#without going to yt at least

[lilyeon]

really loving how expedited yumia's combat system is. this hasn't gotten repetitive at all over the past 20 hours

[cosmogyros]

YouTube keeps prompting me to check out music reaction videos and... oh my god. I need to stop watching them. For the good of my blood pressure. Because these people are SO IGNORANT.

It's all these folks in their 20s who consider themselves "music professionals", vocal coaches and producers and rappers and so on, doing a first-time blind watch/listen of music from decades before they were born, and they are SO CLUELESS IT CAUSES ME PHYSICAL PAIN.

Like, they have no idea what genres are. One guy called a song "bluegrass" because it involved an acoustic guitar being picked at one point.

They have no idea how music video production is done. Another guy kept saying in total awe that he's certain "everything in this video is INTENTIONAL!!!" (yeah. dude. that's like. the entire point of a music video?)

They have no idea how songwriting works. This other guy listened to Fleetwood Mac and when he heard the line "The songbirds are singing like they know the score" he paused it and said, as if this were some super clever point he was making: "I wonder if that means they know the musical score, or if it means, like, keeping score in a relationship?" I literally screamed a little bit. IT MEANS BOTH, DUDE. IT FUCKING MEANS BOTH. ***THAT IS THE ENTIRE POINT***

Yet another dude got BLOWN AWAY by the concept of... harmony. Singing harmony. He was like, "Do you hear that?!? He's singing this one line, and then he's simultaneously singing the same words with higher notes in the background to make it richer and chunkier???"

They get everything wrong. The lyrics they've just heard (which, okay, that's fair if you didn't go look them up right away), the genres, the instruments, the gender of a singer, even the era of clothing people are wearing in a music video.

And don't get me wrong: I find these react-ers charming, in a way. They tend to be very open-minded and ready to be impressed by almost anything, and that's really sweet and lovely and we could use more of that genuine appreciation and positivity in the world. (God knows I'm certainly not supplying it 😅) And I'm thrilled that they're choosing to seek out older music and explore the rich back catalog of music history and educate themselves on their own time. So nothing against them personally.

It's just that, in the larger scheme of things, it's frightening and discouraging to me to see that today – in the 21st century, with the internet at hand 24/7, with so much information available to us SO easily – people can still remain so ignorant. And please note I don't mean just your average layperson; I'm specifically talking about these young people who present themselves as music experts. That's specifically why I'm expecting them to know at least a LITTLE bit about music, music history, music theory, etc.

I could just keep citing examples of stuff that made me want to bash my head on the wall. One guy said "This song is from... 1973. Y'all had music back then?! I'm kidding, I'm kidding. But really?"

Another guy heard a song with a famous string part and was like "I recognize this sample from another song! I wonder which of these two artists used the sample first?" except... it wasn't a sample. In the original song he was reacting to, the artist in question had literally hired a string orchestra to come play that riff for this particular song and it was so original and cool that it became very influential and was then later used in some other song where he'd first encountered it. But he had assumed by default it couldn't possibly be original; he thought it must be a sample.

One guy – who calls himself a professional music producer – was blown away by the concept of a guitar solo. A guitar solo.

I just... I want to cry. HOW. How can you call yourself a professional in the music industry while being THIS ignorant about music?!? It simply boggles the mind.

Again, I don't mind your average Joe on the street being this clueless – most people are not such big music nerds as I am, and that's understandable – but if that were me, I wouldn't 1) call myself a music pro, 2) make music reaction videos and put them online for the world to see, and 3) reveal the full extent of my ignorance in said videos. I would try to be humble and keep my mouth shut and ears open and LEARN.

I'm sorry but sometimes I feel such despair. Someone being clueless about the music of 40 or 50 years earlier while living in the 80s or 90s, okay, that's fair. But today? In 20-fucking-25? You've got all the information in the WORLD literally at your fingertips and you still listen to Stevie Nicks for the first time and say, "Damn, this chick could almost be a rock singer"?!?

Back to listening to my 1920s music. I cannot stand the present day.

[lae-zels]

i realize how little i have in common with my peers simply because im not constantly on tik tok/instagram/facebook 👴

[ragingtwilight]

BRUH

EVERYTIME I feel like im starting to feel better my body just turns around and flips me off

mf sends me off w a shove down the stairs, nausea, sweating/tremors, headache, confusion, dizziness, it pantsed me, it stole my lunch money, it gave me a swirlie, i cant fuckin win

[postmakerkiwi]

🌊 Edge of the Ocean - Destiny Island 🌴

Listen to the surf surround you, as birds fly past on the wind...

📷 photo by Murugo

[nazuri]

I just watched a movie about butter carving and I am a changed woman

For the curious it's called Butter (the one from 2011) and it's glorious

It's basically "local woman gets into a fight with a child over butter sculpting" but it's just so fun

For starters the main character Destiny is an eleven year old girl in foster care that gets put into the home of Jill and Ethan. She is freaking adorable ok... Like just so freaking cute I just can't and she has art talent and decides to pick up butter sculpting since it's like a popular thing in their area and she is great at it

Jill and Ethan are in my opinion freaking amazing at the foster thing. Jill can seem slightly awkward from the beginning but she goes mama bear later and it's glorious and Ethan is just so comforting and understanding and encouraging. I love his interactions with Destiny because you can just feel the good dad energy radiating from this man and I love it

On the other side of the competition we have the Pickler household. Married couple Bob and Laura with Bob's daughter from the first marriage Kaitlen. Bob is like a butter carving master and we even get a little backstory about how when he was like eight he had this cow that later got hit by lightning and he carved it in butter later and that's how it started for him. He is the fifteen years champion of the butter competition and Laura was there with him for like all of it and she's like crazy for it.

Laura considers the competition their legacy so when a friendly judge tries to get Bob to retire and join them at judging the competition and he is actually down for it she goes crazy. The guy that talked to Bob didn't show up till the end of the movie because he was afraid of her and like no wonder she even went to his house to idk hunt him down? And she decides since Bob is so willing to throw it all away she is going to be the one to do it and she does. All in all for someone who was just cheering from the sidelines she is good at it.

We also have Brooke the stripper that Bob went to after an argument following the stepping down talk and I love her. Bob and her had sex in his car and Laura just rammed into them and later Brooke is just going after Bob since he didn't pay for the sex and decides to also join the competition to destroy Laura. Later she just tells Destiny to destroy her. She also had sex with Bob's daughter and also got money from her and she used it to buy Destiny new knives so she can bring Laura down.

This is the moment I stop and wonder why I'm writing this but I got this far and I'm not gonna stop even if I'm just rambling

There's also this one guy played by Hugh Jackman called Boyd and like he's so utterly useless. Laura goes to him has sex with him and writes him a little speech to pretend Ethan asked him for help with Destiny's sculpture and he just cannot have it on his con-science any longer. This guy goes into the room takes off his hat and in the most fake way reads from the card he put in the hat he holds in his hand. Later he tries to help Laura without her asking and tries to ruin Destiny's sculpture but like fails? At least in my opinion. Like sure he melted off that infants face but it was like a 10 cm area of damage and if he really wanted to destroy it he could've just idk cut the head off?? Or like anything that would actually ruin it? Because art people will do what art people do and add additional meaning even if the artist says otherwise.

So that's the cast and I think they are delightful. As for the plot I think it's fun there were many moments where I was emotional and then paused for a moment and wondered why am I emotional about butter carving movie but it still was freaking fun.

Laura loses both times and the first loss is funny to me because this grown ass woman was so salty about little child's sad backstory speech and even with the rematch she lost and I guess she had a change of heart (small but still) and then she went and run for governor. This woman is a menace that most of the butter committee is so afraid of. Like during the judging I was constantly thinking "what is stronger: sad backstory and talent of an adorable child or ultimate fear of Laura Pickler" because they just seemed so scared of what this woman is capable of to assure success.

And that's basically it for the movie. I loved it, it was fun and entertaining.

Go watch it

[forgive-the-sea]

considering getting spotify premium again just for this month bc i'm actually going insane

[boyybites]

Also just a psa, I can count on one hand the ocs I have that I'd consider to be white and those ones are all human. Every oc I have excluding those few I consider black tbh, even the nonhuman/monster ones.

You are never free of blackness here.

I dont like to assume things but it says a little something when I post a black oc and lose followers, did none of u read my bio.

We have black ppl here sir

[lukolathoughts]

Miss Nicola - supporting LGBTQI rights

Dearest gentle reader,

I have been itching to write a blog post now for a few weeks, but not really knowing where to begin. There have been frenzied weeks and days of activity, but then silence and the fandom meanders like a lost boat at sea. We are often rudderless without the reassuring presence of our ship captains - Luke and Nicola. This also tends to get the sub fandoms spouting nonsense claiming to have seen Nicola in Birmingham or some ridiculous crap. I didn't want to bother her by asking for a photo! No photo, no proof my friend.

I'll talk about me for a moment. I had a week from hell last week. There was something so upsetting for me to deal with, I couldn't go into work as I was crying that much. Try to explain this to your manager: that nasty comments on YouTube made you late for work. Luckily, she is an understanding person and I have told her about my YT channel. Saying some things out loud to real life people make me sound barking mad. But it is the price you pay for being public on YouTube. It also makes me an easy target. I am used to online trolls and people who hate me for saying that Jake is gay and believing in Lukola, but when the stab in the back comes from a supposed friend, it really is the ten of swords. My phone blew up that much, I opened my eyes that morning genuinely thinking Lukola had launched. My hope turned to ash, when I saw what was really happening. I share this with you all because, I have had to have a reckoning with myself the last week. My online life and my real life are not the same. My real life is way more important and I actually need my job, so messing it up because I've got people I don't really know online saying mean things about me, that are not true, shouldn't matter. But it still hurts. But I also realise, they are trying to stop me sharing and trying to ruin my credibility and reputation in order to send me off into my discord crying never to return again.

Well think again. No one tells a Sagittarius woman what they can and can't do. I am made of stronger stuff. Love will always conquer hate. No one puts Baby in the corner, and I will not stand for it. I have scaled back most of my online life now. It had helped me cope with the last year and losing my friend, but sometimes you have to go back into reality. I'm never leaving the ship though. You'll have to chuck me overboard and I'll still jump back on like Rose from Titanic. "I couldn't go, Jack! You jump, I jump, right?"

Anyway, enough about me. Let's talk about Nic. I love Nicola by the way and nothing I say here is a criticism of her or her choices. I see what you're doing though, miss Nicola. I said in my last blog that the shit would hit the fan when Jake has to start press for his new upcoming BBC3 drama What it feels like for a girl. I will admit I have not read the book. Regardless of who Jake is playing, it is reportedly an all queer cast, a queer director and at least one queer writer that I know of. Why would the director of an all queer cast hire a straight man in a homosexual role? If this show is as big as It's a Sin, that aired on Channel 4 a few years ago, then there will be press and a lot of it. There will be press from queer magazines also. Jake is currently in an awkward position, because some press believe he is in a romantic relationship with Nicola Coughlan, a woman who is also 14 years his senior. So, what will Nicola and Jake do?

Jake is holding onto his cash cow with both hands and Nicola needs Jake to continue to pose as her boyfriend to stop the media digging. But honey, they know. It was clear all the press at the SAG awards knew exactly what was going on and they were not afraid to say it. The 'happy ending' comment levelled at them directly by a reporter, had Nicola stunned and Luke smiling like all his Christmases' had come at once.

Nicola knows what is going on. She knows there is a deadline and she knows if she doesn't extricate herself from the narrative she is dating a gay man, she is screwed basically. What is she doing? She's getting out her, I love gays!! T-shirt, hats, scarfs, sunglasses, whatever. She is doing it. Look at me, I love queers! I love her for this and I already know she is an advocate for LGBTQI rights. She has a ton of gay friends. The fandom knows this of course, but do the general public?

At the Neutrogena event on 27th March 2025, there was a very tall drag queen doing some MCing. We know Nic loves drag queens and has been to many shows, so this is nothing new to us. I'm not being overly cynical that the drag queen might have been there for a reason, right? Neutrogena is a product that is targeted at women mostly for their skin products. What has that got to do with a drag queen? I just found it odd.

Next up we have Nicola's Pink Pony Club Post that she shared to both her Instagram stories and grid last Thursday 10th April. The song by Chappell Roan is synonymous with the gay community and one that Jake danced to at her concert last year in a pink cowboy hat. "You guys, remember when my old flat was a gay hotspot!" Nicola, posts 4 polaroid's of her looking fabulous in pink and lays them on a pink blanket. What made you feel so nostalgic, Nic? Or are you sending a message? Look at me, I have loved my gay besties for donkey's years. Prominent gay friends such as JVN and Jack Rooke commented all in agreement, that indeed, Nic's flat was the place to be. And, no I do not think Nicola is coming out herself as gay. Get real, she is supporting her friends and peers.

Then there was yesterday's selfie of Nicola wearing her black - 'I just wanted to say if you are trans and reading this, I love you and so do all my mates' T-shirt. There a few other details in that post that other bloggers such as @toriaaniin have covered beautifully, so I won't go into it here. My eyes sprung wide when I saw this post. I know she advocates for the charity Notaphase.org and I commend her for doing this, but two queer posts in a few days seems to be a lot for Nic, when lately she hasn't been posting at all.

There is also the male hairdresser Halley Brisker in her Opalex video on her Instagram, They make a big deal of letting us know he flirts with male makeup artists. Nicola is clearly good friends with Halley and it is an endearing watch. But to me this seems like a lot of overkill in the last few days for the general public to look at her Instagram and instantly know, yes Nicola does love the girls, the gays and Luke Newton. (FYI Halley Brisker is married to a woman and has children, but to the general public this conversation is implying Nic is comfortable with these conversations).

This, in my opinion, is setting the stage for the final act. I can see Nicola doing some sort of article or interview where she clears a certain narrative up. If you notice, Douglas has also been quite forceful again in implying certain things about Jake and Jake himself does not stop others from posting suggestive posts and videos of him. Nicola must remove herself from this mess in order to move forward with her own career and life. Hanging onto old connections are no longer serving her personally and professionally. Her engagement on Instagram is down by a lot, so I'm told and she is losing followers. She has done all she can career-wise for Jake now, he has to make his own way.

If this does not happen and we remain in this weird heteronormative bubble, I fear the press for What it feels like for a girl, will be a shit show. The truth will come out eventually and it will drag both Jake and Nicola down with it.

[httpsserene]

CANGRATS ON 3K!!! it alright if you can't but, i was wondering if I could request the car wash kink rating for danny, max, oscar, yuki, and franco with the diy porn prompt

#3k vday celly

🧽🪣 would you like a complimentary car wash? — send me any five (5) drivers and one (1) kink from this list, and i will rank the drivers in order of who i think is most to least likely to participate/avoid, or love/hate that kink !!! each driver will have a small blurb written xxx

༊࿐ ⊹ ˚. i always get stuck on writing one of these for some reason lol. have a bunch more requests from the celly that are going to be dropping every night this week morst likely! remember, the last day to submit a celly request is on valentine's day !!!happy 3k 🤍 and thank you for requesting, babe xxx

⌕ 3k v-day celly nav | all 3k requests | main nav | table of contents ↻

𝐦𝐭𝐥 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞𝐥𝐲 𝐭𝐨 (𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐚 𝐬𝐞𝐱 𝐭𝐚𝐩𝐞) 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐚 𝐝𝐢𝐲 𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐧 𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐤 fem!bipoc!reader x mv.1 | dr. 3 | yt. 22 | fc. 43 | op. 81 cw under the cut.

oral and vaginal sex. light humiliation kink in max's drabble?

𝐦𝐨𝐬𝐭

Daniel’s eyes are starting to burn under the harsh light of the computer monitor. He’s been half-hard from the moment he started reviewing the raw footage, and he’s tempted to rub one out so he can edit without the constant throbbing of his arousal. Nobody can blame him for getting distracted while he tries to decide which of the three angles he recorded of you riding him in reverse cowgirl is the best. He knew convincing you that buying three separate camera setups was necessary because it allowed him this dilemma. Should he use the angle that shows your chest bouncing from the front? Or, the one from behind, where it shows his muscled abdomen and the plush, brown, skin of your ass marred by bruises of his handprints? Or, the close-up angle that shows where your cunt greedily swallows his cock? It’s an impossible choice, so he decides to alternate between all three. He clicks open File Explorer to save the video, wincing when he sees that the dedicated external hard drive containing all of your sex tapes is 98% full.  

Franco’s struggling to keep his phone steady as your tongue dances around him, moaning loudly when the head of his dick is caught in the warm squeeze of your throat. He looks away from the phone screen to watch the tears spill over your waterline, his groan of pleasure wobbling at the sight. When he looks back, the camera angle has fallen away, only catching the view of his hand lightly resting around your neck. His arm holding the phone is weak, and he has to move his hand from your throat to help focus the lens back on where he’s fucking into your mouth. Capturing the perfect angle becomes unimportant when he drops his phone on the floor to carefully guide you off of his cock, the video’s focus now is the ceiling. The audio paints a much more in-depth picture; sounds of the two of you kissing, the rustling of the bedsheets, skin clapping, the creaking of the bed, and the debauched noises of satisfaction from both of you echoing around the room. It gives him another reason to convince you to let him film another sex tape, and he’ll be sure the sight of him fucking you is front and center.

It’s one of Yuki’s fantasies. He didn’t think he’d ever have the courage to ask if you’d be willing to film a sex tape with him, considering that if it somehow leaked, it would have the potential to ruin your livelihood. One night, during a drunken game of truth or dare, you shyly admitted to wanting to make a sex tape and Yuki took the chance to make his fantasy come true. He’s practically filming in total darkness, the flash of his phone camera solely illuminating where he’s thrusting into you. Even though there are no identifying factors being shown (besides the contrast of your skin tones), he’s incredibly careful about making sure there are no easy tells— keeping your faces out of frame, having you muffle your whimpers into a pillow, and catching his breathy groans behind his hand. He swears the absence of noise coming from your mouths amplifies how wet you sound around him; he can’t wait to see if that’s the case when he watches the video afterward. There’s a feeling dancing at the base of his skull; it’s screaming that he’s some sort of freak for enjoying this, and it has him rushing toward his climax ridiculously quicker than he’d like, but the fluttering of your walls around him lets him know that you’re in the same boat. He wonders if there are any spare face masks hidden somewhere in the apartment; he’d show more than where your bodies meet if your faces are hidden.

Max is camera-shy. He knows it’s kind of ironic, given the amount of cameras that are focused on him on any given race weekend, but he can’t handle the attention during sex. When you both watched your first sex tape, Max was mortified. He can’t believe he looks and sounds like that during sex, the recording showing him just how desperate he is for you. Obviously, he feels the way his body responds to you, but he didn’t expect it to look so debauched on camera. It’s not like he’s ashamed by how good you make him feel, it’s just that he finds it humiliating to see it—regardless of the way you adamantly insisted that you find it hot as fuck. Now that he’s aware of how he looks, whenever the camera is on he isn’t able to devote all of his attention to you because he’s fixated on stifling his reactions—which ruins the point of filming a sex tape, and the fun of sex for both you and him. Max knows the video highlights the furious blush running from his cheeks down to his chest as he distractedly eats you out. He exhales heavily in relief, his scalp stinging deliciously when you tug him away from your cunt with a hand fisted in the mess of his blond hair, and he eagerly rushes to stop and delete the recording before you can even finish saying the words.

Oscar isn’t one to kink shame, but sex tapes are a no-go for him. He thinks it’s irresponsible to record his sex life, especially when you consider the effect it could have on his reputation and career if a video of him were to leak. It’s an irrational fear of his: he thinks that no matter how securely stored the sex tape could be, it would end up on the internet where millions of people would see it and then his reputation would be ruined forever. He’s a little terrified when you send him risqué photos, let alone nudes for that exact reason. It’s not like he doesn’t appreciate it—he thinks you’re mouthwateringly attractive when you’re fully clothed, of course, he appreciates the pictures of you in lingerie or less—but he’s going to scold you for sending it after he gets off to it…because what if that was the exact moment someone hacked into his phone and got their grubby hands on your nudes and posted them? Oscar hears how irrational he sounds when he’s telling you that, but that doesn’t stop him from thinking it. You lovingly call him paranoid, but you do respect his boundaries—he’s much more amenable to seeing you tease yourself with a vibrator live on Facetime rather than watching a recording of the last time you guys had sex. 

𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐭

© httpsserene — do not reupload. photos in header from pinterest. mdni divider by @cafekitsune.

[car-o-line]

Can you do tpn hcs for a fem! reader that's extremely silent, very antisocial, and withdrawn and is a girl of very few words, but also intelligent on a terrifyingly dangerous level, and she often jump scares people due to how quiet she is?

A.N: I saw this comment on Isabella’s lullaby on yt and it said, “Gotta appreciate Ray for keeping his goth aesthetic despite the white clothing he wears all the time” and it was just really funny😭😭😭

WARNING: This has spoilers for TPN/ also fem!reader.

Tpn characters with a fem!reader of few words

Emma:

Sunshine and moon friendship for sure.

Though she was a bit intimidated by you at first.

She swore up and down that’d she’d make you open up to people more.

She doesn’t mind your silence really, she just wants you to learn how to express yourself!

And she also wants to hear you voice-

She’s probably only heard you voice a few times, but she cherishes them so much.

You probably spoke a bit more when Emma and Norman had found out the secret about the orphanage.

(You found out because Emma and Norman told you outside near the wall before they told Ray, but Ray was spying on you 3 so it doesn’t matter)

Your intelligence scares Emma tbh.

Like you’re probably on Mamas level of wits.

Honestly when you do talk she probably misses what you say because of how excited she gets when you do talk.

Sometimes she doesn’t even know that you’re in the same room as her, and it makes her feel really bad :(

Like sometimes you four will have a meeting and she’ll randomly be like,

“Wait, where’s y/n!? She’s part of the-”

“She. Is. Right. There.”

“What? looks beside her oh!”

You scare her so bad sometimes omg.

She has to constantly look around to make sure that you’re in or not in the same room she’s in.

Regardless she thinks that you’re the best sister ever, even with how quiet you are.

Norman:

You’re personal translator.

Somehow he knows what you’re thinking without showing it on your face, even if you tried to mask it. So after a while you just kinda relied on him to express what you’re saying.

It’s kind of scary actually.

He doesn’t mind your quiet nature, he thinks you’re calming in a sense.

When the secret was discovered he expected you to remain stoic, for an emotional y/n was uhm..unnatural.

In which you did, though he could see a bit of sorrow in those blank eyes of yours.

Like I said when you do speak it’s a surprise but he’s not like Emma where he’s too excited to hear you, he’ll think it’s nice to hear your voice but doesn’t make it a big deal.

Intelligence wise, you both are pretty head to head.

You both probably play chess a lot.

You like it because of the minimal interactions, he likes it because it’s a learning experience.

He’ll challenge you to more activities as well.

Especially tag.

Please stop scaring him though.

At least once a day he gets jump scared by you, during tag, in the halls, or even just standing he gets on edge.

So his solution? He asked you to tap his shoulder whenever you enter his vicinity.

It saves him lots of heartaches.

Ray:

Relates to you at a point.

You’re antisocial, he’s an emo. Same thing.

He wasn’t worried about your shipment coming early because you’re hella smart.

He honestly does not give af if you spoke or not.

Thought you were mute when you came into the orphanage but Isabella shut down that theory and simply told him that you didn’t like talking.

You give him heart attacks sometimes.

Like when everyone is playing tag while he’s reading, sometimes he looks to the side just to see you staring at him over his shoulder.

Please stop.

He loves you greatly but just stop.

“What are you doing, go play tag.”

“😐”

“I’m not reading to you.”

Honestly he’s surprised Isabella didn’t make you be the traitor.

But he wouldn’t want that burden on you anyway.

After Norman’s departure you became a little more talkative, not having someone to rely on translating for you anymore.

Don’t push it tho, a sentence per day.

“Emma, do you think I should wear a skirt or pants..?”

Those were literally the first words he’s heard you said since you found out the secret.

He hopes you’ll talk to HIM soon🙄

[absolutebl]

This Week in BL - Thailand Stuck the Landing! Thailand!

Organized, in each category, with ones I'm enjoying most at the top.

March 2025 Week 1

Ongoing Series - Thai

ThamePo (Fri YT) ep 13 end - A truly great final episode. The best that Thailand could do. Good rapping too. (I do enjoy a tonal language rapping) Could have done without the goddamn auto tune on the singing tho.

Still that Notting Hill moment with Po and his friends, “this is Thame, my boyfriend” will likely go down in history as one of my favorite claimings in all BL. And it’s one of my favorite BL tropes. I have already rewatched it multiple times. Genius.

Review 

The boyband idol romance I've been waiting for from Korea, only Thailand did it instead. Quintessentially Thai and very GMMTV with good production values, great chemistry, and a solid support cast. It also was a hung romance mostly driven by external conflict and a found family reunion trope so I didn’t mind (too much) that the romance thread felt secondary. I loved it (except, of course, the singing). 9/10 

Perfect 10 Liners (Sun YT) ep 19 of 24 - I love that GMMTV prop masters are just putting random American 80s bodice rippers lying around Thai men's dorm rooms. I don’t know why I find it so amusing but I do. I’m not happy about the friend snooping in his friend's box (kinky), but I’m pleased with the friendship itself after all is said and done.

“Heaven was fast” made me hoot. So damn funny. And now we have a Cyrano de Bergerac plot? Faifa = the eternal self sacrificer. And that was definitely the best kiss of the series so far. It has gone into consideration for best kiss of the year.

The Boy Next World (Sun IQIYI) ep 9 of 10 - Oh dear, I’m having one of those “please don’t make them actually act” moments. But I'm still enjoying this show. Miracles may never cease. I’ll just skip this front bit of ep 9 in the future. I’m not really feeling the side couple either. But the damn premise is so strong and the leads are good (when they’re not overacting). Mame sure loves her tired old BL tropes like faen fatalle but she has (so far) managed to avoid her worst inclinations with this one. Will she stick the landing?

Meanwhile, the single most unrealistic thing in this whole show is that there are actual physical photos in that yearbook.

Flirt Milk (Sat YT) ep 7 or 10 - Well at least stuff is actually happening in all the relationships. The question is, do we care? Also, I have a terrible case of second lead syndrome, and I have from the very start. I just love that actor. (Oppa!) 

Ossan‘s Love Thailand (Mon YouTube) ep 9 of 12 - I see it’s the Thai tourist board mandated “get them out of Bangkok occasionally” episode.

Ongoing Series - Not Thai

Secret Relationships (Korea iQIYI) ep 2 of 8 - Ooo, the bloody nose trope! Haven’t seen that in ages. Ooo x2, toxic exes! But Korea flavored toxic rather than Thai toxic. Interesting. It’s more reserved and mean-spirited and stylishly cruel. I’m certainly intrigued. I quite like the main couple too, they’re awkwardly adorable. I love the way they keep swapping the care trope back and forth. The workplace gossip and family abuse was really hard to watch though. This show is packed full of stuff, all the relationships are complicated and slightly dysfunctional and codependent.

I like it a lot. 

Eternal Butler (Taiwan Fri Gaga) ep 12 end - This was basically a wrap-up ep, it didn’t advance the plot much. Still it was nice to see a show tackle the eternal youth situation head on. The voice over at the end from our robot who will not age talking about the way the world will perceive them as his lover does age, THAT made me tear up.

Last Downlaod

The story of a boy and his bodyguard/butler/robot falling in love. The robot is very queer and kind of kinky and mostly in charge. This dynamic feels a little healthier and less like indentured servitude than the previous installment in this series, but it’s still somewhat troubling in base concept. Nevertheless, casting a pro bodybuilder as the robot certainly help me to rise above my scruples. BL made me do it. I'm a terribly shallow human. Ultimately, I pronounce this show oddly charming - if you can overlook the implications of "just a robot who can't say no." 8/10 

FC Soldout (Korea Thurs iQIYI) ep 8 end - cute scaredy-cat kiss. Cute soft proper kisses too. I love these boys. Adorable confession. I cackled over the resulting dynamic. But the football captain and the idol are still my favorites. Gutted we got no smooches from them. This time, when our captain uses the word "exercise" baby boy, I don’t think he means the football form of exercise.

Final Score 

An oddly cute sports reunion romance, about an actor and a football player who meet again for convoluted reasons. Essentially one of them is an obsessed fan, and the other one has been pining since high school. So they're kinda stalking each other. They get together after some shenanigans. With a solid side couple it was only the parasocial relationship thing that wigged me out, but it really bothers me. Especially since, had it not been there, this might’ve been the sports BL of my dreams. 8/10

Fight for Love (Vietnam YT) ep 5 - Full of exes and faen fatales. 

Impression of Youth (Taiwan Weds Viki) ep 9 end - Frankly, if you date a kid you shouldn’t be surprised when he behaves like a kid.

PAUSE.

Is that?! OMG yes. That is Marcus Chang playing the role of the professor! I wonder if this means we might get him in a BL? I might just lose my tiny mind.

Summary  

An artist seeking inspiration goes to a beach town to teach where he falls in love with one of his students. An odd disjointed little show that managed to somehow overcomplicate a simple premise. What could’ve been elegant was instead fussy. Despite some expectedly good sex scenes, there wasn’t much chemistry between either pair. Chemistry might have carried this show but without those naked shoulders to ride on, there was no structure and less hope. 7/10

Checkered Shirt (Korea YT) ep 5 of 8 - Ouch. Denial is apparently a river in Korea. This is a bit realistic for my BL. OH WAIT. The story about a man in the closet is called The Checkered Shirt?! I see what you're doing there. Clever, little KBL. Clever.

Exclusive Love (Taiwan Fri Gaga) ep 5 of 12 - What tf is going on with this show? It’s wild but not in an appealing way, in a weird wet dish towel away. I get why @heretherebedork finds the crazy pining side couple appealing, but they’re too frustrating for me. I now mostly just love the sweetly unhinged little assistant.

It's airing but......

Gelboys (Thai Weds iQIYI) ep 1 of 7 - I’m giving this show a pass. It’s just too far out of my wheelhouse. I don’t have patience right now.

Sashes and Hearts (Pinoy YT) - Philippines is doing Drop Dead Gorgeous only all gay boys queening their asses off. Doesn't interst me, not sure if it's BL.

The Last Time (Thai WeTV) 8 eps - Looks dark so I'm giving it a pass until I know about the ending.

Last Meal Universe (Thailand Sun ????) 10 eps - An alien who has come to destroy earth instead falls in love with Thai food and then the Thai boy who cooks it - realistic, actually. I got a link to watch but it still wouldn't work for me, so I guess I'm waiting to see what happens.

In case you missed it...

Wattpad author talks about trying to make a Thai BL out of her KP fanfic (Allure of the Siren). Trailer here.

A Perfect Match (Taiwan iQIYI) - A not very well regarded Taiwanese sports BL from earlier this year picked up for rerelease. Reports from spies (hi twig!) are that this is a "sports BL that did everything it could to show no sport at all" and NOT good. So it's getting a pass from me.

Next Week Looks Like This:

3/12 My Golden Blood (Thailand Weds YouTube) 12 eps - Trailer. GMMTV taking on Weds nights and midweek discourse (they hope) with this hotly anticipated vampire series. I happen to find Joss watchable but this looks very bad and also very Kissable Lips. But at least Thailand is finally giving us the trashy gay vampires we richly deserve? Just realize we don't deserve much.

3/12 Lost in the Woods (Thailand Weds Gaga) 7 eps - Announced for 2023, adapted from a novel of the same name. Fifa just graduated high school and travels to a remote province to take care of his grandma, before starting uni. There he meets Chief Hem, a forest ranger.

Bah, how annoying. We don't usually have a slump this bad in the spring. What am I gonna do with myself?

Upcoming March 2025

3/20 Top Form (Thailand Thurs WeTV) 10 eps - Trailer. Adaptation of a Japanese manga starring Boom (Chains of Heart) opposite Smart (Don't Say No). Actor recognized as the "The Sexiest Man of the Year" has his first-place position usurped by newcomer. But while he sees them as rivals, turns out the new kid has other ideas. I'm super excited for this but hate watching on WeTV so gonna be a challenge.

3/28 Heesu in Class 2 (Korea Fri ????) 10 eps - Trailer. Adaption of the comic by Lily, about a shy unpopular boy with a secret crush on best friend who somehow also ends up his school's relationship counselor. Supposed to have completed filming in 2022, the fact this has been in dev hell since then somewhat mitigates this being my most anticipated BL of it's original year.

2025 Line Up

BL Announced for 2025 - PART 1

BL Announced for 2025 - PART 2

20 BLs Announced for 2025 That I'm Really Excited About

GMMTV 2025 Line Up - My Totally Biased and Wildly Flawed Feels

THIS WEEK’S BEST MOMENTS

Aside from that idol boyfriend claiming?!

Yeah ThamePo ate this week. No room in brain or heart for others.

Not that it matter right now. Things are lackluster and dire.

(last week)

The tag BLigade: @doorajar @solitaryandwandering @my-rose-tinted-glasses @babymbbatinygirl @babymbbatinygirl @isisanna-blog @mmastertheone @pickletrip @aliceisathome @urikawa-miyuki @tokillamonger @sunflower-positiiivity @rocketturtle4 @blglplus @anythinggoesintheshire @everlightly @renafire @mestizashinrin @bl-bam-beyond @small-dark-and-delicious @saezurumurmurs

[low-budget-korra]

The lies Arcane Fandom likes to believe

Okay, I've seen a lot of awful takes in other social medias but now they are getting here too and I just can't. So I will talk abt the truth a lot of the fandom chose to ignore. And I'm saying "the truth" because different from a lot of ppl, I've actually watched the show and paid attention to the scenes.

1. Jinx is the only one who has been traumatized

Half of the worst takes about characters like Vi or Caitlyn, wouldn't exist if ppl realize that Jinx WASN'T the only one who got traumatized. Vi spent 7y getting beat up in prison, without eating properly and confined in a dirt cell. And no, she is not the one to blame for the person Jinx became. Jinx has to be held accountable for that, just as much as Silco for feeding her paranoias and manipulating her for years.

2. Caitlyn was a evil character and manipulated Vi

Season 1 Caitlyn shows nothing but empathy and patience, y'all like to say Jinx was a revolutionary but s1 Caitlyn was a revolutionary. "Oh but she was rich, she can't be" oh my sweet summer child...

Anyways, she wanted to end Silco cartel - that was destroying Zaun. She even managed to get a council meeting to talk about this. She wanted to change things and she was acting towards this.

Then she got kidnapped naked, tortured for hours, didn't take the shot that would have saved her mother's life, her mother was murdered, the memorial ceremony was attacked and yet she REFUSED to follow the council's ideas to use full force and invade Zaun. Which led us to

2.1 Caitlyn used the grey against innocents

She DIDN'T. She said it herself that the plan was to capture Silco's goons and destroy the slimmer factories. And we see that in the Hellfire sequence.

So stop spreading that she was using the grey against innocents bc the people she used against it were Chembaroons who provoked a civil war on Zaun for power, and used children labor in its factories. They are far from innocents.

2.2 Caitlyn manipulates Vi

I don't even know where this fake news came from bc I've already watched Arcane 3 times, watch at least 4 reaction channels and a few analysis on yt and no one apart from some of y'all in fandom sees this. Jinx manipulates Vi way more than Caitlyn, for example, she is the one that makes Vi believe that her becoming Jinx is her fault.

3. Viktor and Jayce did nothing wrong

Jayce basically built a Chernobyl above Zaun just bc if Hextech goes bad, people from Zaun would be the ones suffering the consequences and not Piltover.

Y'all like to call Caitlyn a genocide (even tho we didn't see any kill directly from hr actions), when Viktor is literally the one willing to kill people in the thousands just because he believes it's the best call. "I want to evolve all those willing to" excuse me? Sir, what "evolve" even means in this scenario? Bc those "evolved" ppl became nothing more than marionettes with no control over their actions and completely brainwashed.

4. Caitlyn was a dictator, she knew everything that was happening on Zaun and did nothing

Caitlyn was actually a pawn in Ambessa chess, a face to Ambessa actions, a face to take the blame for. Noxus could not just simply invade Piltover and install an Martial Law without the support of a major house like house Kiramman.

Essentially what Ambessa did was promote Caitlyn, and hide behind her status. Because if any other Piltie house questions, she could be like "but I'm just here to support the Kirammans, I'm just doing what Im told"

We see in episode 4 that the Noxians are the ones dealing with Zaun's turf wars. Do y'all actually believe their reports on what's happening was legit? Of course not. Caitlyn made her decisions based on those false reports that she didn't even give two fucks about bc she was still too focused on tracking Jinx. That's why when she started to really see what was going on and questions Ambessa, Ambessa quickly pulls the "mom" card to push Caitlyn back into her web.

Sure, she was still powerful and privileged but she wasn't in full control. And the fact that a lot of the fandom dismisses Ambessa's manipulation shows how good at that she is.

5. Vi choose to have sex instead of helping her suicidal sister

Vi DOESN'T watch Arcane. She doesn't know how bad Jinx was and mind you, last time Jinx was acting weird she blew up things instead of being suicidal. We, the Audience, watch her whole journey and change. Vi only stayed with her for a short period of time and she was in a coma for days. She doesn't know what happened after Isha sacrificed and how much this affected Jinx.

"breaking the cycle" could mean a lot of things and if you listen to her words when Caitlyn arrives, you can see that she clearly thinks Jinx is out there abt to blow something. She is blaming herself for believing in Jinx change of heart and not sad for her being suicidal, this prob actually never crossed Vi's mind.

6. CaitVi was forced

I can't with this ""argument"" CaitVi is the couple that has been built since s1 😭. I take that sometimes they were toxic (like when Cait hit Vi) but to say they were forced...please use it 🧠

7. Silco was a revolutionary and a good father do Jinx

Sure, in the past. There's nothing glorious or revolutionary in running a cartel, having business with corrupted cops and child labor. "But he was getting money to his revolution" my ass. He spent 7y doing nothing but becoming more and more powerful while Zaun became like the Pride Lands when Scar took over. He only gets back to his revolutionary ideas when Jinx stole the Hextech gem.

His beautiful speech doesn't match his horrible actions.

The fact that so many ppl see him as this perfect father figure, is the reason so many ppl so easily fall into abusive relationships. Yes, he took care of her but at the same time, he isolated Jinx from her sister , fed her paranoia and instigated her violence tendencies. And it's so clear bc the moment he was no longer in her life, she started to get better in her mental health.

Anyway to finish this long ass post lmao, I want to say that you are free to dislike and hate who you want and what narrative choice you want. The only thing, that ain't that hard, is be fucking honest abt it. There's no need to create bullshit expectations over your hate, ignoring the CANNON.

[bitchslapblastoids]

Prompted by your post about dnp inviting audience interaction: it /is/ really brave, and so interesting! I haven't been watching them for long at all and one of the biggest things that just drew me in and deeply fascinated me about them is how so much of their work (not just on stage) is in some way a conversation/interaction with their audience and the more you watch the more you notice it. No wonder its easy to be parasocial about them and about the Phandom itself!

To me, at least, they seem to be the sort of performers/creators that need a relatively high level of audience interaction in order to be inspired or for their work to feel meaningful. Like, im absolutely sure they could also create things without this close relationship with their audience but it seems to be what their naturally drawn towards? Obviously the problem has been in maintaining boundaries within that but it seems like that's going better now than at some points in the past, which makes me really happy for everyone!

Sorry about the long yap, this is so interesting to me and I just needed to express it a little

(original post referenced) yes!!! i love this!!! so beautifully worded! no need to apologize at all - i am in such hearty agreement and actually think about this so often. i think the engagement with their audience is their superpower, and it runs so deep. what was one of dan's favorite things about phil before he met him? phil's interactive adventure videos, in which he was creating an interactive experience for his viewers.

when they film pinof1 together, what are they doing? they're answering an audience-submitted q&a. the audience interaction is literally baked into their foundation! <3

2010, dan's uni dorm. what's displayed behind him on his wall? art and letters sent to him by viewers. he films danmail vids where he opens and reacts to said art and letters and personally thanks the senders.

for years and years and years, what's at the end of every phil video? fanart! draw phil naked! (in retrospect literally so weird lol but shhh)

the ongoing avalanche of vyous and younows and tumblr reblogs/follows and responding to yt comments and retweets and and and. so much interaction. the videos directly engaging with twitter and tumblr creations. they see us, they know us, they get us.

their first book? included a double-page spread with dozens of pieces of phanart.

every single one of their tours has multiple essential audience interaction components, and even more brilliantly, with multiple different access points that are perfectly calibrated to their audience. too shy to speak up? send in a submission ahead of time. want to be a part of the masses? shout something out during the audience participation segments! and there's always the likelihood that they'll include fanart in the show itself, casually mention an actual actively popular fic, throw in an ancient phwedding manip, or just build whole segments of the show around our tropes and the world that we created with them. all of that keeps things exciting and engaging on stage, bc you never know exactly what's going to come next. but it also keeps their audience feeling seen, valued, and like co-creators in a way.

When you look at the other britcrew and big yters from the 2010s, they simply weren't generating that ongoing, authentic conversation with their audiences. their approach followed the simple format of: i post, you watch. and then it became: i post, you watch, then i try and sell you something while i call you my 'community' because you are all watching me and sometimes you talk to one another in the comments. but it's not like zalfie or joe and casper etc. were chiming in on the convos too, or at least not in any meaningful way. it wasn't a community in the same way.

dan and phil truly built community. i think communities require mutual exchange, communication, a sense of value and worth, commonly agreed upon truths, shared experiences, touchstones of connection, and leaders who have integrity. i know this is all starting to sound a little lofty, but i really do think dan and phil are good humans who have worked hard to wield their power and influence responsibly and compassionately. they set the tone for us, constructed this world, paid attention to what landed for us, how we responded to things, everything that we were up to in response to what they were up to. they listened. they made us feel seen and celebrated and appreciated, and in turn we continued to celebrate them. they created weird inside jokes, we adopted them, then we all shared the weird inside jokes. they existed, we created our own language and lore and encyclopedia in response, and now there's a whole stage show about it.

that's how you get people sticking around for 15 years. that's how you get people to actually want to spend money on you. and yeah, some more boundaries at times couldn't have hurt. they fostered a sense of proximity and entitlement that obviously put them in harm's way. but i'd say ultimately what they've manage to do has been a net good for them and a tremendous success.

you raised such a good point that it seems to be what they are naturally drawn towards. i think it's because they, too, were fangirls. phil was writing buffy fic. dan was running a lost wiki. they both understood the power of online fan community before they were the titans of their own. they get it, they get us <3

[cl6teen]

GQ COUPLES QUIZ ⍟ CL16

a GQ interview featuring the paddock’s favourite couple

mature/crude language and jokes, fluff, sexual/suggestive innuendos but not a lot, inaccurate tellings of the 2023 season, a lot of questions/inspo taken from the actual couples quizzes on GQ’s yt (rosalia and rauw) reblogs/interactions always appreciated !!

cl6teen 2023. do not copy/repost any of my works/ideas pls!

charles: i’m camera shy so maybe you should start!

y/n: you’re literally the least camera shy person i know, charles.

he laughs and readjusts himself in the wooden chair, placing his hands on the armrests to get comfortable just before speaking.

y/n: get on with it.

charles: hello, i’m charles leclerc, a driver for the scuderia ferrari formula one team.

y/n: and i’m y/n l/n, a model and partial social media influencer.

charles: and today we are here with GQ to do the couples quiz!

you smile, holding the stack of cards in your hands up to the camera.

y/n: i’m going to be asking charles some questions about myself and our relationship, so let’s see if he’s really the paddock’s boyfriend of the season.

charles: i am.

his face is stoic when he meets your eyes, leaving your mouth to tremble in a futile attempt to bite back a giggle. his silence doesn’t last long, laughing at the sight of you doubling over in your seat.

y/n: you’re so serious!

y/n: okay! first question of the day, cha: what is my favourite colour?

charles: come on, this is easy! it’s (fav colour), you’re wearing it now

y/n: correct! you actually bought this for me at the start of the year.

cockily, his eyes pan to the camera and he quick a quick shrug as if to say, ‘no big deal about it’, but you don’t catch it.

y/n: what is my go-to karaoke song?

charles: oh, fuck.

you laugh at the way his eyes widen, mocking his words with a deep tone.

y/n: oh. charles leclerc you should know this.

charles: nono i do, i do mate! give me a moment.

the camera zooms into his face, placing calculations across the screen as he’s searches around in his head for the answer—you just went on a karaoke date some nights before; it was in there somewhere.

charles: ah! voulez-vous by ABBA.

y/n: i should dock you half a point for taking so long, but i’m feeling generous today so i won’t.

y/n: what has been my favourite grand prix of the season so far?

charles: baku, because i won no?

y/n: australia actually—lewis’ win.

he cocks his head at you with a raised brow as if to ask if you were serious, and you rush to cover your smile with the stack of quiz cards.

y/n: i’m joking, of course it was baku!

you briefly reach for his hand.

y/n: my love’s first of many wins of the season.

charles: it’s my turn for a question now, yes?

y/n: no charles, i’m asking you questions right now! you go after i’m done.

charles: then why is it called the couples quiz, GQ! should be called the y/n quiz.

y/n: do you see how whiny he is? wait your turn.

jabbing your manicured thumb towards the monegasque, you shake your head at the camera.

y/n: next question, what is my hidden talent?

charles: but it’s hidden for a reason right? we cannot say it.

you both laugh at his words.

y/n: a hidden talent that only you know of.

charles: well then i definitely can’t say it out loud, i’d get in trouble.

he smirks boyishly, leaving you to gasp and reach over to smack his shoulder.

y/n: say something else! one that can be said.

charles: ermm, you can memorize any recipe you make once.

y/n: that’s normal though.

charles: no it’s not! it’s very weird how you know the exact measurements of everything without having to check. carlos agrees too!

you shrug and give him the point.

y/n: how did we meet?

you turn to the camera and cover your lips from his view before mouthing, ‘he better know this one’.

charles: we met at the monaco grand prix after party in 2021—lewis introduced us and you were too drunk to remember my name.

charles: you didn’t think i forgot, did you?

y/n: i was hoping you forgot the drunk part.

he laughs at the small pout drawing on your face.

y/n: when and where was our first kiss?

charles: monza, 2021—i have it on this bracelet.

he holds up his wrist to show the camera. right above his forza ferrari bracelet is one that has the aforementioned date engraved on it.

y/n: isn’t he so romantic?

y/n: what’s the first thing i eat after waking up—don’t make a joke.

charles: i wasn’t going to make a joke.

dramatically, you roll your eyes at him — the smile on his face says otherwise.

charles: you have yogurt so you have something to snack on while making your actual breakfast.

charles: i’m an observant man.

y/n: my favourite thing about you. so, what have i always wanted to learn?

charles: like sports? or music?

y/n: hmm…let’s do both for two points.

charles: okay…you’ve always wanted to learn piano.

you nod your head as he counts his fingers.

y/n: correct.

charles: and…you want to learn how to play tennis

y/n: wrong! i know how to play tennis charles. i want to learn how to ski.

charles: but you never come with me on my ski trips!

y/n: you always go when i’m working babe.

he gives an apologetic look, which you return with a small smile.

y/n: this one is a bit difficult, but what is my signature scent?

charles: ah…is it one of the margiela?

y/n: i like some of the scents…but no, it is (fav perfume).

rolling his eyes, he takes your wrist to his nose to get a smell.

charles: ah! you do smell good, though.

y/n: merci, mon amour. what are the three main things that i cannot leave my house without?

charles: three things you can’t leave without?

charles: me, of course.

y/n: that’s true! but apart from you.

charles: your lipgloss, your phone, and a pair of flats. you don’t even need to tell me if i’m right, open her bag and check!

[OFF CAMERA]: he’s right.

charles: bring-bring it here!

a hand emerges past the camera to hand charles the vintage chanel bag. with a shit eating grin on his face he opens the bag towards the camera to reveal the three items listed.

charles: where are the rest of your things, my love!

he laughs at the way you snatch your bag from him.

y/n: first of all, lipgloss is meant to be retouched, and heels aren’t always comfortable.

y/n: plus, when’s i’m with him i never need anything else do i?

charles: what’s your next question?

y/n: what is my night time skin care routine?

charles: ehm…can i get the next next question?

you burst out into laughter, doubling over as you try to collect yourself.

y/n: he didn’t even try!

charles: do you know my skin care routine?

y/n: i gave you your skin care routine!

charles: it’s too complicated to remember. please, next question.

y/n: what is my—who approved these questions?

[OFF CAMERA]: our boss, please continue.

y/n: charles, what is my bra size?

charles: easy, (bra size).

silently, you stare at him in slight confusion that he paid attention to such little detail.

y/n: what is the best way to make me laugh?

charles: hearing my laugh!

y/n: that is true! specifically the one where you kind of sound like a duck.

[OFF CAMERA]: alright charles, you’ve scored eleven points.

charles: that’s a good score, no? think you can beat it?

y/n: of course!

charles inconspicuously reaches for his stack placed on the console inbetween your chairs. there’s a cute smile on his face as he shuffles through his cards.

charles: what was my first f1 win?

y/n: spa, 2019. how could i not know!

charles: that’s true! where do i want us to next travel?

y/n: you didn’t tell me this though! charles always does this thing where he surprises me with our vacation destination.

charles: ah, you’re right.

he goes to shuffle the card to the back, but you’re quick to stop him.

y/n: i can guess, but if i get it correct i get two points. is that allowed?

the both of you pause to look past the camera for a go ahead, which is given by a swift thumbs up from the crew.

y/n: i actually don’t know if you want to go here, but i do. morocco?

charles: correct.

y/n: alright guys, look out for morocco baecation photo dumps on my instagram within the next few months!

charles: next question, if i wasn’t an f1 driver, what would i be?

y/n: a tennis player? i would say a footballer but after that charity match…

charles laughs loudly at the mention of his game and the memory of his dive head first into the pitch ground.

charles: tennis player is one of them, so i’ll give the point out of the kindness of my heart.

charles: so, how many kids do i want?

y/n: you want three, but don’t mind two if i can’t handle the stress of a third child. you don’t mind the genders, but it would be nice to have a least one boy and girl in any order.

charles: you have a great memory, my love.

charles: how can you tell that i’m angry?

y/n: oh my god, it’s always written all over your face cha. you get all like this and your bros furrow so much.

you try your hand at imitating it, clenching you jaw and giving your most menacing look to the camera before showing it to charles.

charles: hey you’re pretty good at it!

y/n: i think it’s quite attractive though, i love when the cameras catch it during the grand prix.

he winks at you.

charles: what is my favourite way to spend time with you?

y/n: sex? am i allowed to say that? can you cut this part out?

charles: who has the corrupted mind now! the answer was cooking together!

you make a helpless face at your boyfriend, almost feeling embarrassed that your words are going to be stuck on youtube for all to see.

y/n: whatever.

charles: what is my favourite animal?

y/n: ah…monkeys?

charles: monkeys? monkeys!?

he leans in closer to your seat in disbelief and slight fear.

y/n: wait wait wait!

charles: i’m afraid of monkeys!

y/n: but the little baby ones are so adorable!

charles: no, absolutely not. no point for you, y/n.

he dramatically crosses his forearms to each other to make a large x at your face.

charles: what is my sign?

y/n: libra, next question.

charles: wait—i don’t even know my sign!

y/n: i was the one who told you it!! it was one of our first dates and you asked me about your birth chart!

charles raises a shocked brow towards the camera.

charles: what is my favourite colour on you?

y/n: red on race day, and then sage green or white normally.

charles: it’s lovely seeing your girlfriend in your colour, no?

charles: what is the most annoying thing that comes alongside living with you?

y/n: absolutely nothing.

charles: is that your final answer?

y/n: would it be anything else…?

you both sit and stare at one another in silence.

charles: i don’t like how majority of our bed is taken up by stuffed animals.

you groan loudly at him, reaching over to swat his thigh.

charles: ow! okay, i’ll ask you one more question for redemption. what would be my ideal retirement plan?

y/n: obviously we’ll be married and hopefully with kids. you wouldn’t mind staying in monaco but you’d also like to try living in italy—but in the countryside on a large plot of land.

charles: are you sure that’s not your retirement plan?

y/n: charles leclerc.

charles: okay okay, you’re correct!

y/n: i’m pretty sure i just moped your ass in this quiz

[OFF CAMERA]: actually y/n, you only scored nine points.

charles claps obnoxiously with a wide smile on his face, to which you flip him off and brush him aside.

charles: hah! i guess that settles it!

y/n: whatever, i have you beat in lots of other things.

charles: not this though—but i believe our time is up!

turning to face the camera, you both give a curt wave.

both: thanks for watching our GQ couples quiz!

…

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[writers-potion]

How do I accurately include diversity, and not make it look like I’m just putting it in there for the sake of it?

Writing Diverse Characters - Things to Remember

Honestly, there's no definitive answer to this.

Your characters are people with clear goals, desires and a role to play in the plot. As long as they aren't just sitting there with little else but their race/gender/disability, etc. as their ONLY personality trait, at least you're on the right path.

As for representing a diverse character realistically, here are some things you can consider to get started.

Do's

RESEARCH. There are plenty of blogs/YT vids/websites that exist to help you! Meet people!

Get beta readers.

It doesn't have to be explicit. Racial identities become quite clear early on through the setting, name, and initial description(hair, eye/skin color, body shape, etc) without having to drum it into the readers each time. Gender diversity can be conveyed through the use of certain pronouns without awkward declarations.

Character first, diversity second. Please don't intentionally create a diverse character and then think about how you can push them into the cast. Have a working character, who happens to belong to a particular group.

Read works that have represented a group well. There are plenty of non-fiction works, movies and documentaries that capture the lives of people around the world with a good eye.

Use the correct terms/language

Include different types of diversity

Don'ts

Race/gender/diability is NOT a personality trait. Please. Telling me that you have a Korean girl tells me next to nothing about the character herself.

Using sterotypes. Now, it's all right if your character has a few sterotypical traits, but definitely not if sterotypes are the only thing they have.

Diversity is not a "shock factor". Suddenly revealing that a character is actually gay and has been in the closet all this time as a refresher so that it draws readers' attention? Not a good idea.

One diverse character does all. This can often be seen in female characters of slightly dated works where one woman will play the role of supportive mother, sister, femme fetale and sexy Barbie at the same time. Don't write a diverse character who basically does everything a diverse character can possibly be. All that it proves is that the writer is lazy.

Things I personally hate seeing:

Weird pronunciation of languages. As a Korean person, I always get turned off by works (mostly badly written fanfics, yes, I read those...) that try to transfer Korean dialogue directly onto the page without even checking for the correct way to spell them out. A similar example would be pinyin for Mandarin. Please, this makes the character sound stupid throughout...

Character sticking out almost painfully. If your character isn't from the region but have lived in it for a long time, what reason do they have not to blend in?

Relying on variety shows/dramas as reference. Media representation of diverse characters that are meant for entertainment is not the best source for authentic research. I die every time someone lists a number of Korean rom-coms they've watched for "research". IT DOES NOT COUNT.

As a last note, remember that there's no limit to the kind of characters a writer can writer. Accept that our job as writers is to step into other people's heads, not seeing things from one (our) perspective - and it is not going to be easy.

Hope this helps :)