#FREE TANG YI

[madeinchinataiwanhk-blbambeyond]

MCF: MADE IN TAIWAN

CHRIS WU

JAKE HSU

[bl-bam-beyond]

BL- BOYS' LOVE:

Series: HIStory 5: LOVE IN THE FUTURE (2023, TAIWAN)

Hai Yi (LINUS WANG) steps up to the plate, confessing his love for Johnny (SEAN CHANG)

and then the kiss...

[respectthepetty]

hi! i just have to get something off my chest before i inevitably combust and perish! when kiseki was airing i saw you posting about tang yi from history 3 trapped still being stuck in jail (i never watched it) and got curious. so as any sensible person i went on a searching adventure through tumblr tags and figured out the show has open/ambiguous ending. "what's all the fuss about??" i wondered to myself. "i for one love well executed open endings!"

well let me tell you im eating my words now!! im sitting here looking at the shot of tang yi's back and the words THE END before me,sobbing and chanting LET MY BOY TANG YI OUT OF JAIL!!! HE DID NOTHING WRONG!!

all in all you were right and I'll never question your opinions again 🙏🏻 (also loved this show and all the couples so much i might actually pass away)

@buddhamethods, no no no. Question my opinions. I'm unhinged. I need to be humbled sometimes. Especially when it comes to Taiwanese BLs. I'm not reasonable about them.

Many people were fine with the ending of HIStory 3: Trapped but as a lover of "Be Gay, Do Crime," I wanted my boy to continue to Be Gay and Do Crime. Getting locked up was not on my BINGO card, mostly because he had already suffered enough.

It was BS!

His mom died. His adopted dad was awful. His mentor died. His biological dad died. His sister got a happy ending, but my boy . . .

Why did my man have to go to prison?! WHY?! I'm sure as a BL in 2019 (April-June 2019) airing during the time marriage equality was legalized in Taiwan (May 2019), BL Land thought it would be smart to show the masses that the trouble-making queers could be redeemed, but . . .

I WANT MY BADDIE BACK!

He did nothing wrong! NOTHING!

FREE TANG YI RIGHT NOW, TAIWAN!

Either Kiseki: Dear to Me 2 or HIStory 18: Freed is gonna deliver my man to me.

or else

[kissablelips-desireslure-vol1]

HIStory 3: TRAPPED (2019)

JAKE HSU (as Shao Fei) &

CHRIS WU (as Tang Yi)

with appearance by:

KENNY CHEN (as Li An)

[battyaboutbooksreviews]

🌈 Queer Books Coming Out in December 2024 🌈

Find these books and more here.

🌈 Good afternoon, my bookish bats! Here are a FEW of the stunning, diverse queer books you can add to your TBR before the year is over. Happy reading!

❓What was the last queer book you read?

[ Release dates may have changed. ]

❤️ Sugar-Coated Kisses - Echo Lark 🧡 Christmas at Watson Memorial - Clara Ann Simons 💛 Warm-Blooded - J Greene 💚 It Takes Three To Tango - Jem Wendel 💙 The Black Curse - N.A. Moore 💜 Heavenly Tyrant - Xiran Jay Zhao ❤️ Encrypted Hearts - E.V. Bancroft 🧡 Dangerous Devotion - Robin Jo Margaret 💛 Sew in Love - Rhea Fox 💙 Saint - Chani Lynn Feener 💜 Her Ladyship's Christmas Companion - Theresa Meiningen 🌈 A Sky of Emerald Stars - A.K. Mulford

❤️ Inked in Blood and Memory - Allison Ivy 🧡 The Key - Jo Morgan Sloan 💛 Home Between Homes - Flynn Woods 💚 A Kiss for the Holidays - C.S. Autumn 💙 Loving the Linebacker - Amaya Knight 💜 Close to Home - Allisa Bahney ❤️ Christmas Shelter - Eva Gonzay & Julia C. Brown 🧡 This Isn't Everything You Are - J. Marie Rundquist 💛 Keep It in the Dark - Justin Arnold 💙 Santa & His Elf - Bink Cummings 💜 On the Subject of Kittens and Mittens - Katie Silverwings 🌈 Winter's Whisper - M Bonneau

❤️ Boyfriends - refrainbow 🧡 Innis Harbor - Patricia Evans 💛 A Complementary Connection - Eskay Kabba 💚 Point of Sighs - Melissa Scott ���� Bind You by Blood - Shepard DiStasio 💜 The Resurrectionist - A. Rae Dunlap ❤️ Fractured Dreamer - A.K. Adler 🧡 The Husky and His White Cat Shizun - Rou Bao Bu Chi Rou 💛 Becoming Disabled - Jan Doolittle Wilson 💙 A Caress of Water - Nico Silver 💜 How to Survive As a Villain 1 - Yi Yi Yi Yi 🌈 The Silent Concubine - Qiang Tang

❤️ Hadrian - Harlowe Savage 🧡 A Series of Rooms - A.J. Barlowe 💛 Inklings of Invisibility - S.L. Dove Cooper 💚 The Cobbler and His Elves - C.B. Wren 💙 A Nightclub for the Holidays - Arden Coutts 💜 Armor of Dusk - Jess Galaxie ❤️ Twisted Shadows - Allie Therin 🧡 A Deception of Courts - Ben Alderson 💛 Trial Run - Carsen Taite 💙 How to Flirt with a Witch - Tiana Warner 💜 Roughed Up - Kate Hawthorne 🌈 House of Crimson Curses - Ruby Roe

❤️ Sister Snake - Amanda Lee Koe 🧡 Roland Rogers Isn't Dead Yet - Samantha Allen 💛 The Rivals - Jane Pek 💚 Private Rites - Julia Armfield 💙 The Christmas Switch - Briar Prescott 💜 Ribbonwood - Ruby Landers ❤️ Shifting Lanes - Joanne Kwan 🧡 Twice-Spent Comet - Ziggy Schutz 💛 A Crush for the Holidays - E.L. Ough 💙 Resist - Lasairiona Lewis 💜 Free from Falling - E.L. Massey 🌈 The Legendary Master's Wife - Yin Ya

❤️ Tide Breaker's Curse - Ivy H. Marikova 🧡 Twist Her - Terri Ronald 💛 How to Fuck Like a Girl - Vera Blossom 💚 Dog Days of Christmas - Krystal Wolfgang & Kimberly Wolfgang 💙 Warmer, Colder - Alexia Onyx 💜 Salt in the Wind - Jenna Pine ❤️ What We Carry With Us - Joseff McKenneth Goodwin 🧡 Reinvention - Karol Yan 💛 Christmas Carols - Maxime Jaz 💙 I'm Not Your Pet - Fae Quin 💜 Something Extraordinary - Alexis Hall 🌈 I Might Be in Trouble - Daniel Aleman

❤️ Deck the Palms - Annabeth Albert 🧡 Don't Get It Twisted - Wren Taylor 💛 Ice & Sweet - Charlie Novak 💚 Speak EZ - Elle E. Ire 💙 The Disabled Tyrant's Beloved Pet Fish - Xue Shan Fei Hu 💜 Horns For Hell - Rafael Nicolás ❤️ Flamboyant Fictions - Ian Fleishman 🧡 Where the Heart Is - Jenni Simonis 💛 Sorry I Kissed Your Dad - Achilles King 💙 Merry Weihnachten - E.J. Noyes 💜 An Alpha for the Holidays - Emily Axon 🌈 The Blessed - Anne Shade

❤️ Our Sinful Love - Amy H. 🧡 Gambler's Conceit - Adara Wolf & R. Phoenix 💛 Fate and Flambe - Leena Metcalfe 💚 Figure You Out - Hannah Danielle & K.F. Starfell 💙 Amaranthine - Aricka Alexander 💜 Twisted Loyalties - Barbara J. Webb ❤️ Echoes of Us - Alex Cross 🧡 The Shadowbearer's Curse - Jasmyn Morning 💛 Too Many Beds - Various 💙 We Are the Beasts - Gigi Griffis 💜 Unspoken - N.N. Britt 🌈 Rainbows After Storms - Luka Kobachi

❤️ The Shutouts - Gabrielle Korn 🧡 Robin's Worlds - Rainie Oet & Mathias Ball 💛 What the Woods Took - Courtney Gould 💚 Rescue Me - N. Slater 💙 Seb & Ailin - Michele Notaro 💜 The International Love Story - Jonas Noelting ❤️ Waterlogged - Nance Sparks 🧡 The Guardians - Sheri Lewis Wohl 💛 The Changeling's Faerie Prince - K.D. Ellis 💙 Until at Dawn We Wake - Charlotte Dalwood 💜 How to Get a Life in Ten Dates - Jenny L. Howe 🌈 Hammajang Luck - Makana Yamamoto

❤️ The Rules of Royalty - Cale Dietrich 🧡 Tired of Waiting for Tomorrow - Allison K. Garcia 💛 One Last Run - Bryce Oakley 💚 Reckless Hearts - Jax Calder 💙 Christmissed - Blythe H. Warren 💜 How Could You - Ren Strapp ❤️ Blackened - Tyler Briggs 🧡 Gratification in Gluttony - Nik Knight 💛 The Mogul Meets Her Match - Julia Underwood 💙 How to Be Heard - Roxane Gay 💜 The Case of the Missing Maid - Rob Osler 🌈 Shades of Us - D.L. Sims

[quitealotofsodapop]

Mei is both proud and very unhappy with the grounding. True, she didn't know her little buddy was actually Sun Wukong's son until about ten minutes ago, but her parents got to meet her little brother figure, and they think he's adorable! Wukogn makes sure to warn them of potential baby layers, tho, new powers and all. Luckily, that's not something new to the Ao Long household considering how Mei holds a certain Ring.

That conversation has to be one of the msot awkward Wukong has ever had up to that point tho, calling up Ao Lie's great granddaughter to tell her that her daughter, whom she hadn't even realized knew him, had gotten his son, who nobody even knows he has, into a bit of trouble and now DBK is free and all the parents to the kids involved in freeing him are coming together for a tea party to figure out, essentially, what's next.

Wukong, astral projecting: Hello, yes, Mrs. Long? Lovely to speak face to face, I knew your grandfather you know, but that's not why I'm calling. Um, so it's about your daughter.

Yi Li: What!?

Wukong, getting nervous: Uh... yeah, see, she and my kid have gotten pretty close. Mr. Tang is his tutor, you see, and they tend to have their lessons at the Noodle Shop she works at. Well, I let Mei take my little Xiaotian out with her for some of her delivery runs aaaand... next thing I know, the Demon Bull King is free.

Ye Li, already suspecting: Oh no... dont tell me, it was her!?

Wukong: From what I understand of the events, she was pretty involved and stuff... so do you mind coming over for some tea with me and the Demon Bull Family so we can kinda... figure out our next steps? They've called a bit of a truce for now after meeting my kid.

Ye Li: Of course! Just give us a few minutes to clear our schedule and we'll be right over... oh and please tell my daughter she's grounded.

Wukong: Alright then! See you there! *turns to unseen person as he begins to fade out* Hey Mei your mom says-

prev post. @soniclozdplove;

+an earlier ask;

Ao Yi and Long Cháo have long accepted that their baby girl is a lot more... firey than a normal water dragon pup. But they never believed in locking her up or forcing her to suppress her boundless energy.

So when Mei came to them wanting to get a part-time job as a delivery job so she could have "real life" experience, they were fully supportive.

They think it's really cute how she's bonded with her boss and some of the regulars. Mei especially mentions a little demon monkey named MK who's obsessed with the Monkey King, and is about to become a big brother. The Ao-Long's only met MK and "Mr Qi" once when they decided to visit Mei at her work. The little boy was so excited about going to school and becoming a big brother - even though "she's taking a long time." Mr Qi just laughed and explained that he was a little overdue. The dragon couple thought the two were an adorable parent and child, but Ao Yi swears she recognises Mr Qi from somewhere...

Wukong, astral projecting in: "Heeeeyyyy Mrs Long." Ao Yi: "Sun Wukong? Why, I haven't seen you since I was a pup. What brings you here today?" Wukong, stalling a bit: "Well it's about Mei- she's not in trouble don't worry! Well maybe a little in trouble... she was doing a delivery when she and her little stowaway came across my Staff and DBK's resting site. Iron Fan and Red Son included." Ao Yi, going pale: "She didn't." Wukong: "She didn't - but Red Son did. And then MK managed steal it off of him. Mei grabbed him and bolted before any fighting could happen but they got chased." Ao Yi, frustrated and worried: "Oh sweet- Cháo! Our daughter somehow helped release an ancient demon king!" Long Cháo, running in: "Is she ok!?" Wukong: "Oh yeah she's fine. Nobody got hurt. DBK was a lot more forgiving once he properly met MK-" Long Cháo, piecing together the lore: "Wait isn't that the same MK who gets tutored by Mr Tang? Isn't Mr Qi... pregnant?" Ao Yi, raises brow at Wukong: "Yes. Yes he is." Wukong, laughing nervously: "HAHA! Yeah! Surprise! I uh... have a kid and one on the way. Long story." Ao Yi: "Great-Grandfather did say you had an Egg with you throughout the Journey. I had assumed he was rambling, but this explains so much..." Wukong: "Yeah, I've been keeping it a secret for a long time. Ao Lie was always so protective of me... Anyway, my dao isn't so great right now so I need to wrap this call up. You guys wanna meet up or something to talk about this in-person? I just want my Xiaotian to know some folks connected to the "old gang" now that his powers are developing. Plus DBK needs a lot of history filled in for him." (*the dragon couple share a look and smile*) Ao Yi: "I see no issue in having a few lunch meetings. It's not every day I get to talk about Great-Grandfather's journey." Long Cháo: "Xiaojiao is grounded though, right?" Ao Yi: "Without a doubt."

The familys (+occassionally Tang, Pigsy, and Sandy) start meeting up for brunch afterwards. Ao Yi and PIF are glamourous girl besties the second they meet, and their husbands bond over their difficulties in courting them. Wukong is glad to have people to hang out with outside of FFM, and to rebuild the relationship with his brother and sister-in-law.

Mei house sits the day the parents are all out for dinner. Red Son is still trying to take over the city in a misguided effort to make his parents proud, so attempted sword-theft still occurs and Mei's own dragon abilities start erupting. MK yells with joy at his bestie being a fellow "Superhero!". Red Son gets grounded.

[bunnakit]

BEFORE / AFTER COLORING 🌸

thank you so much for the tag @maxescheibechlinichacheli !! i've only been making gifs since september but seeing the before and after coloring is one of my absolute favorite things.

PHAYA & THARN | THE SIGN 🌸 i absolutely love the pink tones in this scene and tried to boost them as much as possible (though for whatever reason it doesn't look quite as nice as the first time i made a set of this scene)

CHEN YI & AI DI | KISEKI: DEAR TO ME 🌸 the purple and orange lighting of chen yi's room is always fun to color and i love the way it creates this almost neon effect on ai di's hair

THARN | THE SIGN 🌸 it took all my willpower not to just keep using scenes from the sign. i wanted to use the garuda scene but set myself a personal challenge not to, and the glow effects in this scene were too much to resist

PISAENG & KAWI | BE MY FAVORITE 🌸 my babies. i miss them so much. i love the pink tones in the background of this scene and the way it makes this loving moment so soft.

JIM & WEN | MOONLIGHT CHICKEN 🌸 we all know im a slut for p'aof. the lighting in moonlight chicken plays such a huge part in setting the mood of the show and this is one of the best scenes to showcase that imo.

PISAENG | BE MY FAVORITE 🌸 debated using this bc of the flashing lights but i love pisaeng and i love that he's awash in all the colors of the rainbow as he struggles with his own identity while watching a gay couple live his dream.

JANG JAEYOUNG | SEMANTIC ERROR 🌸 give. him. the. lip. ring. back. i really just wanted to make a gif for semantic error and originally tried with the alley scene and all the neon but it's such a static scene it didn't work too well, so i went to find some lip ring jaeyoung because we were robbed.

TAN & BUNN | MANNER OF DEATH 🌸 my loves. i wanted to use a scene where i had to do quite a bit of color correction - i used a very minor amount in the moonlight chicken gif but this is such a dark, blue toned scene (as so many scenes in MoD are) so i thought it would showcase it a lot better.

TIN & TOL | TRIAGE 🌸 this is a much more subtle one but i figured it was good to show the whole spectrum. this scene is so soft and comforting, i absolutely love it and there aren't enough triage gifs in the world.

TANG YI | HISTORY 3: TRAPPED 🌸 this made me insane. this gentle, worshipping kiss lives in my head rent free. i just wanted to look at it again, to be honest, and they have such beautiful skin tones. i think the vast majority of my gif making friends have been tagged but in case you havent here's some no pressure tags (i know quite a few of you are dealing with some shit irl) @sparklyeyedhimbo @kinnbig @aikinn @panncakes

[poetry-protest-pornography]

Hi, i hope you'll soon be able to feel a little more peaceful <3

As for the suggestion, Tang Yi/Meng Shao Fei on a quiet morning a few days after Tang Yi's release?

Thank you, darling <3

And thank you for the prompt!

This... got a little away from me, lol. I miss these two. (@thisautistic is it you running a rewatch in january? i think a rewatch is in order)

Anyway! Here's a soft reunion morning for our favorite grumpy cat reformed mafia boss and his golden retriever cop boyfriend!

----

Waking Up, Together Again

Tang Yi wakes up warm for only the fifth time in as many years, and for some reason it hits him all at once: he is free, now. Free, and wrapped up in Shao Fei’s arms, with a pleasant ache and tiredness in his muscles, a lingering buzz of arousal that still manages to catch him by surprise – they’ve done little else since his release than relearn each other’s bodies, alternating between desperate, hungry sex, and slow deliberate love making, it’s almost absurd that he’s even thinking about another round.

But then, Shao Fei stirs behind him, his arms tightening around Tang Yi and pulling him impossibly closer as he nuzzles his face into the back of his neck, a long, content hum and a tease of warm breath making Tang Yi shiver. Shao Fei presses a lazy grin into Tang Yi’s shoulder and then follows it with a long kiss to his shoulder blade. 

“Good morning,” Shao Fei mumbles, trailing kisses lazily where he can easily reach without moving more than an inch away from Tang Yi. 

“Morning,” he replies, wriggling until Shao Fei relaxes his grip enough for Tang Yi to turn in the circle of his arms. He brushes some hair away from Shao Fei’s beloved face, not bothering to restrain his smile at the mess on top of his head, or the pillow creases on his cheek. He wants to wake up to this same face every day for the rest of his life. Tang Yi settles his hand on Shao Fei’s cheek and runs his thumb along his cheek, eyes moving over his features as though he needs to memorize them (not that he could ever forget the curve of his lips, or the slope of his nose, or the length of his eyelashes; five years apart, only seeing each other through glass, and not a single detail forgotten or softened). 

When Shao Fei smiles at him, placing his hand atop Tang Yi’s and turning to kiss his palm, the only thing to do is say “I love you” and lean in to place a mostly-chaste kiss against his mouth, laughing into it when Shao Fei pulls him back in a deepens it.

They part, but stay close, noses almost touching on the pillow they’re now sharing. “So, what do you think about getting out of bed for more than ten minutes today?” Shao Fei asks, and even though a moment ago he had been thinking that they ought to do just that, with his lips still tingling from that kiss, and a whole naked boyfriend right there in his arms, he is suddenly rethinking the idea.

“Hmm,” he hedges, wrapping his arm around Shao Fei’s back and tracing absently at the soft skin under his fingertips. “That depends. What did you have in mind for this excursion?” he teases, walking his fingers over Shao Fei’s hip where the blanket has slipped almost entirely off, a little curious, but mostly hoping to push Shao Fei into making the exasperated face he makes when he finds Tang Yi’s stubbornness endearing against his own will. Shao Fei rolls his eyes ever so slightly, and Tang Yi nearly crows in victory.

“I miss cooking together,” he says quietly, and a startling wave of affection washes over Tang Yi; the times he wished for those moments in his kitchen together in the years they were apart too many to count, and the longing he felt then slams into him all at once, his grip on Shao Fei’s hip suddenly firm, needing to remind himself thi isn’t an elaborate dream. “I thought we could make breakfast.”

The smile Shao Fei shows him now isn’t shy, despite the careful way he’s speaking, and the adoration and assuredness in it warms Tang Yi all the way through, his hand relaxing to slip around Shao Fei’s back once again, nudging him closer still. “Nothing would make me happier today.”

Shao Fei grins and rolls on top of Tang Yi, and it takes them another half hour plus a shower to make it to the kitchen, but neither of them regret it.

----

send me a character or ship and a few words and i'll write you a drabble! help me create my way out of my existential dread induced motivation slump!

[deng-yi-deng]

Cdrama: what I watched 2024

This year I got suuuuper picky and also pretty much stopped watching cdramas. Will this be my last wrap-up post ever? Tune in next year! Normally I keep a running draft review going that I can just post at the end of the year, but this year I forgot - which really signals my waning interest in cdramas generally - so my reviews are kinda vague.

No shade to folks who loved the big popular romance dramas but I completely gave them a pass. As a result, I had a great drama year - nothing under a 4/5 for this viewer!

Best drama this year: Heroes 天行健 (2024). Y'all slept on this one. Watch it now!! Even better than JoL2. Yes, you heard me. Shoutout to @lyxurious for reccing it to me. She has the best taste 💜

Mostly spoiler-free reviews of what I watched in the order I saw them under the cut

Follow Your Heart 颜心讥 4/5 (iQiyi)

(score includes extra credit for LYX bias)

Easy-watching, low-stakes, funny, and sweet. If I'm honest, one of the better plotted dramas that Luo Yunxi has been in. You know him as the beautiful crier, but his rom-com is not to be trifled with. Luo Yunxi is great as Jiang Xin Bai, the face-blind detective, but I was so happy to see Song Yi (Yan Nan Xing) in something where she wasn't playing a helpless girl or demure lady. It's the most enjoyable role I've seen her do apart from RuoRuo in JoL. Her comedy chops are also very solid, and she and Xixi were very cute together. The plot does falter a bit in the last 3/4 and slows down as they focus on the other couples, but then picks up and ends happily. Some great comedy characters - Jiang Xin Bai's mom is hilariously over the top - and fabulous performances by guest actors who play "Yan Nan Xing" when she shape-shifts. Also some good fight scenes! This is one I'd re-watch to de-stress.

Judge Dee's Mystery 大唐狄公案- (4)?/5 (Youku, Netflix)

Overall good, with movie-quality visuals, but I was disappointed by the last two mysteries which were simple and lacked oomf - I think the drama was split into two parts due to the new <40 rule, which would explain the fall off in momentum. As such I'm going to reserve a rating until the second half drops. Some of the individual mysteries - especially the one with Zhang Ruoyun - were fabulous. Acting was great from all the leads - don't believe anyone who tells you Ma Rong was annoying, she was not. The gender swap the writers did for that character totally worked for me. And I absolutely bought Zhou Yiwei as Di Renjie (though tbf I've only seen the Detective Dee movies).

Looking foward to s.2 (or part 2 however you want to count it)

Joy of Life 2 庆余年 4.5/5 (iQiyi)

Lots more people have reviewed or commented on this so I will be brief - I enjoyed the focus on politics and the machinations of the emperor, so this season really worked for me. I also thought Wu Xingjian did a great job as Yan Bing Yun, taking over from XZ. I loved the interactions between Fan Xian and Wang Qinian, adorable. There was one scene where the emperor and Fan Jian were talking/ploting/negotiating and the dialog and acting were so aaagh. so clever. I was kicking my feet and squealing. It is nice when a drama does not assume its audience is stupid. And of course we can't forget the 'power point' Fan Xian and Fan Si Zhe give about treasury bonds. Worst part: Uncle Wu doesn't show up until nearly the end ;_; looking forward to LOTS of Uncle Wu in s.3

Strange Tales of Tang Dynasty 2 To the West 唐朝诡事录·西行 4.5/5 (iQiyi)

Better than season 1 in production quality but particularly in terms of the mysteries themselves. Where s.1 gave us Scooby-gang like "the demon is just a guy in a mask" solutions, the mysteries here have a bit more to them, and plenty of cultural interest as they journey farther into the west, ending up in Dunhuang! Lu Lingfeng and Su Wuming still have unbeatable chemistry, but I feel like LLF got the spotlight a bit more this season. I love them both, but hope my man Wuming doesn't get the short end of the stick again. Let's please not forget who the disciple of Di Renjie and all-around genius is?

S.3 they should head back to Chang'An and maybe??? get back to the original mystery of who is the worst royal in the capital!

Heroes 天行健 5/5 (Tencent, YouTube)

Some of the best and most entertaining storytelling in a cdrama that I've watched. The setting at the very end of the Qing, with the turbulence and uncertainty works perfectly to explore the question of who really is a hero, and for whom. And the fights! There are so many!! sometimes more than one per episode!!!! The characters are well written and well-acted. This drama cements Qin Junjie as one of my favorite actors now (having previously only seen him in Fox Volant). Also one of the few guys who can rock the queue and still be handsome. We follow three groups of characters as they try to find the pieces to a puzzle that will lead them to a treasure. One group is the old guard (royalty, the establishment), one the outsiders of the jianghu, and the third are the rebels - the new China. The stories and character relationships are woven together really well, and the pacing of each episode pushes you forward to the next, always wondering what will happen. I seriously did not think they could keep each episode as interesting as the last but they did - with twists that were surprising, but logical in hindsight. Each 'hero' is trying to find their place in the world and do what they think is best for their people - by following the rules, by breaking them, and by making new rules. It's as much a competition between philosophies as it is between individual groups or individual people. This drama is intelligent, but first of all it's entertaining. It understands exactly what it is and what it's trying to do and is very self-aware. Please please pay special attention to the opening credits because they change...(also kudos to the composer who so ably channeled Enrico Morricone when necessary.)

I Am Nobody 异人之下 4.5/5 (Youku, YouTube)

Though this came out in 2023 I didn't manage to watch it until the end of the summer (2024) and I'm glad I did. Pure fun. Hilarious, great concept and characters, well done all around. It gave me major KO One flashbacks - mostly because of the style of humor and the focus on 'teenagers' - but was completely it's own thing. Great characters with sweet and sometimes heartbreaking backstories. Bao Bao you deserve all the hugs forever 😭.

Highly recommended if you enjoy fun comic book style fights, clever storytelling, and slightly sophomoric humor with lots of heart.

Dramas I dropped:

Not as many this year, since I didn't even try any of the big popular idol dramas. Eternal Brotherhood lost me around the 2/3 mark but I can't explain why! It had a great plot, and I love Yang Xuwen, but maybe I just got distracted? When the second half comes out I'll probably try it again.

Kill Me, Love Me had a spectacularly plot-packed first couple episodes and then they put on the brakes. That kind of uneven pacing, and focus on secondary characters led me to drop around ep 9. Which was sad because I like all the actors and the plot seemed good, but I lost interest.

[negrowhat]

For the Ships Ask: Tang Yi and Shao Fei

HI BEN!

Shao Fei and Tang Yi from History 3: Trapped. They're my favorite Mafia/Cop duo. Shao Fei got Tang Yi to open up in a way he hadn't done so for FOUR YEARS. Helped him remember what it was like to be happy again. With Shao Fei at his side we got to see many sides of Tang Yi that made him such a well rounded character. With Tang Yi, Shao Fei found a home and a family. He found someone to take care of him, someone he wanted to spend his time with. He found a friend and a lover and someone who could share in the pain of his loss. They complemented each other well. I love them and I just wish THEY WOULD FREE MY MAN TANG YI! IT'S BEEN LIKE 5 FUCKING YEARS! LET MY MANS OUT OF PRISON! HE'S PAID HIS DEBT TO SOCIETY! CONJUGAL VISITS AREN'T ENOUGH! HE NEEDS TO BE AT HOME IN HIS MANSION WITH HIS MAN! FREE TANG YI!

[bl-bracket]

Hi do you know any bl dramas with characters like ai di from kiseki, ray from only friends, and black from not me?

ok so I've been thinking about this all day and have come to the realization that I am shit at recommending things lol but I'll try!

Ok so I think while these three may feel somewhat similar, they're actually quite different! But trying to find the lowest common denominators among the three, I think we're looking at characters who are operating outside of the law/doing crimes, not the best at interpersonal relationships, and/or try to do things in their own way.

First thought is HIStory 3: Trapped (2019), just because it is a lot like Kiseki: Dear to Me insofar that it is a Taiwanese BL about gangsters, though the crime aspect takes more of a backseat compared to Kiseki in my opinion since Tang Yi's gang is trying to go legit. You might like Jack from that!

3 Will Be Free (2019) also is tonally similar to me to the shows you mentioned, with a focus on crime and complicated relationships. Ter might be close to what you're looking for!

Manner of Death (2020) I think fits the vibe also. You've got the organized crime side of it, you've got the red flags are sexy side of it, and then there's even the social commentary side of it too. Tan would be your best fit.

I also thought of The Eclipse (2022) just in terms of like the kind of political commentary it's got going on, which if you like Not Me, you might find interesting, but I'm guessing you're probably already familiar with it based on the shows you've mentioned lol

Long Time No See (2017) also came to mind simply because it's about organized crime as well. It's been a bit since I last watched it so I can't quite remember how well the characters fit into the theme you've presented, BUT if you want to watch a crime based bl, then it's there!

Laws of Attraction (2023) might also be a good fit! Charn I feel like, while maybe not being too similar, at least bears resemblance to the characters you've presented

ANYWAYS, if anyone else has any recs, please feel free to mention it! I'm so bad at recs lol it's like I forget every show I've ever heard of before

[bl-bam-beyond]

BL- BOYS' LOVE:

Series: HIStory 5: LOVE IN THE FUTURE (2023, TAIWAN)

A fight of sorts lead Johnny (Sean Chang) and Hai Yi (LINUS WANG) to realize not only their feelings for one another, but also their past connection.

That little boy lost and a handsome bespectacled kind cute stranger that came to the rescue.

[respectthepetty]

........ about our missing boys, thoughts? 😭

@sparklyeyedhimbo, By "boys" I know you mean the HIStory 3: Trapped boys

but I mean MY BROTHER HUSBAND!

He showed up in HIStory 5: Love in the Future, so why couldn't I have him here?! Everyone else got their pair!

In fact, Plus & Minus got TWO pairs! Why couldn't I get a complete HIStory 4 one?

I know I'll never get my faves back.

But Kiseki gave me hope for my brother-husbands at the very least.

I know it seems odd to cry over not getting my other half when we have Trapped right there, but I will forever hold out hope that HIStory 23: Freed is coming. Tang Yi has got to be free now. Shao Fei has got to be off the force too, so we WILL get them again . . . right?

Kiseki gave us so much, so I can't be mad at it for not giving me MORE! My only real consolation is knowing that these men will now carry on the tradition of showing up in other Taiwanese BLs.

And one of those cameos will be on HIStory 23: Freed!

Give it to me right now, Taiwan. RIGHT NOW!

I'm not playing with y'all no more. Both of the actors are still acting. I come from a very capitalist society. If this is about money, I assure you that we can convince them to do all of this again for the right price. It doesn't even need to be a full season. Cutie Pie gave me a "second season" that consisted of four episodes about a wedding and sex, so copy-paste, Taiwan. Show me Tang Yi getting out, helping his sister plan her wedding, then BAM! He is getting married too. Surprise wedding, motherfuckers! Because y'all got that marriage equality, and y'all wanna flex it.

Then Nat and Louis show up as guests, ya feel me?

JUST GIVE IT TO ME!

[thepancakelady]

Let's play a game!

Think about the oldest BLs you have ever watched. They must have been released at least before 2020. Now name 5 to 10 iconic scenes that you can't forget

@brazilian-whalien52 thank you for tagging me!!!

"you're not a movie, you're real" is still the most iconic confession scene to me. nothing compares to it even now

2. the shower scene from ossan's love still lives in my mind rent free, whenever i remember "i know you like big boobs, but won't a big dick work too" i lose it. thank you maki for this iconic quote

3. lou already mentioned the iconic "i'll make you my wife scene" from sotus so i had to think of another one. i really like the scene where arthit is running in the rain. it was an important moment that established to the first years that he was a person willing to take responsibility and that he never gave any punishment he wasn't willing to do himself. i also love the way his friends knew he had to do this so they didn't stop him but they were all waiting for him and encouraging him at the finish line

4. i love the scene where tang yi just kisses shaofei in front of the entire police squad. he was like "i need to tell him i like him too right fucking now and nothing will stop me"

5. i have many issues with pickrome's storyline, especially in puppy honey 2, but i gotta admit pick punching din in the face and saying "and this is for hugging rome" is swoon worthy. rome's little smile as he does this makes it even better

doing just 5 because most of the shows i've watched came after 2020 as i was a bit late to watching bls. i guess there's bl anime which i did watch but i think i would have struggled trying to remember specific scenes

tagging uh not sure who to tag so just do it if you want to

[nadieenabsoluto]

10 BL people I Want Carnally

Okay so I have to do this now I guess. In no specific order:

1. Maya from laws of attraction (the only reason I watched that show)

2. Gumpa, from Not me. He's everything

3. Tul, from my dear gangster oppa.

4. Sand, from only friends

5. Tang Yi from HIStory3: Trapped

6. Vegas from Kinn Porsche (I know, I'm sorry)

7. Mhok from last twilight

8. Neo from 3 will be free (the 3 of them, actually)

9. Khatha from midnight museum

10. Dan from not me