#terrence x wesley

[gaykey]

terrence & wesley spin-off when?

[happy-xy]

GAMEBOYS THE MOVIE (2021) Directed by Ivan Andrew Payawal

[youdontloveme-yet]

"Is this what you want?"

[accidentalrabbit]

GAMEBOYS

(special ep. "Alt.Gameboys" + film)

Philippines 2020-21

RANK: A

A-pairing: Cairo x Gavreel

B-pairing: Terrence x Wesley

Other character(s) i enjoyed: Pearl, Achilles

Overall review:

Confession: I didn't like the series very much, for reasons to be explored later. I inexplicably gave the movie a chance anyway, and oh man. I'm glad i did. It's beautifully shot, and the story is a major improvement on a couple characters while raising the stakes.

Starting with Alt.Gameboys, which serves as kind of an exploration of Wesley and Terrence's relationship: It's cute! It doesn't do too much, but it introduces the character of Achilles, who is great, and it complicates Terrence's character a bit, from irritating antagonist to penitent chaos demon, which is a massive improvement. Terrence and Wesley are cute in the movie too, and they work oddly well as a couple, which i am mostly chalking up to the actors—particularly for Wesley, who has a surprising puppy-dog charm.

Our lead couple, of course, remains Cairo and Gavreel, who are navigating domesticity in a rented house before Cai has to move. Cai remains equally compelling from the series, and Gav's character is immeasurably improved. I enjoyed watching them being sweet and awkward with each other, and i also enjoyed how their week together is interrupted by a drunk Terrence and fawning Wesley. Throughout the movie their communication skills and capacity for honesty keep improving, and it's so nice to watch them be genuinely kind and thoughtful and not fight constantly over bullshit. A shame that character growth happened offscreen. We'll get to it.

When Gav's aunt comes to the house unexpectedly, it starts as pure hilarity thanks to the dramatic irony. She is very homophobic in a religiously-motivated way, and she is now stuck in a house with FOUR GAY/BI MEN. At one point they're even all sitting around the table having dinner and the dramatic irony is too much to handle. Obviously she sucks, but i could not stop laughing at the fact that she has zero idea that everyone at that table has, directly or indirectly, swapped spit. Eventually she does get chewed out by Gav and Cai for her grandstanding Catholic bullshit, which is deeply emotionally satsifying.

Unfortunately, the homophobic auntie also comes bearing the news that Gavreel's sick, nonhomophobic auntie wants him to come to New York. I was kind of surprised that the major conflict was essentially identical to that of the series, only much bigger, but it works better here, as Gav actually has a major choice to make regarding whether he stays or goes. His ultimate decision to leave is not a foregone conclusion, which says a lot more about his character.

I love that the narrative invents a fairly transparent excuse for Pearl and Achilles to come over to the Gay House and throw a party. Their characters give life, and i relish in the dramatic tension between Achilles and Terrence.

It sounds crass, but Cai and Gav's sex scene is mind-blowing. The scene itself isnt explicit, but they do explicitly use condoms and they do clearly flip-fuck. I'm still in awe of how beautifully shot and tender it is, how it aims to reinforce the norm of condom usage for gay and bisexual men, and how quickly it shuts down the idea that men must have fixed positions related to personality type or adherence to masculinity. It is possibly the sexiest sex scene in anything i've seen because of these elements, and i don't know that there's much more to say about it.

The ending hurts! It hurts. Gav going to America sucks, and not just because America sucks. This is one of only a handful of BLs that have a sad/open ending that i can still enjoy because everything else just works so well. And i'm sure Cai and Gav can make it work. Whether the writers will let them remains to be seen.

I had a good time, but:

Alt.Gameboys and Gameboys The Movie suffer from the major problem of feeling incomplete, even putting aside the fact that i'm leaving out the parent series. There are a handful of moments in the movie where it suggests interactions happened offscreen between some combination of Terrence, Wesley, Achilles, and potentially even Pearl, and the narrative doesn't fill in all of the gaps. It's possible, then, that the movie is just a condensed version of the alleged second season of the series, which is allegedly supposed to come out eventually, or it could just be an occasional slip in the writing or editing, or both.

A minor pet peeve: I don't like that this story canonically happens in a universe where the pandemic is identical to the one happening in our world, yet every (very recognizable) social media platform they use to communicate has a different, sillier name. Just say Facebook with your chest!

And to be honest, the film could have used 5% more of Terrence and Wesley being cute together. I really like their characters' dynamic.

Unfortunately, you have been chopped: Gameboys (2020, parent story/prequel), Pearl Next Door (2020, sidequel).

Fine, we can talk about the elephant in the room. I didn't like Gameboys (series), and i don't think you need it to enjoy the story told in Alt.Gameboys and the movie. In fact, i like it better when i disregard what happened entirely. The one thing i will say is that the series is at least middlingly enjoyable (let's say B-tier cute) until Wesley arrives, at which point all the reasons i dislike Gavreel (series) are exponentially magnified.

Similarly to Nubsib in Lovely Writer (2021), Gavreel (series) is jealous, clingy, invasive, and entitled. At first it's not obvious, manifesting in ways that might be mistaken for charming, like when he pesters Cairo, a streamer he does not know, into entertaining him, which escalates into constant messages, demands to be called pet names, and sending things to his home address—none of which the narrative asks the audience to question. Serial Killer Tease™, but played largely straight. I watched it all with hope, foolishly thinking that at some point the series would surely have to wrestle with this in order to set up a relationship we could root for. And Pearl is here! We love Pearl!

But already there were signs this is not the series for me. There are long, objectifying, male-gazey sequences of Gavreel and Terrence that i don't love. Terrence does something heinous and doesn't apologize to Cairo. Cairo's dad dies of covid and he blames himself, and i struggle to emotionally endure a story that feels haunted by major character death. But i pressed on. They're kinda cute when they're getting along!

And then Wesley arrives, and Gavreel (series)'s casual cruelty bursts forth very unexpectedly. He takes every opportunity to belittle, body shame, and insult Cairo's best friend out of irrational jealousy, outs and mocks him for having an unspoken crush on Cairo, and then uses him as an excuse to talk to Terrence, his ex who insulted the memory of his dead grandmother to manipulate his boyfriend. And the series says all of this is reasonable behavior because Gavreel (series) is sad about their upcoming long-distance relationship, like Cairo's feelings about having to move and his father dying matter less. Shaking and throwing up. Then they cry, kiss, make up (without an apology) and eat pizza, and that's more or less where it ends!

So to recap: The series gives me one thing i really like (abundant Pearl screentime) that isn't in the movie, and then couples it with a bunch of things that completely negate my desire to root for the lead couple. In contrast, Alt.Gameboys takes everything i like about Terrence and Wesley, summarizes what they did in the series, and imbues them with surprising chemistry. Then, in the movie, absolutely none of the shitty parts of the series matter anymore. Gavreel (movie) retains the gregarious charm and Big Feelings of Gavreel (series), but none of what he does is giving Serial Killer Tease™; his jealousy, rage toward Wesley, and pushiness are completely gone. Everyone is friendlier, Wesley's crush on Cairo never matters again, the camera is softer, the writing is smarter, and the death of Cairo's dad feels less immediate. My enjoyment immediately increases 500%. Cairo x Gavreel (movie) makes so much more sense than Cairo x Gavreel (series), and that makes it genuinely heartbreaking when they have to be separated this time. If i rated the movie together with the series, it would feel unfair to have it dragged down. The movie deserves its A-tier placement; the parent story is generously a C-tier experience in my opinion, and largely in spite of one of its leads.

As for Pearl Next Door, it's a bit bittersweet because while i love bisexual heroine Pearl and i want to watch her explore different relationships, i don't really like the other characters the series introduces, and i think the writing and the edit are much weaker in terms of character development and consistency.

Character(s) entitled to financial compensation: We have a rare three-way tie here: Gavreel, who has to move to America (derogatory), Cairo, who is suddenly in a much longer distance relationship than he ever expected, and Achilles, who has to deal with chaos demon and unintentional emotional terrorist Terrence.

The heartwrenching open-ending of our lead couple speaks for itself. Achilles, on the other hand, deserves a little more attention. It has to be hard to be told by your ex that you could have worked out if he were ready to live his truth, and then turn around and see him dating another guy. And we'll keep it a buck fifty: It's because Achilles is femme. Gender diverse characters always seem to get the raw end of the deal in this genre, but i at least appreciate that he gets to be a full character with feelings that matter. I hope we get more of his story in a potential sequel.

Conclusion: Alt.Gameboys and Gameboys The Movie show a surprisingly transgressive and largely self-contained narrative that, in my opinion, surpasses the parent series in terms of the excellent camerawork, emotionally resonant storyline, and improved characterization. If you share my tastes, these parts of the Gameboys universe are more easily enjoyed when divorced from their relationship to earlier story beats, and if you don't, i would still recommend watching them together with the rest of the series, as they are very funny, round out the side characters considerably, and dramatically up the stakes of the lead couple's relationship. And who knows if it's actually coming, but perhaps the second season of Gameboys (or another sequel film) will answer some questions raised by the movie and give us more of the characters we love.

And if you're getting tired of the hold this genre has on you, don't fret: A Man Who Defies the World of BL (2021) is on the way to deconstruct everything!

[longinglook]

cai and gav | alt gameboys

[blboys-kissing-boys]

30 Day BL Challenge- Day 11: Favorite Cast

A little late today didn't plan ahead.

I have to give it to these guys!! I loved every bit of Game Boys and the movie. I don't know where to begin like I really love this cast. They do everything so well, I really see the chemistry between all of them. The boys even did a few tiktoks together. They all have great chemistry. I am not sure what to say because they just are my favorite cast. I just felt for each and every role these people played and I cannot wait for season 2!!

[imfluffytrash]

I can't ship Achilles with Terrence because I'm into Wesley x Terrence a lot more, but Achilles seems a good person and I hope he gets a partner!

Also I love how Gameboys is slowly creating an universe with so many lgbt+ characters, they make me so happy

[bengiyo]

BL Round-Up #4

I wanted to get one of these out before the wave of weekend shows aired since we have the premiere of My Only 12% and The Eclipse.

As before, I’ll go in my order of ratings.

Minato Shouji Coin Laundry aka Minato’s Laundromat (GagaOOlala) 10 - We’re up to episode 7 now, and I like Shin’s forward nature so much. Now that he’s 18, Minato doesn’t have that as a potential objection anymore. As such, Shin asked for what he wanted. It was such a big moment that Minato didn’t even advertise the laundromat heading into next week.

I love that Shin has the love and admiration of his siblings, and the fact that he’s basically raised his siblings adds another dynamic to his character. He’s been carrying a major set of responsibilities for a long time in a way that I don’t think Minato has. I still don’t think I want them to be together now, and am curious how Minato will convince Shin to let him go.

Additionally, loving the crumbs of Asuka and Shuu. I have no idea what will happen there, but as someone who has worked with young people a lot throughout my life I feel for Shuu the most. This many kids sniffing around you can be deeply troubling.

Gameboys 2 (GagaOOlala via VPN) 9.5 - I actually held off writing this until we moved past the content with Aunt Susan because of how explicitly vile she is. I was chatting with a friend about the family politics, because I am convinced that Aunt Susan resents Gav’s grandmother for leaving all of her wealth to Gav. I think she wants Gav to go to America so she can take over the house and his rentals. Unlike with the Gameboys movie, I’m relieved that we’ve had time for Terrence and Wesley to get more development. These guys are really young, and I am regularly reminded of that because of the things they feel. Everything is so raw and new for them.

We finally reached the Gav breakdown. I don’t like to see the characters suffer, but I do love when the sunshine character breaks and the grumpy one has to care for them. Very excited about the fight between Achilles and Wesley next week!

21 Days Theory (Rookie Thailand YouTube) 8.5 - FINALLY! A spiritual successor to Make It Right that looks good (sideeyes Thank God It’s Friday). I have said I’m over school set shows and this show arrived to call me a liar! I love it! I love that X knows how adults perceive him and actively uses that to manipulate adults. This looks like it’s going to be messy the way only high school boys can be and I am totally here for it. Like @absolutebl, I will never apologize for my love of Make It Right.

Coffee Melody (Viki) 8.5 - I did not like Duen Yi this week, but I like that the narrative thus far seems to know that he’s a spoiled brat with little regard for others. Plengruk has made his attitude about starting a relationship clear from the beginning, and it was so wrong to call him selfish for not wanting to give more than he has already offered. I don’t care how good the dick game is; Plengruk has not misled Duen Yi once. I need to see Duen Yi apologize to Plengruk.

Not sure what’s going on long-term for the boy with the pink hair. Hoping we pick up with the scene in the family home next week, because I want to see how the parents treat Ai after this confrontation.

Papa & Daddy Season 2 (Gaga) 8.5 - My domestic gays are back and it’s such a mess! I’m not enjoying the way Jimmy and Kate have forced Damien and Jerry back into the closet, but I do like that there’s a complexity to it all. It is also deeply sad that they forced Kai to participate in this. I am enjoying myself, however, because I love blended family stories. Jimmy and Jerry connecting is everything for me, but I do feel bad for Kate that she flew all the way to Taiwan to get rejected by her son (who she has raised alone this whole time). Not looking forward to Jerry’s parents pushing him to have a biological child soon.

I am always advocating for people to watch What Did You Eat Yesterday? and am so glad Taiwan took their own crack at long-term domesticity as the leader of gay marriage.

Vice Versa (GMMTV YouTube) 8.5 - I am struggling with Puen, because so much of him feels artificial. I don’t think he fully appreciates how seriously Talay takes their responsibility to the bodies and lives they’re currently occupying. I sometimes think the show is doing a disservice to Talay because we haven’t seen Ohm and Nanon in a while. How can we root for these guys to have intimate moments when they aren’t in their real bodies? At what point do we accept that this is now their bodies? It’s an unexpected turn. I did not expect this to join Minato’s Laundromat in making me want the leads to NOT engage in intimacy at this time.

Love Mechanics (WeTV) 8 - I have said mess really isn’t my thing. While I didn’t hate Mark teaming up with his ex to push Vee away, I continue to lament how long this show is. I just think that with Japan and Korea doing so much with 25-30 minutes, these slow-paced Thai shows aren’t going to do it for me as much anymore.

War of Y (AIS Play Youtube $$) 8 - I have conflicted feelings about Billy and Seng being paired in this show, but I am glad that Seng gets to play a character under so much social media scrutiny. He’s received unkind comments online for years, and it’s interesting that he’s playing back-to-back character suffering under the weight of public expectation. Surprise appearing in the show was unexpected, and it illicit immediate strong feelings about how flimsy most BL ships actually are, what with his character being immediately paired with Pharaoh.

I’m not taking this frustration out on my rating, but I do think I’m going to possibly drop this show because of the subtitles situation. There is just too much critical information being delivered via untranslated text for me to fully enjoy the experience.

Senpai, This Can’t Be Love! (Gaga or Viki) 7 - This show really let me down in episode 7. I’ve already been frustrated with the weird motion issues I’m having on my TV with this show on Gaga and Viki, and then they totally botch the year apart for me. I hate that these two clearly haven’t spoken in a year, and it really just killed the vibe. I’ll be relieved when this wraps tomorrow, and I hope that Takara-kun to Amagi-kun is better next week.

On Cloud 9 (Mind Trio YouTube) 5 - I’m dropping this. I love atmospheric and moody BL, but I need a plot or theme to follow.

Not BL

I feel like there’s a lot here to cover.

Extraordinary Attorney Woo (Netflix) 10 - I continue to have a great time with this show, and am still here with the current conflicts. I feel like I talk to @kyr-kun-chan about this show almost every day now. I’m actually kinda sad that it’s ending next week.

Kingdom (Netflix) 10 - I watched both seasons and the movie. This was such a great experience. I don’t know that the Game of Thrones comparison is necessarily a great one, but this has been the best use of zombies I’ve seen in a long time. The ending of the second season was so unexpected for me that I will be forever disappointed if we don’t follow up on this show.

The Silent Sea (Netflix) 9 - I really miss this kind of narrow sci-fi. I loved all of the ideas just thrown at the wall of this show and how earnestly everyone played their roles. Everyone understood that sci-fi characters are archetypes that stand in for various social commentary and fully leaned in. Also, Gong Yoo is just so fine. I will continue to watch the Bae Doona shows on Netflix.

The Sandman (Netflix) 8 - I’m not a Gaiman fan, but I do like his ideas around anthropomorphizing concepts into people. I’m about two episodes in, but have been too busy to really commit more time. It’s intriguing to watch, but I’m not gripped.

[unknown-songs]

BLACK LIVES MATTER

A list with black artists who have a song in the Unknown Songs That Should Be Known-playlist (Can be a black artist in a band or just solo-artist) (no specific genre)

Bull’s Eye - Blacknuss, Prince Prime - Funk Aftershow - Joe Fox - Alternative Hip-hop Strangers in the Night - Ben L’Oncle Soul - Soul Explore - Mack Wilds - R&B Something To Do - IGBO - Funk

Down With The Trumpets - Rizzle Kicks - Pop Dans ta ville - Dub Inc. - Reggae Dance or Die - Brooklyn Funk Essentials - Funk FACELESS - The PLAYlist, Glenn Lewis - R&B Tell Me Father - Jeangu Macrooy - Soul

Southern Boy - John The Conquerer - Blues Hard Rock Savannah Grass - Kes - Dancehall Dr. Funk - The Main Squeeze - Funk Seems I’m Never Tired of Loving You - Lizz Wright - Jazz Out of My Hands - TheColorGrey, Oddisee - Hip-Hop/Pop

Raised Up in Arkansas - Michael Burks - Blues Black Times - Sean Kuti, Egypt 80, Carlos Santana - Afrobeat Cornerstone - Benjamin Clementine - Indie Shine On - R.I.O., Madcon - Electronic Pop Bass On The Line - Bernie Worrell - Funk

When We Love - Jhené Aiko - R&B Need Your Love - Curtis Harding - Soul Too Dry to Cry - Willis Earl Beal - Folk Your House - Steel Pulse - Reggae Power - Moon Boots, Black Gatsby - Deep House

Vinyl Is My Bible - Brother Strut - Funk Diamond - Izzy Biu - R&B Elusive - blackwave., David Ngyah - Hip-hop Don’t Ever Let Nobody Drag Your Spirit Down - Heritage Blues Orchestra - Blues Sastanàqqàm - Tinariwen - Psychedelic Rock

Disco To Go - Brides of Funkenstein - Funk/Soul Circles - Durand Jones & The Indications - Retro Pop Cheesin’ - Cautious Clay, Remi Wolf, sophie meiers - R&B Changes - Charles Bradley - Soul The Sweetest Sin - RAEVE - House

Gyae Su - Pat Thomas, Kwashibu Area Band - Funk What Am I to Do - Ezra Collective, Loyle Carner - Hip-hop Get Your Groove On - Cedric Burnside - Blues Old Enough To Know Better - Steffen Morrisson - Soul Wassiye - Habib Koité - Khassonke musique

Dance Floor - Zapp - Funk Wake Up - Brass Against, Sophia Urista - Brass Hard-Rock BIG LOVE - Black Eyed Peas - Pop The Greatest - Raleigh Ritchie - R&B DYSFUNCTIONAL - KAYTRANADA, VanJess - Soul

See You Leave - RJD2, STS, Khari Mateen - Hip-hop Sing A Simple Song - Maceo Parker - Jazz/Funk Have Mercy - Eryn Allen Kane - Soul Homenage - Brownout - Latin Funk Can’t Sleep - Gary Clark Jr. - Blues Rock

Toast - Koffee - Dancehall Freedom - Ester Dean - R&B Iskaba - Wande Coal, DJ Tunez - Afropop High Road - Anthony Riley - Alternative Christian Sunny Days - Sabrina Starke - Soul

The Talking Fish - Ibibio Sound Machine - Funk Paralyzed - KWAYE - Indie Purple Heart Blvd - Sebastian Kole - Pop WORSHIP - The Knocks, MNEK - Deep House BMO - Ari Lennox - R&B

Promises - Myles Sanko - Soul .img - Brother Theodore - Funk Singing the Blues - Ruthie Foster, Meshell Ndegeocello - Blues Nobody Like You - Amartey, SBMG, The Livingtons - Hip-hop Starship - Afriquoi, Shabaka Hutchings, Moussa Dembele - Deep House

Lay My Troubles Down - Aaron Taylor - Funk  Bloodstream - Tokio Myers - Classic Sticky - Ravyn Lenae - R&B Why I Try - Jalen N’Gonda - Soul Motivation - Benjamin Booker - Folk

quand c’est - Stromae - Pop Let Me Down (Shy FX Remix) - Jorja Smith, Stormzy, SHY FX - Reggae Funny - Gerald Levert - R&B Salt in my Wounds - Shemekia Copeland - Blues Our Love - Samm Henshaw - Soul

Make You Feel That Way - Blackalicious - Jazz Hip-hop Knock Me Out - Vintage Trouble - Funk Take the Time - Ronald Bruner, Jr., Thundercat - Alternative Thru The Night - Phonte, Eric Roberson - R&B Keep Marchin’ - Raphael Saadiq - Soul

Shake Me In Your Arms - Taj Mahal, Keb’ Mo’ - Blues Meet Me In The Middle - Jodie Abascus - Pop Raise Hell - Sir the Baptist, ChurchPpl - Gospel Pop Mogoya - Oumou Sangaré - Wassoulou Where’s Yesterday - Slakah The Beatchild - Hip-hop

Lose My Cool - Amber Mark - R&B New Funk - Big Sam’s Funky Nation - Funk I Got Love - Nate Dogg - Hip-hop Nothing’s Real But Love - Rebecca Ferguson - Soul Crazy Race - The RH Factor - Jazz

Spies Are Watching Me - Voilaaa, Sir Jean - Funk The Leaders - Boka de Banjul - Afrobeat Fast Lane - Rationale - House Conundrum - Hak Baker - Folk Don’t Make It Harder On Me - Chloe x Halle - R&B

Plastic Hamburgers - Fantastic Negrito - Hardrock Beyond - Leon Bridges - Pop God Knows - Dornik - Soul Soleil de volt - Baloji - Afrofunk Do You Remember - Darryl Williams, Michael Lington - Jazz Get Back - McClenney - Alternative Three Words - Aaron Marcellus - Soul

Spotify playlist 

In memory of:

Aaron Bailey Adam Addie Mae Collins Ahmaud Arbery Aiyana Stanley Jones Akai Gurley Alberta Odell Jones Alexia Christian Alfonso Ferguson Alteria Woods Alton Sterling Amadou Diallo Amos Miller Anarcha Westcott Anton de Kom Anthony Hill Antonio Martin Antronie Scott Antwon Rose Jr. Arthur St. Clair Atatiana Jefferson Aubrey Pollard Aura Rosser Bennie Simons Berry Washington Bert Dennis Bettie Jones Betsey Billy Ray Davis Bobby Russ Botham Jean Brandon Jones Breffu Brendon Glenn Breonna Taylor Bud Johnson Bussa

Calin Roquemore Calvin McDowell Calvin Mike and his family Carl Cooper Carlos Carson Carlotta Lucumi Carol Denise McNair Carol Jenkins Carole Robertson Charles Curry Charles Ferguson Charles Lewis Charles Wright Charly Leundeu Keunang Chime Riley Christian Taylor Christopher Sheels Claude Neal Clementa Pickney Clifford Glover Clifton Walker Clinton Briggs Clinton R. Allen Cordella Stevenson Corey Carter Corey Jones Cynthia Marie Graham Hurd Cynthia Wesley

Daniel L. Simmons Danny Bryant Darius Randell Robinson Darius Tarver Darrien Hunt Darrius Stewart David Felix David Joseph David McAtee David Walker and his family Deandre Brunston Deborah Danner Delano Herman Middleton Demarcus Semer Demetrius DuBose Depayne Middleton-Doctor Dion Johnson Dominique Clayton Dontre Hamilton Dred Scott

Edmund Scott Ejaz Choudry Elbert Williams Eleanor Bumpurs Elias Clayton Elijah McClain Eliza Woods Elizabeth Lawrence Elliot Brooks Ellis Hudson Elmer Jackson Elmore Bolling Emantic Fitzgerald Bradford Jr. Emmett Till Eric Garner Eric Harris Eric Reason Ernest Lacy Ernest Thomas Ervin Jones Eugene Rice Eugene Williams Ethel Lee Lance Ezell Ford

Felix Kumi Frank Livingston Frank Morris Frank Smart Frazier B. Baker Fred Hampton Fred Rochelle Fred Temple Freddie Carlos Gray Jr.

George Floyd George Grant George Junius Stinney Jr. George Meadows George Waddell George Washington Lee Gregory Gunn

Harriette Vyda Simms Moore Harry Tyson Moore Hazel “Hayes” Turner Henry Ezekial Smith Henry Lowery Henry Ruffin Henry Scott Hosea W. Allen

India Kager Isaac McGhie Isadore Banks Italia Marie Kelly

Jack Turner Jamar Clark Jamel Floyd James Byrd Jr. James Craig Anderson James Earl Chaney James Powell James Ramseur James Tolliver James T. Scott Janet Wilson Jason Harrison Javier Ambler J.C. Farmer Jemel Roberson Jerame Reid Jesse Thornton Jessie Jefferson Jim Eastman Joe Nathan Roberts John Cecil Jones John Crawford III John J. Gilbert John Ruffin John Taylor Johnny Robinson Jonathan Ferrell Jonathan Sanders Jordan Edwards Joseph Mann Julia Baker Julius Jones July Perry Junior Prosper

Kalief Browder Karvas Gamble Jr. Keith Childress, Jr. Kelly Gist Kelso Benjamin Cochrane Kendrick Johnson Kenneth Chamberlain Sr. Kenny Long Kevin Hicks Kevin Matthews Kiwane Albert Carrington

Lacy Mitchell Lamar Smith Laquan McDonald Laura Nelson Laura Wood L.B. Reed L.D. Nelson Lemuel Penn Lemuel Walters Leonard Deadwyler Leroy Foley Levi Harrington Lila Bella Carter Lloyd Clay Louis Allen Lucy

M.A. Santa Cruz Maceo Snipes Malcom X Malice Green Malissa Williams Manuel Ellis Marcus Deon Smith Marcus Foster Marielle Franco Mark Clark Maria Martin Lee Anderson Martin Luther King Jr. Matthew Avery Mary Dennis Mary Turner Matthew Ajibade May Noyes Mckenzie Adams Medgar Wiley Evers Michael Brown Michael Donald Michael Griffith Michael Lee Marshall Michael Lorenzo Dean Michael Noel Michael Sabbie Michael Stewart Michelle Cusseaux Miles Hall Moses Green Mya Hall Myra Thompson

Nathaniel Harris Pickett Jr. Natasha McKenna Nicey Brown Nicholas Heyward Jr.

O’Day Short family Orion Anderson Oscar Grant III Otis Newsom

Pamela Turner Paterson Brown Jr. Patrick Dorismond Philando Castile Phillip Pannell Phillip White Phinizee Summerour

Quaco

Ramarley Graham Randy Nelson Raymond Couser Raymond Gunn Regis Korchinski-Paquet Rekia Boyd Renisha McBride Riah Milton Robert Hicks Robert Mallard Robert Truett Rodney King Roe Nathan Roberts Roger Malcolm and his wife Roger Owensby Jr. Ronell Foster Roy Cyril Brooks Rumain Brisbon Ryan Matthew Smith

Sam Carter Sam McFadden Samuel DuBose Samuel Ephesians Hammond Jr. Samuel Hammond Jr. Samuel Leamon Younge Jr. Sandra Bland Sean Bell Shali Tilson Sharonda Coleman-Singleton Shukri Abdi Simon Schuman Slab Pitts Stella Young Stephon Clark Susie Jackson

T.A. Allen Tamir Rice Tamla Horsford Tanisha Anderson Timothy Caughman Timothy Hood Timothy Russell Timothy Stansbury Jr. Timothy Thomas Terrence Crutcher Terrill Thomas Tom Jones Tom Moss Tony McDade Tony Terrell Robinson Jr. Trayvon Martin Troy Hodge Troy Robinson Tula Tyler Gerth Tyre King Tywanza Sanders

Victor Duffy Jr. Victor White III

Walter Lamar Scott Wayne Arnold Jones Wesley Thomas Wilbert Cohen Wilbur Bundley Will Brown Will Head Will Stanley Will Stewart Will Thompson Willie James Howard Willie Johnson Willie McCoy Willie Palmer Willie Turks William Brooks William Butler William Daniels William Fambro William Green William L. Chapman II William Miller William Pittman Wyatt Outlaw

Yusef Kirriem Hawkins

The victims of LaLaurie (1830s) The black victims of the Opelousas massacre (1868) The black victims of the Thibodaux massacre (1887) The black victims of the Wilmington insurrection (1898) The black victims of the Johnson-Jeffries riots (1910) The black victims of the Red summer (1919) The black victims of the Elaine massacre (1919) The black victims of the Ocoee massacre (1920) The victims of the MOVE bombing (1985)

All the people who died during the Atlantic slave trade, be it due to abuse or disease.

All the unnamed victims of mass-incarceration, who were put into jail without the committing of a crime and died while in jail or died after due to mental illness. 

All the unnamed victims of racial violence and discrimination. 

...

My apologies for all the people missing on this list. Feel free to add more names and stories. 

Listen, learn and read about discrimination, racism and black history: (feel free to add more)  Documentaries: 13th (Netflix) The Innocence Files (Netflix) Who Killed Malcolm X? (Netflix) Time: The Kalief Browder Story (Netflix) I Am Not Your Negro

YouTube videos: We Cannot Stay Silent about George Floyd Waarom ook Nederlanders de straat op gaan tegen racisme (Dutch) Wit is ook een kleur (Dutch) (documentaire)

Books: Biased by Jennifer Eberhardt Don’t Touch My Hair by Emma Dabiri Freedom Is A Constant Struggle by Angela Davis How To Be An Anti-Racist by Ibram X. Kendi I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou Me and White Supremacy by Layla Saad So You Want To Talk About Race by Ijeoma Oluo They Can’t Kill Us All by Wesley Lowery White Fragility by Robin Deangelo Why I’m No Longer Talking To White People About Race by Reni Eddo-Lodge Woman, Race and Class by Angela Davis

Websites: https://lynchinginamerica.eji.org/report/ https://museumandmemorial.eji.org/ https://archive.org/details/thirtyyearsoflyn00nati/page/n11/mode/2up https://lab.nos.nl/projects/slavernij/index-english.html https://blacklivesmatter.com/ https://www.zinnedproject.org/

[thespeedyreader]

Black Lives Matter: A (By No Means Complete) Reading List

“Books are a form of political action. Books are knowledge. Books are a reflection. Books change your mind.” - Toni Morrison

It has always been, and always will be, vital to educate ourselves on the world around us. In response to the Black Lives Matter movement, I hope that this blog can become a platform for sharing resources on black history and literature, in a conscious effort to educate both ourselves and those around us. It is our duty to continue to amplify the voices of people of colour, because it is through education that we can make lasting changes in the world.

Here you will find a list of books and essays by authors of colour, and which speak about the experiences of people of colour everywhere. By committing to read even one of these books, you are expanding your consciousness of the lives around you, and giving people of colour a voice.

(Please reblog with your own book recommendations - keep the chain going!)

Classic Fiction

The Bluest Eye - Toni Morrison

Beloved - Toni Morrison

Another Country - James Baldwin

Go Tell It on the Mountain - James Baldwin

The Colour Purple - Alice Walker

Things Fall Apart - Chinua Achebe

Wide Sargasso Sea - Jean Rhys

Kindred - Octavia E. Butler

The Lonely Londoners - Sam Selvon

Small Island - Andrew Levy

Their Eyes Were Watching God - Zora Neale Hurston

To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee

Contemporary Fiction

Americanah - Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

Girl, Woman, Other - Bernadine Evaristo

An Orchestra of Minorities - Chigozie Obioma

White Teeth - Zadie Smith

Red at the Bone - Jacqueline Woodson

An American Marriage - Tayari Jones

Queenie - Candice Carty-Williams

A Brief History of Seven Killings - Marlon James

Black Leopard Red Wolf - Marlon James

On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous - Ocean Vuong

The Vanishing Half - Brit Bennett

Sorry To Disrupt the Peace - Patty Yumi Cottrell

Freshwater - Akwaeke Emezi

The Fifth Season - N.K. Jemisin

My Sister, the Serial Killer - Oyinkan Braithwaite

What Is Not Yours Is Not Yours - Helen Oyeyemi

Homegoing - Yaa Gyasi

The Underground Railroad - Colson Whitehead

The Nickel Boys - Colson Whitehead

The Girl With the Louding Voice - Abi Daré

We Cast a Shadow - Maurice Carlos Ruffin

Washington Black - Esi Edugyan

The Black Flamingo - Dean Atta

Just Mercy - Bryan Stevenson 

The Icarus Girl - Helen Oyeyemi 

Poetry, Theatre and Graphic Novels

A Raisin in the Sun - Lorraine Hansberry

Citizen: An American Lyric - Claudia Rankine

Night Sky With Exit Wounds - Ocean Vuong

I Am Alfonso Jones - Tony Medina, illustrated by Stacey Robinson & John Jennings

Your Black Friend and Other Strangers - Ben Passmore

Say Her Name - Zetta Elliot, illustrated by Loveis Wise

Silencer - Marcus Wicker

Don’t Call Us Dead - Danez Smith

How ro Be Drawn - Terrence Hayes

The Black Unicorn - Audre Lorde

Coal - Audre Lorde

Passion - June Jordan

Children’s/YA Fiction

Children of Blood and Bone - Tomi Adeyemi

The Hate U Give - Angie Thomas

Akata Witch - Nnedi Okorafor

Binti - Nnedi Okorafor

You Should See Me in a Crown - Leah Johnson

With the Fire on High - Elizabeth Acevedo

Refugee Boy - Benjamin Zephaniah

Malcolm Little: The Boy Who Grew Up to Become Malcolm X - Ilyasah Shabazz

Not My Idea: A Book About Whiteness - Anastasia Higginbotham

A Is for Activist - Innosanto Nagara

New Kid - Jerry Craft

This Book Is Anti-Racist: 20 Lessons on How to Wake Up, Take Action, and Do the Work - Tiffany Jewell

Non-Fiction and Autobiography

The Miner's Canary: Enlisting Race, Resisting Power, Transforming Democracy - Lani Guiner

I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings - Maya Angelou

Me and White Supremacy: How to Recognise Your Privilege, Combat Racism and Change the World - Layla F Saad

Don’t Touch My Hair - Emma Dabiri

Brit(ish): On Race, Identity and Belonging - Afua Hirsch

The Good Immigrant - Nikesh Shukla

Why I’m No Longer Talking to White People About Race - Reni Eddo-Lodge (available for free on Yorsearch)

The New Jim Crow - Michelle Alexander (available for free on Yorsearch)

Sister Outsider - Audre Lorde

So You Want to Talk About Race - Ijeoma Oluo

The Fire Next Time - James Baldwin

The Autobiography of Malcolm X - Malcolm X

White Fragility: Why It’s So Hard for White People to Talk About Racism - Robin DiAngelo

Divided Sisters: Bridging the Gap Between Black Women and White Women - Midge Wilson & Kathy Russell

They Can’t Kill Us All: Ferguson, Baltimore, and a New Era in America’s Racial Justice Movement - Wesley Lowery

Locking Up Our Own: Crime and Punishment in Black America - James Foreman Jr.

The Wretched of the Earth - Frantz Fanon

When They Call You a Terrorist: A Black Lives Matter Memoir - Patrisse Khan-Cullors & Asha Bandele

Eloquent Rage: A Black Feminist Discovers Her Superpower - Brittney Cooper

Waking Up White, and Finding Myself in the Story of Race - Debby Irving

The Hidden Rules of Race: Barriers to an Inclusive Economy - Andrea Flynn, Susan R. Holmberg, Dorian T. Warren, & Felicia J. Wong

Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria?: And Other Conversations About Race - Beverly Daniel Tatum

How to Be Anti-Racist - Ibrahim X. Kendi

[thepinoyblexplosion]

Ranking Time! (I Have a New Favorite!)

(as of 2020 November 02) 4:00am

After having just watched episode 3 of Boys Lockdown, I now have a new favorite.

Boys Lockdown - from the first scene down to the last, it just had me going "Oh, aaaang kyuuuuut!". ☺️ I have a feeling BLD will be giving me more of that in the coming episodes.

Gaya sa Pelikula - I was a bit turned-off by Paulo's acting in episode 6 but overall, it was great nonetheless and GSP is still tops in terms of overall quality.

MyDay - That 12th and final episode was a fitting ending for the maniacal rollercoaster ride of a modern-day adult-rated mess of a fairy-tale that was MyDay. It was clumsy, unrealistic, and half-baked. But at least they remained consistent. Haha. I still love the show. (More on this in a separate blog article! ☺️)

Ben x Jim - The pacing of the story is accelerating, ever so slowly, and I'm almost certainly hooked. But the quality of production is Grade A.

Hello Stranger - Now that My Day has ended, my strange obsession with poor quality productions is finally waning. 😂 As I slowly return to sanity, I remember the feels that Hello Stranger gave me back then.

Better Days - Just on its first episode, this show is already showing it deserves to be in the same class as the better crafted Pinoy BLs. I just hope the next couple of episodes do not fall into the boring category.

Gameboys - I am finally getting my wits back and re-evaluating my appreciation for this series as it deserves. Terrence and Wesley, please! ❤️

Swap Test - Ok fine. I'm not yet completely out of it. Hahaha.

Boy Band Love - That 4th episode saw only Arkin del Rosario as the lone decent actor. Everybody else sucked. As in majorly sucked. At least the story is getting more interesting.

Quaranthings - I dunno. I liked the ending and the overarching theme. I think it's the treatment that dampened it for me. Too somber.

In Between - My only beef is that, compared to the other shows, it's so boring and uneventful, I am not compelled to rewatch it. I look forward to seeing a BL of the love story between Nin (Renshi de Guzman) and Makisig (Lance Justin Carr), though.

My Extraordinary - My interest in this series still hasn't reached a level which compels me to watch every episode I missed.

Sakristan - It's so bad, I wanna watch it again. 😂

#pinoy bl series #list

[gaykey]

tee hee terrence x wesley tee hee 😚😌💖

[thenightling]

Things you may not have known about Blade: The Vampire Hunter

1.   A lot of people mistakenly believe that Wesley Snipes is the most accurate to the comic in regard to Blade The Vampire Hunter and that he was “perfect’ for the role.  The simple fact is if you’re familiar with the comics you would know this is not actually true at all.   Most of this list will be reaffirming this first point and that is why I write it first.  Many people judge by first impressions and for non-horror comic readers their first introduction to Blade was those movies so they assume that it is the most accurate as it is the version that they are most familiar with. In a way I think discovering comic book Blade is sort of like when someone reads Frankenstein for the first time and realizes The Creature is highly intelligent and has no flat head or neck bolts...  

2.   Blade was not American.   Blade was a Black British man.  In the comics he was born in London and is now nearly a century old (his physical age is hard to determine and therefor a man of roughly any age between twenty through sixty can play him).  He does not have an American accent.  For some reason Hollywood still has difficulty imagining Black Brits (except perhaps Idris Elba).  He is also of a mixed racial background.  After Blade’s first appearance in the 90s Spider-Man animated series he was thereafter always played with an American accent and later specifically imitating Wesley Snipes voice and tone.      

3.   Blade didn’t always just wear black.   Blade actually has very flamboyant tastes in clothes.  His first appearance had him wearing a green jacket with a wooden stake holster, puffy “balloon” style pants, boots, and over-sized translucent aviator sunglasses / goggles.   And it was not merely because this was the 70s.   Less than ten years ago Blade appeared in a Spider-man storyline where he chose (deliberately) to wear a pink and green Spider-man costume with his now trademark leather jacket over it.

4.   Blade does not always say “Mother f--ker” or “F--k.”   Blade actually swears relatively minimally in his earlier comics. In some later comics they tried to imitate how Wesley Snipes speaks but in general Blade does not swear that often.  He swears about as often as Doctor Strange.

5.   Whistler was not a hard edged, gruff, old redneck type.  The first depiction of Whistler was in the 90s Spider-man animated series and he was physically modeled after Peter Cushing’s version of Doctor Van Helsing. He walked with a cane and had an English accent.  The homage to Hammer horror was so distinct that his and Blade’s lair in that cartoon was behind a horror theatre that specialized in “Terrence Fisher” movies.”  Terrence Fisher had directed just about all the Hammer Dracula movies that featured Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing.  This version of Whistler was kind, gentle, and very paternal and doctorly (toward humans).   

6.   Blade’s first appearance was actually in the comic Tomb of Dracula where Dracula was actually sometimes portrayed in a sympathetic light.  Tomb of Dracula was adapted into an anime movie which got dubbed into English in 1981.  It is titled Dracula: Sovereign of the damned.  Strangely, the company that adapted the graphic novel did not get the rights to Blade so they had to maneuver the story without him.  

7.  Blade had worked alongside Spider-man and currently is an Avenger. He was also a member of The Night Stalkers and The Midnight Sons.  So much for “Not a team player,” eh?

8.   As recently as three years ago Marvel had plans to introduce Blade’s long lost daughter, Fallon grey.   The concept art was released at the 2015 Comic Con but the character was never introduced.  Perhaps it was for the best.

9.  Blade has shown some sympathy to certain vampires.  Though it wasn’t the best eulogy, Blade did speak at the funeral of Morbius: The Living vampire (he didn’t stay dead...)   And in some rare occasions he has even worked with Count Dracula.  

10.  Blade was actually AGAINST the Superhuman registration act during the comic book version of Civil War.  Hurray for common sense!  Seriously, unlike the movies that made the registration act seem reasonable, the comic book version was more like a Nazi census and children were rounded up much like the Mutant registration act of earlier X-men comics. Blade was not in the wrong.

11.  The term Daywalker was first popularized by Blade however its oldest use may actually be in the third novel of Fred saberhagen’s Dracula book series.  The book called An Old Friend of the Family has a spell to summon Dracula, which bore the line “Walker by day, Walker by night” and may have inspired the term “Daywalker.”  

Daywalker, by the way, is a modern concept.  Dracula in Stoker’s novel could walk by day and night.  He was just weaker by day and could not take animal form or mist form by day. (He could do that at night though. Dracula often could take back, wolf, or mist form so long as the sun was down.)  This is also true of Carmilla in her original novel in that she was merely weaker by day.  

The first known story where a vampire actually burns in sunlight is the silent film Nosferatu (and that was mostly meant to be metaphor).  It had not yet even become mainstream lore at the time of the release of the 1931 Dracula movie starring Bela Lugosi (Sunlight is never described as a weakness in that film).  Sunlight was not used in the Universal monster movies as a weapon against vampires until the sequels.  

12.  Dracula in Marvel comics (where Blade first appeared) bares very little to no resemblance to the version in Blade: Trinity who answered to the name Drake.   Dracula in Marvel comics is more traditional, able to change his own age based upon how much he has fed, and is able to turn into a bat, wolf, and mist and he can conjure storms like Storm or Thor.   He does not look or sound like an American professional Wrestler.  Also he was the self-titled king of the vampires in the comics and never claimed to be the first vampire as there are plenty of vampires older than himself.  The only similarity the comic book version of Marvel’s Dracula has with the version in Blade Trinity is the implied high sense of honor which can only be found in the DVD / Blu Ray bonus and alternate scenes.

13. Hannibal King is NOT Deadpool. Ryan Reynolds is a fine actor.  That being said it should be noted that Hannibal King’s personality is nothing like what you see in Blade Trinity.  Hannibal King is a “vegan vampire” (a vampire that doesn’t kill) and works as a detective.  He’s more of a Sam Spade type... but with fangs.  Also much like Dracula (and most vampires in the actual comic books) he could turn into a bat, wolf, and mist.  These are powers downplayed or out-right ignored for the films.  (Personally I’m tired of vampires being reduced to just super strong and superfast.  I miss the shapeshifting.  It probably would have made the fight scenes more interesting...)