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from about september-december i could feel myself pulling away from stray kids, for multiple reasons. the absolute insane hate bangchan was getting was one reason. absolutely nothing against him, i love him to pieces, but the abusive messages constantly for months and months against him were a lot. it truly is really different here on tumblr, but on twitter it's a battlfield. everyday there is clearing of searches and people angry and upset over the hatred, and seemingly even more people laughing at people getting mad over the hatred. there was an awful lot of 'it's just a joke, don't be sensitive' tweets going around, all while people were telling bangchan, even on his livestreams, to k*ll himself. it's definitely calmed down within the last few months (though the best leader contest currently going on hasn't helped anything), but the hate is still very present, in a way i've really only seen against a few other current idols.

the other reason i distanced(?) myself from skz and stays the last few months is because of the obvious elephant in the room: woojin. woojin leaving was devastating, maybe even more so because the clues sorta line up if you look at the last few months before the announcement in october. after all, he's always been the quiet/distant member, but the last few months you could blink and miss his face in the skz players and other content. he wasn't as present in songs, despite being the oldest and main vocal.

and then he left, with seemingly no warning. skz was left scrambling to remake their album that was set to release in only a month and stays were left winded, confused as to why exactly it was happening. was he kicked out? did he leave on his own accord? jype says he did, but then why would he not leave sooner, giving them more time to properly finish their album without him, or at least leave after levanter promotions? and then chan dropped the bombshell a couple months later, after woojin had signed to a new company, the thing that everyone still talks about. according to chan, woojin should have 'thought of the people around him'. chan used the words 'selfish' and 'betrayal', and seemed genuinely hurt in the vlive, even as he was careful to not say anything too direct and damning. and with that ~2 minute long video, stays were thrown into a dramatic divide. do they side with chan, abandon woojin and assume the worst? do they side with woojin, get angry at chan that he might be using his platform to get stays to side with him?

personally, i side with chan. i trust him the most, as i always have, and i trust that he didn't mean anything malicious with his actions. he's always been incredibly open with stays, and that's exactly what he was showing in that video- his raw emotions, so that stays could understand how he's felt the last few months. i don't hate woojin, and i will support his solo career, whatever that may be, but i also don't consider him part of stray kids anymore. i believe that commenting '9 or none' on everything skz does will only do more harm than good in the long run.

1) imagine me and you (2005) - wlw movie about falling in love at first sight. rachel and luce lock eyes at the alter and instantly fall in love, the only catch is that it's not their wedding they're at. my absolute favorite romance movie. plays on the whole 'soulmate' trope. very sweet, only a bit of angst. happy ending. poc characters are almost non-existant tho.

2) love, simon (2018) - mlm movie about two boys falling in love online, the only catch is that they're anonymous. very funny and sweet, a bit of angst and blackmailing which might be stressful to watch. (the friends are absolute trash to simon though, there i said it.) simon's mom is the mom you always wished you could have. happy ending. poc main characters and a jewish love interest!

3) moonlight (2016) - mlm movie about a gay man growing up in miami. very emotional and poetic, but there is homophobia and an abusive parent and drug use. happy ending. entire main cast is poc!

4) catfight (2016) - i almost don't know how to describe this film. it is told in three major parts- the first, second, and third fight. it does involve a lesbian main character, but her sexuality is not a main point of the film, her awfulness is. in fact, it is the main highlight of the movie- her awfulness, and the awfulness of everyone around her. it seems to have been created as a response to the political and social climate of 2016, and it shows. no real angst or homophobia is shown, but anger is very present. anger is the backbone of the movie. happy-ish ending. a poc main character. can be watched on netflix!

5) lez bomb (2018) - wlw movie about a girl bringing her girlfriend home for thanksgiving to come out to her parents. very cute and hallmark-y, but there is some angst involved. mild recreational drug use. happy ending. next to none poc characters.

6) la llamada (or 'holy camp!') (2017) - a spanish christian musical movie involving a girl who falls in love with a nun and a god who sings whitney houston. set in spain. very cute friendship between main characters. mild drug use shown and the d*ke slur is used once, but by the wlw character. happy ending. can be watched on netflix!

7) closet monster (2015) - a growing up story about a gay teen escaping his abusive family and town. very artistically shot and beautiful, but full of angst. homophobia is most of the movie, with the father being a main antagonist and a homophobic hate crime being mildly shown at the start of the movie. most likely not for the sensitive of heart. happy-ish ending. almost no poc characters at all.

8) a single man (2009) - a story about a grown gay man navigating through life after his partner's death. very poetic and emotional, full of angst. light homophobia involved. major character death involved. unhappy ending. almost no poc characters whatsoever.

9) d.e.b.s. (2004) - wlw movie about a spy and a supervillian falling in love. very cheesy and cute, almost no angst. happy ending. poc main characters!