluff, flirting, smau bonus - (if you have tattoos we'll pretend this was your first ever tattoo, for the plot ofc) also your usernames are within the images :pp

“You know,” Ji-yong muses, tracing lazy circles on your arm as you lay tangled together on the couch, “I still think we should get matching tattoos.”

You roll your eyes with a small laugh. “You’ve been saying that for months.”

“Because I mean it.” He props himself up on his elbow, watching you with that signature smirk—the one that always spells trouble. “I’m covered in them, and you still don’t have a single one. It’s kind of unfair.”

“You say that like I haven’t wanted one,” you argue, nudging his chest. “I’m just… picky. If I’m going to have something on my body forever, it has to be perfect.”

He hums, nodding like he understands, but then his lips curl mischievously. “Oh, I know you’re picky. That’s why I’m mentally preparing myself for the five-hour deliberation when we finally go.”

You scoff. “It won’t take five hours.”

“Mm. No, you’re right. Six hours at least.”

You swat at him, and he laughs, catching your wrist before lacing your fingers together. “I’m just saying,” he murmurs, his thumb brushing over your knuckles, “you overthink things, and I think this is one of those times you don’t have to. It’s about meaning, not just aesthetics.”

You exhale slowly, your fingers idly playing with the chain around his neck. “That’s the thing, though. I want it to mean something. If I get a tattoo, I don’t want to regret it in ten years.”

He studies you for a moment, his expression shifting from playful to soft. “I get that,” he says, voice quieter now. “That’s why I want to get something with you. Because I know I’d never regret it.”

You and Ji-yong have never needed grand gestures to prove what you already know—you're in this for life. It’s something you’ve both made clear, in whispered confessions late at night, in the way his fingers always find yours in a crowded room, in the unshakable certainty that no matter what, you’d always choose each other. Marriage is definitely in the cards, something you’ve talked about more than once, not as a distant "what if" but as an inevitable when. But a tattoo? That’s something different. Something permanent in a way that even rings aren’t, ink pressed into skin as a quiet, unwavering promise. If you were going to do this—if—you wanted it to be right. You wanted it to truly mean something. 

Your heart clenches at the sincerity in his tone, but before you can dwell on it too much, he smirks again. “But since you’re the most indecisive person on the planet, I might have to take matters into my own hands.”

You raise a brow, already suspicious. “And what exactly does that mean?”

“I was thinking... tiny cartoon dragons.”

A groan slips from your lips as you shove his face away, making him laugh. “Ji-yong, no. If I’m getting my first tattoo, it’s not going to be a cartoon dragon.”

“Okay, okay, how about this?” He shifts, pulling out his phone. “We could get something cool—like a symbol, maybe. Or lyrics from a song.” He scrolls through images for a moment before holding up a picture of a delicate script tattoo. “Something simple, like this?”

You tilt your head, considering it. “I like that, but… I don’t know.”

“See?” He grins, nudging your cheek with his nose. “Picky.”

“Thoughtful,” you correct, flicking his forehead.

He chuckles, tucking his face against your shoulder. “Yeah, yeah. Same thing.”

You smile softly, the idea still floating in your mind. You do want a tattoo, but you want it to be right. Something that matters, something that’s yours. And knowing Ji-yong, he’ll wait as long as you need.

“Alright,” he murmurs, pressing a lingering kiss just below your jaw. “I’ll be patient—for now. But the second you figure it out, I’m taking you straight to the shop. No second-guessing.”

You shake your head, amused. “We’ll see about that.”

His lips brush against your skin again, warm and teasing. “Mark my words, jagiya. One day, you’ll be the one begging me to go first.”

You scoff, but the thought lingers in your mind long after the conversation ends. Maybe he’s right. Maybe one day will be sooner than you think. For the entire week following said conversation, you were kept awake by all the different design possibilities—including everything wrong with them, critiquing every Pinterest board you came across, analysing them like you were a professional. 

Like the previous few nights: it’s late—one of those nights where the world outside feels distant, the only sounds in the room are the slow hum of the air conditioning and Ji-yong’s steady breathing beside you. You should be sleeping, but instead, you’re lying on your back, phone in hand, scrolling through tattoo ideas for what feels like the hundredth time.

Ji-yong shifts, his arm tightening around your waist as he buries his face against your shoulder. “You’re thinking too hard again,” he mumbles, voice thick with sleep. “I can hear it.”

You let out a breathy laugh, locking your phone and setting it aside. “You can hear me thinking?”

“Yes,” he groans, shifting onto his elbow to squint at you through heavy-lidded eyes. “It’s loud. Annoyingly loud.”

You roll onto your side to face him, resting your cheek against the pillow. “Well, I can’t help it. This is permanent—I want to get it right.”

He sighs dramatically, dragging a hand down his face. “This is worse than when you take an hour to pick a restaurant.”

“Excuse me, that’s an important decision,” you argue. “I need to weigh all my options.”

“It’s food.”

“It’s life or death.”

He huffed a laugh, then pokes your forehead lightly. “See? This is exactly what I mean. You’re gonna think yourself into oblivion if you don’t chill.” He drags you closer until your head is against his chest, his fingers absentmindedly tracing shapes along your back. “We could get anything, and it wouldn’t change a thing. You and me? We’re already forever. Today, tomorrow, and every day after that.”

That’s it! Something clicks in your mind, the way puzzle pieces snap into place. You sit up slightly, your fingers gripping his shirt. “Ji-yong.”

He hums, eyes half-closed. “Mm?”

“What about 224?”

His brows furrow. “224?”

You nod, heartbeat picking up. “Today, tomorrow, forever.”

There’s a beat of silence. Then—his eyes widen slightly, like the meaning is settling in, like it’s really hitting him. He blinks. “Wait.” A slow, almost disbelieving smile tugs at his lips. “You came up with this?”

“Hey! What’s that supposed to mean?”

He grins, propping himself up on one elbow. “I mean, I’ve been watching you spiral for days over this, and now you suddenly come up with something perfect? My words finally got through to you, huh?”

You roll your eyes. “I hate that you’re right.”

He chuckles, shaking his head as he repeats the numbers under his breath. “224… today, tomorrow, forever...” Then, suddenly, his expression shifts—his brows lift slightly, his lips parting as if something just hit him. He shoots up, sitting fully upright now, eyes wide.

“Oh my god.”

You blink, startled. “What?”

Ji-yong grabs your hands, his excitement bubbling over. “Two plus two plus four!”

“What?”

“It adds up to eight!” His grip tightens as he shakes your hands a little, like he can’t contain himself. “Eight!”

You blink again. “And?”

He looks borderline offended. “Aein. Eight is my number.”

Realization washes over you. You’ve known about his obsession with the number for years—the symbol of his recent comeback. And now, your number ties into it.

Ji-yong laughs, running a hand through his hair as he stares at you, looking completely smitten. “This is fate. You—” He cuts himself off, then groans dramatically. “You’re gonna make me fall in love with you all over again.”

You laugh. “Now you’re being dramatic.”

“I’m serious!” He cups your face, tilting it up so you can see just how much he means it. “224. Eight. You and me, forever.”

You grin, warmth spreading through your chest. “So we’re doing it?”

“Oh, we’re definitely doing it.” His hands slide down to your waist, pulling you onto his lap in one swift motion. “And I’m making sure everyone knows you came up with it, but I made it iconic.”

You snort, swatting at his chest. “You are unbearable.”

Ji-yong smirks, leaning in to kiss you—slow, deep, certain. But he doesn’t stop at just one kiss. The moment he has you in his lap, his lips are everywhere—pressing soft, lingering kisses to your cheeks, your jaw, the tip of your nose. He hums against your skin, grinning between each press of his lips, murmuring little praises like, "My smart girl," and "how did I get so lucky?" Before capturing your lips again. His hands keep you close, fingers tracing absentminded patterns along your back, as if he can’t bear to let go. When he pulls away just enough to catch his breath, he takes one look at your dazed expression and dives back in, peppering kisses along your collarbone, your shoulder, up the curve of your neck, until you're giggling, overwhelmed by the sheer warmth of his affection.

The excitement lingers between you both for days, the decision feeling more perfect with each passing moment. When the appointment finally arrives, Ji-yong insists on making a whole day out of it—because, of course, he does.

You find yourselves at a sleek, upscale tattoo studio, the kind that feels both exclusive and effortlessly cool, much like him. Ji-yong has been here before—he greets the artist like an old friend, all easy smiles and playful banter, while you stand there, heart pounding just a little. He catches your hesitation immediately. His fingers brush against yours before lacing them together, giving your hand a light squeeze. “Nervous?” he asks, tilting his head with that knowing smirk.

You sigh, shifting slightly on your feet. “Maybe a little. I mean, it’s my first tattoo.”

He grins. “And I get to be part of it. I get to be your first.” He leans in, voice dipping playfully. “You sure you can handle that, jagiya?”

You roll your eyes, shoving at his shoulder. “You make everything sound suggestive.”

He laughs, pulling you closer. “I’m just saying, it’s a big deal.” He presses a quick kiss to your temple before nudging you toward the tattoo chair. “Come on, let’s make history.”

The artist preps everything, and before long, the stencil of 224 is placed on your skin, just beneath your wrist. You stare at it, taking in the simple yet meaningful numbers. It already feels like a part of you.

Ji-yong watches you carefully, his thumb rubbing slow circles against your other wrist. “Looks good?”

You nod, exhaling. “Yeah. More than good.”

He grins, looking genuinely proud. “Then let’s do this.”

When the needle touches your skin, you brace yourself—but Ji-yong is right there, his hand never leaving yours, his voice low and reassuring. “You’re doing so good,” he murmurs, squeezing your fingers lightly. “Told you it wouldn’t be that bad.”

“Says the guy covered in tattoos.”

“Fair.”

When it’s his turn, he barely even flinches, watching with an easy, satisfied smile as the same numbers are inked into his skin. When it’s done, he lifts his arm beside yours, comparing the matching tattoos with a pleased hum.

“Perfect,” he says simply. Then, he turns to you, eyes softening. “Just like us.”

Your heart swells. And when he kisses you right there in the chair, not caring about the artist’s amused snort, you know there’s no one else you’d rather have by your side—today, tomorrow, forever.

The buzz of adrenaline from getting the tattoo still lingers as you step out of the shop, his fingers laced with yours once again, his grip warm and steady. He swings your joined hands between you as he smirks down at your fresh ink. “We did it. Matching tattoos. No going back now, baby.”

You glance up at him with a teasing glint in your eye. “Oh, I don’t know… I hear laser removal is pretty advanced these days.”

His mouth drops open in exaggerated offense. “Excuse me?”

You bite back a smile, shrugging. “I mean, if you ever get sick of me—”

He cuts you off immediately, tugging you flush against him. “Not a damn chance,” he murmurs, voice low and certain. “You’re stuck with me now. Today, tomorrow, forever, remember?”

Your heart flips, but you refuse to let him have the upper hand that easily. Smirking, you trace your fingers along the collar of his jacket. “Guess I should start thinking about what other permanent marks I wanna leave on you, then.”

His eyes darken just slightly, a slow grin spreading across his face. “Oh, now we’re talking.”

Dinner is at one of your favorite spots, a place tucked away from prying eyes, where dim lighting and soft music make everything feel intimate. Ji-yong insists on ordering for both of you, leaning across the table with his usual confidence. “Trust me, I know exactly what you need.”

And, annoyingly, he’s right. The food is perfect.

Midway through the meal, you glance down at your hand resting on the table, the fresh tattoo peeking out from under your sleeve. The sight of it still feels surreal—permanent proof of something that was never in question. You reach for your phone, snapping a quick picture before turning to Ji-yong. “Should I post it?”

His eyes light up instantly. “You want to?”

You shrug, smirking. “Well, I mean… it’d be kind of cruel not to let everyone lose their minds over it.”

He grins, leaning forward with clear excitement. “Oh, I love when you’re the troublemaker.”

Laughing, you tap out a caption, keeping it simple but meaningful.

As soon as you hit post, your phone explodes with notifications. Fans are already freaking out, but the real fun starts when you notice familiar names popping up in the comments.

Ji-yong, who has been watching you with amusement, leans over slightly. “Alright, who’s losing it the most?”

You scroll through, grinning. “Let’s see…”

Daesung: I knew it. You two are disgusting. (Also, congrats 😭❤️)

CL: Finally. My favorite power couple stays winning.

ROSE: 224… I’m emotional. This is beautiful.

Seunghyun: A timeless commitment. Very fitting.

Minzy: Love is real 😭💜

Taeyang: Ok but who cried first? Be honest.

Ji-yong snorts at that last one. “Should I comment back and expose you?”

You shoot him a look. “Me? Don’t even try it. You were the one getting all sentimental about forever first.”

“That’s because I meant it.”

Your heart does that annoying little flip again, and before he can tease you for it, you shake your head, grinning as you type a response to Taeyang:

You already know it was him.

“Wow. Betrayal.”

You just laugh, sliding your phone across the table. “Here, go defend your honor.”

Instead of taking it, he leans in, pressing a slow, lingering kiss to your lips. “Nah,” he murmurs. “I’ve got better things to do.”

taglist: @thanosscrossmain @maskedcrawford @mirahyun @riddlerloveb0t @onyxmango @sherrayyyyy @seunghyunwifey @petersasteria @allthoughtsmindfull

[absolutebl]

BL Announced for 2025 - PART 2

Lost on the River

Thai

JudoFluke are back! From Sammon, Fluke is the doctor and Judo a record producer. And not only that - there's a third person on the cover.

Love Carved in the Moonlight aka Salak Rak Nai Saengjan

Thai One31 trailer

Peak is back in BL? Wow.

Love of Silom

Thai WeTV

UpPoom are back in another complex piece. Closeted brokenhearted policeman meets struggling single dad.

Love Upon a Time

Thai trailer

Domundi's long awaited historical was announced for 2023, but after recasting, officially moved to 2025.

Love You Teacher

Thai trailer

I do like Perth & Santa (although I'm not sold on them as a pair). But words cannot describe how much I dislike this premise. SERIOUSLY? No thank you very much. I could, just maybe, hate watch Only Friends 2, but it's gonna be hard for me to even turn this on. Infantilization and people acting like children wigs me tf out. YKINMKBYKIOK of course, but not in my BL GMMTV. Stop it! (This one also got the dreaded pink of will not watch.

Loy Kaew First Love

Thai trailer

Historical pulp. About a farmer's son and his clsoe friend, son of the village headman.

Make a Wish Season 2

Thai

JudoFluke reprising their roles, rumor reported here.

Mandate

Thai

A fierce political battle is the starting point of love between two men of different statuses and backgrounds, not to mention a 17 year age gap.

Me and Thee

Thai trailer

A photographer gets involved with the mafia? OMG is this a Thai dupe for Target the Finder? Only mixed with Cyrano? WILD. I mean to say, this one is wild WILD! Plus Est (my love) back in suits and ear dongles I see. Also GMMTV never gonna let us forget they bagged two of BL's best bods with PP, thanks all for the visuals. Of course this is for me. I'm the shallowest, remember? Plus I love a BL that's just a little bit...... well...... stupid.

Me and Who

Thai WeTV trailer

Lead pair from Monster Next Door, BigPark, in an adaptation of Wickedwish’s novel of the same name. A poor young man dies and is reborn into the body of a billionaire heir. The heir happens to be engaged to a handsome man who come to understand his secret.

Melody of Secrets

trailer

Not wild about ForceBook, do like a mystery, don't like horror or psychological thrillers... not sure on this one. I like BL pushing into new territory, even if it's not my territory, but this is defiantly not made for me, that's for damn sure.

Memoir of Rati

Thai trailer

Sing the praise song with me BLabies! GreatInn in a HISTORICAL with a class divide and everyone's favourite side couple! Be still my heart! I'm beyond pleased. (Also I got my boat in a lotus pond at last.) My only concern is this could end sad, it's in the title after all.

My Magic Prophecy

Thai trailer

Paranormal mystery with a fortune teller and a doctor. I'm in. I hope the script doesn't fail JimmySea again, they are such a great pair. I'm intrigued by this one but it felt the most formless of all the trailers, so I'm thinking we could see some significant tweaks.

My Romance Scammer

Thai trailer

New couple! My boys Ohm and Fluke (no, not that Fluke, the one from My Ride). Honestly, Fluke has popped up as a side in a couple GMMTV shows I was wondering who they'd BL him with.

This could win. Prettiest human on earth paired with the world's most potent single dimple. Will I survive? I honestly don't know, because Ohm historically doesn't have much chemistry with anyone but the original Fluke so... Still I l do love JuniorMark and this as a really unique premise (gay Heartbreakers), so I'm game.

My Stubborn

Thai YouTube trailer

Very high heat office romance involving best friend younger brother intern, boss meets assistant, bit of a love triangle, and GL crumbs and few other tropes.

Not My Bro

Thai trailer

Meen's mother sends Tul, the son of her close friend, who has recently passed the entrance exam to pursue engineering, to live with Meen and assigns Meen to take care of Tul.

Only Friends Dream On

Thai trailer

I will not be watching this. But dude was it nice to see all those pairs busted. That's always a good time for me. Anyway, all you so-n-sos who gave the first one your eyeballs are to blame for this. Watch it n weep. Without me. (Side note: I love it when a title reviews itself, Only Friends: Dream On, indeed. It's like media aptronym.)

Personal Manager

Thai

A secret relationship between a model and his manager.

Pit Babe The Series 2

Thai trailer

Rearrange

Thai trailer

Bandmates romance meets time travel, intreaguing combo.

Reset

Thai iQIYI

Yet another time travel kinda thing this time with Pond & Peterpan (we love this idea). On the night of his greatest success, famous actor Armin dies after being betrayed by his lover. However, death is not the end. Going back in time and meeting mysterious fan TD, the path to superstardom begins again.

Revamp the Undead Story

Thai YouTube trailer

BounPrem vampire vehicle from 2023 officially moved to 2025 Formerly My Broccoli

Secret Relationship

Korea

This 2022 offering is now officially moved to 2025. To be adapted by Cradle Studio (a subsidiary of Kakao). About clever and resourceful Daon who has worked hard to overcome being poor. His cheap ways annoy his coworker, Sunghyeon but after “an incident” with his parents, Daon grows closer to him. But Daon also has feelings for his former tutor. This has the signs of a classic Kdrama all over it: Office setting, love triangle, lead suffering for his self-actualization. I’m optimistic about a longer treatment.

Secret Relationship

Taiwan

Rivals to lovers with unhinged behavior that in the source material ranges from rock-paper-scissors contests to competitive handjobs (yeah, you read that right). Taiwan is perfect for this.

Shine

Thai WeTV

MileApo vehicle that may not be BL. A tale of love and ideals unfolds in an era resistant to diversity set against the backdrop of the political turmoil of 1969-1971.

Sweet Daddy

Thai trailer

Sweet Tooth Good Dentist

Thai YouTube trailer

Finally Mark is leading out a BL! This one based on a Jittirain novel about a weird sunshine student dentist and his sugar-addicted patient, described as a romcom meets romantic therapy. Also, Jimmy is there, primarily to give me second lead syndrome. It looks silly but kinda earnest, I'm intrigued. (Not sure this one will still happen.)

That Summer

Thai trailer

The only GMMTV side pair to level up. Okay so amnesia is my least favorite trope, and I tend to not be wild about secret identity either, but I like both pairs in this one, so I'll watch.

The Hell Guard

Thai

Boy wakes up from a coma and becomes a messenger between grim reapers and the underworld. I love this premise.

The Love Matter

Thai trailer

2 students fall in love with their respective teachers who happen to be dating each other

The Next Prince

Thai trailer

ZeeNew in a fantasy/historical set in a palace where Zee plays a knight and Nu a prince - YES PLEASE.

The Promise of The Soul

Taiwan

I hate bodyswap.

The Wicked Game

Thai

DaouOffroad doing some Jack & Joker action. Trust is a luxury. Deception is a game.

The Young Gangster

Taiwan WeTV

Adapted from a novel, may not be a BL. Sociologist begins doing research in the underworld, falls in love with a gangster.

Ticket To Heaven

Thai trailer

GMMTV is doing Boy Foretold by Stars concept? Interesting, did not have religious boundary pushing and bildungsroman down on he Thai BL bingo card. This isn't my thing but I think G4 are actually going to be amazing in it and I certainly look forward to them pushing their acting chops. Not to mention the discomfort something like this can cause in general/global viewership. I like it when BL makes people (who aren't me) uncomfortable.

Time Zone

Thai trailer

A cheeky version of high school president only the seme actor seems to be taking his cues off Ohm. Interesting to me because I like this kind of BL

Truemoon

Thai YouTube trailer

A take on my single favorite trope love rivals to lovers.

Your Dear Daddy

Thai trailer

Haunted by his past, Saithan is unwilling now to tie himself to anyone. On holiday in Chiang Mai, he happens to meet Sila, the wealthy owner of Phu Saengdao farm and hotel. The two find themselves strangely drawn to one another and ultimately spend a night together, thinking they wouldn't see each other again.

2025 BL Part 1 is here

(source)

This post is static and not updated. All information is to the best of my ability at the very end of 2024. Not responsible for changes, cancellations etc...

[valentine-cafe]

May I ask for a bungeoppang please?

(GN)

Yes!!!! Loved seeing the golden retriever x black cat one! Now if I may ask, how would that translate into more intimate interactions and moments? Just imagining so many things; from aftercare, to being affectionate in the open, to alone together in the bedroom. My mind is filled with so many what if’s!

-🎐

🍒 𓂃 𝑶𝑹𝑫𝑬𝑹 𝑼𝑷 : bungeoppang !! . . . grim reaper detective⊹ gn reader .

. ᘛ 𝑓𝑒𝑎𝑡𝑢𝑟𝑖𝑛𝑔​​​​​​​﹕verse 9948e ꮽ  kyung seong-jin

 𐔌𖹭 ˖ ࣪  who's that ?⠀﹕a diurnal grim reaper detective, stoic and intelligent.

ּ  ֗ recepit ℘ ... how is seong-jin with his golden retriever s/o behind closed doors and in the open? ⊹ cw ٬٬ smut . flustered seong-jin <3 . silly sex . flaccid pp . 

Seong-jin might not initiate physical affection, but he sure as hell is greedy about it. It's a great thing that his golden retriever partner is all about love-bombing him. Even if he might not give general reactions, his hands fixed on your waist, hips or idly stroking on your hair tells you that he sure as hell will yank you back onto him if you try to get up.

You have more energy than him during aftercare. Which puzzles him, wasn't he just fucking your back out? How the hell are you so bubbly all of a sudden? Here he is, so tender in his kisses down your body he's marked up. Placing you in the tub to wash your twitching skin, and you're throwing you arms around his neck and giggling about how good he was. That's not apart of the script — he's supposed to be praising you. He's flustered every time.

Any of his affection or initial sexual advances are met with squeals from you. He's leaning a forearm above your head to trap you and you're putting two hands over your mouth and squealing with big eyes. He can't not smile and just immediately resort to kissing you silly.

How you can crack jokes while he's ball's deep inside of you beats him. But you even manage to bring chuckles out him at times. While at other times he'll stuff your mouth with his fingers or tell you to behave — he's grown to love how talkative you are during sex.

What he does not like is how you coddle his flaccid penis. How you dote over it and call it cute. The first time you saw it, he felt as though he would die then and there with how you immediately went to cup it and call it adorable, only to get confused when he got hard in your hand. Because, what exactly were you expecting?

He will get a bit pouty if he comes home and isn't immediately greeted by your arms thrown around his neck and kisses all over his face. You've spoiled him far too much. You always tease him once you catch onto it and give him all the kisses he missed and more.

[bloopitynoot]

Reading SVSSS: Chapter 7

For those who don't know, I am reading SVSSS for the first time and sharing my thoughts!

If you have not read it, there will be spoilers! Consider this a warning.

Also- if you want to follow along, I am aiming to post updates daily. You can find all the posts in the tag bloopitynoot reads SVSSS. You can also check out the intro post for context on my read.

A new day a new chapter! Today we get into the Water Prison. The real question: will Shen Qingqiu actually make it out?

No Charlie pics today, I have been abandoned at my reading/writing station, but I do have tea! Tea today is a blueberry jasmine.

Let's get into it!!!!

What the fuck?! Is this an acid lake? p89

Dang it really is crazy how after two accusations with zero evidence or proof that Shen Qingqiu actually did anything, he get's locked up in maximum security prison. p89

Right now I'm having war flashbacks from MDZS -> another protagonist out here doing their best with the rest of the world just making shit up about them for fun. RE: Little Palace mistress and her delusions of what SQQ did. She literally even says- he didnt say you did anything but I have a vibe. Like what? p91

We are gathered here today to all witness how Shen Qingqiu is once again refusing to acknowledge that he is indeed the Love Interest. Honestly, does anyone ever tell him? I live for the day the system changes his classification from villain to Love interest and actually tells him this. Idk if it happens, but now I need it to happen. Re: "what fit even less was the fact, in the original work, the Little Palace Mistress's refined iron whip had only been used for attacking love rivals" p93

Luo Binghe to the rescue!! p94 just catching that whip

Okay but when SQQ states that something is wrong with the script- is he actually on the path to understanding? or still clueless? I hope he sort of realizes what's happening, because dang this guy has 0 idea Luo Binghe would kill for him p95

OOP. "There is no need for Shizun to be so wary. If I wished to do something to you, I wouldn't need to touch you at all" p96

Re: point above about "is he understanding?" *deep sigh * SQQ has not learned at all and refuses to actively listen. He is still trying to follow the old script p.97. Okay but I do love how this guy is accidentally getting himself (in a weird way) romanced.

I honestly am pretty sure this is a dating sim XD "*to the system* Do you think we're playing a dating sim?!" p99

omg torture via demon blood is horrible. Like this is a worst nightmare, having little bugs in your organs NO THANKS. p101

I'm crying LOOOOOL two options; 1. the fake jade guanyin. 2. [Activate Small Scene Pusher] and gets his CLOTHES ripped off. Bro is now the lead in a period bodice ripper XD p102

*face palm* "Does it just take advantage of Luo Binghe's physiological disgust upon seeing a man's half-naked body?" p104. no my man, it is not disgust

oh no, giving him his outer robe made it more scandalous p104

RIP confirmed that that is the previous canon's sex robe p106

literally everyone has a feeling about what's up. Gongyi Xiao is eyeing SQQ, see's the robe and does indeed assume things about SQQ and Luo Binghe. How stupid is SQQ??? p107

Re: the note from Shang Qinghua to SQQ. Shang Qinghua is also an idiot, this guy had 1 job and that was to not fuck up the mushrooms. he goofed this exponentially. RIP those mushrooms. p109

Welp. Gongyi Xiao is realizing that Luo BInghe may not be as pure of heart as he thought p112

it's so much worse though- he really thinks that Luo Binghe assaulted SQQ and is now helping SQQ escape. p113

meanwhile SQQ is living in his own universe LOL no idea these are the assumptions. Also, IDK what's going to happen when Luo Binghe inevitably see's SQQ in Gongyi Xiao's robe. RIP GYX p115

Okay but SQQ I too would freak the fuck out if I had a walking/wake dream. Meng Mo's realm is no joke. p120-121

Dang Luo Binghe has become so strong. This dreamscape is insane. pp 124-126

again with the clothes ripping. I hope one day they enjoy this consensually. p127 (blessed be this canon for the fanfics)

in which SQQ does not realize that the fight in the dreamscape is indeed not a fight- it is most definitely foreplay. p128

I fucking KNEW IT Luo Binghe was NOT pleased with SQQ wearing Gongyi Xiao's robe. LOOOL. p130

but also I don't know what became of GYX but let's take a moment to remember him, I am sure he did not make it.

oh gosh more tragic SQQ backstory :( p132

I am glad I clocked it in the last chapter. Something was so fishy about the family that took him in and his "betrothal" my heart for SQQ :( :( :( p134

Okay get it Ning YinYing!!!! Re: her talking shit to and about Little Palace Mistress to her face! p138

yes she got slapped but still she did a pretty good job! and her sect siblings have her back.

That is it for today!!

Oh god. ofc we leave on a cliffhanger with a shady guy ready to super saiyan AND the next chapter is ominously titled "Death". I am not prepared for this!

[queenmuzz]

The Testament of Rook

Note: Spoilers for Act 3

Archivist’s Note:  This document was recovered from  an unknown location, and after examinations, it has been declared authentic, and is to be kept in the Minrathous Archon’s Vaults, for use in historical research.

I, Zea Ingellvar, a Crypt Gaurd of the Mourn Watch, being of sound mind and body and…well..  Lets just get down to business, you all know it’s me writing this.

To Neve, to whom I still believe that I do not deserve your friendship, after I failed you and your city:  That hood you bought me when you and Bellara dragged me to the Dock Town market.  I loved it, it was light, flexible,  but still kept the sun out of my eyes.  My eyes might not have the same sense of colour theory as you, but I thought it really went well with the colour of your eyes.

Also: Please take whatever money I have, and treat yourself and Lucanis to that fish dinner.  I swear I wasn’t avoiding having it with you because of my diet.  I’ve been told the people in the coasts of Nevarra eat fish on occasion, and use the bones to fertilize their rocky fields.  Thus, the spirits of the fish are pleased.  I’m pretty sure a whole fish would be worth me trying out once.  Any other money remaing, please distribute to any orphans in Minrathous.  

I wish you two happiness that trancends the grave.

AN: written in a script often used by Tevinter mages: So like you, to be concerned about the little ones.  Damn it all.

To Lucanis, a man who taught me that I should not be hasty to judge others, whose fighting spirit is worth far more than an entire army:  I give you my set of coffee cups.  Whenever you drink from them, may you have good memories of the times we share.  Let them be sweet, and not bitter. Ppl ppppp poop pink n

PS.  Don’t you dare set them in a display cupboard and never use them like your grandmother does with her finest China.  I WILL haunt you. 

PPS. You better treat Neve right, or I will SUPER haunt you.

 AN: a style mainly written by the Antivan Crows 

Your threats do not not frighten me, friend, but you do not worry, both things will be loved and cheris- WHERE IS SHE- Spite, she is no longer with us. BRING ROOK BACK.AN: We are unable to ascribe the source of the text that interrupts the crow text, but it is written in the same ink, thus confirming it was written at the same time.

To Bellara, to whom I will never regret spending any time in your book club with, no matter how animated you got about a particular subject:  I give you my collection of Nevarran romance novels.  I really wanted to get around to sharing with you, I had a good feeling you’d like them.  I know we as a people in Nevarra are known to have an obsession with death, which seems counterintuitive when it comes to romance.  But when death is treated as an old friend, and not as an enemy, or a predator to be feared, love can transcend even the grave.

AN: Tevinter script

We’ll make sure to bring her back, Zea.  She would love to read them.

To Taash, whom has the body of warrior, but the soul of a dragon:  I was thinking back to what you said about Rivani memorial customs, and taking something from the body to wear as a keepsake.  Perhaps you’d like one of my teeth?  

NOPENOPENOPENOPENOPE 

(AN: We believe both this interjection and the one below are from the Dragonslayer Taash, before she became celebrated in Rivain for her exploits)

I kid… I kid.  No doubt you are ranting at this very moment about how ‘weird’ it would be.  I don’t blame you.  As a consession, I give you my greathammer, Lamentation’s Rest.  It may not serve you well when facing a dragon, but it is very effective against the undead and demons.  Against the latter, it is enchanted to deal great harm to them, to the former… Well, my record for launching a skull is 132 feet.  Let’s see you beat that.

YOU’RE ON.

To Lace Harding, one of the first people I ever was able to call a ‘friend’:  My bequeathment is simple.  A rock.  To be more specific, it is Nevvaran fine grade granite, the type we use to construct our monuments of.  When I first left the Necropolis, I brought it with me, as if to carry a little bit of home.  It kept me grounded those first few nights when I lay awake at night, terrified I would fall into a sky I had never seen before.  You are a Child of the Stone, and just like this rock, you helped keep me steady in a world I had never experienced before.  

Also, it hurts like hell if you get hit by it, so if you were to say…throw it at an archdemon or a god, I daresay it could do some damage.  I’m going to chuck this rock so hard at Solas’s head, they’ll be able to hear the echo of its impact all the way in Ferelden.  (AN:  The remaining additions, except when noted,  can be attributed to Lace Harding, former member of the Inquisition) 

I wish the two of you joy unending, seeing the two of you smiling at each other could cause a stone to weep.

To Darvin and Assam: I know you both have little need for excess items. A warden’s life almost never includes stability.  Still, I’ve seen how talented you are with your wood carving, so I hope my set of knives and whetstone will serve you well.  If we managed to defeat the Blight once and for all, perhaps you’ll need another profession after this, and ‘Darvin the Defeater of the Blight, and Master Woodworker’ sounds incredibly amazing.  Just remember, Make my figurine the biggest. 

Assam, I give you my hopes.  One day, I want the skies of Arlathan to echo with the sounds of you and your siblings' descendents' cries.  That no poacher will dare to enter your forests, out of fear of your majesty.  

Oh Zea… you knew at the end…  you already knew.

To Varric Tethras:  The man who gave me a new purpose in life, when I was lost and without a guide. I’m glad I met you.  I give you the three volumes of my diaries of our travels together.  The fourth one is reserved for another.   I’m not saying they’re worthy of publishing or anything, but they might help with your references, or if you want to set a story in Neverra. 

?????  ????  AN:  This entry is confusing, as when the earliest it could have been written, Varric Tethras was deceased.  No explanation for this is given, but scholars insist that it is a genuine part of the document.

AN:  From here on, both the font and writing style changes dramatically.  Historians have debated the authenticity of this section, but cross referencing letters written before and after this document, the theory is that she has shifted her style reserved for the Mortaliasi, specifically the Mourn Watch. It is considered a more intimate form of speaking to fellow necromancers.  To Manfred, a loyal friend and companion:  There are tales of heroes who have done nigh impossible feats to save even one person, and you did that to save many.  You are a spirit of curiosity, and yet you have become more.  Never was I so glad as the day you came back to us, your spirit alight with veilfire, and how happy you were to return.  Alas, I am no spirit like you, and no amount of necromancy can bring me back.  I can only  hope you will understand in time, and accept my apology.  

I bequeath to you my brooch.  Let the love and care of the man who first gave it to me be passed onto you, that you may both be a support for each other.

Where. Is Rook?

AN: Author unknown of this above line, as it is written in a childlike scrawl, and there is no record of any children in Rook’s entourage.

A separate page is included.  There is some water damage to it, possibly by rain, but most of the words are legible.

FOR EMMRICH VOLKARIN’S EYES ONLY

My Dearest Emmrich:

I’m so sorry about that argu

Of course I would open my big fat mouth and

I know nothing I will say will take the pain away.  No apology, no self-deprecatory joke will bring relief.  I know this, I’ve seen it happen many a time as loved ones interred their dead.  It is a wound that only time may close, and even then, there will be scars.

So instead of dwelling on how and why I am no longer with you, let me bequeath you this:  Who I was and what you mean to me..  You know the basics, of me being an infant foundling left on top of a pile of bones.  It was the bedrock of who I was. That from the very start, I was unwanted.  Unneeded. To be discarded when convenient.   When the magic talent I was certain would manifest eventually never came, I fell deeper into despair.  I would never be a proper necromancer.  At best I could be a weapon, a bulwark to protect the living and the dead.  And Maker, how I tried to find my place in the Mourn Watch, tried to earn the respect of my peers.  Only to be cast out when I could not even do that.  Yes, Varric and the others helped in their own ways, but I still felt like I was not worthy of anything. And then, I met you.  You, a man of exquisite talents and grace.  A man who saw the world of the living and dead as I did,  a man of incredible empathy and intelligence.  You did not look down upon me, nor did you even pity.  Instead, your words were of admiration and respect.  You were like a mirror being shown to one who had never encountered one before.  You saw me as I could not even see myself.  That I was worthy of your love and affection.  And slowly, you chipped away at the self loathing that had accumulated, and made me realize the truth.  That I was not only worthy in your eyes, but in the eyes of everyone else.  The only regret  is that I had not met you sooner.  Perhaps if I had gone to the memorial gardens to enjoy the ambience more often instead of viewing it as another chore to tend the graves, we may have encountered each other, and had more precious moments to spend together.

AN: Both the words ‘regret’ and ‘memorial gardens’ were circled in red ink by who we assume is Professor Volkarin.

When you stated your desire to become a lich, I would never stand in your way, as who was I to tell you otherwise?  But secretly, in my deepest thoughts, I desired you to remain mortal, not because I preferred flesh to bone, but because I knew that you would lose something essential to you.  When you gave up your dream to bring Manfred back, and I saw the delight and joy in your eyes, I loved you even more. There, I said it. I love you.

I love you.

I love you.

Like I said, I cannot take the pain away, nor your fear of death, but I say one thing now:  That no matter how long it takes, I will remain on the threshold, waiting for your arrival so that I can  I can only pray that gives you peace.

Yours in eternity, Zea 

AN:  Below is what was a blank space, now filled with formulae, diagrams, arcane sigils written in red ink.  The words ‘Prison’  ‘The Fade’  ‘Regret’ are repeated several times.   Several passages are smeared, either accidentally, or on purpose.  Water damage before the ink has dried is substantial in certain places

The last few lines are written messily.  ‘The Fade is thin in the Memorial Gardens….perhaps…” it trails off into incomprehensibility.

Only the very final line is legible.

I WILL find you, my dearest.

[thelunarfairy]

Hi! I just saw your post about Nene and this question came to my mind. Do you think that Nene and Tsuchigomori are similar in that sense? Since neither of them likes to intervene in other people's problems…

Yes, but there is an important difference between Nene and Tsuchigomori.

And that is the simple fact that Tsuchigomori recognizes that he was oblivious, that he didn't care enough, EVEN THOUGH HE WAS WORRIED about Amane.

Yes, he was concerned, he asked if everything was okay, he was interested in knowing if Amane was going to tell him. You saw Tsuchigomori asking him directly what was going on and Amane not answering and even getting angry about it.

The thing is, Tsuchigomori knew what was going on, yes, he knew, he asked but he didn't take the liberty of actually doing anything about it.

But, I believe that if Amane had been honest with him, Tsuchigomori would have helped. And yet, even after he didn't do anything, he regretted it.

TSUCHIGOMORI REGRETTED IT.

It's no wonder he actually continues to help and be by Amane's side, protecting him in any way he found. Tsuchigomori is still there, and he regrets not having helped Amane so much that his yorishiro was Amane's lunar rock.

And remember, HE IS A SUPERNATURAL.

He has no connection or obligation to Amane, and yet, he was more empathetic to Hanako than Nene.

Nene was curious to know Hanako's past at first, and Hanako promised that one day he would tell her, but if she was really that interested then why didn't she take advantage of any moment when the twins gave her the opportunity to talk about the past?

When Nene found out about Hanako's past, she wanted to run away, she wanted to abandon him (which is something I understand, seeing her situation at the time) but she decided to stay.

This means that she can't handle such a heavy story and Hanako's feelings, even if she was interested in knowing what happened to Hanako in the past.

And here we have another point, I said that Tsuchigomori has no connection or obligations with Hanako, but Nene is in love with him, she wants him to be her boyfriend.

So she OBLIGATORILY, must worry about him.

We saw that in the conversation she had with Mitsuba, she wanted to become his girlfriend so that Hanako could talk about the past, and for that reason I thought about the convenience of the script.

She wants to know his story, but at the same time she is oblivious.

See Hanako suffering, see his traumatic childhood, see his brother lost in a house that appeared out of nowhere AND DON'T TELL HIM.

She knows that Hanako has a lot of weight on his shoulders, she wants to know the story, what happened, but what about his feelings?

The PP arc chapter is sad because of this. You can clearly see how she doesn't consider his feelings. Amane is always trying to be with her, trying to give her a good day, asking her to go to the movies, he was literally having a day he dreamed of.

Even when Tsukasa showed up, he was clearly showing his feelings.

She didn't notice any of this, and if she did, she never mentioned it.

She never asked (even though she knew Amane was Hanako) about him asking her to go to the movies, about him saying he "wasn't going anywhere".

I could spend all day giving examples.

That's why this arc is sad, it's the moment when Amane felt free to show his feelings, which Nene doesn't see.

Nene was worried about finding Hanako.

I won't blame her for that, but not even when they were on the roof did she stop for a bit and pay attention to him.

When they finally talked, it was about HER, about her lifespan, not about him.

Nene, despite all this, still tried to show a bit of empathy when she said that she would stay in the current reality because Hanako hadn't died and become an adult.

But still, she failed at that too, because, as TERU HAD TO SAY, YES, THE GUY WHO HATES HANAKO HAD TO TELL NENE, WHO LOVES HANAKO, that there was no guarantee that he would be happy in this reality.

Do you see how superficial she is with Amane?

Tsuchigomori knew, he tried to help, he asked, he bandaged him, he TRIED, but he didn't have enough courage to tell Amane that he knew the whole truth, and he regrets it.

He is happy to see that Amane is happy with Nene and Kou.

But Nene can't realize that Hanako wouldn't be happy when Tsukasa isn't with him, when Tsukasa isn't completely "normal" and safe like he wants.

That's the difference.

And that's great, this manga talks about feelings, about how the characters have difficulty talking about it.

And in this case we see Nene, who finds it easy to talk about how she feels, but has difficulty showing interest in finding out how other people feel, even the people she loves.

Nene is developing, and I hope she learns to deal with it.

[milquetoast27]

An argument I have often heard regarding the study of Shakespeare, is that “it’s drama! It should not be read”. On first hearing this I was very surprised (and upset), and this post shall explain why I strongly disagree with this notion, on the basis of education in literary criticism and the study of drama as a whole.

Works on the stage are a mix of literature and dramaturgy (theatrical techniques), and the script is just as much a part of the work as everything that happens on the stage. Therefore, literature studies are only one channel through which to explore Shakespeare’s works, or that of any playwright. You’ll find his works also explored in drama and film studies, for instance. As literature scholars, we study drama as a text because every production made of the script is adaptation and interpretation. In other words, it is not the rawest means of examining the work. Actors and directors must engage with the text and make their own interpretations in order to put on productions, so why should scholars (or any interested party) be excluded from this?

To address the main area that this point is made to - GCSE and A-level students in the U.K. are required by law to study at least one Shakespeare text as part of an English literature qualification. The point of this course is to give students an idea of literary scholarship, for which there is a very wide world in Shakespeare. In this sense, totally neglecting the text is an inadmissible thought. Only watching a stage production of Romeo and Juliet without studying the text will not give students material with which to make critical opinions on the work as a whole. Especially young students at GCSE and A-level who range from ages 11 – 18 must cross many barriers in order to understand the Elizabethan text to begin with. Crossing the barrier between modern English and early modern English, understanding the historical and literary context, and understanding the play within the text; double meanings, word play, rhyme and metre. For all of these, sitting down and reading the play for yourself is central. Shakespeare is a fitting introduction to literary criticism in school, because his works are infamous for their lack of stage directions. A play so dense in its language detail should not have its text ignored when placed on a literature course. If you didn’t enjoy literary criticism in school and would rather sit back and enjoy A Midsummer Night’s Dream, then I do heartily encourage you to enjoy the work of the bard, but that is not the aim of education in literary criticism.

There are many of us litterateurs who are never happier than when curled around a copy of Shakespeare’s Collected Works and have discussed for centuries the workings of the text in conjunction with its dramaturgy. It is not “incorrect” to read (“There is no good or bad, only thinking makes it so”). I earnestly encourage students and enjoyers of Shakespeare to see it reproduced on stage, even the literature critics; but to read and make your own interpretations as well.

(Hi! I’m a literature undergrad involved in my university’s Shakespeare society, panellist at the upcoming York International Shakespeare Festival, and author of “Holmes and Hamlet: The Small Stage at Baker Street.” The Watsonian, vol. 12, no. 11, fall 2024, pp. 105 – 113)

[digi-tama-in-your-pocket]

I don't think it's bad to enjoy a "childish" show. Like look at the people enjoying Bluey or My little Pony. I for myself really adore the Hamtaro-Anime!

I haven't watched the Tama-Anime myself, do you know a good place to be able to watch it?

Oh, I didn't mean anything bad by calling it childish, I was just trying to set expectations because I praised it a lot. I watch cartoons almost exclusively, I didn't want anyone coming into it expecting Digimon Adventure level story telling.

As for where to find it... let me just whip up a

Master Post of English Subbed/Dubbed Tamagotchi Media

TAMAGOTCHI VIDEO ADVENTURES - https://archive.org/details/videoplayback_20200604_2141

This is a pilot for a USA Tamagotchi cartoon that never got greenlit. I love that it keeps the color pencil aesthetic of the USA packaging in tact, but the voices are.. a choice.

TAMAGOTCHI: HONTO NO HANASHI "The True Story" and ANIME TV DE HAKKEN!! TAMAGOTCHI!! - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HU6ljemBE7o

This is Raw, but most of it you don't need to understand, it just tells the backstory of the Vintage era. Oyajitchi gets the Tamagotchi Planet drunk, and all the Tamas evacuate to earth, a UFO crashes into the back of a depressed professor Banzo, and he and his assistant Mikachu build the v-pets for them to live in and study them. The second half of the video are just short skits showing off the personalities of vintage era Tamas. These were considered lost media until recently, there are still a few missing shorts.

TAMAGOTCHI THE MOVIE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VUUL5HLW4Lg&pp=ygUUdGFtYWdvdGNoaSB0aGUgbW92aWU%3D

English dub, if a sub exists, I haven't found it. This kicks off the Tamagotchi Connection era. The previous era of Tamagotchi had kind of an early pokemon vibe to it, sans the humans, they were weird creatures being studied, but this era will feel more like My Little Pony with the characters living in a community and being more individuals.

TAMAGOTCHI THE MOVIE 2 - THE HAPPIEST STORY IN THE UNIVERSE - https://archive.org/details/tamagotchi-happiest-story-eng-subs

Only a sub. They never dubbed this one. I think it's a better movie. I think this takes place before the anime series proper.

LETS GO TAMAGOTCHI - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VWFJtQSVLrU&list=PLKXwifP6PSMUvFOebxBHCs1gZRmlAJpK8

A series of shorts, showcasing the Tamagotchis personalities, they're very cute. This is the dub. I've managed to find a torrent for a sub version on nyaa.si but there was literally no difference in the script, even a Japanese pun got translated the same as in the dub.

TAMAGOTHI SEASON 1: https://archive.org/details/37.-tamagotchi-battle-on-the-great-donut-contest

This is a dub of the first 12 episodes, which is the whole first season, said to be lighter on story than the rest of the series ( wish I could see the rest of the series to find out ), it's in a kind of a messy butchered state, a character speaks a bit of japanese out of nowhere in one part, I haven't watched all the episodes yet myself. You can find the first four episodes subbed on the Tamagotchi Archive Youtube channel, but i've never found any of the main anime subbed elsewhere.

TAMAGOTCHI - WELCOME TO DREAM TOWN - https://archive.org/details/tamagotchi-friends-webseries/01+%E2%80%93+Welcome+to+Dream+Town.mp4

This is an english dub for a webisode series they made to promote Tamagotchi Friends, and I only learned about this series last night ,as well as the device it's meant to promote. Supposedly these are just very short bits taken from a later season of the anime though. I haven't watched it yet. You can find subbed versions on this youtube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLZ9rSKXGta_5flT2XLekrPq1m4ZFU1iWx

And that's all I can find. I really wish there was more. There's several seasons of the anime neither dubbed nor subbed , and lots more shorts ( coincidentally you can find all the Raws easily on archive.org, youtube, and elsewhere ) . But the anime officially ended a few years ago, and Bandai seems to have no interest in localizing it, they only seem interested in selling the v-pets and nostalgia based merchandise with gen 1 and gen 2 characters on it in the west. The only chance we have at official re-releases is if somebody like Discotek gets the licensee, which could happen, they have been doing great things with Digimon, and reminder, they have an official wishing thread for lisences on Reddit that they check from time to time, I'd suggest mentioning that you want it ( you can slip in other licenses you'd like as well, I want to see Animal Crossing Kirby and Mario anime myself )

That's still a slim shot though and I think we'd have better luck getting a fan subbing group to take the lead, but I don't know how to coax anyone into doing that without coming off as a freeloader trying to benefit from someone else's hard work, but god, please, if any fan subber is reading this, please consider the Tamagotchi anime. Save us from Bandai's miserly ways.

[foreign-lawns]

— Charles Olson, The Maximus Poems, University of California Press, 1983, [III.229], pp. 635.

"The very last Maximus poem consists of only eight words that brutally summarize the attenuated range of his awareness in the final days of his illness..."

— Patrick Meaner, excerpted from an article in Magill’s Survey of American Literature: Revised Edition, 2023.

— George F. Butterick, "Charles Olson and the Postmodern Advance," The Iowa Review, Vol. 11, Issue 4, 1980, pp. 3-27.

— Paul Stephens, "Human University: Charles Olson and the Embodiment of Information," Paideuma: Modern and Contemporary Poetry and Poetics, Vol. 39, 2012, pp. 181-208.

"For instance, does 'my wife' refer solely to Betty Kaiser Olson, or does it conflate her with Olson's first common-law wife, Constance Wilcock Bunker, from whom Olson separated in 1955? There are numerous references to cars in Olson's poetry, including the 1958 non-Maximus poem 'Rufus Woodpecker. . .' in which 'three nurses / and a dog' 'at the Capitol' in Washington, DC, back their car into another car, thereby momentarily upsetting the intricately rhetorical confabulation of a Cold War strategy of peace via mutually assured destruction—from his years in politics working for the Roosevelt administration, Olson knew more than most poets about political doublespeak. And of course 'car' immediately brings to mind the car in which Betty Kaiser Olson died. The 'color' may refer to Olson's complexion, an idea seconded by Olson scholar Charles Boer; if so, is the loss of red in Olson's cheeks as his health fails him a conflated reference to his earlier commitment to Roosevelt, the New Deal, and aspects of Popular Front politics and aesthetics? Or maybe his cheeks aren't red but pink, because there's a queered Olson to be read in the ways he discursively conjures certain relationships between men... Perhaps Olson asserts his color in the final poem of Maximus to displace and lose it. In the original manuscript page for this poem, housed in the Olson archive at the University of Connecticut, there's a space between 'my' and 'color' equal to the empty spaces between each of the poem's constituent units."

— Alan Gilbert, "Charles Olson and Empire, or Charles Olson Flips the Wartime Script," Chicago Review, Vol. 60/61, No. 4/1, 2017, pp. 92-119.

[majimalicious]

Chou no Doku Hana no Kusari (Majima SS tokuten dramacd)

庭師の仕事 - The Gardener's Work

(Animate tokuten drama cd)

*The transcribed script of it exists in the first artbook.

(Inside their home)

*sound of the door closing*

Phew... I'm home.

Oh? Bowing and greeting me with your hands placed so neatly on the floor like that...Hehe, who taught you to do such a thing? Seeing you, a former noble woman, do this feels rather strange.

Eh? It's only natural since it's been a whole week? …You're right. I really did make you feel lonely, didn’t I…?

*hugs her*

I wanted to see you too… I thought about you every single day. Ah… I’m so glad to be back.

*kisses her*

Mmm… Nn… Ah… Your lips… after so long… are so sweet…

Hmm…? Something smells nice. Were you making dinner? …That’s impressive. You’re getting better and better lately.

It's only natural? But you weren’t just a noblewoman—you were also quite clumsy… Ouch, ouch, it was a joke! Hehe. I’m happy. Thank you.

Well then, let’s eat while it’s still warm. Ah, I’m absolutely starving… This job was a real challenge this time…

Eh? …That’s why I said no you can't. A wife doesn’t need to know about her husband’s work. …Don’t worry, I'm not doing anything dangerous.

*sits down on a chair*

Wow, this looks delicious… It must have been difficult to make all this on your own, right? To think you’d do something like this for me—I really am a lucky man.

Well then, Iet's dig in. You should sit down too and eat with me. Food always tastes better when shared.

*eating together*

Ah, this stew is seasoned perfectly. Not too strong, not too light… You remembered my preferences, didn’t you?

The miso soup is great too. Did you use both bonito and kelp for the broth? Ah, that’s exactly how I like it.

Ahh… This is so comforting. You making dinner and waiting for me to come home… eating a warm meal together like this…

I never thought I would find this kind of happiness. …It might be an ordinary scene in any household, but for me… it always felt like something completely out of reach.

Eh? Ah…Haha, you’re right. I don’t have to speak so formally anymore, do I? …But, I guess it’s still a hard habit to break.

(03:25)

Ahaha, see? You’re still calling me "Majima", aren’t you? …Even though we agreed to call each other by name.

But maybe… it wouldn’t be so bad to go back to how things were when you were the noble lady and I was your gardener. In fact, that might feel even more natural.

What do I mean by enjoying it? …Heh, isn’t it obvious? After we finish dinner and take a bath… it’s been a while, hasn’t it?

*pause*

Phew… That was a nice bath. My lady, thank you for going out of your way to wash my back.

…Eh? Hehe, that’s right. From now on, I’ll be calling you "my lady" again. And you should call me "you" or "Majima"… just like before.

Tell me, my lady… why are you here? This is the servants’ quarters, you know.

You wanted to see me? Oh… and why is that? Because you want to be with me…?

But is that really all? Is just being together enough for you? Back in the bath… you hugged me from behind, didn’t you? …I could feel your heartbeat against my back when you pressed your chest against me… and even now, it’s still racing, isn’t it?

*holds her close, slipping his hand inside her yukata, rubbing her chest.*

(05:13)

Hehe... Look, you're getting so hot... Hmm? Impudent? Haha, even if you say that, your body is clearly enjoying this.

Making such a greedy face and cursing won't help... You still want me to kiss you, don't you?

*kiss*

Mmm... Mmm... Haah... Look... Just kissing a little, and you're already melting like this... my lady, you're such a pervert, aren't you?

Now, tell me what you want. What do you want me to do to you, my lady?

Heh...you want me to hold you? How should I? Where should I...., and how do you want it, my lady?

*touches Majimas pp*

Ah... I see... You want this, don't you... For a noble woman to desire the penis of a mere gardener...What a whore.

*kiss*

Mmm... Mmm... Hehe... Your face is all red... It's alright, as long as you obey what I say, I'll make sure to hold you properly...

Well then, please lick this... because you, my lady, said something lewd, I'm already in this state... hehe.

*gives him a bj*

Ah... yes...that's nice... You're quite obedient, aren't you... taking a lowly man's thing in your mouth... with such a lustful look in your eyes...

Ah, ha, ah, you're so good... Ah... For a noblewoman, to be this skilled with your mouth... Where on earth did you learn this? Surely they don't teach such things at a proper girls' school, do they? Ahaha.

Ha, ah... Yes, there... Please take it deeper... Rub the tip at the back of your throat.

Ah... it's amazing... Hah, ha, ah, it feels so good...can i cum...inside your mouth my lady... like this...

Hah, ah, ugh, hah, I'm cumming, ah, ah...!

Ah, ah, ah...!

*cums*

Hah... ah... That was the best...haa...

Oh... it’s spilled quite a lot on your face, hasn’t it... huhu...How does it feel, to be stained with a man's cum...?

It can't be helped, here, let me wipe it off for you... Bring your face here...

*kiss*

Mmm... Hah... It tastes kinda fishy... hehe. My (cum) isn’t something delicious or anything...

Ah... It's been a week since I last came, so I can't stop even after I've cum once... I'll just put it in like this. Are you happy?

I won't move...my lady, you'll have to get on top yourself and move your hips.

Are you embarrassed? But you want this from me, don’t you? Then, there's no helping it.

I’ll watch the lady intently as she loses control above me, so hurry up and straddle me.

*straddles him*

Hehe... My lady is truly straightforward, isn’t she... You just can’t help but want it... What a helpless lady you are...

Oh, you were just licking it, yet... you're dripping wet, aren’t you... What a lewd lady...

*puts it in*

Mmm... Ugh, ah... Haa... It's amazing... It's so slippery... Haa, ah... And it's so tight... Ah... It feels like I'm being squeezed...

Ah... you swallowed it all in... you just came a little, didn’t you...? It's moving inside... Hah... Ah,ah my lady, you're so sensitive, aren't you...?

Come on, move please... Don't just feel good by me putting it in... Make me feel good too please..

*water noises*

Ha, ha, ah, ku, ah, yes, that's right, ha, ah, it feels good...

Ah, ah, that's amazing... Haha, you're moving your hips so passionately...

(11:52)

Were you that starved for it, my lady…?

Ah… ahh… haah… You like it deep, don’t you? Hehe… Then, allow me to thrust up just a little…

Haa… ahh… Does it feel good? Are you about to come? Haa… ah… It’s alright, go ahead… Let it all out as much as you like…

Come on, cum… Come on… Come on, come on!

*Yuriko climaxes*

Kuh… haa… ah… You're so tight… Hehe…

What’s this…? Your hips have given out, and you can’t move…? It felt that good, did it…? Honestly, what a helpless lady you are…

*changes positions and pinning her down*

Then, I’ll thrust into you… I’ll make a mess of you, my lady…

*water noises*

See? It’s going in even deeper than before, isn’t it…? Hehe, you’re trembling… Ah, you smell so good… You’re in heat, aren’t you, my lady…? You’re adorable…

*kiss*

Mmm… nnh… haa… ahh… Does it feel good…? Being pinned down like this and thrusted so deeply…?

Haa… haa… ahh… It feels good for me too… haa… ah… You're squeezing so tightly… ahh… I can't get enough…!

Listen, what a lewd sound… My lady, you're letting out far too much of your indecent juices… It’s dripping everywhere… How shameless you are, truly…

Haa… ahh… ah… Huh? My scent is sweet as well?

Hehe… is that so…? Well, I am aroused too… After all, I’m thrusting in and out like this, deep inside the refined lady’s slick, warm hole…

Ha, ah, it got tighter just now... Could it be that you feel it more when you're teased with such vulgar words? Haha, what an unbelievable lady you are... You must have a masochistic side, huh?

In that case, I'll say a lot of vulgar things for you... The lady's dripping hole is the best...

The way she craves a man's cum and devours it is irresistible...No prostitute could compete with that...

Ah, ah, ha, fuh, ah, do you want to drink it that much, the white stuff of a man... do you want me to pour a lot of it inside...?

Ugh, ah, ha, ah, then, it's fine, I'll give it to you, as much as you want... Hah, hah, inside the lady, I'll release a lot of my filthy stuff for you...

Hah... hah... ha, ah... I'm cumming, I'm going to cum... Hah, ah... here, please drink it, as much as you want...

Ah, ah... aah... ahhh...

*cums*

Hah... ah... haa...

*kiss*

Mmm... hah...my lady...

Hehe... How was it...? It's alright to have something like this once in a while, isn't it...?

You seemed to enjoy it... Hehe... It also suits my nature quite well...

Huh...? Am I usually kind? Hehe, well... I suppose so... After all, I want to make you happy... Everything I do right now is all to make you happy...

If it makes you enjoy yourself, I’ll do anything... Ah...how about this time...we roleplay as if I'm your older brother, how does that sound?

Heh... hehehe, I'm just joking... I can't mimic lord Mizuhito.......hehe...

*kiss*

Mmm... Mmm... Ah... I love you... I’ll never let you go for the rest of my life...

I swear, I’ll make you happier than anyone else in this world... more than any lady from any country...

I am... forever, your gardener, nurturing your happiness... I promise to always make beautiful flowers bloom around you...

Although... the most beautiful flower is, of course, you... my lady...

(19:25)

[impetuous-impulse]

Ruthless Representatives, Unjust Executions (3/3): Jourdan on the Death List

This is an addendum to the previous two parts of the series, which is in response to @josefavomjaaga's original post about Soult's account on Saint-Just condemning execution an artillery captain. In that post, Josefa also mentions that Soult talks about a proscription list Saint-Just had drawn up in case the French suffered defeat at Fleurus, including the commander-in-chief Jourdan and Soult himself.

I am suspicious of Soult's claim that Saint-Just had a death list he would enact in the event that Fleurus went badly, much less one with Soult's name on it. I doubt Saint-Just even acknowledged that Soult was a political threat, though the only evidence I have of this is the dearth of Soult in vol 2 of. the Œuvres completes of Saint-Just. Soult's name does not show up once, not even for promotion or praise; only that of his commander Lefebvre does. Soult's anecdote, however, led me to look into Saint-Just's correspondence with Jourdan, the other named member of this proscription list, and examine the veracity of Soult's statement regarding Jourdan. All translation errors are my own.

I think official correspondence, where one is required to be formal, rarely proves the emity between two parties unless they were spectacular rivals. That said, one would think the cordial tone Saint-Just uses when writing to Jourdan, then commanding the Army of the Moselle, would make Jourdan's inclusion in the proscription list dubious. Here is a letter of 8 priarial an II/27 May 1794, where Saint-Just broaches the idea of besieging Charleroi:

The representative of the people of the Army of the Nord to General Jourdan, commander-in-chief of the army of the Moselle. I received your various dispatches. I pray that you continue to regulate your movements with this [Saint-Just's] army; we are still following the river Sambre, today our camp occupies the Tombe. We will try to seize Charles-le-Roi; you will take, without doubt, Dinant; then a corps of the army, which we will form at Maubeuge, will march on Mons, and another on Brussels. I embrace my dear colleagues [representatives] Gillet and Duquesnoy. (p. 418)

It is impossible to deny that Saint-Just is domineering in this letter, daring to order Jourdan to do this and that when he has no military experience to justify it. Some writers, like Colonel Phipps in his series The Armies of the First Republic..., have interpreted this kind of civilian "meddling" as Saint-Just setting Jourdan up to fail. If so, the lengths Saint-Just goes to do so is odd. In Saint-Just's Œuvres, in a post-script to the letter to the Committee of Public Safety in Paris (pp. 419-420), Saint-Just mentions that he is writing to Jourdan every other day. He may have known nothing of soldiering, but being so hands-on with his correspondence implies he is rather anxious for Jourdan's success instead. (This is not to say he did not clash with Jourdan as Saint-Just tried to command him on military matters.)

Furthermore, Jourdan had survived as a commander of the Nord without death or disgrace. The Committee had already had a chance to behead him when they drew up a dimissal and arrest warrant for him. Instead, they ended up letting him go with a pension, indicating they still had trust in him.

It is also telling that, when difficulties occurred during the Siege of Charleroi, Saint-Just did not threaten Jourdan with arrest immediately. Once again, I reference Fischer's study of Jourdan during the Revolution. Fischer recounts that the revolutionary army suffered a defeat in 16 June 1794 during an Austrian army counterattack, because Lefebvre had run out of ammunition, pulled back, and Jourdan was forced to retreat (pp. 208-211). The revolutionary army suffered an estimated 3,000 to 4,000 casualties. To quote Fischer on what happened next:

Jacobin General; Jean Baptiste Jourdan and the French Revolution; 1792 - 1799. (Volumes I and II).

Jourdan's meeting with St. Just that night could not have been terribly pleasant. Although he promised the Committee that the army would take its revenge, a defeat was a defeat. Typically St. Just wanted to resume the offensive the very next day. Jourdan wished to rest the army for a few days, allowing them to replenish their provisions and ammunition. He also wished to attack elsewhere, because he was not happy with the tactical problems involved in besieging Charleroi. While he was ready to renew the offensive immediately as St. Just desired, he wrote that they "could do so more advantageously at another point." He promised to confer with St. Just and the other representatives to decide what to do. But St. Just and his colleagues were determined to continue to attack in the Charleroi sector. They granted Jourdan twenty-four hours to rest the army, and then the offensive was to recommence. (pp. 211-212)

Saint-Just, though portrayed by soldiers as guillotine-happy, did not "blow up" and condemn anyone for this seemingly random defeat. In this passage, Saint-Just does try to command Jourdan to do his bidding, but he is also capable of compromises. Lefevbre, partially responsible for the defeat, also seems to receive no consequential punishment. If Saint-Just wanted to accuse reluctant generals for cowardice and scapegoat someone for this setback, who better than Lefevbre and his chief-of-staff Soult, whose men somehow ran out of ammunition? As it stands, neither of their careers were affected by this incident.

In addition, at what points were officers more likely to be thrown in the brig or mount the scaffold? If the representatives wanted manpower, then we should note that officers were not universally condemned after a campaign when they could be substituted, nor were all the arrested universally executed. Even if they were dismissed, they could later gain employment. I think because the exceptions made more of an impression, the circulation of the executed officers' fates among the army exaggerated the (undeniable) injustice of the revolutionary military system.

In the end, after the success of Charleroi, Saint-Just gave credit to officers where it was due. While rumours swirled about Saint-Just condemning artillery captain Méras to death and threatening arrests of officers, he praised various officers, including Marescot of the artillery, in glowing terms to the Committee of Public Safety. As the Œuvres present:

On the 28th of last month, the army marched, one hour from the beginning, to meet the enemy; the enemy, at the same time, was marching on us. We met. The fog was thick; the fighting was terrible until three o'clock in the afternoon. The left, commanded by the brave General Kléber, worked wonders; general of brigade Duhesme distinguished himself there.The center fought the same way. General Dubois charged at the head of the cavalry, took five hundred prisoners, took seven pieces of cannon, and massacred seven to eight hundred men. The vanguard, commanded by General Lefebvre, had equal success and showed the same courage. A battalion of grenadiers charged the enemy cavalry three times and caused great carnage. Our gunners charged as hussars, and took back their cannons, which had been taken from them during the fog. […]  On the 30th, the siege of Charleroi was retaken with more determination than ever. The engineer officer Marescot did himself much honor by the activity with which he carried out the work. Artillery burned the city to ashes. […]  Jourdan must send you the honorable articles by which you will see that the pride of the house of Austria has come under the yoke. The prisoner garrison is three thousand men. We found fifty pieces of cannon. The place is in powder and is nothing more than a post. [...] (pp. 440-441)

As Saint-Just lauded figures he allegedly attacked, such as Marescot, and "defeated" generals such as Lefebvre, I am not particularly inclined to believe that Saint-Just was utterly ruthless. Still, a more balanced assessment of Saint-Just and Jourdan's relationship is in order. Let me close this post by quoting Fischer, who has studied this matter more in-depth:

Jourdan claimed in his memoirs that he once again felt as if he were fighting with a guillotine suspended over his head; one failure would cause the blade to fall. Undoubtedly he felt interfered with; he wrote no letters to the Committee after Fleurus praising St. Just's aid as he had after Wattignies praising Carnot's. St. Just's feelings towards Jourdan are more difficult to penetrate. At no point did he actually complain about Jourdan's generalship, indicating that perhaps their disagreements had not disturbed him as much as they had disturbed Jourdan. [...] Furthermore, St. Just was on excellent terms with Rene Gillet. It is unlikely that he would have been so friendly with such a close colleague of Jourdan if he had Jourdan marked for death. Even so it is hard to predict what would have occurred had he been defeated. St. Just might not have shown compassion for a general who had disagreed with him repeatedly, and who had compounded his sin by losing a battle. (pp. 218-219)

I hope that this series has been enjoyable to all who read it. A huge thank you to everyone who has read and supported this series, and as usual, feel free to add comments or additional information!

[solarianvoidthearoace]

Okay, okay, so–

My novel requires a re-write of the 24 chapters I already have done-ish (which aren’t even covering all the plot I have planned)

The final 6-10 chapters (not yet written, just loads of notes) are supposed to be a complete genre-swap

And I have been really into RPG-Maker type games recently

I was thinking… what I have planned as the final arc of my novel would make a fine story to be put into an RPG-Maker style basic RPG

I’m hoping RPG Maker MZ goes on sale sometime soon (maybe when Steam has its next huge sale in general)

Story summarised without spoiling too much:

Player Character (PC) & Player’s Partner (PP) are a happy couple

Evil Mother (EM) kidnaps PP

PP’s Best Friend (BF) accuses PC

PP sends a covert message to forget about them

PC and BF get into fights with each other

PC and BF stake out EM’s house

It looks like EM is brainwashing PP

PC wants to involve police

BF want to break PP out themself

Observation looks like PP is barely hanging on

PC and BF team up

Over-dramatised breakout and subsequent escaping the city

BF concedes that maybe PC is right for PP after all

The three live happily ever after

In the novel writing-notes this includes a non-amorous/ aromantic polycule and obviously none of the characters is straight (I’m a tumblr user after all)

But I figure with the drama, the fighting, the “quest” to rescue PP and everything, it would maybe make a nice little RPG and the way the story is planned for the novel, PP would be bigender (which in a game would mean the player gets to choose whether their Love Interest used “he/him” or “she/her”) and overall it’s just very queer, which could all translate into simple variations being all up to the player (like Player Character’s pronouns, Love Interest’s pronouns, type of relationship, etc.)

And I figure the sprite of the PP would get a drastic change as EM is forcing them to adapt to what she demands rather than allowing PP to be themself

Initially PP looks more androgynous (hence up to the player which pronouns are used) and after the abduction, PP would have hair cut short and forced to conform to the gender binary – I just realised, this is basically a “forced detransition” storyline, because in my OG version PP is she/he nonbinary. oof. yikes.

I’m a writer, not a game-maker or artist, though

I haven’t looked into what a basic RPG Maker game takes but would a storyline like this be of interest for anyone?

I know a few people I could ask to help with GIs and character sprites;

And I think I can figure the rest out, depending on RPG Maker’s UI

As I said, I hope RPG Maker MZ goes on sale sometime soon and that I can figure it out pretty intuitively

I know my storyboard, as a writer I tend to focus on dialogue (aka script), and I already made some notes

I want high customisation at the beginning, like, as a feature, that there are default names but the player can also choose to name the PC and PP, like how the player can pick the characters’ pronouns, because I assume that’d create some more emotional attachement

Default names I intend so far are Aleks and Emory (not related to the novel draft I pull this whole plotline from)

The first few minutes are going to be a “week” of PC interacting with PP and their shared home to also further attachment/ make the player care about the love interest; as well as adding some context on the relationship, giving the player time to figure out controls, etc.

That “first week” is supposed to include some simple choices about interacting with the love interest, emphasising the affection between PC and PP (like “cuddle on the couch”, “share food”, “join for shower”)

And I want to utilise a color filter/ overlay because the ‘secondary perspective’ relevant character is colorblind, which would be signified through that color overlay (also to make POV changes easily recognisable)

[vermillion71401]

MY REVIEW ON PSYCHO PASS PROVIDENCE- part 2

SOME ISSUES (and THOUGHTS) THAT I NEED TO ADDRESS:

I still don’t get the reason why Prof. Saiga and Prof. Stronskaya made the paper. What are they aiming with that? Did I miss something? And conflict coefficient is too much like crime coefficient. This is personal reason, but honestly conflict coefficient is much more reasonable than Sybil. At least, they don’t judge based on how cloudy people are.

I like Saiga and Kougami relationship, and for once we get to see Kougami use Keigo.

No hate, but idk some people debate over Kougami calling Frederica by her name. Akane also called her like that too, except she always use -san, like she did with Shion-san. Kougami also address Shion with her name and nothing happen. He’s just comfortable with both of them, I think. (idk how close they were, need novel)

Why Azusawa never appear on this movie? I thought since we don’t know anything about him in PP3 we somehow have explanation in PPP, with Shindou especially. Well, I despise PP3 anyway, pls don’t ask me why. I appreciate PP staff work tho.

Sugo is cute, loyal hound to his inspector. He’d make quick call, inform anything suspicious to Akane.

I find it funny Kougami act childish in this scenes:

He clearly keep his distance from Akane and div 1 after he and Akane’s convo late night call, even Saiga asked him. He only dare to look at her face again after their body almost exploded with c4, meanwhile Akane from the first time act as if nothing happen. Nice writing, I guess.

Until PPP, I think so many characters have died. And their death is almost have no meaning nor progress to the story (yet with Saiga’s case). PP is dystopian anime, I get it, the story is dark and tragic, I get it, but why they shown so many death after s1? No, it’s not meaningless, it’s actually create situation or drama (for ex Sugo killed Aoyanagi), but not with audience. They don’t make us fully feel related or attachment to the character, but suddenly they’re gone. (like entire div 3 on PP2.) This is just personal opinion, but Saiga’s death is kind of ashamed, they shouldn’t just kill him as a mere bait for Peacebreaker, it’s too bad. There’s so much potential to his character in the future instalment if they ever make one  :’(

Akane running away to fallen Saiga is kinda throw me off. Why not help Kougami or Frederica first? This is out of character. The old Akane would never.

I like that Akane bursts in front of Kougami in elevator scene. When it’s just the two of them, she actually lower her wall because in my case, I never want to cry in public or in front of strangers. Well, she cried near the fountain holo before though, but you get the point.

Kougami sympathy to Akira.

Akira is precious, that’s it. Everyone who watch it already know why.

Just for a brief second, I can see Akane’s eyes shaking when she heard Kougami’s tone on the call. She must be aware he’s in pain.

The scene where Tonami had possessed Akira, Akane could have done so much more or at least TRY something. Where’s the badass Akane we always adore?

Akane always have puppy eyes for one man and one man only. Guess who?

Those puppy eyes can kill me.

Also, I find this script is irrelevant. In the hospital, first Akane relief that Kougami is unhurt, then suddenly he said ‘my mistake’? Why is he suddenly apologize, lmao.

Sybil is a bitch. After Yabuki and Shindo’s tasks done, they told Shindo to just die. Sigh.

I HATE that Tonami has low CC. In s1, we only learn that people with low CC can’t even commit crimes except being asymptomatic, and suddenly this new villain who basically terrorist has clear hue just because he feel sympathy to low life and wants fairness for them (cmiiw). He kill people for God’s sake! This shows inconsistence of writing and will create plot hole in the future. And for Akane’s case, I tolerate it probably because Kasei isn’t actually human.

Akane is so strong, she has been shot twice by Tonami, yet she can speak clearly, even sit. Meanwhile we can find waver in Kougami’s voice on that call (he only get one bullet on his thigh.)

I find this interesting.

Akane is NOT aware that Tonami is about to shoot her. If she knows, would she see Kougami’s sin differently? But after much thought, I think it’s still wouldn’t change a thing, because she wants to arrest Tonami. But dude, Kougami shoots because he can’t lose her, if he shoots his leg or hand or whatever, anything could happen and Akane would’ve been died. If I were him, I’ll shoot his head also without hesitation. I wonder if she understand that she’s at stake.

Who transfer Sugino to SAD? Akane?

Imagine Kougami’s feeling when he can’t do anything to stop Akane. Wow.

Akane’s decision to do that is actually admirable, she honour Shindo and Akira’s death.

This is the end of my chattering. I hope I’m not seen for being a pathetic shipper. I love psycho pass as anime.

[tilbageidanmark]

Movies I watched this week (#187):

Welcome Back, Mr. McDonald (1997) is a random Japanese screwball comedy that I never heard of, and have no idea how it popped on my radar. A late night radio drama is transmitted live in a studio, and none of the voice actors is happy about the script, so they start amending it. It was so absurd and chaotic - and so funny! After laughing out loud non stop the second half of this crazy ride, it won me over. 8/10.

Later on I discovered this video essay about director Koki Mitani, calling him 'The best Japanese filmmaker you've never heard of'. I'm going to catch his other movies, f'sure f'sure.

🍿

3 by Australian stop-motion animator Adam Elliot:

🍿 "PPS. Did you know that turtles can breath through their anuses?"

Mary and Max is like a weirdly adult Wallace and Gromit, a dark and tragic clay figure story, voiced by Philip Seymour Hoffman and Toni Collette. It's my most wonderful surprising discovery of the week! Two damaged and unfortunate souls connect by becoming pen pals; a lonely Australian 8-year-old girl with an ugly birthmark on her forehead, and an obese Jewish New Yorker with Asperger's. It encompasses 20 years of outlandish long-distance emotions which ends with the acknowledgement of friendship. Absolutely magical. 10/10.

🍿 "Life is like a cigarette. Smoke it to the butt."

His 2003 Oscar winner Harvie Krumpet is another dark biography of an unfortunate character. He is born in a village in Poland to a mad woman, and suffers throughout his life with a long list of calamities, Tourette's, magnetized skull, asthma, Alzheimer's as well as generally very bad luck. It's really odd. It also involves nudism, depression, vegetarianism, and birth defects - and still ends on a oddly-positive note!

🍿 Ernie Biscuit (2015), another "differently-able" story about a "divergent" type of an unusual protagonist: A deaf, lonely Parisian taxidermist who escapes to Venice with his duck but ends up in Australia.

🍿  

The wind will carry us, my 8th drama by Iranian Abbas Kiarostami. An "engineer" comes to a distant Kurdish village, but the story, whatever it is, is not very clear, and is never fully-explained. Apparently, he's not an engineer, but a journalist, and he comes to witness the burial rituals of a very old woman. Meanwhile, she doesn't die, and he just hangs around, waiting. This is not only "Slow cinema", but also "Simple cinema", and this "primitive" village doesn't offer many clues. The roosters crow, the radio plays songs in the distant, the shepherd boy walks his goats...

🍿

2 with Simone Signoret:

🍿 Army of shadows, my 6th bleak film by J-P Melville, following a group of French resistance fighters. It's a formal, introspective and restrained picture of hopelessness, fear and destiny, and you know from the depressing look of it that none of them will survive. "Still, they persisted".

🍿 The Shortest Day (1963), my first film by Italian Sergio Corbucci, and the first with the popular comedian duo 'Franco and Ciccio' (Screenshot Above). A forgettable broad comedy about a couple of numskulls who are recruited by mistake and sent to fight in the trenches of the first World War [Like Treat Williams was in the musical 'Hair!].

This film was only memorable because it had over 50 cameos of famous stars of the day, who appeared in it (for free), some of them only for few seconds worth.

🍿

Christy Hall's superb directorial debut Daddio (2024). It's a 2-person conversation inside a NYC night cab, like a movable 'Dinner with Andre'. Talkative and foul-mouthed Sean Penn is the taxi driver and armchair psychologist and he knows how to engages passenger Dakota Johnson in an impromptu therapy session. Meanwhile, she opens up more and more and discloses personal and painful "truths" until the predictable 'reveal'. It's stagey but emotionally satisfying. 8/10. [*Female Director*]

🍿  

They shot the piano player (2023) is a Spanish animated drama about the real-life disappearance of Brazilian Bossa Nova pianist Tenório Jr. in 1976. It is hand drawn in a uniquely colorful style, and the music obviously is superb (For example, here's The trailer). But the framing devise of American journalist Jeff Goldblum, who discovers the story of and travels south to talk to musicians and family members, distracts from the emotional impact that could have been achieved. It ends up spending much time about the American-financed 'Operation Condor', which turned nearly all of South America into a cabal of murderous right-wing dictatorships, with thousands murdered and 'disappeared'.

(I saw it in the original Portuguese - with Arabic subtitles! - so I missed many details of the story.) 7/10.

🍿

2 with Icelandic Egill Ólafsson:

🍿 Touch, my 4th emotional film directed by Baltasar Kormákur. Ólafsson is an old man with a very early onset Alzheimer, who has to put his affairs in order. So he shuts down his restaurant, and embarks on finding his long-lost love from 50+ years ago. It brings him back to London where he had learnt to cook at a Japanese restaurant, and then to Hiroshima, where he finally meets his old lover.

🍿 Children of nature was the only Icelandic film nominated for an Oscar (in 1991). Interestingly, it also tells a story of an old man at the end of his life, who dares to do one crazy thing before the curtain falls. A man finds himself in a retirement home, where meets an old girlfriend. They decide to steal a Jeep and drive back to die in the place of their youth. 8/10.

🍿  

I enjoyed the original 'That's entertainment' very much, and promised myself to watch the sequel (there were two). Like 99% of all sequels,That's Entertainment, Part 2 is a copy of a much lower quality. Still, it includes dozens and dozens of clips from old MGM classics, many of which I haven't seen before (Young Bob Fosse in tight tights tap-dancing with Ann Miller in 'Kiss me Kate', human pogo stick Bobbie Van...) It felt though like somebody just threw together a 2-hour YouTube compilation of excellent highlights.

🍿

"My name? Enema Bag Jones!..."

The wrong guy is my first Dave Foley goofy, low-brow comedy (1997). It opens with a faux-Saul Bass and James Bond title sequence, and the first 10 minutes are cringeyly stupid! But then it shifts into a idiotic Hitchcock satire -an exceedingly funny and moronic Hitchcock satire - with joke after really idiotic joke that made me laugh out loud. He plays an over-the-top moron, and Jennifer Tilly plays a dumb narcoleptic farm girl and they do it so straight, it was a big surprise. 4/10.

🍿  

"Two Tati’s":

🍿 School for postmen (1947), Jacques Tati's first film. A perfect gem of comedic genius, which he expanded 2 years later into his first feature, 'Jour de fête'. Absolutely masterful. 10/10. Re-watch ♻️.

🍿 House Specialty ('Dégustation Maison, 1978) is a lovely short directed by Tati's daughter, Sophie Tatischeff, in the same village where he filmed 'Jour de fête' 30 years earlier. A day in the life of a little patisserie where all the pastries are loaded with liqueur. I just loved it! [*Female Director*]

🍿  

Through an eclectic reviewer on Letterboxd, I discovered Hamburger America, a so-so documentary about "different kinds" of burgers. (In 71 years I never ate a hamburger, and I will probably not have one in the next 71 years. But I love food, and I also cooked professionally for 10 years. Still I really cannot understand the concept of a burger, chopped beef, a bun, a slice of tomato, lettuce, and some mayonnaise. How did that ever become so iconic?)

🍿  

Another bunch of (mostly early-career) shorts:

🍿 Hypnotizing the Hypnotist (1911) was just a 1-reeler about hypnotism, a popular topic of the time. With Florence Turner, one of the early "stars" of the screen.

🍿 The Madness of Dr. Tube (1915), my first by Abel Gance. A (literal 'Egghead') mad-scientist discovers a cocaine-like powder, which causes those who are sprayed with it to experience hallucinogenic visions as if their bodies - and minds - are distorted, like in a crazed mirror house. The restored copy is exceptionally clear! (I didn't realize that Gance made movies up until 1967.)

🍿 Over the fence, Harold Lloyd's very first outing (1917), a debut of his 'Glasses' character. A cute baseball comedy that maintained its zest.

🍿  À propos de Nice, (1930), Jean Vigo's first documentary. It opens as an impressionistic time capsule, of the sights and people, with lots of overhead shots, upper class folks walking down the promenade, the carnival, casinos, and fancy cars. But then it turns into a surrealistic metaphor, with a sitting woman losing her cloths, feet losing their shoes, open manhole shot from below, and a man turns into a crocodile. An experimental tour.

🍿 The wagoner ("Borom Sarret", 1963), my first terrific film by Senegalese director Sembène Ousmane - possibly the first African film made by an African. A powerful and sad story about a poor man in Dakar trying to earn a meager living as a cart driver. 9/10.

🍿 Foutaises ("Things I like, things I hate"), is another of my frequent and beloved re-watches ♻️. Jean-Pierre Jeunet's very first film (1989), a condensed black and white precursor to Amélie. 8 minutes of perfection.

🍿 Like the Tati film above, the 2013 short Whiplash was the original proof of concept on which Damien Chazelle based his feature film debut the following year. And like the later Whiplash, the abusive psychopath J.K. Simmons holds zero appeal for me. Technically, this 18-min. short is as effective as the later one. 🍿  Linklater: On Cinema and Time (2013) is a visual essay that Kogonada made to accompany a philosophical BFI article he wrote about time and memory. I like Kogonada very much, but this reminds me why I didn’t care for ‘Before Sunrise’.

🍿 "Look at all that wasted space". In Negative Space a boy bonds with his traveling businessman dad by packing his suitcase. Oscar nominated in 2017. 💯 score on Rotten Tomatoes. [*Female Director*]

🍿 In Kiss of the Rabbit God (2019) a young waiter at an ordinary Chinese restaurant falls in love with a gorgeous, ethereal, neon-haired deity from the 18th century. A gay sexual hook-up in the back of the kitchen between two young guys, one of whom is an ancient God.

🍿 "Lean into loneliness and know you're not alone in it".

How to be at home, (2020) a Canadian instruction manual of how to deal with Covid social isolation, based on a poem by Tanya Davis. (Via). [*Female Director*]

🍿  Tall, dark and handsome (2023), my 3rd film by Sam Baron and the third starring 'Big Ears' Amit Shah. An Indian guy dating a white British woman (They're even expecting a baby together), becomes insecure when he discovers that she had dated several other Indian guys before him. Heartbreaking ending. 8/10.

🍿  

And finally: Timelapse of the Future: A Journey to the End of Time (2019) is a highly speculative documentary made by an astronomer about the end of "Time". Because I have no knowledge about the subject, it may or may not be scientifically plausible, as it talks about events that will happen trillions and trillions years into the future, but it mentions red and white dwarfs, pulsars, degenerate matters, Hawkins radiation, Black Hole Era, dark energy, entropy and unstable protons. All the while it plays various scenarios with creepy stock music, Kubrick's Stargate, and psychedelic graphics. Mmmmm....

Spoiler Alert: The universe will end in the year one googol.

🍿  

(My complete movie list is here).

[mommyzhilla]

Bad Buddy and its aftereffects

Disclaimer: this is just going to be a word vomit. Something I had been meaning to do since ages but being down with flu finally gave me the time and mindspace to do it.

My first tryst with Thai BLs started with Love By Chance and I tried.. I really tried.. but the script.. the acting were just not clicking with me.

Then came the wave of 2gether the series and that was much better.. I was at least able to complete watching the first season even though I didnt get the hype around it.. It was my second time giving up..

My third effort was ITSAY and gosh what a show that was.. I was recommending it to anyone who would listen to me gush about Billkin and PP and the director. The show was heavy on my heart.. I needed to brace myself every time I wanted to rewatch it.. I guess I have rewatched it 3 or 4 times in all these years.. It just is that emotionally heavy show for me.

But the music.. Gosh the music.. the songs.. Billkin's voice.. When I tell u Skyline and untold answer were on repeat.. Specially untold answer.. I still listen to it..

Despite my love for ITSAY and my tolerance for IPYTM.. I again took a break from Thai BLs.. and BLs in general..

Throwback to exactly 1 year back.. When I rediscovered thai BLs... let me be specific.. I discovered Bad Buddy..

My first watch.. awesome.. loved it.. listened to the songs a bit..

my bestie then suggested me Not me.. kinnporsche.. eclipse.. liked them all.. and I thought thats it..

But then I rewatched Bad Buddy.. and rewatched it the next time.. and the next.. I was literally rewatching those 12 episodes almost till April and May of this year.. for almost 6 months.. I didnt consume bad buddy.. bad buddy consumed me..

I was watching MSP and never let me go and other BLs too.. but an episode of bad buddy everyday became a need.. and this perplexed me.. I kept on having conversations with my bestie about my obsession with Bad Buddy. This level of obsession.. where I was crying listening to the BGM.. crying over a 3 min trailer.. after watching the show multiple times.. had never happened to me ever..

And apart from all this.. bad buddy was responsible for a couple of firsts for me.. first time joined tumblr.. for bad buddy.. explored ao3 and read way too many pat pran fanfics.. and also made me explore Thai music.. and my spotify wrapped is the proof.. its full of thai songs.. Bad buddy instrumental BGM.. is in my top songs..

I guess the obsession was a consequence of my failed past relationship.. which finally ended right around the time I discovered Bad buddy.. where things were very similar.. I used to call him soulmate.. but family issues made us break up after 10 yrs.. Every time I rewatch ep 11.. where Pat says to Pran that you dont leave me and fight alongside me.. I cry buckets over this one scene.. coz I didnt have anyone to fight alongside me.. may be its that.. may be it was the characters.. may be it was the magic created by p'aof.. but somewhere.. something struck such a cord that the show still has the ability to bring out emotions that I didn't know existed.. I always describe it as emotions bubbling and trying hard to break the wall and spill all over.. thats what I feel.. and sometimes they spill over.. and m left a crying mess.. No other show has made me feel this way.. No other form of media has made me feel this way.

Is the obsession still there? Not as much.. I still love a good patpran fanfic.. My top song is Just friends by Nanon which I listen to this day.. I still cry over the instrumental BGM.. But I no longer have to watch bad buddy every single day..

I dont know how much bad buddy has helped me overcome my past.. but I know its still a safe space I can visit when things get tough.. Funny how a random piece of media can have such an important share in your life.. A random show on the internet can heal you more than the living people around you.

Now that I have talked about it so much.. I may as well watch ep 6 (3/4).. fyi.. that beach scene is my fav..

P.S.. I know there would be typos and errors but I am not going to read it all back else I will not have the courage to post this.