#and the wardrobe team a little more gay

[corrodedcoughin]

Listen. Listen. I need more swimmer Steve. I'm not a sports person but I need this. I need more jock Steve. I'm not American so forgive the details but.

One day, Steve, Robin, and Eddie all leave Hawkins together. Nancy's already gone off to take the journalism world by storm. Jon and Argyle are taking it easy, traveling, having a good time. And the kids are still in school.

Robin goes to college studying linguistics, and Steve goes with her on a swimming scholarship. Eddie doesn't know what he wants to do but he wants to be with his friends, and he doesn't want to be in Hawkins anymore. It's a plus that bigger cities have bigger metal scenes. Maybe he can convince Gareth and Jeff to come with him and see if they can really make something of Corroded Coffin.

Steve finds he actually kind of likes college. The swim team. It's different when you decide to go there willingly, with other people who also want to be there. And the swim team. He fucking loves it. He didn't realise how much he missed swimming, being on a team of actually nice fucking dudes who care about the sport. And they're good. But the kicker? So is Steve.

And he didn't really realise it until now. He knew he liked swimming, he knew his coach back in Hawkins likes him, he knew he got made co-captain. But a part of him started to wonder if people complimented him because he was popular and mean. If he got made captain because his dad was rich and influential. But here at college no one knows who King Steve is. No one can see his hair under his swim cap. He's just Steve, a good fucking swimmer.

He comes back from practice to his and Robin's apartment smelling of chlorine and his fruity shampoo, duffelbag slung over his shoulder. His wardrobe is slowly filling with more swim team shirts, hoodies, a professional track suit for meets. And so Robin and Eddie slowly steal his old Hawkins Swim Team shirts, wearing the soft worn cotton as pajamas.

Eddie isn't in college, doesn't want to be, but doesn't mind being dragged to the occasional college party. He got a job at a small hole in the wall music store, and has started up Corroded Coffin in the apartment he shares with Gareth and Jeff. (He stays over with Steve and Robin as often as he can).

Robin is acing her classes, is in Band, and has befriended a small group of other queer women. And you just know on swimming meet or competition days Robin is going to support Steve with Eddie and maybe some of her queer friends - all of them chanting Harrington. And Steve blushes, he's never really had people support him that much before. Tommy and Carol weren't the type ya know?

But now he has Robin, his best friend, love of his platonic life. He spots her wearing his old Hawkins Swim Team Captain sweatshirt with his last name on the back, cheering as loud as she can in the stands.

Next to her is Eddie, still dressed as metal as ever, smiling and laughing and happy to be there. Steve locks eyes with him and smiles when Eddie gives him a little wave, trying to ignore the swooping in his gut. He's bi, he's out, he knows what a crush feels like. He knows he's falling for Eddie but it would ruin him if he confessed to Eddie and got rejected, or they stop being friends or or or. So Steve keeps silent. But maybe he makes sure to stretch and flex his muscles when he knows Eddie's watching.

And Steve's team wins. And they keep winning. He goes to classes and studies with Robin, he goes to Corroded Coffin gigs to watch Eddie (because they're finding their feet in the local metal scene), they go to gay clubs together all 3 of them and walk home at 3am singing at the top of their lungs.

Steve swims laps alone in the dim light of the evening. And Eddie shows up. And they have their first kiss at the side of the pool, reflection of the water reflecting off their faces

Steve and his team make it to the big final competition. And he's nervous as hell. And him and his coach and the whole team agree that they're taking this fucking seriously. So they go for The Big Shave. Going full swimmer and shaving their bodies.

The three of them are all crammed into their tiny bathroom with a trimmer and a pack of razors. Steve shaves his face as normal, a tape playing faintly from the player in the living room. Next is Robin, who teaches Steve how to properly shave his armpits and his legs. Makes a lot of dumb jokes and helps him with the itching. He does a run through with the trimmer, then shaves his legs. Repeats the same with his arms and they help him with the tricky areas. They all agree its fucking weird. Last is the chest hair. The jungle. The one Eddie has been moaning about missing for a solid week. Eddie, who loves to run his fingers through the hair, rest his head on Steve's pecs as they rest in bed together. He gives Steve's chest hair a proper funeral and pretends to cry when Steve is all clean shaven. Robin is so used to Steve walking around the apartment shirtless that she keeps doing double takes whenever she sees him in the corner of her eye.

Competition day arrives, and the kids head up from Hawkins for a weekend in the big city. Chaperoned by Joyce and Hopper? Nancy and Jon and Argyle? idk? And sitting with Robin and Eddie. Steve's never had a crowd that big before. Never had people love and support him like that. He can see El and Will have crafted a sign. Lucas whoops. He knows Dustin's going to be making a joke about his bare chest and how he finally "tamed that jungle" and proceeds to try his hardest to cheer the loudest. And Eddie, his boyfriend, wearing a college swim team shirt underneath his leather jacket, following Steve with his eyes.

Steve and his team win, and he wants nothing more than to run to the stands and kiss Eddie senseless. He's missed him a lot, as Steve's training got more intense. Eddie would stay the night so they could snatch moments of time together but Steve would be awake and showering by 6am to eat and head to the gym. Kissing Eddie as he leaves, smiling fondly at Eddie's sleepy grumbles and mumbles, shuffling into the warmth of where Steve lay. But now he's here and swimming is over for the competitive season and Steve can relax. Take Eddie out on a date. Actually sleep in for once. Wake up with Eddie wrapped in his arms and then stay in bed until Eddie wakes up himself, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes and snuggling into Steve's now bare chest.

I have so much to say and no words to say it with. AAAHHHHHH!!!!!! Robin and her queer friends carving out a corner to support Steve from! Whenever there’s a home meet everyone knows not to go to ‘those’ seats because Robin and Eddie could just stare with sad hopeless helpless eyes until the intruder leaves

Eddie mourning the chest hair!!! EXACTLY!!!! He writes an ‘in memoriam’ to Steve’s chest hair, frames it and places it next to Steve’s bed. He has another framed picture but its a drawing of Steve’s hairy chest by Eddie with the quote ‘do it for her’ underneath it. Steve doesn’t know if it’s a motivational prompt for himself or for Eddie and her too scared to ask

Robin getting really into checking out the other teams and seeing what dirt she can dig up so that she can make the competition feel a little less daunting for Steve. She always cheers loudly and obnoxiously and Steve adores her for it

Eddie coming to check in on Steve late night, he’s in the pool but he should be resting, should be at home. Eddie arrived to Steve and robins place only for Robin to announce ‘your boyfriend who isn’t your boyfriend isn’t here. Tell him I’ve made pasta when you see him. Oh and that you are in love with him, thanks so much’ Robin ends the sentence with a wide eyed teeth clenching smile and Eddie walks out the door.

Eddie finds Steve, sitting on the side of the pool, goggles tossed by the edge. Steve looks up and has as good as permanent indentations around his eyes and across his nose. His chest is heaving, hair and body wet. He’s a mess, he’s also the most beautiful person eddie has ever seen and it takes all his strength not to blurt it out. Maybe not tonight, maybe not ever, not if it means he might lose Steve. Eddie doesn’t think anything is worth that.

Steve being bullied into the edge of the booth as his hawkins family take him out for dinner. His heart is full knowing the most important people in his life are here to watch him do something he genuinely enjoys. They aren’t ridiculing him, they want to know about him, they want him to know they care.

#AAAAA all of your message is perfection!!! #PERFECTION!!! #very sorry for the late reply!!!!! hugely sorry!!! #once again you’ve sent me art in word form #I hope to god one day I’ll be half as good as you #steddie #stranger things #eddie munson #steve harrington #ask

[silvernyxchariot]

Like I said before, I don't gatekeep and I made it my mission to represent Kavetham teams. It's not just for the ✨️gays✨️, I'm here for the 🌈Gaymers🌈. So, have my Kaveh's bloom build, Basic Bitch build*, and Battery build ideas for viewing. And Alhaitham's here.

Yes, I legitimately have a team specifically to carry Kaveh's different outfits labeled, "Kaveh's Wardrobe."** Leave me be.

Bloom

Generic, but I love his bloom kit. He's a 4 star tank that gets the highest score in Abyss for "Most Damage Taken" 🥺 each and every time. Since I don't have Mailed Flower, I want Makhaira Aquamarine and that's all I'm missing for this outfit.

Basic Bitch*/DPS (wip)

I now have Redhorn Stonethresher, Itto's weapon, and I'm trying to get more refinements. So, I will switch to that when I can. I chose Deepwood Forest for his DPS outfit for the Dendro res shredding. I also considered Vermillion Hereafter and the traditional Gladiator's Finale set for ATK boosts.

Xingqiu normally wields Deepwood for the team, but if Kaveh and Alhaitham change their outifts, then Xingqiu might be switched out of the team entirely.

Battery (wip)

This one is simple. Focus on ER and collecting particles. Chongyun is holding the seconday battery set, Sacrificial Greatsword + Noblesse Oblige; I didn't care enough to add that to Enka network because it's like 4:30 am and I haven't slept. Mix and match to your liking. So, Kaveh technically has 4 outfits. 💕

Alhaitham: Basic Bitch* & Battery Build

Loser husband. Only wears sweats or a bland as fuck black suit & tie to formal events. Overall, he's still a DPS but I gave some attention to ER. Will occasionally switch out Harbinger of Dawn with my R3 Blacksword from battlepass because I like its little healing passive for him. Shinobu can only keep you alive for so long, Alhaitham, and she might not even be on the team at all times. It's a little bit of a WIP because I changed out his sands and circlet.

Supports are also important. The final two slots can be whoever you wish, of course, but it does need to make some sense. For example, if I'm using my Kaveh DPS build, Alhaitham will lean into his battery build, and their supports could be Yun Jin, Bennett, or Rosaria. Basically, characters that buff the on-field DPS, i.e. Kaveh. As mentioned before, I normally have Xingqiu on the team, Hydro subDPS with Dendro resistance shredding thanks to the Deepwood set, but he can be switched around when I don't use the Bloom outfit.

For my Kavetham comrades, please feel free to gain inspiration from my builds. I would love to see your ideas ♡ too. If people are making DPS Freminent, Amber, Heizou, and even Pyro Yao Yao, there's no excuse to building your favs into little monsters. Send them to the Abyss to serve cunt. 💃 To everyone else, I don't tolerate any hate, harassment, or unwarranted "help/advice." Yes, we know what the meta is. No, we clearly don't care. Keep it to yourself.

* I say the phrase "Basic Bitch" for DPS builds because they're generally the same for any character: Flower (HP), Feather (ATK), [scaling stat ATK%/DEF%/HP%/EM] Sands, Elemental/Physical dmg Goblet, and Crit dmg/rate circlet.

** "Outfits" refer to artifacts and weapon pairings.

#Kaveh build #Genshin Impact #kaveh genshin impact #kaveh my beloved #Alhaitham #Al Haitham #Kavetham #Haikaveh #I don't play fAvORitEs/j #Let's see who's actually reading/s #if you put in the effort they will work for you #I'm a little too passionate about this

[lady-october]

Pairing : Oli Sykes x Female Assistant

Genre : Romance, Smut (18+ Only)

Previous Chapters : 01, 02, 03, 04, 05, 06, 07, 08, 09, 10, 11, 12, 13

Content : 18+, Smut, Angst, Choking, Power dynamics, Sadism/Masochism, Dom/Sub, Degradation, Praise kink, Risky locations, Dirty talk, Mentions of addiction & self harm, Romance, Drama.

Summary :

“Don’t you see what a dangerous game you’re playing? Why did you have to look so fucking delicious tonight, I couldn’t stop undressing you in my mind, thinking of all the twisted things I want to do to you.” She had only worked on the touring team for three weeks, but her mind had been hijacked by dirty thoughts of a man she barely even talked to. Sure, he was very attractive, but were there other reasons she was so uncontrollably drawn to him? This is a filthy story of pain, self discovery, and love.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Chapter 14:

A square doesn't fit the circle

Chapter title is lyrics from "Avalanche"

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The morning came too soon.

I swear Liam’s obnoxious alarm went off right as deep sleep had claimed me. But I wasn’t the only disappointed one. Groans could be heard all around me, as well as someone yelling “Turn that fucking thing off,” from somewhere down the aisle.

A long series of awkward interactions followed as we all tried to get ready at the same time in the small, entirely too intimate space. Being the only woman on the tour – and now apparently the object of interest for everyone except the openly gay and taken man – I tried to slip away before either accidentally flashing anyone, or potentially seeing entirely too much of everyone else while getting dressed.

From there on everything was just as chaotic as I’d expected. Me and Liam scrambled to get caffeine and something edible into the band members before we got going again, and since we’d made good time yesterday we only had about an hour left before arriving at the arena.

It was such a short amount of time, but it might as well have been an eternity after everything that transpired yesterday. The bus was too cramped, too claustrophobic when I was stuck with a man I have feelings for – who I’d cried on last night, another man I apparently had a date with tonight, and two more men that appeared to be itching to get me alone in some capacity.

The fact that I was a sweats-wearing, freshly-woken mess, with no current access to a shower, didn’t seem to deter them either. I’d seen myself in the small mirror of the bus toilet, and I was not looking my best with this little sleep. Yet when I glanced in Oli’s direction all I could see was a beautiful, flawlessly dishevelled man, positively dripping of as much sex appeal as ever.

How does he do that?

I shook my head. It was a mystery how someone could be that effortlessly hot at any given moment, and there was no use trying to decipher it.

My glance only lasted a split second, but he must have caught me looking since his text followed immediately.

“Oli: You’re stunning like that. Be careful, you’re gonna drive everyone else mad too.”

“Alice: Please, I look like a rat died in my hair.”

“Oli: Your hair’s perfect, makes you look freshly fucked. But I was mostly referring to skipping the bra.”

Heat crept up my neck as I looked down. In the awkward morning rush, I appear to have completely forgotten to put one on, causing my nipples to be extremely obvious in the thin, flimsy fabric of my shirt. It didn’t help that my breasts continuously bounced with the movement of the bus.

I shot out of my seat to head upstairs and correct my very unfortunately timed wardrobe error, but Mat instantly spoke up, stopping me from leaving.

“Didn’t wanna bother you, but if you’re up can you get me some more of those crisps, love?”

“It’s never a bother.” I said trying to come across as nice as possible, despite it absolutely being a bother right now, knowing it’s literally my job description to do whatever these men ask of me.

I’ve never felt as watched in my life as I reached into the top cabinet to retrieve the snack he’d requested, but Liam had shoved the packets back into the cabinet too haphazardly this morning, causing a number of them to fall onto the floor as I attempted to just dislodge one of the crisp packs. Instantly both Mat and Oli rushed to my aid, collecting them off of the floor, with Lee having stood up as well, but sat back down once he noticed how swiftly the others had reached me.

This was ridiculous, and had me wonder if it would be easier if Oli filled everyone in about us already.

“Thank you guys.” I said sheepishly while they were stuffing the snacks back into the cabinet, having sandwiched me between them, trapping me entirely too close to them. The tension between the two men was tangible, and more guilt was added to the already large guilt collection in my chest.

“Anytime, love.” Oli said, with Mat having spoken over him in the same beat, “No problem at all.”

They were only struggling to get the cabinet sorted for a short moment, but time seemed to slow down as they continuously brushed up against me, making me want to squeeze between them to escape. But knowing my plan would require me to press my body against both men fully, I recoiled from the idea and stayed put.

Once they were done Oli casually sat back down in his seat, appearing unbothered by the event. But Mat lingered in front of me, holding his hand out, questioning eyes meeting mine.

My gaze darted between his eyes and open palm anxiously, confusion rushing over me.

“Can I have my crisps, love?”

“Oh, yes– yes, of course.”

As soon as the awkward moment was over I rushed upstairs to essentially cover myself up, cause while I was enjoying revealing more of my body in general recently, this was not the time. Thankfully the rest of the trip lacked all focus on me, instead the lads had spent most of the time in an unusually docile state, either napping or zoning out, most likely to rest up before arriving at the arena considering how hectic the day would be.

To my surprise, while everything was a flurry of moving parts and constant stress, I was done with my tasks quicker than usual as the agency had called in an abundance of helping hands for this concert, which made sense with the time frame of today’s preparations, leaving me ample time to enjoy the arena showers and get ready for the gig and the small gathering thereafter.

Deciding on an outfit was infinitely harder than other nights. I’d put aside an unusually daring number; it was a short, black silk dress that plunged deeply between my tits, which would force me to go braless for the second time today.

But I’d selected this dress for Oli’s eyes, before tonight had turned into a sort-of, kind-of date with Mat.

I slipped the dress on, and it was as vulgar as I remembered – especially considering how I wasn’t allowed to wear any underwear – so I decided to cover up with an oversized, weathered sweater. Instantly switching my look from bombshell, to a completely casual, everyday look. The woman looking back at me in the mirror caused sadness to wash over me. It felt like a complete betrayal against my personal progress to cover up in oversized clothes again, but I knew tonight called for drastic measures. Yet the sight of myself pulled me right back to how I felt before coming on this tour. Suddenly I felt so small, so dull.

I shook myself internally, not wanting this feeling to take a hold of me. So in order to retain some of my personality progress, I paired my look with a deep, velvety, purple lipstick, so dark it looked almost black, turning my look a tad bit more grunge than casual.

I stepped out of the dressing room just in time to catch a glimpse of the band members heading towards the stage area before disappearing around a corner. The opening bands were all done, and it was almost time for the headliner of the night.

I met up with Liam backstage. The poor man looked dreadful after all the driving and working the past couple of days.

“Alright I’m all done here Alice, I’m heading back to the bus so you’re alone for the show tonight I’m afraid. The crew have things under control and I’d love to get a solid 12 hours of sleep, I’m fucking knackered.”

“No problem at all, please get some well deserved rest.”

He pulled me in for a massive bear hug, and spoke quietly next to my ear so his voice wouldn’t travel, “Good luck with the lads tonight. I heard Mat talking about you with Lee earlier. He seems quite smitten.”

My heart sank. When he pulled away his expression was full of pity.

“Thanks. I need all the luck I can get.”

I positioned myself in a dark corner next to the stage as usual, trying to not be in anyone's way. For each of their live performances I witnessed during the tour, it was becoming harder and harder to not feel emotional from the lyrics, with some lines starting to take on new meanings the closer I got to the main lyricist of the band. Obviously so much of it carried a lot of personal weight to him, causing my heart to ache as he so passionately performed on stage. He sang about trust issues, about loneliness, about hopelessness, and love. And halfway through the song ‘Doomed’ I had to hold back my tears, relating entirely too much to the song’s depiction of being an utterly broken, unsalvageable mess.

Once the show was over I decided to pitch in helping the crew with packing up the equipment and general cleanup. I knew the bands were already hanging out in one of the larger dressing rooms backstage, but I simply wasn’t ready to face them yet. Sadly, with the amount of help that was hired, it only took about an hour to prepare everything for the stage to be disassembled in the morning, leaving nothing left for me to do but join the others as the arena was suddenly eerily empty. Knowing that it would be too obvious that I was ignoring them if I didn’t stop procrastinating, I took a deep breath and stepped into the dressing room.

It wasn’t as crowded as I’d expected it to be, only about 20 people total in the windowless room filled with cheap seating, light up mirrors, and plenty of equipment trunks. It also smelled of cigarette smoke, and metal music was blaring out of some speakers in the corner.

As soon as I shut the door behind me I locked eyes with Mat across the room, causing him to instantly wave me over.

Crap.

Opposite him, sitting backwards on a fold up chair was an absolutely stunning woman, appearing so confident and sexy that I suddenly felt even smaller.

“Alice, love. Meet Courtney, she’s in Spiritbox.”

“Hi, oh, y-yes, of course, you w-were great out there.” I could feel my stutter worsening before I even opened my mouth – something I’d struggled with my whole life, and always triggered by new social situations.

Mat gestured for me to sit down next to him as I spoke; he had in fact saved a seat for me like he’d promised.

“Thank you so much, Alice. Are you Mat’s girlfriend then?”

Mat laughed a bit awkwardly, “Maybe if I play my cards right.” 

Both of them laughed, and I couldn’t help it, I felt myself starting to blush.

Courtney raked her eyes over me quickly, “So what do you do Alice?”

“I work f-for the touring team.”

I could see the judgement glaze over Courtney’s eyes as soon as I said it – as if I wasn’t important enough to continue talking to. I’ve seen that look on so many people the past month I knew exactly what it meant. It was mostly managers who wore the offending expression, but occasionally some opening band members did as well.

As the conversation continued – mostly between Courtney and Mat as I was feeling particularly shy tonight – I attempted to locate Oli in the crowd. I was about to conclude that  he wasn’t here when I spotted him in the mirror on the wall across from me; I hadn’t seen him because he was sitting directly behind me, just a couple of feet away, facing the opposite direction. A sense of comfort hit me at the sight of his long, brown, fluffy hair in the mirror, completely tousled from the concert. He was still in the night's stage clothes, which consisted of a bright red matching set, with trousers that were tight in all the right places, and a loose, crop cut jacket that showed off a lot of his ink work when he moved.

I took note of the fact that he hadn’t said a single word since I sat down, made obvious by the fact that I would have heard him clear as day from this distance.

After a beat Courtney excused herself, leaving just me and Mat sitting together.

“So, Alice. Tell me a little about yourself, what’s your passion in life?”

I hated this question, as I was currently completely void of passions besides being choked by one of his best friends.

“I don’t really have a lot going on at the m-moment I’m afraid.” Usually being alone with Mat got rid of my stutter due to his calming nature, but knowing Oli was listening in had me on edge. I also felt like a complete loser, not just from my pathetic answer to his question, but who was I kidding, I really didn’t fit into this world where everyone was oozing with confidence, dedication, and fame.

He gave me a thoughtful look, “That’s alright, it’s nice to not have a lot going on all the time.”

I appreciated his attempt at making me feel less awkward, but I was starting to become nauseous from how out of place I felt in this room.

“I’m sorry, I can’t do this.” I said in a barely audible voice, looking down at my hands in my lap.

He spoke up before I had a chance to leave, “Hey– I’m sorry if I’ve pushed you too much, and I was only joking with the whole girlfriend thing... Although I have to say, you’re pretty fantastic, Alice. But I promise you, there’s no pressure here.”

I dared to meet his eyes again, they were swimming with sympathy.

He took a breath and smiled, “What if we start with something a bit easier? I was born in Maltby – small town outside Sheffield. How about you?”

Mat was sweet and caring, and deserved someone who could reciprocate all his efforts. Even though I knew that wasn’t me, we ended up making smalltalk for a while. I learned about his family, his pets, and where he liked to travel in the world and why. We talked about favourite tv shows, and movies, and before I knew it the conversation flowed effortlessly, and while there were no sparks flying, it was like catching up with an old friend.

That’s when I noticed Oli stand up and take long strides towards the exit.

“I’m so sorry, I just remembered, I need to make a quick phone call.” Was all I could think of to say before I essentially ran after him.

But Oli was fast, and when I left the dressing room he was already disappearing into the stage entrance at the very end of the corridor.

“Oli, wait!” I yelled after him, knowing the loud music from the dressing room would drown out my shout.

But he didn’t stop.

I ran down the corridor, through the black backstage curtains, swerving around packed up equipment and props until I got to the steps leading to the stage itself.

That’s when I saw him.

... Subscribe to the story on Ao3 for future updates

Chapter notes: I'd just like to quickly apologise to all the fellow Spiritbox fans. I'm sure Courtney is lovely, I just needed someone to be a bit judgemental for the story.

#oli sykes #oli sykes smut #oli sykes fic #oli sykes fan fiction #bring me the horizon #smut #You got a taste now #The next chapter is already done and will probably be posted tomorrow #oli sykes x reader

[absolutebl]

Until We Meet Again

This is going to be a watch along starting in Oct 2022, right before Between Us (the spin off) airs. But since I have never done a proper analysis or review of UWMA, I'll start with that. 

Until We Meet Again is a 2019 Thai BL from Studio Wabi Sabi directed by New Siwaj. 

It is an adaptation of the y-novel The Red Thread by LazySheep. I watched shortly after it aired in late 2019. You can currently (still) watch it on YouTube. Trigger warning. 

Quick Pitch  

UWMA is, without question, a work of narrative genius with a powerful and cohesive romantic backbone and stellar performances. It is (to date) the only Thai BL (of c.170 watched) that I’ve rated a 10/10 predominantly on the basis of story structure. That said, it is also very well cast (and it’s a BIG cast), with solid production values, and enduring pair branding as well as being the best Thai BL from a storytelling perspective. It is one of my favorite BLs of all time and I have probably rewatched at least some parts of it over 20x. 

Narrative Frameworks 

UWMA is long for a Thai BL at 17 ep of c.45 min of fresh content which means it comes in at around 13 hours total. It’s tropes include fated mates (or soulmates), past love/tragedy, sins of the fathers, and family drama. It has a strong seme/uke structure and multiple couples (both hallmarks of Thai BL). Leads are grumpy/sunshine pairings, with a side dish of sunshine/tsundere. It’s medium heat but still rather sweet, because while all couples are followed into the bedroom, there’s a very strong emotional chemistry component that renders the physical chemistry somewhat background to the pure love connection driving the relationships. As a series, it is paced well, but is perhaps not the best one to binge watch. To me it feels like a show that needs room to breathe. 

The production values are high but workmanlike. There are some flaws in sound, wardrobe, makeup, and repeated establishing shots. But the crew and cast were clearly bigger and better funded than any Thai BL production since. I would hazard a guess that this was one of Thailands most expensive BLs (with the possible exception of KinnPorsche). 

Thai Language Corner

From a Thai linguistics perspective it’s pretty standard for a college set BL. I do use both DeamPharm and WinTeam as examples when talking about basic and more complicated linguistic couple dynamics (more here). OhmFluke, however, are a bit more interesting IRL. 

New uses staggered couple framing, central aperture faming, peekaboo framing, and lighting to contrast the secretive and doomed nature of the past relationship against the attempted recovery and reformation of the modern day. He paid very little attention to manga style or BL’s yaoi roots, possibly because his style as a director is evidently not at all influenced by it. 

This show stars Fluke Natouch as Pharm [reincarnated In] and Ohm Thitiwat as Dean [reincarnated Korn] AKA OhmFluke. They are a branded pair who since UWMA have done Close Friend 1 & 2, and Oh My Sunshine Night and have more BLs scheduled for 2023. 

It also stars Earth Katsamonnat (AKA Smol Earth or CooHeart) as Intouch or In [Pharm’s past self] and Kao Noppakao as Korn [Dean's past self]. Earth has gone on to co-brand as SantaEarth starring in 7 Project and My Only 12%. He had acted in several BL shows prior to UWMA, although Fluke would have been the most experienced lead actor on that set. Kao would go on to star in Lovely Writer. Both Fluke and Earth are openly gay and were out at time of filming and promotion. 

The support couple (or side dish) featured Prem Warut as Team [Pharm's best friend] and Boun Noppanut as Win [Dean's best friend]. BounPrem are strongly cobranded and have since co-lead 7 Project, Even Sun, Long Kong, and guest-coupled in Cutie Pie and You Never Eat Alone. They will anchor Between Us the spin off of UWMA (an adaptation of Hemp Rope) reprising their roles of Win and Team. In UWMA their couple has relatively little screen time but they absolutely stole fan attention and adoration. 

UWMA also featured Samantha Coates (AKA Sammy) as Manow [Pharm's best friend] and Pineare Pannin as Del [Dean's sister]. Sammy is a staple of many BLs, being an active member of Wabi Sabi’s stable. Del is best known for playing Yuri in 2014′s Love Sick, Thailand’s first big hit BL. These two starred together in Wabi Sabi’s only GL (part of 7 Project.) (Don’t bother, it’s still all about the boy.) 

I am telling you all this up front because I will make mistakes and refer to everyone by their character or actor name all the time. Sorry. Also I want you to know how biased I am. 

I LOVE this show.

And now....

the watch along. 

Episode 1 - Oh, I Forgot...

It has probably been about a year since I did a rewatch of UWMA. And I think I’ve only ever watched the first installment of the first episode one time through. I didn’t forget how dark it was, but I am reminded why I always say ‘original trigger warning” on UWMA.

I can see why I like to the show from the start, because it does open on a crying kiss. I am an absolute sucker for a crying kiss. This time around, I noticed the intrusiveness of the music a lot more, especially in KornIn’s stuff. 

Earth turns in a killer opening performance (in the great cry off between him and Fluke that is this show). In that moment before he picks up the gun, Earth almost does look like Fluke will later on. It’s a really interesting bit of facial performance and acting. 

I got to say, barring some of the darker Japanese BL, this is probably the most powerful opening sequence we’ve gotten in the genre. Honestly, if this show we’re being released right now I don’t think it would’ve had this opening. They would’ve kept the trigger, but it would’ve appeared more chronologically towards the end.

Is this a pleasant way to start a BL? No. 

Is it powerful? Yep.

Manaow and Del are still 2 of my favorites. We were robbed with their GL.

Oh my God Prem looks like such a baby.

I like that there are these extra bits with extra characters in UWMA, like in the cooking club. We don’t get a vast ensemble casts like this anymore. Not even from Thailand, not with this attention to detail. I kind of miss it. The little extra bits set in different parts of the university, they remind me a bit of origin yaoi.

Honestly Fluke is one of the best blushing maidens to ever blush. It’s still not my favorite archetype but he does do it beautifully. The part where Team jokingly says he’ll protect his two friends, is pretty telling actually. Since he’s going to have to step up to the plate later and try against and older boy. I do adore this friendship group. In the end, perhaps Pete & Kao’s friends (Kiss series) beat them out slightly. But not by very much.

And the set up for the whole show:

I will keep searching until I find you. 

30 years later... 

(You know, when I was first watching this show I always called it Until You Again, in my head.) 

I wonder how hard it was for Fluke to cry on command like that, all the time. Here watch this AMAZING FMV of Fluke and Gun (Theory of Love) having a cry off. 

WinTeam and the towel in the locker room is still one of the best early couple moments ever.

The end of the first episode and we haven’t even had a proper meet cute. And yet the pacing feels. I think because the show opens so top-heavy with the deadly drama at the beginning of the episode. 

Honestly, I forgot how sort elegant and well executed to show was. I’ve grown to no longer expect that from New. It just goes to show that he’s one of those directors that really excels and thrives when he has a very strong script.

Episode 2 - The High Beans! 

I love this meet cute. LOVE IT. Can’t wait to watch it again. But first the library (not quite) assignation. 

One of the best prevailing themes of UWMA is this idea that making food, and specifically Thai desserts, is meditative and important for the cook. But also that preparing food is about the love and affection that you sprinkle feelings into the dish like seasoning, so that people can taste it when they eat.

Note the only other guy in the cooking club? That’s Best Vittawin from Check Out and a bunch of other higher heat BL. Also some of you who are paying attention to the language might notice that Luk Choup is mentioned quite a bit. Yes that is the same name as the character in La Cuisine. It’s also the desert that In makes with his Maa, and that Pharm makes into special star shapes for Dean in Ep 3.

Honestly KaoEarth never much resonated with me, but on this rewatch I am liking them so much better than I ever have before. It that @heretherebedork​ ‘ss influence? Possibly. I think it’s also because of both My Only 12% (which is making me like Earth more as an actor) and Lovely Writer (which made me like Kao more).

One of my favorite character development threads in the show is Dean’s relationship with his siblings. I love how austere and cold he is at the beginning of the show. But how, after being with Parm for a while, he mellows around Don & Del. It is Pharm who brings a family to Dean in the end.

The note passing in the secret smiles and the spitting of the orange juice remains very cute.

I am quietly obsessed, well not quietly (because I’ve never quiet), about Dean with his hand in his pocket.

Honestly, the only time Dean takes his hand out of his pocket is to touch Pharm.

And there it is, FINALLY, the mung bean meat cute! 

Best ever. 

This is such a GREAT romance. 

Pharm starts to cry and Dean immediately touches his face. There is a reason I call Dean the most handsy seme in BL. He is pretty much never not touching Pharm from this moment on. It’s glorious (and very unlike KBL and JBL). 

And you can see him look at his own hand and surprise, because he is clearly not a touchy-feely person. But being then he just accepts this about himself and will do everything he can to be close to Pharm from here on out. 

I love how New does this dirty screen peekaboo shot on DeanPharm right before he cuts back and forth to KornIn, it’s like framing foreshadow since normally this style of short is used with KornIn so highlight the secrecy of their relationship. 

Episode 3 - Wabi Sabi Shows Off The Stable

I just realized one of In’s friends (played by Title Tanatorn) is also in Remember Me and My Only 12% airing right now. Boy needs a series. He v cute. Also “HI DR SING!” (Sorry, due to Triage, Tonnam will always be Dr Sing. Although he is also a side character in LITA right now. Honestly my brain is becoming an MDL for Thai actors in BLs. Of course, Perth is great in this role, a foreshadow for all the crying he’ll do in LBC2. I am sorry we never got to meet his character older. It would’ve been nice for him to have gotten closure with the Pharm as reincarnated In. I wonder if his character got to meat Pharm did in the book?

And Win’s Patented move the casual arm throw. Honestly, Win gets all of the best lines in this show. No wonder we all like him so much. I hope he stays a witty and snarky in Between Us. 

I have to say, Dean’s soft voice is one of the best in the biz, thank you Ohm. Almost as good as Solo’s (Oxygen).

And so Dean learns about Pharm’s panic attacks and the after effects that his past self’s actions have wrought on the person he loved the most. And he reacts in the most seme way possible. Honestly he is such a poster child seme in this series. 

Also he flirts. 

In a VERY Dean fashion.

Dean: I’m still single.

Pharm: I am single too.

Dean: Not for long.

This is the show where I first learned that in Thailand do you say “bur” when you want someone’s digits. This makes me unreasonably happy.

Meanwhile back in the past selves, In is so brave. The worst consequence of the tragedy that lead to their reincarnation is that his future self is so timid and afraid because of what was done to In in the past. It’s really the only reason I forgive Pharm’s blushing maiden actions. I think of that fact of his personality as somewhat dictated by the past, much like his panic attacks. 

The bit where Pharm is serving Dean breakfast in his condo for the first time and he puts out a carafe of water and there are little flowers floating in it? What are those flowers?

Meanwhile, he way Dean fixes Pharm’s hair and tie and then Phram misspeaks “gin” gets me every time. Although I gotta say if a boy cried like that every time he met me, I’d probably have backed off my now. 

Episode 4 - Bisexual Rep & Stereotyping. Are we happy or sad? 

Does one get pleased to see bisexual rep or annoyed by the stereotyping? At the time, because it was so rare in BL (still is, actually), I was pleased. But now with Mame busting in on the bi/pan=predatory slut trope regularly I’m just annoyed. 

P’Alex (Mean in his best role, fight me Tin stans) as a sleazy bi actor won over by food. Honestly? Been there done that, been that done there, and fucked that. Oo, I’m three for three!

OK so in LITA when Payu says/implies that he wants Rain to talk like a good boy, really he wants him to talk the way Pharm does to Dean (all the time). Pharm is so bloody polite. 

So cute that Dean won’t allow Pharm to be jealous for one second. Dean has no interest in playing any of the normal BL games. These two are fated, gay, and into each other and he has no interest in pretending otherwise. Oh he will tease his uke like a proper seme, but only because Pharm lacks faith in Dean’s constancy.

The scene with Pharm and the girls carving the dumplings is one of my favorites. It’s so cute the way Manaow teases Pharm with Del’s sibling connection. Also it’s really sweet the way that Pharm instantly understands the complexities of Dean’s familial relationships, and immediately sets out to heal them.

Win and Dean racing. 

Look, competition is how 2 semes show their love for each other. 

And then the most famous scene in a BL that’s full of famous scenes.

Does anyone one in BL execute the feeding trope better? I think not. And if you can name one, leave a comment and make a case for it. 

In addition to having one of the best soft commanding voices in Thai BL, Ohm has got to have one of the best side eyes as well.

I love that Del is already protective of her brother’s boyfriend.

Happy clap hands we get the first date and the penguin walk next! 

Episode 5 - The Ping-guine Walk! 

I would like to stress from this moment on that we, the collective BLers, do not talk about Dean’s driving in this show. Or we did at the time, but that time has passed. Just ignore, okay? Cause it cray cray. 

Del cooking for her brothers is so cute. Also the way she gently teases Dean about Pharm. Love her! 

And now the first date. 

The bus trip so Make it Right. Just FYI Thailand and Korea LOVE a bus trip in romance (BL or otherwise). They tend to do it the most. Japan has done it a few times too. But the others not so much. 

Also sharing earbuds = MIR again. 

I do love P’Sorn. 

Yes, that’s Na from Kinnporseche but we knew him when (also forthcoming Wish Me Luck).

I love the aquarium visit. 

Pharm doing the penguin walk. 

Dean’s expression when Pharm does a penguin walk. 

Dean secretly taking photographs of his cutie. It’s just wonderful. Pharm is so bouncy and cute and Dean is so soft and indulgent. And it’s one of the few times where we get to see Pharm be a little bit more like In. Dean spends the whole time looking at Pharm rather than the fish. He’s so doting. 

It’s so good. 

The story about the sea ogress and what to do with a traitorous lover. Pharm’s response is actually typical uke, as possessive as seme are, it is usually the uke in yaoi & BL who ends up being the most fierce about ownership in a relationship. Because the uke has, in many ways, sacrificed part of their identity to the seme (in In’s case, all of it), their’s is the more powerful claim by right of sacrifice. It’s very old gods, ancient instincts. 

Meanwhile there’s Dean always making his intentions crystal clear. 

That hand hold. 

But also... 

No Dean, he doesn’t trust you, and for a very good reason.

And finally we have everybody’s least favorite character in UWMA: Ja’s wig.

There’s a wild speculation around this wig. 

Perhaps he had just finished Ror Dor and had no hair? Or had just come back from serving in the military? No matter wha,t it’s totally unacceptable. 

Thailand is never allowed to use wigs. It’s one of the sacred rules of BL. It’s a bummer because Sorn & Sin are fab minor characters. (They will rep for the “elder gay advice giver” archetype. One of my favorites.) 

Episode 6 - The Read Thread Kiss

This rewatch I really feel a lot more for Korn than I ever did before. He really did try to warn In that it wasn’t a good idea for them to date, like he knew he wasn’t gonna be brave enough, even for love. But In is so relentless and so cute, who could resist? 

Everyone eating lunch together and teasing each other and Del finally relaxing around Dean is one of my favorite little vignettes. Also, everybody laughing at Dean rgr “forgetting to swallow.” And my boys holding hands under the table. It’s glorious.

I also like how we get to see Dean reacting to the past negatively too, finally. And his siblings are so worried about him. This crack in his stoic armor. 

I do love Pharm standing up to Alex before the play. And the fact that Del records it and sends it to Dean is just so good. Especially knowing what happens next. 

The fated mates of the red thread. 

Dean’s faculty cohorts are all such frat boy type dicks. I kinda love their sleazy mame-ish little ways.

Honestly there’s nothing carnal when these two kiss but it’s so beautifully romantic and soft. 

I love love love the way Dean checks in on Pharm and tidies him up, afterwards. It’s so sweetly caring and careful. 

And then the big realization about reincarnation over shabu shabu. 

I gotta say, as a chronic rewatcher, this show stands up to a rewatch better than pretty much any other Thai BL I could name. Probably because it has so many character vignettes, and little moments of side affection between friends as well as lovers. There’s a lot of meat and sweetness to revisit. 

Episode 7 - Possibly my Favorite Episode 

The tiny snippet where Dean sees Pharm as In is actually one of the saddest bits of this whole show. It’s rough watching DeanPram figure everything out. 

I do love the scene where Pharm meets Dean’s younger brother. Don tricks Dean into coming over, and everybody teases them. 

I feel like every episode I say “this is one of my favorite scenes.” Which just goes to show why this is my favorite Thai BL ever. 

Meanwhile, sitting on the couch crying, DeanPharm finally figure out that they promised to find each other and that they are both experiencing the same feelings of reincarnation. This particular exchange of gifts is so significant actually talk about it as an example in my blog post on the trope. Gift exchange is not a trope I love but it has a lot of meaning in this particular instance. 

Public claiming of a relationship is one of my more favorite tropes on the other hand, which means the next scene where Dean has to run Alex off is just too good. When I talk about Thailand in the context of age dynamics as part of culture, I use the example of how hard it is for Team to protect Pharm under these circumstances - where he is fighting against Alex who is not only older but from a different department. It’s such an important insight into Team’s character, that he’s willing to stand against Alex even though the whole social structure is against him. Dean sweeping in and running Alex off is just so powerful as a result. Also I really love the way Dean is always touching Pharm and tidying/playing with his hair and clothes - it’s so proprietary and boyfriend. It also shows that Dean is never not thinking about him, his eyes are always on Pharm whenever they are together. 

And this ep ends with WinTeam and the forehead kiss in the convenience store. Finally there’s some movement on their romance. This really is one of my favorite episodes. 

Other Stuff Related to this Show

Why Until We Meet Again is special among Thai BLs

Thai Desserts in Until We Meet Again 

BL With the Highest Chance of Breaking Into The West - Until We Meet Again (I wrote this before KinnPorsche) 

Sex negativity as part of the seme/uke dynamic 

Thai Food You Should Eat Because of BL 

(source)

So I will try to updated this original doc as much as possible, but sometimes Tumblr just stops me from editing, in which case I have to repost and add. So I’ll be putting a rough date here, please don’t get mad if something is out of date and I can no longer fix it. October 2022. 

#Until We Meet Again #UWMA #bl series review #bl watch along #thai bl #best bl #best bl ever #best romance #DeanPharm #ohmfluke #WinTeam #BounPrem #KornIn #KaoEarth #Fluke Natouch #Ohm Thitiwat #Earth Katsamonnat #Kao Noppakao #Prem Warut #Boun Noppanut #soulmates #fated mates #reincarnated lovers #the red thread #between us #bl review #bl series recap #thai bl review #bl reviewed #bl in restrospect

[androgynealienfemme]

"Butch Code Limitations Feminism came to my rescue. I enrolled at UCLA for my junior year, which meant moving across town, leaving Pico, and leaving my buddies who worked for Pacific Telephone by day and drank by night. But my wardrobe of ties was now complete and I'd managed, with some Ivy League suspenders and a host of L.L. Bean blazers, to set my own butch style. I was working full-time in Watts and was finally within sight of my degree in social work. My career plans were clear. Like Cesar Chavez, I was going to save the ghetto. All I needed was a new bar and a new girl.

I found the former quickly enough by joining the softball team at the 7th Circle, a seedy little dive that despite its reputation as a "reds" (we're not talking politics) bar became my weekend home. Home was completed the night I met Gayle there and took her to my one-bedroom in the Fairfax district (later to become West Hollywood).

Doing the swagger thing at the Circle, I protected Gayle from unwaranted advances, threw a few punches to establish my territory, and refined the codes of Butch 301: honor your dyke buddies, it instructed, don't make it with a buddy's girl and expect to keep her friendship. Don't flaunt your one-night stands in your girlfriend's face -- make sure your friends don't either. Don't trust ki-kis (switch-hitters who flip-flopped from butch to femme depending on who they were trying to make). And above all, never let on if you find yourself sexually attracted to another butch.

The butch code was obviously a limited worldview. I grew bored. I didn't need a twelve-step program to see the ravages of alchol on the faces of my sage butch mentors. i didn't then agree with my generation about marching in the streets against our country's war (I'd spend the sixties in the cloister and in Pico; I didn't even know where Vietnam was). I had no political consciousness, but I was frustrated pissed off. I wanted being queer to mean more than spending my life in a bar.

On October 3, 1970 I walked into my first homosexual meeting. I hadn't heard about Stonewall, but I knew I was in the right place. A stone butch name Carole sat at the head table, and the whole room buzzed with talk about "religion and the homophile." Six months later, I succeeded and Carole as president of the Los Angeles chapter of the Daughters of Bilitis and opened the first center in the city. History had surged forward. By that time we talked about "gay rights."

One day I found a leaflet crammed in the mailbox of our DOB Center. It was from another organized group of gay girls, the Lesbian-Feminists. I'd heard about them through the dyke grapevine. No one knew what their name meant, they were reported to be "weirdos," and they were known to hang out at a center for women. This sounded ominous, but the leaflet gave an address and said, "All women welcome." I decided queer unity must prevail; I would visit their territory.

Feminism and the Butch Closet It was not love at first sight. Listening to my "sisters" that first night was one of the most disorienting experiences of my life. These women forbade use of the word girl. No one flirted with anyone. No one even asked my name, much less noticed my new wing tips. The Lesbian-Feminists did nothing but talk for five hours. And they weren't even discussing an outing or anything tangible. They were spouting some convoluted religious. It had to be religious, because they were all intensely righteous. I thought I knew about the religions of the world, but this was a new one. Apparently it was also very ancient, because one of them proclaimed their "matriarchy" was as "old as history itself."

By midnight I was convinced I'd received the wrong information. These girls weren't lesbians. There were no butches. Many of them looked vaguely feminine, in the hippie style of the day. A clunky sandal seemed to be their shoe of choice, but none of them wore makeup. I knew no bona fide femme would go out in public without makeup or heels.

Concluding that they were some kind of crackpot sect, I rose to leave. As I stomped across the wood floor, enjoying how the chains on my boots clanged through their meanderings, the one called "Radical Rita Right On" shouted at me, "What kind of lesbian are you?"

-“Butches, Lies, and Feminism" by Jeanne Cordova, The Persistent Desire, (edited by Joan Nestle) (1992)

#the persistent desire #Jeanne Cordova #lesbian #lesbianism #lesbian history #lesbian lit #gay rights history #lesbian feminism #lesbian feminist history #Butch lesbian #femme lesbian #butch lesbian history #lgbt #lgbtq+ #gay rights

[chasertheo]

Tonight was the night. Frankly, Theo was surprised it had come so soon. Not that he’d thought they would lose their first match, but it was their first real test as a new team. He hadn’t wanted to get his hopes up too high, even though he’d felt better about his playing than he had in a while. And then they’d won. They hadn’t just won, either. It was a strong win, not a blow-out but decisive, Puddlemere tipping the game in their favor early on and keeping it that way. And Theo had played well enough that the write-ups on the chasers weren’t just about Freddie and Sturgis’s flashy moves but about Theo’s ability to rebound missed shots and get the quaffle to his teammates and score solid goals of his own. There will still some kinks to sort out, there always were early in the season, but they were playing well and Theo was excited about the season in a way he hadn’t been in a while. He was also excited for another aspect of the win—Jamie, and the other gay blokes Jamie had introduced him to—had made a deal with him. After their first win, they’d go check out a muggle gay bar. And so here they were, the first Friday after the win, and it was happening. 

Theo had been disappointed when the other gay blokes from Puddlemere all bailed at the last minute, but he was still excited about taking Jamie to the gay club. If anything he was maybe more excited, in a way that should have told him to reschedule and find a time the rest of the blokes could come along because going alone with Jamie was probably a bad idea. Only that was silly. He and Jamie had been spending a lot of time alone together lately. Always on the ends of a group hangout, either dinner or a drink after practice with the team or their get-togethers with the Puddlemere Gay Social Club, as they’d dubbed themselves, but this was really no different from that. It wasn’t like Theo had planned it to be just him and Jamie. This was just what was happening now. And just him and Jamie was nice. Always fun. Always easy. They’d gotten to know each other in a similar way at the Arrows, but after that night Jamie cornered him with a quaffle and made him talk about the kiss, it felt like they were even closer than they’d been then. They didn’t just talk about quidditch or school or other light subjects. They talked about everything. And nothing. Theo liked it. Maybe too much. Sometimes their feet would brush under the table. But they hadn’t really crossed any lines, so…it was fine. They wouldn’t cross any lines tonight either. They’d just have fun, like they always did together. 

They’d decided to meet at Jamie’s and then disapparate to a bookstore in Diagon that Roger had told them connected to muggle London; a more discreet way to get out of wizarding London than through the Leaky. And Jamie had expressed some concern about what to wear to a gay muggle club, though Theo had felt a lot better about the idea of helping Jamie with his wardrobe choices when the plan was for more than just Theo to be there. He’d never even been to Jamie’s place before. He was already sort of regretting his own outfit too, for reasons he didn’t quite want to unpack. The pants he was wearing were a good bit tighter than the sort he’d usually wear, as was the short-sleeved button-up shirt that hugged his muscles in a way his ex had told him was particularly flattering. He’d also left a couple more buttons open at the top than he usually would, worried that Jamie might not be into blokes with chest hair, buttoned them back up, remembered he wasn’t supposed to be worried about looking good for Jamie and that Jamie knew what he looked like without most of his clothes on anyways from the locker room, and unbuttoned them again. Then he’d thrown on a leather jacket. This was fine. He was just going out for a fun night. Drinks, dancing. He was just a little on edge because it had been awhile since he’d been out like this, and a gay bar in muggle London was a new thing, and he really wanted Jamie to like it after the cajoling it took to get him to agree to come. It’d be fun. He reached up to run a hand through his hair, remembered he’d just brushed it so it was actually sort of neat for once--Theo had never been the sort to use any sort of gel or shit, but it was at least smooth and flat instead of its normal mess--and instead reached out to knock on the door.

#jamie #i couldn't resist xD #but lmk if any of this doesn't work i made assumptions about jamie maybe wanting muggle fashion help #mostly so theo could show up at his house and like have to help him either untuck his shirt or undo some buttons or something lmao not sorry #and i was thinking elias's bookstore could be the more discreet passage to muggle london xD #i figure it's maybe been like 1-2 months since the last thread? timelines are hard but hopefully this works xD #tried to incorporate the lingering xD #cackling at that last jamie reply and THE DOUBLE GIFS WITH THE LOOKING BACK AHHHHH #as always lmk if something doesn't work!!

[killadelphias]

Please get more mean about fanon :) we wanna see it

prefacing this to say that one day i’m gonna post fics and make posts with bad takes & people are gonna be like uhhhh look here dude, turns out you also suck. sure! cool! we’re all multifaceted people, in theory, and sometimes you hit and sometimes you miss. I think there are a lot of really talented and interesting people in this fandom. it's all interpretations and headcanons and personal opinions. however. this is what misses for me:

fashion! It shouldn't really matter but ughh 😒 I'm really into fashion and costume design and expanding the imagination to a broader wardrobe (i have secret pinterest boards of ST character fashion aesthetics actually ssssh it's fine). but, Michael "He-Wouldn't-Wear-That" Wheeler. why is mike so often made out to be this hybrid of 2007-esque emo kid and glam rocker? He’s just a dude. That’s why i like him. His 80s teenage rebellion is to stop dressing like a baby accountant/mini-ted exclusively donning the latest Gap window display. He's breaking free from the Sears catalogue but he's not about to go join van halen. Maybe some ripped jeans. Band tees. That leather jacket. exploring creativity in denim. Subtlety mimicking eddie m but not really ever going full metal-head. he might go a liiiiiittle new wave, but not too far. It’s the falsity of insisting on the nail polish and the fucking non-existent rhinestone belt and leather pants and makeup for me as a prerequisite for an accurate mike portrayal. and to me that’s… not mike. It’s maybe the inability to remove the actor’s extra curricular modeling career from the fictional character on tv. Mike is just some dude!! And that’s ok!! folks are not gonna like that one, but that's what they call an informed opinion!! 😎 personal preference, some may scream, but whatever. the planet keeps spinning.

the reddie-fication of byler. I love IT and reddie. Will is not eddie kaspbrak. Mike is not richie tozier. Yeah man, i get it. 80s and gay repression and insecurity and secretly being in love with your best friend. But that’s where it stops. I personally don’t see many similarities between any of these characters. Will is not a jock!! He would never join a sports team!! He is not joining track or working out a ton! That makes sense in the context of the eddie k character (i’m not saying that eddie is a jock lmaoooo god no, i’m just saying that track and running are a believable eddie fanon thing and there’s already a bunch of eddie k stuff i see projected onto will so nahhh). & eddie and richie are at each other’s throats and making bitchy little comments and riling each other up but mike and will do not have that sort of relationship. Yeah, they’re gonna argue and snip at each other but it’s a different flavor, it’s a different cuisine entirely. AND ANOTHER THING, why do people put the milkdud dynamic on will/mike. They are not constantly rolling their eyes, exasperated and dismissive with each other either, for the record. They’re genuinely best friends. Where’s the best friendship-ism of it all?!! That’s what makes mike and will such a good pair! The codependency, the longing, the complimentary dynamic, conversationally being on the same page. Ughhhh. 

I feel like so many folks just want sanded down versions of these characters. Where Will is stoic and colder and loses his quick jump into extreme emotions. have him weep, have him be annoyed and jealous, have him tear up. let him be anything but this personality-lacking shell. He is not a quippy badass. He is a mess, sometimes pathetic, he is the personification of ‘do it scared, do it sobbing, do it anyway.’ and mike. Hmm. mike is abrasive, he can be an asshole. Mike cares a lot. Mike’s friends actually like him and value him. He can be all of these things simultaneously. Why is he portrayed in story after story as being this mopey burden, this person they regrettably keep around only to insult and discredit? It’s weird. Why is everyone always threatening him when it comes to his relationship with will? No one is doing that. Kill the shovel talk. Take your fucking shovel and dig a grave and bury it and walk away. Corny ass trope. Why is the fanon portrayal of the party this bunch of meddling kids, overly invested in their two friend’s love lives, placing bets and feeling no shock in 1980-whatever when mike and will get together, exchanging money and being smug? What is that? Corny ass trope. 

Speaking of sanding them down……… to be quite honest, there is so much realistic stuff already out there. wHoLsEoMe. i love sappy stuff, i love slice of life and all that but there comes a point when it feels like the meat of the actual show is something people wished wasn't an aspect?? i get that you can just write whatever you want and have whatever takes you want and that’s cool i guess, but then so much of the personalities of these characters (not just will/mike, the whole damn show cast) has been shaped by the supernatural/horror elements liiiike. It’s there for a reason. That’s the show. So many character traits and motivations and whatnot are because of the setting. I can’t personally separate the canon story from the canon characters. if byler wasn't a factor in ST i would still really really love ST soooo. Idk this is such a vague point but it is what it is, it’s been talked to death and i’m beating the dying horse like a pinata but the prize unfortunately is people accusing you of saying that one heartstopping teen show shouldn’t exist. Ok???? 🤔

The fucking wheeler family. Aren’t they interesting enough without making them the byers 2.0? This point has also been done to death but can’t we just watch the show and see literally what is being portrayed on screen? Middle america flavored conformity in the face of rampant political conservatism in rural indiana in the 1980s and how mike wheeler is fucked up from that environment, creating what he’s got going on internally? That’s not enough of a bold fucking characterization and motivation for you? You gotta make shit up? Idk man. Ted wheeler is not Doing All That. i see so much that just bewilders me. like cool original idea you came up with, cool random post you made. What does it have to do with the ST we are actively watching? The wheelers are kind of what we see is what we get. Idk does my staunchness on this make me boring? I just don’t think it’s necessary to invent shit when we already have so many different family dynamics available to analyze in the actual show. 

I feel like some people saw what mike and will were like in s2 and just. Stopped. Caring? or are interested in character growth whether “positive” or “negative” only in the way that only fits their mental aesthetic? Like it or not (i personally love s3 and i know this is an unpopular view on tumblr.com. it’s not without major flaws, but i still like it a ton) but s3 happened and these are the characters who we have decided to allow total brain infiltration. Characters grow and develop their personalities in this fictional world and where we are as of s4 is worlds away from s2. It’s ok to not think of them as innocent twelve year olds forever…

Fanon’s favorite cliche: “Will fell first but mike fell harder” lol fuck off. I hate this phrase in regards to ships in general but this???? Oh boy. Oh boy i laugh. Will “i’m not gonna fall in love/tears in my eyes you’re the heart/ you make me feel like i’m not a mistake/ down bad 24-7 mike wheeler is the light of my life my literal knight in shining armor” Byers …… hmm. 🤣🤣🤣

#idk i am just some dude w thoughts on this damn show #this is pretty long but i am CHATTY as fuck and i don't usually say much but maybe i should stop holding back and just SPEAK #i honestly have sooo much more to say about everything else i kind of got caught up on byler stuff but this novel needed to end lol #nothing matters honestly it's just a television show we're all gonna be ok 😎 #asks #st

[sleepy-moron]

It's more season four spoilers!

So I just got reminded that Mike says that El likes the color yellow and that's why he got her yellow flowers. This makes his wardrobe choices this season even more interesting imo. Firstly he's primarily just wearing his hellfire club shirt while in Hawkins he doesn't actually start wearing blue or yellow until he heads to California.

The first Cali outfit (aka Mike dressing how he thinks people from California would dress) is him wearing a blue t-shirt being covered by the yellow button up. This is while Mike is trying to be the "ideal" boyfriend for El. When it comes to blue meets yellow in the west Mike is typically the one associated with blue+ the phrase "true blue" signifying something that is not fake or phony". So him literally covering his "true colors" with something he knows El likes is really interesting.

The second Cali outfit Mike wears is the blue flannel with the little yellow stripes. This is also what he's wearing during their fight and while El is being taken away by the police. Here he's still trying to be the "boyfriend" but he can't hide his true feelings, and El calls him out on this. He's willing to tell her anything except I love you to make her happy, so that's why the blue is so much more present than the yellow on this outfit.

The third button up is interesting because it's aqua, which is a color that's halfway between blue and green (blue + yellow) which shows while Mike is being much more true to himself, he's still trying at least a little to be someone he's not. It's worth noting that Mike doesn't wear this outfit until after El leaves, and this is also what he's wearing when he and Will agree to be a team again. This is the most emotionally open we've seen Mike since arriving in California.

Last new outfit!! Mike takes off the aqua shirt while hiding the body and is left in just a white t-shirt. I guess you could argue that it's just because it's hot in the desert and white is just a common color for undershirts to be, but Will is still wearing layers so I'm choosing to believe this was a deliberate choice. Will gives his little speech about emotional vulnerability, and we get a close up of just Mike (the previous shots of Will talking are filmed over Mike's shoulder so Will isn't in the frame by himself) when he says "because what if they don't like the truth" Mike looks away and nods his head a little, implying that this line also applies to Mike.

The white shirt is interesting because it's literally Mike removing his defenses and leaving himself vulnerable emotionally....he opens up to Will about how he feels about not being able to tell his girlfriend he loves her and how he wonders if El wouldn't have left if he was able to say it. This is also a scene asking for advice, which also makes the white shirt thematically relevant for another reason. Mike is literally letting Will's advise "color" his thoughts on what actions he should take, and the blank shirt represents that willingness to listen. Plus the season is set right before Easter, and white has a lot of associations with purity, innocence, and rebirth......all of which are relevant to easter

In conclusion: Mike wearing blue and white is more gay than Mike wearing yellow/j

#byler #byler tumblr #stranger things 4 #gay mike wheeler #mike wheeler is gay #st4 spoilers #stranger things spoilers #byler season 4 #I haven't figured out what the swap from blue to yellow means for Will yet but i thought this was a point worth making #someone give the costuming department the appreciation they deserve #this is what happens when you have a background in visual art and media analysis #these thoughts appear in my brain randomly and then i word vomit them on Tumblr

[memorydragon]

Po Yun characters rated by swag

Yan Xie: 0/10 He thinks he's a natural 20, but actually has none. As one of the characters said, "Don't listen to him. He's a dumbass." This is magnified after cohabitation with Jiang Ting, because he becomes a domesticated dumbass who is completely whipped. The narrative goes on about how he's a stereotypical alpha male, but this man can't survive a blind date to save his life. The author very correctly decided criminal investigators have no swag at all and wrote a novel about it. He grows on you like a fungus, but still has zero swag. That said, do not get in a fight with him. He will win.

Jiang Ting: Could have swag. He's intelligent, able to analyze details in moments, and elegant. Then he starts to eat and any swag he might have had evaporates. He was married to his work and highly stressed and traumatized from being a triple agent and it shows. 3/10, though I'm tempted to bump it to four for the way he straight up murders both Yan Xie and Bu Chonghua via text message. Professor Jiang is growing into swag by virtue of finally having free time and accepting his moronsexuality in the second book. That might be generous though considering he's still terrorized by his mother-in-law. I adore him, but his swag will always be low.

Jin Jie: He's a professional assassin and it shows. That said, he's also a professional lackey. 6/10, defeated by the protag plot halo, and it was honestly hilarious how Jiang Ting was constantly throwing him under the bus.

Qin Chuan: *extremely grudgingly* He has swag. That said, I'm 100% with Jiang Ting on this. Do not listen to Yan Xie. He has swag, but he's also a little bitch (no sexual connotation on this phrase btw, that's entirely directed at his personality). 7/10, someone please punch him in the face.

Wen Shao: Now here we have a man with swag. He oozes swag that Yan Xie wishes he had. He has opinions on ballet, plays Lana Del Ray songs on the violin like an emo child, and murders teenagers to recreate an important childhood memory with Jiang Ting. He grew up a drug lord with money and poker card code names, and kisses the bloody knuckles of his Red Queen reverently. 12/10, probably would be 14 if the manhua had been able to continue and we got more of him with long hair.

Han Xiaomei: Our favorite baby intern has absolutely no swag. She's an intern at the criminal investigation unit. She's the lowest on the totem pole, barely showers and sleeps when there's a case just like the rest of the team, and cowers when superiors yell at her. I watched her grow up to a young police woman who could sass back at Yan Xie in the final arc with tears in my eyes. The character growth was incredibly moving. 1/10, because she still has no swag.

Yang Mei: In front of Jiang Ting, she is a meek and breedable. When Jiang Ting isn't looking at her, she's a police informant who runs her own ktv, is perfectly put together and her wardrobe costs more than a cop could make in their career. She has swag. She can and will bitch Yan Xie out, fight like a hell cat, save her love rival's life (only because it was Jiang Ting asking though, otherwise she'd still probably save Yan Xie, but she'd never let him forget it), and turn the love rival into the greatest brotp of the novel. 9/10, because Jiang Ting canonly swears to never take both her and Yan Xie on errands together again. Unfortunately for her, no amount of swag will make the man she's in love with less gay or moronosexual.

Ma Xiang: Good at his job, comfortable in his masculinity. Is willing to be gay for 10 minutes if Yan Xie shares his dinner. No real swag on his own, but he's a fun comedic aside most times. 1/10, because he throws up at gruesome murder scenes and thought a curling iron was a sex toy.

Bu Chonghua: Now here we finally have a main protagonist with swag. Someone had to have swag in the novel, and he pulls it off. As Yan Xie's straight-laced little cousin, he's got a temper and authority to match. He may be a trauma kitten, but he is very good at his job and earned his position. He will literally walk through fire and water to show his devotion to Wu Yu. 6/10, because he's also a menace (absolutely related to Yan Xie, no doubt) and a bit bitchy at times. I love him, your honor.

Wu Yu: here's where the swag gets complicated. As Wu Yu, he is meek and mild mannered, no ambition, and very little confidence. This trauma kitten has no swag. He throws up at the mere taste of meat. He just wants to earn enough money to run away from life and never be bothered again. He loves reading and just wants books. People want to feed him, he looks that pathetic. 0/10 but he gets a point or two when he enters the illegal boxing ring for extra money.

As Painter, his swag jumps to 7/10. He's in prison, he's inflitrating various drug rings, he's the pretty boy, and if you try to take advantage he will cut your arm off with a machete. He has no nickname, just a number. Do not cross him. Jin Jie even calls him ge.

As REDACTED, this trauma kitten will end you. He will fight you with his bare hands and tear you apart. He can only be calmed and turned back into Wu Yu by a person he has marked as 'safe'. If you see him jump from any story higher than one, you're not the one who will survive the encounter. When not in murder form, he pretends to be slow and meek. He's a lackey, and he just wants to live someplace poppies don't grow. Yes, I'm Normal about that. 4/10, please just wrap this trauma kitten up in a blanket and feed him fish and chocolates.

Shark: After my glowing review of the first book's main villain, you would think Shark has swag. He has negative swag, however. He's a crypto bro who wants to drag Painter into life and death situations but won't commit to the homoerotism of it. The fact his web handle is shark and his dark web site is the Mariana trench is an insult to both. He acts cool and edgy but nothing can change the fact he'd be all over nfts if the book was written today. -5/10, he's got absolutely nothing on the King of Spades.

Liao Gang: like, he tries. He's decent at his job, but he's not amazing. Will need Wu Yu to back him up to solve major cases, which stresses Wu Yu out because that means he has to speak up. 1/10

Meng Zheng: This is a woman with brass balls. She's the only female police officer in the unit, is late 30s, early 40s, and is called their police beauty because she's the only one. Also, because she would totally win if you say she looks over thirty and she decides to take you out. 7/10, very valid for wanting to be a honey pot because the police would fund her looking sexy, even if she twists her ankle because she hasn't worn heels since before she was pregnant. She's a milf and will forcibly drag poor interns to her level.

Song Hui: No swag. She's interning because of her crush and is a terrified kitten. She just wants to marry rich and be cute. Meng-jie forces feminism on her. After REDACTED, she grows to 1/10 because she doesn't want to let Meng-jie down. Saves the protags, the entire operation, and sees at the blood on her hands that has already been washed away. Great character development, but currently still no swag. She might get some eventually, because she has potential, which, honestly, is more than Han Xiaomei can say.

Song Ping: He's the older gen cop who you still don't want to mess with. Not related to Bu Chonghua by blood, but you can tell exactly who raised the trauma kitten after his parents were killed. 8/10, though you won't know why until the very end.

Lin Zheng: So weirdly, he probably has swag in his usual work. Considering 90% of the time we see him is with Wu Yu, however, he has none. He thinks Painter killed his friend and all he did was complain to the higher ups about it. 2/10, if he'd been a bit more proactive half of his plot line could have been avoided. Also, Jiang Ting says he has Chuan vibes, which makes me want to punch him in the face on principle. I trust Jiang Ting's judgment.

Cai Lin: Fills the same comedic relief in Tun Hai as Ma Xiang did in Po Yun. We love him, but 1/10, he's terrified of maggots and eats ice cream that's from the forensic department freezer.

And finally, the old and beautiful Zeng Cui Cui: If you couldn't tell by her title, Mother Yan has swag. When she feels threatened by Wu Yu's swag, her response is to bling like no one has blinged before and terrifies him with how much money she spent. Jiang Ting knows better than to argue with her. She bought "A Study of the Legal Aspects of Gay Marriage" after her son turned 30 and still couldn't find a girl willing to marry him. She also locked Bu Chonghua out and essentially kidnapped Wu Yu in the back of her trunk when she thought Wu Yu was being forced into the relationship. 10/10, because she sends her sons-in-laws long underwear and they better wear it in the winter or they will regret it.

#breaking through the clouds #swallowing the seas #huai shang #this is Mem's life #meta and things #yes I'm rereading the books immediately after finishing them #it's not only one of Those books where it's better once you know everything #but also I'm very very Normal about Them #my baby trauma kittens #I'm currently going mental over how Jiang Ting is such a subtle character showing his affection

[bunbeeplays]

The Lemon Legacy: Generation 1, Chapter 28 - Trouble in Paradise

The musicians have a wardrobe fitting for the wedding. Penny had specific color requests.

Moses: We look like a gay bar threw up on us.

Ophelia: Yeah but we pull it off.

Tiff hasn't really said much. Maybe she's trying to behave. Maybe she's just too busy admiring herself.

Alice: This wasn't the wardrobe I imagined we'd get to know our new teammate in. Ophelia: Ha! I'm excited to start working with you both. Alice: Girl, I'm excited to stop working with Tiff! Anaya: She's right behind you, Al.

Tiff is too consumed by her own beauty to be bothered.

Things aren't quite as cheery-looking outside the employee changing room.

Miko: You can't be serious!

Penny: What's the problem? We're inviting some of your coworkers. Why can't I invite some?

Miko: Simstagram models aren't your coworkers! We barely have enough room as is.

Penny: I feel like this is about more than last minute additions to the guest list.

Miko: Well… I don't know. Maybe I'm just projecting but it feels like you're using our wedding day to network. I just want to celebrate our love, not worry about how lame I make you look.

Penny: Lame?

Miko: You hang out with these gorgeous women all the time, who live fun, glamorous lives. I look pathetic in comparison. I already know I'm not going to look as fabulous as you will, I don't want to spend my wedding day feeling like even the guests outshine me.

Miko: Oh, forget I said that. I'm sorry, that was so selfish.

Penny: Baby, no it's not. You're allowed to feel how you feel, but nobody's going to outshine you, not even me.

Penny: Come on. Look at your outfit. You're not even going to a party or anything, you just wore that.

Penny: Look at me, Mimi. This is our day. We're both the stars of this show. I don't want to invite them to network, or to make you look bad. I wanted to show those basic hoes that I have the hottest girl in this save file, and you didn't even need CAS-tic surgery to look so good

Miko: Baby…

Penny: Showing off isn't as important as your feelings. I'll tell them we're keeping it small.

Miko: Penny, it's okay. You can invite them.

Penny: Nah, it's fine. They promote that tummy tea so they'd probably diarrhea themselves during our vows anyways.

The stone walls are thick but the door they're outside of isn't.

Alice: Aw, that was barely a fight! At the Pancakes wedding, Eliza threw a drink at Bob!

Tiff: Pfft, I give it a month before Pizzazz woohoos one of those models.

Ophelia: Yeesh.

Anaya: Tiff, ever the optimist.

After Ophelia changes and goes to walk home, she spots Miko by herself on a bench nestled off to the side of the venue, one that nobody usually walks by.

Ophelia: You good?

Miko: Yeah. I just need a minute to myself sometimes. Penny's talking to the catering team.

Miko: You guys heard me and Penny talking, huh? I could hear Alice wishing we had fought more. Ophelia: Sorry. We couldn't really leave without interrupting you two. Miko: It's okay. I'm just a little embarrassed. Ophelia: You don't need to be, you both handled it really well.

Miko: No, I mean… I support Penny's career, of course. Her job means a lot to her. I feel bad that she's not inviting her Simstagram friends now.

Ophelia: Not that I was trying to eavesdrop, but it doesn't seem like she likes them that much, anyways.

Miko: I guess not…

Ophelia: Is there any chance you heard what anyone said, or just Alice? Miko: Just Alice. Her voice really carries. Why? Ophelia: Just curious.

Just curious whether they heard Tiff imply that Penny was inevitably going to cheat on Miko.

The two chat for a little longer before Miko decides to join her fiancée again. Ophelia wants a relationship like theirs. It sounds like hard work, though. She's done a lot of hard work lately. Maybe she'll be ready for a love like that someday... But not today.

#The Sims #The Sims 4 #The Sims 4 Legacy #The Lemon Legacy #TS4 #The Sims 4 gameplay #sims 4 #generation 1 #ophelia #penny #miko #tiff #drew #moses

[beepboop358]

hi! i thought your byler slides were very interesting and gave me an new perspective on the ship and the show in general, however i noticed there were a few misconceptions in it. mostly, a lot of the “gay symbols” were incorrect. the references to frogs near mike are because he was called frogface, which was a derogatory for “nerd” in the eighties, and frogs didn’t become a symbol for the gay community until recently (the homophobic rhetoric that water “turns frogs gay” is a recent trend). same with the gay men flag, regardless of your opinion about it the flag didn’t gain popularity until around 2019 and i don’t think the color of mike’s clothing is enough to conclude the duffers were eluding to it. and the bear flag was created exclusively for and by a gay subculture called “bears” who were hairy, beefy, older men, so i highly doubt that the duffers surrounded teenage will byers with symbolism of it lmao

hi anon!

aw thanks! <3 I respectfully disagree that the frogs, bears and Mike's clothes/room reflecting the colors of the gay men's flag aren't hints to their sexualities because I think they are mixing in current references into the 80's setting. The show doesn't follow strict period realism as far as other little details (like the green and red m&m's Mike gives El in season 3 because those hand't come out yet in July of 1985) so i don't think its a huge jump or unrealistic to think that they are mixing in current culture references as hints to Mike & Will's sexuality, to make it more obvious for viewers today, because at the end of the day the show's airing now, and most of it's viewers were not alive in the 80's, nor will they dig into what did/didn't exist in the 80's, so strictly 80's references will be lost on the vast majority of viewers. I think it's fairly smart of them to use some non-80's references actually, it helps keep the show current and not too stuck in the past, and it definitely appeals to young teens and adults more by doing this, which as the show progresses, seems to be more and more geared towards. Also, the prop team & costume designers/wardrobe team put a lot of thought & effort into making the mise-en-scene of the show reflect details about the characters, which is what they are supposed to do, and the duffers do not pick every single thing they do. They get information about the characters, and to a certain level, they have free range with how they portray that, and then get it cleared by higher ups. Anyways, let's just agree to disagree 😊

Hope you're well! xx

#byler #byler s4 #byeler

[squadrah]

From My CuriousCat

"La Squadra have just robbed a bank and are now about to treat themselves! What are they going to do?"

First things first, let's set the scene: they pulled off this heist in another country (it's 2001, they can have a little euro), so they stole back to Italy with Formaggio and Illuso smuggling all these riches with their Stands - boy, were they exhausted by the time they got back. Probably slept for a day. The team actually waited for them to wake up before they started having any "real" fun, but while the smugglers slept, Risotto divided up the money into ten portions: nine members each, and the communal reserves (basically their "bills and nice things for everyone" money.)

As soon as Formaggio and Illuso woke up, everyone showered and got dressed to the nines, and they went out to a really nice place to eat. They then spent the rest of the night at the gay bar delivering the karaoke event of the century. They've earned it. Everyone at the bar had earned it. Some of them got laid.

Sorbet added every single cent of his share to his dream wedding fund, and Gelato used some of his share to complete the budget, putting away the rest for "fun" (mostly drinking). Naturally, the wedding was held as soon as possible: Sorbet looked fabulous in his custom drag dresses (he had several), the wedding celebration literally lasted three days, and nobody but La Squadra was invited - rip to the Boss but they're different. They then spent one more week at the five star hotel Sorbet had chosen as the wedding venue. They got drunk every single day, danced and partied, and most of them got laid. (Or all of them, but my money is on most of them.)

Formaggio sat down, divided his share in half, then visited his step-father in secret and disposed of him in a "happy accident". He then started leaving sums of money at his mother's place in cash not to draw attention to himself or her. She and Formaggio's younger siblings lived a better life after that day.

After hearing about Formaggio's plans, Risotto did something similar for his living family without actually meeting them in person not to endanger them; it made him feel much better after years of living in isolation from his loved ones. He also bought the most luxurious funeral bouquet for his cousin and set it on his grave in person.

Melone updated his favorite collections (hardware, toys, candles) and booked a trip to a thermal water spa and hotel. It did not fix everything wrong with his health, but he claims it all but replaced his joints with something much more functional. Set the rest aside for emergencies of every sort.

Ghiaccio finally went to the Alps and had the skiing trip of his life. He made himself White Album skis and blasted through the mountains nonstop through the day, and each night he wound down in one of those cosy little cabins he used to fantasize about. Might have bought one of them too, why not.

Pesci geeked out and bought himself comics and merchandise, updated his wardrobe, and got the coolest motorcycle you've ever seen. He can't even drive a motorcycle, what was he thinking? Melone is teaching him now in exchange for being allowed to use it sometimes.

Illuso bought himself several secure containers and unloaded the vast majority of his hoard into them, making room for new stuff to hoard. He then realized that he barely had any furniture in his apartment and ordered some online. He's filling up his home with more clutter as we speak.

And Prosciutto? He went AWOL. For a month.

#jjba #la squadra #risotto nero #formaggio #prosciutto #pesci #ghiaccio #melone #illuso #sorbet #gelato #squadrah headcanons #squadrah original

[fairydust-stuff]

Heathers 2018 thoughts on episode one

The show starts with JD's mom committing suicide and I remember. That she blew herself up in previous versions. But, I guess they had to censor it. So they had her gunshot to the head. I don't really get it myself.

It does take away from JD because I thought his mom blowing herself up was why he wanted to bomb the school.

Veronica realizes she doesn't know who she is. As she sits with the guidance counselor. Falling on platitudes of" I'm a good person."

Veronica trying struggling to know who she is isn't a bad move. It kinda makes sense the girl who joined a clique, doesn't know that kind of thing.

Um, I don't remember Veronica being basic though she was more of a cool rebel wannabe type. I thought that was why she was drawn to JD. Then again Heather C's opinion on Veronica is automadically not valid.

But Veronica feels basic and unimportant " How about this Veronica Sawyer is nothing."

Then in the next scene Betty shows up and it establishes Veronica & Betty are friends who are drifting apart. " You always had to be blue" Betty says with a laugh.

A nod to the movie's color scheme where Veronica is associated visually with blue. The scene ends after Veronica walks away with Betty declareing she always wanted to be blue. This suggests Veronica might be more domineering then she lets on.

Speaking of which, the Heathers are introduced in the next scene. They stroll into the cafateria and the slow mo scene is stirking and estblishes power.

But I got to agree with the internet on the costuming. Why couldn't the department just give every character a full wordrobe with their color? Its especally annoying because they make jokes about the characters color. " You always did think yellow was your color Heather." Then have her wear yellow for more then one scene. And Duke's gay villian wardrobe could still work in all greens. Maybe the make up department could of color coded their eye liner even.

Its also a little jarring once they start speaking. With Macnara being given the shut up Heather line from Chandler. I know on the surface having Duke and Macnara which roles doesn't seem like a big deal. However there was a reason Duke was the buttmonkey of the group in the movie. Duke was almost a nerd, they were bearly a Heather.

Even in this mordern Heathers take nerds are still uncool. So yeah makeing Duke the smart one. They should be at the gay nerd table but have landed a spot at the top of the hiarchy. That however is completely ignored in terms of motivation. Also the fact they have a quote " Gay nerd table" speaks a kind of underlying intolerance.

Furthermore even in 2010 and even today many social justice platforms still aren't big on trans & non binary people. So I still think Duke should of logically been the buttmonkey from the start.

(Also they have Chandler start abuseing them horribly anyway two episodes in even worse then in the movie. So why not just start with that dynamic?")

Also if Heather C builds her platform on social justice shouldn't Macnara still be the one she treats the best? Since it makes her look good to be seen being close with the Black lesbian? Furthermore later in the show Heather is shown being rather affectionate with Lizzy treating her like a kind of prodegee. So it comes off like a weird choice and due to later events plot device.

Anyway moving on so Heather shames Ram for wearing a redskin team T-shirt finding it racially insensative.

I know a lot of people complain about this. but I actually do like the highlighting of how bullies can use social causes as justification to humilate others.

Its not that Heather wants to have a dialog which would be within her rights. But instead she makes him strip, drags him in public and forces him to ask a girl to do a sex act, so he gets slapped. Its bullying disguised as social concern. (Which is something people who care about social justice should call out!)

But I do understand the complaints about how no wearing the collage T-shirt from the collage Ram wants to attend. Is not going to get him banned from said collage. And that really wouldn't care cause its their logo, so its in fact, not life ruining.

So the exacution is kinda crap which ruines the point they were trying to make.

Enter JD in the next scene. I have very mixed feelings about 2018 Heathers JD. Him coming off as so weird kinda doesn't work. Because JD's character kinda hinges on him being charming enough for others to overlook the red flags.

Here, he's just too red flag and utterly annoying in a pertencious way. Also, he doesn't do anything actually dark like fire a gun at some jocks. So I don't see why Veronica is interested in him. All he does is spout shit about how nothing matters.

The next scene involves Heather Duke and Veronica talking and transitions to them with slushies. Heather Duke offers to buy Veronica a slushie before hand. (Honestly I forgot they were friends before rewatching the movie due to the musical).

Where they see Macnara screwing their English teacher and realize she's fakeing being gay and???? Ok, I cann't pretend this plot point isn't stupid, because it is so dumb. Also the non binary person doesn't know bisexuals exist? If they wanted Macnara to piss off Chandler their were half a dozen ways they could do this better.

Also, they made Duke mean for no reason as they take a picture of this and seem gleefully ready as imuniation. Movie/ Musical Duke I could see doing this due to jealousy/ desire to see Macnara taken down a peg since she was a bystander to their abuse. But what is Duke's motivation for this? Their already Chandler's favorite here.

(I have further problems with this which i'll take about in later episodes.)

Next we have Veronica & Chandler at a party. And yeah rewatching this its not great. Veronica is a straight up ass for no reason. I know Chandler is toxic, but she's still trying to make an impression in front of important people. Veronica is openly being unsupportive and then blows off Chandler to have sex with a guy in the car. Wow what a great friend! I know Veronica isn't meant to be a good person but in this scene she's meant to be at the end of her rope with Heather C.

So yeah Chandler being pissed at her comes off as, understandable. Even if her responses are still nasty. Heather blows up at Veronica who accident or not did spill paint on her skirt. And then Veronica just calls her "fattie" which, ok in that instance is just straight up rude.

So they just both come off as straight up assholes. Even though its supposed to be Chandler pushed Veronica too far moment. I don't want to keep nit picking every movie change.

But the forced sexual favors from the movie was a way better move then this. Especially since the show reflects that 2010 Ohio, dismisses sexual assault towards women about as much as the 1980's.

If they didn't want to get into the nitty gritty of that fine, but should of replaced it with Chandler decideing to flat out humilate Veronica.

Here we can see the show starting to get rid of the aspects of Chandler's character that might make her too controversal to modern audiences. Which we'll come back to that later.

So Veronica is freaking out when JD comes into her room with the offer of " Lets snort aderall, make out and get slushies." Which ok terrible line but Veronica is sold somehow.

Also we're introduced to the fact Kurt is gay now which. Also get back to that later.

So JD and Veronica flirt and JD brings Nazi shit that was his dads to Heather Chandlers house. Also poisen pills get mentioned he grabbed by mistake.

They take a pic of her wearing a Nazi hat and wake her up. JD offers to give her the pic if she downs a bag of corn nuts which they laced and you know how this goes. Chandler dies because the prank stuff got swaped with the deadly stuff.

Fake suicide note, now a video yada yada.

And i'll do a part 2 because this was really long.

#heather duke #heathers #brendan scannell #heather chandler #heathers 2018 #peathers

[aspireglobalsolutionsph]

13 Different Types of People You Will Meet In A Call Center

Call centers are fun, energetic, and dynamic workplaces. They are full of different types of people from different walks of life. There, you will meet young people who are just in their early twenties or even in their late teens, moms, dads, thirty-somethings, and even grandmas and grandpas. You’ll meet introverts, extroverts, ambiverts, and everything in between.

But of course, there are call center archetypes. These are the usual people you will find in a call center.

1. The Always Late

They are people who you have always seen sweaty and running in a panic daze. They probably have wet hair still dripping as they rush into the floor. Sometimes, they even text you to log them in or prep their station because they are now on the elevator hurrying to the floor.

The Always Late agent always has an excuse to his or her team lead about being late. Most of the time, they blame traffic jams and bad weather.

But the always late also has a friend, the Super Late. Super Late agents show up even if they are late for several hours. They don’t look haggard even if they are late. They just walk ever so slowly to their stations, munching on food as they sit down.

2. The Serious Type

The Serious Type of agents are those who are super focused at work. They care about the team and their metrics and getting money and commissions for their family. They also don’t drink after shift. If they do, it’s just to bond and improve their team standing.

During their shift, they don’t make chitchat with their seatmates. They typically have the perfect notes, follow QA guidelines and get good CSAT scores.

Your TL loves them. The bosses love them too.

3. The Noisy Ones

The noisy ones are those agents who are always laughing at something on the floor. They seem to be entertained by anything and everything. Noisy agents typically treat life on the floor as something fun. They joke around and make people laugh. Sometimes, they treat the bay as their little wet market.

They can play unusual games like dressing up and having fashion shows. They like making gossip and befriending anyone and everyone. Noisy agents usually are part of cliques with women, men, gay and lesbian members. They are practically the most colorful people you will find on the floor.

Most of the time, this noisy circle of friends keeps the floor alive and happy. However, when you cross them, you may end up hurt. Some of them could make fun of you and bully you for no reason. But don’t worry, most of them are just loud and noisy but not mean

4. The Smokers and The Vapers aka Chimneys

Chimneys are the chain smokers who spend their breaks in the smoking area. They vent out and release their stress through inhaling nicotine. Sometimes they smell horrid when they hit the floor because they have been baking in smoke in the smoking lounge. 

Chimneys like to hang out and share stories outside the floor because they feel that the “fresh” air outside is much more comforting than staying inside. They can run, smoke, and run back upstairs again in no time on their very short fifteen-minute breaks. During, they spend half of their time smoking as well. 

Some of the Chimneys don’t really smoke. Some of them vape. While others are just nonsmokers but hang out with their friends who do smoke.

5. The Fashionistas

Fashionistas are those agents who dress to impress when they go to work. They take time and effort to look good and smell good. They usually wear glam make-up and pretty clothes to work. On the other hand, men who are fashionistas wear nice kicks to the office. They spice up their workdays by wearing cute outfits. It’s a lovely way for them to de-stress and unwind at work. 

This sort of agent also loves the spotlight at work. They usually have the cool stuff. They have the latest phones and shop a lot on paydays. They need their salaries to finance their wardrobe needs.

6. The Seller

Sellers are the lifesavers of the floor. They sell all sorts of things. For offices that allow food on the production floor, the sellers would usually pack lunch or snacks to sell. Sometimes, they make more money from selling than what they get paid for doing calls. 

Some sellers don’t sell food. They may sell perfumes, underwear, clothes, even kitchenware, and furniture. They can have brochures of Avon, Natasha, MSE, and so much more with them. On paydays, they rake a lot of money, and they usually stalk you at the ATM, demanding to be paid on what you owed them in the previous days.

7. The TL’s pet

The TL’s pet, otherwise known as the right hand of the TL is someone who follows their team leader around. TLs love them, but some of their teammates hate them. They can be called sipsip or suck-ups by their colleagues for being too close to their bosses. They are the people TLs trust with checking the team’s metrics and whatnot. 

The TL’s pets are usually agents who perform well. Team managers like them a lot because they are easy to coach and deal with. Higher ops love them, too, because they are assets to the account.

Although many may get envious of them and bad-mouth them, TL pets are still the star of the show because they are the ones who typically get promoted.

8. The Jet Setter

Jet setters are those agents who love traveling. They are #travelgoals. All their leaves have already been pre-plotted for vacations. If they do go absent stating that they are sick, chances are they are on a beach somewhere, getting baked by the sun.

Jet setters typically work really hard. They need those commissions and extra pay to fund their travel dreams.

9. The Always Sick

The Always Sick agent has an excuse for everything. They will typically call your TL to advise them that they are sick, their kid is sick, their dog is sick, and whatnot. They always have a medical certificate for everything and anything. They go to the clinic a lot during their shift.

This agent may have a health issue; however, they are not fit to work in the graveyard shift or a hectic call center account.

10. The Problematic One

The problematic agent is the agent who is so hard to coach. Whatever their TL tells them, theyjust never listen. He is always late, doesn’t hit the metrics, and COMPLAINS A LOT. He screams at customers from time to time. He hates his teammates, QAs, the training team, and everyone else. He seems to be drunk after shift most times. He only likes to work on paydays. 

Problematic agents have issues with their attendance too. They can just not show up and they are never reliable.

11. The Borrower

The Borrower is the type of agent who always borrows money. They seem to be broke all the time. They are charming and kind when asking for help. But when it comes to asking them to pay you back, you will hear a lot of excuses from them.

Borrowers lurk around people who seem to have lots of money. They seem to be like emotional vampires who suck not only your money but also your energy.

12. The Office Flirt

The Office Flirt is the guy or girl who wants to date anyone and everyone in the office. They usually use their charms to get their way around. They like flirting with newbies. They also like flirting with bosses. They can be seen dating one poor soul to another on the floor. They can flirt with ANYONE, single or taken, it doesn’t matter.

13. The Hopper

The Hopper or the notorious call center jumper is the agent who ditches work when things get challenging. They always have a resume ready, and sometimes you can catch them drafting their resignation letter right on their office PC. They see working in the office as a pastime or something just to make money, and if things don’t work out, they just bolt and leave. 

Unfortunately, even if they try to hide in their resumes that they have hopped here and there, recruiters still catch them and kick them out from the get-go. The information on their CVs is just too flaky, and their call center gallivanting is found out.

So Much More

Of course you’ll meet so many more types of people in the BPO industry. It’s like Russian roulette, you never know who you’ll knock into.Just remember to be nice to everyone and prioritize work. You will make friends and enemies, but remember that you are there to work first and foremost.

#aspirehiring #aspirecallcenterjobs #aspirebpojobs #bpo #aspireglobalcubao #aspirehigher #aspiretoinspire #aspireapplynow #callcenteragent #onsite #gethirednow #risehighaspire #aspireglobalsolutions

[maxinator44]

Max’s Catwoman Wednesdays: August 3rd, 2022

I have decided to start live-blogging my watch-throughs of Catwoman (2004)

Right off the bat, I need to mention that the opening credits to this movie is 4 minutes long.

Halle Berry manages to stumble into 4 separate people at once.

I’m begging Sharon Stone and Lambert Wilson to get a divorce.

“I have no idea why I expected your art to show better taste than your wardrobe.” He’s got you there honey.

Y’know, Halle Berry is supposed to be an artist in this movie, but we only see her do one (1) brush stroke in the whole movie.

SHES WEARING THE SAME CLOTHES AS SHE WAS YESTERDAY

Ok, girl. What is the fucking plan, because you need your hands to both grab the cat, and the ledge your standing on…

I think it’s so funny that Benjamin Bratt turned down Miss Congeniality 2 (2005) to play practically the exact same character in this movie instead.

I still think it’s a weird choice to change Selina Kyle to Patience Phillips. Like what was the point? Was it to make her sound more black? Was it because they wanted Michelle Pfeiffer to come back? I honestly don’t know.

Sharon Stone and Lambert Wilson divorce petition sign off in the notes. Seriously, it’s 2004, not the Regency Era.

“Man sandwich 12 o’clock” oh early ‘00s gay best friend character dialogue, how I despise your existence

I think if a cop thought I was trying to jump off a building and hallucinating a disappearing cat, the last thing I would want to do is have coffee with him.

I get that this is a woman superhero movie from the ‘00s, but can it be a little less horny.

All of the problems in this movie wouldn’t have happened if the courier Halle Berry called actually came.

Please Pitof, move the camera away from peoples faces. You don’t need extreme close-ups all the time.

The cgi cats in this movie would do better in a Warrior Cats animated film.

Halle Berry gets sent to the heavy side layer.

The scene where Halle Berry rises from the dead never fails to make me laugh, the little cough she does? Perfect comedy.

Girl your walking around New York with no shoes on. You're gonna catch Hepatitis.

The cgi in this movie is God Awful.

I fully believe they got Frances Conroy to be the crazy cat lady because they couldn’t get Michelle Pfeiffer to do it.

Halle Berry is doing so well with this garbage script

Well, you weren’t at the factory, Lambert Wilson. If you were, she could’ve given you the designs.

That nuh-uh was so slay of her ngl.

“Okay… then let me try the remix” I’m seriously trying to defend this movie, I can’t.

Everybody say goodbye to Lance, they Gay Best Friend who only has 4 lines in the whole movie.

I don’t know if I enjoy the Jekyll and Hyde of Catwoman and Patience in this movie.

The colour grading on this movie is borderline sepia tone

I could play better basketball, and I was the benchwarmer for my team

Can this movie not be horny for FIVE MINUTES?

“George hasn’t said anything meaningful to me since he said ‘I do’” DIVORCE HIM!

What is in that fucking beauty cream, because it gives Sharon Stone superpowers, but it lands Alex Bornstein in the hospital?

“Fixing a little snack” she says, with 6 empty tuna cans on her bed.

The parkour Halle Berry seems to do practically is so good tho

STOP BEING HORNY

Using the hose to short the speakers then using it as a whip is so girl boss.

The Karen cut sucks, I wish she’d keep her hair curly. It actually looked good that way.

How is this leather jacket and leather pants combo the better Catwoman suit than the one used for most of the movie.

To steal a line from Black Widow (2021), “you are a total poser”

Dude surfing

That meow removes years from my life every time I watch it, unfortunately for me that means removing at most 52 years off my life, if I keep doing this once a week.

The soundtrack to this movie sounds like a leaky radiator.

If this movie was made today, this googling sequence would have more catgirls.

Oh Hey, I just noticed the Michelle Pfieffer Easter egg in one of those pictures

*We have just now hit the end of the first half of the movie*

Open toed stilettos? A bra and barely-hanging-in-there jeans? Terrible fashion choices all around. Also that mask is fucking ugly.

Why is cgi Halle Berry so shiny?

I’m glad that this movie points out that a “White Russian, no ice, hold the vodka, hold the Kahlua” is just milk, but I’m disappointed that the bartender doesn’t make fun of her for ordering it like that

I wish someone in this club was doing the Batussi

*Photo sensitivity warning*

We’ve traded in the sepia tones for Matrix colour grading

Alex Bornstein is doing amazing acting as well

IT’S THE EXACT SAME HANDWRITING YOU FUCKING DUNCE

I think this experiment is starting to wear on me because I remember liking the Ferris wheel scene, but now I’m just kinda bored of it.

This movie would be more entertaining if I had some alcohol

“I’m here, why on earth would [my husband] be home.” DIVORCE

“Don’t… think… ever” oh BROTHER this guy STINKS

STOP WITH THE HORNY, IM BEGGING

Please, never say “din-din” again 🤢

Divorce, divorce, and divorce.

*Slathers my self in beauty cream like the peanut butter baby*

The time line of this movie falls apart in the second act. Like how long has it been since Patience got fired?

Dasani product placement

The music in the scene where Benjamin Bratt finds the diamond claws sounds like Green Hill Zone.

This Lip-Print analysis machine is stupid.

Divorce would have been easier.

Also, why would Catwoman claw the flesh then shoot him a bunch of times. Terribly inefficient.

Ok, when she leaves the Hedare mansion, it’s pitch black outside, but when she gets to her apartment, the sun’s already up.

He’s right, why make the distinction between you and catwoman? I mean, you’ve already basically confirmed you are her, why act like you have a secret identity now?

What accent is Benjamin Bratt’s partner supposed to have.

“Lassie woulda brought me a key” is genuinely so funny

Showing the cat slink through the cell bars as a way to say, “Hey, you can do this too, Halle” is honestly very clever.

Get it? The car’s a Jaguar! That’s a cat!

Seriously, you just murdered your husband, and you’re still going through with the launch? Like even if you don’t feel guilty or feel nothing about it, at least postpone to make people think that you care?

Truck dominoes.

This, “I’m actually a dirty cop,” grift would never work

Dude, why didn’t you wear a bullet proof vest? You know that she has a gun?

“I’m a woman. I’m used to doing all kinds of things I don’t wanna do” I can’t tell if that was supposed to be gross or just sad.

*cue Indiana Jones theme*

“What are you, a hero? A theif? A freak? If you don’t have an identity, why keep it a secret?” “Because you killed me” is so totally a line written solely for trailer purposes it’s not even funny.

I wish I could convey the stupidity that was this dumbass reaction shot after Halle Berry gets stabbed in the leg with glass, but sadly, this is text only.

That whip is definitely not long enough to achieve these feats

I thought the beauty cream wasn’t supposed to leave scarring if you keep using it. But Sharon Stone just put some on like a few hours ago, and she’s already turning into Deadpool?

I hate how Batman related properties are all “SOCIETY”

Overall, 5/10 experience. I’ve watched this movie 6 times now and I’m bored.

Live-blogging is so tiresome, how do people do it?

#liveblog #catwoman #max's catwoman wednesdays

[doyouknowwhaticallmyself]

Not to play my own lute, dear Witcher, but this line is just too clever, isn’t it? Geralt, are you listening to me?

#sorry I rushed this #if the szn 2 writers were a little less cowardly #and the wardrobe team a little more gay #they would have given jaskier a mullet #please my little bastard soul needs it #geraskier #the witcher #geralt of rivia #jaskier #my art #fanart #art #digital art #also I’m a fucking simp for jaskier in blue #not that red isn’t good but… #it brings out his eyes