autodach

Hello everyone!

Welcome to my journal! I post reviews and discussions about dramas, novels, and video games :D - though I am more of a lurker by nature and often don’t know what to say. Or maybe I just need a push sometimes?

So what am I about?
I usually get into a different fandom every couple of months and it can be anything, really.

Lately I have been reading various Chinese BL novels as well as watching their adaptations. I enjoyed immensely MXTX’s novels and am now working my way through everything by Priest (everything I can get my hands on that is).

I loved Zhen Hun/Guardian, both the book and the drama. This is the fandom where I am most active at the moment.

So far I've read by Priest:

-Zhen Hun
-Qi Ye
-Tianya Ke
-Mo Du
-Huai Dao
-Zhongji Lanyin

Right now I'm onto Youyi / Itinerant Doctor.

Also I am watching Miraculous Ladybug (still ongoing). Originally I started watching to practice my French, but then accidentally became actually invested. So it goes.

To round this off a fun fact about me: I love Orang-Utans. They’re my favourite animals. Very smart and very orange.

two log cabins with snow on the roofs in a wintery forest the text snowflake challenge january 1 - 31 in white cursive text

Challenge #7

LIST THREE (or more) THINGS YOU LIKE ABOUT YOURSELF. They don’t have to be your favorite things, just things that you think are good. Feel free to expand as much or as little as you want.

1) I’m practical and have no patience for nonsense.
2) I have a large beauty mark right over my heart. I call it the “strategically placed mole”.
3) My homemade lasagna. I consider myself a good home cook in general.

Challenge #6

Top 10 7 Challenge.

I’m going with the ~~boring~~ tried and true fanfic recs, and also shortening from 10 to 7 (prime numbers my beloved). So here are my top 7 fanfics I read last year. It's a mix of fandoms both old and new.

1) buy back the secrets (113013 words) by sundiscus
Chapters: 6/6
Fandom: Batman - All Media Types, Young Justice - All Media Types

He takes a long, slow breath. Ignores the glares from the other students. “Superboy,” he murmurs. “It’s me. If you’re listening, I could use some help.”

Or: 5 times Superboy saves Tim Drake, and one time Tim Drake saves Superboy.

2) Bakery "Enemies" [COMIC] (0 words) by buggachat
Chapters: 27/27
Fandom: Miraculous Ladybug

After the defeat of Gabriel Agreste and the disappearance of the mysterious peacock miraculous user, Marinette is left to try her best as Guardian and pick up the pieces. With the kwamis left in hibernation, no leads on the missing peacock miraculous, and no way to contact her beloved partner, she's left to her wit's end on where to proceed.

That is, until the prime suspect of the peacock wielder coincidentally takes up an apprenticeship at her parents' bakery. Adrien Agreste, son of Hawkmoth, has seemingly planted his roots in her home while Marinette was away for an apprenticeship. This could either be a disaster in the making, or the perfect opportunity to retrieve the missing miraculous... either way, it's war.

At least, it would be, if the gosh darn villain weren't so sweet!

3) Out of Your Orbit (29247 words) by buggachat
Chapters: 5/5
Fandom: Miraculous Ladybug

Nino still remembered how much fun they had together, playing videos and cracking jokes. He remembered the dorky way that he snorted when he laughed, but he also remembered how it felt to hold him in his arms, to brush his soft blond hair out of his eyes and kiss him like they were the only two people in the world.

He remembered believing that he'd always be there.

“You got something against Gabriel?” Alya asked with a quirked brow.

Yeah, he had something against Gabriel.

4) you get me (10243 words) by some1_around
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Heated Rivalry (TV)

Shane loves yoga. It has always been an escape for him—an escape from his body and his mind. When a bunch of other NHL players interrupt him in a hotel gym during a conference, he is not surprised when they make fun of him, but he is surprised when Ilya asks him to teach them a few poses and they all go along with it. He gets to show off his flexibility, and it seems harmless enough to show off a little extra for Ilya, until-

“Holy shit, Hollander, wait—can you suck your own cock?”

5) The Hollow Heart (182466 words) by Bottan
Chapters: 24/24
Fandom: Thor (Movies), The Avengers (Marvel Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe

“Where’s your keeper, huh? Does Sparky know you’re bleeding on my carpets?”

“Thor has better things to do than watch me die,” Loki summoned a fizzling amount of magic, threw Iron Man into the wall with a telekinetic boom, cracked the plaster. It left him shaking where he stood, nauseous, knees weak. Pathetic. “You had better run while you can.”

Loki doesn’t die in Svartalfheim, but it’s a close thing. Instead he walks between worlds to an enemy’s doorstep—which turns out to be his best chance at survival.

6) Cat's Paw (27353 words) by atomic_pomsky
Chapters: 7/7
Fandom: Voltron: Legendary Defender

When Kolivan tells Voltron that Keith has been captured on what should have been a routine mission, they drop everything to search for him.

They don't end up finding Keith. But they do find a cute little stray cat...

7) Aqua Vitae (4258 words) by a_stray_thief
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Heated Rivalry (TV), Game Changers Series - Rachel Reid

Ilya doesn’t even know why he takes the bottle, maybe as some sort of weird memento of Shane bending for Ilya and the things Ilya likes, despite his diet and his no drinking during the season rule. And, of course, as a reminder of Shane’s moans echoing off of Ilya’s kitchen counters.

He’s not even thinking about what it looks like when he reaches for the bottle in the locker room after practice and chugs half its contents.

“Fuck, Roz,” Marleau says next to him. “Isn’t it a bit early for that?”

Or: Five times people think Ilya is drinking vodka straight from the bottle, and one time he actually does.

Challenge #4: Rec The Contents Of Your Last Page

Any website that you like, be it fanfiction, art, social media, or something a bit more eccentric!

I’m just gonna throw out this tab I have currently open in my browser as a rec:
Beef Bourguignon for the French Peasants from 1885 by Tasting History with Max Miller.

Watch on YouTube

The tasting history channel is one of my favourite things to have on in the background when I crochet. So relaxing, and educational!

The Icebreaker Challenge: Introduce yourself. Tell us why you're doing the challenge, and what you hope to gain from it.

This kind of challenge is always the hardest for me. I’m bad at talking about myself, which I guess does tell you something about me after all, haha.

I’ve been consistently participating in the challenge in the couple of years I’ve been on DW. It was pretty much the first thing I did here, and it’s been fun! People I had never spoken to made me feel welcome in this new place that first year. I hope I can make other people feels welcome now that I’m more established myself. I’d love to make more friends, fannish or otherwise.

Mydramalist summary:
Xiao Qiao, a clever girl from the Qiao family, marries Wei Shao, the sharp and kind master of the Wei family, as part of a family alliance. With bad blood between their clans, the two start off wary of each other, constantly testing boundaries in both funny and tense ways. Over time, they begin to appreciate each other's quirks and talents. Through ups and downs, they learn to work as a team, tackling family drama and bigger issues to bring some peace to their world. It’s a story of partnership built through trial, error, and a bit of chaos.

I severely disliked this drama, unfortunately.
No real spoilers, but a fair warning that I’m not holding back in this review😅

Oh boy here we go

The first 10 or so episodes are miserable. The female lead was actually promising at this point: Smart, kind, and savvy. And everyone else just hates her and mistreats her and holds her personally responsible for things she had zero to do with (I know this is normal in this setting; I despise it all the same).
Her maids are normal people, his advisor is reasonable, and the Grandmother of the Wei clan is a nuanced character - every other character in the early episodes is a hateful homunculus intent on making the FM's life hell. The ML is no exception. And it just drags on way too long like this, even for an enemies-to-lovers trope.

Then it flips, or it was supposed to at least. The ML develops a crush on the FL (and she on him I guess, but I just didn't buy that at all). He doesn't treat her much better though, and obviously would never regret his past behaviour.
This is supposed to be the cute part, the couple getting together, but I only hated them more every episode. He's jealous, possessive, aggressive, incredibly dumb, and childish. His tantrums are pathetic, and she is also pathetic for entertaining them. He never improves, he never (really) apologizes, while she just swallows slight after slight.

The FL is massively intellectually superior to her husband (though the bar is on the floor), but she gets less and less opportunity to shine as the show devolves into a bad romcom.
There is no overarching story, just a series of villains trying to drive a wedge between the FL and ML. To what end exactly wasn't always clear to me. None of the villains are in any way competent, it's very boring.

It was ridiculous to see these grown people dance around each other, wondering if it's okay to hold hands, when they're already married.
And to watch him flail around, not understanding the simplest things and not catching on to anything ever. This man has the intelligence and maturity of a 5 year old, and somehow that was supposed to be attractive?? His aggression and frequent violence towards allies and bystanders isn’t helping either. Meanwhile she’s busy coddling his inflated ego.

I was also deeply annoyed by the FL's voice. She is whispering the entire time, and speaks in a bored, flat tone. She sounds like a toddler who's about to fall asleep. All the time! It drove me up the wall. The ML's actor did a good job, and in contrast to his co-lead, he had facial expressions. Didn't save the show though.

Overall this drama doesn’t seem to know what it’s even trying to do, its tone fluctuating wildly between serious, tongue-in-cheek, and slapstick. It wants to be sombre and tragic but also cute and funny (achieving neither). It drags on, then suddenly rushes.

The side characters do get character development, and I ended up shipping the side couple. A ray of light!
Let’s end this on that positive note. Xiao-Tao was the best❤

Current Mood: tired

Mydramalist summary:The nation of Emmaly is known for its abundance, both by land and water. Emmaly is ruled by a monarchy and is divided into five regions and leaders. According to royal law, each region must send an heir to compete in order to become a monarch. The winning heir's father becomes the new king of Emmaly.

This story follows the crown prince and heir Khanin of the Assavadevathin royal family and his royal bodyguard Charan Phithakthewa, whose family has been the Assavadevathin’s royal guard for decades. Khanin lives far away from Emmaly and he doesn't care about seizing the throne. Charan, as the royal guard, has the duty to bring Khanin back to the country.

The very first episode was on fire: Khanin gets to find out he’s a prince, lose his father, and meet the love of his life all in one day. Seems at first like standard tropey bodyguard romance I’ve seen (and loved) a million times – that’s not actually what this drama is, though.

It had more politics than I expected. The true main characters in this show are the insufficient safety standards of Emmaly’s mining operation.
I liked that the show is not afraid to feature more serious topics, but I wish it hadn’t outshone the couple. I like when there’s balance between the romance and plot (ideally these would be intertwined, but let’s not get ahead of ourselves, haha).

Spoilers

The mining storyline ultimately gets dropped, which is a pity. The Secret Bad Guy obviously turns out to be the character who has no other role in the story.

In general, there aren’t any surprises, which is fine. The pacing was a little off, but at only 14 episodes, I can deal with it.

The main couple was solid enough, nothing groundbreaking. I liked the contrast between Charan who has grown up in this old-fashioned fantasy court setting, and Khanin who holds opinions and values in line with the outside (real) world. Like I said, I would have loved to see them fleshed out more.
There’s a BDSM side couple, of which I liked the bottom but disliked the top, and didn’t really ship them in the end.
Didn't form any opinion on the third couple.

Overall there wasn’t anything super exciting going on, although the seeds were there. They could have taken this drama in multiple directions, but simply failed to pick one – ending up with a compromise that just doesn’t fully commit to anything.

Challenge #7

The Ferris Wheel
Journaling: Life in fandom goes through ups and downs. Reminisce about the "wild ride" of your time in fandom or in other online communities.

I was, and still am, part of the Supernatural fandom. And oh, what I ride it’s been!
I’m choosing to focus on the slasher side of things, because SPN has so much going on I feel I have to pick a topic. So let’s not get onto Mishapocalypse, but instead talk about Destiel.

We started out with Wincest as the most popular ship, sporting an impressive portmanteau, and also truthers who thought it would go canon.
Then Castiel joined the cast four seasons in and immediately Destiel eclipsed every other ship, prompting ship wars, antishipping, and general mudslinging. And, of course, truthers who thought it would go canon.
For 12 years Destihellers held on, zigzagging towards and away from canon-status, alternately being mocked and encouraged by the cast and producers, being told we’re both valid and delusional.
And then. THEN. It went canon.

…one-sided canon, that is. And Cas died.
And then, all hell broke loose.
After episode 15x18, I remember the reception being positive overall in my circles. The death scene was seen as either a fitting end for a beloved character, or a set-up for Castiel’s return in the finale.
But Castiel wasn’t in the finale, crushing the hopes of shippers. The finale was TERRIBLE in general. Destiel went fully canon in the Spanish dub. A meme spawned that is tumblr’s main news source to this day. The canon status of Destiel is still hotly debated.
We all lost several of our marbles, and never recovered them.

I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Challenge #6

Journaling prompt: What games do you play, if any? Are you a solo-gamer or do you view games as a social activity?

Ohoho, this prompt is a bat to a hornets nest!
I am indeed very much a person who enjoys video games. I play with my sibling when possible, and solo otherwise.

All the big series by Nintendo are in my selection: Mario, Zelda, Metroid, Donkey Kong, Pikmin. I hold a special love for Fire Emblem and also play similar strategy games, such as XCOM and Disgaea. In fact, I can't wait to replay XCOM 2 on the switch 2!

My favourite game of all time is a Zelda title, Majora's Mask. I've made this post about it earlier this year. :D

Challenge #5

Journaling prompt: Be a carnival barker for your favorite movie, book, or show! Write a post that showcases the best your chosen title has to offer and entices passersby to check it out.

I want to rec a manga series: Nana to Kaoru by Amazume Ryuuta.
It's a softcore BDSM coming of age romance that ran from 2008 to 2016.

The titular main characters are high schoolers taking their first steps into the vast world of BDSM, and (of course) falling in love in the process.

Nana is a "mature for her age" kind of girl. She is tall and built like an adult, excells at school thanks to her hard work, is composed and polite at all times. She is also being crushed by the pressure of all her responsibilities and perfectionism and desperately needs an outlet.

Kaoru is a small, weird looking guy. He has a preexisting interest in SM, and therefore an idea how to give his friend a "breather".

The two seem like the typical nerd fantasy couple; an unattractive dude snatching a perfect girlfriend. But when you actually read this, it turns out he's not unattractive, and Nana isn't perfect. Both of them are portrayed as multi-dimensional people.

Kaoru is a good dom - he is new to this, but researches extensively to make sure they're staying safe. He not only loves Nama, but also respects her. That makes him more attractive as a dom/top than good looks ever could.

This is an ecchi manga - so yes, Nana has big boobs, and we zoom in on them a lot. As you would expect.
But what makes this story unique is the focus on actual, realistic SM in loving detail, as well as the well-rounded characters. I couldn't help but fall in love with them and their story, as easily and naturally as they were falling for each other.

Challenge #3

Journaling prompt: What are your favorite summer-associated foods?

Yay more recipes!

I have the perfect recipe for a refreshing dinner in summer: Chinese Lemon Chicken via the Omnivore's Cookbook.

And I haven't been able to make her no-churn Black Sesame Ice Cream yet, but its very summer-y indeed, and the comments love it.

Challenge #2

Tunnel of Love
Journaling: The romance of summer! What do you love? Write about anything you feel sentimental about or that gets your heart pumping.

I love cooking❤
I love to cook, and I love to eat, and I love to have my food prepared exactly as I like it.
Cooking for others is how I show my love for them. I love the sense of community it gives me to share a home-cooked meal.
I love being someone people go to for recipes or cooking advice, and I love to hand these out. So, here you go, have The Woks of Life’s Tom Kha Gai recipe.❤
When I make this Tom Kha, I leave out the chili, and add just a bit more coconut milk.

Challenge #1

Journaling Prompt: Light up your journal with activity this month. Talk about your goals for July or for the second half of 2025.

My goals this summer are

1) Participate in the sunshine challenge :D

2) Survive the pressure changes due to the summer weather. It wreaks havoc on my damaged ear unfortunately.

3) Crochet a dress for the first time. I won't be able to wear it until next year, but that's okay. I've been eyeing the Better World Dress pattern.

Have some more light in these trying times:
Firefly

Current Mood: hot

Ok so first of all: OMFG IT WAS RELEASED!!! AAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!!!!
I reviewed episodes 1-8 here back in 2023(NOT spoiler-free), and now here we are with the whole show on our hands at last. Good things do happen :D

I’m keeping this short because I really don’t want to spoil too much, as experiencing this story unspoiled is worth it. Also, I already wrote my thoughts about the main story in my novel reviews – yes, the adaptation is so good that they are still applicable!
The only major difference to the novel is the romance not being explicit. So no sex against the door scene in the drama unfortunately, haha.

Otherwise, they changed names, aged characters up, and shuffled content from the extras into the main story. Some scenes are embellished and noticeably more dramatic than in the novel.
In my first review, I discussed what the changes mean for the story and themes – please check it out if you haven’t(and don’t mind spoilers).

Censorship is very noticeable, especially towards the end; scenes will end abruptly, or are cut together strangely. But at its core, this is the novel come to life on your screen - and it is every bit as glorious as you would expect.
The actors did a phenomenal job. Everyone involved put their heart into it, and it shows.
They did justice to a masterpiece.

Current Mood: jubilant

This was a cute little puzzle game. You use lego bricks to build small structures in a very contained environment to help the protagonist make it to the next stage. Sometimes there is only one solution, other times you have (a little) more freedom.

No text or speech, all story and game mechanics are conveyed visually. It worked well enough - I was definitely rooting for my little guy! The tiny stages are cute and set the mood well.

Controls are super simple and work surprisingly well, considering the game is basically guessing where you want to place your brick in a 3d world with 2d controls.

Overall a very relaxed experience, with calm music and puzzles on the easy side. I finished it in two sessions. Full price is too much, but I recommend it on sale!

Current Mood: relaxed

Challenge #13

Interact with someone in fandom you haven't talked with before.

Leave a comment in this post saying you did it. Let us know what you did, if you feel comfortable doing so.

I sent a tumblr ask to an artist I've been following for a long time, to let them know how much I appreciate them and their art. It's funny, because this morning I considered doing exactly this but chickened out. Must be fate that the challenge pushed me to do it, haha.

an ice snowflake against a blue background text snowflake challenge near the top in blended text

Challenge #12: Create a Rec Countdown. Post your answer to today’s challenge in your own space and leave a comment in this post saying you did it. Include a link to your post if you feel comfortable doing so.

5 Video Games

Number 1: The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask
The no-brainer rec. My favourite game ever which I already rambled about here.

Number 2: Pikmin
A timeless classic, and the only real-time strategy game I thoroughly enjoy.

Number 3: Metroid Prime
The Queen of 3D Metroid. I heard the Switch remaster is good.

Number 4: Donkey Kong Country 2
The best of the DKC trilogy. The soundtrack includes one of my favourite songs, Mining Melancholy

Number 5: Ookami
This game is so beautiful. Seriously check this out:

4 Fanfic recs

Rec number 1:

milk teeth (30349 words) by perfchan
Chapters: 3/3
Fandom: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Relationships: Keith/Shiro (Voltron)
Characters: Keith (Voltron), Shiro (Voltron), Lance (Voltron), Others Make Appearances - Character
Additional Tags: Dead Dove: Do Not Eat, Canon Compliant, Post-Canon, Horror, Blood and Gore, Rape/Non-con Elements, POV Shiro (Voltron), Dark Keith (Voltron), Shiro (Voltron) Whump, Additional Warnings In Author's Note
Summary:
The shock. The loss. The way Curtis' body is sprawled limp on the bedroom floor.
The sight of Keith, crimson, smiling.
The overwhelming smell of blood.
*
A post canon fic where everything has gone wrong, and then gets worse.

My comment: A delightfully creepy horror story. Keith is terrifying :D
Captures the feeling of dread and being hunted very well.

Rec number 2:

From Mud to Bloom (50146 words) by noireallydontgetit
Chapters: 10/10
Fandom: 莲花楼 | Mysterious Lotus Casebook (TV)
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Relationships: Fang Duobing/Li Lianhua | Li Xiangyi
Characters: Fang Duobing, Li Lianhua | Li Xiangyi, Di Feisheng
Additional Tags: Post-Canon Fix-It, Mystery, Author Is Sleep Deprived, Angst and Porn, Dual Cultivation, Canon-Typical Violence, Canonical magic and sorcery for the most part, Minor Original Character(s), Where did Fang Duobing's flute come from, Author really wants to know
Series: Part 1 of Mud Bloom
Summary:
Li Lianhua might be afraid to die. This didn't mean he could not accept death. However, Fang Duobing had other plans—as did Di Feisheng, apparently—of which involved a mysterious hot spring high in the northern mountains, a bizarre set of murders, and a little something called dual cultivation.
(This first part can stand alone on its own.)

My comment: Lots of dual cultivation :D. It feels easy and natural, like these are people who actually know each other and are having fun together.

Rec number 3:

Bones Adrift (42164 words) by Skrifores
Chapters: 6/6
Fandom: Our Flag Means Death (TV)
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Blackbeard | Edward Teach/Stede Bonnet, Minor or Background Relationship(s)
Characters: Blackbeard | Edward Teach, Stede Bonnet, Crew of the Revenge (Our Flag Means Death)
Additional Tags: Supernatural Elements, Getting Together, Adventure & Romance, Co-Captains - Freeform, First Time, Fluff, Horror, But not that scary, switching POV, Mutual Pining, Huddling For Warmth, Cold Weather, Fluff and Smut, Stede is weirdly sexually confident, Or maybe just very very horny, Sharing a Bed, Anal Sex, Falling In Love, Ghosts, ghost ship - Freeform, Frottage, Hand Jobs, Fire, Drowning, Fear and Comfort, Complete
Summary:
The Revenge spots a drifting, seemingly abandoned ship. Is it haunted, overrun by demons, or full of vampire-mermaids? Probably none of the above, Ed and Stede think, though some of the crew have different ideas. There does seem to be something wrong about that ship though. It warrants some investigation.
This is a ghost story/horror genre (not too scary) multi-chapter story set in the wonderful Co-Captains time before everything went to hell. This story is now complete.
--
Ed cracks a most delightful grin and puts his hand on his heart. “Tell you what, if I die before you, promise I’ll come back and haunt the fuck outta you, mate.”
“That would be absolutely lovely. Thank you.”
Ed laughs again and Stede watches his face light up. His eyes are adjusting to the dark, and he can see the outline of Ed’s features again, and can catch the flash of white teeth. Stede could swear that when Ed tosses his head laughing, the faint light from the moon and stars flows like water through the silver in his hair.

My comment: Another “spooky” story, though a much more lighthearted one. Nails the tone and style of the show – it feels just like an episode. Inner voices of the characters are spot-on.

Rec number 4:

Engineering 4 (42503 words) by Martha
Chapters: 11/11
Fandom: 镇魂 | Guardian (TV 2018)
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con
Relationships: Shen Wei/Zhao Yunlan
Characters: Shen Wei (Guardian), Zhao Yunlan, Special Investigation Division | SID Ensemble (Guardian), Zhu Jiu (Guardian), Wang Yike, Zhang Ruonan, Jiajia (Guardian), Dragon City University Students (Guardian), Cheng Xinyan
Additional Tags: Homophobic Language, Misogyny, Body Horror, Non-Consensual Drug Use, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Episode 3, POV Outsider, Ableist Language
Summary:
The three rapists from that Engineering 4 class find a different target. A dark retelling of Episode 3, an episode that was already pretty damn dark. Heed the warnings.
~~Unfinished but well underway. Anticipate weekly updates as the monster swells and bellows.~~

FINISHED!

A note about early season canon: At the end of this episode Zhu Jiu sounds surprised that a mere college professor was able to counteract Wang Yike's fast, fatal aging power, which I took to mean he has not yet figured out that Shen Wei is the Envoy...and on that fragile, fragile foundation is built a story.

My comment: This fic seems tailor-made for me tbh. Shen Wei is my favourite, I love to see my faves get hurt, and I have a massive noncon kink. Delicious hurt/comfort even if you’re not a kinkster.
This work is by the same author as The Bargeman of Dixing, which I recced last year. Yay for consistency :D

3 Youtube channels

Number 1: FutureCanoe
The memelord cooking channel that keeps it real. Video rec: Beef Wellington

Number 2: Folding Ideas aka Dan Olsen
Amazing documentaries and storytelling analysis. Video rec: Annihilation and Decoding Metaphor

Number 3: Thalasso hobbyer
Cure your attention span with resin diorama craft. Video rec: Forgotten Shrine and Guardian

2 suspenseful TV Shows

Number 1: Breaking Bad
Yes it really is as good as they say. No, I didn’t think I would be into drug lord drama either XD

Number 2: Beyond Evil
My review

And a ~~partridge in a pear tree~~ novel

Mo Du by Priest. It’s just so good, I don’t even know what to say. If you’re going to read any Priest BL, make it this one.

Current Mood: cheerful

I recently cooked with peanut butter for the very first time, and feel I must document the journey somehow, because it was a fascinatingly difficult ingredient to aquire.

So at first I did my usual shopping at my usual supermarket, and checked if they had peanut butter. They did not. No matter! I knew of a store that has a USA section in their foreign food aisle. Americans love peanut butter, surely this is the place to look!

There was no peanut butter in the foreign food aisle. But worry not - I found an employee. When I asked her if they had peanut butter, she looked at me like I had asked to buy the store. She told me she didn't know. I don't think she understood what I was asking, but at least she was honest?
I tracked down a second employee. She was very helpful, and pointed me to... the milk and butter aisle. She definitely didn't understand what I was asking.

Ok so no help could be expected from staff. Doubt started to set in, but I wasn't giving up just yet. At this point I pulled up the store's website to check if they carried peanut butter. And behold, they did! They had store brand peanut butter!

And that's when some synapses started firing: Not everyone wants peanut butter for Asian cooking, right? People put it on bread and stuff. The infamous pb&j. So I started checking all the aisles for breadspread: Marmelade & Jelly section - nothing. Honey section - nope. But then! In the chocolate spread section, right underneath the chocolate sign, I finally found it. The elusive peanut butter that noone in the store even knows they sell.

This is what my ancestors felt when they slew a mammoth.

The recipe turned out great. Here's the link.

Current Mood: content

Challenge #10

In your own space, talk about one of your fandom firsts. This could be your first fandom, your first fandom friend, the first fanwork you created, the first fanwork you interacted with... The options are endless! Leave a comment in this post saying you did it. Include a link to your post if you feel comfortable doing so.

My very first fanfic I wrote as a wee child of maybe six or seven. I had read Calico Bush by Rachel Field, and hated the ending. What do you mean, she wants to stay with the people who’ve been keeping her as an indentured servant/slave? Hell no. The whole book she wants to go home to France, so I wrote a fix-it where she does exactly that.

I don't think I ever showed this fanwork to anyone, and it has since been lost. But I remember surprisingly well what I wrote, and how indignant I was at the book's ending.

Current Mood: nostalgic

Promotional Image for Under the Skin Season 2

Season 2! Hell yes!
I was so excited for this. I also made a review post for season 1 a while back :)

It was a lot of fun even while not reaching the quality of season one. There was sadly much less focus on forensic art.
At least Shen Yi still falls asleep in cars. I was hoping they wouldn’t explain this, and they didn’t! It’s a nice bit of characterization, a random quirk that doesn’t need to tie into anything bigger.

Shen Yi is struggling with himself this season. His troubles revolve around not being able to save a little girl in a red dress. Even though he had a bad feeling, there was nothing solid to go on, so nothing was done, and now Shen Yi beats himself up over not trusting his gut.
It's not a bad storyline per se, but didn't we already have this same thing in season 1? Shen Yi already felt indirectly responsible for someone's death. In fact, his connection to Captain Lei's murder was much stronger, he gave the murderer vital intelligence after all. This time, he... didn't know something he had no real way of knowing? It's the same thing, but weaker.
It’s also entirely inconclusive – at some point late in the story, this plot point is simply dropped.

Notes by case, with spoilers. Wow this got long.

Case 1: Reality TV Idol murder via Troyan Giraffe

• A solid first case overall. An idol convinces his overinvested fan to kill for him.
It was not hard to figure what happened out once both culprits had been introduced.
• The Shen Yi/Du Cheng dynamic is delightful :D
• Shen Yi makes his first drawing of the season completely unnecessarily, just for the hell of it, haha.
• Dear god that surviving idol’s hair is fried from bleach
• The show wants us to believe these guys smoked pot in a closed room all night, and the police etc. didn’t immediately smell that in the morning? Yeah no.
• Du Cheng sitting on the giraffe is adorable. He also gets to make out with the police forces newest member: The Giant Stuffed Monkey! I love monkeys and I love plushies :)

Interlude: Fang Kaiyi

• Shen Yi meets a guy who claims to “know him” through his paintings, right on the heels of a case featuring a truly devastating parasocial relationship. He worries he is not enough in tune with his emotions, and not expressive in his art. Then he makes a painting and the first person who sees it immediately has a panic attack – don’t worry Shen-laoshi, you’ve still got it!
But more seriously, Shen Yi is having a crisis because he relies on psychology and profiling to do his work – if he can’t understand people and emotions, it puts his work in jeopardy, nevermind what it means for an artist to be unable to express emotional themes.
A little ironic, since he actually seems more open with his emotions than in season 1; he smiles a lot more, more example, and puts on dramatic performances for the suspects to draw them out.

Case 2: Murder and kidnapping

• A father is killed and his child taken by a group of hooligans, but it turns out the boy was abused by his father and the guys were only helping him.
• Shen Yi gets (slightly) hurt on Du Cheng’s behalf ❤
• The child is cute, but I didn’t find him and Yun Lei as relatable or likeable as they’re probably supposed to be.
• Really loved the theme of the cage: It’s naturally assumed to be a prison, but it turns out to be protection!
• I can already see the fanfic about Du Cheng and Shen Yi adopting this kid.

Case 3: Piles of bones in the mountains

• A mountain guide lures hikers to their deaths if they ignore a call for help, and somehow this is because his sister died. He also helps a woman fake her death.
• This is why you gotta be careful in the mountains! Don’t go hiking in flip flops guys.
This particular mountain has holes like Swiss cheese, to be fair.
• The imagery of the tree growing from a pit of bones, because someone who died there brought a seed with them, is beautiful.
• The guide is so suspicious, I’m glad it wasn’t simply him murdering everyone. Would’ve been too easy. Actually, I don’t think you can call any of this murder at all. If you walk off a cliff in the treacherous mountains that’s still on you or at best an accident. Manipulating someone to take a specific path in hopes they die is not nice, but it isn’t killing them either. He did kill the husband, but the man was physically attacking him and trying to kill his wife – he was defending himself and the wife.
• Unexpected representation for mathematicians! Of course they made her a weirdo, haha.
Also, surprise lesbians! This show is truly spoiling us.
• Du Cheng and Shen Yi’s conversation in the car was highly entertaining. I love the dynamic they have developed ❤
• Really liked this case overall. Everything was well foreshadowed yet fun to watch play out.

Case 4: Suicide baiting chatbot

• An AI talks people into killing themselves and Li Han is publically embarrassed.
• Shen Yi holds an adorable preschool art/psychology class for his colleagues, though I have my doubts about his personality assessment method. It’s kind of a weird scene (they discuss He Rongyue’s love life and donkey hoove videos), but the takeaway is that Li Han isn’t doing so well.
To make matters worse there’s a fire at her place and then she gets shamed online for being messy. This must be one of those cultural difference things; where I live, your place would have to look like a landfill to inspire gossip.
• I like how Li Han already being in a bad place mentally is what makes her vulnerable to the bad guy’s manipulation.
• Romance-y stuff happens with Li Han and Jiang Feng. I like them both individually, but I don’t think I ship them necessarily.
• Did not see the AI stuff coming, but maybe I should have, haha. Dunking on chatbots and image generators is always fun.

Case 4: Arson and Lynch Law

• A group that committed deadly arson a while ago is back from prison, but the local community is out for their blood. Meanwhile one of them, Ruang Fangfang, turns out to be a skilled manipulator who has pulled the strings all along.
• This case features themes of mob justice, revenge, and the cycle of violence.
A group of civilians harasses ex-convicts, calling for more punishment, even death. The victims of a crime think the perpetrators got off too easy. A husband feels justified in abusing his wife because life hasn’t been fair to him either. And, of course, the murder of this case was for revenge too.
• The police suddenly remember to follow proper procedure, get permission and file paperwork.
• Shen Yi uses the “house, tree, person” diagnosis method again, tying this case together with the last one.
• Ruang Fangfang is essentially Lila from Miraculous Ladybug. She even pulls the good old rip your clothes when you’re caught XD
• Shen Yi is in danger! Du Cheng comes to the rescue, awww. I just wish the climactic scene where he catches the lighter wasn’t so oddly comical – he’s coming out of nowhere and gets there faster than Shen Yi who is right there? And the whole time, the crowd just stands around while the important characters talk.
• Du Cheng is upset because Shen Yi solves cases using psychological profiling. I thought we went over that last season? Feels forced.

Case 5: Unhinged streamer and lesbian wedding

• Popular streamer Ao Li is messing with the relationship of her ex-boyfriend and ex-bestfriend, but it turns out she was just trying to save her friend from an asshole.
• Jiang Feng’s time to shine! He infiltrates the toxic streaming industry, where everyone is terrible.
• Ao Li is super hot and looks very good in glasses.
• I didn’t really get what her supposed assassination plan was. Cause an accident by running into the street? But it’s that’s super unpredictable. That whole thing was kind of a stretch tbh.
• Ao Li is putting in a lot of time and effort to break up some fuckboy and her ex-bff. Then the other lady shows up to the venue in a wedding dress to meet her and talk things out. These two being deeply weird about each other saved the case for me, and I ship them.
• As an additional nice touch in the ‘wedding’ scene, both of them are wearing wedding colours.

Case 6: ‘Underage’

• Grown women pretend to be underage girls to attract men of certain tastes to their prostitution business under the cover of a children’s home. The mastermind was the victim of a rape case that Captain Lei handled at the time.
• Captain Lu is back! He is handsome and competent.
• The idea that Captain Lei made a mistake is really incomprehensible to Du Cheng, isn’t it? The way this plays out you’d think Captain Lei was accused of a terrible crime, rather than assuming someone’s official records were true.

Case 7: Factory full of bodies

• An avid opera fan sets the stage for his late girlfriend with dead bodies.
• The backstory in this case is very tragic. I liked how the pieces slowly came together to form a picture of misery.
• Everyone acts like this couple has such a scandalous age gap relationship, like they’re Harold and Maude or something. But she really isn’t that much older (the actress is 10 years older than the actor) – they’re still the same generation.
• Shen Yi goes to confront the culprit alone in a pretty weird and lengthy scene, but doesn’t actually land himself in trouble. Bummer, I was hoping for another daring rescue.
• One guy gets killed after vomiting in the murderer’s car, which is only fair.

Case 8: Pregnancy shenanigans

• This is technically the beginning of the Last Case of the season, but I decided to split it in three.
• A wealthy lady who was planning for divorce is murdered. A young woman carries a child for her son, but it turns out it was the husband/father’s kid all along.
• There must be something truly weird going on with inheritance/divorce law in China for their ‘have a child before the divorce’ plan to make any sense.
• I’m not buying the murder itself. He kills her by mistake while he’s drunk? Really thin explanation.
• Du Cheng is rather jealous of Shen Yi’s new friend from the art gallery :)

Case 9: Prussian Blue and Astrology

• A clairvoyant is suspicious about her boyfriend’s death. It turns out she herself poisoned him, because things got too real in their little plan to get An Luran pregnant for money.
• Du Cheng continues to be unsubtly jealous of Fang Kaiyi.
• Shen Yi continues to head into danger alone.

Case 10: At Fang Kaiyi’s lab

• Fang Kaiyi makes illegal gene modifications on human embyos. Meanwhile An Luran and his assistant Tang Keying are involved in organ trafficking and illegal migration, and Tang Keying ends up murdered when she gets cold feet.
• I really liked the case, and the way it was woven in with the interpersonal stuff and character arcs.
• My god, Fang Kaiyi’s home is ugly. Shen Yi stays the night at his lab and they draw the night sky together (aww), just to really get Du Cheng’s blood boiling, haha.
• Du Cheng and Shen Yi have a bit of a falling out, and Du Cheng forces Shen Yi to go on leave. This makes perfect sense – Fang Kaiyi is both a suspect and Shen Yi’s friend, so he shouldn’t be investigating, and Shen Yi has been a little stressed lately. I guess the scene was meant to be more dramatic than it read to me, haha.
The show is angling for a level-headed and evidence-based vs. emotional and intuitive approach type of conflict, but it kinda falls flat, because clearly you can do both? First you have a hunch, then you investigate and find evidence (or find you were wrong).
• Loved the resolution of the case, where Shen Yi lets Fang Kaiyi slash open a painting to find another beneath. Beautiful farewell for the character.

Ending

• Du Cheng and Shen Yi have a super sappy heart-to heart. Awww.
• The last two minutes are used to set up the sequel and end on a cliffhanger. God do I hate this kind of shit.

I wish this could have ended on a more positive note, but I swear I liked it overall, haha.
My favourite case was the one in the mountains.❤

Challenge #9

In your own space, create a fanwork. Leave a comment in this post saying you did it. Include a link to your post if you feel comfortable doing so.

I crocheted these two darlings:

Sonic and Shadow semi-realistc hedgehog amigurumi

Sonic and Shadow semi-realistc hedgehog amigurumi

They’re Sonic and Shadow 💙🖤
Pattern is based on this.

Current Mood: artistic

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autodach

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