#wato: please ....

[dproof]

El Desperado in One Two Three MV by ASH DA HERO

[fncreature]

an explanation for this image

so, did you guys know that Wato uploads youtube shorts from time to time? Neither did I! I didn’t go looking, either, I took a break from irl stuff to scroll mindlessly, and I’m met with fucking lore. Wato1876 is ruining my life.

So, the short (in video format because it’s easier to look through) can be found here.

So, what happens here? This is, as stated in the description, a clip from the prologue. And, since in the prologue, it jumpcuts to the future, this is what actually happens when wato falls down there.

What actually happens here? it’s the clip from the prologue- but instead of cutting to the future, with Omz Mask Wifies in the escape room, Wato falls down a bedrock tunnel into the white blob, facing a player/entity with an entirely black skin except for the Omz Mask, and then it starts an undertale fight (I don’t know how to explain it. It shows the classic red heart over their chest, and then it moves to the side like what happens in Undertale, iirc)

So, this is the infamous white blob room. But, there’s one crucial difference.

The redstone- which, in many maps is used to signify blood- is gone. So, likely, someone died in here.

I’ll be honest, I don’t know who.

We now can assume this is powdered snow, as Wato falls directly into the middle of it- but his landing is cut off, so we can’t be sure. @enlighten3d’s theory proposes that the Omz Mask is tied to this white blob. While interesting, I disagree- I think this is a trap made for Wato. Why? I don’t know. But powdered snow is an interesting block to be used to stop a player’s fall- it slows them down significantly, and they can start taking freezing damage. If this is a trap, then using powered snow to stop a fall gives the trapper a significant advantage. Otherwise, why not use water? This is a trap made for Wato.

Now, let’s be honest. I’m avoiding the main question here. Who the hell is this?

We have no idea. It wears the Omz Mask over an entirely black skin, and likely, it sets a trap for Wato. But that’s all we know about them. This figure has never been seen before.

Well, that’s not actually true.

@crowskullls pointed out that the Omz Mask can be seen watching the interrogation in the epilogue. But, this isn’t just any character with the mask. This is the same character in the white blob room. So, who is this character? I’m just going to be calling them the Omz Entity from now on (Omz Mask is too confusing, Omz is already a player).

I have two theories for what the Omz Entity is- 1, it is the original creator/wearer of the Omz Mask, and it wants it back, or 2, this is an entity/demon/something that controls the people wearing the mask.

Personally, I’m leaning towards the first theory for a couple of reasons- based on my theory, during the prologue, Omz Mask Wifies has already been created, and so Wato no longer has the Mask. If the Omz Entity wants it back, it makes sense to trap Wato- he likely has no idea that Wato no longer has the mask, but killing the person with the mask gives you the mask back. This also explains why he’s watching the interrogation in the epilogue. He’s looking for clues, or to see if either Kenadian or Wifies have the mask. Possibly, he is the person who kills Omz Mask Wifies. And if he’s the creator, it makes sense that it looks like he has it, even if he doesn’t.

And there’s the third theory that I haven’t mentioned- this is thing is made to fuck with Wato. This might be the person he mentioned watching him while falling down a pit when he’s being interrogated. And, as pointed out, the Omz Entity is watching the interrogation- watching Wato. Why? I don’t know.

This raises so many questions. Whatever went down in the white blob room, it wasn’t a lore sort of perma-death, as we see both characters later. So, what is the Omz Entity, why is it there, and what does it want? We don’t know. The theories I prefer are that it is the creator and wants it back, or that this thing is stalking Wato in particular. This does explain the random shot of the cabin from the outside- this is the perspective of the Omz Entity. That’s basically all we know about this character.

Honestly, I’m still very confused.

(@brain-empty)

[beearcheops]

Idk what to put hereee ( /・・)ノ

[enlighten3d]

THEORY UPDATEEEE

im out fishing rn (edit: not anymore lol, im finishing typing this on pc, thank fuck) and i heard some Things about the kenadian stream.. wato has read our posts... so, hello wato! i swear im not THAT insane. anyway, we carry on as usual.... SO NOW: THE UPDATED THEORY ON WHAT THE FUCK IS HAPPENING IN THIS LORE !!

this is actually the third theory update, the other two just never survived for long enough bcs we kept finding new stuff lmao. but, heres my first theory (now very outdated), and here are the other two, copypasted from messages of me explaining the two unposted theories (feat. me speculating wildly as i do): theory 2, theory 3 (mind that both of these were formatted for discord which is why they may be odd)

okay so now! the fourth theory, yet again featuring wild speculation, now with the added spice of me having read too much mcyt fanfic! (that last part prolly makes no sense. dont worry abt it.)

in this theory, i am proposing that evil wifies is like, a LOT more evil, and has done a lot of fucked up Experimentation. which lead to void wifies. explanation below the cut (its prolly gonna be long again T-T) (also, as always: tons of wild speculation ahead. ill try to present all evidence but i forget what those outside of the gc know or dont):

okay so first off, as always, we assume that wato got the mask from killing ken during the train escape. then (evil) wifies somehow got the mask from wato at,, IDK, SOME POINT. before everything happened.

so wifies, corrupted by the power of the mask, starts faking escape rooms and invents cloning in order to do it. now hes evilfies (thank you wifies for calling him evilfies thats so much quicker to type than evil wifies)! and so evilfies, having invented cloning, starts fucking around and Experimenting like the mad scientist ive decided he is.

what does he next Experiment on? the mask! why? why the fuck not. he likes the power it gives him so he decides to somehow try and tie it to himself permanently. he does this by somehow merging a part of his code with that of the mask, and therefore unintentionally giving it sentience (somewhat). evilfies thinks this is fineeeee...

so, to test the constraints of this new form of the mask, evilfies puts the mask in a bunker of sorts, to see if the tie between him and the mask would remain. the bunker is a bedrock room...

also, at this point, evilfies has already asked wato to build that escape room for the video. so wato starts Planning it (and filming the tutorial video that we can assume exists in canon), doing so in the same world as all of evilfies stuff. why? bcs evilfies want to keep an eye on wato and the escape room build. also, why not. i am not discounting the idea that evilfies is forcing wato to build escape rooms for him yet.

so bcs its in the same world.. wato accidentally falls down a chute into the bunker where the mask has been placed (as seen in the wato yt short). now, i STILL cant explain what the fuck that snom is, but.. voidfies (void wifies, now with a shorter name!) is there (for anyone who hasnt seen @fncreatures post: voidfies is the weird void guy with the mask. yes thats wifies too.)... I WONDER WHY.

ysee, when evilfies tied part of his code to the mask, that code and the masks code ended up getting tied together, yeah? well the world needs some way to render the mask in the world (btw were getting into the way that realistic minecraft works in mcyt fanfiction now lmao). and when it reads the masks code, it sees that theres wifies code there too.. and renders the mask as being on wifies. ofc, the code is corrupted, so its not entirely wifies. its just.. the outline of him. the mask remains the only clear thing.

so wato falls down into the bunker where voidfies is, and voidfies/the mask attacks wato - hence the blood (redstone) on the ground. eventually wato makes it out of there, but.. but now he has the mask again. now the mask has control of them once again. oh noes,,, but yeah, the mask now being partially wifies code-wise is my explanation for wato wearing wifies clothes as well. the world just tries to partially render him as wifies and that results in her having the wifies clothes.

but, wato carries on! they keep building the escape room, mask or no. he finishes up the escape room, tells evilfies, and evilfies is like.. 'why the fuck do you have the mask'. yet again,, oh noes! oh well. this is an opportunity for more Experimentation! atp evilfies deserves the whole mad scientist getup, labcoat and goggles and all... but i digress. anyway, wato proceeds to disappear for the next little while. i wonder where they are !! definitely not, and i quote watos tumblr post, "an elaborate array of escape rooms". which i asSUME means the uhhh absurdly big one seen in but there was more. idfk what kind of Experimentation evilfies got up to, but.. we dont talk about it. definitely involved comparing wato to the wifies clones in some way tho, in order to explain wato having the wifies head on.

so anyway, the wifies and ken videos happen as per normal (this is why wato knew the servers ip when he gave it to ken!! cause shes trapped there!!), and then.. then evilfies teleports masked wato into the escape room right before the Confrontation happens.

now, all the Experimentation that evilfies has done has fucked up the masks code even further, and now wato along with it! to say his memories are Scrambled would be.. an understatement, id say. but now, with the masks code being even more fucked, it Glitches sometimes and like, loses the way it manifests (the clothes/wifies silhouette) or its control slips and wato can Think. however due to her memories being Scrambled, when the masks control slips once theyre inside the escape room, the last thing he can remember is falling into that hole where evilfies was. its always the last thing they can remember. every single time the mask Glitches, the last thing she remembers is that hole. its the Final Memory until the mask regains control

but either way, now inside the escape room with the masks control having slipped, wato is confused as FUCK as to where he is. wasnt he just planning this escape room? now its built? and completed (twice)? wild.. so they panic, but the mask unglitches and regains control. masked wato continues solving the escape room in order to get out, uses the wifies head to get out, the norm. but on the win platform,, masked wato Glitches again. this time, its a clothing glitch. LISTEN, THIS IS MY EXPLANATION FOR THIS. I MAY BE MAKING SHIT UP WITH THAT ONE, BUT ITS IMPORTANT ENOUGH TO MENTION. either way, the Glitch happens then goes back to typical masked wato.

then.. things go as usual ! masked wato makes their way to evilfies evil lair, go up to his office, takes one of the wifies heads from the armour stands, put it on, and sits in evilfies chair. now, why, you ask? well... due to the mask being in control, and the mask being partially evilfies code right now, its reasonable to assume that itd have some sort of memory of sitting in that chair, right? that office belongs to the person whose code it is partially made out of. so it might feel like it belongs there. so masked wato sits there. then a Glitch or internal conflict of some sort happens. masked wato paces around, trying to resolve it, but fails and.. jumps out the window.

masked wato goes to the Array Of Escape Rooms that they prolly spent the last while in. its also where his spawnpoint prolly is (yet again, according to watos tumblr post. thank you, wato.), so i suppose the instinct to go there when in probable distress makes sense. there, at the Escape Room Array, wato.. somehow loses the mask. i dont know if she manages to somehow separate himself from it, but the mask is gone and is back to being its own separate being. however, due to wato having had the mask for a while and the code being Fucked Up, it takes a while for the world to stop rendering watos clothes are wifies clothes.

but as with all the other theories, there at the absurdly big escape room, is where ken finds wato, drags them back with her, and then ken and wifies Interrogate wato. watos memories are fucked up, doesnt remember anth concrete, he leaves to go on the 'looking around and having Flashbacks' adventure. during the interrogation, voidfies made its way back to the main area, and is Spying on them through the windows..

so after all this, wato is the one that gets evilfies evil clone factory. he owns it now (this is based off the same post that wato made across three platforms lmao)! woo! cleans the place up, sets her spawnpoint there, and yay they have a home [:

what happened to voidfies tho?

no clue.

BUT WITH ALL THAT OUT OF THE WAY, HAVE A TIMELINE/SUMMARY OF EVENTS ACCORDING TO THIS THEORY (gods i love tumblr having no wordlimit im so sorry abt the length of this post):

- wato gets the mask during the train escape - a long while before any of these videos, wifies gets the mask from wato, which compels him to be Evil and invent cloning in order to fake escape rooms - evilfies likes the mask and decides to tie his code to it via Experimentation, which gives the mask sentience and a physical form resembling wifies - to test if the mask stays tied to him, evilfies puts it in a bedrock chamber far away from him. wato, having been building and planning the escape room wifies commissioned on the same server, accidentally falls into this bedrock room, gets attacked, and the mask gets control of him. masked wato now has wifies clothes due to the world being unable to read the masks code properly - masked wato finishes building the escape room - evilfies finds out about wato having the mask now, and drags her off to the Array Of Escape Rooms for more Experimentation (possibly using her as a comparison point for the clone wifies, hence the wifies head (so he Blends In)) - wifies and ken videos happen - before the Confrontation, evilfies teleports masked wato into the escape room, where masked wato Glitches and the masks control slips. wato, their last memory being falling into that bedrock room, is confused as fuck. mask regains control, masked wato finishes the escape room using the wifies head, Glitches visually at the win platform, and makes his way to evilfies evil lair - at the evil lair, masked wato takes one of the wifies heads and put it on and sits in evilfies chair possibly due to the mask having residual evilfies memories from his code. then there is either a Glitch or internal conflict of some sort, and masked wato jumps out of the window - having made her way to the Escape Room (where his spawnpoint prolly is), wato manages to get rid of the mask - the world hasnt stopped rendering their clothes and those of wifies yet - and is found by ken - ken and wifies interrogate wato. wato does not remember many things. voidfies is Spying on them.. - wato goes on a bit of trip down flashback lane - wato gets ownership of the evil lair

thats that!

tldr: wato is FUCKED - now both on a memories AND code level! the mask is sentient and partially wifies, and no one know how fucked up stuff is

what this theory DOESNT explain: the White Blob (AGAIN. WHAT THE HELL IS THAT THING.), why theres a chute to the bedrock bunker if the door is the intended exit (we see wato go out through the door in the true creator), how on earth this theory would work if i hadnt read too much mcyt fanfic, when on earth wifies originally gets the mask from wato, how wato remembers 'building most of the escape room' when he got the mask before even starting to build it and hence not remembering building it (this one could be explained by saying her memories are coming back, actually).

is this theory probably wrong? once again: YES! do i care? not particularly! i am bullshitting! this is Wild Speculation!! its fun! evilfies deserves to be a mad scientist!

ty for reading this 2149 word post, and ty to the other members of the theorising gc! @brain-empty @fncreature and @viv-imus-illogic ! shoot me a dm with your discord username if you want to join o7

and.. thats that, yeah. im going to go cry now /nsrs

[thistledropkick]

This video is so funny. Desperado's last tequila event was the night before, so he's doing a meet and greet event the next day despite being hungover. Wato interrupts it to present Desperado with a t-shirt he had made of a selfie he took of the two of them (a photo which Desperado did not want Wato to take.) Wato wants them both to wear this shirt during their entrances for their matches. He also wants to put it on Desperado. Desperado eventually takes the shirt just so Wato will stop trying to put it on him.

Desperado: This incredibly stupid shirt is making me even dizzier than my hangover.

Wato: I'm glad your hangover is feeling better! Let's do our best together in the SUPER Jr. Tag league!!

[shinehalley]

I like to make connections between the universes that are on my radar at the moment and evaluate how similar or different certain characters are within their own contexts. It helps me not to focus on just one thing for too long and I like to see how much I can understand a character using other templates for comparison.

Lately I've been thinking a lot about the narrative comparison between Wato and Wakamiya regarding the loss of their respective Sherlocks, especially considering that Wato would be the Watson whose Holmes never came back and how that affects her character as a whole.

Or how I can draw a comparison of melancholy between Wato and Mishima with both sharing the loss of someone loved through their own fault, but on opposite poles. Wato was used and manipulated to carry out the actions that caused her to lose Sherlock while Mishima used and manipulated others in furtherance of the actions that caused him to lose Ryuzaki. How can two people with such similar pains, but with such different developments relate? And considering that neither Sherlock nor Ryuzaki will return in the end, is the development prior to tragedy really worth anything other than haunting them? Would the dichotomy be even worse if Sherlock and Ryuzaki somehow ended up getting back from death?

Or how Joowon didn't technically lose anyone, Dongsik is alive and well as is possible for people who have gone through the trials they've faced, but somehow he still feels like he's lost the man. As if a Dongsik well would be the same as a dead Dongsik to him, because outside of the chaos of their partnership, Joowon feels that there is no room for him in Dongsik's life. That he shouldn't claim that space. Very close to how I imagine Mishima would feel if Ryuzaki ultimately survived. Or Wato, depending on how Sherlock managed to elude death. Or Wakamiya, stuck with the idea that he is replaceable for Shishio and unable to forgive him for being left behind again, for allowing himself to hope only to mean nothing.

I can also draw parallels to how no matter what happens, affection drives both Dongsik and Ryuzaki to find a way to make their respective partners understand that they don't have to claim anything, that whatever they want is theirs without the need for a request. That both Ryuzaki and Sherlock would be able to die as many times as necessary to save the ones they love. How Sherlock and Shishio share that basic feature of the Holmes-Watson relationship of always doing everything possible to keep their Watson safe, even if sometimes things don't go as well as planned.

I can stay here forever and add more relationships if you let me.

[wlwcatalogue]

Some WLW (?) Jdrama & Kdrama recommendations!

Jdramas and Kdramas have a (not-entirely-unearned) reputation for being very straight, but here are a few which are either canonically F/F or which prominently feature a female-female pair-- please enjoy! For those who enjoy following series in real time, Chaser Game W and She Loves to Cook, and She Loves to Eat S2 are both airing this January 2024 :)

As with my post on anime with yuri subtext, since subtext is so subjective, this list only includes series which I’ve actually watched, and so is by no means intended to be comprehensive. Also, it doesn't include any webseries, since those probably deserve a post of their own.

At-a-glance list:

Miss Sherlock (8 episodes, 2018) (subtext)

Night Light (20 episodes, 2016) (subtext)

Tokusatsu Gagaga (7 episodes, 2019) (subtext)

Painter of the Wind (20 episodes, 2008) (canon?)

She Loves to Cook, and She Loves to Eat (10 15-minute episodes and counting, 2022~) (canon)

Sono Toki, Heart wa Nusumareta (5 episodes, 1992) (canon)

Chaser Game W (10? 30-minute episodes, 2024) (canon)

Doctor X (7 seasons and counting, 2012~) (subtext)

Bonus: SKY Castle (20 episodes, 2018) (subtext)

Summaries under the cut!

1. Miss Sherlock / ミス・シャーロック (8 episodes, 2018) (subtext) – MyDramaList | AsianWiki

The elevator pitch for this show is simple: it’s Sherlock Holmes, but where Holmes and Watson – here named “Sherlock” and Tachibana Wato, and played by Takeuchi Yuko and Kanjiya Shihori, respectively – are both female, and the cases are all set in modern Tokyo. As with other adaptations, mystery-solving and the budding relationship between the two leads takes centre stage, but Miss Sherlock manages to carve out an identity all its own.

There’s a calm beauty to its visuals, which favour sunlight and urban greenery, and the show’s focus on former doctor Wato as she tries out new jobs and goes to therapy means that there’s a surprisingly high number of slice-of-life scenes. It’s also subtly more female-focused than the source material; Sherlock’s gossipy but good-natured landlady Ms. Hatano (Ito Ran) is as much a member of the household as Sherlock and Wato, and the cases often revolve around female characters. But more than anything, it’s just really fun to watch Sherlock and Wato’s relationship bloom as they snip and snipe and are utterly unable to stay out of each other’s space (literally – the body language and blocking is *chef’s kiss*). Their relationship is the heart of the show – watch this one until the end, you won’t regret it!

(CW: psychological abuse, manipulation, and genre-typical murder, violence, and gore)

2. Night Light / 불야성 (20 episodes, 2016) (subtext) - MyDramaList | AsianWiki

(Note: spoilers for the mid-season twist, but it’s impossible to allude to a good portion of the F/F subtext without doing so, and I think knowing the twist ahead of time doesn’t make it any less enjoyable.)

Night Light is a rather odd show. It’s simple enough on the face of it, a story about  successful but ruthless CEO Seo Yi-kyung (an icy Lee Yo-won) who tries to mold the younger Lee Se-jin (a puppy-eyed Uee) in her own ambitious image, only for her protege to develop the conscience she never had and move to stop her dastardly plans… but upon watching it’s a totally different creature,  thanks to the alchemic reactions of some delightfully contradictory acting choices (Uee’s performance convinces viewers less of Se-jin’s supposed latent desire for power and money, and more of a deep love and devotion for the CEO) and the unintentionally (?) inneundo-laden script (“If I like something once, I never forget it– whether it’s a dress… or a person,” declares the CEO less than ten minutes into the first episode while gazing intently at Se-jin).

Honestly, it’s a wonder this series ever got made, but you certainly won’t see me complaining! The first part is full of boss/subordinate goodness; Se-jin is unable to resist the CEO’s magnetic pull despite her hot-and-cold behaviour, while the CEO cannot bring herself to push Se-jin away completely. And then, when Se-jin makes her mind up to stop the CEO, it morphs into a corporate take on a (subtextual) lovers-on-opposite-sides situation, where it is precisely Se-jin’s feelings for the CEO that motivate her to stop her. In short, it’s a workplace GL fan’s dream.

Note: If you do watch it, skip the corporate politicking cutscenes with the old men, you’ll thank me later. Also, there’s a prominent male character who is the CEO’s ex and who works closely with Se-jin in the second half, but don’t worry, all the M/F romance is in the past (and doesn’t get much screentime)– he and Se-jin aren’t interested in each other at all.

3. Tokusatsu Gagaga / トクサツガガガ (7 episodes, 2019) (subtext) - MyDramaList | AsianWiki

Nakamura Kano (Koshiba Fuka) lives and breathes tokusatsu shows (think Power Rangers, if you’re not familiar), but keeps it a secret from her work colleagues to avoid being shunned or laughed at. And yet she yearns for connection, so when she sees a woman on the subway bearing a keychain from her favourite show (Yoshida Hisami, played by Kurashina Kana), she is determined to find her again.

Although ostensibly about being a tokusatsu fan as an adult, this show is rife with queer subtext, and not in the usual way. It deals with the difficulties of staying in the closet (regarding being an adult tokusatsu fan), the desire to connect with other queer people adult tokusatsu fans and how one might do so through hints and signals, parental disapproval arising from gendered and social expectations (that tokusatsu shows are for boys, and magical girl shows for girls), intersectionality and finding comradeship with other minorities people who are excluded due to their interests, and even generational gaps wherein younger queers fans may underestimate the obstacles that still exist. Although all that might sound a bit stressful, it isn’t actually! Difficult incidents are handled with sympathy and a dash of wry humour, and the show never loses sight of the fact that it – above all else – is a story about finding queer community in the face of a heteronormative hostile world, told with warmth and the nuance of lived experience.

4. Painter of the Wind / 바람의 화원 (20 episodes, 2008) (canon?) - MyDramaList | AsianWiki

Adapting the novel of the same name by Lee Jung-myung, Painter of the Wind takes as its protagonist a gender-bent version of real-life Joseon-era painter Shin Yun-bok (Moon Geun-young), whose paintings are used to weave a tale of artistry, political intrigue, and romance, and more than anything else to offer modern-day viewers a glimpse of everyday life in 18th-century Korea.

While it may sound like Dickinson’s boring cousin, apart from having a common preoccupation with reframing historical works, another similarity the two shows share is that Painter of the Wind is also very gay. Starting from the first episode, Yun-bok meets and becomes fascinated by the courtesan Jung-hyang (Moon Chae-won), who despite her initial aloofness is drawn to Yun-bok’s intellect and sensitive demeanour. It’s a real meeting of the minds, their witty repartee in early episodes reminiscent of Twelfth Night’s Viola and Olivia, and their relationship isn’t siloed off from the main plot either: Yun-bok’s infatuation quickly starts causing issues with her academic career, and the two eventually have to contend with Jung-hyang’s precarious position as a courtesan as well.

Unfortunately, all this is undermined in the back half of the show, which tries to gaslight viewers into thinking that Yun-bok’s feelings for Jung-hyang were purely platonic all along and that she totally has romantic feelings for her much older male mentor— but hey, at least it’s an open ending. Despite everything, though, I can’t think of another serious historical TV show which features such a prominent F/F narrative for its main character, even nearly two decades later. (Let me know if you have any others! And no, Gentleman Jack doesn’t count, it’s not exactly traditional in style!)

(CW: period-typical sexism)

5. She Loves to Cook, and She Loves to Eat / 作りたい女と食べたい女 (10 15-minute episodes and counting, 2022~) (canon) - MyDramaList

Based on Yuzaki Sakaomi’s manga of the same name, this simple but sweet show follows home-cooking extraordinaire Nomoto Yuki (Higa Manami), who yearns to cook large-scale dishes but doesn’t eat enough to justify making them. Luckily for her, her neighbour Kasuga Totoko (Nishino Emi) has a massive appetite!

It’s always lovely to see more grounded stories about working women, especially when they’re as cute as this one. Though it touches upon some slightly more serious issues, such as with regard to gendered expectations surrounding food and cooking, it’s primarily a feel-good slice-of-life show about two women getting to know each other by cooking and eating delicious food together.

Side note: if you’ve started it and think the show doesn’t look cosy enough, stick it out for a few more episodes, the production values improve after the first part! Also, the series was renewed for a second season with double the episode count (for a total of 20 episodes) which will start airing on January 29th this year, so this is the perfect time to jump in!

6. Sono Toki, Heart wa Nusumareta / その時、ハートは盗まれた (5 episodes, 1992) (canon) - MyDramaList

Sono Heart, as it’s nicknamed, starts off as a typical heteronormative high school romance: bumbling protagonist Shiina Hiroko (Isshiki Sae) is desperate to get closer to her crush Katase Masato (Kimura Takuya), star of the school basketball team and all-round nice dude. However, a spanner in the works comes slouching along in the form of female classmate Aso Saki (Uchida Yuki, in her debut role), a mischievous, short-haired personification of trouble who Katase turns out to have feelings for. One day, Hiroko gets into a fight with Saki, and they end up having to stay together after school as punishment. But that afternoon gives them the opportunity to bond over a heart-to-heart conversation, and things seem to improve… until, just before leaving, Saki kisses Hiroko. And then everything changes.

Or rather, everything changes eventually. What’s great about this show is that it doesn’t take shortcuts: Hiroko doesn’t instantly fall in love with Saki. Instead, what you get is a surprisingly layered portrait of a high school girl whose coming to terms with queerness is merely a natural extension of reckoning with her burgeoning sexuality. And, because Saki is self-destructive in her depression and makes a game of belittling, worrying, and infuriating anyone who cares about her, it’s really a story about what it means to love another person rather than a romantic ideal. A word of warning, though: Katase is actually quite a large character, as he and Hiroko end up becoming friends. Also, the ending is very abrupt and inconclusive, though rest assured that it doesn’t try to roll back Hiroko’s feelings, or pair either girl off with a guy.

(CW: self-harm, attempted suicide, bullying, homophobia, underage drinking)

7. Chaser Game W: Power Harassment Boss Is My Ex-Girlfriend / チェイサーゲームW: パワハラ上司は私の元カノ (10? 30-minute episodes, 2024) (canon) - MyDramaList | AsianWiki

Probably jumping the gun here as only two episodes have aired as of writing, but I feel honour-bound to recommend this as it’d probably appeal to a lot of people, if only they knew about it! Chaser Game W is a standalone spin-off of Chaser Game, itself an adaptation of a manga of the same name by Matsuyama Hiroshi and Matsushima Yukitarou, but you don’t need to know anything going in.

Protagonist Harumoto Itsuki (former Keyakizaka46 captain Sugai Yuuka) has been assigned a new job: her company has been asked by a Chinese conglomerate to develop a game adaptation of a GL manhua, and she’s been tapped as the project leader. However, what appears to be an exciting prospect soon becomes a terrifying one, as the person sent by the client to supervise turns out to be her ex-girlfriend from university (Lin Dongyu, played by Japanese actress Nakamura Yurika), who is now married to a Chinese man (played by a Japanese actor) and has a child, but remains hell-bent on exacting revenge on Itsuki for their bad breakup. This is a romantic (melo)drama rather than a psychological thriller, though, so you won’t be watching Itsuki getting terrorised the entire time. While she is understandably upset by her ex’s current behaviour, Itsuki can’t forget about their happy days together, and Dongyu herself veers between being a sneering bully and craving Itsuki’s affection.

Do note that the show isn’t without its flaws: it’s very Japanese about the Chinese thing, which is to say it’s filled with comments which range from somewhat offensive to borderline racist, and the script will probably give you a headache if you know even the slightest thing about game development. Your mileage might vary on the ex too, as she can be really quite nasty to Itsuki and her teammates. But if you can overlook those issues, this is a rare prize indeed: a TV drama focusing on a canonical F/F pair, who are specifically exes, and in a workplace setting.

(CW: bullying)

8. Doctor X / ドクターX (7 seasons and counting, 2012~) (subtext) - MyDramaList | AsianWiki

To be very honest, I was in two minds about including Doctor X on this list. It is, with a few notable exceptions, misogynistic and reductive in its depictions of women (especially in the first two seasons), gives too much screentime to objectively awful and subjectively annoying men, doesn’t respect the work done by medical personnel apart from surgeons, and on the technical front is formulaic, repetitive, and often lazy in its writing and presentation. Unfortunately, the dynamic between the genius surgeon protagonist Daimon Michiko (Yonekura Ryoko) and her anaesthesiologist wife partner friend Jounouchi Hiromi (Uchida Yuki) is almost unparalleled in its excellence.

The premise of the series is basic indeed: Daimon Michiko is a freelance surgeon with a healthy disrespect of rules and authority and, unluckily for her detractors, a cast-iron guarantee that she will succeed in any surgery, no matter how difficult. She’s initially portrayed as a lone wolf who’s dismissive of the entire hospital system and anyone who’s part of it— but her interest is piqued by the anaesthesiologist Jounouchi, who is skilled beyond her peers and chafes against the idiocy of her colleagues. For all its flaws, the first season – which is more serious and edgy in tone compared to the others, and isn’t an ensemble cast like the post-S3 seasons – is a fantastic depiction of two people being perfectly matched in skill, intellect, and outlook, and how they come together despite one being standoffish (Jounouchi) and the other not being used to reaching out to or even respecting other people (Daimon).

The seasons after that sadly ditch the emphasis on Jounouchi being Daimon’s professional equal, but in exchange offer up another rare and unexpected gift: two women in their late thirties / early forties who are partners both at work and in private. Jounouchi is Daimon’s designated anaesthesiologist, assisting with nearly every surgery, and she spends so much time at Daimon’s agency-office-slash-house you’d think she’d moved in. Also, after a point they just start being wonderfully dorky and comfortable with each other, while still being consummate professionals in the operating theatre. Although the show is very much focused on Daimon Michiko as its sole protagonist, Jounouchi is undoubtedly the character most significant to her – even more than Daimon’s father figure, the head of the freelance agency – and this is highlighted in the story from time to time. They are very, very good. I just wish the series was better.

Note: If you’re curious, I would recommend watching the very first episode in full– by the end you should know if you’re invested enough to continue, otherwise drop it and live in the happy knowledge that you dodged a bullet. If you aren’t so lucky, I’d advise skipping the surgery segments when they start to bore, and in general to skip liberally. Also, season 4 is not worth watching as a whole, except for the last two episodes, which absolutely should not be missed. Sigh. I can’t speak to seasons 6 and 7, due to having paused mid-S6.

Side note: If you’ve watched Doctor X already and liked it (or at least like Daimon and Jounouchi), but haven’t tried Miss Sherlock yet, definitely give that a go because there seems to be a big overlap in the fandoms. Maybe it’s because they both feature a genius protagonist, have the two largest female characters being work partners, and domestic vibes…?

(CW: sexism, genre-typical gore)

Bonus: SKY Castle / SKY 캐슬 (20 episodes, 2018) (subtext) - MyDramaList | AsianWiki

(Note: slight spoilers for the early episodes, but it’s necessary in order to give a more accurate recommendation regarding the F/F subtext, especially as the show is not primarily focused on any one relationship.)

This one’s a bonus because unlike the others on this list, there’s no close relationship between two female characters which could be interpreted in a romantic light. That’s not too surprising as the show is all about the women of a several super-wealthy families trying to get their children into the top Korean universities (equivalent to the Ivy League) whilst supporting their husbands in the rat race: a decidedly heteronormative premise, albeit one that’s executed in an award-winning manner.

So why am I listing it? Well, it’s because somehow, in this series about heteronormative and highly gendered nuclear families, it features possibly the most erotically-charged dynamic I have seen, even taking season 1 of Killing Eve into account. (Though it takes some time to get there, so if you try it out, please watch at least the first four episodes before making a decision!)

That honour goes to the problematic gem that is the relationship between the main character Han Seo-jin (Yum Jung-ah), who is willing to do whatever it takes to get her daughter into Seoul’s top medical school, and star tutor Kim Joo-young (Kim Seo-hyung), who is known for her 100% success rate. It starts off with a mild push-and-pull, when Han Seo-jin wants Coach Kim to take on her daughter, but is wary of the shady rumours surrounding her; the tutor stands firm, and Han eventually has to swallow her pride and accept the risks. Where it really comes into its own, though, is when Coach Kim starts to pose a legitimate threat to everything Han cares for: her daughter, her marriage (or rather, what her husband can give her), her position in the world. It becomes increasingly clear that Han should just walk away, and indeed she tries to do so many a time, only to bend in the end because the coach is key to fulfilling her dearest wish– and so to Han, for all she rages and resents and fears, Coach Kim is nothing less than temptation itself. This is the beating core of the show, and even as the plotting disintegrates and falls into melodrama in the second half, their scenes together still crackle with delicious tension every time. Watch it.

(CW: suicide, psychological abuse, child abuse, bullying, murder)

[rennarita]

Hey! I wrote a quick el desperado/master wato oneshot today. Rated M with various mentions of sexual acts, though there are none in the story. Please check tags & I hope you enjoy!

[anakinsafterlife]

So I found the Japanese Miss Sherlock, and I'm enjoying it in a completely different way than BBC Sherlock and other modern remakes, because I feel like the highly stratified and disciplined Japanese culture is similar enough to how Victorian England functioned (please no "well actuallys" I said similar in principle, not identical) that we can actually get a fairly accurate impression of the effects of Sherlock's behaviour in a way that putting a Sherlock in modern England or America doesn't really do? Everyone is rude and demanding now, so the only way in which Sherlock can stand out is by being loudly neurodiverse (as s/he always is) but not necessarily by walking all over people's manners (which still has a lot of significance in Japan, as they show through direct contrast with Doctor Wato's constant bowing and shyness--also, even in the first episode, girl!Watson is already acting like Sherlock's wife, which is de-light-ful).

Also good job on the writers/showmakers/costumers for making this Sherlock slightly masculine (like a very chic butch), in the same way that BBC Sherlock was slightly feminine. Sherlock should always hover in some indeterminate point on the gender spectrum whilst also being extremely well dressed in a very careless kind of way, as if Mycroft were handing him/her Ralph Lauren/Chanel on a Tuesday and Sherlock just tosses it on the ground and picks it back up again on Saturday.

Edit: While searching for information regarding a possible second season, I was very saddened to read that Yuko Takeuchi, the wonderful actress who played Sherlock, lost her life to a possible suicide in 2020. She was found hanged in her home, but no note was left.

[inevitably-johnlocked]

Hi!

What's the deal with Miss Sherlock?

(I mean, I know they're both women in that series but do you know anything else about it? Is it good?)

Hey Nonny!

Ah, I actually heard it was a really good show, and is a loose Japanese adaptation of Sherlock Holmes (like the characters AREN'T the characters in the series, just placeholder characters for the roles). It unfortunately came to an abrupt end due to the lead actress' very sad death in 2020 (cw suicide below link), so there are only 8 episodes – no idea if the final episode ended on a cliffhanger since I haven't seen it. Everyone I talked to about it loved it, thought it was really good and interesting, and portrayed the dynamic of Wato-san and Shelly wonderfully.

I intend to watch it one of these days... someone sent me the first three episode ages ago and I just never got a chance to watch it; the versions I have are subbed so I'd have to fully pay attention to watch it, which is hard for me (I prefer subs anyway, but I always need a huge block of time to dedicate to watching them because I HAVE to watch them a couple times... And that block of time just... never happened)

It is a Hulu show, so it might still be on there. It MIGHT be on American Disney+ (they're part of Hulu, right? In Canada we have Star instead and we don't get Hulu shows. Which is fine because Star is so much better lol. We've had R-rated stuff on D+ since it came here). I Googled and it should be on YouTube and Apple TV to rent, Amazon Prime, or... you can watch it here ;).

If anyone wants to expand more on the series, please do.

[naritaren]

Ok this is overdue since it's been a bit since I did one of these. Below are some fics that I've been digging lately. Please note, I only rec finished fics, so if there is a WIP going on, I probably won't put it on here until it's done. Let's do this!

kissing in digital by gaysanada Pairing(s): Douki/Master Wato, El Desperado/Hiromu Takahashi Words: 11,839 Rating: Gen ineludible by phoenixjustice Pairing: Tetsuya Naito/Jay White Words: 82,648 Rating: Explicit Best of the Worst by DanseDan Pairing: Robbie Eagles/El Phantasmo Words: 20,354 Rating: Explicit Oil and Water; Wax and Sunlight by Shitsuren Pairing: Naomichi Marufuji/Kenoh Words: 6,181 Rating: Explicit heaven help a fool who falls in love by thespiansparkle Pairing(s): El Desperado/ZSJ, Taichi/ZSJ, El Desperado/Hiromu Takahashi Words: 10,589 Rating: Explicit Sleeping Dogs by lamentomori Pairing: El Desperado/Hiromu Takahashi Words: 65,806 Rating: Explicit Crazy (Guilty Pleasure) by Scar_Skelly Pairing: Yoh/Sho Words: 1,261 Rating: Mature/Explicit Enemy by sunsetflips Pairing: El Phantasmo/Robbie Eagles Words: 17,241 Rating: Mature You've Gotten Soft by F00t Pairing: Naomichi Marufuji/Kenta Words: 1,706 Rating: Mature Happy reading!

[kkpaaw]

SPOILERS FOR THE VIDEO GAME "PROCESS OF ELIMINATION" CONTINUE AT YOUR OWN RISK

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This game was amazing! It had me on the edge the entire time I was playing it! And then ending??? When It was revealed that my precious Doleful was the Quartering Duke? I felt...SO betrayed you don't understand.

I was prepared for him to like end up as a potential victim, like maybe his luck in surviving close calls would rum out and we would have to figure out how he got killed despite his danger magnet ability. I was preparing myself for that potential outcome but I was NOT prepared for this.

The ending was SO good but In truth i wish we got more of a follow up ngl. Like Incompetents last line before the epilogue implied that they were gonna do to Doleful what the did with Renegade? Like making him use his abilities for good? At least that's what i got from it?

I could be absolutely wrong because He did get apprehended on the ship but hey, I would like to imagine that they made him useful like that cuz, despite everything his ability is VERY helpful and useful to solving cases (and im just biased as hell and would hate to see him locked up) Dunno how they would force him to help since the little collar Renegade wore wouldn't work because of his invincibility, but hey maybe he can become a permenant partner to Incompetent who would be able to foresee any potential killings he might try and do. Maybe help him turn that mindset he has around. (Also because I ship them two so badly, I swear every alone moment between them was screaming romantic tension)

Also can we talk about this image of my boi??

I was in so much denial up until i saw this and had to give in that he was the Quartering Duke. The music it this scene is also so amazing and eerie. Fits perfectly!

Tho the ending line for the game very much confused me. I honestly have no idea what the line implies but it kinda worries me? Especially considering we were brought to the island for the Detective Elimination Project by Senior (who was working with/for Doleful AKA the Duke). So to have the name of our future project be called that exact same thing? Deeply weird ngl. What exactly are they planning on doing? If anyone who played the game knows what that ending entails please do tell me cuz I'm completely confused.

Workaholic turning out to be Diabolic who was the one who kidnapped us? Wasn't expecting that either. Tho that made him immediately climb up to my top three favorite characters cuz he became SO much more interesting and made me wanna know more about him after that everytime he showed up after? Ya homegirl got hella happy and excited. Was very sad when he died THO i was expecting him too. People who follow the trope he did usually end up being killed so I'm not surprised he died tho i was very sad.

I wasn't expecting Renegade to die tho frfr. Thought he would survive till the end so his murder was unexpected for sure!

Overall I loved the game and I hope more people play it and enjoy it so I can talk to more people about it! I know it gets compared to Danganronpa ALOT (Doesn't help that Wato looks alot like Shuichi) but I fr think it's definitely capable of standing on its own.

My top fav 5 characters

1. Doleful (which is why his truth hurt so much ahshs)

2. Incompetent

3. Workaholic

4. Mystic

5. Bookworm

Alright that's all I got ahsjs

Credit to BAI GAMING on YouTube for the screenshots. Was too lazy to open my copy of the game for them so I got them from him!

[fncreature]

Comprehensive theory post

So, now that the main stuff from the April Fool’s collab is out (as far as we know), I want to get all my thoughts and theories out into one main post. All the videos are linked in my timeline playlist here, and this will summarize my comprehensive theory with everything we’ve discovered so far, but I’ll link back to other posts as necessary.

For simplicity’s sake, this is my list of characters (and what I’m calling them):

Kenadian - No explanation needed

Wato - Wato, in her normal skin (suit with the pink flowers and ears)

Wifies - The clone of Wifies from the main two videos

Evilfies - Evil Wifies, from the main two videos

Maskfies - Also known as Masked Wato, or Omz Mask Wifies - Wato’s face in Wifies’ clothes (with and without the mask)

Voidfies - The entirely black character with the Mask (Void Wifies, I called him the Omz Entity in one post)

Omz - No explanation needed (hopefully. Go watch the first two videos in the playlist if you need context)

So, let’s start at the beginning. And I mean the very beginning. 

Kenadian begins to debunk Omz. The events of the debunks don’t need much explanation until you get to the finale and the hopper prison. After killing Omz in the Hopper Prison, Kenadian gets the mask. It’s easy to piece together what comes next from his flashbacks- he goes on a hopper rampage, ruining a city. But, when he wakes up in a cell, the mask is gone, and after a brief stint in a city cell, he’s being put on a train for transport.  

As we can see in the final battle between Omz and Wifies in the finale and from Kenadian’s flashbacks, we can see that the mask holds immense power. It messes with their memories. And it can twist someone’s mind- Kenadian would never go on a hopper rampage- he hates hoppers. His method of choice could have been much more sophisticated, for an escapist like him. But it’s hoppers. Why? I propose that the mask not only makes a person more violent, it strips them of their good decision making skills, and gives them the memories or characteristics of the previous wearer, as I mentioned in this post. Kenadian wouldn’t go on a hopper rampage, but Omz- Hoppers are the source of his power, we see him go on a hopper rampage. Omz would. 

But, couldn’t it just be a hopper thing? No. See, we know that Kenadian gets the mask by killing Omz, and when Kenadian comes to in Death is the Cure, he’s not wearing the mask. And while we can’t tell who the guards are in that video, we can see the ones in the next, and one of them, is Wato. Now, how far-fetched would it be to assume that, as Kenadian caused havoc across the city, a talented guard- Wato- killed him, and helped transport him, unknowingly getting the mask in the process?

Now, I will admit, Wato doesn’t wear the mask in the Train Escape. I personally believe this to be an oversight, as I highly doubt that they even imagined the lore to go this far, but feel free to disagree. 

Now, Wato doesn’t go on a hopper rampage. Wato lies in wait, making escape rooms, playing the long game. Why? Because that’s what Kenadian would do. She’d plan her scheme out, and wait for her opportunity to strike. 

And, while Wato is planning and waiting, he and Evilfies meet, and strike some sort of agreement, so Wato makes escape rooms for him, likely in exchange for Evilfies’ support or power. This deal goes on fine for a while- Until Evilfies discovers how to make clones, and he gets a bit too power hungry. He wants the Mask’s power for himself- but he’s seen Wato, and all the harms that come with wearing the mask. This all occurs during the construction of the escape room used in the main map, a bit before the prologue. So, he meets with Wato, whose decision-making skills are lackluster due to the mask, and strikes some sort of agreement. He and Wato combine their power to make a clone with the mask.

And the first one turns out wrong. The first one, is Voidfies.

Something in the code, something with the cloning process, whatever it may be, it goes horribly wrong. It almost worked, it got so, so close- it has Wifies’ textures, but not Wato’s ears- But the mask lingers on them. We don’t know how Voidfies escapes or leaves, what their motives are, we barely know a thing about them. But no matter what, they want revenge on their creators, or they want revenge on Wato- we don’t have enough evidence to make a solid conclusion. 

But the second one turns out fine. Wato is rid of the mask, and Maskfies is created, completely under Evilfies’ thumb. Maskfies finishes the rest of the escape room. Wato, now, is free. 

Well- Almost.

Wato tries to move on with her life. He teaches others to make escape rooms. But their creation comes to hurt them. When Wato falls into the bedrock in the prologue, Voidfies is waiting. They’ve placed a trap, and they want to hurt Wato. 

The powdered snow is nothing more than to give them a technical advantage- blind her, slow her down, maybe cause her to loose a couple hearts in the process. Likely, Wato is killed in this room, leaving blood splattered on the floor. Where they respawn, where they go after this- we don’t know. Voidfies, likely, leaves through the door, to a place we don’t know of yet.

Now, the main two videos happen- Kenadian plans to debunk Wifies, he joins his sever- you know how this goes.

After Evilfies’ death in trivia, he sends Maskfies into the escape room. And they escape. (Now, @enlighten3d pointed out that you can see Wato’s normal skin on Maskfies on the Dynamic camera angle. While I do really like their explanation for it here, I do personally believe it to be a replay mod glitch or oversight.). They make their way back to the factory, because it’s their home- it’s where their creator lives, it’s all they know- escape rooms, and the factory. Maskfies is in denial. They’ve been a puppet their entire existence, and their puppeteer is dead. Their strings are cut. They sit in Evilfies chair, as if that can somehow but his world back together, before they decide to run.

Now, after the trivia, unaware of Maskfies existence, Wifies and Wato interrogate Wato about anything she knows. And the mask has ruined his memories of that period- she can’t remember a thing. But, outside the window, Voidfies is watching them. Watching him. (Thank you to @crowskulls for pointing this out, by the way.)

After this, before but there was more, Maskfies is killed- by who, we can’t be sure- but he doesn’t have the mask on in but there was more. Voidfies, maybe. Evilfies, to take control of the mask in a last ditch effort for power- hell, it could have been Kenadian- we see him at the last place we see Maskfies.

But after interrogating Wato, Kenadian goes out exploring. And he finds a labyrinth of escape rooms. At some point after his death, Maskfies finds it too- looking over it, unmasked for the first time in his entire life. Likely, he or Wato created it. They might’ve done it together- we don’t know. 

And then Wato goes back to the mansion- he cleans it up, he makes it his home. 

This is all we know for now.

This is the simplified timeline:

Kenadian kills Omz for the mask

Kenadian goes on a hopper rampage and is killed by Wato, who obtains the mask

Wato and Evilfies start working together

During the creation of the escape map used in the main two videos, while trying to make a clone with the mask, Voidfies is created

Maskfies is created as the clone that actually works

The short happens, Voidfies traps Wato and kills him in the white blob room

The main two videos happen

Maskfies is sent into and escapes the escape room, heading back to the factory one last time before jumping out of the window, and is killed at some point afterwards

Wato is interrogated by Wifies and Kenadian, Voidfies watches

(Likely) independent of each other, Kenadian and Maskfies discover the large escape room in the void.

Wato goes back to the mansion.

Now, what this doesn’t answer: Why Wato mentions remembering the sunrise, how the clones are created, what Voidfies wants, who kills Maskfies, where the door in the white blob room goes. (And probably more, that I can’t remember)

This is all probably insane speculation, and most of this will likely be disproven in the future! But it’s all fun and games. I’m still very confused, but this is what I’ve managed to piece together so far.

Credit is more than due to everyone who made any sort of discovery in this, and to everyone in the discord groupchat!

(@brain-empty)(@viv-imus-illogic)

Oh, and Hi Wato!

[kingdomoftyto]

couldn't warn you about your fave without spoilers but hey, at least your initial gut reaction to Armor was right!

AAJDHGDJDHJ YEAH

I love that it worked out the way it did, honestly. Made Wato's pleas at the end ("Tell me my theory is wrong! Laugh at me and tell me what I'm missing! PLEASE, I don't WANT to be right about this!!" etc) feel all the more impactful bc ME TOO, WATO. I KNOW THE TRUTH BUT DON'T WANT TO BELIEVE IT

Speaking of Armor, I'm loving the little hints sprinkled in those last couple chapters indicating he's Saika's long-lost brother. Can't wait to get whatever Residual Memory from New Game+ unlocks his extra backstory so we can see what THAT'S all about. We know their parents gave Saika up to the mad scientists willingly, so I have to wonder what Armor's relationship with their family is like :|

Soooo curious about all the NG+ memories tbh. I took a peek at the first investigation/tactics section and noticed that Ideal is actually a controllable character on the board now, which is fascinating 👀 I hope that means the rest of those parts have changes too.

[cheesecakemermaid1048]

Wato I love you but please dont trust guy.

Heck,shucihi wouldnt even trust that guy or at least be mroe sketpical.He didn't want to be a detective(At the beginning anyway)

[thistledropkick]

Wato:

For our highly-anticipated tag match on the 22nd, the two of us should do something together!! @ ElDesperado5

I will contact New Japan!

Despe:

eh

Wato:

Please leave it to me!

Despe:

I feel only anxiety