#multiple rewatches included :D
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Jeremy Jordan masterpost (part 2!)
Well that certainly took longer than I was expecting. Part 1 is here.
I also realized that it’s absolutely crazy to try and cover all his concerts, so these are just the ones that I have personally listened to/watched. Since I’ve listened to them, I also included some of my thoughts (if you care for that kind of stuff 💀).
Again, the shows in blue (which should be most of them) are the ones that I have a version different from the one I linked below. Like the last post, if you want access to that, dm me—I’m willing to gift each person up to two!
Without further ado, let’s start :D
Concerts
Breaking Character (2014):
His first cabaret style show! Personally still one of my favorites. Love the guests he brought on. This is the only one of his shows (that I know of) where the setlist fluctuates depending on the specific show.
Highlights: Fun songs he hasn’t really done since such as Anthem, Chipotle, Maybe I’m Amazed.
Original Songs: Good Enough (+ deleted rap verse depending on the show), Revelation, Underwater
Pretty much the full show (with Ashley and Krysta): https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLr-KiuMoSWPGioEdNHEbAJCbvG6p6fiqP&si=IDddaYii8eZYFpfc
If anyone has the recording of the show with Keke Palmer, I’ve been looking for that one
Jeremy’s T.E.R.R.I.B.L.E.! (2015):
Honestly this show made me a little uncomfortable 💀. It’s in a “game show” style and is actually really fun in the beginning (there are audience questions and JJ trivia), but it then takes a bit of a weird personal turn (although he said in an interview that he wanted that part to come out of nowhere so 🤷♀️. Had me squirming in my chair a bit).
Highlights: Everyone’s Come Here to See Me (one of my favorites of his openers), the audience questions, the ‘I don’t want to sing that’ medley, Under the Sea (Jeremy’s version)
Original Songs: Breathe Again, a song about facing his greatest fear (I’m just gonna call it ‘everyone’s naked’ haha, iykyk)
Everyone’s Come Here to See Me: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E7_pU05G9GA
Breathe Again: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8B1QE_RbXvU
London - Hippodrome (2016):
This show seems to be a mix of Breaking Character and Jeremy’s T.E.R.R.I.B.L.E.!. Works a little better than Jeremy’s T.E.R.R.I.B.L.E.!, in my opinion. A pretty fun show overall!
Highlights: audience questions again, ‘Take Me or Leave Me’ with Ashley, the most EPIC medley ever
Original Songs: Good Enough (new lyrics), Hold On (A BOP), Memories of Loving You (one of my favs <3)
Here are some of the songs: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLxsnvbhJ7KZPknZrui1vqsWybt340BGMa&si=vhvnmLhfy-Ee-Dwp
If anyone has the pro-shot or recordings from different days (I know they’re out there!), I am looking for those!
Elsie Fest (2017):
Love this set! I rewatch it almost monthly 💀.
Full set: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aUizICzFhgU
Starring Opposite of You (2018):
Such a fun show! This is his and Ashley’s joint concert, and they do lots of fun medleys together!
Highlights: past shows medley (where they reverse roles), Jeremy’s old songs, musical duets medley
Original Songs: Guitar Medley, Memories of Loving You
Almost the full show: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLiHqD-T4otnAentv3OPKM3cxxa6BbH8Mc&si=zGyqLpZHRvDvecAg
Cadogan Hall (2018):
Love this show! He sings a bunch of songs he doesn’t normally sing because he had to reschedule multiple times. Honestly, probably one of my favorites of his concerts.
Highlights: Raise a Little Hell, LET ME MAKE YOU PROUD (I’M SO HAPPY HE ACTUALLY SANG FROM TANGLED THE SERIES. unfortunately the audience doesn’t seem as enthused), Schmuel Song, It’s All Coming Back To Me Now (!!), honestly so many
Original Songs: Undertow (love this one), Guitar Medley, Underwater
Full show: https://soundcloud.com/no-1481/sets/cadogan-hall-1-9-18?si=574334f4e6f2415999efe787ba662994&utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing
Shows with Seth Rudetsky (2018 + 2019):
Pretty fun shows! Half concert, half interview style, so very interesting, as well.
Highlights: that bonnie moment, his proposal story
2018 show: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLiHqD-T4otnAp8cxF1XNgDcy_HUJIkTEl&si=6gQWqnnvE9QB3w4R
2019 show: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLgJNsjoixqObyeUvYiXPUn9-eyarTPqh4
If anyone has the show they did at The Herbst, I’m looking for it!
Modern Broadway w/ Betsy Wolfe (2019):
Not my favorite, but there are some fun songs and duets.
Highlights: She Used to Be Mine (Betsy), Waving Through a Window (Jeremy), Suddenly Seymour (both)
Carnegie Hall (2019):
He royally messes up ‘Moving too Fast’ and forgets the beginning of ‘Oh, What a Beautiful Morning’, but everything else and the orchestra are great.
Highlights: Undertow with full orchestration
Original Songs: Undertow
Here are some songs: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLiHqD-T4otnBoMy4jbPimGN8HCA1V0pnz&si=-k_u-7MrETj0pg0c
Moving too Fast: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wd5wzCs2su8
Medley w/ Ashley: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3XuKEdFuEj4
Cadogan Hall (2019):
He makes it a trend to do new stuff at his London shows, so lots of fun material at this concert too! The crowd cheers so much that he comes back out for a second encore.
Highlights: Princess Jeremy Medley (debut), The Greatest Showman Medley (debut)
Original Songs: The Sun
Princess Jeremy: https://thebookofkate22.tumblr.com/post/188718478707/jeremy-jordan-cadogan-hall-261019-disney
Bonnie and Clyde medley: https://thebookofkate22.tumblr.com/post/188718456037/jeremy-jordan-cadogan-hall-261019-bonnie
The Sun: https://thebookofkate22.tumblr.com/post/188718500882/jeremy-jordan-cadogan-hall-261019-sun
Run Away With Me: https://thebookofkate22.tumblr.com/post/188718462872/jeremy-jordan-cadogan-hall-261019-run-away
Greatest Showman Medley: https://thebookofkate22.tumblr.com/post/188718570932/jeremy-jordan-cadogan-hall-261019-greatest
Santa Fe: https://thebookofkate22.tumblr.com/post/188719473097/andplaces-jeremy-jordan-in-concert-27-october
If anyone has the full 10/27 matinee show, I’m looking for it!
UCPAC (2020):
Pretty standard show, some overall with the 2019 Cadogan Hall show.
Highlights: Princess Jeremy, At Last
Original Songs: The Sun
Moving too Fast: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=InaR0nkcBe0
She Used to Be Mine: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OotBKr3SUhE
Last Five Years Medley: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f0JJVS9_Ifg
Broadway, Here I Come: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cph4GdJVewE
Princess Jeremy: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PMvZhf6wlNs
The Scientist/Yesterday/So Far Away: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=keiBHJfxKq0
At Last: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NUwC0CNl4gw
Carry On (2020 + 2021):
My favorite Jeremy show ever! I think it’s very well directed and cleverly designed. Definitely on the more serious side (there are fun moments), so not your typical JJ show. I think this is a much more successful version of what he tried to do with Jeremy’s T.E.R.R.I.B.L.E..
Highlights: I literally can’t pick, the whole thing is so good—but I think the shows he did with live audiences packs a bigger punch (the pro-shot is amazing too though, and slightly different from the 2020 version).
Live Version:
Broadway, Here I Come: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NJa5bpH4FAA
Santa Fe: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XP5OnYXoSRQ
Princess Jeremy: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y_Sz4UZcARE
Pro-Shot (thanks, @personinthepalace!):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PMbraZrrh1o
I am always looking for recordings of the shows he did before COVID and will probably trade very unfairly for them!
The Seth Concert Series (COVID 💀):
Pretty fun shows, similar to the other Seth shows but with different songs.
Highlights: HURRICANE (I love death note), Donny Novitski, he talks about tangled in one of them!
Bonnie & Clyde Medley: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VVyK-YJlwPQ
Past Shows Medley w/ Ashley: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gRLyNN6znJ4
If anyone has his first TSCS show (I’m not actually quite sure how many there are), I’m looking for it!
Drury Lane (2022):
Another London show (which are always the best)! It’s definitely feels like a level up, lots of guests (Mikael from AOM, Frances Mayli Mccann, Andy Mientus (for one show)), and a sneak peek (at the time) of some AOM songs. Also, Ben tries to get him to sing Let it Go throughout the whole show and finally succeeds in the end.
Highlights: All the guest stars, Frozen II Medley, THE ENCORE IS SO SO GOOD (I love Jeremy’s version of Meant to be Yours)
Original Songs: Unfortunately he kind of stopped singing originals after COVID, but the AOM songs I guess
Drury Lane Medley: https://musical-treasures.tumblr.com/post/694059841368506368/jeremy-jordan-drury-lane-medley-drury-lane
When We Were Young: https://musical-treasures.tumblr.com/post/694134704948101120/jeremy-jordan-when-we-were-young-adele-when-we
Bonnie & Clyde Medley w/ Frances: https://musical-treasures.tumblr.com/post/694059561774186496/jeremy-jordan-and-frances-mayli-mccann-bonnie
AOM set: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A2P75zO_Y-E
What You Own w/ Andy: https://musical-treasures.tumblr.com/post/694058609967005696/jeremy-jordan-andy-mientus-what-you-own
Frozen II: https://musical-treasures.tumblr.com/post/694058947225829376/jeremy-jordan-frozen-ii-medley-29th-august-2022
Encore: https://musical-treasures.tumblr.com/post/694058885053661184/jeremy-jordan-roles-i-could-play-in-the-london
They must release the pro-shot of this (please I’m begging). But if anyone has the second day, I’ve been looking for it!
The Cabaret (2023):
His most recent fully recorded concert (I believe). Pretty standard show. It’s not Ben at the piano, but actually his MD from the Broadway Cruise—they make a pretty good pair too!
Highlights: Princess Jeremy (yes, I just love this medley), erm this is embarrassing but I actually can’t quite remember much else standing out from this show (might change later if I listen to it again)
Bring Him Home: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VxsdFG4zqFE
She Used to Be Mine: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cx-gWWau4kA
Santa Fe: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IlcMZp0TlRU
West Coast Tour (2024):
Most recent concert series :))). I think the setlist changed a bit between shows, but it looked really really fun. Fun fact, this is the first concert he’s done since I became a fan (minus a couple one-offs), so I was definitely hyper fixated on it hehe. We’ll see if more content crops up in the future.
Highlights: JJ and Ben: A Decade of Song, Newsies in Ten Minutes (aka my favorite vid on the internet right now)
Shiksa Goddess: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TdCs3039SLI&t=5s
JJ and Ben Medley: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zKWZEEH3YRg
Newsies Abridged: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sytv1huDms4
Santa Fe: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jCDInP-2dLo
If you went to this show, I’m so so jealous. But if you happened to take a recording, I would be forever grateful and will trade very unfairly for it 👀
Well, those are all the concerts that I’m aware of (that have been recorded in some way), if you happen to have one (a recording) that I missed, please dm me! I would love to trade!
Now that I’ve basically fully revealed myself as a *pirate* (rip), I will see you in my next post hahaha…
#phew glad this is out now#it was a bit of a chore ngl#but i absolutely love jeremy's concerts and had to share#maybe i'll make a miscellaneous concert masterpost next#miscast reunions bpp etc#we'll see#again if anyone has concert recordings that are not in this post and are willing to share i be very interested 👀#jeremy jordan#ben rauhala
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can you do that criticism/things youd change about scream queens for s2 alone?
This one's probably going to be messy because I have a LOT to say about S2. Some of it overlaps with others, and I also have some positive things I will never miss a chance to talk about.
As always, when I do things like this, I'm saying it right here: There is not a single SQS character I genuinely dislike. The retcon is not canon.
And a quick note, I've talked about a lot of this stuff with my buddy @sarahpaulsonsclown, so credit to them for something I say about Cassidy later.
The first- and the cause of a lot of other things- problem with S2 is the tone change from S1.
Tell me I'm exaggerating, but S1 blended the comedy and horror in a way that worked and came across naturally as if they weren't doing it on purpose, and it just happened to be 50/50.
Season two writes the comedy in completely on purpose, but it doesn't focus enough on or bring in enough of the horror to balance it out, so it comes across more "artificial," I guess than S1's whole tone did. It just doesn't blend the way S1 did because there's not enough of the horror kept around this time.
And that's a shame! Because when S2 does switch to more of the horror side of things, it WORKS. There are scenes here that carry the horror really well, and had the whole season had more of a tone like this, the comedy could've been balanced out better.
One of my biggest examples of this is when Zayday first confronts (and gets kidnapped by) Jane. The music, the weather part of setting the scene, and the lighting. (Although I really wish they'd not have used Sophia's gold for Jane and Cass so often, given they're the least linked to Gigi in S2. I'll come back to this.)
Even the scenes where the girls first start visiting Hester before she's moved to the hospital can be a good example. Those scenes have their little comedy moments, but they're serious scenes, and the characters are treated seriously in them.
This tone issue starts disrupting things in later episodes though, and I'll come back to this later talking about other things, but Addison's (Chanel Number Nine's) death was so off-tone and so mean-spirited given how we spent half this episode being introduced to her extreme fear of needles, and this was such an awful death for her to be given. She didn't even do anything! S2 carries an issue with not having enough horror to balance out the comedy, and then they just threw in a death like this??? What did she do?? Still not quite comparable to how Maggie was treated in AHS, though.
When it comes to character issues caused by both tone problems and other things, I'm going to start with Brock because he's going to be the simplest to talk about.
A problem with S2 is the pacing in the last few episodes especially and the more I rewatch (S2 gets put on loop a lot when I'm writing for reasons I will talk about later) the more this can be blamed on Brock's silly hand issue.
For one thing, Brock's hand is stupid in itself, and it doesn't fit with SQS's original tone at all. This does not work, and it's not helped by the way they do the stupidest things possible, focusing on it as if Brock wasn't originally introduced as just an off and less-lovable version of Chad.
They spend SO MUCH TIME on Brock's ridiculously inconsistent issues that don't fit with SQS's original tone, including letting him narrate a whole fucking episode and naming multiple episodes after his hand problems and giving the hand a goddamn voice actor that when they finally dropped it the pacing was already SO thrown off that they didn't have any time left to stretch other things out the way they could've/should've.
Munsch's illness plotline (which is also mildly inconsistent but not nearly as much as the hand stuff) was so rushed near the end of the season, and (Thank you to @nocakesformissedith for noticing this too, if I remember correctly) Lovin' The D's ending with that "I'll be dead in a month" line is so oddly sudden because they had to shove a bunch of stuff into the other half of the episode that should've been stretched through the whole season, and then Drain The Swamp spends more time scrambling to wrap up Munsch's plotline so she can leave alive and well by the season-ending narration instead of building up to a climax between the villains (who, this time, are ALL STILL ALIVE) and the girls.
Brock's issues with his hand are inconsistent, even in how it affects him. One minute he's just losing control of it every so often, then it acts up when he's stressed, and then we get to how he treats Chanel.
The first time his hand acts up around her, it's pretty in line with how we are introduced to it without confirmation when Zayday first meets him and Cass, but as the season goes on, not only does he consistently threaten her, but he yells at her each time he does and then in the later episodes- when he already has a new hand, courtesy of Cass's favor- is when he starts using both hands when snapping at her and Hester takes her interest in him. And him yelling when he smashes the table when Munsch questions him about his blood type doesn't work with this either because that is not how his hand is introduced!
By Drain The Swamp also, he's having no troubles with his hand at all, and while yes, this is his new hand, it is this hand that continued with his "kill Chanel" stuff.
More of an opinion this one, but if he continued to snap at Chanel, Hester shouldn't have trusted it, and while I'm reaching with this detail, the way she reacts when he grabs her to try calming her down when asking him to kill Munsch during surgery is some good fuel for how they could've gone with Hester's opinion of him. I'll come back to this later because it links into a theory of mine I've had for a very long time.
And no, him reaching for her neck vaguely in Scream Again doesn't entirely count as foreshadowing any of this later behavior because even there, he notices and pulls his hand away with the other. Also, Chanel was clearly a little uncomfortable with the way he was reaching for her there too, but that's a little note/nitpick of mine, given how their relationship goes through the season.
And before I move on to other characters: S2's crack in the timeline.
In Scream Again, when she's narrating to catch us up, Munsch says she hasn't thought about the Chanels for two whole years. S1 canonically stuck firmly in 2015. Later, Brock says Chanel is twenty-four. Chanel was either nineteen or somewhat recently twenty in S1. In Drain The Swamp, when Chanel is narrating the flash-forwards, she says it is canonically 2016. If I'm wrong about this not making sense, then blame it on my dyscalculia, but this is just a nitpick I've had for a while anyway.
Back to problems I have regarding the character writing of some in S2, starting with the ones I have the most to complain about: Jane and Cassidy.
My problem with Cassidy especially comes from how he isn't treated seriously by the writing, and when he is, it doesn't work. I know what they were trying to do because they wanted Cass to be three things:
Boone, through his conflict with Jane, which goes especially and mostly for how he interacts with his mom when we first find out he's her son. The "I'll take care of everything," - "After all you've been through," lines especially.
Pete, given this moment is a direct reference to Black Friday (Yes, I got that moving shot on purpose):
--
And his own character, which rarely works the way it could have because he isn't taken seriously by the writing!
Cassidy and Sadie are vaguely a play on the Romeo and Juliet trope, but they're not built up enough to warrant her being the one to "change" him. Pete's attachment to Grace worked perfectly because from his very first scene, we are aware of his attachment issues, and we SEE that problem already forming from the minute after he meets her. Again, this part of Cass isn't a play on S1, but it's a comparison fair to make given how Cass's relationship with Sadie is such a big part of both of them in the season.
In Cassidy's first scene- with Zayday- he states that he isn't interested in dating anyone, and I personally think that would've been a more interesting road for him: to have had him get close to Sadie intending to get some better judgment on how to take each of the girls out, only to fall for her through the season. It's still cliche, but it's better than the way S2 expected us to care deeply about this relationship when it started so suddenly and isn't taken seriously anyway.
Even the little details with Cass and Sadie being changed could've helped make this a little better. Throughout the season, Cass ONLY ever calls her Chanel Number Three, and it's too long, it makes the lines that are meant to be big moments for them too clunky.
The best example is when Jane trips him into choosing her over Sadie (which is quickly gone back on by him, which should've been emphasized more), and when he implies that she should leave, he still fully calls her by Chanel Number Three. Having him eventually start calling her Sadie at some point through the season- or hell, even just calling her Number Three like everyone else- would've made those lines come across smoother.
And then, we get to their deaths.
Jane and Cassidy's deaths should have been serious scenes, and they were not. This is partly because S2 had pretty much completely worn out the chance of having these two be seen as serious characters by the time we reach Drain The Swamp and also because, once again, neither of them was written seriously in the first place.
I'll talk a bit about Jane soon, but even Cassidy's dialogue weighs his character down. His lines at the start of the season especially, the "I envy ice" moment especially, are similar to Brock's issues in how completely out of tone they are for SQS itself.
One thing I have to say about Cass being given lines like this is that I get a feeling from them that whoever gave him these lines ran from some of Grace's earlier dialogue and her little speech in Black Friday about killing Munsch, but it doesn't work here because in S1 those lines were not tonally comedic, and they weren't the tone of SQS itself. That was just Grace, it was part of her characterization.
Even Cassidy's "I'm dead" thing was... why? It has the same vibe as Brock's hand problems and makes me wonder if they put it in just so they could have Sadie test for it to give them an extra scene together when they could've done that anyway if they'd written them properly!! It was so random and unnecessary, and much like Brock and Munsch's hand/medical plotlines, it goes nowhere and only comes in at random times.
Going back to how they wanted him to be three things, and this goes for Jane too, S1 introduced the Devils all in mostly or partly comedy-toned scenes, Boone especially, but not once when we find out any of them are villains (mostly excluding Hester given she's not officially revealed until TFGS) do we have to remind ourselves later that they are the villains. Every scene where it comes to them being Devils, not once is it impossible to take them seriously, no matter how the scene started, is going, or ends. Boone and Gigi taking the first height of Ghost Stories doesn't come across suddenly nor does it fall apart because of how they've been written previously and/or when they were introduced!! Gigi's relationship with her kids is clear and absolutely heartbreaking, and even when we don't even know she's a part of it this goes for Hester's relationship with Boone and Gigi too!! Pete goes from how he's written in Hell Week and Pilot to having the darkest, most intense death scene in the show and being the Devil with the MOST close-call attack in the show with how close he gets to killing Chanel in Black Friday!!
This doesn't work the same for Jane and Cassidy because they AREN'T written seriously from the very first scene we meet each of them.
And when it comes to introducing Jane in Scream Again, I do think something about how we start off mimicking S1's party falls somewhat flat.
It's very clear here that Jane loved her husband, and that sticks through the season- and it's also fairly obvious that Jane and her son will be villains considering how S1 went, but I think it may not feel as harsh as S1's opening because it feels almost rushed.
We only get a few seconds of Bill and Jane interacting and talking, and aside from those moments, we don't get any implications about their relationship.
We have no insight into any layers Nurse Thomas or Dr. Mike have, aside from a few (selfishly-reasoned) lines from Nurse Thomas. Seemingly, Dr. Mike is the most heartless one of the two. They are both completely happy once Bill's body is in the swamp, and aside from the one obvious cut to Jane, that's the end of the opening, and we know it all. This does not come back later. This does not get added to. We find out about the first massacre, and Jane tells us about that later, but that is it. It doesn't add any details to these four characters other than one extra detail about the first massacre Chamberlain and Zayday very quickly found out about.
Compare this to S1.
We don't start following Bethany. We follow Amy. We follow Amy because she's the one intending completely to help Sophia and is quickly implied to probably be the closest to Sophia out of the group.
And we're made to sympathize with Amy right away. We're made to sympathize with Sophia right away. We're made to pay attention to the others right away.
Coco doesn't follow immediately, as we get told when she runs in late and comments on the music downstairs. Bethany has silent, expression-given moments of shock and panic before she switches completely to being snappy. She also sets up the attitude of Chanel and the others. Sophia's line here gives us a good look through the delivery itself. It's made fairly clear she was likely the quietest/shyest one in the house. Mandy turns back briefly when she, Beth, and Coco leave before following, so we get a look into her relationship with everyone just in that. She did care for Sophia and Amy, but she'd suck up to Bethany as much as she could. Amy does not budge through this whole scene. She's addressing the others and only interacting with Sophia by holding her hand and glancing at the baby, but it's already been made clear that Amy cares about her, and it is obvious in these looks and little details that Sophia trusts her completely.
When the others come back after Waterfalls, they are shocked. They are panicked that Sophia's dead. They each get reaction shots, Bethany included. Amy has already taken it upon herself to hold the baby, who she still continues looking at when the others are there, which already creates a slight connection between Amy and the baby.
And this is where the scene ends. We don't know what they do with her body. It is left ambiguous until Chanel gives us a little more when she and Grace talk in the basement, and then we get the rest when Mandy tells us episodes later. It's not until Ghost Stories that Munsch confirms to herself that there were two babies confirmed that night, even when we've known about Boone since Hell Week.
I think S2's tone issues make it worse, given it struggles to add real weight to Jane's loss later, even when we do know most details from the start.
S1's opening, to those willing to analyze, anyway, already works to give weight and emotion and depth to every single one of them while still managing to leave a lot of things ambiguous until we are told later. It's immediately made obvious that nobody here is going to be a black-and-white character, and that only continues to go harder and harder through the season. The whole opening and all of the things previously mentioned even add to Gigi once we get the details about her. It adds to Gigi and Boone's relationship, with Boone's conflict over knowing and thinking about what would happen if Sophia were alive. It adds to Hester pre-retcon and how close we know she was to Gigi and the fact she sees Chanel and the others as replicas of Bethany, Mandy, and Coco. It adds to Grace turning out to be Bethany's daughter.
I've not got an ending point to come to with this one, but it's a big opinion of mine, given how attached I am to S1's characters.
I don't have much to say about Hoffel aside from the fact what more depth she could've had isn't gone through with, and that's unfortunate for her. There's lots of implication that she and Cassidy did genuinely have some sort of bond, but given S2 rushing through everything and/or ignoring it to focus on other things and the ways Cassidy and Jane are written in general, nothing is done with it, and it takes away what weight it seems like there was meant to be in the scenes where they argue over Cass drifting out of the plans. Even the way she reacts genuinely caught off guard when she kills him could've had more weight if it had been a serious scene.
Hoffel and Hester don't get to interact enough, and when they do, there's very little to it, and that's a shame. Hoffel is seeking vengeance for Agatha, who was there when Sophia's death was covered up and likely when Munsch told Amy and Gigi to leave with the babies, and- while I can absolutely partly blame the retcon for this- Hester doesn't get to feel anything about that.
Considering it's fair to assume Hoffel was pretty close with her sister, there's a chance that- given Agatha lived in Kappa- Hoffel might've visited even once or twice when Gigi and Amy and the others were still around, given it's fairly clear she hadn't ever met Chanel directly before.
Then there's the little detail in Hoffel's narration: "I've had my eye on the Chanels since they were released from the asylum."
Chanel was called out for (accidentally, but they didn't know that) killing Agatha far earlier than that. That's why she was first arrested by Chisolm in S1. Since Hoffel and Agatha were direct family, Hoffel would've been informed here. She would've been told her sister was dead once they found her body in Shady Lane and then- if Chisolm wasn't too lazy to do it- updated to know who killed her when Chanel was believed to have done it all.
As odd as it would be for all of them, I don't think it's impossible that maybe Hester alone either sought Hoffel out at some point in between seasons to "tell her what really happened to her sister" because Chisolm's laziness had him never do so, OR since Denise handled the case so heavily when Hester was caught, Hoffel was invited to see Hester face-to-face in a setting akin to an interview as a chance to get some closure over what really happened to her sister, and Hester twisted it then into Chanel purposefully killing her.
And this can also go for what they could've done with her and Cass, going off the last option mentioned, Hoffel- while definitely with rougher edges than Jess and Amy had and seemingly less directly than Hester- seems extremely family-orientated.
The fact she's doing this for Agatha, the fact she's genuinely upset to kill Cass (accidentally), the way she reacts to Wes saying he wants to kill Hester by snapping that's his daughter.
If Hoffel knew Gigi (and Amy, and Sophia, and- given Bethany likely wouldn't have been too friendly, met the others), then Hester would've told her the whole story. About Agatha playing a part in covering up Sophia's murder, about Munsch, about Amy and Gigi, and everything that happened to them. Maybe she'd have even mentioned Boone.
And Hoffel would- in a twisted way- honestly halfway understand that. She'd zone in on the next thing she could- someone who, in her eyes, has nothing to lose, Chanel.
Even the way she reacts when she finds out Wes is Hester's dad in the first place is so outward and odd to me, but had Hoffel met Gigi, it gives something to Hoffel briefly defending Hester when Wes puts forward killing her trying to save his own skin. Just a little way she could've repaid Gigi for what harm Agatha was indirectly involved in. She's after vengeance for her sister, yes, but she can keep Hester safe while she's doing it.
These theories don't have to be connected, but going back to that theory I mentioned earlier:
Hester's urgency over Brock killing Munsch as soon as possible has always made me believe that it was never meant to be her and Brock going to Blood Island. It was meant to be her and Hoffel.
Again, this is a theory, but Hester leaves as soon as Hoffel is ready to kill everybody. She doesn't seem to think once about Brock being caught up in that, and as far as it's implied, he had to find a way to meet her there already on Blood Island. Hoffel is getting ready to leave before the Scooby-Doo chase starts. Hoffel was aware when Brock was going to propose to Munsch, she is the one who goes to fetch Chanel. Hester told her this plan.
It was Hester's idea for him to propose to Munsch anyway. She stood with Hoffel (and Cassidy) during the said proposal and was there to hand Munsch that pen at the wedding. She knew what she was doing. She had something planned that all this was a necessity for.
It's entirely possible to me that her plan was to have Brock kill Munsch and take the money, and once everything was done, it would've been her and Hoffel escaping to Blood Island to just do whatever they want as just partners in crime.
They also put Hoffel in Amy's blue a lot, be it with that one dress or with her nails.
And then we get to... the most pathetic, wet dog of a man in the show.
Wes is stupid. Wes is hilariously stupid. What happened to Grace is more his fault than Chanel's, and he attacks everyone he says he isn't interested in, Munsch included, given that Green Meanie she nearly unmasks at the start of the season is Wes considering Hoffel didn't have the costume by then and Cass was there in the scene with Sadie. He attacks Zayday multiple times, even if during one, he leaves her alone because she was Grace's best friend.
He yells at Hester never to call him dad, and then immediately tries tripping her into taking his side by yelling that he is her dad, and then later that same episode, says he wants to kill her to save his own skin, and this is the writing's fault, but he doesn't even say Grace's name before he dies, he says playlist, which was a running gag in S1, but was not mentioned in S2 up until then.
Wes showing up so randomly this season alone is fuel for my theory that a S3 would've brought the dead villains back (S1 villains at the forefront) because he is here just to tell us what happened to Grace and then fucking die. They could've easily done this through Zayday, but Grace literally does not exist until Wes comes along, she's mentioned like twice- never by the girls- and then she's never mentioned again.
Wes and Zayday never even see each other face to face, and she is NOT MISSING by the time he gets there. This is not acknowledged as her actively avoiding him, and even when she mentions Earl Gray to Jane, her connection to Grace is not acknowledged. I get it, boyfriend is closer to husband, but why would you not have her talk about Grace here? Have her say she lost Grace to the Devil murders!! If Grace as a devil is meant to have the power to possibly have ALREADY killed Chanel then mention her in S2!!!
Although this is also the fault of Wes being hilariously awful since S1, he is also impossible to take seriously as a villain both for that reason and because of how he's re-introduced and is here for like half an hour in total.
Wes this season also has a negative effect on Munsch, given her health issues are put on pause while he's around. This isn't the first time they seem to disappear, but it's the time it lasts the longest. Zayday told Munsch she had less than a year to live, and we get through the implication of her knowing she only has a month that she did her own research and put the timeline together herself, and as emotional as she got telling Zayday (and Chamberlain) about her worries in the first place, this is ignored by her until the last two episodes start rushing to wrap it up.
Even the brief deal he makes with Cass not only goes nowhere, but it's also impossible to take seriously because neither Cass nor Wes are written seriously in general, and by then it's too late to take them as such, especially with, again, how Wes was re-introduced.
Wes also gets his ass kicked whenever he tries physically fighting anyone, which is absolutely hilarious.
I'll mention this here due to the fact I can't say much about her because she's inactive for so long this season, but Denise being the hero of the season is pretty funny, although I do wish they'd have done more with her instead of putting her away before Hester moved back in with the others and Zayday went missing especially.
To move on to more positive things I have to say about S2, and why I rewatch it so often when I'm writing Chanel and Hester especially, season two does have a lot of really great character interactions with the girls.
It's the characterization and dynamic between the girls this season that slips through the intentionally more comedic-toned writing, and I love it.
Brock's inconsistency leads to unnecessary drama between Munsch and Chanel, but pushing that aside, there is something so special about how clear the bond between everyone is in Season Two.
Chanel and Zayday's bond is amazingly done. Chanel starts off purposefully trying to knock Zayday's confidence this season, but it isn't a rehashing of their S1 dynamic; it's a continuation. Where Chanel starts this season makes her possessive of whatever chance there is to be seen as the leader around the hospital, but it doesn't last. She'll be spiteful and snappy occasionally, of course, but within a few weeks, she's already calmed down, and she and Zayday are working alongside each other- and living together- fine.
We see more of Chanel and Sadie this season, too, as much as a lot of Sadie's scenes are pushed to be surrounding her relationship with Cass. They're closer than people would think they are, and the fact Sadie continued testing whether Chanel really wouldn't give in when she tries saying no to letting Hester stay is a huge nod to the kind of dynamic those two have in the dynamic of The Chanels in general.
Libby gets a whole relationship with Zayday this season, and it's adorable. It's so well-written, and I don't know why. We see them care about each other. Zayday brings Libby down to earth. Libby notices when Zayday goes missing. I don't know whose idea this was, but I don't think anyone can look me in the eye and tell me that a S3 wouldn't have continued with these two's relationship. They're running the hospital together by post-finale. They're practically married by the end of S2.
And pausing going from character to character for a second, S2's moments of building/emphasizing bonds between everyone makes me wonder if it was their way of setting up for a S3 being more character-focused and bringing in both the S1 villains and Grace as the Devil, and Zayday and Libby are my biggest example.
Zayday this season takes Grace's role, and with Chamberlain gone, she'd need someone else to investigate alongside her in a S3- where Grace is undoubtedly the Devil. Having Zayday and Libby investigate/visit Jane together seems like their way of testing whether that would work using Libby as Zayday's partner in investigating, and with these two being given such a nice dynamic, it did.
Even Munsch's wonky way of caring for the girls works oddly well this season. There's the unnecessary romance triangle that covers it more than other things I'm talking about here, but it's there through the whole season, even through the more in-character-conflict moments of threatening Chanel over Hester's whereabouts. Smaller things like her friendship with Denise coming back! And the way she is when they first visit Hester in the asylum this season is so interesting. She's so spiteful, and it just makes me wonder if it comes from the fact that part of her does know that it's partly her fault any of S1 (Wording it this way because the retcon's not canon) happened at all. She is partly at fault for the Devil Murders happening in the first place, and she's still too prideful to admit it to herself- especially when they first go to Hester, pushing aside the problems with the plotline, Munsch is under the impression she is dying.
Chad's big moment before he dies is so fucking sweet. I know it seems like I give him too much credit just off his word for this scene, but it's owing to Glen's phenomenal delivery of the little moments Chad gets even in S1 (his line in Ghost Stories when he asks if Chanel is the killer). He's so genuine in this whole scene, and it's just nice to have him admit that he does care for Chanel. Saying he just wants Chanel to enjoy her wedding? I am ugly crying.
I have some opinions on Chad's death. It's really stupid that Wes was the one to kill him, and killing him off so soon was a very bold move, but that scene was a sweet sendoff for him.
This one's going to be very long, have quite a bit of an old S1 analysis of mine, and have shots slotted in, so bear with me.
Chanel and Hester's dynamic this season is perfect. It's honestly quite surprising because when doing S1 to S2 right after the other, aside from Thanksgiving, all of their moments in S1 are coming from Chanel's clear bias, and then little things like Chanel's reactions to Hester being hurt in Dorkus/TFGS and then her reactions to when Hester is framing her, which may very well have not even been scripted.
In S2, their moments seem mostly intentional. There are a lot of little details again, but even the obviously scripted things like everything Chanel does when it comes to moving Hester in and refusing to tell Munsch anything about her whereabouts genuinely do make me think that a S3 would've continued developing these two's dynamic.
Looking back on Chanel's reactions in Dorkus/TFGS, first when they find Hester with the heel through her eye:
This is before Hester wakes up. When Zayday struggles to feel a pulse, and it's quickly being concluded she must be dead. From some of the others, this wouldn't look like much, but this is Chanel. In front of the others. In front of Grace.
It's implied at least one of them stepped away to call an ambulance because TFGS picking the timeline back up starts when Hester's already being wheeled out. And Chanel is there, running alongside her and telling her over and over that it'll be okay, she'll be alright, destabilized with the "Can we save the shoe?" line similar to how Pete messing around in Kappa was used as a destabilizer in his last scene. That's an in-character destabilizer, but it doesn't take away from how she's acting otherwise. This is Chanel running alongside and trying to comfort the girl she pushed down the stairs a few days ago. This is Chanel running alongside and trying to comfort the girl Zayday and Grace JUST CALLED THE LAST DEVIL. And Chanel believed them. She knew they were right. Everyone knew those two wouldn't have gotten it wrong, especially not then, especially given what Grace went through literally the night before.
But the next time we see her, she's following what Hester said when she was awake and yelling at Libby to confess that she's the last Devil. And added detail, to the others, it probably should've been thought that Hester wasn't entirely in the right mind when yelling about Libby, the girl was half-blind, had just regained consciousness, bleeding, and in a lot of pain. They don't know she did that herself.
And then when Hester moves to her during TFGS- with their completely parallel colors too- she snaps about it at first, but when Hester starts backing her toward Sadie and Libby:
Hester is the only person to pull this type of genuine reaction from Chanel. To pull reactions like this from Chanel that aren't faked or dramatized purposefully by her in the moment, and this continues into S2 in ways that, again, seem to be completely on purpose.
This isn't to do with Chanel, but I just want to point out that Amy, Sophia, and Gigi all get their own bits of reference in Chanel Pour Homme-Icide when Chanel and Hester first meet back up. Amy and Sophia get their colors in the lighting that follows Chanel through the scene- blue and gold respectively- and Hester faking ghostly sounds is directly taken from Gigi even if the retcon would never allow that to be acknowledged.
I had to bring those S1 moments up because I'm pairing them a bit with how Chanel continues to react toward Hester through the rest of the scene in CPH-I. She snaps at her- barely, for her standards- twice. And then it's implied that she listens to what Hester says mostly in silence because the scene cuts away to the apartment, and Chanel announces that Hester's moving in with them.
Even the things Libby and Sadie seem to start noticing and actively start pushing back against.
Libby's reaction wouldn't have done much to Chanel anyway, sure, but the way Sadie doesn't start a direct argument over it when she also refuses makes me wonder if she didn't give in as soon as Chanel said they'd have better luck with Hester there just to see if Chanel really wouldn't go back on her word, and she doesn't.
All it takes is this look, and Sadie lets it go.
This is all after Halloween Blues.
Chanel assumed when she was attacked there that it was Libby and was later directly proven wrong. She also says herself when Zayday's helping with her leg, she doesn't know why she wasn't followed. It's never brought back up, but there is very little chance that she didn't piece together that it must've been Hester.
Even things like barely snapping when she wakes up to Hester standing over her bed (The fact Hester ended up rooming with Chanel is a whole thing on its own) she's scared for a few moments, but she fully listens to what Hester asks for. She's bored, she feels caged up here, and she's just got out of one, she wants something to do, or she'll kill someone for the hell of it.
Before this, and before Chanel confesses and gets Hester free-roam, Munsch threatens her over Hester's whereabouts, where she stays completely silent and refuses to say so much as a word.
Hester's characterization in S2 is something I actually really like for her. The retcon's still present (and patchy), but there's actually quite a bit of her depth that slips between the cracks this season.
Although nearly all of what I'm going to say here is not confirmed directly, her calling the Green Meanie summit when she did is a nice little detail. She sees them arguing, and it's fair to assume through her, "We're here to divvy out the remaining murders so that no one's feelings get hurt," line that she worked to settle things as soon as she noticed the infighting because of what happened between Gigi and Boone.
I've talked about her and Chanel already, but on Hester's end specifically, we have some of it pretty intertwined with her characterization here in general.
She takes the chance to tease Chanel by stealing her blood in Blood Drive, but it comes with her actively trying to keep her promise not to kill anybody so she doesn't have to be locked up again, which is something about her character that I've always really liked given her past in Palmer. It's fitting for her to hate being locked up as much as she does, and S2 goes really hard with it.
Going back to Chanel, there's also a lot to S2's cliffhanger. There is a 50/50 chance here that Chanel is either badly hurt or canonically dead, with how few ways there were for her to have gotten out of it. Sadie would've most likely been the one to find her, and Hester (and Munsch) wouldn't be there to know about it. The cliffhanger this season also brings me back to what I said about a S3 possibly being more character-driven, both with Grace as the Devil and the fact that if she'd been hurt here, Chanel would've had Zayday and Libby especially keeping an eye on her given they're canonically leading the hospital by the end of the season. This could've pushed a lot between Chanel and Hester too, looking back at the fact Hester and Boone constantly spared Grace in S1 and did see her as their little sister.
I won't say anymore because I'll probably just end up repeating myself, and this is already far too long, but there you go, anon. Told you I had a lot to say.
Bonus for S2 being very adamant either on purpose or not on purpose that Chanel is asexual.
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The Sunnydale Herald Newsletter - Monday, October 9th
RILEY: People say they're recycling. (shakes head) They're not recycling.
~~The Replacement~~
[Drabbles & Short Fiction]
[French language] Premier repas (Gen, not rated) by guepard54
Written in the Stars (Buffy/Spike, NC-17) by RavenLove12
[Chaptered Fiction]
Ready for it? Chapter 2 (Buffy/Spike, NC-17) by Lilacsandorangeblossoms
Soft Enough To Cleanse You Chapter 1 (Buffy/Spike, NC-17) by Desicat
Ethan Rayne, Watcher Chapter 5 (Buffy/Spike, PG) by Desicat
A Place in the Sun Chapter 34 (Buffy/Spike, NC-17) by honeygirl51885
Under The Rubble Chapter 48 (Buffy/Spike, R) by Geliot99
Destiny or Choices Made? Chapter 12 (Buffy/Spike, PG-13) by charmed4lifekaren
If You Can't Say Anything Nice... Chapter 2 (Buffy/Spike, R) by Geliot99
Amara Time Chapter 1 (Buffy/Spike, NC-17) by Joan963z
A Marriage of Inconvenience Chapter 13 (Buffy/Spike, R) by all_choseny
the Eyes Chapter 13 (Buffy/Spike, NC-17) by Dusty
I remember who you are Chapter 6 (Buffy/Spike, PG-13) by Desicat
What the Drabble? Chapter 21 (Buffy/Spike, R) by VeroNyxK84
Part of the Family Chapter 17 (Buffy/Spike, PG-13) by Harlow Turner
Buffy 2.0 Chapter 15 (Gen, FR18) by BlueZeroZeroOne
Chasing Midnight Chapter 1 (Gen, T) by Harley_Writes
When the Past Meets the Present Chapter 1 (Spike/Giles, E) by Bitter_Rabbit
Third Time's the Charm Chapter 3 (Buffy/Giles, T) by Bitter_Rabbit
better than revenge Chapter 1 (Angel/Jenny, T) by The_Eclectic_Bookworm
[Image, Audio & Video]
Audio: Buffy Spotify Playlist: Listen To Every Song Featured In Buffy The Vampire Slayer by JanuaryStorm
Art: Cover art of the upcoming audio series, "Slayers: A Buffyverse Story" by Coven_Supreme
Art: 😭 BTVS 516. The Body 😭 by tmcarlee
Video: I made a little YouTube video… by _dredre17
[Reviews]
Episodes 6 and 7 “The Pack” and “Angel” by mothmans-wedding-photographer
Episodes 8 and 9 “I Robot, You Jane” and “The Puppet Show” by mothmans-wedding-photographer
[Community Announcements]
Buffyverse Top 5 to Open Oct 20 by yourlibrarian
[Fandom Discussions]
Pangs being immediately followed by Something Blue by aphony-cree
We know the Watchers Council only thinks of the Slayer as a tool but by bluestarsandclouds
I love Revelations by coraniaid
Slayers. Will Spuffy Fans Listen? What Do You Want To Hear? continued by multiple posters
FFH: Having Fred and Illyria? by nightshade
Actually cannot believe she’s about to come back to me.. and as the slayer??? by bloomforu
Buffy The Vampire Slayer's First Season Was Forced To Abandon A Few Wild Concepts - /Film by Tuxedo_Mark
When should I watch Angel? by Kekskuchen210
Rewatching Buffy by Doogerie
Why did she not remember? by Ficfan2998
Small BtVS Moments/Scenes by johnnyorac
Best High School Season by No-Intention-1948
Buffy Quotes that live in your head rent free… by Independent-Bird-808
Factual error by TheOriginalLudo
So the psych ward thing by illvria
When Xander walked in on Spike “exercising naked” by Sweet-Siren
Joyce was a great character by Sweet-Siren
On my first watch through by Oryan111
What If...?" Relationship Pairings! by WriteImagination
Do you remember the first time you watched "Passion" from season 2? by jdpm1991
Least favorite episode in season 2… Go! by mstsvilt
Will Cordelia have a sister? by DifficultRice7075
What would have been different if Buffy had a larger budget? by NorsacceBerlusconi
am I just stuck with dawn now? by malachorfives
Why do people skip episodes? by D-ry316
Julie Benz originally auditioned for the role of Buffy by Lysander1999
Submit a link to be included in the newsletter!
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I finally watched spooky month (after I kept seeing all the fanart you make and I just got too curious) and I rewatched the first two episodes. I looked through the drawings on Susies Laptop when she scrolls through "Twitter" and saw that there is even a drawing of you there doing the spooky month dance dhjksa. I didn't even know that, that's so cool :D
Weeehehe nice you decided to check it out! Hope you found it as fun as I do.
And yes!!! I got to be included in the gag all those years ago, I still remember Pelo tweeting abt doing that gag and asking for peep's characters, I had to check his profile multiple times for the tweet where he'd ask for the drawings he'd use.
I also remember the excitement throughout watching the episode wondering how exactly would the gag be executed, or if I even made it in.
I rewatched that part so many times,, ouu!!!!!
I gushed abt it to a friend irl as well........
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9 person tag meme [nuh uh]
Tagged: Stole it from @fullmoonfireball
last song: This specific Shadow Shadow cover like right now lmao
movie: Recently watched a few! Including the Mario Movie, both the Sonic ones, and the D&D Honor Among Thieves one! All were p good!
currently watching: Been rewatching old cartoons I used to like, like My Life As A Teenage Robot
currently reading: does my own discord rp antics w pals count?
currently craving: give me taco casa or so help me
currently playing: Multiple games recently. trying to get 100% in Miitopia (i'm at 95 rn), and been screwing around w things like Terraria
last thing you researched: Internal fixators specifically for broken upper arms, the details behind how they work and when they're used and what they're made of, as well as if they're still able to be affected by magnets [modern ones are not made of magnetic metals and even if they were smth like a toy or fridge magnet won't be able to react with it through all that skin]. It was for writing stuff
tagging: nuh uh (steal it)
#been a while since i done one of these since usually they're an rp blog thing#but they're fun to do wahoo#repost/tag games
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Update 01/06/2022
Good evening, good evening, good evening!
It was my birthday on May 30th, and it was great! Wonderful news!
Secondly, happy Pride Month, and happy Our Flag Means Death just got renewed month - if you haven't gone and seen OFMD yet, I totally recommend it, especially because we're going to get a season 2! Plus, the new season of What We Do In The Shadows is gonna start coming out next month, so it's great news for the gays all around, honestly.
I say these two because for media recommendations I do not have much to offer this week - I watched The Northman (2022) and In The Earth (2021) with Joel Fry, and I thought they were both fine, but neither were remarkable enough to me to write home about. I've also caught up on the new season of Love, Death, and Robots, and I extremely recommend S3E2, Bad Travelling, which is a really cool nautical horror.
Apart from that, I really enjoyed Taika Waititi's Autocomplete interview with Wired, and they also did this really great interview with him called The Multifarious Multiplicity of Taika Waititi, and it really resonated with me as an (workaholic) ADHD creator, and is such an interesting insight into his process and how he approaches his work.
May's Top Story: Remnants of a Bygone Era
Erotic short. After his roommate brings him to his bondage tutorial, Ignatius pursues a very grumpy little nurse.
Rated E, cis M/M, 7.5k. Rope bondage tutorials and sexy lectures about safe sex, age difference, power dynamics, size difference, leather, role reversals and dynamic play, anal sex, hairy bodies, dirty talk, mild humiliation, teasing, nipple piercings, tattoos.
On Medium / / On Patreon
New Work Published
Romance Short: Sweet On
A chocolatier falls head over heels for one of his most austere customers.
7k, rated M, M/M. A very exuberant chocolatier crushes on desperately on the deadpan professor who begins coming into his shop for coffee. Autism for autism and lots of flirting and teasing. Introducing Benny Wu and Haoran Soon.
On Medium / / On Patreon
Serial Update: Rescue Dogs
Chapter Nine. Cecil takes Valorous apart as best he can.
Content warnings in this chapter include self-esteem problems, undernegotiated kink, power dynamics. There’s a bit of kink in this chapter, with flogging, spanking, figging, dirty talk, Daddy kink.
On WorldAnvil / / On Medium
Erotic Short: Grind
A trans man grinds against his boyfriend’s hand.
300 words, rated E, cis man/trans man, frottage and grinding.
On Medium / / On Patreon
Erotic Short: Touch-Starved
When a man finds out about his disabled coworker’s active sex life, he’s very jealous, and maybe… something else, too.
Rated E, cis M/M, 15k! Arden Rice has been friends with Sebastian April for years, and it’s never occurred to him before now that April might have an active sex life — let alone a sex life he want to involve himself in.
On Medium / / On Patreon
Erotic Short: Haughty Paris
A sailor picks out the coolest and most beautiful of the tavern’s boys, like he always does.
Rated E, cis M/M, 800w. D/s, humiliation kink, face slapping, sex work.
On Medium / / On Patreon
Our Flag Means Death Fanfic: Thanks
Rated T, 500w, Roach/Izzy.
"Does that hurt?" asks a voice behind him, and Roach turns up from where he's awkwardly trying to roll his shoulders, to work the tension out from between the blades.
On Ao3 / / On Tumblr
Our Flag Means Death Fanfic: Occupied
Rated T, 460w, Frenchie/Izzy. Lucius goes looking for Frenchie and finds him alone with Izzy.
On Ao3
Our Flag Means Death: Close Textual Analysis
This is going to be a rewatch liveblog going through E1 and closely reading and responding to the text, bit by bit, in chronological order.
It’s going to be pretty casual in tone, I will be swearing and making sex jokes and blah blah blah, this is close reading for fun and isn’t academic in tone, but it’s still close reading and commentary on the text with some analysis here and there. For fun.
S01 E01 The Pilot: On Medium / / On Patreon / / On Tumblr
S01 E02 A Damned Man: On Medium / / On Patreon / / On Tumblr
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This is going to be a rant about shows being cancelled and the state of streaming services and media.
I'm mad about Warrior Nun being canceled. I'm mad about First Kiss. I'm mad about Gentleman Jack, Legends of Tomorrow (and the whole lot of DC shows), The Owl House, Charmed. Older canceled shows like One Day at a Time, Dark Matter, Wonderfalls, Sweet/Vicious, the Hulu & Freeform Marvel shows (The Runaways, Cloak & Dagger), Teenage Bounty Hunters, Adventure Time, Steven Universe, Wynonna Earp. Carnival. Warehouse 13. STUMPTOWN! I'm never going to stop screaming about the tragedy of that one. There are tons more. I don't have hours to list them all.
It sucks when a good show gets canceled. It sucks when you look for more content, and all you can find is the same show starring the same kind of tough, cishet, white dude that's in its seventh season and has three spinoffs. There is never an abundance of queer content. It feels like there is when we get lucky enough to have multiple shows in a year, but it's nothing compared to cishet content.
Things began to change with Netflix a few years before COVID. I want to point to COVID and blame it for everything, and it certainly did have a big impact on production costs, but the fact is that Netflix (specifically) has been reluctant to have any show last for more than two or three seasons because then it has to pay everyone more. They'd rather cancel and start up a new show.
There's a problem with streaming services and access in general, though. You've probably started to watch an older show on Netflix (one that they license) and found that it would be leaving the service at the end of the month. It might be available on another service, or it might not be available anywhere.
And then there's the issue of licensing.
If you have a physical copy because the company who produced it included selling physical media in the deal or budget for the show, you can always rewatch it and relive the good times. But if it's a streaming-only show, there's a very low chance it will ever be legally sold on physical media.
Remember the Marvel shows on Netflix? I want to own more than one season of Jessica Jones. Guess how many seasons were released on disc? If you guessed "one," then you are correct. Even Daredevil only had two seasons released on disc, and it was a breakout hit.
Remember Wynonna Earp? IDW used Kickstarter to fund the box sets. They didn't even go through a major distributor.
I'll never see Sweet/Vicious on disc. I'll never own She-Ra on blu-ray. The Runaways, Cloak & Dagger (I know it's not queer, but I love that show, ok?), Sense8, Arcane, Dead to Me, Derry Girls, Paper Girls, ALOTO, Gentleman Jack - I'll probably never be able to buy any of them legally.
Yes, I know that the first three seasons of SPOP were released on DVD. Where's the rest of it? Where's my blu-ray release?
The best and worst thing the digital age has given us has been streaming services. You have a huge library of content at your fingertips that can be taken away at any moment.
Just look at the shit show that is HBO Max after the Warner/Discovery merger. Shows are getting cut from that service faster than I can keep track of. Shows that may never see the light of day again (or ever, in the case of per-release properties) because WB/D holds the rights and is shoving them into storage in an attic. We are watching shows become lost media.
I'm getting tired of my shows being canceled. I'm getting tired of them being locked behind one particular service in a landscape where every company has to have its own platform. Streaming was supposed to be the alternative to cable, but they're squeezing us for more and more and giving us less and less for it.
But I'm tired of there being fewer and fewer legal ways to consume content offline. Even in the 90s and early 2000s when shows were cut down at alarming rates, we still had physical media. For example, Shout Factory was well known for putting out obscure or classic shows and movies with a big enough fan base.
(Note to self: buy that Facts of Life set before it disappears for another 20 years.)
We may need to go back to smaller companies making their own content. I don't know. It feels like the streaming wonderland is collapsing, and I don't know what system will rise from the ashes.
I used to joke that knowing me was getting to experience a list of shows that were canceled before their time. It's still true.
#show cancellations#streaming media#lost media#physical media#queer content#it's complicated and frustrating
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I absolutely do not disagree that we should boycott anything further from JKR - anything Harry Potter related, anything else she brings out, anything that makes her money etc. I do not disagree that a thriving fandom sends the message that the work is still popular, that people are still interested. But I have slightly conflicting thoughts when it comes down to the nitty gritty regarding fan creations and already owned items. This is not what I wanted to say with this post.
I turned 21 last year. When I was 10 I got into Harry Potter. I loved it. I saw the last film in the cinema with my mum and it’s one of the few cinema trips I remember vividly (partially because I was 11 and had it in my head that I would be kicked out for watching a film rated 12. My parents were strict about that). For my 12th birthday we went to the studio tour in Watford. I was obsessed with Harry Potter. I read all the books multiple times, I watched and rewatched the films. I had a few quiz question unofficial books. I bought Lego sets. I did a talk on Harry Potter for a children’s public speaking competition. I bought board games and jigsaw puzzles. I started to make my own trivia game with Harry Potter facts. My eleventh birthday was on a Tuesday - so was Harry’s. I gave up talking about Harry Potter for Lent one year (and reading/watching it for a full year). I visited the House of MinaLima in London and saw the art they’d done. I visited the studio tour in Watford a second time.
Then it became known that J.K. Rowling was transphobic. I couldn't look at the books without feeling sick to my stomach. Despite one of her short stories being exactly what I wanted for a short story anthology exercise for class I refused to include it on principal. I removed the little Slytherin pin I had on my denim jacket. I recently took down a poster I had from the Half Blood Prince. It was about the size of two postcards and unfolded from a activity set I got years ago. I could barely see it most of the time because my nonbinary flag covered it. I stopped mentioning Harry Potter. I couldn't.
As a gift for my 21st birthday my parents got me the first Harry Potter book illustrated by MinaLima. A book I love(d), art I admired. For my 19th I had a Gryffindor cake. My parents know what JKR has said. They know she’s transphobic. They know I am transgender. I love MinaLima’s art. Looking at their illustrations is exciting and interesting and I enjoy it. But I also feel just a little bit sick to my stomach.
How do you explain to people who don’t believe JKR is saying anything particularly incorrect that she doesn’t want me alive? How do you explain that I want nothing to do with something that once brought me so much joy? How do I explain that my silence is no longer a type of penance, that I choose not to speak because I simply do not care what that woman says? How do I tell my parents that their daughter is no more and they cannot make me be the person I used to be?
#clearing out the depths of my drafts and found this#not really sure what i actually did want to say with it because i feel like i went off plan mid-rant#(i kept the minalima book. i read it. i enjoyed it. i will not be buying any further HP ones they release.)#since writing this post i also moved the HP book out of my bedroom and into my brothers (to make room on my shelves)#my own post#harry potter
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Nope, I meant allll the details, like acting, shooting, characters, storytelling, differences from standard kdrama...
I already loved the cast.
I'm curious about badminton but have zero experience and knowledge about it. So this drama has a nice theme for me (although they didn't get into any technical stuff about badminton. I don't know if they will ever do but if they do, I'll be glad)
The cold characters are not entirely evil. I loved that. And I don't only mean that suit scene with the loser guy. Young Sim is not hardcore bad person. It's hard to explain it now so let's pass this.
And yes, I think they are siblings because I saw a family picture of them. But it's hard to click in the details and I have questions. How does no one including the main characters know about him while knowing his sister?
Oh, one random fun detail: opening scene of the first episode (fish scene) was funny. It was a good impression to me.
It has a flavor called natural lol. Interactions are fun and natural with slight push to deliver the story. They kept it real multiple times and I appreciate it.
Sports drama is not my favorite. It took me long time to even consider watching Hot Stove League. I liked that drama (even though I don't know nothing about baseball, it's not famous in my country.) But it had shortcomings along with so many fun details. I hope this drama has a good balance.
I just.... want the background story to be well thought and convincing. I know I have so much hope for a drama which can make me face with disappointment because it is a kdrama. Anyway. Hope to see more great work from both the kdrama and your gifsets. :D
omg buddy I love your full detailed descriptions I'm just... I'm so bad with words xD
I'm hoping for that squad energy like racket boys and I'm sure we'll get there once all the misunderstandings are slowly cleared.
I get you, the supposed "evil" characters are flawed but they had a good relationship before so hope this gets covered nicely throughout.
ohhh there was a pic, but yess how come taeyang didnt know or maybe she knew she just didnt talk about it oh well we'll see~~
You mentioned fish scene that I'm clueless about I think I might missed that hahah gonna rewatch that opening!
I'm still keeping my expectations low because the writer's prev works didn't exactly impress me haha but we can always hope for better writing this time. Let's enjoy and talk about the drama anytime! Feel free to request for sets too, I'm always happy to take up ❤️
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ABOUT ME (cus im bored andd busily forgot)!! VERY LONG CUS I YAP TOO MUCH:
• First Topic!- Facts and fixations..!
(even though I probably have small details to tell cus it’s hard to explain for me stuff and have tightly enclosed interests, learning, etc)
• stars and space..I enjoy to fully immerse myself in further biology aswell (science is all time for me) and learn by reading my science encyclopedia and watching videos of teachers demonstrating/dedicating this topic knowledgeable enough to know (ofc)for atleast a decade. It’s me and the online teachers against the world. Fight meh, (pls don’t, I ain’t intrigued enough for it)
• I love my little pony (if you couldn’t already tell) which has been easily going on for most of my life and never will stop (most lesbian show ever). Continuing on, I adore and know most of the episodes IF I can physically remember ( i DONT have good memory) , and rewatched each episode atleast twice..even when I’m busy. I would talk for hours on end and rant about it! Lol! ( I was born to watch this show ).
•MOSHI MONSTERsZZ, I have the encyclopedia and everything, I loved playing the game and trollling on there to scare everyone and wish I spent more time on it. I used to have figures of them and I personally also dreamt to become one of them as a kid! The series itself helped me interest into reading any kinds of silly stories too (LOVREE ITT). However, it was an on and off story, that’s why I didn’t spent so much. More obsessed now!
•Pokémon!! Gonna catch them alllll!, yes, I had the collections and when my dad brought me all them cards, i couldn’t help but pack them up read through trying to actually get them all! I would talk about it all day (if I ran out of ideas of mlp) running to school to interest others kids (most people were OPPS against this fr..) but that didn’t stop me from watching or playing!! :D Fixation since 2011-idk lol.
•Plants vs zombies..what a time. I remember how I kept this away from everyone, even my parents and uncle (mostly dad). Another one that’s been happening most of my life aswell. However, I got upset when they changed the game itself..I cried cus WTFFFF..they updated it to a basic level game and was no longer interested in it. I LOVE playing the old demo tho fr, best thing ever, just like everything else cus I die when change. I loved it since the DS version was out ( Jan 2011 ).
I have more but too much already..
Second topic!: ME!
I have multiple disabilities. In statement of including of ADHD, attempted Tism, scoliosis (mild/progressing),astigmatism, attempted asthma and breathing problem(s), binge eating disorder, body dysmorphia, eczema (less baffling), motion sickness, indigestion, insomnia, endometriosis (mild/ also progressive) and maladaptive dreamer.
Third Topic!: Films/Series and music taste..
My favourite films/series (surprised myself).. are Mad Max 1 and 2, Scorpion King, Sonic the Hedgehog 1 and 2 (fixation), FROM (series), Elf, Diary of the wimpy kid, Fast and furious (kinda tired of them lol), Casino Royale, Boisvert (series), Happy meat farms/ Jurassic World (analog horror) Karate Kid (film series), Fury, 1917. I have more but idc to tell!
MUSIC!!:
Nickelback, Fergie, Lapfox Trax, Skillet/ Skrillex, the killers, Rob zombie, PTV, Chiodos, Black eyed peas, three days G, RGTM, Disturbed, Billy idol and Queen.
Fourth Topic: EXTRA HOBBIES
I enjoy..
•English/ literature/storymaking
• Journalism/ diaries
• Drawing/ art
•Fashion and Jewellery
• Baking and cooking
•DIY (labour included so sometimes)
• physiotherapy
•Scripting/animating/editing/computing
•Gaming
•Swimming (sometimes)
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What are some Japanese bl you would recommend? (i have only watched cherry magic, my love mix up and old fashion cupcake)
Japanese BL is a little harder to get sometimes because they lack consistent international distribution, but if it's not available on a legal platform you can usually find it on a grey site. I tried to mention where I watched it, but some may not still be available on those platforms.
You already mentioned three of my faves, including Old Fashion Cupcake, Cherry Magic, and My Love Mix-up.
In no particular order, here are some others I enjoyed. Star rankings based on my personal taste and are out of 4 (4=flawless, 3=enjoyable, would rewatch multiple times, 2=pretty good, don't regret watching it but probably won't rewatch it, 1=bad, do not recommend):
Seven Days: Monday - Thursday, Friday - Sunday ***/* (Grey, sweet and pure, my first ever Japanese BL, a classic high-school set BL based on a manga, Seiryo says yes to anyone who asks him to be their boyfriend, but the caveat is it's only for one week, one day on a whim Shino asks him out)
Ossan's love 2018-19 **/* (Viki, gay office romcom, distinct Japanese humor that you will enjoy if you liked My Love Mix-up, ultimately kind to its characters)
The Novelist *** (GaGa, distinctly queer story about a young man who begins transcribing for a gay author who writes pornography, open ending, but the both prequel and sequel really round out the story and bring it to a satisfying conclusion)
Restart After Come Back Home *** (Grey, movie, man returns to country home after quitting Tokyo job, starts working at a farm, gay romance ensues, very beautiful)
My Beautiful Man / Utsukushii Kare **/* (Viki, school set, two leads are both a little too immature to make the first move so years pass with both of them thinking their love is unrequited, whipping boy trope)
Given** (WeTV, sing your feelings done right, healing journey through music, feels like watching a live action manga)
Mr Unlucky Has No Choice But to Kiss**/* (Viki/GaGa, school set, romcom, low-heat, excellent production values, supernaturally unlucky boy pairs up with a supernaturally lucky boy, cute)
Minato's Laundromat *** (Viki/GaGa, gay age gap romance, high school student persues laundromat owner, low-heat, good production values, sweet story, don't recommend the sequel)
Takara kun to Amagi kun** (Viki/GaGa, school set, two high schoolers navigate a new relationship with each other, vv low-heat)
Kabe Koji Nekoyashiki-kun Desires to be Recognized** (Viki, gay romance, grumpy yaoi manga artist and sunshine jpop idol, exaggerated humor mixed with poignant life lessons, vv low heat)
Jack O'Frost ***/* (Viki, gay romance, amnesiac young man and his co-habitating ex begin their relationship again, short 6 ep, A+ acting, excellent production values)
End of the World with You ** (Viki, gay romance, former lovers reunite at the end of the world in a 2nd chance romance, high-heat, abrupt and ambiguous but hopeful ending)
Tokyo in April is… ** (Viki, gay romance, 2nd chance romance, reunited after 10 years of being forced apart by their parents as teens two Tokyo professionals rekindle their relationship, A+ production, tw: rape, sexual assault, workplace sexual harassment)
Our Dining Table ** (GaGa, gay romance, lonely office worker befriends a young boy and falls in love with his older brother while dining together as a family on the weekends, A+ domesticity)
My Personal Weatherman ** (Viki, gay romance, struggling manga artist lives with his weatherman boyfriend but is oblivious to the fact that they're in a loving D/S lifestyle relationship)
If It's With You **/* (GaGa, school set, sunshine out gay student transfers to a new school and is befriended by a reserved yet honest hardworking fellow student, sweet, A+ communication, beautiful people and cinematography)
I Cannot Reach You ***/* (Netflix, school set, hot and smart jock has a long-term crush on his adorkable BFF, pining, friends to lovers, self-acceptance, kindness, clear communication)
I Became the Main Role in a BL Drama ** (GaGa, gay romance, 2 actors playing an onscreen couple fall in love, cohabitation, food as love, low heat)
What Did You Eat Yesterday *** (GaGa, slice of life gay romance, established older gay couple, heart warming and food-centric)
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OK I've fixed my ghibli list cause I reconsidered that I should do it based on how often I would re watch it so S would be I can rewatch it multiple times a year or very soon one after the other and get the same amount of enjoyment
A would be their always included in my yearly rewatch of ghibli works while B is only sometimes and C I might just rewatch
D is ill probably never rewatch
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why njtw-notes?
hey!♡ in this post I wanted to outline the purpose of this blog, and how it can be used by both me and you!
﹖why njtw-notes? with njtw being my favorite variety show, I've watched it countless times, and picked up a lot of words and phrases, that helped me with learning korean! so I've decided, that I want to go the extra mile, to not leave a stone unturned and try to learn everyting unknown from this show, all the words I was too lazy to look up when I was watching lol; but also I wanted to make a place where if you're also watching the show & learning korean, you have a space where each episode's vocab is broken down and explained!
﹖ why so much effort for a variety show? in my exprerience, variety shows have been one of the best ways to learn and remember new words, its always like a random chance, you might get an everyday word, that just will be easier to remember, or a completelly out-of-pocket word, that you won't hear in your daily life or study curriculum
﹖ how does everyting work? if you have a corresponding post opened while watching an episode, you will be able to have most of the words explanations visible and ready to read! also good for if you've watched the show before and want to refresh your memory, or if you're picking up a new show to better your korean!
.𖥔 ݁ ˖ what kind of posts can I find here?˖ ݁݁ 𖥔.
☆ long-format vocab posts - like most of the currently existing posts, these are basically as the name of the blog suggests lol all of the notes I'm taking while rewatching the episodes, all of the new words & expressions that are interesting to me;
☆ short-format vocab posts - however, I believe that not every single person is interested in all the little tiny details, so these posts will feature a top-10 selection of the most useful words/expressions from the episode! (level varying from beginner-intermediate)
☆ konglish posts - these will feature all the konglish words used; because these are way easier to remember and there's not so many, words from multiple season could be combined in one post!
☆ 사자성어 & 속담 posts - special posts for four-syllable idioms and proverbs
☆ other phrases and words posts - a post here and there about an episode of a different show, like I've done for HYBE x Game Caterers (also produced by Na PD so it counts lol), or about the use of 비글, or "beagle" and other dog breeds as a personality type
.𖥔 ݁ ˖ can I..........˖ ݁݁ 𖥔.
......ask questions about a specific word/grammar? - yes, of course! please include all the relevant info (like season, episode, time stamp etc) and I'll try my best to explain it!
......use the 사자성어 and 속담 lists for preparing for TOPIK? - yes, that's exactly why I'm doing it too! the goal is to at least be familiar with as many as possible, so this is a good way to do this!
......request a different show/episode breakdown? - if the show/episode is related to njtw and its cast, then I will probably get to it and it will be covered in the future, so absolutely yes! however for other shows it might be not always possible :( someone stop me before i make running-man-notes too lol
✖ please do not.... ✖
.......reuse for personal or commercial profit - this includes posting a screenshot and claiming creation of it or using all the matherial to make a study course etc. while creating these posts is fun, it's also hard work with all the compiling, rewatching and researching, so for someone else to just take it and run with it would be unfair. BTW just sharing / reposting is absolutely fine! just if not done maliciously c:
☆ ending thoughts ☾
this blog has been an idea of mine for a few years now, and I'm so happy that I finally get to do it! I hope you enjoy it as much as I do! ♡
also with doing these few posts I'm realizing this will probably take months if not years so....it's gonna be a long ride!! :D
any updates to this post will be linked here
thank you for reading and being here! here's to all the seasons we have ahead of ourselves <3
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for the gif requests, would you consider giffing some bits of rap b's preparation in peak time (on viki that's episode 5 from around 1:16:30-1:17:00)? i don't know shiwoo and am just getting into mont and dkb but i loved how that team worked together and especially e-chan being so supportive like 'you're great, do what you want' 'in fact, do gk's part, too'. :D thank you for all the peak time content and your amazing gifs !!
oh my gosh i've rewatched the team b segment of that episode like. MULTIPLE times. all the dkb boys especially the older ones were so good at building up the people around them it was a joy to watch. anyway yes yes yes i'll gif this definitely!! please be on the lookout i will absolutely get this gifed sometime this week <3 and tysm for including a timestamp hahaha you've definitely saved me some searching!!
#asked and answered#anon#to do#<333#(and ty for enjoying the peak time content hehe i'm glad people are also watching and enjoying!!!!)
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DREAM SMP LORE DOCUMENTS
hi hi hi !! so, ive been compiling a ton of information about the dream smp for over five months now (starting from dec 6th, 2020) !!! ive created multiple documents that are essentially over-the-top descriptions and general play-by-plays of each lore stream. it's over 130k words total (and counting) with 613 pages written thus far (split between multiple docs).
there are currently two main docs: dsmp s2 & dsmp s3. the streams are all in chronological order from december 6th to the present, and the table of contents links directly to each individual stream :]
the other four docs are a catch-up guide for s1 (and the start of exile), territories & characters for seasons 2 and seasons 3, and then a recreation of all important documents for the third season !
the quality of each document improves as time goes on, and it's very quote-heavy — especially in season 3 ! images are used for reference in the more confusing scenes, such as those that rely upon imagery (like quackity's recent lore streams)
almost every conversation of dream's since ranboo became heavily involved in the lore is included in this ! his character is a fascinating one, and i've done my best to capture him in a more objective sense, focusing on his actions and dialogue rather than allowing any personal interpretations to cloud the writings. of course, i'm not perfect, but i've done my best to do this throughout for all characters involved !
the intent behind these was to ensure that those that have missed streams and are unable to find the time to catch up are able to do so, and those that have a difficult time rewatching the clips/vods would be able to revisit them. i know that a lot of the streams touch upon heavy topics, so i hope that these documents can allow people to review them while being able to avoid possible triggers
there are content / trigger warnings included in the beginning of the primary docs! please proceed with caution, a lot of streams can get really heavy at times
i'm the sole owner and editor of all the docs listed/linked above ! i am only one person, so i'm not always perfectly up-to-date, but im not planning on abandoning this project any time soon :D
#dream smp#dsmp#mcyt#mcytblr#dreamwastaken#ranboo#tommyinnit#technoblade#badboyhalo#tubbo#awesamdude#big streams are the worst#multiple povs my abhorred#i hope this can help!
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This Week in BL
April 2021 Part 1
Being a highly subjective assessment of one tiny corner of the interwebs.
Ongoing Series - Thai
Second Chance Ep 1 - living up to its name since it looks to be a series of redemption arcs. Launched with a college confession and a broken friendship, then a flash back to them as seniors in high school. Pairings include friends to lovers, nerd/jock, and maybe cafe boss/employee. There’s a lot going on, but it’s still... quiet and sweet. The script is pretty pat but it’s still WAY more watchable than Cupid Coach or Brothers and most of the acting is solid. Ep 1 tropes included: he’s in engineering, wound tending, fast & bicurious. This could turn into what I wanted My Gear & Your Gown to be. Fingers crossed.
Love Poison 2 Ep 1 & 2 turns out I did watch and report on season 1 (8 eps), season 2 seems equally unmemorable. Thai countryside setting, strong dialect, incomprehensible plot, camp side characters, and ghastly singing.
Y-Destiny Ep 1 (eng subs?) - opened with the sports romance enemies to lovers (they aren’t going in the teaser order). When the couple got over fighting, the flirting was v cute, but the flipping SPONGE BATH trope had to rear its ugly head. Still, this series is shaping up to be less coy and more frank than most BL, better than expected. It feels, I don’t know, gay-er or something?
*** Sources were correct that each couple is getting (at least) 2 eps, and MDL has been updated to say this is a 15 episode series (not 7).
Cupid Coach 12 fin - The new Nite was great and should have been a main all along. It felt like we got a tiny nugget of what could have been in about 10 minutes worth of this last ep. It was way too slow with terrible editing and a criminally bad script, but at least it ended happy. Mostly, like Friend Forever, I’m just disappointed that these two actors were done dirty by the series. Bad Cupid Coach, no screen caps for you.
Lovely Writer Ep 6 - breaking news, there’s a het couple I like: toppy bi femme + soft boi = such a good pairing! I know, but this NEVER happens. Meanwhile, Sib’s secret is out, Gene is a bit of a drama queen, and the plot thickens. We half way through.
Brothers Ep 9 - Kaow had a serious moment of advice giving that was truly lovely. Lots of family dama made this a superior episode to... well... any of the others in this series. Which isn’t saying much.
1000 Stars Ep 10 fin - at the start this series didn’t grab me the way GMMTV’s last BL, Tonhon Chonlatee, did. But boy did it end 1000x better. Might have given us 2021′s best forehead kiss. I enjoyed the ultra romantic cliff-top reunion kiss, and I LOVED the stinger flirting scene. That was an absolute gift we had no right to expect. This drama is a poster child for finishing on a high note (always focus on that dessert course).
Final thoughts? This was FAR more a classic romance than it was BL. There were some BL tropes used but not many and most of them originated in the romance genre not yaoi. A picture perfect ending bumped 1000 Stars much higher up my best-of list than expected. Not sure how often I’ll rewatch it as a whole, but this last episode? I’m probably rewatching it right now.
Ongoing Series - Not Thai
Dear Uranus (Taiwan GL) Ep 3 fin - I guess that’s it? Okaaaaay
HIStory 4: Close To You (Taiwan) Ep 3 (AKA Ep 5-6) - we got actual legit gay culture not just BL (always appreciated) from XingSi. I’m starting to find LiCheng’s “show them we fucking” hijinks hilarious rather than annoying (not sure why, maybe I just love a rubber chicken, or maybe it was the STUFFED CORN WITH THE TASSEL that did it).
-- H4 Moment of RANT --
Tropes included beach trip, there’s only one bed, cook for him, baby is a floppy drunk, carry baby to bed, and.... drunk non-con. Whoopdedoo. Here we go again. Did TharnType teach us NOTHING? (Apparently it taught us if the chemistry is good enough, I have no morals at all.) At least H4 seems to be taking us out of cheese into serious when it comes to assault. Or is it?
I take back what I said last week about XingSi & YongJie being codependency + salvation trope, that only works if YongJie is the uke. He’s NOT. So we got us an obsessive predatory villain with a possible redemption arc. That’s more common in crime dramas, mafia romance, and epic fantasy than BL. It’s real hard to redeem a sexual predator in a reality-grounded universe like contemporary romance (See Kla in LBC1&2).
Next week is gonna be a test of the whole damn franchise. Imma remind both me a you that this was ep 3 of 10 so we got a ways to go yet... but ooof, what have we wrought, BL? (I ended up doing a whole post about the stepbrother trope because of this sub plot.) Taiwan is killing me.
-- RANT ended --
Word of Honor (China) Ep 19-21 - over half way point so we got ALL the back story (in a classic 4 act story structure midway reveal). Now we know who WKX really is and his lineage. We also got some cute hugs and hand holds. Moving along at a nice clip despite being 36 eps total. Still gayest thing to come out of we-not-gay China since Advance Bravely.
Most Peaceful Place (Vietnam) Ep 2 - takes them a while to get eng subs together and ep 2 didn’t drop until late. So I’m putting this in a Thurs time slot going forward. Miscommunication already cleared up and a 2nd couple has been introduced. The pacing on these Vietnamese BLs is always a bit... off. But it’s still better than most of its ilk, enjoyable. I’m thinking it’s a 6 ep arc.
We Best Love 2 (Taiwan) Ep 5 - after the initial drama DRAMA of ep 2, the current external crisis at work is much quieter, giving this whole season a top heavy feel. Taken along side the first season, I think it’s fitting nicely into a 4 act structure, but that might be my bias. I hope I’m not wrong, we’ll find out next week. Shi De puttering about being domestic with Shu Yi on his back was the best execution of the piggyback trope EVER. Meanwhile, our little D/s side couple of codependency, salvation trope + mental illness is becoming weirdly appealing. I don’t know. H4 done mess with my head.
Stand Alones
Absolute BL AKA Zettai BL ni Naru Sekai vs Zettai BL ni Naritakunai Otoko (Japan) Ep 1-4 mini series. Found subs under A Man Who Defies The World of BL. IT’S HILARIOUS. It’s Japan making fun of us, but also itself for having started this whole BL nonsense - from yaoi roots to present day. It’s parody goddamn gold. Utterly cheeky unto the very last line. We are not worthy.
Apparently the most powerful tropes of all time are: baby is a floppy drunk and the piggyback fo nobility. Oh and chocolate. {Full review here.}
Honestly, this show may have been made with only @heretherebedork and I in mind. I don’t know if you’d even understand half of it if you don’t have a history with the manga source genre and an obsessive interest in underlying narrative devices. I haven’t seen much chatter in the blog’o’sphere on this one because, in the end, it’s not a romance at all, it’s social commentary.
The ending line was a masterclass in lampooning a genre. I’m going to rewatch the whole thing just to catch all the digs I missed first time around. It is a thing of beauty and a joy forever.
Thank you Japan. I forgive you all your hair-styling sins of the last decade.
Breaking News
Spring Line Up:
Scholar Ryu’s Wedding Ceremony AKA Nobleman Ryu’s Wedding (Korean historical BL) April 15th
Close Friend the series (Thai trailer) April 22.
2gether the movie (Thai trailer) April 22 to Thai theaters.
Nitiman (Thai) May 7 on One31.
I Told Sunset About You 2 (Thai) May 27 on LineTV
Ossan’s Love (Hong Kong) June to Viu
Gossip
Bad Buddies released its first promo op via Arm Share, which means GMMTV is at least *thinking* about filming it.
Fun behind the scenes gossip sesh with eng subs for Tell the World I Love You (that Perth Bas movie we are maybe getting someday but will likely be sad).
New Thai BL Bite Me (adapted from novel Grab a Bite) dropped a teaser. It stars Mark Siwat (Kla in LBC) as uke character Ake, a delivery boy with special foodie powers, and chef Eua (seme played by Zung Kidakorn) who discovers him. It’s from the same author as Manner of Death so we might even get some actual plot. Since it’s an established BL actor who I happen LOVE, a known author, and a plot about FOOD, I could not me more excited for this one.
Next Week Looks Like This:
Some shows may be listed a day later than actual air date for accessibility reasons. Some are dropping multiples at a time but just started so I’m not sure on numbering.
Upcoming 2021 BL master post here.
Links to watch are provided when possible, ask in a comment if I missed something.
#second chance the series#y-destiny#lovely writer#brothers the series#cupid coach the series#1000 stars#a tale of thousand stars#final episodes#episode recaps#thai bl#asian bl#thaibl#The Most Peaceful Place is My Place#NƠI BÌNH YÊN NHẤT LÀ VỀ BÊN EM#vietnamese bl#vietnam drama#Absolute BL#Zettai BL ni Naru Sekai vs Zettai BL ni Naritakunai Otoko#japanese bl#yaoi#yaoi manga#live action manga#live action yaoi#Word of Honor#chinese bl#asianbl#We Best Love#We Best Love: Fighting Mr.2nd#taiwanese bl#taiwan drama
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