#DMD: pairing daddy simps with sassy twinks is their thing.

[earthmixsclowderofcats]

Just genuinely asking, do you actually believe that ZeeNuNew is dating? (I believe in them)

Oh, this never ending debate.

When I first got into BL these two confused and confounded me for months. It always seemed like people were either very strict and defensive truthers or pessimistic deniers.

Honestly, I went back and forth several times on them, and I think what I have come to conclude is that they're both and neither and whatever the hell they want.

Because due to the parasocial aspects of the Thai bl industry these men (Thai bl men in general) play a version of themselves in public, the same way most people do. Only their public persona is what makes them marketable. It's part of their brand.

That doesn't mean there isn't truth to it.

Fanservice and genuine affection do not exist in vacuums separate from one another. Real life relationships are way more fluid and complicated than black and white.

There are things they do that seem very performative, but I have to wonder if maybe that's just part of their personality and relationship in general. But obviously it is also, at least partly, for the fans. As it is their brand. But again, that's something that doesn't exist in a vacuum.

In a classic, western sense they haven't officially actually come out but rather were like "you can think whatever you want."

(I think this might have changed recently with the language they've been using but I'm not 100% sure due to fan translations being subjective. But like, I'm pretty sure they've said recently in an interview they basically date at work.)

At some point (especially in the past few weeks)I've legitimately just started feeling like a homophobic crone for thinking it was ALL for fan service. Like, those two clearly are very important to each other. They clearly love each other in some way.

It's so interesting because like, in a way these shipped pairs are living their own fake dating au's. And I fully believe there are some people who just committed to the bit to the degree that it no longer became a bit, and I'm pretty sure that's zeenunew.

You can see their relationship change over the years. I don't doubt there was fan service in the cutie pie era. I also don't doubt that those big sappy displays of affection are sincere.

So i used to put them in the category of "shrodinger's ships." They were both together and not until proven otherwise.

But recently I've shifted them into the category of "committed to the bit too hard and now it is no longer a bit."

Because I think it's both fan service and legit, and like, that's just how they roll. If it is an entirely false charade they've been on for years then consider me bamboozled and in awe of their hustle, but in this economy we take all the serotonin we can get.

Also, like, regardless of any outside perspective of their relationship, their personal relationship is going to be what it is or isn't either way. What are we gonna do about it by arguing over semantics and technicalities? What would they get? Nothing. We have literally no stake in this and no influence.