#Era of the Queer Prince

[zallencor]

As a budding author with no views, I just want someone to fan girl about my characters with me

[ohdorothea]

Which Taylor Swift Song is Queerer? Album by Album Tournament - Bonus Round

Welcome back to the Taylor Swift’s Queerest Song Album by Album tournament!!! We have reached the end of the album tournaments and four songs from each of Taylor’s albums have been voted to be The Queerest songs from each album. All of those songs will be competing in the Ultimate Bracket, alongside the top four songs from the Unreleased and Miscellaneous rounds that are ongoing. There are still eight slots left to be filled in the bracket. So welcome to…. the Bonus Round!!!

At the above link you can find a Google form in which you can cast eight votes! I have chosen from all the songs that didn’t make the final cut and picked 26 that I believe deserve a second chance. The songs you can choose from are…

1. A Place In This World

2. Better Than Revenge

3. But Daddy I Love Him

4. champagne problems

5. Change

6. Crazier

7. Cruel Summer

8. Eyes Open

9. Fortnight

10. Getaway Car

11. Glitch

12. I Wish You Would

13. Labyrinth

14. ME!

15. Miss Americana & the Heartbreak Prince

16. My Boy Only Breaks His Favourite Toys

17. Paris

18. Peter

19. Snow On The Beach ft More Lana*

20. Stay Stay Stay

21. Tied Together With a Smile

22. The Man

23. The Manuscript

24. The Other Side of the Door

25. The Lucky One

26. The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived

I have also written a voting guide below the cut with my reasoning for including each of the songs with links to anything I think might sway your vote!

This Google form will be open until the 1st of June so you have until then to decide where to allocate those eight votes!

*original Snow On The Beach did not win a place in the final tournament

Bonus Round Voting Guide (made by ME!)

A Place In This World

I think this song is queer because… This is the original Swiftian song about questioning your place in a heteronormative cis world.

If The Outside is about begging to be let into that world, this is the song about sensing deep down that even if you could fit into that world it’s not the place for you.

This is the song about wanting to get away from the restriction of trying to be someone else even if it means being isolated, even if it means having no one else on your side, because you know there is a place out there that is meant for you.

I think this is cemented by the A Place In This World x New Romantics mash up Taylor played on the final night of The Eras Tour

Better Than Revenge

I think this song is queer because… This song has oh so many of the classic Swiftian queer motifs!!! Triangulation of desire (shout out to Kathryn’s betty essay for teaching me the concept), referring to boyfriends as ‘toys’, revenge, spending a song that is meant to be about losing a guy talking about a girl instead, walking the line between fury and horny, the list goes on!!

Also in the outro she literally asks the woman to “show me how much better you are” and if that’s not a lesbian proposition I don’t know what is.

I also want to link to this PowerPoint that also makes a lot of great points

But Daddy I Love Him

I think this song is queer because… while there are many interpretations that fit this song to me it screams gay awakening in a small religious community and fantasising about breaking out of misogynistic homophobic culturally expected ‘self control’.

Running with her dress unbuttoned, being pregnant out of wedlock, her lover being described as ‘crazy’ by her community all point to a narrator who feels confined by the expectations put on her by her religion/religious community.

“If all you want is grey for me / Then it's just white noise / And it's just my choice” also follows in the vein of OOTW / illicit affairs / Question…?/The Prophecy lyrics comparing life without this type of love as grey/colourless and life with the love as colourful, a motif I very much consider to be queer.

I also think the tour staging of the song very much is telling a queer narrative

The song starts and the dancers are all in white coming from this grey colourless world behind them (very Wizard of Oz)

And Taylor/the narrator is in front (imo imagery matching the image of a young queer person being the first person they know to come out/realise their own queerness)

Skipping to further in the choreography, Taylor is standing in the middle of what seems like a community gathering/religious gathering and then goes to her knees, following the dancers in choreography that looks like prayer/begging/pleading

But then as the story of the song progresses she gets up (Tonight we'll stand, get off our knees anyone?)

And not only that as she rises through the air she is surrounded by flames! It gives me the image of someone who has been told being queer is a sin that will send them to hell and now she’s just embracing the flames

Shout out to this post as well as it helped form my thoughts

champagne problems

I think this song is queer because… I have since first listen felt like this song’s narrator is a queer woman. I’ve moved through different interpretations of the exact events or identifies of those involved but it has always been for me the story of a queer woman who is in a ‘perfect’ relationship to outsiders but in the moment the person proposes she realises she has made a mistake.

That she can’t spend her life being the person she needs to be to stay in this relationship, she must break this person she love’s heart to be able to find herself and live her life authentically.

The line that particularly leads me to this interpretation is ‘“she would have made such a lovely bridge / what a shame she’s fucked in the head” they said / but you’ll find the real thing instead’.

Within the song this is sung with defeat and devastation, even self hate. However in the performance of the song during The Eras Tour I feel she really reclaims the lyrics and makes it into something else.

Shout out to Kathryn’s We Were Happy / champagne problems essay

Change

I think this song is queer because… This song has always been a queer anthem to me!

I don’t really have a clear argument other than when I listened to this song as 13 year old baby queer it stirred something in my little queer heart and every time I’ve listened since I feel the same way. Because these things will CHANGE!!!!!!

And I do think the bridge lyrics are called back in quite a few more recent songs;

Tonight we stand, -> Ladies and gentlemen, will you please stand?

get off our knees -> Fifteen years, fifteen million tears / Begging 'til my knees bled

Fight for what we've worked for all these years -> 'Cause when I'd fight, you used to tell me I was brave

And the battle was long, -> I tried to pick my battles 'til the battle picked me

it's the fight of our lives -> It's the goddamn fight of my life

But we'll stand up champions tonight -> As if you were a mythical thing / Like you were a trophy or a champion ring / And there was one prize I'd cheat to win

Crazier

I think this song is queer because… It is a classically Swiftian move to compare falling in love with the narrator losing her mind or because ‘crazy’ (The Way I Loved You, Don’t Blame Me, Wonderland, Welcome To New York, False God, I Don’t Wanna Love Forever are just a few examples).

To me Crazier is kind of the core of this motif. It tells the story of a narrator who meets someone that changes their life by leading a kind of life that the narrator never dreamed of being possible for them self.

The second verse really encapsulates this; I watched from a distance as you / Made life your own / Every sky was your own kind of blue / And I wanted to know how that would feel / And you made it so real / You showed me something that I couldn't see / You opened my eyes and you made me believe

And then the bridge, while being short and straight to the point, I think solidifies this as a song about queerness to me; Baby, you showed me what living is for / I don't wanna hide anymore

Cruel Summer

I think this song is queer because… it’s new! The shape of your body! I don’t want keep secrets just to keep you! I love you ain’t that the worst thing you ever heard? It’s NEW! THE SHAPE OF YOUR BODY!!!!!!!!

If those lyrics don’t convince you then I present to you this web weave and the idea that the song is about The Great Gatsby (we were so Gatsby for that whole year!)

And if that doesn’t convince you I present to the sophisticates amongst you, RPF;

And I snuck in through the garden gate

Every night that summer, just to seal my fate

Eyes Open

I think this song is queer because… ok so let’s say hypothetically you are a closeted queer country pop singer songwriter who is becoming very famous and scrutinised and you wanted to write a song about it.

If we take Eyes Open away from the context it was released (for The Hunger Games movies) I think this song tells the story of a narrator who is experiencing this hypothetical. I also think the song ties in a lot of themes and ideas that appear again and again in Taylor’s discography.

Everybody's waiting / Everybody's watching -> Somethin' happens when everybody finds out / See the vultures circlin', dark clouds

Even when you're sleeping / Keep your ey-eyes open ->

The tricky thing is yesterday we were just children -> Oh, darlin', don't you ever grow up / Don't you ever grow up

Playing soldiers, just pretending -> Long may you reign

Dreaming dreams with happy endings -> It could stay this simple / And no one's ever burned you / Nothing's ever left you scarred

In backyards, winning battles with our wooden swords / But now we've stepped into a cruel world -> It’s cruel summer with you

Where everybody stands and keeps score -> I didn't know you were keeping count

So here you are, two steps ahead and staying on guard -> Baby, I know places we won't be found

Every lesson forms a new scar -> We cry tears of mascara in the bathroom / Honey, life is just a classroom

They never thought you'd make it this far -> Someday I’ll be living in a big old city / and all you're ever gonna be is mean

But turn around / Oh, they've surrounded you / It's a showdown -> I was in the alley, surrounded on all sides

And nobody comes to save you now -> You could have helped if you had wanted to / But no one notices until it's too late to do anything

But you've got something they don't / Yeah, you've got something they don't -> So we've been outnumbered / Raided and now cornered / It's hard to fight when the fight ain't fair / We're getting stronger now / Find things they never found

Keep your feet ready / Heartbeat steady -> Walkin' through a crowd, the village is aglow / Kaleidoscope of loud heartbeats under coats

Keep your eyes open / Keep your aim locked -> Dear reader, when you aim at the devil / Make sure you don't miss

The night goes dark / Keep your lights open -> This love is glowing in the dark

I’d also like to shout out Kathryn’s interpretation of this song that they posted on the poll, I really love this interpretation as well!!!

Fortnight

I think this song is queer because… I actually think there are two different queer interpretations of this song that I really enjoy.

The first is in quite a few classic Swiftian way - she talks about a husband but uses you to address her lover, the narrator is clearly miserable within her life of heterosexual expectations and she says loving this person has ‘ruined her life’. Falling in love with a woman would certainly ruin the life of someone stuck in a heterosexual marriage.

I also think the way she uses touch as a metaphor is connected to lots of other queer songs in her discography - I was gonna type this all up but I actually made two web weaves about it already so I’ll link the first here and second one here.

But the second reading of this song that is also explicitly queer is the doppelgänger reading. Other people have written about this better than I can but I do have a little collage I made;

Like!!!!!!!!! The gender of it all!!!! Like I lost my twin!!!!!!!

Getaway Car

I think this song is queer because… in my head Getaway Car and Cruel Summer tell the same story in two parts and both parts are queer as hell.

In my interpretation Getaway Car is a song about a narrator who leaves a relationship with a man to be with a woman but then back tracks on coming out so she also abandons the woman. Cruel Summer is Getaway Car from the other woman’s perspective.

I came to this interpretation after realising that the end of Getaway Car and the beginning of Cruel Summer sound so similar (if you watch this video from 3:45mins until Cruel Summer starts hopefully you will see what I mean!)

So once I heard the similarities I started seeing the similarities in the stories as well. Both stories start with intense heat (I struck a match and blew your mind -> Fever dream high in the quiet of the night).

Both stories take place almost entirely within cars. Both narrators describe a relationship that is unlikely to work (Devils roll the dice, angels roll their eyes / What doesn't kill me makes me want you more -> I knew it from the first Old Fashioned, we were cursed / We never had a shotgun shot in the dark)

But there are also differences within the perspectives. Getaway Car’s narrator is already driving away, while Cruel Summer’s narrator is stuck in the moment she said ‘I love you’, still seeing the relationship through rose coloured glasses. Getaway Car’s narrator is not ready to step out of the closest and commit to this relationship but Cruel Summer’s narrator doesn’t want to keep secrets but wants to keep this woman she loves!

This turned out way longer than anticipated so I will stop there but I’d also like to offer up the video played before Getaway Car at the reputation tour;

Glitch

I think this song is queer because… I think there’s been a WE WERE SUPPOSED TO BE JUST FRIENDS!!! Now regardless of what this song is about in this Canon Swiftian universe I have always heard this song as a song about your first queer relationship.

And I think it ties in so many themes from other songs in Taylor’s work; friends to lovers, not wanting to apologise for her love, that perhaps this love she wants is not real, comparing love to substances, her love not standing a chance, DANCING!!!! It really has it all.

I Wish You Would

I think this song is queer because… ‘We're a crooked love / In a straight line down / Makes you wanna run and hide / Then it makes you turn right back around’ are to me some of the most explicitly queer lyrics in her entire discography!

The song is also built around a sample from a song called ‘She Drives Me Crazy’. This links with the motif I have already talked about where Taylor describes love as if she’s losing her mind. Dolly Parton also covered the song, and while it’s not explicitly a queer cover (she changes the she to you, although isn’t that such a Taylor move) I wanted to mention it because the cover goes SO. FUCKING. HARD. Highly recommend.

Labyrinth

I think this song is queer because… it just feels queer to me ok!!!!!!!!! I’m not usually one for advocating for queerness based on vibes but for me if I am going to use this argument for ONE song it’s this one. The production, the way she’s singing, lyrics they all just FEEL queer to me! I said what I said.

ME!

I think this song is queer because…

Spelling is fun! That is all ���🦄🏳️‍🌈💗

Miss Americana & The Heartbreak Prince

I think this song is queer because… I mean first things first this Halsey tweet lives in my head rent free:

But honestly I hadn’t thought about it much until I read Kathryn’s post about the song being a set up to Lavender Haze. I love this interpretation so much and totally see the vision!

My Boy Only Breaks His Favourite Toys

I think this song is queer because… it’s intersection of gender + objectification + doppelgängerism for me!!

Ok so the song is tied to the idea that the narrator’s lover saw her as a toy.

The metaphor of people as toys is not a new idea in the Swiftian universe. However previously she has used it to describe her muses. As far as I know it was introduced as a metaphor in Better Than Revenge (Soon, she's gonna find stealing other people's toys / On the playground won't make you many friends)

She then used it again in Don’t Blame Me (I've been breakin' hearts a long time, and / Toyin' with them older guys /Just playthings for me to use) then again in Cruel Summer (Bad, bad boy, shiny toy with a price / You know that I bought it) then again in Hits Different (I used to switch out these Kens, I'd just ghost).

And now, the role is flipped. She is the toy, was the plaything, she was ghosted. But she isn’t just a doll, she’s an army doll. In traditional gender roles it’s boys who play with the type of doll she is. She is also a doll built for war, battle, instead of romance.

She is queen only of temporary unstable castles that are washed away by the see, once more invisible. Her lover puts her back on the shelf because the heat of her touch, the intensity of this relationship, is too much for her lover to bare. But even with all that she’d play again! She’d be willing to pretend again because she ‘felt more when we played pretend / Than with all the Kens’.

However you cut it all this reads as super queer to me. I’d also like to shout out Charlotte’s web weave that I really love.

Paris

I think this song is queer because… it’s the parallels with Down Bad for me!

I wanna brainwash you / Into loving me forever -> Just to do experiments on / Tell me I was the chosen one

I wanna transport you / To somewhere the culture's clever -> I'll build you a fort on some planet / Where they can all understand it

Confess my truth / In swooping, sloping, cursive letters -> They'll say I'm nuts if I talk about the existence of you

Let the only flashing lights be the tower at midnight / In my mind -> Did you really beam me up? / In a cloud of sparkling dust

We drew a map on your bedroom ceiling -> Show me that this world is bigger than us

No, I didn't see the news -> What if I can't have us / I might just not get up / I might stay down bad

Peter

I think this song is queer because… ‘Forgive me, Peter, my lost fearless leader / In closets like cedar, preserved from when we were just kids / Is it something I did?’ For my money those are the loudest queerest saddest most tragic beautiful lyrics in Taylor’s ENTIRE discography!!!

But then it’s ALSO in the same song as ‘As the men masqueraded, I hoped you'd return’ and ‘I've heard great things, Peter, but life was always easier on you / Than it was on me / And sometimes it gets me, when crossing your jet stream / We both did the best we could do underneath the same moon / In different galaxies’ AND ‘You said you were gonna grow up, then you were gonna come find me’ like!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I’ve also made many many web weaves about this song that I think make my position pretty clear.

I also want to shout out this web weave that I love and Charlotte’s post that I also love

Snow On The Beach ft More Lana

I think this song is queer because… it’s quite literally a in canon love duet between two women that features references to the You Are In Love, Down Bad, and Janet Jackson, a prominent queer ally and gay icon. The lyrics revolves around the the narrator’s disbelief that this love is a ‘real thing’ and sounds like falling in love while in danger but also like being so in love you don’t care what comes next.

Truly so surprised it didn’t make it further in the Midnights tournament! To me it feels like one of the most obviously queer songs in her whole discography but I do think it was at a disadvantaged because most people know the original album version better and that is much much less queer to me.

It really does show to me how much different production can make to how a song is perceived! And it is interesting that this is the version hidden away one of the many re-releases.

Stay Stay Stay

I think this song is queer because… it’s about compulsive heterosexuality!

Taylor has talked about writing this as a daydream about a future relationship that is better than her past loves. The secret message for the song is ‘Daydreaming about real love’.

But the relationship the song describes sounds like a nightmare (dressed as a daydream?).

‘I'm pretty sure we almost broke up last night / I threw my phone across the room at you’ ‘You think that it's funny when I'm mad, mad, mad’ ‘I love you, because you have given me no choice but to / Stay, stay, stay’

Behind the cutesy country pop of this song is a controlling violent volatile relationship! So her choice to present the song as a daydream about her future is so fascinating to me. Regardless of her own interpretation of the song to me this is a song about having a nightmare about what staying within the confines of compulsive heterosexuality will bring.

Tied Together With A Smile

I think this song is queer because…

So I’ve already written here about my theory about gold representing self acceptance of queerness, which I’m linking to because my interpretation of TTWS is linked to it.

I didn’t include TTWS in that post because I was focusing on Taylor’s more recent discography but I do think that it fits into the overarching metaphor.

‘Hold on, baby, you're losing it / The water's high, you're jumping into it / And letting go, and no one knows / That you cry, but you don't tell anyone / That you might not be the golden one / And you're tied together with a smile / But you're coming undone’

So to me this is describing a narrator who thinks being ‘golden’ means being heterosexual. That the only way she can accept herself/that she will be accepted is by being straight. And she’s so terrified that she’s not straight, that she isn’t the golden one, that she cannot fulfil the expectations being placed on her. She is barely holding it all together with a smile.

This link was my reason for choosing this song for the bonus round, however when I revisited the lyrics for this write up there were some other lyrics that really stood out to me.

‘I guess it's true that love was all you wanted / 'Cause you're givin' it away like it's extra change / Hoping it will end up in his pocket / But he leaves you out like a penny in the rain / Oh, 'cause it's not his price to pay’

To me ‘cause it’s not his price to pay’ is signifying that the narrator cannot be loved romantically by this boy because she is not a straight woman.

The Man

I think this song is queer because… it’s actually so queer / so gender that there have been multiple web weaves made about it including one by me and by Kathryn!!!

And I mean we obviously have to talk about the music video in which Taylor creates a literal drag performance of The Man.

Which she then recreates with her dancers in The Eras performance.

And also the lyrics literally say if she was a man Taylor could brag about all the ‘bitches and models’ she’s fucked like!!!!!!!!! CAN ANYBODY HEAR ME OVER WHATEVER THE QUEER FUCK IS GOING ON THIS SONG??

The Manuscript

I think this song is queer because… of three sets of tags left on the poll that The Manuscript lost that immediately won the song a place in this Bonus Round.

The Other Side of the Door

I think this song is queer because… the door is the closet door!

The door as an object is a motif that shows up again and again in Taylor’s work. It’s a way she is locked out, trapped in, separated from her lover. And if we are reading that motif through a queer lens I would argue almost every door motif in Taylor’s discography is alluding to the closet, and it all starts in my mind with this song!

‘Wait there in the pouring rain, come back for more / And don't you leave 'cause I know / All I need is on the other side of the door’

Her lover is out in the open, in the pouring rain, waiting for her to come out. And she knows they are there, and she wants them to wait! But she’s not ready to open the door.

This idea was also fuelled by the door imagery in Taylor’s later work including the I Know Places 1989 tour performance.

Like look at it!!! It’s such strong visual storytelling. And while I was finding these images another image caught my eye:

This is the imagery from the Fearless platinum edition!!!! It ties back to all the other songs about doors! It’s the original door!!!!!!!!

The Lucky One

I think this song is queer because… well I’ve always loved the interpretation of the line ‘your lover in the foyer doesn’t even know you’ as a reference to bearding which is why I initially included this song in the Bonus Round HOWEVER when I had a look at the lyrics a new queer interpretation jumped out at me that I really really love. Imagine the song as a narrative about a trans singer!

‘New to town with a made-up name / In the angel's city, chasing fortune and fame / And the camera flashes make it look like a dream / You had it figured out since you were in school / Everybody loves pretty, everybody loves cool / So overnight, you look like a '60s queen’

Does anyone else see my vision??? Regardless I think there is something queer about the reinvention and the relationship between the narrator and the muse.

The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived

I think this song is queer because… for lots of reasons (Betty connections / doppelgängerism / genderism) but the reason that has stuck in my head since a little while after TTPD came out was sent on anon to someone I follow and I DIDN’T SAVE IT so I’m gonna do my best to pass on that anon’s queer wisdom.

The anon basically connected The Smallest Man’s Eraser tour costume

With the costumes in the ME! music video

With the lyrics ‘And I don't even want you back, I just want to know / If rusting my sparkling summer was the goal’. And ever since I read that anon message my little rpf brain has been whizzing and buzzing thinking about it.

And that’s the end of maybe the longest post I’ve ever written!

If you read to this point I love you and here is a gold star ⭐️

[arminthada]

UPDATES on QL Series which won the support grant funding from THACCA - Thailand's Agency for promoting Soft Power

1. KNOCK OUT หมัดน็อกล็อกหัวใจ (produced by Dee Hup House)

Premiered May 16 | Ongoing (5/12 episodes) | Currently airing on WeTV, every Friday

Synopsis: Keen was in the middle of a job interview when he received sudden news of his father's death. He had no choice but to use all his life savings to organize the funeral. Soon harassed by debt collectors, he discovered that his father had left behind a significant debt from an informal loan. Keen was compelled to hide at Petchsak camp, a Muay Thai gym, while figuring out a way to pay off the debt he didn't incur. There, he met Thun, a renowned boxer known as "The Cannon Who Conquers Tigers," the star fighter of the camp. However, no one knew why Thun refused to fight anymore: he built an icy wall between himself and others, which Keen had to find a way to break down in order to reach Than's vulnerable heart and true self. This led the two to grow closer, developing a passionate relationship that blossomed into a beautiful love. Together, they overcame obstacles. Confronting the past, however, comes with an irresistible pull that will lead the pair into a path full of danger.

2. Ai no Kisetsu ฤดูกาลแห่งรัก in Shimane (produced by 9Naa)

Premiered May 18 | Ongoing (4/6 episodes) | Currently airing on Viu, every Sunday

Synopsis: A year after his trip to Tokyo, P moves to Shimane to become a travel blogger. One winter day, P receives a message he had long been waiting for: Pan has returned. However, he hasn't come alone as he's arrived with his manager and another young artist. Will passionate feelings be reawakened as new and old relationships clash amidst the snowy backdrop?

3. RESET การเกิดใหม่ของดวงดาว (produced by Broadcast Thai TV)

Premiered June 2 | Ongoing (2/10 episodes) | Currently airing on iQIYI and Channel 3, every Monday

Synopsis: On the night of his greatest achievement, the actor Armin lost his life after he was betrayed by the one he loved most. But death was not the end. Reborn as his younger self, he is given a second chance: to meet his mysterious fan, T.D. and to take revenge on the one who betrayed him. Is it Armin’s destiny to RESET his life?

4. I'm the Most Beautiful Count ฉันนี่แหละท่านขุนที่สวยที่สุด (produced by Change 2561)

Premieres August 1 | 13 episodes | Airing on iQIYI and One31, every Friday

Synopsis: Not long after famous actor Prince came out as queer and rose to the top of the entertainment industry, he wakes up in the body of a good-looking noble in the Thongburi Kingdom of the past.

5. SHINE ชาย (produced by Be On Cloud)

Premieres August 2 | 8 episodes | Airing on WeTV and Channel 7, every Saturday

Synopsis: A tale of love and ideals unfolds in an era resistant to diversity set against the backdrop of the political turmoil of 1969-1971. Trin, a principled economist, collides with Thanwa, a free-spirited hippie. When they encounter Moira, an extravagant widow who lives far beyond the boundaries of freedom, their lives take an unpredictable turn.

6. 4 เรื่องราวแห่งชะตา (lit. 4 Stories of Destiny) (produced by Make A Picture) - TBA

7. เลือนรางและจางหาย (lit. Fading and Vanishing) (produced by Kantana Group) - TBA

Note on the THACCA Grant Funding, previously explained by @virtualtadpole

I went and looked into the official grant criteria, and the distinction you made here is correct, except that the network and independent categories are entirely separate from the BL/GL group. Of the lakorn/series categories, they had 30 million baht earmarked for at least 3 TV network projects, another 30 milion for at least 5 independent studios, 3 million for at least 2 children's shows (which was redistributed as no one submitted a project), and 32 million baht for BL/GL, which was further divided into two subcategories: 20 million baht for at least 4 BL/GL productions (at least 8 episodes of at least 30 minutes, with a total budget of at least 6 million baht), and 12 million baht for at least 3 BL/GL newcomer productions (at least 6 episodes of at least 20 minutes, with a total budget of at least 4 million baht). Applicants are required to have previously produced a BL/GL or participated in a BL/GL production (respectively for each subcategory, presumably).

Oh, and the grant statement says for projects to be considered, they need to (1) promote works that show variety and internationally competitive quality, OR (2) promote generation of employment and revenue for the industry, OR (3) showcase cultural worth and reflect and publicize the Thai identity to the international stage.

[THACCA] did say they received 894 submissions in total, with 88 final recipients. I do think the selection committee would be more partial to stuff more likely to sell internationally, though.

The announcement mentions a working window of April - 9 September... [Although] they aren't required to finish production by 9 September, but they have to submit a production plan with at least three days of principal photography having been completed

[absolutebl]

This Week in BL - Argh! I'm Late! It's A Lot to Keep Up With (sorry)

Organized, in each category, with ones I'm enjoying most at the top.

June 2025 Week 4

Ongoing Series - Thai

My Stubborn (Sun iQIYI) ep 7 of 10 - Delighted to see both condom and lube rep. How modern. Meanwhile, it is entirely delightful to watch Sorn suffer. We are pleased. I know they’re both hurting but I enjoy this part. I love love love all of the language play. And I have to say that Sorn’s krap is one of the sexiest I’ve heard in a long time. Probably because he uses so rarely.

Reset (Mon iQIYI) ep 4 of 10 - Oh it was a truly spectacular first kiss. But who cooks stovetop in oven mitts? Not to mention all white. V sus. I gotta say, from a queer perspective, the first thing I would tell somebody else queer about the future is marriage equality! Honestly, I feel really sorry for the cute piano boy, and the poor boys Lily keeps pimping out. Won’t somebody think of the children?

Memoir of Rati (Fri Netflix or YT) ep 2 of 12 - I like the political tension, I like the family tension, I like the sexual tension. I like this.

My Sweetheart Jom (Fri YT) ep 7 of 12 - I’m quite enjoying it. There’s so much plot meet so much silly. I love that there is this weird political stuff with the town. I love that there is this teen high school drama. I love that Yo is caught in the middle because he’s playing in both the adult world and the kids playground at the same time. It’s fun. Fun bisexual awakening too. Cute. 

Notes on Pooms: 

The Poom playing Fluke is a great actor. I hope we get to see more of him in the future. 

While the Poom playing Yo has the most incredibly perfect posture. Like he was in the military or a professional ballet dancer or something. 

Knock Out (Fri WeTV ) ep 7 of 12 - Out lead couple sure loves to kiss. However, this episode was almost entirely one long  fight sequence. Which I’m not upset about. In a sports BL you have to take the sports with the BL. 

Pit Babe 2 (Fri iQIYI) ep 9 of 13 - Well in addition to a lot of couples, there certainly is a lot happening in general. This is a very busy bee of a show. i’m not sure about Willy‘s power. I thought they were gonna keep these all “senses and enhancements of perception, rather than actual superpowers. That said, actually do kind of love Willy, my little monster. I don’t care that he’s interfering with everything. Kenta administering the patented thigh death squeeze, how 007 of him. Always fun times when that move shows up. Rare in a BL Bummer he almost immediately got caught again. It is truly wild that one of their main driver’s is kidnapped and they still race. I suppose the vroom vroom must go on? 

I Promise I Will Come Back (Mon WeTV) ep 6 of 10 - The boyfriend era (day) of our one-week travel romance.

The Next Prince (Sat iQIYI) ep 9 of 14 - More coils, this time sparkly. And such and such and so forth tally ho. 

The Bangkok Boy (Sat Gaga) ep 10 of 12 - the coils and coils are getting tighter and tighter. I'm sad.

Boys in Love (Sun iQIYI ) ep 8 of 12 - It’s fine. It’s cute. Not enough teachers.

SunTiny (Tues iQIYI) ep 3 of 10 - Oh man do I miss Talay on my screen. How is he so charismatic? Please bring him back as a lead? Meanwhile, this side character is mildly intriguing. But I’m not believing the lead pair body-swap mumbo-jumbo.

Ongoing Series - Not Thai

Ball Boy Tactics (Korea Thurs iQIYI) ep 4 of 8 - Halfway through and not much ball boy action (in the original sense of the term) has actually occurred yet. So I’m a little confused about the title. But that’s all I’m confused about with this show, everything else is glorious. Excellent wingman action too. ALSO a good kiss from Korea!!! Yay for you learning from your mistakes!!! 

Sweetheart Service (Korea Fri YT) ep 8 of 12 - I love that they are leaning hard into the fake dating side of the equation. It’s nice to see the central trope treated with so much intensity.

Revenged Love (China Mon Gaga) ep 5-6 of 24 - Oh no, they are being allowed to kiss. And early on in the show. This does not bode well. Doctor is Best Boy! I too am primarily food and gossip motivated. In fact, it’s one of the only ways to get me to socialize. 

Depth of Field AKA Hishakai Shindo (Japan Fri Gaga) ep 3 of 6 - So messed up in all ways. Oh Japan. Angry sad boys with emotions too deep to properly access because they can’t face them. I love how the guitar came out of the case perfectly in tune. A metaphor for the fact that the music itself wasn’t the thing that damaged him, but it was always waiting for him? This show, while weirdly subversively broken, is quite lovely, how Japanese. 

The Promise of The Soul (Taiwan Fri Gaga) eps 1-2 of 12 - Have I mentioned recently how much I hate body swap? There’s a lot of it going around right now. This one is weird because it’s combined with a strange massive age gap (maybe even necrophilia?)as well. And we’re starting out with some sort of weird obsession + sexual assault + a sprinkle of anti-trans rhetoric? What tf is going on? I don’t know. It’s just weird enough to keep me mildly intrigued. So I’m going to continue to give it a chance. But I’m deeply suspicious. 

It's airing but......

I Became the Lead in a BL Drama 2 AKA Zoku BL Drama no Shuen ni Narimashita (Japan Gaga) 6 eps - While I am intrigued by the manager side couple, I can't be arsed to add this to the weekly rotation. I may binge once it's done.

The Ex-Morning (Thailand YT) 10 eps - dropped half way through ep 3. I was just angry at it, at GMMTV, at the script, at the characters. That's not healthy for any of us. If rumors are to be believed, I'm feeling great about this life choice.

Season of Love in Shimane AKA Ai no Kisetsu: The Season of Love (Thai) 8 eps - Sequel to Kiseki Chapter 2 which I intensely disliked. I won't watch this.

Mission to the Moon (YT) ?? eps- Watching but I can't keep track. Too short, too many, too YT. I will report at end.

It ended we are annoyed

Moon and Dust (China YT) ep 6 end - sigh. Well, they didn’t give us a tragic ending, more of a non-ending. I guess it’s better than we deserve from China? I’m not as angry as I would’ve been if they’d killed or totally separated them. But I’m not happy about it either. Bummer, because this show featured my favorite core dynamic for a BL couple of all time. 4/10 

The Sparkle In Your Eye (Singapore Gaga & Viki) eps 11-12 end - It ended happily, which is kind of miracle.

Final thoughts:

An interesting BL from Singapore (in Mandarin) about a debut actor who used to be a super-fan and lands the lead opposite his idol. They fall in love. It’s complicated by a tumor and some casting couch trauma. I’m never excited about romances that feature celebrities, it’s just not my thing. But there’s been a great crop from Thailand recently (starting with Lovely Writer, then My Stand-in, recently ThamePo and now Reset) that this had too much to live up to. It fell short of the mark for me. 7/10 

My Sweet Brother in Law a VBL airing on YT that I was sort of watching ends with comas and cliffhangers. I DNF'd. And I cannot recommend. Bummer. It's been a long time since we had something decent from Vietnam.

Next Week Looks Like This:

Coming in July

7/2 Stay By Your Side After the Rain (Japan ????) - I got nothing.

7/4 10 Things I Want to do Before I Turn 40 AKA 40 Made ni Shitai 10 no Koto (Japan Fri ????) - Suzume has been single for over a decade and so makes a list of "10 things I want to do before I'm 40" which is accidentally seen by Tanaka Keiji, a handsome junior subordinate at work. At Keiji's suggestion, the two decide to fulfill the list together. (So Old Fashion Cupcake take 2?)

7/12 Desire the series (China Sat Gaga) - Trailer China continues its historic run on the international BL market with the first true ABO m-preg piece. I don't love anything about this except that it looks mighty manipulative and fucked up, and very very pretty. Is this CBL's KinnPorsche? I guess we will find out.

7/13 Doctor's Mine (Thai Sun YouTube) - Trailer A second try at adapting Gown & Gear, and a second round of casting put LLS in the lead (you all know I'm a fan) but this is a pretty banal uni Bl featuring doctors and engineers in the 2 Moons phase of Thai BL. It's gonna have to be spectacular to distinguish itself, but you know I am always up for another one. Like my favorite candy, can't stay away.

7/22 Secret Lovers (previously Secret Relationship) (Taiwan Tues Gaga) - Rivals to lovers with unhinged behavior that in the source material ranges from rock-paper-scissors contests to competitive handjobs (yeah, you read that right). Although the trailer makes it look a lot softer then this and it's hitting a lot of my buttons so this could be a big hit with me.

2025 Line Up

BL Announced for 2025 - PART 1

BL Announced for 2025 - PART 2

20 BLs Announced for 2025 That I'm Really Excited About

GMMTV 2025 Line Up - My Totally Biased and Wildly Flawed Feels

THIS WEEK’S BEST MOMENTS

I loved this bit with Alan and Babe (Pit Babe II).

Still loving this short, Wrong Number, on YT. This boy is just so sweet.

I just really liked this shot (Reset).

I love him. (Ball Boy)

Still not forgiven but I love that line Sorn. Nice try. (My Stubborn)

(last week)

The tag BLigade: @doorajar @solitaryandwandering @my-rose-tinted-glasses @babymbbatinygirl @babymbbatinygirl @isisanna-blog @mmastertheone @pickletrip @aliceisathome @urikawa-miyuki @tokillamonger @sunflower-positiiivity @rocketturtle4 @blglplus @anythinggoesintheshire @everlightly @renafire @mestizashinrin @bl-bam-beyond @small-dark-and-delicious @saezurumurmurs @waitmyturtles

[applepieshy]

I had an idea to redesign vox because I didn't love that a character obsessed with modernization would wear a top hat and bowtie. then after a brief stint into madness where I read my partner's historic costuming textbook I drew.... all this.

(side note: the idea of vox being a trans man who transitioned AFTER death was super compelling and absolutely inspired by @prince-liest so while this is not direct fanart of their series I wanted to give a shoutout anyway!!!)

okay some TRULY unhinged rambling about historic costume below the cut YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!

1950s: for this design I very much did not want to go to the typical a-line housewife look, because I feel that is unfitting for vox's character. instead I went for a more business look, but there is still a level of femininity that he would have been expected to perform. i wanted to express his discomfort with that through the pose and expression, though at the time he wouldn't necessarily have a framework for why he hated it

1960s: this one was very fun. i loved the idea of vox beginning to eschew some of the expected feminine presentation, and he no longer wears makeup, jewelry, or hose (though its hard to tell in black & white); however, he's kind of at war with himself in this time period. he's obsessed with seeming perfect and having a respectable image, so he would not go in for the counter-culture movements that were so big in the 60s. he's still kind of riding those coattails though, pushing those boundaries while still not acknowledging his queerness.

1970s: to me, it was very important that the gender hit as he entered the world in color. in my mind the gender euphoria is physically manifested in a wizard of oz situation - he can become who he always has been. anyway, gender aside, I think it was very important to me personally that he wore an ascot. it was for my mental health.

1980s: I wanted the 1980s to be the period where he began to gain some power and notoriety because of the de-regulation of television during this period to allow more ads, mirroring real-world history. I think if the 70s were when vox gained some real confidence, the 80s are when he got an Ego (tm). "business casual" also began to become more acceptable in this time period, and the t-shirt/suit jacket combo was very important for me to include, as to me it epitomizes the commercialism and machismo of the 80s.

1990s: this was actually the decade I was the most nervous to design, and yet I think it turned out the best? the 90s are known for grunge, which I think is NOT vox's style at all. I decided instead to lean hard into the yuppie look, which I know is more associated with the 80s but was definitely still a thing in the 90s. I also allowed a little hip-hop influence in the form of a gold chain from val, which is not something I think vox would ever pick on his own.

2000s: if the 90s were the decade I was worried about and turned out great, the 2000s are the decade I thought I had down SO GOOD and then totally floundered in execution. I still love the bubble-mac inspired head, and I tried to make his clothes as "round" as possible. I also like that this is the time where his saturation got cranked. however, I don't know if I'm in love with the vest and super bright sneakers, because again, looking back on it, he kind of looks like he works at a movie theater or best buy or some shit lol,,,

2010s: I think it's telling that this is by far the closest to his canon design (2014 tumblr lookin ass). I really wanted to pull from that hipster tech bro era, but unfortunately that aesthetic has a veneration for "retro" which again, is not fitting for vox. I still think he would wear the bowtie during this time because, well... he sure does in the show!

2020s: this was fun because I had an excuse to pull from haute couture design rather than street fashion because of the introduction of velvette into his life. I truly do not think velvette would let vox and val walk around in the outfits that they do because it would be an actual embarrassment LMAO. for this, I wanted his decorative "robes" to be evocative of the time he depicted himself as a priest AND of a cape/robe of an emperor. he does think of himself as that bitch, after all.

[unsiriuslydrowninglikereg]

First post and it’s as queer as I am ⭐️🤭

Part 1 of my marauders’ era vamp AU ( 1/3 )

Here’s the context ( literal copy paste from Instagram but who cares ) :

For some reason, purebloods and the overall Slytherin Skittles are now vampires ( don't ask me why, I have no idea ). Pandora is a vamp princess and has been meeting up with Lily in secret ever since the two met in a mysterious hidden garden near Pandora's manor.

Obviously, Pandora and Lily are now very much in love with each other, but, scandal, Lily is already engaged to none other than James. Ngl I wasn't going to make anyone straight here, so James, despite liking Lily as a friend, already has a lover of his own, which just so happenslover of his own, which just so happens to Pandora's best friend, prince vamp Regulus.

But, because of societal pressure and the fear of disappointing their parents, Lily and James just decide to go through with the marriage.

The night right before Lily's wedding, Pandora sends her beloved one last love letter to beg her to stay with her and become a vampire alongside her. Finally, Lily caves in and goes to Pandora's manor and gets bitten.

[pearlofthewoods]

Now for the fun part!!!

I'm of the opinion that if you justify anything well enough, people will get on board. So, if you disagreed with my previous post, fine, but hear me out. I think you might like this one.

So I've been dreaming up a new Marauders non-magical University!AU recently, and it's consumed every facet of my imagination.

But the problem is, I love magic. I love what you can do with it as a story teller. As a metaphor come to life, as a symbol.

I needed something to replace the magic in this world I was concocting. And then I had it.

(tiny detour through the thickets ahead, bear with me now)

I've been a fan of Buffy the Vampire Slayer since I was a little girl. I grew up on that series from the age of 13 and it fundamentally shaped who I am.

And my first ever experience seeing sapphic love in media?

Tara and Willow.

The lesbian witches.

(a pretty beautiful, haunting and devastating intro to queer love I hope you’d agree.)

I fell head over heels in love with the way the show used magic as an allegory for queerness. (I was a pretty romance/fantasy-inclined child so this makes sense).

I didn't care that it was a creative way to avoid censors. I didn't even know.

(and tbh at the age I was, the 'magic = lesbian sex' plot served me quite well cause I was perhaps a little too young to be watching it anyway lol).

Because the way depicting queerness demanded a new level of creativity and fantasy from the show writers made Tara & Willow's relationship so special to me.

It made it feel okay to be queer. Because queerness was magic. Queerness was beautiful.

So I think, in this fic I'm going to do the reverse.

In this non-magical!AU... queerness is going to be my allegory for magic.

And since I'm only using characters who are canonically witches and wizards....

...EVERYONE is going to be queer.

(I'm gonna have sapphic!jily (with gender-bent James), gay!wolfstar, transfem&lesbian!Marlene, bi!Mary and the list goes on. )

Because to me, magic is queerness after all.

So... (i begin, side-eyeing all my other unfinished projects)...

I've been seeing a gradual incline recently in the number of posts int the marauders fandom about how 'not everyone needs to be gay' or 'it's unrealistic that everyone would be gay' etc.

(putting aside the fact that birds of a feather flock together and my whole school friend group turned out to be gay, though none of us knew at the time lol)

Frequently the justification for this seems be that the prevalence of so many gay ships in fandom (particularly mlm) push canon female love interests to the sidelines and contribute to a general culture of misogyny in the fandom.

And while I follow where this line of reasoning arises from, I think we're laying the blame at the feet of the wrong people here.

Because there's no getting around it. Even in the good year of our lord 2025, the vast majority of media still depicts and privileges straight relationships.

(And even if there was a big shift to feature more queer couples recently, we mustn't forget that many large fandoms are actually quite old and still wouldn't represent that shift even if there was one.)

So in the vast majority of cases, if queer people want any representation at all, we have to break away from canon. And yes, in many cases that means breaking up or flat out ignoring canonical straight ships.

And by necessity in such cases, one of the characters in the original ship may have to be sidelined, even sometimes a female character. (unless you gender-bend of course, something we'll get on to later).

It's not queer shippers that are causing this problem, it's the lack of queer representation in original media.

Because we have to break canon and remould it in our own image just to see ourselves represented at all.

And unfortunately... your fave character may get caught up in that.

And that's okay, not every fic will be for you, or be your cup of tea.

This may be a hot take, but I personally don't think the issue of (fictional) canon love interests being sidelined is more important than real queer people being able to see themselves represented.

Particularly when fandom may be the one of the only places queer people do see ourselves represented.

And that's not to say we can't have discussions about how we write and represent female characters in this fandom. We absolutely should.

But fictional characters cannot experience oppression, including misogyny. Because they are fictional.

So at the end of the day, I will always prioritise real-life queer people's ability to represent themselves in this space over the 'side-lining' of fictional characters.

The canonical straight love-interests already have canon. Queer people often do not.

Let queer people have fanfiction. Let us imagine a world where we were always the main love-interests. Where we are represented. Where the story was always about us.

Let us dream.

Let us dream without worrying about whether.... by making ourselves a space here... we're excluding your favourite fictional character or not.

[queereads-bracket]

Queer Fiction Free-for-All Book Bracket Tournament: Round 1A

Book summaries below:

Memoirs of Hadrian by Marguerite Yourcenar

Both an exploration of character and a reflection on the meaning of history, Memoirs of Hadrian has received international acclaim since its first publication in France in 1951. In it, Marguerite Yourcenar reimagines the Emperor Hadrian's arduous boyhood, his triumphs and reversals, and finally, as emperor, his gradual reordering of a war-torn world, writing with the imaginative insight of a great writer of the twentieth century while crafting a prose style as elegant and precise as those of the Latin stylists of Hadrian's own era.

Historical fiction, retelling, classics, philosophical novel, epistolary, Ancient Rome, adult

A Taste of Gold and Iron by Alexandra Rowland

Kadou, the shy prince of Arasht, finds himself at odds with one of the most powerful ambassadors at court—the body-father of the queen's new child—in an altercation which results in his humiliation.

To prove his loyalty to the queen, his sister, Kadou takes responsibility for the investigation of a break-in at one of their guilds, with the help of his newly appointed bodyguard, the coldly handsome Evemer, who seems to tolerate him at best. In Arasht, where princes can touch-taste precious metals with their fingers and myth runs side by side with history, counterfeiting is heresy, and the conspiracy they discover could cripple the kingdom’s financial standing and bring about its ruin.

Romance, fantasy, romantasy, secondary world, queernorm, adult

[weirdcat1213]

and now, a somewhat personal rambling about hua cheng and the cave of ten thousand gods

spoilers but not beyond arc 4 since im reading that rn

so ive seen some people call hua change a red flag and toxic after the scene and first of all

>:[

and second of all, yall missing really key context...and the point tbh

so if we go to the very beginning we have a child who has been pretty much abandoned and abused for...reasons probably (the really bad luck he had and something else probably). the entire world has been bullying this kid and then he quite literally meets god even before he becomes god

this prince showers him in love and care and of course he swore loyalty to said prince. he experienced his kindness first hand. years later his prince has become a god, only solidifying his thoughts towards him. his prince is so pure and kind and strong that he went to heaven to help others. but heres the fun part: he is still the same abused kid he was when they first met. now that his prince is not "in the same world" he finds comfort in being a devotee forever. plus of course his prince deserves it!

then we get the soldier era and now hua cheng is even more blown away by his prince. he was a god who came back to earth for the sake of others! the prince did quite literally everything in his power to help out and even if it was for nothing, it only showed even more of his character! and no matter the occasion he always protected hua cheng.

all of this is for this point: hua cheng is not a stalker by any means (following the modern definition or not). hua cheng didnt sculpt a shit ton of statues because he saw xie lian once and fell in love. he built those out dedication, out of devotion, he built them to cope and to remember his goal: to protect the one who had protected him many years ago when no one would.

and you can see in the murals and the fight with mu qing that he has internalized the hate he received. he is now a fucking ghost king but in his mind he will always be that cursed kid who for some reason got lucky enough to meet xie lian and his kindness. a stalker is someone who thinks theyre entitled to own/possess another person but hua cheng doesnt think that about himself at all. he literally says mu qing is right when he calls hua cheng disgusting.

now that we have reached the self hate its time for the 2nd part of this thing: the self loading and queerness

some people found the scene funny but i honestly was filled with anxiety and really felt bad for hua cheng. the cave was his safe space he had to use to protect xie lian and thanks to people who (funny enough tbh) actively antagonized him in the past....oof it felt rough

feng xin and mu qing start shaming his devotion, his writing, his paintings and thank god xie lian doesnt listen to them but then they go further. they start calling hua cheng a monster who desires the purity of the crown prince, a weirdo who is obsessed, they accuse him of wanting to curse xie lian and do him harm.

and guess what? this isnt the first time his love gets mocked like this. it happened before in the land of teder when the flower people made fun of him. ive mentioned this before but the summary: of course xie lian was his gay awakening but the flower people mocked his feelings, called him weird for wishing something he would never get, etc.

both situations are pretty similar except that in the cave, xie lian is actually there! forming opinions! maybe getting freaked out by everything! and when i tell you i wanted to tear down every wall in that cave and in my house because the panic/anxiety hua cheng must have felt is immeasurable. he already thinks so lowly of himself, imagine if *his god* calls him a weirdo or becomes afraid of him. tbh it brought back feelings i have felt and still sometimes deal with myself. people looking at your love and devotion and distorting it into a fetish/something disgusting? fuck that hurtss

and yes, maybe mu qing and feng xin had a reasonable reaction but they forgot 2 things: 1) how forgotten and insulted xie lian has been for centuries now. of course xie lian doesnt mind any of this because (in his eyes) he hasnt received this amount of love since his youth. and all of it coming from his close friend/crush? he is only slow to react because it happened so long ago. fuck he is surprised someone cares about him after so long. like someone on tumblr said, theyre matching each others freaks/ need for love and self reassurance.

2) they are literally forgetting the many MANY times hua cheng has helped xie lian and treated him with respect. they have seen hua cheng help out while pretty much trying to keep a respectable distance from xie lian AND YET they have the audacity to call him a sicko? nope, not allowed in my house

so i quite literally dont see why this is a red flag/disgusting from hua chengs part. it may be "too much" but it has been so established by now that this man's love goes above and beyond, its an adequate response to his context in the story, its well received by the other party ALSO BECAUSE of his own context in the story and because the relationship they have had so far is of trust and deep care for each other.

[slightlyfeverish]

it's giving first blog after lurking for years

hi <3 you all can call me keylime or key (any pronouns), and after lurking for genuine years on some of y'alls incredible pages i am finally biting the bullet and making a blog-- the rp urge was too strong with all your amazing ocs so here i am! i'm a queer genderfluid writer (rper for 8+ years) and write pretty much anything and everything resus/medfet/cardio/whatever! some of my favs include: - medical facility (lab, hospital, mad scientist, checkup, u name it) - ROYAL <333 (talk about a sickly prince.. a poisoned prince.. a war-injured prince... get out of town) - fantasy style (faerie, dragons, SIRENS, etc etc etc) - all-american gay boy (wdym we're on opposing soccer teams and you stayed back and caught me when i collapsed on the pitch...) - victorian era medicine (like ok yes bleed me doctor. i'm sure that will help my illness and not send me into shock at all.) - and more! i primarily enjoy writing mlm, but i am not opposed at all to switching that up! pitch me your best ideas i love reading them. i do have a few existing characters, but one of my favorite things is character creation! i love to work on stories together so always feel free to reach out with a concept :-)

love u see u soon <3

[dxrkxess]

.｡.:* ☆ intro post! ☆.｡.:*

«--- i hope that this helps in knowing me a bit more!! ---»

☆.｡.:* about me ☆.｡.:*

«--- hey hey! my name is shela -- i'm 22 years old (bday is 9/27 ♎) -- black + native american -- pronouns are she/they, though i don't really care for gender labels, i just exist lmao -- i'm bisexual + demiromantic, also single (painfully) -- also a person of faith, but my queerness and faith walk hand in hand with each other ---»

«--- i'm an avid fanfiction writer & reader (never a day w/o ao3) -- semi-retired video editor of 8+ years -- photo editor (sometimes) -- playlist maker -- binge watcher of mostly pro wrestling & other media (will be listed below) ---»

«--- i do have undiagnosed adhd, and possibly autism -- i love talking and rambling if you let me, most often through voice messages and discord calls (sorry not sorry) -- also absolutely love cats! rip in cat heaven to my cat kitty 💔 (10/7/24) ---»

☆.｡.:* interests .｡.:*☆

«--- pro wrestling (as it is the main interest here) -- wwe fan from july 2012 - april 2025; full time aew fan since april 2025 (locked in properly this year!) -- my faves (from both) are: 'hangman' adam page, swerve strickland, will ospreay, kyle fletcher, toni storm, mercedes moné, willow nightingale, seth rollins, drew mcintyre, tony d'angelo, ricky saints, tatum paxley, lyra valkyria, johnny gargano (nxt era), tommaso ciampa (nxt era) ---»

«--- tv shows / web series / animes / movies -- interview with the vampire (iwtv), gotham, supernatural (spn), dead boy detectives (dbd), 9-1-1 (well... it's complicated. iykyk.), it's always sunny in philadelphia (iasip), conclave (2024), wicked (2024), sonic the hedgehog (movies), sonic prime, knives out (movies), mcu (specifically deadpool & loki), arcane, jojo's bizarre adventure, 91 days, jujutsu kaisen, blue exorcist, don't hug me i'm scared, sanders sides (and more) ---»

«--- games -- cookie run: kingdom, mortal kombat, undertale, undertale yellow, deltarune (GO CHECK OUT CHAPTERS 3 + 4 NOW), hades, persona 5, ace attorney (wrightworth canon.), geometry dash, the sims, castlevania, sonic the hedgehog, detroit: become human (and more) ---»

«--- music / artists / osts -- note: i do listen to a lot of things, these are just some my faves! -- hamilton (i have a poster, the physical cds, AND can remember the whole soundtrack from start to finish.), will wood, mitski, jack stauber, prince, the neighbourhood, kendrick lamar, david kushner, toby fox (undertale/deltarune osts), capcom (castlevania/ace attorney osts), sega (sonic the hedgehog osts) ---»

«--- separate section for: wrestling themes!! -- black hat ('hangman' adam page), elevated (will ospreay), big pressure (swerve strickland), ceo (mercedes moné), diamonds up (kyle fletcher), into the rico-verse (ricochet), strictly business (tony d'angelo), no one will survive (tommaso ciampa) -- i have more but that's just a taste haha ---»

☆.｡.:* other things of note .｡.:*☆

«--- please dni/unfollow if you are: racist, sexist, homophobic, transphobic, misogynistic, a pedophile, etc. YOU ARE NOT WELCOME IN THIS SPACE. ---»

«--- i liveblog aew mostly, but please feel free to use the ask box or dm if you want my thoughts on stuff going on, or even anything else! ---»

«--- all of my socials: twitter -- ao3 -- spotify (for ship playlists) -- picmix -- dropkickd -- personal tag for rambles -- song of the day -- youtube (at 291 subs!) -- discord (not linked): draconiamist ---»

«--- s/o to my friends/moots: @punk-o-ween @c-will (she ain't been on here for years but she's one of my besties) @orangepunched @bestboutmachines @pinkwillow @peachyomega @priyalively @thisbarbieisdefyinggravity @peppsta @glitterkairi @lghockey @st4rry4pples ---»

[aerinmoriarty]

Me: ok brain, let's relax and be normal for a bit...

My Brain: in the context of Eras being about the Love Affair between Miss Americana (fans) & the Heartbreak Prince (Taylor), Cruel Summer's line "I don't wanna keep secrets just to keep you," is a poignant plea to Taylors fans to not leave when she reveals her true queer self...

Me: GODDAMNIT, I said RELAX and be NORMAL, not "let's start writing a new video essay" 😭

Why am I like this?

[romchat]

Old QL Game

Rules: Think about the oldest QLs you've ever watched. They have to have been released prior to 2020. Now name 5 - 10 iconic scenes that you cannot forget.

Tagged by the lovely @thisonelikesaliens. I haven’t been watching QLs as long as queer films so most of these I didn't watch live. I will say though I miss the angst and twistedness of that era.

1. Life is Beautiful (2010)

Technically not a QL because the show was a family drama but their romance was one of the main storylines so I'm including it. Using this gif to represent all of Lee Sang-woo's iconic deep V-necks.

2. Addicted (2016)

I mean this scene got LGBTQ+ content officially banned in China so if that isn't iconic I don't know what is.

3. Advance Bravely (2017)

Mind you this came out after the ban.

4. Guardian (2018)

And so did this.

5. Ossan's Love (2018)

"I know you love big breasts, but how about a big dick?”

The cackle of delight that came out of me when I first heard this shower confession. Peak romance.

6. The Novelist (2018) / 7. Mood Indigo (2019)

Now, I love me some Izuka Kenta, but as someone who salivates over mutually toxic relationships, I might be one of the rare few who prefers Mood Indigo over The Novelist. Takezai Terunosuke and Yoshida Munehiro just had too good chemistry.

8. What Did You Eat Yesterday? (2019)

As a lazy bisexual, "are you half-assing the homosexual lifestyle?" is something I ask myself everyday.

9. The Untamed (2019)

This show has too many iconic moments to count. "I want to bring someone back to Gusu with me. Bring them back and hide them away" and "You were right. Walking a single log bridge until dark isn’t so bad" practically made me have a meltdown. But this line? This line permanently altered my brain chemistry.

Thanks, Cdramas, for making me think stabbing is a perfectly sane love language.

10. Bonus: Coffe Prince (2006)

"Just this once. I'm going to say this just this once so listen carefully...I like you. I don't care whether you're a man or an alien anymore. It's too damn hard to get over you so let's just go through with this."

They just don't write Kdramas the way they used to 😭

____________

No pressure tagging @wei-ying-kexing-apologist @ginnymoonbeam @fiftysevenacademics and anyone else who'd like to join!

[bluesandfilms]

i’m watching so many bls this season but still there is only ball boy tactics that makes me the most excited. albeit there’s some decent ones airing. but something’s off in almost every one.

knock out is good with the mains chemistry but the supporting cast suffocates me.

the next prince is such a disappointment with their lazy writing (as expected from lazy dmd). i’m only excited about nunew’s outfits and chakri.

revenged love is fun enough but the kisses feels so stiff which is weird because when they don’t kiss the chemistry is fine??? i like the cutie doc though.

reset is so cringe with their 2000 telenovela style and the leads do not have chemistry whatsoever. i know it’s supposed to be in 90s timeline but still. the directing and acting is so overly dramatic. i’m the most excited about the secretary and the manager.

pit babe is so predictable. again with the lazy writing is just a turnoff to me. they should just have stuck to actually going through with the omegaverse. too little alan&jeff. if i wrote the script i would have connected jeff’s enhanced power to him actually being pregnant. that would make the story more exciting.

i became the main role of bl didn’t give me much excitement either. it was even shocking this got a second season. but the mains are still cute. japan needs to go back to personal weatherman era though. suddenly they’re back to stiff pecks— not even kisses. they’re just touching lips and that’s just a turn off.

hishakai shindo only aired 2 episodes but again the chemistry isn’t there (yet) and the story is boring and quite predictable.

sweetheart service is so cringe and the acting is so bad that even though the episodes are short i fast forward most of the time. what happened to strongberry production? they used to actually give us good stories with decent actors when they had more limited funds…

suntiny started okay but it doesn’t excite me and i might even put it on hold to binge it later.

season of love in shinmane… i have no idea why i even started this. i have no idea what’s even happening in this series…

my stubborn. my gosh it must be the most frustrating because i dropped it twice only to pick it up again because everyone hypes it that much i got fomo. might drop it again because sorn is just insufferable and the second couple… even my bed and i have more chemistry than those two.

i think i haven’t had this many bls in my watch list at the same time before. but this isn’t something that excites me as i thought because i feel like the scripts are getting more and more crappy lately. good actors and a director cannot save any series. i feel like they need to invest more on script writers and some chemistry workshops. i want to support most queer content but lately it just feels like a chore and i just don’t wanna experience fomo hahasdfghjkşㅋㅋㅋ

i’m so sad to part with my ball boys. it’s been such a great yet short journey. everything is great. the actors, the fast paced story, the supporting cast is just as delightful as the mains. the director and cinematography is good too. i need oak production to continue to do more bls. even though heart stain wasn’t great but i’m hopeful about this production. they have announced two more bls after ball boys 😁

[blackcatsandlockets]

I ranked the Marauders era characters

Regulus Black

Aquarius. Autistic. French. INTJ. Queer. The real Slytherin prince. Definitely, and undoubtedly, the best Black family member and best Marauders era character.

2. Narcissa Black

I used to just see her as Lucius Malfoy's enabling wife and preferred her second-older sister, but I started liking Narcissa more since I recently started getting into nobleflower and realizing how similar she is to me/Regulus. She's also blonde and gives off black swan vibes.

3. James Potter

Mexican. My favorite Marauder from day one. The Marauders' sun and everyday Ladybug. If my future husband isn't like James, then I don't want him.

4. Sirius Black

Gorgeous. Scorpio. Loved James more than anything. The brightest star.

5. Barty Crouch Jr.

His backstory gives off Félix Fathom and I love him for it. Also - his fancasts are all so gorgeous.

6. Pandora Rosier

I ranked Pandora higher than Evan only because it's almost half-canon in the Marauders fandom that the spell that caused her death was to bring back Regulus. Also, she gives off Alice in Wonderland vibes.

7. Evan Rosier

Regulus's friend and the blond Slytherin pretty boy of the Marauders era.

8. Andromeda Black

It's a crime that Andromeda is ranked so low on this list since she's the OG black (no pun intended) sheep in her generation of the Black family. I also think that she spent her Hogwarts years dismantling her family's ideologies and influenced Sirius to be pro-Muggle from a young age.

9. Dorcas Meadowes

INFJ. Mermaid-coded. Lost all of her Slytherin skittle friends (except for Pandora) because three of them became Death Eaters. Lost her girlfriend to the Death Eaters. Faced Voldemort alone because she had nothing to lose. Voldemort himself was terrified of her.

10. Alice Fortescue

Dark brown curls. Gryffindor. Italian. Quidditch player. Had a thing with Narcissa. Shares a name with one of my favorite literary characters.

11. Lily Evans

Anne of Green Gables and Little Women enthusiast. Cabin 6. Cottagecore. Jewish. Jolene-coded. Plus-size. As a Regulus kin, a part of me will always be jealous of Lily but I don't blame James for choosing her over Regulus (after all, who wouldn't?). If it weren't for her the Harry Potter story wouldn't exist.

Btw a friend of mine said I remind her of lilies (the flower) and I was so flattered. Ironically enough said friend was actually a Lily kin herself

12. Ted Tonks

Blond. Hufflepuff. Jewish. Virgo. Perseus-coded. "Let Me Be Your Wings"-coded.

13. Frank Longbottom

German. Gryffindor. He was kind of the Cedric Diggory/Charles Beckendorf of the Marauders era? Anyways if Augusta was always boasting about him then he must've been amazing.

14. Remus Lupin

I can't believe the fan-favorite of the fandom is ranked so low on my list. But he's never appealed to me as a Marauder the same way that James or Sirius do. I do love his backstory with his father and Fenrir Greyback, however. And I definitely prefer the old sweaters and tea Remus over the new mean Casanova one.

15. Marlene McKinnon

Aries. "Cherry Bomb"-coded. Rockstar girlfriend. Victoria De Angelis-coded.

16. Mary Macdonald

Cabin 10. "Dancing Queen"-coded. Girl's girl. Pink.

17. Bellatrix Black

I don't have as many HCs for Bellatrix as I do with her sisters or cousins. I feel like she was masculinized as a result of being the eldest daughter but also underestimated for being a woman. Very Jupiter-coded.

18. Any other Marauders era character that I might've left out

19. Peter Pettigrew

[androgynemj]

Academic Works on Michael Jackson: A Reading List

Books

General:

Amisu, E. (2017). The Dangerous Philosophies of Michael Jackson : His Music, His Persona, and His Artistic Afterlife. Greenwood.

Cashmore, E. (2022). The Destruction and Creation of Michael Jackson. Bloomsbury.

Race, Racial Politics, and Blackness:

Pinder, S. O. (2021). Michael Jackson and the Quandary of a Black Identity. State University of New York Press.

Manning, H. J. (2016). Michael Jackson and the Blackface Mask. Routledge.

Anthropology:

Ostaszewska, A. (2021). Michael Jackson as a Mythological Hero. Wydawnictwa Uniwersytetu Warszawskiego.

Articles/Essays

Gender and Queerness:

Izod, J. (1995). Androgyny and Stardom: Cultural Meanings of Michael Jackson. The San Francisco Jung Institute Library Journal, 14(3), 63–74.

Vogel, J. (2018). Freaks in the Reagan Era: Androgyny and the American Ideal of Manhood. In James Baldwin and the 1980s: Witnessing the Reagan Era (pp. 49–68). University of Illinois Press.

Fast, S. (2010). Difference that Exceeded Understanding: Remembering Michael Jackson (1958–2009). Popular Music & Society, 33(2), 259–266.

Fast, S. (2012). Michael Jackson’s Queer Musical Belongings. Popular Music and Society, 35(2), 281–300.

Manning, H. J. (2016). The Burden of Ambiguity. In Michael Jackson and the Blackface Mask (pp. 137-165). Routledge.

Bruhm, S. (2009). Michael Jackson’s Queer Funk. In W. Hughes & A. Smith (Ed.), Queering the Gothic (pp. 158-176). Manchester: Manchester University Press.

Race, Racial Politics, and Blackness:

Amisu, E. (2017). Recontextualizing Michael Jackson’s Blackness. In The Dangerous Philosophies of Michael Jackson : His Music, His Persona, and His Artistic Afterlife (pp. 87-94). Greenwood.

Pinder, S. O. (2021). Michael Jackson and Racial Identification. In Michael Jackson and the Quandary of a Black Identity (pp. 63-89). State University of New York Press.

Pochmara, A. & Wierzchowska, J. (2017). Nobody Knows My Name: The Masquerade of Mourning in the Early 1980s Artistic Productions of Michael Jackson and Prince. Open Cultural Studies, 1(1), 628-645.

Wallace, M. (1989). Michael Jackson, Black Modernisms, and ‘The Ecstasy of Communication’. Third Text, 3(7), 11–22.

Cultural Criticism:

Silberman, S. C. (2007). Presenting Michael Jackson™. Social Semiotics, 17(4), 417–440.

Juan, D. D. (1996). The Celebrity Freak: Michael Jackson's ‘Grotesque Glory’. In Thomson, R.G. (Ed.), Freakery: Cultural Spectacles of the Extraordinary Body (pp. 368-384). New York University Press.

Kooijman, J. (2013). We Are the World: America’s Dominance in Global Pop Culture. In Fabricating the Absolute Fake: America in Contemporary Pop Culture - Revised Edition (pp. 23–42). Amsterdam University Press.

Musicology:

Stegner-Petitjean, I. (2011). ‘The Voice in the Mirror’: Michael Jackson: From a Vocal Identity to its Double in Sound. Volume!, 8(2), 222-253.

Amisu, E. (2017). “Instrument of Nature”: The Voice of Michael Jackson. In The Dangerous Philosophies of Michael Jackson : His Music, His Persona, and His Artistic Afterlife (pp. 59-65). Greenwood.

Roberts, M. (2011). Michael Jackson’s Kingdom: Music, Race, and the Sound of the Mainstream. Journal of Popular Music Studies, 23(1), 19-39.

Amisu, E. (2017). Narrative in Michael Jackson’s ‘Bad’. In The Dangerous Philosophies of Michael Jackson : His Music, His Persona, and His Artistic Afterlife (pp. 31-39). Greenwood.

Performance Studies:

Hamera, J. (2012). The Labors of Michael Jackson: Virtuosity, Deindustrialization, and Dancing Work. PMLA/Publications of the Modern Language Association of America, 127(4), 751–765.

Media Studies:

Mercer, K. (1986). Monster Metaphors: Notes on Michael Jackson’s ‘Thriller’. Screen, 27(1), 26-43.