Ace Safe Space list, part 3
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| Image description: An eclectic collection of images can only mean one thing - it's time for another Ace Safe Space list. Pictured here is a Korean variety show, a Korean actress, a picture from an American TV show, and a YouTube gamer. Read on to find out more about what these things are and how they give me comfort. |
As always, this list is very subjective. These are things
that I personally find safe and comfortable to my specific identity; other
aspec people might feel very differently about these things, and that’s okay.
Not every aspec person has the same definitions of “safe,” nor should they have
to. But these are things that personally play well to my comfort level and that
I cherish as a result. I’ve been so looking forward to sharing this list with
you – as always, it’s as eclectic and varied as I am, but it’s full of some
truly wonderful gems. Who knows, maybe you’ll even find a new fave or two as we
explore this year’s Ace Safe Space list!
Run BTS
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| Image description: BTS - the bottom row, from left to right, RM, J-Hope, and Jin; the middle row, Jimin on the left and V on the right; up top, Jungkook on the left and Suga standing in the middle. |
I discuss the Korean band BTS a lot on the blog, and their music is a huge feature of my Safe Space lists. However, there’s something that I haven’t mentioned before on these lists that I really should have mentioned sooner – BTS also has a variety show called Run BTS. The show, formerly on broadcasting platform VLive and now on YouTube, ran for several years and broadcast over 150 diverse episodes, featuring the group doing everything from playing games to answering trivia questions about their discography to going to theme parks. You name it, BTS probably did it on this show. I’ve watched and rewatched Run BTS episodes ever since I became a BTS fan, and I can’t even begin to describe how much I’ve laughed or how much stress I’ve alleviated thanks to the show’s silly shenanigans. Thus, it’s a perfect thing for this list and something I very much wanted to include this time around. 150 episodes is a lot of episodes – an overwhelming number to be sure – so here are just some of my favorites.
NOTE: As I said, the show was originally on VLive, a platform that has closed since I first did this post. Although the episodes have been uploaded to YouTube, many of the later episodes do not yet have English subtitles. They are also available on the fan platform Weverse.
Episode 24 (aka – The Zombie Episode) (2017): Fun
fact, when I was a new fan and didn’t really know much about the band yet, I
saw this episode back before I even knew what Run BTS was. All I could
think at the time was “they all seem like such nice guys who want to make
music, why are they being tormented by zombies?” Yes, this episode features the
members of the band getting tricked into an escape room style adventure where
they try to dodge actors dressed in (very convincing) zombie make-up in order
to solve a puzzle. Spoiler alert – it does not go well. But it’s also hilarious
(sorry, boys).
Episode 51 (aka – Lotte World) (2018): Continuing the
theme of “feeling guilty for laughing at poor BTS’s pain” comes the episode
where they go to the Korean theme park, Lotte World. This is another episode I
saw in the early days before I knew what the show was, and again, it doesn’t go
well, but is painfully hilarious. Here in Lotte World, the members attempt to
perform certain challenges while riding theme park rides like the Pirate ship,
a log flume, and a roller coaster known as French Revolution. Just like in the
Zombie episode, there is a lot of screaming.
Episodes 83, 84, and 85 (aka – “Summer Outing”/water sports)
(2019): Although many of the episodes I’ve included on this list are single
standalone episodes, most Run BTS episodes have multiple parts and this
one is a great example. In this three-parter, BTS heads out to play various
watery games on a lake; this includes everything from the standard water polo
to an elaborate floating obstacle course. Then, in the final episode, they all
reconvene for dinner and an exchange of gifts with one another. There are some
things in the last episode that make more sense if you know the band well (such
as why their gifts for one another are especially funny at times), but even if
you only have a passing familiarity with the group, their waterfront struggles and
triumphs make for an amazingly fun time.
Episode 109 (aka – The Dubbing Episode) (2020): In
this episode, the boys (with the help of an experienced Korean voice actor)
experiment with the process of how movies are dubbed into other languages. They
take a look at the Korean dubbed versions of three Disney or Pixar films – The
Lion King, Toy Story, and Zootopia – and lend their voices to the
characters. It’s a lot of fun to watch and the results are extremely
impressive.
Episodes 116 and 117 (aka – The Teambuilding Games
Episode) (2020): Any fan of BTS can tell you that the band’s teamwork,
communication skills, and synchronization are legendary on stage. When it comes to
working together to complete games… it's decidedly less so. In this two-parter, the
boys play a series of games designed to test teamwork, with breaks in between
the games to do whatever they like. The result is, as it often is, completely
chaotic and hilarious.
Honorable Mention: Episode 20
(BTS cooking challenge, featuring squirrel-shaped dishes and sweet potatoes
with adhesive strength); Episode 23 (BTS + dogs = instant serotonin); Episode 32 (BTS at Christmas time, playing a Christmas-themed game with a twist.
Tis the season to be chaotic); Episode 65 (BTS debate team, debating the
value of mint chocolate ice cream; technically the last of a three-parter, but
it’s hilarious on its own too); Episodes 100 and 101 (special games to
celebrate the 100th episode of the show, including a capture-the-flag style
obstacle course/laser tag game)
K-Dramas
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| Image description: Top row, from left to right - the posters for the movie Space Sweepers, as well as the series Designated Survivor: 60 Days and Chief of Staff; Bottom row, from left to right - the posters for the series Sisyphus, Memories of the Alhambra, and The Uncanny Counter. |
Earlier this year, I did a post covering the non-sexual and non-romantic female leads from three K-Dramas – Squid Game, The Silent Sea, and Hellbound. Needless to say, my family and I were pretty hooked after those three terrific shows, and since then we’ve watched well over a dozen shows and a few movies, all of which have been absolutely top notch. But even more amazingly, nearly all of them have been totally “Ace Safe Space” friendly. I cannot even begin to describe the joy I feel when I sit down to a K-Drama that is rated TV-14, thus almost guaranteeing that sex won’t be included, or when I check the parental content advisory on sites like IMDB and see the words “None” under “Sex and Nudity”. This is not a phenomenon I often get to experience, and it’s even more rare that I get to experience it for shows that are absolutely spectacular, as is true of literally all the shows (and the one movie) in this section.
Because this is true of so many of the dramas we’ve watched,
I really had to limit myself and pick only a few – rather than just writing an
infinity symbol. As such, the dramas in this list all fit the vibe of “safe” as
much as possible, meaning that I’ve left out some with darker themes (such as
the extraordinary Signal, which, as a crime procedural, can get a bit
grim; or the touching tear-jerker Tomorrow, which is wonderful but deals
very heavily with darker personal themes). So, within those parameters, my
recommendations are:
Space Sweepers: In my last K-Drama post, I mentioned
I had one more example that I chose not to include due to the post’s length,
but that I would talk about in future. So here it is at long last – Space
Sweepers, a sci-fi action film that takes place in a future where space is
littered with debris that is picked up and sold by teams of space salvagers
from across Earth. We follow the crew of a ship called The Victory, a
crew made up of three Korean humans and one robot, and their quest to stop the
machinations of a corrupt CEO (played by Richard Armitage of all people, which
is as unexpected and delightful as it sounds).
Space Sweepers is considered “the first Korean space
blockbuster” and as such, I expected it to be fun. Which it is, but it also
left me very emotional at various parts, most notably because of the bonds
between the unlikely crew of misfits, as well as the family-related feels from one
of the main characters, rather than any type of romance. Since I described this
as a sort of honorable mention in my prior post, I’m sure you can guess it features
another female lead who falls under the umbrella of non-sexual/non-romantic
heroines – in this case, the bad-ass Captain Jang – but there is no romance literally
whatsoever in this movie. The only time such a thing is even involved
tangentially is when the captain of another salvage vessel is a bit flirty
with Captain Jang, which she roundly rejects. I find it especially noteworthy
that the plot doesn’t decide that she should get together with the other
captain once the main action is over. She’s uninterested, full stop, and it’s
never used against her – not to mention she’s a terrific and well-rounded
character to boot. In general, the film is entirely uninterested in romance,
but still packs a lot of feels. It’s fun, it’s heartfelt, and it’s extremely
AroAce friendly. I cried twice. Can you tell I love this film and its
characters?
Designated Survivor: 60 Days: In my “Trouble with Streaming” post, I spoke briefly about the series Designated Survivor,
which was resurrected by Netflix after its cancelation, but which became
disappointingly oversexualized. I enjoyed the show’s first two seasons, though,
so I was delighted to learn that a Korean remake of the first season exists –
that show is Designated Survivor: 60 Days. In the original show, the
president and entire cabinet of the United States perish during the State of
the Union address, leaving the “designated survivor” as the only person left to
assume command. The Korean remake handles this concept in a slightly different
fashion. Our survivor, Minister of the Environment Park Mu-jin, is not a
designated survivor per se; rather, he survives because he was dismissed from
office and thus is not at the National Assembly when it explodes during an
important presidential speech. Because his dismissal had not yet become
effective, Minister Park is the only person left alive in the line of
succession and becomes President Park for a period of – you guessed it – sixty
days.
Although the show does follow a lot of the plot of the
original version, it makes itself its own show by deviating from the formula
even while following its plot structure. As such, this show is a fantastic and
thrilling ride. And of course, because it’s in this list, it’s devoid of sexual
plotlines. Additionally, this show is also extremely light on even any romantic
involvement. There is a small subplot where two male staff members both express
interest in President Park’s female secretary, but it never becomes
cringe-worthy, over-the-top, or even especially pronounced. When one of the men
begins dating her, it is treated as a very brief mention, rather than something
that is outright explored in any detail. The other romance in the story is
between President Park and his wife, Kang-yeon. I absolutely loved this
relationship because it’s a strong, long-standing love, and so we already have
the sense of how much these two characters care for and support each other.
Some of my favorite romances are these types of long-standing connections,
where it’s less about being wooed and more about being steady, dependable, and
by each other’s side. It’s a beautiful relationship and Kang-yeon is a great
character in her own right, making it even better, and giving even more flavor
to an amazing political drama full of characters I still adore even months later.
Chief of Staff: Continuing the political
thriller theme, Chief of Staff follows the stories of National
Assemblymen and women, and, of course, their staff. Our main character is Jung
Tae-jun, played by the incredible Lee Jung-jae, who you may know from the lead
role in Squid Game. Tae-jun is the chief of staff for a corrupt and
greedy assemblyman, and so he tries to keep his head above water and survive in
the cutthroat world of politics, first by maneuvering behind the scenes to try
and do some good, and then by directly struggling against his boss and the
bigger forces at play. Along the way, the waters get murky, and Tae-jun is
forced to fight his way through to enact real change.
In many Western political thrillers, it’s not unusual to see
plots and machinations heavily involved in sex or sex scandals, and to
graphically show these things on screen. Not only is that not the case in Chief
of Staff, but sexual plotlines are absent from the show entirely. Something
I found delightful is that even the romance plotlines in the show are
incredibly understated. Much like Designated Survivor: 60 Days, the core
relationship of this series is a long standing one, this time a five-year
romantic partnership between Tae-jun and Assemblywoman Kang Seon-yeong. This
relationship is important to both characters and is showcased throughout the
series, but in all their time on screen, we literally only ever see them kiss once;
all their other moments of affection are incredibly sweet and mild, such as a
tender embrace or Tae-jun resting his head on Seon-yeong’s shoulder. Meanwhile,
as two members on Tae-jun’s staff start to get interested in one another, their
relationship is never even actually confirmed, and instead is left as a sweet
sort of budding interest that adds flavor to the story without it becoming a
main focus. I love that these relationships are allowed to be tender
rather than overtly passionate, and that, while they are of course romances, they're also primarily about helping and supporting one another. Of
course, beyond just the romances, there are also several strong friendships at
the core of the story, as well as a mentor-mentee relationship that made me
cry. A terrific cerebral thriller from beginning to end, amazing acting, great
female characters, and The Feels, what more could you ask for?
Sisyphus: Falling under the category of shows
with a bit more romance, we have Sisyphus. Also known as Sisyphus:
The Myth, this series follows the story of CEO Han Tae-sul, whose company will
be responsible for an upcoming nuclear war when they invent transport
technology that allows both people and objects to be sent through time. To stop
this, a young woman named Gang Seo-hae time travels back from the future. The
war hit when Seo-hae was a child, and she spent most of her life surviving the post-nuclear world in a bunker with her father. Together, she and Tae-sul,
as well as other friends and allies, work to unravel the plot and prevent the
war from ever starting.
I’m a big fan of sci-fi, but sci-fi media about time travel
usually makes my brain hurt. Sisyphus, however, does such a wonderful
job of crafting its plot so that the time travel elements make sense and flow
perfectly, which is something I always appreciate. Another thing I usually
dislike that Sisyphus did with aplomb is the concept of love triangles.
Love triangles are definitely going to be covered in another “Tropes I Hate”
post, but the love triangle in Sisyphus is a masterclass in how these
things should be handled. This love triangle doesn’t diminish any of the
characters involved, nor are we as the audience ever encouraged to hate either
of the men who hope to win Seo-hae’s affections. In fact, in the end, even the
two men don’t hate each other and work together on several occasions. Beyond
that, Seo-hae is far from being just “the love interest” – rather, I’d argue
she’s the main character of the story, even though we begin with Tae-sul. She’s
also the perfect mix of “soft girl vibes” and “bad-ass girl vibes,” which isn’t
always easy to pull off. And a bonus for
me is that Seo-hae is a BTS fan and often talks about how her favorite song is
the band’s masterpiece “Spring Day”, a song about friendship and loss, which
makes it especially perfect for this drama and this character. So although
Seo-hae does get involved in a romance and this is a big part of her storyline,
it’s definitely not the only part of her, and is integrated into so many other
amazing things that make her who she is. If you want a sci-fi thriller with a
lot of both head and heart, this is the show for you.
Memories of the Alhambra: All the K-Dramas we’ve
watched so far have been fantastic. But my family and I are low-key obsessed
with this next one, a fantasy/sci-fi drama called Memories of the Alhambra.
The show focuses on Yoo Jin-woo, whose tech company has recently invested in a new
and intriguing type of technology – a virtual reality game you can play by
wearing a pair of contact lenses. The lenses immerse you in a rich and exciting
fantasy world where you can fight with swords, upgrade your weapons, interact
with non-player characters, and of course gain experience points to level up.
However, the game soon malfunctions and affects Jin-woo’s reality in unexpected
and frightening ways.
Memories of the Alhambra, like Sisyphus, does
feature a romance. Jin-woo eventually falls for Jung Hee-Ju, the game
developer’s older sister and the owner of a hostel in Spain where the action of
the story first begins (she’s even played by the same actress who played
Seo-hae in Sisyphus - Park Shin-hye, whom I featured in this post's cover image). Although this romance is a big part of the story, I
was impressed with how it was handled and how it was an important part of the
story without overshadowing the rest of the plot. The mystery of how to solve
the game’s problem and free Jin-woo from the unexpected hold it has over his
life forms the main action, and that mystery is tense, interesting, and
brilliantly woven together. Too often, I see stories where the plot screeches
to a halt for the romance, and it ends up feeling shoehorned in as a result, or
the entire story suffers for the need to make romance the main focus. Not so
here; the romance is, in my opinion, a satisfying slow burn and likewise keeps
the romance sweet, meaningful, and non-sexual, once again satisfying my love of
romance in the perfect way, while also giving me a plot to sink my teeth into.
As with everything on this list, I highly, highly recommend it.
The Uncanny Counter: Last on this list, but
certainly not least, is The Uncanny Counter. This series follows a group
of demon hunters known as Counters (hence the title), who work as noodle shop
employees as a cover, but are perpetually on the hunt for demons. When one of
their own is killed, his powers transfer to a high school student named Mun,
who finds himself suddenly able to do things he never imagined and becomes the
essential fourth member of the squad. Based on a webtoon, the series is action-packed
and fun, but also extremely heartfelt as the team quickly comes to love and
accept Mun, and they form a tight surrogate family bond.
I love stories where a group of individuals becomes like a
family to one another, and the team of Counters has to be one of the best “team
as family” dynamics I’ve ever seen. The very genuine emotions the entire team
has for one another are heartwarming and make the show truly great – but
they’re not the only amazing relationships in the show. Mun’s two childhood
best friends also form a wonderful group, Mun’s relationship with his
grandparents is always very sweet, and there are several other friendships,
familial relationships, and more that I just adore. In the case of romance, it’s
a very minor feature, found notably for the older members of the team. There
are a few times where characters will comment on Mun and the young female
member of the team Ha-na, often to comedic effect. But whenever those moments
happen – and especially when the Counters joke about it – the show makes it
clear that Mun and Ha-na are usually only together for a specific plot-related
purpose that is very clearly not romantic. Although it does seem like Mun may
have a little bit of a crush on Ha-na, the show never takes it anywhere, and if
they do decide they want to explore that relationship more in future seasons of
the show, I have faith they’ll do it well, as is true of so many of the
K-dramas on this list. This and all of the K-Dramas I’ve mentioned are on
Netflix, so run, don’t walk, to check them out.
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Ghosts
Any regular reader of the blog can tell you that I end up talking about comedies quite a lot, and usually for unpleasant reasons. I often find it very difficult to enjoy most comedies, because so much of that “humor” is overly sexualized at best and aphobic at worst. Therefore, when I find things that make me laugh while also being aspec-friendly, I treasure them – such as the aforementioned Run BTS or the radio comedy Cabin Pressure, which I mentioned in my first Ace Safe Space post. Usually, these funny pieces of media are not mainstream comedies and me enjoying a mainstream comedy is in fact quite rare. So the 2021 CBS comedy Ghosts came as a great surprise to me.
Ghosts is about a young couple named Jay and Samantha
(Sam) who are surprised when a relative of Sam’s bequeaths her house to them.
This house, although quite old and decrepit, strikes Sam as a great place to
open a bed-and-breakfast. There’s just one problem – there’s already an
eccentric cast of ghosts living in the house, and when they hear Sam’s plans,
they’re appalled. Using their ghost powers, they try to sabotage any notion the
couple might have of turning the place into a B&B, but their efforts go
awry when Sam gets injured and as a result has a near-death experience.
Astonishingly, when she returns to the house, she can suddenly see and talk to
the ghosts and they to her, dramatically changing her life – and their
afterlife.
Honestly, this show is quirky, but I find it delightful for
a variety of reasons. For a start, the series is an American adaptation of a
British show, which is usually a red flag for me, but it surprisingly works. I
don’t know anything about the BBC version, so I can’t say if one or the other
works better, but I can definitely say the American version has a lot of charm,
which is not something I often say about American adaptations. Additionally, the
show manages to have a lot of wholesome moments, which is a rather unexpected
thing to say for a show about ghosts. I love stories about groups of people
who, despite their differences, genuinely like being around one another, and Ghosts
is a great example of that. The friendships all the ghosts have with one
another, and that they eventually form with Sam and by extension Jay, are
oftentimes very heartwarming. The entire ensemble cast is great, and many of
the plotlines are well-written and heartfelt. They have me laughing, sure, but sometimes
they also get me emotional too, which is always my favorite place to be.
At times, the show does rely pretty heavily on stereotypes and its humor can admittedly drift into a
sexual territory on occasion, especially because some of the ghosts are portrayed as
overtly sexual – especially when it comes to Flower (a very stereotypical
hippie character) and Trevor (who is clearly supposed to be a Wolf of Wall
Street style money chasing young investor from the 1990’s). Although Flower
usually stays in her stereotypes, Trevor actually gets a surprising amount of
depth at times, despite the fact that he’s sometimes a little raunchy… and the
fact that he died without pants on. But what I love about Ghosts is that
the show often zigs when you otherwise except it to zag, so the mystery of Trevor’s
pants, for example, is not actually what you might anticipate. I could say so many
good things about this show, its concept, and its characters – from the camaraderie
between the ghosts, to how great Jay and Sam’s relationship is, to the
thoughtful and often sweet ways each of the ensemble characters are showcased.
Plus, it also features unique plotlines that are just genuinely
creative. I mean, have you ever seen a show where a ghost from the American revolution
plays a game of Dungeons and Dragons to settle a dispute with the
British soldiers who also live on the property? No? Well, I have, all thanks to
this show.
Unfortunately, like many comedies, Ghosts suffers
from inconsistent writing, meaning that some episodes feel completely different
in terms of tone, characterization, and in how they approach sexual
jokes/plotlines. Most notably, several of the episodes after the show came back
from winter break in early 2022 suddenly got a lot raunchier in nature, before
it settled back down to his usual level of shenanigans. As such, I can’t say
with complete confidence that it will always be Safe Space compliant, and I do
still watch it with that slight level of caution as a result. But whatever the
outcome of future episodes and seasons may be, I love Ghosts because it gave me a laugh at a time when I really needed one; for that, it will always have a special place in my
heart.
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When it comes to content, there is so much more to be consumed in the course of a day than just the usual. For instance, when I exercise, relax, eat lunch, etc., I like to watch YouTube videos. Everything from humor to media analysis often tickles my fancy, but some of my favorite content combines story, heart, fun, and of course, a sense of knowing it will be safe for me – like the content of YouTuber Kelsey Impicciche, a gamer who mostly makes videos focused on playing The Sims. I discovered Kelsey’s videos through the “Not So Berry” challenge, an ongoing challenge where she plays as one family for ten generations, hitting different requirements along the way. But I’ve also enjoyed several of the other series she’s done, such as her “Royal Rags to Riches” challenge, which became a personal favorite of mine.
What makes Kelsey’s content so much fun is that she combines
the silly and often unpredictable nature of The Sims with great
storytelling. When the game throws her an unexpected curveball, she
incorporates it into the story she’s trying to tell in masterful and often
surprisingly touching ways. I never imagined I would get emotionally invested
in someone playing with a bunch of Sim families, and yet I find myself completely
sucked into the stories she’s telling. This is also because Kelsey almost always
keeps her content very clean. The game, of course, gives you the option to have
your Sims in romantic or sexual situations (called “woo-hooing” in the game),
and some of the mods Kelsey has added to her game can make things a little,
shall we say, spicier. But even so, she still manages to keep things safe and
accessible for someone like me. There are some challenges she does – such as
her ongoing “Occult Baby” challenge, or the “100 Baby Challenge” that brought
her fame on BuzzFeed – that obviously include the necessity to have her
character woo-hoo frequently, and those can get a tiny bit raunchy, but Kelsey
on the whole is usually very wholesome and so watching her is a great joy.
In general, Kelsey seems like someone with an amazing personality,
and it shines through on screen. It’s hard not to smile while watching her, and
I find myself endlessly grateful for the hundreds upon hundreds of hours of
free content she’s made for her audience. When Kelsey updates, it’s usually a
highlight of my day and watching her videos is always a fun treat, thanks in
large part to the fact that I rarely have to worry when watching her, and that’s
extremely valuable to me.
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So there we have it – my Ace Safe Space list for 2022. So far, this has been a roller coaster year for me, and I won’t lie, it’s been tough. But these pieces of media have definitely given me a lot of joy, emotion, happiness, and fun. As always, it’s a quirky bunch, but all of these things are special to me in their own right and I’m very glad I got the opportunity to share them with you. With any luck, I’ll be able to continue adding to this diverse list in future!
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