#they had no chemistry. they felt like the two out gay ppl in their show choir and they bonded as friends

[ginger-berrie]

SO I JUST SAW FALSETTOS LIVE FOR THE FIRST TIME

HOLY SHIT OKAY. HEY GUYS I JUST GOT BACK FROM SEEING FALSETTOS. LIVE. MY FAVOROITE MUSICAL EVER. I HAVE WORDS TO SAY.

So firstly I of course have to say this musical is fucking phenomenal and if u havent seen it even on youtube you HAVE to. onne of the best musicals ever wrutten. ignore any typos in this my hands r still shaking and im not editing htis. OKAY.

The actors. It was a college level production but the actors were so so talented. My favorite performances were from Mendel and Jason, who both pulled off their roles INCREDIBLY. Mendel was like a carbon copy of Brandon Uranowitz he had his mannerisms DOWN. All the nervous ticks, touching his face, being generally so awkward all the time, even his face was just perfec t for the role. And Jason was played by an adult femme-presenting person but they were so good as him!!!!! their voice fit him perfectly and she also perfectly encompassed Jason;s awkward childlike nature. The entire cast was incredible but those two really stood out to me!!!! Everyone's singing voices as well were fantastic, especially Trina's—she KILLED the high notes and even sung up the octave on a few lines !!!! including the "but still the bastard divorced me" and she still belted the "you must exorcise a devil" even AFTER Im Breaking Down. In fucking sane.

THAT BEING SAID THOUGH. Even though i enjouyed every second of it I do wanna make some more analysis-related directing critiques because im fucked up and evil about this show . im so sorry just let me speak here meaout. Stating right now though I've only seen the 2016 revival (about 2 dozen times) and not the original 90's version (been meaning to watch it just havent gotten the chance) so i reserve all TRUE judgement until after I see it!!! maybe some of these choices were in the original but tbh if they were i still like how the revival did it better. okay i swear im not just one of those ppl who is like "tHaTS noT hOw ThEY dId iT On BroADwAy" calm down. thanks <3

First of all. Some of the scenes lacked energy !!!!! Thrill of first love had no homoerotic choreography!!!!! they just kinda sat there on the couch looking morose and barely looking at each other as if they truly just hate each other and feel ANYthing towards each other anymore at all. But thats not the point!!!!!! They dont fully hate each other theyre just lacking the excitement that they once had and it's been replaced with nothing but disagreements and sex. When Whizzer and Marvin do their gay little dance theyre not just dancing and being gross and sexual theyre also FIGHTING!!!! they still care about each other they just dont know how to act!!!! and marvin's a bitch of course. Marvin was still very much a bitch. But because of the lack of energy in this song there was a bit of a lack of chemistry between the two as well, which carried through the whole show. I feel like it's important to see just how gross fucked up n nasty these two are about each other to see how its truly affecting the other people in Marvin's life. Even their chemistry during the chess game was lacking. They just kinda felt like they really hated each other. Which isnt the pointtttttt. Guh

Trina (or the directors idk) also made some choices I wasn't 100% on board with but they were more subtle. Mostly in her tone about Mendel. Up through Please Come To Our House she seemed to really really like Mendel. Like it was clear she was attempting to woo him. But then when he was proposing, and when they were maknig their home together, she just seemed. Unenthused. I know Trina truly doesn't really love her life, and just needs the stability of a nuclear family, but it was odd to see her not even attempt to keep up the facade on her own. Her and Mendel were similarly lacking in a lot of chemistry because of this, which, maybe to some of you makes sense but to me i do want to see them be close even if Mendel isn't absolutely the best.

LAST CRITIQUE OKAY. This one is BIG SPOILERS if u havent seen it yet but probably if ur reading this far youve already seen it okay. The fuckign bar mitzvah!!!!! There was no acknowledgement from Whizzer to Jason as he was reading his Torah !!!!!!! He just layed there in the hospital bed, facing AWAY from the audience so we could only see the very top of his head (which was on purpose for a quick change but) and he didnt get up at all to thank Jason or even acknowledge him :( for all the audience knows maybe he didnt even see Jason get bar mitzvahd. screaming crying throwing up.

OKAY IM DONE W BEING MEAN HERES A BIG CHANGE I REALLY LOVED !!!!!! as well as some smaller changes that i also really liked or were jsut neutral things i noticed

For most of act 2, up until Days Like This, They had this really cool circus imagery? Now once again idk if this is in the OG, but they had a picture of each cluster of characters set up on either side of the stage, and each of them was doing some sort of circus act both in the pictures and on stage, especially during A Day in Falsettoland. When a character was having their point in the song, they'd sometimes cut the lights briefly and suddenly the characters would be struggling to perform their little circus act, and each of them had a differnt one respectively and they all represented their immaturities/flaws/struggles:

Jason was on stilts, representing his need to grow up and perhaps his perceived mental maturity compared to the other characters

Trina was balancing/spinning plates on sticks, representing her need to keep balance and order in her life

Marvin + Whizzer were fencers because of their lingering animosity, yet newfound respect, for one another. Fencing isnt a dangerous sport, like you dont actually hurt your opponent in it, but it;s still a fight and youre still pointoing a weapon at them. guh. (AND BTW they did this during the racquetball scene and HOLY SHIT. I just gotta describe this one. Racquetball number 1 They had their little racquets as they were singing to each other but then when they got really into the game the lights would cut and then theyd be FENCING each other instead!!!!! and then the lights would cut again and itd go back to racquetball!!!! BUT THEN in the racquetball number 2 when it cut to them fencing ONLY MARVIN HAD A SWORD. WHIZZER STILL HAD HIS RACQUET. GIUUHUHGGHGHGHGHGH.;..,.,/;;'.';.;'[[[.)

Then the lesbians from next door were like a duo balancing/acrobatics act where they were always leaning on each other and picking each other up which was cute but also like. Charlotte would start falling in one direction and Cordelia would have to scrambke to catch her. I always hail them as the healthiest couple in the show but sometimes i forget they have problems too, like Cordelia;s insecurity and Charlotte's stress over the virus of course.

And finally Mendel!!!! was the fucking ringmaster!!!!! He had a hoop and a top hat and every time he was trying to calm down Jason (Everyone Hates His Parents), or Caroline, or Trina (A Day in Falsettoland), he would appear with his hoop and top hat, to show that HE is the one who needs to "control" other people's lives, or at least he feels the need to direct them. Mendel of course needs to feel like he's smarter than everyone else and like he's the only one who can help people. It really drove that home and it was an insane realization to come to. Phenomenal directing choice idk who came up with that but. bravissimo to you

Now miscellaneous stuff i liked or noticed!!!

They didn't have the big ol foam block. just some couch ends that they moved around to be diff pieces of furniture. If you've ever seen Waiting In The Wings' analysis on falsettos you might have seen a comment in the youtube section discussing how in the set design for the revival, the lack of real furniture through most of the show represents the lack of maturity of the characters, and as things get serious for them, more real props and set pieces get added. Like the chess board, the decor for Mendel + Trina's home, Whizzer's suitcase, the whole hospital room, etc. They didn't lean into that with this but i think that's fine! its not a necessary detail in my opinion and they did their best with what they had!!

Marvin didn't hand whizzer the suitcase after the chess game. He just grabbed it, and packed it himself. I was waiting for him to slam it into whizzer's chest or something. but no. Whizzer just picked it up and walked off. okay. Neutral bad change imo

Marvin's performances of What would I do and What more can i Say were. Breathtaking. Marvin actor if you're out there reading this your voice is lovely and carries so much emotion in your solo numbers. I Did Cry. a little bit

god their group number harmonies were AMAZING. All of the cast members' voices blended together so well and it was absolutely beautiful. the whole show was beautiful and i adored it i swear. I jsut need somwhere to put my feelings

THE ORCHESTRA FUCKED. IT FUCKED

Okay its getting late now and im fading quickly BUT IF U READ THIS FAR UR INSANE. This is for me and nobody else i just eneded to feelings dump. tl;dr: i fucking lvoe falsettos this was one of the best nights of my life i love you actors i love you pit i love you lighting i love you run crew i love you sound crew i love you musical theatre

[menalez]

you like lucy liu! great bc i have a story i've been dying to share related to her and it's utterly ridiculous if not stupid. (it's a bit long tho, so sorry abt that - but it fuels my pettiness)

so, I used to have this friend (from ages 15 to 20), we met at school and befriended each other through fandom. I'm a lesbian (bi back then) and always liked wlw ships, my friend (straight) really liked mlm ships & considering our common interests we got along p well. (i say liked mlm ships, but it was probably fetishisation: mlm ships were better than any straight or wlw one bc two men; men deserved to be with another man being w a woman would've been a downgrade etc. basically a lot of internalised misogony)

Okay, so around 2016/17 the Sherlock shows "Elementary" and bbc's "Sherlock" were quite popular. My former friend was really into Sherlock (mostly for the ship); I wasn't. I didn't like Cumberbatch, thought he was arrogant and therefore wasn't interested in watching bbc's Sherlock, I was quite into Elementary though. I liked the spin it took on the Sherlock series, I really liked the idea of an equal and female Watson (Lucy Liu in that case) and I loved the idea of Moriarty being a woman and having great chemistry with Lucy Liu.

I don't remember what led up to the conversation, but she sent me screenshots of her convo with smn else where they were talking about me and my refusal to watch bbc's Sherlock. And to this day, the conversation they had pisses me off so much (but also leaves me going like ??? bc it's ridiculous) It originally was in German, but this was the gist of it: my friend seemed to have been complaining to this other girl (I didn't know her) about me not wanting to watch sherlock. The stranger took offense in my dislike for Cumberbatch and said she didn't know what Elementary was. My friend then replied that I hated Cumberbatch and didn't want to watch Sherlock "only" because he starred in it (both messages accompanied by an eye-roll emoji).

The stranger then asked how smn could hate Cumberbatch and said she just googled the show and went "wtf". My friend then replied "It's an ugly female Watson. And I'm into women, I know what I'm talking about."

The stranger then replied that she couldn't stand Lucy Liu and my friend replied with an over the top "thank you honey I love you for this statement" their conversation ended with the stranger saying that she had just done some research and that Elementary was basically blasphemy and my friend agreed saying she saw it on TV once and it made her want to throw the remote at the TV

that's the story, that pisses me off every time I remember it, bc like, a) beauty is subjective, yes. but i don't think lucy liu can in any way be considered ugly and b) my friend had literally found out she was a lesbian like a week ago. "i like women, ik what i'm talking abt" no, u don't?? it doesn't work like that obvs, but still you don't know what you're talking abt c) the stranger going "how can u dislike cumberbatch" and then in the next breath saying she can't stand lucy liu. ?? ? ??? girl. d) the stranger in general. like where did the audacity come from

i think the statement ("ugly female watson") stemmed from internalised misogyny (on friend's part) rather than racism, bc if watson is female then there is no possibility for a gay sherlock/watson ship, but tbh idk. anyways hope you enjoyed this story that pisses me off to no end

oh and pls also note that this friend was supposedly my best friend at the time and in love with me lol

ok first of all i need to hear the story of u dumping this woman as a friend bc that has got to be juicy too. wtf kind of friend is that.... insane. its insane there was a period in time where ppl act like women are crazy for seeing this demon being and not being interested in seeing more of him:

like he needs to go back to whatever planet he came from n leave us Real human beings alone... terrorizing us with his face is immoral.

also i felt the same about lucy liu but i have sth terrible to reveal... my girlfriend also thinks lucy liu is ugly :( she thinks its insane that im attracted to lucy liu. i think she even said lucy liu wouldnt be considered attractive in taiwan or sth. i feel like east asians have very different ideas of beauty bc this is not the first time i said an east asian woman was beautiful and east asians around me were like "wtf no!"

lastly if this is how she treats her best friend that shes in love with then im concerned over how she treats other ppl

[flying-elliska]

So idk if you still watch 911 but I’m feeling some type of way about it lol. So I’ve always been on the camp that buck and eddie are 100% queer coded but I never really thought the show would take it there because that’s the tale as old as time lol. But it’s never changed the fact that I definitely see a romantic quality to them. More so than other ships in shows that are canon 😂. But one of the peeps in charge basically said something along the lines of: it was never intentional on our part but when it goes out into the world people can interpret it how they want. People will see what they want to see and I’m not gonna tell them they’re wrong. And then she kind of proceeded to justify why people who see buck and Eddie has romantic as wrong 😂😂 what do you feel about them as a pair? I’d thought I’d lost any hope but what she said made me so mad. Not just buddie not being a thing or whatever, but more so what she said felt triggering in the sense that people across time have always told queer people that they read too much into things that aren’t there. When they are! And queer ppl are made to feel like they’re crazy. Idk it’s gotten me down that this shit is still happening. I’m glad that a show like that show you’re now reblogging about a lot exists. Not only pirates but gay ones. Subtle but the context is that they’re into each other. No reading subtext “wrong”. It’s refreshing lol

hello anon ! sorry that you're feeling down, let's see if I can lift your mood with one of my customary rambles lmao

I wasn't impressed with 911's last half season but I will probably catch up at some point. Anyway, I am also a Buddie shipper but I've always tried to keep my expectations low, because I've been there before.

Like, some of my first OTPs were a lot like this, and possibly worse (Destiel/Supernatural or Stucky/Marvel, for instance) - two badass dudes who'd go to hell and back for each other, closer relationship than with any female love interest, high levels of chemistry and subtext, would 100% be seen as romantic if it was a man and a woman, massive queer following writing meta and fic with more depth than canon ever had...and creators who kept insisting again and again and again that it was entirely straight. I got really tired of it, honestly. I know how it feels to get super hyped and to really see it and to end up feeling delusional. It's a waste of emotional and creative energy for me these days, so I'd rather invest in actual canon queer pairings - or keep my expectations very low.

I think it comes down to the same thing : heteronormativity. See, I think the creators are telling the truth - they didn't intend it as romantic. But sometimes stories get away from their writers, they end up writing something they didn't intend ; the question is, are they flexible enough to go with the flow, or are they going to stick to their first idea even though the characters might have evolved beyond it ?

I think there is very much a generational gap here. Most of the showrunners and writers involved in this grew up in the old school world where queer stories were almost inexistant, and the queer stories that did make it were firmly segregated - queer characters existed in this sort of contained ghetto where they were clear stereotypes, doomed to be tragic, evil, unhappy, etc - still at the very best there was always this very clear line between gay and straight people (and simply forget about bi/trans/nb/etc characters). Viewers had to be told right away who was gay and who was straight, otherwise it was uncomfortable. And generally if a character came out it would immediately become their entire story. You had Gay Stories TM - it was a genre in itself. The best version is where the gay character exists to carry a message, teach a lesson, or Provide Good Representation TM - but they still have to be Gay for a Purpose. There is this belief that there is a deep and fundamental division between straight and gay people. There's a reason why the rare bisexual in this model is almost always an evil slut - because they threaten this strict division, so their sexuality has to be attributed to their lack of morals or mental instability. Now, in these more progressive times, a lot of older people want to do better, but I think these writers still have this line in their head that separates gay from straight characters and it's impossible to cross. Even if they're queer themselves.

Meanwhile you have a newer generation of writers and audiences that are getting increasingly used to better, more explicit representation, where queer people are just people with complex stories that are just as rich and diverse, where the queerness is an explicit part of who they are that's not shoved under the rug but not the entirety of who they are either. Boundaries are more fluid, some characters experiment with gender and sexuality and it's less and less of a big deal, some people don't feel a need for boxes. Queer culture is acknowledged, queer identity is uplifted and analyzed in its full richness and nuance, it's part of the humor, there's obvious flirting, joy, playfulness - we delight in queerness, it's not just An Issue TM. A macho macho guy might turn out to be gay after several seasons and it's not considered absurd or weird. There is no longer this belief that that somebody's gayness has to be visible from outer space, or that there is something fundamentally distinct about men and women, or about m/f or m/m or f/f relationships - in fact some people might be neither or both and that's also great. Queerness bleeds into the mainstream instead of just seeking to assimilate. Some characters start out not written as queer but then the writers realize that wait, actually, this character being queer or these two characters being in love might greatly expand the story in incredible ways, so why not seize the opportunity and make queer fans really happy on the way ? And this is also a new language of love in general, based more on equal partnership, intimacy, wonder, mutual respect and support, transformative love, or even in more toxic dynamics, a mutual level of change and impact, etc - rather than an old fashioned thing with the strict gender roles where the dude is the savior/protector/etc and the girl is the prize/damsel in distress.

So, let's go back to the old school generation of writers. Under the heteronormative model, you write m-m and f-m relationships very differently (this is also the logic behind 'men and women can't be friends' - and lazy straight romance that assumes you will see a m/f pairing as romantic simply bc they stare at each other for too long). A m-f set of characters's default is romantic and a m-m pairing is platonic by default. So the same scene - for instance, a charged, long stare - is going to be seen as romantic for the m-f pairing and platonic for the m-m couple. This is what the writers assumed the audience would see. If you want a m-m pairing to be seen as romantic you have to explicitly label it as gay (generally with a lot of angsting, clichés and Lessons etc to signal to your straight audience that this is a Gay Story TM so they can prepare mentally and distance themselves without having to question their assumptions)

But our dear new generation doesn't fucking get that. They think it's absurd, and for good reason. Why should the same gesture be interpreted so differently depending on the gender of the people involved ? So then you have this m/m type of ship. The shippers are going to see the same language generally used in straight romances - heart to hearts, life or death situations, agonized looks, sacrifices for the other, symbolic parallels, commitments, long gazes, teasing, emotional intimacy, etc etc...and read it as also romantic, without the heteronormative lens that prevents the older generation from seeing this potential queerness.

Ok but - what happened in the writing room for us to get there ? Why do old school writers do use those tropes so damn much for their male characters ? Why are so many modern stories centered around 'bromances' ? Well, they're popular, for one. But another thing : homosociality is at the core of traditional masculinity, which is build by excluding anything female/feminine. And yeah, that's kind of gay, actually. But straight people have been raised to ignore that as hard as possible. And to go one further : queerness is one of the pillars of traditional masculinity - but straight people don't see it. Not just because this masculinity constructs itself with queerness as a boundary, as an other of 'what you should not be' (but end up being anyway because the ideal is impossible. under the regime of idealized toxic masculinity any man is always on the edge of falling into queerness. it's a regime of perpetual threat that always needs to be enforced harder and harder. lmaoo gay) Historically a lot of the typical, glorified spaces of masculine socialization and action hero icons - rugged cowboys, sailors, pirates, adventurers, soldiers, etc etc - tended to attract a lot of queer people, and so the same stories that serve to codify ideal masculinity are actually deeply queer in their fabric. Also there has been this tradition of idealizing these deep, 'brotherly' bonds between men, who tended to play a big role in idealized male socialization, as more noble and true and free than the utilitarian relationships between men and women that are limited by the constrained ideal of marriage, reproduction, family and home life. And these supposedly platonic male relationships are ultimately closer to the modern ideal of romantic love based on equality and partnership and emotional intimacy.

So you have your old school writer setting out to write a tough, cool action hero. He needs to get the girl to be cool but he can't get too close or emotionally involved with the girl or see her as an equal, because that's not cool. So any kind of deep relationship by default ends up being with men. Second step, your old school writer is going to use lots of macho very masculine tropes without realizing they're actually pulling on queer culture. One of the text book examples of this is SPN's Dean Winchester, whose creator, Eric Kripke, said he was inspired by Dean Moriarty from the beat novel On the Road. Now, Dean Moriarty is inspired by a real guy, Neal Cassidy, who was bisexual in real life, and there's actually an uncensored version of On the Road that is a lot more explicitly queer. Did Eric Kripke know this ? No, probably not. He pulled from On the Road because he wanted to allude to that sort of drifter, unattached, adventurous masculinity, he wanted that macho glory for his character - without knowing that in real life, a lot of those guys were, obviously queer as hell - makes sense for queer men to congregate at the margins of society, to need that freedom and that wilderness of the road, just as it makes sense for fans to read Dean Winchester, living on the margins, always fighting his demons and that heavy masculinity imposed on him by his father, as queer. The delusional ones here are not the fans ; really the problem, I would say, are the heteronormative blinders and lack of culture of the old school writers. They are using a slowly fading (but still annoyingly persistent) language, that of this willful ignorance that allows the heteronormative illusion to persist, this idea that the relationships between people can be arranged in neat little boxes.

I think when it comes to the 911 writers, they're obviously trying to be more progressive and enlightened than anything SPN ever did, but it's still a mainstream American procedural show, and I think they still have a lot of those old boxes in their heads. I don't think they intended it as queer and yet it's kind of crazy to me nobody realized the gay vibes of Eddie's introduction to the show and his rivalry with Buck at the start lmao like that gym staring scene ???? can you imagine if Eddie or Buck was a woman how that would have been read ? That's some heteronormative blinders right there, damn

And there's a reason why a lot of these controversies tend to happen around pairings of two tough, action hero, hyper-masculine characters. They're the last great bastion of heteronormativity. For a long time intimacy btw men was only shown in the context of death and violence, to mitigate any accusation of softness. Can you imagine how incredibly threatening it would be for your average straight dudebro viewer if this cool action hero guy they identified with turned out to be gay 'out of nowhere' ? (ie, without the usual Gay Story ahead please disidentify warning signs). The 911 writers know this, and they wouldn't risk it because I don't think they have either the guts or the creative leeway. On the other hand they know that the gay reading is popular with another viewer segment that is younger, more queer and female, so they keep playing up the vagueness and the allusions a little, which for me is the more reprehensible aspect of it all. This is how you get queerbaiting.

Anyway, what is my point ? Well, you're not delusional, darling anon. But I would also advise you to guard your heart a little, and maybe feed yourself with more explicitly queer stories, who do deserve your investment more with their courage. But I don't blame you for wanting more from these big mainstream stories that everyone watches on prime time TV. You deserve more, we all do.

I think we need to keep talking about heteronormativity and double standards and old hat narratives. The conversation around these ships frustrate me so much because they often, to me, focus on the wrong things - about what the creators secret intentions are or aren't. I think we should take them at their word when they say they didn't intend to make it queer, and then we should keep talking about how it is, anyway, and if they didn't intend that, that's their problem, not ours. We need to keep talking about the lazy, flimsy straight instalove story lines that are somehow held up as more valid romances than these really intense and intimate connections between men - why ? We also need more super tough macho guys to be revealed to be queer after a whole season at least of them kicking ass (did you see Black Sails yet lmfao best heterobaiting in history)

Now with Buddie I do have to add a caveat - there is this argument that because Buck and Eddie are basically co-parenting Chris, they have to be in love. I don't like that - I deeply believe in the importance of showing more platonic, friendship centered family arrangements and stuff that deviates from the nuclear family ideal, gay or straight. Like, some of my parents' friends basically helped raise me, they weren't in love with my parents lol. That said, this didn't convince me Buddie were not in love either. But my point is, I would find this story of platonic family bonds more interesting and revolutionary if it was actually a man and a woman helping each other raise a child without ever being romantically involved, just as friends. I want more stories that center the importance of friendship too, but I think it should be about m-f dynamics first. It's only fair lmao, because this whole 'they're just friends' thing has been used for way too long to dismantle queer readings of closeness.

[misterbitches]

some thots. having a bad time so this is rougher than usual. oh well

....

i guess he really does know hiim best cos if that was my mans (man specifically cos if anyone else did that id take it more srsly) i would be like oh my god ur singing me a love song? i would love it but i woudl SCREAM in embarrassment. UNLESS it was a really deep love song that's about us dying together.

like i want to eat ur skin type of thing (drain u nirvana) lmaoa but i really like this song it reminds me of that velvet underground song (the only one i know cos of juno lmao) and nico or whatever 'i'm sticking with you)

my adhd would be out of fucking control i had to spend my time listening to this looking around i kept getting distracted by a tissue and thinking "wow this song is nice but i wish it would end bc i am getting distracted" and lo and behold i paused it and i have to pee and i know it's gonna take forever to undo this

ok about 12m later i turned it back on and they kissed and then he bit the corn then that night li chen also lost his virgin teas after watching gay porn and being like "hm interesting" and he'll be like "i see, ur dick is not medium sized"

i'm honestly gagging i cannot at this 12 year old marrying his mom

beautiful theyre beautiful

ayea you fucking psycho we do too because he was 17 and we had to witness it (or well, other people did cos i didnt watch the show even tho wayne song is [BEEEEEEEEEEEEEP BEEEEEP BEEEEP] and i want him to [BEEEEEEEP] and ppl even liked it which is fine like i get it in theory but they put this in my eyeballs so i'm gonna make fun of it bc it's fuckin DUMB lmao like i can't I CANNOT and he said "u were so persistent" BITCH UR 30??!?!???!?!?!?)capi hve it on mute and i tried to get a screencap of li chen and mu ren like together and not just his face but i cant find the timestamp and seeing their faces as they get married is literalyl traumattizing i'm like scremaing at my screen going "HE'S 5 HE'S 5 HE'S 5" and every time theyre like "we acn live forever together" like no bitch ur bones rae creaking

also is the officiator white? if anyone knows why or if that's common i'd love to know more. EDIT: HE ISN'T I JUST THOUGHT HE LOOKED LIKE MOBY FROM THAT ANGLE

anyway here

i'm almost done with this fucking bullshit and i am in a really ould mood and usu they make it a bit better but imo it's kind of....annoying i guess balancing all these story elements and introducin gother couples (even in the periphery) since the story in itself can't focus. i feel like all in all the time spent with these two is a lot more limited and we get the feel for the rship because of their chemistry as actors, irl chemistry as friends and colleagues, and hopefully being happy and working on a good set. so it isn't the strength of the writing or production.

for some reason they get like less dynamic ways of being together which i think is part of their charm, they do things their own way, but the writers really should have substantiated this more. it's really just the way everyone in the show has managed to deliver these AWFUL story lines and production decisions (like seriously who the fuck was on costume? lighting?)

like maybe hot take but all the moments that are cringe and insane in the show are not pleasant, per se, because they aren't thought out clearly. so they're not a joy to watch in the normal sense but the actors are good enough to pull it off. i didn't cringe at the talks they had because it felt like actors like acting these lines out instead of us being embarrassed for it and you CAN TELL theyre embarrassed.

this is a huge kudos to the casting director and the actors and whatever crew that actually did a good job. i don't particularly like watching bo xiang and his grandfather husband not because of the content but because i feel like, to me, they're so awkward even though they have chemistry. i don't have that issue with xing si and his rapist brother boyfriend because watching them is actually really pleasant, it's intimate. this isn't to do with the story though because when it hits you how devoid this other person is and how stupid the situation is it changes (for me, for me, for me, this is all my opinion think whateverrrr u want im not telling u 2 ok!)

so truly kudos to this cast. idk if i'm misremembering here but imo the most cast appropriate series in this was crossing the line and close to you. one is a decent atmosphere and execution (yes even with that brother story line, notice the major key differences though because that's a sincere false equivalence. they try to execute power imbalances soooo badly and then fail every time but here's one meant to shock too and it was just likelmao ok girl?)

it may not make sense to say either in a writing way or for the character to do it but i believe that whoever the characters these people are supposed to be especially those super not well written on the page still get that message aacross (yong jie's actor is a good ex. not sure if i should ccongratulate him for having the worst job on earth and the worst character and his character is flat but. ostensibly they should let their actions speak for themselevs but what they do is they back themselves into a ccorner with unsuretyabout their characters or a dilemma that pops up they just want to excuse it. well guess hwat u couldnt do enough legwork. but to some extent the disposable side couple works here on a um "our eyes see them and get it" way

also to me it seems like they chose this story just to have this specific wedding. like it's a timely topic and i'm pretty sure like another provision? (correction? idk) was made WRT taiwanese same-sex marriage so it's topical but it isn't like a "papa and daddy" situation where they're interacting in it and there (for ex: the pride parade) and there being like real life terms and consequences. here it seems like they were like ah yes wedding ah yes dumb couple from modc bc we kiled off the other one sooooo (then outsource them to life love on the line u__u) then hamfisting in some fucking message which is funny bc

- despite the hints peppered in and the clear attraction they both acknowledge ur like ~not gay just him~ even tho...i mean i just. again they dont read over what they write i don't think considering. but wahtever.

- the only gay dude (verbally said) is with his rapist brother with an awful power dynamic oh or IS a rapist (gao) (or his brother but i think it was just a "im a psycho so it's him" thing unless they said it. in which case idc cos i wasnt paying attn but that's also not great) or i guess the wedding but like....that's also a ridiculously inappropriate and dumb relationship taht it's built on. i mean i don't really see much respect her so i dont particularly want to hear abt gay weddings being important when they didn't even utilize it in the story beforehand and have we ever. this is a huge indication to me that it was a reverse engineered chosen story beforehand (if it was one) or thought of

soooooo

so reversal of that....it didnt give us enough time to breathe with these two at all but for both of the actors they can capitalize what's on the page and the writers didn't. like their dynamic is very i give/you give like taking car eof each other etc that's why

again, no artist worth their salt will ever say their work meant nothing. that's a cover up. i'm sick of lazy production and then getting away with it claiming being subversive or attacking an issue by not doing anything. we show crazy shit all the time but it has a POINT and ur point is "i like the gays" then girl.....i mean it's not great

but the acting really carried it. i have a feeling if this series continues it might continue to use more experienced actors cos maybe the budget goes up but they also have less inhibitions now when it comes to acting. i like the way li chen expresss himself and teng teng too. i like anson a lot and there's some angles that did not do any favors and i think eh has to get more control of his body movements (bc he's SO LARGE and thin) but he wasn't bad at all and there were real human tears. of course i, personally, favor charles tu. he has more control over his body because he has...less to work with and he's a bit bigger and he was really great in this role. he's a himbo a bit of a meathead but you like him. you like them. there's some things i think they had them say and do that they wouldn't let happen if they stuck to the characters and the story (mainly liking that dumb idiot rapist)

what i notice is that the reprehensible actions people criticize others for in the show and in real human life lalways gets turned around. teng teng being surprised that this boy's grandfather boyfriend met him when he was a junior in high school and he's 12 years older and him apologizing for being shocked and then whatshisface going "ur better at it than most people" and then the convo about gao with whatshisface and then rapist brother comes to pick him up. they are admonishing gao but thinking that rapist brother is noble for doin gwhat he did (and oh rapist brother shows up) like the hypocrisy and the decisions are immense. so now it's like "guys see he's a great guy" like girl STICK TO SOMETHING but whatever so i live in this universe where muren and li chen do everything right and have lots of different interesting fun seex with all their friends. i would write this but i cannot i am dying

[jeontaeh]

〚THIRTY TWO〛

Jungkook didn't know kinda-dating-not-gay-but-straight Taehyung was going to be HARDEST thing ever.

Monday morning- the morning after a night full of kisses and embracing, where Jungkook said he had to go because they had classes the next day and Taehyung kissed his shoulder blades and whined at him to stay- Jungkook saw Taehyung in the hallways, walking to class.

"There he is," Jungkook let out to Jimin, who knew of their thing. "V-" Jungkook began with a small smile, but Taehyung walked right past him, bumping their shoulders and making Jungkook stumble back.

"Oh." Jungkook let out, and Jimin frowned. Jungkook turned around and saw Taehyung walk away, and then gulped. Jungkook ignored that. "He must really have to pee or something," Jungkook said, and Jimin hummed.

Later, in their lesson together- Chemistry- Jungkook sat down on his seat next to Taehyung which is his assigned seat. "Hey V. Can you give me that pencil you borrowed from me last class-" Jungkook began, dancing his fingertips on Taehyung's forearm.

"No," Taehyung said quickly, and then got up and rushed to the teacher- mumbled something about needing to go to the nurse, and then ran out.

"Wow he must really need to pee or something," Jimin mumbled to Jungkook, who elbowed him.

Jungkook ignored that too! Maybe Taehyung really WAS feeling unwell! Finally, in Lunch, Jungkook walked over to the grey-haired-boy and sat down beside him. "V~" Jungkook whispered into his ear, and Taehyung looked at him. "Stop ignoring me..."

"I'm not," Taehyung said quickly and then looked back at Yoongi and Namjoon, who were sitting beside him, having their own conversation.

Jungkook gripped the bottom of Taehyung's shirt. "No but you-"

"Stop touching me, Jeon." Taehyung snapped, and then stood up from the seat. Jungkook's eyes widened.

"I-I-" Jungkook stammered and then saw Namjoon and Yoongi looking confused. Taehyung stormed out of the lunchroom.

"Wow he must REALLY need to pee-"

"Shut up, Jimin," Jungkook mumbled, standing up from his seat and rushing out of the lunch room as well, following Taehyung.

Jungkook saw Taehyung standing at the end of the hallway, and wondered if he did something to piss him off. "T-Tae-" Jungkook breathed out. "What was-"

Taehyung looked around, grabbed him by his arm and took him into the Janitor's closet. When they were in there, Taehyung locked the door from inside and then wrapped his arms around Jungkook. Jungkook frowned.

"Hmm..." Taehyung said, hugging Jungkook tightly, squishing his cheek, the other boy standing in his embrace, confused. "I like this whole kinda-dating thing-"

"What?" Jungkook asked, and then pushed Taehyung away slightly. Taehyung frowned. "Why were you being so mean to me all day?"

"Huh? Oh- I don't want people getting suspicious." Taehyung explained normally.

"That- oh my god, Tae- that doesn't mean you have to ignore me completely and be rude to me! We can still talk!" Jungkook snapped.

"Yeah but... what if, like, someone thinks we're dating... I mean, literally, we're not- and- and I don't even want people to think that y'know?" Taehyung said, and Jungkook's shoulders dropped.

Taehyung looked at him. "Baby," Taehyung said. "Hey, look, you know I like you a lot, right? I'm just scared, you know that-"

"I know," Jungkook said, and then got a kiss on the cheek. He got another kiss on his nose, one his other cheek, and then giggled lightly, getting peppered with kisses.

Jungkook grabbed Taehyung by the shirt. "Don't worry too much, okay?" Jungkook said, and Taehyung nodded.

They both (after making out) walked out of the janitor's closet. They began walking towards the lunch room, and then Jungkook saw Lisa walking towards them.

"Hey Jungkook-" Lisa began, and Taehyung hesitated.

"Oh hey, Lisa. You look hot as fuck today," Taehyung said with a little smirk. Jungkook felt his stomach twist and looked at Taehyung in disbelief. Lisa blushed slightly, frowning.

"Um. Thanks? Anyways- Jungkook, we're meeting to work for our art project later, right?" Lisa asked, referring to the art project her, Jungkook, Jennie, Jisoo, and Rose were working on. Jungkook nodded.

"Wow Jeon, you do art stuff? Pussy," Taehyung scoffed, putting his hands in his pockets and walking away. Jungkook frowned.

Lisa rolled her eyes, walking closer to Jungkook. "Don't listen to him. I'll see you later, K?" Lisa smiled, and Jungkook gave her a quick smile, and then looked at Taehyung.

"Tae, seriously?" Jungkook snapped, and Taehyung looked at him.

"What? Oh come on, we just walked out of the janitor's closet together! What if she thought something was up??" Taehyung asked, and Jungkook rolled his eyes. He began walking away, and Taehyung sighed. "Don't get mad, Kookie."

Jungkook walked into the lunchroom and then saw a group of girls walking out. "Kookie come on, you know I-" Taehyung began, and then Jungkook heard- "Hey girls. Lookin' good," Taehyung winked at them, and Jungkook felt even more jealous and rushed off.

Jungkook reached their lunch table and saw it completely full. He sighed and then saw Jimin look at him upset. "Hey, everything okay?"

"Yeah, it's fine," Jungkook mumbled, and Taehyung walked up behind him, texting on his phone. He grabbed a chair with one hand and pulled it towards the table, sitting down.

"What're you doing, V?" Hoseok asked. Taehyung bit his lip, texting rapidly. "Texting some girl back who sent me nudes," Taehyung mumbled, and Jungkook looked into his phone and saw him messaging some raunchy shit to some girl.

"What the fuck?" Jungkook snapped in annoyance, and Taehyung looked up at him in confusion. Jackson gave Jungkook a smile.

"Oh Kookie, right, you're gay so you don't know this. Girls are people with boobs and they sometimes get horny so they send straight boys nudes-"

"Shut up, Jackson!" Jungkook snapped and then saw Taehyung still texting that girl. He gulped. Jungkook looked at Jackson. "Make room."

"What?" Jackson asked, and then Jungkook walked over to him and sat down on his lap, putting one arm over his neck.

Taehyung looked up from his phone. Jungkook made himself comfortable on Jackson's lap, and Jackson was just looking at him in confusion. "What? Keep texting your girl," Jungkook snapped, and Taehyung bit the inside of his cheek.

"Wow. I really need to pee." Jimin said, and then stood up and walked out of the super tense super awkward situation.

"Yeah, me too," Jungkook said, getting up from Jackson's lap and leaving.

"Dude," Jackson let out, eyes wide. "His ass felt just like a girl's! That lowkey turned me on." Jackson said, and then got a smack on the head.

"Shut the fuck up, Wang." Taehyung husked, and then stood up from his seat and walked out as well.

"Jeez... do they all need to pee?" Jin asked, and Jackson just looked down in shame. Bambam patted his back.

Taehyung followed Jungkook out, and midway through the hallway, grabbed his arm. Jungkook pulled his arm back. "Don't touch me, V. Someone might see us and think we're getting married."

"Jungkook-" Taehyung began, and Jungkook turned around, angry. "Don't make eye-contact with me, V. Someone might see us and think you fucked me on the floor of the boys' locker room!"

"Stop speaking so loud," Taehyung hissed, and Jungkook let out an ugh and turned around. Suddenly both he and Taehyung felt someone grab their arms. Both turned and saw Jimin, and got dragged down the hallways.

"Both of you are going to SHUT up," Jimin said while dragging them down, and then kicked open a classroom and pushed them back in, and then walked in himself and locked the door. "And SIT down."

Jungkook sat down in confusion, and Taehyung sat down as well. Jimin grabbed two pieces of paper from a shelf and smacked it down on their tables. "Both of you are stupid and dumb."

"Thank you."

"Now you two are going to write down the rules of his relationship and what you want out of it. You can't proper date? Fine. But stop pulling each other's hair out by this no-communication shit. Make two colums of DO's and DON'Ts. Am I clear?" Jimin snapped.

"Yes. Question- am I the only one turned on right now?" Taehyung asked, and Jungkook kicked his leg. Jimin took two pens and smacked them down on their tables.

"Now write," Jimin growled. Jungkook gulped. "Y-you gave me a crayon-"

"Work with what you have!" Jimin shouted and Jungkook nodded wearily.

Jungkook drew a thin line in the middle and began writing the DO's and DON'Ts. He looked to the side and saw Taehyung peering over from his seat, but then Jimin hit his head with a ruler.

After 15 minutes, they were both done. Jimin hummed. "Show me," Jimin said, and grabbed both their sheets and took a look at it.

Jungkook's looked like this

DONT's flirt with others text sexual stuff to others ask ppl out to hook up/ date / etc ignore the other be mean to the other equate being artsy to being a pussy

DO's kiss, hug, make out, etc in private be friends, hang out, talk in public give each other support and attention- private & public listen to each other and still act as a couple would just without the pda

"Okay Jungkook, yours is... well written." Jimin said, and then looked at Taehyung's and gulped. Jungkook frowned. He grabbed Taehyung's sheet out of his hand and looked at it.

DONT talk much be 2 friendly make others think ur dating let jungkookie <3 sit on jacksons lap

DO sex

Jungkook's shoulders fell. Taehyung looked confused as to why Jungkook looked upset, and Jimin hummed. "Okay, so Taehyung's DONT's list is bad, but-"

"N-no, that's not why I'm upset," Jungkook mumbled and then tightened his grip on the paper. He looked at Taehyung, eyes wavering. "How is this any different to when we were fuckbuddies?"

Taehyung scratched the back of his head hesitantly. "Because... um..." Taehyung trailed, and then looked at his desk. "Um... we... we can talk more? In private," Taehyung mumbled.

Jungkook left the paper on the desk and stood up to walk out of the classroom. Taehyung scowled and stood up from the desk to follow him, rushing. "Jungkook-" Taehyung called out and saw him walking quickly. "Jungkook come on, don't be up-"

"No, Tae, I am upset!" Jungkook said, turning around. He took a deep breath, looking at Taehyung skeptically. "You told me you liked me."

"I-I do!" Taehyung said, and Jungkook snickered to himself weakly, looking away. He shook his head.

"I'm dumb. I'm so so dumb," Jungkook let out, covering his face with his hand. Taehyung stepped close to him, grabbing his waist.

"Hey, no- no listen. I do like you. I like you a lot, and I want us to-"

"You want us to have sex, Taehyung." Jungkook snapped, and Taehyung paused. "That's what you want. You want to fuck me in your dorm like you used to and then kick me out before I got too close. You want to hold me close at night and kiss me but then push me away when things get too gay for you." Jungkook said, and Taehyung gulped.

"Kookie, I want you. I don't know how, or-or to what extent but- I just know I do." Taehyung said softly.

"I don't know, Tae. Am- am I stupid? I mean, is it just me??" Jungkook asked, looking at him hopelessly. "I spend all this time trying to get you to pay attention, trying to- trying to get you to like me back- trying to get you to want me as much as I want you, but-" Jungkook began, and then dropped his fists by his side, clenching them tightly. "It just- i-it never works with you."

Taehyung opened his mouth to say something, but Jungkook put his hand up. "You can pretend you want me, Tae- you can. But if you really did you wouldn't even be looking at other girls or having that apprehension." Jungkook said and then took a few steps back.

"You haven't changed, V. You just want my body and everything that comes with it. Everything but my heart." Jungkook said, and then turned around and walked away, feeling his eyes get misty.

Taehyung looked at him walk and felt his shoulders drop. He sighed, seeing Jimin walk out of the classroom, looking tense. "I-I'm sorry." Jimin squeaked.

Taehyung gulped. "Dude I- I like him. I really do, I just- I thought he didn't care about the straight stuff,"

"Do you really, V?" Jimin asked, looking at him. "Do you really like him? You should be honest with him if you don't, you know." Jimin said.

"I-I do! Why do you guys think I don't?" Taehyung asked, and Jimin sighed. He hummed, looking at Taehyung.

"You know why you scored 4 goals in the championship, V? And why you're captain, and why you're so bloody good at the game?"

Taehyung was paused. "Because you're so passionate as fuck about it. And I see that, hell- everyone sees that. You might piss us off, V, but we know how much you care about the game- that's why we don't say anything."

Taehyung looked down. "If you care so much about Jungkook, why is it so hard for you to let go?"

"I-" Taehyung began, and then scrunched his nose, as if he was trying not to get too emotional. "I don't know."

"It's fine, you know." Jimin said, tilting his head slightly. "If you don't like him the way he likes you. He'll understand."

"I do like him, Park-"

"So far it seems like you like him when other guys like him too." Jimin cut, and Taehyung tensed. "It seems like you like him when he's willing to have sex with you."

"Why does the part of you that cares only come out when you're high?" Jimin asked, and Taehyung looked at him.

"I don't fucking know, Jimin," Taehyung irked, and then looked away. "Fuck off."

"Sorry. I didn't- I didn't mean to be overbearing-"

"It's fine," Taehyung said, and Jimin hummed softly, nodded, and turned around to walk away. Taehyung just felt his insides tear away at each other. He does care, he cares so much about Jungkook. He's just... too scared. He's still too scared.

///

Jungkook saw the note in his hand. It had neat handwriting on it saying what's wrong?

Jungkook took a piece of paper out of his notebook and wrote down it's V- he's being annoying. he said we could be a thing (like more than just fwb) but he doesnt wanna do any of the relationshipy stuff which :/ irks me. Jungkook folded the note up and passed it under the table to his side.

A little while later, he got the note back. v's so fucking annoying. i'm sorry. one day hes gnna get whats coming 4 him. xox. Jungkook looked at the note and giggled.

"Jungkook, Eka, no passing notes in class," The teacher snapped, and Jungkook looked up, blushing.

"Yes Ms.... sorry," Jungkook said, and Eka looked at him and giggled. Jungkook smiled at her.

"Anyways, kids! We have a new kid joining us for the last semester." The teacher said, and Jungkook looked up. New kid, that's always exciting. "He's Korean, but he grew up in London. Be welcoming."

"Ooh. New guy. This should be fun." Eka said, and Taehyung scoffed from behind her.

"He won't want to crawl up your cave, Eka." Taehyung gruffed.

"Why, do you want him to crawl up yours?" Eka asked, looking at him with a raised brow. Jungkook giggled, and Taehyung frowned. Taehyung looked at Jungkook giggled, and Jungkook shut up, biting his lip.

Taehyung ripped a piece of paper from his notebook. He scribbled something onto it and passed it to Jungkook. Jungkook rolled his eyes and opened it.

you're the cutest boy in the whole world <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 i would draw all the hearts that beat for you but i don't have the time to draw a BILLION hearts

Jungkook blushed wildly and then scrunched the paper up in his palm and looked at Taehyung. "S-shut up."

Taehyung smiled at little at him. Jungkook soon received another paper note. He opened it with a small smile and saw.

I know you've never loved the crinkles by your eyes when u smile you've never loved ur stomach or your thighs ): the dimples in the back at the bottom of yr spine but I love them endlessly~

Jungkook looked at Taehyung. "Is that a fucking One Direction lyric."

"Shush." Taehyung kissed softly, and Jungkook giggled.

"Who was your favorite member? Mine was Zayn. Always wanted to suck his dick." Eka said with a sigh, and Jungkook was going to say mood, but then heard Taehyung grimace.

"Shut the fuck up, Eka. We weren't talking to you." Taehyung snapped, and Jungkook frowned at him.

Eka looked away. Jungkook saw her look a little upset and try and talk to her friends. But her friends all ignored her, so Eka just looked down at her desk, playing with her fingernails.

"Here he is, class." The teacher announced, and the class doors opened and a boy walked in. He had darkened eyebrows and jet black hair. He looked kind of scary. "Introduce yourself." The teacher smiled.

"Um- hey. I'm Sehun. Just moved here from London." Sehun said, voice deep. Eka looked at him with a small grin.

Taehyung couldn't look less bothered, and Jungkook didn't care much. Maybe he could make a new friend- or not. It didn't matter. Taehyung continued writing cute love notes to Jungkook, and finally, after class, Jungkook got up and rushed out. Taehyung followed him.

"Babyyy~," Taehyung said, following him inside the boys' washroom. Jungkook ran away from him.

"Nooo- you're gonna be mean again," Jungkook said, but Taehyung grabbed his hands. He began kissing them, and Jungkook giggled.

"Stop- Taehyung! You're-" Jungkook began, but Taehyung leaned in and pressed their lips together. Jungkook hummed into the kiss, trapping in his arms. Taehyung pulled away finally and looked down at him.

"I know you're upset. But- but I'll show you how much I care, okay? I promise. My list was dumb as fuck. I'm sorry. If you feel better about this situation, then come talk to me. If not, then I'll understand," Taehyung said softly.

Jungkook looked up. "You'll wait for me to make my decision?"

"Of course I will, baby," Taehyung whispered, kissing Jungkook on the nose. Jungkook smiled.

"Okay. I-I'll see you later. Maybe." Jungkook said, and Taehyung kissed him one last time and then rushed off to football practice, while Jungkook had to go for artwork.

///

"Um, V?" Mark said, going up to Taehyung, who was walking back from practice towards his dorms. "Some dude was here. Said he was from Daegu, looking for you. I told him your dorm room number,"

"Oh. Okay." Taehyung said, having no clue who it could be. Taehyung walked towards his dorm. He finally reached and then pushed the door open. When he did, he froze.

Taehyung felt his grip tighten around his door handle. "F-father?" Taehyung let out, voice dry, eyes wide. His father was looking around his room. Taehyung walked inside, dropping his bag down. "What- um- what're you doing here?"

"I came down here to talk to you." His father said, voice gruff. Taehyung saw him holding his phone tightly in his hand. "I think there's something we should discuss, isn't there, son?"

Taehyung walked forward towards his desk, trying to clean up his mess, feeling his stomach tighten. "Um- yeah," Taehyung said, clearing his throat. His father was always so busy with work, this must be something very important. Maybe a second wife, or something of sorts.

"Do you remember what your mother told you? What she told you before she died?"

Taehyung struck still at his words, gripping the side of his desk. "Y-yes."

"She said to make her proud, didn't she?" His father spoke, voice gruff, dripping with something... something which scared Taehyung.

"Yes. Yes, she did- why are you here?" Taehyung asked again, knowing he didn't like when he spoke of her. He turned around to look at his father and then saw his father scrolling through his phone.

"I don't think she'd be quite happy with you. Do you?"

Taehyung froze. He didn't know how to answer that, so he just kept quiet.

Suddenly he saw his father look at him, his eyes practically red. He didn't come here for no reason. He never came to the school. This had to be serious. Taehyung saw him pick up his phone and show it to Taehyung.

It was an email. An email from the school.

"Do you want to read it, son?" His voice said, voice still calm. Taehyung looked at it closely, trying not to waver.

"T-the school has issued-" Taehyung began, and then gulped. "The school has issued many- m-many complains against- against Kim Taehyung for his o-overuse of abusive language, recklessness, bullying, and inappropriate a-activities."

Taehyung paused, and then looked at his father. "Dad, I- I swear it's just sometimes-"

"Finish reading the thing, Taehyung." His father said, and Taehyung turned his eyes back to the email, feeling his insides whirring in fear. Taehyung saw down the lines.

"We h-have received accounts from the staff o-of the hotel which the students s-stayed at for the ch-championship," Taehyung read, voice dry. "T-that Taehyung punched a-a boy and sent him t-to the hospital," Taehyung said, and then looked at his father again.

"He- he was trying to hurt one of my friends, dad, he-" Taehyung began, and saw the anger in his father's eyes.

"Finish reading the damn thing!" His father shouted, and Taehyung flinched and looked at the phone, reading down.

"A-and accounts of-of Kim Taehyung pe-performing in s-sexual... sexual activities with- with one of t-the students... Jeon Jungk-" Taehyung began and then froze.

His father looked at him closely, but Taehyung was frozen still, looking away with a pale face and wide eyes. His father turned his phone around to read it for himself. "Jeon Jungkook. An email has only been sent to you as your son has been seen bullying Jungkook before. The school chooses not to speak on the fact of two boys doing such things-"

"F-father-" Taehyung let out, weak.

"Are you out of your mind?!" His father yelled, loud, loud and piercing Taehyung's ears. Taehyung saw him move towards him. "Doing things with a boy- what the fuck has gone wrong with you?!"

"N-nothing-" Taehyung shook his head. "I d-don't even know what-what t-they're talking a-about, Dad- s-some kid spread a rumor, and-" Taehyung began, and then saw his father looking increasingly angry. "I-I'm not gay, father, I-I-"

Taehyung's father slapped Taehyung harshly across the face. The noise that the slap had made radiated off of the walls and back to Taehyung's ears.

"No son of mine," His father growled lowly, and Taehyung looked down. "Will ever be gay, do you get that?"

Taehyung nodded faintly. "I said do you get that?" His father shouted.

"Y-yes sir." Taehyung let out.

"If I ever hear this shit again, Taehyung. If you so much as think of any boy after this in such sort of a way- I want you to think of how fucking disappointed your mother would be of you." His father growled into his ear, and Taehyung felt tears in his eyes.

"Y-yes father," Taehyung said faintly, voice barely coming out, the image of his mother in his mind.

His father turned around to walk out of his room. Before his father could open the door, it opened itself. "Taehyungie!" A bright voice came, and Taehyung looked up with widened gleaming eyes to see Jungkook there. Jungkook looked at his father and grew silent.

"Oh- hello. I'm Jungkook. You must be Taehyung's father." Jungkook said with a smile, and Taehyung cursed internally, digging his fingernails into his palm.

Taehyung saw his father ignore Jungkook and walk away. Taehyung walked after his father and then saw him walking out and down the stairs. His father looked up at him one last time.

"Tae what's wrong?" Jungkook asked, not knowing his father was still looking. Jungkook put his hand on Taehyung's shoulder. "Hey, did something happen-"

Taehyung looked at Jungkook. Jungkook frowned. "Oh no, T-Taehyungie- you have a mark on your face-" Jungkook let out, reaching his hand up to touch his cheek.

"Don't fucking touch me-" Taehyung shouted loudly, and Jungkook's eyes widened. Jungkook opened his mouth to speak, but Taehyung reached forward, grabbed Jungkook from the shoulder and punched him ruthlessly in the stomach.

Jungkook let out a sound of pain and fell to the floor, gripping his stomach. He let out a cry at the shooting pain, tears reaching his eyes. Jungkook looked up at him with widened eyes, widened fearful eyes.

"T-Taehyung-" Jungkook squeaked out in confusion and saw with teary eyes as Taehyung looked down at him, hair falling on his eyes to hide them.

"Shut the fuck up you faggot," Taehyung growled, turned around and walked into his room, slamming his door shut loudly, making people walk out of their dorm rooms to see what was going on.

Jungkook felt some tears fall down his eyes and the pain in his stomach grow ten times in size. He coughed out and then felt his mind wallow in confusion, in pure utter confusion. Faggot. The word rung in Jungkook's ears, coming from Taehyung.

"O-oh my god Jungkook, are you okay?" A voice came, and Jungkook felt the pain in his stomach worsen, along with his anxiety.

"Help me take him to the nurse-" He heard the voice say, and then felt himself get picked up, but just closed his eyes to not cry further.

https://jeontaeh.tumblr.com/post/647264689067311104/thirty-three

[oohlook-thevoid]

Oh boy I've just finished s3 of The Musketeers and hmmm many thoughts.

-3x01 I adored the monastery children, monk Aramis was surprisingly valid purely because they utilised his dad vibes. Solid episode, I liked it.

-3x04 I can't belive fucking Bonnaire was back, just like srsly? This bitch again? The best parts of this episode were him getting hurt because he deserved it.

- actually other good bits of 3x04 were Porthos yeeting one of the diamonds into a field, D'artagnan finding out that Penelope is a horse not a girl and Louis' reaction to Bonnaire and his wife sobbing in the throne room

- on the subject of Louis, this season was like bringing out his siblings left, right a centre like here's his bastard brother, his younger brother and his sister

- on the subject of Gaston, I have to just out it on record that this man's vibes were disgusting

- one thing I appreciated about the season overall was the multiple antagonists in Gaston, Grimaud (who've I've only just found out is called Grimaud, legit heard it as Greebo the entire time), that Lorraine dude, the red guard guy and Phillipe. It felt like an upgrade to the more singular villains of the last 2 seasons. I also liked how they all got dealt with kinda differently.

- another specific episode point, fuck 3x09, I think you know why

- but regarding the other 3x09 death, I liked Louis dying. As in, I like how he became serious and that was all going on, it was nice to see a different side to him.

- Also though, Louis was all like I know the truth, I'll kill you Aramis, OK fun I won't but you'll never see Anne and Louis jr will always think of me as his father not you and you'll never see him after my death either and then like,,,, Aramis is now first minister and seeing the two of them a lot so rip to that plan Louis

- I didn't get Athos x Sylvie. Like, I like Sylvie but a) to me she seems way younger than Athos and like eh and b) she was like coming across very pro-rebellion and obviously Athos serves the king and is not but then that sort of tension just got resolved really easily imo, idk

- the only thing I like about Athos x Sylvie is that it seemed to let a lighter, happier side of Athos show, he was less like broody and oh woe is me cause of Milady

- AND ON THE SUBJECT OF MILADY, the underused her so much this season. Like omg when Louis was all delirous and like Milady and then Treville found the handkerchief with the forget me not on I was like oh shit my girl is back and Treville was like I need to kill for France and I was like oh shit she's gonna have a big roal dealing with the antagonists and then she only showed up again for like 2 fucking minutes in the finale and like fuck that shit.

- Also Milady watching Athos rescue Sylvie from being like whipped or whatever, he face, I just eurgh I love Milady and her and Athos' relationship is like complex but I think she still loves him in a way and I think that hurt with him saving another woman when he condemned her all those years ago and like y'know

- Also the scene in the finale, when Anne was like Milady you report only to me now. Like to me that set up a dynamic and a future to be explored which irks me so much because literally everyone else on the show got these super like cliche happy endings and Milady just gets shoved into the assassin box and no.

- ok onto the cliche happy endings, I've already said I don't really get Athos x Sylvie. Like it's cute, I guess I'm happy for them. But like the whole Sylvie's pregnant and they're leaving Paris and just idk, I don't think I liked it.

- I don't mind Aramis' ending, I think that's ok. I think it works more than others.

- also D'artagnan's ending. I like how he's captain now, I think that's fair enough since Athos just bailed. Like him and Constance at the garrison I think that makes sense.

- I don't like Porthos' ending. Like him being general, ok cool fair enough. But him marrying Elodie? I mean I can get him wanting to help her, but like they interacted in one episode prior to this, I won't deny that tbh they have chemistry but there's no development or build up to it and it just felt like they wanted everyone to get a perfect picket fence family ending, or as close to that as possible.

- Also in that episode where D'artagnan and Porthos were in that building under attack and they had that conversation and D'artagnan was like you'll get a wife and kid one day. Like idk if I was maybe projecting because Porthos is the one main character w/o a regularly appearing love interest, but his face in that scene reminded me of me when ppl talk to me about getting a husband because like lads, it ain't happening. This bitch is gay and idk man I kinda feel like Porthos might have some gay too.

- Also they split everyone up?!?! I don't want to see them divided at the end. It's all for one and one for all, a good ending is them all still together being musketeers but with a promise of fewer bigass problems for them to deal with in the future.

- another thing, completely unrelated to the past few points but Athos and Grimaud's dynamic was just. I know obviously they were going to hat each other but the way immediately after Athos saw Grimaud on the battlefield something seemed to click and it was just hate-filled and personal before anything happened to make it personal.

- I'm gonna go back to D'artagnan now, specifically in 3x10. First up that beginning was stressful but him calling Constance a musketeer? Love it, yes. Also him killing that red guard dude was just a very god fight, very enjoyable seeing that bitch get impaled on a bunch of spiky things.

- final point wholly unrelated to the plot everyone's hair looked so good this season, idk why but their hair just looked so like nice and soft and I just had to say it.

[asiryn]

alright.........i finished kh3. so here’s some Thoughts. still gonna put behind a cut, and obvs there will be spoilers there.

so, to try to maintain some coherency, i’m gonna split this up into Good and Bad sections. we’ll start with the Bad, so i can let the salt out, and this post can end on a positive note. XD

The Bad:

some of these are more minor things, and some are.....much bigger, and are actually weakening the strength of the game and the conclusion, imo. so i’m gonna work my way up, from least to most Bothersome.

- the fact that eraqus apologized to ven and aqua, but not terra..........like wooooow, fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuck youuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! you know, i was actually considering forgiving you a little bit for a second, but lolololol noooooope!!!!!!!!!!! not anymore!!!!!!!!!!! you fucked up terra even worse than the other two (which yes, damn right you should apologize to them, particularly ven), and really, you are the root cause of him falling into xehanort’s clutches in the first damn place, and you don’t apologize to him?????????? FUCK YOU ERAQUS, YOU PIECE OF UTTER SHIT---

- the resolution with xehanort........like......it’s not bad, per se.........but like.........it’s the tiniest bit of a stretch to me. like..........oh okay, dude, you are totes fine with MURDERING ERAQUS, but now that he asks you to stand down, you do??? when the fuck did you grow a heart and start caring about eraqus??? YOU FUCKING MURDERED HIM THE LAST TIME YOU WERE TOGETHER!!!!! LIKE, IF I CAN BRING MYSELF TO IGNORE THAT DETAIL, THEN THE SCENES WITH THEM WERE TOUCHING, BUT LIKE..........YOU. MURDERED. HIM. THE LAST TIME YOU SAW HIM!!!!!!!! BUT NAHHHH, LET’S JUST CONVENIENTLY IGNORE THAT DETAIL, IT’S FIIIIIIIIIIIIIINE ://///

- namine should have had more screen time, damn it :////// also, i can’t help but feel that aqua got shafted, and wasn’t nearly as powerful a fighter as she should have been ://

- i’m.......not really satisfied with what they did with vanitas? which was basically nothing, really. there wasn’t really any kind of resolution at all. :////

- that moment when everyone was consumed by the demon tide, leaving only sora and riku left, and sora falls to his knees, and is crying and screaming about how he’s all alone, his friends are his power, without them he’s nothing...........oh man, i was RAGING. 

SORA. RIKU IS RIGHT THE FUCK THERE, SO NO, YOU ARE NOT ALONE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! LIKE WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK, YOUR BOYFRIEND BEST FRIEND IS STILL HERE, SO WHAT THE FUCKING HELL ARE YOU ON ABOUT???????? LIKE, I WAS ACTUALLY SEETHING AT THIS, IT FELT SO FORCED AND CONTRIVED, AND HONESTLY OUT OF CHARACTER, BECAUSE SINCE WHEN DOES SORA GIVE UP??? ESPECIALLY WHEN HE STILL HAS RIKU??????????? AND LIKE..........EVERYTHING LEADING UP TO THIS MOMENT FELT FORCED AND CONTRIVED, OH SURE, LET’S HAVE THE MAJORITY OF US JUST.....FUCKING STAND AROUND DOING NOTHING, THAT’S COOL. 

but yeah.......sora saying that he was alone? wow, i was Screaming at him so much for that one, what the fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuck writers. 😡😡😡

- so, onto the big one: absolutely everything to do with kairi

going into this game, she was in the top 3 of the characters i was most worried for, because i was worried that she wouldn’t be given the proper development that she’s deserved and been shafted away from for far too long. and boy was i right to be worried, bc this game, like pretty much every game that came before it, did her dirty. OH WOW LOOK, KAIRI’S A DAMSEL IN DISTRESS AGAIN! OH LOOK, SHE GETS FUCKING KILLED OFF TWICE FOR SORA’S MANPAIN!!!! AND SHE DOESN’T EVEN TRY TO FIGHT BACK AGAINST XEMNAS OR XEHANORT, DESPITE THE FACT THAT THIS WAS THE WHOLE GODDAMN POINT OF GIVING HER A KEYBLADE IN THE FIRST DAMN PLACE, AND WHY SHE GOT PUT INTO A POCKET DIMENSION WITH AXEL WHERE TIME DOESN’T EXIST SO THAT THEY COULD HAVE AS MUCH TIME AS THEY NEEDED TO BE PROPERLY TRAINED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

LIKE..........FUCKING REALLY??????????????????????????????

also, sora going off alone to save her at the end..........what the actual fuck. again, they keep trying to force sokai as being soooo important, but guess what? it’s forced and awkward and inorganic, and after the game series i’ve played? i do not fucking believe that she is the person that sora loves above all others. even though the writers had their chances, over and over and over again, to develop their relationship, to make it grow and deepen it, they never fucking did, not even in this game!!!!!! and sora has way more believable romantic chemistry with riku and namine than he’s ever had with kairi, especially riku. you know, the relationship that you ACTUALLY took the time to develop over the entire series? the relationship that you CANONICALLY had “dearly beloved”, the main theme of the entire series, become the song of their hearts? let me tell you, there’s a real cognitive dissonance, looking at the title screen art of sora with the paopu fruit from kairi, while listening to the CANONICAL soriku love song.

so this ending, where sora’s willing to leave RIKU of all ppl behind? wow, that sounds fake, but okay. also, why in the hell is riku letting sora go alone??????? why can’t they both go together? (also: eternally salty that we STILL have not ever really gotten a scene of the destiny trio having any kind of genuine friendly interaction. the closest we ever got was in twtnw in kh2, when kairi helped sora to see riku in asod’s body. yeah, you’re really selling the MAIN trio as friends, here. ://////////)

and like.................THIS is the conclusion i’ve waited ten years for??? sora abandoning all the people he loves and all the friends that he’s actually had meaningful interactions with, for the person he barely remembers as existing half the time? fucking really?? 

and again, this wouldn’t be so bad, if they had JUST ACTUALLY TAKEN THE TIME TO DEVELOP SOKAI AND KAIRI AS A CHARACTER!!!!!!!!!!!! YOU HAD AN ENTIRE SERIES!!!!!!!!!!! YOU HAD THIS ENTIRE GAME!!!!!!!!!!!! SORA AND KAIRI COULD HAVE BEEN TALKING ON THE PHONE AT THE VERY GODDAMN LEAST FOR THE LOVE OF GOD!!!!!!!!!!!! YOU COULD HAVE DONE IT, AND I WOULD HAVE BEEN FINE WITH THIS RELATIONSHIP AND THE ENDING, BUT YOU FUCKING DIDN’T NOMURA, AND I LEGIT DO NOT UNDERSTAND WHY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! YOU KEEP ACTING LIKE THE FOUNDATION IS ALREADY THERE, SO YOU THINK YOU CAN JUST SAY “THEY’RE IN LOVE” AND HAVE IT BE BELIEVABLE, BUT YOU FUCKING DIDN’T BUILD THAT FOUNDATION AT ALL, SO INSTEAD IT JUST FALLS FLAT, AND FEELS UNBELIEVABLY FORCED, ESPECIALLY WHEN YOU JUST TOSS ASIDE THE RELATIONSHIP THAT YOU ACTUALLY TOOK THE TIME TO DEVELOP LIKE IT WAS NOTHING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

- no i lied, the actual worst part of this game: SORA DIDN’T FUCKING THANK NAMINE FOR REAL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! THEY ACTUALLY HAD AN ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF THE PROMISE, AND SORA TOLD HER THAT HE WANTED TO DO IT RIGHT, BUT THEN HE DIDN’T GET THE CHANCE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

NOMURA, YOU ARE THE WORST PERSON, YOU PROMISED US AN EMOTIONAL PAYOFF FROM THE SECOND FUCKING GAME, AND YOU STILL DIDN’T DELIVER!!!!!!!!!!!! AND EVEN IF YOU CONSIDER THE THANKING HER PART OF IT FULFILLED, THE FULL PROMISE WAS THAT THEY WERE GOING TO BE FRIENDS FOR REAL, AND THAT DEFINITELY HASN’T REALLY HAPPENED, AND I. AM. SO. FUCKING. FURIOUS. IF I EVER MEET YOU IN PERSON, I AM GOING TO BREATHE FIRE ON YOU. WHATEVER KINGDOM HEARTS GAME YOU MAKE NEXT, OR WHATEVER NEXT ARC THE SERIES HAS OR WHAT FUCKING EVER, IF SORA DOESN’T EVER GET THE CHANCE TO FULFILL HIS PROMISE TO NAMINE, I’M GOING TO MURDER YOU WITH MY BARE HANDS. 😡😡😡🔪🔪🔪🔪

okay. okay. i’m calming down from my rage. i’m breathing. onto the good! bc there was a lot of it! 

The Good:

also known as, the part where i drowned in my own tears:

- the akurokushi reunion was absolutely everything i’d ever wanted it to be, it was beautiful and everything hurt 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭

- the tervenaqua reunion was just as good 😭😭😭

(everyone was crying, and i was crying along with them 😭)

- so what i’m getting from the finale arc, is that namine is, once again, the true mvp of this goddamn team, and literally everyone would be lost without her. when they wound up back in time, facing terranort again, she’s the one who summoned the lingering will there to save them, AND I FUCKING LOVE HER, AND SHE DESERVED SO MUCH MORE SCREEN TIME THAN SHE GOT :/

- also, when the lingering will showed up, i was cheering so hard. lol, terra beating the shit out of his own possessed body, round two XDD

- it was a nice moment, when all the keyblades from the wielders of the past war, ending up helping out 

- everything about repliku ;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;

- wow, luxord’s last moment hit me right in the feels, and is a perfect example of why i love him so much. fair and honorable to the end, and him saying that he’d like to meet up with sora and basically be friends as just people? pls just keep stabbing me in the heart, thanks

- marly thanking sora??? THANKS SATAN

(fuck, the majority of the true org didn’t even want to be there, and honestly, that just makes everything even sadder :////)

- larxene!!!!!!!!! man, i love her. complaining about losing to sora, but then saying that it’s not the worst that could happen, bc being a container for “that old geezer? pass.” LOVE. and then saying that she was just there for someone else, but told sora that it was her secret to keep on who it is......TELL ME, LARXENE!!!! 

- XION WAS A MEMBER OF THE TRUE ORG????????? HOW FUCKING DARE YOU

- BUT HER PROTECTING AXEL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ALSO, AXEL’S SASS AT XEMNAS WAS LIFE-AFFIRMING 

- ROXAS SWOOPING IN TO SAVE HIS FRIENDS, BASICALLY EVERYTHING TO DO WITH THIS TRIO, WOW WHY WAS I GIVEN EMOTIONSSSSSSSS

- ALSO, GETTING TO TEAM UP WITH ROXAS AND XION, LOVING THIS SONG 👌👌👌

- THAT SCENE WITH AXEL AND SAIX!!!!!!!!!!! AXEL HOLDING SAIX IN HIS ARMS (WOW, THERE’S A LOT OF GAY GOING AROUND HERE), SAIX SAYING THAT HE WAS JEALOUS OF ROXAS AND XION, PROMISING TO SEE EACH OTHER AGAIN, AHHHHHHH

- WELL, I FINALLY GOT MY EXPLANATION FOR WHAT THE FUCK HAPPENED TO TERRA’S HEART. SO, XEHANORT DID SUCCEED IN TAKING TERRA’S HEART OUT OF HIS BODY IN THAT FINAL BATTLE WITH AQUA, AND THAT DARK GUARDIAN HE HAD WAS TERRA’S HEARTLESS ALL ALONG, AND HE SAVED AQUA AND VEN AS A HEARTLESS AND CONFRONTED TERRANORT, AND SORA HELPED HIM REGAIN HIS BODY AGAIN, YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS EVERYTHING IS GOOD

- i.....actually really like the conclusion they had for ansem seeker of darkness? he was actually kinda proud of riku, and i just ended up feeling sad for him. 

- i fucking loved that sora called xehanort out, and told him that restarting the world wasn’t his decision to make

- ISA’S BACK!!!!!!!!!!!!! AND HE AND AKUROKUSHI AND HAYNER, PENCE, AND OLETTE ALL GOT TO HAVE ICE CREAM TOGETHER ON THE CLOCK TOWER!!!!!!!! AND THEY ALL GOT PICKED UP TO HANG OUT IN DESTINY ISLANDS!!!!!!!!!!

- NAMINE’S RETURN, YESSSSSSSSSS BBYYYYYYYYYY (also, i do ship namiku a tiny bit, so i like the moment that they had)

- XION AND NAMINE HANGING OUT IN DESTINY ISLANDS TOGETHER!!!!

- ALSO, XION, AXEL, ISA, AND ALL THE NEW CLOTHES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

- well.......idk what’s up with whatever the secret ending is teasing us for, but at least sora and riku are in proximity to each other, and will be together again, i guess. the gays will prevail

okay, i think that’s it for now. i might make more posts as more thoughts come to me, but i think this is quite long enough already XDD

[july-19th-club]

LGBT+ Books I’ve Found at Work

The Devouring - James R. Benn

Today’s entry is another one for the ‘not technically a gay book bc that’s not the central plot’ camp, but the good news is that this book is actually good. 

The Devouring is the twelfth in a series of detective novels set in WWII, and I have in fact never read any of the first eleven. Don’t think it affected my reading experience much; there was enough recap that I was able to piece together the backstory & catch my way up from there. Our heroes are an American detective and a Polish baron who’s managed to escape the Nazi occupation (name o’ Kaz, no relation to Brekker). They’re in Switzerland investigating some stuff tied up with a bank, which frankly I don’t remember much of since it’s been two months since I read this book, but also it doesn’t matter bc this blog series isn’t about that. 

While on the mission, our heroes meet Victor, a charming lad who’s helping with the investigation & who introduces them to his dashing *friend* Henri, who looks like the Leyendecker Arrow Man, and y’all know what THAT means. The gang helps him bluff his way into a party and steal some important documents, and it’s supposed to be the big breakthrough they need in the case, but before the next morning they show up to Henri’s apartment and he’s been murdered. From there the book’s mostly about finding Victor (who’s being hunted by the same assassin, I forget why but it had to do with the case) and getting their information back/avenging the death of Henri.

All in all, I’ll give it a solid B+ - I’d give it more, but it does Bury Your Gay, although Benn is writing in a genre where he might just straight-up not know about the trope or to avoid it. As with Horowitz, I think it’s probably his first foray into including queer themes in his work, but he approaches it with a lot of sympathy and softness, so even though Victor’s boyfriend’s dead at the end of the book, I wasn’t infuriated. It was a good death in terms of moving the plot forward, and only problematic bc it was a gay character who ended up being the  catalyst. Meanwhile, if Benn wants to get Kaz and Vic together in a future book, I’d be hella on board, they had some chemistry, I'd be happy to see him expand on the character and maybe give him a bit of a happier resolution. 

The last thing I want to touch on with The Devouring is the scene that made me want to read it in the first place: when the main characters find out about Vic and Henri, our narrator Billy says something to the effect of “I don’t know any gay people.” Vic comes right back at him: “Of course you do,” he says, “you probably know plenty, men and women, but they don’t trust you enough to tell you about it.”

That’s a sentiment which I’ve felt so many times in my real life, but which I’ve never once seen a straight author acknowledge. Most of them don’t like to think about their own culpability when it comes to reinforcing the system in which queer ppl feel the need to stay on the down low. Many straight authors write queer characters who are closeted as if they’re only closeted out of shame, and not out of a need for personal safety - something many of us do even today. We pick and choose which places and settings we can be out in, because being proud of who you are and living your truth or whatever don’t mean that you shouldn’t look out for yourself or be sensible. What some straight authors don’t get about this experience of the closet is that it can’t be solved by some special ally helping the closeted person feel better about themself and be ~brave enough~ to walk out into the world - it can only be solved by the environment being safe enough to justify dropping those precautions. 

Benn actually gets that. Notably, when Billy reacts in the scene, he doesn’t get mad. He thinks, Oh, I guess that’s true. I’m not the kind of person you could spontaneously come out to, and as a result of this realization begins to alter some of his perceptions. It’s a small moment, but I appreciated the honesty. 

[schfifty-five]

 so grateful to have had the science teachers that i did. every single one has had a profound effect on me, and they were all weird in a way that reminded me i wasn’t alone.  (ordered by grade 1-12, skipping grade 2)

mrs. perino: we passed a jar of heavy whipping cream around the class and shook it till we had butter. she brought bread it so we could try it!

mrs. giordano in third grade, still remember learning how your lungs take in your deoxygenated blood and convert it to oxygenated blood. (she gave away two reference books to the best 2 science students that year and i got the book about marine life and cheyne westerman got the book about the human body and i was honestly devastated by that and continue to be to this day)

mrs. nole, in retrospect, kinda scarred me for life with that day where she kept all the girls back from recess and let us out one by one in order of how well behaved we were. i was last. still relatively patient otherwise. she did, at least, instill a strong understand of the scientific method, which i would be helpless without.

mrs daviskiba, classic old lady science teacher. i remember her saying she didn’t understand why people tried to get rid of wrinkles because hers were only there because she smiled all the time and why would that be a bad thing

mrs. brugger taught me the value of reading and taking notes, as well as how to read a textbook without dying. didn’t really appreciate that till college when i skipped all my classes and taught myself everything in half the time by reading and taking fuckin notes.

MR DVORIN i think in my mind that class was just him and me having a convo. i remember many lessons would just be me, kneeling in my chair, talking with my hands, throwing out hypotheticals to get a better grasp of the scientific principles he was trying to convey. his patience helped me truly understand and love chemistry/physics concepts. i remember being so confused by a question on a test once, and not understanding why i didn’t know the answer, and i just fucking cried like a baby for at least one minute during a 7th grade science test. i distinctly remember him mentioning the statistic that 1 in 10 people are gay in response to something ignorant a classmate stated (which i do not remember). although not necessarily “fact”, it’s more than likely true (given that the current adult population was raised before the extremely recent and still-needing-work movement to accept LGBT ppl) and regardless, it opened my mind to the possibility that not being straight wasn’t “one in a million” type thing. also just in general, he would level with us like any good teacher does. a kid knows when you’re treating them like a kid, and i was so much more comfortable learning when i was treated how i felt.

for example, one time i think we were talking about bad habits or maybe someone was being critical of a nose-picker, but at one point he was like “no guys i’m not saying anything, but if you see a white honda accord sitting at the stoplight outside in the morning, you might see me picking my nose.” his delivery was better but it was validating to see an adult be as candid and as unashamed as i was (or as willing to embrace shame as i was), so i remember that. 

also interesting follow up story, the next year he fell off his roof and broke both his ankles and also got divorced because he was gay. so after knowing and loving him so much everyday for a year, and then having two major things happen to him and i had no way to reach out-- to say i’m sorry and you will get through this-- that was hard. it also made me wonder if he was suffering when i was his student. i was sad to think that someone was struggling with a decision, with a life change, and all i did was spectate. in my mind, he was my friend, and i felt like i had let him down. 

mr. smith was also a gift in that he made me appreciate mr. dvorin so much. he taught with enthusiasm and he definitely made “louder” (more dramatic or eccentric) attempts to convey information with visuals, experiments, jokes, anecdotes. he was a great teacher, but  dvorin was too hard an act to follow, and i’ll only remember mr. smith as a science teacher who was more of a Babysitter than a Science Friend. (which, in retrospect, was probably necessary. any teacher that didn’t tolerate my bullshit, like mr. smith, was crucial to me turning into a moderately acceptable employee)

mr. campbell (biology) i don’t know where to start with this class. the phrase “fucking iconic” comes to mind, but i think that’s more in reference to mr. campbell than the class. it was token milford though. the selection of kids, specifically. plenty of asshole lil bitch boys to pick on me, thankfully seated on the other side of the room. iggy bernotas in front of me. we actually got along great, he was nice and we became good friends on the basis of busting one another’s balls. i once wrote “fatty” (he was tall and skinny) on the back of his sweater as a tasteless joke (i was 14 and had a horrible sense of social norms). although the execution sucked, i stand behind the sentiment. that was the essence of our relationship. i think we were both a little too familiar with being the butt of mean jokes, and getting teased in a non-malicious way (by people who have nothing to gain or lose from you) is incredibly relieving. his mom found it though, and i got called to the principal's offiice. i bawled my eyes out trying to explain that we were friends. i had to take his sweater home and get the ink out, on the condition that i’d pay for it if i didn’t. i felt like an asshole, i just wanted to give him a hard time. iggy wasn’t mad though, i told him how bad i felt. everything was good. regardless, the joking and friendly vibe was arguably sustained by savannah right next to us. she had transferred to milford that year so she didn’t know i wasn’t cool. i don’t remember how i acted in that class, but i’m sure savannah was more tolerant that i deserve, and i remember how kind she was to both iggy and i. vinnie was in front of her, also very patient and kind. anyone that has been around me before yesterday is kind and patient honestly.

mr. campbell is not easy to describe. it takes a semester of his class to truly appreciate this man. i hope if i read this in the future i’ll remember exactly what i mean.  that year in biology was one of my favorites. I will remember the view from my desk forever.

MRS GLEASON taught me so much about love, forgiveness, enthusiasm, and how you don’t have to be bouncing off the walls every day, but that it doesn’t mean you aren’t allowed to bounce off the walls if that’s the kind of day it is. i have a lot of ups and downs, and people have trouble dealing with unpredictable moods, so on down days, i used to spend a lot of energy that i didn’t have trying to poorly maintain the persona that people expected, and now i just don’t. i get down some days, and i get happy and energetic other days. that doesn’t mean i won’t still do a good job. mrs. gleason got through to me and i gained a majority of my scientific confidence in her class, but she didn’t have to be the exact same person everyday. a lot of people are stable everyday, but if you aren’t, that’s ok.

Mrs. Kempff would’ve been a great teacher, and AP chem could’ve been a way better class, but i was extremely anxious and in a bad way during junior year. i don’t remember much of what happened, but i know i could’ve mastered the content of that class if i had better tools to deal with my “fuckin head” as they say. 

mrs. gleason also taught me physics in senior year which was pretty fun. everyone needs to understand AT LEAST conceptual physics. if you have any interest in increasing the efficiency of your life and the actions you take, learn basic physics. if you have any interest in anything, basic physics.

i feel like i probably had one or two decent science professors in college, but i never went to class, so i wouldn’t know. I would like to thank me for teaching me science in college. me was very inspiring and showed me that you can accomplish anything you believe in, as long as it’s before the adderall wears off.

thank you for reading, i hope you have all had wonderful science teachers and you use your science knowledge to make the world more gooder.

[comicteaparty]

October 11th, 2018 CTP Archive

The archive for the Comic Tea Party chat that occurred on October 11th, 2018, from 5PM - 7PM PDT.  The chat focused on Four Corners by Boniae.

Featured Comment:

Chat:

RebelVampire

COMIC TEA PARTY- THURSDAY BOOK CLUB START!

Good evening, everyone~! This week’s Thursday Book Club is officially beginning! Today we are discussing Four Corners by Boniae~! (http://fourcorners.smackjeeves.com/)

Remember that Thursday discussions are completely freeform! However, every 30 minutes I will drop in OPTIONAL discussion questions in case you’d like a bit of a prompt. If you miss out on one of these prompts, you can find them pinned for the chat’s duration. Additionally, remember that while constructive criticism is allowed, our focus is fun and respectfully appreciating the comic. All that said, let’s begin!

QUESTION 1. What is your favorite scene in the comic so far and why?

RebelVampire

one of my favorite scenes is actually when hideki and kazuhiro have their little confessions. i really loved the silence, pacing, and paneling in that moment. the time it took to depict it and the fact that the images were allowed to speak for themselves made it a really great moment with fantastic atmosphere.

another scene that i quite enjoyed was when we first see ranmaru. i felt like itd been quite a while since there was a good fight, so it was good to see. but i also like the story effects the scene had. since this was really the moment hideki stopped toeing the line and was ready to admit he was in it for something more. and i think this sort of fighting parallel worked well with having such a pivotal character development

less of a scene, but in general i liked that whole chapter where hideki and kazuhiro spend time together. it was nice to see them bond over not work and learn a ton more about hideki. i think as a whole it was a needed chapter because it helped bring the characters closer together to create a stronger dynamic for what i imagine will be many troubles ahead

mathtans

I made it! ^.^ I only got partly into Chapter 5, busy week... for everyone, apparently.

I'm guessing the bonding was mostly in Chapter 5, that seemed to be where it was heading.

Superjustinbros

Hello!

RebelVampire

yes it was chapter 5

cause i had to look just now XD

mathtans

Was Ranmaru the guy who drugged people?

(I'm bad with names, for the record. Every week.)

Superjustinbros

Can I just say that I'm in love with the art style?

mathtans

I liked seeing how the art evolved over time myself.

Superjustinbros

It's very manga-like and I like how the faces don't go overblown with details

RebelVampire

yes ranmaru was the guy who drugged me.

yeah i also like the art style in regards to the setting. its got a kind of older manga nostalgia feel to it

but the art evolution is also fun. i forgot how diff that first chapter was (cause this is my 2nd time reading the entire comic for the record)

mathtans

Okay, then yeah, I also liked the scene with Ranmaru and the two of them fighting (I'm assuming you meant that, since I think the first time we see Ranmaru he's with the fortune teller).... though part of the reason I liked it was because the guy had call waiting for another fight or something.

Superjustinbros

I actually never thought that it looks like the "vintage manga" style until you mentioned it

mathtans

I noticed a mention that the comic had been reviewed in StArt Faire.

Superjustinbros

That's cool

mathtans

Yeah, and it went from shading to colour - I think the artist said it was to deal better with shading? I might be misremembering. Interesting.

RebelVampire

yeah i meant the fighting scene. sorry. im like on 3 hours of sleep atm and havent quite woken up to full function yet.

but yeah i liked how the fight was ultimately ended by a phone call

like that takes a lot of gall, but i like how it shows off ranmaru's character of not really giving a damn about their little fight that much

mathtans

Not a problem, I understood, and the wee one kept me up last night here too.

Yeah, that's true, it went to characterization.

Then there was the little bonus comic (non-canon) where he was called away to talk about types of shirts. I gravitate towards the humourous bits.

Superjustinbros

That sounds cute, lol

mathtans

It's cool that in a comic like this which has fighting and relationship issues, that there's still fun to be had.

Superjustinbros

Indeed

I mean if it was nothing but those two it'd get boring/repetitive.

mathtans

I dunno, they have pretty good chemistry. But yeah, not totally feasible for world building.

I want to see Hideki at an all you can eat buffet.

RebelVampire

yeah. i really like that the gang focused on also is a gang who is just going around protecting ppl and stuff. i think that gives them a needed high ground for what the comic is doing.

hideki at an all you can eat buffet sounds spooky XD

Superjustinbros

Well it's almost Halloween so X3

mathtans

Yeah, that was an interesting take on gangs! Doesn't seem to net them any additional popularity in the school though (or with the ladies).

I wonder if "four corners" is from, like, if you're doing evil anywhere in the four corners of the room we'll spot you.

Superjustinbros

Well it's always good to see characters doing things outside what the audience expects them to always do

Helps flesh 'em out, if you know what I'm saying

RebelVampire

ya know ive never actually thought about what the name might stand for and now im curious

mathtans

Indeed.

Their founder really liked squares?

RebelVampire

i was just gonna make a square joke XD

Superjustinbros

Quick, what's the square root of 24

RebelVampire

QUESTION 2. Though some things have been revealed over the course of the comic, Hideki still remains quite the mystery. In what way do you think Hideki was involved with Four Corners in the past? Was he some sort of consultant, a member by association, or something else? Do you think Hideki really left gang life just to avoid violence, or do you think there is something more to it? What do you think he did that gave birth to the dark rumors surrounding him? Further, what is Hideki’s relationship with the man he keeps hallucinating on seeing? What exactly happened that seemed to cause Hideki such worry and trauma? Does it have something to do with why Hideki is so knowledgeable about gang activity? Lastly, do you think his current involvement will have negative consequences for his future, especially in regards to taking over for his father?

mathtans

A bit under 5, SJ.

Superjustinbros

Nice

mathtans

Well, Hideki's family is into big business and all, maybe he was just looking for something to analyze in that sense, like as you say a consultant or something... makes sense that he would attempt the same thing later with ... ... damn it, I forget name of protagonist. x.x

RebelVampire

kazuhiro

mathtans

Starts with Y.

Superjustinbros

Thanks Rebel

mathtans

Oh, right.

That's not even a Y. (Is there a character page? I always need one to keep everybody straight, it's the visuals I remember more than the names.)

RebelVampire

http://fourcorners.smackjeeves.com/characters/

mathtans

Sweeeeeet. I didn't remember seeing a link.

Superjustinbros

Nice hairstyles on these characters

mathtans

Anyway, back to what I was saying, maybe Hideki was just looking to apply his skills, and was turned off by the violence; maybe I just don't look that deep.

Superjustinbros

Keiichi especially

But I digress(edited)

RebelVampire

maybe although idk. itd be weird if hideki was involved cause of the business. but then again maybe his father has secret gang connections we dont know about? tbh tho i think he was just assumed to be part of the gang cause he followed keiichi around. that and was into his own sort of trouble.

keiichi does have great hair

Superjustinbros

http://i.imgur.com/qvXivUg.png Dare I say he looks like a total daddy

RebelVampire

so i assume the man hideki was seeing is arakawa (fortune teller guy), though i didnt want to be presumptious in the question. so im wondering how the heck do they know each other. cause im worried hideki tried to join the yakuza or something but then chickened out. and thus sought refuge with the four corners when the yakuza were mad

mathtans

Oh, that'd be interesting, Dad with secret connections. Or maybe the mastermind behind everything is a half brother Hideki doesn't know about. And he keeps getting pulled in by those forces.

Arakawa is half brother. Calling it now.

Superjustinbros

That would be an interestign twist

RebelVampire

i did consider that. or if the mystery man and arakawa are two diff ppl, the mystery man is hideki's secret brother.

mathtans

Hideki maybe got in over his head and figured he might need the gang, perhaps? But then realized he could just run away and that worked better, so gave it up.

I'm impressed, I just came up with random crazy plot off the top of my head.

RebelVampire

that could be maybe. although idk where hideki's quitting resides with keiichi's death

mathtans

Or maybe part of Hideki was thinking he was gay, and gangs are largely guys, and so he figured he'd try it out as a way to meet more guys, but then was turned off by the actual fighting and stuff. Because he hadn't met best fighter Kazuhiro yet.

RebelVampire

it could be keiichi died before hideki quit

and hideki was like peace out

mathtans

Hmm. Maybe but I didn't get the vibe from the timelines.

RebelVampire

i didnt get it either but hard to say for sure.

i do think hideki had a run in with the yakuza in some way. cause itd make sense then why hed know how to watch gangs or something. and itd explain why hideki's cousin was super extra worried at the path hideki was starting down again

or maybe...keiichi was the one in the yakuza all along O_O and hideki found out and was like "how dare"

mathtans

Oooh, there's a twist.

Superjustinbros

That'd be... kinda scary

mathtans

I've been continuing my reading in the background and just got to this page: http://fourcorners.smackjeeves.com/comics/2456598/ch5p18/. Maybe Hideki is rebelling a bit about the fact that his future is laid out for him? Could explain some of the worry about him, as well as his investigative skills.

"I don't want to be a businessman. I want to be a private detective."

RebelVampire

yeah on a more mundane but equally believable level, it couldve just been youthful rebellion. albeit id more believe that keiichi helped hideki with some bullies or something and hideki was like "wow if i learn to fight i can control more own life." and he just happened to be super good at it

i wonder if well get to see hideki's dad ever cause that could be an illuminating conversation

Superjustinbros

I wonder which of those two occupations would be more troublesome to work in

RebelVampire

which two occupations?

mathtans

Could be. (I think we saw his dad in a flashback panel or something, but he doesn't seem to be around. Maybe Hideki was also hoping to get Dad's attention?)

Superjustinbros

The ones Match mentioned

mathtans

Businessman or private detective, I wager.

Hideki just needs to make friends with a gourmet chef. Oh wait, he has Kazuhiro there.

RebelVampire

i dont think hideki's relationship with his dad is bad. but maybe his dad has all the answers. is like "hideki i know you miss your secret brother"

and businessman is probably harder

given the setting

mathtans

Oh whoa, comic has multiple languages. (I guess when we see English they're actually speaking Japanese, and so this is... chinese?)

Yeah, his family relations don't seem bad, just distant.

Superjustinbros

I heard Japanese

mathtans

I'm still reading Chapter 5, they just met Hideki's cousin.

Oh, Taiwanese. Helps to keep reading.

RebelVampire

yeah youre gonna see some info about hideki there

which shows his dad is actually not that bad a dude just busy and socially awkward

mathtans

Maybe Hideki's mixed heritage is also how he ended up so aloof.

Superjustinbros

Perhaps

RebelVampire

yeah. hideki has a lot of demons there i think. or had cause i feel he seems probably more adjusted than he used to be? not that hes fully healed but he seems less troubled than in that one flashback

mathtans

Seeing the banter reminds me of another scene I liked, after Hideki had turned down the girl or whatever, and Kazuhiro is hiding and then he goes... wait, why am I hiding?

RebelVampire

yes i enjoyed that moment too. especially cause i was already laughing wondering why he was hiding.

in terms of comedy i like hideki with his "friends"

and his magical excuses to leave

QUESTION 3. Besides Hideki and Kazuhiro, we also see several scenes with the villainous Arakawa who seems to be immensely involved with what’s happening to the gangs. What do you think Arakawa’s aim is? Is it a solo goal, or does it have something to do with the yakuza? For what reason do you think Arakawa hides under an assumed identity? Is it related to his goals, or is there a different reason for it? Do you think Arakawa is still even part of the yakuza in full? For what reason do you think Arakawa tolerates Ranmaru, and how might Arakawa’s plans change to deal with him? Finally, Arakawa mentions fortune-telling and how knowing what’s going to happen beforehand is a viable strategy. What do you think this might mean for what’s going on in the story, and do you think Hideki and Kazuhiro will be able to handle it?

Superjustinbros

Money, dear boy

RebelVampire

i mean its possible. although if arakawa wanted money i dont think hed be worked a service industry manager cover story.

mathtans

Right. Also interesting how at the festival when he left his friends and encountered Kazuhiro that he played it off as the guy's just another friend from a year down.

The Arakawa fortune telling thing is an interesting angle. I wonder if he can do readings on people without their knowledge. I also wonder if he just tries to make things come true that he sees, like a self-fulfiling prophecy.

Superjustinbros

That would be interesting

mathtans

As far as tolerating Ranmaru goes, sometimes it's fun to have someone around to tease? ^.^

Superjustinbros

yus

RebelVampire

oh thats a good line of thought. id never consider that arakawa meant he didnt actually tell the future. he meant that he just makes the future happen to suit his vision

maybe hideki was arakawa's apprentice and arakawa was trying to teach hideki all about fortune reading but hideki was like "fortune telling isnt profitable" and bailed

im gonna go the simple route with theories and say arakawa's goal is simply to eliminate competition. cause he wants to push the drugs but cant do so easily when gangs are around protecting territories. so hes just making it easy for himself

mathtans

Hideki preferred using a crystal ball, but only amateurs use crystal balls, so they had a falling out.

That makes some sense, except why knock the gangs out rather than simply cutting a deal with them or something?

Pride? Desire for a monopoly?

RebelVampire

desire for a monopoly. and like really why cut them in if theyre so simple to move out of the way. arakawa seems very much a play the long con game sort of guy. so if he has to put more in the overhead to get tons more profit later, hed probably do it

mathtans

(Oh, hey, a trans character, that's neat.)

I suppose, just seems like that would call more attention to you, putting down all the gangs, which is something Arakawa wants to avoid. Maybe that's also why he has Ranmaru, to act as a lightning rod?

Superjustinbros

(Good to have them trans characters, always)

mathtans

(Wow, Hideki's pretty sharp, picking up on things.)

Superjustinbros

So sharp he can easily pierce through steel

RebelVampire

but is anyone gonna care about gangs besides gangs? cause nobody of the general public seems irritated that the gangs are being taken out XD

but yeah i do think this is why ranmaru is around

Superjustinbros

XD

RebelVampire

he can deal with the gangs and is crazy enough to follow arakawa

mathtans

I suppose there's that. I wonder why the Four Corners is being targeted now? Is it just they were next in the region, or if there's some method behind it? Like, maybe Arakawa's behind Keiichi too.

RebelVampire

are they being specific target tho? cause i took the 'they're next' thing as more metaphorical. in the sense that theyre on the chopping block in general and could be next or they could be taken out at any time

mathtans

Not sure, just wondering if there's more to it somehow.

RebelVampire

there could be

QUESTION 4. Compared to the present, Kazuhiro’s time before the Four Corners seems drastically different. Do you think their walk-out father is the only reason Kazuhiro and Keiichi had a strained relationship? Or was there something else going on between them? Why do you think Keiichi started the Four Corners, and why do you think Keiichi kept up with it in the face of his family’s disapproval? Why do you think Kazuhiro was so compelled to take over the Four Corners, especially considering the drastic change in personality and style he underwent? Do you think Kazuhiro will be able to uphold Keiichi’s ideals and save the Four Corners at the end of the day? Also, do you think he’ll repair some of his relationship with his sisters, or will his pursuits continue to cause a rift? Lastly, do you think Keiichi died of natural causes, or was his death caused by sinister means?

RebelVampire

the keiichi segue

mathtans

Well played.

RebelVampire

i dont think keiichi died of natural causes. if nothing more than the fact that nobody has yet said how he died in the comic and that is hella suspicious

Superjustinbros

yes

mathtans

Interesting point about Kazuhiro taking over Four Corners, given how they didn't get along too well, that didn't even fully register with me. Maybe he realized his brother had been trying to do good? Maybe he was even a member before Keiichi passed away? (I mean, you don't get promoted from outside, do you?)

Keiichi, suspiciously walked in front of a bus.

RebelVampire

idk id believe he got promoted from outside. if only because none of the other members ive seen strike me as leader types.

mathtans

There is that. He knows the gang members pretty well though.

RebelVampire

i do think theres some message of respect hidden behind why he took over. and he just didnt realize how much he respected his bro till it was too late

mathtans

Yeah, I can see that. Nice thought there.

(Made it through Chapter 5, OMG, the anniversary/april video at the end... that's amazing. And Arakawa has a magic 8 ball, hilarious!)

Superjustinbros

lol

I used to love those

mathtans

As to why Keiichi started it up, maybe a bunch of them wanted to clean up the four corners of the neighbourhood, and decided a gang would be the best way.

RebelVampire

maybe keiichi just thought if he tidied the neighborhood their dad would come home

although maybe keiichi felt he didnt belong to his own family. so he started the four corners to create that sense of family and fill the gap

mathtans

The sister relationship angle is also interesting, I liked that it was brought up back in chapter 2, to help put the family in perspective. Might be interesting if that one unapproving sister met Lei... um, the cousin character, not on the character page... they have some things in common.

Maybe. Lots of Dad issues on the part of both main characters, for different reasons.

boniae

(whispers) HI everyone!! btw im here just listening into the conversation and screaming on the inside dont mind me

Superjustinbros

Hello!!

I see you're the maker of this lovely little comic~

mathtans

Oh, hi creator! Hope you're screaming for good reasons.

boniae

Hi everyone!!! HAHA yes for good reasons!! Im so blown away by this conversation and just thank you all for reading it this week!!! ahhhh

mathtans

So yeah, as to whether Kazuhiro will save the Four Corners, I think obviously he'll die a tragic death saving Hideki, who goes off to become a monk. It paves the way for the sequel involving sister Kiyomi taking over the Four Corners next.

Superjustinbros

Heehee, glad you're enjoying the show.

RebelVampire

glad you could make it, @boniae ~!

Superjustinbros

Well there's only about 15 minutes left so...

I'm sure you got my comments on the art style when I popped in earlier

also lol Math

RebelVampire

haha i did kind of route for kiyomi taking over. just an endless cycle of respect, the four corners will never die. its why the mom had kids.

Superjustinbros

oh yes

mathtans

Actually, Mom had four kids... and they're the four corners gang... coincidence?

It was the Boxing club in the video parody.

boniae

@Superjustinbros YES AH thank you im so glad you like my art?! @RebelVampire LMFAOO

Superjustinbros

Aay, you're welcome! It some really good art you got going on~

boniae

@mathtans somebody's onto me...... you know too much....

Superjustinbros

lol, that's math for ya

mathtans

Or possibly too little. But maybe Keiichi had wanted a boxing club and was rejected and figured, I'll start a gang instead then.

Then someone dropped a piano on him. Tragic.

Superjustinbros

Math running a gang

I can sense all the incoming math puns

RebelVampire

couldnt get enough members to make a boxing club, but everyone was totally up for a gang

Superjustinbros

and characters with outrageous hair

mathtans

Oh, speaking of gang members, just wanted to add that Azumi's an interesting member. Not just for the female perspective, but how she seemed to know how to push Hideki's buttons.

RebelVampire

yeah i also liked that azumi had been around when keiichi was. cause i think that adds an interesting dimension to the whole kazuhiro takes over thing. since he really did kind of overtake more likely ppl to take over

mathtans

Yes, that too. You can see how the continuity goes through the two leaders, and there's still respect there.

Superjustinbros

Yuh

RebelVampire

i wanna see more of the gang in general tho. especially makoto since hes supposedly a great but unreliable fighter

Superjustinbros

^

mathtans

Started a bit into Chapter 6. Interesting fleshing out of the 'villain' characters. There's a lot of interesting characters overall.

Superjustinbros

I second Rebel's comment

mathtans

Could work as a flashback. "Remember the time Makoto slept in for the big fight?"

Actually, some of the flashback stuff has been interesting in it's own right. And I felt like it was well placed. Like, relevant.

RebelVampire

since makoto liked manga apparently, i hope the context of them seeing him fight was that someone told him his waifu was trash

yeah i really loved getting to actually see past hideki in the house and kazuhiro being grump master of glares

mathtans

Heh. Gotta pick your battles.

Superjustinbros

And pick them well

mathtans

Ranmaru prefers to just let things happen. He's gonna annoy the wrong person the wrong way some time... needs to adopt Hideki's "run away" strategy more often.

RebelVampire

are there any final comments anyone wants to share?

mathtans

One last thought, I wonder if the setting of 1995 is relevant? Or is that just to avoid cell phones?

Superjustinbros

Nothing much, other than that I'd like to quickly wish Boniae success on the comic, it's coming along great so far and I'm sure it'll grow to be even bigger!

mathtans

(My history is pretty bad.)

Or maybe it's to have Makoto be a fan of the anime back then.

boniae

Aww thank you so much!!! I appreciate this so much you guys!!! and LMFAO i legit dont even remember why I picked 1995, I think it was on a whim and then realized i had/have to do so much research to see if things existed and what was happening in 1995

mathtans

I guess we'll see then! Thanks!

Superjustinbros

You're welcome, @boniae!

RebelVampire

COMIC TEA PARTY- THURSDAY BOOK CLUB END!

Sadly, this wraps up this week’s Thursday Book Club chat for now. Thank you so much to everyone for reading and joining us! We want to give a special thank you to Boniae, as well, for making Four Corners. If you liked the comic, make sure to support Boniae’s efforts however you’re able to~!

Read and Comment: http://fourcorners.smackjeeves.com/

Boniae’s Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/boniae

Boniae’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/cooljalebis

Comic Tea Party- Thursday Book Club

Next week’s Thursday Book Club will be about The Origin Story by Carolin Reich. For participants, you have the next week to read as much of the comic as you would like~! We hope to see you on Thursday, October 18th, from 5PM to 7PM PDT for the chat in #thursday_bookclub!

Comic’s Main Site: https://tapas.io/series/The-Origin-Story