#their narratives run in parallel . (to ME <3)< /div> Explore tagged Tumblr posts

[venice-1987]

Obsessed with the idea of Sonic being a narrative foil to Shadow, and a character parallel to Maria

[puckpocketed]

Eric Stephens u are the ONLY sports journalist to ever exist !!!!

[ckret2]

Do you have any theories about the "Better World"? Or headcanons about this parallel universe?

I've seen some people theorize that it's a sham somehow—that actually Ford turned into a villain or he's secretly being possessed by Bill or he died and Fiddleford didn't want to say so or it was all an illusion or something like that.

I don't think that's the case. I think it'd undermine the narrative importance of the Better World if it weren't real.

For it to work in the story, Ford has to really, actually see his own ideal perfect alternate life—the life where he got everything he (thought he) wanted, where he got to benefit from all of Bill's lessons and still kick Bill out when he became inconvenient, where Stan helped out on Ford's own terms and never hindered him again, where Fiddleford remained his assistant with his sanity intact, where Ford got the fame, the money, the research institution...

Ford has to see that—and still end his narrative arc by proudly showing off a picture with the Mystery Shack family and saying that that's what his happiness looks like.

If the Better World is somehow fake, then it means Ford didn't really decide he's happiest with family rather than with "success", because he never actually got to see what his life could have been like if he'd succeeded. If the lesson is "you fool! the kind of success you wanted was never possible in the first place!" then he didn't choose between family and fame (an important, emotionally poignant choice), he only chose between family and fruitlessly chasing a fame he never could have achieved (which is a much easier, obvious choice. I'm not deeply touched that a man chose to let go of his ambitions for the sake of his family if the narrative tells me his ambitions were unattainable in the first place).

So I think the Better World is exactly what Journal 3 says it is.

I only have one headcanon about the Better World that's outside what we see in canon:

While the "meeting your duplicate will destroy you" thing may or may not be true (it wasn't true in Dimension MAB-3L, but different physics might be at work), the real reason Fidds didn't at least try to set up a video call or something between the Stanfords is because Better World Ford is can-barely-get-out-of-bed depressed.

The Better World is where Ford achieved everything he thinks he wants; and I think, if he got what he thought he wanted, he would have learned that no amount of world-changing discoveries, academic success, public praise, award ceremonies, or glowing speeches made on his behalf would ever make him feel like he's made it—and so he kept going and kept going and went higher and higher until he reached as high as he could possibly reach and discovered there's nowhere further for him to go and still he isn't content with his life.

And he'll never feel like he's made it until he feels like he's loved and accepted—unconditionally, with or without the scientific achievements.

And he'll never feel unconditionally loved in a world where he never sees his closest family again.

(I think this is similar to what happened to Bill. He's achieved what seems to be some sort of godhood and he's not happy. He runs a dimension and he's not happy. He has a gang of zealous followers and he's not happy. He finally invades Earth and takes over Gravity Falls and he's not happy—we never see him partying with his Henchmaniacs. And if we'd seen Bill's own Better World—if he'd taken over the universe—he still wouldn't have been happy. And he wouldn't have understood why. What MORE can he do?)

But Worse World Ford can't see the Better World as a cautionary tale. This isn't his Scrooge-with-the-Ghost-of-Christmas-Future moment. He has to see only everything he ever wanted—he has to see that he WON, and yes, he REALLY DID win, he really did accomplish ALL THOSE AMAZING THINGS—and then he has to realize for himself that he wants his family more. He made his choice out of love for his family, not out of fear of the alternative.

[scoobydoodean]

Hello<3

I was wondering if you had any thoughts on how fandom misconstrues Dean's relationship with alcohol?

There is so much emphasis on making him out to be a violent mean drunk, but I mostly remember that he drinks and like passes out when he's grieving or stressed (iirc) (s6 PTSD, Soulless sam, when Cas dies, etc.)? It's weird to me because Dean isn't the only character to go through this. Bobby relies on drinking too. He's exactly as gruff as Dean can be. He also had an abusive father. Yet I don't usually see people judging Bobby for that (if they exist, I haven't seen them at least thank God).

I get frustrated when people say things like the MoC was a direct metaphor for alcoholism just because it made Dean sooo violent and angry, etc. And, it's like an unrealistic understanding of alcoholism irl and also of Dean himself and his actual actions and context. I just get weirdly defensive of him over it lol.

If you've already hashed this out I'm sry! At the end of the day, it's all just interpretation ig, but I wanted to know your take on it cause ik you'd look at dean with a good faith lens.

<3

One could say I have had thoughts on how fandom misconstrues Dean's relationship with alcohol. One could even say I have spawned extremely funny multi-day fandom-wide disk horses on this subject simply by giving my opinion on my own blog when an anon asked me to.

I'm tracking Dean's relationship with alcohol (and other substances bc I was too lazy to make two separate tags) through #dean and drugs during my rewatch if you care to peruse, but I think you and I are of a similar mind on this.

Prior to season 4, Dean has a very average relationship with alcohol. In season 4, Dean starts using alcohol as a coping tool to help him fall asleep because he's having nightmares about hell. By season 6, alcohol is also a coping tool for depression and stress. He drinks to deal with nightmares, he drinks to cope with hell trauma, he drinks after soulless Sam watches his sexual assault with a smile, he drinks after Cas swallows all the souls and Death blames Dean for everything, he drinks throughout season 7 to cope with Cas's death and Bobby's death. I'm up to 8.01 and have yet to see a single occasion where Dean drinking and Dean being violent co-occurred. What I do see is Dean drinking when he is sad, alone, or scared.

I'll continue tracking—I'll eventually get back into the MoC arc where Dean is drinking heavily again, and obviously Dean + drinking + anger + violence are all going to happen at the same time in MoC seasons. However, correlation does not equal causation, and while someone can choose to believe that Dean's drinking causes him to be angry, I think the literal answer in season 9/10 is that Dean's been cursed by the father of murder, and on a more metaphorical level, the Mark of Cain quite overtly represents Dean's resentment toward Sam which Carver spends his entire run laying out in great detail. This is why the whole Carver run culminates in Amara (a Dean parallel) being unleashed to take revenge on her brother, and why the MoC is a brother murderer curse to begin with. Alcohol is set dressing. It shows us—just as it did in the past—that Dean feels sad, alone, and scared (in this case, of what the MoC could lead him to do—which also isn't dissimilar from the original reason Dean started drinking—after hell to cope with the trauma of not just being tortured but torturing others—the fear that he'd been made into a monster).

Looking at the matter holistically, I don't personally see Dean as an angry drunk. I see him as a sad drunk. If anything, I think he hopes that alcohol will drown his anger and violent urges in the MoC arc, or at least slow him down, while also being the traditional tool he uses during boughts of depression (which he is very much experiencing during the MoC arc to the point of suicide). I also think outside the outlier of season 9/10, the narrative supports sad drunk Dean far better than angry drunk Dean.

[dangermousie]

(maybe impossible but hopefully fun?) Question for you if you're ever up for it!

What are your top 5 cdramas of all time? Bonus points for why.

I almost said top 3 but that felt too cruel lol

It's fun!

Here is my list, no order except Minglan is always n1.

The Story of Minglan (2018-2019)

My n1. cdrama is the amazing, too short at 73 eps, The Story of Minglan, a sort of Elizabeth Gaskell meets period China.

It follows three interconnected upper-class families, but more specifically, it is about Sheng Minglan, a concubine-born daughter of a minister and Gu Tingye, the oldest, legitimate, and hated by his family son of a Marquess. Their narratives run largely parallel for the first half of the story and such is the genius of this drama that I, the ultimate romance junkie, did not mind that.

Minglan is a rarity in dramaworld - she is fiercely smart, very collected and emotionally detached. Life in the troubled Sheng household taught her to survive and to hide her feelings and talents. Tingye is a big cdrama love. Abused and reviled by his household where he can do no right (the Marquess hated having to marry his merchant mother for money and has displaced that hate on her son), Tingye manages to keep his warm heart but acquires the ability to go his own way. Both of the protagonists are wonderful and smart and magnetic and rootable for separately, but when they get together, the sparks go off the charts and they become my n1 cdrama OTP of all time. A lot of the story is about family battles, women’s world dilemmas and relationship (of all sorts) interactions. There is also politics and battles, but the true charm of this drama are the mundane details of the world and the fully-fleshed out people who inhabit it. If you watch only one cdrama in your life, make it this one.   

Novoland Eagle Flag (2019)

There might be one or two cdramas I love more, but none that resonates more for me on a personal level. A grim epic with a sprawling cast and amazing sets (money was SPENT on this one), its strength is its theme of the meaning being not in victory but in the fight, of staying true to what you believe despite (or because) the horrors of the world. It's EVERYTHING.

The cast is huge, but it centers around three protagonists - Asule Pasuer, a nomadic crown prince sent as hostage to the civilized yet even more bloody world of the plains, Yu Ran - a full of life princess in exile of the winged people, and Ji Ye - an amazing fighter brought in the gutter. The three become closest friends and we follow them separately and together. There are multiple OTPs, epic battles, clever plots, but at its heart it's a character study. Asule is a pacifist berserker (it makes sense), Yu Ran insists on joy as her shield, and Ji Ye yearns for recognition and status, and the way the world fulfills or warps them is fascinating.

The Rebel Princess/Monarch Industry (2021)

Gorgeously filmed, impeccably acted, and solidly written (where censorship didn’t come for them), this is such an emotional and visual feast and Awu and Xiao Qi are the best OTP I’ve ever seen in dramas (at least for my specific preferences) and feel real.

If you want to see lavish sets populated by smart, fierce, ADULT characters, this one is for you. If you have a competency kink, this one is for you. If you like cinematic-looking epics, this one is for you. If you like a smart, fierce heroine who is also a believably a period aristocratic woman, this one is for you. If you like dysfunctional families and interesting supporting characters, this one is for you. If you like a hero who redefines calm, deadly, and smart yet feels like a real breathing human being, this one is for you. If you like arranged marriage turns to love, this one is for you. If you like amazing OTP which, once they decide to be all in, never waiver from each other, this one is for you. If you are into couples showing affection in a warm way rarely seen in a period cdrama, this one is for you. If you like hot, adult men and hot, adult women, this one is for you.

Fangs of Fortune (2024)

I have rarely seen a drama that speaks to me so personally, but it is also narratively perfect, emotionally devastating, with impeccable acting, complex characters and visuals that are beyond stunning. This is an emotional and visual feast, with such incredible characters, interesting explorations of fantasy and mortality and morality and what makes life worth living. It is also the most eye popping drama I've ever watched as well as throwing me back into what it's like to be immersed into an amazing fantasy book as a kid and the characters and the relationships and the themes sing to me. A miracle.

Joy of Life (2019, 2024)

This is a masterpiece. The first season was perfect and somehow the second is even more perfect. It’s smart, it’s funny, it’s heartbreaking, the cast is still impeccable and Zhang Ruoyun gives a completely jawdropping performance as the focus of all the madness Fan Xian. It really is the rare drama that lives up to the hype.

The Myth (2010)

For the longest time, this was my favorite cdrama, to be replaced only by Minglan. It starts out funny and ends up tearing out your heart. This is the only time in my drama watching experience I cried so hard I threw up. The story is about two accidental time-travelers - a photographer and a cook - who end up in Qin Dynasty China. And from then on it’s about how that cruel, horrifying world takes two perfectly normal men and by wracking their very souls turns one into a hero and the other into a monster. To me, this is Hu Ge’s best performance and as you see his protagonist desperately try to hold on to his humanity and his love in a world that is doing its best to destroy it, I dare you not to cry like a baby. His character is my ultimate cdrama crush.

The Rise of Phoenixes (2018)

Like dramas to destroy you? Come right in. A story about a disfavored prince and a lost daughter of a previous dynasty, this is smart, gorgeous, incredibly acted and is going to wreck you. The schemes and the intensity and the yearning and the....

Yeah, I realize it's seven, whatever. :P

[flawseer]

Excellent post on the end of arc 2 - eloquently captured the issues that it brought up.

I am sure that plenty of your fans would be keen to see that rewrite you mentioned - should you want to share <3

Uh-oh.

Just to clarify: When I mentioned an alternative plot line, that was a joke. If anyone is expecting a masterfully-constructed full rewrite of the story, no, I don’t actually have that.

What I was talking about then was a mere thought experiment, a simple what-if-scenario that pertains to my character, Flawseer, and how he would fit into the world if he was a part of it.

It’s by no means a proper replacement of the arc 2 story in a narratively satisfying sense. If, by a miracle, I was contacted by Sutherland tomorrow and told “Hey, I don’t like how book 10 went down anymore, can you redo it for me? I’m very busy,” this scenario is NOT what I would write in its place. It wouldn’t work in that capacity.

What this actually is is a story outline that runs parallel to the arc 2 plot, but isn’t necessarily fully about it. For the most part it focuses on the characters of Flawseer, Flame, and Turtle, and does its own thing. The entire part about half of the Jade Winglet chasing after Scarlet meanwhile is completely not elaborated on. It’s only near the end where the two tales intersect by necessity (it takes place at Jade Mountain so there is no avoiding the Darkstalker thing turning into a big deal when he shows up).

I mean, I'll talk about it if you really want me to, but it will probably be pretty boring for you and very embarrassing for me. It's a tale of personal significance.

[doodlegirl1998]

You know what's really funny to me? The trope of Bakugou in canon being super talented at everything that he does. In canon it's supposed to be for laughs when he's good at random shit, but I don't understand how it's supposed to be funny when the funnier route would have been that this guy has dedicated himself to nothing else but being extremely good at fighting with his quirk and to be a hero that he's actually super ass at everything else. But I guess having a complex version of Bakugou where he learns that there's more to life than heroics and maybe is way less of a demon isn't something that would have been interesting. ALSO ALSO, genuinely I'm confused as to why people think Bakugou is super smart. Like I get that he was excelling at school and was taking mock UA tests and shit, blah blah blah, but:

A) I can totally see his marks getting doctered by Aldera

B) Passing the UA exam doesn't tell me shit about his intelligence, since people who are "dumber" (Kaminari and Ashido) than him also passed the same exam. Without even knowing the proper format of the test (keeping in mind it's also a standardized test) there's no real way to gauge how "intelligent" someone has to be to do well. Also there's a bunch of General-Ed students who passed that test so again, doesn't tell me much.

C) For all the praise that he receives, there's nothing really like "intelligent" or complex about the plans that Bakugou comes up with when people suck him off for being such a good tactician. He fully somehow thought he could overwhelm fucking ALL-MIGHT with his explosions alone, if he's such a good tactician why would he all of a sudden fuck this up? Also, his "counter" to Uraraka's plan was just do bigger explosions, so again, nothing to do with his actual intellect, it's just his quirk. Which brings me to,

D) Bakugou fully should have been taken out by Uraraka's plan. I get that she was tanking hits and he wasn't, but he suffers no backlash at all from unleashing his quirk all day, and is even able to fire off massive explosions no problem. I don't care what bullshit excuse Horikoshi or the fandom comes up with, unless Bakugou has a second quirk that makes him indestructible or lets him cancel out forces, those massive explosions would have shattered his arms and legs from the recoil. But nooooooo, Todoroki suffers from acute frosbite and Midoriya shatters himself when he uses OfA. But Bakugou? Ah well, sometimes we'll remember that he's running out of sweat or his wrists will hurt a little or sumthin.

E) Why is Bakugou (and I guess Kirishima by extension as well) more ripped and buff then Midoriya when canonically somehow managed to balance a fucking small pick up truck on the last pile of garbage that he stood on when he cleared the beach. Midoriya should be jacked and stacked like Jotaro fucking Kujo in part 3 and be an immovable object, yet some how Bakugou is shown to be physically stronger than him??? Midoriya should be casually lifting couches with the entire class sitting on it so he can vaccum underneath.

PS. I think it would've been exponentially better to have IZUKU be the one who is good and talented at random shit. Like the kid who didn't have the one thing that is required of all heroes (a quirk) and tries to overcompensate for his "uselessness" by being insanely talented and skilled at tons of different hobbies would have been an awesome angle, he's genius enough to pull it off. Not only would it give us more insight on his life before All Might, but it would also make Bakugou less of a Mary Sue (seriously, the narrative bends over backwards for him) and Izuku less of an untalented loser (again, the narrative loves shitting on him, sweet Jesus). Having Bakugou be terrible at everything besides heroics and Izuku being good at everything "besides heroics" might've made for an interesting character parallel that Hori insists on shoving down our throats for 400 chapters straight 😒

Hi @stormiclown 👋

💯. I completely agree with this.

Bakugou being ass at everything that doesn't involve his quirk would have been much funnier, and it would have made more sense narratively for the reasons you listed.

In a good story, that fact would have also forced Bakugou to grow and realise that in UA, he's no longer a big fish in a small pond - he's just one of many talented children.

As you rightfully pointed out, it would have made much more narrative sense for IZUKU to be the ripped one, to be the talented and intelligent one. He would have felt like he would have had to prove he wasn't useless growing up, so it would have made more sense for Izuku to have dozens of hidden (and developed - where did Izuku's quirk analysis go?!) talents.

Then, for Izuku to feel jarred by the amount of praise and appreciation he is getting now, he isn't "useless quirkless Deku" that he felt like he was at Aldera. Then for Izuku to flourish and grow as a result.

[raven-at-the-writing-desk]

Hello there! I've been subscribed to your blog for a long time; I remember loving your writing and theories! And even though I haven't played for 2 years, last week twst nostalgia suddenly hit me and I've started rewatching main story of the game :D (Though I haven't read it all still...). It made me think about something, and I'd like to see your opinion on the matter if that's alright. If something similar was already asked and I missed that, please feel free to ignore my message.

So, hypothetically speaking, if a NRC student gets bullied and asks Azul for help to deal with bullies, is there a chance that, considering his backstory, he might be a liiiitle bit more lenient and prone to name the price for his services lesser than he usually sets? Or do you believe it depends too much on what kind of relationship he and the person asking him for help have? (For example, Azul will be lenient only if he and that person are good acquaintances, or have some kind of pre-established rapport at least maybe?). What kind of other factors could contribute in this as well? I hope my question is understandable and coherent enough, I am not a native English speaker >< Have a lovely day!

Ayyy, welcome back ^^

As for your question… I don’t think Azul would be more lenient with a client that is a victim of bullying. There’s several reasons I feel this way:

1. It sets a bad precedent. If Azul is “soft” with one client, there’s a chance word will spread and other clients will start demanding he lower the costs for them too. People will come in with all the wrong expectations. It’s the whole “give them an inch and they’ll walk a mile” thing. This would make future deals unnecessarily annoying.

2. It messes with his carefully cultivated image. He’s supposed to be impartial with each and every single one of his clients. What does it say about him if he breaks this clause? Azul will come off as unprofessional, biased, and even weak. Like what if someone hears about the deal he cut with the bullying victim because he pities them? Azul wants to come off as tough, not sentimental. And if he comes off as sentimental, what’s stopping others from digging deeper into him and trying to locate other insecurities and weak points?

3. Azul has already demonstrated that he gives no mercy to those similar to him. He believes that his past self is weak and pathetic, hence why he tries so desperately to erase his past. Azul has also developed into a bully and an opportunist himself in modern day. This leads me to think that if he were to come across someone similar to his past self, he’d think them easily exploitable instead of someone he should support. We see this implied in his dynamic with Yuuta Mito, the Yuu for the Episode of Octavinelle manga. Although not explicitly pointed out in the narrative, we do see many parallels between Yuuta and past!Azul: they’re overweight, have a parent that runs a restaurant, and love eating good food. Even if Azul isn’t familiar with the particulars of Yuuta’s background, the fact remains that 1) he can relate to Yuuta based on physique alone and 2) Yuuta would have experienced similar bullying by mobs (and arguably Ace, Riddle, etc.) that game!Yuu does; these are both very similar to Azul’s own experiences. But what happens? Azul still doesn’t cut Yuuta any slack and is willing to make him go homeless anyway.

4. Even without his childhood trauma, he does not seem to spare others. In his book 7, we see a potential scenario in which Azul was never bullied as a child. Despite this happier background, Azul still chooses to bully land dwellers (land dwellers that, mind you, did/said nothing to provoke him or to warrant this treatment).

5 Azul is primarily concerned with accumulating things of value for himself. Greed is a huge aspect of his character (especially if we’re talking pre-OB era Azul); having all his contracts sanded is, after all, what triggers his OB. I think he’d be much less concerned with the circumstances of others.

If it sounds like I’m overthinking this, it’s because I am 😂 and because Azul, too, overthinks + considers the future in decisions he makes in the present. For example, he refuses to sign any contracts until he has read it over multiple times and understands all of its terms and conditions, such as the NDA in book 6. He also refuses to accept extremely valuable clothes because he worries he will be put in a position where he owes someone else an immense debt (in Tapis Rouge/Red Carpet Cadets). Overthinking IS Azul’s modus operandi.

If we want to consider other factors, personal familiarity with the client is definitely one—but I don’t mean it as in, “he’d be more lenient with a friend”. I mean it like, “he would cut a kinder deal with a repeat customer”. You know, to thank them for their business and to incentivize them to keep coming back.

Other factors to consider (although by no means is this an exhaustive list) might be:

Number of bullies that need to be “dealt with” (more bullies -> higher payment demanded)

Severity of bullying (just some name calling would be less effort to fix; this would not be so if the bullying was much more intense)

Form of bullying (verbal, physical, cyber, etc.; this would impact just how much effort, and what kind of it, Azul has to apply to solve the issue)

Identity of the bullies (if it’s an Octavinelle student or a freshman, they may be easier for Azul to intimidate; if the bullies are wealthy/powerful or of high status, like a dorm leader, they would be harder to deal with)

Client’s requests (what do they actually want, in terms of “dealing” with the bullies?)

Client’s desperation (Azul could milk this to get more payment out of them)

[absolutebl]

Top 10 Most Underrated BLs of the last 3 years

(mid year 2021 - end 2023)

This list will not include BLs that ended their run in 2024. I need some distance to know if something is actually underrated (We Are maybe?) or justifiably ignored.

1 I Cannot Reach You AKA Kimi ni wa Todokanai (Japan 2023 Netflix?)

This classic friends-to-lovers BL is everything Japan does best. Angsty. Emo. Aching. Driven by real thirst. Yamato is deeply in love with his childhood bestie, Kakeru, and has been for ages, increasingly unable to hide his ungainly damaging high school need. He wants Kakeru in every way possible and it oozes off of the screen. Kakeru is silly and a little simple, but not frenetic or overly camp about it. He is earnest, and genuinely wants to keep Yamato in his life, which means giving a romance (and gayness) a fair chance. We watch him realize his affection and what form it can take in a truly authentic way. This show was impossibly kind to both of its lead characters and I felt almost honored that I got to watch something so lovely and rare play out on my screen. Full review.

2 My Ride (Thai 2022 Gaga)

Thai BL grew up with this pulp (the first ever pulp to make my end of year top 10). It’s a truly lovely and special little show featuring the extremely rare pairing of sunshine/sunshine (AKA a cinnamon roll couple) plus mature explorations of relationships using one of the softest, sweetest, and most innocent friends to lovers vehicles. Kindly, overworked doctor meets broken-hearted motorcycle taxi rider in an “other side of the tracks” slow burn romance. The support cast is excellent, making for great friendship groups and family dynamics. With honest queer rep that adds to, but doesn’t impede, the story, and genuine conversation about the nature of class, wealth, and classism, not to mention communication, honesty, and respect for boundaries, you can’t go wrong with this show. In other news, I am a sucker for a single dimple. Full review.

3 Our Dining Table AKA Bokura no Shokutaku (Japan 2023 Gaga)

A lonely salaryman (+ talented cook) gets accidentally adopted by a college kid (and his little brother). I was always gonna love this show if they stuck to the original yaoi (which is very dear to my heart). And they did! Paralleling it almost exactly. It’s a quiet & cozy little parable of found family alleviating loneliness. Possibly too slow for some but definitely high up there for me as the best of what Japan can do with softness (like Restart After Come Back Home). It’s only flaw (if I dare say such a thing) is that it is not really “romantic.” Lovely & sweet but the romance beats are being used to build a family relationship, not just couple intimacy, but that's OK with me. This is a very safe show for anyone to watch.

4 About Youth (Taiwan 2022 Gaga)

A truly lovely little coming of age high school BL with a classic YA low drama but high angst and earnest depth. I didn’t even mind the singing, and that’s saying a lot. A weak seme/uke dynamic but tons of BL tropes (both rare in a high school setting but common for Taiwan) makes this one feel both sweet and colored by real world authenticity and grit. Full review.

5 Step By Step (Thai 2023 Gaga)

This was Thailand’s answer to The New Employee, and everything I loved about that show I loved about this one. This office romance between a stern boss and sweet subordinate felt more authentic to cubical work than previous Thai BLs of this ilk. That authenticity added tension to the narrative and its characters development (how novel). I also really enjoyed the charming side characters and the brothers' relationship to each other (although I could have done without that brother's side BL). Full review.

6 DNA Says Love You (Taiwan 2022 Gaga)

DNA deserves extra marks for an upbeat approach to a queer story arc that other shows have systemically mishandled with sadness (in the guise of realism). There is a twist, which I found predictable, but knowing what would happen didn't spoil this show. The leads are luminous and engaging, and it’s full of queer found family representation and an unexpected amount of domesticity, plus it’s Taiwan, so the kisses are great. The first few eps are rough going but have patience, it's worth it I promise! The second half is really special and life/love affirming - and the end is big-grin charming. Full review.

7 Unintentional Love Story (Korea 2023 iQIYI)

Of all the BLs on this list, this is probubly the MOST underrated. OMG the plot! Uke forced into a totally understandable betrayal, falling in love despite himself, put into a corner he can't get out of, the AGONY, the PAIN in those gorgeous eyes. Gah. Okay, so: A boy loses his job due to trumped-up corruption charges accidentally discovers his ex-boss's favorite artist, now a recluse. Evil manager offers him his job back, if he can convince the artist to rejoin society. Instead, they fall in love. I found the artist a bit stiff and reserved but Gongchan (maknae of B1A4) is a fucking GIFT - he carried this show (which I do not expect from the idol element). He was luminous with extraordinarily expressive eyes, just drown in the emoting abyss. The external conflict, social tension and pressure is complex and beautifully executed, plus Korea gave us legit side dishes (NOT a love triangle, hally-fucking-luya). Full review.

8 Dear Doctor I'm Coming for Your Soul (Thai 2022 iQIYI)

This is a romance between a doctor trying to save his patients and a reaper who is both his enemy and (eventual) lover (basically the genius premise of a gay Doom at Your Service). High concept looks good on you, Thailand. It’s lovely to see KarnNat back on screen together and they are still great, and Karn is just as painfully beautiful as ever. I enjoyed this one more than its ending deserved, and the best I can say is that it’s not strictly HEA but if you’re okay with Life: Love on the Line, you’ll be okay with this BL. It’s set up well, there’s no surprise unpleasantness like HIStory 3: The BL that shall not be named. Full review.

9 Destiny Seeker (Thai 2023 WeTV)

A darn near perfect pulp featuring 3 likable grumpy/sunshine pairings with uncomplicated iterations of enemies to lovers. At least one half of each does a decent amount of pining and there’s good chemistry, classic tropes, and excellent communication rep. It’s fun and full of linguistic jokes. Sublimely cheesy but a good rainy day offering with tons of rewatch potential. (Also WAR PEANUTS!) Full review.

10 Make a Wish (Thai 2023 grey)

A doctor who can see the dead strikes a bargain with a wish-granting irreverent tree angel - naturally they fall in love (from Sammon: Manner of Death & Triage). Stars Fluke Natouch opposite not Ohm, but who cares because Fluke has chemistry with everybody. Once again the Thai afterlife is incredibly bureaucratic but I enjoyed the premise and the unfolding of the story (it’s not predictable but still satisfying and with nice little twist). I like that the doctor is just gay AF - fag hag bestie and made of swagger. The cast is excellent but the comedic stylings are a bit overblown and tonally off. It has sad parts and did make me cry but is ultimately happy with a great sex scene, good smiley kisses, and all the agency.

10 others I rarely see anyone talk about:

Triage - Many would put this at the top of the list, but I don't find it very rewatchable and that weighs a lot in my assessments. Still it is GOOD and very underrated. BL does Groundhog Day featuring a doctor stuck in a time loop who must save a poor little rich boy from death by seducing the stuffing out of him, then PLOT TWIST, poor little rich boy must do the same for doctor! Unfortunately… stuffing keeps leaking. I thought the plot was engaging if a little redundant and occasionally exhausting. The pairs were all well done, low heat but with decent chemistry and the support characters were likable (or unlikeable, as required). My reason it's not in the top 10? If anything, the romance arc detracted and distracted from the main plot, but that doesn't stop this from being a genuinely good show it's just time loop is not a trope I personally enjoy. Review here.

See You After Quarantine? - This under appreciated gem is Taiwan’s answer to Gameboys and is just as charmg and adorable yet still as quintessentially Taiwanese as one might hope. It features a Japanese love interest and the cutest most confused disaster gay. Slow burn because the two have almost no actual screen time together and yet manage some truly amazing chemistry. Honestly how does Taiwan do it?

The Tasty Florida - I don't know, maybe it's Speed nostalgia, but I love this one, classic Korean BL with all those strengths and flaws... but The Prettiest.

You Make Me Dance - it's Korea but somehow they got this one, maybe by featuring mature characters and a real world crisis? Also they both ve hot.

Blueming - at the time it got a lot of attention but it seems to have faded into obscurity under the shod of The 8th Sense and Love of Love's Sack. This was a precurser to both and well worth a watch if you like it when Korea gets a little gritty.

Love Stage!! (Thai version) - I liked this IP alerady more than most. But this is the best of the 4 adaptations, and the first full Thai version of Japanese IP. It's both charming and notable in the industry. Hard to find and that's why it gets so little creddit but I think it's well worth the effort to track down.

Oh! Boarding House - I think most who watched this din't jive with it because it's an ensamble piece witha wicked love traingle. But I really enjoyed it. It felt like the move Kdrama BL that Korea has given us and I like me some Kdramas.

What Zabb Man! - one of the better BLs to come out of Star Hunter in the last few years. I like this pair a lot more than most, and the sides are wicked great. This is probably one of my favorite food themed BLs, actually.

2 Moons The Ambassador - possibly the lowest scoring BL to appear on this list but I just really like the leads. Nothing else is good, but they are kinda awkwardly fantastic. I also like how gay af the seme is.

Stay By My Side - This show was an interesting take on the "ghost boyfriend" trope. About a boy who is tormented by hearing the dead, except when he is around one other boy - desperation+proximity = love. Despite a strong initial premise it ended up mostly being enjoyable for sappy domesticity but nothing more. Still, I always give extra credit for the diabetes-inducing sugar content and rewatch capacity.

Requested by the lovely @l1xyz

FYI: I judge “underrated” on the strength of what I see people talk about (or more precisely not talk about) on social media, MDL reviews, and YouTube watch numbers (when available, as compared to comparable shows from the same country). 

Because of this, statistically, there will always be quite a few BLs that are difficult to get hold of.

Here's my pulls of the Top Underrated BLs prior to 2021. Considering the amount of content generated over the last few years, the pool to draw from is likely about the same.

My Top 10 Most Underrated BLs prior to 2021

Seven Days

Restart after Come Back Home

Wish You

Nobleman Ryu’s Wedding

He’s Coming to Me

Oxygen

My Day

Most Peaceful Place

HIStory 2: Right or Wrong

HIStory: Obsessed

I'd throw Great Men Academy in there, but I always dither over whether it actually is a BL.

[strangelysilver]

But Mike liked El in the first two seasons at leaast

I think there’s definitely an argument to be made for a Mike who liked El initially, but I’m personally a Mike-always-loved-Will truther. Now, if you want a full analysis as to why, there’s many in depth analyses by other Bylers that are way more detailed than what I’m about to say (check out lesbianmindflayer on YouTube, there’s a good one there, or just google some Tumblr analyses).

With that being said, there are a few things that I think make a compelling narrative that Mike has always loved Will, and that he may not even be attracted to girls at all.

First off, my favorite reason: El and Will are said to look very similar, especially through Season 1 and 2 (but even in later seasons!); El is also often mistaken for a little boy. So it’s interesting that El is the only girl that Mike been shown to be interested in— for example, when Dustin and Lucas are excited about Max, he’s clearly not.

This is further exacerbated by the fact that Mike and El’s relationship became a lot more rocky in Season 3 and 4, where El starts looking more feminine. Also, at the start of Season 4, El is deliberately dressed similarly to Will. Here’s a good photo of what I mean.

I think it’s interesting that Mike has only ever seemed to show interest in one girl, and it’s a girl who looks like his (male) best friend— and as she starts to look more and more traditionally feminine, their romantic relationship struggles.

The other thing that I immediately think about when considering Mike’s sexuality is the scene at the end of Season 3, where El tells Mike that she loves him and then kisses him. And Mike’s eyes are open.

(Yes, I know they made out a lot at the beginning of the season. However, it’s framed in a very teenage-romance-esque manner— they don’t have any meaningful conversations and just kiss until El dumps him later in the season. Also, may I remind you that the writers chose to have Hopper call it “unhealthy”?)

Anyways, I wasn’t even a Byler when I watched this scene, but it solidified the grave of my perception of Mileven. Mike was not into that kiss. His girlfriend is forgiving him and telling him that she loves him right before she’s about to leave for the California, and he’s so clearly not into it.

Now, for more personal and speculative reasons. For the first three seasons I wasn’t a Byler, but I didn’t like Mileven because it felt awkward and poorly written— I felt like they had barely built it up before it happened, and I felt like their relationship was pretty shallow compared to Mike and Will’s. For example:

Initially, Mike didn’t want El around and only kept her to find Will.

El disappears and Mike feels terrible, calling her every day… but in a way that parallels Nancy’s guilt over Barbara; he never goes out to look for her the way that he does for Will. He never even has the same kind of desperation.

In the same season, that act of calling El every day is quickly overshadowed by Mike spending all of his onscreen time with Will once his mindflayer crisis starts. Sure, the audience is told that Mike is calling for El at night at the beginning of the season, but after that? The audience pretty much only sees him protecting Will and comforting Will.

Before Mike dances with El and they kiss, there’s a scene where Mike encourages Will to dance with a random girl and then looks sad about it, right next to Dustin who is sad about Lucas and Max. Why was this scene shot if not for a parallel?

This one has been analyzed to hell and back, but Mike’s breakup with El is so much more lighthearted and childish than Mike’s friendship “breakup” with Will. Plus, Mike whines about his breakup with El and how it’s not his fault, but he bikes across town in the rain to apologize to Will.

Mike’s actions often feel performative with El, like in season 3 where the two of them run off to go make out instead of hanging out with their friends. Correct me if I’m wrong, but I think the only other time that a couple has been shown to prioritize making out over friends is, well, Stancy.

Similarly, Mike’s airport outfit (that Argyle immediately calls bullshit on) is another example of him “performing” what he thinks he should be with El. In fact, both of them seem unable to easily express the conflicts they’ve been having in their relationship. This is one thing as a standalone issue, but it’s another thing entirely when Mileven’s communication issues are juxtaposed with Byler’s genuine conversations.

There are more moments that compare Will and El, but I think there’s one more major narrative choice that really points to a “he loved Will all along” conclusion, and it’s this:

Stranger Things started with Will disappearing, and Mike going after him. Will has always been Mike’s first priority, because they were written that way from the beginning.

[genericpuff]

Who is your favorite LO character? Who is your favorite LR character?

i feeeeel like my answers change every time i get asked this question JFDSKLAFJSDALK but that's okay because it just means i'm constantly finding new ways to analyze and explore these characters >:3

LO faves: Minthe and Hephaestus.

Minthe because she obviously gets such shit treatment in the comic and subsequently from the fanbase, but she's a lot more relatable than 99% of the characters in the plot, she feels like she has actual depth and a real character arc, even if that arc ended with an unceremonious whisper. It goes to show how great of a character she was that Rachel practically had to nerf her out of the plot, because it was often only ever at its best when she was present. Funny how as soon as she was written out, there was nothing interesting going on with Hades or Persephone anymore - the plot was literally so boring without her that Rachel literally tried to create a Minthe 2.0 through Leuce, and we all know how well that went /s

As for Hephaestus, nothing super specific, I just like his vibes. Maybe it's just my absent older brother issues, but I would love to just like, hang out with him, game in the same room as him, just autistic parallel play stuff, I think he would be into that. Only complaint is the design flaw of giving him running blades as the default prosthetic, that can't be comfortable for his hips and joints. But that's not his fault u.u and that's basically my only complaint about him which makes him a winner in my book, esp compared to the rest of the cast. He might not be in the comic all that much, but that was clearly to his benefit because it seems the more attention Rachel pays to a character, the worse they wind up being in the long run due to poor writing. Hephaestus is in the comic just enough, not too little, not too often.

So yeah, Minthe and Hephaestus are both 10/10 characters written by a 0/10 writer. They did the best they could... not Rachel of course, she did literally the bare minimum of "representation" which often came across as ignorant white knighting at best and blatant stereotyping / stigmatizing at worst, I mean that Hephaestus and Minthe did the best they could as genuinely interesting characters with unique circumstances and disabilities who were being written by an amateur Wattpad-level writer with a privileged white guilt complex lmao

LR faves (within the cast that's currently been introduced): Persephone and Dionysus.

I know, very different from my LO choices, esp considering Persephone herself within LO is literally one of the most insufferable characters by the end, but I'm frankly having a great time rewriting her in my own way, especially in regards to her specific role as the "wrathful side" of Kore. I know I've gotten questions regarding the interpretation of Kore as a DID system, and while that interpretation is totally valid, the angle I always approached it from was that repressed trauma and emotional bottlenecking. Obviously those two things are, in and of themselves, contributing factors to DID, so far be it from me to tell people they can't identify with Kore / Persephone as DID representation. It just motivates me even more to give her the character arc she deserves and never got. It's gonna be messy. It's even gonna be downright ugly at times.

But I hope, in the end, that anyone who identifies with her struggles will find closure and comfort in the resolution of her story. It's certainly a challenging tightrope to walk, between honoring the themes of her original myth, retelling a version of her that almost existed in LO (a version that I was hoping for and never got), and dissecting the implications of my own version of her throughout LR's narrative, but it's a challenge that I've been having a great time undertaking and all I can hope for is that I can meet and possibly exceed my own expectations - as well as the readers - in the end. This is Kore's story - it's also Persephone's.

As for Dionysus... he's just a very, very fun character to write, and someone who I had the advantage of introducing before he was depicted in LO. It wasn't intentional but it sure as shit paid off because even though I'm sure some will assume that this is my own re-interpretation of Rachel's version of the character, myself and anyone else who was there at the time can vouch that Dionysus was aaaalllll me, baby LMAO

All that said, we're obviously going at it from a VERY different angle than how he was tackled in LO, but I'm hoping people enjoy his presence in the story, especially as he becomes more involved (which is very, very soon wink wink) The roles have definitely reversed here with Dionysus taking on more of a "parental" role to Kore rather than the other way around. I feel like his characterization has only grown stronger in hindsight compared to what we got in LO, especially where he's one of the only characters who beat LO to the punch and wound up being in a sort of arms race with Rachel's depiction ─=≡Σ((( つ•̀ω•́)つ

[antiqua-lugar]

tell us more about your feelings about oh ji hwa or other excellent ladies in beyond evil (solo se ti va of course) 🧐🤲💅🏻

OH MY GOD YESSSSS <3 thank you so much for asking me to ramble and remember questo farmaco contiene controindicazioni consumare solo previa consultazione del medico I have a lot of feelings about Beyond Evil <3

I like all the ladies (and honestly, all the characters) in this show so much, so like, my current top three based on how much I end up thinking about them

3. Yoo Jae-i

First off, making Yoo Jae-i and Lee Dong Sik narrative parallels was one of the most inspired characterisation choices in the show and so was letting her being openly bitter and harsh and raw.

Her real anger that she’s not just been robbed of her mom but of her future, because she could never leave Manyang until she found her mother? A++. Her anger when she and those she loves are made to go through all of that again? A++. The way she runs out to the reed field because her mother might be there and if a serial killer gets her, then so be it? A++, I cried when she saw her mother again, I don't care if it was over the top.

It could have been so easy to just pigeonhole Yoo Jae-i into a daughter/love interest/caretaking role and the show doesn’t and instead makes her arc more about like, the cost and the toll it takes on people to love and care for others - even if it is worth it. I don’t think it’s coincidence that she’s not only the owner of the butcher shop but it’s a BUTCHER shop, it’s a physical hard job, as is having to cook and host everyone all the time - of course everyone contributes, but it’s literally a plot point that sometimes she’s so tired she goes up to take a nap while everyone else is having fun and people are always helping her clean or bringing drinks because it’s all a hard job. I also really like how they handled her being forced to grow up and be more mature for her age - not only in her relationship with the Manyang gang but in the way she genuinely enjoys the work with the older ladies in Busan. Like sure, she was in hiding, but also that’s genuinely where she finds herself more at peace. I also like that she in general is a bit of a colder, more reserved character, and that’s fine, actually.

ALSO SHE FUCKING THREW EGGS AT HAN JUWON AND WHEN HE’S ACTING ALL HIGHTY AND MIGHTY ABOUT HOW HE WAS GOING TO DIG INTO HER PAST IF SHE DIDN’T STOP, SHE JUST CRUSHED ANOTHER EGG ON HIS FUCKING HEAD.

2. Do Hae Won

Yes, I cannot stop thinking about Park Jeong-je's horrible mom since she gave that speech about locking up her six year old in the deer farm to toughten him up only to then feel guilty when she realised he was losing his mind. In her final scene Leed Dong-sik tells her to “stop the act” because she’s not a heartless mother, but honestly? I think the most fascinating thing about Team Evil in this show is how they are often defined by the perversion of actual, real human relationships that they could have had, the people they could have been if they had chosen to love better, act better, just, be better in general - Do Hae Won as a mother, Lee Chang Jin as a husband, Han Ki Hwan as father and husband // Do Hae Won as a council woman, Lee Chang Jin as a constructor, Han Ki Hwan as the Commissioner.

And like in Do Hae Won case, maybe, maybe she did love her son, but even if she did, it was overshadowed by the unending guilt she felt when she realised that she had “broken” him. What we see for most of the drama isn’t Do Hae Won being a well meaning but overbearing mother, it’s entirely Do Hae Won playing a Mother role, because she feels she must, while also playing a politician and Councilwoman role, that she actually loves and puts first. And there is something in that which just keeps me thinking - had Do Hae Won even wanted to be a mother? Or had she also been trapped since the start because she was a woman? Or did she, like Han Ki Hwan, got herself a husband and a son for the optics but then found herself actually attached to Park Jeong-je only for it to end in tragedy when she couldn’t really love him? Was her abuse of Jeong-je maybe a reflection of what she had gone through herself? Did she lock him up genuinely thinking it would help or because she couldn’t stomach the son she actually had?

So  yeah. Do Hae Won, who waltzed into Lee Dong Sik’s house to shout at a teenager who was accused of killing his own sister and then was beaten by the police for days knowing her son did it and she had covered it up, you will always be famous. 

Also the way she and Lee Dong Sik fight over Park Jeong-je is. There is so much going on there. 

(Also her parallels with Han Ki Hwan are insane. Just. What.)

Oh Ji Hwa

Oh Ji Hwa my beloved, I understand Lee Chang Jin completely because if I got dumped by Oh Ji Hwa I would also be unable to get over it. I sent way too many screenshots of Beyond Evil with heart emojis to my  friends and 40% were hers (the other 50% were Lee Dong-sik and 10% was the delicious food) and I sent the first one after ten seconds she was on screen.

Which arguably means I don’t have any deep motivation to really love her character, but also damn she is so fucking well written. She is definitely supposed to be the more logical, professional character who has worked very hard for her position - especially as a woman in the Korean police force - but that doesn’t mean she isn’t capable of very strong feelings and passions. I absolutely love how they depict her inner conflict between her professional instincts AND her desire to do the right thing AND her loyalty to the people she loves - in that regard I absolutely love her relationship with Lee Chang Jin.

I think a lot of people in fandom  dismiss it because Lee Chang Jin is  Lee Chang Jin and also Lee Dong-sik openly hates him, but I am 100% into all of that. The fact that Oh Ji Hwa is amazing at Taekwondo and almost was an olympic athlete is used very well when establishing her dynamic with LDS and Park Jeong-je, but I find it significant in her ex-marriage because it’s one of the few times they really highlight that she is also a flawed character with a darker side - he falls in love with her because her eyes gleam when she beats him up. She loves him because she sees him as raw, naive and honest - even knowing he’s older, obviously a criminal and is hiding an ex wife and children. The show is very careful to establish that despite everything, Oh Ji Hwa walked into this relationship with open eyes and he is never a threat to her… and also that she didn’t leave him because she didn’t love him anymore, but because he went where she couldn’t follow. She’s perfectly capable of keeping herself in line and keeping her passions in check, but that doesn’t mean she doesn’t have them. 

And I think that’s a very cool way to write any character but especially a female character who has genuine inner conflicts, even if under the surface! Yes, she has feeling and emotions! No, she can do her job and the do the right thing perfectly fine! That's what makes it all more complicated!

Like saying she’s afraid of having one day to choose between Lee Dong-sik and Park Jeong-je when they thought Park Jeong-je might have actually killed someone - that’s an absolutely insane thing to say. She didn’t say “I’m afraid of losing Park Jeongje because he murdered someone we love so he's obviously not the man we thought he was”. She said “I am afraid I will have to do the right thing and lose one of them even if I will always equally love them both”. 

Also I am delighted that they made sure her friendship with both LDS and Park Jeong-je were completely platonic - if anyone has something weird going on it is those two, not her. The way Oh Ji Hoon is inserted in the dynamic only adds to it - and by the way, thank you show for not making it a whole thing. She clearly loves and cares for her brother, she has other things to do with her screentime.

There is also other stuff that I don't feel more qualified to comment on until I see more K Drama and more crime K Drama specifically - both on the gender sense and the writing of female characters spefically.

But anyway. I <3 HER.

[onepiece-polls]

One Piece Crack Ship War - Round 3 Side E

CoraBelle art by @halacska-fins

Propaganda under the cut.

CoraBelle:

A surprisingly popular ship considering they never interacted, but I see the appeal. Both former Marines, both loving and caring adoptive parents.

Two of the best parents in One Piece, imagine if they both lived and raised a happy little mixed family together.

Best adoptive Dad + Best adoptive Mom. I think they would vibe.

Cora is Bell-mere's malewife failure and she loves him. She enjoys making him flustered and tripping him up. He is just heads over heels in love with her, he loves her so much Just the thought of Bell-mere making a man who's twice her size completely melt for her fills me with joy. They were both apart of the Marines and ended up adopting children while on the job. I'm not exactly sure who died first but learning about your lover's death (if it wasn't covered up) is amazing angst potential. They're watching over their kids in the afterlife together.

Dead serial adopting Marines smokers, what else is there to say?

hi i’m back with my corabelle agenda. these two are a match made in heaven. literally. they have so many narrative parallels, it hurts. they both sacrificed themselves for their adoptive kids’ longevity, they’re both former marines who deserted their positions in order to give these kids a better life. they were both killed by a flintlock, and their last words to their kids were “i love you.” !!! it’s uncanny!! they could have known each other when they were marines, too! bell-mere is just one year older than rosinante. they were from different blues, but there’s a chance they could have run into each other or even trained together for a period of time. bell-mere would be the perfect friend for a young rosinante who’s preoccupied and stressed over his brother. in terms of personality, that’s where we get some of that juicy opposites-attract theory into play. they do have a lot in common tho! some common flaws, (hotheaded, a bit irrational, impulsive), and some common strengths as well, (determined, fearless, values the strength of a smile)! but otherwise, bell-mere isn’t afraid to lay the flirt on and seems a bit more extroverted, where rosinante is a little more reserved and keeps a very small circle of friends, (literally one and it’s sengoku). someone direct like bell-mere could easily draw him out of his shell, and someone down-to-earth and occasionally goofy like rosinante could help keep her grounded.

Both marines with rough lives who seemingly picked up children when they weren’t expecting it. Bellemere would make a great mom to Law and Corazon would make a great dad to Nami and Nojiko. Both of them would bond over the bullshit of the world!!

Art by @gendervapor14

Cobradile: The Hero of Alabasta and the King of Alabasta caught in a sordid secret love affair that ends in a brutal betrayal.

[tryandbehappy]

I’m trying to understand the writers’ actions and I just can’t… They seemingly gave Osblaine a catch phrase – the “See you later.” Just like other iconic ships have one: HP has “Always”, THG has “Stay with me/Always”, TFIOS has “Okay? Okay.” The reason I thought Nick and June would end up on good terms (not even necessarily together) and resolve their conflict was because of that little saying. That they would use it again at the end of the season when they were going deep undercover, but with the hope that it wouldn't be the last time they saw each other. But then what? The writers use the phrase once in 6x03 and butcher Nick’s character and Osblaine completely… With no callback to it. I don’t get it, why did they bother to create it then?

Yes, you’re absolutely right. And honestly, there are sooo many of those lines. I could get tired just listing them all. Let’s just remember: all the things June said about love, the whole “love never fails” message the show pushed, that iconic little line “try and be happy, it’s always been you”, their dream of Paris and then that Paris callback… literally everything.

Cinematically stunning kisses: intense close-ups, kisses that last 3 full minutes, 10 seconds straight of her crying nonstop because she’s jealous or heartbroken over Nick, the 360° camera circling them while they kiss, constant visual emphasis, endless moments of June tearing up the second someone mentions Nick’s name, all of it was intentional. Parallels with Disney movies — “Your heart will glow,” scenes where he kisses her and she wakes up in the hospital like she’s freaking Sleeping Beauty. Some episodes are shot like literal fanfiction and full-on fan service. That’s 4x09, 4x03, their first time having sex; their sex scene at the Boston Globe and so on! I could go on and on

And let’s be real: people say they scrapped the Nick/June arc in season 6, but how is that possible when the conflict was consistent through episode 6, even 7 and 8? They gave us Paris parallels in Episode 6, they gave us the “see you later” in Episode 3, they gave us that incredible flashback, they gave us the kiss, Nick’s long intense look, that long moment where he holds her hand, the fact that she says “yes” to running away to Paris with him — all of it. Only one episode went completely off the rails, for no explained reason. So I can only conclude: they were deliberately messing with us. Pretending this was the OTP while secretly planning to pull off some big “shock value” moment. They wanted to be clever. They wanted a twist that would make them feel like geniuses.

But it was fucking dumb. It completely breaks the narrative. This is what happens when writers outsmart themselves, they tried to be fancy, and just ended up shitting the bed. And now? They’re panicking. You can feel it in the chaotic press cycle, all these contradictory interviews, and still no clear message.

And fans? Furious. Mass cancelations of Hulu subscriptions are already happening because people are that pissed. And that hits them where it hurts: money.

No one was asking for Nick to definitely survive. We could’ve accepted a tragic end. But it had to connect with his arc. It had to make emotional sense. It had to close the loop. What they gave us was absurd. There’s nothing to be proud of. So yeah let’s keep going. Let’s keep saying how dumb they were, because they fucked up badly

[kaythefloppa]

I see a lot of people say that Cristobal and Esteban are meant to be foils (cousins of Elena who ultimately betrayed the Castillo-Flores family to serve Shuriki).

Which IS undoubtedly true and is likely a large reason why Cristóbal was introduced, especially in the episode that killed off Shuriki.

I’ve also seen people say that Elena and Esteban are narrative foils. Again, this is also true, and the series itself explores that throughout the second half of the s how.

However I’d argue that Cristóbal and Elena are ultimately foils to one another a well.

Both Cristóbal and Elena

Were members of the royal family in the Castillo bloodline

Were traumatized by the outright murder of their parents (Shuriki killing Raul and Lucia in her invasion, and Cristóbal’s father dying in a shipwreck caused by Sirenas)

This is the important part: Both of them sought revenge against the person/people responsible for their parents’ loss to the point of endangering themselves and/or others. (Shuriki, Esteban, and arguably Victor in Elena’s case and the Sirenas in Cristóbal’s case).

This is where the similarities end and where the differences begin to shine that shows them as foils. Elena actually succeeds in killing Shuriki to both avenge her parents and save herself and her family/friends/kingdom. For all intents and purposes, Elena succeeded where Cristóbal didn’t, but there’s more to that. She forgives Victor and Esteban (granted that the time came and they earned her forgiveness) whilst Cristóbal still persecuted the Sirenas for crimes that they’ve stopped doing. There’s also how Elena and Cristóbal’s respective stories end.

Elena’s final test to become Queen wasn’t by killing Shuriki, capturing the Delgados, stopping Ash and Esteban’s team of villains, or the Four Shades of Awesome. It was by forgiving Esteban and learning from her past mistakes. This is what saves the Kingdom and allows her to be crowned Queen.

Cristóbal on the other hand, sold out his entire kingdom to Shuriki in exchange for gold after previously doing the same during Shuriki’s 41-year rule over Avalor. He didn’t learn from his mistakes, which is what got him imprisoned. And according to Craig Gerber, Cristóbal was actively deposed as the Duke of Nueva Vista.

They’re both two sides of the same coin. Which makes me even angrier at how much wasted potential Cristóbal was in the long run with his ONE appearance in the entire show. He SO could’ve appeared in Season 3, either as one of the final villains alongside Ash and Esteban, or make a cameo in an episode that ultimately highlights these parallels and gives Elena the push that ultimately winds with her forgiving Esteban.

[damsels-n-dice]

playtesting adventures: session zero

last week marked my first proper foray into playtesting 'til it kills us, my biggest project to date, and so we begin a new series! this is going to involve me talking about my general experiences with playtesting, the specific changes i'm making to the game, and some thoughts/plans for the campaign that i'm currently running!

general playtesting thoughts:

getting to play a game you wrote is the coolest! it's a game exactly suited to the kind of gameplay & stories i want and it's Awesome

thus far observation has proven more useful than actual feedback, but we will see if that continues to hold as we continue :)

players mostly experienced with D&D and other "big" TTRPGs have... interesting expectations of what the genre as a whole is like

thus far all the changes have been wording fixes or small mechanics updates, which is reassuring! nothing fundamentally broken yet

my players all like!! a game i made!!! how cool is that y'all

game updates:

changed it so that achieving your goals isn't necessarily a good thing -- you have the option to choose whether doing so will make your character ascend further into magical chaos or get better. should be helpful for people who want their character to go mad

rephrased a few motivations, presentations & other descriptions to be more vague and allow for player creativity :)

added a place to take notes. because i managed to forget that 😭

some of the rules sections have been rewritten to clarify stuff i was asked during character creation (even if one of the questions was "can i actually just have all the one-per-player items")

now, if you're one of my players (hi xx) go away! and if you're not, and want to hear about my specific game & my plans for it, read on

the story so far:

a lot of my characters have really similar themes, which is going to be very fun to see play out when they realise!

4/6 player characters experience some form of psychosis, so there's going to be a lot of questionably real stuff going on, and a lot of themes to do with reality & our relationship to it

3/6 players have significant Dead Family and the rest all have other family-adjacent story potential. this is a part i'm pretty excited for, as community & support networks are significant parts of determining which path your character follows

the players have also requested a lot of mystery & magic as the focus, which is exactly the kind of thing i really want to run here! plus it lets me see how well those kind of narratives actually run

my plans going forward:

i really want to play around with themes of government/business intervention in queer stories -- stuff like censorship, pink-washing and rainbow capitalism but with the excuse of being about "magic"

this i think plays in really nicely to the support network themes, as i plan for one of the characters to be getting support from a "charitable initiative" that is actually just an excuse for important people to get a registry of magic users. not sure what for yet

there's also going to be some magic users (and queer folk) working with these corrupt institutions

the "can you bail yourself out of trouble by turning against the people who care about you?" kind of conundrum

(you can't. the leopards will eat your face too)

the magic users will probably have playbooks that make good parallels to my party's playbooks (bogeyman, creeping vine, drowned, gravedigger, grey and lighthouse) but idk which ones yet

i also want to do smaller storylines about the community centre they chose as their base, and how it's struggling to help the community while also following the whims of the right-wing government that isn't really funding it anymore

can you tell i have a lot of thoughts abt current western politics xx