#working stiffs ep

[aquateenpatrolsomethingshowshow]

on september 15th, 2013, the “aqua tv show show” episode, “working stiffs”, first aired on [adult swim]

the episode guest starred dana swanson, wendy cross, and jim florentine, as the manager who is interviewing frylock

production art from bob pettitt:

[milkbreadtoast]

ive been thinking abt this but i think 1 reason the crown princess scandal is worth reading is the art is so good...

[mariemariemaria]

when deirdre maguire said ‘punk is the only religion worth fighting for’

[lonicera-caprifolium]

Body-swap theory!!

okay, just putting this all together for ease of access, since it's been spread out across several posts now--

The day after it aired I watched the ending like actually 30 times and I became fully 99.999999% certain they switched places. I was initially thinking during the kiss, cuz of how the camera angle changes, but after watching an additional 20 times a few days later, I'm personally leaning much more towards them stopping time in the instance after "no nightingales".

Before the kiss, Aziraphale is saying "nice" things about the Metatron, but his face and voice keep switching to broadcasting distress, and they make it a point to show in ep 1 that Crowley can read him just from tone of voice

As they're pulling away after the kiss, they lock eyes and "Aziraphale's" expression shifts in the teeniest tiniest way, like a confirmation glance, before they shift back (and Michael Sheen is a master, so no chance it's not on purpose)

---(Like really, go back and watch how Aziraphale's expression shifts literally *a second* before "I forgive you" cuz the change is SO minute, but entirely different emotionally.)

Also the way he moves his jaw right after he pulls his hand away from his lips, is a bit from MS's Crowley (you can see it in the very last two seconds of this vid- link)

Aziraphale's hands -stay by his sides- after that, he doesn't clasp them at all, and it's particularly noticeable while he's walking to the elevator with Metatron. The way he walks is very stiff and precise, similar to after the swap in S1.

We don't see the underside of Crowley's jacket collar after the kiss, at any point (it is for sure red at the beginning of the ep, you can see it right before he changes in Heaven)

The Bentley drives away SLOWLY, which is how Aziraphale drives, and we're specifically shown that it only plays other music for Aziraphale

the seats in the Bentley are black as it drives away. They're usually brown, and the only other time they're shown to be black is when Aziraphale drives (@picturesque-about-it broke down the times so you can see-link)

---extra pic for anyone saying it's "cuz Aziraphale is lighter"-- the seats are still brown behind Crowley when he wears white

there's people wearing yellow in -every- part of the scene showing the Bentley both before and while it drives away! (link for pics/credit)

Aziraphale's smile in the elevator looks more like MS's Crowley. It's very similar to the trial during S1, but also (link)

This also explains why they're on opposite sides than they're usually shown while the end credits roll

Extra points--

many good points made by other folks here, about cues and snakes in beehives and swap motifs throughout the season-- link

The clock! Someone mentioned how the scene is so quiet you can hear it ticking, so I watched the ending a further 50 times to double check----I need to preface this by stating, I don't think this is a working clock, mainly cuz the hands aren't 100% where they should be between the minutes and the hours, like -a person- moved them to that time manually

When they're talking, the clock is at approximately 9:25 (?, again the hour hand isn't precisely set), then they walk across the room, and kiss, and immediately after that the clock is set about 15-ish minutes later (link to timestamps)

thanks to these bts shots, we can see that the clock on the opposite side of the room registers the SAME time difference before and after the kiss (link)

the first time Aziraphale looks "towards the window", I'm petty sure he actually looks further back towards the clock, *focuses on it* as Metatron walks up to him, and then spends the ENTIRE REST OF THE EXCHANGE blocking the Metatron's view of the clock

we're shown earlier in the season that Crowley can localize his time-stopping to a certain extent, like when he stopped the doctor and the rest of the room kept going, so it is possible he only stopped everything -outside- of the bookshop

---I KNOW Neil said it's a continuity error, but he also fully said "No" about there being a season 2 just days before they announced it was already written and in production, so. Take him at his word if that's what you wanna do.

---also I DID go back and look it over, and the clock IS consistently specifically set the entire rest of the episode as far as I can see. From the shots when you have a clear view of the clock, the angels and demons enter the shop at around 6, Maggie and Nina leave at around 7, the Metatron comes in at 8-ish, Aziraphale comes back in at that approximately 9:25

(insight from someone who works in production- link)

the music right before the kiss scene is the same leitmotif (Life After Death) used when they originally started formulating the swap in season 1! (link)

the movie Stairway to Heaven (1946) is featured as a poster in both the opening credits and in Maggie's shop (link)

the climax of the film has one of the leads willing to "take the place" of the other in heaven

(they also used a time-stopping mechanic, and the chess book Gabriel tests gravity with also plays a key role in the film)

and one last mention, extra food for thought--- the season's focus on their trusting one another, their history of performing "death (and heaven/hell) defying" feats together, and how they always get the trick right when it truly counts the most

that's what I've got so far!

If I'm right, they're apart now, but are actually more together then ever, and I find that terribly exciting. (And if I'm wrong, that's okay too! I'm just here to have fun.)

I'm not particularly concerned with very specific reasoning (that's for season 3 to tell us!), but I do think this theory is extra fun cuz pretty much any of the others could be the "why" driving it.

I'm not trying to convince anyone, or put down any of the other theories, so if you're not feeling it, that's okay! I'm just sharing what clues I'm seeing, so you can check if you see them too. 💕

[mvltisstuff]

hihi so!! would it be possible for a buck one shot from season 2, ep 4 where the drunk girls are flirting with him and reader is kinda jealousy? like when one girl asked buck to put his number in her phone reader is just giving her the nastiest side eye ever or something?

this honestly just made me giggle and if you don’t do that then that is 100% okay! thank you so so much if you do this or even just for reading it! <3333

outside i keep it quiet - e.b

summary: buck sees y/n’s jealous side for the first time in their relationship.

evan buckley x reader

og gif post

a/n: hello ;)) i love silly little requests like these, and again, im so sorry for how long ago this was requested, but i hope you’ll still enjoy today! also disclaimer, the word bitch is not used in a sexist, derogatory way (at the end at least) don’t get too upset ;) also some things might be a little different from the episode as i haven’t watched in a while lol

the scrunch on y/n’s brows was unfamiliar to buck. she was busy bandaging up one of the girls, who was busy staring at buck. her gentle fingers were more stiff than normal, and buck definitely noticed.

y/n was getting increasingly frustrated with the girl she was working on. her intoxication only making her interested in the firefighters in front of her. buck hated to admit it, but he loved seeing the fiery jealousy coming from his girlfriend. they’ve been dating for quite some time, but she’s never had a good reason to be jealous of him.

she whipped her head around at the words she heard from the other group of women.

“you, like, have really big arms,” one of them mumbled to him.

“oh, thanks,” buck replied, not showing interest and just doing his job.

“like i know it’s a free country, but i don’t know if you can carry those guns around,” the other girl said, giggling to herself and earning cackles from chimney. y/n gave him a death glare, telling him not to entertain them without words.

“why don’t you guys go sit down on the curb, and y/l/n will come check you all?”

“i’d rather stay by you, but, whatever you say,” she winked and walked away. y/n let out a huff as she finished wrapping up her patients arm.

“hey!” she heard a holler from where the group was sitting. “do you have a bitch?”

y/n let out a laugh straight from her chest, not even trying to hide it anymore. the whole team looked at her, seeing a stance in her they didn’t know existed. none of them knew this side of her.

“no, i don’t have a bitch,” buck replied, not even making eye contact with them.

“ooh! did you hear that?” one of the girls further away exclaimed.

y/n was like a ticking time bomb. she was about to slap these girls clean across the face, but it would definitely not end well. so, instead, she gave them picture-perfect smiles that buck could see right through.

buck walked over to y/n, placing his hand on her hip to pass by her. y/n felt chills up her body, loving the fact that the girls were sat completely still at the sight. they were cleaning up some of their tools from the sight and loading them back into the truck, and everyone was fully over this call.

bucks fingers lightly touched her side, making sure she felt him there but also making sure the drunk girls noticed. they surely did, because they couldn’t stay silent if their mouths were sewn. even if they didn’t know they were dating, not a soul on the earth could miss the look in bucks eyes whenever he landed his gaze on y/n. he pecked her cheek rapidly before she ran off to the truck.

“wait, i thought you said you didn’t have one?”

“i did, she’s not my bitch.”

back at the station, buck found y/n standing by her locker, changing into her clothes to head home. she had only gotten to take off her top shirt before buck came in.

buck walked in and couldn’t take his eyes off of her. she’d taken out her braids and let them wave down her back and run her fingers through it. he noticed her waistband landing right on her hips, her undershirt scrunched up to show off her abdomen. he came up behind her, sliding his hands to the front of her, but she stopped him and turned around.

“you should’ve told them i was your bitch.”

“but you’re not-“

“i wanted to see the look on their faces if you had said yes and pointed to me. i wanted them to know you’re mine and only mine, not theirs.”

“o-oh.” buck murmured, as she walked toward him as he backed up.

“call me your bitch, then.”

“no!” buck replied. “i’m not gonna call you that.”

“i just wanna hear it so i can imagine their faces.” she tapped her ear and turned it toward him with her other hand on her hip.

buck sighed and tossed his head back before leaning in closer to her. “you’re my bitch.”

y/n grinned at his hesitation and grabbed the sides of his neck, pulling them chest to chest as her nose pressed against his face. it was almost the most powerful kiss they’ve ever had, other than the first i love you’s.

“don’t make me say that ever again.” buck chuckles.

“i won’t, baby,” she says. “my place tonight?”

“i’ll be there.” buck smiles and she turns to walk out of the locker room. chimney walks in as she leaves.

“oh, bye, bitch!” he waves and smiles at her.

“hey! no.” buck shouts at him and shakes his head urgently.

“sorry,” chim says under his breath.

[a-dauntless-daffodil]

You will not headcanon Charlie as wearing tap dancing shoes by default- yes I will

Fine. you are not imagining Vaggie the dancer being light on her feet and almost soundless when she prowls around in her flats- yes I am

The hotel guests are NOT being simultaneously tormented by the constant clicking of Charlie being heard clear across the hotel, and on the flips side, the constant jump scares of suddenly finding a glowering woman with a spear coming up noiselessly behind them-Yeasss the are~

Ok. so what does a hotel menaced by tap step charlie and soundless step vaggie LOOK like???

Alastor's the best at hiding how freaked out or annoyed he is, but not enough to keep HIMSELF from noticing how he clutches his microphone in a death grip whenever Vaggie suddenly slips silently past him spear first- Charlie's tapping is worse tho, hours later he'll be up in his BLESSEDLY sound proof radio tower and somehow STILL hear that INFERNAL tapping again anyway, and then he looks down, and it's own hand tapping on his sound board, and for the one millionth time he wonders if this is all really worth slowly losing his sanity over

Niffty times her kills to the sound of Charlie's distant tapping and when she gleefully tells Charlie about this at some point Charlie almost starts crying over the dead bugs. A few times Niffty's caught sight of completely noiseless Vaggie out of the corner of her eye (heh) and the two ended up crossing spear / needle point on reflex. It becomes a kind of friendly greeting for them after a while. Sometimes they even fence each other for a bit while parkouring / scuttling over the furniture. Charlie caught them doing this once and was Not Pleased (but it's for FRIENDSHIP so...)

Pentious likes Charlie's tapping and clickedy clicking. He hums and bobs his head along to it while working on his next totally not a destructive weapon machine, sometimes while the egg boiz do a little dancing the background between handing him things. Vaggie's silent patrols left him literally scared stiff at first but then they started to feel reassuring and by the end he's reaction to getting jump scared by her is to snap into a crisp salute and stay like that until she moves on

Angel Dust pretends to like Charlie's tapping just to annoy Husk. Husk knows it's bullshit but is usually too run down from his current hangover to really argue effectively, and for all that yelling at his dumbass crush hurts his head it at least downs out the damned tapping- which is what Angel was aiming for anyway. Neither of them EVER get used to Vaggie haunting the hotel like a silent spear carrying ghost. Swearing or shrieking are how they handle Vaggie encounters when alone- mutual clinging and terrified hugging is what happens if she spooks them when they're in glomping distance of each other. Vaggie will never let them see how she smirks as she slips away afterwards. Vaggie might be hunting them specifically, on purpose, just to trigger more vaguely romantic haunted house huskerdust moments. it's solidarity. probably. partly, anyway

Charlie does get jump scared by Vaggie sometimes (re: ep 1) but the switch from "heart pounding due to shock" and "heart pounding bc she looking at her gf <3" is very smooth and Charlie kinda loves the happy adrenaline rush of sudden girlfriend appearances, which is why Vaggie never tied noise makers or bells to herself, which she offered to do once after spooking Charlie but no, Charlie thinks being gf haunted is cool and FUN

Vaggie loves that Charlie's shoes make the tapping sounds. She loves being able to stop whenever she wants and listen and either know exactly where Charlie is in the hotel and her current mood (stiff anxious pacing / happy skipping / thoughtful foot tapping / actual excited dancing / literal giddy tap dancing), or, if things are too quiet, that's Vaggie cue to pause what she's doing and go check on her suspiciously silent gf (just in case charlie is Sad)

Cherri Bomb's reaction to all this is explosive. as in, she mistakes charlie's tapping for the ticking of one of her bombs and runs around trying to find it while it seemingly also runs around the hotel just head of her, usually ending in Cherri throwing a bomb in frustration (she was just trying to make a short cut she SWEARS), or Vaggie surprises her at just the wrong time while she's working on a bomb in the hotel lobby (it's a communal area ok she should be allowed to do her hobbies there as long as she cleans up afterwards- plus there's more room in case of a blast radius) and yes, if Vaggie startles her, there usually IS. A blast. Radius. along with quite a bit less lobby left over afterwards

[velvet-games]

he’s so normal :)

I actually drew this before a lot of the recent stuff I've been posting; it was just me trying to figure out a good redesign for vox. I might make a proper redesign explanation later, but here are some quick notes while I'm still playing with it:

vox trapzod and alastor trongle :)

^^ ok but unironically this was kind of a hard decision since I have mixed feelings about vox's body type

stuff I was considering:

1) vox is alastor's foil and has a similar body type to alastor at least in part because you're supposed to be comparing them (It's actually so cool cause I was watching TB Skyen's reaction to ep 2 and he immediately predicted that they would have beef lol)

2) tumblr sexyman bod <3

3) I LOVE @/bestosunglass' way of drawing him, and it made me realize that I kind of love the idea of vox being a little bigger than alastor? it's very big himbo puppy + lithe cat energy

4) not sure what my headcanons about vox's body are in terms of biological vs tech yet, but I think I want to lean toward tech (which is customizable)

I love the angst concept of vox having the freedom to change his body with relative ease, which makes him feel like he has to constantly update and update and update and update and update and it's never good enough because he could always change something and he'll never quite be good enough--

basically being a victim to his own progress-oriented mindset

and also treating himself like a product; if it's not working, if it's not the best, newest model, then it's broken and useless and disposable

tbh alastor's ability to find beauty and art in the old (not necessarily based on function, but on character and care) would be good for him

ooc or not, as someone with dysmorphia issues myself, I really want an "I like your body because it's yours" moment from alastor

I think all of that + toxic masculinity would probably mean vox would make himself comically buff (at least at first) lol

5) but I like drawing him kinda scrawny ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ it's just weird because I kind of want to audience to pick up on the fact that he's not actually hypermasc but vox would totally (mostly successfully) broadcast that to the characters in the show

6) I think a trapezoid is a good shape for him! it contrasts well with alastor being a kind of sly and striking triangle shape. trapezoids are more interesting and dynamic than rectangles, but are still more stiff and business-like than triangles (p sure I am completely misunderstanding shape theory here but it makes sense to me lmao)

vox is such a mess of vibes? like he's a cult leader he's a televangelist he's a hypnotist he's a business shark he's a tech CEO he's a newscaster he's a TV he's a computer he's a literal shark he's a mastermind he's a pathetic fanboy

still not sure which of those is the most important/what should be obvious in his design

obsessed with the concept of TV knobs as buttons but it's kind of old fashioned

I headcanon him as having been a nerdy kid that got kicked in the shins for being obsessed with TV/tech lol

also hc him as being vaguely and very obliviously transfemme; the buffness can also be overcompensating for a lack of masculinity both physically and mentally

[absolutebl]

These Weeks in BL - This Is Very Late, Or Right on Time depending on where you sit on the temporal debate team

Sorry I got distracted by work. In my defense: I was paid.

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

March 2024 Wk 1 & 2

Ongoing Series - Thai

Cherry Magic (Sat YouTube grey) ep 12 fin - Unfortunately, there was singing. But what can we do?

A soft charming warm hug of a show about crushes and mind reading and self worth, with no-fuss execution from a consummate team and an OG lead pair proving why they remain eternal and deserve to grow up. Look, here’s the thing, Cherry Magic is a great Thai BL in its own right not comparing it to any other iteration. But even when I do compare (and I've seen all the Cherries and read the manga) it still stands. This is a great show, a solid adaptation, and a pleasing take on the original yaoi. I personally like it better than the Japanese live action, but I think that’s because I just really like Thai BL and I LOVE TayNew. I doubted them for this and I shouldn’t have. They did a great job, as did the sides. I will say all the kissing was both present and better than any other iteration. As it should be. Definitely one for the rewatch rotation. 9/10 

Deep Night (Thurs iQiyi) ep 1 of 8 (10?) - Damn it, I love it. And I don't want to. It’s more classic BL than I thought it would be, and far less Only Friends or Playboyy. (Thank fuck.) We got a big cast and a lot of tropes going down out the gate, including SMITTEN popular hot guy versus nerd with secret identity. (Incidentally, Khem did drop into rude / informal when arguing with his Aunt and defending his ma. Bratty boy.) The leads have good chemistry (First always does), and everyone is very pretty. The main boy reminds me of J-Min's role (and look) in Love Class 2. I am entertained. (And faintly wonder why this isn't a MosBank vehicle.)

To Be Continued (Thai C3 Thailand grey) eps 1-3 of 8- High school sweethearts who had a bad break up reunite a decade later when both of them have full time jobs (celebrity & doctor). Dr Ji is a familiar face (hi Dream it's been a LONG time) and everyone is way too old for high school, but I guess I prefer this to child actors?

I'm enjoying it, actually, the cast may be older but they're solid as a result and the chemistry is on point for a pulp. Whether our celebrity is on the DL or cheating or something else remains to be seen but he sure is smitten. The way he LOOKS at Ji = hawt.

Frankly? Celebrity/doctor is a good pairing and this is a solid Thai BL. I hope we have a nice angsty reason for the break-up and we're not in another Promise situation. I like the sides too. Carry on, little show, I'm disposed to be pleased with you.

City of Stars (Fri iQIYI) eps 5-6 of 12 - I am enjoying it, actually. It’s incredibly silly. But I don’t really mind. STOP SINGING. 

1000 Years Old eps 3-4 of 12 - I love that these kids basically adopted a vampire pet. And one of them accidentally got a vampire boyfriend. This suddenly turned from a PNR into a family drama about domestic gays opening a food stall and I'm not mad about it. Nothing makes sense and I don't care because... rainbow umbrella!

A Secretly Love (Thai WeTV grey) eps 1 of 10 - I don’t love it. I make no bones about the fact that a pining uke rarely works for me, especially if he’s younger (cute supportive besties not withstanding), the power dynamic isn’t good. I always like Kimmon, he’s a stiff actor but v pretty. (I shallow af.) Still it’s time he started acting his age… literally. Having to watch ads again as well… for this? Ooof. I'm not sure I'm strong enough.

Ongoing Series - Not Thai

Perfect Propose (Japan Fri Gaga) ep 6 fin - It was very cute. I liked that there was uke instigated kisses. However I have some reservations on this one, much as I enjoyed it.

Adapted from Mayo Tsurakame’s manga, production team included Tadaaki Horai (My Love Mix-Up!) and Takeshi Miyamoto (Old Fashion Cupcake). Essentially Perfect Propose was about finding hope in a person when all other hope is gone. This show focuses on apathy, and perforce is somewhat apathetic and un-engaging especially as the pacing was off (and with only 6 episodes? now) However, this is countered by great visuals, good archetypes, and a clean story of childhood sweethearts reuniting after loosing their way in life. I landed on 8/10 mostly for a demanding younger seme and some great kisses. 

Unknown (Taiwan Tues Youku YouTube) eps 2-3 of 11 - Oh it’s great. I love it. I’m still worried by how gritty and "Taiwanese short-esk" it feels, but wow does this hit all my favorite taboo tropes and buttons. I also adore the little found fam, they the cutest gay older bros ever. The younger one who wants so bad to grow up and take care of the older one and pushes himself because into self sacrifice that’s the only model of love he has. ARGH. BOYS. Why so much pain, just smooch already! Sheesh. It's on YouTube for some of us, here's the schedule.

AntiReset (Taiwan Fri Viki/Gaga) eps 6-7 of 10 - They remain questionably cute, and that is probably going to be my ultimate review of this show. Awe cameo! (Hi babies, hope the ghosts are leaving you alone.) The irony does not escape me that the person in the relationship with the most emotional acumen is, in fact, the robot and not the human. I'm sure that's meant to be deep.

Love is Better the Second Time Around AKA Koi wo Suru nara Nidome ga Joto (Japan Gaga) ep 1 of 6 - A tortured second chance romance featuring a reported and a successful celebrity(?) academic. The kid actors look nothing like their adult counterparts, but they do look much younger. So, okay. Ah the utter embarrassment of first love. Oh I like it a lot, so very messy Japanese emo. Sigh. Here we go again.

Although I Love You and You AKA Sukiyanen Kedo Do Yaro ka (Japan Thurs Gaga) eps 8-9 of 10 - They are a cute couple. They both trying so hard and so confused and awkward and polite in trying to understand each other but TERRIBLE at communication. 

My Strawberry Film (Japan Thurs Gaga) eps 3-4 of 8 - I don’t know how I feel about this. But I do know it’s not my thing because it’s not BL. I’ll finish it because it’s short but… meh. 

It's done, ready to binge, but I have no time

What Did You Eat Yesterday Season 2 AKA Kinou Nani Tabeta? Season 2 (Japan Gaga) 10 eps - will binge when I have any spare time. 2024 is crazy busy for me so far.

The Servant and the Young Master (Vietnam YouTube) - I will try when I have a window of time.

Began Beginning (Myanmar YouTube) - A Burmese BL? @heretherebedork vouched for it, so I will watch eventually.

It's airing but...

Dead Friend Forever (Thai iQIYI) - finished it's run and I won't be watching it. It's horror with BL elements and the ending, well, let's just say that's a "no thank you" from me.

Ossans Love Season 2 (Japan Gaga) - 5 years later, will anything have changed? This is Japan so… no. I'm not watching this. I dislike this franchise.

Time the series (Tue Gaga/YT) 10 eps - dropped it at ep 4.

Takumi-kun (2023) movie version AKA Takumi-kun Series 6: Nagai Nagai Monogatari no Hajimari no Asa released on FOD 3/5/2024. The original project was a 6 ep series. Having seen all the previous iterations and read the (terrible) yaoi I admit to being intrigued. If anyone finds eng subbed please let me know with a link in comments or in a DM? For those intersted in this show, probably the world's first true BL franchise I chat all about it here.

Gossip

James Supamongkon has withdrawn from the series Love Upon A Time and the NetJames pair is no more. Net Siraphop will continue with the historical BL project alongside a new partner. Can I interest you in Tod Techit... almost as pretty, legs for days...

The Complete Chronology of the Assault Case Against GMMTV Actor Win Pawin

I'm merely directing your attention to these articles, I do not wish for discussion of this content on this blog. Please don't ask for further info, I don't know the answer, follow the link that's why it's there.

Next Week Looks Like This:

Still Coming

3/21 Two Worlds (Thai IQIYI) 10 eps - announced here. One of those "he's dead Jim so time travel" thingames staring MaxNat. I'm over them but Asia flipping loves this trope and I do adore MaxNat. Phupha (Gun) and Khram (Nat) love each other but Phupha is murdered. Then Khram is pulled to a parallel world where, 12 years ago, Khram and Tai (Max) were in love. However, Khram was killed by Thai’s dad. Now Tai finds alter-Khram apparently alive. But then there is ALSO an alter-Phupha (played by Gun Thanawat who is Khom the repressed butler bodyguard from Unforgotten Night).

Upcoming BLs for 2024 are listed here. This list is not kept updated, so please leave a comment if you know something new or RP with additions.

THIS WEEK’S BEST MOMENTS

How flipping adorable is this vampire with his big gay umbrella? SUCH A DORK and we got more vampire dorks coming.

Thailand has found its vampire line and it's awkward and geeky and quite cheerful. 'Bout what we expected, to be fair. It's a good look for them.

And vampires.

In other news...

That's your random moment of thirst, Lim Jimin shirtless AKA my Just B bias (I mean, I could talk about how good his extensions are and how I love a husky voice in Kpop but really, just LOOK at him). I'm very very very shallow, remember? Full vid is here.

Why am I mentioning Lim Jimin (aside from the obvious)? If Just B doesn't break soon, I could some of them transitioning to BL. Jimin in particular would be a win for us, obvs.

Also, can we talk about Bain (my bias wrecker) KILLING it on Build Up? I had no idea he was that good. Anygay, this has been your Kpop end note.

Seriously tho, is ANYONE else watching Build-Up?

(Last week - well, 2 weeks ago)

Streaming services are listed how I'm (usually watching) which is with a USA based IP

The tag bragade: @doorajar

If ya wanna be tagged each week leave a comment and I will. Easy peesy.

[bengiyo]

Love for Love's Sake Ep 6 Stray Thoughts

Last time, we picked up with the boys’ date, and things took a turn when Myunha wanted to avoid an interaction with his mom in her café, and then the amusement park was closed. Myungha also disappointed Yeowoon by telling him they were just friends. Later, Myungha soundly rejected Sangwon, and then further disappointed Yeowoon by telling him to love someone else instead. Thankfully, Shi-a teamed up with Yeowoon and is rooting for him. Myungha had to save 3,000,00 won, and learned that Yeowoon is being abused by an older male relative (perhaps his father). Thankfully, Kyunghoon is excited about his boyfriend coming back from Canada, and this gave Myungha the push to face Yeowoon properly. We left on the two of them having their first kiss. Also, the game is glitching.

Yes! Give him kissing lessons! No more stiff kissing in BL! Lessons start immediately!

Episode 6: Love

I like that at least Myungha is interrogating the ethics of dating under these circumstances. Sure wish another show was doing that.

Yeowoon is so earnest. I love this boy. I can’t wait to see all of Shi-a’s advice.

Myungha cries after watching what sounds like a Godzilla-King Kong-zombie film! I love him!!

He is 18 and he wants to kiss! I feel that, Yeowoon!

Shi-a! You interrupted the date!

Now we have to make him an idol? I don’t know that Yeowoon wants that kind of scrutiny.

Yes, go on and kiss the boy!

I’m with Sangwon. This IG thing seems like a bad idea.

Oh shit! We’re glitching!

I like the big wave Yeowoon does when he sees Myungha now.

Okay, that street scene was cute.

Oh ho! Is the writer trying to reach Myungha inside of the game? How did he put him here in the first place?

It’s super trippy that Myungha can see these notices from the game.

I love the idea of a character rejecting fate in a game world where the options are predetermined by the designers.

Tae Myungha better not die!!!

My precious boy is being stalked, too? It’s always something, goddamn.

This dude really ran up and snatched Myungha’s phone. I’m glad Sangwon checked him on this behavior.

Oh, a breakup flashback. He’s bi, girls.

Yeowoon definitely thinks he just got invited over for a night of intimacy. I hope Myungha realizes that.

Ah, the classic cruel video game choice: choose which person you love to die.

That’s a good cliffhanger.

Things are starting to move really quickly with the plot. It works well because they show the game itself falling apart, like the devs are dealing with a project spiraling out because of too many player choices to accommodate. Throwing an element of major danger into the story narrows the field back to make the players focus on the biggest issue. I feel like there’s going to be a lot to discuss about the structure of this story when we’re done. I remain deeply-compelled.

[lgihtspeed]

SONG OF THE SUMMER — THE DEBUT EP

SONG OF THE SUMMER is the debut EP of fictional pop group LIGHTSPEED. It was released physically and digitally on JUNE 20, 2024 by C ENTERTAINMENT. The group promoted title track LEFT RIGHT for four weeks: two weeks on Korean music shows and two weeks on American television. Their American promotions were followed by live shows in a few of the cities the members are from, including Los Angeles, New York City, and Calgary.

The album covers were designed by ASH. The physical release comes in three versions: SUN, MOON, and STAR. 

They also released six member versions of CD-only jewel cases. Shortly after the album’s initial print, they released a limited-edition vinyl, all of which were signed by one or more members.

TRACKLIST

TRACK 001. LEFT RIGHT Written by Ash Jang, Constance Im, Ev Sharpe, LABYRYNTH Composed by LABYRYNTH Arranged by LABYRYNTH

TRACK 002. GOT IT LIKE THAT Written by Ash Jang, Seo Sejun, LABYRYNTH Composed by LABYRYNTH Arranged by LABYRYNTH

TRACK 003. HAMSTERBOY Written by Constance Im, RHYTHMAGIC Composed by RHYTHMAGIC Arranged by RHYTHMAGIC

TRACK 004. BUZZING MELODIES Written by Seo Sejun, Constance Im, Ash Jang Composed by RHYTHMAGIC Arranged by RHYTHMAGIC

With lyrics entirely in English, most of the songwriting is done by the group members rather than their Korean producers. CONSTANCE and ASH quickly emerged as the group's most prolific songwriters. Production was done by C Entertainment’s new in-house producer duo RHYTHMAGIC and by elusive producer LABYRYNTH, best known for his work with Lightspeed’s label mate, SEJUN. To fans’ surprise, Sejun also made a few appearances as a lyricist, keeping with his tendencies to write songs for everyone except himself.

STATS

13:01 — TOTAL RUNTIME

20M — MV VIEWS IN 24 HOURS

90 — BILLBOARD HOT 100 PEAK

8 — THEMED DANCE PRACTICES

LOOK BOOK

The era’s styling was entirely in shades of black and white and gray. The outfits were inspired by TECHWEAR—coincidentally one of the many themed dance practices—as well as the CYBERCORE and Y2K FUTURISM aesthetics.

HIGHLIGHTS

They were clowned to hell and back for the album title. They also made a disgusting number of “Did I just write the song of the summer?” TikToks, which did not help their case. The only one that went viral was the one of Ev deadpanning the script alongside his signature stiff peace sign ending fairy pose.

The music was well-received and that made the title slightly less egregious. Then Tyler and Mia went on the record and said they didn’t like it and everyone went back to clowning it.

The division between the people with more media training (Violet and Mia) and the people with less media training (everyone else) became obvious very early on.

There were three not-quite-but-almost-there PR disasters. The first happened not long after their debut: Tyler finally deactivated his controversial Twitter account. He probably should have stopped tweeting after he passed the first IGNITE! audition but he didn’t. The fan response was split between those who supported this decision, because idols shouldn’t be tweeting shit about their peers, and those who thought maybe it’s time an idol got to talk his shit. Three days after his account was deactivated, it was reactivated again, causing, in the nicest way possible, a shitstorm on Luminosity Twitter. C Entertainment finally did a bit of damage control by releasing a statement saying that multiple people had access to the account, which no one believed.

The second one occurred during a DIY karaoke livestream where Constance was taking song suggestions from the audience and someone asked for a boy group song. She singled out the commenter, and took a leaf out of Violet’s book by responding she “couldn’t care less about boy groups” and anyway, the people in her stream should just “listen to Lightspeed instead of men.” Never mind that there are men in Lightspeed. 

The third and final close call happened in an off-handed comment Ash made. While they were discussing their favorite and least favorite moments from IGNITE!, he remarked about how poor of a representation their profile pictures were. Having recently re-edited and posted his pictures to Instagram, he had to keep going and mention that ever since he graduated from college, he doesn’t have access to legal Adobe products. Everyone else sat in silence after he revealed that until Violet forced the conversation to move along.

They filmed a dorm tour that went viral because their dorm is a house. With six bedrooms and two kitchens and a second floor. In Seoul.

Between the two centers, Mia was clearly the favored one. She was the center of every chorus and the center of every OT6 photo and styled slightly differently from the rest of the group. 

Ev’s songwriting credit on “Left Right” came from a competition the group members minus Ash and Constance held to write the second verse of the song. To almost everyone’s surprise, Ev won. He was the only person unsurprised, revealing that his university major prior to IGNITE! was English Literature.

The “Left Right” line distribution was surprisingly bad. Constance, Mia, and Tyler sang most of the song, and the rest of them were left with crumbs. #LetEvSing trended on Twitter after their album release, especially because he wrote part of the song.

SHIP RANKINGS

ASH X TYLER (ASHLER) — One of the most popular ships from IGNITE! for their past friendship. Every single publicly available pre-IGNITE! interaction—all five of them—are also subject to intense scrutinization. Haters will say they can't possibly be dating because they dap each other up too much.

MIA X TYLER (MYLER) — The two centers! They were paired together for everything. Their shared dance break in a “Left Right” special performance had a ridiculous amount of chemistry, and then they covered Trouble Maker’s “Trouble Maker.” Absolutely no moving on from that.

CONSTANCE X MIA (CONIA) — According to their shippers, Constance doesn’t look at the Mia in the same way she looks at everyone else. The evidence is in clips of the two of them making eye contact slowed down to 0.5x speed. Also, they were roommates for the entire last half of IGNITE! (Oh my god, they were roommates.)

ASH X CONSTANCE (ASHSTANCE) — They wrote almost every song together, but more importantly, in vlogs showing off the time they spent in New York, the two of them sat next to each other in every restaurant they ate at. Their alternate ship name is Cash.

TYLER X VIOLET (TYLET) — Similar to the above pairing, Tyler acts in a noticeably different way with Violet than everyone else. He’s usually easygoing and quick to laugh with everyone else—especially Mia—but he froze up in all of the one solo conversation he had on camera with Violet. Which is clearly enough to make a ship.

[pomodoriyum]

the scene at the end of ep 4 is one of my faves. esp in terms of characterization for des voeux. its the gift that keeps on giving.

- he reads to pass time

- small little hands holding his book in the most complicated way possible. look how slender his stupid fingers are. god.

- dogears his books (bastard. <- affectionate)

-he complains and whinges throughout tasks, but he *is* doing them. not good customer service. hes so over it

- notable that as the youngest officer position he gets stuck with the shit end of the stick (he probably would rather be sleeping than doing this. its late!!)

-constantly smiling painfully and awkwardly at goodsir the whole time. its NOT particularly friendly though just reads as a habit. its the awkward average ‘white person sees you at work smile’

-walks sorta funny/limping/stiff in the legs. could be just from sitting there. could be something else

- eavesdropping cause he wants to know what happened. clearly jfj didnt give him details…funny how annoyed he is when goodsir doesnt explain. huffy.

—> further evidence im slightly insane. thats it. goodnight every1

[tomorrowsdrama]

More thoughts on Ep 1 of The Double

====

Princess Wanning’s first scene:

Me: My god, this twirling bitch is insane. She’s actually making me feel somewhat sorry for the murderer husband.

====

Now that’s an over the top entrance befitting of the Duke Su. I feel like the author of the original webnovel would approve.

He is a very good looking man. I can’t believe this is the same man who played the super stiff bureaucrat from Story of Kunning Palace.

====

Omg I looked up the actor and HE’S ONLY 22?!! Aka born in 2002?!

====

Man, I wish I could look that pretty and ethereal after being washed ashore.

====

Shen Yurong: I swear I will never let her suffer.

Me:

====

I can’t get over how gorgeous Wu Jin Yan is.

====

These nuns are awful! “Kindness beyond reproach?” Hah!

====

Yang Chao Yue is perfectly fine in small doses. Maybe she should do more cameos so she can work on improving.

….

Ok after that death scene, she should definitely stick to smaller roles to gain more experience 😆

[wen-kexing-apologist]

WKA, in your infinite wisdom, please tell us who has done the very best hand work in bl this year

Ok first of all, I asked for nice questions, SHAN. NOT evil, personal attack, make me choose questions.

There have been many many many great hands in BL this year, and my categorization for them depends on what exactly we are looking for within them.

I wrote the most essays about hands for La Pluie, who I do think did hands extremely well when it comes to demonstrating character's. Patts changes in pressure and sensation versus Tai's fingers being stiff in their first make out session, and then Tai changing it up a bit in their sex scene now that he's had some practice. Patts' thumb wiping cum from Tai's lips, etc. and that wasn't a show that I would say had heavy focus on hands, just good work that I noticed mostly going on in the background.

gif from @wanderlust-in-my-soul

In terms of some of the best subtle ones, I would say Sing My Crush, which had some excellent hand work, and precisely a million screen captures, but were ones I didn't really notice while I was watching it.

gif by @wanderlust-in-my-soul

In terms of shows that have had a hand focus, the fucking oil scene from I Feel You Linger in the Air was a perfect demonstration of hand work. There are so many shots of hands in this show and every last one of them is absolutely stunning. Removing Yai's tie, massaging Jom's eyebrows, the way the lesbians hold hands, it's all incredible.

gif from @pharawee (using the only hand moment in the oil scene that will most likely not get this post flagged mature lmfao)

And then I will give a shout out to Moonlight Chicken, both for the absolutely beautifully shot scene of Heart and Li Ming's hands climbing up each other, thumb to pointer finger. But also because sign language is a language of hand movement, and sign language is such a vital part of the story.

gif by @firstkhao

Another currently airing one that I think uses hands well is Only Friends, which similar to La Pluie doesn't feel like it is actively trying to do a ton of hand close ups, but whose use of hands is brilliant for how it demonstrates character. For example, how often Boston points directly at people because he's fucking rude, but Mew can't point directly at Top when he's fighting with him.

gif by @btwinlines [i know objectively this is not as strong of a hands gif as the others in this set, but I legitimately cannot find any other gifsets that shows Mew fighting with Top, and this gif does show that Mew points down and to the side of Top, which I love for Mew still not being able to be fully rude.]

Finally, special shout out to Man Trisanu in Step by Step for possibly my favorite hand moment of 2023, which happens in Ep 7, Pat is crying and Jeng starts to reach out to comfort him, realizes that touching Pat is not appropraite, and pulls his hand back.

gif by @pharawee

OH GOD AND OUR DINING TABLE HAD ONE OF MY OTHER FAVORITE SMALL HAND MOVEMENT MOMENTS, WHEN YUTAKA FOR A MILLISECOND REACHES HIS HAND BACK OUT TOWARDS MINORU'S IN EP 8.

gif by @forcebook

And if you wanna know what hands I thought were the hottest this year from a show I'm not even watching.

Love in Translation

gif by @aejeonghae

Like, excuse me?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?

[mikuni14]

Love For Love's Sake - Ep 7-8

Korea delivered again.

I watched these episodes a few hours ago, but I'm only writing something now because I have so many thoughts in my head. I don't know what to write anyway, my thoughts and feelings are a mess. I don't even know if I understood everything correctly. But it doesn't matter because I vibe with this series so hard ��� I cried through both episodes, and I spent the end of the finale in an incredible euphoria, as if I was high. This series is pure art because it can reach the depths of your heart, make you feel the story told deeply, and finally experience catharsis. And what's important - all your feelings turn out to be important, each of them meant something, none of them were wasted (which sadly happens to me often in BL series, especially lately, like, why do I get so invested, when in the end it turns out that it was for nothing..).

I was genuinely curious how the series would overcome the fact that it is a game and in the end I rate the result and execution as 10/10 for innovation and professionalism in breaking my heart. Also a special award for creating the character of a "god", who, like all gods, is a dick who enjoys tormenting ordinary people and putting them through some werid, difficult, harsh trials to make them "better" (why is it never a form of a gentle therapy, only kick in the balls and "learn from it" lol)

Myung Ha went through hell in this life, after going through hell ending with suicide in his previous life, becoming some kind of mythical, biblical figure in his suffering. This is a trope that I have never liked or accepted (growth through suffering), but I accept it here because of a) a very good execution that really moved me b) a happy ending 🙂 I won't analyze Myung Ha more because others will do it definitely a lot better. I just want to write how much I love this lonely, broken, kind man. How much I felt sorry for him when he did everything for Yeo Woon and nothing worked and he despaired because he didn't understand what he was doing wrong. Because, keeping your problems and fears a secret from your loved one, keeping him at a distance to protect him, making noble sacrifices, never asking for help, is an expression of love, right? RIGHT? Oh my poor summer child, and my poor heart 💔💔

I love Yeo Woon for how honest he is with his feelings. When he is happy - he talks about it, when he is unhappy - he also talks about it. I love how he says precisely what he likes and doesn't like. How he sets boundaries - even if he crumbles in the end, panicking when he might actually lose Myung Ha. Yeo Woon has his own demons, his own problems, his own fears of being alone and being abandoned. But I really like how hard he tries and how much he wants their relationship to be equal and how he NOTICES THAT IT'S NOT. I liked it so much that he didn't ignore what Myung Ha was doing after he collapsed. That he confronted him because he had spent the whole day looking for him, only to find out that he was sick and in the care of someone else, and his "rival" at that. How else could Yeo Woon feel other than hurt, rejected, jealous and not worthy of being Myung Ha's carer?

There were so many scenes in these episodes and each deserves a separate analysis, a separate post, but I don't even know where to start, I have so many thoughts in my head! What a series, WHAT A SERIES.

Hmm, what could be easier to write? For example, how many tropes were used in this show, like the hand-holding, dragging by hand, running through the city and on the beach to your crush, sexy drinking from a water bottle, going to the beach with friends together at the end 💯

Final kisses: what can I say, it must have taken a lot of practice kissing, right Yeo Woon? 🤭 Korea often does this thing where the first kiss is stiff and in the next kiss the guys go to town lol

Sang Won deserves a special mention, he's just a great character. And the actor playing him is incredibly hot.

Each of these boys was 10/10, the series is 10/10. The series perfectly balanced comedy and tragedy, a beautiful and romantic love story with difficult and heavy elements, also feelings of joy and sadness in the viewers (at least in me). I love this series because the main couple was always present, their love was constantly visible, they still had lovely scenes together even when everything around them was falling apart. The series did something amazing when the surprising plot twist in the form of what actually happened to Myung Ha DID NOT DOMINATE the finale. That it became its important, but not the most important element, and the finale itself brought only smiles and joy. I didn't expect that a BL series could again make me feel things as The Eight Sense did, but here we are 💖

I plan to rewatch the entire series again. And I'm very saddened by the choice of distribution method of this series, if it were aired every week, it would probably have the same popularity as The Eighth Sense - but now, after a week, it's over...

[craziestfangirl98]

Thoughts on The Trainee Ep 9

I continue to adore the show soeosso much.

I would've loved to see Ryan and Jane more this week but then the moments they did have I loved them.

Ryan being on literally cloud (nine) was EVERYTHING to me, although I absolutely do not like the new shoes (this is coming from someone who ALWAYS struggles with the shoelaces. 😭😭😭

Pai trying to drink her coffee in peace only to get interrupted was sad to watch. Let my girl drink her coffee in peace. She needs it.

(I'm gonna address the love triangle scenes at the end.)

I love how intentionally the windows error sound effect comes up everytime Pai thinks Phi Baimon is the crush.

Jane has literally thrown caution to the wind and has started to actively and obviously pay attention to Ryan only for his stupid ex to come back.

As much as I don't enjoy the continued jealousy I think this episode especially is much more nuanced. One of them coming from the fact that it is an ex, and the other from what Ryan also says out loud about not knowing what Jane wants, because although Jane acts in ways which are romantic for him, Ryan doesn't necessarily see that isolation because he has only (mostly) seen the caring side of him. And even the jealousy that Ryan had until the previous episodes was more so him observing people liking Jane and not liking it without understanding if he could even feel that way. (Kind of reminds me of Rain with Phayu in the special episode, everytime he would get pouty towards Phayu because he is liked.)

The very obvious manner that Jane was tense while making the coffee for Ryan, like you could see his shoulders just be so stiff and and shaken, with the conversation with the ex, with Ryan's accident, with the implication that the accident could have been avoided and the thought of losing Ryan shows how brilliant of an actor Off is. How he can embody his entire physicality into it and I absolutely love it.

I love Pah and love that he finally got to talk things out and got a resolution with the accounts lady. The entire conversation he had with P' Jo was so so beautiful and meaningful because it addressed the insecurities and addresses other people being rude to him and showing that P' Jo is like a Jack of All Trades and an amazing human being and seeing that as a kind of reflection with Pah I feel. Also was nice to have a mentorship moment for Pah finally after ignoring for so long.

Was starting to hate the accounting lady but was redeemed which was good.

Love the final conversation between Ryan and Jane. Love that Jane was forthcoming finally. Love that Ryan was asking questions like Jane wanted him to. LOVED THE HUG. Was soooooo soft I melted. I also like that the physical connection was built after having finally addressed if they are on the same page.

Which brings me to the part ai find iffy and the part people will say I'm being a hypocrite about but, I have my reasons to dislike it.

I do not really like where all three of Tae, Pah and Judy are at right now. I'll start with Tae.

I think it makes sense that he feels unmoored about being single again, but it felt like the scene where he is begging Pai to tell him how to be, was so that we feel bad for Bahmee. So that it feels like Tae was useless and relying on her fully, while giving nothing and was being framed so that, Bahmee kissing Judy and cheating on him was not a problem. I hate how the next episode is him trying to get her back, I hope if that happens, the resolution is accepting that they are not good together and that being separate is their growth. I also feel that Bahmee should come out of this single and I'm gonna talk about her next.

I think Bamhee going from being only focussed on Tae and her relationship with him to latching on to Judy while also constantly comparing both of those is not gonna help in the long run and is only gonna come back to her not being able to work through things. I hope it doesn't really in that.

As to why I am happy that Jane and Ryan physically moved towards each other while I'm critical about Judy and Bamhee, is the same reason. Jane and Ryan got onto the same page before they did anything. Even as small as touch. Judy on the other hand has been making physical touches a regular thing without considering the power imbalance, the fact that they were on different pages, including when she reached out to kiss Bamhee again makes me question it.

Anyway, I'm not sure if I'll be able to watch it this weekend because my mum is visiting me and I finally have my graduation ceremony. Ahhh I really want to watch it because I love it but also cause it'll be a good distraction from the stress.

[chocomd]

ATLA Live Action Final Thoughts

So I'll start by saying that I went into this show with zero expectations (including the expectation for it to be any good at all) and focused more on questions like: How is the acting? Does the writing make sense? Is the story decent? Do we have emotional scenes?

I didn't care about sticking to the og ATLA's ships, lore, or any of the details really. Even changes to the characters were fine with me. But the most important question of all is: Does it work?

The answer:

No.

There are lots of well thought out NATLA critical reviews out there, so I'll try to keep this short. NATLA tweaked a lot of things, tried take elements of the og and make them subversive, changed the themes, completely nerfed Katara, watered down almost everyone else...and I could go on and on. But essentially, NATLA was a "remix" that stayed too close to the original in that the changes they made felt like empty imitations and clumsy efforts to improve on the og. They really should have created a completely different story while keeping maybe a handful of elements of the og. And even if they changed core traits of the characters, that would be fine. It just has to work...and it didn't.

So some main points:

The acting was terrible to ok for the most part. Overall stiff and stilted with almost nonexistent chemistry. Sokka, Jet, Ozai, and June (😍) were the standout actors. Katara had one facial expression and one tone of voice 95% of the time.

Ships I actually enjoyed: Sukka, turnip Jetara, sokka x hahn (hakka? sahn?) and ZUKAANG

The writing often contradicted itself and there was very little emotional resonance or depth. So many lines and moments felt unearned, or simply didn't make sense.

Telling. SO MUCH TELLING. The constant exposition killed so much in this show. I groaned almost every time an actor opened their mouth.

Katara. Why was she in this story again?

The only time the show felt fresh and interesting was the spirit world segment with visions and flashbacks in episode 5...the one time they took ideas from og ATLA and truly remixed them and it was actually decent to good.

The Blue Spirit episode (ep 6) was amazing (relatively speaking lol), and I think it's because Bryke co-wrote this episode AND it was pretty faithful to the og AND the Pohuai Stronghold fight was incredible AND the Zukaang was even more deliciously Zukaang.

The overall plot did not feel cohesive and felt like a disjointed imitation of og ATLA.

Even if I wasn't familiar with the og, I would not have enjoyed this show because it's not good or interesting TV. One person I was watching with (who didn't see the og) left the room because "this is so bad" and "the acting is really stilted."

In the end, I'm not surprised by any of this. Animated stories usually suffer when they're translated into live action, because animation typically has much more emotional and dramatic range. And while og ATLA isn't perfect, it very nearly is because even its imperfections still manage to work in the bigger scheme of the story. Adaptations of og ATLA are pretty much doomed to fail, unless they completely rewrite the ATLA story (and I do mean completely).

Do I regret watching NATLA? That's a hard question to answer. There's no way I was watching this on my own, so I got to enjoy the unhinged company of my friends. If nothing else, watching NATLA made me want more og ATLA and sucked me back into ATLA fandom again.