IT’S ABOUT THE PARALLELS. IT’S THE ORION/EL - EL/LIESEL PARALLELS.

It’s the bonefide, card-carrying hero crashing in your life when you’re busy being as selfish as possible to keep yourself alive, keeping your head down so school doesn’t kill you. It’s being utterly alone until someone comes around and gives you an excuse to start saving people. It’s having to be the sensible one in this relationship because your dumbass hero keeps trying to get themselves killed. It’s telling yourself you’re only being sensible when you’re really being very fucking selfless actually!!

once again leaving my house for hours at a time because my weirdly obsessively attached new roommate is making me irritable and on edge. the worst thing is i don't think he's even intentionally trying to push every button that makes me want to be as far away from someone as possible, he's just lonely and lacks boundaries which makes his way of trying to initiate social interaction like oil and water to mine.

Something I wonder about Simon and Betty's relationship is how long they were together before the whole crown ordeal. But they were engaged, you say. My aunt (in)famously met my uncle and had a ring on her finger in 8 weeks. We've seen that both Betty and Simon were both weird outcasts, crazy determined and a pinch insane. I would not be surprised if they decided they'd met their one true love and got engaged super quick.

My point being, Betty's shifting to revolve around Simon and Simon's rose colored glasses of their relationship feels very much like New Love. They're people who love each other and love being a couple but still haven't quite figured out how to coexist together, as two people in a partnership. I feel like if they'd known each other longer, lived together longer, some of the issues we're seeing would have probably self resolved.

I don't think their relationship is toxic nor is it totally perfect. It's two lonely, most likely neurodivergent people in a relatively early relationship still figuring out how it works. Everything that happened afterwards: the crown, the seperation, the time travel, the magic/madness/sadness just exemplified issues they had both as individuals and as a couple.

dear boy is so insane to me bc even if it's not about john (and honestly I rlly dk how much I buy into the theory that it is about john- although I'd fully believe paul used john as Partial inspiration bc he loves double meaning) the fact that JOHN thought it was about john is just. soooo incredibly revealing about the relationship they had. like idk about anyone else but even if I had the world's biggest crush on my friend I would Not assume and insist that song was about me. it's genuinely so wild.

SO I just finished binging all of Romantic Killer bc it came up in my recommended. And oh my god I loved it so much;;

There’s definitely mixed reviews about it WHICH IS FAIR bc the premise is about a girl named Anzu who isn’t interested in romantic relationships but she then gets pushed into typical dating sim situations with Really Cute Boys in an effort to like. Force her into a relationship. And obv this kinda comes off as arophobic. But the fact that she so stubbornly refuses to partake and tries so hard to veer away from those situations makes it so fucking funny, especially when she rejects the boys with faces like this

And it turns out it’s really just a show about found family and overcoming trauma and developing healthy friendships with people and UGH. UGHHH it’s so good.

I actually adore Riri lmao they’re SUCH a little shit and I very much enjoy insanely chaotic characters like that. And we start off thinking okay wow this person’s kind of an asshole for forcing a girl to get a boyfriend by taking away her cat, her favorite hobby and her favorite snack, but then we find out OH, they’re just a cog in a corporate machine and they don’t really have much of a choice about it. And we slowly see Riri actually gain true affection for Anzu, and see how much they come to care about her as a person rather than just as a test subject, to the point of them actually breaking the rules of their contract just to make sure she’s safe. AND NOT JUST HER. They make sure the people she’s associated with are safe too, even if it risks them getting in Big Trouble with their boss. AND the fact that they canonically go by they/them pronouns but can ALSO transform into a boy or a girl depending on their preference, and they playfully flirt with Anzu in both forms?? It’s so good. Also thinking about the effort that Anzu goes through to make sure Riri gets to stick around;; like even tho she’d never admit it. She’s come to care for them too in some very strange way lol

And Junta;; the fact that Anzu is actually so concerned about him possibly being brainwashed into the position of childhood friend? Like she doesn’t immediately push him away or shut him down, she actually cares about him as a person and wants him to find happiness and wants to get him out of the situation she thinks he’s in. But then she finds out oh wait he actually IS a childhood friend. And he’s such a good boy. I love love LOVE how they handle the love triangle aspect in this, because obviously yes there’s a bit of jealousy, but not enough for things to get petty between him and Kazuki. They actually treat each other with respect and regard each other as friends and are kinda rooting for the other in their own way. Kind of “may the best man win” sort of thing. There’s no toxicity, there’s no classic “fighting over the female love interest” trope, they actually genuinely like each other after a bit of awkwardness enough to feel comfortable with living together and living with Anzu. They’re SO fucking sweet god dammit //shakes fists

(Honestly tho I really wish we got more episodes focused on Junta. Bc he really seemed like more of a background character and made the whole “love triangle” aspect not feel as prominent. Which is fine I guess?? But I felt so bad for him lmao)

And Kazuki 😭 My beloved. My poor sweet boy who deserves the world and everything in it. Just the build up. The subtle hints of his trauma that pop up every now and then. And when it all comes together you’re like oh!! Ohhh. THAT’S why he acts so aloof and cold all the time. THAT’S why he doesn’t like being the center of female attention. THAT’S why he gets distressed at things that, at first, seem so insignificant. THAT’S why he got attached to Anzu so quickly. And I love the way they handle his trauma, how they don’t make it seem any less important or alarming just because he’s a guy. And how Anzu’s there for him through everything 🤧 How she’s the person to pull him out of the darkness, how she stands up for him time and time again, how she just KNOWS when he’s uncomfortable and steps in to protect him. She ends up caring about him so much despite how they were set up to encounter initially. And he cares about her so much too. And I just 🥺 I care them

Also the fact how everyone came to help Kazuki when they found out what was going on. No judgement, no “you’re making this up”, no “isn’t this your fault to begin with?” They all just step in without even hesitating and support him through his trauma and immediately go “Okay we’ve got a problem so here’s our gameplan.” SEE. IT’S REALLY ABOUT THE FOUND FAMILY,

And one of my favorite things. Riri 🤝 Hijiri using their influence and power to protect both Anzu and Kazuki despite the risks to their reputation and social standing

OH AND I wanted to mention. I love that all of the classic romantic tropes i.e. something happening to your cute neighbor’s apartment so that they’re forced to live with you while it gets sorted out--those are generally really cheesy and make huge plot holes and don’t make ANY sense in the narrative. But that’s the thing about RK, they make it funny, yeah your cute boy neighbor’s apartment flooded bc we need him to come live with you. We did it with magic. Yes your childhood friend is living with you now bc we had a weirdo break into your apartment--with magic. So now he feels like he needs to stay with you and protect you. Yes you got hit by a car with a really rich boy inside and now he’s interested in you. We also did this with magic. Everything that would be regarded as a “coincidence” and is a badly written plot point just to push two characters together is actually explained through the hilarious concept of magic and I LOVE that it’s so fucking funny

Honestly this show is really up to interpretation too which I like a lot? Some people think hey yeah, maybe Anzu will end up with someone. Others say you know what the message here is that friendship is the most important thing and sometimes platonic relationships are better than romantic ones. The ending is pretty ambiguous so it could really go in any direction.

Anyway I have so much more to say but. Just watch Romantic Killer it’s really good thanks bye

(Trigger warnings include sexual harassment/assault, stalking, panic attacks/PTSD, and attempted murder, so please take care while watching <3)

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i live for the genre of soft jay and tim content where theres one bed and theyre cuddling!!!!!!!!!!! these bitches touch starved!!!!!!!!!!

Fabian and Riz to me are like. They’re like the definition of “a secret third thing” to me but not like in a qpr way. Their thing is just Their Thing, like they’re inseparable they drive each other fucking bonkers they care so deeply and they’re stupid teenagers and I don’t think they would even really think about it at all. I don’t think either of them can imagine a world where they’re not at least around the other, and like whatever their thing is definitely isn’t allo but it’s definitely not regular besties shit. They just like being around each other, I don’t think either of them would really even think to put a name to whatever it is they’ve got going on, and I definitely don’t think either of them would ever put enough thought into it to even figure out what a qpr is, much less label themselves in one. They’re just Fabian and Riz. The Ball and Captain of the Owlbears. They’re just them I think. Idk man.

OKAY RANDOM CUTE BOWUIGI THOUGHT

I've seen lots of art of bowser giving Luigi pirahna plant bouquets very dangerous very spicy there bowser considering how nippy those pirahna can be

BUT WHAT IF

Bowser gives Luigi a bouquet/flower plant pot and the pirahnas spring to life absolutely just covering Luigi in kisses just mwamwamwamwamwa because Bowser specially raised/grew/trained them to be non hostile and affectionate which leads to overly affectionate kissy plants and Bowser going "HEY" cause that's HIM boyfriend!! Too many kisses!! Tone it down! You were meant to only make one kissy sound each! Getting very upset with his trained plants because urg too affectionate go away I wanna smooch Luigi now.

So now Luigi owns this affectionate pirhanna plant which is essentially just puppy hardwiring in plant body, they wiggle their leaves vigorously and waggle their whole stems when they see him coming like excitable puppies ready to play and the worst they'll ever so is chew on his fingers sometimes and aw his plant.

FIORENZO is a queer fantasy-of-manners romance featuring secret identities, hurt/comfort, and a happily-ever-after. Out now wherever fine books are found!

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Celebi watching her friends' inability to communicate romantic intent and trying desperately not to scream and/or break out into laughter (depending on who and what it's in reference to at any given time)

At least Twig probably won't get a direct confession, say "neat," and immediately resume what they were doing to never think about it again for years like I did to someone once.

oops.

You underestimate her power, suspiciously Grovyle-coded anon.

i saw someone say Laws of Attraction is technically a lakorn and im like huh.. i could either google whats the difference between lakorn & y-series (bls) as we know it OR i could just ask you so here i am ✨✨ ((im asking cause the only lakorn i know is To Sir With love and i just thought its cause of the many episodes + not really centred ~ so like would Manner of Death be considered bl or lakorn??? idk anything anymore))

Sure it has some lakorn aspects, but if you want to experience TRUE lakorn def watch their first drama together: To Sir, With Love. It has SPARKLE DEATH GLITTER

yes you read that right

SPARKLE DEATH GLITTER

If you're familiar with telenovelas from say the 80-90s, lakorns have more in common with those than anything else I can think of. Like truly camp over the top soap operas.

They are GREAT.

If you like that kinda thing.

I would say Laws is a little less lakorn and more gay romantic suspense, because lakorns tend to be more more ensemble pieces with lots of focus on parents, villains, siblings, staff, and other sides. Again, think really soapy soap operas.

I highly recommend watching To Sir With Love. It will give you a real lakorn experience but still very gay. And, as of right now, it's the only one of its kind.

Genre is often a matter of "I know it when I see it" and challenging to define. I will sometimes try using a negative.

For example I have an author friend who defines sci-fi as: if you remove the sci-fi elements the whole story would fall apart. In other words, to be called sci fi, the book's central premise and narrative backbone must rely upon its science fiction elements.

You can apply the same to romance: if you remove the love story, the whole narrative falls apart.

Lakorn, I'm not entirely sure what that backbone is (I haven't watch enough of them, because so far they not queer enough except for Laws). But I wouldn't necessarily define Laws of Attraction as lakorn first. Although it has lakorn aspects. I wouldn't necessarily define Laws of Attraction as BL first either. Although it also has BL aspects. Which is why, like Manner of Death, I settled on "gay romantic suspense."

One might make a case for Only Friends or even Playboyy as lakorn, but neither was soapy or campy enough. IMHO they have more in common with something like The L Word or Queer as Folk.

I can't get over every little thing spencer reid does. like his little mannerisms are EVERYTHING TO ME. The way he talks with his hands, how he presses his middle finger to his thumb and rubs them together sometimes or moves it as if he's writing when talking, the way he scrunches his face up sometimes, the way he wrings his hands at all really like just playing with the fingers of his other hand or sometimes I've seen him just press his knuckles together and rub them together, the thin lipped pressed together smile he does as he awkwardly waves to new people he's being introduced to, when his hair is a long enough length and he tucks it behind his ears all the time. I think he does both sides sometimes and and and UGHHHHH I LOVE HIM

being a (sex repulsed)ace person who's still romantic is THE FUCKIGN WORST! i go "wow theyre kind of pretty," and they go "haha i want to have gay sex," and i go "ok nevermind i could never"

Manner of Death locations IRL (8/??)

Manner of Death: The cliff where Bun is shot by Tan, who is in turn, shot by Inspector M

IRL: Grand Canyon Water Park, 202 ถนน เลียบคลองชลประทาน Nam Phrae, Hang Dong District, Chiang Mai 50230, Thailand

Credit: https://www.tripadvisor.com.sg/Attraction_Review-g2317044-d12991442-Reviews-Grand_Canyon_Chiang_Mai-Nam_Phrae_Hang_Dong.html#/media-atf/12991442/?albumid=-160&type=0&category=-160

bellamy sneaking off to save clarke in 3x02 is LITERALLY top 3 moments of this entire show ohmygod ohmygodohmygod